• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.57-61
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• 2006

Suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) is known to be as a negative feedback regulator in Janus kinase signal transducer and activator of transcription signaling. Highly conserved SOCS box domain was cloned from a Korean malaria vector, Anopheles sinensis. Sequence analysis indicates that it has identity to Anopheles gambiae (96%), Aedes aegypti (94%), Drosophila melanogaster (78%), Mus musculus (72%) and Homo sapiens (72%), respectively. Tissue specificity RT-PCR demonstrated that the expression level of AsSOCS transcript was high at abdomen, midgut, and ovary, whereas developmental expression patterns showed that the level of AsSOCS was high at egg, early pupae, and adult female. On the other hand, RT-PCR analysis after bacterial challenge showed that SOCS mRNA was strongly induced in larvae. In addition, it was also induced by various immune elicitors such as lipoteicoic acid, CpG-DNA, and laminarin. It seems that AsSOCS, repressor of JAK-STAT pathway, is highly conserved in mosquito, and may play an important role in mosquito innate immune response.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.239-247
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• 2006

In 2003, a survey of sweet potato virus disease was carried out in seed boxes as well as in various sweet potato fields. Virus infection rate was $5\sim100%$ and 100% at seed boxes and fields, respectively. No relationship of the disease incidence and severity was observed between sweet potato cultivating areas and cultivars. A total of 179 samples were collected and analyzed based on serological, electron microscopic and molecular properties. Field-grown sweet potatoes were examined to inspect 8 different viruses using NCM-ELISA, resulting that 30% of sweet potato was infected by one virus, whereas 70% was by more than 2 viruses. However, RT-PCR using primers selected for seven viruses, such as Sweet potato feathery mottle virus (SPFMV) revealed that of one-hundred seventy-nine tested; 71 of SPFMV, 29 of SPGV, 19 of SPFMV+SPGV, 1 of SPFMV+SwPLV, 1 of SPFMV+SPLCV, 2 of SPFMV+SPGV+SwPLV, 6 of SPFMV+SPGV+SPLCV, 2 of SPFMV+SPGV+SwPLV+SPLCV and 48 of unknown viruses were identified from the field samples. In root, viral diseases were severer in Yeoju than in Mokpo Experiment Station and infection rate was much different depending on sweet potato cultivars.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.453-455
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• 2013

Heartworm infection is a fatal disease causing heart failure and pulmonary diseases in dogs. This heartworm infection can also occur in wild carnivores including Raccoon dogs. Recent study found that relatively high prevalence rate in wild Raccoon dog population. Therefore, this study was designed to evaluate the prevalence rate of D. immitis in free-roaming Raccoon dogs and the recovery rate of microfilariae in infected Raccoon dogs in Korea. Overall prevalence rate of D. immitis in Korean Raccoon dogs was 17.8%. Prevalence rate in male Raccoon dogs was 21.8%, while that in female Raccoon dogs was 12.8%. Microfilariae were not detected in 17 Raccoon dogs having positive in heartworm antigen test. Our study result suggested that the prevalence rate of D. immitis in Korea is twice higher than that of Japan. In addition, microfilaremia is rare in Raccoon dogs as commonly noticed in cats.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.77-83
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• 2012

Zoonoses represent a public health risk recently pointed out by the spreading of previously unknown human infectious diseases emerging from animal reservoirs such as severe acute respiratory syndrome and avian influenza caused by H5N1-virus. These outbreaks have shown that animal breeding activities can pose a significant public health risk. Until now, the risk of zoonoses has probably been underestimated, particularly in occupational settings. The emergence or re-emergence of bacterial (Mycobacterium bovis and Brucella spp) or viral (hepatitis E virus) infections shows that zoonoses should be considered as emerging risks in agricultural and animal breeding and should be addressed by specific preventive interventions. Close cooperation and interaction between veterinarians, occupational health physicians and public health operators is necessary, for a worldwide strategy to expand interdisciplinary collaborations and communications in all aspects of health care for humans, animals and the environment. This is what the One Health Approach was intended to be.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.109-114
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• 2018

Coxsackievirus Type B3 (CVB3) is an enterovirus that belongs to the Picornaviridae and causes various diseases such as myocarditis and hand-foot-mouth disease. However, an effective antiviral drug is still not developed. In this study, we looked for potential inhibitors of CVB3 replication by examining the survival of CVB3-infected HeLa cells. We detected an antiviral effect by cholic acid and identified it as a candidate inhibitor of CVB3 replication. Cholic acid circulates in the liver and intestines, and it helps the digestion and absorption of lipids in the small intestine. HeLa cells were cultured in 12-well plates and treated with cholic acid (1 and $10{\mu}g/ml$) and $10^6PFU/ml$ of CVB3. After 16 h post-infection, the cells were lysed and subjected to western blot analysis and RT-PCR. The production of the viral capsid protein VP1 was dramatically decreased, and translation initiation factor eIF4G1 cleavage was significantly inhibited by treatment with $10{\mu}g/ml$ cholic acid. Moreover, cholic acid inhibited ERK signaling in CVB3-infected HeLa cells. RT-PCR showed that the amounts of the CVB3 RNA genome and mRNA for the ER stress-related transcription factor ATF4 were significantly reduced. These results showed that cholic acid strongly reduced ER stress and CVB3 proliferation. This compound can be developed as a safe natural therapeutic agent for enterovirus infections.

• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.98-109
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• 2014

Objectives This paper was aimed to review experimantal and clinical articles on Yeoldahanso-tang(YDHS), figuring out the recent tendency and suggesting the future prospects of YDHS-related studies. Methods The articles published in Korean or English since 2000 were searched, screened, and classified into experimental or clinical studies. And we structured designs, methods and results of the included studies into each table for the experimental studies or the clinical studies. Especially tools to diagnose constitutions and patterns identified in clinical researches were also summarized in the tables. Results 28 articles are finally included. 14 experimental studies are mostly in vitro designs to show efficacy of YDHS. There are only 2 studies for the safety. Among 14 clinical studies, 12 case studies target disorders of central nervous system, viral infection, skin ulcer and so on. 2 studies are before and after studies on cerebral infarction and effects on liver function. Conclusions Based on the efficacy of YDHS on central nervous system, it acquires higher level of evidence such as randomized controlled trials in the future. In addition other diseases such as skin ulcer and so on, it needs to be done more specific experimental or clinical studies so that we can get statistically significant results.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.196-206
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• 2012

Besides their role as building blocks of protein, there are growing evidences that some amino acids have roles in regulating key metabolic pathways that are necessary for maintenance, growth, reproduction, and immunity. Here, we evaluated the modulatory functions of several amino acids in protective immunity against mucosal infection of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). We found that glutamine (Gln) and leucine (Leu) showed enhanced protective immunity to HSV-1 mucosal infection when two administration of Gln and single administration of Leu per day, but not when administered in combinations. Ameliorated clinical signs of HSV-1 challenged mice by the intraperitoneal administration of Gln and Leu were closely associated with viral burden and IFN-${\gamma}$ production in the vaginal tract at 2 and 4 days post-infection. In addition, the enhanced production of vaginal IFN-${\gamma}$ appeared to be caused by NK and HSV-1 antigen-specific Th1-type CD4+ T cells recruited into vaginal tract of mice treated with Gln and Leu, which indicates that IFN-${\gamma}$, produced by NK and Th1-type CD4+ T cells, may be critical to control the outcome of diseases caused by HSV-1 mucosal infection. Collectively, our results indicate that intraperitoneal administration of Gln and Leu following HSV-1 mucosal infection could provide beneficial effects for the modulation of protective immunity, but dosage and frequency of administration should be carefully considered, because higher frequency and overdose of Gln and Leu, or their combined treatment, showed detrimental effects to protective immunity.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.97-100
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• 1998

Systemic lupus erythematosus is a severe cutaneous-systemic disorder of unknown etiology, It is represented with erythematous patches on the face in a so-called butterfly distribution, and characteristically classified as an autoimmune disease with antinuclear antibodies. The autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus, $Sj{\ddot{o}}gren$ syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis have been associated with lymphoid malignancy - leukemia, malignant lymphoma - which could involve various organs(spleen, liver, brain, mediastinal lymph node, supraclavicular lymph node, inguinal lymph node, cervical lymph node etc.). Many authors have studied about the association of systemic lupus erythematosus and malignant lymphoma, but exact etiology is still unknown. A common viral etioloty for systemic lupus erythematosus has been suggested since virus-like particles have been found in the glomerular endothelium of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. These oncogenic viruses may be responsible for the higher frequency of malignant lymphoma in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. In the other theory, the causes of malignant lymphoma are the defect of immune system due to systemic lupus erythematosus and the long-term use of therapeutics for treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus. When the cellular immune system(delayed hypersensitivity) is impaired by immunosuppressive drugs, it is likely that the body is no longer able to recognize and reject malignant cells as they arise; they continue to grow and divide unhindered. The impairment of the cellular immune system may allow growth of oncogenic virus or the survival of neoplatic tissues. 47-year old female patient treated systemic lupus erythematosus with steroid and immunosuppressive drugs for 5 years visited to our hospital due to elevated mass on left upper anterior maxilla area. By performing biopsy, we diagnosed this lesion as malignant lymphoma and referred to oncologist for chemotherapy. So we report a case of malignant lymphoma due to systemic lupus erythematosus with review of literatures.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.253-263
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• 2018

Purpose: With increasing life expectancy, the presence of comorbidities has become a major concern in elderly patients who require surgery. However, little is known about the impact of different comorbidities on the outcomes of laparoscopic total gastrectomy (LTG). In this study, we investigated the impact of comorbidities on postoperative complications in patients undergoing LTG for gastric carcinoma. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the cases of 303 consecutive patients who underwent LTG for gastric carcinoma between 2005 and 2016. The associations between each comorbidity and postoperative complications were assessed using univariate and multivariate analyses. Results: A total of 189 patients (62.4%) had one or more comorbidities. Hypertension was the most common comorbidity (37.0%), followed by diabetes mellitus (17.8%), chronic viral hepatitis (2.6%), liver cirrhosis (2.6%), and pulmonary (27.1%), ischemic heart (3.3%), and cerebrovascular diseases (2.3%). The overall postoperative morbidity and mortality rates were 20.1% and 1.0%, respectively. Patients with pulmonary disease significantly showed higher complication rates than those without comorbidities (32.9% vs. 14.9%, respectively, P=0.003); patient with other comorbidities showed no significant difference in the incidence of LTG-related complications. During univariate and multivariate analyses, pulmonary disease was found to be an independent predictive factor for postoperative complications (odds ratio, 2.14; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-4.64), along with old age and intraoperative bleeding. Conclusions: Among the various comorbidities investigated, patients with pulmonary disease had a significantly higher risk of postoperative complications after LTG. Proper perioperative care for optimizing pulmonary function may be required for patients with pulmonary disease.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.31 no.7
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• pp.933-950
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• 2018

In Japan, Wagyu cattle include four Japanese breeds; Black, Brown, Shorthorn, and Polled. Today, the renowned brand name Wagyu includes not only cattle produced in Japan, but also cattle produced in countries such as Australia and the United States. In recent years, the intramuscular fat percentage in beef (longissimus muscle) from Japanese Black cattle has increased to be greater than 30%. The Japanese Black breed is genetically predisposed to producing carcass lipids containing higher concentrations of monounsaturated fatty acids than other breeds. However, there are numerous problems with the management of this breed including high production costs, disposal of untreated excrement, the requirement for imported feed, and food security risks resulting from various viral diseases introduced by imported feed. The feeding system needs to shift to one that is more efficient, and improves management for farmers, food security for consumers, and the health environment for residents of Japan. Currently, we are developing a metabolic programming and an information and communications technology (ICT, or Interne of Things) management system for Wagyu beef production as future systems. If successful, we will produce safe, high-quality Wagyu beef using domestic pasture resources while solving the problems of how to utilize increasing areas of abandoned agricultural land and to make use of the plant-based feed resources in Japan's mountainous areas.