• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.429-436
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• 1998

Approximately 100 drugs have been reported to affect the lungs adversely. Among these, pulmonary toxicity caused by antieneoplastic agent. is being recognized more frequently. Cyclophosphamide is an immunosuppressive alkylating agent used for the treatment of a wide variety of malignant and nonmalignant diseases. The incidence of pulmonary toxicity is probably less than 1 percent The first case was reported in 1967. Since then, more than 20 well-documented cases of pulmonary toxicity associated with cyclophosphamide have been reported in the literature. In Korea, three patients were identified with cyclophosphamide-induced lung disease. The typical features of toxicity include dyspnea, fever, cough, new parenchymal infiltrates, gas exchangs abnormalities on pulmonary function tests, and pleural thickening on chest roentgenogram. The best approach to management is early diagnosis, discontinuation of the offending drug and administration of corticosteroid therapy. Recently, we experienced a case of diffuse alveolar damage induced by cyclophosphamide. The patient presented with early-onset pulmonary toxicity and died of repiratory failure despite early use of corticosteroid.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.345-357
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• 2005

Prostaglandin plays a significant role in the local control of bone metabolism associated with periodontal disease. ${\Delta}^{12}-PGJ_2$ is a natural $PGD_2$ metabolite that is formed in vivo in the presence of plasma. It is known for ${\Delta}^{12}-PGJ_2$ to stimulate calcification in osteoblastic cells. Bone morphogenetic protein(BMP) stimulated osteoblastic differentiation in various types of cells and greatly enhanced healing of bony defects. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of rhEMP-2 on ${\Delta}^{12}-PGJ_2$ induced osteoblastic differentiation and mineralization in vitro. A human osteosarcoma cells line Saos-2 were cultured. In the test groups, 10-7M of ${\Delta}^{12}-PGJ_2$ or mixture of 10-8M of ${\Delta}^{12}-PGJ_2$ and 100ng/ml of rhBMP-2 or 100ng/ml of rhEMP-2 were added to culture media. After 1 day, 2 days and 4 days of culture period, the cell number was measured. Alkaline phosphatase activity was measure at 3 days. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) was performed to determine the expression of mRNA of bone matrix protein at 8 hours, 1 day and 7 days. The ability to produce mineralized nodules in rat osteoblasts(MC3T3-E1) was evaluated at 21 days. The results were as follows : 1. rhEMP-2 or mixture of rhBMP-2 and ${\Delta}^{12}-PGJ_2$ inhibited cell proliferation of human osteosarcoma cells. 2. rhEMP-2 or mixture of rhBMP-2 and ${\Delta}^{12}-PGJ_2$ stimulated alkaline phosphatase activity significantly higher than ${\Delta}^{12}-PGJ_2$ alone. 3. rhBMP-2 or mixture of rhEMP-2 and ${\Delta}^{12}-PGJ_2$ stimulated mineralization compared to ${\Delta}^{12}-PGJ_2$ alone. 4. mRNA of alkaline phosphatase, BMP-2, cbfa 1, Type I collagen were detected in the group treated with ${\Delta}^{12}-PGJ_2$/rhBMP-2, rhBMP-2 alone, ${\Delta}^{12}-PGJ_2$ alone. These results show that mixture of ${\Delta}^{12}-PGJ_2$ and rhBMP-2 causes more bone formation than ${\Delta}^{12}-PGJ_2$ alone while the bone formation effects of mixture of ${\Delta}^{12}-PGJ_2$ and rhBMP-2 are less than those of rhBMP-2 alone. Further researches would be necessary to clarify the interactions of these agents.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.299-310
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• 2005

The severe form of chronic periodontitis(CP) has been reported to be strongly associated with the presence of allele 2 of composite IL-1B(+3954) and IL-1A(+4845) genetic polymorphisms(genotype positive). However, other studies have reported conflicting findings. These might have resulted from differences in ethnic background and disease entities. The aim of this study was to determine the distribution of IL-1A(+4845), IL-1B(+3954), IL-1B(-511), and IL-1 RN(VNTR) genetic polymorphisms in children as a future Korean population. The study population consisted of 92 children from the Dept. of Pediatric Dentistry, Chonnam National University Hospital. Genomic DNA was obtained from buccal swab. The IL-1A(+4845), IL-1B(+3954), and IL-1B(-511) genes were genotyped by amplifying the polymorphic region using multiplex polymerase chain reaction(PCR), followed by restriction enzyme digestion and gel electrophoresis. IL-1 RN(VNTR) polymorphism were then evaluated by PCR amplification and fragment size analysis in agarose gel. The allele 2 frequency was 41.3%, 4.3%, 47.8%, and 9.9% for IL-1A(+4845), IL-1B(+3954), IL-1B(-511), and IL-1 RN respectively. The frequency of genotype with allele 2 carriage for IL-1A(+4845), IL-1B(+3954), IL-1B(-511), and IL-1 RN was 77.1%, 7.6%, 63.0%, and 15.2% respectively. The allele 2 frequency in IL-1B(+3954) was significantly higher in female than in male population(p<0.05). The negative association was shown between the presence of allele 2 in IL-1B(-511) and in IL-1B(+3954), and the carriage rate of IL-1B(+3954) allele 2 tended to lower in IL-1B(-511) allele 2(P=0.056). Only 7.3% of children carried the composite genotype of IL-1A(+4845) and IL-1B(+3954). These results suggest that the polymorphism of IL-1B(+3954) and the positive composite genotype was relatively rare in Korean population.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.142-148
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• 2013

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor Moench) was traditionally grown on a small scale, however, at present its cultivation is getting momentum in terms of food and animal feed crop throughtout the Korea. Grain mold symptoms of the plant were frequently observed during disease surveys in Korea from 2007 to 2009. The symptoms were highly variable. Severely infected grain was fully covered with mold and partially infected grain may look normal or discolored. Ninety isolates of Fusarium species were obtained from the diseased plants collected from several locations in the country. Among the collected Fusarium isolates, 41 were identified as Fusarium thapsinum, 23 as F. proliferatum, 12 as F. graminearum, 5 as F. incarnatum, and 3 as F. equiseti based on their morphological and cultural characteristics. Elongation factor 1 alpha gene sequences of the isolates were used for phylogenetic analysis. Analyses of the sequences revealed that the isolates were confirmed to be identical with related species of NCBI GenBank. Pathogenicity tests showed that three dominant species, F. thapsinum, F. proliferatum and F. graminearum were strongly virulent to grains of sorghum. This study is the first report of sorghum grain mold caused by Fusarium species in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Bronchoesophagology
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.145-148
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• 2010

Background: Laryngeal papillomatosis, which is cased by human papillomavirus, is the most common benign neoplasm of the larynx. However, the prognosis of this disease remains really unpredictable. The aim of this paper is to determine whether any clinical features at the time of diagnosis could predict its course. Material and Method: Eighty-six patients treated at our institution during the last 20 years were analyzed retrospectively. All patients had microsurgery under general anesthesia. All patients' follow-up period was more than 1 year. We divided the patients into 1) Juvenile versus adult group based on their age 20, 2) single surgical method with laser versus dual surgical method with laser and microdebrider group, and 3) single subsite versus multiple subsites group. And we compared the therapeutic outcome. Results: The recurrence rate was 100% (15 patients) in the JP group and 56% (40 patients) in the AP group. Juvenile versus adult group was the only independent prognostic factor by univariate, and multivariate analysis. Microdebrider resection technique and multiple subsites were not associated with treatment result. Time period from the first surgery to recurrence detection was different statistically only for the age group. The number of surgery in the JP group ranged from 1 to 31 (mean 8.8). In the AP group the number of surgery ranged from 1 to 25 (mean 3.7). It was statistically different. Conclusion: Prognosis for the laryngeal papillomatosis remains unpredictable. Only patients' age was the only independent prognostic factor.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.705-710
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• 2016

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer and a leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Although several diagnostic and therapeutic tools have been available, CRC remains difficult to complete cure because of insufficient understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying this disease progression. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNA molecules that strongly regulate gene expression via transcriptional and translational control mechanisms. Many crucial cellular pathways are frequently disrupted in cancer development process due to dysregulation of several miRNAs. Mir-31 functions as an oncogene that modulate expression of multiple cancer related genes. Thus, we aimed to demonstrate clinical relevance of miR-31 in human CRC. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis of miR-31 expression was performed in 175 CRC tissues and 16 normal colonic mucosa (NM). Next, we investigated clinical significances of miR-31 expression in various clinicopathologic features in CRC patients cohort. Mir-31 was significantly up-regulated in CRC tissues compared to NM. In CRC tissues, miR-31 expression level was significantly elevated in a stage-dependent manner, which was associated with poor survival in patients with CRC. High miR-31 levels in CRC tissues significantly correlated with poor prognosis (hazard ratio [HR]=2.4) as well as distant metastasis (odds ratio [OR]=2.3). In conclusion, we identified clinical significance of miR-31 expression in CRC. High miR-31 expression may be clinically able to use as a biomarker for CRC prognosis and predicting metastasis.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.799-804
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• 2010

In humans, CYP2C19, a member of the cytochrome P450 subfamily, metabolizes arachidonic acid to produce epoxyicosanoid acids, which are involved in vascular tone and regulation of blood pressure (BP). Recent findings suggest that CYP2C19 gene polymorphisms might be considered as a novel candidate gene for cardiovascular disease. We thus focused on the Korean population to explore the association of two polymorphisms ($CYP2C19^*2$ and $^*3$) in this gene and essential hypertension (EH). A total of 1,241 participants (537 hypertensive subjects and 704 healthy controls) were recruited from the Yonsei Cardiovascular Genome Center in Korea. The CYP2C19 polymorphisms were genotyped using the $SNaPShot^{TM}$ assay. The allele and genotype frequencies of $CYP2C19^*3$ showed significant difference between hypertensives and normotensives (P=0.019 and P=0.023, respectively). Logistic regression analysis indicated that the $CYP2C19^*3$ A allele carriers were significantly associated with EH (OR, 0.723; 95% CI, 0.538-0.972, P=0.032) under a dominant model. In addition, CYP2C19 G-A haplotype ($2C19^*2\;G-^*3$ A combination) was found to significantly reduce EH risk (OR, 0.714, P=0.015). We believe this provides evidence that $CYP2C19^*3$ polymorphism may contribute to a protective effect in the development of EH.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.319-334
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• 1995

To investigate the risk factors of low back pain, an epidemiological study was carried out among male workers aged 20-55 employed in an automobile industry in Korea during the time period from February 1993 to October 1995. Workers participated to this study were divided into low back pain group(LBP) and control group, according to the self-reports by written questionnaires. General characteristics, medical history, work related factors, fatigue, and MMPI were compared between two groups. To clarify the relationship between job related low back pain and radiologic features of lumbar spine, radiographic study was carried out. The resultant data were processed for $x^2-test$, t-test, and stepwise logistic regression to confirm the adjusted odds ratios. The results were as follows: 1. History of back disease, lifting and carrying work, excessive physical fatigue, and weakend back strength of individual workers were directly associated with low back pain. Odd ratios of these 4 risk factors of low back pain were 5.07, 3.34, 1.49, and 1.22 respectively. 2. The frequency of low back pain history was significantly higher in LBP group. 3. Back muscle strength of lumbar spine of LBP group were significantly lower than control group. 4. The workers in LBP group revealed high fatigue symptoms. 5. In MMPI test LBP group showed higher scales in hypochondriasis, depression, hysteria, psychopathic deviate, paranoia, psychasthenia, schizophrenia, and hypomania. 6. LBP group were more frequently involved in lifting and carrying, working in awkward position, bending, twisting and using lower extremities. 7. LBP group were exposed more to vibration during working. 8. In the Analysis of radiographs of lumbar spine, Jacob's line not crossing fourth lumhar disc space, transitional vertebrae and lumbar displacement more than 4.4mm in standing lateral view were more frequently observed in LBP group than control group. Through these results, it is concluded that identification of previous history of back problem, change of work or working environment for workers with previous back problem and measures to relieve both physical and psychological fatigue of the workers are required for optimal management of work-related back problems among workers. In the present study, several results were different from the previous reports: Jacob's line not corssing fourth lumbar disc space, lumbarization, and vertebral slipping (spondylolisthesis) more than 4.4mm are related to backache. Meticulous studies are required to elucidate the difference.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.169-177
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• 2009

In the past decade there has been increasing concern about the atopic dermatitis (AD) associated with environmental diseases. AD has been increased in the last decade and known as one of the multifactoral diseases, which has the genetic background and environmental factors at the same time. The purposes of this study were to investigate the prevalence rate and etiologic risk factors of atopic dermatitis in preschool children in Changwon, which is a one of the Korean cities and has a large industrial complex. We reviewed and analyzed the statistical data, obtained from Korea National Health Insurance Corporation, related to prevalence rate by age and administrative district. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey, based on ISAAC (International Study of Allergy and Asthma in Childhood), was conducted on random samples of preschool children (5 to 8 years old) of large sized kindergartens in Changwon. The lifetime and last one years prevalence of AD in preschool children in Changwon was increased from 1998 to 2008. The prevalence rate of AD in the preschool children in Changwon city was 9.6%. The prevalence rate in boys was 9.7% and that in girls was 9.4%. The one year prevalence of AD was ranked as middle among other provincial cities in Korea in 2008. This study showed that the prevalence rate of the atopic disease in Changwon was 9% in 2008, which was increased especially compare to 2000. More active governmental approaches for control and prevention of atopic dermatitis for children are recommended. Further studies are needed for more accurate estimation of the prevalence of AD in Korea including different regional and age population.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.105-110
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• 2016

Purpose: In the Adjuvant Chemoradiotherapy in Stomach Tumors (ARTIST) trial, we investigated whether chemoradiotherapy after D2 gastrectomy reduces the rate of recurrence. Recently, the ratio of metastatic lymph nodes to examined lymph nodes (N ratio) has been proposed as an independent prognostic factor in gastric cancer (GC). The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the metastatic N ratio and prognosis of GC after curative D2 surgery. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the data of 458 ARTIST patients who underwent D2 gastrectomy followed by adjuvant chemotherapy (XP, n=228) or chemoradiotherapy (XPRT, n=230). The disease-free survival (DFS) rates of patients were used to evaluate the influence of N ratio on the treatment outcome. To achieve this, 4 different N ratio categories (0%, 1%~9%, 10%~25%, and >25%) were compared on the basis of their influence on the treatment outcome. Results: On multivariate analysis, the N ratio remained an independent prognostic factor for DFS. The hazard ratios (HRs) for the N ratio categories of 0%, 1%~9%, 10%~25%, and >25% were 1, 1.061, 1.202, and 3.571, respectively. In patients having N ratio >25%, the 5-year DFS rates were 55% and 28% for the XPRT and XP arms, respectively (HR, 0.527; 95% confidence interval, 0.307~0.904; P=0.020). Conclusions: In patients with curatively resected GC, the N ratio was independently associated with DFS. Although this finding warrants further investigation in future prospective studies, the benefit of chemoradiotherapy for D2 resected GC appears to be more beneficial in cancers having N ratios >25%.