• Molecules and Cells
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.336-342
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• 2006

Real time reverse transcription (RT)-PCR was used to quantify the expression of the botulinum neurotoxin type A (BoNT/A) gene (cntA) by normalization with the expression of 16S rRNA. The method were confirmed by monitoring the mRNA levels of cntA during growth in five type A strains. In all but one of the strains the expression of cntA mRNA was maximal in the late exponential phase, and approximately 35-fold greater than in the early exponential phase. The concentration of the extracellular BoNT/A complex detected by ELISA was highest in stationary phase. Sodium nitrite and sorbic acid completely inhibited growth at 20 ppm and $4mg\;ml^{-1}$, respectively. CntA expression became lower in proportion to the concentration of sorbic acid, and this reduction was confirmed by mouse bioassay. Our results show that real time RT-PCR can be used to quantify levels of C. botulinum type A neurotoxin transcripts and to assess the effects of food additives on botulinal risk.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.329-337
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• 2007

An enrichment semi-nested PCR procedure was developed for detection of Clostridium botulinum types A, B, E, and F. It was applied to sediment samples to examine the prevalence of C. botulinum in the Korean environment. The first pair of primers for the semi-nested PCR was designed using a region shared by the types A, B, E, and F neurotoxin gene sequences, and the second round employed four nested primers complementary to the BoNT/A, /B, /E, and /F encoding genes for simultaneous detection of the four serotypes. Positive results were obtained from the PCR analysis of five of 44 sediments (11%) collected from Yeong-am Lake in Korea; all were identified as deriving from type B neurotoxin (bontb) genes. Two of the C. botulinum type B organisms were isolated, and their bontb genes sequenced. The deduced amino acid sequences of BoNT/B showed 99.5 and 99.8% identity with the amino acid sequence of accession no. AB084152. Our data suggest that semi-nested PCR is a useful tool for detecting C. botulinum in sediments, and renders it practicable to conduct environmental surveys.

• Journal of East-West Nursing Research
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.143-152
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• 2021

Purpose: This study aims to explore the mediating effect of the nursing professionalism in the relationship between nurse's character and nursing intention caring for high risk pathogen infected patients in the tertiary hospital nurses. Methods: This study used a crosssectional descriptive design. The participants were 129 nurses from two tertiary hospitals. The questionnaire consisted of tools measuring clinical nursing personality, nursing professionalism and nursing intention caring for high risk pathogen infected patients in the tertiary hospital nurses. The data were analyzed using independent sample t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficient, and hierarchical multiple linear regression. Results: There were significant relationships between nurse's character and nursing professionalism (r=.59, p<.001), nurse's character and nursing intention caring for high risk pathogen infected patients (r=.54, p<.001), and nursing professionalism and nursing intention caring for high risk pathogen infected patients (r=.54, p<.001). In the relationship between nurse's character and nursing intention caring for high risk pathogen infected patients, nursing professionalism had a partial mediating effect. Conclusion: This current study suggests that strategies for improving nursing professionalism in nurses should be considered when developing an educational program for enhancing their nursing intention caring for high risk pathogen infected patients.

• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.327-335
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• 2016

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine factors related to clinical nurses' nursing intention for high risk pathogen infected patient. Methods: The participants were 230 clinical nurses from four university hospitals which located in B and D metropolitan cities. Data were collected from September 14 to 25 in 2015 and were analyzed using a hierarchical regression. Results: The mean of nursing intention score for high risk pathogen infected patient for the participants was $110.62{\pm}12.68$ (range 36~180). The most influential factor for nursing intention was professional self concept of nurses (${\beta}=.321$), and organizational group culture (${\beta}=.166$) was the next influential factor. The level of education and working department were also statistically significant contributors. Conclusion: It is necessary to increase clinical nurses' nursing intention for high risk pathogen infected patient to improve professional self concept of nurses and organizational group culture.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2006.04a
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• pp.119-122
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• 2006

In both untreated and conventionally stabilized swine manures antibiotic resistant (AR) microorganisms, Staphylococcus-like and Salmonella-like microorganisms were detected. Also pathogens with MAR phynotype were detected. Presence of such microorganisms suggest high level of pathogen-related health risk to farmers who may be in direct contact with the manure and its conventionally stabilized product In contrast the autothermal thermophilic aerobic digestion (ATAD) treatment have efficiently reduced AR and pathogenicity from the swine manure. When soil was fertilized using swine manure and its stabilized products, despite no detection of MAR-exhibiting pathogen-like microorganisms in fertilized soil, potential pathogen-related health risk could not be ruled out from the fertilized soil since the organic fertilization led to increase in AR and pathogenicity in the soil microbial communities. As conclusion, this microbiological study demonstrated that an ATAD process is applicable in control of pathogen-related health risk in livestock manure.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.390-397
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• 2019

High risk-human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) is known to be a major cause of cervical cancer, and coinfection of sexually transmitted pathogen (STP) has been reported to cause persistent HPV infection. However, the relationship between HPV and STP coinfection remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to analyze the coinfection rate with STP in high-risk human papillomavirus infected women in Busan and to collect basic data for the prevention of cervical lesions. This study was carried out in 355 women who had concurrent HPV and STP screening at Busan local hospital between January 2016 and December 2017. HPV and STP coinfection was found in 187 (52.7%) out of 355 cases. HR-HPV and STP coinfection was 82.9% higher than LR-HPV and STP coinfections 17.1%. In HR-HPV infection, Ureaplasma species was the most common pathogen (47.1%), followed by C. trachomatis (21.9%) and Mycoplasma species (12.3%). In the analysis of HR-HPV genotype according to STP, HPV 16 (12.0%) was the most frequent, followed by HPV 58 (11.6%), HPV 39 (11.1%) and HPV 52 (10.2%), but HPV 18 showed a low coinfection rate of 1.3%. According to the results of age, HR-HPV and STP coinfection rate was the highest at 41.9% among women aged 18 to 29. HR-HPV and Ureaplasma species showed the highest coinfection rates at all ages, followed by C. trachomatis and Mycoplasma species. Further studies with more samples will be needed to determine if the coinfection of HR-HPV and STPs is involved in the development of cervical tumors through histologic changes.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.1032-1037
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• 2017

The poly-${\gamma}$-$\small{D}$-glutamic acid (PGA) capsule, a major virulence factor of Bacillus anthracis, provides protection of the bacterium from phagocytosis and allows its unimpeded growth in the host. We investigated crosstalk between murine natural killer (NK) cells and macrophages stimulated with the PGA capsule of Bacillus licheniformis, a surrogate of the B. anthracis capsule. PGA induced interferon-gamma production from NK cells cultured with macrophages. This effect was dependent on macrophage-derived IL-12 and cell-cell contact interaction with macrophages through NK cell receptor NKG2D and its ligand RAE-1. The results showed that PGA could enhance NK cell activation by inducing IL-12 production in macrophages and a contact-dependent crosstalk with macrophages.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.498-502
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• 2018

Molecular imaging is a powerful method for tracking various infectious disease-causing pathogens in host organisms. Currently, a dual molecular imaging method that can provide temporal and spatial information on infected hosts at the organism, organ, tissue, and cellular levels simultaneously has not been reported for Burkholderia pseudomallei, a high-risk pathogen that causes melioidosis. In this study, we have established an experimental method that provides spatiotemporal information on infected hosts using luminescent and fluorescent dual-labeled B. pseudomallei. Using this method, we visualized B. pseudomallei infection at the organism, organ, and tissue levels in a BALB/c mouse model by detecting its luminescence and fluorescence. The infection of B. pseudomallei at the cellular level was also visualized by its emitted fluorescence in infected macrophage cells. This method could be an extremely useful and applicable tool to study the pathogenesis of B. pseudomallei-related infectious diseases.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2015

This study was performed to determine risk ranking of the combination of pathogen-livestock or livestock products to identify the most significant public health risks and to prioritize risk management strategies. First, we reviewed foodborne outbreak data related to livestock products and determined main vehicles and pathogens according to the number of outbreak and case. Second, expert's opinion about management priority of pathogen-livestock product pairing was surveyed with 19 livestock experts in the university, research center, and government agency. Lastly, we used the outcome of Risk Ranger (semi-quantitative risk ranking tool) of 14 combinations of pathogen and livestock or livestock products. We have classified the combination of pathogen-livestock products into group I (high risk), II (medium risk), and III (low risk) according to their risk levels and management priority. Group I, which is the highest risk for foodborne outbreak, includes Salmonella spp./egg and egg products, Campylobacter spp./poultry, pathogenic E. coli/meat and processed ground meat. In conclusion, the results of this study will provide the specific guideline of mid- and long-term planning for risk assessment and risk management prioritization of the combination of pathogen and livestock, or livestock product.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.299-306
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• 2021

Pollination is an essential process for plants to carry on their generation. Pollination is carried out in various ways depending on the type of plant species. Among them, pollination by insect pollinator accounts for the most common. However, these pollinators have be decreasing in population density due to environmental factors. Therefore, use of artificial pollination is increasing. However, there is a lack of information on microorganisms present in the artificial pollens. We showed the composition of bacteria structure present in the artificial pollens of apple, kiwifruit, peach and pear, and contamination of high-risk pathogens was investigated. Acidovorax spp., Pantoea spp., Erwinia spp., Pseudomonas spp., and Xanthomonas spp., which are classified as potential high-risk pathogens, have been identified in imported pollens. This study presented the pollen-associated bacterial community structure, and the results are expected to be foundation for strengthening biosecurity in orchard industry.