Restoring phosphorus from water to soil: Using calcined eggshells for P adsorption and subsequent application of the adsorbent as a P fertilizer.

This study investigated the solution for two environmental issues: excess of P in water and its deficiency in soil, which is restored by transferring the adsorbed P from water into the soil using eggshell as an adsorbent. The eggshells were calcined at different temperatures to improve their adsorption capacity, and evaluated for their physical/chemical properties and P adsorption capacity. The eggshells calcined at 800 °C (CES-800) had the highest P adsorption; CaCO decomposed into 23.

Evaluation of neutrophil extracellular traps as the circulating marker for patients with acute coronary syndrome and acute ischemic stroke.

Introduction: Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are known to be induced by various factors. In this study, we tried to identify circulating levels of NETs in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and to confirm its suitability as a new circulating marker in their detection.

Methods: We prospectively enrolled 95 patients with a diagnosis of ACS (N = 37) or AIS (N = 58) in Dong-A University Hospital, Busan, Korea.

Early prediction of severity in acute ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack using platelet parameters and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio.

Background: It is still not easy to predict severity promptly in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and transient ischemic attack (TIA). We investigated that platelet parameters or combinations of them could be a useful tool for early prediction of severity of AIS and TIA at admission and after 3 months.

Methods: We prospectively recruited 104 patients newly diagnosed with AIS and TIA.

Platelet Function Analyzer-200 P2Y Results Are Predictive of the Risk of Major Adverse Cardiac Events in Korean Patients Receiving Clopidogrel Therapy Following Acute Coronary Syndrome.

Background: Clopidogrel is one of the most commonly used anti-platelet agents in cardiovascular diseases. We analyzed the relationship between the platelet function analyzer (PFA)-200 P2Y (INNOVANCE PFA-200 System, Siemens Healthcare, Germany) results and occurrence of major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) in Korean patients with recent-onset acute coronary syndrome (ACS) taking clopidogrel.

Methods: Between August 2013 and June 2016, we prospectively enrolled 106 patients with recent-onset ACS who had been treated with clopidogrel.

The Diagnostic Utility of the Point-of-Care CYP2C19 Genotyping Assay in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome Dosing Clopidogrel: Comparison with Platelet Function Test and SNP Genotyping.

Background: Clopidogrel is a widely used antiplatelet agent for dual antiplatelet therapy and metabolized by CYP2C19. The polymorphism of CYP2C19 is associated with the therapeutic effect of clopidogrel.

Methods: A total of 119 patients diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stents was enrolled.

Diagnostic utility of multiprobe fluorescence in situ hybridization assay for detecting cytogenetic aberrations in acute leukemia.

Background: Specific cytogenetic aberrations detected by conventional karyotyping or FISH play a major role in the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of patients with acute leukemia. The FISH technique enhances the capacity of conventional karyotyping to detect subtle chromosomal aberrations. Multiprobe FISH assay (Cytocell, UK) can hybridize multiple probes to a single slide, thereby increasing the detection rate of cytogenetic aberrations.

Outbreak of pseudomonas oryzihabitans pseudobacteremia related to contaminated equipment in an emergency room of a tertiary hospital in Korea.

Pseudomonas oryzihabitans is frequently found in various sites within hospital settings, including sink drains and respiratory therapy equipment. Although it rarely causes human infections, P. oryzihabitans has recently been considered a potential nosocomial pathogen, especially in immunocompromised hosts.

Effect of heat treatment around the fruit set region on growth and yield of watermelon [Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. and Nakai].

The present experiment was aimed to study the effect of imposing modulated temperature treatments 14 °C and 18 °C, around the fruiting region of watermelon plants, and to estimate the economic feasibility of the temperature treatments based on energy consumption for heating. Watermelon cultivar 'Sambok-gul' was selected and sown on perlite beds in a plastic house under controlled conditions at Watermelon Farm, Jeongeup-Jeonbuk, longitude 35° 31' 47.51N, 126° 48'48.

A case of Clostridium difficile bacteremia in a patient with loop ileostomy.

Clostridium difficile, an anaerobic, spore-forming, gram-positive, rod-shaped bacterium, is the most common nosocomial pathogen causing pseudomembranous colitis. C. difficile is not intrinsically invasive and rarely infects extraintestinal sites.

A case of near-triploidy in myelodysplastic syndrome with del(5q) combined with del(1p) and del(13q).

Numerical and structural chromosomal abnormalities are common in hematological malignancies. Near-triploidy (58-80 chromosomes) is a numerical abnormality observed in 3% of adult cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Near-triploidy is rare in myeloid lineage hematologic malignancies and compared to near-triploidy in lymphoid malignancies, near-triploidy in myeloid malignancies is associated with poor outcomes.

Serial interferon-gamma release assays for the diagnosis of latent tuberculosis infection in patients treated with immunosuppressive agents.

Background: We assessed the efficacy of serial interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) for the diagnosis of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in patients receiving immunosuppressive agents for treatment of rheumatic diseases in Korea.

Methods: Of 276 patients who underwent consecutive screening with one of two IGRAs [QuantiFERON-TB Gold or QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube], 66 patients were evaluated by the serial IGRA for detection of LTBI during therapy with immunosuppressive agents. Information on clinical diagnosis, medication, previous TB, blood cell count, tuberculin skin test, and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) level measured by IGRA was collected.

Comparison of capillary electrophoresis with cellulose acetate electrophoresis for the screening of hemoglobinopathies.

Background: β-thalassemia is primarily found in individuals of Mediterranean and Southeast Asian ancestry. With rapid growth in the Southeast Asian segments of the Korean population, the geographic distribution of hemoglobinopathies is expected to become significantly different from what it is today. In this study, Hb fractions were measured in patients with hypochromic microcytosis to detect thalassemia and Hb variants.

Prevalence and clinical associations of lupus anticoagulant, anticardiolipin antibodies, and anti-beta2-glycoprotein I antibodies in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Background: The presence of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs) is associated with the clinical features of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), which comprises venous and arterial thrombosis and pregnancy loss, and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The prevalence of aPLs has been reported to be different in patient populations affected by either of these conditions. We performed a retrospective study to evaluate the prevalence and clinical associations of aPLs, including lupus anticoagulant (LAC), anticardiolipin (aCL), and anti-beta2-glycoprotein I antibodies (anti-beta2-GPI) in a cohort of Korean patients with SLE.

[Antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of Legionella isolates in the environment and in patients].

Background: Antimicrobial susceptibility of Legionella spp. has rarely been studied in Korea. Therefore, we aimed to determine the susceptibility of Legionella spp.

Primary anti-D immunization by DEL red blood cells.

Extremely weak D variants called DEL are serologically detectable only by adsorption-elution techniques. A nucleotide change of exon 9 in RHD gene, RHD (K409K, 1227G>A) allelic variant is present in almost all the DEL individuals of East Asians. No DEL phenotype has yet been shown to induce a primary alloanti-D immunization in East Asia.

[Comparative quantification of plasma hnRNP B1 mRNA in non-small cell lung cancer patients by real-time PCR].

Background: Circulating cell-free nucleic acids are known to be a noninvasive diagnostic tool for cancer detection. Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP) B1, a nuclear core complex, is overexpressed in early stage lung cancer. We intended to evaluate the usefulness of plasma hnRNP B1 mRNA in differentiating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) from other benign lung diseases, especially pulmonary tuberculosis, which is highly prevalent in Korea and often difficult to distinguish from lung cancer.

[Diagnostic utility of AxSYM anti-cyclic Citrullinated peptide antibody assay].

Background: The presence of rheumatoid factor (RF) is one of the classification criteria of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but it has a limitation of low specificity. We compared the diagnostic utility of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) antibodies analyzed by an automated immunoassay system with that measured by a 96 well plate ELISA method.

Methods: The RF and anti-CCP antibodies were determined in 172 serum samples: 52 RA patients, 73 disease controls (systemic lupus, Sjogren's syndrome, palindromic rheumatism), and 47 healthy controls.

Evaluation of the broth microdilution method using 2,3-diphenyl-5-thienyl-(2)-tetrazolium chloride for rapidly growing mycobacteria susceptibility testing.

As the incidence of nontuberculous mycobacterial infection has been increasing recently in Korea, the importance of drug susceptibility test for clinical isolates of mycobacteria has become larger. In this study we determined the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of clinical isolates of M. fortuitum and M.

Clinical significance of ELISA positive and immunofluorescence negative anti-dsDNA antibody.

Background: Positivity for anti-dsDNA antibody is a diagnostic criterion of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In the present study, the significance of ELISA positive and Crithidia luciliae immunofluorescence test (CLIFT) negative anti-dsDNA sera was evaluated.

Methods: There were 371 consecutive serum samples submitted to for anti-dsDNA testing that were assayed using anti-dsDNA ELISA and CLIFT.

Prevalence and clinical implications of Staphylococcus aureus with a vancomycin MIC of 4 microg/ml in Korea.

In addition to vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (VISA), S. aureus with a vancomycin MIC of 4 microg/ml has been reported to be the cause of therapeutic failure. This study was designed to determine the prevalence of methicillin-resistant S.

Vascular administration of adenoviral vector soaked in absorbable gelatin sponge particles (GSP) prolongs the transgene expression in hepatocytes.

Transcatheter hepatic arterial chemoembolization using emulsions composed of anticancer agents and gelatin sponges (GS) has been an efficient and safe palliative treatment for inoperable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We employed catheter-mediated left hepatic arterial embolization (CHAE) to increase transduction efficiency of adenoviral vector in canine hepatocytes. The emulsion was prepared by mixing pieces of GSP and adenoviral vectors expressing recombinant beta-galactosidase (Ad.