• Journal of Life Science
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• v.22 no.8
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• pp.1114-1119
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• 2012

Bacteria are frequently contaminated during the collection and processing procedures of boar semen. Of the contaminants, Stenotrophomonas (S.) maltophilia is a Gram-negative bacterium that is widely distributed in a variety of habitats. Although PCR assays have been developed for the detection of S. maltophilia, they cross-react with some species of Xanthomonas. In this study, we designed a primer set for the detection of S. maltophilia in order to target the chiA (GenBank accession no. NC_010943) gene. The specific PCR products were amplified from S. maltophilia only, not from other tested strains that are frequently found in semen. The detection limit of the PCR was $1.5{\times}10^3$ CFU/ml with pure-cultured S. maltophilia and $1.5{\times}10^4$ CFU/ml with S. maltophilia spiked in semen. Twenty-six (5.9%) S. maltophilia were isolated from 440 semen samples. The PCR results exhibited 98.9% agreement with a comparison of S. maltophilia isolation. Also, the sensitivity and specificity of the PCR were 100% and 98.7%, respectively. In the antimicrobial susceptibility test, S. maltophilia isolates were highly susceptible to enrofloxacin and florfenicol, while the majority of them were resistant to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, apramycin, ceftiofur, penicillin, and spectinomycin. These results indicated that the PCR using the chiA gene was proven to be reliable and effective for the detection of S. maltophilia with high levels of sensitivity and specificity.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.165-172
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• 2006

Secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI) involves tissue protection against the destructive action of neutrophil elastase at the site of inflammation. Several studies on new functions of SLPI have demonstrated that SLPI may play a primary role in innate immunity than protease inhibitor, To identify the function of SLPI by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation in the embryonic fibroblast (NIH3T3) cells. we studied the expression of SLPI compared to other growth factors involving the LPS treatment. To address this, we performed the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blots for the detection of mRNA and protein expression of the SLPI and some growth factors such as VEGF. bFGF, and PDGF-BB after LPS stimulation. NIH3T3 cells were exposed 100 ng/mL Escherichia coli LPS for 30min, 60min, 90min, 24h, and 48h, respectively. The result of RT-PCR showed that SLPI and VEGF mRNA was expressed strongly in NIH3T3 without related to LPS stimulation. mRNA of bFGF was weakly expressed such as the expression of the control. PDGF mRNA expression gradually increased follows at time course. However, SLPI protein level was increased in lysates and culture medium by LPS stimulation. Phase contrast microscopic and scanning electron microscopic observation showed that the increased cell number and cytoplasmic enlargement of the NIH3T3 cells. Therefore, it suggests that the LPS upregulates SLPI expression in NIH3T3 cells. Moreover, secreted SLPI may stimulate cell proliferation and migration.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.442-448
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• 2012

Many outbreaks of food-borne illnesses have been associated with the consumption of fresh vegetables and fruits contaminated with food-borne pathogens. Contaminated medium, manure and irrigation water are probable vehicles for the pathogen in many outbreaks. The aim of this study was to determine the potential transfer of Escherichia coli and Bacillus cereus from medium and soil fertilized with contaminated compost or irrigation with contaminated water to the edible parts of lettuce. Moreover, survivals of the two pathogens on lettuce contaminated medium, soil and irrigation water were estimated. Lettuce seeds were planted in medium contaminated with 7.5 log colony forming unit (CFU)/g of E. coli and B. cereus. Seedlings grown in the contaminated medium were transplanted in soil fertilized with contaminated pig manure compost or uncontaminated soil. Contaminated irrigation water with E. coli and B. cereus at 8.0 log CFU/mL was applied only once on the plant by sprinkle irrigation and surface irrigation. Although E. coli and B. cereus in medium and sprouted lettuce after planting seeds were reduced as time passed, these pathogens survived in seedling raising stage for extended periods. The numbers of E. coli and B. cereus in lettuce grown on contaminated soil were detected over 4.0 log CFU/g for 21 days. The numbers of E. coli and B. cereus in lettuce applied by sprinkle irrigation were higher than those of surface irrigation by 5.0 log CFU/g. Our results indicated that contaminated medium, soil and irrigation water can play an important role in the presence of food-borne pathogens on vegetables.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.264-270
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• 2012

This study was performed to compared the effectiveness of individual treatments (electrolyzed water: EW, organic acid, and ultrasound) and their combination on reducing foodborne pathogens from perilla leaves. Perilla leaves were innoculated with a cocktail of Salmonella Typhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus. Inoculated perilla leaves were treated with EW combined with different concentration of acetic acid (0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, 2.0%) for 1 min at room temperature. Treatment of 3 pathogens on perilla leaves with electrolyzed water combined with ultrasound (25 kHz) and 0.5% acetic acid was also performed for 1 min. While the numbers of S. Typhimurium and B. cereus showed reduced with increasing acetic acid concentration, there is no difference in the number of S. aureus treated with EW containing 0.5% to 1.5% acetic acid. Discoloration was observed the perilla leaves treated with EW combined with more than 1.0% acetic acid. For all three pathogens, the combined treatment of EW and ultrasound resulted in additional 0.42 to 0.72 $log_{10}$ CFU/g. The maxium reductions of S. Typhimurium and B. cereus were 0.95, 1.23 $log_{10}$ CFU/g after treatment with EW combined with 0.5% acetic acid and ultrasound simultaneously. The results suggest that the treatment of EW combined with 0.5% acetic acid and ultrasound increased pathogens reduction compared to individual treatment.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.50-58
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• 2016

The root bark of Ulmus macrocarpa has been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases such as edema, infection and inflammation. Nevertheless, the biological activities and underlying mechanisms of the immunomodulatory effects remain unclear. In this study, as part of our ongoing screening program to evaluate the immunomodulatory potential of new compounds from traditional medicinal resources, we investigated the effects of U. macrocarpa water extract (UME) on immune modulation in a murine RAW 264.7 macrophage model. As immune response parameters, the productions of as nitric oxide (NO) and cytokines such tumor necrotic factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-10 were evaluated. Although the release of IL-1β remained unchanged in UME-treated RAW 264.7 macrophages, the productions of NO, TNF-α and IL-10 were significantly increased, along with the increased expression of inducible NO synthase, TNF-α and IL-10 expression at concentrations with no cytotoxicity. UME treatment also induced the nuclear translocation of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB), and phosphorylation of Akt and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) indicating that UME activated macrophages through the activation of NF-κB, phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt and MAPKs signaling pathways in RAW 264.7 macrophages. Furthermore, pre-treatment with UME significantly attenuated the production of NO, but not TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-10, in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells suggesting that UME may be useful in preventing inflammatory diseases mediated by excessive production of NO. These findings suggest that the beneficial therapeutic effects of UME may be attributed partly to its ability to modulate immune functions in macrophages.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.249-256
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• 2012

The changes in the volatile organic compounds in plum after its electron beam irradiation and storage were determined using the simultaneous distillation extraction method and gas chromatograph-mass spectrometry. There were 44, 46, 45, 47, and 38 volatile compounds in the 0-, 0.25-, 0.5-, 0.75-, and 1 kGy irradiated samples, respectively. Also, the volatile flavor components of the plum that was stored for 30 days were identified as 48, 40, 40, 39, and 40 components. The compositions of the volatile compounds of the control and irradiated samples showed a similarity after the storage. Especially, the more important volatile flavor of the plum was identified as hexanal of the C6compounds, (E)-2-hexenal and (Z)-3-hexenal. In particular, hexanal, (E)-2-hexenal, and (Z)-3-hexen-1-ol increased in all the doses, where as hexanol and (E)-2-hexen-1-ol decreased. Among the lactone compounds, ${\gamma}$-hexalactone, ${\gamma}$-octalactone, and ${\gamma}$-decalactone were identified during the storage period in the raw samples. Hexanonic acid and 2-hexenoic acid were not identified during the storage of the samples, and 2-methylprrole was detected only when the storage samples were irradiated at a dose higher than 0.5kGy. Therefore, it was shown that there was no effect on the variation of the volatile organic component suntil 1 kGy in the plum was irradiated with an electron beam.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.689-697
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• 2013

In the United States, about 40,000 new cases of oral cancer are diagnosed each year and nearly 7,800 patients died from it in 2012. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids have been found to have anticancer effects in a variety of cancer cell lines and animal models, but their effect in oral cancer remains unclear. This study was designed to examine the effect of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, a kind of omega-3 fatty acid) on oral cancer cells and the molecular mechanism of its action. We found that exposure of squamous cell carcinoma-4 (SCC-4) and squamous cell carcinoma-9 (SCC-9) human oral cancer cells to DHA induced growth inhibition in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Meanwhile, in addition to the elevated levels of apoptotic markers, such as cleaved PARP, subG1 portion and TUNEL-positive nuclei, DHA led to autophagic vesicle formation and an increase in autophagic flux, indicating the involvement of both apoptosis and autophagy in the inhibitory effects of DHA on oral cancer cells. Further experiments revealed that the apoptosis and autophagy induced by DHA were linked to inhibition of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling by AKT inhibition and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation in SCC-9 cells. Together, our results suggest that DHA induces apoptosis- and autophagy-associated cell death through the AMPK/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway in oral cancer cells. Thus, utilization of omega-3 fatty acids may represent a promising therapeutic approach for chemoprevention and treatment of human oral cancer.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.25 no.10
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• pp.1445-1457
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• 2016

In this study, we investigated the growth of striped mullet (Mugil cephalus), Yesso scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis) and kelp (Saccharina japonica) farmed under the IMTA (integrated multi-trophic aquaculture) system developed by national institute of fisheries science (NIFS). The farmed striped mullets grew from an initial length and weight of $152.5{\pm}12.1mm$ and $41.6{\pm}7.8g$ in October 2013 to $154.2{\pm}5.6mm$ and $47.5{\pm}8.6g$ in November, $160.2{\pm}8.7mm$ and $55.9{\pm}9.1g$ in December and $168.4{\pm}9.6mm$ and $58.4{\pm}8.7g$ in January. The fish continued to grow and reached $190.2{\pm}9.4mm$ in length and $87.5{\pm}8.9g$ in weight in April and $256.4{\pm}9.7mm$ and $156.7{\pm}6.7g$ in October 2014. The daily growth rate (DGR) for total fish length was 0.015~0.1 mm/day during the periods of fast growth and attained 0.038~0.1 mm/day during February ~ March. The kelp grew from an initial blade length and wet weight of $1.19{\pm}0.2cm$ and $0.0028{\pm}0.0012g$ in January 2014 to $3.3{\pm}0.8cm$ and $2.5{\pm}0.9g$ in February and $126.5{\pm}11.6cm$ and $107.4{\pm}22.6g$ in March, after which, erosion occurred and slowed the growth. The DGRs for kelp length ranged 0.03~1.9 mm/day in January 2014 and increased to 0.88~1.9 mm/day during March~April. Increasing water temperatures beginning in April lowered the DGR to 0.03 mm/day. Yesso scallops grew from an initial shell length, shell height and wet weight of $11.83{\pm}0.6mm$, $12.68{\pm}0.7mm$ and in September 2013 to $19.9{\pm}2.5mm$, $20.8{\pm}2.6mm$ and $0.9{\pm}0.04g$ in November 2013. They continued to grow to $45.91{\pm}0.71mm$ in shell length, $42.55{\pm}0.8mm$ in shell height and $12.7{\pm}1.3g$ in wet weight by May 2014 and $60.2{\pm}2.51mm$, $554.6{\pm}2.61mm$ and $24{\pm}2.70g$ by October 2014. The DGRs for shell length of Yesso scallop ranged from 0.02 to 0.256 mm/day with higher values of 0.256~0.27 mm/day during November~December 2013 and March~April 2014.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.102 no.2
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• pp.210-215
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• 2013

Litterfall production represents a major contribution of carbon and nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems. This study was carried out to determine the litterfall production in a broadleaved deciduous forest at the Mt. Keumsan Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) site, Southern Korea. Littefall was collected monthly or bimonthly from the site for 7 years from 2004 to2010. Leaf and reproductive (catkins) litters showed a seasonal variation, but litters of needle, branch, and barks were not changed across the seasons. Annual leaf litter of Quercus serrata and Carpinus laxiflora were significantly different (p<0.05) but that of C. cordata, Chamaecyparis obtusa, and Pinus thunbergii was not significantly changed for 7 years (p>0.05). Annual average litterfall production was 5,223 kg/ha, but annual variations were very large with minimum of 4,110 kg/ha/yr in 2004 and maximum of 6,002 kg/ha/yr in 2007. Total litterfall comprised of 2,323 kg/ha/yr in Q. serrata, 442 kg/ha/yr in C. laxiflora, 157 kg/ha/yr in C. cordata, 131 kg/ha/yr in Acer pseudosieboldianum, 390 kg/ha/yr in other deciduous tree species, 74 kg/ha/yr in P. thunbergii, 37 kg/ha/yr in C. obtusa, 672 kg/ha/yr in branches, 515 kg/ha/yr in miscellaneous, 448 kg/ha/yr in reproductive parts, and 54 kg/ha/yr in barks. respectively. The results indicate that litterfall production of the Mt. Keumsan LTER site was yearly fructurated with the positive linear relationship between leaf or total litterfall and annual mean temperature if no disturbance such as a typoon, and was lower than that of other Korean LTER sites.

• Journal of Aquaculture
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.28-33
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• 2009

Physiological responses (hematological factors, cortisol, glucose, osmolality, $Na^+$, $K^+$ and $Cl^-$) in starry flounder Platichthys stellatus were investigated during freshwater acclimation in the conditions of different speeds in salinity change with acute-decrease (AD) or stepwise-decrease (SD I and II). In AD of acute-decrease salinity, hematocrit (Ht), red blood cell (RBC) and hemoglobin (Hb) were rapidly increased more than SD I of stepwise-decrease salinity. But in case of SD II, Ht, RBC and Hb were no significant difference from beginning to end of this experiments. In AD, cortisol level significantly increased from $2.1{\pm}1.0{\mu}g/mL$ at the beginning to $13.7{\pm}0.2{\mu}g/mL$ at 6 hours and recovered to the basal levels ($3.1{\mu}g/mL$) at 10 days. In SD I, cortisol level was significantly increased from $2.1{\pm}1.0{\mu}g/mL$ at the beginning to $13.6{\pm}0.6{\mu}g/mL$ at 6 hours and recovered to the basal levels ($3.1{\pm}0.4{\mu}g/mL$) at 10 days. In SD II, cortisol level was a little increased from $2.1{\pm}1.0{\mu}g/mL$ at the beginning to $10.5{\pm}2.5$, $10.8{\pm}5.6{\mu}g/mL$ at 6, 12 hours and recovered to the basal level at 48 hours. Glucose level of AD, SD I, II were no significant difference from beginning to end of this experiments. Osmolality was $286.8{\pm}3.3\;mOsm/kg$ at the beginning. In SD II of stepwise-decrease, osmolality was no significant difference during rearing in freshwater (FW). But AD of stepwise-decrease and SD I of stepwise-decrease, osmolality was a little decreased end of this experiments. In AD of acute-decrease, only $Cl^-$ level was showed no significant difference from beginning to end of experiment and $Na^+$, $K^+$ levels were decreased. In case of SD I, $Cl^-$ level was showed no significant difference from beginning to end of experiment and $Na^+$, $K^+$ levels were decreased.