• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.10 no.5
• /
• pp.484-489
• /
• 2000

Enterovirues may cause gastrointestinal symptoms, cold, and fever, mainly in young children. They are also recognized as important agents in acute infections of the central nervous system such as meningitis and encephalitis, and in subacute and chronic infections of the cardiovascular system such as pericarditis, myocarditis and cardiomyopathy. They also can lead to postviral fatigue syndrome. For the detection of enteroviruses from the environmental samples, the combined cell culture-polymerase chain reaction (CC-PCR) technique was employed. In contrast to EPA standard method which mainly depends on the cell culture, it involved the use of cell culture, followed by PCR to improve the sensitivity and the accuracy of the test. According to the results of survey, from 1999 to 2000, for the presence of enteroviruses in the surface water samples from Nak-dong river, four out of twelve samples were positive for viruses. The titer of viruses in the surface water was ranged from 25 to 250 MPN. All of the viruses isolated were poliovirus type I with 98% nucleotide sequence homology. The result also clearly suggests the seasonal difference in the distribution of the waterborne enteroviruses in surface water because most of the viruses were mainly detected from the summer through the early autumn.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.36 no.1
• /
• pp.12-19
• /
• 2003

Fragmentation of purine imidazole ring and production of formamidopyrimidines in deoxynucleosides (Fapy lesions) occurs upon DNA oxidation as well as upon spontaneous or alkali-triggered rearrangement of certain alkylated bases. Many chemotherapeutic agents such as cyclophosphamide or thiotepa produce such lesions in DNA. Unsubstituted FapyA and FapyG, formed upon DNA oxidation cause moderate inhibition of DNA synthesis, which is DNA polymerase and sequence dependent. Fapy-7MeG, a methylated counterpart of FapyG-, a efficiently inhibits DNA replication in vitro and in E.coli, however its mutagenic potency is low. This is probably due to preferential incorporation of cytosine opposite Fapy-7MeG and preferential extension of Fapy-7MeG:C pair. In contrast, FapyA and Fapy-7MeA possess miscoding potential. Both lesions in SOS induced E.coli preferentially mispair with cytosine giving rise to A$\rightarrow$G transitions. Fapy lesions substituted with longer chain alkyl groups also show simult aneous lethal and mutagenic properties. Fapy lesions are actively eliminated from DNA by repair glycosylases specific for oxidized purines and pyrimidines both in bacteria and eukaryotic cells. Bacterial enzymes include E.coli formamidopyrimidine-DNA-glycosylase (Fpg protein), endonuclease III (Nth protein) and endonuclease VIII (Nei protein).

• Toxicological Research
• /
• v.23 no.1
• /
• pp.1-9
• /
• 2007

Transporters are membrane proteins that mediate the transfer of substrate across the cellular membrane. In this overview, the characteristics and the toxicological relevance were discussed for various types of transporters. For drug transporters, the overview focused on ATP-binding cassette transporters and solute carrier family 21A/22A member transporters. Except for OCTN transporters and OATP transporters, drug transporters tend to have broad substrate specificity, suggesting drug-drug interaction at the level of transport processes (e.g., interaction between methotrexate and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents) is likely. For metal transporters, transporters for zinc, copper and multiple metals were discussed in this overview. These metal transporters have comparatively narrow substrate specificity, except for multiple metal transporters, suggesting that inter-substrate interaction at the level of transport is less likely. In contrast, the expressions of the transporters are often regulated by their substrates, suggesting cellular adaptation mechanism exists for these transporters. The drug-drug interactions in drug transporters and the cellular adaptation mechanisms for metal transporters are likely to lead to alterations in pharmacokinetics and cellular metal homeostasis, which may be linked to the development of toxicity. Therefore, the transporter-mediated alterations may have toxicological relevance.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
• /
• v.42 no.4
• /
• pp.336-340
• /
• 2011

The aim of this study was to investigate the possible utilization of Zanthoxylum schinifolium as a source of antimicrobial agents. The antimicrobial effects of Zanthoxylum schinifolium extracts were investigated against Acinetobacter baumannii, which is a multi-drug resistant pathogen, and 5 other pathogenic microorganisms. The hexane extract of Zanthoxylum schinifolium was more effective than the ethyl acetate, n-butanol and methanol extracts which were active against Acinetobacter baumannii 25, with minimum inhibitory concentrations(MIC) ranging from 0.8 mg/ml to 1.6 mg/ml. Tetracycline had no effect on Acinetobacter baumanniii. The hexane extract was highly active against Candida albicans IFO 6258, with an MIC of 1.5 mg/ml. In contrast, the ethyl acetate, n-butanol and methanol extracts showed no activity against the 5 pathogenic microorganisms. Furthermore, a combination of hexane extract and ethyl acetate extract was significantly more active against the 5 Acinetobacter baumannii strains than n-butanol and methanol. These results suggest that Zanthoxylum schinifolium extracts have great potential as antimicrobial compounds against multi-drug resistant pathogens, and further studies are warranted.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
• /
• v.1 no.1
• /
• pp.61-67
• /
• 1978

Recently, Demands of automatic X-ray film processors are increasing more and more at general hospitals and private clinics, but various troubles because of incorrect control were found out. Authors have researched to find out the function and activity of automatic X-ray film processor for 70 days with Kodak X-OMAT processor, and results obtained were as follows; 1. Automatic X-ray film processor have an advantage to conduct the rapid treatment of X-ray film processing, but incorrect handling of developing and fixing agents were brought about a great change in contrast and optical density of X-ray film pictures. 2. About 10,000 X-ray films could be finished by same developing and fixing solution without exchanging any other solutions in automatic X-ray film processor.

• Asia pacific journal of information systems
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.33-49
• /
• 2010

We empirically examine the impact of online auction knowledge and category-specific knowledge on the final price of online auctions. Specifically, we question how the relationship between buying and selling experiences affects the final prices of online auctions. Related to the trust between buyers and sellers, we examine the multiple interactions between a buyer-seller pairand aim to identify how these repeated transactions influence the final price. To contrast these effects with other product related factors, we focus on so called 'common value' auctions of vintage stamps on eBay, in which the ex-post value of the product is the same among participating agents’ perceived value. Online auction of stamps provides a representative setting to examine the relationship between market experience and the auction participation behavior in the common value auction, as it provides the book value of stamp as well as price variation across individual buyers with different expertise levels. Our analysis of over 3000 stamps auctions on eBay indicates a significantly high frequency of buyer-seller (pair) interactions, thus suggesting a 'relationship view' of auctions. The work validates five hypotheses derived from the existing theory in economics, marketing, and information systems. Through the common-value auction data, we find that seller's online auction experience and category-specific experience favor sellers by increasing the final price. However, buyer's online auction experience does not affect the final price, but buyer's category-specific experience favors buyers by decreasing the final price. We find that the trust between two trading parties increases the final price.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
• /
• v.24 no.3
• /
• pp.283-288
• /
• 2008

Plant leaf surface is an important niche for diverse epiphytic microbes, including bacteria and fungi. Plant leaf surface plays a critical frontline defense against pathogen infections. The objective of our study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a starch-based super-absorbent polymer(SAP) combination, which enhances water potential and nutrient availability to plant leaves. We evaluated the effect of SAP on the maintenance of bacterial populations. In order to monitor bacterial populations in situ, a SAP mixture containing Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci that expressed recombinant green fluorescent protein(GFPuv) was spray-challenged onto whole leaves of Nicotiana benthamiana. The SAP combination treatment enhanced bacterial robustness, as indicated by disease severity and incidence. Unexpectedly, bacterial numbers were not significantly different between leaves treated with the SAP combination and those treated with water alone. Furthermore, young leaves treated with the SAP combination had more severe symptoms and a greater number of bacterial spots caused by primary and secondary infections compared to young leaves treated with the water control. In contrast, bacterial cell numbers did not statistically differ between the two groups, which indicated that measurement of viable GFP-based bacterial spots may provide a more sensitive methodology for assessing virulence of bacterial pathogens than methods that require dilution plating following maceration of bacterial-inoculated leaf tissue. Our study suggests that the SAP combination successfully increased bacterial aggressiveness, which could either be used to promote the ability of biological agents to control weedy plants or increase the robustness of saprophytic epiphytes against competition from potentially harmful microbes.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
• /
• v.33 no.2
• /
• pp.145-175
• /
• 2011

We analyse an overlapping generation model in which economic agents, especially their income distribution, influence environmental policy and redistributive policy through political decision making process. In an economic equilibrium which doesn't consider political process, the introduction of environmental policy is shown to increase economic growth rate. In contrast to an economic equilibrium, environmental policy can be adopted when economic inequality reduces to a certain threshold in a political economic equilibrium. The adoption of environmental policy, on the other hand, incurs the demand of strengthened redistributive policy, which in turn decreases economic growth in a short run. We discuss broad policy implications based on our political economic analyses.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
• /
• v.22 no.1
• /
• pp.43-52
• /
• 1999

Presently, viral isolation in the diarrheal feces can be reached by many tools such as fluorescent antibody test(FA), negative contrast electron microscopy(NCEM), virus neutralization test, cell culture, and so on. The purpose of the study was to aimed at the establishment of simplified NCEM technique which can be efficiently applied for diarrheal feces and also the understanding on prevalence of viral-induced diarrhea in calves. One hundred fourty-seven korean indigenous calves with diarrhea were examined to their feces by the modified NCEM. Among them, 98(66.7%) were confirmed to have one or more viruses in feces. The viruses detected were identified as rotavirus(33.3%), coronavirus(16.3% ), togavirus(10.2%) and herpesvirus(0.7%). Ten cases of combined viral infection were consisted of 8 with rotavirus+coronavirus, one with rotavirus+togavlrus and one with rotavirus+herpesvirus. Dirrheal types could classified by yello-wish watery(44.9a ), blood-tinged(19.7% ), white watery(17.7% ) , brownish watery(14.3%), greenish watery(3.4%) diarrhea, respectively. Yellowish watery diarrhea(66cases) was frequently included rotavirus(31.8%), coronavirus(15.2%), and togavirus(13.6%), respectively. Consequently, these results suggest that the modified NCEM is reliable and efficient diagnostic tool for detection of viruses in the diarrheal feces and many calves rearing in Chonnam province have been exposed to some enteric viral agents mainly including rotavirus and coronavirus.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.23 no.2
• /
• pp.132-137
• /
• 2007

With the advance of stem cell transplantation research, in vivo cell tracking techniques have become increasingly important in recent years. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may provide a unique tool for non-invasive tracking of transplanted cells. Since the initial findings on the stem cell migration by MRI several years ago, there have been numerous studies using various animal models, notably in heart or brain disease models. In order to develop more reliable and clinically applicable methodologies, multiple aspects should be taken into consideration. In this review, we will summarize the current status and future perspectives of in vivo cell tracking technologies using MRI. In particular, use of different MR contrast agents and their detection methods using MRI will be described in much detail. In addition, various cell labeling methods to increase the sensitivity of signals will be extensively discussed. We will also review several key experiments, in which MRI techniques were utilized to detect the presence and/or migration of transplanted stem cells in various animal models. Finally, we will discuss the current problems and future directions of cell tracking methods using MRI.