• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.73 no.4
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• pp.234-238
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• 2012

Recently, interferon gamma releasing assay has been recommended to compensate the tuberculin skin test (TST) for screening for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). Although it improved the detection of LTBI before treatment with tumor necrosis factor blocker, its application to immune suppressed patients is limited. We report a case of peritoneal tuberculosis (TB) developed in a patient who tested positive for TST and QuantiFERON-TB Gold (QFT-G) before infliximab therapy, to emphasize the importance of monitoring during treatment. A 52-year-old woman presented with abdominal distension. She had been diagnosed with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis six years ago. She had started taking infliximab six months ago. All screening tests for TB were performed and the results of all were negative. At admission, the results of repeated TST and QFT-G tests were positive. Histopathological examination confirmed peritoneal TB. The patient started anti-TB therapy and the symptoms were relieved.

• 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.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.14-19
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• 2000

Objectives: Epstein-Barr virus(EBV) is a B-lymphotrophic virus with a tumorigenic potential. EBV infection has been recognized as the main cause of nasopharyngeal carcinoma and Burkitt's lymphoma. Bcl-2 protein expression is known to be up-regulated by the EBV-latency associated antigen latent membrane protein(LMP). The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of EBV in squamous cell carcinomas of the larynx and the relationship between the presence of EBV and bcl-2 expression. Patients and Methods: From January 1994 to December 1977, 35 patients with primary squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx were studied. EBV genome DNA was surveyed by polymerase chain reaction(PCR) assay and then compared the results of in situ hybridization(ISH) for EBER1 using digoxigenin-tailed oligonucleotide probe. The expression of bcl-2 protein was studied by immunohistochemistry(IHC) using bcl-2 monoclonal antibody. Results: By PCR, EBV genome was detected in 22 of 35(62.9%) squamous cell carcinomas of the larynx. Nineteen of 35 cases(54.3%) showed a positive nuclear staining for EBER1 in tumor cells by ISH. Three cases showed positivity in inflammatory cells by ISH and one of them showed a positive staining of both tumor cells and inflammatory cells. Eighteen of 32 specimens(62.5%) were positive for bcl-2 protein. There was no significant correlations between the presence of EBV DNA and bcl-2 expression. Conclusions: It could be concluded that high incidence of EBV in the laryngeal cancer tissue may indicate a probable role of EBV in the development of laryngeal carcinoma.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.482-486
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• 2016

Inonotus obliquus is a medicinal mushroom with a variety of biological activities. It has reported to have strong anti-cancer, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. EBV+ gastric carcinoma is one of the most common EBV-associated cancers that were caused by latent EBV infection. In this study, we investigated the anti-cancer effects of ethanol extract of I. obliquus using in vivo xenograft animal models implanted with EBV+ human gastric carcinoma (SNU719). We also explored the molecular mechanisms responsible for its anti-cancer activity. The result indicated that the extract of I. obliquus had an anti-cancer effect in in vivo xenograft mice with EBV+ gastric carcinoma (SNU719). Extract of I. obliquus also showed a great effect on inducing the expression of p53, p21 and Bax in tumor tissue derived from EBV+ human gastric carcinoma, and these were correlated with increased expressions of the cleaved forms of caspase-9 and Parp. Also, I. obliquus attenuated the expression of viral proteins, BZLF-1 and LMP-2 in tumor tissue from EBV+ human gastric carcinoma.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.268-272
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• 2007

Herpes zoster is caused when the varicella zoster virus(VZV) that has remained latent since an earlier varicella infection is reactivated with cutaneous and mucous manifestations. They occur in 20% cases in the trigeminal area and typical manifestations are neuralgias simulating dental pain, also vesicles with an erythematous halo located in the territory of the second and third trigemial branch. They erupt on the skin, the lips, tongue, palate and cheeks. With an ever-increasing number of elderly and immunocompromised patients attending the dentist, the dental profession can expect to encounter an increased number of herpes zoster patients. Furthermore, the oral and maxillofacial surgeons must be familiar with the presenting signs and symptoms of patients experiencing the prodromal manifestations and oral complication of herpes zoster of the trigeminal nerve. As presentation of our patient with ulcer on hard palate caused by herpes zoster, current treatment of herpes zoster and post-herpetic neuralgia are discussed.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.83 no.3
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• pp.201-210
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• 2020

Background: North Korea is one of the 30 countries with the highest tuberculosis (TB) and drug-resistant TB burdened. To understand the medical issues and research trends associated with TB in North Korea, we performed a comprehensive review of articles related to clinical and laboratory research on TB published in North Korean medical journals. Methods: We reviewed all types of TB-related articles published in nine North Korean medical journals (Yebang ŭihak: Preventive medicine; Koryo ŭihak: Korea Medicine; Chosŏn ŭihak: Chosun Medicine; Naekwa: Internal Medicine; Soa, sanbuinkwa: Pediatrics, Obstetrics, and Gynecology, Surgery; Ŭihak: Medicine; Kich'o ŭihak: Basic Medicine; and Chosŏn yakhak: Chosun Pharmacy). We classified the articles according to the type and field of study and analyzed the data qualitatively to gain insights. Results: We reviewed 106 articles (one- or two-page length) written in Korean, including reviews (n=43), original articles (n=52), and case reports (n=8). They were classified as follows: articles on diagnosis (n=52, 49%) and treatment (n=39, 37%). None of the studies investigated the commercialized molecular diagnosis systems such as Xpert MTB/RIF. Directly Observed Treatment, Short-course was reported as the basic treatment approach. Furthermore, six studies used Korean traditional medicines for treating TB, with one of them containing snake venom. Conclusion: The articles were not sufficiently detailed. Original articles on the treatment of multi-drug resistant TB were not found, and those on latent tuberculosis infection and nontuberculous mycobacteria were limited. To understand the current medical issues associated with TB in North Korea, articles from these nine journals were not sufficient.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.299-304
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• 2008

Monocytic cells in myeloid lineage are known for latent site of HCMV Previous studies have suggested that HCMV regulates cell cycle progression in a variety of cells, but studies in monocytic cells are limited. In this study, we attempted to understand cell cycle changes after HCMV infection in the monocytic cell lines. Flow cytometric analyses using propidium iodide revealed that the proportion of G0-G1 phase was increased and the proportion of S phase decreased in HCMV-infected THP-1 cells, but not in HL-60 cells. BrdU-incorporation assay supported that cell proliferation was inhibited in HCMV-infected THP-1 cells by inhibition of de novo DNA synthesis. Western blot analysis revealed that p21, inhibitor of cell cycle progression from G1 phase to S phase, was induced in HCMV-infected THP-1 cells but not in HL-60 cells. Thus, HCMV inhibited cell pro-liferation by arresting the cell cycle at G0-G1 phase through induction of p21 protein in promocytic THP-1 cells.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.342-347
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• 2018

Bacterial canker caused by Clavibacter michiganensis is considered to be one of the most serious diseases, leading to economic damage to tomato worldwide. Diagnosis of the bacterial canker on tomato is known to be difficult because the causal pathogen is slow-growing on artificial media as well as causes latent infection in tomato. In this study, as a less time-consuming method, a specific primer set was newly designed for rapid detection of C. michiganensis. The method presented here is so simple, easy, and fast that it can be useful and practical in direct detection of the bacterial canker pathogen from tomato plants.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.82 no.4
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• pp.298-305
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• 2019

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) causes substantial health burden to the Korean military. This study aims to assess the impact of infectious TB cases on close and casual contacts in the Korean Army settings based on contact investigation data. Methods: Six Army units with infectious TB cases from September 2012 to May 2013 were enrolled in the study. We analyzed the clinical data from close and casual contacts screened using the tuberculin skin test (TST) and QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube to identify latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) cases. For the control group, 286 military conscripts with no reported TB exposure were tested by TST only. Results: Of the 667 contacts of index cases, LTBI cases identified were as follows: 21.8% of close contacts of smearpositive cases (71/326), 8.5% of casual contacts of smear-positive cases (26/305), and 2.8% of close contacts of smearnegative cases (1/36). In the control group, 16.8% showed positivity in TST. In a multivariate analysis, having stayed in the same room or next room with TB patients was identified as a risk factor of LTBI. Conclusion: Using the data from TB contact investigations in the Korean Army units, we found an overall LTBI rate of 14.7% among the contacts screened. This study demonstrates that contacts living in the same building, especially the same room or next room, with TB patients are at a high risk of acquiring LTBI, serving as additional evidence for defining close and casual contacts of a TB patient with regard to Army barrack settings.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.282-300
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to explore what social media posts tell us about family life during the COVID-19 pandemic by examining the keywords and topics underlying posts on blogs and online forums. Our criteria for web crawling were (a) blog and forum posts on Naver and Daum, the top portal sites in Korea, (b) posts between February 23 and April 19, 2020, the period of the first heightened social distancing orders, and (c) inclusion of "COVID" and "family" or "COVID" and "home." We analyzed 351,734 posts using TF-IDF values and topic modeling based on latent Dirichlet allocation. We identified and named 22 topics including COVID-19 prevention, family infection, family health, dietary life and changes, religious life, stuck at home, postponed school year, family events, travel and vacations, concerns about family and friends, anxiety and stress, disaster and damage, COVID-19 warning text messages, family support policies, Shin-cheon-ji and Daegu. The results show that COVID-19 impacted various domains of family life including health, food, housing, religion, child care, education, rituals, and leisure as well as relationships and emotions.