• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
• /
• v.51 no.3
• /
• pp.323-328
• /
• 2019

Tuberculosis, a chronic bacterial infection caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), differs in its status latency and activity because of the characteristics of MTB, immune status of the host, and genetic susceptibility. The host defense mechanism against MTB is caused mainly by interactions between macrophages, T cells, and dendritic cells. CD44 is expressed in activated T cells when infected with MTB and regulates lymphocyte migration. In addition, CD44 mediates leukocyte adhesion to the ECM and plays a role in attracting macrophages and $CD4^+$ T cells to the lungs. Therefore, genetic polymorphism of the CD44 gene will inhibit the host cell immune mechanisms against MTB. This study examined whether the genetic polymorphism of the CD44 gene affects the susceptibility of tuberculosis. A total of 237 SNPs corresponding to the CD44 genes were analyzed using the genotype data of 443 tuberculosis cases and 3,228 healthy controls from the Korean Association Resource (KARE). Of these, 17 SNPs showed a significant association with the tuberculosis case. The most significant SNP was rs75137824 (OR=0.231, CI: 1.51~3.56, $P=1.3{\times}10^{-4}$). In addition, rs10488809, one of the 17 significant SNPs, is important for the tuberculosis outbreak can bind to the JUND and FOS transcription factors and can affect CD44 gene expression. This study suggests that polymorphism of the CD44 gene modulates the host susceptibility to tuberculosis in a variety of ways, resulting in differences in the status of tuberculosis.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
• /
• v.26 no.1
• /
• pp.49-56
• /
• 2011

To investigate the toxicological effects of ${\beta}$-glucan, we performed basic studying on ${\beta}$-glucan in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Standard endpoints in this study included mortality, clinical observations, changes of body weights, analysis on food consumption, ophthalmoscopic examination, hematologic examination, serum biochemistry, analysis of organ weights, gross anatomic pathology and histopathology. No clinical signs and mortality were observed in animals treated with beta-glucan throughout the experimental period. The average body weight of each treatment groups showed similar levels at end of experiment. There were no treatment-related changes in mortality, body weights changes, food consumption, ophthalmoscopic examination. Although there were statistically significant differences between the control and treated groups in some relative and absolute organ weights, and hematological and biochemical analysis, the data were in biologically normal ranges and did not show a dose-dependent manner. In the morphological change, hepatic tissue were not showed ballooning degeneration and irregular arrangement of hepatic cell in ${\beta}$-glucan treatment groups with control group. Also, organs weights (liver, heart, kidney and stomach) and hematological indices (WBC, RBC, Hb, Hct and Platelet) did not show statistically significant differences among the experimental groups. In summary of these results, there were no changes in mortality, mean body weight, clinical signs, food consumption. There were no changes in ophthalmological examination, hematology, blood chemistry, necropsy and histopathology. In conclusion, although further investigation of glucan should be performed in the functions registered in many ancient literatures, ${\beta}$-glucan is physiologically safe and may have potential as candidate food for human health.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.14 no.6
• /
• pp.3469-3472
• /
• 2013

Extract of Lentinula edodes mycelia (LEM) is currently utilized as an oral biological response modifier (BRM) medicine for cancer patients. However, its effectiveness for breast cancer patients with postoperative adjuvant hormone therapy has not yet been scientifically verified. In this study, we investigated the influence of LEM on the quality of life (QOL) and immune response in breast cancer patients undergoing postoperative adjuvant hormone therapy. Twenty patients were studied in total. They received only hormone therapy in the first 4 weeks followed by hormone therapy and LEM during the next 8 weeks. Laboratory tests, QOL score and peripheral blood cytokine production levels were evaluated during the study period. No changes in QOL or cytokines were noted after the first 4 weeks. In contrast, during the following combined therapy period, improvements were noted in QOL and cytokine levels. Although a future large-scale investigation is necessary to confirm these results, these data suggest that the concomitant use of LEM with postoperative adjuvant hormone therapy improves the QOL and immune function of patients.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.60 no.8
• /
• pp.261-265
• /
• 2017

Purpose: Studies on cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections in immunocompetent children are lacking, and minimal information is available in the medical literature on hepatic manifestations and complications of CMV. The aims of this study were to evaluate the clinical characteristics, laboratory data, and prognosis of children with CMV hepatitis, and to investigate its prevalence at a single medical center in Korea over a 10-year period. Methods: One hundred thirty-two children diagnosed with CMV infection based on specific markers (anti-CMV IgM, CMV polymerase chain reaction in blood and urine, or CMV culture of urine) were included in the study. Clinical and biochemical characteristics, immunological markers, and outcomes of hepatic CMV infection were determined. Results: The median age of patients (n=132) was 8.5 months (range, 14 days-11.3 years). Peak total bilirubin and alanine aminotransferase levels in serum ranged from 0.11-21.97 mg/dL, and 5-1,517 IU/L, respectively. Alanine aminotransferase remained elevated from 2-48 weeks. Jaundice was the most common clinical feature of hepatic CMV infection during infancy. The hematologic findings revealed anemia, leukocytosis, and monocytosis in CMV-infected patients. All participants recovered without administration of ganciclovir. Conclusion: In children with CMV hepatitis, fever was the most common symptom at presentation, and jaundice was the most common clinical feature of hepatic CMV infection in infants younger than 3 months of age. Hepatic CMV infection in immunocompetent children is often a self-limited illness that does not require antiviral therapy, as most patients in this study had favorable outcomes.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.57 no.9
• /
• pp.403-409
• /
• 2014

Purpose: Although high morning blood pressure (BP) is known to be associated with the onset of cardiovascular events in adults, data on its effects in children with hypertension are limited. Our retrospective study aimed to define the clinical characteristics of children with morning hypertension (MH) and to determine its associated factors. Methods: We reviewed 31 consecutive patients with hypertension, confirmed by the ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). We divided these patients into 2 groups: the MH group (n=21, 67.7%), morning BP above the 95th percentile for age and height (2 hours on average after waking up) and the normal morning BP group (n=10, 32.3%). We compared the clinical manifestations, laboratory results, and echocardiographic findings including left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) between the groups. Results: The early/atrial (E/A) mitral flow velocity ratio in the MH group was significantly lower than that in the normal morning BP group. In addition, LV mass was higher in the MH group than in the normal morning BP group, although the difference was not statistically significant. The age at the time of hypertension diagnosis was significantly higher in the MH group than in the normal morning BP group (P =0.003). The incidence of hyperuricemia was significantly higher in the MH group than in the normal morning BP group. Conclusion: Older patients and those with hyperuricemia are at higher risk for MH. The rise in BP in the morning is an important factor influencing the development of abnormal relaxation, as assessed by echocardiography. Clinical trials with longer follow-up periods and larger sample sizes are needed to clarify the clinical significance of MH.

• The Journal of the Korean Society for Microbiology
• /
• v.14 no.1
• /
• pp.17-25
• /
• 1979

Bacteriologic diagnosis of enteric infection remains to be an important role of clinical laboratory because of the prevalence of the infection. Often the determination of etiologic agent and its susceptibility to antibiotics are of vital importance for a proper management of the infection. In our previous paper, an analysis of the isolation of enteric pathogens for the years 1969-73 was reported to clarify the status of those years. The present analysis was made based on the data obtained during the years 1974-78, to see if any change of the status was rendered. 1. During the 5-year period, from the cultures of 7,308 stool or rectal specimens 833 patients yielded enteric pathogens: 468 Shigella, 295 Salmonella, 30 Vibrio parahaemolyticus and 40 enteropathogenic Escherichia coli(EPEC). 2. Of the 295 Salmonella, 271 were S. typhi Isolation of 12 S.paratyphi-A, 1 Salmonella group B, 4 group C, 5 group D and 2 group E meant a definite increase of these sero-groups, S. typhi was most frequently isolated in August and in December, and from 30- to 39-year-old patients. 3. Of the 468 Shigella, 10 were subgroup A, 338 subgroup B, 3 subgroup C and 117 subgroup D. Most of the subgroup B belonged to type 1,2, or 3. The proportion of S. sonnei decreased from 31.3% in 1974 to 18.2% in 1978. In foreign patients, S. sonnei remained to be the frequntly isolated species. Shigella isolation was frequent in August and in 2- to 5-year-old patients. 4. V. parahaemolyticus was isolated from 30 and EPEC from 40 patients. 5. Ninty-nine per cent and 99.5% of the S. typhi isolates were susceptible to chloramphenicol and to ampicillin respectively. 92.8% of S sonnei were susceptible to ampicillin. S. flexneri type 2 was notable for their markedely decreased proportion being susceptible to ampicillin: 84.4% in 1974 and 25.6% in 1978.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.55 no.1
• /
• pp.11-17
• /
• 2012

Purpose: Early identification of neonatal sepsis is a global issue because of limitations in diagnostic procedures. The objective of this study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of neutrophil CD64 and C-reactive protein (CRP) as a single test for the early detection of neonatal sepsis. Methods: A prospective study enrolled newborns with documented sepsis (n=11), clinical sepsis (n=12) and control newborns (n=14). CRP, neutrophil CD64, complete blood counts and blood culture were taken at the time of the suspected sepsis for the documented or clinical group and at the time of venipuncture for laboratory tests in control newborns. Neutrophil CD64 was analyzed by flow cytometry. Results: CD64 was significantly elevated in the groups with documented or clinical sepsis, whereas CRP was not significantly increased compared with controls. For documented sepsis, CD64 and CRP had a sensitivity of 91% and 9%, a specificity of 83% and 83%, a positive predictive value of 83% and 33% and a negative predictive value of 91% and 50%, respectively, with a cutoff value of 3.0 mg/dL for CD64 and 1.0 mg/dL for CRP. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curves for CD64 index and CRP were 0.955 and 0.527 ($P$ <0.01), respectively. Conclusion: These preliminary data show that diagnostic accuracy of CD64 is superior to CRP when measured at the time of suspected sepsis, which implies that CD64 is a more reliable marker for the early identification of neonatal sepsis as a single determination compared with CRP.

• Journal of Dental Rehabilitation and Applied Science
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.239-245
• /
• 2003

The occurrence and pattern of tooth wear are related to cultural, dietary, occupational, and geographic factors, Excessive occlusal wear can result in pulpal exposure, occlusal disharmony, functional inability. Surface loss can be differentiated into 3 general causal categories: i) mechanical loss, which includes attrition, ii) abrasion chemical loss including erosion, and finally iii) a proposed biomechanical category described as abfraction. Considering that mechanical wear is frequently asymptomatic, patients may have parafunctional habit. Structured clinical decision analysis in fixed prosthodontics, as other branches of dentistry do, allows the practitioner to consider the patient's problems more thoroughly based on the clinical data and extenuation factors. This discipline of decision making is intended to complement the experience level and educational background of the clinician in assisting the patient through the decision process. Additionally, CDA helps the clinician define not only the pre-existing condition of the patient prior to irreversible therapy, but also better treatment strategies for the patient over an extended period. The systematic nature of decision analysis stimulates the dentists to pay further attention to those factors, which is germane to the overall complexity of the case, and exclude factors, which have little influence on its final outcome. Further implementation of computerized databases, procedural outcome probabilities based on clinical and laboratory studies and the clinical experience of those who use it, may provide quite a promising future in the field of structured and formalized clinical decision analysis.

• Allergy, Asthma & Respiratory Disease
• /
• v.6 no.6
• /
• pp.284-289
• /
• 2018

Purpose: Vitamin D plays an important role in calcium homeostasis and bone metabolism. It is associated with various diseases such as cardiovascular, immune, allergic and infectious disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the difference in clinical manifestations according to the concentration of vitamin D in mild bronchiolitis. Methods: We performed a retrospective review of medical records of patients with mild bronchiolitis from November 2016 to April 2017 in Daegu Fatima Hospital. Mild bronchiolitis was classified by the modified Tal's score method. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to a 25-hydroxyvitamin D level of 20 ng/mL. We analyzed the clinical characteristics and laboratory data from the 2 groups. Results: Of the 64 patients, 19 were included in the deficiency group and 45 in the normal group. Vitamin D levels were $11.7{\pm}4.9ng/mL$ in the deficiency group and $28.8{\pm}5.0ng/mL$ in the normal group. There were no differences in clinical features between both groups. However, the vitamin D deficiency group had significantly longer hospitalization than the normal group ($6.78{\pm}2.74$ days vs. $5.3{\pm}1.7$ days, P=0.045). In the deficiency group, the incidence of previous respiratory diseases was significantly higher (P=0.001). No significant difference in blood and respiratory virus tests was observed. Conclusion: Low vitamin D levels in mild bronchiolitis were associated with longer hospitalization and prior respiratory disease. Vitamin D may affect the course of mild bronchiolitis.

• Allergy, Asthma & Respiratory Disease
• /
• v.6 no.6
• /
• pp.295-302
• /
• 2018

Purpose: It is thought that Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection is more prevalent and causes more severe pneumonia in school-age children and young adults than in preschool children; however, recent studies suggest that the infection may be underdiagnosed and more severe in preschool children. This study investigated the clinical characteristics of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP) and the risk factors of refractory MPP (RMPP) by age. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 353 children admitted due to MPP from January 2015 to December 2016. Demographics, clinical information, laboratory data and radiological findings were collected from all patients in this study. The patients were divided into 2 groups by the age of 6 years. Also, both preschool (< 6 years old) and school-age (${\geq}6$ years old) children were divided into RMPP and non-RMPP patients. Results: Total febrile days, febrile days before admission and the duration of macrolide antibiotic therapy were significantly longer in school-age children than in preschool children. School-age children had significantly greater risk of lobar consolidation (P=0.036), pleural effusion (P=0.001) and extrapulmonary complications (P=0.019). Necrotizing pneumonia and bronchiolitis obliterans tended to occur more frequently in preschool children than in school-age children. In both preschool and school-age children, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels were significantly higher in RMPP patients than in non-RMPP patients. In preschool children, LDH > 722 IU/L (odds ratio [OR], 3.02; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.44-6.50) and ferritin > 177 ng/mL (OR, 5.38; 95% CI, 1.61-19.49) were significant risk factors for RMPP, while LDH > 645 IU/L (OR, 4.12; 95% CI, 1.64-10.97) and ferritin > 166 ng/mL (OR, 5.51; 95% CI, 1.59-22.32) were so in school-age children. Conclusion: Clinical features of MPP were significantly different between preschool and school-age children. LDH and ferritin may be significant factors of RMPP in preschool and school-age children.