• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.422-431
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• 2016

Plants utilize cytochrome P450, a large superfamily of heme-containing mono-oxygenases, in the synthesis of lignins, UV protectants, pigments, defense compounds, fatty acids, hormones, and signaling molecules. Despite the overwhelming assortment of rice P450 accession numbers in the database, their functional studies are lacking. So far, there is no evidence involving rice P450 in disease immunity. Most of our understanding has been based on other plant systems that are mostly dicot. In this study, we isolated the cytochrome P450 (OsCYP71) in rice, and screened the gene using gain-of-function technique. The full-length cDNA of OsCYP71 was constitutively overexpressed using the 35S promoter. We then explored the functions of OsCYP71 in the rice - Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae pathosystem. Using the gene expression assays, we demonstrate the interesting correlation of PR gene activation and the magnitude of resistance in P450-mediated immunity.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.125-130
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• 2000

An antiviral protein (CAP30) with ribosome-inactivating activity was purified from the leaves of Chenopodium album L. through ammonium sulfate precipitation and column chromatography using S-Sepharose, Blue-Sepharose, FPLC Suprose12 HR, and FPLC Mono-S. The molecular wight of CAP30 was estimated to be 30kD. CAP30 was thermostable, maintaing its activity even after incubation at $70^{\circ}C$ for 30 min, and was stable in the pH range of 6 to 9. In a cell-free in vitro translation system using rabbit reticulocyte lysate, protein synthesis was inhibited by the addition of CAP30 with an $IC_{50}$ of 2.26pM. The comparison of N-terminal amino acid sequences of this protein with known ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs) revealed that it had some sequence homology with PAP-S and PAP-R from pokeweed (Phytolacca americana)and dodecandrin from P. dodecandra, but had no sequence homology with RIPs from other plants belonging to different orders. The mosaic symptoms on tobacco leaves caused by cucumber mosaic virus infection was completely inhibited by 100 ng/ml of the pure CAP30 protein.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.58 no.4
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• pp.387-392
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• 2020

A serological survey was performed using ELISA to estimate the prevalence of tissue and luminal helminthic infections among hospital patients in Hanoi region, Vietnam. An overall seroprevalence of tissue and luminal helminthiases was 64.0% (95% CI 61.2-66.8) among 1,120 patients who visited Hanoi Medical University Hospital, Vietnam in 2018. The highest seroprevalence was observed against Toxocara spp. (59.0%), followed by Strongyloides stercoralis (46.3%), Gnathostoma spp. (25.5%), cysticercus (12.8%), Angiostrongylus cantonensis (10.5%), Fasciola spp. (11.1%), and Clonorchis sinensis (8.7%). Mono-infection by one species (11.1%) was lower than multiple infections (53.0%) (P<0.05). The seroprevalence in males (59.3%) was lower than in females (66.2%) but not statistically significant (P>0.05). Children (<15 years) revealed lower seroprevalence (34.0%) than adults (68.4%), and the age group 51-70 years revealed the highest seroprevalence (76.0%). Among the seropositive patients, eosinophilia (≥8.0%) was noted in 80.2%. The present results suggested active transmission of various tissue and luminal helminths among people in Hanoi, Vietnam.

• Korean Journal Plant Pathology
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.199-206
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• 1986

Penetration level, female development and histological changes in infected root tissues were investigated following inoculation with different inoculum levels (110,440 and 1760 juveniles/plant) of Heterodera glycines (SCN) race 3 on susceptible 'Lee' and resistant 'Pickett' soybean cultivars. Penetration level was lower in Pickett at the higher inoculum levels but no differences were detected in Lee. However, the lower penetration level in the resistant soybean cultivar appeared not to be directly related to plant resistance (female maturation). The number of females recovered from Lee was lower at the highest inoculum level. The number of females maturing on Pickett was much less than that on Lee, showing that changes of SCN population is associated with the number of SCN maturing rather than nematode penetration. In Lee mono-infection sites (a single nematode per site) syncytia had dense cytoplasm and no central vacuoles. while multi-infected sites (many overlapping nematodes per site) had syncytia with a large central vacuole and many small vacuoles. Resistant responses in mono-and multi-infected root tissues of Pickett were delayed and rapid necrosis, respectively. The differences in tissue response are suggested as a mechanism that controls density-dependent population changes in resistant and/or susceptible soybean cultivars.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.551-555
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• 2013

Complicated malaria is mainly caused by Plasmodium falciparum, but, increasingly, Plasmodium vivax is also being reported as a cause. Since the reemergence of indigenous vivax malaria in 1993, cases of severe malaria have been steadily reported in Korea. Herein, we report a case of vivax malaria complicated by adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) that was successfully managed with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). A 59-year-old man presented at our hospital with fever and abdominal pain, which had persisted for 10 days. On admission, the patient had impaired consciousness, shock, hypoxia and haziness in both lungs, jaundice, thrombocytopenia and disseminated intravascular coagulation, metabolic acidosis, and acute kidney injury. A peripheral blood smear and a rapid diagnostic test verified P. vivax mono-infection. Ten hours after admission, hypoxia became more severe, despite providing maximal ventilatory support. The administration of antimalarial agents, ECMO, and continuous venovenous hemofiltration resulted in an improvement of his vital signs and laboratory findings. He was discharged from the hospital 7 weeks later, without any sequelae.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.53-57
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• 2016

Major diseases in grafted cacti have been reported and Fusarium oxysporum, Bipolaris cactivora, Phytophthora spp. and Collectotrichum spp. are known as causal pathogens. These pathogens can lead to plant death after infection. Therefore, some European countries have quarantined imported cacti that are infected with specific fungal pathogens. Consequently, we developed PCR detection methods to identify four quarantined fungal pathogens and reduce export rejection rates of Korean grafted cacti. The pathogen specific primer sets F.oF-F.oR, B.CF-B.CR, P.nF-P.nR, and P.cF-P.CR were tested for F. oxysporum, B.cactivora, P. nicotinae, and P. cactorum, respectively. The F.oF-F.oR primer set was designed from the Fusarium ITS region; the B.CF-B.CR and P.nF-P.nR primers respectively from Bipolaris and Phytophthora ITS1; and the P.cF-P.CR primer set from the Ypt1protein gene region. The quarantine fungal pathogen primer pairs were amplified to the specific number of base pairs in each of the following fungal pathogens: 210-bp (F. oxysporum), 510-bp (B. cactivora), 313-bp (P. nicotinae), and 447-bp (P. cactorum). The detection limit for the mono- and multiplex PCR primer sets was 0.1 ng of template DNA under in vitro conditions. Therefore, each primer set successfully diagnosed contamination of quarantine pathogens in export grafted cacti. Consequently, our methodology is a viable tool to screen contamination of the fungal pathogen in exported grafted cacti.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.283-292
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• 1986

Isolation and identification of Mycoplasma were performed to clarify Mycoplasma infection of mice fed by conventional feeding at two ($K_1$, $K_2$) institutes in Korea. The twenty mice to be tested were randomly sampled from each of 10 breeding colonies in respective institute. Identification of the Mycoplasma strains isolated from the nasal cavity, lung and synovia of mice was made according to the morphology of colonies, biological and biochemical properties with special reference to M. pulmonis, M. arthrotodis and M. neurolyticum. In addition, growth inhibition test was performed using hyperimmune rabbit antisera to the strain PG-22 of M. pulmonis, the strain PG-6 of M, arthritidis and the strain PG-28 of M. neurolyticum and also differentiation of isolates from L-form bacteria was dont by Dieses staining and culture method with passage of the isolates on liquid media eliminated antibacterial drug. On the other hand, a total of 13 strains out of the 44 isolated M. pulmonis from mice was investigated for their susceptibility against 16 antibiotics in vitro. The antibiotic sensitivity test was made using $3{\times}10^4$ organisms/0.3ml on each plate(90mm diameter) with antibiotic mono-or tri-disk. The results obtained are summarized as follows: 1. Out of 20 mice from 10 breeding colonies in Kl institute, mycoplasma-like strains from the nasal cavity of 16 mice(80%) and from the lung of 8 mice(40%) were isolated, while out of 20 mice in K2 institute, M-like strains were isolated from the nasal cavity of 14 mice(70%) and from the lung of 6 mice(30%). However, no mycoplasma-like organisms were isolated from the synovia of the 40 mice examined. All the 44 strains isolated were identified as the organisms of M. pulmonis. 2. Out of the 16 antibiotics tested, penicillin, oleandomycin and bacitracin showed no activity against all the 13 M. pulmonis strains. On the contrary, lincomycin, clindamycin, chloramphenicol, tetracycline, minocycline, kanamycin, gentamycin and tobramycin showed high activity with three different antibiotic concentration of tridisk, but amikasin and spiramycin showed intermediate activity. Other antibiotics such as polymyxin B and colistin showed low activity, while erythromycin showed lower activity than others.

• Journal of Korean Foot and Ankle Society
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.81-86
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• 2020

Purpose: Ankle fractures with dislocations and pilon fractures at the distal tibia are usually associated with soft tissue damage caused by high-energy damage. Recently, a two-stage operation to perform internal fixation after the application of external fixation devices for stabilizing soft tissues has been accepted as the treatment of choice. This paper reports the clinical result of these injuries treated with threaded trans-calcaneal pin external fixation devices. Materials and Methods: Thirty-three patients diagnosed with ankle fractures with dislocations or tibial pilon fractures without open wounds. They underwent surgical treatment with threaded trans-calcaneal pin external fixation from January 2008 to February were enrolled in this study. This study evaluated the visual analogue scale (VAS), foot function index (FFI), and Olerud & Molander score as well as whether complications occurred. Results: The average VAS showed a meaningful decrease (p<0.001) from 7.4 before surgery to 2.6 after application of the external fixation device, and 1.4 at 12 months after surgery. The FFI also decreased significantly from 84.3 preoperatively to 20.3 at 12 months postoperatively (p<0.001). The Olerud & Molander score averaged 71.4 points, showing good clinical results. Complete bone union was observed in all patients. One patient each underwent debridement due to wound necrosis and infection in the pin insertion site. At the final follow-up, seven patients had posttraumatic ankle joint arthritis, according to a radiological examination. Conclusion: Manual reduction and external fixation using a threaded trans-calcaneal pin is a suitable surgical technique that is easy to perform and shows good clinical outcomes in stabilizing soft tissue damage in fractures and dislocations of ankle fracture or tibia pilon fractures in foot and ankle injury.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.412-420
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• 2000

Background : There is increasing concern in many countries about the problem of drug-resistant tuberculosis. Prevalence of primary drug-resistant tuberculosis is the optimal epidemiological indicator for long term monitoring of national tuberculosis control program. Our purpose was The purpose of our study is to assess clinical characteristics and socioeconomic status of patients with drug-resistant tuberculosis. Method : We studied 68 cases with drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection diagnosed at the Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital from March, 1995 to February, 2000. Results : Patients with primary drug-resistant tuberculosis(PDR) were younger (39.6$\pm$16.3 years vs. 48.2$\pm$16.5 years ; p<0.05), had more population of less than more were under the age of 40 years aged -group(62.9% vs. 36.4% ; p<0.05) and were more highly educated than those with acquired drug-resistant tuberculosis(ADR)(38.9% vs. 11.1% ; p<0.05). In patients with ADR, the rates of familial history of tuberculosis and living in a rented house residence in a rented house were increased higher than compared with to those of patients with PDR. Patients with ADR had more involved lobes(2.0$\pm$0.8 vs. 1.4$\pm$0.7 ; p<0.01) and longer treatment duration than those with PDR(18.3$\pm$7.2 months vs. 10.6$\pm$6.3 months ; p<0.05). Patients with ADR showed larger numbers of resistant were resistant to more number of drugs, lower hospitalization rate and higher rate of self-interruption of medication than those with PDR. In patients with PDR, mono-drug resistance was increased, whereas poly- and multi-drug resistances were decreased compared with those with ADR. Resistance to isoniazid was the highest among antituberculosis drugs, and resistance to isoniazid in patients with ADR was higher than that in patients with PDR(90.9% vs. 71.4% ; p<0.05). Conclusions : Patients with ADR were more likely to include more population be of lower socioeconomic class, and patients with PDR seem seemed to be young and socially active population. For control of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, proper isolation and prevention of patient with drug-resistant tuberculosis are needed.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.61-72
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• 2009

Purpose : We evaluated the clinical features of Norovirus gastroenteritis compared with Rotavirus gastroenteritis in hospitalized children. Methods : We detected causative agents in 3,261 samples of children hospitalized with gastroenteritis symptoms at a single center of pediatrics between 2005 and 2006. Among 266 and 303 samples which tested positive for Norovirus and Rotavirus, we selected 73 and 182 samples of children with relatively pure gastroenteritis symptoms and retrospectively analyzed the corresponding medical records. Results : The male-to-female ratio of the Norovirus (+) and Rotavirus (+) groupswas 1.43:1 and 1.56:1 both groups were predominantly in males. The mean age of the Norovirus (+) and Rotavirus (+) groups was 36.7 and 24.4 months, respectively the children in the former group were older than the children in the latter group. The incidence in the Norovirus (+) group was more concentrated in the winter. The symptoms in the Norovirus (+), in decreasing order, included vomiting, diarrhea, and fever. The duration of vomiting, diarrhea, and fever was 2.1, 1.2, and 1.2 days. The maximum number of episodes of vomiting and diarrhea per day was 3.5 and 4.5, respectively. The severity score was 10.16. The symptoms inthe Rotavirus (+) group, in decreasing order, included diarrhea, vomiting, and fever. The duration of diarrhea, vomiting, and fever was 2.2, 4.3, and 2.2 days, respectively. The maximum number of episodes of vomiting and diarrhea per day was 3.3 and 6.5, respectively. The severity score was 11.9. The severity in the Norovirus (+) group was somewhat lower than the Rotavirus (+) group. The younger the child, the more severe the symptoms in the Norovirus (+) group. There was no difference between mono-and co-infection in severity and between the two groups regarding the hematologic findings. Conclusion : Based on the findings reported herein, additional studies about prophylaxis, as well as the epidemiology and clinical features of pediatric Norovirus gastroenteritis, are required.