A 1-year-old Korean domestic short-haired cat presented with skin hyperextensibility and a severely macerated wound on the skin of the dorsal part of the neck. Diagnostic studies including histopathology and skin extensibility index revealed congenital cutaneous asthenia (Ehlers-Danlos syndrome). In this cat, the skin wounds and defects were successfully managed with standard wound management and cosmetic surgery. Although skin hyperextensibility is persistent, the cat has lived well without other complications to date. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of cutaneous asthenia in a cat in Korea.
Animals ; Asthenia* ; Cats* ; Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome ; Joint Instability ; Korea ; Neck ; Skin ; Surgery, Plastic ; Wounds and Injuries

Hodgson's bats are critically endangered in South Korea. This study analyzed the concentrations of elements in liver, kidney, and intestine tissues from a Hodgson's bat found dead in the wild. The concentrations of essential elements followed the order Fe > Zn > Cu >Mn > Se in the three tissues. Hg was detected at the highest concentrations among the non-essential elements analyzed in the liver and kidney tissues, while As was the most highly concentrated non-essential element in the intestine. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study of tissue element concentrations in Hodgson's bats.
Chiroptera ; Intestines* ; Kidney* ; Korea ; Liver*

An 11-year-old, spayed female poodle presented with fever and shifting lameness. Physical examination revealed hyperthermia (40.6℃), and proteinuria was detected upon urinalysis. Increased neutrophils (83%) and decreased viscosity were revealed upon synovial fluid analysis. Serum antinuclear antibody was positive at 1 : 80. Based on these findings, the dog was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus. Immunosuppressive therapy was initiated with prednisolone and cyclosporine, and the condition was markedly improved after the treatments. This case report describes the clinical and laboratory findings, imaging characteristics and successful outcomes after prednisolone plus cyclosporine therapy in a canine systemic lupus erythematosus case.
Animals ; Antibodies, Antinuclear ; Arthritis ; Child ; Cyclosporine* ; Dogs* ; Female ; Fever ; Glomerulonephritis ; Humans ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic* ; Neutrophils ; Physical Examination ; Prednisolone* ; Proteinuria ; Synovial Fluid ; Urinalysis ; Viscosity

For several days, there was a series of mortalities of chub mackerel (Scomber japonicus) that were reared for public exhibition in a private aquarium in Seoul, Korea. As part of the diagnosis of the dead fish, a bacterial isolate from the kidney was cultured, identified, and confirmed to be Vibrio (V.) harveyi using Vitek System 2 and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Phylogenetic analysis was also performed by the neighbor-joining method. As a result, the V. harveyi isolated from chub mackerels of a private aquarium in Korea, called as SNUVh-LW1, was clustered in the same group with V. harveyi ATCC33843.
Cyprinidae* ; Diagnosis ; Genes, rRNA ; Kidney ; Korea ; Mortality ; Perciformes* ; Seoul ; Vibrio*

A dead dove was found on the road and submitted for diagnosis. The bird was severely emaciated, with deformation in its facial area. Grossly, white coalescing nodules were seen on the cut surface of the nasal cavity. Histopathologically, epithelial cells of the upper respiratory tract were markedly proliferated, with ballooning degeneration, down growth of the rete ridge, and large eosinophilic intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies. Parakeratotic hyperkeratosis and focal necrotic focus was present in the proliferative area. The facial bones showed partial bone resorption. Transmission electron microscopy revealed numerous viral particles in epithelial cells with dumbbell-shaped bodies, consistent with poxvirus.
Birds ; Bone Resorption ; Columbidae* ; Diagnosis ; Eosinophils ; Epithelial Cells ; Facial Bones ; Inclusion Bodies ; Microscopy, Electron ; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission ; Nasal Cavity ; Respiratory System ; Turtles* ; Virion

A total of 131 Pasteurella (P.) multocida strains were isolated from the lungs of 1,064 pigs with respiratory clinical signs nationwide during 2009-2010 and 2013-2014. The strains of P. multocida comprised 77.1% serotype A and 22.9% serotype D. Analysis of a recent P. multocida outbreak in Korean pigs showed that the isolation rate of serotype D decreased annually. The incidence of antimicrobial resistance, as measured using minimal inhibitory concentration values, has decreased recently. Overall, further studies to characterize P. multocida isolated from pigs in Korea are needed to prevent P. multocida infection in the Korean swine industry.
Incidence ; Korea* ; Lung ; Pasteurella multocida* ; Pasteurella* ; Swine*

When exposed to gamma-rays, hair follicular cells immediately go through apoptosis, which hampers their rapid differentiation essential for the regeneration of hair. Phloroglucinol (PG) is a phenolic compound of Ecklonia cava, brown algae abundant in Jeju island, Korea. Containing plentiful polyphenols, PG is known for its instructive effects by inhibiting apoptosis, scavenging oxygen radicals, and protecting cells against oxidative stress. In this study, we demonstrate that PG rescues radiosensitive hair follicular cells from gamma radiation-induced apoptosis and DNA damage. To identify protective capacity of PG on hair follicles, we irradiated with 8.5 Gy (1.5 Gy/min) of gamma-rays to the whole body of C57BL/6 mice at day 6 after depilation with or without PG. In mice exposed to radiation, the expression of proapoptotic molecule p53 was downregulated in the skin of PG treated group. On immunohistochemical observation of the skin, PG inhibited the immunoreactivity of p53 and cleaved caspase-3. PG treatment protected hair follicular cells from cell death due to gamma-radiation. Our results suggest that PG presents radioprotective effects by inhibiting apoptosis of radiosensitive hair follicular cells and can protect hair follicular cells from gamma-ray induced damage.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; Caspase 3 ; Cell Death ; DNA Damage ; Hair Follicle* ; Hair Removal ; Hair* ; Korea ; Mice ; Oxidative Stress* ; Phaeophyta ; Phenol ; Phloroglucinol* ; Polyphenols ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Regeneration ; Skin

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), a porcine enteropathogenic coronavirus, causes lethal watery diarrhea in piglets, resulting in large economic losses because of high mortality. In November 2013, PEDV reemerged in Korea, and these outbreaks have since continuously occurred. In the present study, we determined the full-length nucleocapsid (N) gene sequences of three Korean PEDV field isolates collected in 2014-2015. Sequence and phylogenetic analysis of N genes revealed that recent prevalent Korean PEDV isolates were very closely related to the US PEDV isolates in 2013. Interestingly, the phylogenetic tree based on the nucleotide sequencing of the PEDV N gene was similar to the tree topology of the PEDV complete genomes. Therefore, our data provide a better understanding of the genetic diversity and contribute to the accurate diagnosis and development of vaccines against PEDV.
Coronavirus ; Diagnosis ; Diarrhea ; Disease Outbreaks ; Genetic Variation* ; Genome ; Korea* ; Mortality ; Nucleocapsid* ; Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus* ; Trees ; Vaccines

NAD(P)H-quinone oxidoreductase-1 (NQO1) is a down-stream target gene of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), and performs diverse biological functions. Recently, NQO1 is recognized as an effective gene for the cytotoxic inserts with its diverse biological functions, which is focused on antioxidant properties. The aim of present study was to assess the impact of NQO1 knockdown on cytoprotection-related protein expression in cisplatin cytotoxicity by using small interfering (si) RNA targeted on NQO1 gene. Cytotoxicity of cisplatin on ACHN cells was assessed in a dose- and time-dependent manner after siScramble or siNQO1 treatment. After cisplatin treatment, cells were subjected to cell viability assay, western-blot analysis, and immunofluorescence study. The cell viability was decreased in the siNQO1 cells (50%) than the siScramble cells (70%) after 24 h of cisplatin (20 µM) treatment. Moreover, cytoprotection-related protein expressions were markedly suppressed in the siNQO1 cells after cisplatin treatment. The expression of Nrf2 and Klotho were decreased by 20% and 40%, respectively, of that in siScramble cells. Nrf2 and Klotho activation were also decreased in cisplatin treated siNQO1 cells, confirmed by cytoplasm-to-nuclear translocation. Our findings demonstrate that the increased cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity was accompanied by suppressed Nrf2 activation and Klotho expression in siNQO1 cells.
Cell Survival ; Cisplatin* ; Cytoprotection* ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; RNA

The present study evaluated the effects of a mixture of Galla rhois and Cinnamomum cassia extracts (GCE) (1 : 1, w/w) on susceptibility to the colonization of Campylobacter (C.) jejuni in broilers. Eighty two-week-old broilers (n = 20 per group) were used to estimate the efficacy of GCE against C. jejuni infection via drinking water. Antibacterial activity testing revealed that the minimum bactericidal concentration of GCE against C. jejuni was 2.5 mg/mL. Broilers challenged with C. jejuni were administered 0.0 (Non-GCE), 2.5 (GCE-2.5), 5.0 (GCE-5.0) and 10.0 g/L (GCE-10) GCE for 7 days, and the cecal contents were collected from five broilers per group on the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th day post-treatment. On day 3 post-administration, the number of C. jejuni in GCE-5.0 (p < 0.05) and GCE-10 (p < 0.01) was significantly decreased relative to Non-GCE, while on day 7 those in all GCE-treated groups were significantly decreased compared to the Non-GCE group (p < 0.001). Hematological and blood biochemical analysis revealed no significant differences in parameters between the Non-GCE and GCE-treated groups. Based on the results of the present study, GCE was identified as a safe and alternative candidate to suppress C. jejuni colonization in broilers.
Campylobacter jejuni* ; Campylobacter* ; Chickens* ; Cinnamomum aromaticum* ; Cinnamomum* ; Colon* ; Drinking Water