• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.250-256
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• 2002

The objective was to know if chinese cabbage growers in Gangwon alpine farmland control agricultural pests including weeds effectively and use pesticide properly. Examiners visited 185 farmers at Taebaek, Pyongchang, and Jeongseon and surveyed 33 questions on pest control methods pesticide use. Chinese cabbage farmers have noxious plant diseases such as clubroot, bacterial soft rot, downy mildew, anthracnose, and mosaic disease, and also noxious insects such as diamondback moth, aphid, beet armyworm, common cabbage worm, and Japanese native slug. In addition, farmers have noxious weeds such as common chickweed, marsh pepper, hairy crabgrass, common purslane, and horseweed. To control diseases and insects, 51.3% of farmers used many chemical agents, while 20.7% of farmers used chemical agents with too much emphasis on paraquat and glyphosate to control weeds: 87.2% of the answered farmers have a preference of the both non-selective herbicides. Farmers in the survey area selected pesticides on the basis of their own experience and sales managers' recommendation (84.2%) which results in the use of inappropriate pesticides such diniconazole. Many farmers have experienced phytotoxicities (46.7%) and pesticide poisoning (51.2%). We conclude that a systematic educational program for the proper selection and use of pesticides should be conducted for chinese cabbage growers in Gangwon alpine farmland.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.10
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• pp.1751-1760
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• 2015

Mucin2 (MUC2), an important regulatory factor in the immune system, plays an important role in the host defense system against bacterial translocation. Probiotics known to regulate MUC2 gene expression have been widely studied, but the interactions among probiotic, pathogens, and mucin gene are still not fully understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of MUC2 in blocking effects of probiotics on meningitic E. coli-induced pathogenicities. In this study, live combined probiotic tablets containing living Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, and Streptococcus thermophilus were used. MUC2 expression was knocked down in Caco-2 cells by RNA interference. 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-Aza-CdR), which enhances mucin-promoted probiotic effects through inducing production of Sadenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe), was used to up-regulate MUC2 expression in Caco-2 cells. The adhesion to and invasion of meningitic E. coli were detected by competition assays. Our studies showed that probiotic agents could block E. coli-caused intestinal colonization, bacteremia, and meningitis in a neonatal sepsis and meningitis rat model. MUC2 gene expression in the neonatal rats given probiotic agents was obviously higher than that of the infected and uninfected control groups without probiotic treatment. The prohibitive effects of probiotic agents on MUC2-knockdown Caco-2 cells infected with E44 were significantly reduced compared with nontransfected Caco-2 cells. Moreover, the results also showed that 5-Aza-CdR, a drug enhancing the production of SAMe that is a protective agent of probiotics, was able to significantly suppress adhesion and invasion of E44 to Caco-2 cells by upregulation of MUC2 expression. Taken together, our data suggest that probiotic agents can efficiently block meningitic E. coli-induced pathogenicities in a manner dependent on MUC2.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.48 no.10
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• pp.1107-1115
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• 2005

Purpose : An outbreak of ESBL-producing Shigella sonnei enteritis was unprecedented not only in Korea but throughout the world in the past. We intended to devise a management guideline for ESBL-producing shigellosis based on analysis of clinical manifestations and response to therapy. Methods : We analyzed 103 patients who were admitted to the hospital with acute GI symptoms and were shown positive result for S. sonnei on stool culture. We performed sensitivity test to the antibiotics and DNA sequencing of ESBL gene in the isolated S. sonnei colonies. In addition, we retrospectively analyzed their clinical characteristics, laboratory results, and clinical and microbiological responses to the antibiotics. Results : Among the clinical manifestations, fever was the most frequent(96.1%), followed by diarrhea(93.2%), abdominal pain(76.7%), headache(71.8%), vomiting(65.0%), and nausea(41.7%). The fever was sustained for average of 2.0 days and diarrhea for 3.9 days. Watery diarrhea was the most common(69%) followed by mucoid(26%), and bloody stool(5%). On peripheral blood smear, leukocytosis was noted in 53.4% of patients, and 78.6% of patients tested positive for serum CRP response. On stool direct smear, 11.7% of patients showed more than 50 WBCs/HPF, and 9.7% of patients between 5 to 20 WBCs/HPF. Stool occult blood was positive in 71% of patients. Production of CTX-M-14 type ESBL was reported for all S. sonnei strains isolated from this outbreak. Microbiological eradication rates to various antibiotics were as follows : 100%(9/9) to ciprofloxacin, 100% 5/5) to azithromycin, 6.9%(5/72) to cefdinir, 0%(0/8) to ceftriaxone, 12.5%(1/8) to ceftizoxime, 0%(0/ 8) to TMP/SMX, 42.9%(3/7) to ampicillin/sulbactam, 20%(1/5) to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, and 68.8 %(11/16) to imipenem/cilastatin. Conclusion : It is presumed that azithromycin can be an attractive option for the treatment of ESBL-producing S. sonnei enteritis in pediatric population, given its cost-effectiveness and safety. Although ciprofloxacin is another cost-effective agent, its use in pediatric population may be a bit too premature.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.561-565
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• 2003

Purpose : Urinary tract infection(UTI) is the most common bacterial infectious disease that may induce severe renal injury unless early diagnosis and appropriate treatment are performed. If recurrent UTI is prevented, renal injury can be also reduced. Therefore, we studied the risk factors of recurrent UTI in children. Methods : We performed a retrospective study of 168 children(58 girls and 110 boys) who were treated for UTI in the Department of Pediatrics, Korea University Medical Center, during 2000-2001. Among 168 children, 93 children were followed up for more than six months. For the detection of recurrence of UTI, we performed monthly routine urine cultures and physical examinations. Results : The total rate of recurrence was 32.3%. The recurrent rate in boys and girls were 37.1% and 17.4%, respectively(P<0.05). The most common causative bacteria in the first onset and in recurrence were Escherichia coli. There was a significant difference in the onset age of UTI between boys with recurrence($4.8{\pm}1.0months$) and without recurrence($16.5{\pm}3.8months$)(P<0.01). In 77% of cases, urinary tract infection recurred within six months of the first infection. The time of the first recurrence after UTI was $3.7{\pm}0.6months$ in boys and $14{\pm}8.2months$ in girls(P<0.01). The number of recurrences showed a significant difference between the group under the age of one year($0.69{\pm}0.8/year$) and those above the age of one year($0.16{\pm}0.4/year$)(P<0.05). There was no difference in the recurrent rate between those with structural abnormality and those with normal anatomy. Conclusion : Monthly routine urine cultures are efficient in detecting recurrent UTI in children. Because the male sex and young age especially less than one year of age are risk factors for increased recurrence rate of UTI, these children should be followed-up with urine cultures.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.548-553
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• 2003

Purpose : Matrix metalloproteinase(MMP)-9 is known to breakdown the blood-brain barrier by degrading the extracellular matrix of the subendothelial basement membrane in meningitis. Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase(TIMP)-1, a known inhibitor of MMP-9, has been postulated to inhibit the proteolytic activity of MMP-9 by bindng to MMP-9, but their interaction has not been fully understood yet. So far, there have been some reports on the relationship of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 in bacterial meningitis, but few reports in viral meningitis. Furthermore, there has been no report on this in Korea. We investigated the concentrations of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum of patients with viral meningitis and control subjects, and evaluated their relationship with other clinical parameters of meningitis. Methods : CSF and blood were obtained from 25 subjects with viral meningitis and 14 control subjects. After centrifugation, supernatants were stored at $-20^{\circ}C$ and we assayed concentrations of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 by the sandwich ELISA method. Results : Concentrations of CSF MMP-9 and TIMP-1 were significantly elevated in patients with viral meningitis, when compared with those in control subjects. Their serum levels showed no differences between the two groups. MMP-9 levels were closely correlated with TIMP-1 levels in the CSF($r_s=0.42$, P<0.05). CSF MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratios were significantly higher in patients with viral meningitis than those in the control subjects(P<0.05). Both CSF MMP-9 and TIMP-1 levels positively correlated with CSF total leukocyte counts($r_s=0.43$, P<0.05, $r_s=0.48$, P<0.05). TIMP-1 levels positively correlated with total protein concentrations in the CSF($r_s=0.43$, P<0.05). Conclusion : MMP-9 and TIMP-1 may play an important role in the breakdown and maintenance of BBB in viral meningitis, respectively.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.53 no.5
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• pp.452-463
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• 2020

Purpose: Aster tataricus (AT) is one of the Asteraceae perennial herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine. The herb contains various bioactive substances, such as flavonoids, isoflavonoids, and phenolic compounds in the roots, and exhibits a range of effects including anti-bacterial, anti-oxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities. This study compared the immunomodulatory effects of ethanol and water extracts of whole AT, except the roots, and analyzed the molecular mechanisms for the regulatory effects on cytokine secretion from THP-1 cells. Methods: The effects of AT extract on the cell viability and proliferation of THP-1 cells were analyzed using the Cell Counting Kit-8 method. The concentrations of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the cell culture supernatant of the AT-treated THP-1 cells were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The protein levels of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa B (IκBα), and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) phosphorylation in the cell lysates were determined by western blotting. Results: The water extract and the ethanol extract of AT did not affect the cell viability, and increased the proliferation of THP-1 cells significantly compared to the vehicle. The water extract increased the secretion of IL-1β from THP-1 cells in a dose-dependent manner, but the ethanol extract had no effect. The expression of COX-2 and iNOS protein and the phosphorylation of MAPK and Akt were induced in AT-treated cells. In addition, IκBα was degraded by AT in a concentration-dependent manner. IL-1β secretion by AT was reduced by extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) inhibitors, while TNF-α secretion was decreased by inhibitors of ERK, p38 MAPK, and JNK. Interestingly, the p38 MAPK inhibitor increased the production of IL-1β by AT further. Conclusion: The water extract of the above-ground parts of AT contains immunomodulatory bioactive substances that stimulate immune cells through the MAPK signaling pathway.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.184-190
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• 1984

Sardine, Sardinops melanosticta, has been caught more than fifty thousand metric tons every year in adjacent sea of Korea, but most of them used for uneatable fish meal because of their rapid spoilage. Usually it is known that the main reason of putrefaction of foods is caused by the maicro-organisms included in them. Therefore, this experiment was carried out to identify the micro-organisms isolated from the intestine of fresh sardine and characterize their proteolytic enzymes produced from them. Aerobic cell count ranged from $1.7{\times}10^4\;to\;3.6{\times}10^5/g$, while anaerobic cell count, from $2.9{\times}10^4\;to\;5.5{\times}10^5/g$. Most of the isolated strains were psychrotrophic mesophiles. Among the two hundred and eighty strains isolated from the fresh samples, fifty-six strains ($20.0\%$) were proteolytics, one hundred and seventy-five strains ($62.5\%$) were lipolytics and tenty-nine strains ($10.5\%$) had the ability to produce hydrogn sulfide. The most predominantly isolated microbial groups from the fresh sardine were Moraxella ($31.4\%$) and Pseudomonas sup. ($28.6\%$). Flavobacterium-Cytophaga, Vibrio, Acinetobacter, Micrococcus spp. and Enterobacteriaceae appeared from $7.9\%\;to\;5\%$ out of total tested strains. The average bacterial count in the spoiled samples (stored at about $18^{\circ}C$ for 48 hours) was increased to the level of $2.9{\times}10^8/g$ for aerobes, $1.5{\times}10^8/g$ for anaerobes, then one hundred and ten strains, corresponding to $52\%$, out of two hundred and thirteen strains submitted to the test were proteolytics. The strongest proteolytic bacterium among the two hundred and eighty strains was identified as Pseudomonas 101 which grew best at $25^{\circ}C$. The optimum condition for the activity of the proteolytic enzyme produced by Pseudomonas 101 appeared $35^{\circ}C$ and pH 9.0, but the activity was relatively unchanged between 5.0 and 11.0 of pH and between $30^{\circ}C\;and\;50^{\circ}C$ of temperature.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.219-226
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• 1985

To investigate potential application of radurization technique as an effective tool for controlling histamine accumulation, histamine contents were determined in fresh Korean mackerel meat samples irradiated at six dose levels of gamma radiation up to 1 Mrad during 35 day-storage at $0^{\circ},\;5^{\circ}\;and\;10^{\circ}C$. Total bacterial counts, total volatile bases and trimethylamine contents were also estimated. The minimum and maximum doses for Korean mackerel were determined to be 0.2 and 0.5 Mrad, respectively. Irradiation induced redening of fish muscle tissue and redening appeared to be dose dependent. At low doses, this redening contributed positively to the overall sensory qualities. At 0.5 and 1.0 Mrad, on the other hand, meat samples were excessively redened to the extent that red and white muscle layers were not readily distinguishable. No appreciable histamine accumulation occured during entire 35 day-storage in fresh mackerel meats, whether irradiated or not, when they were kept at ice temperature. At $5^{\circ}C$, histamine started to accumulate slightly during late storage in the samples irradiated at low doses. Even in the unirradiated samples, the histamine accumulation did not exceed the level of 10.0 mg per 100g meat until the 28th day at $5^{\circ}C$. At $10^{\circ}C$, however, histamine accumulation in the unirradiated was phenomenal from very early storage and the values reached 827.5 mg per 100g meat by the 35th day, while histamine accumulation in the irradiated was severely suppressed. Irradiation invariably brought about a significant reduction of initial microflora, disrupting normal spoilage pattern. This was reflected in the suppression of not only histamine but also total volatile bases and trimethylamine accumulation during post-irradiation storage at refrigerated temperatures.

• Journal of Fisheries and Marine Sciences Education
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.98-107
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• 2015

Olive flounder contains rich amount of lysine which is required for children's growth. Moreover, it is good foodstuffs for elderly, convalescent and diabetics because of low lipid content and high digestibility. This study was investigated for the purpose of obtaining basic data which can be applied to the processing of olive flounder steak. Olive flounder 100 g were chopped, mixed with vegetable (onion 20%, celery 10%, carrot 15%, garlic 1% of chopped olive flounder meat) and ingredient (bread crumbs 20 g, onion 15 g, celery 10 g, egg 1 ea, tarragon 1/2 t, blanc sauce 20 g, fresh cream 20 mL, salt and pepper pinch). Mixed dough was molded into steak shape ($12{\times}7cm$) and was processed by two types of products, Steak-1 {Roasting for 2 minutes in a frying pan wrapped with olive oil and then vacuum packaging in polyethylene film ($20{\times}30{\times}0.05mm$), and then storage at $-20^{\circ}C$ for 7 days, next thawed and warmed by microwave for 2 minutes} and Steak-2 {vacuum-packaging in polyethylene film ($20{\times}30{\times}0.05mm$), and then storage at $-20^{\circ}C$ for 7 days, after thawed, roasted during 2 minutes in a frying pan wrapped with olive oil}. The factors such as pH, TBA value, amino-N, free amino acid, chemical composition, color value (L, a, b), texture profile, sensory evaluation and viable bacterial count of the olive flounder steak (Steak-1, Steak-2) were measured. From the result of sensory evaluation, Steak-2 showed a bit more high scores than Steak-1 but it was difficult to distinguish significant difference (color, odor, taste, texture and acceptance) between Steak-1 and Steak-2 products.

• Journal of Fisheries and Marine Sciences Education
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.1348-1359
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• 2013

Kwamaegi is made from the flesh of Pacific saury, Cololabis Saira, which is traditional Korean seafood. It is well-recognized as a valuable health food containing EPA(eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA(docosahexaenoic acid) to be known ${\omega}$-3 fatty acid. This study was conducted to obtain basic data which can be applied to process of canned Kwamaegi using tomato paste sauce. Commercial Kwamaegi was cut into $2{\times}3cm$ lengths, filled 90 g into can (301-3), added with 60 g water and then precooked for 10 min. at $100^{\circ}C$. After precooking, water was drained. The precooked Kwamaegi was packed into the can, and added with 60 g of tomato paste sauce(tomato paste 42%, gum guar 1.0%, salt 2.0%, starch syrup 2.0%, cooking wine 1%, water 52%). The cans were seamed using a vacuum seamer, and then sterilized for various Fo values (Fo 8~12 min.) in a steam system retort at $121^{\circ}C$. pH, VBN, amino-N, total amino acid, free amino acid, color value (L, a, b), texture profile, TBA value, mineral, sensory evaluation and viable bacterial count of the canned Kwamaegi using tomato paste sauce produced at various sterilization condition(Fo 8~12 min.) were measured. There was no remarkable difference between sterilization conditions and sensual characteristics. The results showed that the product sterilized at Fo 8 min. was the most desirable because this condition is the most economical and tasty.