• The Journal of Korean Society of Virology
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.71-81
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• 2000

We have determined and analyzed the full-length cDNA sequence of a coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) Korean isolate (CVB3-Korea/97) which has been known as a general human pathogen. The whole genome contains 7,400 nucleotides and has a single large open reading frame with 6,555 nucleotides that encodes a potential polyprotein precursor of 2,185 amino acids. The genome also contains a 5' non-coding region (NCR) of 741 bases and a 3' NCR of 104 bases followed by poly(A) tail. Sequence homologies of nucleotides and deduced amino acids between the CVB3-Korea/97 strain and the prototype (Nancy strain) were 81.7% and 91.5%, respectively. The genes encoding the functional proteins including viral protease and RNA dependent RNA polymerase showed higher homology than those encoding the structural proteins. We have further analyzed the sequences of 5' NCR, VP1 and VP2 of CVB3-Korea/97, which are known as cardiovirulent determining factors at the nucleotide and amino acid levels. Although the CVB 3-Korea/97 strain was isolated from an aseptic meningitis patient without cardiomyopathy, its 234th nucleotide and 165th amino acid were uracil and Asn as same as those of other cardiovirulent strains one. However, the 155th amino acid of VP1, which closely associated with cardiovirulence, was replaced with $Arg^{155}$ by single nucleotide substitution from $A^{2916}$ to $T^{2916}$. Moreover, additional amino acid substitutions were observed in the flanking region of $Asp^{155}$. Taken together, amino acid(s) substitution in VP1 may playa critical role in determining cardiovirulence of the CVB3-Korea/97 strain rather than individual nucleotide replacements in the 5' NCR and/or an amino acid substitution in VP2.

• The Journal of Korean Society of Virology
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.39-49
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• 2000

The genome of Hantaan virus, the prototype of the hantavirus genus, is composed of three segmented, single stranded negative sense RNA genome. The 5' and 3' termini of the Hantaan virus RNA genome contain noncoding regions (NCRs) that are highly conserved and complementary to form panhandle structures. There are some reports that these NCRs seems to control gene expression and viral replication in influenza virus and vesicular stomatitis virus. In this study, we examined whether NCRs in Hantaan virus playa role in expression of the viral nucleocapsid protein (Np) and foreign (luciferase) gene. The 5' and/or 3' NCR-deleted mutants were constructed and analysed. The Np expression of 5' NCR-deleted clone was similar to that of the clone containing full S genome. In the case of 3' NCR-deleted clone, it showed 40% reduction. To investigate the role of NCR in foreign gene expression, the clones which are replaced ORF of Hantaan viral Np gene with that of luciferase gene were constructed. The results were similar to those of the experiments using Np gene. These results suggest that 3' NCR is more important than 5' NCR in protein expression. To find out a critical region of 3' NCR in protein expression, several clones with a deleted part of 3' NCR were constructed and analyzed. The deletion of the conserved region in 3' NCR showed $20{\sim}30%$ decrease in Np expression. However there were no change in luciferase activities between clones with or without non-conserved region of 3' NCR. These results suggest that the 3' NCR of Hantaan virus S genome, especially conserved region in 3' NCR, plays an important role in the expression of Hantaan viral Np and foreign genes.

• The Journal of the Korean Society for Microbiology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.211-226
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• 1986

To understand the pathogenesis of anicteric leptospirosis with severe pulmonary hemorrhage occured in Korea, the microbiological and pathological features were observed in the experimentally induced leptospirosis in guinea pigs infected with a virulent strain of Leptospira interrogans isolated from the patient at Wonju, Korea, and the results are summarized as follows. 1. The main pathological features were widespread hemorrhages, especially affecting lung, skeletal muscles, retroperitoneal and perirenal adipose tissues. The hemorrhages accompanied inflammatory process especially of vasculitic pattern as well as occasional coagulation necrosis in the liver, skeletal muscle, and myocardium. The main inflammatory cells were of plasma cell even in the fairly early stage of the infection. 2. Those pathologic changes were more exaggerated in the inoculation site. 3. Within 144 hours of infection, the longer the infection time, the more antigens were observed in the tissues, and the severer the pathologic changes. 4. Leptospiral antigens were detected at first by indirect immunofluorescent and immunoperoxidase technics. As the infection time extended, the antigens were observed in all of the tissues examined except in the skeletal muscle. The shape of the antigens was spiral or thread-like within 72 hours of infection. As the infection progressed, they became fragmented and granular. 5. Leptospires were detected in the blood within 144 hours of infection by darkfield microscopic examination. Thereafter, none was observed. 6. Antibody to leptospires were detected as early as 72 hours of infection. In summary, the virulent strain of L. interrogans used in this experiment induced widespread hemorrhages with inflammatory reaction especially in lung, skeletal muscles, and retroperitoneal adipose tissue. With these findings, it is suggested that the direct toxic effect of leptospires might playa great role in the pathogenesis of this infection.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.189-198
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• 2004

T-RFLP analysis and clone sequencing analysis based on bacterial 16S rDNA were conducted to assess bacterial community structure and diversity in two layers (0-1cm, 6-7cm depth) of the sediment from Janghwari intertidal flat in Ganghwa Island. The results of T-RFLP (terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism) analysis using restriction enzyme HhaI showed that the T-RFs of various size ($60{\pm}2$) bp-($667{\pm}2$) bp) appeared evenly at the surface sediments but two T-RFs with 60(${\pm}2$)bp and 93 (${\pm}2$)bp predominated at 6-7cm depth. Analysis of partial sequences for 172 clones revealed that 98% of the clones were not matched with the sequences of cultured bacteria strains in the GenBank (${\geq}similarity$ 98%), and approximately 86% of them were classified as different phylotypes. Most clones belonged to $\alpha$-, $\gamma$-, and $\delta$-Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria/Holophaga and green nonsulfur bacteria group. Proteobacteria group occupied the highest proportion in both layers (69% at 0-1cm depth and 46% at 6-7cm depth). $\gamma$-Proteobacteria and $\delta$-Proteobacteria that are associated with oxidation and reduction of sulfur compounds were appeared to be dominant, and comprised 21.5% and 15.7% of total clones, respectively. Overall results indicated that extremely diverse bacterial groups were inhabiting in the sediment of Ganghwa intertidal flat, and bacterial communities associated with the behaviour of sulfur seemed to playa significant role in the biogeochemical environment in this anoxic sediment.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.95-105
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• 2009

Systematic studies are performed for arsenic adsorption on synthesized lepidocrocite. The synthesized lepidocrocite with high surface area of $94.8\;g/m^2$ has shown that the point of zero charge(PZC) is 6.57 determined by potentiometric titration, suggestive of high capacity of arsenic removal. Results show that arsenite[As(III)] uptake by synthesized lepidocrocite is greater than that of arsenate[As(V)] at pH $2{\sim}12$, indicating that the lepidocrocite has high affinity toward arsenite rather than arsenate. Adsorption of arsenate decreases with increasing pH from 2 to 12, whereas arsenite sorption increases until pH 8.0, and then decreases dramatically with increasing pH, suggesting that changes in surface charge of the lepidocrocite as a function of pH playa important role in aresinc uptake by the lepidocrocite. Upon kinetic experiments, our results demonstrate that both arsenite and arsenate sorption on the lepidocrocite increases rapidly for the first 4 h followed by little changes during the duration of the experiment, showing that adsorption plays a key role in aresenic uptake by the lepidocrocite. Our results also show that power function and elovich models are the best fit for the adsorption kinetics of arsenite and aesenate on the lepidocrocite.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.5-31
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• 1997

Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is an assessment process integrated with policy and planning processes considering environmental impacts, not at the level of individual project, but at higher level of policy and plan. Presently, two systems for the SEA are being implemented in Korea. One is "the consultation of environmental investigation into a change in national land utilization", which is to be pre-discussed with the head of the related central administrative organizations, based on the respective individual code. The other is "the consultation of environmental investigation into an administrative plan and project", which is to be pre-discussed with the minister of the environments for the administrative plan. However, these two systems are not integrated procedures with the planning process. In other words, there is a separate post-environmental assessment after planning. Also concrete proposal is not yet prepared for the method and procedure of environmental investigation about details of the planning. Therefore, they do not playa role in taking precautions for environmentally sustainable development. In this study, for the effective environmental investigation at the level of planning, environmental assessment model to be integrated with urban comprehensive plans was developed. The results of this study can be summarized as follows: First, based on the analysis of systematic problems in environmental investigation of this country, the study compared and analysed the SEA method of foreign countries. derived the potential limitations in its applications to this country. Also, the new method in this study, is integrated into planning process by improving the limitations. Thus, we developed the SEA model for this country, which consists of seven steps ; Phase 1; establishing a work program, Phase 2; defining the scop. of the SEA, Phase 3; analyzing an existing environmental situation, Phase 4; examining the consistency with environmental policy, Phase 5; appraising and synthesizing the plan content, Phase 6; proposing recommendations, Phase 7; monitoring and feedback. Second, the two types of application program of the developed assessment model were proposed. One is to integrate this model into planning process, and the other is for the institute and ministry of environments to implement SEA after planning. An aim of this study was developing an environmental assessment model at the planning level which was not yet established in this country and was to apply the model to urban comprehensive plan for inspection. This research will make the effective operation of environmental investigation system possible at the planning level in this country and contribute to the environmental protection at the global level.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.148-157
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• 2003

Background and Objectives: Individual genetic susceptibilities to chemical carcinogens have been recognized as a major important host factors in human cancers. The cytochrome P450 family (CYPs) and glutathione S-transferase(GST) have been reported to be associated with risks to the smoking-related human cancers. Inactivation of tumor suppressor genes like p53 playa key role in tumor progression. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate an association between p53 overexpression and the prevalence of the genetic polymorphisms of CYP1A1 and GSTs in Korean head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Materials and Methods: The polymorphisms of CYPIA1 and GSTs were analyzed by PCR and PCR-RFLP in 98 Korean head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients. The expression of p53 was analyzed by immunohistochemistry with anti-p53 Ab (DO7). Results: Overexpression of p53 detected in 45.9% of HNSCC. The odds ratio for p53 overexpression in GSTM1(-), GSTT1(-), GSTP1(val/val) and CYP1A1(val/val) were 1.53, 1.83, 1.17 and 1.47, respectively. Among the combined genotypes, the odds ratio of the CYP1A1 val/val, GSTM1 (-), CYP1A1 val/val, GSTT1(-), and CYP1A1 val/val, GSTT1(-) were 2.0, 2.34 and 4.68, respectively. Conclusion: Based on our results, it might be suggested that p53 overexpression is slightly increased in GSTM1(-), GSTT1(-), GSTP1 val/val, CYP1A1 val/val genotypes. The further study is needed to evaluate the relationship and mechanism between the p53 overexpression and the specific CYP1A1 and GSTs genotypes.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.745-755
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• 2006

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of irradiated frozen allogenic bone(IFAB) on the cell proliferation and differentiation of human fetal osteoblasts. Human fetal osteoblasts(hFOB1) were cultured to examine the cellular proliferation for 3 days and 5 days with $1mg/m{\ell}$, $100{\mu}g/m{\ell}$, $10{\mu}g/m{\ell}$, $1{\mu}g/m{\ell}$, $100ng/m{\ell}$, $10ng/m{\ell}$, $1ng/m{\ell}$ of IFAB, and to compare the ALP synthesis to control groups for 3 days with DMEM/F-12 1:1 Mixture and $1mg/m{\ell}$, $100{\mu}g/m{\ell}$, $10{\mu}g/m{\ell}$, $1{\mu}g/m{\ell}$, $100ng/m{\ell}$, $10ng/m{\ell}$, $1ng/m{\ell}$ of IFAB. To compare the calcium accumulation, hFOBl cultured for 23 days were quantified and photographed. The cellular proliferation of hFOBls treated with IFAB was increased at 5 days to control(p<0.05). The activity of ALP in hFOBls treated with $100ng/m{\ell}$ IFAB was significantly increased at 5 days(p<0.05). A quantified calcium accumulation in hFOBl was significantly increased at $100ng/m{\ell}$, $10ng/m{\ell}$ of IFAB(p<0.05). In the present study, we found that IFAB playa important role of bone formation in the early stage. There was considered that IFAB could be used in the bone graft material.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.199-205
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• 1998

The present study was performed to analyze the expression of LH genes in the rat ovary. Expression of LH subunit genes in the rat ovary was demonstrated by amplification of ovarian RNA by RT-PCR. The ovarian $LH_\beta$ transcripts contained at least two parts of the published cDNA structure, the pituitary exons 1, 2 and 3 and the part of testicular ex on 1 in the major trancripts form in rat testis. Using RIA, significant amount of LH-like molecules were detected in crude ovarian extracts, and the competition curves with increasing amount of tissue extracts were parallel with those of standard peptide, indicating that the ovarian immunoreactive LH-like material is similar to authentic pituitary LH molecule. The administration of PMSG to immature rats resulted in a sharp decrease of the ovarian LH contents after 24 h post-injection. In conclusion, these findings demonstrate that genes for LH subunits are expressed in the rat ovary, and suggest that LH can playa central role in regulation of female reproduction with both endocrine (by pituitary LH) and auto- and/or para-crine (by ovarian LH) manner.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.367-377
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• 1996

Genes on the long arm of Y chromosome, particularly interval 6, are believed to playa critical role in human spermatogenesis. The objective of this study was to validate a sequenced-tagged site(STS)-mapping strategy for the detection of Yq microdeletion and to use this method to determine the proportion of men with Yq microdeletions in idiopathic, obstructive, nonobstructive azoospermia, severe OATS and in normal males. We analyzed three STS markers mapped to interval 6 within long arm of the Y chromosome from 106 nonobstructive, 30 obstructive azoospermia, 15 severe OATS patients, and normal 42 males in Korean men. By PCR, we tested leukocyte DNA, for the presences of STS markers(DAZ, sY129 and sY134) and SRY gene as internal control. And PCR results were confirmed by Southern hybridization, and were investigated by SSCP analysis for DAZ gene mutation. None of 42 normal males and 30 obstructive azoospermia had microdeletions, Of the 15 severe OATS typed with DAZ, sY129 and sY134, 3(20.0%) patients failed to amplify 1 or more STS markers, and of the 106 nonobstructive azoospermia typed with DAZ, sY129 and sY134, 12(11.3%) patients failed to amplify 1 or more STS markers. From these results, high prevalence(12.4%) of Yq deletion(DAZ, sY129, sY134) in men with nonobstructive idopathic azoospermia and severe OATS were observed in Korean infertility patients. To avoid the infertile offspring by assisted reproductive technique using ICSI or ROSI, genetic diagnosis will be needed in IVF-ET program.