• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.452-461
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• 1994

Background: Tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-$\alpha$ and Interleukin(lL)-$1{\beta}$ are thought to play a major role in the pathogenesis of the septic syndrome, which is frequently associated with adult respiratory distress syndrome(ARDS). In spite of many reports for the role of TNF-$\alpha$ in the pathogenesis of ARDS, including human studies, it has been reported that TNF-$\alpha$ is not sensitive and specific marker for impending ARDS. But there is a possibility that the results were affected by the diversity of pathogenetic mechanisms leading to the ARDS because of various underlying disorders of the study group in the previous reports. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the roles of TNF-$\alpha$ and IL-$1{\beta}$ as a predictable marker for development of ARDS in the patients with septic syndrome, in which the pathogenesis is believed to be mainly cytokine-mediated. Methods: Thirty-six patients of the septic syndrome hospitalized in the intensive care units of the Asan Medical Center were studied. Sixteens suffered from ARDS, whereas the remaining 20 were at the risk of developing ARDS(acute hypoxemic respiratory failure, AHRF). In all patients venous blood samples were collected in heparin-coated tubes at the time of enrollment, at 24 and 72 h thereafter. TNF-$\alpha$ and IL-$1{\beta}$ was measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). All data are expressed as median with interquartile range. Results: 1) Plama TNF-$\alpha$ levels: Plasma TNF-$\beta$ levels were less than 10pg/mL, which is lowest detection value of the kit used in this study within the range of the $mean{\pm}2SD$, in all of the normal controls, 8 of 16 subjects of ARDS and in 8 in 20 subjects of AHRF. Plasma TNF-$\alpha$ levels from patients with ARDS were 10.26pg/mL(median; <10-16.99pg/mL, interquartile range) and not different from those of patients at AHRF(10.82, <10-20.38pg/mL). There was also no significant difference between pre-ARDS(<10, <10-15.32pg/mL) and ARDS(<10, <10-10.22pg/mL). TNF-$\alpha$ levels were significantly greater in the patients with shock than the patients without shock(12.53pg/mL vs. <10pg/mL) (p<0.01). There was no statistical significance between survivors(<10, <10-12.92pg/mL) and nonsurvivors(11.80, <10-20.8pg/mL) (P=0.28) in the plasma TNF-$\alpha$ levels. 2) Plasma IL-$1{\beta}$ levels: Plasma IL-$1{\beta}$ levels were less than 0.3ng/mL, which is the lowest detection value of the kit used in this study, in one of each patients group. There was no significant difference in IL-$1{\beta}$ levels of the ARDS(2.22, 1.37-8.01ng/mL) and of the AHRF(2.13, 0.83-5.29ng/mL). There was also no significant difference between pre-ARDS(2.53, <0.3-8.34ngfmL) and ARDS(5.35, 0.66-11.51ng/mL), and between patients with septic shock and patients without shock (2.51, 1.28-8.34 vs 1.46, 0.15-2.13ng/mL). Plasma IL-$1{\beta}$ levels were significantly different between survivors(1.37, 0.4-2.36ng/mL) and nonsurvivors(2.84, 1.46-8.34ng/mL). Conclusion: Plasma TNF-$\alpha$ and IL-$1{\beta}$ level are not a predictable marker for development of ARDS. But TNF-$\alpha$ is a marker for shock in septic syndrome. These result could not exclude a possibility of pathophysiologic roles of TNF-$\alpha$ and IL-$1{\beta}$ in acute lung injury because these cytokine could be locally produced and exert its effects within the lungs.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.21 no.12
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• pp.1322-1329
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• 2011

Filamentous fungi colonizing rice straw were collected from 11 different sites in Korea and were identified based on characterization of their morphology and molecular properties. The fungi were divided into 25 species belonging to 16 genera, including 14 ascomycetes, one zygomycete, and one basidiomycete. Fungal cellulolytic and xylanolytic enzymes were assessed through a two-step process, wherein highly active cellulase- and/or hemicellulase-producing fungi were selected in a first screening step followed by a second step to isolate the best enzyme-producer. Twenty-five fungal species were first screened for the production of total cellulase (TC), endo-${\beta}$-1,4 glucanase (EG), and endo-${\beta}$-1,4 xylanase (XYL) using solid-state fermentation with rice straw as substrate. From this screening, six species, namely, Aspergillus niger KUC5183, A. ochraceus KUC5204, A. versicolor KUC5201, Mucor circinelloides KUC6014, Trichoderma harzianum 1 KUC5182, and an unknown basidiomycete species, KUC8721, were selected. These six species were then incubated in liquid Mandels' media containing cellulose, glucose, rice straw, or xylan as the sole carbon source and the activities of six different enzymes were measured. Enzyme production was highly influenced by media conditions and in some cases significantly increased. Through this screening process, Trichoderma harzianum 1 KUC5182 was selected as the best enzyme producer. Rice straw and xylan were good carbon sources for the screening of cellulolytic and xylanolytic enzymes.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.47-52
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• 2016

Cotton leaf curl is devastating disease of cotton characterized by leaf curling, vein darkening and enations. The disease symptoms are induced by DNA satellite known as Cotton leaf curl Multan betasatellite (CLCuMuB), dominant betasatellite in cotton but another betasatellite known as Chili leaf curl betasatellite (ChLCB) is also found associated with the disease. Grafting experiment was performed to determine if host plant resistance is determinant of dominant population of betasatellite in cotton (several distinct strains of CLCuMuB are associated with the disease). Infected scion of Gossypium hirsutum collected from field (the source) was grafted on G. arboreum, a diploid cotton species, resistant to the disease. A healthy scion of G. hirsutum (sink) was grafted at the top of G. arboreum to determine the movement of virus/betasatellite to upper susceptible scion of G. hirsutum. Symptoms of disease appeared in the upper scion and presence of virus/betasatellite in the upper scion was confirmed via molecular techniques, showing that virus/betasatellite was able to move to upper scion through resistant G. arboreum. However, no symptoms appeared on G. arboreum. Betasatelites were cloned and sequenced from lower scion, upper scion and G. arboreum which show that the lower scion contained both CLCuMuB and ChLCB, however only ChLCB was found in G. arboreum. The upper scion contained CLCuMuB with a deletion of 78 nucleotides (nt) in the non-coding region between Arich sequence and ${\beta}C1$ gene and insertion of 27 nt in the middle of ${\beta}C1$ ORF. This study may help in investigating molecular basis of resistance in G. arboreum.

• Bulletin of the Society of Naval Architects of Korea
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.11-16
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• 1980

For vibration analysis of stiffened plates the orthotropic plate analogy is commonly accepted. As to stiffened plates in contact with water, however, there is still much uncertainty in estimation of the added mass because of the lack of direct methods. The authors, considering that for added mass of plates there are many reliable data derived theoretically or experimentally available, suggest a method to estimate the added mass of a stiffened plate by combining the mass increase factor, $\beta$, of an equivalent orthotropic plate and the correction factor, $\kappa$, for the effects of stiffeners. The latter is to be derived from systematic experimental investigations. Then, the natural frequency in water, f', can be calculated from that in air, f, by the equation $f'=f/\sqrt{1+\kappa\beta}$. To investigate practical applicability of this method, a systematic experiment was carried out with five uniaxially stiffened plates. Each of them had a plate of same size, $600mm{\times}600mm{\times}3.2mm$, but stiffeners of different size in the web-depth, 41.6mm, 51.2mm or 66.8mm and of different spacing 75mm, 100mm, or 150mm. Natural frequencies were measured under simply supported-edge conditions in both air and water, and corresponding $\kappa$ values derived. In spite of wide variations of web-depth and spcae of stiffeners, the experimental results show that the diversity of $\kappa$ values is not remarkable; mean values of $\kappa$ are 1.31 with standard deviation of 0.025 for the first modes and 1.27 with that 0.077 for the second modes. Hence, the authors concluded that the above $\kappa$ values can be used generally for the cases of uniaxially stiffened plates both sides of which contact with water, and that $\kappa$ values of general use for the cases of cross-stiffened plates may also be obtainable from similar experiments.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.221-229
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• 2018

Trichophyton rubrum is one of the well-known pathogenic fungi and causes dermatophytosis and cutaneous mycosis in human world widely. However, there are not an available sequence type (ST) classification methods and previous studies for T. rubrum until now. Therefore, currently, molecular biological tools using their DNA sequences are used for genotype identification and classification. In the present study, in order to characterize the genetic diversity and the phylogenetic relation of T. rubrum clinical isolates, five different housekeeping genes, such as actin (ACT), calmodulin (CAL), RNA polymerase II (RPB2), superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2), and ${\beta}$-tubulin (BT2) were analyzed using by multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Also, DNA sequence analysis was performed to examine the differences between the sequences of Trichophyton strains and the identified genetic variations sequence. As a result, most of the sequences were shown to have highly matched rates in their housekeeping genes. However, genetic variations were found on three different positions of ${\beta}$-tubulin gene and were shown to have changed from $C{\rightarrow}G$ (1766), $G{\rightarrow}T$ (1876), and $C{\rightarrow}A$ (1886). To confirm the association with T. rubrum inheritance, a phylogenetic tree analysis was performed. It was classified as four clusters, but there was little significant correlation. Even so, MLST analysis is believed to be helpful for determining the genetic variations of T. rubrum in cases where there is more large-scale data accumulation. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated the first MLST analysis of T. rubrum in Korea and explored the possibility that MLST could be a useful tool for studying the epidemiology and evolution of T. rubrum through further studies.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.9
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• pp.1716-1723
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• 2017

The rapid dissemination of extended-spectrum ${\beta}$-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli has significantly contributed to public health hazard globally. A total of 281 E. coli strains recovered from pigs and chickens between 2009 and 2015 in South Korea were analyzed for ESBL production. ESBL phenotypes were recognized in 14 E. coli isolates; ten and three ESBL-producing isolates carried only $bla_{CTX-M}$ and $bla_{CMY}$ genes, respectively, and one isolate harbored both genes. The predominant CTX-M and CMY types were CTX-M-15 (n = 8) and CMY-2 (n = 3). We also detected ESBL-producing isolates harboring $bla_{CTX-M-65}$, $bla_{CTX-M-14}$, $bla_{CMY-6}$, $bla_{DHA-1}$, and $bla_{TEM-1}$ genes. All ESBL-producing isolates showed resistance to the extent of the fourth generation cephalosporins, along with multidrug resistance. CTX-M-15-producing isolates showed higher MIC values than CTX-M-14- and CTX-M-65-producing isolates. The $bla_{CTX-M}$ and $bla_{CMY}$ genes have the potential to be transferable. The spreading of $bla_{CMY}$ and $bla_{CTX-M}$ genes was arbitrated mainly via Frep and IncI1 plasmids. Our isolates showed clonal diversity in PFGE analysis. This is the first report of E. coli isolates carrying $bla_{CMY-6}$ in chicken from South Korea. The emergence of CMY-6 ESBLs in a population of poultry suggests that extensive screening with long-term surveillance is necessary to prevent the dissemination of ESBL from chicken to human.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.243-248
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• 1999

Sialic acids are key determinants for biological processes, such as cell-cell interaction and differentiation. Sialyltransferases contribute to the diversity in carbohydrate structure through their attachment of sialic acid in various terminal positions on glycolipid and glycoprotein (N-linked and O-linked) carbohydrate groups. Gal$\beta$ 1,3(4)GlcNAc $\alpha$2,3-sialyltransferase (ST3Gal III) is involved in the biosynthesis of $sLe^{X}$ and sLe^{a}$ known as selection ligands and tumor-associated carbohydrate structures. The appearance and differential distribution of ST3Gal III mRNA during mice embryogenesis [embryonic (E) days; E9, E11, E13, E15] were investigated by in situ hybridization with digoxigenin-labeled RNA probes coupled with alkaline phosphatase detection. On E9, all tissues were positive for ST3Gal III mRNA expression whereas ST3Gal III mRNA on E11 was not detected throughout all tissues. On E13, ST3GAl III mRNA was expressed in different manner in various tissues. In this stage, ST3Gal III mRNA was positive only in the liver, pancreas and bladder. On E15, specific signal for ST3GAl III was detected in the liver, lung and forebrain. These results indicate that ST3Gal III is differently expressed at developmental stages of mice embryo, and this may be importantly related with regulation of organogenesis in mice.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.8
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• pp.1169-1179
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• 2020

In this study, two soybean genotypes, i.e., aluminum-tolerant Baxi 10 (BX10) and aluminumsensitive Bendi 2 (BD2), were used as plant materials and acidic red soil was used as growth medium. The soil layers from the inside to the outside of the root are: rhizospheric soil after washing (WRH), rhizospheric soil after brushing (BRH) and rhizospheric soil at two sides (SRH), respectively. The rhizosphere bacterial communities were analyzed by high-throughput sequencing of V4 hypervariable regions of 16S rRNA gene amplicons via Illumina MiSeq. The results of alpha diversity analysis showed that the BRH and SRH of BX10 were significantly lower in community richness than that of BD2, while the WRH exhibited no significant difference between BX10 and BD2. Among the three sampling compartments of the same soybean genotype, WRH had the lowest community richness and diversity while showing the highest coverage. Beta diversity analysis results displayed no significant difference for any compartment between the two genotypes, or among the three different sampling compartments for any same soybean genotype. However, the relative abundance of major bacterial taxa, specifically nitrogen-fixing and/or aluminum-tolerant bacteria, was significantly different in the compartments of the BRH and/or SRH at phylum and genus levels, indicating genotype-dependent variations in rhizosphere bacterial communities. Strikingly, as compared with BRH and SRH, the WRH within the same genotype (BX10 or BD2) always had an enrichment effect on rhizosphere bacteria associated with nitrogen fixation.

• Journal of Korean Medicine for Obesity Research
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.97-105
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• 2019

Objectives: We investigated differences between the tracheostomized and the non-tracheostomized stroke patients through microbiological analysis for the purpose of preliminary explorations of full-scale clinical research in the future. Methods: We collected tracheal aspirates samples from 5 stroke patients with tracheostomy and expectorated sputum samples from 5 stroke patients without tracheostomy. Genomic DNA from sputum samples was isolated using QIAamp DNA mini kit. The sequences were processed using Quantitative Insights into Microbial Ecology 1.9.0. Alpha-diversity was calculated using the Chao1 estimator. Beta-diversity was analyzed by UniFrac-based principal coordinates analysis (PCoA). To confirm taxa with different abundance among the groups, linear discriminant analysis effect size analysis was performed. Results: Although alpha-diversity value of the tracheostomized group was higher than that of the non-tracheostomized group, there was no statistically significant difference. In PCoA, clear separation was seen between clusters of the tracheostomized group and that of the non-tracheostomized group. In both groups, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, Fusobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria were identified as dominant in phylum level. In particular, relative richness of Proteobacteria was found to be 31% more in the tracheotomized group (36.6%) than the non-tracheostomized group (5.6%)(P<0.05). In genus level, Neisseria (24%), Prevotella (17%), Streptococcus (13%), Fusobacteria (11%), Porphyromonas (7%) were identified as dominant in the tracheostomized group. In the non-tracheostomized group, Prevotella (38%), Veillonella (20%), Neisseria (9%) were genera that found to be dominant. Conclusions: It is meaningful in that the tracheostomized group has been identified a higher rate of microbiotas known as pathogenic in respiratory diseases compared to the non-tracheostomized group, confirming the possibility that the risk of opportunity infection may be higher.

• Korean Journal of Breeding Science
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.157-162
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• 2010

This study was carried out to develop of macro-protocol and the biosafety guide for 'Nakdong', and 'Golden Rice' (genetically modified vitamin A rice) by large scale field trial of GM crops. Typically, when a new GM crop is created, breeders should conduct field test to make sure the GM crop is safe, and provide some information on GM crops for approval. A total of isolated 4,700 $m^2$ field for trial of GM crops were prepared, and 'Nakdong' and 'Golden rice' were cultivated by standard method of RDA (Rural Development Administration, Korea). Field studies indicated that the population densities of insect pests and natural enemies have no difference between two varieties. While insect pest density on 'Nakdong' was slightly higher than on Golden Rice, but natural enemy density on Golden Rice was a little higher. These results provided the insect diversity for risk assessment analysis of Golden Rice and suggested that the macro-protocol could be useful to detect GM plants.