• Title/Summary/Keyword: specificities

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Evaluation of Reverse Hybridization Assay for Detecting Fluoroquinolone and Kanamycin Resistance in Multidrug-Resistance Mycobacterium tuberculosis Clinical Isolates (다제내성결핵 균주에서 Reverse Hybridization Assay를 이용한 Fluoroquinolone, Kanamycin 신속 내성 검사의 유용성)

  • Park, Chin-Su;Sung, Nack-Moon;Hwang, Soo-Hee;Jeon, Jae-Hyun;Won, Young-Sub;Min, Jin-Hong;Kim, Cheon-Tae;Kang, Hyung-Seok
    • Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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    • v.72 no.1
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    • pp.44-49
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    • 2012
  • Background: Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is an increasing public health problem and poses a serious threat to global TB control. Fluoroquinolone (FQ) and aminoglycoside (AG) are essential anti-TB drugs for MDR-TB treatment. REBA MTB-FQ$^{(R)}$ and REBA MTB-KM$^{(R)}$ (M&D, Wonju, Korea) were evaluated for rapid detection of FQ and kanamycin (KM) resistance in MDR-TB clinical isolates. Methods: M. tuberculosis (n=67) were isolated and cultured from the sputum samples of MDR-TB patients for extracting DNA of the bacilli. Mutations in genes, gyrA and rrs, that have been known to be associated with resistance to FQ and KM were analyzed using both REBA MTB-FQ$^{(R)}$ and REBA MTB-KM$^{(R)}$, respectively. The isolates were also utilized for a conventional phenotypic drug susceptibility test (DST) as the gold standard of FQ and KM resistance. The molecular and phenotypic DST results were compared. Results: Sensitivity and specificity of REBA MTB-FQ$^{(R)}$ were 77 and 100%, respectively. Positive predictive value and negative predictive value of the assay were 100 and 95%, respectively, for FQ resistance. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of REBA MTB-KM$^{(R)}$ for detecting KM resistance were 66%, 94%, 70%, and 95%, respectively. Conclusion: REBA MTB-FQ$^{(R)}$ and REBA MTB-KM$^{(R)}$ evaluated in this study showed excellent specificities as 100 and 94%, respectively. However, sensitivities of the assays were low. It is essential to increase sensitivity of the rapid drug resistance assays for appropriate MDR-TB treatment, suggesting further investigation to detect new or other mutation sites of the associated genes in M. tuberculosis is required.

Esterase Isozymes of Beet Armyworm, Spodoptera exigua(H bner), with Development and Tissues (발육 및 조직에 따른 파밤나방(Spodoptera exigua (H bner)) 에스테라제 동위효소)

  • 강성영;김용균
    • Korean journal of applied entomology
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    • v.37 no.2
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    • pp.179-185
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    • 1998
  • The effect of physiological factors of beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua (Hubner), on esterase variation was analyzed by comparing electrophoretic esterase isozymes. Each esterase isozyme was also characterized by substrate and inhibitor specificities. A total of 28 esterase isozymes were separated on 10% nondenaturing polycarylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). These isozymes were denoted from El to E28 according to cathodal migration distances. There was a variation in esterase isozymes among developmental stages. Larvae and pupae had more isozymes than did adults. Eggs had only eight isozymes. The isozymes of El and E2 were specific only in the first instar larvae. Esterases also showed variation according to different tissues. More kinds of esterase isozymes were found in epidermis and gut tissues than in hemolymph and fat body. Some isozymes were specific in epidermis (from El to E6), gut (E10, El 1, E25, E26, and E27), and hemolymph (E18). Among 10 naphthyl esters, a-naphthyl propionate was the most reactive substrate to the esterase isozymes. The isozymes were classified into cholinesterases (El0 and E24), arylesterases (E4, E9, E17, E19, E21, and E23), and carboxylesterases (the others) on the basis of inhibition by the esterase inhibitors-eserine, dichlorovos, moncrotophos, and paraoxon.

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Metamorphic Changes of the Neurosecretory Cells in the Brains of Wax Moth Gafferfa mellonella during Metamorphosis (꿀벌부채명나방 뇌신경분비세포의 변태에 따른 변화)

  • 이봉희;강성훈;김민영;김우갑
    • The Korean Journal of Zoology
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    • v.32 no.2
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    • pp.120-133
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    • 1989
  • The paraidehyde-fuchsin(PAE)-positive neurosecretory cells in the brains of wax moth Galleria mellonella have been morphologically examined at the six different metamorphic stages. During the metamorphosis, neurosecretory cells in the brain can be found in the five unclei of pars intercerebralis, lateral region of protocerebrum, optic lobe, deutocrebrum and tritocerebrum. The five nuelel include one to seven neurosecretory cells. On the bases of cell sizes and histochemical specificities of neurosercretion within cells, all the PAF-positive neurosercretory cells included in the six different metamorphic brains can be recognized as four species of neurosecretory cells as follows; (1) large (about 25 $\mu$m), neurosecretion-parcked cell (type I neurosecretory cell), (2) large, granule-dispersed cell (type II neurosecretury cell), (3) small (about 15 $\mu$m), neurosecretion-packed cell (type III neurosecretory cell), and (4) small, granule-dispersed cell (type IV neurose-cretory cell). The three tb seven medial neurosecretory cells are included in the pars intercerebralis of the six different metamorphic brains. With the increase of days from the late larva to the adult the type I cells of medial neurosecretory cells gradually decrease in number, but the respective three type II neurosecretory cells appear in the five different metamorphic brains except in pupa 2 day before the emeregnce of the adult which has only one type II. The one to five lateral neurosecretory cells are observed in the lateral region of protocerebrum from thepupa just after pupation to the adult. The type IV neurosecretory cells are the most in number of lateral neurosecretory cells. The one type Ineurosecretory cells are included near the optic lobe of only the 4-day-old pupa. the one deutocerebral neurosecretory cell, type II, appears only in the adult. The tritocerebrum includes both three neurosecretory cells in the late larva and one neuresecretory cell in the adult. In the late larva the two tritocerebral neurosecretory cells are type Ill neurosecretory cell and the one is type IV. The remaining one tritocerebral neurosecretory cell is type IV.

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A Study on the Development of the Korean Army's International Peace Operation :Based on the analysis of African regional conflicts (한국군의 국제평화활동 발전방안 : 아프리카 지역분쟁 분석을 기반으로)

  • Lee, Kang Kyong;Seol, Hyeon Ju
    • Convergence Security Journal
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    • v.19 no.3
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    • pp.117-126
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    • 2019
  • Historically, the United Nations supported the establishment of the government of the Republic of Korea after liberation and played a decisive role in defending liberal democracy and peace by sending peacekeepers during the Korean War. With the political and military support of the United Nations, the Republic of Korea was able to grow into the world's 10th largest economy today, and now it is time to fulfill its responsibilities and roles to contribute to peace and prosperity in the international community as a middle power. The international peace operations of the United Nations are comprehensive concepts encompassing conflict prevention, peacemaking, peace enforcement, peacekeeping, and peace building, and are implemented in accordance with the Security Council resolutions based on the UN Charter. In order to effectively respond to changes in the international security environment and conflict factors after the post-Cold War, the UN promoted a paradigm shift in international peace operations through the 2000 Brahim Report and the 2015 High-Level Panel Report on UN Peace Activities. Therefore, this study aims to assess the Korean military's international peace operations at a limited level, such as reconstruction assistance and humanitarian assistance, and to present development measures for more active participation as a middle power in the future. To this end, we reviewed the history and specificities of conflict, the conflicting factors after the post-Cold War, and the new paradigm of UN peace operations, focusing on the African region where a number of UN peacekeeping missions are stationed. And it also suggested ways to develop international peace operations that the Korean military should pursue in the future.

Institutional Milieu of High-Tech Venture Business Cluster in a Metropolitan Area: the Case of Daegu City in Korea (지방대도시 벤처생태계의 제도적 및 문화적 환경: 대구지역을 사례로)

  • 이철우;이종호
    • Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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    • v.7 no.1
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    • pp.1-27
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    • 2004
  • In this paper we attempt to explore the institutional and clutural milieu of high-tech venture business cluster in Daegu City and provide policy implications for creating sustainable high-tech venture businesses cluster. Although since 1998 the Korean government has made explicitly a great deal of efforts to help attract and create high-tech new start-ups in non-capital cities such as the support of business incubating centers and the establishment of real service centres, it reveals that such policies are not so successful in creating a sustainable venture ecology. One of the most critical resions is that such policies are centred simply on building physical infrastructure such as incubating space and service centre with less concern with promoting venture business cluster reflecting cultural and institutional specificities in a given region. In this respect we argue that the focus of industrial policies to support promoting high-tech venture business clusters in non-capital cities urgently need to move towards to make it for firms to encourage entrepreneurship driving innovation and to create social capital incucing trust and networks amongst firms, universities, public &privite supporting agencies, together with the building up of physical infrastructure the existing policies have done.

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The Role of the Insulin-like Growth Factor System during the Periimplantation Period (착상기 Insulin-like Growth Factor System의 역할)

  • 이철영
    • Journal of Embryo Transfer
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    • v.12 no.3
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    • pp.229-246
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    • 1997
  • Implantation is a most important biological process during pregnancy whereby conceptus establishes its survival as well as maintenance of pregnancy. During the periimplantation period, both uterine endometriurn and conceptus synthesize and secrete a host of growth factors and cytokines which mediate the actions of estrogen and /or progesterone and also exert their steroid-independent actions. Growth factors expressed by the materno-conceptal unit en masse have important roles in cell migration, stimulation or inhibition of cell proliferation, cellular differentiation, maintenance of pregnancy and materno-conceptal communications in an autorcrine /paracrine manner. The present review focuses on the role of the intrauterine IGF system during periimplantation conceptus development. The IGF system comprises of IGF- I and IGF- II ligands, types I and II IGF receptors and six or more IGF-binding proteins(IGFBPs). IGFs and IGFBPs are expressed and secreted by uterine endometrium with tissue, pregnancy stage and species specificities under the influence of estrogen, progesterone and other growth factor(s). Conceptus also synthesizes components of the IGF system beginning from a period between 2-cell and blastocyst stages. Maternal IGFs are utilized by both maternal and conceptal tissues; conceptus-derived growth factors are believed to be taken up primarily by conceptus. IGFs enhance the development of both maternal and conceptal compartments in a wide range of biological processes. They stimulate proliferation and differentiation of endometrial cells and placental precursor cells including decidual transformation from stromal cells, placental formation and the synthesis of some steroid and protein hormones by differentiated endometrial cells or placenta. It is also well-documented in a number of experimental settings that both IGFs stimulate preimplantation embryo development. In slight contrast to these, prenatal mice carrying a null mutation of IGF and /or IGF receptor gene do not exhibit any apparent growth retardation until after implantation. Reason (s) for this discrepancy between the knock-out result and the in vitro ones, however, is not known. IGFBPs, in general, are believed to inhibit IGF action within the materno-conceptal unit, thereby allowing endometrial stromal cell differentiation as well as dampening ex cessive placental invasion into maternal tissue. There is evidence, however, indicating that IGFBP can enhance IGF action depending on environrnental conditions perhaps by directioning IGF ligand to the target cell. There is also a third possibility that certain IGFBPs and their proteolytic fragments may have their own biological activities independent of the IGF. In addition to IGFBPs, IGFBP proteases including those found within the uterine tissue or lumen are thought to enhance IGF bioavailability by degrading their substrates without affecting their bound ligand. In this regard, preliminary results in early pregnant pigs suggest that a partially characterized IGFBP protease activity in uterine luminal fluid enhances intrauterine IGF bioavailability during conceptus morphological development. In summary, a number of in vitro results indicate that IGFs stimulates the development of the rnaterno-conceptal unit during the periimplantation period. IGFBPs appear to inhibit IGF action by sequestering their ligands, whereas IGFBP proteases are thought to enhance intrauterine bioavailability of IGFs. Much is remaining to be clarified, however, regarding the roles of the individual IGF system components. These include in vivo evidence for the role of IGFs in early conceptus development, identification of IGF-regulated genes and their functions, specific roles for individual IGFBPs, identification and characterization of IGFBP proteases. The intrauterine IGF club house thus will be paying a lot of attention to forthcoming results in above and other areas, with its door wide-open!

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A Clonorchis sinensis-specific antigen that detects active human clonorchiasis (간흡충 현증감염 특이항원)

  • 김석일
    • Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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    • v.36 no.1
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    • pp.37-46
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    • 1998
  • A Czonorchis sinensis-specific antigen in excretory-secretory product of C. sinensis (CsE) was assessed in human clonorchiasis by immunoblot. Thirty and 7 kDa antigens of CsE2, one of four different batches of CsEs reacted strongly with infection sera from clonorchiasis patients; however, the antigens reacted weakly with 6-month post- treatment sera from praziquantel-cured cases, but were still highly detected by the sera from praziquantel∼failed patients, indicating that the 30 and 7 kDa antigens can detect antibodies during an active infection. The 30 kDa antigen showed some cross reactions with sera from patients with Pcragonimus westemani and Metcfonimw vokogcujci, while the 7 kDa antigen did not, suggesting that the 7 kDa antigen has high specificity. The 30 kDa antigen reacted with some past clonorchiasis sera, whereas the 7 kDa antigen did not, supporting that antibodies to the 7 kDa antigen are not present in sera from past clonorchiasis patients. In an endemic area, 92% (23/25) of active clonorchiasis patients and 91% (10/11) of mixed infection patients with C. sinensis and M. Wokosawai had IgG antibodies to the 7 kDa antigen, while 40% (6/15) of past clonorchiasis individuals and 43% (3/7) of metagonimiasis patients cross-reacted to the antigen. These data suggest that the 7 kDa antigen in an excretory-secretory antigen may serve as a marker of an active clonorchiasis with reliable specificities in past clonorchiasis, paragonimiasis and metagonimiasis.

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A Study on the Geometric Deformation Measurement of Structures by Collinearity Condition (공선조건에 의한 구조물의 기하학적 변형해석에 관한 연구)

  • 강준묵;오원진;이진덕;한승희
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Surveying, Geodesy, Photogrammetry and Cartography
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    • v.4 no.2
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    • pp.77-87
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    • 1986
  • As for the deformation measurement of structure, there are many controversial points in using the methods by the strain guage, inclinometer, bial guage, and geodetic method because of the difficulty of instrument setting and the problem in the degree of accuracy of the results as well as in the economical aspect. Therefore, to verify the superiority of the Close- Range Photogrammetry method for the structural deformation measurement, the result of load deformation on the model structure, which was made using the Close-Range Photogrammetry method was compard with the results which was made using the methods of dial guage, precision level, and triangulation. In addition to that, to consider the general problem which would happen when C. R. P method was applied to the practical structure. The elements of C. R. P method like camera rotation angle ($\psi$,$\omega$), exposure elevation (Z$_{L}$), and angle of inclined base line ($\theta$) were experimented, and their specificities were reconsidered. As a result, the application of C. R. P method to the general structure is expected to be increased not only in the aspect of accuracy but in the economical aspect.t.

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Expression and Characterization of Fibrinolytic Enzyme Activity During Earthworm Tail Regeneration (지렁이 꼬리 재생시 발현되는 피브리노겐 분해효소의 활성과 특성에 관한 연구)

  • Tak, Eun-Sik;Cho, Sung-Jin;Kim, Jae-Young;Lee, Kyu-Seok;Park, Soon-Cheol
    • The Korean Journal of Soil Zoology
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    • v.4 no.2
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    • pp.101-106
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    • 1999
  • Fibrinolytic enzyme is thought to be involved in extracellular matrix remodeling during regeneration. We investigated the expression and characterization fibrinolytic enzyme activity during earthworm tail regeneration. Electrophoretic analysis of fibrinolytic enzymes induced during regeneration revealed that at least seven types of fibrinolytic enzymes were expressed, which had molecular weight of 12, 19, 23, 27, 32, 45 and 58 kDa, respectively. These fibrinolytic enzyme activities were dramatically increased within 1 day after amputation. These activities were maintained by 7 days postamputation, followed by decrease to control level from 14 days after amputation. Alltypes of fibrinolytic enzyme activities were inhibited by treatment of PMSF and aprotinin, and were insensitive to EDTA and exogenous Ca$^{2+}$. These results indicate that the fibrinolytic enzymes are serineproteinase. Other characteristics including specificities for extracellular matrix proteins are under investigation. Based on these results, we are trying to find out the relationship among expression of proteinases, extracellular matrix remodeling, and dedifferentiation, which are believed to be essential processes during regeneration.

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Diagnostic Image Feature and Performance of CT and Gadoxetic Acid Disodium-Enhanced MRI in Distinction of Combined Hepatocellular-Cholangiocarcinoma from Hepatocellular Carcinoma

  • Kim, Hyunghu;Kim, Seung-seob;Lee, Sunyoung;Lee, Myeongjee;Kim, Myeong-Jin
    • Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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    • v.25 no.4
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    • pp.313-322
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    • 2021
  • Purpose: To find diagnostic image features, to compare diagnostic performance of multiphase CT versus gadoxetic acid disodium-enhanced MRI (GAD-MRI), and to evaluate the impact of analyzing Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) imaging features, for distinguishing combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma (CHC) from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Materials and Methods: Ninety-six patients with pathologically proven CHC (n = 48) or HCC (n = 48), diagnosed June 2008 to May 2018 were retrospectively analyzed in random order by three radiologists with different experience levels. In the first analysis, the readers independently determined the probability of CHC based on their own knowledge and experiences. In the second analysis, they evaluated imaging features defined in LI-RADS 2018. Area under the curve (AUC) values for CHC diagnosis were compared between CT and MRI, and between the first and second analyses. Interobserver agreement was assessed using Cohen's weighted κ values. Results: Targetoid LR-M image features showed better specificities and positive predictive values (PPV) than the others. Among them, rim arterial phase hyperenhancement had the highest specificity and PPV. Average sensitivity, specificity, and AUC values were higher for MRI than for CT in both the first (P = 0.008, 0.005, 0.002, respectively) and second (P = 0.017, 0.026, 0.036) analyses. Interobserver agreements were higher for MRI in both analyses (κ = 0.307 for CT, κ = 0.332 for MRI in the first analysis; κ = 0.467 for CT, κ = 0.531 for MRI in the second analysis), with greater agreement in the second analysis for both CT (P = 0.001) and MRI (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Rim arterial phase hyperenhancement on GAD-MRI can be a good indicator suggesting CHC more than HCC. GAD-MRI may provide greater accuracy than CT for distinguishing CHC from HCC. Interobserver agreement can be improved for both CT and MRI by analyzing LI-RADS imaging features.