• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.269-277
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• 2004

Trichinella spiralis is one of the important zoonotic parasites with a wide variety of vertebrates hosts in nature. The purpose of this study were to analyze ESP(Excretory-Secretory Protein) antigen, to evaluate ELISA for the serological diagnosis of Trichinosis, and to survey T. spiralis infection in finishing pigs using the pepsin digestion method and ELISA in Korea. In the analysis of ESP antigen by SDS-PAGE and Western blot, 4 major bands (70, 55, 52.6, and 49 kDa) were revealed from the ESP antigen. Predilection sites of T. spiralis were the diaphragm, the tongue, masseter muscles, intercostal muscle, and hindlimb in orders in the experimentally infected rats. Sera from 581 swine were tested by ELISA with ESP antigen. The 54 (9.3%) sera were suspected as positive reactors, however, these 54 sera were determined as false positives by the use of Western blotting. This study demonstrated that the ELISA was not suitable for the examination of T. spiralis in pork. The diaphragm muscle samples of 251 finishing pigs were tested by the method of pepsin-digestion for the presence of Trichinella larvae, however, T. spiralis was not detected from the samples. We could not find out T. spiralis infection in pig in Korea pork.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.85-92
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• 2013

IL-23 and IL-12 are structurally similar and critical for the generation of efficient cellular immune responses. Toxoplasma gondii induces a strong cell-mediated immune response. However, little is known about IL-23 secretion profiles in T. gondii-infected immune cells in connection with IL-12. We compared the patterns of IL-23 and IL-12 production by THP-1 human monocytic cells in response to stimulation with live or heat-killed T. gondii tachyzoites, or with equivalent quantities of either T. gondii excretory/secretory proteins (ESP) or soluble tachyzoite antigen (STAg). IL-23 and IL-12 were significantly increased from 6 hr after stimulation with T. gondii antigens, and their secretions were increased with parasite dose-dependent manner. IL-23 concentrations were significantly higher than those of IL-12 at the same multiplicity of infection. IL-23 secretion induced by live parasites was significantly higher than that by heat-killed parasites, ESP, or STAg, whereas IL-12 secretion by live parasite was similar to those of ESP or STAg. However, the lowest levels of both cytokines were at stimulation with heat-killed parasites. These data indicate that IL-23 secretion patterns by stimulation with various kinds of T. gondii antigens at THP-1 monocytic cells are similar to those of IL-12, even though the levels of IL-23 induction were significantly higher than those of IL-12. The detailed kinetics induced by each T. gondii antigen were different from each other.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.223-236
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• 2020

In this study, a safety evaluation was conducted to confirm if the Enterococcus faecium CKDB003 strain obtained by selection from a mixed fermentation of fruit and milk is suitable for use as a probiotic. The MIC value for the 10 antibiotics specified in the EFSA guidance was below the acceptable cut-off value. The antibiotic resistance genes aac(6')-li, eatAv, and msr(C) exist by whole genome sequencing, but are in the chromosome and not in the plasmid, thus confirming that there is no possibility of transmission to other microorganisms. It was confirmed that cytolysin (cylA, cylB, cylI, cylL-l, cylL-s, cylM, cylR1, cylR2), aggregation substance (asa1, asp1), collagen adhesion (ace), enterococcal surface protein (esp), endocarditis antigen (efaA), hyaluronidase (hyl) and gelatinase (gelE) were not present in the genome by examining the genes of factors related to virulence. Also, the biochemical analysis showed no toxic enzyme activities, and no virulence genes were detected by the PCR method. Thus, the E. faecium CKDB003 strain can be safely used as a health functional food probiotic, based on the results of the safety assessment.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.255-263
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• 2021

In this study, we assessed the technological characteristics and safety of 88 Enterococcus faecium strains isolated from meju; the strains possess the glutamate decarboxylase gene gadA/B involved in γ-aminobutyric acid production. The study was conducted to evaluate the possibility of introducing E. faecium meju isolates as food fermentation starters. We observed that a NaCl concentration of 6% (w/v) facilitated the growth and acid production of all strains. At a NaCl concentration of 7%, 21 strains (24%) exhibited a low growth rate, 72 strains (82%) a weak acid production, and 16 strains (18%) showed no acid production. All strains exhibited protease activity at a NaCl concentration of 4%. At a NaCl concentration of 5%, 86 strains exhibited weak activity, and one strain showed no protease activity. We could not detect any lipase activity in the investigated strains. None of the strains exhibited an acquired antibiotic resistance to the seven antibiotics tested in the present study, namely ampicillin, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, penicillin G, tetracycline, and vancomycin. We could identify the Enterococcus endocarditis antigen gene efaA and the tyrosine decarboxylase gene tdc contributing to tyramine production, in 88 meju isolates. We could not detect the Enterococcus surface protein gene esp, which is specifically possessed by human-originated E. faecium strains, in any of the 88 strains tested in the study.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.142-148
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• 1995

Background: Despite modern diagnostic, staging, and therapeutic advances, esp. with molecular biologic techniques, the 5-year survival rate of all cases of lung cancer does not exceed 15%. Also, the incidence of lung cancer of both sex in Korea is increasing year by year and the lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death. Therefore, it is strongly needed to develop the new combination of treatment modalities including neoadjuvant chemotherapy and to identify tumor specific characteristics with staging or prognostic markers. Here we present the clinical significance of several biologic tumor markers to use as a prognostic markers in patients with non-small cell lung cancers. Method: The survival has correlated with the expressibility of proliferative cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR), p53 and/or blood group antigen A(BGAA) using immunohistochemistry in 46 patients with non-small cell lung cancers. Results: 1) The expression rates of PCNA, EGFR, p53 and BGAA were 80.6%, 61.3%, 45.9% and 64.3%, respectively and those were not correlated to cell types or clinical stges. 2) The expression of BGAA was correlated with better survival in median survival and in 2-year survival rate and that of PCNA was correlated with worse survival in median survival and 2-year survival rate. 3) The expression of EGFR or p53 was not valuable to predict prognosis in non-small cell lung cancers. 4) With simultaneous applications of PCNA, EGFR and p53 immunostain, the patients with 2 or more negative expressions showed better prognosis than the patients with 2 or more positive expressions. Conclusion: It is suggested that the expression of blood group antigen may be a positive prognostic factor and that of PCNA may be a negative prognostic factor. Also, the combination of expressions of PCNA, EGFR and p53 may be used as a negative prognostic factor.