• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.77-81
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• 2009

This study examined the effects of black ginseng (9 times-steamed ginseng) on hypoglycemic action in streptozotocininduced diabetic rats as well as changes in ginsenoside composition by the steaming process. As the number of steaming cycles increased, the amounts of crude saponin and most ginsenoside contents decreased, while the amount of ginsenoside- Rg3 and the ratio of PD/PT (=[$Rb_1+Rb_2+Rc+Rd+Rg_3]/[Re+Rb_1+Rh_1]$) increased. This ginsenoside composition is a unique characteristic compared to other types of ginseng products. In order to investigate the hypoglycemic effect of the black ginseng extract, in vivo studies were performed in rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes. The studies showed that the administration of the black ginseng extract decreased high blood glucose levels (more than 300 mg/dL) to a normal level (102 mg/dL). These results suggest that this black ginseng extract has a significant hypoglycemic effect and can be used as an anti-diabetic substance for dietary supplements or new drugs.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.22 no.12
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• pp.1653-1658
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• 2012

We have reported previously that a recombinant Escherichia coli co-expresses aminolevulinic acid (ALA) synthase, an NADP-dependent malic enzyme, and a dicarboxylate transporter-produced heme, an iron-chelated porphyrin, in a succinate-containing complex medium. To develop an industrially plausible process, a chemically defined medium was formulated based on M9 minimal medium. Heme synthesis was enhanced by adding sodium bicarbonate, which strengthened the C4 metabolism required for the precursor metabolite, although a pH change discouraged cell growth. Increasing the medium pH buffering capacity (100mM phosphate buffer) and adding sodium bicarbonate enabled the recombinant E. coli to produce heme at rates 60% greater than those in M9 minimal medium. Adding growth factors (1 mg/l thiamin, 0.01 mg/l biotin, 5 mg/l nicotinic acid, 1 mg/l pantothenic acid, and 1.4 mg/l cobalamin) also induced positive heme production effects at levels twice of heme production in M9-based medium. Porphyrin derivatives and heme were found in the chemically defined medium, and their presence was confirmed by liquid chromatography/mass spectroscopy (LC/MS). The formulated medium allowed for the production of $0.6{\mu}M$ heme, $29{\mu}M$ ALA, $0.07{\mu}M$ coproporphyrin I, $0.21{\mu}M$ coproporphyrin III, and $0.23{\mu}M$ uroporphyrin in a 3 L pH-controlled culture.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.21 no.7
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• pp.766-775
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• 2011

We investigated the effect of high molecular weight polygamma- glutamic acid (hm ${\gamma}$-PGA) on adiposity and lipid metabolism of rats in the presence of an obesity-inducing diet. Thirty-two Sprague-Dawley rats were fed either a normal-fat (11.4% kcal fat, NFC) or high-fat (51% kcal fat, HFC) diet. After 5 weeks, half of each diet-fed group was treated with hm ${\gamma}$-PGA (NFP or HFP) for 4 weeks. The HFC group had significantly higher body weight, visceral fat mass, fasting serum levels of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and leptin, and lower serum HDL cholesterol level compared with those of the NFC group (p < 0.05). Treatment with hm ${\gamma}$-PGA decreased body weight gain and perirenal fat mass (p<0.05), fasting serum total cholesterol, and mRNA expression of glucose-6- phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), regardless of dietary fat contents (p < 0.01). However, hm ${\gamma}$-PGA increased serum HDL cholesterol in the HFC group (p < 0.05). In vitro, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme-A (HMGCoA) reductase activity was suppressed by the addition of hm ${\gamma}$-PGA. In agreement with observations in animal study, the supplementation of hm ${\gamma}$-PGA (150 mg/day) to 20 female subjects in an 8-week double-blind, placebocontrolled study resulted in a tendency to decrease total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol concentrations. We thus conclude that dietary supplementation of hm ${\gamma}$-PGA may act as a hypocholestrolemic agent, secondary to its inhibitor effect on HMG-CoA reductase, and decrease abdominal adiposity by decreasing hepatic lipogenesis. The present study is an important first step in establishing the effect of hm ${\gamma}$-PGA on cholesterol levels in rats and humans.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.31 no.7
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• pp.557-564
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• 2009

The objective of this study is to efficiently recover phosphorus contained in sewage sludge by a struvite-forming method. The performances were evaluated under various operating conditions(elution with the kind of acid, Mg-compound and temperature) in order to reach the optimum conditions of struvite-forming. As a result, as an elution solution, the elution efficiency of $H_2SO_4$ was 2.65 times higher than that of HCl. Also, the precipitation efficiency of struvite was the highest (97.4%) in case of using $MgCl_2{\cdot}6H_2O$ as Mg-compounds at $25^{\circ}C$. However, the side reaction by Fe, Al and Zn appeared in process of phosphorus recovery. To solve some problems caused by side reacton, large quantities of co-precipitation materials produced by side reaction were removed by precipitating phosphorus compounds in pH 7. Consequently, the recovery efficiency of phosphorus by a struviteforming method was 82.99%, and purity of the recovered struvite product was high.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.16 no.9
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• pp.6403-6410
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• 2015

Medical polymer PLGA is biocompatible, biodegradation, mechanical characteristic and biostability, and the degradation time can be adjust by controlling the number of monomer. In this paper, PLGA membranes have different composition ratio by L/D type was prepared by phase transition method. And the PLGA membrane in phosphate buffered saline(PBS) at the different test temperatures for different periods of time to examined for change in mass and measured the pH of degradation media. Measurement of Tg and surface structure was performed using a DSC and Stereoscopic microscope. As the molecular weighter increase, hydrolysis rate was decrease in geometrical progression. According to the composition ratio by L/D type, degradation rate and the change of pH are large.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.35-38
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• 2005

The occurrence of Fusarium wilt in strawberry fields in Korea was assessed from 2001 to 2003. Fusarium wilt was found from June to August in nursery beds, from September to October after planting in production beds, and from January to March during harvesting period. The symptoms were root rots, discolored vascular tissue in the crown and deformation and yellowing of central leaflets. The disease occurred in up to 30% of plants in 37 of 214 fields surveyed. Fusarium wilt occurred from cvs. ‘Dochiodome’, ‘Maehyang’, ‘Redpearl’, ‘Samaberry ’ and ‘Akihime’ and more severe from cvs. ‘Samaberry’, ‘Maehyang’ and ‘Dochiodome’. Infested soils had high salt concentrations, high nitrogen, phosphate concentrations and low pH. The results of pathogenicity test showed that Fo47 and Fo79 isolated from cvs. ‘Dochiodome’ and ‘Samaberry’ were strong pathogenic to all of four cultivars, and ‘Dochiodome’, ‘Redpearl’, ‘Maehyang’ were relatively susceptible to the all isolates.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.16 no.11
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• pp.676-680
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• 2006

The biodegradable $\beta$-tricalcium phosphate ($\beta$-TCP)/poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) composites were synthesized by in situ polymerization with microwave energy. The degradation behavior of $\beta$-TCP/PLGA composite was investigated by soaking in simulated body fluid (SBF) for 4 weeks. The molecular weight of the $\beta$-TCP/PLGA composites decreased with soaking time until week 2, whereas the loss rate of molecular weight reduced after week 2. The incubation time was needed for the degradation of the $\beta$-TCP, indicating that the $\beta$-TCP should be detached from the PLGA matrix and then degraded into SBF solution. The studies of mass loss of the composites with the soaking time revealed that the degradation behavior of PLGA would be processed with the transformation from the polymer to the oligomer followed by the degradation. Morphological changes, whisker-like, due to transformation and degradation of polymer in the composites were observed after week 2. On the basis of the results, it found that the degradation behavior of $\beta$-TCP/PLGA composites was influenced by the $\beta$-TCP content in the composites and the degradation rate of the composites could be controlled by the initial molecular weight of PLGA in the composites.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.479-487
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• 2009

Glutathione reductase (GR) is an enzyme that recycles a key cellular antioxidant molecule glutathione (GSH) from its oxidized form (GSSG) thus maintaining cellular redox homeostasis. A recombinant plasmid to overexpress a GR of Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis (BrGR) in E. coli BL21 (DE3) was constructed using an expression vector pKM260. Expression of the introduced gene was confirmed by semi-quantitative RT-PCR, immunoblotting and enzyme assays. Purification of the BrGR protein was performed by IMAC method and indicated that the BrGR was a dimmer. The BrGR required NADPH as a cofactor and specific activity was approximately 458 U. The BrGR-expressing E. coli cells showed increased GR activity and tolerance to $H_2O_2$, menadione, and heavy metal ($CdCl_2$, $ZnCl_2$ and $AlCl_2$)-mediated growth inhibition. The ectopic expression of BrGR provoked the co-regulation of a variety of antioxidant enzymes including catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. Consequently, the transformed cells showed decreased hydroperoxide levels when exposed to stressful conditions. A proteomic analysis demonstrated the higher level of induction of proteins involved in glycolysis, detoxification/oxidative stress response, protein folding, transport/binding proteins, cell envelope/porins, and protein translation and modification when exposed to $H_2O_2$ stress. Taken together, these results indicate that the plant GR protein is functional in a cooperative way in the E. coli system to protect cells against oxidative stress.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.843-848
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• 2000

The single cell-gel electrophoresis assay (comet assay) was used to identify irradiated beans. Soy beans, kidney beans, and red beans were irradiated with $^{60}Co$ gamma rays at 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, and 1.0 kGy. Beans were peeled out, crushed lightly, and treated with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) to extract cells. The extracted cell suspension was mixed with agarose gel solution and spread on an agarose precoated slide. After lysis of the cells, they were subjected to microgel electrophoresis for 2 minutes, and then silver-stained. We found that the DNA fragments of the irradiated samples were stretched, migrated out of the cells, and formed tails towards the anode giving the appearance of comets, while the unirradiated or the undamaged cells formed very short or no tails. The tail lengths of irradiated samples were significantly increased as irradiation dose increased at the above 0.3 kGy.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.896-903
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• 2019

Objective: Qianbei-Pockmarked goats are affected by a disorder locally referred to as 'Ruanguzheng Disorder', which is characterized by emaciation, lameness, muscular relaxation, stiffness of the extremities, and abnormal curvatures of the long bones. Our objective was to determine the relationship between the disorder and phosphorus deficiency. Methods: Tissue samples were collected from affected and healthy animals, while soil and herbage samples were collected from affected and healthy pastures. Biochemical parameters were determined using an automatic biochemical analyzer (OLYMPUS AU 640, Olympus Optical Co., Tokyo, Japan). Mineral contents in soil, forage, and tissue were determined using a Perkin-Elmer AAS5000 atomic absorption spectrophotometer (Perkin-Elmer, Norwalk, CT, USA). Results: The results showed that phosphorus contents in herbages from affected pastures were markedly lower than those from healthy areas (p<0.01), and the ratio of calcium to phosphorus in the affected herbages was 12.93:1. The phosphorus contents of wool, blood, tooth, and bone from affected animals were also markedly lower than those from healthy animals (p<0.01). Serum phosphorus values in affected animals were much lower than those in healthy animals, while serum alkaline phosphatase values from affected animals were markedly higher than those from healthy animals (p<0.01). Inorganic phosphorus values from affected animals were approximately half of that in the control group. Supplementation of disodium hydrogen phosphate prevented and cured the disorder. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that Ruanguzheng disorder in Qianbei-Pockmarked goats is primarily caused by phosphorus deficiencies in herbage due to fenced pastures and natural habitat fragmentation.