• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.59 no.2
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• pp.151-156
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• 2005

Background : Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an important pathogen in hospital-acquired infection, and is prevalent in intensive care units (ICU). The MRSA colonization rates of the nares and throat were examined in both the ICU and general ward. This study was performed to investigate the MRSA rate and necessity for MRSA screening cultures in patients admitted to ICU. Methods : Between June and September 2004, those patients admitted to both the medical ICU and general ward participated in this study. Bacterial cultures were performed on swabs of the nares and throat taken within 24 hours of admission. Clinical data were also collected. Results : One hundred and twenty one patients and 84 patients, admitted to the medical ICU and medical general ward, respectively, were investigated. The numbers of nasal MRSA colonization in the ICU and general ward were 3 (2.5%) and 3 (3.6%), respectively. There were 2 (1.7%) cases of throat MRSA colonization in the ICU, but none in the general ward. The MRSA colonization rates of the nares and throat were no different between the ICU and general ward. There were no significant differences in the previous admission, operation history and admission route between the ICU and general ward groups. Conclusion : The MRSA colonization rates of the nares and throat were 3.3 and 3.6% in the ICU and the general ward, respectively. The MRSA screening test does not appear to be required in all patients admitted to the ICU, but further studies, including high-risk patients, are recommended.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.161-168
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to evaluate microbiological contamination of fresh vegetables in Korea. Twenty types of vegetables were tested for total aerobic bacteria, coliforms, Escherichia coli, yeast and mold, and pathogenic bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus cereus, Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7, Cronobacter sakazakii, Shigella, and Campylobacter. Levels of total aerobic bacteria and coliform on 20 vegetables were between 3.74 and 8.04 log CFU/g, and 0.16 and 5.02 log CFU/g, respectively. The highest contamination levels of total aerobic bacteria were observed on water dropwort, sprouts, mungbean sprout, and ballflower root. There was no significant difference (p>0.05) in microbial contamination levels of total aerobic count, coliform, E. coli, yeast and mold between organic and nonorganic vegetables. When isolation methods using selective agars were applied, L. monocytogenes, B. cereus, Salmonella and Campylobacter were isolated from some fresh vegetable samples. Results of API kit tests showed that L. monocytogenes was identified on Chinese cabbage, cucumber, soybean sprouts, and iceberg lettuce while Salmonella was identified on Korean leek. Furthermore, Campylobacter jejuni was also identified in more than 50 of the 100 samples. However, when positive samples from API kit were tested for real-time PCR or 16S rRNA sequencing method, only B. cereus from perilla leaf, carrot, water dropwort, and sprouts showed positive results. These results indicate that selective agar and API kit detection methods might result in false positive results for some pathogens. Therefore, studies need to improve isolation or confirmation methods for such pathogens.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.43-56
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• 2012

Objective : In this study, we assessed the anti-bacterial effects and epidermal permeability barrier function of red onion juice comparing to yellow onion juice and $Houttuynia$ $cordata$ extract $in$ $vitro$. Methods : 3types of red and yellow onion juice were prepared as antibacterial agent candidates with Houttuynia cordata hot water extract using 4 different bacterial strains ($Escherichia$ $coil$, $Salmonella$ $enterica$ $subsp.$ $enterica$, $Staphylococcus$ $epidermidis$, $Staphylococcus$ $aureus$ $subsp$) by colony counting method. The expression of filaggrin, a marker of keratinocyte differentiation, and serine palmitoyl transferase (SPT), a marker of the formation of the stratum corneum lipid barrier, in human HaCat keratinocytes were analyzed using HaCaT cell line. The expression of COX-2 and AP-1 which is a factor of COX-2 transcription were also analyzed by western blotting method. Results : There was detectable anti-bacterial effects on $Staphylococcus$ $epidermidis$, $Staphylococcus$ $aureus$ $subsp$ among 1%, 5%, 10% extracts of yellow and red onion.(81%-100%) The bacteriocidal effects were not shown on $Escherichia$ $coil$, $Salmonella$ $enterica$ $subsp.$ $enterica$ among $Houttuynia$ $cordata$, yellow onion and red onion extracts. The in vitro results showed the concentration-dependent effects on the expression of both filaggrin and SPT in HaCat cells among 0.01%, 0.05%, 0.1%, 0.5% extracts in Houttuynia cordata and red onion, reflecting the notion that $Houttuynia$ $cordata$ and red onion can induce epidermal keratinocyte differentiation and improve the recovery of skin barrier functions. The concentration-dependent effects also have been shown on the expression of both COX-2 and AP-1 among 0.01%, 0.05%, 0.1%, 0.5% extracts in $Houttuynia$ $cordata$ and red onion, while slight effect in yellow onion. Conclusion : Red onion juice could be a potential candidate enhanser for the skin care and cosmetology.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.42 no.7
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• pp.1003-1007
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• 2013

In this study, the antibacterial activities of selected barleys (UB, unhulled barley; PB, pearl barley; and NB, naked barley) and wheat (WG, wheat with germ and endosperm) extracts were evaluated against the food-borne pathogens Staphylococcus aureus KCTC 1927, Escherichia coli KCTC 2593, Salmonella Typhimurium KCTC 2054, and Bacillus cereus KCTC 1014. The amount of the antibacterial biomarker, 2,6-dimethoxy-1,4-benzoquinone (DMBQ), present in selected barleys and wheat, was measured by HPLC. Furthermore, antioxidant activity of samples was determined using the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay. WG ($22.35{\pm}0.04mm$) was found to be highly inhibitory to Staphylococcus aureus followed by UB ($17.91{\pm}0.10mm$), PB ($16.87{\pm}0.05mm$), and NB ($15.69{\pm}0.20mm$). The antibacterial activity of the selected grains was correlated with antioxidant activities and the amount of DMBQ (Pearson's correlation coefficient, 0.7831). The antioxidant activity of the selected grains was also correlated with the total phenolic content (Pearson's correlation coefficient, 0.9934). WG extract showed significantly higher antibacterial activity, compared with barley extracts such as UB, PB, and NB. The results of this study suggest that barley has a potential in the development of natural antimicrobials and food preservatives for controlling food-borne pathogens.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.311-319
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• 2013

In an effort to characterize the physicochemical properties and microbial risks associated with the soy sauce jangachi (Korean traditional pickle), 15 different home-made products, which were prepared from medicinal plants and wild edible vegetables, from head-families of Andong, Kyungsangbuk-do Province in Korea, and 6 different commercial products sold at supermarket, were investigated. The average pH of the mature soaking solutions and plants soaked in the 21 jangachi were $3.99{\pm}0.38$ and $3.51{\pm}0.41$, and the average acidity of the mature soaking solutions and soaked plants were $1.59{\pm}0.54$ and $1.65{\pm}0.76$, respectively. The average brix of the mature soaking solutions and plants soaked were $27.67{\pm}8.38$ and $25.61{\pm}6.60$, respectively. In salinity, which is a major factor in jangachi industry production, the average salinity of the mature soaking solutions and soaked plants were $7.55{\pm}3.26$ and $5.75{\pm}2.23$, respectively. In particular, the hot-peppers, eusuri, du-rup, kaet-ip, kuji-ppong, myeng-i and sancho jangachi were amongst the home-made products, and the salinity was above 8.8%, which was 2 folds-higher than that of the commercial sterilized products, and 1/3-lower than commercial non-sterilized products. The color difference and turbidity of jangachi were dependent on the plant parts used. In microbial risk assessment, the microorganisms related with food-borne disease, such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella sp, and Shigella sp., were not detected. After some time, total cell count analysis revealed that the commercial products sold at supermarkets were more vulnerable than the home-made products.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.333-342
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• 2003

The pathogenic effort of high glucose, possibly in concert with fatty acids, is mediated to vascular complications of diabetes via increased production of reactive oxygen species(ROS), reactive nitrogen species(RNS), and subsequent oxidative stress. This study was carried out to investigate the suppressive effect of buchu(Allium tuberosum) on oxidative stress in streptozotocin(STZ)-induced diabetes in Sprague Dawley male rats. The effect of buchu supplementation (10%) on lipid peroxidation, and antioxidative defense system in blood and liver was compared among normal rats fed basal diet(normal) and diabetic rats fed basal diet(DM-control) or 10% buchu-supplemented diet(DM-buchu). Diabetes was experimentally induced by the femoral muscle injection of 50 mg STZ per kg of body weight. Animals were sacrificed after 4 wks of experimental diets feeding. The induction of diabetes by STZ elevated the level of lipid peroxidation represented by thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances(TBARS) and conjugated dienes in plasma, LDL, liver, and erythrocytes. 10% buchu-supplemented diet significantly reduced the levels of conjugated dienes in erythrocytes(p<0.05) and lowered TBARS in liver and LDL to the levels of control. Induction of diabetes by STZ elevated Mn-superoxide dismutase(Mn-SOD) activity and lowered activities of glutathionine reductase(GSH-red) and glutathionine peroxidase(GSH-px). Catalase activity was not affected by the induction of diabetes by STZ. However, buchu supplementation to diabetic rats significantly elevated catalase activity(p<0.05) and slightly elevated GSH-px and GSH-red activities in liver. GSH levels of blood and liver were lowered or not changed by induction of diabetes by STZ, respectively, while buchu supplementation to diabetic rats significantly elevated hepatic GSH level (p<0.05). In conclusion, it can be concluded that buchu might be a food source to attenuate oxidative stress in diabetic patients by inhibiting lipid peroxidation, by increasing hepatic GSH level, and by inducing anti-oxidative enzyme systems.