Porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) is a highly contagious enteric swine disease. The large economic impact of PED on the swine industry worldwide has made the development of an effective PED vaccine a necessity. S0, a truncated region of the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) spike protein, has been suggested as a candidate antigen for PED subunit vaccines; however, poor solubility problems when the protein is expressed in Escherichia coli, and the inherent problems of subunit vaccines, such as low immunogenicity, remain. Flagellin has been widely used as a fusion partner to enhance the immunogenicity and solubility of many difficult-to-express proteins; however, the conjugation effect of flagellin varies depending on the target antigen or the position of the fusion placement. Here, we conjugated flagellin, Vibrio vulnificus FlaB, to the N- and C-termini of S0 and evaluated the ability of the fusion to enhance the solubility and immunogenicity of S0. Flagellin conjugation in the presence of the trigger factor chaperone tig greatly improved the solubility of the fusion protein (up to 99%) regardless of its conjugation position. Of importance, flagellin conjugated to the N-terminus of S0 significantly enhanced S0-specific humoral immune responses compared to other recombinant antigens in Balb/c mice. The mechanism of this phenomenon was investigated through in vitro and in vivo studies. These findings provide important information for the development of a novel PED vaccine and flagellin-based immunotherapeutics.
Animals ; Diarrhea ; Escherichia coli ; Flagellin ; Immunity, Humoral ; In Vitro Techniques ; Mice ; Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus ; Solubility ; Swine ; Swine Diseases ; Vaccines, Subunit ; Vibrio vulnificus ; Vibrio

Bronchial thermoplasty is a nonpharmacological treatment for severe asthma that delivers thermal energy to the bronchial walls and reduces hypertrophied smooth muscle mass. Previous studies have shown its efficacy and safety, resulting in approval from the Food and Drug Administration in 2010. In Korea, the first bronchial thermoplasty was carried out in 2014; 4 patients have undergone the procedure so far. This case series presents the medical history and treatment outcomes of these 4 patients. All patients presented with uncontrolled asthma despite optimal medical treatment. Bronchial thermoplasty was performed at the right lower lobe, left lower lobe, and both upper lobes in order at 3-week intervals. All procedures were performed under general anesthesia. Two patients had significant decreases in exacerbations and required a lower dose of inhaled corticosteroids after the procedure. One patient had slightly fewer exacerbations but failed to reduce the use of systemic corticosteroids. One patient had no change in symptoms. One limitation of bronchial thermoplasty is the difficulty of predicting clinical responders. However, since more therapeutic options are needed in the management of severe asthma, especially T2-low asthma, discussion with experts about the feasibility and necessity of bronchial thermoplasty will ensure the best possible care.
Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; Anesthesia, General ; Asthma ; Humans ; Korea ; Muscle, Smooth ; United States Food and Drug Administration

Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) for the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a widely used method, and its decreased invasiveness compared to traditional surgical repair has brought about reduced rates of morbidity and mortality. Several vascular complications related to the procedure have been reported, but non-vascular complications have rarely occurred. We report herein the case of a 78-year-old man who underwent EVAR for AAA and presented with active duodenal ulcer bleeding and acute acalculous cholecystitis as complications after the procedure. We must consider that a wide spectrum of complications may occur following EVAR, and therefore it is important to evaluate the risks of complication and to take the necessary measures to minimize them.
Acalculous Cholecystitis ; Aged ; Aneurysm ; Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal ; Duodenal Ulcer ; Hemorrhage ; Humans

Trichomonas tenax(T. tenax) and Trichomonas hominis (T. hominis) were collected, cultured and sampled for comparative microscopical studies using electron microscope. Both flagellates were oval in shape and surrounded by a distinct outer membrane. Five recurrent flagella and one anterior flagellum had, each, 9 paris of peripheral and 1 pair of central fibrils, Undulating membrane was curved over the recurrent flagella, and bended in the middle at right angles with cell surface. Cytostome, engulfing bacteria, was observed in T. hominis. In the cytoplasm, there were fine dense glycogen particles, and vacuoles containing ingested materials. Dense pigment rods were also observed in both flagellates, but the rods were not distributed around the vacuoles in T. hominis. In T. tenax axostyle appeared as a cup-shaped structure comprising a single row of 41 fibrils, each about 120 a in diameter. It enclosed glycogen particles, and the open side was faced to the nucleus. Endoplasmic reticulum was observed around the nucleus, but it was less developed in T. hominis. Nucleus was ovoid having double nuclear membrane, which was clearly defined in T. hominis. Blepharoplast, parabasal body, Golgi appartus and mitochondrion was not observed in both flagellates.
parasitology-protozoa-Trichomonas tenax-Trichomonas hominis ; electron microscopy

Total 9 cases of extraintestinal amoebiasis, amebic liver abscess and amebic lung abscess, were treated with metronidazole. The diagnosis and progress check were done by (1) stool examination, (2) size and pain of liver, (3) hematological examination, (4) urinanalysis, (5) X-ray or liver scanning (6) examination of aspirated pus from liver and (7) immobilization test of E. histolytica. Results are summarized as follows: Amebic hepatitis: Metronidazole was given to 3 cases with daily dose of 0.9-1.2 gm for 3-7 days. Clinical symptoms were completely restored by the treatment. Amebic lung abscess: One case was treated with metronidazole for 3 days with the daily dose 1.2 gm. X-ray findings showed remarkable improvement by the treatment. An additional administration of the drug for 6 days resulted complete resolution of the pneumonic changes. Amebic liver abscess: Four cases were treated with metronidazole. The daily doses were 0.4-2.4 gm and continued for 2-10 days. Aspiration of the abscess for 1-10 times or continuous drainage of pus were performed during the course supplementarily. All cases were recovered to normal by the combining treatment. No remarkable side effect was noticed by the drug administration, and no relapse was experienced up to date.
parasitology-protozoa-Entamoeba histolytica ; chemotherapy ; metronidazole ; liver ; lung ; amoebiasis

The experimental infection of rats with seven strains of Entamoeba histolytica were carried out according to animal ages, number of inoculated amebae, rat strain differences and rat-culture passages. The rat cecal scoring technique of Neal (1951) was utilized to measure the invasiveness of the parisite. The results are summarized and concluded as follows; 1. In the infection of Sprague-Dawley strain rat with YS9-strain and NAMRU II-stran amebae, which wem confirmed highly invasive to the membrane of cecum of rabbits in the previous reports (Cho,1968; Cross,1968), remarkab1e invasiveness was observed in the 30-day-old rat groups with the average cecal score above 5.0. Although no statistical differences of virulence by the number of inoculations showed in rat groups, the cecal scores were markedly reduced in the 50,000 amebae inoculated rats. 2. The hybrid albino rats were considered unsuitable for virulence study of E. histolytica, since the invasiveness of the amabae was inconsistant. 3. The virulences of YS 14 and YS16-strains from cyst carrier showed no virulence, YS 15 from cyst carrier and YS 24 from liver abscess were moderately invasive, and only YS25 from liver abscess showed highly invasive as with YS 9 and NAMRU II-strain amebae. By rat-culture passage, YS14-strain and YS24-strain amebae showed marked increase of invasiveness. It was presumed that the rat-culture passage should be indispensably supplememed in the studies on the virulence of E. histolytica.
Adult ; Animals ; Cecum/microbiology ; Entamoeba histolytica/*pathogenicity ; Female ; Human ; Korea ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Rats ; Virulence

Indirtct fluorescent antibody and immobilization tests on Eatamoeba histolytica have been carried out using the sera of 84 Cheju-islanders, a highly endemic area of amebiasis in Korea. The sera were divided into seven groups; 1) liver abscess (E. histolytica in liver), 2) liver abscess (E. histolytica in stool), 3) liver abscess (E. histolytica not demonstrated by examinations of abscess and stool), 4) hepatomegaly (E. histolytica in stool), 5)hepatomegaly (E. histolytica not found in stool), 6) cyst carrier, symptomless healthy individuals and 7) control group. 1. The indirect fluorescent antibody test, 100 per cent of cases with group 1 and group 2, 40 per cent with group 3 and group 4, 33.3 per cent with group 5, 50 per cent with group 6 and 5.9 per cent with control group were found positive at 1:16 or higher. Higher titers were manifested in proved liver abscess, but lower titres were in cyst carrier and control group. 2. The immobilization test, 100 per cent of sera in group 1, 2 and 3, 8O per cent in group 4, 90.5 per cent in group 5, 40 per cent in cyst carrier and 23.5per cent in control group showed positive. 3. Both tests were positive in all sera of group 1 and 2, six sera out of 15 in group 3, four out of 10 in group 4, seven out of 21 in group 5, two out of 10 in cyst carriers and one out of 17 in controls. 4. Indirect F-A titers were not correlated with the rate of immobilization. Therefors it is suggestive that the two methods will be preferable for the diagnosis of suspicious cases of amoebiasis.
Amebiasis/*diagnosis ; Entamoeba histolytica/*immunology ; Female ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; Human ; Korea ; Male ; Serologic Tests

The amebicidal activity of traditional anitiamoebic drug (emetine, carbasone, diodoquin, chloroquine, atabrine, chloramphenicol and tertracycline) and newly appeared chemicals(niridazole, metronidazole and No. 8603 substance) were assayed by in vitro experiment using five strains of human originated E, histolytica. The variety of amebicidal activity of drugs by the strains were discussed. Ranges of amoebicidal activity of traditional antiamoebic drugs kept almost similar titers of previous reports at the concentration; 1:5,000 to 1:20,000 with emetine hydrochloride, 1:10.000 to 1:20,000 with carbarsone, 1:8,000 to 1:16,000 with diodoquin, 1:50,000 with chloroquine, 1:1,000 to 1: 4,000 with atabrine ,1:1,000 to 1:2,000 with chloramphencol and 1:5,000 to 1:8,000 with tetracycline. The newly appeared chemicals showed higher amebicidal titres at the concentration; 1:500,000 to 1:5,000,000 with niridazole, 1:50,000 to 1:100,000 with metronidazol and 1:100,000 to 1:500,000 with No.8603 substance. Emetine, chloramphenicol and No. 8603 substance showed amebicidal activities at lower concentration to intestine originated amebae (YS 14, YS 15 and NAMRU II strain) than to liver originated amebae (YS 24 and YS 25 strain ), while carbarsone, chloroquine and metronidazole showed the activity at higher concentrations. Diodoquin showed lower amebicidal titres to trophozoite borne amebae (NAMRU II, YS 24 and YS 25 strain) than to cyst borne amebae(YS 14 and YS 15 strain), but niridazole showed converse results. The concentration of atabrine for amebicidal activity was not constant according to strains of the amoeba, but tetracycline showed almost settled titers.
parasitology-protozoa ; Entamoeba histolytica ; virulence ; in-vitro ; chemotherapy ; emetine ; carbasone ; diodoquin ; chloroquine ; atabrine ; chloramphenicol ; tertracycline ; niridazole ; metronidazole ; No. 8603 substance

Clinico-pathological, parasitological, microbiological and immunologic studies were made in 238 of islanders Cheju, a highly endemic area of amebiasis in Korea. Ameba immobilization test was carried out using immunized rabbit sera and several strains of Entamoeba histolytica. The results are summarized and concluded as follows; I. The number of males with liver abscess was markedly greater than female, and the largest group distribution was observed in ages 30-39. In liver abscess patients, an increase of white blood cells(W.B.C.) and a decrease of red blood cells'R.B.C.) was noted. The differential count of W.B.C. showed an increase of segmented neutrophils and a decrease of 1ymphocytes. The level of total cholesterol and its ester was also diminished, and urobilinogen in patients, urine was increased in comparison with healthy controls. 2. The detection rate for microorganisms in aspirated liver abscess was 42.1%. Most of the recovered microorganisms were Gram negative enteric bacilli; Escherichia coli, Alkaligenes fecalis, Aerobacder aerogenes and paracolon group. Fungi and cocci were not observed. 3. In the immobilization test using immune rabbit sera immunized with a 48-hour-culture of E. histolytica, the highest immobilization reaction occurred 45-105 minutes after the beginning of the test and remobilization of the parasite took place gradually. Immobilization of ameba continued for more hours and at higher rate in the inactivated rabbit sera group, and the differences among ameba strains were not remarkable. In human amebiasis sera, the highest peak of immobilization reaction occurred at 45-90 minutes after testing with the parasite. 4. Positive rates for the immobilization test according to clinical feature were 83.3-100% in liver abscess cases, 83.3-90.7% in hepatomegaly cases, 45.4% in asymptomatic cyst-passers and 31.5% in healthy controls. 5. For 56 patients who showed a high rate of immobilization, the follow-up positive rate after treatment for amebiasis was markedly reduced in 2-3 months.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Animals ; Child ; Entamoeba histolytica/isolation & purification ; Female ; Human ; Korea ; Liver Abscess/*microbiology ; Liver Abscess, Amebic/immunology/*microbiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Serologic Tests

A complete but abnormal form of Taenia worm was obtained from an 18-year-old male student in Cheju Island, Korea, which has been known as a heavy endemic area of Taenia saginata and few of T. solium. There was an apical hookless eminence in the scolex, longitudinal white line along the middle portion of entire strobila, double genital pores and several lateral buddings from the strobila. It was considered an abnormal form of Taenia species, probably T. saginata.
parasitology-helminth-cestoda-Taenia saginata ; Taenia sp. ; case report