• Health Policy and Management
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.52-58
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• 2013

This study was conducted to investigate the responsiveness and its related factors of public health center for novel influenza A (H1N1) epidemic. The data was collected through a web-based survey conducted during February to April 2011. The 182 respondents were team leaders or persons who were responsible for H1N1-related work at public health centers during the H1N1 prevalence. The related factors affecting the responsiveness were different by urban or rural area. In the level of gu (urban) area, cooperation with the public organizations, preparing its own response plan were the significant factors. But, in the level of si or gun (rural) area, cooperation with private organizations (clinic or pharmacy), physical (facilities, equipments, and medicines), and human infrastructures (public health professions, education and knowledge, and motivation) were more important factors. Therefore, how to cope with H1N1 prevalence in the future should be different by local characteristics. As a result, there are several challenges that public health centers should prepare for the further emerging infectious diseases. First, it is needed to make standard manuals which could strengthen education and training in order to respond appropriately, as well as to prepare enough physical infrastructures for the crisis. Next, the public health center should prepare correct media response and cooperation system with public and private organizations.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.269-274
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• 2016

The potency of influenza vaccine is determined based on its hemagglutinin (HA) content. In general, single radial immunodiffusion (SRID) assay has been utilized as the standard method to measure HA content. However, preparation of reagents for SRID such as antigen and antibody takes approximately 2~3 months, which causes delays in the development of influenza vaccine. Therefore, quantification of HA content by other alternative methods is required. In this study, we measured HA contents of H1N1 antigen and H1N1 influenza vaccine by reverse phase-high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) methods. The presence of HA1 and HA2 was investigated by silver staining and Western blot assay. In addition, accuracy and repeatability of HA measurement by RP-HPLC were evaluated. Comparison of HA concentration by SRID and RP-HPLC revealed a precise correlation between the two methods. Our results suggest that RP-HPLC assay can replace SRID in the event of a pandemic flu outbreak for rapid vaccine development.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.12
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• pp.2146-2152
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• 2015

Apios americana Medik (hereinafter Apios) has been reported to treat diseases, including cancer, hypertension, obesity, and diabetes. The therapeutic effect of Apios is likely to be associated with its anti-inflammatory activity. This study was conducted to evaluate the protective effects of Apios in animal models of acute lung injury induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or pandemic H1N1 2009 influenza A virus (H1N1). Mice were exposed to LPS or H1N1 for 2-4 days to induce acute lung injury. The treatment groups were administered Apios extracts via oral injection for 8 weeks before LPS treatment or H1N1 infection. To investigate the effects of Apios, we assessed the mice for in vivo effects of Apios on immune cell infiltration and the level of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, and histopathological changes in the lung. After induction of acute lung injury, the numbers of neutrophils and total cells were lower in the Apios-treated groups than in the non-Apios-treated LPS and H1N1 groups. The Apios groups tended to have lower levels of tumor necrosis factor-a and interleukin-6 in BAL fluid. In addition, the histopathological changes in the lungs were markedly reduced in the Apios-treated groups. These data suggest that Apios treatment reduces LPS- and H1N1-induced lung inflammation. These protective effects of Apios suggest that it may have therapeutic potential in acute lung injury.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.18.1-18.12
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• 2024

Acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE) is a rare but deadly complication with an unclear pathogenesis. We aimed to elucidate the immune characteristics of H1N1 influenza virus-associated ANE (IANE) and provide a potential therapeutic approach for IANE. Seven pediatric cases from a concentrated outbreak of H1N1 influenza were included in this study. The patients' CD4⁺ T cells from peripheral blood decreased sharply in number but highly expressed Eomesodermin (Eomes), CD69 and PD-1, companied with extremely high levels of IL-6, IL-8 in the cerebrospinal fluid and plasma. Patient 2, who showed high fever and seizures and was admitted to the hospital very early in the disease course, received intravenous tocilizumab and subsequently showed a reduction in temperature and a stable conscious state 24 h later. In conclusion, a proinflammatory cytokine storm associated with activated CD4⁺ T cells may cause severe brain pathology in IANE. Tocilizumab may be helpful in treating IANE.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.226-226
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• 2014

• Proceedings of the Microbiological Society of Korea Conference
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• 2003.05a
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• pp.87-89
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• 2003

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.63-70
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• 2010

Purpose: To identify the need to reform in the crisis response of Health Teacher, School Nurse, in elementary school during epidemic outbreak of influenza H1N1. Methods: 139 elementary health teachers, school nurse, in seoul elementary school responded in the questionnaire, and we analysed by using frequency and percent, t-test, and paired t-test. Results: The Job status became 121% more 'during influenza H1N1 (flu) outbreak' than Job status of 'before outbreak'. The proportion of the flu-related duty among their daily workload was up to 77.5%. The administration-related workload of the flu-related duty was 30.8%. and students' health assessment including temperature measurement 18.7%. Furthermore, an impediment of usual daily work due to an increaed flu-related workload was 95.7%, and no alternative plan such as disposition of assistant labor force was 86.1%. Especially, an impediment of health education was 61.0%, so the major concern was the loss of health education. We compared average scores (a five-point Likert scale) of health teachers' work motivation, exhaustion, work relationship and Job management of 'during' with 'before' flu-outbreak. The difference range of 'during' minus 'before' work motivation score was from -0.4 points to -0.9; work exhaustion range from 1.8 to 1.9; the difficulty of relationship between students, school personnel, parents of students, and health teachers from 1.4 points to 1.3 points; and the consideration of changing Job, taking time off from the Job and retirement from 1.4 to 1.6 points. Conclusion: The health teachers had a heavy workload due to flu-outbreak. They also experienced the impediment of usual work implementation. However, there was a shortage of alternative plan such as disposition of an assistant labor force. Under their Job status like this, the health teachers' motivation score was decreased and work exhaustion was increased. Furthermore, they had a lot of relation difficulty with students and school personnel. Therefore, we suggested that in contrast to the usual Job status, there is a need to have a prepared response during school crisis like flu-outbreak such as improved response system in seoul metropolitan education office, simplification or dispersion of administrative work, and temporary call-center for simple inquiries or advices.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.109-118
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• 2004

Avian influenza(AI) is an epizootic disease of variable severity caused by type A influenza viruses of the orthomyxovirus group. Chickens were the most frequently affected avian species with AI viruses. There were many outbreaks of fowl plague, now known as highly pathogenic AI(HP AI), throughout the world since Perroncito described the fowl plague in 1978 in Italy. In recent years HPAI viruses of different serotypes such as H5, H7 and H9 has been isolated from humans on several occasions either related with outbreak of HPAI in birds or not. In 1997, one of the most noteworthy events in AI history was the human mortality with H5N1 HPAI virus infection in Hong Kong. Six persons of total 18 persons with clinical signs of influenza were died. Recently the human cases with mortality related with HP AI outbreaks in poultry industry has been increased such as outbreaks of HP AI throughout Asia countries including Korea, Japan, China, Vietnam, Thailand and others in 2003. Although these outbreaks revealed the capable of spreading from birds to human, the capability for transmission between people was not clear. Therefore, this report will review the possibility of HP AI infection in human associated with HPAI outbreak in poultry industry.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.113-123
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• 2005

Avian influenza (AI) virus (AIV) is distributed worldwide and it has been isolated from various species of wild and domestic birds. AI transfers with high speed and shows diverse pathogenicity syndroms. In Korea, several low Pathogenic AIV, H9N2, have been isolated from the commercial farms with severe decrease of egg production and mortality resulted in severe economic loss since 1996. Therefore, it has been requested to develop AI vaccines to prevent clinical signs and economic losses from the field infection of AIV. To develop a killed vaccine that efficiently prevents low pathogenic AIV (H9N2), evaluation on the pathogenicity and selection of an inactivator for H9N2 is taking place and is being tested safety and immunogenicity of vaccine produced. Based on the pathogenicity test and viral reisolation test, the ADL0401 isolate is the characteristic low pathogenic AIVs and has fairly similar biologic functions compared with MS96 which is the official low pathogenic AIV (H9N2) and one of the predominant AIV isolated from poultry farms in Korea. In antigenicity tests, the ADL0401 and MS96 virus have no significant antigenic difference. In inactivation tests, the ADL0401 isolates can be easily inactivated with $0.1\%$ Formalin at $37^{\circ}C$ within 1 hour with a little decrease of HA titer. The vaccine developed in the present report has no harmful effect on bird and forms good immune capability. Therefore, the isolates, ADL0401 can be used for a killed vaccine which can reduce the clinical signs and viral shedding in the birds infected with H9N2 low pathogenic AIVs.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.284-288
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• 2001

Respiratory viruses are one of the most infectious agent in human. Six different respiratory tract viruses were detected from Busan while working on the preventive surveillance in 1997-2000. The isolation rate from suspected specimens were 8.4%. Influenza virus A, B type, parainfluenza virus, adenovirus, mumps virus, and measles virus were examined from throat swabs, serum, and secretions of patients. Influenza A/Sydney/05/97(H3N2)-like, A/Johanesburg/33/94(H3N2)-like, A/Beijing/262/95(H1N1)-like and Influenza B/Beijing/262/95-like, B/Harbin/07/94-like, B/Guangdong/08/93-like were found. Adenovirus serotype 1, 2, 3 and 5 were detected, antibody of mumps both IgM and IgG were shown and outbreaks of measles were confirmed. Different antigenic types of influenza virus were detected every year, one outbreak of parainfluenza in 1999, mumps outbreak in 1999 and 2000, and incidence of measles in 2000 were noticeable. Monthly outbreaks were November through following March with influenza virus, January through June with adenovirus, February through May and December with mumps, April through August and November, December with measles, respectively. The size of isolated viruses were 130 nm with influenza virus B type, non-enveloped, icosahedron with 70 nm with adenovirus, 170 nm with mumps virus and 180 nm with parainfluenza virus in diameter, respectively.