• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.245-252
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• 2007

FTA (fault tree analysis), an analytical method for system failure management, was employed in the management of faults in running PCR analysis. PCR is executed through several processes, in which the process of PCR machine operation was selected for the analysis by FTA. The reason for choosing the simplest process in the PCR analysis was to adopt it as a first trial to test a feasibility of the FTA approach. First, fault events-top event, intermediate event, basic events-were identified by survey on expert knowledge of PCR. Then those events were correlated deductively to build a fault tree in hierarchical structure. The fault tree was evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively, yielding minimal cut sets, structural importance, common cause vulnerability, simulation of probability of occurrence of top event, cut set importance, item importance and sensitivity. The top event was 'errors in the step of PCR machine operation in running PCR analysis'. The major intermediate events were 'failures in instrument' and 'errors in actions in experiment'. The basic events were four events, one event and one event based on human errors, instrument failure and energy source failure, respectively. Those events were combined with Boolean logic gates-AND or OR, constructing a fault tree. In the qualitative evaluation of the tree, the basic events-'errors in preparing the reaction mixture', 'errors in setting temperature and time of PCR machine', 'failure of electrical power during running PCR machine', 'errors in selecting adequate PCR machine'-proved the most critical in the occurrence of the fault of the top event. In the quantitative evaluation, the list of the critical events were not the same as that from the qualitative evaluation. It was because the probability value of PCR machine failure, not on the list above though, increased with used time, and the probability of the events of electricity failure and defective of PCR machine were given zero due to rare likelihood of the events in general. It was concluded that this feasibility study is worth being a means to introduce the novel technique, FTA, to the management of faults in running PCR analysis.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.519-528
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• 1998

Background: Diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis is not easy when the sputum smear for Mycobacterium tuberculosis(M. Tb) is negative. We evaluated the clinical utility of polymerase chain reaction(PCR) for detecting M. Tb in bronchoalveolar lavage(BAL) samples. Methods: We recruited 84 patients whose sputum smear for M. Tb were negative or not available due to no production of sputum. We performed bronchoalveolar lavage for acid-fast stain, culture of mycobacteria, and PCR assay of BAL fluid. We analyzed the results of microbiologic examination. Results: The sensitivity of BAL fluid smear, culture, and PCR were 20%, 38%, and 40%, respectively. The specificity of BAL fluid PCR was 95%. The positive predictive value of PCR was 89%. The smear of BAL fluid was positive in 17%. The PCR of BAL fluid was the only diagnostic test in 17%. Therefore, the BAL fluid analysis including smear and PCR was diagnostic in 34 % within 24 hours. The BAL fluid analysis including smear, PCR, and culture was diagnostic in 55% within 2 month. Conclusion: The BAL fluid PCR was valuable method in the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis in patients whose sputa were not available or reveal negative smear.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.139-143
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• 2006

Virion captured reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (VC/RT-PCR) could detect plant virus quickly and accurately. In the VC/RT-PCR, no antibody is needed unlike immuno-captured RT-PCR (IC/RT-PCR) which had been improved method of RT-PCR for plant viruses, and virus nucleic acids can be obtained easily within 30minutes by property of polypropylene PCR tube which is hold and immobilized viral particles on its surface. For the virion capture of Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV), the extraction buffer was tested. The optimum macerating buffer for TSWV was 0.01M potassium phosphate buffer, pH 7.0, containing 0.5% sodium sulfite. The viral crude sap was incubated for 30 min at $4^{\circ}C$. The virions in the PCR tubes were washed two times with 0.01M PBS containing 0.05% Tween-20. The washed virions were treated at $95^{\circ}C$ immediately for 1 min containing RNase free water and chilled quickly in the ice. Disclosed virions' RNAs by heat treatment were used for RT-PCR. Dilution end point of $10^{-5}$ from plant's crude sap infected with TSWV showed relatively higher detection sensitivity for VC/RT-PCR. During multiple detection using two or more primers, interference was arisen by interactions between primer-primer and plant species. The result of multiplex RT-PCR was influenced by combinations of primers and the kind of plant, and the optimum extraction buffer for the multiplex detection by VC/RT-PCR should be developed.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.410-418
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• 2010

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the major pathogens that can cause staphylococcal infection and food poisoning. In this study, we compared conventional culture methods and real-time PCR for detection of S. aureus in artificially inoculated milk, sausage, raw pork, and vegetable salad. The performance of a coagulase test for confirming S. aureus was also compared with a colony PCR test. Bulk food samples (500 g each) were artificially inoculated with S. aureus and divided into 20 samples (25 g or mL each). All samples were added to tryptic soy broth (225 mL/sample) with 10% NaCl and incubated at $37^{\circ}C$ for 24 h. After the enrichment, broth cultures were streaked onto Baird-Parker (BP) agar with egg yolk tellulite, and incubated at $37^{\circ}C$ for 24 h. In addition, 1 mL of broth cultures was collected to perform real-time PCR. Two suspicious colonies from the BP agar were picked up and plated on nutrient agar and incubated at $37^{\circ}C$ for 24 h followed, by a coagulase confirmation test and a colony PCR analysis. There were no statistical differences between culture methods and realtime PCR in food samples with low background microflora, such as milk and sausage. However, a significant statistical difference was found between the culture methods and real-time PCR for raw pork and vegetable salad. Furthermore, the colony PCR test of the presumptive colonies on BP agar for confirming S. aureus is more accurate and efficient than the coagulase test for unprocessed foods.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.397-407
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• 2010

Purpose : The F9 gene is known to be the causative gene for hemophilia B, but unfortunately the detection rate for restriction fragment length polymorphism-based linkage analysis is only 55.6%. Direct DNA sequencing can detect 98% of mutations, but this alternative procedure is very costly. Here, we conducted multiplex polymerase chain reactions (PCRs) and conformation sensitive gel electrophoresis (CSGE) to perform a screened DNA sequencing for the F9 gene, and we compared the results with direct sequencing in terms of accuracy, cost, simplicity, and time consumption. Methods : A total of 27 unrelated hemophilia B patients were enrolled. Direct DNA sequencing was performed for 27 patients by a separate institute, and multiplex PCR-CSGE screened sequencing was done in our laboratory. Results of the direct DNA sequencing were used as a reference, to which the results of the multiplex PCR-CSGE screened sequencing were compared. For the patients whose mutation was not detected by the 2 methods, multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) was conducted. Results : With direct sequencing, the mutations could be identified from 26 patients (96.3%), whereas for multiplex PCRCSGE screened sequencing, the mutations could be detected in 23 (85.2%). One patient's mutation was identified by MLPA. A total of 21 different mutations were found among the 27 patients. Conclusion : Multiplex PCR-CSGE screened DNA sequencing detected 88.9% of mutations and reduced costs by 55.7% compared with direct DNA sequencing. However, it was more labor-intensive and time-consuming.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.65-72
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• 2000

In order to improve the early diagnosis of Johne's disease in ruminants, duplex polymerase chain reaction system for the detection of the etiologic agent of M. paratuberculosis and for the differentiation of other mycobacterial animal pathogens, such as M. bovis and M. avium, was applied. Genomic DNAs were purified from peripheral blood monocytes or milk macrophages and were used as templates in the duplex PCR. Detection of Mycobacterium spp. in the specimen was carried out by PCR using primer set specific to the mycobacterial 16S rDNA. And then, mycobacterial DNA-positive specimens were further differentiated with duplex PCR system which was composed of primer sets specific to 16S rDNA of M. avium complex and Is900 gene of M. paratuberculosis. The results were re-confirmed by Southern blot hybridization with oligonucleotide specific to the internal sequence of IS900 PCR amplicons. The applicability of this duplex PCR system was evaluated with DNAs extracted from clinical specimens of peripheral blood monocytes and milk macrophages. In summary, the duplex PCR amplification system described in this experiment is promising molecular technique for the early diagnosis of Johne's disease in ruminants.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.227-232
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• 2015

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has a pathogenic role in several lymphomas including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). In this study, we detected EBV from formalin-fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissues of DLBCL patients by RT-PCR and compared the sensitivity of the RT-PCR method to in situ hybridization (ISH) method. The RNA was extracted from 91 FFPE samples with DLBCL and amplified with primers targeting EBV-encoded small RNA (EBER) by RT-PCR. When using the RT-PCR method, 13 of 91 patients (14.3%) were positive and among these 13 cases, 7 cases (7.7%) were from > 50-year-old patients that is classified as EBV positive DLBCL of the elderly. In previous results using ISH method, 3 of 91 patients (3.3%) were positive and 2 case (2.4%) were older than 50-year-old. These results indicate that RT-PCR method used in this study shows a higher sensitivity than ISH method. The ratio of male versus female among the EBV positive samples was 1.2:1 with the ratio of male higher. If RT-PCR method having high sensitivity is used simultaneously as well as the ISH method providing the information of the EBV positive cellular location, it is expected that EBV will be more accurately detected.

• Journal of Dairy Science and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.171-177
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• 2013

The dairy industry has consistently grown via the expansion of dairy-based food categories. Dairy product consumption is stable since the nutrient composition in dairy products is ideal for human health. However, dairy products are highly susceptible to food-borne pathogens. Controlling the safety of dairy products is thus important when considering the nutrient-rich matrix of this food category. Currently, immunoassays or molecular biology techniques have been used to evaluate the safety of dairy products in Korea. These methods are based on the detection of proteins and thus have low reproducibility and sensitivity. Recent techniques to detect food-borne pathogens have focused on genetic analyses. Rapid detection methods for food-borne pathogens in milk and dairy products using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques, such as conventional PCR, real-time PCR, repetitive sequence-based (rep)-PCR, PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), and digital PCR, are reviewed in this article. The aim of this review was to contribute knowledge of the relationship between microflora and the quality of dairy products. This study will also assist in the immediate monitoring of food-borne pathogens in milk and dairy products when an outbreak related to this food category occurs.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.367-375
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• 2019

Pufferfish (Takifugu spp.) are economically important edible marine fish. Mistakes in pufferfish classification can lead to poisoning; therefore, accurate species identification is critical. In this study, we used the mtDNA cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene (COI) to design specific primers for six Takifugu species among the 21 domestic or imported pufferfish species legally sold for consumption in Korea. We rapidly and simultaneously identified these pufferfish species using a highly efficient, multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) system with the six species-specific primers. The results showed that species-specific multiplex PCR (multiplex species-specific polymerase chain reaction; MSS-PCR) either specifically amplified PCR products of a unique size or failed. MSS-PCR yielded amplification fragment lengths of 897 bp for Takifugu pardalis, 822 bp for T. porphyreus, 667 bp for T. niphobles, 454 bp for T. poecilonotus, 366 bp for T. rubripes, and 230 bp for T. xanthpterus using the species-specific primers and a control primer (ca. 1,200 bp). We visualized the results using agarose gel electrophoresis to obtain accurate contrasts of the six Takifugu species. MSS-PCR analysis is easily performed and provides identification results within 6 h. This technique is a powerful tool for the discrimination of Takifugu species and will help prevent falsified labeling, protect consumer rights, and reduce the risk of pufferfish poisoning..

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.535-545
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• 1999

Crease of Streptococcus salivarius is believed to play a critical role in bacterial ecology and pH homeostasis in the mouth, and consequently affect the pathogenesis of dental caries and periodontal diseases. Expression of the urease gene is greatly enhanced by low p. f. excess of Carbohydrate, and faster growth. It was observed that urease activity of the strains of S. salivarius that exhibited no of low urease activity was not increased even in low pH condition. In this study, it was hypothesized that the urease gene of the strains is absent, defected, or greatly changed by genetic combination. In order to prove this hypothesis, chromosomes were obtained from 28 S. salivarius strains which had been isolated from normal teeth and carious lesions, subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using primers encoding highly conserved sequence from ureC, and then the obtained PCR products were compared. The results were as follows: 1. After PCR the strains generated either one of 0.54- and 1.3-kbp PCR products, or none. 2. All 16 strains having a higher urease activity(<50${\mu}mol/min/mg$) produced 0.54-kbp PCR products. 3. Twelve strains without urease activity and with a lower urease activity(<50${\mu}mol/min/mg$) yield either one of 0.54 and 1.3-kbp PCR products, or none. 4. The DNA sequence of the 0.54-kbp PCR product (pCAP-0.54) exhibited 95% identity to the ureC of S. salivarus 57.I; 30bp were found to be different, which led to difference of only 2 amino acids in the sequence. 5. The DNA sequence of the 1.3-kbp PCR product(pCAP-1.3) was found to be highly homologous to the aminopeptidase C gene of Streptococcus thermophilus. Overall results indicate that there are considerable variations of the urease genes from S. salivarus strains and the variations may affect the uncolytic activity of the bacteria directly of indirectly.