OBJECTIVES: This study aims to evaluate the size-dependent toxicity of spherical silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) to an endemic benthic organism, Glyptotendipes tokunagai. METHODS: Ag nanoparticles of three nominal sizes (50, 100, and 150 nm) capped with polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP-Ag NPs) were used. Their physicochemical properties, acute toxicity (48 hours), and bioaccumulation were measured using third instar larvae of G. tokunagai. RESULTS: The aggregation and dissolution of PVP-Ag NPs increased with exposure time and concentration, respectively, particularly for 50 nm PVP-Ag NPs. However, the dissolved concentration of Ag ions was not significant compared with the median lethal concentration value for AgNO3 (3.51 mg/L). The acute toxicity of PVP-Ag NPs was highest for the smallest particles (50 nm), whereas bioaccumulation was greatest for the largest particles (150 nm). However, larger PVP-Ag NPs were absorbed and excreted rapidly, resulting in shorter stays in G. tokunagai than the smaller ones. CONCLUSIONS: The size of PVP-Ag NPs significantly affects their acute toxicity to G. tokunagai. In particular, smaller PVP-Ag NPs have a higher solubility and stay longer in the body of G. tokunagai, resulting in higher toxicity than larger PVP-Ag NPs.
Chironomidae ; Ions ; Larva ; Nanoparticles* ; Polyvinyls ; Silver* ; Solubility

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to evaluate the size-dependent toxicity of spherical silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) to an endemic benthic organism, Glyptotendipes tokunagai. METHODS: Ag nanoparticles of three nominal sizes (50, 100, and 150 nm) capped with polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP-Ag NPs) were used. Their physicochemical properties, acute toxicity (48 hours), and bioaccumulation were measured using third instar larvae of G. tokunagai. RESULTS: The aggregation and dissolution of PVP-Ag NPs increased with exposure time and concentration, respectively, particularly for 50 nm PVP-Ag NPs. However, the dissolved concentration of Ag ions was not significant compared with the median lethal concentration value for AgNO3 (3.51 mg/L). The acute toxicity of PVP-Ag NPs was highest for the smallest particles (50 nm), whereas bioaccumulation was greatest for the largest particles (150 nm). However, larger PVP-Ag NPs were absorbed and excreted rapidly, resulting in shorter stays in G. tokunagai than the smaller ones. CONCLUSIONS: The size of PVP-Ag NPs significantly affects their acute toxicity to G. tokunagai. In particular, smaller PVP-Ag NPs have a higher solubility and stay longer in the body of G. tokunagai, resulting in higher toxicity than larger PVP-Ag NPs.
Chironomidae ; Ions ; Larva ; Nanoparticles* ; Polyvinyls ; Silver* ; Solubility

An outbreak of anthrax occurred in a village of Kyungsangbookdo province in February, 1994. The source of infection was raw meat and liver from an infected cow. Among those who ate the meat or liver, 28 developed gastrointestinal anthrax, and 3 patients died. We report a patient with anthrax tonsillitis. She ate raw bovine liver. The diagnosis was confirmed by the isolation of Bacillus anthracis from a tonsillarswab. Epidemiologically anthrax in Korea occurs as an outbreak of gastrointestinal anthrax by the ingestion of beef. Gastrointestinal anthrax should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a food-borne outbreak caused by ingestion of raw bovine meat.
Anthrax* ; Bacillus anthracis ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Eating* ; Foodborne Diseases ; Humans ; Korea ; Liver* ; Meat ; Palatine Tonsil ; Tonsillitis

Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Drainage ; Humans ; Mandible ; Mandibular Fractures ; Prognosis ; Titanium

An abnormal dipping pattern in ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) is a cardiovascular (CV) risk factor. However, its impact on CV mortality has not been investigated sufficiently in clinical practice to be considered a standard parameter. We assessed the association between abnormal dipping patterns and increased CV mortality in a tertiary hospital in Korea. Our retrospective cohort study included 401 patients who underwent ABPM between 1994 and 1996 in Hanyang University Hospital, Seoul, Korea. The patients were classified as risers (<0% drop in systolic BP; n=107), and others included dippers and non-dippers (> or =0% drop, n=294). The follow-up period was 120 months. The frequency of CV mortality was 14.0% in risers and 5.8% in others. A Cox regression analysis found a significant association between dipping pattern and CV mortality, after adjusting for age, gender, body mass index, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, smoking and hypercholesterolemia. Risers were at greater risk of CV death than others (RR, 3.02, P=0.022), but there was no difference in event rates between dippers and non-dippers. The reverse dipping pattern may be more frequent in clinical settings than in the population at large, and it is strongly associated with increased risk of CV mortality in Korea.
Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Blood Pressure/*physiology ; Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory ; Body Mass Index ; Cardiovascular Diseases/*mortality ; Cohort Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension/complications ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Regression Analysis ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Sex Factors

We measured the dose distribution for spinal cord and tumor using Gafchromic film, applying 3D and 4D-Treatment Planning for lung tumor within the phantom. A measured dose distribution was compared with a calculated dose distribution generated from 3D radiation treatment planning and 4D radiation treatment planning system. The agreement of the dose distribution in tumor for 3D and 4D treatment planning was 90.6%, 97.64% using gamma index computed for a distance to agreement of 1 mm and a dose difference of 3%. However, a gamma agreement index of 3% dose difference tolerence of and 2 mm distance to agreement, the accordance of the dose distribution around cord for 3D and 4D radiation treatment planning was 57.13%, 90.4%. There are significant differences between a calculated dose and a measured dose for 3D radiation treatment planning, no significant differences for 4D treatment planning. The results provide the effectiveness of the 4D treatment planning as compared to 3D. We suggest that the 4-dimensional treatment planning should be considered in the case where such equipments as Cyberknife with the real time tracking system are used to treat the tumors in the moving organ.
Lung ; Radiosurgery ; Spinal Cord ; Track and Field

Anaplasma species are obligate intracellular pathogens that can cause tick-borne diseases in mammalian hosts. To date, very few studies of their occurrence in Korean native goats (Capra aegagrus hircus) have been reported. In the present study, we investigated Anaplasma infection of Korean native goats on Jeju Island, Republic of Korea, and performed phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequences. Our results showed that Anaplasma infection was found mostly in adult female goats. The phylogenetic tree revealed that the 7 sequences identified in Korean native goats could belong to Anaplasma sp. and were distinct from A. marginale, A. centrale, and A. ovis. The results indicated that the sequences identified to belong to Anaplasma were closely related to sequences isolated from goats in China and were clustered within the same group. To our knowledge, this is the first study to detect Anaplasma sp. infection in Korean native goats.
Anaplasma/classification/genetics/*isolation & purification ; Anaplasmosis/*microbiology ; Animals ; Female ; Goat Diseases/*microbiology ; Goats ; Islands ; Male ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Phylogeny ; Republic of Korea

Nematomorpha, horsehair or Gordian worms, include about 300 freshwater species in 22 genera (Gordiida) and 5 marine species in 1 marine genus (Nectonema). They are parasitic in arthropods during their juvenile stage. In the present study, the used gordian worm was found in the feces of a dog (5-month old, male) in July 2014. Following the worm analysis using light and scanning electron microscopes, the morphological classification was re-evaluated with molecular analysis. The worm was determined to be a male worm having a bi-lobed tail and had male gonads in cross sections. It was identified as Gordius sp. (Nematomorpha: Gordiidae) based on the characteristic morphologies of cross sections and areole on the cuticle. DNA analysis on 18S rRNA partial sequence arrangements was also carried out, and the gordiid worm was assumed to be close to the genus Gordius based on a phylogenic tree analysis.
Animals ; Dog Diseases/diagnosis/*parasitology ; Dogs ; Feces/*parasitology ; Helminthiasis, Animal/diagnosis/*parasitology ; Helminths/classification/genetics/*isolation & purification ; Male ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Phylogeny

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The extent of coronary artery calcification (CAC) is closely related to total atherosclerotic plaque burden. However, the pathogenesis of CAC is still unclear. Conditions such as diabetes mellitus, renal failure, smoking, and chronic inflammation have been suggested to link vascular calcification and bone loss. In the present study, we hypothesized that bone loss can contribute to the pathogenesis of CAC in patients with the chronic inflammatory condition that accompanies metabolic syndrome (MetS). The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between CAC and bone mineral density (BMD) in patients with MetS and in patients without MetS, by using coronary multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Data from 395 consecutive patients was analyzed retrospectively. From the MDCT database, only those patients who underwent both coronary MDCT and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry within an interval of one month, were selected. The presence of MetS was determined by the updated criteria as defined by the Third Adult Treatment Panel Report of the National Cholesterol Education Program. RESULTS: In patients with MetS, a significant correlation was found between CAC and age {odds ratio (OR)=1.139, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.080 to 1.201, p<0.001}, CAC and male sex (OR=3.762, 95% CI 1.339 to 10.569, p=0.012), and CAC and T-score of L-spine (OR=0.740, 95% CI 0.550 to 0.996, p=0.047) using a forward multiple logistic regression analysis model including clinical variables of gender, age, lipid profile, body mass index, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, smoking, and BMD. But in patients without MetS, BMD by itself was not found to contribute to CAC. CONCLUSION: BMD was inversely correlated with CAC only in patients with MetS. This finding suggests that low BMD accompanied by MetS, may have significant clinical implications.
Absorptiometry, Photon ; Adult ; Aluminum Hydroxide ; Body Mass Index ; Bone Density ; Carbonates ; Cholesterol ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Vessels ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Inflammation ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Metabolic Syndrome X ; Multidetector Computed Tomography ; Plaque, Atherosclerotic ; Renal Insufficiency ; Retrospective Studies ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Vascular Calcification

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The extent of coronary artery calcification (CAC) is closely related to total atherosclerotic plaque burden. However, the pathogenesis of CAC is still unclear. Conditions such as diabetes mellitus, renal failure, smoking, and chronic inflammation have been suggested to link vascular calcification and bone loss. In the present study, we hypothesized that bone loss can contribute to the pathogenesis of CAC in patients with the chronic inflammatory condition that accompanies metabolic syndrome (MetS). The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between CAC and bone mineral density (BMD) in patients with MetS and in patients without MetS, by using coronary multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Data from 395 consecutive patients was analyzed retrospectively. From the MDCT database, only those patients who underwent both coronary MDCT and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry within an interval of one month, were selected. The presence of MetS was determined by the updated criteria as defined by the Third Adult Treatment Panel Report of the National Cholesterol Education Program. RESULTS: In patients with MetS, a significant correlation was found between CAC and age {odds ratio (OR)=1.139, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.080 to 1.201, p<0.001}, CAC and male sex (OR=3.762, 95% CI 1.339 to 10.569, p=0.012), and CAC and T-score of L-spine (OR=0.740, 95% CI 0.550 to 0.996, p=0.047) using a forward multiple logistic regression analysis model including clinical variables of gender, age, lipid profile, body mass index, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, smoking, and BMD. But in patients without MetS, BMD by itself was not found to contribute to CAC. CONCLUSION: BMD was inversely correlated with CAC only in patients with MetS. This finding suggests that low BMD accompanied by MetS, may have significant clinical implications.
Absorptiometry, Photon ; Adult ; Aluminum Hydroxide ; Body Mass Index ; Bone Density ; Carbonates ; Cholesterol ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Vessels ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Inflammation ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Metabolic Syndrome X ; Multidetector Computed Tomography ; Plaque, Atherosclerotic ; Renal Insufficiency ; Retrospective Studies ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Vascular Calcification