• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.143-149
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• 2014

To evaluate the seroprevalence against circumsporozoite protein (CSP) of Plasmodium vivax in sera of Korean patients, the central repeating domain (CRD) of CSP was cloned and analyzed. From the genomic DNA of patient's blood, 2 kinds of CSPs were identified to belong to a VK210 type, which is the dominant repeating of GDRA(D/A)GQPA, and named as PvCSPA and PvCSPB. Recombinantly expressed his-tagged PvCSPA or PvCSPB in Escherichia coli reacted well against sera of patients in western blot, with the detecting rate of 47.9% (58/121), which included 15 cases positive for PvCSPA, 6 cases positive for PvCSPB, and 37 cases for both. The mixture of PvCSPA and PvCSPB was loaded to a rapid diagnostic test kit (RDT) and applied with the same set of patient sera, which resulted in detection rates of 57.0% (69/121). When the protein sequences of PvCSPA were compared with those of P. vivax in endemic regions of India and Uganda, they were compatibly homologous to PvCSPA with minor mutations. These results suggested that the recombinant PvCSPA and PvCSPB loaded RDT may be a milestone in latent diagnosis which has been a hot issue of domestic malaria and important for radical therapy in overlapped infections with P. falciparum in tropical and subtropical areas. During the biological process of malarial infection, exposure of CSP to antigen-antibody reaction up to 57.0% is the first report in Korea.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.2867-2871
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• 2012

Background: Multiple studies have reported associations between the PSCA rs2294008 C > T polymorphism and GC, but susceptibility has proven inconsistent. Therefore, we estimates the relationship between the rs2294008 C > T polymorphism and GC by meta-analysis. Methods: PubMed, Embase and Web of Science databases were searched and nine independent case-control studies were included in this meta-analysis. Crude ORs with 95% CIs were extracted according to the Mantal-Haenszel method and pooled to assess the strength of the association. Results: We observed that the PSCA rs2294008 C > T polymorphism was significantly correlated with GC risk when all studies were pooled into the meta-analysis. Further subgroup analysis showed the polymorphism to be linked with diffuse and noncardia GC in the allele contrast model, homozygote codominant model, dominant model, and recessive model. However, no connection was apparent for intestinal and cardia GC. In the stratified analysis by ethnicity, significant associations were observed in Asians for the recessive model. Interestingly, the relationship was particularly significant in the Chinese population. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the PSCA rs2294008 C > T polymorphism is a risk factor for GC, especially in diffuse and noncardia GC and in Chinese.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.58 no.1
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• pp.5-10
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• 2005

Background : A pleural effusion is a common medical problem. Despite several diagnostic tests, 15-20% of pleural effusions go undiagnosed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical characteristics and prognosis of a lymphocyte dominant exudative pleural effusion with a low adenosine deaminase (ADA), low carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), negative cytology and negative acid fast bacilli (AFB) smear. Method : From Jan 2000 to Aug 2001, 43 patients with lymphocyte dominant exudative pleural effusions whose AFB smear and cytologic exam were negative, their pleural fluid ADA level was < 40 IU/L, and their CEA level was < 10 ng/mL were enrolled in this study. A retrospective analysis of the patients' medical records was carried out. Result : Among 31 of the 43 cases (72%), probable underlying diseases causing the pleural effusion were identified: 21cases of malignant diseases, 4 cases of liver cirrhosis, 2 cases of pulmonary tuberculosis, 1 case of end stage renal disease, 1 case of a chylothorax, 1 case of a post-CABG (coronary artery bypass graft) state, 1 case of a pulmonary embolism. No clinically suspected etiology was identified in the remaining 12 cases (28%). Of these 12 pleural effusions, 7 cases spontaneously resolved, 2 effusions resolved with antibiotics, and the other 2 cases were persistent. Conclusion : Lymphocyte dominant exudative pleural effusions with a low ADA, low CEA, negative cytological exam, and negative AFB smear, but without a definite cause might have a benign course and clinicians can observe them with attention.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.104-112
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the general features of allergic patients in northwestern Chungcheongnamdo who visited Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital. The subjects in this study were 1692 suspected allergic patients. After their allergic symptoms were checked and a MAST-CLA test was conducted, the following results were obtained: 1. The mean age of the subjects was 23.1 years old. The male patients represented 56.2% and the female patients accounted for 43.8%. 1387 (82.0%) patients of those investigated suffered from allergic disease. 2. Among the 1387 patients, 1022 (73.7%) patients showed an increased total IgE level. The positive rate of those who were in their 40s (87.0%) was the highest, but their age made no difference to their positive rate of total IgE. 3. Concerning the positive rate for allergen specific antibody by age, those who were in their teens (73.5%) topped the list and similar in all age group except in their 40s. By gender, the positive rate of the male and female were 56.3% and 43.9% respectively. Regarding the positive rates by allergic disease, those who suffered from allergic rhinitis (60.4%) were most vulnerable, followed by the patients with allergic dermatitis (47.4%), with bronchial asthma (47.2%) and with urticaria (39.4%). 4. As for seasonal positive rates, they were most susceptible in April (77.2%) and May (71.1%). We discovered a significant difference according to seasons; Spring (60.1%), Winter (45.4%) and Summer (39.2%). 5. In case of Korean inhalent panel, the most dominant allergen-specific antibodies were "Cockroach mix" (31.1%), followed by "D. pteronyssius" (23.8%) and "Dog" (14.3%). In the event of food panel, the most popular allergen-specific antibodies were "D. farinae" (25.0%), followed by "D. pteronyssinus" (19.8%) and "Hose dust" (12.0%). 6. The residential type made no difference to the positive rates of "House dust", "Cockroach mix" and "Dog" as major antigen but compared with others, positive rates for "Tick" were somewhat higher in apartment buildings.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.6 s.86
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• pp.811-815
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• 2007

ln this study we isolated 27 isolates of Campylobacter jejuni from stool samples of 882 diarrheal patients. The seasonal distribution of patients was highest at July (11.7%). All the isolates of C. jejuni hydrolyzing sodium hippurate were serotyped on basis of heat-stable antigens, and identified with the use of passive hemagglutination assay. A total of 59.3% among 27 C. jejuni isolates were identified into 6 different serotypes, which serotype HS2, HSl/44, and HS2l were dominant. Antibiotics resistant rates of C. jejuni isolates were shown to be 100%, 63.0%, 51.9%, 37.0%, 33.3%, 25.9% and 7.4% to cephalothin, trimethoprim- sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, ampicillin, gentamycin and clindamycin, respectively. All isolates were sensitive to the erythromycin and imipenem.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.17.1-17.16
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• 2023

Latent membrane protein 2A (LMP2A), a latent Ag commonly expressed in Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-infected host cells, is a target for adoptive T cell therapy in EBV-associated malignancies. To define whether individual human leukocyte antigen (HLA) allotypes are used preferentially in EBV-specific T lymphocyte responses, LMP2A-specific CD8⁺ and CD4⁺ T cell responses in 50 healthy donors were analyzed by ELISPOT assay using artificial Ag-presenting cells expressing a single allotype. CD8⁺ T cell responses were significantly higher than CD4⁺ T cell responses. CD8⁺ T cell responses were ranked from highest to lowest in the order HLA-A, HLA-B, and HLA-C loci, and CD4⁺ T cell responses were ranked in the order HLA-DR, HLA-DP, and HLA-DQ loci. Among the 32 HLA class I and 56 HLA class II allotypes, 6 HLA-A, 7 HLA-B, 5 HLA-C, 10 HLA-DR, 2 HLA-DQ, and 2 HLA-DP allotypes showed T cell responses higher than 50 spot-forming cells (SFCs)/5×105 CD8⁺ or CD4⁺ T cells. Twenty-nine donors (58%) showed a high T cell response to at least one allotype of HLA class I or class II, and 4 donors (8%) had a high response to both HLA class I and class II allotypes. Interestingly, we observed an inverse correlation between the proportion of LMP2A-specific T cell responses and the frequency of HLA class I and II allotypes. These data demonstrate the allele dominance of LMP2A-specific T cell responses among HLA allotypes and their intra-individual dominance in response to only a few allotypes in an individual, which may provide useful information for genetic, pathogenic, and immunotherapeutic approaches to EBV-associated diseases.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.548-553
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• 2010

Purpose : IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is the most commonly occurring form of chronic glomerulonephritis in pediatric cases. Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes have been implicated in various inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The present study was conducted to investigate the association between 2 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the HLA-G gene and childhood IgAN. Methods : The authors analyzed and compared $HLA-G$ gene SNPs (rs1736936 and rs2735022) in 174 patients with childhood IgAN and in 438 healthy controls. In addition, IgAN patients were dichotomized and compared with respect to proteinuria (< and >$4mg/m^2/hour$), the presence or absence of podocyte foot process effacement, and the presence of pathologically early and advanced disease markers such as interstitial fibrosis, tubular atrophy, or global sclerosis. Results : No significant SNP frequency differences were observed for the $HLA-G$ gene between IgAN patients and the control group. Moreover, no significantly associated SNP was observed with the presence of proteinuria, podocyte foot process effacement, or pathologically advanced markers. However, the haplotype, composed of rs1736936 and rs2735022, showed a significant association with the susceptibility to develop childhood IgAN (haplotype T/C: dominant model, $P$=0.049; haplotype C/T: recessive model, $P$=0.030). Conclusion : Our results indicate that rs1736936 and rs2735022 as the $HLA-G$ gene promoter haplotype might be associated with the susceptibility to develop childhood IgAN in the Korean population.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.19
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• pp.8311-8317
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• 2014

Background: Evidence supporting an association between the 8q24 rs4242382-A polymorphism and prostate cancer (PCa) risk has been reported in North American and Europe populations, though data from Asian populations remain limited. We therefore investigated this association by clinical detection in China, and meta-analysis in Asian, Caucasian and African-American populations. Materials and Methods: Blood samples and clinical information were collected from ethnically Chinese men from Northern China with histologically-confirmed PCa (n=335) and from age-matched normal controls (n=347). The 8q24 (rs4242382) gene polymorphism was genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-high-resolution melting analysis. We initially analyzed the associations between the risk allele and PCa and clinical covariates. A meta-analysis was then performed using genotyping data from a total of 1,793 PCa cases and 1,864 controls from our study and previously published studies in American and European populations, to determine the association between PCa and risk genotype. Results: The incidence of the risk allele was higher in PCa cases than controls (0.222 vs 0.140, $P=7.3{\times}10^{-5}$), suggesting that the 8q24 rs4242382-A polymorphism was associated with PCa risk in Chinese men. The genotypes in subjects were in accordance with a dominant genetic model (ORadj=2.03, 95%CI: 1.42-2.91, $Padj=1.1{\times}10^{-4}$). Presence of the risk allele rs4242382-A at 8q24 was also associated with clinical covariates including age at diagnosis ${\geq}65$ years, prostate specific antigen >10 ng/ml, Gleason score <8, tumor stage and aggressive PCa, compared with the non-risk genotype ($P=4.6{\times}10^{-5}-3.0{\times}10^{-2}$). Meta-analysis confirmed the association between 8q24 rs4242382-A polymorphism and PCa risk (OR=1.62, 95%CI: 1.39-1.88, $P=1.0{\times}10^{-5}$) across Asian, Caucasian and African American populations. Conclusions: The replicated data suggest that the 8q24 rs4242382-A variation might be associated with increased PCa susceptibility in Asian, Caucasian and African American populations. These results imply that this polymorphism may be a useful risk biomarker for PCa in multi-ethnic populations.