• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.17-23
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• 2024

Background: Honey bees play a crucial role in pollination and ecological balance. Apis mellifera L. colonies, especially those located in specific geographic regions, such as the palm garden in Eastern Thailand, are susceptible to potential threats from microbial contaminants. Understanding and detecting microbial organisms in these beehives is essential for the preservation of bee health, honey production, and the broader ecosystem. However, the problem of microbial infection and antibiotic-resistant bacteria is more severe and continuously increasing, resulting in a health, economic, and social crisis. The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of microorganisms in A. mellifera beehives in palm gardens in Rayong province, Eastern Thailand. Results: Ten swabs in transport media were swabbed and obtained from different parts of each beehive (1 swab per beehive), for a total of 10 hives. Traditional microbial culture-based methods, biochemical tests, and antimicrobial susceptibility (disc-diffusion) tests were used to detect microbial organisms and antibiotic resistance in bacteria. The swab tests from nine beehives resulted in the detection of Gram-positive bacteria (63.64%), Gram-negative bacteria (27.27%), and fungi/yeast (9.09%). These microorganisms are classified as a group of coagulase-negative Staphylococcus spp. and made up 40.91% of the bacteria discovered. Other bacteria found were Coryneform bacteria (13.64%), Pantoea spp. (13.64%), Bacillus spp. (9.09%), yeast (9.09%), glucose non-fermentative Gram-negative bacilli (9.09%), and Pseudomonas spp. (4.55%). However, due to the traditional culture-based and 0biochemical tests usually used to identify the microbial organisms in clinical specimens and the limitation of identifying some environmental microbial species, the results of the antimicrobial susceptibility test cannot reveal if the organism is resistant or susceptible to the drug. Nevertheless, drug-sensitive inhibition zones were formed with each antibiotic agent. Conclusions: Overall, the study supports prevention, healthcare, and public health systems. The contamination of microorganisms in the beehives may affect the quality of honey and other bee products or even the health of the beekeeper. To avoid this kind of contamination, it is therefore necessary to wear personal protective equipment while harvesting honey and other bee products.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.11
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• pp.5759-5762
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• 2012

The objective of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of a health check-up program among Thai people at the National Cancer Institute in the years 2008-2009. The program included history taking, physical examination, chest X-ray, EKG, and laboratory tests. A total of 28,240 women and 9,665 men were included in the study, with mean ages of 44.5 and 46.9 years, respectively. The study showed that obesity, as assessed by a BMI over 25.0 kg/m2, in men and women was present in 41.4% and 30%, respectively. Biochemical study revealed that anemia was prevalent in 21.6% of men and 20.1% of women. High plasma glucose level (>115 mg/dL), cholesterol level (>200 mg/dL), triglyceride level (>190 mg/dL) in men was 13.8%, 63.8%, 22.6% and 7.7%, 61.1%, 8.9% in women. Hepatitis B virus infection was found 7.5% in men and 4.1% in women. In this study, 177 new cancer cases were detected, of which 35 were breast, 19 were cervical and 26 were colorectal, most of these cancers being detected at early stage. In addition, precancerous states was also found including 718 cases of benign and 99 cases of adenoma in situ. In conclusion, an annual check up may detect abnormalities that have no obvious clinical symptoms of disease. Early detection of asymptomatic neoplasms and precursor lesions should contribute to a prompt provision of treatment and further decline of death from cancer.

• Carbon letters
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• v.24
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• pp.103-110
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• 2017

Carbon-based magnetic nanostructures in several instances have resulted in improved physicochemical and catalytic properties when compared to multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and magnetic nanoparticles. In this study, magnetic MWCNTs with a structure of $Ni_xZn_xFe_2O_4/MWCNT$ as peroxidase mimics were fabricated by the one-pot hydrothermal method. The structure, composition and morphology of the nanocomposites were characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The magnetic properties were investigated with a vibrating sample magnetometer. The peroxidase-like catalytic activity of the nanocomposites was investigated by colorimetric and electrochemical tests with 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) and $H_2O_2$ as the substrates. The results show that the synthesis of the nanocomposites was successfully performed. XRD analysis confirmed the crystalline structures of the $Ni_xZn_xFe_2O_4/MWCNT$ nanohybrids and MWCNTs. The main peaks of the $Ni_xZn_xFe_2O_4/MWCNT$s crystals were presented. The $Ni_{0.25}Zn_{0.25}Fe_2O_4/MWCNT$ and $Ni_{0.5}Zn_{0.5}Fe_2O_4/MWCNT$ nanocatalysts showed nearly similar physicochemical properties, but the $Ni_{0.5}Zn_{0.5}Fe_2O_4/MWCNT$ nanocatalyst was more appropriate than the $Ni_{0.25}Zn_{0.25}Fe_2O_4/MWCNT$ nanocatalyst in terms of the magnetic properties and catalytic activity. The optimum peroxidase-like activity of the nanocatalysts was obtained at pH 3.0. The $Ni_{0.5}Zn_{0.5}Fe_2O_4/MWCNT$ nanocatalyst exhibited a good peroxidase-like activity. These magnetic nanocatalysts can be suitable candidates for future enzyme-based applications such as the detection of glucose and $H_2O_2$.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.296-303
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• 2005

A strain named as HJ35 was isolated from the skin of sixty-five men and fourteen women for acne therapy, in order to find an effective antimicrobial agent against Propionibacterium acnes. Isolate HJ35 was identified as Enterococcus faecium based on 16 rDNA sequence and produced enterocin HJ35 having antimicrobial activities against most lactic acid bacteria, En­terococcus spp., Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis, Clostridium perfringens, some bacilli, Mi­crococcus flavus, Listeria monocytogenes, L. ivanovii, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas fluorescens and Propionibacterium acnes, in the modified well diffusion method. Especially, enterocin HJ35 showed a bactericidal activity against Propionibacterium acnes P1. The antimicrobial activity of enterocin HJ35 was disappeared completely with the use of protease XIV. But enterocin HJ35 activity is very stable at high temperature (up to $100^{\circ}C$ for 30 min), in wide range of pH (3.0${\~}$9.0), and by treatment with organic solvents. The apparent molecular mass of enterocin HJ35 was estimated to be approximately 4${\~}$4.5 kDa on detection of its bactericidal activity after SDS-PAGE. In batch fermentation of E. faecium HJ35, enterocin HJ35 was produced at the mid­log growth phase, and its maximum production was obtained up to 2,300 AU/mL at the late stationary phase. By employing fed-batch fermentation, the enhanced production of enterocin HJ35 was achieved up to 12,800 AU/mL by feeding with 10 g/L glucose or 6 g/L lactate.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.22 no.8
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• pp.1141-1147
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• 2012

Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) is a class of biodegradable plastics that have great potential applications in the near future. In this study, the micro-biodiversity and productivity of PHA-accumulating bacteria in activated sludge from a domestic wastewater treatment plant were investigated. A previously reported primer set and a self-designed primer set (phaCF1BO/phaCR2BO) were both used to amplify the PHA synthase (phaC) gene of isolated colonies. The new primers demonstrated higher sensitivity for phaC, and combining the PCR results of the two primer sets was able to widen the range of detected genera and raise the sensitivity to nearly 90%. Results showed that 85.3% of the identified bacteria were Gram-negative, with Ralstonia as the dominant genus, and 14.7% were Gram-positive. In addition, Zoogloea and Rhizobium contained the highest amounts of intracellular PHA. It is apparent that glucose was a better carbon source than pentone or tryptone for promoting PHA production in Micrococcus. Two different classes, class I and class II, of phaC were detected from alphaproteobacteria, betaproteobacteria, and gammaproteobacteria, indicating the wide diversity of PHA-accumulating bacteria in this particular sampling site. Simultaneous wastewater treatment and PHA production is promising by adopting the high PHA-accumulating bacteria isolated from activated sludge.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.8
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• pp.4847-4851
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• 2013

Objectives: To evaluate accuracy of FDG-PET CT in prediction of persistent disease in head and neck cancer cases and to determine prognostic value of metabolic tumor response. Materials and Methods: Between 2009 and 2011, 46 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck receiving PET-CT were treated with definitive radiotherapy, with or without chemotherapy. There were 29 nasopharyngeal, 11 hypopharyngeal, 3 oropharyngeal and 3 laryngeal cancer patients, with a median age of 50.5 years (range 16-84), 32 males and 14 females. All patients were evaluated with PET-CT median 3-5 months (2.4-9.4) after completion of radiotherapy. Results: After a median 20 months of follow up, complete metabolic response was observed in 63% of patients. Suspicious residual uptake was present in 10.9% and residual metabolic uptake in 26.0% of patients. The overall sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of FDG-PET-CT for detection of residual disease was 91% and 81%, 64% and 96% respectively. Two year LRC was 95% in complete responders while it was 34% in non-complete responders. Conclusions: FDG PET CT is a valuable tool for assessment of treatment response, especially in patients at high risk of local recurrence, and also as an indicator of prognosis. Definitely more precise criteria are required for assessment of response, there being no clear cut uptake value indicating residual disease. Futhermore, repair processes of normal tissue may consume glucose which appear as increased uptake in control FDG PET CT.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.17 no.9
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• pp.709-713
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• 2009

The aim of this study was to develop novel intestinal specific drug delivery systems with pH sensitive swelling and drug release properties. The carboxyl group of ibuprofen was converted to a vinyl ester group by reacting ibuprofen and vinyl acetate as an acylating agent in the presence of catalyst. The glucose-6-acrylate-1, 2, 3, 4-tetraacetate (GATA) monomer was prepared under mild conditions. Cubane-1, 4-dicarboxylic acid (CDA) linked to two 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) group was used as the crosslinking agent (CA). Methacrylic-type polymeric prodrugs were synthesized by the free radical copolymerization of methacrylic acid, vinyl ester derivative of ibuprofen (VIP) and GATA in the presence of cubane cross linking agent. The structure of VIP was characterized and confirmed by FTIR, $^1H$ NMR and $^{13}C$ NMR spectroscopy. The composition of the cross-linked three-dimensional polymers was determined by FTIR spectroscopy. The hydrolysis of drug polymer conjugates was carried out in cel-lophane membrane dialysis bags, and the in vitro release profiles were established separately in enzyme-free simulated gastric and intestinal fluids (SGF, pH 1 and SIF, pH 7.4). The detection of a hydrolysis solution by UV spectroscopy at selected intervals showed that the drug can be released by hydrolysis of the ester bond between the drug and polymer backbone at a low rate. Drug release studies showed that increasing the MAA content in the copolymer enhances the rate of hydrolysis in SIP. These results suggest that these polymeric prodrugs can be useful for the release of ibuprofen in controlled release systems.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.287-293
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• 2012

Objectives: Metabolic syndrome has received attention as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, with particular importance attached to visceral fat accumulation, which is associated with lifestyle-related diseases and is strongly correlated with waist circumference. In this study, our aim is to propose waist circumference cut-off values that can be used as a marker for fatty liver based on a sample of workers receiving health checkups in Japan. Methods: This study was conducted in a total of 21,866 workers who underwent periodic health checkups between January 2007 and December 2007. The mean age of the subjects was 47.4 years for men (standard deviation [SD]: 8.0) and 44.7 years for women (SD: 6.9). Evaluation included abdominal ultrasound and measurement of waist circumference, body mass index, fasting blood glucose, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and blood pressure. Results: Based on receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the optimal waist circumference cut-off values were shown as 85.0 cm (sensitivity 0.72, specificity 0.69) for men and 80.0 cm (sensitivity 0.75, specificity 0.78) for women. Conclusion: Abdominal ultrasound is the most efficient means of diagnosing fatty liver, but this examination seldom occurs because the test is not routinely performed at workers' health checkups. In people found to have a high risk of fatty liver, recommendations can be made for abdominal ultrasound based on the waist circumference cut-off values obtained in this study. That is, waist circumference can be used in high risk individuals as an effective marker for early detection of fatty liver.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.129-137
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• 2016

This study aimed to isolate and characterize sulfated polysaccharides (SPs) from Iridaea cordata and evaluate their anticancer activity. SPs of the Antarctic red seaweed were obtained by $CaCl_2$ (SP1) and ethanol precipitations (SP2) following diluted acid extraction at room temperature. Yields of SP1 and SP2 were approximately 14% and 23%, respectively, of the dry weight of red seaweed. The average molecular mass of the SP1 and SP2 was estimated about $1.84{\times}10^3$ and $1.42{\times}10^3kDa$, respectively, by size-fractionation High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). From the High-Performance Anion-Exchange Chromatography-Pulsed Amperometric Detection (HPAEC-PAD) analysis, the main monosaccharide was galactose with glucose and fucose as minor components. The sulfate content of SP2 (40.4%) was slightly higher than that of SP1 (33.8%). The FT-IR spectra also showed characteristic band of carrageenan-like sulfated polysaccharides. Taken together the SPs are thought to be carrageenan-like sulfated galactan. The polysaccharides (SPs) from I. cordata exhibited weak antitumor activity against PC-3 (prostate cancer), HeLa (cervical cancer), and HT-29 (human colon adenocarcinoma). To our knowledge, this is the first data on biological activity of the Antarctic red seaweed I. cordata.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.25 no.8
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• pp.1177-1181
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• 2004

The determination of uric acid in urine samples was studied by a chemiluminescence measurement using tris (2,2'-bipyridine)ruthenium(II)-octylphenylpolyglycolether [Ru$(bpy)_3^{2+}$ -OPE] system. The oxidized uric acid by Ce(IV) excited Ru$(bpy)_3^{2+}$ to emit a chemiluminescence in this system so that the intensity was stoichio-metrically dependent upon the concentration of uric acid. In a reaction cell, a luminescent reagent, oxidant, surfactant and sulfuric acid were flowed into and mixed with a taken sample. Experimental conditions were optimized to obtain the maximum intensity of chemiluminescence. Each reactant solution of more than the following concentration gave a good result: $2\;{\times}\;10^{?4}$ M Ru$(bpy)_3^{2+}$ , 0.01 M Ce(IV), 6% OPE, and 0.33 M $H_2SO_4$. Any interferences were not shown in this process by the investigation of concomitant constitutes such as albumin, creatine, lactic acid, glucose, urea, $Cl^?,\; Mg^{2+},\;Ca^{2+}$ and so on. The linearity of a calibration curve was good with r = 0.998, the relative standard deviation of the slope was 3.3% and the detection limit was 5.6ng/mL. The recoveries of 80 to 91% were obtained from the standard spiked samples. The values were little bit low, but this procedure could be considered to be reliable for the determination of trace uric acid in urine samples.