• The Journal of the Korean Society for Microbiology
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.393-402
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• 1987

The halophilic bacterium Vibrio vulnificus, previously called lactose-positive(L+) Vibrio and Beneckea vulnifica, causes acute, fulminating wound infections and septicemia in humans. Septicemia is very serious infection with a fatality rate of about 50%. Most patients with primary septicemia due to V. vulnificus have preexisting liver disease. V. vulnificus also cause severe wound infections usually after trauma and exposure to marine animals or the marine environment. The mortality rate is not nearly as high as in primary septicemia caused by this organism. In most cases human disease results from ingestion of contaminated seafood or from infection of a wound, frequently of seawater or crab origin. The author made an attempt to isolation of the V vulnificus from seawater, seamud, fish, shellfish, and algae on the southern sea of Korea from January to September in 1987, using for the purpose of vaccine preparation. The author investigated for bacteriological identification, hemolysis and determination of serotypes of isolated V. vulnificus strains. Eighty-five strains(5.9%) out of 1450 specimens collected of V. vulnificus were isolated. The distribution of the 85 isolates were as follows: 21 strains from seawater, 11 strains from seamud, 28 strains from fish, 19 strains from shellfish, and 6 strains from algae, respectively. All 85 isolates were positive reaction on human blood agar. The distribution of serotypes of V. vulnificus isolates were O1 to O8: 13 strains of O1, 6 strains of O2, 11 strains of O3, 9 strains of O4, 10 strains of O5, 7 strains of O6, 15 strains of O7, and 10 strains of O8, respectively. Eighty-one strains showed agglutination with O antisera, but 4 strains failed to show agglutination. In this study, the author suspected that serotypes of V. vulnificus isolates distributed also in the seaside of Korea as well as in most seaside of the world, and new serotypes were in existence in the seaside of Korea except reported up to now.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.58-62
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• 2015

Xanthoma disseminatum (XD) is a benign, non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis characterized by disseminated xanthomatous lesions with face, flexures, and mucosa. Most of XD develops in mucocutaneous lesions including skin, oral cavity and pharynx, however laryngeal involvement is uncommon. While the natural course of XD is usually benign and often self-limiting, but XD develop in critical anatomical locations may result in morbidity and mortality. Localized mucous lesions in oropharynx and larynx lead to dysphagia, dyspnea and air way obstruction. The diagnosis of XD was based on clinical, histological and immunohistochemical findings. The treatment is complex and non-consensual. Local treatment with cryotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery, and carbon dioxide lasers have been attempted with various results. Systemic medication with peroxisome proliferator-activated gamma receptors, statins, fenofibrate, chlorodeoxyadenosine, cyclophosphamide, doxycycline, and cyclosporine have also been reported, but none have proven particularly successful. A 59-year-old man presented with respiratory symptoms because of laryngeal involvement of XD. We had to remove the obstructive lesion for relieving the symptoms. We experienced XD in Larynx that was rare in otorhinolaryngology. So we report this case with review of literatures.

• Journal of Dental Rehabilitation and Applied Science
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.53-63
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• 2014

Growing of number of elderly populations, which may be caused by improved quality of life and decreased the percentage of mortality. Although there is a declining rate of the edentulous patients, more patients are advancing into older age groups, and the substantial number of edentulous patients are increasing. For these edentulous patients, complete denture cannot substitute natural teeth, but it is a staple prosthetic treatment. Generally, the success of dentures has been evaluated on the basis of whether or not patients comfortable and were able to masticate with their dentures. Acceptance of complete denture is complex for patients and related to psychological factors of patients, physical state, and the technical quality of dentures. In addition to that, many factors influence to satisfaction of patients to the complete dentures. In this review article, evaluate various factors related on satisfaction of denture wearers and methods of evaluate satisfaction.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.21 no.1 s.52
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• pp.57-69
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• 2006

Lately human exposure to fine particles smaller than $2.5{\mu}m$ in aerodynamic diameter ($PM_{2.5}$) has become a great concern in Korea due to their possible cause of elevated mortality, lung function decrements, and more frequent hospital admissions for asthma. This study was conducted to investigate seasonal variations of human exposure to residential $PM_{2.5}$ and particle-associated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Ten homes in Chuncheon, Korea were visited for continuous 72 hour sampling of $PM_{2.5}$ in the living rooms using a MiniVol Portable Sampler from December 22, 2002 to November 3, 2003. During the same period, outdoor $PM_{2.5}$ samples were collected on the top of the Natural Sciences Building of Kangwon National University which is located in the middle of the ten households. Samples were analyzed for $PM_{2.5}$ mass concentrations and six selected PAHs. In two smoking homes, the highest $PM_{2.5}$ concentrations were measured ranging from 51.1 to 69.7 {\mu}g/m^3$ on average in all seasons, indicating smoking is a very important contributor to the elevation of indoor particle concentrations. Seasonal comparison showed that indoor particle concentrations were higher than outdoor ones except winter. Total PAH concentrations in smoking homes were highest in winter among the seasons primarily due to low ventilation rate, followed by the outdoor site and nonsmoking homes. BaP toxic equivalents (TEQs) were calculated for five PAHs. The TEQ for smoking homes in winter was highest followed by the outdoor site in winter. It is concluded that smoking and ventilation rate are two important contributors to the elevation of indoor $PM_{2.5}$ and PAH concentrations.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.425-437
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• 2004

Medicinal plants are of great importance in providing healthcare to a large portion of the population in Korea. A number of plants are described in Dong-Ui-Bo-Gam for use in the treatment of allergic disorders, namely psoriasis, eczema, bronchial asthma, etc. In this study, we evaluated the effect of AllerQ, which is multi-complexes of various plants extracts such like Mori folium, Scutellaria baicallensis, Glycyrrhiza uralnsis, Mentha sacharinensis and Poncirus trifoliata on compound 48/80 induced anaphylactic shock, ovalbumin induced asthma in vivo and anti-IgE antibody induced hypersensitivity in vitro. We found antianaphylactic or antiallergic properties of AllerQ when given orally. AllerQ for prophylactic treatment for anaphylactic shocks have produced good results. AllerQ may modulate various aspects of immune function and allergic inflammation. In the present study, we analyse the effects of AllerQ on mast cell degranulation, mortality, cAMP/cGMP, O₂, H₂O₂ level, cyokine production and on the elicitation of IgE-mediated mast cell-dependent allergic inflammation in vivo and in vitro. We have established that AllerQ inhibited histamine release, cAMP/cGMP, O₂, H₂O₂ level, IL-4, tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-α) and IL-6 production without having any significant physical change. These effects have been observed in mast cell(in vitro) and serum(in vivo) derived from three different origins that were activated by either immunological or non-immunological stimuli. These results suggest that the antianaphylactic and antiasthma tic action of AllerQ may be associated with an increase in the intracellular inhibition of the cAMP phosphodiesterase. Furthermore, AllerQ identified as potent inhibitors on O₂, H₂O₂ and cytokine activity. these data suggest that AllerQ may have an inhibitory role in mast cell-mediated allergic inflammation, and thus might be considered as an useful functional food.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.321-326
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• 2001

Contribution of Wolbachia infection to fitness of a species (developmental time, adult life span, fecundity and ovipositional period) was measured in the susceptible and dicofol-resistant strains of two spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch, on miniature roses. Based on ftsZPCR assay, Wolbachia infection was confirmed only in the susceptible strain. The susceptible strain had significantly higher fecundity (eggs/female) and shorter developmental times than the resistant strain. Longer adult life span and ovipositional period were observed in the susceptible strain. Fitness differences were appeared to influence dicofol resistance development. Similar measurements were performed with progeny from two reciprocal $F_1$crosses. Similar to other examples of cytoplasmic incompatibility induced by Wolbachia, subsequent cross between uninfected female and infected male spider mites were different from the other combination: a high egg mortality and a male-biased sex ratio. When the intrinsic rate of natural increase was calculated, the cross between uninfected female and infected male spider mites had a significantly lower rate($0.09\pm$0.01) than did the other combination ($0.20\pm$0.01). These results suggest that the dynamic and evolution of the fitness are closely associated with dicofol resistance and Wolbachia infection in the two spotted spider mites.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.253-258
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• 2016

Objectives: The goals of this research were to evaluate acute (single-dose) and sub-acute (repeated-dose) toxicity profiles of methanolic extract of Pistacia integerrima J. L. Stewart ex Brandis (PI) for Wistar rats and to assess the safety profile of PI by observing physiological changes, mortality, changes in body weight, the histopathology of body organs, the hematology and the biochemistry of the animals. Methods: The toxicity profile of PI was evaluated using Wistar rats of both sexes. Animals were divided into four groups: Group 1; control group (normal saline), Group 2; PI-1 (250 mg/kg), Group 3; PI-2 (500 mg/kg), Group 4; PL-3 (1,000 mg/kg). An acute-toxicity study in which animals received a single dose of PI extract (2,000 mg/kg) and were then observed for 14 days for changes in skin, fur, eye color, mucous membrane secretions and excretions, gait, posture, and tonic or clonic movements was performed according to guideline 425 of the Organization of Economic and Corporation Development (OECD). In the repeated-dose toxicity study (OECD - 407) animals received a daily dose of PI extract for 28 days (4 weeks). The parameters observed in this study include body weight, hematology and biochemistry of the animals. Results: In the acute toxicity study, no mortalities or changes in behavior were noted in the animals. The repeated-dose toxicity study was also devoid of any toxicity in the animals during the 28 days of testing with PI extract. The extract did not alter- the body weight, hematology or biochemistry of the animals. The methanolic extract of PI was to be found safe to the no-observed-adverse-effect-level (NOAEL) for the single-dose and repeated-dose toxicity tests in rats. Conclusion: The methanolic extract of PI was devoid of toxicity; hence, it can be used for various ayurvedic preparations and treatments of diseases.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.29-38
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• 2015

Purpose: Before expanding our indications for laparoscopic gastrectomy to advanced gastric cancer and adopting reduced port laparoscopic gastrectomy, we analyzed and audited the outcomes of laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy (LADG) for adenocarcinoma; this was done during the adoptive period at our institution through the comparative analysis of short-term surgical outcomes and learning curves (LCs) of two surgeons with different careers. Materials and Methods: A detailed comparative analysis of the LCs and surgical outcomes was done for the respective first 95 and 111 LADGs performed by two surgeons between July, 2006 and June, 2011. The LCs were fitted by using the non-linear ordinary least squares estimation method. Results: The postoperative morbidity and mortality rates were 14.6% and 0.0%, respectively, and there was no significant difference in the morbidity rates (12.6% vs. 16.2%, P=0.467). More than 25 lymph nodes were retrieved by each surgeon during LADG procedures. The LCs of both surgeons were distinct. In this study, a stable plateau of the LC was not achieved by both surgeons even after performing 90 LADGs. Conclusions: Regardless of the experience with gastrectomy or laparoscopic surgery for other organs, or the age of surgeon, the outcome was quite acceptable; the learning process differ according to the surgeon's experience and individual characteristics.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.241-251
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• 2010

Crucian carp (Carassius auratus) has been used as the sentinel species for POPs (Persistent Organic Pollutants) monitoring in aquatic environment. However, there is little information for dioxin toxicity and especially, early life stage toxicity in crucian carp have been never carried out. In this study, we investigated several toxic effects for 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (2,3,7,8-TCDD) in fertilized egg obtained by natural fertilization from crucian carp. The embryos at 3 h post-fertilization (hpf) were treated with 0.039, 0.156, 0.625, and 2.5 (${\mu}g/L$) TCDD by waterborne exposure for 60 minutes and changed with fresh water 2 times per day. Fertilized eggs started hatching at 51 hpf and TCDD exposed embryo showed decrease of hatching rate in a dose-dependent manner at 75 hpf. Pericardial edema was continuously observed in larvae exposed to TCDD from hatching start time (51 hpf), followed by the onset of mortality. In addition, AhR-related gene, CYP1A was clearly increased by TCDD in a dose dependent manner. These results indicated that fertilized eggs obtained from crucian carp have the TCDD related gene regulation and a distinct TCDD developmental toxicity syndrome by TCDD exposure. Therefore, we suggested that early life stage test in crucian carp could be used as test methods on dioxins toxicity.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.291-300
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• 2018

The purpose of the present work is to establish an ultra-minimal invasive percutaneous puncture inoculation method for a VX2 orthotopic lung cancer rabbit model with fewer technical difficulties, lower mortality of rabbits, a higher success rate and a shorter operation time, to evaluate the growth, metastasis and apoptosis of tumor by CT scans, necropsy, histological examination, flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry. The average inoculation time was 10-15 min per rabbit. The tumorbearing rate was 100%. More than 90% of the tumor-bearing rabbits showed local solitary tumor with 2-10 mm diameters after two weeks post-inoculation, and the rate of chest seeding was only 8.3% (2/24). The tumors diameters increased to 4-16 mm, and irregularly short thorns were observed 3 weeks after inoculation. Five weeks post-inoculation, the liquefaction necrosis and a cavity developed, and the size of tumor grew further. Before natural death, the CT images showed that the tumors spread to the chest. The flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry indicated that there was less apoptosis in VX2 orthotopic lung cancer rabbit model compared to chemotherapy drug treatment group. Minimal invasive percutaneous puncture inoculation is an easy, fast and accurate method to establish the VX2 orthotopic lung cancer rabbit model, an ideal in situ tumor model similar to human malignant tumor growth.