Search

The infection status of zoonotic trematode metacercariae was investigated in a total of 2,293 freshwater fish collected from 11 rivers or streams in 9 administrative regions of Gangwon-do, Korea for 5 years (2009-2013). All fish were collected by netting methods and examined using the artificial digestion methods. Clonorchis sinensis metacercariae were detected in 4 fish species, i.e., Pungtungia herzi, Squalidus japonicus coreanus, Acheilognathus rhombeus, and Ladislabia taczanowskii, from only Hantangang in Cheorwon-gun. Metagonimus spp. metacercariae were found in 1,154 (50.3%) fish and their average number per infected fish was 55.8. Among the positive fish species, especially Tribolodon hakonensis from Namdaecheon in Yangyang-gun and Plecoglossus altivelis from Osipcheon in Samcheok-si were most heavily infected. Centrocestus armatus metacercariae were detected in 611 (26.7%) fish and the average metacercarial burden per infected fish was 1,032. Two chub species, Zacco platypus and Zacco temminckii were highly and heavily infected with C. armatus metacercariae in almost all regions surveyed. Echinostoma spp. metacercariae were also found in 24 fish from a few localities, but their numbers per fish infected were very low. From the above results, it is confirmed that the metacercariae of intestinal flukes, especially Metagonimus spp. and C. armatus, were heavily infected, while C. sinensis metacercariae were rarely found in fish from Gangwon-do, Korea.

Background: Vitiligo is a pigmentary skin disorder characterized by a chronic and progressive loss of melanocytes. Although the aetiology of vitiligo is currently unknown, several theories have been proposed to explain the pathogenesis of this disease, including autoimmune, neural, self-destruction, oxidative stress, and genetic theories. Thioredoxin domain containing 5 (TXNDC5) is a newly identified member of the thioredoxin family. TXNDC5 has a protein disulphide isomerase-like domain which plays an important role in protein folding and chaperone activity, against endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress induced by oxidative stress within the ER., Objectives: To determine whether variation in the TXNDC5 gene contributes to the risk of developing nonsegmental vitiligo (NSV) in the Korean population., Methods: We conducted a case-control association study of 230 patients with NSV and 417 matched, unaffected controls. Seven single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the TXNDC5 gene were selected for study., Results: Of the selected SNPs, three exonic SNPs (rs1043784, rs7764128 and rs8643) were statistically associated with NSV. Among them, rs1043784 remained a statistically significant association following Bonferroni correction. These three SNPs were located within a block of linkage disequilibrium; the haplotypes AGG and GAA, consisting of rs1043784, rs7764128 and rs8643, demonstrated a significant association with NSV., Conclusions: These results suggest that TXNDC5 gene polymorphisms are associated with the development of NSV in the Korean population.

Background: Hormone receptor-positive, pre-menopausal breast cancer patients can be treated by chemotherapy and/or ovarian suppression therapy. We reported our experience of gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue plus tamoxifen (GnRHa+T) or adriamycin and cyclophosphamide (AC) followed by tamoxifen (AC-->T) in pre-menopausal women with hormone-response, node-negative breast cancer., Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 587 pre-menopausal women with hormone-responsive, node-negative breast cancer. Of these, 269 were treated with adriamycin and cyclophosphamide (AC) followed by tamoxifen (AC-->T), and 318 were treated with gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue plus tamoxifen (GnRHa+T). Among them, 151 patients were treated by goserelin acetate 3.6 mg/kg and 125 patients were treated by leuprorelin acetate 3.75 mg/kg every 28 days subcutaneously., Findings: At a median follow-up time of 30 months, eight patients had relapsed and three had died. DFS did not differ between the AC-->T and GnRHa+T groups. Of the three deaths, two were not related to breast cancer. The third patient, in the AC-->T group, died because of brain metastasis. GnRHa+T treatment had no effect on blood profile and did not cause the development of detrimental symptoms but decreased bone mineral density. The efficacy of leuprorelin was similar to that of goserelin., Interpretation: GnRHa+T treatment can be an alternative treatment option in pre-menopausal women with endocrine-responsive, node-negative, breast cancer patients. The efficacy and tolerability of leuprorelin were similar to that of goserelin.

Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) is suggested to be involved in the progression of diabetic nephropathy. We investigated the association of the -2518 A/G polymorphism in the MCP-1 gene with progressive kidney failure in Korean patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). We investigated -2518 A/G polymorphism of the MCP-1 gene in type 2 DM patients with progressive kidney failure (n=112) compared with matched type 2 DM patients without nephropathy (diabetic control, n=112) and healthy controls (n=230). The overall genotypic distribution of -2518 A/G in the MCP-1 gene was not different in patients with type 2 DM compared to healthy controls. Although the genotype was not significantly different between the patients with kidney failure and the diabetic control (p=0.07), the A allele was more frequent in patients with kidney failure than in DM controls (42.0 vs. 32.1%, p=0.03). The carriage of A allele was significantly associated with kidney failure (68.8 vs. 54.5%, OR 1.84, 95% CI 1.07-3.18). In logistic regression analysis, carriage of A allele retained a significant association with diabetic kidney failure. Our result shows that the -2518 A allele of the MCP-1 gene is associated with kidney failure in Korean patients with type 2 DM.

Background: Der f 2 is a major sensitizing allergen in patients allergic to house dust mites worldwide. Isoforms of Der f 2 have been reported and are known to have different antigenicities. The aim of this study was to facilitate antigenic analysis and to develop an improved method for the detection of Der f 2 isoallergen, which is prevalent in Korea., Methods: A two-site ELISA was developed with monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) which were produced against recombinant Der f 2 (rDer f 2) and applied to assess Der f 2 in bedding samples., Results: A major isoform of Der f 2, found in Korea, was found to have amino acid variations especially at position 100 from lysine to glutamic acid, which is known to reduce significantly the binding affinity of mAbs when used to assess group 2 allergens. The detection limit of the developed two-site ELISA was determined to be about 8 ng/ml with rDer f 2 and 1 microg/ml with Derntatophagoides farinae crude extract. The average amount of Der f 2 in dust obtained from bedding samples from 89 homes in Seoul was estimated to be 25.61+/-10.70 microg/g dust., Conclusions: Assays using mAbs for rDer f 2 could be useful for the assessment of environmental allergen exposure and mAbs could be used to further characterize the isoallergens of Der f 2.

There are many database-oriented sites on the web, which provide basic medical knowledge, hospital information, and medical counseling. However, there are only a few oriental pulse databases on the web. In this perspective, the goal of this study is to develop the Clinical Database Management System of Oriental Pulse Wave Form using the World Wide Web. Accordingly, this study has conducted researches in the Web-based diagnosis data management system of pulse waveform as well as the method of transmitting the data of pulse waveform. In order to set the standard for the documents of the pulse waveform of patients, the web-based clinical database management system has been developed.

Exact titration of anti-HBs with mIU/mL unit is necessary in evaluating the success of HBV vaccination or in making a decision to increase the dose of HBV vaccination. Data of distribution of anti-HBs titers can contribute to cutting of public health costs by reducing unnecessary HBV booster doses. Moreover, anti-HBc is also an important marker for differentiation of vaccination-induced anti-HBs from infection-acquired anti-HBs. However, not much study about these subjects has been done in Korea. So we evaluated anti-HBs associated with anti-HBc and vaccination history. HBsAg and anti-HBs tests were done in 1,465 cases. The positive rates of HBsAg and anti-HBs were 4.5% and 74.6%, respectively. Anti-HBs positive rate was higher in the vaccinated group than that in the non-vaccinated group. The rates of anti-HBs positive cases with lower titers (10-< 100 mIU/mL) were 31.9%, while cases with higher titers (> or = 100 mIU/mL) were 68.1%. This suggested about 70% of anti-HBs-positive Korean adults (about 53% of the general adult population) have long-lasting immunity against HBV infection and may not require booster doses of HBV vaccination for a long time. Anti-HBs titers in the vaccine-induced anti-HBs group were higher than those in the infection-acquired anti-HBs group. No statistical differences were noted between male and female or among age groups. 25.7% of the HBsAg (-)/anti-HBs (-) group showed anti-HBc positive and HBV-DNA was detected in 11.1% among HBsAg (-)/anti-HBs (-)/anti-HBcAb (+) cases. Further study about post vaccination anti-HBs titer decay in Korean should be performed to help cut vaccination costs.

Objectives: This study assessed the knowledge and opinions of caries prevention and source of oral health information among Koreans., Methods: A questionnaire consisting of 36 items was used to interview 2,000 Koreans 10 through 69 years of age. Results for only selected questions are reported. A multistage, stratified, random sampling method was used., Results: Sixty-nine percent of the respondents had heard about fluoride. Only 16 percent knew that some community water supplies in Korea are fluoridated. Fifty-five percent of respondents who knew about community water fluoridation learned the information from television, whereas 28 percent read about it in a newspaper. Among those respondents who reported hearing about community water fluoridation, only 30 percent had precise information about its purpose. Fifty-five percent of the respondents reported that toothbrushing is the best way to maintain good oral health. Almost all respondents (97 percent) reported brushing their teeth one or more times a day., Conclusions: These data indicate that there is a relatively low level of accurate knowledge about dental caries prevention among Koreans 10 through 69 years of age. The majority of respondents report learning information about oral health from the mass media.