• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.21 no.12
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• pp.1336-1344
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• 2011

This study details and examines a novel ligation-mediated polymerase chain reaction (LM-PCR) method. Named the LM-PCR/Shifter, it relies on the use of a Class IIS restriction enzyme giving restriction fragments with different 4-base, 5' overhangs, this being the Shifter, and the ligation of appropriate oligonucleotide adapters. A sequence of 4-base, 5' overhangs of the adapter and a 4-base sequence of the 3' end of the primer(s) determine a subset of the genomic restriction fragments, which are amplified by PCR. The method permits the differentiation of bacterial species strains on the basis of the different DNA band patterns obtained after electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gels stained with ethidium bromide and visualized in UV light. The usefulness of the LM-PCR/Shifter method for genotyping is analyzed by a comparison with the restriction endonuclease analysis of chromosomal DNA by the pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (REA-PFGE) and PCR melting profile (PCR MP) methods for isolates of clinical origin. The clustering of the LM-PCR/Shifter fingerprinting data matched those of the REA-PFGE and PCR MP methods. We found that the LM-PCR/Shifter is rapid, and offers good discriminatory power and excellent reproducibility, making it a method that may be effectively applied in epidemiological studies.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.621-626
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• 2015

Background: Smokefree laws aim to protect employees and the public from the dangers of secondhand smoke. Waterpipe premises have significantly increased in number in the last decade, with anecdotal reports of poor compliance with the smokefree law. The literature is bereft of information pertaining to waterpipe premise employees. This study aimed to opportunistically gather knowledge about the occupational health hazards associated with working in waterpipe premises in London, England. Materials and Methods: Employees from seven convenience-sampled, smokefree-compliant waterpipe premises in London were observed for occupational activities. Opportunistic carbon monoxide (CO) measurements were made among those with whom a rapport had developed. Observations were thematically coded and analysed. Results: Occupational hazards mainly included environmental smoke exposure. Waterpipe-serving employees were required to draw several puffs soon after igniting the coals, thereby providing quality assurance of the product. Median CO levels were 27.5ppm (range 21-55ppm) among these employees. Self-reported employee health was poor, with some suggestion that working patterns and smoke exposure was a contributory factor. Conclusions: The smokefree law in England does not appear to protect waterpipe premise employees from high levels of CO. Continued concerns surrounding chronic smoke exposure may contribute to poor self-reported physical and mental wellbeing.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.9
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• pp.4301-4306
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• 2016

Background: Cancer is a burden on humanity and ranks as a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in China. Shanxi province has its unique cancer patterns and the burden is increasing. In this study, we aimed to assess the pattern of dietary habits and life-style in Shanxi, a high-risk area for upper gastrointestinal cancers in China and further evaluate the trends in cancer incidence and mortality based on registered data. Materials and Methods: Data on lifestyle, diet, physical activity were obtained from the household health survey at Zhongyang from 2013 to 2015. Cancer diagnoses were reported to Shanxi Center for Disease Control and Prevention (SCDCP). Population-based cancer incidence data and mortality data of 2012 were collected from the SCDCP. All incidence and death rates were expressed per 100,000 populations. Univariate analysis was performed using the Chi-squared test or Fisher's exact test. Results: Overall, deficiencies in fresh fruits and vegetable food, and intake of hot food, salted food, or pickled food are serious problems in Shanxi, especially in rural areas. Upper gastrointestinal cancers were the most commonly diagnosed cancers, and the incidence in rural areas is higher than those in urban areas. Cervical cancer is the most common cancer for females. Moreover, the agespecific incidence exhibited an increased trend before 40 years old. Consistent with the previous literature, our epidemiological investigation results suggest that lifestyle, nutrition deficient, and infections were major risk factors for upper gastrointestinal cancers or cervical cancer in Shanxi. Facing a serious situation, we further explored defensible recommendations for the general public in order to promote changes in environments that support healthful eating and physical activity habits, to reduce cancer risk. Conclusions: Our results present the current cancer trends in Shanxi and its related etiologic risk factors and provide a theoretical basis to guide public health efforts to prevent and control cancers in the province.

• The Journal of the Korean Society for Microbiology
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.225-237
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• 2000

Vibrio vulnificus, a halophilic vibrio is an estuarine gram-negative bacteria that is associated with severe and frequently fatal wound infections and life-threatening septicemia. Bacteriocins are defined as antibacterial substance produced by various species of bacteria which are usually active against closely related organisms. Bacteriocins have found widespread application in epidemiological studies as specific markers of bacteria. It was proposed by Ha et al. (1990. J. Korean. Soc. Microbiol. 25: 586.) to give the bacteriocins produced by V. vulnificus the name "vulnificins". In the present study, a total of 72 strains of V. vulnificus isolated from patients and oysters were subjected to screen potential producers and indicators of vulnificin, applying ultraviolet induction method. Sensitivity of several strains of Serratia marcesans, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Shigella flexneri, Salmonella typhi and Yersinia enterocolitica to vulnificins were also examined out. All the tested strains of V. vulnificus produced vulnificins active against indicator strains with various different inhibitory patterns. The spectrum of vulnificin activity and sensitive spectrum of indicator strains were considerably broad. Interestingly, almost all strains of S. marcescens, P. aeruginosa, Salmonella sp., Shigella sp. and Y. enterocolitica tested were sensitive to 1-7 vulnificin(s). Taken together, the present study demonstrated that all of the isolates of V. vulnificus produced vulnificins and that 8 good vulnificin producers and 10 good indicators were detected. These strains can be employed efficiently for establishing vulnificin typing scheme of V. vulnificus and for the detection of bacteriocinogeny and sensitivity in V. vulnificus. Biological role of vulnificin remains to be further elucidated.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.235-241
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• 2008

Taeniasis has been known as one of the prevalent parasitic infections in Korea. Until recently, Taenia saginata had long been considered a dominant, and widely distributed species but epidemiological profiles of human Taenia species in Korea still remain unclear. In order to better understand distribution patterns of human Taenia tapeworms in Korea, partial nucleotide sequences of mitochondrial cox1 and ITS2 (internal transcribed spacer 2) were determined, along with morphological examinations, on 68 Taenia specimens obtained from university museum collections deposited since 1935. Genomic DNA was extracted from formalin-preserved specimens. Phylogenetic relationships among the genotypes (cox1 haplotype) detected in this study were inferred using the neighbor-joining method as a tree building method. Morphological and genetic analyses identified 3 specimens as T. solium, 51 specimens as T. asiatica, and 14 specimens as T. saginata. Our results indicate that all 3 Taenia tapeworms are sympatrically distributed in Korea with T. asiatica dominating over T. saginata and T. solium.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.202-211
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• 2006

Our objective is to identify molecular factors which contribute to the increased risk of smoke in human. About 677 workers who had control and experimental groups according to their urinary Naphthol levels were enrolled in our study. In the present study, we investigated the effects of smoking on gene expression profiles in human. We determined differential gene expression patterns in smoker versus non-smoker using cDNA microarray. Specific genes were up-or down-regulated according to smoking and age. Inflammatory related genes such as cytokine, interleukin, and tumor necrosis factor were up-regulated, DNA repair related genes such as high-mobility group (nonhistone chromosomal) protein 1, and protein 2 were down-regulated, apoptosis related genes such as myeloperoxidase and Bcl-2-associated athanogene were down-regulated, and cell cycle related genes were down-regulated. In our epidemiological study, notably, inflammatory, DNA repair, apoptosis, signal transduction, metabolism, cell cycle, cell proliferation, transcription related genes were regulated.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.100-110
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• 2008

Recently, a lot of epidemiological studies revealed that low HDL-cholesterol level was a better predictor of risk for coronary heart disease than total cholesterol. This study investigated the anthropometric parameters, clinical blood indices, and dietary factors influencing serum HDL-cholesterol level by using a cross-sectional study for Korean female college students. The subjects were 94 female college students. They were divided into three groups according to their serum HDL-cholesterol levels, low HDL-cholesterol (<50 mg/dL, n=20), medium HDL-cholesterol (50 $\leq$, < 60 mg/dL, n=39) high serum HDL-cholesterol groups (60 $\leq$ mg/dL, n = 35). This study examined their demographic data and dietary intake throughout a questionnaire. Clinical blood indices were measured using an automatic blood chemistry analyzer (Selectra E), after 12 hours of fasting. BMI, body weight, fat mass, and waist circumferences were significantly increased according to low serum HDL-cholesterol levels. Serum lipid analysis showed a significantly higher level of TG, LDL-/HDL-Ratio, atherogenic index in the low HDL-cholesterol group. Serum levels of GPT, uric acid and alkaline phosphatase in the low HDL-cholesterol group were significantly higher than in the other group. The average consumption of energy was 1627 kcal and 77.76% of estimated energy requirement (EER). The mean ratio of calories from carbohydrate: protein: fat was 57:15:28. The low HDL-cholesterol group was significantly higher than the other groups in eggs, fat and oils consumption. Interestingly, milk and diary products consumption of low HDL-cholesterol group was half (p < 0.05) of those of the other groups. In conclusion, serum HDL-cholesterol levels appeared to be decreased by increasing BMI, fat mass, waist circumference, and serum TG level. In addition, some dietary factors seemed to be related to serum HDL-cholesterol levels. However, further research is needed to elucidate the exact relationship between serum HDL-cholesterol level and dietary factors.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.327-335
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• 2006

An epidemiological survey of human enterobacterial infections was conducted to determine the prevalence of enteropathogens in the Republic of Korea during one year, 2003. We tested for infectious diseases in 26,992 stool samples obtained from people who visited clinics located in six big cities and six rural provinces. From these samples, we isolated 1,291 cases of enteritis bacterial infection (4.8%). In the urban areas, 821 cases of bacterial infection (6.4%) were identified and, in the rural areas, 479 bacterial strains (3.3%) were isolated. Seasonal patterns were seen for diarrhea associated with S. aureus, S. coli and V. parahaemolyticus, while Salmonella and Shigella infections showed slight seasonal variation. We found that S. aureus and Salmonella were more frequently isolated from children and the elderly; however, the prevalence of E. coli, V. parahaemolyticus, and Shigella were similar in different age groups. Routine monitoring of these infections is considered a worthwhile means by which to elucidate their epidemiology and modes of transmission and ultimately to control them more effectively. Continuous laboratory-based surveillance for findings of enteritis bacterial infection should be emphasized in the prevention of these infections.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.259-268
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• 1998

It has been reported that among mushroom farmers, respiratory diseases such as hypersensitivity pneumonitis can be developed by inhalation of mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) spores. For the evaluation of respiratory symptoms among mushroom farmers, a questionnaire was made. The Questionnaire included general characteristics, past occupational histories, durations of the mushroom cultivation and characteristics of the symptoms. Following the questionnaire we interviewed the 72 mushroom farmers (12 males, 10 females) from Kyungbuk Province. We also examined white blood counts, erythrocyte sedimentation rates, eosinophil counts and total IgE counts for the 5 farmers. The results obtained are as follows. 1. The mean age among the 22 mushroom farmers was 46.9 years, and the mean duration of cultivation was 7.5 years. 2. Among the 22 mushroom farmers. 18 farmers (81.8 %) suffered from respiratory symptoms at work. The main symptom was coughing (100.0%), followed by chilling sensation (50.0 %), sputum (38.9 %) and sore throat (27.8 %). 3. Coughing and other associated symptoms occurred during work and disappeared after work or several days later when the exposure had been stopped. 4. Total IgE counts were elevated in all farmers examined the test. With above results, the respiratory symptoms that developed among mushroom farmers were typical patterns of hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Epidemiological studies and preventive measures for mushroom farmers should be established.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.132-138
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• 2013

Acinetobacter baumannii is gram-negative bacilli that can be widely found in environments. Recently, A. baumannii emerged as a serious nosocomial infection. A total of 92 A. baumannii were isolated from hospitalized patients in Seoul, Korea, between December 2010 and April 2011. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was investigated using CLSI agar dilution methods. Tigecycline non-susceptible A. baumannii isolates were investigated by repetitive extragenic palindromic sequence-based PCR (rep-PCR). Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis was performed to determine the epidemiological relationships. All clinical isolates showed high-level resistance to the most commonly used antibiotics: Ciprofloxacin (87.0%), Ampicillin/sulbactam (82.6%), Cefotaxime (81.5%), Ceftazidime (80.4%). Moreover, 50.0% of these isolates were non-susceptible to tigecycline. When evaluated by RAPD analysis, generated distinct band ranging in size from 1kb to 8k band varying from 4 to 10 bands. Stricter surveillance and more rapid detection are essential to prevent the spread of multi drug resistant A. baumannii.