BACKGROUND: Emerging drug resistance and increasing incidence of enterococci infection necessitates an accurate species identification. METHOD: We compared the identification of twelve strains of American Type Culture Coliection(ATCC) (E. faecalis, E. avium, E. faecium, E. raffinosus, E. durans, E. casseliflavus, E. hirae, E. flavescens, E. malodoratus, E. gallnarum, E. mundtii, and E. sulfureus) and 73 clinical isolates of enterococci(E. faecalis 8, E. faecium 8, E. avium 13, E. durans 5, and unidentified strains 39) by Vitek Gram-positive Identification card (version R08.1, bio- Merieux Vitek, Hazelwood, Mo., U.S.A.), ribotyping and conventional scheme of Facklam and Sahm. RESULTS: All ATCC strains could be identified on the basis of characteristic 16S-23S rDNA fingerprint patterns by using Eel I and Hind III. Of 39 strains unidentified by Vitek GPI card, 25 strains were identified as E. faecium, 5 strains were E. gallinarum, 5 strains were E. casseliflavus, 3 strains were E. avium and 1 strain was E. hirae. CONCLUSION: By ribotyping with Eel I and Hind m digestion, all twelve ATCC strains and 73 clinical strains were identified and it seems to be a reliable method for identification of Enterococcus species.
Dermatoglyphics ; Digestion ; DNA, Ribosomal ; Drug Resistance ; Eels ; Enterococcus* ; Incidence ; Ribotyping*

BACKGROUND: Vibrio vulnificus are divided into 3 biogroups based on their biochemical and serological properties and the existence of eel virulence. Only a few studies can be found on the biogroups of V. vulnificus in other countries, and no such studies have been done in Korea. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the presence of biogroups other than biogroup 1 among the V. vulnificus isolated from septic patients and from oysters in Korea. METHODS: A total of 103 isolates (53 from septic patients and 50 from oyster) were used. The API 20E system was used to confirm identification of the V. vulnificus. Conventional biochemical tests and vvA gene detection by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were used to determine the biogroups. RESULTS: The clinical and oyster isolates showed results similar to the biochemical tests. All of the clinical and oyster isolates showed the biochemical pattern of biogroup 1. The vvhA gene was detected in all of the isolates. CONCLUSION: All of the V. vulnificus isolates from the septic patients and oysters in Korea belong to biogroup 1.
Eels ; Humans ; Korea ; Ostreidae ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Vibrio ; Vibrio vulnificus

BACKGROUND: The immunomodulatory effects of Korean mistletoe (Viscum album Coloratum) on the innate immune responses of eel (Anguilla japonica) were studied. METHODS: Mistletoe, Freund's complete adjuvant (FCA), or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) as a control was injected into eel peritoneal cavities. RESULTS: Nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT)-positive cells in the head kidney of eel were significantly augmented by the second day post-injection of mistletoe. Reactive oxygen intermediates (ROI) were more produced in mistletoe-injected fish kidney leucocytes than in FCA-injected ones. The level of lysozyme activity in the serum of fish 2 days after injection with mistletoe was also significantly higher than that in the serum of the control fish. The optimal concentration of mistletoe in inducing the highest serum lysozyme activity was revealed to 500microgram/200 g of fish. In phagocytic activity assay, mistletoe-sensitized eel kidney phagocytes captured more zymosan than did the control fish. CONCLUSION: Korean mistletoe appeared to be a good activator of the non-specific immune responses of eel.
Eels ; Head Kidney ; Immunity, Innate ; Kidney ; Mistletoe ; Muramidase ; Nitroblue Tetrazolium ; Oxygen ; Phagocytes ; Zymosan

BACKGROUND: Restenosis after successful percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty remains a major obstacle to the long-term success of the procedure. Uncontrolled proliferation and extracelluar matrix synthesis in response to mechanical injury are important contributors to this proces. External beam radiation or gamma radiation affects self-renewing tissues by arresting cell division, and therefore limits proliferation by reducing the number of clonal progenitors. The purpose of this study was to determine whether external beam radiation (EBR) could reduce the extent of neointimal formation after balloon injury in the rat carotid injury model and, if it could, to define the minimum effective dose. METHODS: 32 Sprague-Dawley rats (mean weight : 370+/-78g) underwent carotid injury by using 2F Fogarty balloon and EBR with doses ranging from 5 to 20 Gy. Rats were sacrificed after 2 weeks. The arteries were perfusin-fixed in paraformaldehyde. The dose was specified to a depth of 15mm. Histomorphometry was performed to compare external elastic lamina (EEL) area (mm2), lumen area (mm2)and neointimal area (mm2 of the injured segments. RESULTS: EEL area showed no significant difference in each different radiation group. Low dose EBR (5 Gy and 10Gy) had no significant impact on neointimal hyperplasia in rat carotid injury model. However, in high dose group (15Gy and 20Gy) neointimal area was significantly reduced (p<0.01) indicating high dose EBR markedly prevented neointimal hyperplasia. CONCLUSION: Radiation therapy may be an effective adjunctive method for reducing the restenosis rate after successful angioplasty in the rat carotid injury model.
Angioplasty ; Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary ; Animals ; Arteries ; Cell Division ; Eels ; Gamma Rays ; Hyperplasia ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

This report is a study on metabolic responses of selected forty-five head injured patients which were admitted to neurosurgical department of Woo Sok Hospital C.H. from January to August 70. The study was undertaken in an attempt to establish the basis for electrolyte or water support to head injury patients. All patients were classified into five groups according to severity of head injury. Authors studied on sodium, choloride and potasium of serum and urine at 24, 48, and 72hrs. N.P.O. in each group, and also considered the factors and mechanism, inducing hyponatremia of head injury patients, by virtue of count of either dilution or concentration of inorganic acid and protein anion which were mainly depend on water content of blood. The electrolytes were measured by the EEL flame photometry and chloride was measured by the Schales method. The characteristic of metabolic responses in electrolytes of each group are as following the results obtained. The persistent metabolic responses of head injured patients were found as mild to moderated hyponatremia compare with other site injured one and which were also depended on the severity of heed injury, acuteness of its onset the presence or absence of brain parenchymal destruction and brain swelling. The inducing factors of hyponatremia would be considered as follows: 1) Water retention. 2) Renal Na loss. 3) Intracellular Na migration from blood.
Brain ; Brain Edema ; Craniocerebral Trauma ; Eels ; Electrolytes* ; Head* ; Humans ; Hyponatremia ; Photometry ; Sodium ; Virtues ; Water*

Anisakiasis is a zoonotic disease induced by anisakid nematodes, and endoscopic inspection is used for a diagnosis or remedy for it. Anisakis simplex, Anisakis physeteris, and Pseudoterranova decipiens had been reported to be the major species causing human infections, particularly, in Japan. However, in Korea, recent studies strongly suggested that Anisakis pegreffii is the major species of human infections. To support this suggestion, we collected anisakid larvae (n=20) from 20 human patients who were undergone gastrointestinal endoscopy at a health check-up center in Korea, and molecular identification was performed on the larvae using PCR-RFLP analysis and gene sequencing of rDNA ITS regions and mtDNA cox2. In addition, anisakid larvae (n=53) collected from the sea eel (Astroconger myriaster) were also examined for comparison with those extracted from humans. The results showed that all human samples (100%) were identified as A. pegreffii, whereas 90.7% of the samples from the sea eel were A. pegreffii with the remaining 9.3% being Hysterothylacium aduncum. Our study confirmed that A. pegreffii is the predominant species causing human anisakiasis in Korea, and this seems to be due to the predominance of this larval type in the fish (sea eels) popularly consumed by the Korean people. The possibility of human infection with H. aduncum in Korea is also suggested.
Anisakiasis ; Anisakis ; Diagnosis ; DNA, Mitochondrial ; DNA, Ribosomal ; Eels ; Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal ; Humans ; Japan ; Korea ; Larva ; Zoonoses

This study was conducted to investigate the side dishes preference of Korean food with 403 college students (197 males and 206 females) in Seoul using questionnaires. Regarding preference of soups, it was shown that male students liked sollongt' ang and beef soup and female students liked soybean paste soup. Male students had higher preferences for sollongt' ang, beef soup, dried pollack soup, and kimchi soup than female students (p < 0.05). Both male and female students had the highest preferences for kimchi pot stew and soft-tofu pot stew, but the lowest preferences for fermented soybeans pot stew and frozen pollack pot stew (p < 0.05). Stewed beef with soy sauce was preferred the most by both of them but female students had lower preferences for stewed bean with soy sauce and stewed pepper with soy sauce than male students (p < 0.05). For the preference of panbroiled foods, stir-fried with marinated anchovy was disliked by both of them but stir-fried with marinated pork was shown to have high preference in male students and stir-fried with marinated kimchi was high in female students (p < 0.05). Besides, roasted ribs, cucumber salad, and korean cabbage kimchi were preferred the most by both of them. But male students had higher preferences for roasted eel, grilled todok, roots of broad bellflower salad, mustard leaf kimchi, and white cabbage kimchi than female students (p < 0.05).
Brassica ; Codonopsis ; Eels ; Female ; Food Preferences* ; Humans ; Male ; Mustard Plant ; Ribs ; Seoul* ; Soy Foods ; Soybeans ; Surveys and Questionnaires

This study was conducted to investigate food and meal preference of workers (435 male and 212 female) in the Chonnam Yeosu industrial area. The results of the survey were analyzed by principal components analysis. The results were obtained as follows: 19.3% of the subjects were twenties, 28.3% were thirties, 28.8% were forties and 23.7% were fifties. Females liked rice rolled in dried laver, rice cakes, janchi-noodle and breads, on the other hand males liked thick beef soup, loach soup, an eel stew and soju. The young liked instant noodles, fried chicken, sweet and sour pork, pork cutlet, pizza, hamburger, ham, sausage and fruit beverage, on the other hand the old liked a fish pot stew, loach soup, eel stew, fish boiled in soy with spices, panfried fish, sea slug, ascidian, bunder, green laver and boiled burdock-lotus root in soy. Females who are young liked hamburger and sweet and sour pork whereas males who are young liked instant noodles, pork cutlet, ham, sausage and fruit beverage. Aged females liked fish boiled in soy with spices, panfried fish, bunder, green laver, boiled burdock-lotus root in soy whereas aged males liked a fish pot stew, loach soup, eel stew, sea mussel and oysters. Boiled rice was located within the middle irrespective of age and sex, but noodles, wheat flour meal, fast foods and fruits were situated at the young female side. Aged males liked soup and pot stew. Young males liked meats and eggs whereas fish and shellfish and kimch were located at the aged people side. Aged females liked sea weeds and most people disliked vegetables but females liked some vegetables irrespective of age. Processed foods, salted foods, and alcohol were generally disliked foods by subjects but males liked those foods. Soybean curd was liked more males than females, and teas, except coffee, was liked by males.
Aged ; Beverages ; Bivalvia ; Bread ; Chickens ; Coffee ; Eels ; Eggs ; Fast Foods ; Female ; Flour ; Fruit ; Gastropoda ; Hand ; Humans ; Male ; Meals ; Meat ; Ostreidae ; Ovum ; Shellfish ; Soybeans ; Spices ; Tea ; Triticum ; Urochordata ; Vegetables

There is a limitation to estimate vitamin B12 intake due to a lack of data on vitamin B12 content in many Korean foods. In this study, vitamin B12 content was determined in some seaweeds, fish, and shellfish and their product that are consumed in Korea using a modified microbioassay with Lactobacillus delbruecki ATCC 7830. Dried laver and dried seasoned and toasted laver contained very high levels of vitamin B12 (66.8 and 55.2-71.3 microg/100 g, respectively. Sea lettuce and seaweed fulvescene also contained high vitamin B12 content of 5.47-9.41 and 6.46-7.20 microg/100 g, respectively, whereas sea mustard and sea tangle contained low levels of vitamin B12; vitamin B12 was not detected in seaweed fusifome. Pacific saury, trout, sea-bass, or squid contained 12.01, 2.00, 0.49 and 2.33 microg vitamin B12/100 g, respectively. Ochellatus octopus, and naked sand lance contained 0.72-1.43 and 3.68 microg vitamin B12/100 g, respectively. Dried Alaska pollack contained 0.19-2.64 microg vitamin B12/100 g. Shellfish such as little neck clam and small ark shellfish contained high levels of vitamin B12 of 30.5-40.5 microg/100 g, and mussel and abalone contained 17.71 and 7.82 microg/100 g, respectively. Of unique Korean traditional fermented seafood products, salt-fermented products of squid (2.91 microg/100 g), clams (34.31 microg/100 g), Alaska pollack roe (9.98-12.02 microg/100 g), hairtail guts (4.58 microg/100 g) or small shrimp (0.58-1.55 microg/100 g), and fish sauce from anchovies (1.52-1.78 microg/100 mL), sand eel (0.22-0.24 microg/100 mL) or small shrimp (0.19-0.78 microg/100 mL) were analyzed. A few commercial brands of flying fish roe (0.73-1.73 microg/100 g), canned tuna (0.40 microg/100 g), and fried fish paste (0.25-0.69 microg /100 g) were also analyzed. In conclusion, vitamin B12 content in these foods, chosen considering the Korean food culture, should contribute to improve the present vitamin B12 food database. It may be helpful to estimate vitamin B12 intake more correctly than before, and provide additional information for dietary education related to vitamin B12 and meal management.
Alaska ; Bivalvia ; Decapodiformes ; Diptera ; Eels ; Korea ; Lactobacillus ; Meals ; Mustard Plant ; Neck ; Octopodiformes ; Seafood ; Seasons ; Seaweed ; Shellfish ; Silicon Dioxide ; Trout ; Tuna ; Ulva ; Vitamin B 12 ; Vitamins

To investigate the properties of ryanodine binding sites of the bird skeletal SR vesicles, SDS PAGE, purification of RyR, and (3H)ryanodine binding study were carried out in the SR vesicles prepared from the chicken pectoral muscle. The chicken SR vesicles have two high molecular weight (HMW) protein bands as in eel SR vesicles on SDS PAGE. The HMW bands on SDS PAGE were found in the (3H) ryanodine peak fraction (Fr3-5) obtained from the purification step of the ryanodine receptor protein. Bmax and KD of the chicken (3H)ryanodine binding sites were 12.52 pmol/mg protein and 14.53 nM, respectively. Specific (3H)ryanodine binding was almost maximal at 50~100 micrometer Ca2+, but was not increased by 5 mM AMP and not inhibited by high Ca2+. Binding was significantly inhibited by 20~100 micrometer ruthenium red and 1 mM tetracaine, but slightly inhibited by Mg2+. From the above results, it is suggested that chicken SR vesicles have the ryanodine binding sites to which the binding of ryanodine is almost maximal at 50~10 micrometer Ca2+, is significantly inhibited by ruthenium red and tetracaine, slightly inhibited by Mg2+, but not affected by AMP and not inhibited by high Ca2+.
Binding Sites* ; Birds ; Chickens* ; Eels ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Molecular Weight ; Ruthenium Red ; Ryanodine ; Ryanodine Receptor Calcium Release Channel ; Sarcoplasmic Reticulum ; Tetracaine