• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제57권1호
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• pp.21-25
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• 2019

Trichomoniasis is the most common curable sexually-transmitted infection. Most Trichomonas vaginalis-infected men are asymptomatic and can remain undiagnosed and untreated, and this has been thought to result in chronic persistent prostatic infection. Chronic inflammation is regarded as the major factor in the pathogenesis and progression of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostatic cancer (PCa). The aim of this study is to identify seropositivity to T. vaginalis in men with prostate tumors (BPH or PCa) visited to Hanyang University Hospital. A total of 183 men were enrolled between October 2013 and November 2014. They consisted of 139 with BPH (mean age: $64.0{\pm}0.07$) and 44 with prostate cancer (mean age: $73.3{\pm}0.18$). We carried out ELISA to identify the seropositivity to T. vaginalis. Mixed lysate antigen extracted from 8 strains of T. vaginalis was used in the ELISA. Also 58 male outpatients visited to Health Promotion Center in Hanyang University Hospital were evaluated for comparing group. As a results, seropositivity to T. vaginalis in patients with prostatic diseases was 19.7% (BPH: 18.7%, PCa: 22.7%) and it was significantly higher than the 1.7% of the comparing healthy group (P=0.001). Therefore, prostatic tumor showed higher seropositivity against T. vaginalis than normal men. As far as we know, this is the first report about seroprevalence in prostatic tumor in Korea.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제57권1호
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• pp.33-38
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• 2019

Trichomoniasis is a common sexually transmitted infection caused by Trichomonas vaginalis, which actually does not exist a vaccine for control or prevention. Thus, the identification of new and potent immunogens in T. vaginalis, which can contribute to the development of a vaccine against this parasite, is necessary. Therefore, the aim of this work was to evaluate the potential of a recombinant Transient Receptor Potential-like channel of T. vaginalis (TvTRPV), as a promising immunogen in BALB/c mice. First, TvTRPV was cloned and expressed as a recombinant protein in Escherichia coli BL21 cells and purified by nickel affinity. Next, BALB/c mice were immunized and the antibody levels in mice serum and cytokines from the supernatant of macrophages and from co-culture systems were evaluated. Recombinant TvTRPV triggered high levels of specific total IgG in sera from the immunized mice. Also, a statistically significant increase of cytokines: $IL-1{\beta}$, IL-6, and $TNF-{\alpha}$ after stimulation with the corresponding antigens in vitro, was identified. Moreover, co-cultures using $CD4^+$ T cells from immunized mice were able to identify higher levels of IL-10 and $IFN-{\gamma}$. These results were useful to validate the immunogenicity of TvTRPV in BALB/c mice, where IL-10-$IFN-{\gamma}$-secreting cells could play a role in infection control, supporting the potential of TvTRPV as a promising target for vaccine against T. vaginalis.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제59권3호
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• pp.189-225
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• 2021

The use of albendazole and mebendazole, i.e., benzimidazole broad-spectrum anthelmintics, in treatment of parasitic infections, as well as cancers, is briefly reviewed. These drugs are known to block the microtubule systems of parasites and mammalian cells leading to inhibition of glucose uptake and transport and finally cell death. Eventually they exhibit ovicidal, larvicidal, and vermicidal effects on parasites, and tumoricidal effects on hosts. Albendazole and mebendazole are most frequently prescribed for treatment of intestinal nematode infections (ascariasis, hookworm infections, trichuriasis, strongyloidiasis, and enterobiasis) and can also be used for intestinal tapeworm infections (taeniases and hymenolepiasis). However, these drugs also exhibit considerable therapeutic effects against tissue nematode/cestode infections (visceral, ocular, neural, and cutaneous larva migrans, anisakiasis, trichinosis, hepatic and intestinal capillariasis, angiostrongyliasis, gnathostomiasis, gongylonemiasis, thelaziasis, dracunculiasis, cerebral and subcutaneous cysticercosis, and echinococcosis). Albendazole is also used for treatment of filarial infections (lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, loiasis, mansonellosis, and dirofilariasis) alone or in combination with other drugs, such as ivermectin or diethylcarbamazine. Albendazole was tried even for treatment of trematode (fascioliasis, clonorchiasis, opisthorchiasis, and intestinal fluke infections) and protozoan infections (giardiasis, vaginal trichomoniasis, cryptosporidiosis, and microsporidiosis). These drugs are generally safe with few side effects; however, when they are used for prolonged time (>14-28 days) or even only 1 time, liver toxicity and other side reactions may occur. In hookworms, Trichuris trichiura, possibly Ascaris lumbricoides, Wuchereria bancrofti, and Giardia sp., there are emerging issues of drug resistance. It is of particular note that albendazole and mebendazole have been repositioned as promising anti-cancer drugs. These drugs have been shown to be active in vitro and in vivo (animals) against liver, lung, ovary, prostate, colorectal, breast, head and neck cancers, and melanoma. Two clinical reports for albendazole and 2 case reports for mebendazole have revealed promising effects of these drugs in human patients having variable types of cancers. However, because of the toxicity of albendazole, for example, neutropenia due to myelosuppression, if high doses are used for a prolonged time, mebendazole is currently more popularly used than albendazole in anti-cancer clinical trials.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제61권1호
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• pp.2-14
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• 2023

Trichomonas vaginalis is a flagellated protozoan that causes trichomoniasis, a common nonviral sexually transmitted infection. T. vaginalis infection is asymptomatic in most infected men but can lead to chronic infection. The inflammatory response to chronic T. vaginalis infection may contribute to prostatic diseases, such as prostatitis and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH); however, studies on the relationship between T. vaginalis infection and prostate diseases are scarce. In this review, we discuss evidence from our studies on the involvement of T. vaginalis in the pathogenesis of prostate diseases, such as prostatitis and BPH. Studies of prostatitis have demonstrated that the attachment of T. vaginalis trophozoite to prostate epithelial cells (PECs) induces inflammatory cytokine production and inflammatory cell migration, leading to prostatitis. T. vaginalis also causes pathological changes, such as inflammatory cell infiltration, acinar changes, interstitial fibrosis, and mast cell infiltration, in prostate tissues of infected rats. Thus, T. vaginalis is considered an infectious agent that triggers prostatitis. Meanwhile, studies of prostatic hyperplasia revealed that mast cells activated by T. vaginalis-infected prostate cells secreted inflammatory mediators, such as β-hexosaminidase and tryptase, which promoted proliferation of prostate stromal cell (PSC). Moreover, interleukin-6 produced by proliferating PSCs induced the multiplication of BPH-1 epithelial cells as a result of stromal-epithelial interaction, suggesting that the proliferation of T. vaginalis-infected prostate cells can be induced through crosstalk with mast cells. These collective findings suggest that T. vaginalis contributes to the progression of prostatitis and prostatic hyperplasia by creating an inflammatory microenvironment involving PECs and PSCs.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제48권1호
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• pp.61-65
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• 2010

The objectives of this study were to conduct a prevalence survey of trichomoniasis in pregnant women and to evaluate the utility of different methods for its diagnosis. A total of 597 vaginal exudates from pregnant women who were examined at the Hospital de Clinicas in Buenos Aires, Argentina from 1 August 2005 to 31 January 2007, were prospectively and consecutively evaluated. The investigation of Trichomonas vaginalis was made by different microscopic examinations, and culture on liquid medium. The sensitivity and specificity of the microscopic examinations were assessed considering culture on liquid medium as the "gold standard". The prevalence of T. vaginalis obtained by culture on liquid medium was 4.0% (24/597). The prevalence of T. vaginalis obtained by direct wet smear, prolonged May-Grunwald Giemsa staining, and sodium acetate-formalin (SAF)/methylene blue staining-fixing technique was 1.8%, 2.3% and 2.5%, respectively. The sensitivity of the direct wet smear was 45.8%, that of the prolonged May-Grunwald Giemsa staining was 58.3%, and that of the SAF/methylene blue method was 62.5%. Considering the 3 microscopic examinations altogether, the sensitivity rose to 66.7% and the specificity was 100% for all of them. This is the first time that the prevalence data of T. vaginalis by culture in pregnant women are published in Argentina. Due to the low sensitivity obtained by microscopy in asymptomatic pregnant women, the use of the liquid medium is recommended during pregnancy, in order to provide an early diagnosis and treatment.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제52권5호
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• pp.551-555
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• 2014

Trichomonas vaginalis, a causative agent of trichomoniasis, may trigger symptomatic or asymptomatic non-gonococcal urethritis and chronic prostatitis in men. Despite the availability of highly sensitive diagnostic tests, such as nucleic acid amplification tests, including PCR, few prospective studies present data on male T. vaginalis infection in South Korea. In the present study, the prevalence of T. vaginalis and associated clinical conditions were evaluated in 201 male patients from a primary care urology clinic in South Korea. The prevalence of T. vaginalis infection in our cohort was 4% (8/201) by PCR. T. vaginalis infection was common in men older than 40 years (median age, 52 years). Among the 8 Trichomonas-positive patients, 87.5% (7/8) had prostatic diseases, such as prostatitis and benign prostatic hyperplasia, and 25.0% (2/8) and 12.5% (1/8) were coinfected with Chlamydia trachomatis and Mycoplasma genitalium, respectively. Our results suggest that T. vaginalis infection is not rare in men attending primary care urology clinics in South Korea, especially in those older than 40 years, in whom it may explain the presence of prostatic disease. The possibility of T. vaginalis infection should be routinely considered in older male patients with prostatic diseases in South Korea.

• 한국엔터테인먼트산업학회논문지
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• 제15권2호
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• pp.149-157
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• 2021

2019년 11월에 중국 우한지역에서 발생한 COVID-19가 세계적 대유행(Pandemic)이 시작된 지도 1여년이 지났다. 2021년 1월 현재, 세계적으로 9천 5백여만 명이 감염되었으며, 사망자는 2백만여 명을 상위하고 있다. 우리나라도 감염자가 7만 3천여 명, 사망자 1천 3백여 명에 달하여 감염예방을 위한 사회적 거리두기 등의 정책을 시행하고 있다. 이에 따라 각종 체육시설이 폐쇄되는 등 신체활동 환경에 많은 위축이 발생하였다. 국가 정책에 협조하면서도 감염의 예방과 건강생활을 유지하기 위한 신체활동에 대한 고찰이 필요하였다. 본 연구는 심장병과 당뇨의 위험을 감소시키고 골밀도를 개선시키며, 건강 수명의 연장과 노화에 따른 활동수행력을 유지시키고 심리적 불안과 우울증을 개선시키는 신체활동의 이득을 살펴보았다. 더불어 COVID-19 감염 예방을 위한 사회적 거리두기 등으로 인한 운동중단 상황에서 발생할 수 있는 생리적 변화들을 고찰하였다. 중정도의 유산소운동은 자연살해세포와 호중성백혈구, 항체반응을 활성화시켜 면역기능 강화에 도움을 준다. 하지만 장시간 고강도 운동은 운동 후 수 시간 동안 혈중 B-세포, T-세포, 자연살해세포의 수준과 기능을 감소시키며 비강의 호중성 백혈구의 식균작용을 저하와 염증성 사이토카인을 증가시켜 면역기능을 일시적으로 떨어뜨려 감염을 증가시킨다. 따라서 COVID-19 시대에는 면역기능에 장애를 초래하는 마라톤 같은 장시간 고강도 운동은 자제하고, 감염예방에 도움을 주는 빠르게 걷기 같은 중강도의 규칙적인 유산소성 운동과 근육량 감소를 예방하기 위한 저항운동에 참여할 것을 권장하고자 한다.

• 대한의생명과학회지
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• 제4권2호
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• pp.143-151
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• 1998

1998년 8월 5일부터 1998년 8월 12일까지 8일간 경상북도 울릉도에서 지역 여성 330명을 대상으로 자궁경부암 발생과 관련된다고 알려진 역학적 요인의 설문과 자궁경부암 집단검진으로 많이 이용되는 자궁경부 Pap. smear를 실시하여 다음과 같은 결과를 얻었다. 검사자의 평균연령은 52.1세였고 50대와 60대의 연령분포가 전체 검사자의 49.0%를 차지하였으며, 교육정도는 중학교 이하가 56.9%로 낮은 교육수준을 나타내었고, 첫 성교연령은 21세 이하가 43.9%를 차지하였고, 첫 임신연령은 21세 이하에서 33.3%로 나타났다. 총 임신횟수는 5회 이상인 대상자는 전체의 52.1%를 차지하였고, 5회 이상의 출산을 한 응답자는 전체의 24.5%였다. 전체의 68.8%에서 유산경험이 있었으며, 대상자의 80.0%에서 남편이 포경수술을 하지 않은 것으로 나타났다. 증상은 전체의 52.1%에서 증상이 있다고 응답하였으며, 증상이 있는 응답자의 증상으로는 대하 48.3%, 소양증 21.5%로 나타났다. 자궁암세포검사 경험과 빈도에서 자궁암세포검사를 받아본적이 있는 응답자는 전체의 63.9%였으며, Pap. smear결과와 검사유무의 관찰에서 정상군보다 비전형세포와 이형성증이 있는 군에서 검사를 받아 본 경험이 유의하게 낮게 관찰되었다(p＜0.05).검사를 받아 본 응답자 중 검사경험자의 44.1%에서 단 1회의 검사를 받아보았고, 30.3%는 비정기적으로 검사하였다. 한 번도 검사를 받은 경험이 없는 응답자의 이유로는 특별한 이상이 없었기 때문 51.3%, 부끄러움 때문에 16.8%나타났다. 자궁경부도말의 세포학적 검사결과는 정상 45.8%, 염증 47.3%, 트리코모나스증과 캔디다증이 1.8%, 비정형세포 4.5%, 이형성증이 0.6%였다.인되어, 국내에서도 진드기 교상시 이들 두 가지 열성질환이 동시에 감염될 가능성이 있는 것으로 사료됨으로 진드기 매개성 열성질환에 대한 적절한 진단법 등을 보다 체계적으로 연구하여야 할 것으로 판단된다.A typing 방법은 비교적 빠른 시간 내에 많은 종류의 HLA 대립 유전자형을 정확하게 구분할 수 있으므로 앞으로 tissue typing 실험실에서 유용하게 활용될 수 있을 것으로 생각된다. 또한 DNA typing방법을 이용하여 분석한 한국인의 HLA-class I, II 유전자군의 유전자형 빈도는 골수이식을 비롯한 각종 이식검사, 특수 질환 관련검사나 인류유전학연구 등 HLA 유전자의 임상적 활용을 위한 자료로 사용될 수 있을 것으로 기대된다.있음을 볼 수 있으며 하루 세끼의 식사형태에서 밥을 중심으로 하는 비율은 국내 보다 크게 낮았지만 여전히 다른 식사형태 보다 높은 것을 알 수 있다. 한국 고유의 식문화 특성을 가지면서 거주지역의 식품생산 및 사회 문화적 특성에 영향을 받음으로써 거주국의 식품, 식사 형태, 조리방법을 도입하는 등 부분적으로 변화가 진행되고 있음을 확인 할 수 있었다.가장 시급한 개선점이라고 생각된다. 따라서 효과적인 급식운영을 하기 위해서는 학교식당은 맛, 다양한 메뉴의 식단, 위생, 가격의 저렴 등을 통해서 급식대상자들이 만족한 급식을 할 수 있도록 체계적인 관리 및 운영을 통해 적극적으로 개선해 나가야 할 것으로 사료된다.er (p<0.05), $T_{max}$ might be an insignificant parameter because cyclosporin A generally requires long-term administration. From these results, the two products