• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.21 no.1 s.52
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• pp.71-79
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• 2006

Epidemiologic studies have showed a close correlation between arsenic exposure and heart disease such as, cardiovascular problem, ischemic heart disease, infarction, atherosclerosis and hypertension in human. It may increase the mortality of high risk group with heart disease. Regarding the mechanism studies of heart failure, blood vessel, vascular smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells have long been focused as the primary targets in arsenic exposure but there are only a few studies on the cardiomyocytes. In this study, the generation of oxidative stress by low dose of arsenic trioxide was investigated in rat cardiomyocytes. By direct measurement of reactive oxygen species and fluorescent microscopic observation using fluorescent dye 2',7'-dichlorofluorescin diacetate, reactive oxygen species were found to be generated without cell death, where cells are treated with 0.1 ppm arsenic for 24 hours. With the induction of reactive oxygen species, GSH level was decreased by the same treatment. However, DNA damage did not seem to be serious by DAPI staining, while high dose of arsenic (2 ppm for 24 hrs) caused fragmentation of DNA. To identify the molecular biomarkers of low-dose arsenic exposure, gene expression was also investigated with whole genome microarray. As results, 9,022 genes were up-regulated including heme oxygenase-l and glutathione S-transrerase, which are well-known biomarkers of oxidative stress. 9,404 genes were down-regulated including endothelial type gp 91-phox gene by the treatment of 0.1 ppm arsenic for 24 hours. This means that biological responses of cardiomyocytes may be altered by ROS induced by low level arsenic without cell death, and this alteration may be detected clearly by molecular biomarkers such as heme oxygenase-1.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.96-103
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• 2016

The influenza A (H1N1) virus, also known as swine flu is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality since 2009. There is a need to explore novel anti-viral drugs for overcoming the epidemics. Traditionally, different plant extracts of garlic, ginger, kalmegh, ajwain, green tea, turmeric, menthe, tulsi, etc. have been used as hopeful source of prevention and treatment of human influenza. The H1N1 virus contains an important glycoprotein, known as neuraminidase (NA) that is mainly responsible for initiation of viral infection and is essential for the life cycle of H1N1. It is responsible for sialic acid cleavage from glycans of the infected cell. We employed amino acid sequence of H1N1 NA to predict the tertiary structure using Phyre2 server and validated using ProCheck, ProSA, ProQ, and ERRAT server. Further, the modelled structure was docked with thirteen natural compounds of plant origin using AutoDock4.2. Most of the natural compounds showed effective inhibitory activity against H1N1 NA in binding condition. This study also highlights interaction of these natural inhibitors with amino residues of NA protein. Furthermore, among 13 natural compounds, theaflavin, found in green tea, was observed to inhibit H1N1 NA proteins strongly supported by lowest docking energy. Hence, it may be of interest to consider theaflavin for further in vitro and in vivo evaluation.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.7 no.6
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• pp.423-428
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• 1997

Vibrio vulnificus is a halophilic gram-negative human pathogen, which affects people with underlying liver diseases or a suppressed immune system, often leading to primary septicemia with a mortality rate of higher than 60%. In an effort to develop an oral vaccine against V. vulnificus infection, we prepared a whole cell killed vaccine of V. vulnificus on a large scale and compared the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of the vaccine administered in three formulation forms in rabbits. Since V. vulnificus O-antigen serotypes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7 account for more than 95% of clinical isolates, we prepared cell lysates from these six serotype strains and mixed in equal amounts for a vaccine. The vaccine was administered to rabbits intramuscularly (i.m.), orally as granules or as enteric-coated granules. In rabbits, all three formulation forms elicited a high level of serum IgG antibody reactive not only to the six strains but also to other O-antigen serotypes 6, 8 and 9, indicating cross-reactivities among the strains. Immunotherapeutic efficacy of the antisera was also evaluated by a passive immunization assay, which revealed that the orally immunized antisera as well as the i.m. immunized antisera was protective against a subsequent lethal challenge of V. vulnificus. These data demonstrate that oral immunization with a V. vulnificus whole cell lysate vaccine induced a systemic immune response and suggest the feasibility of development of this vaccine preparation as an oral vaccine.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.291-300
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• 2018

The purpose of the present work is to establish an ultra-minimal invasive percutaneous puncture inoculation method for a VX2 orthotopic lung cancer rabbit model with fewer technical difficulties, lower mortality of rabbits, a higher success rate and a shorter operation time, to evaluate the growth, metastasis and apoptosis of tumor by CT scans, necropsy, histological examination, flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry. The average inoculation time was 10-15 min per rabbit. The tumorbearing rate was 100%. More than 90% of the tumor-bearing rabbits showed local solitary tumor with 2-10 mm diameters after two weeks post-inoculation, and the rate of chest seeding was only 8.3% (2/24). The tumors diameters increased to 4-16 mm, and irregularly short thorns were observed 3 weeks after inoculation. Five weeks post-inoculation, the liquefaction necrosis and a cavity developed, and the size of tumor grew further. Before natural death, the CT images showed that the tumors spread to the chest. The flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry indicated that there was less apoptosis in VX2 orthotopic lung cancer rabbit model compared to chemotherapy drug treatment group. Minimal invasive percutaneous puncture inoculation is an easy, fast and accurate method to establish the VX2 orthotopic lung cancer rabbit model, an ideal in situ tumor model similar to human malignant tumor growth.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.57 no.6
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• pp.587-593
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• 2019

Excavation (2008-2014) carried out under the Uffizi Gallery (Florence, Italy) led to the discovery of 75 individuals, mostly buried in multiple graves. Based on Roman minted coins, the graves were preliminarily dated between the second half of the 4th and the beginning of the 5th centuries CE. Taphonomy showed that this was an emergency burial site associated with a catastrophic event, possibly an epidemic of unknown etiology with high mortality rates. In this perspective, paleoparasitological investigations were performed on 18 individuals exhumed from 9 multiple graves to assess the burden of gastrointestinal parasitism. Five out of eighteen individuals (27.7%) tested positive for ascarid-type remains; these are considered as "decorticated" Ascaris eggs, which have lost their outer mammillated coat. Roundworms (genus Ascaris) commonly infest human populations under dire sanitary conditions. Archaeological and historical evidence indicates that Florentia suffered a period of economic crisis between the end of 4th and the beginning of the 5th centuries CE, and that the aqueduct was severely damaged at the beginning of the 4th century CE, possibly during the siege of the Goths (406 CE). It is more than plausible that the epidemic, possibly coupled with the disruption of the aqueduct, deeply affected the living conditions of these individuals. A 27.7% frequency suggests that ascariasis was widespread in this population. This investigation exemplifies how paleoparasitological information can be retrieved from the analysis of sediments sampled in cemeteries, thus allowing a better assessment of the varying frequency of parasitic infections among ancient populations.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.149-151
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• 2015

United Nations (UN) adopted 17 global sustainable development agenda to the year 2030 in the 68th general assembly on september, 2015. The global agendas and goals are important for 3 reasons: (1) to adopt the international standard for determining the health status; (2) to identify areas in need of attention; and (3) to advance international cooperation regarding health issues. In the area of infectious diseases, our goals include the eradication of human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome, tuberculosis, and malaria as well as a substantial reduction of hepatitis by the year 2030. In the area of non-communicable diseases, our goal is to reduce premature mortality (${\leq}70years$) at least 30% by the year 2030. Preventive activities such as smoking cessation, alcohol abstinence, nutritional measures, and physical activities, should also be promoted intensively nationwide. It is also necessary to establish stringent policies for control hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and hypercholesterolemia. Additionally, environmental health, injury by traffic accident, mental health, and drug and alcohol abuse are important health policies. Furthermore, in the area of international health and cooperation, maternal and child health remain important areas of support for underdeveloped countries. Education and training towards the empowerment of health professionals in underdeveloped countries is also an important issue. The global agenda prioritize resources(manpower and budget) allocation of international organizations such as UN, World Health Organization, United Nations Development Programme, and World Bank. The global agenda also sets the contribution levels of Official Developmental Assistance donor countries. Health professionals such as professors and researchers will have to turn their attention to areas of vital international importance, and play an important role in implementation strategies and futhermore guiding global agenda.

• Proceedings of the KAIS Fall Conference
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• 2011.12a
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• pp.170-173
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• 2011

Therapeutic hypothermia(TH) improves neurological outcomes and reduces mortality among survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Animal and human studies have shown that TH results in improved salvage of the myocardium, reduced infarct size, reduced left ventricular remodeling and better long-term left ventricular function in settings of regional myocardial ischemia. This study is to investigate the effect of TH on post-resuscitation myocardial dysfunction and survival time after cardiac arrest and resuscitation in a rat model of myocardial infarction (MI). Thoracotomies were performed in 10 Male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 450-550 g. MI was induced by ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD). Ninety min after LAD ligation, ventricular fibrillation induction and subsequent cardiopulmonary resuscitation was performed before defibrillation attempts. Animals were randomized to two groups: a) Acute MI-Normothermia b) Acute MI-Hypothermia ($32^{\circ}C$ for 4 h). Myocardial functions, including cardiac output, left ventricular ejection fraction, and myocardial performance index were measured echocardiographically together with duration of survival. Ejection fraction, cardiac output and myocardial performance index were $54.74{\pm}9.16$, $89.00{\pm}8.89$, $1.30{\pm}0.09$ respectively and significantly better in the TH group than those of the normothermic group at the first 4 h after resuscitation($32.20{\pm}1.85$,$41.60{\pm}8.62$,$1.77{\pm}0.19$)(p=0.00). The survival time of the hypothermic group ($31.8{\pm}14.8$ h) was greater than that of the normothermic group($12.3{\pm}6.5$ h, p<0.05). This study suggested that TH attenuated post resuscitation myocardial dysfunction in acute MI and would be a potential strategy in post resuscitation care.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.431-437
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• 2018

Acinetobacter baumannii is categorized as a red alert pathogen that is increasingly associated with a high mortality rate in infected patients because of its resistance to extensive antibiotics. This study evaluated the antibacterial activities of some essential oils (tee tree, rosemary, and lavender oils) against 18 clinical isolates of multidrug-resistant A. baumannii (MRAB). The carbapenemase screening Hodge test showed that all 20 strains of A. baumannii were resistant to imipenem. The identification of multidrug-resistant microbes was carried out using the VITEK system. The antimicrobial activity of essential oils was tested by a disk diffusion method against MRAB. In the disk diffusion method, tea tree showed the largest increase in inhibition size compared to lavender oil, and rosemary had no antibacterial effect. These results proved the antimicrobial effect of multidrug resistance A. baumannii. Tee tree oil would be a useful alternative natural product for the treatment and prevention of most common human pathogens and MRAB infections. This is expected to be used as an antimicrobial agent, such as hand disinfectant using natural essential oil in the future.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.813-819
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• 2019

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) induces severe respiratory impairment with a reported mortality rate of ~36% in humans. The absence of clinically available MERS-CoV vaccines and treatments to date has resulted in uncontrolled incidence and propagation of the virus. In vaccine design, fusion with the IgG Fc domain is reported to increase the immunogenicity of various vaccine antigens. However, limited reports have documented the potential negative effects of Fc fusion on vaccine antigens. To determine whether Fc fusion affects the immunogenicity of MERS-CoV antigen, we constructed a Fcassociated MERS-CoV spike protein (eS770-Fc, 110 kDa), whereby human IgG4 Fc domain was fused to MERS-CoV spike protein (eS770) via a Gly/Pro linker using baculovirus as the expression system. For comparative analyses, two eS770 proteins lacking the IgG4 Fc domain were generated using the IdeS protease ($eS770-{\Delta}Fc$) or His tag attachment (eS770-His) and the immunogenicity of the above constructs were examined following intramuscular immunization in mice. Contrary to expectations, non-Fc spike proteins ($eS770-{\Delta}Fc$, eS770-His; 90 kDa) showed higher immunogenicity than the Fc fusion protein (eS770-Fc). Moreover, unlike non-Fc spike proteins, eS770-Fc immunization did not elicit neutralizing antibodies against MERS-CoV. The lower immunogenicity of Fc-fused eS770 was related to alterations in the structural conformation of the spike protein. Taken together, our results indicate that IgG Fc fusion reduces the immunogenicity of eS770 by interfering with the proper folding structure.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.194-207
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• 2021

It is necessary to assess and manage the different elements of the marine ecosystem, such as climate change, habitat, primary and secondary production, energy flow, food web, potential yield, and fishing, to maintain the health of the ecosystem as well as support sustainable development of fishery. We set up an ecosystem model around the Korean peninsula to produce scientific predictions necessary for the assessment and management of marine ecosystems and presented the usability of the model with scenario experiments. We used the Atlantis ecosystem model based on the marine food web; Atlantis is a three-dimensional end-to-end model that includes the information and processes within an entire system, from an abiotic environment to human activity. We input the ecological and biological parameters, such as growth, mortality, spawning, recruitment, and migration, to the Atlantis model via functional groups using existing research and local measurements. During the simulation period (2018-2019), we confirmed that the model reproduced the observed data reasonably and reflected the actual ecosystem characteristics appropriately. We thus identified the usability of a marine ecosystem model with experiments on different environmental change scenarios.