• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.49 no.5
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• pp.500-506
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• 2006

Purpose : We evaluated an outbreak of Serratia marcescens infections in 24 neonates in a neonatal intensive care unit(NICU). Methods : From January to August, 2004 a nosocomial outbreak of S. marcescens occurred in our NICU. We describe the clinical characteristics of the outbreak and analyse the risk factors for infections with S. marcescens. After the outbreak stopped, 7 isolates from blood were typed using rapid amplified polymorphic DNA analysis(RAPD). Results : S. marcescens was isolated from 24 neonates, 19 infected and 5 colonized. Seven out of nineteen neonates had bacteremia, 4 had ventilator associated pneumonia, 4 had purulent conjunctivitis, 2 had UTI, 1 had meningitis and 1 had a wound infection. Three neonates died due to S. marcescens infection, 2 of 3 had ventilator associated pneumonia, 1 had meningitis complicated with abscess. The mortality rate of S. marcescens infection was 15.8%. Factors associated with S. marcescens infections were previous antibiotic therapy, indwelling catheter and use of ventilators. The isolated strains were resistant to most antibiotics, but frequently sensitive to imipenem, bactrim and amikacin. RAPD typing results show that at least 3 epidemic strains were related with this outbreak. But one genotype was predominant type in this outbreak. The control measures were instituted and the outbreak stopped within 2 months. Conclusion : S. marcescens can cause rapidly spreading outbreaks associated with fatal infections in neonates. If S. marcescens is isolated from clinical specimens, meticulous infection control measures and epidemiologic investigations should be done at an early stage of the outbreak.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.49-59
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• 2000

Backgrounds : Recent cytogenetic studies indicated that long of the long arm of chromosome 5 is a frequent event in small cell lung canær (SCLC), suggesting the presence of a tumor suppressor gene in its place. To map the precise tumor-suppressor loci on the chromosome arm for further positional cloning efforts, we tested 15 primary SCLCs. Methods : The DNAs extracted from paraffin-embedded tissue blocks with primary tumor and corresponding control tissue were investigated. Nineteen polymorphic microsatellite markers located in the long arm of chromosome 5 were used in the microsatellite analysis. Results : We found that ten (66.7%) of 15 tumors exhibited LOH in at least one of tested microsatellite markers. Two (13%) of 10 tumors exhibiting LOH lost a larger area in chromosome 5q. LOH was observed in five common deleted regions at 5q. Among those areas, LOH between 5q34-qter and 5q35.2-35.3 was most frequent (75%). LOH was also observed in more than 50% of the tumors at four other regions, between 5q14-15 and 5q23-31, 5q31.1, 5q31.3-33.3, and 5q34-35. Three of 15 tumors exhibited shifted bands in at least one of the tested microsatellite markers. Shifted bands occurred in 2.5% (7 of 285) of the loci tested. Conclusion : Our data demonstrated that at least five tumor-suppressor loci exist in the long arm of chromosome 5 and that they may play an important role in small cell lung cancer tumorigenesis.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.87-92
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• 2009

Purpose : Many gene polymorphisms are associated with coronary artery abnormalities in Kawasaki disease. Catechol-O- methyltransferase (COMT) plays an important role in the metabolism of catecholamines, catechol estrogen, and catechol drugs. Polymorphisms of the COMT gene are reported to be associated with myocardial infarction and coronary artery abnormalities. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between COMT gene polymorphisms and coronary artery abnormalities in Kawasaki disease patients. Methods : One hundred and one Korean children with Kawasaki disease and 306 healthy Korean control subjects were enrolled in this study. The polymorphisms of the COMT gene were analyzed by direct sequencing. Results : There were no differences in the genotype and allelic frequency of the rs4680 and rs769224 polymorphic sites between Kawasaki disease and control subjects. Further, no significant difference was found in the rs4680 polymorphism between patients with coronary artery abnormalities and patients without coronary artery abnormalities (codominant P=0.32, dominant P=0.74, recessive P=0.13). However, the distribution of the rs769224 polymorphism was significantly different between patients with coronary artery abnormalities and patients without coronary artery abnormalities (codominant P= 0.0077, dominant P=0.0021, recessive P=0.16). Conclusion : Our results indicate that the polymorphisms of the rs769224 gene might be related to the development of coronary artery abnormalities in Kawasaki disease.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.597-611
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• 2003

Background : Loss of the short arm of chromosome 16 is a frequent event in various cancers, which suggests the presence of tumor suppressor gene(s) there. To map precise tumor suppressor loci on the chromosome arm for further positional cloning efforts, we tested 23 primary small cell lung cancers. Method : The DNAs extracted from paraffin embedded tissue blocks with primary tumor and corresponding control tissue were investigated. Twenty polymorphic microsatellite markers located in the short arm of chromosome 16 were used in the microsatellite analysis. Results : We found that six (26.1%) of 23 tumors exhibited LOH in at least one of tested microsatellite markers. Two (8.7%) of 6 tumors exhibiting LOH lost a larger area in chromosome 16p. LOH was observed in five common deleted regions at 16p. Among those areas, LOH between D16S668 and D16S749 was most frequent (21.1%). LOH was also observed at four other regions, between D16S3024 and D16S748, D16S405, D16S420, and D16S753. Six of 23 tumors exhibited shifted bands in at least one of the tested microsatellite markers. Shifted bands occurred in 3.3% (15 of 460) of the loci tested. Conclusion : Our data demonstrated that at least five tumor suppressor loci might exist in the short arm of chromosome 16 and that they may play an important role in small cell lung cancer tumorigenesis.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.151-159
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• 2002

Genetic map and molecular marker have a great importance in improving and facilitating crop breeding program as well as in genome analysis and map-based cloning of genes representing desirable characters. This study aimed at developing RAPD markers and constructing a genetic linkage map using 82 BC$_1$F$_1$individuals originated from the cross between '835' and B$_2$in radish (Raphanus sativus L.). One of the parents for genetic linkage map construction, '835'(P$_1$) of egg type is susceptible to Fusarium wilt and have medium resistance to virus infection and the other parent, B$_2$(P$_2$) of round type, is susceptible to Fusarium wilt and virus, Screening of 394 RAPD primers in BC$_1$F$_1$) population resulted in selecting 128 polymorphic markers which displayed 1:1 segregation pattern. Two markers failed to display 1:1 segregation and showed the segregation ratio skewed to maternal genotype. Selected markers were categorized into 14 linkage group based on LOD score represented by MAPMAKER/EXP program. Five groups composed of single marker among them were excluded from the linkage map, and consequently, the remaining groups are well matched with the number of radish chromosome (n＝9). The linkage map constructed with 128 markers covers 1,688.3 cM and the average distance between markers was 13.8 cM. For developing STS marker, we determined the partial nucleotide sequence of OPE10 marker at both ends and designed a oligonucleotide primer pair based on this sequence. STS PCR using the primer pair displayed a single, clear band of which segregation is perfectly matched with that of OPE10 marker. This implies that RAPD markers could readily convert into clear and reliable STS markers.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.77-89
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• 1998

Background: Genetic and environmental factors are known to affect the incidence and severity of asthma. Stimulation of $\beta_2$-Adrenergic Receptor ($\beta_2$AR) results in smooth muscle relaxation, leading to decrease in resistance of airflow. The gene encoding the $\beta_2$AR has recently been seguenced. The $\beta_2$AR genotype at the polymorphic loci of codons 16, 27, 34, and 164 was known to cause changes in the amino acids. The relationships between the structure of the $\beta_2$AR and its functions are being elucidated. Purpose : The gene encoding the $\beta_2$AR was carried out to assess the frequency of polymorphisms in bronchial asthma, to determine wheather these polymorphisms have any relation to the severity, or nocturnal symptoms in bronchial asthma. Methods: The subjects studied were 103 patients with bronchial asthma, which consisted of 30 mild episodic, 32 mild persistent, 17 moderate, and 24 severe asthma patients. The polymorphisms of the $\beta_2$AR gene were detected by mutated allele specific amplification (MASA) method at the codons 16,27,34, and 164. Results: The most frequent polymorphism was arginine 16 to glycine. The other two polymorphisms, valine 34 to methionine and glutamine 27 to glutamic acid occured in 11 and 6 patients respectively. The polymorphism of threonine 164 to isoleucine was not found in our enrolled patients. The homozygous polymorphism of $\beta_2$AR gene was found in only arginine 16 to glycine (12.6%). The heterozygous polymorphisms of $\beta_2$AR gene were in arginine 16 to glycine, valine 34 to methionine, and glutamine 27 to glutamic acid, as 65.1 %,10.7%, and 5.8% respectively in asthma patients. The presence of agrginine 16 to glycine heterozygous or/and homozygous polymorphism was associated in severe asthma (p=0.015), but there was no association between the other three polymorphisms and the severity of asthma. The frequency of the $\beta_2$AR gene polymorphisms was no relation in nocturnal asthma as compared with non-nocturnal asthma. Conclusion: The arginine 16 to glycine polymorphism of the $\beta_2$AR gene is the most frequently found in asthma patients and association with severe asthma. But there was no association between the polymorphism of the $\beta_2$AR gene and nocturnal asthma.