• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.20-32
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• 2023

Purpose: This study aimed to identify the etiology and risk factors of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) requiring hospitalization in Korean children during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: Clinical information of children admitted with CAP to Seoul National University Children's Hospital (SNUCH) between January 1, 2021, and February 28, 2022, was retrospectively collected and analyzed. In addition, the etiologic diagnosis and demographic data of children with CAP who were discharged at the other seven hospitals between January and February 2022 were collected. Pneumonia was diagnosed using strict criteria comprising clinical symptoms, physical examination findings, and chest radiographic findings. Results: Among 91 children hospitalized with CAP at SNUCH during the 14-month period, 68.4% were aged <5 years and 79.1% had underlying diseases. Among the 95 CAP cases, respiratory assistance was required in 70.5%, and the use of a ventilator was required in 20.0%. A total of five patients expired, all of whom were either immunocompromised or had underlying neurological diseases. Neurological diseases and immunosuppression were significantly correlated with respiratory assistance (P=0.003) and death (P=0.014). A total of 55% of the detected respiratory pathogens were viruses, the most common of which was rhinovirus at 35.9%. Among the 169 children hospitalized for CAP at the eight institutions, ≥1 respiratory virus was detected in 92.3%, among which respiratory syncytial virus (79.8%) was the most prevalent. Conclusions: Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, Korean children were hospitalized with CAP caused by seasonal respiratory viral pathogens. Although atypical and pyogenic bacteria were not detected, continuous clinical monitoring and further prospective studies should be conducted.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.123-130
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• 2023

Salmonella spp. are prevalent foodborne pathogens that are infective at relatively low concentrations, thus posing a serious health threat, especially to young children and the elderly. In several countries, the management and regulation of Salmonella spp. in food, including seafood, adhere to a negative detection standard. The risk of infection is particularly high when seafood is consumed raw, which underscores the importance of timely detection of pathogenic microorganisms, such as Salmonella. Accordingly, this study aimed to develop a combined pre-treatment and detection method that includes pre-culture and DNA extraction in order to detect five species of Salmonella at concentrations below 10 CFU/mL in seafood. The effectiveness of the proposed method was assessed in terms of the composition of the enrichment (pre-culture) medium, minimum incubation time, and minimum cell concentration for pathogen detection. Furthermore, a practical DNA extraction method capable of effectively handling high salt conditions was tested and found to be successful. Through polymerase chain reaction, Salmonella spp. Were detected and positively identified in shellfish samples at cell concentrations below 10 CFU/g. Thus, the proposed method, combining sample pre-treatment and cell culture with DNA extraction, was shown to be an effective strategy for detecting low cellular concentrations of harmful bacteria. The proposed methodology is suitable as an economical and practical in situ pre-treatment for effective detection of Salmonella spp. in seafood.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.644-652
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• 2006

This study was investigated the utilization of pomegranate(P) as coagulants for 새려 manufacture, the quality characteristics and shelf-life on tofu made by P1(fruit juice of pomegranate 1%) and P2(fruit juice of pomegranate 2%) and P3(fruit juice of pomegranate 3%) and P4(fruit juice of pomegranate 4%) and P5(fruit juice of pomegranate 5%) were investigated and compared to G.D.L(C). And also, total microbe and tatal acid of the tofu were determined during storage at $0^{\circ}C^$. The results are summarized as follow P3(493.3g/500ml) compared to C(485g/500ml) showed the highest yield. Turbidity of tofu was increased as the proportion of pomegranate was increased, while pH of tofu was increased as the proportion of pomegranate was decreased. $L^{\ast}^{\ast}^{\ast}$ value of C tofu was highest, $a^{\ast}^{\ast}^{\ast}$ value of tofu was increased as the proportion of pomegranate was increased and $b^{\ast}^{\ast}^{\ast}$ value of C tofu was higher than those of other tofus. The hardness of tofu coagulated with pomegranate showed higher than that of coagulated G.D.L. The cohesiveness of P4, P5 showed higher than C tofu, but those of other tofus showed lower than C tofu. The springiness of tofu showed in the order of P4>P5>P3>P2>P1, gumminess of P5 tofu was highest. The Brittleness of tofu was increased as the proportion of pomegranate increased. The pH value of tofu coagulated with pomegranate increased during storage at $0^{\circ}C^$. During the storage period of tofu, pH and total acid showed a maximum change in C tofu. Generally the total plate counts of bacteria of all tofu increased during storage at $0^{\circ}C^$, and those of tofu with added pomegranate were shown to be lower than C tofu. The results of S.E.M(scanning electron microscopes), the lower hardness showed the more soft and the smaller particle, The particle of C tofu was small and uniformity but the size of P4, P5 tofu showed coarse. In the sensory evaluation of all tofu, sleekness, nutty, chewiness and smoothness, appearance and overall quality was the highest in C tofu. In the sensory evaluation of tofus coagulated with pomegranate. overall quality was the highest in P2.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.171-185
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• 2023

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of supplementation of Allium hookeri (AH) root powder on the gut microbiome, immunity, and health in broiler chickens fed experimental diets from d 10 to 28. A total of 60 10-day-old Ross 308 broilers were weighed and assigned to two dietary treatments with 5 birds per cage in a randomized complete block design based on body weight. The two experimental diets consisted of a control diet based on corn-soybean meal and the control diet supplemented with 0.3% AH root powder. All birds were fed ad libitum with experimental diets and water for 18 d. At 28 d, two birds near the median weight from each cage were selected for cecal content and small intestinal tissue sample collection. The addition of AH changed the gut microbiome by increasing probiotic candidate beneficial bacteria such as Enterococcaceae, Lactobacillaceae, Limosilactobacillus, Cuneatibacter, and Ruminoccoides. Regarding gut immunity, the supplementation of AH resulted in changes in intestinal immune cells, including reduced CD3+CD4+ T cells, which are a type of helper T cell, in the small intestine of birds (P=0.049). Additionally, there was a tendency to increase the expression of antioxidant function-related gene such as GPX2 (P=0.060), but no significant changes were observed in cytokines such as IL1b, IL6, and IL10. Overall, the addition of AH root powder may have positive effects on the microbiome of the chickens. This may help promote gut health in broiler chickens at the age of d 10 to 28.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.319-331
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• 2023

Aminoglycoside antibiotics, also known as aminoglycosides (AGs), are veterinary drugs effective against a wide range of gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. Owing to their recent use in cultured meats, it has become essential to establish an analytical method for safety management. AGs are highly polar compounds, and ion-pair reagents (IPRs) are used to ensure component separation. Owing to the high possibility of potential mechanical problems resulting from IPR addition to the mobile phase, an analytical method in which IPRs are added directly to the vial was explored. In this study, methods for analyzing 10 AGs via liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) with the addition of two IPRs were validated for selectivity, detection limit, quantitation limit, recovery, and precision. The detection limit was 0.0001-0.0038 mg/kg, the quantification limit was 0.004-0.011 mg/kg, and the linearity (R²) within the concentration range of 0.01-0.5 mg/kg was over 0.99. Recovery and precision (expressed as relative standard deviation) evaluated in the two matrices (beef and cell culture media) ranged from 70.7% to 120.6% and 0.2% to 24.7%, respectively. The validated AG analytical method was then applied to 15 meats prepared from chicken, beef, and pork, and 6 culture media and additives used in cultured meat. No AGs were detected in any of the 15 meats distributed in Korea; however, streptomycin and dihydrostreptomycin were detected at levels ranging from 695.85 to 1152.71 mg/kg and 6.35 to 11.11 mg/kg, respectively, in the culture media additives. The LC-MS/MS method coupled with direct addition of IPRs to the vial can provide useful basic data for AG analysis and safety evaluation of meats as well as culture media and additives for cultured meats.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.34 no.7
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• pp.500-508
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• 2024

Recently, there has been increasing interest in enhancing the indoor air quality, particularly in response to the growing utilization of public facilities. The focus of this study was on assessing the efficacy and safety of an air sterilizer equipped with electrolytic salt catalysts. To that end, we evaluated the antimicrobial activity of the vapor spraying from the air sterilizer and its cytotoxicity in condensed form on human cell lines (HaCaT, BEAS-2B, and THP-1). Against the test organisms, which comprised five bacterial strains (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhimurium) and one fungal strain (Candida albicans), the air sterilizer exhibited relatively high antimicrobial activities ranging from 10.89 to 73.98% following 1 and 3 hr of vapor spraying, which were notably time-dependent. Importantly, cytotoxicity assessments on human cells indicated no significant harmful effect even at a 1.0% concentration. Comprehensive safety evaluations included morphological observations, gene expression (Bcl-2, Bax) tests, and FACS analysis of intracellular ROS levels. Consistent with previous cytotoxicity findings, these estimates demonstrated no significant changes, highlighting the air sterilizer's safety and antimicrobial activities. In a simulated 20-hr operation within an indoor environment, the air sterilizer not only showed an 89.4% removal of total bacteria but also a 100.0% removal of Escherichia sp. and fungi. This research outlines the potential of the developed electrolytic salt catalyst air sterilizer to effectively remove indoor microbial pollutants without compromising human safety, underscoring the solution that it offers for improving indoor air quality.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.34 no.7
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• pp.485-492
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• 2024

Sea cucumbers contain more than 50% protein in their solid content, and they also possess various bioactive substances such as saponins and mucopolysaccharides. This study analyzed the activities of various enzymes derived from Bacillus and lactic acid bacteria and determined to degrade the components of sea cucumbers. Among the analyzed strains, B. subtilis K26 showed the highest activities in protease and xylanase and relatively high activity in cellulase. Accordingly, samples of sea cucumber and water were mixed in equal proportions, sterilized, and then fermented by inoculating them with B. subtilis K26. Following this, a higher amino acid content was observed between 1.5 and 7.5 hr, a lower residual solid content in this time, and a lesser fermentation odor. The saponin content in fermented sea cucumber powder extracted with butanol was measured to be 1.12 mg/g. The chondroitin sulfate content was evaluated to be 5.11 mg/g in raw sea cucumber. The total polyphenol content, flavonoid content, and antioxidant activities were 6.95 mg gallic acid equivalent/g, 3.69 mg quercetin equivalent/g, and 3.69 mg quercetin equivalent/g in raw sea cucumber, respectively. Moreover, the DNA damage protective effect of fermented sea cucumber extract was found to be concentration-dependent, with a very strong effect at very low concentrations. Overall, we suggest that sea cucumber fermented with B. subtilis K26 has a high potential as a food for inhibiting oxidation, enhancing immunity, and improving muscle function in the human body thanks to its high free amino acid content.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.703-715
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• 2023

This study was conducted to investigate the fermentation characteristics and anti-obesity effects of acetic acid fermentation products of coffee wine. The live cell counts, soluble solids, pH and total acidity of the acetic acid unfermented coffee wine (AUFCW; day 0, before fermentation) were 6.35 log CFU/mL, 8.10 °Brix, 3.88, and 1.29%, respectively, while the acetic acid fermented coffee wine (AFCW; day 15, after fermentation) were 4.40 log CFU/mL, 8.57 °Brix, 3.07, and 7.45%, respectively. Pancreatic lipase inhibitory activity tended to increase as the acetic acid fermentation period increased. The anti-obesity effects of AFCW on 3T3-L1 cells, which was induced by MDI, were evaluated based on the lipid accumulation rate, leptin expression, and fat production-related gene expression (PPAR-γ and SREBP-1c) at the mRNA level. In the case of AFCW, the lipid accumulation rate and leptin expression were decreased to 69.37% and 50.20% at a concentration of 200 ㎍/mL, respectively, and the expression levels of PPAR-γ and SREBP-1c at the mRNA level were decreased to 79.89% and 48.81%, respectively. These results indicate that anti-obesity effect of acetic acid fermentation products could be increased by acetic acid fermentation of coffee wine.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.1082-1094
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• 2023

The purpose of this study was to examine the characteristics of Leuconostoc spp. isolated from radish kimchi and to investigate the potential for the use of functional ingredients by evaluating enzymatic characteristics, safety, and immune-enhancing effects among the isolates, including Lactobacillus rhamnosus ATCC53103 (LGG) as a control strain. All test strains exhibited β-glucosidase enzyme activity that releases β-1,4 sugar chain bonds. In addition, as a result of antibiotic resistance assay among the isolates, MIC values on 8 antibiotics were below compared to the EFSA standard, and hemolytic experiments confirmed that all showed gamma hemolysis without hemolytic ability. As a result of the antibacterial activity experiment, the Leu. mesenteroides K2-4 strain showed a higher activity than LGG against Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus. Additionally, the activity of the NF-kB/AP-1 transcription factor increased when the isolates were treated in macrophage RAW cells. These results were related to increasing the high mRNA expression levels on TNF-α and IL-6 by Leu. mesenteroides K2-4 strain to be treated at low concentration. Consequently, we suggest that it will be useful as a candidate for functional food ingredients.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.287-297
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• 2024

It was confirmed that complex fermentation (CF) was more efficient than single-strain fermentations in inducing changes in the contents of phenolic compounds of Maclura tricuspidate and Pyrus Montana Nakai. A mixture of Maclura tricuspidata, Pyrus montana Nakai, Platycodon grandiflorum and Codonopsis lanceolata were fermented in CF using Aspergillus shirousamii (koji), yeast, and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) for 24 days, and the pH, °Brix, total acidity, anti-oxidant activity, polyphenol content, nitric oxide (NO), and Western blotting of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2), and tumor necrosis factor-𝛼 (TNF-𝛼) of the sample were determined. There was no significant change in pH and total acidity. °Brix significantly decreased from day 6 onwards. HPLC confirmed that the concentrations of chlorogenic acid, 4-hydrobenzoic acid, vanillic acid, and caffeic acid significantly increased from day 18 during the fermentation. Additionally, DPPH, ABTS radical scavenging activity, total phenol, and total flavonoid were confirmed to be increased until 18 days. NO was significantly inhibited from day 6, along with significant inhibition of iNOS, COX-2, and TNF-a. In conclusion, this study confirmed that CF of low-use (or underutilized) wild vegetables enhances phenolic compounds. It effectively suppresses NO, iNOS, COX-2, and TNF-𝛼, markers of inflammation-related pathogenesis. Altogether, our results suggest that CF of the above plants has a potential anti-inflammatory effect.