• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.60 no.10
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• pp.307-311
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• 2017

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a devastating condition of hospitalized preterm infants. Numerous studies have attempted to identify the cause of NEC by examining the immunological features associated with pathogenic microorganisms. No single organism has proven responsible for the disease; however, immunological studies are now focused on the microbiome. Recent research has investigated the numerous bacterial species residing in the body and their role in diseases in preterm infants. The timing of initial microbial colonization is a subject of interest. The microbiome appears to transfer from the mother to the newborn, as well as to the fetus. Cross-talk between the fetus and fetal microbiome takes place continuously to generate a unique immune system. This review examined the transfer of the microbiome to the human fetus, and its potential relationship with NEC.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.168-173
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• 1988

Immunological analysis between endotoxin proteins produced by Bacillus thuringiensis serovar. kurstaki HD1 and HD73 have been investigated by using polyclonal antibodies. The antisera against the endotoxin proteins were prepared from rabbits injected with the endotoxin protein antigens. When about 2mg/$m\ell$ of the antigens were injected for 7 times, the titers were highest. The stability of the antigens was reduced to about 50% after 9 days incubation at 4$^{\circ}C$. The sensitibity of endotoxin protein from B. thuringiensis HD1 and HD73 by indirect ELISA was 50ng/$m\ell$ and 400ng/$m\ell$, respectively. The cross reaction of antiserum appeared that anti-HD1 partialy reacted with crystal protein but anti-HD73 reacted with HD1 endotoxin about 100%.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.48-58
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• 2023

Interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) integrates both immunological and non-immunological inputs to control cell survival and death. Small GTPases are versatile functional switches that lie on the very upstream in signal transduction pathways, of which duration of activation is very transient. The large number of homologous proteins and the requirement for site-directed mutagenesis have hindered attempts to investigate the link between small GTPases and IRF3. Here, we constructed a constitutively active mutant expression library for small GTPase expression using Gibson assembly cloning. Small-scale screening identified multiple GTPases capable of promoting IRF3 phosphorylation. Intriguingly, 27 of 152 GTPases, including ARF1, RHEB, RHEBL1, and RAN, were found to increase IRF3 phosphorylation. Unbiased screening enabled us to investigate the sequence-activity relationship between the GTPases and IRF3. We found that the regulation of IRF3 by small GTPases was dependent on TBK1. Our work reveals the significant contribution of GTPases in IRF3 signaling and the potential role of IRF3 in GTPase function, providing a novel therapeutic approach against diseases with GTPase overexpression or active mutations, such as cancer.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.70-79
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• 2003

Object : Currently, the alteration of cytokine system has been known to play an important role in regard to depressive symptom. We focused on the relationship between immunological parameters and clinical improvement in major depressive disorder. Method : Data were collected on 26 patients with major depressive disorder using a 8-week prospective follow-up design. After 8-week treatment period with fluoxetine, patients were classified into a response group and a non-response group according to their psychopathological outcome as evaluated by Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. The differences of the immunological parameters between pre-treatment phase and post-treatment phase were compared among patients. The difference of those was also compared within each phase among them. The relationship between socio-demographic variables, depression, cytokine, mononuclear cells was examined by correlation analysis. Multiple regression analyses were performed to explore the predictors of clinical improvement of major depressive disorder. Result : Pre-treatment levels of IL-$1{\beta}$ in the response group were significantly higher than those in the non-response group. Pre-treatment levels of IL-$1{\beta}$ of all patients and in the response group were positively correlated with pre-treatment monocyte counts. Patients with subsequent remission showed significantly lower IL-6 values at baseline than those with non-response. Post-treatment values of IL-6 did not differ significantly among the patients. The correlation test showed more frequent relations among cytokines and mononuclear cells in the response group than in the non-responder group. Especially, serum level of IL-6 in pre-treatment phase was only significantly correlated with HAMD score after 8-week treatement phase, while other cytokines and mononuclear cells were not. Pretreatment level of IL-6 was of paramount importance in predicting clinical improvement of depressive symptom. Conclusion : The immune system of major depressive disorder patients might dichotomize the patients into subsequent responders and non-responders. Immune system might be of great influence on the clinical improvement of major depressive disorder. The mode of interaction between depression and cellular immune function and the mediators responsible for the cytokine production need to be studied further.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 1981

It has been already suggested that specific macromolecules in follicular fluid produced by granulosa cells may play a role in suppressing further meiotic maturation of the oocytes. In general, the search for specific macromolecules in follicular fluid using immunological methods has not been rewarding. These studies were designed, by applying more effective immunological methods than conventionally employed, (l) to identify whether some unknown macromolecules are present in the porcine follicular fluid or not, and (2) to clarify the relationship between the oocytes and the specific macromolecules in the follicular fluid. The results obtained were as follows; (1) porcine follicular fluid contained two specific proteins, which were not present in pig plasma and serum. (2) each of two proteins showed electrophoretically fast alpha-globulin and beta-globulin mobilities. (3) these proteins seemed to have inhibitory effect on the maturation of mouse oocytes in vitro. From these results, it can be assumed that pig follicular fluid contains specific proteins which seem to be intra-follicular inhibitor(s) of oocyte maturation.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.61-68
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• 2010

Purpose: The present study was performed to clarify the relationship between periodontal disease severity and selected immunological parameters consisting of serum IgG titer against periodontopathogenic bacteria, the expression of the helper T-cell cytokine by gingival mononuclear cells, and patients' immunoreactivity to cross-reactive heat shock protein (HSP) epitope peptide from P. gingivalis HSP60. Methods: Twenty-five patients with moderate periodontitis had their gingival connective tissue harvested of gingival mononuclear cells during an open flap debridement procedure and peripheral blood was drawn by venipuncture to collect serum. The mean level of interproximal alveolar bone was calculated to be used as an index for periodontal disease severity for a given patient. Each of selected immunologic parameters was subject to statistical management to seek their correlations with the severity of periodontal disease. Results: A significant correlation could not be identified between serum IgG titers against specific bacteria (Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, and Streptococcus mutans) and the severity of periodontal disease. Expression of interleukin (IL)-10 by gingival mononuclear cells was statistically significant in the group of patients who had higher levels of alveolar bone height. However, a similar correlation could not be demonstrated in cases for IL-4 or interferon-$\gamma$. Patients' serum reactivity to cross-reactive epitope peptide showed a significant correlation with the amount of alveolar bone. Conclusions: It was concluded that expression of IL-10 by gingival mononuclear cells and patients' sero-reactivity to the cross-reactive HSP peptide of P. gingivalis HSP60 were significantly correlated with alveolar bone height.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.80 no.2
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• pp.113-135
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• 2017

Asthma is traditionally regarded as a chronic airway disease, and recent literature proves its heterogeneity, based on distinctive clusters or phenotypes of asthma. In defining such asthma clusters, the nature of comorbidity among patients with asthma is poorly understood, by assuming no causal relationship between asthma and other comorbid conditions, including both communicable and noncommunicable diseases. However, emerging evidence suggests that the status of asthma significantly affects the increased susceptibility of the patient to both communicable and noncommunicable diseases. Specifically, the impact of asthma on susceptibility to noncommunicable diseases such as chronic systemic inflammatory diseases (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis), may provide an important insight into asthma as a disease with systemic inflammatory features, a conceptual understanding between asthma and asthma-related comorbidity, and the potential implications on the therapeutic and preventive interventions for patients with asthma. This review discusses the currently under-recognized clinical and immunological phenotypes of asthma; specifically, a higher risk of developing a systemic inflammatory disease such as rheumatoid arthritis and their implications, on the conceptual understanding and management of asthma. Our discussion is divided into three parts: literature summary on the relationship between asthma and the risk of rheumatoid arthritis; potential mechanisms underlying the association; and implications on asthma management and research.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.154-162
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• 1992

This study was designed to investigate the antitumor effect and immunological activities of chitosan extracted from Solenocera prominetis toward on mire bearing sarcoma-180. The growth inhibition ratio of the chitosan toward sarcoma-180 showed at the highest level of 63.84% when chitosan were administrated at the concentration of 40mg/kg. The direct cytotoxic effect of chitosan was not observed in the mice bearing sar-roma-180 in vitro. In the effect of immunological activities, dose-dependent responses indicated by the increase of leucocyte, peritoneal exudate cell than that of control group when chitosan administered to the mice in the concentation of 30mg/kg and 40mg/kg. Also dose-dependent responses showed also by the increase of immunoorgans weights such as body weight, liver, spleen or thymus in the same concentration of 30mg/kg and 40mg/kg. Food pad swelling having the relationship with arthus reaction of antibody-mediated hypersensitivity and delayed type hypersensitivity was recovered the almost normal level. In the efforts of macrophge on phagocytes, there were not substantial differences in phagorytic and corrected phagocytic index. In the number of plaque forming cell(PFC), PFC on the 10$^{7}$ spleen cells were increased the levels of 18.88% and 31.83% when chitosan were adminstersd at the concentration of 30mg/kg and 40mg/kg.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.97-106
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• 1986

Pesticides constitute a unique group of biologically active chemicals in that they are produced for deliberate release into the environment, usually to produce some specific biocidal effect. Workers at all stages of pesticide production and application become exposed, at least on an occasional basis, while some experience routine exposure. The general population is, in turn, exposed to the residues, in air, water and food. This review is intended to survey the present knowledge of the immunotoxicity of 20 pesticides. As will be readily seen, knowledge of pesticide immunotoxicology to date is largely descriptive with only modest beginnings toward understanding mechanisms underlying the effects. In most cases the effects have not yet to be defined in immunological state, and just as little is presently known about how these chemicals exert their effects. There is an equally great gap in perceiving any relationship between the structure of a chemical and immunotoxicological potential.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.415-416
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• 2004

Crystals of six new Bacillus thuringiensis serovarieties [coreanensis (H25), konkukian (H34), leesis (H33), seoulensis (H35), sooncheon (H41), and yosoo (HI8a18c)] with different H-antigens, which are toxic to Bombyx mori and/or mosquito larvae, were serologically quite distinct from each other.