• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.30 no.2
• /
• pp.156-161
• /
• 2020

Since industrialization, the production and utilization of various chemicals has contributed to improving the quality of our lives, but the subsequent discharge of massive waste is inevitable, and environmental pollution is becoming more serious every day. Exposure to chemicals as a result of environmental pollution is having a negative effect on human health and the ecosystem, and cleaning up the polluted environment that can affect our lives is a very important issue. Toxic aromatic compounds have been detected frequently in soil, groundwater, and wastewater because of the extensive use of oil products, and phenol, which is used to produce synthetic resins, textiles, and dyes, is one of the major pollutants, along with insecticides and preservatives. Phenol can cause dyspnea, headache, vomiting, mutation, and carcinogenesis. Phenol-degrading bacterium DWB-1-8 was isolated from the activated sludge of textile wastewater; this strain was identified as Comamonas testosteroni by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The optimal culture conditions for the cell growth and degradation of phenol were 0.7% K₂HPO₄, 0.6% NaH₂PO₄, 0.1% NH₄NO₃, 0.015% MgSO₄·7H₂O, 0.001% FeSO₄·7H₂O, an initial pH of 7, and a temperature of 30℃. The strain was also able to grow by using other toxic compounds, such as benzene, toluene, or xylene (BTX), as the sole source of carbon.

• Neonatal Medicine
• /
• v.16 no.2
• /
• pp.182-189
• /
• 2009

Purpose: Recently, it is easy to find the causal virus of acute respiratory infections using multiplex RT-PCR. The aim of this study is to show the distribution of respiratory viruses and to define the characteristics of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections compared to other respiratory viral infections. Methods: This was a prospective observational study conducted in the NICU. The infants with acute respiratory infections were performed multiplex RT-PCR using nasal swabs. The demographics, initial symptoms, course of illness, and laboratory and imaging findings were recorded. The infants were divided into RSV and No RSV groups. Results: Twenty-three infants (50%) were in the RSV group. Rhinovirus was the second most common virus. Coinfections with two viruses accounted for 6.5% of respiratory infections. The number of preterm infants, exposure to cigarette smoke and having siblings were not different between the two groups. Infections in the postnatal care center were more common in the RSV group than the No RSV group (60.9% vs. 21.7%, P=.007). Dyspnea (34.8% vs. 8.7%, P=.032) and pneumonia (73.9% vs. 43.5%, P=.036) were more common in the RSV group. The RSV group frequently needed oxygen (52.5% vs. 13.0%, P=.005) and received nothing by mouth (43.5% vs. 13.0%, P=.022). The incidence of right upper consolidation was higher in RSV group (56.5% vs. 8.7%, P=.001). Conclusion: This study showed that other viruses than RSV can induce respiratory infections in neonates and young infants born prematurely. RSV infections have a more severe course of illness than other respiratory viruses. We have to be careful of prevention even for healthy neonates especially in crowed situations, such as the postnatal care center.