• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.139-144
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• 2003

A chitinase cDNA named CHT1 was cloned from the hard tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis, and the enzymatic properties of its recombinant proteins were characterized. The CHT1 cDNA encodes 930 amino-acid (aa) residues including a 22 aa putative signal peptide, with the calculated molecular mass of the putative mature protein 104 kDa. The E coli-expressed rCHT1 exhibited weak chitinolytic activity against $4MU-(GlcNAc)_3$. The rCHT1 protein with higher activity was obtained using recombinant Autographa californica multiple nuclear polyhedrosis virus (AcMNPV), which expresses rCHT1 under polyhedrin promoter. These findings suggest that the rCHT1 expressed in baculovirus-mediated Sf 9 cells has a high activity than E coli-expressed rCHT1.

• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.207-234
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• 2001

Even though the number of Korean Americans has dramatically increased over the last 20 years, there have been very few studies that have examined the health of this population. This paper investigates the contemporary health status of Korean Americans in comparison to Koreans, employing mortality related health measures: life expectance, age-specific death rates, and leading cause of death. Overall, we find that Korean American adults enjoy longer life expectancy and lower age-specific death rates than do their Korean counterparts, suggesting superior health status of the former as compared to the latter. Comparison of leading causes of death indicates that Korean American adults (age of 25-64) are more likely to die from neoplasms than are their Korean counterparts, while Koreans show a dramatically higher probability of death from liver-related diseases than Korean Americans. When these two cause of death are regressed on various demographic and socioeconomic factors, the difference in prevalence of neoplasms between the two populations disappeared, while that of liver-related diseases remains unaffected. Based on the outcomes from this research, we suggest that Korean Americans are a self-selected group in terms of health and socioeconomic status, and they adopt healthy behaviors after immigration. This has resulted in the relatively superior health of Korean Americans as compared to Koreans.

• The Journal of Korean Society of Virology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.275-285
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• 1998

Based on the geographic range and distribution of its rodent reservoir host, the European common vole (Microtus arvalis), Tula virus is likely to be widespread throughout Eurasia. Tula virus-infected voles have been captured in Central Russia, Austria, Czech and Slovak Republics, and the former Yugoslavia. Although serologic evidence for Hantaan (HTN) or Seoul (SEO) virus infection can be found in the vast majority of the more than 300 cases of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) occurring annually in Korea, approximately 4% of Korean patients with HFRS show a more than 4-fold higher antibody titer to Puumala (PUU) virus than to HTN or SEO virus by double-sandwich IgM ELISA, suggesting the existence of pathogenic Puumala-related hantaviruses in Korea. To further define the geographic distribution and genetic diversity of Tula virus in Eurasia and to investigate the existence of previously unrecognized Microtus-borne hantavirus in Korea, arvicolid rodents were captured in Lodz, Poland in 1995 and in Yunchon-kun, Kyungki-do during April to May, 1998. In addition, sera from 18 Korean HFRS patients who showed higher (or the same) antibody titer to Tula virus than HTN and SEO viruses were examined for hantavirus RNA by RT-PCR. Hantaviral sequences were not detected in any of the 18 patients or in 35 reed voles (Microtus fortis) in Korea. Alignment and comparison of a 208-nucleotide region of the S segment, amplified from lung tissues of two hantavirus-seropositive Marvalis captured in Poland, revealed $80.8{\sim}83.2%$ sequence similarity, respectively, with Tula virus strains from Central Russia and the Czech and Slovak Republics. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the newfound Tula virus strains from Poland were closely related to other Tula hantaviruses from Eurasia.

• Journal of Korean Medical classics
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.79-95
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• 2009

Background : Eye diseases refer to a wide range of disconveniences from conjunctivitis, pterygium, glaucoma to even blindness. Acupuncture has been widely used in Korea throughout the history and provides an efficient method in the treatment of them. Objectives : Establish a distinctive and efficient acupuncture method for the treatment of eye diseases based in literature research. Method : We reviewed four Korean medical literature, "Guide to Swollen Sore Treatment[治腫指南]", "Treasured Mirror of Eastern Medicine[東醫寶鑑]", "Experiential Prescriptions of Acupuncture and Moxibustion[鍼灸經驗方]", and "Essential Rhymes on Acupuncture and Moxibustion by Master Saam[舍岩鍼法]", and analyzed the therapeutic characteristics in the treatment of eye diseases. Result : 1. According to "Guide to Swollen Sore Treatment[治腫指南]", various methods were applied in the treatment of eye diseases. We can cite salt water washing method after needling, pricking bloodletting method using three-edged needle, surgery method using bent needle and lance needle, or sore treatment using sliced bean-curd and ground Aristolochiae Fructus among others. Acupuncture points like GV20[百會], BL1[睛明], EX-HN5[太陽], GB20[風池], GV24[神庭], GB1[瞳子髎], and GB15[臨泣] were mostly needled. 2. In "Treasured Mirror of Eastern Medicine[東醫寶鑑]", pricking bloodletting method were most frequently used in comparison to single acupuncture or moxibustion methods. Applied points were GV20[百會], BL1[睛明], LI4[合谷], EX-HN5[太陽], GB37[光明], BL18[肝兪], GB20[風池], BL2[攢竹], GB1[瞳子髎], and ST36[三里]. Also selections of adjacent points were considered important. 3. In respect to treatment methods "Experiential Prescriptions of Acupuncture and Moxibustion [鍼灸經驗方]" has some similarity to "Treasured Mirror of Eastern Medicine[東醫寶鑑]" as pricking bloodletting method were mostly used. Also focused on normal Qi flow through meridian. Points like BL18[肝兪], BL1[睛明], LU5[尺澤], EX-HN5[太陽], LI4[合谷] were used. 4. "Essential Rhymes on Acupuncture and Moxibustion by Master Saam[校勘舍岩道人鍼法]" considered visceral pattern identification method fundamental in the diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases. Specifically, Liver, Heart, Stomach, Lung, Kidney identification methods are presented. Combined both corresponding and connecting meridians supplementation and draining methods according to mother-child relation. Also Saam master's own experiential prescriptions are noted. Conclusions : After previous study on stroke, we could also find various efficient methods according to eye diseases, through literature research of korean medical classics. This study will concurrently result in establishing distinctive therapeutic method characteristic of Korea.

• The Journal of the Society of Korean Medicine Diagnostics
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.1-13
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• 2009

Objectives: Huangdineijing, the major classic of Oriental Medicine, preserves several precedent diagnostic classics and it's methods. Qihaishu (奇咳術), is a name of such classic, and the name of it's essential method at the same time. Up to now, the whole features of that method has not been unveiled. In the present thesis, I presented some clues to figure out the method - Qihaishu. Methods: By comparison of some articles in Canggongliechuan (in Shiji) (史記倉公列傳) to those of Huangdineijing Suwen (黃帝內經素問), I reconstructed the diagnostic steps of Qihaishu. Results: It was proved that Qihaishu method was carried by comparison of left and right arterial pulse under the Wuxing (五行) context. Conclusion: Qihaishu is not a set of knowledge describing the features of diseases, but a pulse palpation method to get prognosises.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.165-170
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• 1988

The purpose of this study was to prove the accuracy of impedance cardiography by measuring cardiac outputs of patients simultaneously by thermodilution method, and impedance cardiography developed in our department. The subjects were eight patients with mitral stenosis admitted to the cathete rization laboratory in Severance Hospital. The correlation coefficient was 0.895, which is thought quite high considering the fact that accuracy of cardiac outputs of patients with valvular diseases measured by both methods was known to be low.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.14
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• pp.5883-5888
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• 2014

Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancers in female populations. The exact cause is not known, but is most likely to be a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Log-logistic model (LLM) is applied as a statistical method for predicting survival and it influencing factors. In recent decades, artificial neural network (ANN) models have been increasingly applied to predict survival data. The present research was conducted to compare log-logistic regression and artificial neural network models in prediction of breast cancer (BC) survival. Materials and Methods: A historical cohort study was established with 104 patients suffering from BC from 1997 to 2005. To compare the ANN and LLM in our setting, we used the estimated areas under the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) and integrated AUC (iAUC). The data were analyzed using R statistical software. Results: The AUC for the first, second and third years after diagnosis are 0.918, 0.780 and 0.800 in ANN, and 0.834, 0.733 and 0.616 in LLM, respectively. The mean AUC for ANN was statistically higher than that of the LLM (0.845 vs. 0.744). Hence, this study showed a significant difference between the performance in terms of prediction by ANN and LLM. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that the ability of prediction with ANN was higher than with the LLM model. Thus, the use of ANN method for prediction of survival in field of breast cancer is suggested.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.45-48
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• 2008

To evaluate the usefulness of the Korean Isolate-1 (KI-1) antigen for serodiagnosis of toxoplasmosis, antigen profiles of KI-1 tachyzoites were analyzed in comparison with RH tachyzoites by SOS-PAGE and immunoblotting. ELISA was performed on latex agglutination (LA)-positive and negative serum samples using KI-1 and RH antigens. Immunoblotting of the KI-1 antigen showed multiple antigen bands with molecular sizes of 22-105 kDa. Among them, 1 and 6 common bands were noted against a KI-1-infected and a RH-infected human serum, respectively, which represented differences in antigenic profiles between KI-1 and RH tachyzoites. However, all 9 LA-positive human sera were found positive by ELISA, and all 12 LA-negative sera were negative by ELISA; the correlation between the ELISA titers and LA titers was high (r = 0.749). Our results suggest that tachyzoites of KI-1 may be useful for serodiagnosis of human toxoplasmosis.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 1998

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common systemic inflammatory disease which DMARDS have been widely used as a treatment modality both as monotherapy and combination therapy Bucillamine, one of newer DMARDS, has recently proven its efficacy as monotherapy in the treatment of RA. The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy and the safety of bucillamine monotherapy and bucillamine plus methotrexate combination therapy in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Forty-nine mild RA patients were enrolled in this prospective, open-trial and were assigned to receive bucillamine 200 mg/day (n=18) or bucillamine 200 mg/day and methotrexate 7.5-15 mg/week (n=31) orally for 16 weeks. Concomitant use of NSAID and prednisolone <5 mg/day or equivalent dose of steroid were allowed. Both monotherapy group and combination therapy group have shown significant improvement in disease activities (Ritchie index, painful joints, swollen joints, morning stiffness, grip strength, ESR, RF, CRP, patient's self assessment of pain, physician's global assessment of disease activity) from the baseline. However, there was no statistically significant difference between two groups. The adverse effects were more frequently shown in combination therapy group than monotherapy group. In conclusion, in patients with mild RA monotherapy has shown to be equally efficacious as combination therapy with less side effects.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.46-55
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• 1992

A systematic study was conducted to identify and isolate a serologically pertinent antigen with high specific activity and low cross reactivity from P.westermani antigen. Differential centrifugation of the homogenate yield three particulate and one soluble fractions ; the $480{\times}G$ pellet(Pw1), the $7650{\times}G$ pellet(Pw2) treated with n-butanol(Pw3), and $100000{\times}G$ supernatnat(Pw4). Comparison of antigenicity of these antigens, based upon differential centrifugation, to that of saline extract of P. westermani worm(SEP) was performed by SDS-PAGE and immunoblot techniques. The results obtained were as follows : 1) The ratio of absorbance value of ELISA against paragonimiasis positive pool sera to that of negative sera was highest when using Pw3 as antigen and that was lowest using Pwl. 2) Silver stained and SDS-PAGE of each antigen showed 34 and 13Kd band as common antigen band, but Pw2 didn't show clear band. 3) By immunoblot 55 and 34Kd bands using SEP and Pw4 showed strong positive reaction without cross reaction with sera from other helmenthic infections. Using Pw3, 10Kd band was observed as specific band. In conclusion, Pw3($100000{\times}G$ pellet urea soluble, treated with n-butanol) and Pw4($100000{\times}G$ supernatant) were usable for ELISA and immunoblot technique.