• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.67-76
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• 2016

Dracunculiasis, otherwise known as guinea worm disease (GWD), is caused by infection with the nematode Dracunculus medinensis. This nematode is transmitted to humans exclusively via contaminated drinking water. The transmitting vectors are Cyclops copepods (water fleas), which are tiny free-swimming crustaceans usually found abundantly in freshwater ponds. Humans can acquire GWD by drinking water that contains vectors infected with guinea worm larvae. This disease is prevalent in some of the most deprived areas of the world, and no vaccine or medicine is currently available. International efforts to eradicate dracunculiasis began in the early 1980s. Most dentists and maxillofacial surgeons have neglected this kind of parasite infection. However, when performing charitable work in developing countries near the tropic lines or other regions where GWD is endemic, it is important to consider GWD in cases of swelling or tumors of unknown origin. This paper reviews the pathogenesis, epidemiology, clinical criteria, diagnostic criteria, treatment, and prevention of dracunculiasis. It also summarizes important factors for maxillofacial surgeons to consider.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.283-285
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• 1996

Six metacercariae were found from the gill filaments of Conger myriaster purchased at Mokpo-shi in korean on September, 1996. Based on the morphology of the excysted specimen. we identified them as metacercariae of Heterophyosis continua, C. myriaster is a new intermediate host H. continua in the literature.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.101-105
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• 2003

The metacercariae of Acanthotrema felis Sohn et at., 2003 (Digenea: Heterophyidae) were discovered in a species of the brackish water fish, Acanthogobius flavimanus, in the Republic of Korea. They were experimentally fed to kittens, and adult flukes were harvested 7 days later. The adults were morphologically characterized by the presence of a bipartite seminal vesicle, the ventral sucker associated with a ventrogenital sac enclosing 3 sclerites (2 long and pointed, and 1 short and thumb-like), and an unarmed gonotyl. The adult flukes were identified as A. felis Sohn et al., 2003, and the brackish water fish A. flavimanus has been verified as one of its second intermediate hosts.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.81-90
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• 1995

One new and one the first recording digenetic trematodes are described from Korean freshwater fishes : Orientocreadium koreanum sp. nov. from Liobagrus andersoni Regan (Korean torrent catfish) and O. psedobagri Yamaguti, 1934 from Pseudobagrus fulvidraco (Richardson) (Korean bullhead). The problems of the family Orientocreadiidae and the major identifying characters of O. koreanum are discussed.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.609-613
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• 2018

Babesiosis, caused by Babesia microti and B. divergens, is transmitted by Ixodid ticks. Symptoms of babesiosis vary from a mild flu-like illness to acute, severe, and sometimes fatal and fulminant disease. In Korea, 7 imported babesiosis cases and 1 endemic case have been reported. We report 2 cases of severe babesiosis initially mistaken as malaria. The first patient was complicated by shock and splenic infarction, the other co-infected with Lyme disease. As the population traveling abroad increases every year, physicians should be aware of babesiosis which mimics malaria, co-infection with other diseases, and its complications.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.32-36
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• 2019

Dendropanax morbifera Leveille, an endemic species in Korea, is best known as a tree that produces a resinous sap. Although D. morbifera is used in folk medicine for various diseases, its active ingredients are largely unknown. In this study, we investigated antioxidative activities of ethanolic extracts of three parts of this plant including leaves, debarked stems, and roots. The root extracts exhibited strong 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) scavenging activity compared with leaf or stem extracts. The root extracts showed hepatoprotective activity against t-butyl hydroperoxide-induced HepG2 cells, and reduced the ROS level in the cells. The root fractions lowered the mRNA level of COX-2 on lipopolysaccharide-stimulated Raw246.7 cells. These results suggest that ethanolic root extracts of D. morbifera are a source of antioxidant and hepatoprotective compounds, which indicate a potential for a botanical drug.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.61 no.3
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• pp.325-331
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• 2023

Thelazia callipaeda, a parasitic nematode that causes thelaziosis in various mammals, including humans, is known to be endemic in Korea. However, life cycle-related information on the parasite, primarily from human infection and a few dog cases, is limited. This study reports additional cases of T. callipaeda infections in dogs from both rural and urban areas in Korea, indicating the potential for transmission to humans and other animals. We collected 61 worms from 8 infected dogs from Paju and Cheongju Cities and observed their morphological characteristics under a light microscope. The findings indicate that T. callipaeda infections in animals in Korea may be underestimated and are distributed close to human environments. Our results contribute to the growing knowledge of the reservoir hosts of T. callipaeda in Korea and highlight the importance of continued surveillance and research to prevent and control this emerging zoonotic disease.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.58 no.3
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• pp.229-236
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• 2020

Cutaneous leishmaniosis (CL) is the most common form of leishmaniasis.CL caused by L. major and L. tropica is endemic in 17 provinces of Iran. This study was carried out to elucidate situation of CL in Ardabil province and to predict distribution of Phlebotomus papatasi and Phlebotomus sergenti (Diptera: Psychodidae) as vectors of CL in the region. In this cross-sectional study, data on CL patients were collected from local health centers of Ardabil province, Iran during 2006-2018 to establish a geodatabase using ArcGIS10.3. A total of 20 CL cases were selected randomly and skin samples were collected and analyzed by PCR method. MaxEnt 3.3.3 model was used to determine ecologically suitable niches for the main vectors. A total, 309 CL human cases were reported and the highest incidence rate of disease was occurred in Bilasavar (37/100,000) and Germi (35/100,000). A total of 2,794 sand flies were collected during May to October 2018. The environmentally suitable habitats for P. papatasi and P. sergenti were predicted to be present in northern and central areas of Ardabil province. The most variable that contributed ratio in the modeling were Isothermality and slope factors. Ardabil province is possibly an endemic are for CL. The presence of P. papatasi and P. sergenti justifies local transmission while the vectors of CL are existing in the northern and central areas of the province.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.98-104
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• 2013

Dengue fever is an important health problem for international travelers to all endemic areas. The steadily increasing numbers of tourists visiting endemic areas raise the risk of exposure, and imported dengue cases are increasingly observed in nonendemic area. Dengue has a wide spectrum of clinical presentations, often with unpredictable clinical evolution and outcome. While most patients recover following a self-limiting, non-severe clinical course, a small proportion progress to severe disease such as dengue hemorrhagic fever or dengue shock syndrome. Therefore, it is important to suspect dengue fever in every febrile patient returning from the tropics. Whenever it is suspected, a quick diagnosis and adequate managements are essential to avoid complications. We report two cases of imported dengue fever in Korean children presenting with fever, headache, nausea, and rash.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.304-309
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• 2010

Scutellaria pinnatifida A. Hamilt. (Lamiaceae) is an endemic Turkish herb. This plant is also endemic to Iran, and grows abundantly in other central and western Asian countries. Several species of the Scutellaria are known for their traditional uses in the treatment of hypertension, arteriosclerosis, inflammatory diseases, hepatitis, allergy, cancer and diarrhoea. Free-radical-scavenging property, antibacterial activity and brine shrimp toxicity of the n-hexane, dichloromethane (DCM) and methanol (MeOH) extracts of S. pinnatifida were assessed using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) assay, the resazurin microtitre plate based assay, and the brine shrimp lethality assay, respectively. The DCM and MeOH extracts exhibited free-radical-scavenging property, with the $RC_{50}$ values of 0.362 and 0.127 mg/ml, respectively. Among the solid-phase extraction fractions of the MeOH extract, the 50% aqueous-MeOH fraction showed the highest level of free-radicalscavenging activity ($RC_{50}$ = 0.039 mg/ml). While the DCM extract showed low level of antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis and ampicillin-resistant Escherichia coli, the MeOH extract was active against B. cereus, B. subtilis, E. coli and ampicillin-resistant E. coli. However, the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of the MeOH extract against these bacterial strains were >10 mg/ml. None of the extracts showed any significant toxicity towards brine shrimps ($LD_{50}$ = > 1.00 mg/ml).