The Enzymatic Approach of Zygomycosis - Causing Mucorales / 대한의진균학회지

Various oxidases and hydrolytic enzymes were analyzed to investigate the relationship between these enzymes and the skin pathogenicity of 18 Mucorales strains. Each strain was cultured in a nutrient medium containing starch as a carbon source. The cells grew quickly and were at a good state of growth after incubation for three days. Oxidase activity was not detected in any strain, whereas Mucor spp. including Mucor racemosus IFM47053 typically had high alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity and all the strains had catalase activity. The culture filtrate and the cell free extract of each strain were applied to APIZYM test system, which revealed that all the strains examined produced many hydrolytic enzymes both inside and outside their mycelia. In the case of Absidia corymbifera strains, lipase activity was comparatively high, and polysaccharide hydrolytic enzymes such as alpha-glucosidase, beta-glucosidase, N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase, alpha-mannosidase, and alpha-fucosidase were produced.

The Influence of Admission Characteristics on Premedical School Achievement at a Medical School / 한국의학교육

PURPOSE: This study examined the relationship between the achievement of premedical students and admission characteristics at University of Ulsan College of Medicine: high school types and majors, gender, admission assessment method and interval from the high school graduation to the entrance of premedical school. METHODS:: Admission characteristics and demographic informations was obtained for students who entered from 1999 to 2001. Academic achievement was measured according to the results of grade point average(GPA) of total subjects and science subjects and each subject's grades. Admission characteristics and the GPA's and grades were analysed. Multiple linear regression was used to examine the relationship between admission variables and academic achievement. RESULTS: 1. For the first year of premedical school students who studied natural science at ordinary high school, or who graduated science high school showed better achievement than others. 2. Students entered by general selection method also got significantly higher GPA's than other students in the first year. 3. Female students got significantly higher GPA's than male students in two consecutive semesters(1-2 and 2-1). 4. Students qualified by the national highschool graduation examination showed significantly lower achievement than other students in the first semester of the second year. 5. There were no relationships between achievement and other characteristics. CONCLUSION: Students who have academic difficulties in the first year of the premedical course is those who were not exposed to the natural science subjects. It seemed that the premedical course worked as a buffer absorbing differences from the students of various academic backgrounds in their high school period. For the second year, high school majors did not influence the academic achievement.