• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.67 no.3
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• pp.212-220
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• 2009

Background: Ventilator-associated pneumonia caused by multi-drug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii has been increasing and growing as a threat in intensive care units. Limited therapeutic options have forced clinicians to choose colistin with or without combination of other antibiotics. We tried to compare the effectiveness between colistin monotherapy and combination therapy based on in vitro synergistic tests. Methods: From January 2006 to December 2007 in medical ICU of a tertiary care hospital in Korea, We reviewed the medical records of patients treated with intravenous colistin due to ventilator-associated pneumonia caused by multi-drug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii. Results: A total of 41 patients were analyzed. 22 patients had been treated with colistin monotherapy and 19 patients with colistin and combination antibiotics that were found to have in vitro synergistic effects. Baseline characteristics were similar in both groups but the mean duration of colistin administration was significantly longer in the combination group (19.1${\pm}$11.2 days vs. 12.3${\pm}$6.8 days, p=0.042). There were no significant differences in outcome variables between the two groups. Conclusion: Combination treatment based on the in vitro antimicrobial synergy test did not show better outcomes compared with colistin monotherapy in VAP caused by multi-drug resistant A. baumannii.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.395-404
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• 2010

A multi-residual method using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS/ MS) was developed for the analysis of 105 pesticides. This method was tested on lemons, beans and other vegetables. The pretreatment of these pesticides was performed by liquid-liquid partition followed by cleanup with solid phase extraction cartridge (SPE Florisil), after acetonitrile extraction from matrices and sodium chloride (15 g) addition. The recovery ranged from 71.1% to 126.0% except for azinphosmethyl, famoxadone, fenamidone, flufenoxuron and triadimefon in lemons and from 72.5% to 124.5% in bean. In lemon, the limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were 0.001~150 ng/ mL and 0.004~500 ng/mL, respectively.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.323-334
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• 2008

This experiment was carried out to analyze for pesticide residues in 17 different types of the special of geographical indication. We purchased 3 cereal grains, nuts and seeds, 3 fruits, 8 vegetables, mushrooms and other plants (Korean medicines) mainly at the agricultural cooperative's joints markets. Total 209 pesticides including multi-analysed pesticides (204) and single-analysed pesticides (5 ; acephate, methamidophos, monocrotophos, omethoate, vamidothion) were analysed with a GC/MS/MS, an HPLC/UVD (PDA) and a GC/FPD. No. 83 method and single-analysed method (Screening of multi-pesticide residue in the special products of geographical indication) of Korea Food Code was selected for validation in recovery and interferences of matrice. The results were as follows: among the selected 17 the special products, the residual pesticides were detected in 8 types of the special products (40 in 302 samples, detection ratio; 13.2%). All of the samples were not detected over MRLs, but tebuconazole, procymidone and isoprothioran were detected with considerable high frequency. These results could be used as KFDA official methods for the analysis of pesticide residues in foods and reference data will be provided to the related institutions.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.47-52
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• 2014

This study was performed to evaluate antimicrobial resistance of food-borne pathogens isolated from retail meat in Korea. A total of 157 samples of beef, pork, and chicken were collected and analyzed for E. coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter. Resistances to tetracycline were declined in accord with reduced usage of tetracycline in live stock production. E. coli stains from chicken meat had higher multi-drug resistance ratio than strains from other meat. One extended spectrum beta lactamase (ESBL) producing E. coli and two ESBL producing Salmonella were identified in this study. ESBL producing Salmonella strains were confirmed to carry CTX-M-1 type genes.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.229-235
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• 2007

Multi-layered granules were prepared by a fluidized-bed coater and uniformed granules were obtained with a size range between $950{\sim}1000{\mu}m$ in diameter. The granule system was composed of three layers, i.e. seed layer with sugar sphere bead and a water-swellable polymer, middle layer with a drug, solubilizer and polymer, and the top layer of porous membrane with a polymeric binder. The aim of this work is to find out the dependence of a drug dissolution rate on the amount of a water-soluble binder and a solubilizer in the granule system. The results showed that the higher amount of hydrophilic binder in the porous membrane, gave the bigger pore size and porosity and made faster dissolution rate and also the higher amount of solubilizer in drug layer enhanced the dissolution rate of drug.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.42.1-42.23
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• 2023

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is the causative agent of tuberculosis, one of the most deadly infections in humans. The emergence of multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant Mtb strains presents a global challenge. Mtb has shown resistance to many frontline antibiotics, including rifampicin, kanamycin, isoniazid, and capreomycin. The only licensed vaccine, Bacille Calmette-Guerin, does not efficiently protect against adult pulmonary tuberculosis. Therefore, it is urgently necessary to develop new vaccines to prevent infections caused by these strains. We used a subtractive proteomics approach on 23 virulent Mtb strains and identified a conserved membrane protein (MmpL4, NP_214964.1) as both a potential drug target and vaccine candidate. MmpL4 is a non-homologous essential protein in the host and is involved in the pathogen-specific pathway. Furthermore, MmpL4 shows no homology with anti-targets and has limited homology to human gut microflora, potentially reducing the likelihood of adverse effects and cross-reactivity if therapeutics specific to this protein are developed. Subsequently, we constructed a highly soluble, safe, antigenic, and stable multi-subunit vaccine from the MmpL4 protein using immunoinformatics. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed the stability of the vaccine-bound Tolllike receptor-4 complex on a nanosecond scale, and immune simulations indicated strong primary and secondary immune responses in the host. Therefore, our study identifies a new target that could expedite the design of effective therapeutics, and the designed vaccine should be validated. Future directions include an extensive molecular interaction analysis, in silico cloning, wet-lab experiments, and evaluation and comparison of the designed candidate as both a DNA vaccine and protein vaccine.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.193-204
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• 2022

This study was to identify factors related to the experience of violence damage, focusing on health risk behavior of multi-cultural and general adolescents in Korea. Data from the 15th online survey of youth health behavior (2019) was used to analyze 35,574 adolescents. The data were analyzed using complex sample analysis by using SPSS/Win 22.0. The multi-cultural adolescents had significantly higher experience of smoking and habitual drug use and violence damage than those ordinary adolescents. In both multi-cultural and general adolescents, the more they did not live with their family, the more they had smoking experience and habitual drug use experience, the higher they experienced violence. The experience of violence victimization of general youth was significantly related to gender, school, economic status, and drinking experience. To prevent the violence victimization of adolescents, social support for adolescents who do not live with their families is required, and careful attention is needed to adolescents who have smoking and drug use experience. In addition, since multi-cultural youth are more vulnerable to health risk behaviors and violence damage than general youth, educational programs are needed to induce multi-cultural youth to practice correct health behaviors and prevent experiences of violence.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.757-766
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• 1999

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.3 s.83
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• pp.435-443
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• 2007

Antimicrobial susceptibility test of the 116 strains of Mycoplasma pneumoniae isolates were performed by a broth micro-dilution method against to moxifloxacin, levofloxacin, sparfloxacin, ofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, clarithromycin minocycline, erythromycin, josamycin, and tetracycline. The initial-minimum inhibitory concentration (I-MIC) was evaluated as the lowest concentration of antimicrobial agents that prevented a color change in the medium at that time when the drug-free growth control, about 7 days after incubation, and the final-minimum inhibitory concentration (F-MIC) was defined a color change about 14 days after incubation. The evaluation to the drug-resistant M. pneumoniae isolates were determined the $MIC{\pm}1.0$ ${\mu}g/ml$ of each antimicrobial agent. According to the I-MIC, single drug-resistant M. pneumoniae strains to ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, clarithromycin and erythromycin were 79.3, 53.5, 10.3, and 7.8%, respectively. Two kinds of drug-resistant M. pneumoniae strains to ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin, or ciprofloxacin and clarithromycin were 42.2 and 9.5%. Three kinds of drug-resistant M. pneumoniae strains to erythromycin, ofloxacin, and ciprofloxacin, or ofloxacin, ciprofloxacin and clarithromycin were 6.9 and 6.0% . According to the F-MIC, single drug-resistant M. pneumoniae strains to tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, minocycline,erythromycin, josamycin, clarithromycin and sparfloxacin were 91.4, 91.4, 91.4, 89.7, 68.1, 52.6, 28.5, and 11.2%, respectively. The incidence of two kinds of drug-resistant M. pneumoniae strains were from 20.7% to 91.4%, three kinds of drug-resistant M. pneumoniae strains were from 28.5% to 89.7%, four kinds of drug-resistant M. pneumoniae strains were 2.6%, five kinds of drug-resistant M. pneumoniae were from 2.6% to 21.6%, six kinds of drug-resistant M. pneumoniae strains were from 0.9% to 24.1%, seven kinds of drug-resistant M. pneumoniae strains were from 0.9% to 2.6%, and eight kinds of drug-resistant M. pneumoniae strains were 1.7%. These results suggest that sparfloxacin, moxifloxacin and levofloxacin might be promising antimicrobial agents for the treatment of M. pneumoniae infection in Korea. However, most strains of M. pneumoniae isolates were single or multi-resistance pattern to the other tested antimicrobial agents. Therefore, tetracycline, minocycline, erythromycin, clarithromycin, and second-generation quinolones are more carefully used to patients with M. pneumoniae infection in Korea.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.470-478
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• 1997

Background : Phagocytosis is probably the first step for mycobacteria to be virulent in host because virulent strains are more readily phagocytosed by macrophage than attenuated strains. According to the traditional concept, multi-drug resistant strains have been regarded as less virulent. However, this concept has been challenged, since recent studies(reported) showed that the degree of virulence and drug-resistance is not related. The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether the phagocytic activity of M.tuberculosis by peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMC) is different according to drug-resistance or host factor. To evaluate this, we estimated the difference of phagocytic activity of drug-resistant and drug-sensitive M.tuberculosis and also estimated the phagocytic activity of PBMC from intractable tuberculosis patients and healthy controls. Methods : PBMC from ten intractable tuberculosis patients and twelve healthy control, and three different strains of heat-killed M.tuberculosis, ie, ADS(all drug sensitive), MDR(multi-drug resistant), and ADR(all drug resistant) were used. After incubation of various strains of M.tuberculosis with PBMC, the phagocytic activity was evaluated by estimating proportion of PBMC which have phagocytosed M.tuberculosis. Results : Drug-resistant strains of M.tuberculosis were phagocytosed easily than drug sensitive strains(Percentage of PBMC phagocytosed M.tuberculosis in healthy control : ADS : $32.3{\pm}2.9%$, ADR : $49.6{\pm}3.4%$, p = 0.0022, Percentage of PBMC phagocytosed M.tuberculosis in intractable tuberculosis patients : ADS : $34.9{\pm}3.6%$, ADR : $50.7{\pm}4.5%$, p = 0.0069). However, there was no difference in phagocytic activity of PBMC from healthy control and intractable tuberculosis patients. Conclusion : Drug-resistant strains of M.tuberculosis were phagocytosed easily than drug sensitive strains and host factors does not seems to influence the phagocytosis of M.tuberculosis.