• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.553-564
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• 1998

Background: The immediate hoot response to LPS is the production of proinflammatory cytokines that act as intercellular mediators in inflammatory reactions, including acute lung injury. These "early response" cytokines transmit signals from recognition cells to target or effector cells. This host response is further amplified by the expression of leukocyte chemoattractants, growth factors, and adhesion molecules, resulting in an array of proinflammatory events. This experiment was performed to define the lung origin of proinflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-$\alpha$, IL 6 in early periods of endotoxin induced acute lung injury (ALI). Method: The healthy male Sprague-Dawley, weighted 150 - 250g, were divided into saline control (NC) and endotoxemia-induced ALI (ETX-), and leukopenic endotoxemia-induced ALI (CPA-ETX-Group) which was induced by cyclophosphamide, 70 mg/kg i.p. injection. Acute lung injury was evoked by LPS, 5 mg/kg, intravenously administered. Bronchoalveolar lavage was performed at 0, 3, 6 h after LPS-treated to estimate the influx of phagocytes and concentration of total protein, and cytokines as TNF-$\alpha$ and IL 6 by a bioassy using MIT method. We also examined the localization of TNF-$\alpha$ and IL 6 protein in endotoxemia-challenged lung tissue by immunohistochemical stain (IH). Results: The total cell, macrophage and PMN count in BALF were elavated in ETX group compared to NC(p<0.05). In CPA-ETX group, total cell and macrophage count in BALF were not changed compared to NC. but PMN count was markedly reduced and it took part in less than 0.1 % of total BAL cells (p<0.01). The protein concentration in BALF were significantly increased in ETX and CPA-ETX group Compared to NC (p<0.05), but there was significant difference between ETX- and CPA-ETX group only at 6 h (p<0.05). This observation suggested that even if PMNs are involved in the pathogenesis of acute lung injury, their role cannot be viewed as essential The concentration of TNF-$\alpha$ and IL 6 in BALF was significantly increased in the ETX- and CPA-ETX group compared to NC. There was no difference between ETX- and CPA-ETX group. In IH, anti-TNF-$\alpha$- and anti-IL 6 antibody was strongly localized at interstitial monocytes and alveolar macrophages in endotoxemia-challenged lung tissue. From above point of view, activated alveolar macrophage/monocyte considered as a prominent source of proinflammatory cytokines in endotoxemia-challenged lung injury. Conclusion: The prominent source of proinflammatory cytokines in early periods of endotoxemia-induced lung injury will be the activated resident macrophages like an alveolar macrophage and interstitial monocytes. The pulmonary macrophage/monocyte will impact the initiation and continuance of lung injury without PMNs's certain inflammatory role, particularly in endotoxemia-induced acute lung injury.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.76-84
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• 1999

The differentiation between malignancy-related ascites(MRA) and non-malignant ascites (NMA) is important for further diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Although many parameters were investigated, none has provided a complete distinction between MRA and NMA. We investigated several ascitic fluid parameters to determine the differential power, and to differentiate malignant-related from nonmalignant-related ascites with a sequence of sensitive parameters followed by specific parameters. For the present study, 80 patients with ascites were divided into two groups: MRA and NMA, The MRA group was consisted of 27 patients with proven malignancy by image study, biopsy, and follow up: 21 of these patients had peritoneal carcinomatosis, but the remaining 6 showed no evidence of peritoneal carcinomatosis. The NMA group was consisted of 53 patients with no evidence of malignancy: among these patients, one had SLE, and others had liver cirrhosis, The samples of blood and ascites were obtained simultaneously, and then the levels of ascites cholesterol, CEA. protein and LDH, cytology, albumin gradient, ascites/serum concen-tration ratios of LDH(LDH A/S), and ascites/serum concentration ratios of protein(protein A/S) were measured. Applying cut-off limits for determined parameters, we estimated the diagnostic efficacy of each parameter, Among the eight parameters investigated, ascites fluid cholesterol yielded the best sensitive value of 93%(cut-off value 30mg/dl), and cytologic examination and the protein A/S(cut-off value 0.5) showed the most specific value of 100% and 96%, respectively. Based on the above results, the diagnostic sequence with cholesterol as a sensitive parameter followed by the combination of cytologic examination and protein A/S as specific parameters, was tested in 80 patients. This diagnostic sequence identified 81.5% of patients with malignancy, and all patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis were classified as malignancy-related ascites. In spite of many limitations, this proposed diagnostic sequence may permit a cost-effective and simple differentiation of malignancy-related ascites from nonmalignant ascites.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.201-208
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• 2000

The vancomycin, one of the family of glycopeptide antibiotics, inhibits the synthesis of bacterial cell wall peptidoglycan and has been widely used against gram-positive bacterial infections, especially for a treatment of methicillin resistant S. aureus infection. However, clinical isolate which was intermediately resistant to vancomycin (Mu50: MIC 8 $\mu\textrm{g}$/ml) was isolated in recent years. In this study we performed vancomycin susceptibility test with the increment method and population analysis with clinical isolates S. aureus. Also we did several kinds of tests with three selected isolates (s129: MIC 7 $\mu\textrm{g}$/ml, s134: MIC 7 $\mu\textrm{g}$/ml, s135: MIC 8 $\mu\textrm{g}$/ml) to find out possible mechanism of vancomycin resistance. As a result, the prevalence of vancomycin resistant S. aureus isolates among S. aureus strains resistant to methicillin was 23.3% (25/107). The vancomycin resistances of isolated strains of S. aureus were between those of Mu5O and Mu3 strains. By PCR analysis, none of the isolates with decreased vancomycin susceptibility contained known vancomycin resistant genes such as vanA, vanB, vanC1, vanC2, and vanH. Major bands of 81 kDa, 58 kDa, 33 kDa, 28 kDa were demonstrable in whole cell lysates by SDS-PAGE from all three isolates as well as reference strains. And especially,45 kDa protein was overproduced in Mu50 strains. Among them increased production of NAD$^{+}$-linked-$_{D}$-lactate dehydrogenase (dnLDH) were detected from one clinical strain (s135) and Mu5O strain. From these data, we suggest that the mechanism of vancomycin resistance in these isolates are distinct from that in enterococci.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.207-211
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• 1986

Lactic acid bacteria isolated from Kimchi were tested for inhibitory activity against E. coli, Streptococcus faecalis and Lactobacillus bulgaricus. The inhibitory strains appeared most frequently around the middle stage of fermentation during two weeks of observation, and the majority of them were identified as Pediococcus cerevisiae. The agent(s) responsible for the inhibitory activity of P. cerevisiae was inactivated by heat treatment at moderate temperature, but resistant to proteolytic enzymes. The production of the inhibitory compound(s) decreased when the pH of the medium was maintained at about 7 with phosphate buffer.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.33 no.3 s.130
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• pp.224-229
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• 2002

Sarcodon aspratus (Thelephoraceae), a native mushroom distributed in Korea and Japan has been widely used as a traditional food and folk medicines. Two proteoglycan polysaccharides, named SAP-A and SAP-B were isolated from the fruitbody of S. aspratus. Their molecular weight were determined as 6184.9 D, and 25749.2 D, respectively, by maldi-tof ms. The composition of sugar and amino acid of these compounds was also determined. The SAP-A showed potent antitumor activity. The $ID_{50}$ value of SAP-A was 8.2 mg/kg/day for ICR mice transplanted with solid sarcoma-180, and the elongation of lifespan effect was 167.4% for ICR mice transplanted with ascitic sarcoma-180. Moreover, the elongation life-span effect of SAP-A increased dose-dependently.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.77-84
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• 2007

Millions of individuals worldwide are currently afflicted with neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis which are caused by the death of specific types of specialized cells in the Central Nervous System (CNS). Recently, Neural Stem Cells (NSCs) are able to replace these dead cells with new functional cells, thereby providing a cure for devastating neural diseases. The clinical use of neural stem cells (NSCs) for the treatment of neurological diseases requires overcoming the scarcity of the initial in vivo NSC population. Thus, we developed a novel 3-dimentional cellular automata model for optimum production of neural stem cells and their derivatives in large scale to treat neurodegenerative disorder patients.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.476-481
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• 2022

Ubiquitin signaling regulates virtually all aspects of eukaryotic biology and dynamic processes in which protein substrates are modified by ubiquitin. To regulate these processes, deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) cleave ubiquitin or ubiquitin-like proteins from these substrates. DUBs have been implicated in the pathogenesis of cancer, leading to the development of increasing numbers of small-molecule DUB inhibitors. On the other hand, recent studies have focused on the function of DUBs in metabolic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and fatty liver diseases. DUBs play a positive or negative role in the progression and development of metabolic diseases. Their involvement in cell pathology and regulation of major transcription factors in metabolic syndrome has been examined in vitro and in animal and human biopsies. UCH, USP7, and USP19 were linked to adipocyte differentiation, body weight gain, and insulin resistance in genetic or diet-induced obesity. CYLD, USP4, and USP18 were found to be closely associated with fatty liver diseases. In addition, these liver diseases were accompanied by body weight change in certain cases. Collectively, in this review, we discuss the current understanding of DUBs in metabolic diseases with a particular focus on obesity. We also provide basic knowledge and regulatory mechanisms of DUBs and suggest these enzymes as therapeutic targets for metabolic diseases.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.143-148
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• 1983

The occurrence of PZ-peptidase in Streptococcus sanguis and other oral bacteria was investigated utilizing washed whole cells as the enzyme source and PZ-pentapeptide as its substrate. Under the culture conditions employed in the present study. Streptococcus sanguis strains, fresh isolates as well as laboratory strains, produced a broad range of the enzyme activity (0.5-7.9 unit/mg protein). The strains of both Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacilli showed low levels of activity (0-0.5 unit/mg protein for S. mutans). As compared with the enzyme activities of other bacteria, a moderate range of activity was produced by the strains of Strptococcus mitis nad Strptoccus salivarius. Actinomyces strains, like those of S. sanguis, produced a varying amount of activity (0-9.8 unit/ mg protein). A possible involvement of the oral bacterial PZ-peptidase in the metabolism of human saliva proteins is discussed.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.207-212
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• 1981

Nutritional evaluation of nitrogen compounds of soybean and soybean sprout in various growth conditions various conditions was conducted by feeding Sprague-Dawley strain of albino rat and was correlated with chemical evaluation. food intake and PER also showed the same trend as weight gain. Average body fyeight gain showed significant positive correlation with essential amino acid index (EAAI) $(r=0.996^{**})$ and requirement index (RI) $(r=0.988^{**})$. According to EAAI and RI, quality of soybean sprout was in order of Soybean-heated, 4 days soybean sprout (S.S.) cotyledon, 4 days S.S heated, 8 days S.S heated and 4 days S.S axis heated. Process of soybean sprout (4 days growing at $25^{\circ}C$) caused quantitative loss of soybean protein by 4.5%, and quantitative loss of 11% (EAAI basis) in chemical evaluation while protein efficiency loss of 7% (PER basis) and overall nutritional loss of 18% (weight gain basis).

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.6-12
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• 1990

The preS2 wequence of an adr hepatitis B virus was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli as a $\beta$-galactosidase fusion polypeptide. Recombinant preS2 product interacted with the preS2-specific monoclonal antibody H8 which was induced by surface antigen particles isolated from a Korean gepatitis patient. The H8 showed only a minor cross-reactivity with recombinant preS2 product of adw2 subtype. Determination of nucleotide sequence of the adr preS2 revealed that twelve amino acid residue substitutions between adr and adw2 subtype sequences. The antigenic determinant to H8 must include some of these differences.