• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.10 no.9
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• pp.2485-2491
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• 2009

Culture was performed by using Sheep Blood Agar Plate (BAP, Asan Pharmaceutical) and Sabouraud Dextrose Ager (SDA, Asan Pharmaceutical) along with air $IDEAL^{TM}$ (Biomerieux), which is a microbe interceptor based on inertial impaction interception, in order to investigate bioaerosol in indoor and outdoor air at five elderly care facilities in a metropolis and an urban-rural consolidated city for two months from April 1 to May 31, 2007. From the culture followed by isolation and identification, the following conclusions were drawn. 1. As for the general isolation of microbes in each facility, care center S had the largest amount of microbes (263 cfu/$m^3$) isolated in a 300L room, followed by care center U having 123 cfu/$m^3$ isolated. 2. As for the number of bacteria isolated from a medium intercepting 300 L indoor, the largest amount of other unidentified or non-pathogenic Gram positive cocci (321 cfu/$m^3$) was isolated and most of the other Gram positive cocci were CNS (Coagulase Negative Staphylococcus). 3. As for the number of fungi isolated from a medium intercepting 300 L in a room, the largest number of Aspergillus spp. (66) was isolated, followed by Mucor spp. (62 cfu/$m^3$), Penicillium spp. (53 cfu/$m^3$), Alternaria spp. (50), and other unidentified or non-pathogenic fungi (42 cfu/$m^3$). 4. As for the rate of indoor and outdoor pollution, the average number of interceptions was all larger indoor than outdoor; the research differentiating the amount of air into 300 L and 500 L demonstrated that the larger amount of air led to more bacteria, making no great variation in the species.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.1-15
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• 2011

Objective : Recently interest of fermented herb medicine has increased in Oriental medicine. Herb medicine fermented in a proper condition resultingly has better or new virtue by microbe. This study was designed to compare the anti-inflammatory effects of herbal decoction and fermented herbal decoction in Hwangnyeonhaedok-tang (Huanglian fiedu-tang; HHT). Methods : The effects of HHT and FHHT on anti-inflammation were measured by production of NO and pro-inflammatory cytokine productions including TNF-${\alpha}$ and IL-1${\beta}$, IL-6 in LPS induced RAW 264.7 cells. Results : 1. Cell viability in three doses of HHT extract (0.01, 0.05 and 0.10 mg/ml) and two doses of FHHT extract (0.01, 0.05 mg/ml) was more than 70％ and 80％ each. 2. In RAW 264.7 cells, LPS displayed significant stimulatory effects on the production of NO. However, both HHT, FHHT showed significant inhibitory effects on the production of NO. 3. Pre-treatment by HHT in a various concentrations (0.01, 0.05, 0.10, 0.50mg/ml) reduced the elevated production of TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-1${\beta}$, IL-1${\beta}$ mRNA, IL-6 mRNA. More than 0.05mg/ml concentrations of HHT reduced the production of IL-6. And TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-1${\beta}$ level of mouse serum reduced in a various dose(0.1, 0.5, 1.0g/kg). 4. Pre-treatment by FHHT in a various concentrations (0.01, 0.05, 0.10, 0.50mg/ml) reduced the elevated production of TNF-${\alpha}$. More than 0.05mg/ml concentrations of FHHT reduced the expression of TNF-${\alpha}$ mRNA. 0.1, 0.50mg/ml concentrations of FHHT reduced the production of IL-6. And IL-1${\beta}$ level of mouse serum reduced in a various dose(0.1, 0.5, 1.0g/kg). Conclusions : These results indicated that both HHT and FHHT could have anti-inflammatory capacity by inhibiting the production of NO and cytokines in vitro. But HHT has more strong anti-inflammatory effects than that of FHHT in broad outlines.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.443-458
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• 2018

An archive is a collection of documents or records. Currently, most archived documents are made of paper. Paper is susceptible to biological damage and deterioration due to its material properties. To control the biological damage, treatment with chemical disinfectants and control of the storage environment are often used. In government-controlled bulk public archives, all documents are chemically sterilized before storage. However, an extremely large quantity of public records have been produced, and storage space and conservation management are gradually reaching their limits. In this study, 60 species of microbes were identified using a genetic method. We successfully applied the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) bioluminescence method to detect microbial contamination on paper documents. A calibration curve of the ATP bioluminescence as a function of the microbe quantity was obtained, and the microbial activity on non-sterilized paper archives from 1951 was analyzed using an ATP luminometer. It was found that the microbial activity was suppressed or reduced in climate-controlled storage environments at $22^{\circ}C$ and 55% relative humidity. We anticipate that these results will be used to establish selective sterilization systems for government-controlled bulk public archives.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.346-355
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the possibility that administration of Bacillus polyfermenticus KJS-2 (BP2), Bacillus mojavensis KJS-3 (Moja3), and their mixtures could control serum lipid levels. We observed changes in the blood cell level, metabolic function evaluation, and blood lipid levels after two weeks of oral administration of these microbial strains to hyperlipidemia-induced rats. Measurements of major cell changes in the white blood cells (WBC) indicated no significant effects due to the administration of the microbial strains. Platelet (PLT) levels decreased by 18.4% in the Triton WR-1339-treated group (NCON) and recovered to the control (CON) group levels in the positive control (PCON) group and the microbial strain-administered groups (p<0.05). No functional changes were observed in red blood cells (RBC) by Triton WR-1339-induced hyperlipidemia. The blood AST, ALT, BUN, and creatinine levels did not indicated effects on liver and kidney function, and all rats administered the microbial mixture recovered. The blood lipid levels in the microbe-treated groups indicated reduced levels of triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol (TC), and increased levels of serum HDL cholesterol. The HMG-CoA inhibition rate of 7-O-succinyl macrolactin A (SMA) produced by BP2 showed similar activity at a concentration of 1,000 times lower than that achieved with atorvastatin. The administration of the microbial strains to the Triton WR-1339-induced rat model of hyperlipidemia resulted in reduced weight gain without affecting the food and water intake. Thus, blood circulation can be improved by controlling serum lipid levels by the combined administration of the BP2 and Moja3 microbial strains.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.15-24
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• 2021

This study was conducted to evaluate effects of microbial fertilizer (MF) containing Bacillus amyloliquefaciens on the growth in the lettuce by treating MF without and with organic fertilizer (OF), or by its formulation types, and to investigate its application in the eco-friendly agriculture. B. amyloliquefaciens, active microbe of MF, had activities of amylase and protease. Applied only MF without OF, MF treatments were not significantly different with non-fertilizer (NF). As compared to control, dry weight of MOF2 treatment (2,500 kg OF/ha + 50 kg MF/ha) was increased by about 30%. As applied with wettable powder type (WP) and soluble powder type (SP) of MF, the dry weight of WP was increased by 43% than that of control, but SP not significantly different. In the comparison with two MF formulation, dry weight of WP was increased by about 37% than that of SP. These results indicated that an application of MF improved the growth of lettuce by prompting a mineralization of OF, and that the formulation type of MF was better WP than SP.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.780-789
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• 2022

Background: Incretin impairment, characterized by insufficient secretion of L-cell-derived glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), is a defining step of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Ginsenoside compound K (CK) can stimulate GLP-1 secretion; however, the potential mechanism underlying this effect has not been established. Methods: CK (40 mg/kg) was administered orally to male db/db mice for 4 weeks. The body weight, oral glucose tolerance, GLP-1 secretion, gut microbiota sequencing, bile acid (BA) profiles, and BA synthesis markers of each subject were then analyzed. Moreover, TGR5 expression was evaluated by immunoblotting and immunofluorescence, and L-cell lineage markers involved in L-cell abundance were analyzed. Results: CK ameliorated obesity and impaired glucose tolerance in db/db mice by altering the gut microbiota, especially Ruminococcaceae family, and this changed microbe was positively correlated with secondary BA synthesis. Additionally, CK treatment resulted in the up-regulation of CYP7B1 and CYP27A1 and the down-regulation of CYP8B1, thereby shifting BA biosynthesis from the classical pathway to the alternative pathway. CK altered the BA pool by mainly increasing LCA and DCA. Furthermore, CK induced L-cell number expansion leading to enhanced GLP-1 release through TGR5 activation. These increases were supported by the upregulation of genes governing GLP-1 secretion and L-cell differentiation. Conclusions: The results indicate that CK improves glucose homeostasis by increasing L-cell numbers, which enhances GLP-1 release through a mechanism partially mediated by the gut microbiota-BA-TGR5 pathway. Therefore, that therapeutic attempts with CK might be useful for patients with T2DM.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.235-241
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• 2022

According to the World Water Development Report 2015 released by the United Nations, drinking water is expected to decrease by 40% by 2030. This does not mean that the amount of water decreases, but rather that the water source is contaminated due to environmental pollution. Because microbes are deeply related to water quality, the analysis of microbe is very important for water quality management. While the most common method currently used for microbial analysis is microscopic examination of the shape and feature after cell culture, as the gene analysis technology advances, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) can be applied to the microscopic microbiological analysis, and the application method has been studied. Among them, a reverse transcription (RT) step enables the analysis of RNA by RT-PCR. Integrated cell culture (ICC)-qPCR shortens the test time by using it with microbial culture analysis, and viability qPCR can reduce the false positive errors of samples collected from natural water source. Multiplex qPCR for improved throughput, and microfluidic qPCR for analysis with limited amount of sample has been developed In this paper, we introduce the case, principle and development direction of the qPCR method applied to the analysis of microorganisms.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.1-18
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• 2022

Volatiles exist ubiquitously in nature. Volatile compounds produced by plants and microorganisms confer inter-kingdom and intra-kingdom communications. Autoinducer signaling molecules from contact-based chemical communication, such as bacterial quorum sensing, are relayed through short distances. By contrast, biogenic volatiles derived from plant-microbe interactions generate long-distance (>20 cm) alarm signals for sensing harmful microorganisms. In this review, we discuss prior work on volatile compound-mediated diagnosis of plant diseases, and the use of volatile packaging and dispensing approaches for the biological control of fungi, bacteria, and viruses. In this regard, recent developments on technologies to analyze and detect microbial volatile compounds are introduced. Furthermore, we survey the chemical encapsulation, slow-release, and bio-nano techniques for volatile formulation and delivery that are expected to overcome limitations in the application of biogenic volatiles to modern agriculture. Collectively, technological advances in volatile compound detection, packaging, and delivery provide great potential for the implementation of ecologically-sound plant disease management strategies. We hope that this review will help farmers and young scientists understand the nature of microbial volatile compounds, and shift paradigms on disease diagnosis and management to aromatic (volatile-based) agriculture.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.361-373
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• 2023

In plant-pathogen interactions, Magnaporthe oryzae causes blast disease on more than 50 species of 14 monocot plants, including important crops such as rice, millet, and most 15 recently wheat. M. oryzae is a model fungus for studying plant-microbe interaction, and the main source for fungal pathogenesis in the field. Here we report that MoJMJD6 is required for conidium germination and appressorium formation in M. oryzae. We obtained MoJMJD6 mutants (ΔMojmjd6) using a target gene replacement strategy. The MoJMD6 deletion mutants were delayed for conidium germination, glycogen, and lipid droplets utilization and consequently had decreased virulence. In the ΔMojmjd6 null mutants, global histone methyltransferase modifications (H3K4me3, H3K9me3, H3K27me3, and H3K36me2/3) of the genome were unaffected. Taken together, our results indicated that MoJMJD6 function as a nuclear protein which plays an important role in conidium germination and appressorium formation in the M. oryzae. Our work provides insights into MoJMJD6-mediated regulation in the early stage of pathogenesis in plant fungi.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.287-296
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• 2023

Mushroom consumption is gradually growing annually worldwide for many centuries. Oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus), button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus), and enokitake (Flammulina filiformis) are mainly consumed in Korea. However, mushrooms can be contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms, such as Listeria monocytogenes, because antibacterial treatment during mushroom cultivation and processing is insufficient. Therefore, many cases of mushroom contamination-related foodborne illnesses and food recalls have been reported. Three representative treatments are used to prevent microbial contamination in mushrooms: chemical, physical, and combination treatments. Among the chemical treatments, chlorine compounds, peroxyacetic acid, and quaternary ammonium compounds are commercially used and ozone and electrolyzed water has recently been used. Additionally, physical treatments, including ultrasound, irradiation, and cold plasma, are being developed. Combination techniques include ultraviolet/chlorine compounds, ozone/organic acid, and ultrasound/organic acid. This review describes the domestically consumed mushroom types and their characteristics, and investigates the mushroom contamination levels. Additionally, effective antibacterial technologies for reducing microbial contamination in mushrooms are also discussed.