Epidemiology of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in Korea, 2001-2010.

This study describes the epidemiology of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in the past 10 yr (2001-2010) in Korea. During this period, a total of 3,953 HFRS patients and an average prevalence rate of 0.81 per 100,000 population were recorded, with a total of 40 fatal cases, corresponding to a case fatality rate of 1.01%. More HFRS cases were found in men than in women (57% vs 43%), and a higher prevalence rate of HFRS was observed in patients older than 40 yr (82.1%). The highest numbers of HFRS cases were found amongst farmers (35.6%). The majority of HFRS cases (71.3%) occurred in the last quarter of the calendar year (October to December). More HFRS cases occurred in the western part than in the eastern part of Korea (68.9% vs 31.1%). The incidence of HFRS was significantly higher (P < 0.001) in rural areas than in urban areas (80.3% vs 19.7%). HFRS still occurs commonly among men, in autumn, and in western rural area of Korea.

Retrospective analysis of epidemiological aspects of Vibrio vulnificus infections in Korea in 2001-2010.

In this study, we performed a retrospective, quantitative analysis of the epidemiological aspects and risk factors of Vibrio vulnificus infections in Korea from 2001 to 2010. In a total of 588 V. vulnificus infection cases (prevalence rate, 0.12 cases/100,000 persons), 285 were fatal (case-fatality rate [CFR], 48.5%). Males were more significantly infected by V. vulnificus than females (86.1% versus 13.9%; P < 0.01), and a higher incidence of V. vulnificus infections was observed in people aged more than 40 years (95.1%; P < 0.01). Moreover, most V. vulnificus infections occurred in the unemployed (42.0%; P < 0.01). The seasonal patterns of outbreaks revealed that most outbreaks occurred in June (early summer) throughout November (the end of autumn) (99.6%; P < 0.01), and significantly more outbreaks occurred in the southern part (65.3%) of the Korean peninsula compared with those in the northern (29.4%) and central (5.3%) parts (P < 0.01). In addition, the number of V. vulnificus infections was significantly higher in rural and coastal villages (69.9%) than in urban areas (30.1%) (P < 0.01). In conclusion, because of the rapid aggravation and high CFR of V. vulnificus infections, public health education should strongly recommend avoiding raw seafood products and limited exposure to marine water during the summer.

Effects of combination dietary conjugated linoleic acid with vitamin A (retinol) and selenium on the response of the immunoglobulin production in mice.

The dietary effect of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) on the response of the immunoglobulin (serum and tissue) production in Balb/C mice was examined at three doses: 0 %(control), 0.5% and 1.5%. The combination effects of CLA with vitamin ADE or selenium also were investigated. CLA at 0.5% increased serum immunoglobulin A, G, mesenteric lymph node (MHN) and gut luminal IgA (secretory IgA) levels. However, 1.5% CLA decreased SIgG slightly. CLA both alone and combined with vitamin ADE and selenium did not affect serum IgE. The levels of immunoglobulin concentration in the 0.5% CLA group were higher than those in the 1.5% CLA group. The level of serum IgG in 1.5% CLA combined with selenium was maintained at the same level as that of control. It is considered that over- doses of CLA (1.5%) even depressed the production of immunoglobulin but selenium and/or vitamin inhibited this activity to a certain extent. In this study, dietary CLA increased immunoglobulin production in a dose-dependent manner. Vitamin ADE and Selenium combined with CLA also increased the immunoglobulin production response except serum IgE.