• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
• /
• v.52 no.4
• /
• pp.223-230
• /
• 2012

The worldwide distribution and continuing genetic mutation of avian influenza virus (AIV) has been posed a great threat to human and animal health. A comparison of 3 isolates of AIV H9N2, A/chicken/Korea/KBNP-0028/00 (H9N2) (KBNP-0028), A/chicken/Korea/SNU8011/08 (H9N2) (SNU 8011) and an inactivated oil vaccine strain A/chicken/Korea/01310/01 (H9N2) (01310), was performed. The former 2 AIVs were isolated from field cases before and after the application of an inactivated H9N2 vaccine in 2007, respectively. The antigenic relationship, viral shedding, tissue tropism and genetic analysis were examined. The comparison of virus shedding from the cloaca and the oropharynx revealed that both isolates were more frequently isolated from the upper respiratory tract (90~100%) 1 day post inoculation (DPI) compared with isolation 5 DPI from gastrointestinal tracts (10~60%). Moreover, the isolate KBNP-0028 were recovered from all organs including bone marrow, brain and kidneys, indicating higher ability for broad tissue dissemination than that of SNU 8011. KBNP-0028 replicated earlier than other strains and with a higher titer than SNU 8011. In full-length nucleotide sequences of the NA gene and a partial sequence of the HA gene of SNU 8011, we found that there might be significant changes in tissue tropism, virus replication and genetic mutation in AIV H9N2 isolates.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Food Hygiene and Safety Conference
• /
• 1992.07a
• /
• pp.7-19
• /
• 1992

Fish pathology is one of the main scientific bases upon which this expansion in aquaculture has been dependent and requires a wide knowledge of the environmental constraints, the physiology and characteristics of the various pathogens, the responses of the host and the methods by which they may be controlled. The primary disease and parasite problems in aquaculture animals relate to viral, bacterial, fungal and protozoan epizootics. Parasitic nematodes, trematodes and cestodes are commonly found in aquaculture animals, but seldom are they present in concentrations sufficinet to cause significant problems. When an epizootic does occur and chemical treatment is indicated, the appropriate chemical must be selected and properly applied. We have antibiotics, sulfa, nitrofuran and other chemicals for treatment of fish diseases. Some may be mixed with the fred during formulation, added to the pellets of feed as a surface coating, given in the dorm of an injection or used as a bath. Even though a drug or chemical has been officially approved for use in aquaculture, the substance should never be used unless there is a clear need. Some of the reasions for this view are as follows: (1) the constant use of antibiotics can lead to the development of resistant strains of bacteria, (2) biofilter efficiency may be impaired or destroyed by chemicals added to closed recirculating water systems, and (3) the injudicious use of chemicals can have a damaging effect on the environment as well as on human.

• Research in Plant Disease
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.1-9
• /
• 2010

Among the plant specimens requested from agricultural actual places of farmers, Agency of agricultural extension services and so forth for the diagnosis of plant virus diseases in 2009, the rate of crop types was 87.5% for vegetables, 4.0% for upland crops and 3.5% for orchids. In vegetables, the crops damaged severely by viral diseases were red pepper and tomato by the infection rate of 51.6% and 26.5%, orderly. Virus species occurring vegetables were 19 and the economically important viruses were Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV), Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV), Pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) with the infection rate of 33.2%, 16.9%, 16.1% and 7.4%, respectively. Rice stripe virus (RSV) occurred at the whole areas of west coast in Korea in 2009, and its incidence was 14.2% mainly on the susceptible cultivars and yield loss was estimated up to 50%. TYLCV was spread at 34 areas of Si and/or Gun, 22 areas in 2009 and 12 in 2008. Distribution of TSWV was expanded newly in 6 areas of Si and/or Gun including Gangryung, Gangwondo in 2009, and its occurrence areas were 23 Si and/or Gun after first incidence at Anyang area in 2004. Tomato bushy stunt virus (TBSV) was incited newly at Gimcheon area in 2009 with the infection rate of 65.2%, and its soil transmission rate was 55.0% in average.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.2
• /
• pp.683-686
• /
• 2014

Objective: The purpose of the study was to evaluate clinical value of dual-phase $^{18}F$-FDG SPECT with serum procalcitonin (PCT) in identifying cancers in patients with fever of unknown origin (FUO). Methods: PCT test and dual-phase $^{18}F$-FDG SPECT were sequentially performed on 50 consecutive patients with FUO. Two radiologists evaluated all $^{18}F$-FDG SPECT data independently. A consensus was reached if any difference of opinions existed. Final diagnosis was based on a comprehensive analysis of results for the PCT test, dual-phase $^{18}F$-FDG SPECT and bacterial cultivation, regarded as a gold standard. Results: Among 50 patients, 34 demonstrated PCT ${\geq}0.5{\mu}g/L$. Coincidence imaging showed in 37 patients with inflammatory lesions, and 13 with malignancy. Finally, 36 bacterial, 1 fungal and 1 viral infections, as well as 12 cancerous fevers were confirmed by dual-phase $^{18}F$-FDG SPECT with PCT, combined with bacterial cultivation and clinical follow-up. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that dual-phase $^{18}F$-FDG SPECT in association with PCT could be a valuable tool for diagnosis in tumor patients with FUO.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.51 no.3
• /
• pp.335-341
• /
• 2013

Balamuthia mandrillaris is one of the 4 amebas in fresh water and soil that cause diseases in humans. Granulomatous amebic encephalitis (GAE), caused by B. mandrillaris, is a rare but life-threatening condition. A 4-year-old, previously healthy, Thai girl presented with progressive headache and ataxia for over a month. Neuroimaging studies showed an infiltrative mass at the right cerebellar hemisphere mimicking a malignant cerebellar tumor. The pathological finding after total mass removal revealed severe necrotizing inflammation, with presence of scattered amebic trophozoites. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) obtained from lumbar puncture showed evidence of non-specific inflammation without identifiable organisms. A combination of pentamidine, sulfasalazine, fluconazole, and clarithromycin had been initiated promptly before PCR confirmed the diagnosis of Balamuthia amebic encephalitis (BAE). The patient showed initial improvement after the surgery and combined medical treatment, but gradually deteriorated and died of multiple organ failure within 46 days upon admission despite early diagnosis and treatment. In addition to the case, 10 survivors of BAE reported in the PubMed database were briefly reviewed in an attempt to identify the possible factors leading to survival of the patients diagnosed with this rare disease.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
• /
• v.28 no.2
• /
• pp.123-136
• /
• 2012

Diseases caused by begomoviruses (family Geminiviridae, genus Begomovirus) constitute a serious constraint to tropical and sub-tropical agro-ecosystems worldwide. In recent years, they have also introduced in temperate regions of the world where they have great impact and are posing a serious threat to a variety of greenhouse crops. Begomoviral diseases can in extreme cases reduce yields to zero leading to catastrophic losses in agriculture. They are still evolving and pose a serious threat to sustainable agriculture across the world, particularly in tropics and sub-tropics. Till recently, there have been no records on the occurrence of begomoviral disease in South Korea, however, the etiology of other plant viral diseases are known since last century. The first begomovirus infected sample was collected from sweet potato plant in 2003 and since then there has been gradual increase in the begomoviral epidemics specially in tomato and sweet potato crops. So far, 48 begomovirus sequences originating from various plant species have been submitted in public sequence data base from different parts of the country. The rapid emergence of begomoviral epidemics might be with some of the factors like evolution of new variants of the viruses, appearance of efficient vectors, changing cropping systems, introduction of susceptible plant varieties, increase in global trade in agricultural products, intercontinental transportation networks, and changes in global climatic conditions. Another concern might be the emergence of a begomovirus complex and satellite DNA molecules. Thorough understanding of the pathosystems is needed for the designing of effective managements. Efforts should also be made towards the integration of the resistant genes for the development of transgenic plants specially tomato and sweet potato as they have been found to be widely infected in South Korea. There should be efficient surveillance for emergence or incursions of other begomoviruses and biotypes of whitefly. This review discusses the general characteristics of begomoviruses, transmission by their vector B. tabaci with an especial emphasis on the occurrence and distribution of begomoviruses in South Korea, and control measures that must be addressed in order to develop more sustainable management strategies.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
• /
• v.35 no.1
• /
• pp.69-79
• /
• 2011

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fi fth most common malignancy in the world and complicates liver cirrhosis related to hepatitis C virus (HCV) in many cases. We evaluated the therapeutic effect of Korean red ginseng extract (KGE) in patients with chronic liver diseases. Thirty male and female patients with HCC and another thirty with liver cirrhosis were included. Each category was divided into two groups; the first was used as control group, and received medical therapy only and the second group received the medical therapy supplemented with KGE capsules. The treated group with HCC received three KGE capsules/day (900 mg) while the treated group with HCV received two KGE capsules/day (600 mg) for 11 weeks along with their medical therapy. All patients were subjected to clinical examination and laboratory investigations, including liver function tests (at baseline, after 6 weeks of treatment and at the end of the study) and abdominal ultrasonography. Patients showing focal hepatic lesions were subjected to triphasic spiral abdominal computerized tomography and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). HCV RNA was determined quantitatively by Roche for patients in the HCV group. Results showed that the medical therapy alone failed to normalize the liver enzymes or decrease the virus concentration. KGE administration induced a significant improvement in liver function tests, decreased the tumor marker (AFP) levels, and decreased the viral titers in HCV patients. Thus, KGE demonstrated powerful therapeutic effects against HCV and liver cancer.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.80 no.4
• /
• pp.392-400
• /
• 2017

Background: Most patients with influenza recover spontaneously or following treatment with an anti-viral agent, but some patients experience pneumonia requiring hospitalization. We conducted a retrospective review to determine the incidence and risk factors of pneumonia in hospitalized patients with influenza A or B. Methods: A total of 213 patients aged 18 years or older and hospitalized with influenza between January 2012 and January 2015 were included in this study. A reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction assay was used to detect the influenza A or B virus in the patients' sputum samples. We collected demographic and laboratory data, combined coexisting diseases, and radiologic findings. Results: The incidence of pneumonia was higher in patients in the influenza A group compared to those in the influenza B group (68.6% vs. 56.9%), but this difference was not statistically significant. The presence of underlying respiratory disease was significantly associated with pneumonia in the influenza A group (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 3.975; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.312-12.043; p=0.015). In the influenza B group, the white blood cell count (adjusted OR, 1.413; 95% CI, 1.053-1.896; p=0.021), platelet count (adjusted OR, 0.988; 95% CI, 0.978-0.999; p=0.027), and existence of an underlying medical disease (adjusted OR, 15.858; 95% CI, 1.757-143.088; p=0.014) were all significantly associated with pneumonia in multivariate analyses. Conclusion: The incidence of pneumonia was 65.7% in hospitalized patients with influenza A or B. The risk factors of pneumonia differed in hospitalized patients with influenza A or B.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.45 no.2
• /
• pp.465-469
• /
• 1998

Acute respiratory failure with diffuse pulmonary infiltration was occurred in a patient with malignant lymphoma 1month after the $8^{th}$ CHOP chemotherapy. The ground glass and consolidation appearances on chest C-T in this immunodeficient patient could be presented in many clinical situations such as pneumonia by opportunistic infections (fungal, parasites, viral, and usual bacterial pathogens), anti-tumor drug's pulmonary toxicity and tumor invasion. And the other diseases of acute interstitial pneumonitis, alveolar proteinosis, BOOP, puhnonary edema and alveolar hemorrhage, which could present the same radiological findings, should included in differential diagnosis. This patient was diagnosed as the opportunistic pneumonia by Pneumocystis carinii and probably Cytomegalovirus through bronchoalveolar lavage and transbronchial lung biopsy

• Journal of Industrial Convergence
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.111-116
• /
• 2023

Recently, viral infectious diseases and new diseases are not limited to one region, but are spreading worldwide, causing serious economic and social damage. In addition, the development cycle of new diseases is shortening, and the rate of spread is accelerating. In order to prevent the spread of disease, passive forms of response after a disease outbreak, such as personal and regional quarantine and border closure, are prioritized. This type of response has many shortcomings as a fundamental response to preventing the spread of disease. Therefore, this study proposes a disease prevention monitoring system including new disease occurrence information. In this study, disease information and user information are collected through the establishment of the IoMT environment. Information collection using an agent collects and classifies data registered in the disease information server. In the IoMT environment, user data is collected, and whether the user is infected with a disease is evaluated and provided to the user. Through this study, individual disease symptom information can be provided and active countermeasures against the spread of disease can be provided.