• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.82-87
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• 2007

Five dogs with renal failure were referred to the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at Kangwon National University. These dogs had the common history of consumption of Pedigree dry dog food produced in Thailand plant for over 1 month. The dogs showed anorexia, emaciation, vomiting, and polydipsia/polyuria. And in one severely affected dog, bloody diarrhea and hypothermia were seen. The remarkable clinicopathological signs were high value of BUN and creatinine. In some dogs, GGT, phosphorus and lipase were increased. However, no significant changes of complete blood count were found. In urinalysis, hematuria, low specific gravity urine, proteinuria, and calcium oxalate-like crystals were observed. Two severely affected dogs were died. The remained dogs were recovered gradually after change of dog food and supportive therapy. Pathological findings were seen typically in kidneys. Renal atrophy, congestion of the glomerular capillary, and diffuse degeneration, necrosis, dystrophic calcification and regeneration in the tubular epithelium were seen. Yellowish brown fluorolucent laminated materials or particles were quite often found in the lumina of the necrotizing renal tubules of cortex and medulla. Proliferation of fibrous tissue in the interstitium was also seen. By the mycotoxin analysis of the Pedigree dry dog food, ochratoxin A (OTA) and citrinin were detected as much as the concentration of 372.8 ppb and 8.3 ppb, respectively. The final diagnosis of renal failure caused by OTA and citrinin toxicosis was made on the basis of history takings, clinical signs, clinicopathological and pathological findings, and analysis of mycotoxins.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.348-355
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• 2011

Staphylococcus aureus is a major human pathogen that is associated with various types of local and systemic infection. Staphylococcal protin A (SPA), a highly expressed surface component of S. aureus, may have a role in virulence such as activating inflammation and interfering with immune clearance. We examined the effect of recombinant SPA on inflammatory response in human HaCaT keratinocytes. The recombinant SPA protein was prepared using the pET-28a Vector System in Escherichia coli. The expression of pro-inflammatory related adhesion molecules and cytokines in HaCaT cells incubated for 6, 12, and 24 h with SPA (2 ${\mu}g$/ml) was analyzed by comparative RT-PCR or ELISA. The expression of E-selectin, ICAM-1, MCP-1, IL-6 and IL-8 was significantly increased in HaCaT from 6 to 24 h after treatment with SPA. SPA showed the effect on the adhesion-promoting ability of U937 monocytes to HaCaT cells. Our data demonstrate that SPA stimulates inflammatory response of HaCaT cells, implicating an important factor for exacerbation of skin inflammation of immunologic disease.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.54-65
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• 2008

The seasonal dynamics of phytoplankton and water quality were evaluated bimonthly at 7 park ponds in the capital region from October 2004 to August 2005. With out the change of water temperature $(0.4\sim26.0^{\circ}C)$, cyanobacteria dominated in park ponds such as Gyungbokgung Gyunghyaeru and Seokchon reservoir. The standing crops of phytoplankton was significant related with cell densities of cyanobacteria (r=0.993), while they did not significant correlation with environmental factors. Almost of all park ponds in the capital region were classified as eutrophic state with high TP concentrations and TN/TP ratios less than 10. Major dominant cyanobacteria were as followed; Anabaena sp., Aphanocapsa elachista, Lyngbya contorta, Merismopedia elegans, Microcystis aeruginosa, M. wesenbergii, Microcystis sp., Oscillatoria sp., Phormidium tenue, and Plectonema sp. To date, although the concentration of chlorophyll-${\alpha}$ and cyanobacterial densities in the capital region was below the 'danger' level of WHO guidelines value, the monitoring of cyanobacterial densities and its toxin (microcystin) in recreational/bath water should be continued.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.454-462
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• 2003

Recently, the HACCP(Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) system has been emphasized in food processing industries throughout the world. However, the system has, as yet, not been applied very well to domestic food industries. Due to the increase in the consumption of bakery products, more studies are required on the application of HACCP to establish the system in small-scale bakeries. This study was designed to provide basic data for setting management standards for HACCP, based on microbiological hazard evaluations of bakery products. Red bean paste filled breads, custard cream filled breads and cakes covered with fresh whipping cream were collected, and microbiological evaluations conducted on the raw materials, the manufacturing processes and potential hazards. The result showed the presence of coliforms in fresh cream of cakes and the soybean paste of soybean paste breads at levels as high as 105 CFU/g on the hazard analysis of the raw materials. Moreover, the general levels of bacteria and coliforms were over those of the standards during the intermediate fermentation and molding processes. Furthermore, high levels of coliforms were detected on the hands of the salesmen and bakers themselves. This suggests that the CCPs (Critical Control Points), such as fresh cream and red bean paste manufacturing process desperately require better management. There is also a requirement for education relating to personal hygiene for the production of hygienic bakery products and for the publics health.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2019.05a
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• pp.413-413
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• 2019

하천과 호수에서 남조류의 이상 과잉증식 문제(이하 녹조문제)는 담수생태계의 생물다양성을 감소시키며, 음용수의 이취미 원인물질을 발생시켜 물 이용에 장해가 된다. 또한 독소를 생산하는 유해남조류가 대량 증식할 경우에는 가축이나 인간의 건강에 치명적 해를 끼치기도 한다. 그 동안 국내에서 녹조문제는 댐 저수지와 하구호와 같은 정체수역에서 간헐적으로 문제를 일으켰으나, 4대강사업(2010-2011)으로 16개의 보가 설치된 이후 낙동강, 금강, 영산강 등 대하천에서도 광범위하게 발생되고 있어 중요한 사회적 환경적 이슈로 대두되었다. 한편, 대하천에 설치된 보 구간에서 빈번히 발생하는 녹조현상의 원인에 대해서는 전 지구적 기온상승에 따른 기후변화의 영향이라는 주장과 유역으로부터 영양염류의 과도한 유입, 가뭄에 따른 유량감소, 보 설치에 따른 체류시간 증가 등 다양한 의견이 제시되고 있으나, 대상 유역과 수체의 특성에 따라 녹조 발생의 원인이 상이하거나 또는 다양한 요인이 복합적으로 작용하기 때문에 보편적 해석(universal interpretation)이 어려운 것이 현실이다. 따라서 각 수계별, 보별 녹조현상에 대한 정확한 원인분석과 효과적인 대책 마련을 위해서는 집중된 실험자료와 데이터마이닝 기법에 근거로 한 보다 과학적이고 객관적인 접근이 이루어져야 한다. 본 연구에서는 2012년 보 설치 이후 남조류에 의한 녹조현상이 빈번히 발생하고 있는 낙동강 4개보(강정고령보, 달성보, 합천창녕보, 창녕함안보)를 대상으로 집중적인 현장조사와 실험분석을 수행하고, 수집된 기상, 수문, 수질, 조류 자료에 대해 통계분석과 다양한 데이터모델링 기법을 적용하여 보별 남조류 우점 환경조건과 이를 제어하기 위한 주요 조절변수를 규명하는데 있다. 연구대상 보 별 수질과 식물플랑크톤의 정성 및 정량 실험은 2017년 5월부터 2018년 11월까지 2년에 걸쳐 실시하였으며, 남조류 세포수 밀도와 환경요인과의 상관성 분석을 실시하고, 단계적 다중회귀모델(Step-wise Multiple Linear Regressions, SMLR), 랜덤포레스트(Random Forests, RF) 모델과 재귀적 변수 제거 기법(Recursive Feature Elimination using Random Forest, RFE-RF)을 이용한 변수중요도 평가, 의사결정나무(Decision Tree, DT), 주성분분석(Principal Component Analysis, PCA) 기법 등 다양한 모수적 및 비모수적 데이터마이닝 결과를 바탕으로 각 보별 남 조류 우점 환경요인을 종합적으로 해석하였다.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.241-246
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• 2019

To understand the characteristics of paralytic shellfish poisoning in a major production area of the bay scallop Argopecten irradians in Korea, the seasonal variation and anatomical distribution of paralytic shellfish toxin (PST) were determined in bay scallops collected from the Gyeongnam coast of Korea from March to May 2018. PST levels in bay scallops in the survey area showed remarkable seasonal variation. PST was first detected at a level of 0.42 mg/kg on April 2, 2018, and the highest toxin level (3.15 mg/kg) was recorded on April 12. Among the tissues of bay scallops, the highest proportion of PST was found in the viscera ($54.9%{\pm}17.8%$), followed by the adductor ($22.8%{\pm}10.9%$), gonads ($8.9%{\pm}4.6%$), gills ($7.1%{\pm}3.7%$), and mantle ($6.3%{\pm}.8%$). In addition, with higher PST levels in the whole tissues of bay scallops, the proportion of PST in the viscera increased, whereas those in the mantle, gill, and gonad tissues decreased. In a high-toxicity group with more than 2.0 mg/kg PST in the whole tissues, the proportion of PST in the viscera was $71.8%{\pm}6.7%$.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.61 no.4
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• pp.405-410
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• 2018

Pseudomonas tolaasii strain No. 6264 has been isolated from mushroom tissue and identified as one of the major pathogen causing brown blotch disease. It secretes peptide toxins, known as tolaasin and its analogue peptides. P. tolaasii 6264 has been used as a typical pathogenic strain to study the brown blotch disease for last 20 years after confirming its blotch-forming ability, hemolytic activity, and white line formation. In this study, the characteristics of P. tolaasii 6264 strain were analyzed and compared according to storage period. Strains of P. tolaasii 6264 stored annually since 2012 were cultured and their pathogenic characters were analyzed. When the 16S rRNA sequences were compared, all strains were divided into two groups. Pathogenic characters including hemolytic activity, blotch-forming ability, and white line test were also investigated. The strains, P. tolaasii 6264-15-2 and P. tolaasii 6264-17, had all three activities; however, the rest of stored strains showed only blotch-forming ability losing other pathogenic characters. Tolaasin peptides were purified from the bacterial cultures and analyzed by mass spectrometry. The strains, P. tolaasii 6264-15-2 and P. tolaasii 6264-17, secreted Tol I (1987 Da), Tol II (1943 Da), and its analogues (1973 Da, 2005 Da) while some of these peptides were not found in the media cultured other strains. These results indicate that the pathogenicity of P. tolaasii could be varied during the storage period.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.269-276
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• 2019

A colorimetric rapid detection method based on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) was developed for the analysis of organophosphorus (OP) and carbamate (CB) pesticides. The AChE catalyzes acetylthiocholine into thiocholine having (-) and (+) charges, and the (+) charge results in gold nanoparticle (GNP) aggregation. The in-activation of AChE by OP and CB has been well known. In order to optimize the colorimetric method, optimal dilution times of commercial serum containing AChE, diameter of GNP, and concentration of acetylthiocholine were tested as a key parameter. The colorimetric detection limits of the method were 7.5 ng/mL for both dimethyl amine and carbofuran pesticides in 60% ethanol. No cross-reaction to other chemicals, such as aflatoxin B1 and ochratoxin A, which can be contaminated with pesticides in agricultural products, was observed. Recoveries from lettuce, sesame leaf, and cabbage lettuce spiked with known concentrations of dimethyl amine and carbofuran were found to be ranged from 83.85 to 133.16%. These results indicated that the colorimetric rapid method based on AChE can be a useful tool for the sensitive, specific, rapid, and accurate detection of OP and CB pesticides in fresh vegetables.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.30 no.12
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• pp.1070-1077
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• 2020

Treatment with anticancer drugs changes the expression of multiple genes related to cell proliferation, migration, and drug resistance. These changes in gene expression may be connected to regulatory networks for each other. This study showed that doxorubicin treatment induces the expression of oncogenic FosB and decreases the expression of oncogenic SETDB1 in A549 and H1299 human lung cancer cells, which are different in tumor suppressor p53 status. However, a small difference was detected in the quantitative expression of those proteins in the two kinds of cells. To examine the potential regulation of SETDB1 and FosB by p53, we predicted putative p53 binding sites on the genomic DNA of SETDB1 and FosB using a TF motif binding search program. These putative p53 binding sites were identified as 18 sites in the promoter regions of SETDB1 and 21 sites in the genomic DNA of FosB. A luciferase assay confirmed that p53 negatively regulated the promoter activities of SETDB1 and FosB. Furthermore, the results of RT-PCR, western blot, qPCR, and immunostaining experiments indicated that the transfection of exogenous p53 decreases the expression of SETDB1 and FosB in H1299 cells. This indicates that p53 negatively regulates the expression of SETDB1 and FosB at the transcriptional level. Collectively, the downregulation of SETDB1 and FosB by p53 may provide functional networks for apoptosis and for the survival of cancer cells during anticancer drug treatment.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.52-58
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• 2021

Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae, which causes bacterial canker in kiwifruit, is divided into five biovars (1, 2, 3, 5, 6) on the basis of genetic characteristics and toxin productivity. Among them, biovar 3 is responsible for the current global outbreak, and has been isolated in Korea since 2011. Biovar 3 strains isolated from Korea are subdivided into six genetically different lineages (subgroup I, IV, V, VI, VII, and VIII) based on random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis. In this work, the subgroup-specific sequence characterized amplified region (SCAR) primers were developed from sequenced differential RAPD bands. Distribution of the subgroups of the biovar 3 strains collected in Korea from 2011-2017 were examined using these subgroup-specific primer sets. Among the 54 strains tested, 35 strains (64.8%) belonged to subgroup V, 9 strains (16.7%) belonged to subgroup IV, 4 strains (7.4%) belonged to subgroup VI, 3 strains (5.6%) belonged to subgroup VII, 2 strains (3.7%) belonged to subgroup VIII, and 1 (1.9%) strain belonged to subgroup I. Strains belonging to subgroups IV, V, and VI were shown to be related to strains isolated from China, New Zealand, and Chile, respectively. The study revealed that the biovar 3 strains in Korea are genetically diverse and are estimated to have been introduced through pollen sourced from foreign countries.