Standardized, musculoskeletal ultrasonographic reference values for healthy Korean adults.

Background/aims: To define standard reference values for musculoskeletal ultrasonography (MSUS) in Korea.

Methods: A total of 251 healthy adults were recruited for this study. Ultrasonography was performed by experienced rheumatologists who had undergone four appropriate training programs in Korea.

Bacteriophage application to control the contaminated water with Shigella.

Shigella is one of the most important waterborne and foodborne pathogens around the world. Emergence of antibiotic-resistant Shigella has made the development of alternatives to conventional antibiotics necessary. In this study, a virulent Myoviridae bacteriophage, pSs-1 was isolated from environmental water in South Korea and showed infectivity to S.

Isolation and Comparative Genomic Analysis of T1-Like Shigella Bacteriophage pSf-2.

The increasing prevalence of antibiotic-resistant Shigella sp. emphasizes that alternatives to conventional antibiotics are needed. Siphoviridae bacteriophage (phage), pSf-2, infecting S.

Characterization and complete genome sequence of a novel N4-like bacteriophage, pSb-1 infecting Shigella boydii.

Shigellosis is one of major foodborne pathogens in both developed and developing countries. Although antibiotic therapy is considered an effective treatment for shigellosis, the imprudent use of antibiotics has led to the increase of multiple-antibiotic-resistant Shigella species globally. In this study, we isolated a virulent Podoviridae bacteriophage (phage), pSb-1, that infects Shigella boydii.

Genomic structure of the Aeromonas bacteriophage pAh6-C and its comparative genomic analysis.

pAh6-C is a virulent bacteriophage (phage), isolated from a river in Korea, that infects a multiple-antibiotic-resistant A. hydrophila strain, JUNAH. The double-stranded DNA genome of pAh6-C is composed of 53,744 bp with a G + C content of 52.

Eating oysters without risk of vibriosis: application of a bacteriophage against Vibrio parahaemolyticus in oysters.

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a major cause of foodborne illness and related with the consumption of raw contaminated seafood, especially oysters. To evaluate the effectiveness of various applications of a bacteriophage (phage), pVp-1, against a multiple-antibiotic-resistant V. parahaemolyticus pandemic strain (CRS 09-17), we designed artificial contamination models that are most likely to be encountered during oyster processing.

Bacteriophage therapy of a Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection caused by a multiple-antibiotic-resistant O3:K6 pandemic clinical strain.

Background: Recently isolated Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains have displayed multiple antibiotic resistance. Alternatives to conventional antibiotics are needed, especially for the multiple-antibiotic-resistant V. parahaemolyticus pandemic strain.

CPRMethicillin resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci isolated from South Korean ducks exhibiting tremor.

Background: We describe coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) isolates collected from ducklings exhibiting tremor in South Korea over the period of 2010 to 2011. Screening of antimicrobial susceptibility and analysis of SCCmec elements of CoNS were also investigated.

Results: Staphylococcus cohnii was the most frequent staphylococcus (9 isolates) and S.

Draft Genome Sequence of Aeromonas salmonicida subsp. achromogenes AS03, an Atypical Strain Isolated from Crucian Carp (Carassius carassius) in the Republic of Korea.

We present the draft genome sequence of Aeromonas salmonicida subsp. achromogenes strain AS03, an atypical A. salmonicida strain that causes erythrodermatitis in crucian carp (Carassius carassius).

Isolation and characterization of a Myoviridae bacteriophage against Staphylococcus aureus isolated from dairy cows with mastitis.

A lytic bacteriophage (phage), designated SAH-1, was isolated from sewage effluent near a dairy cow farm in Gwacheon, South Korea to search for biocontrol agents against Staphylococcus aureus infections. The SAH-1 was morphologically classified as Myoviridae and possessed an approximate 144 kb double-stranded genomic DNA. The phage showed broad host ranges within S.

Pulmonary hypertension associated with rheumatic diseases: baseline characteristics from the Korean registry.

Objectives: The REgistry of Pulmonary Hypertension Associated with Rheumatic Disease (REOPARD) was established in Korea. The baseline data are described from the second year of the registry's operation.

Methods: Patients with a connective tissue disease (CTD) who met the modified definition of the WHO group I pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) were enrolled.

Isolation, molecular characterization, and antibiotic susceptibility of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in Korean seafood.

The principal objective of this study was to investigate the incidence, risk assessment, antibiotic resistance, and genotyping of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in Korean seafood. The incidence of V. parahaemolyticus in seafood obtained from several fish markets in Korea was investigated from May to December of 2009, except between July and September.

First description of the qnrS-like (qnrS5) gene and analysis of quinolone resistance-determining regions in motile Aeromonas spp. from diseased fish and water.

Antimicrobial resistance patterns in a collection of 33 motile Aeromonas species were described in this study. Quinolone has been frequently employed for treatment of Aeromonas-related diseases, and prolonged use of antimicrobial compounds has led to development of resistant strains. In a sample of diseased fish and environmental water, we evaluated nalidixic acid (n = 19) and ciprofloxacin (n = 4) resistance via minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assays and the genetic basis was also investigated.

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha induces vascular endothelial growth factor-C expression in rheumatoid synoviocytes.

Objective: To determine the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) in the synovial fluid of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to investigate the regulation of VEGF-C production by major proinflammatory cytokines in fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS).

Methods: The concentrations of VEGF-C, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and interleukin 1beta (IL-1beta) were measured using an ELISA method in synovial fluids obtained from 20 patients with RA and 20 with osteoarthritis (OA). Primary cultured RA FLS were stimulated with TNF-alpha or IL-1beta, and the expression levels of VEGF-C mRNA and protein were assessed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and ELISA.

[A case of jejunal infarction and perforation due to acute pancreatitis].

Jejunal infarction as a complication of acute pancreatitis is not common and can not be well recognized. This jejunal infarction usually arises from the venous thrombosis rather than arterial thrombosis. Jejunal infarction results in bowel perforation or stenosis according to its extension of injury and progression rate.

Concurrent FP (5-fluorouracil, cisplatin) Chemoradiotherapy for Patients with Esophageal Cancer.

Purpose: The outcomes of a surgical approach for patients with an esophageal carcinoma remain unsatisfactory despite its high complication rates. We conducted a phase II trial, using combined FP (5-fluorouracil and cisplatin) chemotherapy and concurrent radiotherapy, as a definitive therapy for patients with esophageal cancer.

Materials And Methods: Patients with histologically proven esophageal cancer were enrolled onto this study.

[Effects of genetic polymorphisms of ethanol-metabolizing enzymes on alcohol drinking behaviors].

Background/aims: Genetic variations of ethanol-metabolizing enzymes can affect alcohol drinking behavior. The aims of this study were to investigate and compare the distributions of these genetic polymorphisms between a healthy control group and a heavy drinker group which included an alcoholic liver cirrhosis group.

Methods: Genotypes of ADH2, ALDH2, CYP2E1, and catalase were identified by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism.