• Title/Summary/Keyword: endemic focus

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Can Serum ICAM 1 Distinguish Pancreatic Cancer from Chronic Pancreatitis?

  • Mohamed, Amal;Saad, Yasmin;Saleh, Doaa;Elawady, Rehab;Eletreby, Rasha;Kharalla, Ahmed S.;Badr, Eman
    • Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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    • v.17 no.10
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    • pp.4671-4675
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    • 2016
  • Background and aim: Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, with an overall 5-year survival of <5% mainly due to presence of advanced disease at time of diagnosis. Therefore development of valid biomarkers to diagnose pancreatic cancer in early stages is an urgent need. This study concerned the sensitivity and specificity of serum ICAM 1 versus CA 19-9 in differentiation between pancreatic cancer and healthy subjects and acohort of patients with chronic pancreatitis with a focus on assessing validity in diagnosis of early stages of pancreatic cancer. Methods: A cohort of 50 patients with histologically diagnosed pancreatic tumors, 27 patients with chronic pancreatitis, and 35 healthy controls were enrolled. Serum samples for measurement of CA19-9 and I-CAM 1 were obtained from all groups and analyzed for significance regarding diagnosis and disease stage. Results: At a cut off value of (878.5 u/ml) I-CAM 1 had 82% and 82.26% sensitivity and specificity for differentiation between cancer and non-cancer cases, with higher sensitivity and specificity than CA19-9 at different cut offs (CA19-9 sensitivity and specificity ranged from 64-80% and 56.4 - 61.2% respectively). The AUC was 0.851 for I-CAM and 0.754 for CA19-9. Neither of the markers demonstrated significance for distinguishing between early and late cancer stages. Conclusion: ICAM 1 is a useful marker in differentiation between malignant and benign pancreatic conditions, and superior to CA19-9 in this regard. However, neither of the markers can be recommended for use in differentiation between early and late stage pancreatic cancers.

The Ethnobotanical Investigation around National Parks in the Northern Area of Province Gyeongsangbuk-do, Korea

  • Lee, Ho-Young;Lee, Ji Yeon;Kang, Shin-Ho;Chung, Kyong-Sook
    • Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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    • v.30 no.6
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    • pp.623-639
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    • 2017
  • We investigated traditional knowledge about ethnobotanical uses around national parks in the northern areas of Province Gyeongsangbuk-do, with the focus on the Sobeaksan National Park area. Interviews were carried out to 138 residents at 42 places from 7 counties and/or cities, and verified species and usage information were categorized by taxonomic groups, usage, and used parts. The ethnobotanical species of the regions consisted of a total of 277 taxa: 244 species, 3 subspecies, 28 varieties, and 2 forma in 213 genera of 79 families. The significant native plants included one Endangered Species (Paeonia obovata Max.) and four endemic species (Salix hallaisanensis H. Lev., Aconitum pseudolaeve Nakai, Paulownia coreana Uyeki, and Cirsium setidens (Dunn) Nakai, Sasa coreana Nakai). About 17 Approved Species for Delivering Overseas designated by Korea Ministry of Environment have been also traditionally valuable in the regions. The main usage of the plants were edible (185 taxa) and medicinal (175 taxa). Leaves were most commonly used parts (109 taxa), followed by stems (73 taxa), fruits (69 taxa), roots (67 taxa), and wholes (57 taxa). The traditional usage of plants were diverse as those useful parts. Leaves, fruits and seeds were used as edible and medicinal; sprouts (young shoots) were mainly used as edible; but roots and flowers were used as medicinal. The study does not only provides examples of traditional uses of native plants, but also facilitates sustainable managements and developments of ethnobotanical knowledge for the contemporary society.

Genetic Diversity and Structure of the Korean Endemic Species, Coreanomecon hylomeconoides Nakai, as Revealed by ISSR markers (한국 특산식물 매미꽃(Coreanomecon hylomeconoides Nakai) 집단의 유전다양성 및 구조)

  • Son, Sung-Won;Chung, Jae-Min;Kim, Eun-Hye;Choi, Kyoung-Su;Park, SeonJoo
    • Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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    • v.26 no.2
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    • pp.310-319
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    • 2013
  • The genetic diversity and structure of eight populations of Coreanomecon hylomeconoides Nakai, an endemic Korean plant, were investigated using 50 ISSR loci from eight primers. The average percentage of polymorphic loci was 47.3%. The Shannon's index (SI=0.218) and gene diversity (h=0.142) were relatively lower than those of other long-lived perennials. The Sancheong (SI=0.233, h=0153), Gwangyang (SI=0.263, h=0.171), and Suncheon (SI=0.241, h=0.159) populations showed greater genetic diversity than the Namhae and Gwangju populations, which are on the edge of the distribution. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed that 18% of the total variation could be attributed to differences among populations, and 82% to differences within populations, indicating moderate gene flow among adjacent populations. These results were supported by value of Nm (2.184). The UPGMA conducted using the genetic distance and Bayesian cluster analysis showed a remarkable geographic trend structured into east and west regions. Overall, the results indicate that the Sancheong and Gwangyang populations, which had a large population size and higher degree of genetic diversity, should be the focus of in situ conservation.

Relation of cyst counts with numbers of total nuclei of Pneumocystis carinii in rats (흰쥐 주폐포자충에 있어서 도말표본상 포낭의 수와 핵의 총 수와의 상관성)

  • Hong, Seong-Tae;Yu, Ji-Suk;Lee, Mi-Jeong
    • Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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    • v.32 no.3
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    • pp.171-176
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    • 1994
  • Wistar rats were induced of Pneumowstis cayinii infection by injection with methyl-prednisolone to correlate the cyst counts and numbers of nuclei. Seven sections of the lungs were examined by impression smears and also whole lung homogenates were screened for nucleus counting for each rat. At the first week of the experiment, all of the Impression smears except one were cyst negative but trophic forms were counted around 106. At the third week, the cysts appeared one per 20 Immersion oil lens fields. The nuclei were on the order of 107 at this period, and this amount of Pc is regarded as the limit of cyst detection on Impression smears. When the nuclei were over 109 in the lungs, the cysts were counted about 50 in 20 microscopic fields. The organisms were distributed in the lungs without any predilection focus. The present data suggest that the trophic forms, proliferate first and the cysts appear later in the lungs.

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Clonorchis sinensis, an oriental liver fluke, as a human biological agent of cholangiocarcinoma: a brief review

  • Kim, Tong-Soo;Pak, Jhang Ho;Kim, Jong-Bo;Bahk, Young Yil
    • BMB Reports
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    • v.49 no.11
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    • pp.590-597
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    • 2016
  • Parasitic diseases remain an unarguable public health problem worldwide. Liver fluke Clonorchis sinensis is a high risk pathogenic parasitic helminth which is endemic predominantly in Asian countries, including Korea, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, and the far eastern parts of Russia, and is still actively transmitted. According to the earlier $8^{th}$ National Survey on the Prevalence of Intestinal Parasitic Infections in 2012, C. sinensis was revealed as the parasite with highest prevalence of 1.86% in general population among all parasite species surveyed in Korea. This fluke is now classified under one of the definite Group 1 human biological agents (carcinogens) by International Agency of Research on Cancer (IARC) along with two other parasites, Opisthorchis viverrini and Schistosoma haematobium. C. sinensis infestation is mainly linked to liver and biliary disorders, especially cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). For the purposes of this mini-review, we will only focus on C. sinensis and review pathogenesis and carcinogenesis of clonorchiasis, disease condition by C. sinensis infestation, and association between C. sinensis infestation and CCA. In this presentation, we briefly consider the current scientific status for progression of CCA by heavy C. sinensis infestation from the food-borne trematode and development of CCA.

Phytophthora Species, New Threats to the Plant Health in Korea

  • Hyun, Ik-Hwa;Choi, Woobong
    • The Plant Pathology Journal
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    • v.30 no.4
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    • pp.331-342
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    • 2014
  • Given the lack of a resistant genetic pool in host plants, the introduction of exotic invasive pathogens can result in epidemics that affect a specific ecosystem and economy. Plant quarantine, which is designed to protect endemic plant resources, is a highly invaluable safeguard that should keep biosecurity with increasing international trade and global transportation. A total of 34 species of plant pathogens including Phytophthora infestans were documented as introduced from other countries into Korea from 1900 to 2010. The genus Phytophthora, classified in oomycetes, includes more than 120 species that are mostly recognized worldwide as highly invasive plant pathogens. After 2000, over 50 new species of Phytophthora were identified internationally as plant pathogens occurring in crops and forest trees. In Korea, Phytophthora is also one of the most serious plant pathogens. To date, 22 species (about one-fifth of known species) of the genus have been identified and reported as plant pathogens in the country. The likelihood of new exotic Phytophthora species being introduced into Korea continues to increase, thus necessitating intensive plant quarantine inspections. As new potential threats to plant health in Korea, six Phytophthora species, namely, P. alni, P. inundata, P. kernoviae, P. pinifolia, P. quercina, and P. ramorum, are discussed in this review with focus on history, disease, biology, management, and plant quarantine issues.

Total elbow arthroplasty for active primary tuberculosis of the elbow: a curious case of misdiagnosis

  • Pattu, Radhakrishnan;Chellamuthu, Girinivasan;Sellappan, Kumar;Chendrayan, Kamalanathan
    • Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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    • v.25 no.2
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    • pp.158-162
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    • 2022
  • The incidence of musculoskeletal tuberculosis (TB) is on the rise due to the current Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) pandemic. Spine is the most common osseous site, followed by other joints. TB identified in the elbow accounts for 2%-5% of skeletal TB cases, which are secondary to pulmonary TB. Primary elbow TB is rare. We report a case of primary TB of the elbow which had a negative synovial biopsy. A 46-year-old right-hand dominant female patient with chronic pain and disability of the right elbow was diagnosed with chronic non-specific arthritis based on an arthroscopic synovial biopsy. The case was diagnosed retrospectively as active TB from bone cuts post total elbow arthroplasty. Anti-tuberculosis treatment (ATT) was given postoperatively for 12 months. The patient reported good functional outcomes at 3 years of follow-up. Such atypical presentations of osteoarticular TB are challenging to diagnose. Therefore, particularly in endemic areas, clinicians should be careful before excluding such a diagnosis even after a negative biopsy. Further research should investigate whether active TB of small joints such as the elbow can be treated with ATT, and early arthroplasty should be a focus of this research.

The Study of Restaurant Start-up Education on Restaurant Start-up : Focus on Entrepreneurship

  • Jun-Young Lee;Sung-Ho Bang;Gi-Hwan Ryu
    • International Journal of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication
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    • v.15 no.2
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    • pp.102-111
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    • 2023
  • We would like to find out how restaurant start-up education affects restaurant start-ups. Recently, as low barriers to entry and endemics are approaching, more and more people want to start a restaurant business. However, while the market size of restaurant start-ups increases due to the high youth unemployment rate and changes in the social population structure, the probability of failure of start-ups is increasing due to the high competition rate. Therefore, this study aims to examine whether restaurant start-up education affects restaurant start-ups through entrepreneurship. This study conducted a survey on prospective start-ups. After that, demographic analysis and multiple regression analysis were performed using the SPSS 23.0 program. As a result, it was found that entrepreneurship had an effect on restaurant start-ups. However, in future studies, more research is needed on the direction of improving and developing restaurant start-up education.

Studies on the Seroepidemiology of Helminthic Diseases in Korea (우리나라의 주요 기생충질환(寄生蟲疾患)에 대한 혈청역학적(血淸疫學的) 조사(調査))

  • Rim, Han-Jong;Lee, Joon-Sang;Joo, Kyoung-Hwan;Chung, Myung-Sook
    • Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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    • v.16 no.1
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    • pp.48-60
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    • 1991
  • In a seroepidemiological study in several areas of Korea, the ELISA technique was performed to determine prevalence of some important helminthic diseases in our nation during March $15^{th}$ to June $30^{th}$. 1991. In this survey the serum antibody positive rates of anisakiasis, toxocariasis, clonorchiasis, paragonimiasis, cysticercosis, and sparganosis were measured. Among, 6,704 cases examined, 19.7% showed positive antibody titer at least one of the six items studied. Overall positive antibody rate was 8.1% in anisakiasis, 5.6% in toxocariasis, 3.6% in clonorchiasis, 1.7% in paragonimiasis, 4.5% in cysticercosis, and 2.6% in sparganosis respectively. In Pusan port southeastern part of Korea, antibody positive rate of anisakiasis was 2.9%, and clonorchiasis was 2.8% among 450 examine. In TaeJ$\check{o}$n city, central part of Korea. toxocariasis(6.7%) and anisakiasis(3.7%) showed high serologic positive rate. Of the 875 persons in Chunche$\check{o}$n gun(=province), northern central rural area of South Korea, anisakiasis was revealed as 3.4% seropositivity. In Tonghae port, eastern coast of South Korea. 9.9% of population examined showed positive antibody titer in anisakiasis. Of the 1,122 persons examined in Southern part of Cholla-Namdo(Southwestern coastal area of Korea), anisakiasis was 16.9%, cysticerocosis was 12.7% and the paragonimiasis was 3.3% respectively. In some localized area of Cholla-Pukdo, anisakiasis was 9.3% and cysticekosis was 4.3% among 702 cases examined. In some localized area of Kyungsang-Pukdo, anisakiasis was 10.6%. and toxocariasis was 16.1% among 900 cases examined. And finally, in Cheju-do, southern island of Korea, anisakiasis showed high positive rate(6.7%). Because cross reactions between related helminth group may disturb the analysis of these data, use of further developed techniques such as EITB(enzyme-linked immunoelectrotransfer blot) was considered as a essential tools for the study. We thought that probably most of the positive cases of cysticerosis were taeniasis cases. We can't rule out taeniasis even though EITB was employed as far as crude worm extract or cystic fluid of cysticercus was used as antigen. It was well Known that toxocariasis and anisakiasis also showed cross reactivity. However, the data presented here focus on seropositive rate of several helminthic diseases in Korea, not true prevalence rate of helminthiases, and to wait for more expensive purified antigen in sufficient amount for epidemiologic use is not necessary because increased immunologic sensitivity had little effect on epidemiologic sensitivity. We, here, suggest that ELISA should be applied as soon as possible to the evaluation of prevalence of tissue invading parasitic diseases, and a review of the antibody positive rate obtained in this study would be a basic data for controlling program of parasitic diseases in Korea.

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Discovery of GymnophcLloides seoi metacercariae in oysters from islands of the West Sea known as the habitats of paleartic oystercatchers (검은머리물떼새의 서식지인 서해안 일부 도서지역산 참굴의 참굴큰입흡충 (Gymnophalloides seoi) 피낭유충 감염상)

  • 손운목;양용석
    • Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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    • v.36 no.3
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    • pp.163-170
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    • 1998
  • An epidemiological survey was performed to know the infection status of oysters with Gwmnophclloides seoi metacercariae in 7 islands of the West Sea known as the habitat of paleartic oystercatchers . Hcemntopus ostralegus osculans, in Korea. The surveyed areas were Aphaedo (Shinan-gun. Chollanam-do) Jangiado, Sonyudo and Munyodo (Okdo-myon, Kunsan-shi, Chollabuk-do), Yubudo (Changhang-up, Sochon-gun Chungchongnam-do), and Polumdo and Chumoondo (Sodo-myon, Kangwha-gup, Inchon ski). The oysters collected from Aphaedo, the known endemic focus, were examined monthly from August 1995 to October 1996 for observation of any seasonal variation of the metacercarial density. The average metacercarial burden was 761-2,077 by month, but the seasonal variation of the metacercarial density was not obvious. A total of 54 metacercariae was detected in 63 oysters collected from Yubudo. Out of 30 oysters from Sonyudo, 25 (83.3%) were infected with 1-66 metacercariae (12.6 in average). All of 50 oysters (100%) from Munyodo were infected with 3-162 metacercariae (53.5 in average), Only 4 metacercariae were detected in 100 oysters from Chumoondo. However, no metacercariae were found in 55 oysters from .Tangjado and 50 oysters from Polumdo. From the above results, it was confirmed that G. seoi is still highly prevalent in oysters from Aphaedo, and several islands of the West Sea known as the habitats of paleartic oystercatchers are new endemic areas of this fluke.

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