• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.195-207
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• 2013

Objectives This study aimed to examine differences in the hepatic function disorders and prevalence rates of liver diseases in accordance with the Sasang constitutional type, and to analyze whether Sasang constitution is a significant risk factor for fatty liver. Methods A total of 1211 patients who underwent health check-up at the Ilsan Hospital of Dongguk University and had their physical constitutions diagnosed by a specialist in Sasang constitutional medicine from October 31, 2011 to September 28, 2012 were used as the subjects of this study. Presence of hepatobiliary diseases was analyzed from the results of the hepatic function test, lipid test and viral hepatitis infection marker test in the biochemistry tests, and abdominal ultrasonography. Results & Conclusion Subjects of the study were composed of 691 males and 520 females and, in terms of Sasang constitution distribution, 550 Taeeumin, 343 Soeumin and 318 Soyangin. As the results of analysis of prevalence rates in accordance with Sasang constitutions, significant differences were observed in the prevalence rates of abnormal groups in the cases of AST, ALT, GGT, Triglyceride, HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol, and all of their prevalence rates were in the descending order of Taeeumin, Soyangin and Soeumin. Soeumin displayed significantly higher positive rate for HBs Ab in comparison to Taeeumin and Soyangin. In the results of abdominal ultrasonography, the prevalence rates of fatty liver displayed significant differences and were in the descending order of Taeeumin, Soyangin and Soeumin. And as the result of logistic regression analysis in order to find the risk factors of fatty liver, the Sasang constitution was found to be a significant risk factor for fatty liver. The odds ratio of Taeeumin in fatty liver was found to be 1.634 higher than Soeumin and 1.773 higher than Soyangin

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.289-301
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• 2002

Background: It is axiomatic that average life span is prolonged in proportion to the advance of socio-economic improvements and medical science. Consequently, the number of elderly patients with skin diseases is increasing. Objective: This study was performed to examine the patterns of skin diseases in elderly patients that had visited Dongguk Oriental Medical hospital, Dept. of Dermatology. We also compared these patients to the young generational groups. Methods: We studied 67 elderly patients with complaints of skin diseases who had visited our hospital from March 2000 to February 2002. We analysed their skin diseases and compared them with the younger group's. Results: The results were as follows; 1. The common disease groups were eczema(32.8$\%$); pruritus(23.9$\%$); viral infections (13.4$\%$); psoriasis(9.0$\%$); fungal infections and urticaria(6.0$\%$). 2. The disorders prevalent in men were eczema(30.0$\%$); herpes zoster & pruritus(23.3$\%$); fungal infection(13.3$\%$); psoriasis (3.3$\%$); melasma(6.7$\%$). 3. The common diseases of women's group were observed in the following order; eczema(35.l$\%$); pruritus(24.3$\%$); psoriasis(13.5$\%$); urticaria(10.8$\%$); other dermatoses(8.1$\%$); herpes zoster(5.4$\%$). 4. The most frequent skin disease for those in their 50's was eczema(32.3$\%$); 60's, pruritus(36.8$\%$); 70's, eczema(50.0); and over eighties., eczema and pruritus(40.0$\%$). Conclusion: This study suggests that dermatologic problems in the elderly are very common, especially eczema, pruritus. It is a very different pattern from the younger group's. And we have to better consider more effective management and treatment for them; especially further dermatologic studies including substantial medical care. Usually Oriental medicine is good at treating chronic diseases and less harmful. So we expect it to be generally better for elderly patients than western medicine.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.84 no.4
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• pp.299-316
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• 2021

Background: The lack of effective medications for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led to a trend of drug repurposing such as the case of azithromycin which shows immunomodulatory and anti-viral effect. Several clinical trials have shown conflicting results. It is currently unclear whether the available evidence is in favor or against the use of azithromycin in COVID-19 patients. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of azithromycin in COVID-19 patients. Methods: Four independent reviewers selected relevant studies from PubMed, ScienceDirect, EBSCO, and ProQuest published prior to March 2021. The protocol used in this study has been registered in PROSPERO (CRD42020224967). Results: We included 17 studies and found that the mortality rate (odds ratio [OR], 0.95; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.76-1.19), need of respiratory support (OR, 1.30; 95% CI, 0.98-1.73), hospitalization rate (standardized mean difference, 0.12; 95% CI, -0.02 to 0.27), and intensive care unit transfer (OR, 1.21; 95% CI, 0.79-1.86) of azithromycin-treated group did not differ significantly (p>0.05) from those of the control group. Azithromycin treatment did not significantly increase the risk of getting secondary infection (OR, 1.23; 95% CI, 0.83-1.82), hypoglycemia (OR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.38-1.40), gastrointestinal problems (OR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.73-1.45) or electrocardiogram abnormalities (OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 0.94-1.42). The overall quality of evidence ranged from low to very low. Conclusion: Azithromycin did not result in a superior clinical improvement in COVID-19 patients, although it was well-tolerated and safe to use.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.369-376
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• 2019

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical significance of inflammatory biomarkers in acute infectious diarrhea among children. Methods: Clinical parameters including fever, bacterial and viral etiology based on stool culture and multiplex polymerase chain reaction, and nine biomarkers including C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and leukocytes in blood and calprotectin, lactoferrin, myeloperoxidase, polymorphonuclear elastase, leukocytes, and occult blood in feces were evaluated in children who were hospitalized due to acute diarrhea without underlying disease. Results: A total of 62 patients were included. Among these patients, 33 had fever, 18 showed bacterial infections, and 40 patients were infected with 43 viruses. Of all the biomarkers, CRP was significantly correlated with fever (p<0.001). CRP, ESR, calprotectin, lactoferrin, myeloperoxidase, fecal leukocytes, and occult blood were significantly associated with infection with bacterial pathogens (p<0.001, p=0.04, p=0.03, p=0.003, p=0.02, p=0.03, p=0.002, respectively). The combination of CRP and fecal lactoferrin at their best cut-off values (13.7 mg/L and $22.8{\mu}g/mL$, respectively) yielded a sensitivity of 72.2%, and a specificity of 95.5% for bacterial etiology compared with their individual use. Conclusion: Blood CRP is a useful diagnostic marker for both fever and bacterial etiology in acute pediatric diarrhea. The combination of CRP and fecal lactoferrin yields better diagnostic capability for bacterial etiology than their use alone for acute diarrhea in children without underlying gastrointestinal disease.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.73-83
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• 2019

Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) is a highly contagious trans-boundary viral disease caused by FMD virus, which causes huge economic losses. FMDV infects cloven hoofed (two-toed) mammals such as cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and various wildlife species. To control the FMDV, it is necessary to understand the life cycle and the pathogenesis of FMDV in host. Especially, the protein-protein interaction between FMDV and host will help to understand the survival cycle of viruses in host cell and establish new therapeutic strategies. However, the computational approach for protein-protein interaction between FMDV and pig hosts have not been applied to studies of the onset mechanism of FMDV. In the present work, we have performed the prediction of the pig's proteins which interact with FMDV based on RNA-Seq data, protein sequence, and structure information. After identifying the virus-host interaction, we looked for meaningful pathways and anticipated changes in the host caused by infection with FMDV. A total of 78 proteins of pig were predicted as interacting with FMDV. The 156 interactions include 94 interactions predicted by sequence-based method and the 62 interactions predicted by structure-based method using domain information. The protein interaction network contained integrin as well as STYK1, VTCN1, IDO1, CDH3, SLA-DQB1, FER, and FGFR2 which were related to the up-regulation of inflammation and the down-regulation of cell adhesion and host defense systems such as macrophage and leukocytes. These results provide clues to the knowledge and mechanism of how FMDV affects the host cell.

• 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.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.36.1-36.14
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• 2022

Background: Since 2003, the H5 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) subtype has caused massive economic losses in the poultry industry in South Korea. The role of inland water bodies in avian influenza (AI) outbreaks has not been investigated. Identifying water bodies that facilitate risk pathways leading to the incursion of the HPAI virus (HPAIV) into poultry farms is essential for implementing specific precautionary measures to prevent viral transmission. Objectives: This matched case-control study (1:4) examined whether inland waters were associated with a higher risk of AI outbreaks in the neighboring poultry farms. Methods: Rivers, irrigation canals, lakes, and ponds were considered inland water bodies. The cases and controls were chosen based on the matching criteria. The nearest possible farms located within a radius of 3 km of the case farms were chosen as the control farms. The poultry farms were selected randomly, and two HPAI epidemics (H5N8 [2014-2016] and H5N6 [2016-2017]) were studied. Conditional logistic regression analysis was applied. Results: Statistical analysis revealed that inland waters near poultry farms were significant risk factors for AI outbreaks. The study speculated that freely wandering wild waterfowl and small animals contaminate areas surrounding poultry farms. Conclusions: Pet birds and animals raised alongside poultry birds on farm premises may wander easily to nearby waters, potentially increasing the risk of AI infection in poultry farms. Mechanical transmission of the AI virus occurs when poultry farm workers or visitors come into contact with infected water bodies or their surroundings. To prevent AI outbreaks in the future, poultry farms should adopt strict precautions to avoid contact with nearby water bodies and their surroundings.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.56.1-56.13
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• 2020

Background: The live bird market (LBM) plays an important role in the dynamic evolution of the avian influenza H5N1 virus. Objectives: The main objective of this study was to monitor the genetic diversity of the H5N1 viruses in LBMs in Indonesia. Methods: Therefore, the disease surveillance was conducted in the area of Banten, West Java, Central Java, East Java, and Jakarta Province, Indonesia from 2014 to 2019. Subsequently, the genetic characterization of the H5N1 viruses was performed by sequencing all 8 segments of the viral genome. Results: As a result, the H5N1 viruses were detected in most of LBMs in both bird' cloacal and environmental samples, in which about 35% of all samples were positive for influenza A and, subsequently, about 52% of these samples were positive for H5 subtyping. Based on the genetic analyses of 14 viruses isolated from LBMs, genetic diversities of the H5N1 viruses were identified including clades 2.1.3 and 2.3.2 as typical predominant groups as well as reassortant viruses between these 2 clades. Conclusions: As a consequence, zoonotic transmission to humans in the market could be occurred from the exposure of infected birds and/or contaminated environments. Moreover, new virus variants could emerge from the LBM environment. Therefore, improving pandemic preparedness raised great concerns related to the zoonotic aspect of new influenza variants because of its high adaptivity and efficiency for human infection.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.157-165
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• 2022

Single-cycle viruses generated by reverse genetic technology are replication-incompetent viruses due to the elimination of gene(s) essential for viral replication, which provides a way to overcome the safety problem in attenuated viruses. Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) is a major pathogen causing severe damage in cultured salmonid species. In the present study, we generated a single-cycle IHNV lacking the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domain in the G gene (rIHNV-GΔTM) and evaluated the prophylactic potential of rIHNV-GΔTM in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). To produce rIHNV-GΔTM, IHNV G protein-expressing Epithelioma papulosum cyprini (EPC) cells were established. However, as the efficiency of rIHNV-GΔTM production in EPC cell clones was not high, fish were immunized with a low-tittered single-cycle virus (1.5 × 10² PFU/fish). Despite the low dose, the single-cycle IHNV induced significant protection in rainbow trout against IHNV infection, suggesting high immunogenicity of rIHNV-GΔTM. No significant difference in serum ELISA titers against IHNV between the rIHNV-GΔTM immunized group and the control group suggests that the immunized dose of rIHNV-GΔTM might be too low to induce significant humoral adaptive immune responses in rainbow trout. The involvement of adaptive cellular immunity or innate immunity in the present significantly higher protection by the immunization with rIHNV-GΔTM should be further investigated to know the protection mechanism.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.50.1-50.16
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• 2020

Background: Porcine parvovirus (PPV) is a single-stranded DNA virus that causes porcine reproductive failure. It is of critical importance to study PPV pathogenesis for the prevention and control of the disease. NS1, a PPV non-structural protein, is participated in viral DNA replication, transcriptional regulation, and cytotoxicity. Our previous research showed that PPV can activate nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway and then up-regulate the expression of interleukin (IL)-6. Objectives: Herein, the purpose of this study is to determine whether the non-structural protein NS1 of PPV also has the same function. Methods: Real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, western blot, immunofluorescence assay and small interfering RNA (siRNA) were used. Results: Our findings demonstrated that PPV NS1 protein can up-regulate the expression levels of IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, PPV NS1 protein was found to induce the phosphorylation of IκBα, then leading to the phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of NF-κB. In addition, the NS1 protein activated the upstream pathways of NF-κB. Meanwhile, TLR2-siRNA assay showed TLR2 plays an important role in the activation of NF-κB signaling pathway induced by PPV-NS1. Conclusions: These findings indicated that PPV NS1 protein induced the up-regulated of IL-6 expression through activating the TLR2 and NF-κB signaling pathways. In conclusion, these findings provide a new avenue to study the innate immune mechanism of PPV infection.