• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
• /
• v.5 no.1
• /
• pp.11-18
• /
• 2002

Purpose: It is known that lactoferrin serves as a source of iron for H. pylori in gastric mucosa. This study was undertaken to investigate the relationship between lactoferrin and H. pylori infection coexistent with iron-deficiency anemia by determining the lactoferrin levels in gastric biopsy specimens, and by locating the major sites of lactoferrin expression, according to the presence or absence of iron-deficiency anemia. Methods: Fifty-five adolescents that underwent gastroduodenoscopy were divided into three groups: NL (n=19) for normal controls, HP (n=15) for patients with H. pylori, and IDA (n=21) for patients with H. pylori gastritis and coexisting iron-deficiency anemia. Histopathologic features were graded from to marked on the basis of the Updated Sydney System. The gastric mucosal levels of lactoferrin were measured by immunoassay. Immunohistochemical technique was used to allow identification of the location and quantification of the lactoferrin expression. Results: Lactoferrin levels in the antrum increased significantly, in proportion to, H. pylori density, polymorphonuclear cell infiltration, and chronic inflammation in the histologic specimens. Patients in the HP and IDA groups showed significantly increased mucosal levels of lactoferrin compared with that observed in the normal group (p=0.0001). The lactoferrin level in IDA group tended to be higher than that in the HP group (p=0.2614). The major sites of lactoferrin expression by immunohistochemistry were in glands and neutrophils within epithelium. Lactoferrin was stained weakly in NL, and strongly in HP and IDA. Conclusion: The lactoferrin sequestration in the gastric mucosa of IDA was remarkable, and this finding seems to give a clue that leads to the clarification of the mechanism by which H. pylori infection contributes to iron-deficiency anemia.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
• /
• v.4 no.2
• /
• pp.232-239
• /
• 1997

Purpose: The incidence of hepatitis A virus(HAV) infection has markedly decreased in the last 20 years due to industrialization and improvements in the standard of living and hygiene in Korea. The reduction in seroprevalence rates indicates infection potential for young adult population, and a need for vaccinations in high-risk adults and children groups has been suggested. In this study we evaluated the seroprevalence rates and natural infection rates of hepatitis A in children and adolescent to obtain the basic data for vaccination of hepatitis A. Methods: A total of 334 children and adolescent subjects below 20 years old in Kyonggi-do province were examined for HAV antibody and seroprevalence rates in each age group was investigated. In 584 elementary school students residing in Kyonggi-do province, serum samples collected in 1993 and 1996 from the same subjects for investigation of natural seroconversion rates. Method of testing antibody was enzyme immunoassay. Results: 1) The seropositive rate of HAV in 334 subjects aged below 20 years old was 5.4%. According to age, the seropositive rates were 27.3% in infant group, 0.0% in 1~4 year-old group, 0.0% in 5~9 year-old group, 2.9% in 10~14 year-old group and 15.0% in 15~19 year-old group. 2) In the study of 584 elementary school children, only one subject showed seropositive in 1993, and in 1996 three different subjects showed seropositive results(0.5%); the natural seroconversion rate during 3 years was 0.5%. 3) The seroprevalence rates of below 20 year-old subjects reported in previous studies were 63.8% in 1979 and 47.3% in 1989 while the present study showed the rate at 5.4%. Conclusion: Since natural antibody formation is rarely occurring, there is a high risk for apparent hepatitis A infection in adults. Therefore vaccination in high risk groups is essential at present, and in order to reduce the chance for hepatitis A infection in adults, vaccination in children may be needed.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
• /
• v.7 no.2
• /
• pp.138-144
• /
• 2010

Purpose: Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), which mediates neovascularization of uterine endometrium may be involved in the neovascularization in the utero-placental circulation. Low numbers of endothelial progenitor colony-forming unit (CFU) in culture are predictive biomarker of vascular disease. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether the number of CFU in preeclampsia differed from that in normal pregnancy. Materials and Methods: Women with singleton normal (n=26) or preeclamptic (n=20) pregnancies were studied during the third trimester. The number of EPCs was quantified by CFU methodology. Plasma levels of angiogenic factors, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1), and placental growth factor (PlGF) were determined by enzyme-linked immunoassay. Results: CFU numbers were significantly decreased in the preeclamptic patients compared with the controls (median, 3; range 1-12 vs. 31; 3-81 CFU/well, P<0.001). A majority of the cells comprising individual colonies were positive for endothelial characteristics (Ulex europaeus lectin staining and acetylated low-density lipoprotein uptake). Plasma levels of the sFlt-1 were highly elevated (P<0.001) in patient with preeclampsia compared to controls, whereas PlGF were highly reduced (P=0.004), but these factors did not associate with CFU numbers. Conclusion: Our results suggest that reduced numbers of CFU obtained from maternal peripheral blood may contribute to the development of preeclampsia.

• Laboratory Medicine Online
• /
• v.6 no.1
• /
• pp.25-30
• /
• 2016

Background: The cell cycle-dependent enzyme thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) is known to increase during cancer cell proliferation and has been reported as a prognostic marker for various hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. This study aimed to determine the reference interval in Korean healthy controls and to evaluate the usefulness of TK1 as a biomarker for aggressive clinical behavior in B-cell lymphoma patients. Methods: We enrolled 72 previously untreated patients with B-cell lymphoma and 143 healthy controls. Serum TK1 levels were measured by chemiluminescence immunoassay ($Liaison^{(R)}$, DiaSorin, USA). We established the reference intervals in healthy controls. The diagnostic performance of serum TK1 was studied using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, and the correlation between the cutoff level for serum TK1 and clinical characteristics of B-cell lymphoma was evaluated. Results: The reference range (95th percentile) of serum TK1 in healthy controls was 5.4-21.8 U/L. There was a clear difference in TK1 levels between patients with B-cell lymphoma and healthy controls ($40.6{\pm}68.5$ vs. $11.8{\pm}4.4U/L$, P <0.001). The area under the curve of serum TK1 for the diagnosis of B-cell lymphoma was 0.73 (cutoff, 15.2 U/L; sensitivity, 59.7%; specificity, 83.2%). An increased TK1 level (${\geq}15.2U/L$) correlated with the advanced clinical stage (P <0.001), bone marrow involvement (P =0.013), international prognostic index score (P =0.001), lactate dehydrogenase level (P =0.001), low Hb level (<12 g/dL) (P =0.028), and lymphocyte count (P =0.023). Conclusions: The serum TK1 level could serve as a useful biomarker for aggressive clinical behavior in B-cell lymphoma patients.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
• /
• v.60 no.4
• /
• pp.387-401
• /
• 2021

Thrips infesting hot peppers were monitored in greenhouses using yellow sticky traps. In addition, the hot peppers infected with tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) were observed during the monitoring period. The flower thrips (Frankliniella intonsa) were initially trapped at a low density just after transplanting seedlings of hot peppers at late March. The western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis) were trapped after mid April. These two thrips represented more than 98% of the total thrips attracted to the traps after May, in which F. intonsa showed higher occurrence frequency than F. occidentalis. The total number of thrips had two peaks at mid May with a small and short-term peak and at June-July with a large and long-term peak. The trapped thrips exhibited inconsistent sex ratios, suggesting a seasonal parthenogenesis. Different geographical populations were varied in cytochrome oxidase I sequences, in which local populations in Andong shared a high sequence similarity. TSWV-infected hot peppers, which might be mediated by these two thrips species, were observed and confirmed by an immunoassay kit and a molecular diagnosis using RT-PCR. In addition, the TSWV was detected in F. occidentalis collected from the infected hot peppers. Three open reading frames (NS_S, N, and NS_M) of the isolated TSWV genomes were sequenced and showed multiple point mutations containing missense mutations among geographical variants. When the isolated TSWV was fed to nonvirulent thrips of F. occidentalis, the virus was detected in both larvae and adults. However, the viral replication occurred in larvae, but not in adults.

• The Korean Journal of Blood Transfusion
• /
• v.29 no.3
• /
• pp.301-309
• /
• 2018

Background: If donors who were deferred due to the reactivity or grey zone in HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) assay want to donate blood again, they need to pass reentry tests. On the other hand, approximately half of the donors who are subject to the reentry tests cannot be reentered. This study examined the association between the sample to cutoff (S/Co) value of the HBsAg assay and the final results of the reentry test. Methods: This study analyzed the S/Co values of the HBsAg assay and the final results of the reentry tests for the 3,947 donors from January 2008 to December 2017 using the database of Blood Information Management System of the Korean Red Cross. Results: 1,767 donors (44.8%) were not reentered among 3,947 deferred donors. Among 1,585 donors showing ${\geq}10$ of the S/Co value in the HBsAg screening test, 1,542 donors (97.3%) were not reentered. The additional reentry tests were performed on 120 donors who were not reentered in the first reentry test; 98 donors (81.7%) were still not reentered. Overall, 4.6% of the donors showing a grey zone in the HBsAg assay were not reentered. Conclusion: The reentry test needs to be restricted for the deferred donors showing a more than 10 S/Co value. The application of the grey zone of current HBsAg assay will need to be continued to enhance the HBV-related blood safety.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
• /
• v.27 no.1
• /
• pp.60-68
• /
• 2019

Objectives : The association between thyroid-related hormones and cognitive function has been controversial. The purpose of this study is to compare the levels of thyroid-related hormones in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Furthermore, we investigated the relationship between thyroid-related hormones and cognitive function. Methods : From January 2011 to December 2018, we retrospectively reviewed 105 patients who were diagnosed with AD and MCI by visiting a dementia clinic at Ilsan Paik Hospital. Thyroid-related hormones [triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH)] was measured using chemiluminescent immunoassay. An independent sample t-test was performed to analyze the mean value of thyroid-related hormones in patients of AD and MCI. To investigate whether thyroid-related hormones correlate significantly with Global deterioration scale (GDS), Clinical dementia rating (CDR) and scores of each The Korean version of the consortium to establish a registry for Alzheimer's disease items, we conducted a partial correlation analysis with geriatric depression scale-Korean version (GDS-K) scores as covariates. Results : There was no significant difference in the mean serum T3, T4 and TSH levels between patients of the AD and the MCI, but the Construction Praxis Test (CPT) showed a significant positive correlation with the serum TSH concentration (p-value=0.004). Conclusions : In our study, the positive correlation between serum TSH level and the CPT associated with executive function was found to be helpful in understanding the association between thyroid-related hormones and the pathophysiology of dementia. Prospective studies in regard of the pathophysiology of thyroid-related hormones on cognitive function will be necessary in the future.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.22 no.6
• /
• pp.314-320
• /
• 2021

With the increasing age of motherhood in recent years, attributed to late marriages due to social or environmental factors, the Down's syndrome screening test using biochemical markers has become essential for pregnant women. The process of diagnosing Down's syndrome pregnancy in the high-risk group subjects involves chromosomal analysis, which is performed on samples obtained through invasive procedures such as chorionic biopsy or amniotic fluid. Thus, to reduce unnecessary invasive tests and lower the risk to mother and fetus, it is important to identify a screening test with low risk and high Down's syndrome detection rate. Recently, as the average age of mothers has increased, numerous inspection agencies have classified high-risk mothers as women over the age of 35 years. This study evaluated a total of 36,436 pregnant women aged between 17 to 46 years, and who requested prenatal screening at an inspection agency in Yongin in 2018. Test (13,690 people) Four tests were conducted by applying the time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay method using the direct sandwich and indirect sandwich technology, and the immunoassay method using the sandwich method. We aimed to confirm the difference in positivity rate with increasing age of the subjects. We believe that in future, data obtained from this study will be very useful for the prevention and treatment of Down's syndrome risk at varied inspection institutions, and for prospective mothers.

• Analytical Science and Technology
• /
• v.34 no.6
• /
• pp.259-266
• /
• 2021

Cannabis (Marijuana) is one of the most widely used drugs in the world, and its distribution has been controlled in South Korea since 1976. Identification of 11-nor-Δ⁹-carboxy-tetrahydrocannabinol (THCCOOH) in urine can provide important proof of cannabis use, and it is considered scientific evidence in the forensic field. In this study, we describe a simultaneous quantitative method for identifying THCCOOH and THCCOOH-glucuronide in urine, using simple liquid-liquid extraction (LLE), and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). THCCOOH-D₃ and THCCOOH-glucuronide-D₃ were used as internal standards. Validation results of the matrix effect, as well as recovery, linearity, precision, accuracy, process efficiency, and stability were all satisfactory. No carryover, endogenous or exogenous interferences were observed. The limit of detection (LOD) of THCCOOH and THCCOOH-glucuronide were 0.3 and 0.2 ng/mL, respectively. The developed method was applied to 28 authentic human urine samples that tested positive in immunoassay screening and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) tests. The ranges of concentrations of THCCOOH and THCCOOH-glucuronide in the samples were less than LOQ~266.90 ng/mL and 6.43~2133.03 ng/mL, respectively. The concentrations of THCCOOH-glucuronide were higher than those of THCCOOH in all samples. This method can be effectively and successfully applied for the confirmation of cannabinoid use in human urine samples in the forensic field.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
• /
• v.20 no.4
• /
• pp.353-358
• /
• 2002

Purpose : To investigate the clinical usefulness of a follow-up examination using serum squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC) for the early detection of recurrence in patients treated for conical squamous cell carcinoma. Materials and Methods : 20 patients who were treated for recurrent cervical squamous cell carcinoma between 1997 and 1998, who had experienced a complete remission after radiotherapy and who underwent an SCC test around the time when recurrence was detected, were included in this study. The levels of SCC were measured from the serum of the patients by immunoassay and values less than 2 ng/mL were regarded as normal. The sensitivity of the SCC test for use in the detection of recurrence, the association between the SCC values and the recurrence patterns and the tumor size and stage, and the temporal relation between the SCC increment and recurrence detection were evaluated. Results : The SCC values were above normal in 17 out of 20 patients, so the sensitivity of the SCC test for the detection of recurrence was $85\%$, and the mean and median of the SCC values were 15.2 and 9.5 ng/mL, respectively. No differences were observed in the SCC values according to the recurrence sites. For 11 patients, the SCC values were measured over a period of 6 months before recurrence was detected, and the mean and median values were 13.6 and 3.6 ng/mL, respectively. The SCC values of 7 patients were higher than the normal range, and the SCC values of the other 4 patients were normal but 3 among them were above 1.5 ng/mL. At the time of diagnosis, the SCC valuess were measured for 16 of the 20 recurrent patients, and the SCC values of the patients with a bulky tumor $(\geq4\;cm)$ or who were in stage IIb or III were higher than those of the patients with a non-bulky tumor or who were in stage Ib or IIa. Conclusion : The SCC test is thought to be useful for the early detection of recurrence during the follow up period in patients treated for cervical squamous cell carcinoma. When an effective salvage treatment is developed in the future, the benefit of this follow-up SCC test will be increased.