• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.81-88
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• 2019

Purpose: Early detection of Mycoplasma pneumoniae is important for appropriate antimicrobial therapy in children with pneumonia. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic value of a rapid antigen test kit in detecting M. pneumoniae from respiratory specimens in children with lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI). Methods: A total of 215 nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPAs) were selected from a pool of NPAs that had been obtained from children admitted for LRTI from August 2010 to August 2018. The specimens had been tested for M. pneumoniae by culture and stored at $-70^{\circ}C$ until use. Tests with Ribotest $Mycoplasma^{(R)}$ were performed and interpreted independently by two investigators who were blinded to the culture results. Results: Among the 215 NPAs, 119 were culture positive for M. pneumoniae and 96 were culture negative. Of the culture-positive specimens, 74 (62.2%) were positive for M. pneumoniae by Ribotest $Mycoplasma^{(R)}$, and 92 of the 96 (95.8%) culture-negative specimens were negative for M. pneumoniae by Ribotest $Mycoplasma^{(R)}$. When culture was used as the standard test, the sensitivity and specificity of Ribotest $Mycoplasma^{(R)}$ were 62.2% and 95.8%, respectively. Additionally, the positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and overall agreement rates with Ribotest $Mycoplasma^{(R)}$ were 94.9%, 67.2%, and 77.2%, respectively. Conclusions: A positive test result of Ribotest $Mycoplasma^{(R)}$ suggests a high likelihood of culture-positive M. pneumoniae infection. However, a negative test result should be interpreted with caution because nearly one-third of negative test results reveal culture-positive M. pneumoniae infections.

• Journal of Practical Agriculture & Fisheries Research
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.12-19
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• 2023

This study conducted an experiment with EC 1.0ms/cm ratio and excellent soil conditions for germination in ICT-based ginseng process cultivation. The first growth survey was conducted before transplantation of ginseng 1-year roots grown by seeding ginseng in the process cultivation, conventional cultivation and a second growth comparison survey was conducted after 3 months of growth. In the results, it was confirmed that ginseng grown in the process cultivation grew more than in the field. As a result of comparing the contents of 11 ginsenosides of 1-year and 2-year-old ginsenosides in the process cultivation and conventional cultivation ginseng, it was confirmed that the content of the process cultivation ginseng was higher than that of practice cultivation ginseng. In conclusion, conventional cultivation ginseng grows due to various factors under the natural cultivation environment, but process cultivation can secure the growth stability of ginseng by allowing stable soil and environmental control, so continuous research is needed in the future.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.34 no.11
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• pp.818-827
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• 2024

Vitamin K is classified into phylloquinone (PK) synthesized by plants, and menaquinones (MKs) found in fermented foods. In this study, we analyzed the antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activities of PK and MKs extracted from six Sargassum species (S. horneri (Sh), S. siliquastrum (Ss), S. fulvellum (Sf), S. yezoense (Sy), S. confusum (Sc), and S. thunbergia (St); Sargassum_cVitK) and Sargassum species fermented with Lactococcus lactis (Ll; KCCM12759P) and Leuconostoc mesenteroides (Lm; KCCM12756P; ShLlLm, SsLlLm, SfLlLm, SyLlLm, ScLlLm, and StLlLm; Sargassum_LlLm_cVitK). Sargassum_cVitK contained PK and MK4 in a range of between 821.4 and 1,427.13 ng/g, with Sf (1,427.13 ng/g) and Sy (1,405.98 ng/g) showing the highest levels. Sargassum_LlLm_cVitK ranged between 666.83 and 1,403.7 ng/g, with SyLlLm (1,403.7 ng/g) and SfLlLm (1,399.69 ng/g) showing the highest levels. All Sargassum_LlLm_cVitK contained PK, MK4, and MK7; however, MK9 was exclusively observed in SfLlLm. The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay showed that activities of Sargassum_LlLm_cVitK, including PK, MK4, MK7, and MK9, were slightly higher than those of Sargassum_cVitK (PK, MK4) and SyLlLm_cVitK exhibited the highest activity at 73.94%. In Raw 264.7 cells induced by lipopolysaccharide, nitric oxide (NO) production was reduced by Sargassum and Sargassum_LlLm_cVitK, indicating the anti-inflammatory efficacy of Sargassum-derived cVitK. Particularly, StLlLm and SfLlLm_cVitKs exhibited the most effective NO-scavenging activities. In conclusion, the bioconversion of Sargassum spp., including PK, and Ll and Lm producing MKs, yielded long-chain MK variants, such as MK7 or MK9. All Sargassum-derived cVitKs exhibited antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activities. These findings provide a valuable reference for future studies on the production and health-promoting effects of vitamin K.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.774-784
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to present management guidelines for critical control points by analyzing microbiological hazardous elements through screening Potentially Hazardous Foods (PHF) menus in an effort improve the microbiological quality of foods prepared by restaurant operations. Steamed spinach with seasoning left at room temperature presents a range of risk temperatures which microorganisms could flourish, and it exceeded all microbiological safety limits in our study. On the other hand, steamed spinach with seasoning stored in a refrigerator had Aerobic Plate Counts of $2.86{\pm}0.5{\log}\;CFU/g$ and all other microbiological tests showed that their levels were below the limit. The standard plate counts of raw materials of lettuce and tomato were $4.66{\pm}0.4{\log}\;CFU/g$ and $3.08{\pm}0.4{\log}\;CFU/g$, respectively. Upon washing, the standard plate counts were $3.12{\pm}0.6{\log}\;CFU/g$ and $2.10{\pm}0.3{\log}\;CFU/g$, respectively, but upon washing after chlorination, those were $2.23{\pm}0.3{\log}\;CFU/g$ and $0.72{\pm}0.7{\log}\;CFU/g$, respectively. The standard plate counts of baby greens, radicchio and leek were $6.02{\pm}0.5{\log}\;CFU/g$, $5.76{\pm}0.1{\log}\;CFU/g$ and $6.83{\pm}0.5{\log}\;CFU/g$, respectively. After 5 minutes of chlorination, the standard plate counts were $4.10{\pm}0.6{\log}\;CFU/g$, $5.14{\pm}0.1{\log}\;CFU/g$ and $5.30{\pm}0.3{\log}\;CFU/g$, respectively. After 10 minutes of chlorination treatment, the standard plate counts were $2.58{\pm}0.3{\log}\;CFU/g$, $4.27{\pm}0.6{\log}\;CFU/g$, and $4.18{\pm}0.5{\log}\;CFU/g$, respectively. The microbial levels decreased as the time of chlorination increased. This study showed that the microbiological quality of foods was improved with the proper practices of time-temperature control, sanitization control, seasoning control, and personal and surface sanitization control. It also presents management guidelines for the control of potentially hazardous foods at the critical control points in the process of restaurant operations.