• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.161-167
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• 2015

These commensal intestinal bacteria can enhance the immune system and aid in nutrient absorption but can also act as opportunistic pathogens. Among these intestinal bacteria, the anaerobic Bacteroides fragilis are divided into enterotoxigenic B. fragilis (ETBF) which secrete the B. fragilis toxin (BFT) and non-enterotoxigenic B. fragilis (NTBF) which do not secrete BFT. ETBF can cause diarrhea and colitis in both humans and livestock but can also be found in asymptomatic individuals. ETBF is predominantly found in patients with inflammatory diarrheal diseases and traveller's diarrhea. Several clinical studies have also reported an increased prevalence of ETBF in human patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), colitis and colorectal cancer. In small animal models (C57BL/6 wild-type mice, germ-free mice, multiple intestinal neoplasia (Min) mice, rabbits and Mongolian gerbils), ETBF have been found to initiate and/or aggravate IBD, colitis and colorectal cancer. BFT induces E-cadherin cleavage in intestinal epithelial cells resulting in loss of epithelial cell integrity. Subsequent activation of the ${\beta}$-catenin pathway leads to increased cellular proliferation. In addition, ETBF causes acute and chronic colitis in wild-type mice as well as enhances tumorigenesis in Min mice via activation of the Stat3/Th17 pathway. Currently, ETBF can be detected using a BFT toxin bioassay and by PCR. Advances in molecular biological techniques such as real-time PCR have allowed both researchers as well as clinicians to rapidly detect ETBF in clinical samples. The emergence of more sensitive techniques will likely advance molecular insight into the role of ETBF in colitis and cancer.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.11-18
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• 2011

This study was aimed to investigate the pathophysiological changes of olive flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus suffering from emaciation. A plasma osmolality was higher in the emaciated and control flounders than that of normal teleost, suggesting osmoregulatory failure in both of them. Also, the control in the same stock with emaciated flounder seem to be classified into a primary degree of emaciation. According to microscopic observations, the inflammatory responses were observed in the submucosal layer of anterior intestine, although the some of mucosal intestinal epithelium still remained. It was suggested that the pathological changes of the anterior part give rise to malabsorption of nutrients through the mucosa. In the posterior intestine and rectum, the mucosal epithelium were almostly sloughed off and severe inflammatory responses were observed in the submucosa. Immunoreaction for NKCC was not detected in the mucosal epithelial cells in intestine because of sloughing of epithelium. These changes would lead to functional disorder in the intestine, such as malabsorption of nutrients and osmoregulatory failure. Also important is to investigate the recovery phase.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.95-100
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• 2003

Competitive direct enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(cdELISA) of aflatoxin $B_1$ ($AFB_1$) in deonjang(Korean-style soybean paste) and kochujang(fermented hot peppersoybean paste) and the level of $AFB_1$ in modern or traditional style deonjang and gochujang, produced in Korea, was surveyed by cdELISA. From the standard curve of the cdELISA, the detection limit of $AFB_1$ was 0.2 ng/m/. The average recovery of $AFB_1$ was 71.5% in the range of 1~100 ng/g after spiking $AFB_1$ into deonjang and it means that it could be possible to detect the $AFB_1$ in these range by the cdELISA in deonjang. Among the 30 kochujangs tested, no $AFB_1$ was detected in kochujangs. Among the 30 deonjangs, $AFB_1$ was detected in 6 ones in the range of 1.0~6.0 ng/g. The occurrence of $AFB_1$ in deonjang and kochujang tested in this study was less than the Korea Standard and Specification of aflatoxin in foods (10 ppb).

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.375-390
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• 2022

Influenza viruses are zoonotic respiratory pathogens, and influenza infections have caused a substantial burden on public health systems and the livestock industry. Although currently approved seasonal influenza vaccines have shown potent protection efficacy against antigenically well-matched strains, there are considerable unmet needs for the efficient control of viral infections. Enormous efforts have been made to develop broadly protective universal influenza vaccines to tackle the huge levels of genetic diversity and variability of influenza viruses. In addition, antiviral drugs have been considered important interventions for the treatment of viral infections. The viral neuraminidase inhibitor oseltamivir is the most widely used antiviral medication to treat influenza A and influenza B viruses. However, unsatisfactory clinical outcomes resulting from side effects and the emergence of resistant variants have led to greater attention being paid to plants as a natural resource for anti-influenza drugs. In particular, the recent COVID-19 pandemic has underpinned the need for safe and effective antiviral drugs with a broad spectrum of antiviral activity to prevent the rapid spread of viruses among humans. This review outlines the results of the antiviral activities of various natural products isolated from plants against influenza viruses. Special focus is paid to the virucidal effects and the immune-enhancing effects of antiviral natural products, since the products have broad applications as inactivating agents for the preparation of inactivated vaccines and vaccine adjuvants.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.347-353
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• 2022

In this study, the effect of a synbiotic mixture of probiotics and 3% inulin on the growth, non-specific immune response, and mortality due to disease resistance of Paralichthys olivaceus was investigated. The results revealed that an 8-week diet of synbiotic-added feed, had no significant effect on the growth of P. olivaceus, Analysis of the hematological parameters revealed that there was a significant difference in the content of AST, total protein, and cholesterol among the groups, whereas there was no significant difference in the ALT and glucose contents. Further, there was no significant difference in the lysozyme activity of the synbiotic and control group after 8 weeks' feeding. In addition, when the symbiotic mixture was used rather than probiotics alone, the NBT activity of the synbiotic group increased compared to that of the control group. Moreover, when only probiotics were used, the cytokine expression in the spleen of the samples was significantly lower than that in the control group, whereas the expression was significantly higher in the spleen of the synbiotics group. However, there was no significant difference in the cytokine expression in the liver, intestine, and kidney of the three groups. Lastly, after injection for 2 weeks, the mortality rates of the control group towards Edwardsiella tarda, Streptococcus parauberis, and Streptococcus iniae were 95, 85 and 85%, respectively; those of the probiotics group were 85, 80, and 80%, respectively; and those of the synbiotics group were 80, 80, and 85%, respectively.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.289-293
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• 2001

Incidence of infectious viruses is ensuing throughout the world and threatening the health of children as well as adults. The outbreaks of viral diseases of alimentary tract in Pusan from 1998 to 2000 were detected. Viruses were isolated from stool specimens, cerebrospinal fluid and throat swabs from suspicious patients and confirmed by cell culture, latex agglutination test, indirect immunofluorescent test and electron microscopic observation. The average isolation rate was 12.5% from the suspected specimens. From this work, 2 cases of enteric adenoviruses, 23 cases of echovirus, 31 cases of coxsackivirus 36 cases of rotavirus, 45 cases of SRSV, and 7 cases of poliovirus were detected. The major serotypes of coxsackievirus were B2, B3, B4, B6 and echovirus of serotypes 6, 9, 11, 25, and 30 were examined. Two cases of enteric adenovirus type 41 were also confirmed. The incidence of SRSV was mostly concentrated between December through following March, April through October with echovirus and coxsackievirus, and January through April with rotavirus, respectively. Electron micrograph of negative-stained viruses showed typical appearance with 30-80 nm in diameter.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.294-298
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• 2001

Highly effective polymerase chain reaction (PCR) often brings about false positivity caused by contamination of the sample with target nucleic acids. To solve this problem, in situ PCR (ISPCR) has been developed and applied onto various tissue sections and suspension cultures. With combination of PCR and in situ hybridization, this method amplifies the nucleic acid targets in situ and detect the amplified products inside the cells over the background of various cell types. In order to amplify the nucleic acid targets inside the cells, permeabilisation of a sample is required for the entry of amplification reactants into a cell. Treatments of a sample for the purpose allow not only the entry of reactants into the cell but also the exit of amplification products out of the cell. As a means to reduce the leakage of the amplification products, two methods were applied to suspension cultures of HIV-infected Molt/LAV and U 1.1 cells, in which modified, tailed primers produced long linear amplificants whereas biotinylated dUTP instead of dTTP did bulky products.

• Journal of the Korean Data and Information Science Society
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.925-934
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• 2016

As we enter the 21st century, interests in health and quality of life have grown gradually. In this study, we analyzed the data in response to each questionnaire for life management and sub-health among targeted members of a particular group. The results of the analysis of life management have found no difference between genders at the 5% of significance level. In respect to gender, a differential analysis of sub-health, however, has shown a gender difference in which female students had significantly worse health conditions than male students in the areas of immune system, intestine, cerebral nerve, hormone, and urinary system. Moreover, we also have found no significant difference among colleges in terms of life management and sub-health. In conclusion, it was shown that sub-health is closely related with life management.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.265-274
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• 2014

Gut microbiota is a group of microorganisms that resides in the intestine and serves many important functions in human health. Using 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing analysis, a wide variety of bacteria in human gastrointestinal tract has been identified along with intriguing findings that there is a different bacterial composition among individuals. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is a procedure of stool transplantation from healthy donors to patients suffering from various diseases. Specifically, FMT is able to alter the composition of gut microbiota of recipients and therefore could be an effective treatment for the patients with gastrointestinal diseases including recurrent Clostridium difficile infection, inflammatory bowel disease, and irritable bowel syndrome. Here we review a list of human diseases related to gut microbiota disturbance and the case studies of FMT. We also summarize medicines and diagnostic tools that are under development. Therefore, gut microbiota can be a next generation's biotherapy for promotion of health and treatment of chronic diseases.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.94-100
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• 2001

Purpose : Enterovirus is a common cause of aseptic meningitis and nonspecific febrile illness in young children. During the summer and fall months, enterovirus-infected young children are frequently admitted and evaluated to rule out bacterial sepsis and/or meningitis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between nonpolio enterovirus infection and febrile illness in infants under 3 months of age during the summer, fall months by using a stool culture to identify the presence of enterovirus. Methods : Patients included febrile infants under 3 months of age admitted to Masan Fatima Hospital for sepsis evaluation from May 1999 to September 1999. Cultures were performed from stool and Cerebrospinal fluid samples and then were tested for enterovirus infection. Viral isolation and serotype identification were performed by cell culture and immunofluorescent testing. Enteroviruses not typed by immunofluorescent testing were confirmed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Results : A total of 44 febrile infants were enrolled; of those, 20(45%) were positive for enterovirus. Two enterovirus culture-positive infants had concomitant urinary tract infection and one had Kawasaki disease. All infants infected with an enterovirus recovered without complications. Serotype of 20 enteroviruses were isolated from stool, 3 of echovirus type 9, 1 of echovirus type 11, 1 Coxsachievirus type B4, 15 of untyped enteroviruses. One untyped enterovirus was isolated in the CSF. Conclusion : Nonpolio enterovirus infections are associated with nonspecific febrile illnesses in infants under 3 months of age.