• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.83-90
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• 2020

Purpose: To investigate the association between urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (uNGAL) and leukocyte differential count in children with urinary tract infections (UTIs). Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed in children undergoing uNGAL measurements between June 2018 and September 2019. Patients with suspected or diagnosed UTIs were included. The relationship between uNGAL and blood leukocyte differential count was investigated in children. Results: A total of 197 children were included in this study, 119 of whom (60%) had UTIs. The non-UTI patients (n=78) were diagnosed with pneumonia, acute gastroenteritis, viral upper respiratory infection, and others. After adjusting for age, gender, and fever duration, the leukocyte count, monocyte count, and uNGAL levels were higher in the UTI group than in the non-UTI group (P<0.05). uNGAL showed positive correlations with neutrophil counts, monocyte counts, the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and the monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio in the UTI group (P<0.05). uNGAL levels were only associated with the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in the non-UTI group (P<0.05). In a multivariable logistic regression analysis, only uNGAL was associated with the presence of UTI (P<0.05). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curves for uNGAL and monocyte counts to identify UTI were 0.89 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.824-0.939; P=0.025) and 0.7 (95% CI: 0.627-0.774; P=0.038), respectively. Conclusions: In children with UTIs, uNGAL levels may be associated with blood leukocyte differential counts. uNGAL measurements and monocyte counts can be helpful in children with suspected UTIs.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.730-736
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• 2015

Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) causes one of the most destructive viral diseases that threatens global tomato production. Sw-5b was reported as the resistance gene effective against TSWV. The objective of this research was to develop a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) marker to distinguish tomato cultivars resistant to TSWV from susceptible cultivars for marker-assisted breeding. First, we determined genotypes for TSWV resistance in 32 commercial tomato cultivars using the previously reported Sw-5b gene-based marker. Then, DNA sequences of Sw-5b alleles in tomato cultivars showing resistant or susceptible genotypes were analyzed; a single SNP was found to distinguish tomato cultivars resistant to TSWV from susceptible cultivars. Based on the confirmed SNP, a SNP primer pair was designed. Using this new SNP sequence and high-resolution melting analysis, the same 32 tomato cultivars were screened. The results were perfectly correlated with those from screening with the Sw-5b gene-based marker. These results indicate that the SNP maker developed in this study will be useful for better tracking of resistance to TSWV in tomato breeding.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.8.1-8.11
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• 2021

Background: Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is an important infectious pathogen implicated in porcine circovirus-associated diseases (PCVAD), which has caused significant economic losses in the pig industry worldwide. Objectives: A suitable viral vector-mediated gene transfer platform for the expression of the capsid protein (Cap) is an attractive strategy. Methods: In the present study, a recombinant adeno-associated virus 8 (rAAV8) vector was constructed to encode Cap (Cap-rAAV) in vitro and in vivo after gene transfer. Results: The obtained results showed that Cap could be expressed in HEK293T cells and BABL/c mice. The results of lymphocytes proliferative, as well as immunoglobulin G (IgG) 2a and interferon-γ showed strong cellular immune responses induced by Cap-rAAV. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay titers obtained and the IgG1 and interleukin-4 levels showed that humoral immune responses were also induced by Cap-rAAV. Altogether, these results demonstrated that the rAAV8 vaccine Cap-rAAV can induce strong cellular and humoral immune responses, indicating a potential rAAV8 vaccine against PCV2. Conclusions: The injection of rAAV8 encoding PCV2 Cap genes into muscle tissue can ensure long-term, continuous, and systemic expression.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.761-767
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• 2018

Degenerative diseases are commonly associated with excess free radicals. Acer okamotoanum, a plant endemic to Korea, is reported to have anti-oxidant, anti-cancer, and anti-viral activities. We previously isolated flavonoids from the ethyl acetate fraction of A. okamotoanum such as quercitrin (QU), isoquercitrin (IQ), and afzelin (AF). In the present study, the in vitro antioxidant activity of flavonoids such as QU, IQ, and AF isolated from the ethyl acetate fraction of A. okamotoanum were investigated by measuring the free radical scavenging activity including 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), hydroxyl radical ($^{\cdot}OH$), and superoxide anion ($O_2{^-}$). The flavonoids (QU, IQ, and AF) concentration-dependently showed a DPPH radical scavenging activity. In particular, QU and IQ showed a higher DPPH radical scavenging activity than that of AF. In addition, the flavonoids (QU, IQ, and AF) at $10{\mu}g/mL$ showed over an 80% scavenging effect against $^{\cdot}OH$ radical production. Furthermore, the $O_2{^-}$ radical scavenging activity of the flavonoids, QU, IQ, and AF increased in a dose-dependent manner. Particularly, IQ exerted the strongest scavenging activities against $^{\cdot}OH$ and $O_2{^-}$ radicals among the other flavonoids. These results indicate that the flavonoids from A. okamotoanum, in particular IQ, would have a protective activity against oxidative stress induced by free radicals, and potentially be considered as a natural antioxidant agent.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.19.1-19.11
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• 2018

MicroRNAs (miRNAs), small non-coding RNAs, have been implicated in various diseases and cellular functions as microregulators of gene expression. Although the history of miRNA investigation in autoimmune $Sj{\ddot{o}}gren^{\prime}s$ syndrome (SjS) is fairly short, a substantial amount of data has already been accumulated. These findings clearly indicate potential clinical implications of miRNAs, such as autoantigen expression and autoantibody production, viral miRNAs regulating the calcium signaling pathway, and aberrant immune cell regulation and cytokine production. Research endeavors in the field are currently underway to select disease-specific diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers by utilizing different types of tissues or biological specimens of SjS patients. Various techniques for miRNA analysis with different stringencies have been applied, with the most recent one being next-generation sequencing. This review compiles and highlights differentially-expressed miRNAs in various samples collected from SjS patients and their potential implications in the pathogenesis of SjS. To facilitate the development of miRNA-targeted personalized therapy in the future, we urge more follow-up studies that confirm these findings and elucidate the immunopathological roles of differentially-expressed miRNAs. Furthermore, improved diagnostic criteria for the disease itself will minimize sampling errors in patient recruitment, preventing the generation of inconsistent data.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.29-35
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• 2019

A monitoring was performed to survey the mortalities that had occurred in the aquaculture farms of olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) in South Korea from 2015 to 2017. The indirect inquiry for entire farms and the sample survey for selected farms were carried out. The aquatic organism disease inspectors, who have a national license for the diagnosis and prevention of aquatic organism diseases and a have close relationship with the farms, investigated the rates and causes of mortalities according to the standard manual. The mortality rate by sample survey of farms in 2015, 2016, and 2017 were 24.78% (Chunnam: 17.86%, Jeju: 28.69), 30.19% (Chunnam: 24.45%, Jeju: 32.65), and 21.59% (Chunnam: 10.57%, Jeju: 26.00%), respectively. The major cause of mortality was scuticociliatosis, and the mortality caused by viral hemorrhagic septicemia and emaciation disease (Jeju) were also high. Our results can contribute to effective establishment prevention of epidemics system and acquired status as a disease-cleansing country.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.63 no.4
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• pp.864-871
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• 2021

Infectious calf diarrhea is one of the most significant diseases of neonatal calves. This study is conducted to identify the prevalence of pathogens in calf diarrhea for 2 years. A total of 544 feces samples from Korean native beef calves were obtained to investigate selected seven pathogens causing calf diarrhea: bovine rotavirus, bovine coronavirus, Cryptosporidium parvum, bovine viral diarrhea virus, Eimeria species, Escherichia coli K99, and Salmonella species. The presence of diarrhea, the number and species of detected pathogens, and the calves' ages were analyzed using various statistical methods depending on the case. Of the 544 calves, 340 calves (62.5%) had normal feces and 204 calves (37.5%) had diarrhea. The presence of pathogens was significantly associated with diarrhea (p < 0.01) and fecal scores and the number of detected pathogens showed a significant linear trend (p < 0.001). Of the 7 target pathogens, 6 were detected in samples, but only C. parvum (p = 0.001) and bovine rotavirus (p < 0.001) were found at significantly higher rates in diarrheic calves than in non-diarrheic calves. Only Eimeria spp. showed a significant linear trend between the detection rate of the pathogen and the age groups (p < 0.05).

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.12
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• pp.1716-1721
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• 2021

Chikungunya fever is an arboviral disease caused by the Chikungunya virus (CHIKV). The disease has similar clinical manifestations with other acute febrile illnesses which complicates differential diagnosis in low-resource settings. We aimed to develop a rapid test for CHIKV detection based on the nucleic acid lateral flow immunoassay technology. The system consists of a primer set that recognizes the E1 region of the CHIKV genome and test strips in an enclosed cassette which are used to detect amplicons labeled with FITC/biotin. Amplification of the viral genome was done using open-source PCR, a low-cost open-source thermal cycler. Assay performance was evaluated using a panel of RNA isolated from patients' blood with confirmed CHIKV (n = 8) and dengue virus (n = 20) infection. The open-source PCR-NALFIA platform had a limit of detection of 10 RNA copies/ml. The assay had a sensitivity and specificity of 100% (95% CI: 67.56% - 100%) and 100% (95% CI: 83.89% - 100%), respectively, compared to reference standards of any positive virus culture on C6/36 cell lines and/or qRT-PCR. Further evaluation of its performance using a larger sample size may provide important data to extend its usefulness, especially its utilization in the peripheral healthcare facilities with scarce resources and outbreak situations.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.137-148
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• 2021

Plant RNA viruses are one of the most destructive pathogens that cause a significant loss in crop production worldwide. They have evolved with high genetic diversity and adaptability due to the short replication cycle and high mutation rate during genome replication, which are characteristics of RNA viruses. Plant RNA viruses exist as quasispecies with high genetic diversity; thereby, a rapid population transition with new fitness can occur due to selective pressure resulting from environmental changes. Plant resistance can act as selective pressure and affect the fitness of the virus, which may lead to the emergence of resistance-breaking variants. In this paper, we introduced the evolutionary perspectives of plant RNA viruses and the driving forces in their evolution. Based on this, we discussed the mechanism of the emergence of variant viruses that overcome plant resistance. In addition, strategies for deploying plant resistance to viral diseases and improving resistance durability were discussed.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.194-210
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• 2022

Human milk contains a number of nutritional and bioactive molecules including microorganisms that constitute the so-called "Human Milk Microbiota (HMM)". Recent studies have shown that not only bacterial but also viral, fungal, and archaeal components are present in the HMM. Previous research has established, a "core" microbiome, consisting of Firmicutes (i.e., Streptococcus, Staphylococcus), Proteobacteria (i.e., Serratia, Pseudomonas, Ralstonia, Sphingomonas, Bradyrhizobium), and Actinobacteria (i.e., Propionibacterium, Corynebacterium). This review aims to summarize the main characteristics of HMM and the role it plays in shaping a child's health. We reviewed the most recent literature on the topic (2019-2021), using the PubMed database. The main sources of HMM origin were identified as the retrograde flow and the entero-mammary pathway. Several factors can influence its composition, such as maternal body mass index and diet, use of antibiotics, time and type of delivery, and mode of breastfeeding. The COVID-19 pandemic, by altering the mother-infant dyad and modifying many of our previous habits, has emerged as a new risk factor for the modification of HMM. HMM is an important contributor to gastrointestinal colonization in children and therefore, it is fundamental to avoid any form of perturbation in the HMM that can alter the microbial equilibrium, especially in the first 100 days of life. Microbial dysbiosis can be a trigger point for the development of necrotizing enterocolitis, especially in preterm infants, and for onset of chronic diseases, such as asthma and obesity, later in life.