• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• 제31권4호
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• pp.501-507
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• 1991

Diagnosis of cryptosporidiosis is currently confirmed by the detection of the oocysts or endogenous stages in fecal or tissue samples. Various conventional staining methods and serodiagnostic techniques have been reported, but the latter has far been limited to a few laboratories. Cryptosporidium has recently been reported in mice and chiekens in Korea, but there has been no report on staining methods to the oocysts. The present study was performed by light and scanning electron microscopic observations, and discussed with staining properties of four conventional methods such as dichromate solution floatation method, Carbol fuchsin stain, Auramine-O stain and Giemsa stain method. Cryptosporidial oocysts were isolated from the laboratory mouse. In tissue sections of duodenum, jejunum, ileum, cecum and upper colon, numerous very small, basophilic bodies were observed on the border of mucosal epithelial cells. In scanning electron microscopic observations, a few of developmental stages of Cryptosporidium were seen. Two types of thick and thin-walled oocysts were recognized in the intestinal contents. Mean size of its were $5.19{\pm}0.23{\times}4.31{\pm}0.32{\mu}m$ and $5.14{\pm}0.25{\times}4.27{\pm}0.4{\mu}m$, respectively. Carbol fuchsin and Auramine-O stain methods are recommended as the satisfactory ones for the identification of Cryptosporidium oocysts. Giemsa stain was also recommended as available in the laboratory, because a few of developmental stage fo Cryptosporidium could be seen by it.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제14권8호
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• pp.1157-1163
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• 2001

First-litter gilts were used to determine how different dietary treatments during gestation affect the reproductive performance of gilts and immunity development of their piglets. Twenty-two crossbred $Landrace{\times}Yorkshire$ gilts were randomly assigned to three dietary treatments, Following conception, the gilts were fed experimental diets until farrowing occurred. The diet for treatment I was low protein diet (8% CP), treatment 2 had an additional supplement of 0.14% threonine that was added to the low protein diet, and treatment 3 was a control diet containing 12% CP. During gestation, net body weight gain of sows in treatment group 2 was higher than in treatment group 1 (p=0,075), However, during lactation there was no difference between all treatments groups on body weight loss and their live piglets at birth. Although milk IgG between treatments did not differ, treatment groups 2 and 3 were slightly higher than treatment group I was, Plasma IgG concentrations in piglets were however equal within all treatment groups at birth and at 7 days of age, at 21 days of age, it was higher in treatment group I than it was in the other two groups (p<0.01), Threonine supplementation to a low protein diet during gestation slightly increases milk IgG of sows, It is beneficial for piglets to acquire more passive immunity, but a suppressive effect was also noted on the endogenous IgG synthesis in piglets. A gestation diet of 8% CP for gilts can stimulate immuno-system of her piglets.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제29권4호
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• pp.564-570
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• 2016

The Sal-like 1 gene (Sall1) is essential for kidney development, and mutations in this gene result in abnormalities in the kidneys. Mice lacking Sall1 show agenesis or severe dysgenesis of the kidneys. In a recent study, blastocyst complementation was used to develop mice and pigs with exogenic organs. In the present study, transcription activator-like effector nuclease (TALEN)-mediated homologous recombination was used to produce Sall1-knockout porcine fibroblasts for developing knockout pigs. The vector targeting the Sall1 locus included a 5.5-kb 5' arm, 1.8-kb 3' arm, and a neomycin resistance gene as a positive selection marker. The knockout vector and TALEN were introduced into porcine fibroblasts by electroporation. Antibiotic selection was performed over 11 days by using $300{\mu}g/mL$ G418. DNA of cells from G418-resistant colonies was amplified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to confirm the presence of fragments corresponding to the 3' and 5' arms of Sall1. Further, mono- and bi-allelic knockout cells were isolated and analyzed using PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism. The results of our study indicated that TALEN-mediated homologous recombination induced bi-allelic knockout of the endogenous gene.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• 제21권2호
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• pp.104-109
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• 2016

In the current study, we investigated the longitudinal association between dietary acid load and the risk of insulin resistance (IR) in the Tehranian adult population. This longitudinal study was conducted on 925 participants, aged 22~80 years old, in the framework of the third (2006~2008) and fourth (2009~2011) phases of the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study. At baseline, the dietary intake of subjects was assessed using a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire, and the potential renal acid load (PRAL) and net endogenous acid production (NEAP) scores were calculated at baseline. Fasting serum insulin and glucose were measured at baseline and again after a 3-year of follow-up; IR was defined according to optimal cut-off values. Multiple logistic regression models were used to estimate the risk of IR according to the PRAL and NEAP quartile categories. Mean age and body mass index of the participants were 40.3 years old of $26.4kg/m^2$, respectively. Mean PRAL and NEAP scores were -11.2 and 35.6 mEq/d, respectively. After adjustment for potential confounders, compared to the lowest quartile of PRAL and NEAP, the highest quartile was accompanied with increased risk of IR [odds ratio (OR)=2.81, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.32~5.97 and OR=2.18, 95% CI=1.03~4.61, respectively]. Our findings suggest that higher acidic dietary acid-base load, defined by higher PRAL and NEAP scores, may be a risk factor for the development of IR and related metabolic disorders.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제20권3호
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• pp.574-578
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• 2010

Archaebacteria Sulfolobus acidocaldarius contains the highly thermophilic cytochrome P450 enzyme (CYP119). CYP119 possesses stable enzymatic activity at up to $85^{\circ}C$. However, this enzyme is still considered as an orphan P450 without known physiological function with endogenous or xenobiotic substrates. We characterized the regioselectivity of lauric acid by CYP119 using the auxiliary redox partner proteins putidaredoxin (Pd) and putidaredoxin reductase (PdR). Purified CYP119 protein showed a tight binding affinity to lauric acid ($K_d=1.1{\pm}0.1{\mu}M$) and dominantly hydroxylated (${\omega}-1$) position of lauric acid. We determined the steady-state kinetic parameters; $k_{cat}$ was 10.8 $min^{-1}$ and $K_m$, was 12 ${\mu}M$. The increased ratio to $\omega$-hydroxylated production of lauric acid catalyzed by CYP119 was observed with increase in the reaction temperature. These studies suggested that the regioselectivity of CYP119 provide the critical clue for the physiological enzyme function in this thermophilic archaebacteria. In addition, regioselectivity control of CYP119 without altering its thermostability can lead to the development of novel CYP119-based catalysts through protein engineering.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제30권5호
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• pp.717-725
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• 2020

The use of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria is economically viable and environmentally safe for mitigating various plant stresses. Abiotic stresses such as flood and drought are a serious threat to modern agriculture. In the present study, the indole-3-acetic acid-producing rhizobacterium R. sphaeroides KE149 was selected, and its effects on the growth of adzuki bean plants under flood stress (FS) and drought stress (DS) were investigated. IAA quantification of bacterial pure culture revealed that KE149 produced a significant amount of IAA. Moreover, KE149 inoculation notably decreased stress-responsive endogenous abscisic acid and jasmonic acid and increased salicylic acid in plants under DS and FS. KE149 inoculation also increased proline under DS and methionine under FS. In addition, KE149 inoculation significantly increased the levels of calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and potassium (K) while lowering the sodium (Na) content in the plant shoot under stress. KE149-treated plants had markedly greater root length, shoot length, stem diameter, biomass, and higher chlorophyll content under both normal and stressed conditions. These results suggest that KE149 could be an efficient biofertilizer for mitigating water stress.

• Development and Reproduction
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• 제13권4호
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• pp.271-280
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• 2009

Human placenta is abundant source of adult stem cells. Especially, amniotic epithelial cells have stem cell characteristics, expressing surface markers normally present on embryonic stem cells and germ cells. However, culturing and expanding amniotic epithelial cells in vitro without feeder cells are difficult due to endogenous characteristics of epithelial cells. In the present study, amniotic epithelial cells are isolated and proliferated in several passages by applying dithiothreitol and a Rho-associated kinase inhibitor in culture media. The cultured amniotic epithelial cells showed the epithelial and stem cell characteristics. In conclusion, human placenta-derived amniotic epithelial stem cells can be a major source of stem cells for medical treatment of various diseases without any controversial issues.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• 제19권3호
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• pp.671-676
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• 2005

In this study, we investigated the antioxidant effect of extract from Monascus pillosus, on the human wild-type p53 and p21 expressing A549 lung epithelial cell line and MCF-7 mammary adenocarcinoma cell line stimulated by NO. $P21^{waf/cip1}$ was identified as a gene induced in senescent cells. It is a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor and has been shown to cause cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. While p53-regulated stimulation of p21 appears to be central for the permanent growth-arrest, the role of p21 in p53-triggered cell death is unclear. Low dose of sodium nitroprusside (SNP) induced the development of senescence associated with increased expression of p53 and p21 in A549 cells. Inhibition of p21 transactivating activity requires high level correlates with the amount of p53 necessary to cause cell death. Association of p21 and p53 results in inhibition of p21-stimulated transcription. This requires a higher p53 level than is necessary for transcriptional activation of endogenous p53-responsive gene but correlates well with the level of p53 necessary to cause cell death. Exposure to W-1 inhibited oxidative stresses-induced senescence-like arrest, resulting in a significant reduction in p53 and p21 steady state levels. These results suggest that p53 and p21 play a central role in the onset of senescence. Thus, it is important to emphasize control of oxidative balance in tumor prevention and aging.

• Development and Reproduction
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• 제19권4호
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• pp.197-207
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• 2015

This study investigated structure and function of the reproductive system in Aplysia kurodai by means of anatomical, histological, and histochemical observation. Reproductive system of this species is consisted of ovotestis, small hermaphroditic duct, ampulla, accessory genital mass and large hermaphroditic duct. The ovotestis is composed of a large number of follicles, and both oocytes and spermatocytes matured in the same follicle. The small hermaphroditic duct is a single tube and contains a swelling, the ampulla, which functions as a storage organ for endogenous sperm and an oviduct. The accessory genital mass is connected to both the small and large hermaphroditic duct, and consisted of three glands: albumen, membrane (winding) and mucus gland. The albumen gland is consisted of granular cells producing basophilic and neutral mucopolysaccharides. The membrane and mucus gland are consisted of granular cells producing acidophilc and sulfated mucopolysaccharides. The large hermaphroditic duct is a single tubular gonoduct linking the accessory genital mass to the common genital aperture but is consisted of two parallel compartments. Internally, these two compartments are incompletely divided by internal septum or fold, which are called as the red hemiduct and white hemiduct, respectively. The red hemiduct functions as an oviduct and the white hemiduct functions as a copulatory duct. The reproductive system of A. kurodai is externally comprised a single tube, i.e., monaulic type. However, internal structure of duct is incompletely divided into oviduct and copulatory duct, i.e., the oodiaulic type.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• 제24권2호
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• pp.150-158
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• 2001

The activity of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in rheumatoid arthritis is not only due to the inhibition of the production of prostaglandins, which can even have beneficial immunosuppressive effects in chronic inflammatory processes. Since we speculated that these drugs could also act by protecting endogenous proteins against denaturation, we evaluated their effect on heat-induced denaturation human serum albumin (HSA) in comparison with several fatty acids which are known to be potent stabilizers of this protein. By the Mizushimas assay and a recently developed HPLC assays we observed that NSAIDs were slightly less active [$EC_{50}~10^{-5}-10^{-4}$ M] than FA and that the HPLC method was less sensitive but more selective than the turbidimetric assay, i.e. it was capable of distinguishing true antiaggregant agents like FA and NSAIDs from substances capable of inhibiting the precipitation of denatured protein aggregates. In conclusion, this survey could be useful for the development of more effective agents in protein condensation diseases like rheumatic disorders, cataract and Alzheimers disease.