• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.23-29
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• 2016

In this paper, in order to quantify the peristalsis occurrence in a guinea pig's large intestine, a miniaturized air-gap capacitive pressure sensor was fabricated through micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS). The proposed pressure sensor is a two-layered biocompatible polyimide substrate consisting of an air-gap capacitive plates between the substrates. The proposed pressure sensor was designed with a careful consideration of the structure and motility mechanism of the guinea pig's large intestine. Artificial pellets were mounted on a prototype pressure sensor to provide some redundancies in the form of size and shape of the guinea pig feces. Capacitance of a prototype sensor was recorded to be 2.5 ~ 3 pF. This capacitance value was later converted to count value using a lab fabricated data conversion system. Sensitivity of the pressure sensor was recorded to be below 1 mmHg per atmospheric pressure. During in vivo testing, artificial peristalsis caused by drug injection was measured by inserting the prototype pressure sensor into the guinea pig's large intestine and pressure data obtained due to artificial peristalsis was graphed using a labview program. The proposed pressure sensor could measure the pressure changes in the proximal, medial, and distal parts of the large intestine. The results of the experiment confirmed that pressure changes of guinea pig's large intestine was proportional to the degree of drug injection.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.308-321
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• 2022

Transabdominal ultrasound (TAUS) is useful in all aspects of lesion screening, monitoring activity, or treating/diagnosing any related complications of inflammatory bowel disease. Its ability to screen or diagnose complications is almost the same as that of other methods, such as CT or MRI. Moreover, its noninvasiveness makes it a first-line examination method. A TAUS image depicting ulcerative colitis will show large intestinal wall thickening that is continuous from the rectum, which is mainly due to mucosal layer thickening, while for Crohn's disease, a TAUS image is characterized by a diversity in the areas affected, distribution, and layer structure. Indicators of activity monitoring include wall thickness, wall structure, and vascular tests that use Doppler ultrasound or contrast agents. While all of these have been reported to be useful, at this time, no single parameter has been established as superior to others; therefore, a comprehensive evaluation of these parameters is justified. In addition, evaluating the elasticity of lesions using elastography is particularly useful for distinguishing between fibrous and inflammatory stenoses. However, the lack of objectivity is the biggest drawback of using ultrasound. Standardizing and popularizing the ultrasound process will be necessary, including scanning methods, equipment settings, and image analysis.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.20 no.11
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• pp.1738-1745
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• 2007

A growth trial and a digestibility trial were conducted to examine the effect of feed particle size on the performance, nutrient digestibility, gastric ulceration and intestinal morphology in pigs fed barley-based diets. Barley was processed through a hammer mill to achieve four diets varying in particle size (average particle $size{\pm}standard $deviation): coarse ($1,100{\pm}2.19\;{\mu}m$), medium ($785{\pm}2.23\;{\mu}m$), fine ($434{\pm}1.70\;{\mu}m$) and mixed (1/3 of coarse, medium and fine) ($789{\pm}2.45\;{\mu}m$). Sixty-four entire male pigs were used in the growth trial and the diets were fed ad libitum between 31 kg and 87 kg live weight. Following slaughter, stomach and ileal tissues were scored for integrity (ulceration or damage) and histological measurements taken. Twenty-four entire male pigs were used in the digestibility trial, which involved total faecal collection. Over the entire growth phase, there were no differences (p>0.05) in average daily gain and feed conversion ratio between pigs fed diets of different particle size. Pigs fed the coarse and medium diets had lower (p<0.05) stomach ulceration scores (0.20 and 0.25, respectively, on a scale from 0 to 3) than those fed the mixed (0.69) or the fine diets (1.87). The stomachs of all animals fed the fine diet had lesions and stomach ulcerations were present only in this group. Pigs fed the fine diet had thicker (p<0.001) ileal epithelial cell layer with no differences (p>0.05) being observed for villous height or crypt depth. Faecal digestibility coefficients of neutral and acid detergent fibre were the highest (p<0.05) for the mixed diet, intermediate for the fine and coarse diets and the lowest for the medium diet. A similar numerical trend (p = 0.103) was observed for the apparent faecal energy digestibility coefficient. It is concluded that, with barley based diets, a variation in average particle size between $400{\mu}m$ and $1,100{\mu}m$ had no effect on pig performance but the fine dietary particle size affected the integrity of the stomach, as well as the structure of the small intestine, thus compromising overall gut health. Our data also demonstrate that changes in particle size distribution during the digestion process, rather than average particle size or particle size variation, are related to apparent faecal digestibility.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.448-461
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• 2013

Inflammatory bowel disease, known as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, is an unexplained disease characterized by chronic inflammation that repeats a cycle of relapse, improvement, and complications. The cause of inflammatory bowel disease is not clearly known, but it is predicted that a complex of various factors precipitate its occurrence. In particular, inflammatory mediators, such as cytokine, induce an increase in cell-mediated inflammatory responses. Focal tissue damage then occurs in the intestinal mucosa because of the weakening of the immune-modulating functions of cotton. Immune and inflammatory responses do not decrease appropriately but continue until they lead to chronic inflammation. Current research has focused on the cytokine genes, which have important roles in these inflammatory responses. Cytokine is a glycoprotein that is produced mostly in activated immune cells. It connects the activation, multiplication, and differentiation between immune cells, which causes focal tissue damage and inflammatory response. Moreover, butyrate, which originates in dietary fiber and plays an important role in the structure and function of the intestinal area, shows control functions in the intestinal immune system by decreasing the proinflammatory cytokine and increasing the anti-inflammatory cytokine. Therefore, this research investigated the molecular mechanism of the anti-inflammatory effects of butyrate to comprehend the cytokine controlling abilities of butyrate in the immune cells. Butyrate is expected to have potential in new treatment strategies for inflammatory bowel disease.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.1287-1298
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• 2024

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that is currently difficult to treat effectively. Both Bacillus natto (BN) and ginseng-soluble dietary fiber (GSDF) are anti-inflammatory and helps sustain the intestinal barrier. In this study, the protective effects and mechanism of the combination of B. natto JLCC513 and ginseng-soluble dietary fiber (BG) in DSS-induced UC mice were investigated. Intervention with BG worked better than taking BN or GSDF separately, as evidenced by improved disease activity index, colon length, and colon injury and significantly reduced the levels of oxidative and inflammatory factors (LPS, ILs, and TNF-α) in UC mice. Further mechanistic study revealed that BG protected the intestinal barrier integrity by maintaining the tight junction proteins (Occludin and Claudin1) and inhibited the LPS/TLR4/NF-κB pathway in UC mice. In addition, BG increased the abundance of beneficial bacteria such as Bacteroides and Turicibacter and reduced the abundance of harmful bacteria such as Allobaculum in the gut microbiota of UC mice. BG also significantly upregulated genes related to linoleic acid metabolism in the gut microbiota. These BG-induced changes in the gut microbiota of mice with UC were significantly correlated with changes in pathological indices. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that BG exerts protective effect against UC by regulating the LPS/TLR4/NF-κB pathway and the structure and metabolic function of gut microbiota. Thus, BG can be potentially used in intestinal health foods to treat UC.

• Current Research on Agriculture and Life Sciences
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.34-42
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• 2014

Soy and fermented soy are popular and recognized as a health food among Koreans. Since soy proteins are known to be protease resistant, even to pepsin and pancreatin, it is hypothesized that soy proteins may interact with the intestinal tract and trigger certain physiological reactions. To test this hypothesis, mice were fed diets supplemented with soy, Chunkukjang, or casein. The differentially expressed proteins were analyzed using 2-D gels and identified by peptide mass fingerprinting using mass spectrometry. The majority of the differentially expressed proteins could be functionally grouped into metabolic enzymes and calcium-binding proteins. The differential protein expression by the soy-fed groups was also verified based on a representative protein, tropomyosin, using a Western blotting analysis. In addition, the soy-fed groups exhibited a taller villi structure. Therefore, this study suggests that soy proteins can be an effective nutrient and physiological stimulant for the intestines.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.89-94
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• 2007

Ginseng is a widely-used alternative medicine for the treatment of cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Active components of P. ginseng, absorbed through gastrointestinal tract are the fermented ginsenosides by intestinal microorganisms. In the present study, we investigated the inhibitory effects of fermented ginseng with bifidobacterium (FGb) on the angiogenesis by analyzing in vitro tube formation and invasion assay using human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), and in vivo angiogenesis using chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay. Treatment with FGb inhibited tube-like structure formation in a concentration-dependent manner. In addition, FGb significantly suppressed HUVEC invasion through Matrigel. Moreover, FGb dosedependently inhibited VEGF-induced angiogenesis in a CAM assay. These results suggest that FGb is a valuable anti-angiogenic remedy.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.7
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• pp.857-863
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• 2023

Pathogenic bacteria that colonize the human intestinal tract have evolved strategies to overcome acidic conditions when they pass through the gastrointestinal tract. Amino acid-mediated acid resistance systems are effective survival strategies in a stomach that is full of amino acid substrate. The amino acid antiporter, amino acid decarboxylase, and ClC chloride antiporter are all engaged in these systems, and each one plays a role in protecting against or adapting to the acidic environment. The ClC chloride antiporter, a member of the ClC channel family, eliminates negatively charged intracellular chloride ions to avoid inner membrane hyperpolarization as an electrical shunt of the acid resistance system. In this review, we will discuss the structure and function of the prokaryotic ClC chloride antiporter of amino acid-mediated acid resistance system.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.207-213
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• 2012

The egg morphology of minute intestinal flukes (MIF) that can occur as human infections in the Republic of Korea, i.e., Metagonimus yokogawai, M. miyatai, M. takahashii, Heterophyes nocens, Heterophyopsis continua, Stellantchasmus falcatus, Stictodora fuscata, Pygidiopsis summa, and Gymnophalloides seoi, was studied in comparison with Clonorchis sinensis. The adult worms were obtained from residents of endemic areas, and their intrauterine eggs were studied and measured using light microscopy; the length, width, length-width ratio (LWR), and Faust-Meleney index (FMI). Several specimens were processed for scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and before gold-coating, the uterine portion of each fluke was etched with a sharp pin in order to expose the eggs. The MIF eggs were ovoid, pyriform, or elliptical with a size range of $21-35{\times}12-21{\mu}m$. S. fuscata eggs revealed the highest FMI (largest in the area) and lowest LWR, whereas P. summa eggs showed the lowest FMI and medium LWR. SEM revealed that G. seoi and S. fuscata had remarkably clean shell surface lacking the muskmelon-like structure which is prominent in C. sinensis eggs. In Metagonimus spp., H. continua, H. nocens, and S. falcatus eggs, minute surface ridges were recognizable though less prominent compared with C. sinensis. On the surface of P. summa eggs, thread-like curly structures were characteristically seen. The results revealed that important differential keys for MIF eggs include the length, width, area (FMI), shape of the eggs, and the extent of the muskmelon-like structure or ridges on their shell surface and operculum.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.58 no.1
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• pp.73-79
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• 2020

Echinostoma revolutum is a zoonotic food-borne intestinal trematode that can cause intestinal bleeding, enteritis, and diarrhea in human and birds. To identify a suspected E. revolutum trematode from a red-crowned crane (Grus japonensis) and to reveal the genetic characteristics of its mitochondrial (mt) genome, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and complete mt genome sequence of this trematode were amplified. The results identified the trematode as E. revolutum. Its entire mt genome sequence was 15,714 bp in length, including 12 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes and one non-coding region (NCR), with 61.73% A+T base content and a significant AT preference. The length of the 22 tRNA genes ranged from 59 bp to 70 bp, and their secondary structure showed the typical cloverleaf and D-loop structure. The length of the large subunit of rRNA (rrnL) and the small subunit of rRNA (rrnS) gene was 1,011 bp and 742 bp, respectively. Phylogenetic trees showed that E. revolutum and E. miyagawai clustered together, belonging to Echinostomatidae with Hypoderaeum conoideum. This study may enrich the mitochondrial gene database of Echinostoma trematodes and provide valuable data for studying the molecular identification and phylogeny of some digenean trematodes.