• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제29권1호
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• pp.171-177
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• 2019

Parasitic infections have remained a significant burden on human and animal health. In part, this is due to lack of clinically-approved, novel antimicrobials and a lack of interest by the pharmaceutical industry. An alternative approach is to modify existing clinically-approved drugs for efficient delivery formulations to ensure minimum inhibitory concentration is achieved at the target site. Nanotechnology offers the potential to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of drugs through modification of nanoparticles with ligands. Amphotericin B, nystatin, and fluconazole are clinically available drugs in the treatment of amoebal and fungal infections. These drugs were conjugated with gold nanoparticles. To characterize these gold-conjugated drug, atomic force microscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were performed. These drugs and their gold nanoconjugates were examined for antimicrobial activity against the protist pathogen, Acanthamoeba castellanii of the T4 genotype. Moreover, host cell cytotoxicity assays were accomplished. Cytotoxicity of these drugs and drug-conjugated gold nanoparticles was also determined by lactate dehydrogenase assay. Gold nanoparticles conjugation resulted in enhanced bioactivity of all three drugs with amphotericin B producing the most significant effects against Acanthamoeba castellanii (p < 0.05). In contrast, bare gold nanoparticles did not exhibit antimicrobial potency. Furthermore, amoebae treated with drugs-conjugated gold nanoparticles showed reduced cytotoxicity against HeLa cells. In this report, we demonstrated the use of nanotechnology to modify existing clinically-approved drugs and enhance their efficacy against pathogenic amoebae. Given the lack of development of novel drugs, this is a viable approach in the treatment of neglected diseases.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제17권12호
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• pp.5087-5094
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• 2016

mTOR, the mammalian target of rapamycin, is a conserved serine/threonine kinase which belongs to the phosphatidyl-linositol kinase-related kinase (PIKK) family. It has two complexes called mTORC1 and mTORC2. It is well established that mTOR plays important roles in cell growth, proliferation and differentiation. Over-activation of the mTOR pathway is considered to have a relationship with the development of many types of diseases, including polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and ovarian cancer (OC). mTOR pathway inhibitors, such as rapamycin and its derivatives, can directly or indirectly treat or relieve the symptoms of patients suffering from PCOS or OC. Moreover, mTOR inhibitors in combination with other chemical-molecular agents may have extraordinary efficacy. This paper will discuss links between mTOR signaling and PCOS and OC, and explore the mechanisms of mTOR inhibitors in treating these two diseases, with conclusions regarding the most effective therapeutic approaches.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• 제24권1호
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• pp.58-62
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• 2008

Utilization of carbon sources by Bacillus cereus D324, a biological control agent, and Pythium species, which causes rice seedling disease, was studied with the objective of increasing the efficacy of biological control by providing the biological control agent with specific beneficial carbon sources. D-galactose, D-sorbitol, and D-mannitol were poor carbon sources for Pythium spp. growth but were good for B. cereus D324 growth. Growth in a growth chamber of rice seeds coated with B. cereus D324 amended with specific carbon sources, such as D-galactose and D-sorbitol, showed significantly enhanced seedling emergence compared to seeds coated only with B. cereus D324. Field trials showed that both seedling emergence and yield increased, when the above specific carbon sources were added to B. cereus D324 in seed coating formulations. This result indicated that amending seed coating formulations with specific carbon sources could significantly increase seedling emergence and yield in the field.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• 제11권6호
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• pp.325-332
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• 2006

A novel series of polystyrene (PS) beads containing various sulfonamide groups was prepared, and their chemical stabilities in an aqueous solution were tested in order to determine their ability to inactivate microbes. By reacting aminomethyl polystyrene (AM PS) beads or carboxy polystyrene beads with various benzenesulfonic acid derivatives, the sulfonamide groups were introduced on the PS beads. The characteristics of the product beads were analyzed by elementary analysis after the substitution of various sulfonamide groups. Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), and FT-IR analysis were used to analyze the elemental functional group composition, respectively. The hydrolytic stabilities of the PS beads containing various sulfonamide groups along with the relationship between the swelling ratio and their hydrophilicity were investigated. The antibacterial activity of the beads was determined by their ability to inactivate E. coli. This study reports that PS beads containing sulfonamide groups had lasting antibacterial efficacy over a satisfactory period, whilst maintaining their chemical stabilities against hydrolysis. The 8 synthesized polymer beads exhibited antibacterial ability.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제42권11호
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• pp.804-809
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• 2019

Oncogenic gain-of-function mutations are clinical biomarkers for most targeted therapies, as well as represent direct targets for drug treatment. Although loss-of-function mutations involving the tumor suppressor gene, STK11 (LKB1) are important in lung cancer progression, STK11 is not the direct target for anticancer agents. We attempted to identify cancer transcriptome signatures associated with STK11 loss-of-function mutations. Several new sensitive and specific gene expression markers (ENO3, TTC39C, LGALS3, and MAML2) were identified using two orthogonal measures, i.e., fold change and odds ratio analyses of transcriptome data from cell lines and tissue samples. Among the markers identified, the ENO3 gene over-expression was found to be the direct consequence of STK11 loss-of-function. Furthermore, the knockdown of ENO3 expression exhibited selective anticancer effect in STK11 mutant cells compared with STK11 wild type (or recovered) cells. These findings suggest that ENO3-based targeted therapy might be promising for patients with lung cancer harboring STK11 mutations.

• 한국응용곤충학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국응용곤충학회 2002년도 추계 합동 특강 및 학술발표대회
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• pp.153-153
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• 2002

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제11권2호
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• pp.126-132
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• 2003

Efficacy and in vivo bioassay of recombinant human erythropoietin (rh-EPO, DWP413) was investigated. Efficacy studies on erythropoiesis were conducted in normal, cisplatin-induced anemic rats and acute hemorrhage - induced anemic rats. Animals were treated intravenously with DWP413 for 5 days, the changes in the number of red blood cells (RBC), hematocrit value (Hct), hemoglobin concentration (Hb) and reticulocyte were examined. In normal rats, at the doses of 50, 250, and 1250 IU/kg/day, in cisplatin-induced anemic rats, at the doses of 50, 100 and 200 IU/kg/day, RBC, Hb, Hct and reticulocyte were increased dose-depen-dently. And in acute hemorrhage-induced anemic rats, DWP413 (150, 450 and 1350 IU/kg/day) significantly increased RBC, Hb, Hct and reticulocytes. In histopathological findings of kidney, cisplatin alone treated rats expressed severe glomerulus and tubular damage. But in the DWP413 treated rats after cisplatin treatment, these were not remarkable compared to cisplatin alone treated rats. In vivo bioassay, DWP413 had 102.43% of bioactivity compared to erythropoietin BRP(Biological Reference Product, European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines). These results suggest that DWP413 might be useful for the therapy of anemia induce by renal failure and acute blood loss.

• 생물정신의학
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• 제6권1호
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• pp.96-101
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• 1999

Background : Since dysthymia begins in late childhood or adolescence and has a chronic course, long-term pharmacotherapy may be required. New generation antidepressant, moclobemide, with more acceptable side effect profiles, is effective in the treatment of dysthymia. The main objective of this study was to determine whether they exhibit comparable efficacy and tolerability in dysthymia to amitriptyline. Method and Materials : The efficacy and tolerability of the moclobemide and amitriptyline, were compared in a eight-week single-centre double-blind study in patients(n=37) with dysthymia using he HAMD-17, the Clinical Global Impression Scale(CGI), the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), Efficacy Index-Therapeutic Index(EITE), 4-point Index Side Effect Scale(4-PISES), and Efficacy Index- Side Effect Scale(EISE). Results : A total of 37 patients entered the study, 19 were randomly assigned to the moclobemide group and 18 to be amitriptyline group. Demo-graphic and illness characteristics were similar in both groups. There were no significant difference between two groups at the total 17-HDRS score, the HAMD-17% improvement, the total MADRS score, CGI response, and the EITE. In the comparison of EISE between two groups, the scores of the moclobemide group were relatively lower than the amitriptylinen group in full treatment. And the differences were significant(moclobemide group $1.39{\pm}0.61$ ; amitriptyline group $2.00{\pm}0.85$, p<.001). At the 4-PISE, There was no serious or treatment threatening side effects. And there was no specific difference in side effects between two groups. The moclobemide group reported higher EIR scores than the amitriptyline group at every follow up day, but the differences were not significant. And, there was no significant differences in the scores of five HRQOL subcategories which is compared between two groups at every follow up days. Conclusions : In terms of 17-HDRS and MADRS, moclobemide and amitriptyline are equally effective at least in allevating dysthymic symptoms. But moclobemide tended to be less troubling and better tolerated than amitriptyline. Therefore, moclobemide treatment can be used as a safe, and higher satisfactory treatment strategy for the dysthymia.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• 제44권3호
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• pp.105-112
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• 2001

Insect pests can be controlled through direct application of insecticides. Insect control by residual protectants is relatively inexpensive and has an advantage of destroying all stages of infestations. The efficacy of control is largely determined by the concentration of insecticides to which the pest species is exposed. A reduction in the period of control in the field afforded by a specific level of a protectant indicates that resistance has developed. An increase in the level of protectant is required to maintain control, and the efficacy of currently used insecticides has been severely reduced by insecticide resistance in pest species. Development of resistance to particular insecticide varies with species because insecticide resistance is often correlated with increased levels of certain enzymes, which are cytochrome P450-dependent monooxygenases, glutathione S-transferases and esterases. Some sections of insecticide molecules can be modified by one or more of these primary enzymes. A reduction in the sensitivity of the action site of a xenobiotic also constitutes a mechanism of resistance. Acetylcholinesterase is a major target site for insecticide action, as are axonal sodium ion channels and ${\gamma}$-aminobutyric acid receptors. Development of reduced sensitivity of these target sites to insecticides usually occurs. This review not only may contribute to a better understanding of insecticide resistance, but also illustrates the gaps still present for a full biochemical understanding of the resistance.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• 제18권2호
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• pp.78-86
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• 2016

Purpose: Diabetic foot ulcers are significant problems in diabetes mellitus and often result in lower extremity amputation. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of a self-care management program on Korean patient's self-efficacy, self-care behavior, size of the wound, and wound related pain. Methods: This study was a quasi-experimental study of pre-test and post-test design in a non-equivalent control group. The intervention strategies of the self-care management program consisted of individual intervention (education, practice and demonstration), computer animation, and face-to-face counseling. There were thirty seven patients, and 20 were assigned to the experimental group while the other 17 were assigned to the control group. The experimental group was given a self-care management program. The control group received information on diabetic mellitus care by means of a leaflet. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, a chi-square test, an independent t-test, and a Mann-Whitney test. Results: There were significant differences in self-care behavior and wound related pain. Conclusion: A Self-care program is an effective way to increase patient's self-care ability. This program is highly applicable to diabetic foot ulcer patients in various settings.