• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Applied Microbiology Conference
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• 2004.06a
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• pp.60-61
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• 2004

Metabolic engineering is now a well established discipline, used extensively to determine and execute rational strategies of strain development to improve the performance of micro-organisms employed in industrial fermentations. The basic principle of this approach is that performance of the microbial catalyst should be adequately characterised metabolically so as to clearlyidentify the metabolic network constraints, thereby identifying the most probable targets for genetic engineering and the extent to which improvements can be realistically achieved. In order to harness correctly this potential, it is clear that the physiological analysis of each strain studied needs to be undertaken under conditions as close as possible to the physico-chemical environment in which the strain evolves within the full-scale process. Furthermore, this analysis needs to be undertaken throughoutthe entire fermentation so as to take into account the changing environment in an essentially dynamic situation in which metabolic stress is accentuated by the microbial activity itself, leading to increasingly important stress response at a metabolic level. All too often these industrial fermentation constraints are overlooked, leading to identification of targets whose validity within the industrial context is at best limited. Thus the conceptual error is linked to experimental design rather than inadequate methodology. New tools are becoming available which open up new possibilities in metabolic engineering and the characterisation of complex metabolic networks. Traditionally metabolic analysis was targeted towards pre-identified genes and their corresponding enzymatic activities within pre-selected metabolic pathways. Those pathways not included at the onset were intrinsically removed from the network giving a fundamentally localised vision of pathway functionality. New tools from genome research extend this reductive approach so as to include the global characteristics of a given biological model which can now be seen as an integrated functional unit rather than a specific sub-group of biochemical reactions, thereby facilitating the resolution of complexnetworks whose exact composition cannot be estimated at the onset. This global overview of whole cell physiology enables new targets to be identified which would classically not have been suspected previously. Of course, as with all powerful analytical tools, post-genomic technology must be used carefully so as to avoid expensive errors. This is not always the case and the data obtained need to be examined carefully to avoid embarking on the study of artefacts due to poor understanding of cell biology. These basic developments and the underlying concepts will be illustrated with examples from the author's laboratory concerning the industrial production of commodity chemicals using a number of industrially important bacteria. The different levels of possibleinvestigation and the extent to which the data can be extrapolated will be highlighted together with the extent to which realistic yield targets can be attained. Genetic engineering strategies and the performance of the resulting strains will be examined within the context of the prevailing experimental conditions encountered in the industrial fermentor. Examples used will include the production of amino acids, vitamins and polysaccharides. In each case metabolic constraints can be identified and the extent to which performance can be enhanced predicted

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.28
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• pp.7.1-7.9
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• 2013

Objectives We investigated the particle mass size distribution and chemical properties of air pollution particulate matter (PM) in the urban area and its capacity to induce cytotoxicity in human bronchial epithelial (BEAS-2B) cells. Methods To characterize the mass size distributions and chemical concentrations associated with urban PM, PM samples were collected by a 10-stage Micro-Orifice Uniform Deposit Impactor close to nearby traffic in an urban area from December 2007 to December 2009. PM samples for in vitro cytotoxicity testing were collected by a mini-volume air sampler with $PM_{10}$ and $PM_{2.5}$ inlets. Results The PM size distributions were bi-modal, peaking at 0.18 to 0.32 and 1.8 to $3.2{\mu}m$. The mass concentrations of the metals in fine particles (0.1 to $1.8{\mu}m$) accounted for 45.6 to 80.4% of the mass concentrations of metals in $PM_{10}$. The mass proportions of fine particles of the pollutants related to traffic emission, lead (80.4%), cadmium (69.0%), and chromium (63.8%) were higher than those of other metals. Iron was the dominant transition metal in the particles, accounting for 64.3% of the $PM_{10}$ mass in all the samples. We observed PM concentration-dependent cytotoxic effects on BEAS-2B cells. Conclusions We found that exposure to $PM_{2.5}$ and $PM_{10}$ from a nearby traffic area induced significant increases in protein expression of inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and IL-8). The cell death rate and release of cytokines in response to the $PM_{2.5}$ treatment were higher than those with $PM_{10}$. The combined results support the hypothesis that ultrafine particles from vehicular sources can induce inflammatory responses related to environmental respiratory injury.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.559-564
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• 2015

Background: The participation of women in cervical cancer screening in Malaysia is low. Self-sampling might be able to overcome this problem. The aim of this study was to assess the reliability of self-sampling for cervical smear in our country. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 258 community dwelling women from urban and rural settings who participated in health campaigns. In order to reduce the sampling bias, half of the study population performed the self-sampling prior to the physician sampling while the other half performed the self-sampling after the physician sampling, randomly. Acquired samples were assessed for cytological changes as well as HPV DNA detection. Results: The mean age of the subjects was $40.4{\pm}11.3years$. The prevalence of abnormal cervical changes was 2.7%. High risk and low risk HPV genotypes were found in 4.0% and 2.7% of the subjects, respectively. A substantial agreement was observed between self-sampling and the physician obtained sampling in cytological diagnosis (k=0.62, 95%CI=0.50, 0.74), micro-organism detection (k=0.77, 95%CI=0.66, 0.88) and detection of hormonal status (k=0.75, 95%CI=0.65, 0.85) as well as detection of high risk (k=0.77, 95%CI=0.4, 0.98) and low risk (K=0.77, 95%CI=0.50, 0.92) HPV. Menopausal state was found to be related with 8.39 times more adequate cell specimens for cytology but 0.13 times less adequate cell specimens for virological assessment. Conclusions: This study revealed that self-sampling has a good agreement with physician sampling in detecting HPV genotypes. Self-sampling can serve as a tool in HPV screening while it may be useful in detecting cytological abnormalities in Malaysia.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 1999.07a
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• pp.50-50
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• 1999

마이크로 공정을 이용한 초소형 정밀 기계는 공정 기술과 재료 기술의 발전에 의하여 더욱 소형화되고 있으며 특히 기능을 갖는 부분과 이 부분을 제어하는 주변회로의 on-chip화의 요구가 증가되기 시작하였다. 이와 같은 추세에 있어서의 문제점은 초소형 정밀기계 부품 소자의 구동을 위한 에너지원의 개발이다. 즉, 소자의 크기가 작아진 것에 부합되는 초소형의 전지가 필요하게 된 것이다. 따라서 보다 완전한 초소형 정밀 기계 및 마이크로 소자의 구현을 위하여 마이크로 소자와 혼성 (Hybrid) 되어 이용될 수 있는 고성능 및 초소형의 전지의 개발이 필수적이다. 초소형 전지의 구현을 위하여 Li계의 2차 전지를 선택하여 이를 박막화하고 반도체 공정을 도입할 수 있다. 이러한 전지를 박막형 2차 전지 또는 박막형 마이크로 전지(thin film Secondary Battery : TFSB or Thin Film Micro-Battery : TFMB)라 하며 이러한 2차 전지는 일반적인 벌크 전지와 동일하게 cathode/Electolyte/Anode의 구조를 갖는다. 박막의 특성상 전해질은 고상의 물질을 사용하는 것이 벌크형 2차 전지와 다른 점이다. TFSB의 성능은 주로 cathode에 의하여 결정되며 지금까지 많은 cathode 물질에 대한 연구 보고가 발표되고 있다. 반도체 공정을 이용한 TFMB의 제작시 무엇보다 중요한 점은 우수한 고상 전해질 및 anode 물질의 선택에 있다. 최근에 2차 전지를 위한 carbon계 anode를 대체할 수 있는 SnO에 대한 보고가 있는데 이는 한 개의 Sn 원자당 2개 이사의 Li가 반응하여 높은 용량을 갖는 전지의 제작이 가능하기 때문이다. Sno2의 anode는 매우 높은 충전용량을 갖는데 첫 번째 방전시에 Li2O를 생성하여 비가역적 반응을 나타내고 계속되는 충방전 동안 Li-Sn 합금이 생성되어 2차전지의 가역적 반응을 가능하게 한다. SnO2 는 대기중에서 Li 금속보다 안정하기 때문에 전지의 제작 공정 및 사용 면에서 매우 우수한 물질이지만 아직까지 SnO2 구조적 특성과 전지의 충, 방전 특성에 대한 관계의 규명을 위한 정확한 정설은 제시되고 있지 못하다. 본 연구에서는 TFSB anode 물질로써 SnOx박막을 상온에서 여러 전도성 콜렉터 위에 증착하여 그 충, 방전 특성을 보고하였다. 증착된 SnOx박막의 표면은 SEM, AFM으로 분석하였으며 구조의 분석은 XR와 Auger electron spectroscope로 하였다. 충, 방전 특성을 분석하기 위하여 리늄 foil을 대극과 참조 전극으로 하여 EC:DMC=1:1, 1M LiPF6 액체 전해질을 사용한 Half-Cell를 구성하여 100회 이상의 정전류 충, 방전 시험을 행하였다. Half-Cell test 결과 박막의 구조, 콜렉터의 종류 및 Sn/O비에 따라 서로 다른 충, 방전 거동을 나타내었다.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.31 no.10
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• pp.1550-1557
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• 2018

Objective: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a newfound class of non-coding RNA in animals and plants. Recent studies have revealed that circRNAs play important roles in cell proliferation, differentiation, autophagy and apoptosis during development. However, there are few reports about muscle development-related circRNAs in livestock. Methods: RNA sequencing analysis was employed to identify and annotate circRNAs from longissimus dorsi of sheep. Reverse transcription followed by real-time quantitative (q) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis verified the presence of these circRNAs. Targetscan7.0 and miRanda were used to analyse the interaction of circRNA-microRNA (miRNA). To investigate the function of circRNAs, an experiment was conducted to perform enrichment analysis hosting genes of circRNAs using gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathways. Results: About 75.5 million sequences were obtained from RNA libraries of sheep skeletal muscle. These sequences were mapped to 729 genes in the sheep reference genome. We identified 886 circRNAs, including numerous circular intronic RNAs and exonic circRNAs. Reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) and DNA sequencing analysis confirmed the presence of several circRNAs. Real-Time RT-PCR analysis exhibited resistance of sheep circRNAs to RNase R digestion. We found that many circRNAs interacted with muscle-specific miRNAs involved in growth and development of muscle, especially circ776. The GO and KEGG enrichment analysis showed that hosting genes of circRNAs was involved in muscle cell development and signaling pathway. Conclusion: The study provides comprehensive expression profiles of circRNAs in sheep skeletal muscle. Our study offers a large number of circRNAs to facilitate a better understanding of their roles in muscle growth. Meanwhile, we suggested that circ776 could be analyzed in future study.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.547-555
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• 2020

Objective: Apoptosis of ovarian granulosa cells (GCs) affects mammalian follicular development and fecundity. This study aimed to explore the regulatory relationship between microRNA-26a (miR-26a) and the 3β-hydroxysteroid-Δ24-reductase gene (DHCR24) gene in porcine follicular granular cells (pGCs), and to provide empirical data for the development of methods to improve the reproductive capacity of pigs. Methods: The pGCs were transfected with miR-26a mimic, miR-26a inhibitor and DHCR24-siRNA in vitro. The cell apoptosis rate of pGCs was detected by the flow cytometry. The secretion levels of estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P) in pGCs were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Double luciferase validation system was used to detect the binding sites between miR-26a and DHCR24 3'-UTR region. Qualitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting were used to verify the DHCR24 mRNA and protein expression in pGCs, respectively, after transfecting with miR-26a mimic and miR-26a inhibitor. Results: Results showed that enhancement of miR-26a promoted apoptosis, and inhibited E2 and P secretion in pGCs. Meanwhile, inhibition of DHCR24 also upregulated the Caspase-3 expression, reduced the BCL-2 expression, promoted pGCs apoptosis, and inhibited E2 and P secretion in pGCs. There were the binding sites of miR-26a located within DHCR24 3'-UTR. Up-regulation of miR-26a inhibited DHCR24 mRNA and protein expression in pGCs. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that miR-26a can promote cell apoptosis and inhibit E2 and P secretion by inhibiting the expression of DHCR24 in pGCs.

• Journal of Radiopharmaceuticals and Molecular Probes
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.38-45
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• 2015

Most tumors are believed to overexpress several receptors, and small peptides targeting these receptors were developed for diagnosis and tumor therapy during past decade. Here we report that fibroadenoma can be visualized by bladder cancer specific peptide. A 9-mer bladder cancer specific peptide, which was discovered from the phage display method, was synthesized by peptide synthesizer, and additional tyrosine was conjugated at the N-terminal for radioiodination (Y-BP). Y-BP was radiolabeled with $^{131/124}I$ using Iodogen tube. The rat treated with N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine for 8 weeks was allowed to grow until large size tumor was developed under axilla. The tumor model was microPET imaged sequentially using [$^{18}F$]FDG and radioiodinated $^{124}I-Y-BP$. The tumor was excised and examined by immunostaining studies. Radioiodinated $^{124}I-Y-BP$ was purified using fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC) in > 90% radiochemical purity. The whole tumor was well visualized by [$^{18}F$]FDG with several intense focal uptake within tumor. The tumor was also clearly seen with $^{124}I-Y-BP$ at 4 h post-injection, and to our surprise the tumor uptake of $^{124}I-Y-BP$ lasted up to three days. The tumor was diagnosed histologically as a fibroadenoma derived from mammary gland. In conclusion, the bladder cancer specific peptide showed the good potential as a new radiotracer for the detection of breast fibroadenoma.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.61-67
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• 1970

The growth characteristics of Candida tropicalis KIST 359, isolated from soil samples collected at an oil depot in Korea, have been studied by cultivating batches under varying conditions. The conclusions of the study were: 1. The yeast easily assimilates hydrocarbons in a range of $C_{14}-C_{17}$, and the optimum cultivation temperature and pH are $30^{\circ}C$ and 5.5, respectively. 2. Using this strain of micro-organism, gas oil gives a higher cell yield than kerosine and with gas oil except urea all other nitrogen sources $(NH_4NO_3,\;NH_4Cl,\;(NH_4)_2SO_4\;and\;(NH_4)_2HPO_4)$ similarly support a satisfactory growth of the yeast. 3. The highest yield is obtained with a gas oil level of 10%(v/v), and concentrations of nitrogen source and $MgSO_4{\cdot}7H_2O$ of 0.5 and 0.05%(w/v), respectively. 4. The protein content of dried yeast cells is 59.8%. Its amino acid composition can be compared well with that of FAO provisional patterns, but with a low methionine and a high lysine content.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.166-172
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• 2007

ERM proteins transfer the methyl group to $A_{2058}$ in 23S rRNA, which reduces the affinity of MLS (macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B) antibiotics to 23S rRNA, thereby confer the antibiotic resistance on micro-organisms ranging from antibiotic producers to pathogens and are classified into monomethyltransferase and dimethyltransferase. To investigate the differences between mono- and dimethyltransferase, tirD, a representative monomethylase gene was cloned in Escherichia coli from Streptomyces fradiae which contains ermSF, dimethylase gene as well to overexpress the TlrD for the first time. T7 promoter driven expression system successfully overexpress tlrD as a insoluble aggregate at $37^{\circ}C$ accumulating to around 55% of the total cell protein but unlike ErmSF, culturing at temperature as low as $18^{\circ}C$ did not make insoluble aggregate of protein into soluble protein. Coexpression of Thioredoxin and GroESL, chaperone was not helpful in turning into soluble protein either as in case of ErmSF. These results might suggest that differences between mono- and dimethylase could be investigated on the basis of the characteristics of protein structure. However, a very small amount of soluble protein which could not be detected by SDS-PAGE conferred antibiotic resistance on E. coli as in ErmSF which was expected from the activity exerted by monmethylase in a cell.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.1-22
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• 1999

In order to investigate various physical and biological properties of dental magnetic attachments studies on retentive characteristics, corrosion properties, cytotoxicity of different magnetic systems for dental applications were done. For the study of retentive characteristics changes of retentive force by increasing air gap, wear properties of various attachment systems and loss of magnetic force by heat treatment were measured. Forte study of corrosion property of magnet covering metal electrochemical corrosion was done in artificial saliva and 0.9% NaCl solution between $-1,000mV_{SCE}\;and\;+1,000mV_{SCE}$. Anodic polarization curves are obtained about 6 types of samples and 2 types of solution. Corroded surfaces were examined with metallurgical microscope, scanning electron microscope and surface profilometer. For the study of cytotoxicity of magnetic attachment and its field cell growth and agar overlay test were done. The results of this study were as follows. 1. In Magnetic attachments using closed circuit retentive force at zero air gap was greater than magnets using open circuit, but decrease of retentive force by increasing air gap was also greater than open systems. 2. After 40,000 cycles of wear test all mechanical attachment resulted in varing degree of retention loss but in magnetic attachments no loss of retentive force was observed. 3. The magnetic attachment using Neodymium magnet showed early loss of retentive force about $200^{\circ}C$ but attachment using Samarium magnet showed some resistance to heat treatment and complete retention loss was observed about $500^{\circ}C$. The keeper was not influenced by heat treatment in retention. 4. In electrochemical corrosion test Dyna magnetic attachment covering metal showed the highiest corrosion resistance and Shiner magnet covering metal showed the least corrosion resistance and examination of corroded surface with metallurgical microscope, scanning electron micro-scope and surface profilometer also showed same results with anodic polarization corves. 5. The result of cell culture tests on the magnet covered with metal showed least recognizable cytotoxicity.