• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.27 no.7
• /
• pp.1216-1222
• /
• 2017

To develop starters for the production of functional foods or materials, lactic acid bacteria producing ${\gamma}-aminobutyric$ acid (GABA) were screened from jeotgals, Korean fermented seafoods. One isolate producing a high amount of GABA from monosodium $\text\tiny{L}$-glutamate (MSG) was identified as Enterococcus avium by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. E. avium M5 produced $18.47{\pm}1.26mg/ml$ GABA when incubated for 48 h at $37^{\circ}C$ in MRS broth with MSG (3% (w/v)). A gadB gene encoding glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) was cloned and overexpressed in E. coli BL21 (DE3) using the pET26b (+) expression vector. Recombinant GAD was purified through a Ni-NTA column and the size was estimated to be 53 kDa by SDS-PAGE. Maximum GAD activity was observed at pH 4.5 and $55^{\circ}C$and the activity was dependent on pyridoxal 5'-phosphate. The $K_m$ and $V_{max}$ values of GAD were $3.26{\pm}0.21mM$ and $0.0120{\pm}0.0001mM/min$, respectively, when MSG was used as a substrate. Enterococcus avium M5 secretes a lot of GABA when grown on MRS with MSG, and the strain is useful for the production of fermented foods containing a high amount of GABA.

• International Journal of Computer Science & Network Security
• /
• v.24 no.6
• /
• pp.216-222
• /
• 2024

Objectives: To compare the levels of anxiety on GAD-7 scale among undergraduates of dental, medical and engineering students during COVID-19. The secondary objectives were to correlate the factors influencing level of anxiety and to assess the coping strategies practiced by undergraduates' students of Karachi duri.ng COVID-19 outbreak. Methodology: The cross-sectional based survey was conducted online among the medical, dental and engineering undergraduates' university students of private sector in Karachi through purposive sampling technique during COVID-19 lock down period. The GAD-7 validated tool was used along with the demographic variables, related stress factors and the coping skills practiced during this outbreak. Total 571 questionnaires were found completed in all sections. The data was analyzed on SPSS version 23. P-value <0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: The mental health of the students was assessed on GADS-7 scale as normal, mild, moderate and severe levels. From the total (n=18-3.2%) were normal, (n=132-23.1%) had mild, (n=343-60.1%) had moderate and (n=78-13.7%) had severe anxiety level on GADS-7. The levels of anxiety on GAD-7 scale were all positively associated with the related stressors at p-value of 0.000. Moreover the results depicted that there was a moderate and positive correlation found (0.456, 0.447, 0.512 and 0.452) for all related stressors and GAD-7 scale. Taking breaks from watching, reading news regarding the outbreak of COVID-19, meditation and engaging in some other activities were the most frequently used coping strategies for all levels of anxiety among three cohorts of undergraduates'. Conclusion: Undergraduates has shown 96.9% drastically increased level of anxiety during the outbreak of COVID 19 pandemic. Taking breaks from watching, reading news regarding the outbreak of COVID-19 was the most frequent behavior practiced by the students.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.56 no.6
• /
• pp.552-562
• /
• 2023

Objectives: Adolescents who engage in unhealthy behaviors are particularly vulnerable to anxiety. We hypothesized that participation in physical activity could influence the relationship between anxiety and unhealthy behaviors in adolescents. These behaviors include smoking, alcohol consumption, and unsafe sexual activity. Methods: This study included 50 301 students from the first year of middle school to the third year of high school, all from Korea. The unhealthy adolescent behaviors examined included current alcohol consumption, current smoking, and unsafe sexual behavior. Anxiety levels were assessed using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 questionnaire (GAD-7). Results: The participants had a mean age of 15.19 years and an average GAD-7 score of 4.23. No significant differences were observed in GAD-7 score among exercising participants when categorized by smoking status (p=0.835) or unsafe sexual behavior (p=0.489). In contrast, participants in the non-exercise group who engaged in these behaviors demonstrated significantly higher GAD-7 scores (p<0.001 and 0.016, respectively). The only significant interaction was found between unsafe sexual behavior and exercise (p=0.009). Based on logistic regression analysis, within the non-exercise group, significant positive associations were observed between current smoking and anxiety (odds ratio [OR], 1.36; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.18 to 1.57), as well as between unsafe sexual behavior and anxiety (OR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.73). However, within the exercise group, no significant association was found between anxiety and either smoking or unsafe sexual behavior. Furthermore, no significant interaction was observed between unhealthy behaviors and exercise. Conclusions: These findings are insufficient to conclude that physical activity influences the relationship between unhealthy behaviors and anxiety.

• Psychiatry investigation
• /
• v.15 no.11
• /
• pp.1053-1063
• /
• 2018

Objective This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Korean Anxiety Screening Assessment (K-ANX) developed for screening anxiety disorders. Methods Data from 613 participants were analyzed. The K-ANX was evaluated for reliability using Cronbach's alpha, item-total correlation, and test information curve, and for validity using focus group interviews, factor analysis, correlational analysis, and item characteristics based on item response theory (IRT). The diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the K-ANX were compared with those of the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7). Results The K-ANX showed excellent internal consistency (${\alpha}=0.97$) and item-total coefficients (0.92-0.97), and a one-factor structure was suggested. All items were highly correlated with the total scores of the BAI, GAD-7, and Penn State Worry Questionnaire. IRT analysis indicated the K-ANX was most informative as a screening tool for anxiety disorders at the range between 0.8 and 1.6 (i.e., top 21.2 to 5.5 percentiles). Higher sensitivity (0.795) and specificity (0.937) for identifying anxiety disorders were observed in the K-ANX compared to the BAI and GAD-7. Conclusion The K-ANX is a reliable and valid measure to screen anxiety disorders in a Korean sample, with greater sensitivity and specificity than current measures of anxiety symptoms.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• /
• v.54 no.4
• /
• pp.543-551
• /
• 2021

Changes in gluten surface hydrophobicity, which play an important role in the functional characteristics of protein, were measured according to various protein concentrations, pH levels, electrolytes concentrations, and alginate molecular weights using 8-anilino-1-naphthalene sulfonic acid (ANS) as a fluorescent probe. Gluten surface hydrophobicity decreased as gluten concentration increased, reaching a maximum pH of 7.0. The effects of alginate molecular weights and alginate concentration on the surface hydrophobicity, emulsifying activity index (EAI), and emulsion stability index (ESI) of gluten-sodium alginate dispersion (GAD) were measured. Gluten surface hydrophobicity rapidly increased the asl NaCl concentration of gluten solution up to 300 mM and showed no significant increase above 300 mM. However, gluten surface hydrophobicity notably decreased until the concentration of CaCl₂ and MgCl₂ reached 30 mM, indicating no significant variations above 30 mM. GAD surface hydrophobicity increased as the concentration and molecular weight of sodium alginate increased, however, gluten concentration increased as the GAD surface hydrophobicity decreased. The EAI and ESI of GAD increased as both molecular weight and concentration of sodium alginate increased.

• Journal of Aquaculture
• /
• v.3 no.1
• /
• pp.65-77
• /
• 1990

The growth of ark shell, Anadara broughtonii was compared between two areas, $Gad\v{o}gdo$ in Jinhae Bay and Namhae located in the southern coast of Korea from May 1986 to October 1987. The ark shells in Namhae grew from 1.38$\pm$0.32 em to 7.20$\pm$0.30 em in shell length, while those in $Gad\v{o}gdo$ grew from 1.38$\pm$0.32 em to 6,41$\pm$0.30 cm in 17 months. Shell height, shell breadth and total weigth of the ark shells in Namhae were also greater than those from $Gad\v{o}gdo$. Bottom quality of $Gad\v{o}gdo$ showed negative skewness, and that of Namhae was positive skewness. Negative skewness of $Gad\v{o}gdo$ seems to be caused by the effect of strong tidal current. This may indicate that Namhae is better area than $Gad\v{o}gdo$ for the culture of the ark shell.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.29 no.11
• /
• pp.1745-1748
• /
• 2019

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) plays important roles in host physiology. However, the effects of GABA are greatly restricted due to its low bioavailability in the human body. Here, a high acid-tolerance GABA-producing strain, Lactobacillus brevis Bmb5, was isolated from kimchi. Bmb5 converted glutamate to GABA (7.23 ± 0.68 ㎍/μl) at a rate of 72.3%. The expression of gadB gene, encoding the enzyme involved in the decarboxylation of glutamate to GABA, was decreased upon incubation. Our findings indicate GABA production in Bmb5 is not directly correlated with gadB gene expression, providing new insight into the mechanisms underlying GABA production in Lactobacillus.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• /
• v.34 no.2
• /
• pp.63-68
• /
• 2023

Objectives: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has had various effects on mankind, especially children and adolescents. Because children and adolescents spend a lot of time at school, COVID-19 has had a great impact on school mental health. In this study, we investigated the effect of prolonged COVID-19 on school mental health. Methods: We prepared self-report questionnaires for depression (Children's Depression Inventory, CDI), anxiety (Korean version of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire for Children; Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, GAD-7), and post-traumatic stress (Primary Care Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, PC-PTSD) for administering to students aged between 7 and 18 years, recruited by a COVID-19 psychological prevention support group in the Gwangmyeong Mental Health Welfare Center for 2 years, in 2020 and 2021. Results: For children aged 7-12 years, there was no significant difference between the years 2020 and 2021 in the assessment of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress. Conversely, for adolescents aged 13-18 years, there was a significant increase in the scale scores (CDI, PC-PTSD, and GAD-7). Conclusion: Prolonged COVID-19 might have had a significant impact on the mental health of adolescents who spent a lot of time at school. When comparing the years 2020 and 2021, middle and high school students were more affected by COVID-19 than elementary school students.

• Journal of Korean Medical Science
• /
• v.33 no.52
• /
• pp.347.1-347.11
• /
• 2018

Background: Smartphone addiction has recently been highlighted as a major health issue among adolescents. In this study, we assessed the degree of agreement between adolescents' and parents' ratings of adolescents' smartphone addiction. Additionally, we evaluated the psychosocial factors associated with adolescents' and parents' ratings of adolescents' smartphone addiction. Methods: In total, 158 adolescents aged 12-19 years and their parents participated in this study. The adolescents completed the Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS) and the Isolated Peer Relationship Inventory (IPRI). Their parents also completed the SAS (about their adolescents), SAS-Short Version (SAS-SV; about themselves), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). We used the paired t-test, McNemar test, and Pearson's correlation analyses. Results: Percentage of risk users was higher in parents' ratings of adolescents' smartphone addiction than ratings of adolescents themselves. There was disagreement between the SAS and SAS-parent report total scores and subscale scores on positive anticipation, withdrawal, and cyberspace-oriented relationship. SAS scores were positively associated with average minutes of weekday/holiday smartphone use and scores on the IPRI and father's GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scores. Additionally, SAS-parent report scores showed positive associations with average minutes of weekday/holiday smartphone use and each parent's SAS-SV, GAD-7, and PHQ-9 scores. Conclusion: The results suggest that clinicians need to consider both adolescents' and parents' reports when assessing adolescents' smartphone addiction, and be aware of the possibility of under- or overestimation. Our results cannot only be a reference in assessing adolescents' smartphone addiction, but also provide inspiration for future studies.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.15 no.2
• /
• pp.313-323
• /
• 2015

This study was performed to examine the prevalence of and risk factors for depression and anxiety among breast cancer survivors in their 40s. Completed questionnaires were collected from 609 breast cancer survivors in their 40s who agreed to participate the study. The mean scores of CES-D and GAD-7 were 16.35(SD=9.24) and 4.25(SD=4.17), respectively. Nearly 47.7% of the participants had depression and 10.3% had anxiety. The mean score of pain severity was 1.91(SD=1.60) and 10.9% of the participants reported more than moderate pain. The final model in the hierarchical regression analysis showed that pain interference, unemployment, the type of live-in partner, and past psychiatric disease were the significant risk factors for depression, and pain interference, unemployment and past psychiatric disease for anxiety. These results show the prevalence of depression and anxiety among breast cancer survivors in their 40s is high and suggest appropriate psychosocial intervention should be provided for high risk groups based on those risk factors.