• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.1713-1716
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• 2016

Background: Liver fluke infection is associated with cholangiocarcinoma; the bile duct cancer found frequently in the northeast and north of Thailand. Prevention and control particularly requires health education and behavior change. Objective: This study aimed to improve health behavior among village health volunteers (VHV) regarding liver fluke exposure in an epidemic area. Materials and Methods: A quasi-experimental study was performed during July 2015 to January 2016 in Sang Kha district of Surin province, Thailand. A total of 67 VHVs underwent a health education program (HEP) and data were collected on knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) before and after participation for HEP 3 months with a pre-designed questionnaire. The Students paired T-test was used for comparisons of mean KAP levels before/after the intervention. Results: The results revealed that knowledge (P-value=0.004), attitude (P-value=0.004), and practice level (P-value=0.000) were significantly improved after participation in the HBP. Attitude was significantly associated with knowledge (r=0.266, p<0.05), and practice (r=0.348, p<0.01). Conclusions: The implementation of health education among VHVs is feasible and increases their KAP. This improvement should have potential in liver fluke prevention and control in local communities in rural Thailand.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.142-149
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• 2000

It had been evaluated the recombinant Circumsporozoite(CS) protein of Plasmodium viva in serologic diagnosis of vivax malaria. Western blot was done to analyse the sera of malaria patients according to the days after onset. The sera which have the terms within 15 days were shown 43.8%(14/32) of positive rates and the sera over the 16 days were shown 94.4%(17/18) of positive rates. So the total positive rate was 62%(31/50). It was 22.6%(7/31) which was shown negative response in Western blot, even though they were shown positive response in Immuuofluorescent antibody test(1FAT) using whole blood stage antigens. The positive rate of non-epidemic area(Yechon-gun, Kyongsangbuk-do) was 10.7%(3/28), and epidemic area(Kangwha-gun, Inchon-shi) was 27.6%(13/47) in Western blot analysis using recombinant CS protein. In order to applicate the recombinant CS protein in seroepidemiological survey, blood samples of 422 inhabitants were collected who lived in malaria epidemic areas, Chosm-ri, Majeong-ri, Hyangyang-ri and Noejo-n in Paju-shi, Kyonggi-do. All of them were negative in microscopic examination and two(0.5%) of them were positive in Polymerase Chain Reaction. 42(10.0%) of them were seropositive in FAT using whole blood antigens and 71(16.8%) of them were seropositive in Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using recombinant CS protein. It was figured out the positive rates were much higher according to the distances of villages which were closed to the demilitalized zone(DMZ) in all kind of diagnostic methods, respectively.

• Spatial Information Research
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.13-24
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• 2012

To prevent the damage to human health by climate change, vulnerability assessment should be conducted for establishment of adaptation strategies. In this study, vulnerability assessment was conducted to provide information about vulnerable area for making adaptation policy. vulnerability assessment for human health was divided into three categories; extreme heat, ozone, and epidemic disease. To assess vulnerability, suitable indicators were selected by three criteria; sensitivity, adaptive capacity, and exposure, spatial data of indicators were prepared and processed using GIS technique. As a result, high vulnerability to extreme heat was shown in the low land regions of southern part. And vulnerability to harmful ozone was high in the surrounding area of Dae-gu basin and metropolitan area with a number of automobiles. Vulnerability of malaria and tsutsugamushi disease have a region-specific property. They were high in the vicinity of the Dimilitarized zone and south-western plain, respectively. In general, vulnerability of human health was increased in the future time. Vulnerable area was extended from south to central regions and from plain to low mountainous regions. For assessing vulnerability with high accuracy, it is necessary to prepare more related indicators and consider weight of indicators and use climate prediction data based on the newly released scenario when assessing vulnerability.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.186-190
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• 2003

Kaposi's sarcoma was first descrided by Kaposi in 1872 as an idiopathic multiple hemorrhagic sarcoma. Its clinical features revealed to be erythematous red or purple macule started out, and developing into palpable dome-shaped nodules. Etiology is not defined to detail at present. Kaposi's sarcoma is classified to 4 categories; Classical, African, Epidemic and Transplant type. Epidemic or AIDS categories is found approximately 20 % of all AIDS and has strong predilection for head and neck region. The first case of Kaposi's sarcoma observed in patients with kidney transplants was reported in 1969. Kaposi's sarcoma now accounts for 5% of all tumors associated with transplanted patients and alteration of the immunosuppression may have played a key role in these recipients. The most common site of Kaposi's sarcoma in transplanted patients are extremities but rare in head and neck area. We report a case of Kaposi's sarcoma on the hard palate in the kidney transplantation patient.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.289-298
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• 1994

Background: Most studies of Mycoplasma pneumonia involve a group of admitted patients in hospital, usually with major medical illness. So we investigated the epidemiologic and radiologic features during the course of outbreak of pneumonia in Chunnam coastal area. Methods: We retrospectively studied the epidemiologic and clinical feature of 105 patients with serologically proven Mycoplasma pneumonia treated at Kwang-Yang Hospital during a epidemic period of Jun.1993 to Dec.1993. All cases of pneumonia developed in this period were also reviewed and compared with serologically proven group. Results: 1) There were 63 males and 42 females. 2) More than half(57%) of cases belonged to 5-9 years of age group, and mean age was 6.5 years old. Mean age was steadily decreased as prevalence of Mycoplasma pneumonia had been subsided. 3) A major determinant of the outbreak seemed to be the population density rather than the population size. 4) The common radiologic features were interstitial in type, and 67 cases was restricted to one lobe. Lobar types are more common in late childhood, and interstitial or diffuse types in early childhood. Conclusion: These epidemiologic and radiographic characteristics would contribute to the diagnosis of Mycoplasma pneumonia.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.259-266
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• 2016

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) causes an acute and lethal watery diarrhea in piglets that is great economic losses to the swine country worldwide. The spike (S) glycoprotein is an important determinant for PEDV biological properties. In the present study, we determined the full-length S gene sequences of five Chung-nam PEDV field isolates collected in 2016. The S gene was amplified by RT-PCR, purificated, sequenced, analyzed and then compared with published sequences of other PEDV strains. 5 field strains share 98.5%~99.9% homologies with each other at the nucleotide sequence level and 96.7%~99.9% homologies with each other at the amino acids sequence level. Most field strains have nucleotide insertions, deletions and mutation regions, and show lower homologies (93.1~93.8%) with classical and vaccine strains, however higher homologies (99.1%~99.5%) with US PEDV isolates in 2013. By phylogenetic tree analysis based on nucleotide sequence, five PEDV field isolates were clustered into Genogroup 2b but differ genetically from the vaccine strains (SM-98 and DR-13).

• Journal of the Korean Data and Information Science Society
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.271-280
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• 2014

Foot-and-mouth Disease (FMD) is a highly infectious and fatal viral livestock disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals domestic and wild and the FMD outbreak in Korea in 2010/2011 was a disastrous incident for the country and the economy. Thus, efforts at the national level are put to prevent foot-and-mouth disease and to reduce the damage in the case of outbreak. As one of these efforts, it is useful to study the spread of the disease by using probabilistic model. In fact, after the FMD epidemic in the UK occurred in 2001, many studies have been carried on the spread of the disease using a variety of stochastic models as an effort to prepare future outbreak of FMD. However, for the FMD outbreak in Korea occurred in 2010/2011, there are few study by utilizing probabilistic model. This paper assumes a stochastic spatial-temporal susceptible-infectious-removed (SIR) epidemic model for the 2010/2011 FMD outbreak to understand spread of the disease. Since data on infections of FMD disease during 2010/2011 outbreak of Aniaml and Plant Quarantine Agency and on the livestock farms from the nationwide census in 2011 of Statistics Korea do not have detail informations on address or missing values, we generate detail information on address by randomly allocating farms within corresponding Si/Gun area. The kernel function is estimated using the infection data and by using simulations, the susceptibility and transmission of the spatial-temporal stochastic SIR models are determined.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.45 no.10
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• pp.1219-1226
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• 2002

Purpose : To assess the clinical characteristics of the 2000-2001 measles outbreak in the Seoul metropolitan area, Korea, the clinical data of measles inpatients were analyzed. Methods : Three hundred and five children diagnosed with measles by clinical manifestation from July, 2000 to February, 2001, in Seoul, Ilsan and Ansan City were grouped according to their age and investigated for clinical manifestations, vaccination history and measles-specific IgM/IgG antibody positivity. Results : Thirty eight point seven percent of the subjects were less than 12 months of age, 27.5 % were 12-47 months of age and 33.8% were 48 months of age or older. There was no significant sexual difference(male : female=1.2 : 1). This epidemic started in June, 2000 and the number of patients increased abruptly in October, peaked in December and finally decreased after February, 2001. It started from the older age group and moved to the younger. Sixty five point two percent had a history of more than 1-dose vaccination and 13.6% of the patients equal or more than 48 months of age had a history of 2-dose vaccination. Primary vaccine failure rate was 59.4%(107/180) and secondary vaccine failure rate was 3.9%(7/180) in 1 dose vaccinees. Sixty one point six percent showed more than one complication and 38.4% had no complication. The most common complication was pneumonia(31.8 %), followed by bronchitis(11.5%) and acute otitis media(4.6%). Vaccination and dose were not related significantly with the occurrence of complications. Conclusion : Compared with previous outbreaks in Korea, clinical features showed no specific change in the 2000-2001 measles epidemic. However, primary vaccine failure rate was so high that the second vaccination at four to six years of age must be emphasized in Korea.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.198-200
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• 2005

An epidemic of the white dusty covering of grape clusters and canes by dust-like particles occurred in many vineyards near Gimcheon, Gyeongbuk area since 2000. Although the covering was severe, it seldom resulted in appreciable damage to vine health except drastical reduction of grape quality. It appears that the abnormal growth of a resident yeast Hanseniaspora (Kloeckera) sp. is related to the white dusty covering on the grape surface.

• Korean Journal Plant Pathology
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.467-472
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• 1998

Gray mold rot of perilla was epidemic at Kangdong, Pusan and Miryang, Kyungnam in 1997 and 1998. The incidence of this disease ranged form 21.3 to 68.1% at Kangdong area. Leaf necrosis initially appeared on the edge of the infected leaves, and it was developed to the center of the leaves forming typical V-shaped brown necrotic lesions. Under high moisture condition, abundant mycelia of the pathogen was formed on the surface of the lesions. Infected stems became slender and were completely blighted up to the top of the plant. Two isolates, LVF12 and SD7, were isolated from diseased lesions showing typical symptoms, and the pathogenicity was tested using mycelial disks and conidial suspension inoculation. The developed symptoms were same as the naturally produced ones. These two pathogenic fungi were identified as Botrytis cinerea based on the morphological characteristics using a microscope and a scanning electron microscope, and cultural characteristics. This is the first report of gray mold or perilla in Korea.