• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.75-86
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• 1997

Solid phase enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed to detect the whole cells of Edwardsiella tarda from infected tissues of flounder. Cross-reaction test was performed by ELISA against fish pathogens such as A. hydrophila ATCC7966. V. anguillarum HYUFP5001, Y, ruckeri 11-4, E. ictaluri and Streptococcus sp. NG8206. Rabbit anti-E, tarda Edk-2 sera highly cross-reacted with A. hydrophila ATCC7966 and V. anguillarum HUFP5001. However, the cross-reaction was removed by using the anti-serum pre-adsorbed with A, hydrophila ATCC7966 FKC. The intra-species cross-reaction among E. tarda isolates was very high. ELISA with the whole cell antigens present in tissue homogenate appeared with highly decreased sensitivity, presumably by the co-coating of lipid or proteins in tissues. Thus, it would be necessary to use the infected tissue homogenates diluted more than 100 times with PBS for diagnosis. Interestingly, compared with the using of FKC antigen, the direct detection of viable cells in tissue homogenate showed more sensitive results with detection limit of $1{\times}10^3$ cells/ml in buffer or diluted tissue homogenate. Consequently, the ELISA method developed in this study was specific, rapid and sensitive for diagnosing edwardsiellosis.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.148-154
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• 2001

Objectives: This study was designed to investigate the significance of serum SCC antigen, CA 19-9, CA 125 level and DNA microsatellite alterations (MSA) as prognostic factors and indicators for recurrences in the pre-treatment and post-treatment state, respectively in head and neck cancer patients. Materials and Methods: 120 patients who received curative treatment for head and neck cancer from 1995 to 2000 were followed up successfully, and were analyzed retrospectively. Thirty healthy subjects served as normal controls. Serum SCC Ag levels were measured by microparticle enzyme immunoassay technique via IMX SCC assay, CA 19-9 levels were measured by CA 19-9 RIA test kit, and CA 125 levels were measured by CA 125 IRMA kit. MSA were identified after PCR amplification. Heterozygosity was considered lost if the ratio of one allele was significantly decreased (>50%) in serum DNA compared with normal DNA from lymphocytes. Results: Preoperative tumor markers were higher in cancer patients than control, but not significant. Postoperative SCC Ag levels were lower than preoperative levels. The SCC Ag levels were remained low in no evidence of disease (NED) group, but increased in locoregional recurrence and distant metastasis group. CA 19-9 and CA 125 levels showed no correlation between levels and recurrences and were not decreased significantly after primary tumor removal. MSA were detected in five out of 21 cases, and highly detected in distant metastasis group. Conclusion: SCC Ag seems to be a helpful serum tumor marker for early detection of recurrence and distant metastasis of head and neck cancer after curative treatment. But, CA 19-9 and CA 125 were not reliable markers for head and neck tumors. MSA were not statistically significant because of the small number of study group. However they may be helpful for screening serum molecular markers for early detection of distant metastasis of head and neck cancers.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.158-167
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• 2015

A lateral flow immunoassay kit based on antigen-antibody interactions was developed to detect residues of beta-lactams, quinolones, tetracyclines, and sulfonamides in farmed fish. Group-specific antibodies showing cross-reactivity with other antibiotics in the same group were produced in rabbits. The rabbits were immunized eight times to obtain the maximum titers. Antibodies were extracted from the antisera collected from the immunized rabbits and produced group-specific reactions with antibiotics from the four groups. A kit was prepared that optimize conditions for the antigen-antibody reaction, using colloidal gold conjugated antibodies, and was designed to detect the four groups of antibiotics simultaneously. The kit enabled the detection of antibiotics in the four groups at below maximum residue limits (MRLs), which were $200{\mu}g/kg$ for tetracyclines, $100{\mu}g/kg$ for sulfonamides, $50{\mu}g/kg$ for beta-lactams, and $100{\mu}g/kg$ for quinolones. The cross-reactivity of the antibodies ranged from 10-80% for the sulfonamides, 20-100% for tetracyclines, 38-100% for quinolones, and 20-100% for the beta-lactams, confirming that the antibodies were group specific. The test kit was used 30 times to examine spiked antibiotics at the limits of detection (LODs) and all produced positive results, indicating high sensitivity. The LODs for the assay ranged from 4-20 ng/mL for beta-lactams, 25-50 ng/mL for sulfonamides, 20-100 ng/mL for tetracyclines, and 30-80 ng/mL for quinolones, and there were no false negative reactions at above these LODs. In addition, all of the LODs of the developed kit were correlated with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) data. Our lateral flow immunoassay kit can simultaneously detect antibiotic residues from a large number of fish samples rapidly, strengthening the safety of domestic farmed and imported fish.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.11
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• pp.6913-6917
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• 2013

Background: Although the PSA test has been used in Korea for over 20 years, the incidence of prostate cancer has risen, and the associated mortality has increased about 13-fold over the 20-year period. Also, several investigators have suggested that Asians in America are more likely to present with more advanced prostate cancer than Caucasians. We compared the characteristics of native Koreans and Americans (Caucasians and African-Americans) undergoing radical prostatectomies in Korea and the US. Materials and Methods: Study subjects comprised patients at Korean and US hospitals from 2004 to 2012 who had undergone radical prostatectomies. We compared the characteristics of the subjects, including age, preoperative prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, body mass index (BMI), Gleason score, and pathological T stage. Results: In total, 1,159 males (502 Koreans, 657 Americans) were included. The Korean and American patients had mean ages of $67.1{\pm}6.6$ and $59.2{\pm}6.7$ years, respectively. The mean preoperative PSAs were $15.4{\pm}17.9$ and $6.2{\pm}4.6ng/mL$ (p=0.0001) and the mean BMIs were $23.6{\pm}2.6$ and $28.7{\pm}4.4kg/m^2$ (p=0.0001), respectively. Pathological localized prostate cancer represented 71.7% of cases for Koreans and 77.6% for Americans (p=0.07). According to age, Koreans had higher T stages than Americans in their 50s (p=0.021) and higher Gleason scores than Americans in all age groups. According to PSA, Koreans had higher Gleason scores than Americans for PSA >10 ng/mL (p<0.05). According to prostate size and Gleason scores, Koreans had higher PSA values than Americans (p<0.01). Conclusions: These results show that Korean patients have elevated risk of malignant prostate cancers, as indicated by the significantly higher Gleason scores and PSAs, suggesting a need for novel prostate cancer treatment strategies in Korea.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.95-105
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• 1997

Currently, the laboratory diagnosis for lyme disease have been performed with the detection of antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi. However there might be some difficulties in the interpretation of obtained results due to the usage of foreign isolates as an antigen in the test. Therefore the optimization of serological tests with Korean isolates of B. burgdorferi as an antigen would be needed to establish the standardized diagnostic method for the detection of antibodies against B. burgdorferi infection. In this study, the optimization of ELISA was investigated with experimentally challenged rabbit sera and sonicated B. burgdorferi antigens of Korean isolates. Of 217 human patient's sera with unknown fever, the mean seropositivities in ELISA, done under the optimized conditions obtained in this study, were found to be about 8％ against B. burgdorferi sensu late, showing the highest seropositivity of 14.3％ against B. afzelii. In immunoblotting assay with ELISA-positive human sera, the major reactive bands were 41kDa (flagellin) which might be the indication of early infection, and 27kDa, 31kDa (OspA), 34kDa (OspB) which are the characteristics of late infection. Obtained results in this study might strongly indicate the possibility of B. burgdorferi infections in Korea.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.57-62
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• 2001

Azelastine, a phthalazinone derivative, is an antiallergic agent which demonstrates histamine $H_1-receptor$ antagonist activity and also inhibits histamine release from mast cells following antigen and non-antigen stimuli. Thus, azelastine may be useful in the management of both asthma and allergic disorders. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the bioequivalence of two azelastine hydrochloride tablets, $Azeptin^{TM}$ (Bu Kwang Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.) and $Azela^{TM}$ (Kyung Dong Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.), according to the guidelines of Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA). Eighteen normal male volunteers, $22.44{\pm}2.01$ years in age and $61.99{\pm}6.18\;kg$ in body weight, were divided into two groups and a randomized $2{\times}2$ cross-over study was employed. After two tablets containing 1 mg of azelastine hydrochloride per tablet were orally administered, blood was taken at predetermined time intervals and the concentrations of azelastine in serum were determined using HPLC with fluorescence detector. Pharmacokinetic parameters such as $AUC_t$, $C_{max}\;and\;T_{max}$ were calculated and ANOVA test was utilized for the statistical analysis of the parameters. The results showed that the differences in $AUC_t$, $C_{max}\;and\;T_{max}$ between two tablets were -6.45%, -2.60% and -7.14%, respectively, when calculated against the $Azeptin^{TM}$ tablet. The powers $(1-{\beta})$ for $AUC_t\;and\;C_{max}$ were 96.65% and 88.47%, respectively. Minimum detectable differences $({\Delta})$ at ${\alpha}=0.05$ and $1-{\beta}=0.8$ were less than 20% (e.g., 14.40% and 17.65% for $AUC_t\;and\;C_{max}$, respectively). The 90% confidence intervals were within ${\pm}20%$ (e.g., $-14.87{\sim}1.97$ and $-12.92{\sim}7.72$ for $AUC_t\;and\;C_{max}$, respectively). Two parameters met the criteria of KFDA for bioequivalence, indicating that $Azela^{TM]$ tablet is bioequivalent to $Azeptin^{TM}$ tablet.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.287-293
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• 2002

We are trying to develop a transgenic carrot with aims of production and delivery of oral vaccine against microbial enteropathogen using a K88ac pilin gene. A K88ac antigen (pilin) gene was isolated by PCR from the K88ac genomic DNA. The pilin gene was constructed in pGA748 and introduced via Agrobacterium tumefaciens to the explants of carrot hypocotyl and then 494 transgenic lines were established. The amounts of the K88ac antigen produced in each of the cell lines were determined by western and two elite cell lines (M1-17, Y14-1) were selected based on higher levels of expression of the antigens as well as rate of cell growth and efficiency of embryogenesis. In order to test an immunization induced by oral administration of the transgenic carrot, serum of the mice fed with the carrot vaccine were tested in ELISA. It tumed out that the mice fed with 3 g of transgenic carrot showed a similar level of antibody compared to those applied with 10 $\mu\textrm{g}$ of the purified recombinant pilin protein. Besides, various clinical responses were measured after challenging with ETEC K88ac strain to the piglets experiencing an oral immunization with the transgenic carrot. The piglets fed with carrot vaccine showed a lower level of diarrhea in fecal score compared to those fed with non-transgenic carrot. A higher level of increase in weight of the piglets fed with the transgenic carrot vaccine was observed comparing to those fed with non-transgenic carrot as control.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.15-22
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• 1989

To observe antibody changes after praziquantel treatment in paragonimiasis, a total of 46 serum samples from 13 serologically diagnosed patients was collected for 4~28 months. The specific antibody (IgG) levels were measured by enzyme- linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). All but one patient who needed retreatment became symptom-free within a week. Antibody levels were dropped near to or below a cut-off absorbance (abs.) of 0.25 in varying intervals from 4 to 18 months. Of 9 patients who were retested within 3 months, 5 revealed temporary elevation of antibody level. After the elevation, the levels be낙an to decline slowly to negative ranges. If treated earlier after symptoms developed, the temporary elevation did not occur and intervals to negative conversion were shorter. By sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) /immunoblot, antigen-antibody reactions in individual patient faded gradually without significant changes in reacting antigen bands.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.35-48
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• 1996

Non-biting midges fchironomidae, Dipteral are one of the largest insect families, which are distributed worldwidely and are found in nearly all types of inland waters. They are known to be aggressive inhalant allergens which cause allergenic diseases. In this study, the crude antigens of Chironomus SavipLumn adults which are most widely distributed in Korea were extracted. and their allergens were analysed with the sera from experimentally sensitized mice. The mice were immunized with $1{\;}\mu\textrm{g}{\;}or{\;}10{\;}\mu\textrm{g}$ of the crude antigens, respectively, and the specific serum IgE levels were measured by both ELISA and passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) techniques. The highest levels of both total IgE and chironomid-specific IgE were found in the mouse sera obtained after 9 weeks of the first infection with $1{\;}\mu\textrm{g}$ crude antigen. The crude antigen was separated into 16-18 protein bands on gel by SDS-PAGE. The crude extract was assessed by SDS-PAGE/immunoblot analysis. One IgE-binding band (65 kDa) was detected by developing with colorimetric substrate, and 4 IgE-binding bands (65, 52, 35 and 25 kDa) by developing with CSPD chemiluminescent substrate. The SDS-PAGE gel of the crude extract of chironomid adults was equally cut into 30 pieces and each of them was eluted to isolate proteins by molecular weight, and the allergenicity of each eluate was assessed by applying P-K test on rats. Proteins of 65, 35 and 15 KDa showed the highest P-K titer (${\times}512$) which was 16 times higher than that of the crude extract (${\times32}$). The P-K titer of 52 kDa protein was also 4 times higher ($128{\times}$) than that of the crude extract, whereas the 25 kDa protein poorly responded, which seemed not antigenic. In conclusion, the present result in mice demonstrated that adults of Chironomus fcuiplumus, a predominent species in Korea, cause allergenic diseases and the main allergens are 65, 52, 35 and 15 kDa proteins, of which 65 kDa protein seems to be a main allergen.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.175-180
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• 2007

To evaluate whether there is a relation between Korean red ginseng (KRG)-intake and the suppression of immune hyperactivation in HIV-1-infected patients, we measured serum soluble CD8 (sCD8) over 31-48 months in 168 patients. They were divided into four groups; HIV-1-infected control (n = 49), zidovudine (ZDV) group (n = 22), KRG group (n = 48), and combination of KRG and ZDV group (n = 49). In control, sCD8 and the ratio of sCD8/CD8+ T cells significantly increased by 33% (paired t-test, P < 0.05) and 54% over $21\;{\pm}\;13$ months (P < 0.001), respectively. In ZDV group, sCD8 decreased within first 6 months and then showed steady increase and the ratio also increased over $19\;{\pm}\;10$ months. In KRG group, sCD8 and the ratio of sCD/CD8+ T cells continuously decreased by 45% (P < 0.01) and 19% over $19\;{\pm}\;11$ months (P < 0.05), respectively. In combination group, sCD8 gradually decreased by 29% (P < 0.01). There was a clear difference in the changes in serum sCD8 over time among 4 groups. There was no rebound phenomenon in KRG group as shown in ZDV group. These results suggest that KRG-intake suppresses immune hyperactivation state by HIV antigen itself in the HIV-infected patients.