• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.160-168
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• 1997

The present study was carried out to investigate the effects of Panax ginseng saponin extracts on the dexamethasone-induced apoptosis of mouse thymus in vivo and mouse thymocytes in vitro. The saponin fractions of red ginseng (R-SAP) and white ginseng (Wl-SAP) were provided by the Korea Ginseng & Tobacco Research Institute, and the other saponin fraction of white ginseng (W2-SAP) was extracted in our laboratory. 1. The male ICR mice (3~4 wk old; weighing 15$\pm$2 g) were given by each saponin fraction of 5 mg/kg/ day for 4 days, and at one hour after the last treatment, they were injected by deuamethasone (5 mg/kg : DX). The mouse thymus was extracted at 6 hours after DX injection, and they were stained with hematoxylin-eosin reagents and an Apop-Tag kit, respectively, and the thymocytes prepared from it were labelled with anti-mouse FITC-anti-CD4 and anti-mouse PE-anti-CD8 and then analyzed by fluorescence activated cell sorter (FACS). DX-induced reduction of thymus weight was significantly attenuated by W2- SAP but was not affected by other saponin fractions. And DX-induced apoptotic death of thymocytes, appeared in the histologic findings of the thymus, was inhibited by the saponin fractions and the order of these inhibitory potencies was R-SAP》W2-SAP>Wl-SAP. However, in respect of T cell receptors, the differentiation of thymocytes seems not to be changed by treatments with DX or/and the saponin fractions. 2. In the primary thymocyte culture, the DX-induced reduction of thymocyte MTT values was rather greater in RPMI 1640 medium of IWc fetal bovine serum (FBS) or horse serum (HS). In addition, the DX-Induced MTT reduction was significantly inhibited by R-SAP or W2-SAP, in the culture using that medium of 5% FBS or HS. But these saponin fraction did not effected the DX-induced reduction of thymocyte MTT value in primary culture of 10% FBS or 10% HS. These results suggest that R-SAP and some W-SAP fractions may protect thymocyte from stress or glucocorticoisteroid-induced death of them.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.519-526
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• 2008

To improve the quality of traditional kochujang, strains with high protease and amylase activity were isolated and identified from Sunchang traditional kochujang. Twenty-three strains strongly producing protease and 16 strains strongly producing $\alpha$- and $\beta$-amylase were isolated by using 1% isolated soy protein agar medium and 2% starch agar medium, respectively. Protease activities of the IA7, I5, and IA2 strain were 22.5, 21.2, and 20.6 unit/mL, respectively, and were higher than those of the other strains. Stains with high $\alpha$-amylase activity included K9 (967.8 unit/mL), K14 (828.3 unit/mL), K13 (662.5 unit/mL), K8 (601.5 unit/mL), and K11 (405.9 unit/mL). The $\beta$-amylase activity of the K11 strain was the highest, 34.3 unit/mL, among the isolated strains. Based on morphological, physiological properties, and API 50CHB-kit test for assimilation of 49 carbohydrates, 8 strains selected according to protease, $\alpha$-amylase, and $\beta$-amylase activities were tentatively identified as Bacillus megaterium (IA2), Bacillus subtilis (IA7, 15), Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (K8, K9, K11, and K13), and Bacillus stearothermophillus (K14). The IA7, 15, and K11 strains were finally identified as B. subtilis (99% ID) based on 16S rDNA sequencing.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.143-148
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• 2013

Spermatogenesis is initiated from spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) that has an ability of self-renewal and unipotency to generate differentiating germ cells. The objective of this study is to develop the simple method for derivation of SSCs using non-sorting of both spermatogonia and feeder cells. Simply uncapsulated mouse testes were treated with enzymes followed by surgical mincing, and single cells were cultured in stempro-$34^{TM}$ cell culture media at $37^{\circ}C$. After 5 days of culture, aciniform of SSC colony was observed, and showed a strong alkaline phosphatase activity. Molecular characterization of mouse SSCs showed that most of the mouse SSC markers such as integrin ${\alpha}6$ and ${\beta}1$, CD9 and Stra8. In addition, pluripotency embryonic stem cell (ESC) marker Oct4 were expressed, however Sox2 expression was lowered. Interestingly, expression of SSC markers such as Vasa, Dazl and PLZF were stronger than mouse ESC (mESC). This data suggest that generated mouse SSCs (mSSCs) in this study has at least similar biomarkers expression to mESC and mSSCs derived from other study. Immunocytochemistry using whole mSSC colony also confirmed that mSSCs generated from this study expressed SSC specific biomarkers such as c-kit, Thy1, Vasa and Dazl. In conclusion, mSSCs from 5 days old mouse testes were successfully established without sorting of spermatogonia, and this cells expressed both mESC and SSC specific biomarkers. This simple derivation method for mSSCs may facilitate the study of spermatogenesis.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.137-142
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• 2014

Serologic tests are widely accepted for diagnosing Toxoplasma gondii but purification and standardization of antigen needs to be improved. Recently, surface tachyzoite and bradyzoite antigens have become more attractive for this purpose. In this study, diagnostic usefulness of 3 recombinant antigens (SAG1, SAG2, and SAG3) were evaluated, and their efficacy was compared with the available commercial ELISA. The recombinant plasmids were transformed to JM109 strain of Escherichia coli, and the recombinants were expressed and purified. Recombinant SAG1, SAG2, and SAG3 antigens were evaluated using different groups of sera in an ELISA system, and the results were compared to those of a commercial IgG and IgM ELISA kit. The sensitivity and specificity of recombinant surface antigens for detection of anti-Toxoplasma IgG in comparison with commercially available ELISA were as follows: SAG1 (93.6% and 92.9%), SAG2 (100.0% and 89.4%), and SAG3 (95.4% and 91.2%), respectively. A high degree of agreement (96.9%) was observed between recombinant SAG2 and commercial ELISA in terms of detecting IgG anti-Toxoplasma antibodies. P22 had the best performance in detecting anti-Toxoplasma IgM in comparison with the other 2 recombinant antigens. Recombinant SAG1, SAG2, and SAG3 could all be used for diagnosis of IgG-specific antibodies against T. gondii.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.143-149
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• 2014

To evaluate the seroprevalence against circumsporozoite protein (CSP) of Plasmodium vivax in sera of Korean patients, the central repeating domain (CRD) of CSP was cloned and analyzed. From the genomic DNA of patient's blood, 2 kinds of CSPs were identified to belong to a VK210 type, which is the dominant repeating of GDRA(D/A)GQPA, and named as PvCSPA and PvCSPB. Recombinantly expressed his-tagged PvCSPA or PvCSPB in Escherichia coli reacted well against sera of patients in western blot, with the detecting rate of 47.9% (58/121), which included 15 cases positive for PvCSPA, 6 cases positive for PvCSPB, and 37 cases for both. The mixture of PvCSPA and PvCSPB was loaded to a rapid diagnostic test kit (RDT) and applied with the same set of patient sera, which resulted in detection rates of 57.0% (69/121). When the protein sequences of PvCSPA were compared with those of P. vivax in endemic regions of India and Uganda, they were compatibly homologous to PvCSPA with minor mutations. These results suggested that the recombinant PvCSPA and PvCSPB loaded RDT may be a milestone in latent diagnosis which has been a hot issue of domestic malaria and important for radical therapy in overlapped infections with P. falciparum in tropical and subtropical areas. During the biological process of malarial infection, exposure of CSP to antigen-antibody reaction up to 57.0% is the first report in Korea.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.109-116
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• 2012

Objective: The aim of this study is to present a solution to problems in the services provided by the general hospitals by creating a user-centric environment through analyzing the User Journey Map and the User Context. Background: The rapid growth in aging population and the monopolization of superior medical staffs by the general hospitals increased demand for the general hospitals in Korea. But, often services provided by the general hospitals are provider-centric and low quality. Method: This study examines problems in the services provided by the general hospitals by analyzing the User Journey Map through stakeholder interviews(contextual interviews) and on-site observation. Based on the contextual analysis of the user(i.e. the patient), this study proposes new and improved user-centric services to be provided by the general hospitals. Results: Ten new user-centric services proposed by this study are: (1) "Booklet on Success Story", (2) "FAQs by Doctor", (3) "Designated Nurse", (4) "Patient Interview Record Card", (5) "Close relationship between doctor & patient", (6) "Thank You Notice Board", (7) "Step by Step", (8) "Green Cap", (9) "Patient Kit", (10) "RFID Direction Display System". Conclusion: The service design for the general hospitals proposed by this study is an important case-study on improving the environment of the general hospitals from provider(medical staffs)-centric to user(patents and its family)-centric. Application: This study is expected to be used in various areas to improve existing system(products and/or services) to be more user-centric.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.496-498
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• 2013

The aim of this study is to report the observed elevation of plasma N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT proBNP) concentration in a Korean Jindo Dog infected with Dirofilaria immitis. Evaluation of the animal included physical examination, thoracic radiography, ELISA kit ($PetCheck^{(R)}$, IDEXX Laboratories, USA) test and plasma NT-proBNP evaluation. The infected animal's NT-proBNP concentration was compared with those of 5 normal dogs of the same age, sex, and breed; the affected Korean Jindo dog had increased plasma NT-proBNP. To the best our knowledge, this is the first report of NT-proBNP elevation in a Korean Jindo dog with dirofilariasis.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.723-732
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• 2013

We investigated the inducing effects of Rubus coreanus extract (RCE) on apoptosis and its related gene expressions in human breast cancer cells. MDA-MB-231 cells were cultured in the presence of 0, 200, 300, and $400{\mu}g/mL$ RCE for 24h. MTT assay demonstrated that relative cell viability measured a decrease in a dose-dependent manner (p<0.05). This dependency was also found in the increasing levels of cell death by a dual staining with Hoechst 33322 and propidium iodide (p<0.05). These close associations was also observed by different stages of apoptotic processes, as shown by an Apoptosis Detection Kit. To determine whether the alterations in such cell activities obtained above cause the induction of apoptotic genes, PT-PCR was performed expressions of both Bcl-2 and Bax mRNAs. The Bcl-2/Bax ratio which is an important indicator of apoptosis, was found to have significantly decreased dose dependence (p<0.05). Western blot analysis also demonstrated that Caspase-3 significantly increases in a dose-dependent manner (p<0.05) in addition to similar alterations of other proteins examined. Taken these results together, the ethanolic RCE used induces a reduction in cell viability along with increased membrane permeability. This leads to a precautious apoptotic process and, subsequently, cell death through the apoptotic pathway involving Bax and Caspase-3 in human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.415-418
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• 2010

Highly ordered mesoporous silver material was successfully synthesized from a mesoporous silica template (KIT-6) with 3-D channel structure using the nano-replication method. The effects of $H_2$ or $O_2$ pretreatments on the catalytic performance of the mesoporous silver were investigated using a temperature programmed CO oxidation technique in a fixed bed reactor. The mesoporous silver material that was pretreated with $H_2$ exhibited an excellent catalytic activity compared to the as-prepared and $O_2$-pretreated catalysts. Moreover, this present mesoporous silver material showed good catalytic stability. For the CO oxidation, the apparent activation energy of the $H_2$-pretreated mesoporous silver catalyst was $61{\pm}0.5\;kJ\;mol^{-1}$, which was also much lower than the as-prepared ($132{\pm}1.5\;kJ\;mol^{-1}$) and $O_2$-pretreated ($124{\pm}1.4\;kJ\;mol^{-1}$) catalysts.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.287-302
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• 2017

Objectives: To evaluate effects of Resina Dendropanacis Morbiferus (RDM) on stress and sleep hormones when administered to Chronic Mild Stressed (CMS) rats. Methods: Twenty-five healthy rats were randomly divided into 5 groups; Normal, CMS (Control), Resina Dendropanacis Mobiferus 50 mg/kg (RDM 50), 100 mg/kg (RDM 100), and 200 mg/kg (RDM 200). All rats except the normal group were exposed to unpredicted stress conditions such as water deprivation, empty bottles, forced thread mill, etc. according to timetable of CMS for 3 weeks. After a week starting experiments, rats in RDM 50, RDM 100, and RDM 200 groups were fed orally once a day for 2 weeks. Afterward, blood samples were taken from rats to analyze complete blood count, AST, ALT, and glucose. Noradrenalin, GABA and Melatonin were measured by ELISA kit. BDNF, CREB and TrkB were measured by RT-PCT. Results: 1. In Noradrenalin content, RDM 100 and RDM 200 groups revealed significant decrease compared to the control group. 2. In GABA content, RDM 50 and RDM 100 groups revealed significant decrease compared to the control group. 3. In Melatonin content, RDM 100 and 200 groups revealed significant decrease compared to the control group. 4. In Activity of BDNF, RDM 100 and 200 groups revealed significant increase compared to the control group. 5. In Activity of CREB and TrkB, RDM 100 group revealed significant increase compared to the control group. 6. In Erythrocyte and Thrombocyte changes, red blood cells and hematocrit significantly increased in RDM 50 and RDM 200 groups than the control group. Hemoglobin and platelet significantly increased in all experimental groups and the control group. 7. In Weight gain content, all RDM groups revealed insignificant increase compared to the control group. 8. In Glucose content, RDM 50, RDM 100, and RDM 200 groups revealed significant decrease compared to the control group. Conclusions: Results suggest that RDM have effects on stress and sleep hormones when administered to Chronic Mild Stressed (CMS) rats.