• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.18
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• pp.8019-8029
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• 2016

The development of new strategies for vaccine delivery for generating protective and long-lasting immune responses has become an expanding field of research. In the last years, it has been recognized that bacteriophages have several potential applications in the biotechnology and medical fields because of their intrinsic advantages, such as ease of manipulation and large-scale production. Over the past two decades, bacteriophages have gained special attention as vehicles for protein/peptide or DNA vaccine delivery. In fact, whole phage particles are used as vaccine delivery vehicles to achieve the aim of enhanced immunization. In this strategy, the carried vaccine is protected from environmental damage by phage particles. In this review, phage-based vaccine categories and their development are presented in detail, with discussion of the potential of phage-based vaccines for protection against microbial diseases and cancer treatment. Also reviewed are some recent advances in the field of phagebased vaccines.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.164-172
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• 2010

Background: We tested the hypothesis that dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) is associated with a $T_H1$-skewed immune response as opposed to dengue fever (DF). Methods: We estimated intracellular (in T-cells) and serum levels of designate $T_H1/T_H2$ cytokines [interferon-${\gamma}$ (IFN-${\gamma}$), interleukin-4 (IL-4), and tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$] and macrophage inflammatory protein-$1{\alpha}$ (MIP-$1{\alpha}$) at admission, 48h, and day 5 in 20 adults with dengue (DF=10, DHF=10) and 10 dengue-naive healthy controls. Results: At admission, intracellular IFN-${\gamma}$/IL-4 ratio in CD4+ T-cells and proportion of MIP-$1{\alpha}$-positive CD8+ T-cells were significantly higher in patients with DHF [7.21 (5.36~10.81) vs. 3.04 (1.75~4.02); p=0.011 and 6.2% (3.2~8.2%) vs. 2.4% (2.0~3.6%); p=0.023]. The latter showed a significant positive correlation with IFN-${\gamma}$/IL-4 ratio in CD4+ T-cells (Spearman's rho=0.64; p=0.003), percentage-change in haematocrit (rho=0.47; p=0.048), and serum alanine amino-transferase level (rho=0.61; p=0.009). Conclusion: We conclude that DHF is associated with a $T_H1$-skewed immune response. Further, MIP-$1{\alpha}$ in CD8+ T-cells is an important immunologic correlate of disease severity in dengue.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.277-280
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• 2019

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety of Korea made an official announcement in March 2018 that the total number of inoculations of Hantaan virus vaccine ($Hantavax^{(R)}$) would change from 3 to 4. Some aspects of this decision remain controversial. Based on the characteristics of Hantaan virus (HTNV) and its role in the pathogenesis of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, it might be difficult to develop an effective and safe HTNV vaccine through the isolate-inactivate-inject paradigm. With the development of high-through-put 'omics' technologies in the 21st century, vaccinomics has been introduced. While the goal of vaccinomics is to develop equations to describe and predict the immune response, it could also serve as a tool for developing new vaccine candidates and individualized approaches to vaccinology. Thus, the possibility of applying the innovative field of vaccinomics to develop a more effective and safer HTNV vaccine should be considered.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.165-172
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• 2002

Collaborative studies have identified some genetic factors contributing to the development of severe forms of malaria and schistosomiasis. In Thailand, the $TNF-{\alpha}{\;}5'-flanking$ region shows biallelic polymorphic sites at nucleotides -238, -308, -857, -863, and -1031, and seven alleles have been identified in patients from Myanmar. We found that the TNF promoter (TNFP)-D allele was significantly associated with cerebral malaria in populations from Karen (P < 0.0001. OR ＝ 124.86) and ethnic Burma (P < 0.0001, OR = 34.50) . In China, we have identified two major genes related to the severity of liver fibrosis, one an HLA class II gene, and the other the IL-13 gene. The frequency of the HLA- DRB5*0101 allele and that of the IL-13 promoter A/A (IL- l3P- A/A) genotype were elevated in fibrotic patients, although the two genes are located on different chromosomes, chromosomes 6p and 5q, respectively Subjects with both genotypes had odds ratios (OR = 24.5) much higher than the sum of the ratios for each individual genotype (OR ＝ 5.1,95% Confidence Interval 1.3-24.7 for HLA-DRB5*0101, OR ＝ 3.1 95% CI 1.5 - 6.5 for IL-l3P-A/A). That the effects of the two susceptibility markers are synergistic rather than additive, strongly suggests that the pathogenic Th2 response directly influences the prognosis of post-schistosomal liver fibrosis.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.568-586
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• 1995

542 periodontal patients having early-onset periodontitis(EOP) have been reclassified into a more homogeneous phenotypic subsets by newly revised radiographic criteria. Representative patients of each EOP subform have been examined of serum IgG subclass antibodies against periodontopathic bacteria, Porphyromonas gingivalis(Pg) 381 and of genetic markers for IgG allotypes to clarify the relationship between these parameters and phenotype expression of each subform. The early onset periodontitis could be reclassified by the radiographic parameters combining the mean interproximal alveolar bone loss(BL) and the radiographic ratio(between 1st molars and the adjacent teeth: Ratio) with statistical significance(p<0.001 by MANOVA). Moreover these EOP subforms could clearly be delineated from adult periodontitis. Of subform I and II(localized type EOP) patients with minimal mean bone loss(BL<5.0), patients demonstrating disease activities in localized areas(Ratio.>1.5) showed the elevated responses in all the IgG subclasses against Pg compared with those of patients without disease activity(Ratio <1.5). There were gradual increase in the IgG2 and IgG4 titers against Pg as the disease developed into the generalized forms suggesting the possible role of these antibodies in modulating the phenotype expression. The genetic marker study for IgG allotype revealed that mean IgG2 and IgG4 subclass titers were significantly higher(p<0.01, p<0.05, respectively) in patients who were positive for G2m(n). This indicated that IgG subclass responsiveness against the bacterial antigens are under the immnuogenetic control. The observed frequencies of G2m(n) were significantly higher (p<0.05) in subfrom IV patients who had the characteristic features of classical rapidly progressing periodontitis indicating the possible genetic predisposition in these patients.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.15
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• pp.6279-6284
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• 2015

Opisthorchis viverrini (OV)-induced cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is an important cancer in the Great Mekong region, particularly in Thailand. Limitations of treatment options and the lack of an effective diagnostic tool for early detection of CCA are major concerns for the control of this type of cancer. The aim of the study was to investigate anti-CCA activity of the ethanolic extract of Atractylodes lancea (Thunb.) DC., and the applicability of positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) as a tool for detection and monitoring the progression of CCA in Opisthorchis viverrini (OV)/dimethylnitrosamine (DMN)-induced CCA hamsters. Male Syrian hamsters were used for toxicity tests and anti-CCA activity evaluation. Development of CCA was induced by initial feeding of 50 metacercariae of OV, followed by drinking water containing 12.5 ppm of DMN in hamsters. The ethanolic extract of A. lancea (Thunb.) DC. was administered orally for 30 days. PET-CT was performed every 4 weeks after initiation of CCA using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose ($^{18}F-FDG$). Results from the present study suggest that the ethanolic extract of A. lancea (Thunb.) DC. rhizome exhibited promising anti-CCA activity and safety profile in the OV/DMN-induced hamster model. To successfully apply PET-CT as a tool for early detection of tumor development and progression, modification of radiolabeling approach is required to improve its specificity for CCA cells.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.236-247
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• 2024

The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system, which is part of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) plays a vital role in immune responses by differentiating between itself and foreign cells and antigens. The significant diversity of alleles affects disease susceptibility and immune responses within different populations. Specifically, the HLA-A and HLA-DRB1 alleles are associated with various immune-related diseases, and understanding the frequency and haplotype associations of these alleles is vital for genetic and immunological research. To investigate the distribution of these characteristics in Koreans, we isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from blood samples donated by volunteers at the Seoul Central Blood Bank and performed HLA typing on 790 samples. Our study found that the HLA-A and HLA-DRB1 alleles are widely distributed within the Korean population, with HLA-A^*24:02 (21.7%) and HLA-DRB1*09:01 (9.9%) being the most frequent. Significant haplotype associations between specific HLA-A and HLA-DRB1 alleles were identified using the Chi-square test, suggesting that certain genetic combinations may influence disease onset. This insight could contribute to the development of predictive and preventative strategies for various diseases. The unique genetic characteristics of the Korean population highlight the importance of studying the HLA allele and the haplotype distributions in this group as key indicators for understanding disease susceptibility.