• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.26 no.10
• /
• pp.1163-1168
• /
• 2016

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) have gained worldwide importance and acceptance due to their agricultural benefits. These microorganisms are potential tools for sustainable agriculture, with effects on plant growth, biofertilization, induced systemic resistance, and biocontrol of plant pathogens. In this study, four different Pantoea species were isolated from field soil, and their plant growth-promoting characteristics were studied. Based on 16S rDNA gene sequencing analyses, the se were grouped into Pantoea ananatis, Pantoea citrea, Pantoea dispersa, Pantoea vagans and named as Pa1, Pc1, Pd1, Pv1, respectively. All of these strains have their ability for solubilization of insoluble phosphate depending on pH decrease at the range around pH 5 at 1days after inoculation and production of plant hormone indole acetic acid (IAA) with 85.3±16.3 μg/ml of Pa1, 183.9±16.8 μg/ml of Pc1, 28.8±17.3 μg/ml of Pd1 and 114.1±16.5 μg/ml of Pv1, respectively. Pa1, Pc1 and Pd1 also have high activity for production of gibberellin (GA₃) hormone with 331.1±19.2 μg/ml of Pa1, 288.5±16.8 μg/ml of Pc1, 309.2±18.2 μg/ml of Pd1, but Pv1 does not. Furthermore, all these species have significantly promoted the growth of the lettuce seedling plants at the range around 32~37% for fresh weight and 10~15% for shoot length enhancement, so that these microbe could be used as a potential bio-fertilizer agents.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.15-21
• /
• 1984

In order to ascertain the practical possibility of home made retort pouches for production of retort pouch foods in factory, two kinds of retortable pouches, i. e. 3 ply film (polyester film/Al. foil/casting polypropylene) and 4 ply film(polyester film/Al. foil/nylon/casting poll·propylene) were developed in Korea, and then, their physical properties, such as physical strength, heat resistance during thermal processing and preservability of foods and sanitary safety, were tested and compared with the foreign made pouches. The results obtained were summarized as follows. a. The physical strength of home made retort pouches in processing model foods(soybean oil 5 %, acetic acid 2%, starch 5 % and water to 100 %) was equal to that of foreign made pouches at accelerated examination condition($38^{\circ}C$, 98 % RH). But the lamination strength of home made products was a little bit superior to that of foreign made products. b. Home made retort pouches(SAMA-4 ply and SAMA-3 ply pouch) packed with rice or curry was possible to bear the thermal processing at $135^{\circ}C$ and shelf-life was one year or more at ambient temperature($20^{\circ}C$). c. Sanitary safety test showed that these home made retort pouches were acceptable comparing to the regulation recommended by the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• v.23 no.2
• /
• pp.1-19
• /
• 2006

Objectives : The aim of this study was to investigate the hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic activities and mechanisms of Acanthopanax senticosus (AS) herbal acupuncture. Methods : Anti-diabetic and anti-steatotic activity of the AS herbal acupuncture was investigated on C57BL/6J ob/ob mice. After random grouping at the age of 9 weeks, the herbal acupuncture groups were injected subcutaneously at the left and right Gansu (BL18) corresponding acupuncture points alternately on exactly the same time every day with 0.1ml of either 400 mg/kg or 800 mg/kg of AS (AS400 and AS800) for 8-week period. As a positive control, metformin was administrated at a dose of 300 mg/kg (MT300). Body weights were measured weekly, and on every other week blood was collected for blood glucose analysis. At the end of study, blood was also collected for determination of plasma insulin and lipid levels, after which they were killed and periepidydimal fat, liver, muscle, and pancreas were immediately removed. The removed tissues were instantly soaked in liquid nitrogen and stored at $-70^{\circ}C$ for morphological examination and mRNA analysis. Results : The AS herbal acupuncture significantly prevented weight gain on C57BL/6J ob/ob mice. The AS herbal acupuncture lowered blood glucose and improved glucose tolerance in C57BL/6J ob/ob mice. The increase of insulin response during the OGTT was inhibited by the AS herbal acupuncture. Insulin sensitivity of skeletal tissue was enhanced. Plasma lipid levels were significantly improved in the AS herbal acupuncture groups. The AS herbal acupuncture decreased hepatic lipogenesis and hepatic triglyceride production, and increased fatty acid (FA) transporter that involves in FA uptake. The AS herbal acupuncture inhibited the increase of liver mass by prevention of the accumulation of TG but did not inhibit weight gain of fat tissue on C57BL/6J ob/ob mice. Conclusion : In summary, we have demonstrated several unique properties of the AS herbal acupuncture in decreasing body weight, and reversing insulin resistance and hepatic steatosis in ob/ob mice. This AS herbal acupuncture acts as an insulin sensitizer and specifically decreases circulating glucose and lipids, and suppresses hepatic lipogenesis.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.63 no.5
• /
• pp.417-422
• /
• 2007

Background: It is not known with certainty whether patients with persistently positive sputum smear results who have also had negative sputum culture results require prolongation of treatment for tuberculosis in order to avoid an increased risk of eventual relapse. The purpose of the present study was to retrospectively describe the treatment characteristics and evaluate the appropriate duration of treatment in these patients. Methods: Sixty of 69 patients with sputum smear positive and culture negative tests at 5 months after first line anti-tuberculous chemotherapy from 2002 to 2003 were retrospectively analyzed. Exclusion criteria included incomplete treatment or resistance to rifampicin or two additional antibiotics, as determined by a drug susceptibility test (DST). Results: Smear conversion of the study subjects was observed after $8.3{\pm}2.3$ months treatment, and the patients were culture negative after $2.0{\pm}0.8$ months. The relapse rates of the study subjects were 3.8, 10.0, and 25.8% after 1, 2, and 5 years of anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy, respectively. The relapse rates were not significantly affected by a series of risk factors such as age, sex, presence of diabetes, a sputum culture examination after 2 months treatment, previous treatment history, chest radiograph, and duration of the treatment (P>0.05). Conclusion: Regimen change is not required for patients with persistent smear positive but culture negative tests in the fifth month for first line antituberculous treatment. However, a further study will be needed to clarify the high relapse rate in this specific group of patients.

• KSBB Journal
• /
• v.24 no.2
• /
• pp.149-155
• /
• 2009

19 strains, which could be identified as Lactobacillus sp. were isolated. The Cucurbita maxima has been known as a traditional healthy food and variable positive effects on the human body were already reported. In this study we tried to develop a production process for a healthy fermented drink with Cucurbita maxima and strains originated from Kimchi. Many kinds of lacctobacci species existed in the fermented food cannot survive in the acidic conditions in the stomach. So we tried to search and select a strain, which can arrive to the small intestine. A species of a Lactobacillus named as C332 was identifed as Lactobacillus plantarum and selected for the fermentation process. With the treatment with artificial gastric juice and artificial bile the survival rate of the cells could be calculated. The physiological characteristics at the variable conditions have been tested. After fermentation process the sensoric tests on the product with panels were tried. The most of the cells could survive in the acidic conditions and falcultive anaerobe. Especially some antibacterial effects aganinst E.coli were also found. With all kinds of the results from our research the fermented Cucurbita maxima drink can be a successful item in the market.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
• /
• v.53 no.3
• /
• pp.357-363
• /
• 2015

The development of the environment-friendly tire that meets the standard requirements according to tire labeling system can be improved through using highly homogeneous silica immobilized zinc oxide nanoparticles. In this study, a considerable amount of nanoporous silica was essentially added into nano zinc oxide to improve the physiochemical properties of the formed composite. The introduction of nanoporous silica materials in the composite facilitates the improvement of the wear-resistance and increases the elasticity of the tread. Therefore, the introduction of nanoporous silica can replace carbon black as filler in the formation of composites with desirable properties for conventional green tire. Herein, mesoporous silica immobilized zinc oxide nanoparticle with desirable properties for rubber compounds was investigated. Composites with homogeneous dispersion were obtained in the absence of dispersants. The dispersion stability was controlled through varying the molar ratio, ageing time and mixing order of the reactants. A superior dispersion was achieved in the sample obtained using 0.03 mol of zinc precursor as it had the smallest grain size (50.5 nm) and then immobilized in silica aged for 10 days. Moreover, the specific surface area of this sample was the highest ($649m^2/g$).

• Corrosion Science and Technology
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.20-27
• /
• 2014

The structures of reinforced concrete has been extensively increased with rapid development of industrial society. Futhermore, these reinforced concretes are easy to expose to severe corrosive environments such as sea water, contaminated water, acid rain and seashore etc.. Thus, corrosion problem of inner steel bar embedded in concrete is very important in terms of safety and economical point of view. In this study, multiple mortar test specimen(W/C:0.4) with six types having different cover thickness each other was prepared and was immerged in seawater solution for five years to evaluate the effect of cover thickness and immersion years to corrosion property of embedded steel bar. And the polarization characteristics of these embedded steel bars was investigated using electrochemical methods such as measuring corrosion potential, cathodic polarization curve, and cyclic voltammogram. At the beginning of immersion, the corrosion potentials exhibited increasingly nobler values with increasing cover thickness. However, after immersed for 5 years, the thicker cover of thickness, the corrosion potentials shifted in the negative direction, and the relationship between corrosion potential and cover thickness was not in good agreement with each other. Therefore, it is considered that the thinner cover of thickness, corrosive products deposited on the surface of the embedded steel bar plays the role as a resistance polarization which is resulted in decreasing the corrosion rate as well as shifting the corrosion potential in the positive direction. As a result, it seemed that the evaluation which corrosion possibility of the reinforced steel would be estimated by only measuring the corrosion potential may not be a completely desirable method. Therefore, it is suggested that we should take into account various parameters, including cover thickness, passed aged years as well as corrosion potential for more accurate assessment of corrosion possibility of reinforced steel which is exposed to partially or fully in marine environment for long years.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
• /
• v.37 no.1
• /
• pp.82-90
• /
• 2010

This study examined the effect of adhesive tape supplemented with sodium fluoride on the prevention of dental erosion in vitro. Sound bovine tooth samples were selected and divided randomly into the following 4 groups according to the material treatments: group 1, APF gel; group 2, fluoride varnish; and groups 3 and 4, fluoride tape supplemented with 5% NaF in either a methyl cellulose or poly vinyl acetate carrier, respectively. All specimens were submitted to alternate cycles of acid exposure in a cola beverage (pH 4.3) and artificial saliva for $6\;{\times}\;5\;min/day$ over a 5 day period. The micro-hardness was recorded each day and the lesion depth was measured after 5 days. The micro-hardness of the experimental sides of groups 2, 3 and 4 were significantly higher than that of their control sides and the experimental side of group 1 during the experimental period (p<0.05) except on the 5th day. The enamel surfaces of treatment groups 2, 3 and 4 showed significantly higher resistance to mineral loss in terms of the erosion depth (p<0.05) than group 1 and their control sides. There was no statistically significant difference among group 2, 3 and 4, indicating that the fluoride varnish and tapes produce similar results. Fluoride adhesive tapes are effective in reducing the progression of erosion and can be recommended for young patients who are more susceptible to dental erosion.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
• /
• v.36 no.2
• /
• pp.246-254
• /
• 2004

Physicochemical properties of bread dough added with silkpeptide were investigated. Protein content of silkpeptide was 90.83%. In amino acid analysis, glycine content was highest at 18,760.04 mg%. Alanine, serine, and tyrosine contents were much higher in silkpeptide flour than wheat flour. Mixed silkpeptide showed low lightness and redness values and high yellowness. Farinograph water absorption decreased as silkpeptide content increased. Both arrival and development times of silkpeptide-added dough were longer than those of wheat flour, As silkpeptide content increased, degree of weakness increased, Maximum viscosity of amylograph decreased gradually with addition of silkpeptide, while gelatinization temperature was not affected. Extensograph showed extensibility and resistance to extension of dough increased, while ratio of resistence to extensibility highly increased with increasing amount of silkpeptide. Silkpeptide added to bread dough showed oxidation effect, indication that it could be used as natural additive for improving bread dough quality.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.73 no.1
• /
• pp.38-47
• /
• 2012

Background: The prevalence rate of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) is steadily decreasing in South Korea. However, PTB is a disease with relatively high mortality and morbidity rates throughout Korea. Although there are many studies and statistics about the risk factors of PTB mortality in many countries, there are only a limited number of domestic papers on this topic. The aim of this study is to determine predictive factors for mortality among in-hospital patients associated with PTB. Methods: From December 2006 to January 2011, we reviewed medical records of 2,122 adult patients diagnosed with tuberculosis at a single tertiary hospital in a suburban area. In this study period, 960 patients were diagnosed with PTB by positive Acid fast bacilli smear and/or mycobacterial culture of the respiratory specimen. We compared the groups of patients deceased and patients discharged alive with PTB. The number of dead patients was 82 (47 males, 35 females). Results: Mortality was significantly associated with increased values of white blood cells (WBC), blood urine nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, C-reactive protein (CRP), numbers of involved lung field, and length of hospitalization. Also, it was associated with the decreased values of hemoglobin, lymphocyte, sodium, albumin, and cholesterol. Furthermore, admission through the emergency department, initial intensive care unit admission, and drug resistant PTB affected mortality in PTB patients. Independent predictors associated with PTB mortality are BUN, initial intensive care unit care, and admission during treatment of tuberculosis. Conclusion: In our study, mortality of pulmonary tuberculosis was related with parameters associated with nutritional status, disease severity at the time of admission, and drug resistance.