• Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.45 no.1
• /
• pp.1-5
• /
• 2007

The bacterial compositions between the dental unit water system and human saliva were characterized and compared by direct sequence analysis of 16S rDNA clone libraries. Based on the species richness estimation, bacterial diversity in the dental unit water system (DUW) was more diverse than that of the human saliva (HS). The Chaol estimates of species richness in HS and DUW samples were 12.0 and 72.4, respectively. The total numbers of OTUs observed in the combined libraries accounted for 83% (HS) and 59% (DUW) of the Chaol diversity estimate as defined at the 80% similarity threshold. Based on the sequence analysis, the phylum Proteobacteria was the major group in both clone libraries at phylum level. DUW clone library contained 80.0% Proteobacteria, 8.0% Bacteroides, 4.0% Nitrospira, 4.0% Firmicutes, 2.0% Planctomycetes and 2.0% Acidobacteria. On the other hand, human saliva (HS) clone library contained 55.5% Proteobacteria, 36.1% Firmicutes and 8.4% Bacteroides. The majority of bacteria identified belonged to phylum Proteobacteria in both samples. In dental unit water system (DUW), Alphaproteobacteria was detected as the major group. There was no evidence of the bacterial contamination due to a dental treatment. Most sequences were related to microorganisms derived from biofilm in oligotrophic environments.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.32-42
• /
• 2023

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the association between obesity and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels in Korean adults without cardiovascular disease (CVD). Methods: The subjects were 3,634 adults, and data were extracted from the seventh Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES VII-3). A complex sampling design analysis was applied to reflect the stratified and clustered weights. The data were analyzed using the complex sample Rao-Scott chi-square test and multiple logistic regression analysis (in SPSS for Windows version 26.0). Obesity, according to body mass index (BMI), was defined as obesity (BMI = 25-29.9 kg/m²), high obesity (BMI = 30-34.9 kg/m²), and super-high obesity (BMI ≥ 35 kg/m²), and abdominal obesity (AO) was defined as a waist circumference (WC) ≥ 90 cm in males and WC ≥ 85 cm in females. Results: The odds ratios for moderate CVD risk (hs-CRP; 1-3 mg/dL) were 2.21, 4.16, and 7.13 in the obesity, high obesity, and super-high obesity groups, respectively, compared to the normal BMI group. The odds ratio for moderate CVD risk was 2.18 in males with AO and 1.88 in females with AO. The odds ratios for high CVD risk (hs-CRP > 3 mg/L) were 4.40 and 17.55 in the high obesity and super-high obesity groups, respectively, compared to the normal BMI group. Conclusion: This study provides evidence that early detection and prevention programs for CVD should include obesity-related interventions aiming to modulate hs-CRP.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
• /
• v.51 no.3
• /
• pp.233-237
• /
• 2008

The essential oil was obtained from the aerial part of Rhododendon mucronulatum Turcz. var. ciliatum Nakai by steam distillation, samples were collected by headspace (HS) and solid-phase microextraction (SPME) methods, and the compositions of the oil were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Nineteen constituents were identified from the essential oil: 15 carbohydrates, 3 alcohols, and 1 acetates. Major constituents were 2-${\beta}$-pinene (16.1%), camphene (11.9%), ${\delta}$-3-carene (11.4%), d,l-limonene (9.5%), and ${\gamma}$-terpinene (9.5%). By SPME extraction, seventeen constituents were identified: 13 hydrocarbons, 1 alcohol, 1 nitrogen-containing compound, 1 acetate, and 1 amine. Major constituents of the SPME-extracted sample were cam phene (19.6%), 2-${\beta}$-pinene (18.0%), ${\delta}$-3-carene (17.4%), trimethyl hydrazine (9.7%), ${\gamma}$-terpinene (8.5%), and d,l-limonene (5.5%). By HS extraction, thirteen constituents were identified: 11 hydrocarbons, 1 alcohol, and 1 nitrogen-containing compound. Major constituents of the HS-extracted sample were camphene (25.8%), ${\delta}$-3-carene (24.8%), 2-${\beta}$-pinene (20.2%), d,l-limonene (5.4%), tricyclene (5.1%) and trimethyl hydrazine (4.6%). The fragrance of the essential oil was coniferous, balsamic, and woody, and the $IC_{50}$ value of the essential oil was 0.030 ${\mu}g/mg$ in MTT assay using UaCaT keratinocyte cell line.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.14 no.7
• /
• pp.1014-1018
• /
• 2001

Pigs respond to extreme temperature (very cold or hot) by physiological and nutritional adjustments. Yet little is known about the effects of different environmental temperature (thermoneutral in the highland area, and hot temperature in the coastal area) where pigs are maintained on the performance of the pigs. Ten pigs each (10 pairs of littermates) were assigned to two treatments (2 locations): highland area (control=CA) or coastal area (hot/heat stress=HS). Experimental design was Paired 't' test. HS pigs had higher average daily water intake (p<0.05) compared to CA pigs (6,05 vs 3.89 kg/d), CA pigs had higher feed intake compared to HS pigs (2.9 vs 1.95 kg/d, p<0,05). CA pigs had higher daily gain compared to HS pigs (0.72 vs 0.58 kg/d, p<0.05). Feed conversion was not significantly different between CA pigs and HS pigs. The digestibility of dry matter, N, Na, K, Mg, CI, Ca and P was not significantly affected by the treatments. High environmental temperature in the coastal area (heat stress) increased water intake, decreased voluntary feed intake and daily gain of the pigs. The results demonstrate that different environmental temperature in the coastal area (heat stress) and highland area (control) had no pronounced effect on digestibility of nutrients.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.24 no.1
• /
• pp.62-66
• /
• 2016

Amygdalin, D-mandelonitrile-${\beta}$-D-glucoside-6-${\beta}$-glucoside, belongs to aromatic cyanogenic glycoside group derived from rosaceous plant seed. Mounting evidence has supported the anti-cancer effects of amygdalin. However, whether amygdalin indeed acts as an anti-tumor agent against breast cancer cells is not clear. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of amygdalin on the proliferation of human breast cancer cells. Here, we show that amygdalin exerted cytotoxic activities on estrogen receptors (ER)-positive MCF7 cells, and MDA-MB-231 and Hs578T triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells. Amygdalin induced apoptosis of Hs578T TNBC cells. Amygdalin downregulated B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), upregulated Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax), activated of caspase-3 and cleaved poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP). Amygdalin activated a pro-apoptotic signaling molecule p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (p38 MAPK) in Hs578T cells. Treatment of amygdalin significantly inhibited the adhesion of Hs578T cells, in which integrin ${\alpha}5$ may be involved. Taken together, this study demonstrates that amygdalin induces apoptosis and inhibits adhesion of breast cancer cells. The results suggest a potential application of amygdalin as a chemopreventive agent to prevent or alleviate progression of breast cancer, especially TNBC.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.44 no.2
• /
• pp.116-125
• /
• 2021

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the most common cause of death in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and dyslipidemia is considered at least partially responsible for the increased CVD risk in NAFLD patients. The aim of the present study is to understand how hepatic de novo lipogenesis influences hepatic cholesterol content as well as its effects on the plasma lipid levels. Hepatic lipogenesis was induced in mice by feeding a fat-free/high-sucrose (FF/HS) diet and the metabolic pathways associated with cholesterol were then analyzed. Both liver triglyceride and cholesterol contents were significantly increased in mice fed an FF/HS diet. Activation of fatty acid synthesis driven by the activation of sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP)-1c resulted in the increased liver triglycerides. The augmented cholesterol content in the liver could not be explained by an increased cholesterol synthesis, which was decreased by the FF/HS diet. HMG-CoA reductase protein level was decreased in mice fed an FF/HS diet. We found that the liver retained more cholesterol through a reduced excretion of bile acids, a reduced fecal cholesterol excretion, and an increased cholesterol uptake from plasma lipoproteins. Very low-density lipoproteintriglyceride and -cholesterol secretion were increased in mice fed an FF/HS diet, which led to hypertriglyceridemia and hypercholesterolemia in Ldlr-/- mice, a model that exhibits a more human like lipoprotein profile. These findings suggest that dietary cholesterol intake and cholesterol synthesis rates cannot only explain the hypercholesterolemia associated with NAFLD, and that the control of fatty acid synthesis should be considered for the management of dyslipidemia.

• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
• /
• v.32 no.1
• /
• pp.61-66
• /
• 2009

Usability study of the CU Medical "i-PAD" AED was conducted to validate the usability of the device, primarily focused on the trained user as well as the utility of the training material. Comparing these results of the trained participants to those obtained by Callejas et al. (2004), who studied video-trained users of two commercially available Philips AEDs (FR2 and HS1) using a male manikin only, the participants in this study were more successful (100% vs. 85.7%-FR2 vs. 88.9%-HS1) and faster to shock (58.5s-i-PAD vs. 91s-FR2 vs. 90s-HS1). While the focus of this study was on validating ease of use for trained bystanders, the results of the untrained condition showed that, from a usability perspective, these devices perform as well as any other AEDs already approved and available for purchase for untrained bystander use, as evidenced by the comparison to various published research results.

• Analytical Science and Technology
• /
• v.23 no.1
• /
• pp.74-82
• /
• 2010

As a basic research for development of the domestic portable XRF spectrometer, we discussed the analytical results of bench-top and portable XRF methods for RoHS materials of the Cd, Pb, Hg, Cr(IV), polybrominated biphenyls(PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ehters(PBDE). The instrumental parameters such as measurement time of bench-top and portable XRF were optimized using certified reference materials of polyethylene and polypropylene with 5 hazardous materials of 0~1,200 mg/kg. The quantitative analysis of total-Cr, total-Br, Cd, Hg and Pb in certified reference materials and plastic samples were compared by empirical method, fundamental parameter method of bench-top XRF and portable XRF.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
• /
• v.10 no.3
• /
• pp.328-335
• /
• 2016

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Vitamin D plays an important role in the etiology of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). This study evaluated the effect of vitamin D supplementation on metabolic indices and hs-C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in GDM patients. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The study was a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded clinical trial. Seventy-six pregnant women with GDM and gestational age between 24-28 weeks were assigned to receive four oral treatments consisting of 50,000 IU of vitamin $D_3$ (n = 38) or placebo (n = 38) once every 2 weeks for 2 months. Fasting blood glucose (FG), insulin, HbA1c, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, lipid profile, hs-CRP, and homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were measured before and after treatment. Independent and paired t-tests were used to determine intra- and intergroup differences, respectively. ANCOVA was used to assess the effects of vitamin D supplementation on biochemical parameters. RESULTS: Compared with the placebo group, in the vitamin D group, the serum level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D increased (19.15 vs. -0.40 ng/ml; P < 0.01) and that of FG (-4.72 vs. 5.27 mg/dl; P = 0.01) as well as HbA1c (-0.18% vs. 0.17%; P = 0.02) decreased. Improvements in the lipid profiles were observed in the vitamin D group, but without statistical significance. Significant increases in concentrations of hs-CRP, FG, HbA1c, total cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol were observed in the placebo group. No significant change in fasting insulin and HOMA-IR was observed in either group. CONCLUSIONS: In GDM patients, vitamin D supplementation improved FG and HbA1c but had no significant effects on lipid profile or hs-CRP.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.9-14
• /
• 2013

Objectives： Bletillae Rhizoma, the roots of Bletilla striata, is used to restrain the leakage of blood and stop bleeding. It can cure the sores, ulcers, and chapped skin. This study was designed to investigate the collagen metabolism, elastase and tyrosinase activity of Bletillae Rhizoma extract (BR). Methods : The effects of BR on type I procollagen production and collagenase activity in human normal fibroblasts Hs68 after UVB (312 nm) irradiation were measured by ELISA method. The elastase activity, tyrosinase activity, and L-DOPA oxidation after treatment of BR were measured as well. Results : In the present study, the collagen production (type I procollagen) was significantly increased to $15.7{\pm}1.8$ ng/ml at a concentration of BR 100 ${\mu}g/ml$ in UVB damaged Hs68 cells. The increased collagenase activity after UVB damage was significantly recovered to $42.7{\pm}0.7%$, $54.5{\pm}3.5%$, and $38.4{\pm}0.9%$ by BR 10, 30, and 100 ${\mu}g/ml$. The activities of BR 10 mg/ml on tyrosinase activity was significantly reduced to $45.1{\pm}8.4%$ as well. However, there were no significant effects on the elastase activity and the L-DOPA oxidation. Conclusion : BR showed the promoting effects of collagen synthesis and inhibitory effects of collagenase activity in Hs68, human normal fibroblast cells. And these could be thought to have the anti-wrinkle effects and whitening effects in vitro. These results suggest that BR may have potential as an anti-aging ingredient in cosmetic treatment.