• Journal of Korean Medicine for Obesity Research
• /
• v.19 no.2
• /
• pp.97-105
• /
• 2019

Objectives: We investigated differences between the tracheostomized and the non-tracheostomized stroke patients through microbiological analysis for the purpose of preliminary explorations of full-scale clinical research in the future. Methods: We collected tracheal aspirates samples from 5 stroke patients with tracheostomy and expectorated sputum samples from 5 stroke patients without tracheostomy. Genomic DNA from sputum samples was isolated using QIAamp DNA mini kit. The sequences were processed using Quantitative Insights into Microbial Ecology 1.9.0. Alpha-diversity was calculated using the Chao1 estimator. Beta-diversity was analyzed by UniFrac-based principal coordinates analysis (PCoA). To confirm taxa with different abundance among the groups, linear discriminant analysis effect size analysis was performed. Results: Although alpha-diversity value of the tracheostomized group was higher than that of the non-tracheostomized group, there was no statistically significant difference. In PCoA, clear separation was seen between clusters of the tracheostomized group and that of the non-tracheostomized group. In both groups, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, Fusobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria were identified as dominant in phylum level. In particular, relative richness of Proteobacteria was found to be 31% more in the tracheotomized group (36.6%) than the non-tracheostomized group (5.6%)(P<0.05). In genus level, Neisseria (24%), Prevotella (17%), Streptococcus (13%), Fusobacteria (11%), Porphyromonas (7%) were identified as dominant in the tracheostomized group. In the non-tracheostomized group, Prevotella (38%), Veillonella (20%), Neisseria (9%) were genera that found to be dominant. Conclusions: It is meaningful in that the tracheostomized group has been identified a higher rate of microbiotas known as pathogenic in respiratory diseases compared to the non-tracheostomized group, confirming the possibility that the risk of opportunity infection may be higher.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.24 no.8
• /
• pp.880-886
• /
• 2014

In this study, we isolate and identify bacteria from seawater collected from Jeju coast, to evaluate the antimicrobial activity against the fish pathogenic bacteria. 14 bacterial strains were isolated and identified using physiological, biochemical and molecular tools. Antibacterial activity of all the 14 isolates were screened against four major fish pathogens namely, two Gram-positive: Streptococcus iniae, Streptococcus parauberis and two Gram-negative: Vibrio anguillarum, Edwardsiella tarda. Results revealed that among the 14 isolates, MK-11 was found to have antibacterial activity against S. iniae, S. parauberis, V. anguillarum Particularly, S. iniae was susceptibility with the MIC value of $250{\mu}g/ml$. The biochemical and physio-chemical results reveal that MK-11 had the sugar-alcohol disassemble ability of the D-sorbitol and D-mannitol. Also the utilization of the yeast extract, sorbitol and di-potassium phosphate were noted to be high. The optimum culture condition such as pH and temperature was recorded as pH 6.0, $25^{\circ}C$ and along with 1% NaCl which differs from the previous reports particularly in nutrient resolutions. As results of the analysis of 16S rDNA sequences, MK-11 show the high similarity with Paenibacillus polymyxa, P. jamilae, P. brasilensis 99.78%, 99.43%, 99.39%, repectively. Hence, in the present study, the isolated Paemibacillus sp. MK-11 from Jeju seawater possesses the antibacterial activity against fish pathogens and it could be used as a new antibiotic agents against the gram positive fish pathogens.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.40 no.9
• /
• pp.1227-1234
• /
• 2011

We investigated the immunostimulatory effects of doenjang, a famous Korean traditional food made from fermented soybean paste, on the immunohistochemical reaction in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and immune response in mice. Male C57BL/6N mice (6 weeks-old) were divided into 4 experimental diet treatment groups and a basal diet (control) group, and fed with different diets for 4 weeks. The immunoreactive density of $CD4^+/CD8^+$ lymphocytes were strongly stained in the jejunum and colon in Group III. The immunoreactivity of universal nitric oxide synthase (uNOS) was strongly stained in the myenteric plexus in the colon of all doenjang-fedgroups (I, II and III). The colonic immunoreactive density of protein kinase C-${\alpha}$ (PKC-${\alpha}$) was strongly increased in Groups II and III, while that of stem-cell factor (c-kit) was increased in colonic mucosa of all doenjang-fedgroups (I, II and III) and especially increased in the colonic muscle layer of Group III. These morphological and immunological results indicated that the intake of doenjang could improve the mucosal immune reaction, gastrointestinal motility, blood circulation in the GI tract, and the immuneactivity of the body. These results provide experimental evidence about the health benefits of doenjang.

• Journal of Internet of Things and Convergence
• /
• v.6 no.2
• /
• pp.19-24
• /
• 2020

In the present study, using biological information of bacteria and biochemical information of chlorine dioxide gas, Gram-positive bacteria, e.g., Alloiococcus otitis, Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, Staphylococcus caprae, Staphylococcus lentus, and gram-negative bacteria, e.g., Acinetobacter baumannii complex, Aeromonas salmonicida, Brucella melitensis, Oligella ureolytica were used whether a plastic kit to release ClO₂ gas could inhibit their growth. Overall, chlorine dioxide gas showed about 99% inhibition of bacterial growth, with less than 10 CFU. However, it was found that Gram positive Alloiococcus otitis and Gram negative Aeromonas salmonicida had more than about 50 CFU. When comparing the results of experiments with several bacteria, it suggested that the concentration of chlorine dioxide gas would be at least 10 ppm to 400 ppm for the bacterial inhibition. The results of this study could be used as basic data to evaluate the clinical usefulness of chlorine dioxide gas. If this study helps with prior knowledge to help clinicians to recognize and prevent the presence of micro-organisms that cause infections in hospitals, it would be helpful for activities such as patient care as a convergence field. In the future, it is considered that the research results will be the basis for rapidly inhibiting the microbes infected with patients by utilizing data of the information of the microbes that are inhibited for chlorine dioxide gas.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
• /
• v.26 no.3
• /
• pp.419-432
• /
• 1999

Objective: To establish the evaluation system of the quality of oocytes on the basis of the incidence of cumulus cells apoptosis, to investigate the relationships beween the incidence of cumulus cells and the outcomes of IVF-ET. Method: Thirth-four cycles undergoing controlled ovarian hyperstimulation for IVF-ET with tubal infertility (23 cycles) or unexplained infertility (11 cycles) were included in this study. Cumulus cell masses surrounding mature oocyte and co-culture of embryos with autologous cumulus cells during IVF-ET process. The incidence of apoptosis in cumulus cells was assessed by apoptosis detection kit fluorescein. The effect of co-culture using cumulus cells and the incidence of cumulus cells apoptosis. Results: The results were as follows: 1. The incidence of apoptosis in cumulus cells markedly increased in patients aged 40 or over, while the fertilization rate was greatly decreased in those age group. 2. Apoptosis in cumulus cells was found in both the fertilized oocytes and unfertilized oocytes, but the incidence of apoptosis was higher in unfertilized oocytes. 3. There is no clear correlation between apoptosis in cumulus cells and the number of oocytes retrieved. However, the incidence of apoptosis was increased when the number of oocytes retrieved was 5 and fewer in comparison with $6{\sim}10$. 4. Embryo grade was significantly affected by the incidence of apoptosis in cumulus cells. 5. Pregnancy rate of IVF-ET per cycle was 29.4%, and the pregnant group had the higher fertilization rate and a significantly lower incidence of apoptosis in cumulus cells compared with the nonpregnant group. 6. When cumulus cells were used as helper cells in the co-culture of the embryo, in vitro activity of cumulus cells based on morphological change and proliferation did not influence the quality of embryo, but was closely associated with the implantation rate and pregnancy rate, which was enhanced when morphological changes and proliferation of cumulus cells was more active. 7. This difference in the outcome of IVF-ET according to in vitro activity of cumulus cells used for co-cultue was not associated with the incidence of apoptosis in cumulus cells; but rather had likely relations with the different secretion pattern of protein, which may be an embryo trophic factor by cumulus cells. Conclusion: These results suggest that the incidence of apoptosis in cumulus cells can be used in predicting oocyte qualities and the outcomes of IVF-ET. And the effect of co-culture largely depends on the in vitro activity of cumulus cells as well.

• Culinary science and hospitality research
• /
• v.21 no.5
• /
• pp.38-49
• /
• 2015

The purpose of this study was to investigate tangible clues influence on perceived risk and overall satisfaction of customers at family restaurant in South Korea. In this research overall CFA and SEM were employed to analyze the data. Tangible clues were divided to 3 factors and perceived risk to 6 factors. Tangible clue 1 'physical evidence', had negative(-) influence on financial risk(p<0.01), performance risk(p<0.01) and psychological risk(p<0.001). Tangible clue 2 'employee' affected negatively(-) time risk(p<0.001), performance risk(p<0.001), psychological risk(p<0.01) and social risk(p<0.001). And tangible clue 3 'service process' influenced negatively(-) physical risk(p<0.01), time risk(p<0.05), financial risk (p<0.001) and performance risk(p<0.01). And among customer's perceived risks, 3 factors(time risk~p<0.001, performance risk~p<0.001, social risk~p<0.001) influenced negatively(-) their overall satisfaction. Through these results, it appears that customers perceive various tangible clues and risks at family restaurants. And they are likely to satisfy or dissatisfy according to their perceived risks. As a result, food service companies need to research various customers' perceived risks as important marketing strategy, and reduce them for increase and induction of customers' satisfaction.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
• /
• v.38 no.3
• /
• pp.184-188
• /
• 2006

The purpose of the recovery experiment in clinical chemistry is performed to estimate proportional systematic error. We must know all measurements have some error margin in measuring analytical performance. Proportional systematic error is the type of error whose magnitude increases as the concentration of analyte increases. This error is often caused by a substance in the sample matrix that reacts with the sought for analyte and therefore competes with the analytical reagent. Recovery experiments, therefore, are used rather selectively and do not have a high priority when another analytical method is available for comparison purposes. They may still be useful to help understand the nature of any bias revealed in the comparison of kit experiments. Recovery should be expressed as a percentage because the experimental objective is to estimate proportional systematic error, which is a percentage type of error. Good recovery is 100.0%. The difference between 100 and the observed recovery(in percent) is the proportional systematic error. We calculated the amount of analyte added by multiplying the concentration of the analyte added solution by the dilution factor(mL standard)/(mL standard + mL specimen) and took the difference between the sample with addition and the sample with dilution. When making judgments on method performance, the observed that the errors should be compared to the defined allowable error. The average recovery needs to be converted to proportional error(100%/Recovery) and then compared to an analytical quality requirement expressed in percent. The results of recovery experiments were total protein(101.4%), albumin(97.4%), total bilirubin(104%), alkaline phosphatase(89.1%), aspartate aminotransferase(102.8), alanine aminotransferase(103.2), gamma glutamyl transpeptidase(97.6%), creatine kinase(105.4%), lactate dehydrogenase(95.9%), creatinine(103.1%), blood urea nitrogen(102.9%), uric acid(106.4%), total cholesterol(108.5), triglycerides(89.6%), glucose(93%), amylase(109.8), calcium(102.8), inorganic phosphorus(106.3%). We then compared the observed error to the amount of error allowable for the test. There were no items beyond the CLIA criterion for acceptable performance.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
• /
• v.24 no.2
• /
• pp.77-81
• /
• 2007

Diagnostic performance of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for detecting Dirofilaria immitis in dogs was evaluated when no gold standard test was employed. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test kit (SnapTM, IDEXX, USA) with unknown parameters was also employed. The sensitivity and specificity of the PCR from two-population model were estimated by using both maximum likelihood using expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm and Bayesian method, assuming conditional independence between the two tests. A total of 266 samples, 133 samples in each trial, were randomly retrieved from the heartworm database records during the year 2002-2004 in a university animal hospital. These data originated from the test results of military dogs which were brought for routine medical check-up or testing for heartworm infection. When combined 2 trials, sensitivity and specificity of the PCR was 96.4-96.7% and 97.6-98.8% in EM and 94.4-94.8% and 97.1-98% in Bayesian. There were no statistical differences between estimates. This finding indicates that the PCR assay could be useful screening tool for detecting heartworm antigen in dogs. This study was provided further evidences that Bayesian approach is an alternative approach to draw better inference about the performance of a new diagnostic test in case when either gold test is not available.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
• /
• v.33 no.4
• /
• pp.430-438
• /
• 1999

Purpose: We evaluated a rapid preparation procedures for the labeling and quality control of $^{99m}Tc$-ECD, $MAG_3$, and MIBI using microwave heating and Sep-Pak cartridges. Materials and Methods: $^{99m}Tc$ labeling of ECD, $MAG_3$, and MIBI kit preparation was performed according to the package inserts with microwave heating modification. Heating time was 10-15 sec, and heating was performed with 3 mm plastic bottle with screw cap to prevent radiation contamination. Labeling efficiency was obtained with $C_{18}$ or Alumina N Sep-Pak cartridges. Results: The radiochemical purity of $93{\sim}96%$ for $^{99m}Tc$-ECD and $95{\sim}99%$ for $^{99m}Tc$-MIBI was obtained using Alumina N Sep-Pak cartridge. The optimum irradiation time of microwave method for 3 ml $^{99m}Tc$-labeled radiopharmaceutical solution was 10 sec for $^{99m}Tc$-ECD and $^{99m}Tc$-MIBI, and 15 sec for $^{99m}Tc-MAG_3$. The results of quality control data with Sep-Pak cartridges were well correlated with TLC method. The total preparation time of these radiopharmcaeuticals was $5{\sim}6min$ including quality control procedure. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that radiopharmaceuticals preparation by microwave heating and quality control by Sep-Pak cartridges can be efficiently utilized as an alternative to the recommended method by manufacturer's manual.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
• /
• v.53 no.2
• /
• pp.71-77
• /
• 2015

Much attention has been focused on the activity of the natural antioxidants present in fruits and vegetables, because potentially these components may reduce the level of oxidative stress. Especially, mulberry leaves containing many natural components are considerable resource for natural antioxidants. The antioxidant capacity of mulberry leaves was investigated with minilum L-100 device and ARAW-KIT (anti-radical ability of water-soluble substance), in comparison to the ascorbic acid. The antioxidant capacity of 16 varieties was 3303.4 nmol at opening stage of five leaves in spring. The highest stage of antioxidant capacity (3708.0 nmol) and yield rate was just before the coloration stage with anthocyanin in fruits, whereas the lowest stage was middle of June (2231.6 nmol) and about two months growing stage after summer pruning (2064.6 nmol). But after summer pruning, the antioxidant capacity of mulberry leaves increased gradually until just before fallen leaves stage. Even if samples were same variety, antioxidant effect of those showed different results according to collected regions. Also, antioxidant effect of mulberry leaves were higher than that of branches. The antioxidant capacity of yield-type mulberry leaves and fruits (Morus alba L., M. bombycis Koidz, and M. Lhou (Ser.) Koidz) collected from In-je, Won-ju and Yang-yang regions, Kang-won province, Korea, was investigated. The results indicated that total antioxidant capacity of yield-type mulberry leaves was 2711.2 nmol. In the antioxidant capacity analysis of Jeollabuk-Do genetic resources, autumn's mulberry leaves showed higher antioxidant capacity than that of spring's it. To investigate the effect of tea on antioxidative capacity, five kinds of tea(coffee mix, green tea added brown rice, mulberry leaf tea, Polygonatum odoratum tea and black tea added lemon) were selected and analyzed. Their's anti-oxidative capacity were 2,531.01 nmol, 1,867.42 nmol, 1,053.72 nmol, 292.71 nmol and 188.91 nmol, respectively. The antioxidative capacity of drinking water soaked with mulberry leaf showed 891.96 nmol.