• Journal of Climate Change Research
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.427-432
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• 2016

Nitrous oxide is one of the main sources of greenhouse gases and its concentration has increased from 273 ppb in 1,750 to 315 ppb in 2005. Specially, nitrogen fertilizer used in agricultural soils is considered as an important source of atmospheric $N_2O$ emission. This study was conducted to estimate the difference of nitrous oxide emission as chamber position on furrow and ridge and crop existence in gas sampling chamber on upland. Four treatments used in this experiment were (1) no-fertilizer without crop in chamber on ridge, (2) fertilizer application without crop in chamber on ridge, (3) fertilizer application with crop in chamber on ridge, (4) fertilizer application without crop in chamber on ridge and furrow. Nitrous oxide emission at fertilizer application with crop in chamber on ridge were the highest while were the lowest at no-fertilizer without crop in chamber on ridge. There was no significant difference of nitrous oxide emission by chamber position, but total emission by crop existence in chamber was significant difference. Therefore, in order to estimate greenhouse gases emission using chamber method in upland, it should be considered in correlation with crop existence in chamber and characteristic changes like as the soil moisture, microbial flora by crop growth stage.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.282-297
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• 2022

Purpose: To explore differences in the subgingival microbiome according to the presence of periodontitis and/or type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D), a metagenomic sequencing analysis of the subgingival microbiome was performed. Methods: Twelve participants were divided into 4 groups based on their health conditions (periodontitis, T2D, T2D complicated with periodontitis, and generally healthy). Subgingival plaque was collected for metagenomic sequencing, and gingival crevicular fluids were collected to analyze the concentrations of short-chain fatty acids. Results: The shifts in the subgingival flora from the healthy to periodontitis states were less prominent in T2D subjects than in subjects without T2D. The pentose and glucuronate interconversion, fructose and mannose metabolism, and galactose metabolism pathways were enriched in the periodontitis state, while the phosphotransferase system, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and peptidoglycan biosynthesis, bacterial secretion system, sulfur metabolism, and glycolysis pathways were enriched in the T2D state. Multiple genes whose expression was upregulated from the red and orange complex bacterial genomes were associated with bacterial biofilm formation and pathogenicity. The concentrations of propionic acid and butyric acid were significantly higher in subjects with periodontitis, with or without T2D, than in healthy subjects. Conclusions: T2D patients are more susceptible to the presence of periodontal pathogens and have a higher risk of developing periodontitis. The pentose and glucuronate interconversion, fructose and mannose metabolism, galactose metabolism, and glycolysis pathways may represent the potential microbial functional association between periodontitis and T2D, and butyric acid may play an important role in the interaction between these 2 diseases. The enrichment of the LPS and peptidoglycan biosynthesis, bacterial secretion system, and sulfur metabolism pathways may cause T2D patients to be more susceptible to periodontitis.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.89-98
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• 2023

We evaluated the effects of prebiotic (mannan oligosaccharides, Mos) and probiotic diet supplements on growth performance, innate immunity, antioxidant activity, and intestinal changes in the microbial flora of red seabream Pagrus major. A basal diet (Con) was formulated to meet the nutrient requirement of red seabream. The dietary starch in Con was replaced with 0.6% Mos, Lactobacillus plantarum, Bacillus subtilis, B. licheniformis and probiotic mixture (labeled as Mos, Pro-LP, Pro-BS, Pro-BL and Pro-Mix, respectively). We stocked 450 fish in 18 polypropylene tanks (400 L) in triplicate groups per dietary treatment. The fish were fed one of the diets twice (08:30, 18:30 h) a day for 63 days. Lysozyme activity was significantly higher in all the supplemented groups than that of the Con group. The immunoglobulin level of Pro-Mix, anti-protease activity of Pro-BL, and glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activity of Pro-BS, Pro-BL and Pro-Mix groups were significantly higher than those of the Con group. The ratio of total Vibrio/heterotrophic marine bacteria counts was significantly lower in Pro-LP, Pro-BL and Pro-Mix groups than that of the Con group. Therefore, dietary supplementation of Mos and probiotics to improves immune response and antioxidant enzyme activity and inhibits Vibrio bacteria in the intestine.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.14-26
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• 2024

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to assess the feasibility of conducting a study on traditional Korean medicine treatments for periodontal diseases, specifically gingivitis and mild periodontitis. Methods : This study will employ a randomized, controlled, parallel-group design. Subjects with gingivitis and mild periodontitis will be recruited in one university hospital. In total, 45 subjects will be randomized into three arms (Acupuncture therapy group, herbal mouthwash group and usual care group), and will be followed up for 4 weeks. We will assess clinical variables such as, pocket depth, bleeding on probing, gingival index, plaque index, visual analog scale, uroqol-5 dimensions-5 levels to analyze changes in microbial flora before and after the intervention. Results : The protocol for this study was approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of Dongguk University Ilsan Oriental Medicine Hospital, and registered with the Korean Clinical Trial Registry on March 29, 2024. Conclusions : This study is the first clinical research on periodontal diseases conducted in a Korean traditional medicine institution. The research aims to broaden the scope of traditional Korean medicine and is expected to serve as crucial data for future large-scale studies.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.786-794
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• 2011

To investigate the sanitary-quality level of commercial kimchi in South Korea, the pH, acidity, and microbial-flora changes in the kimchi were determined. Samples of kimchi produced by three different manufacturers (a small grocery store, a small/medium-sized enterprise, and a large food company) were collected. Freshly made kimchi was purchased and fermented at $10^{\circ}C$ for 10 days. The pH of the commercial kimchi on the purchased day was approximately pH 5.8, and that on the $10^{th}$ day of fermentation was ${\simeq}pH$ 4.1. The kimchi purchased from a large company showed a more rapid decline in pH level during fermentation. The saltiness of the kimchi purchased from a medium-sized company was slightly higher than those of the other commercial kimchi samples. The saccharinity index of the kimchi produced by a small grocery store was higher than those of the other samples, and its value deviation was also higher than those of the other commercial kimchi samples. A higher total viable-cell count and a higher lactic-acid bacteria (LAB) count were detected in the kimchi from the large food company at the beginning of fermentation compared to the samples of the two other kimchi manufacturers. The highest cell numbers of gram-positive bacteria (except LAB) and coliform bacteria were detected from the small-grocery-store kimchi, but the coliform bacteria count gradually decreased during fermentation although such bacteria were still detected until the $10^{th}$ day of fermentation. In contrast, coliform bacteria were not detected in the samples from the medium-sized and large food companies. Yeast, which is detected in over-ripened kimchi, was detected in the unfermented kimchi from the small grocery store, which had a below-0.36% acidity level. The gram-positive bacteria (except LAB) that were detected in all the tested commercial kimchi samples were determined to be Bacillus spp., and the gram-negative bacteria were determined to be Escherichia coli, Enterobacter spp., Sphingomonase spp., and Strenophomonas spp. The proportions of all the aforementioned bacteria in the kimchi samples, however, were different depending on the samples that were taken. These results indicate that a more sanitary kimchi production process and a more systematic kimchi production manual should be developed to industrialize and globalize kimchi.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.182-190
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• 2013

Composition of oral microbial flora is suggested to play a role in the maintenance of oral health. Among them, Streptococcus mutans plays an essential role in the formation of dental plaque and it is being noticed as incipient infective bacteria of dental caries. The purpose of this study was to prepare the basic data about distribution of Streptococcus mutans detected from saliva by measuring colony density. It is well known that smoking as well as drinking is a factor of dental caries, however there are few investigations about distribution of Streptococcus mutans either smoking or drinking. The materials of this study were collected from students of dentistry college with general characteristics obtained by self-administered questionnaires. Students were asked to gently chew the paraffin to get saliva for 1 minute. Bacitracin disc in the culture medium was activated for 15 minutes, and then sample was incubated in the activated medium at $37^{\circ}C$ incubator for 48 hours. Streptococcus mutans colonization per 1 ml saliva was measured by the number of criteria. The severe levels of dental caries activity were significantly increased in the case of smoking (from 5.6% to 10%) or drinking (form 0% to 7%), respectively. Also, dental caries activity increased according to smoking and drinking periods longer. However, using the SPSS analytical process (Mann-Whitney's U), no significant differences were observed between the smoking and the non-smoking or the drinking and non-drinking, respectively. These results obtained from dental caries activity of saliva suggest that distribution of Streptococcus mutans following smoking or drinking can be used as a significant information for oral health.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.820-825
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• 2010

The functional food components from various Basidiomycota were investigated to improve human intestinal microflora, especially associated with obesity. EtOH extract from Gyrophora esculenta fruit body and Coriolus versicolor judae mycelia showed antimicrobial activities on Eubacterium limosum, Clostridium perfrigens, Clostridium paraputrificum, Clostridium difficile and Clostridium ramosum, and on Bacteroides fragilis, respectively. Although the 80% EtOH extract from G. esculenta fruit body and hot-water extract from C. versicolor judae mycelia did not reduce weight of the rats in the high fat diet, these extracts showed stability at high temperatures and at wide pH ranges. In the rat group of feeding 80% EtOH extract from G. esculanta fruit body, Bifidobacterium spp. were increased and Clostridium spp. and Eubacterium spp. were decreased compared to the high fat feeding group. Also sensory evaluation was carried out for the development of prototype drink product. These results demonstrated the possibilities of C. versicolor judae and G. esculenta as a functional food components to control intestinal microbial flora.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.77-82
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• 2011

This study was conducted to provide information for improving the quality characteristics of Buckwheat Soksungjang (BWS). We determined aminotype nitrogen content, total microbial flora counts, the population of Bacillus cereus, presence of volatile compounds, fibrinolytic activity, antioxidant activity, ACE inhibition rate, and a sensory evaluation. The aminotype nitrogen increased gradually during fermentation. We found a decreasing population of B. cereus during fermentation, thus, the edible period for BWS was more than 30 days after fermentation. Acetaldehyde, butanol, and pyrazine were detected as volatile compounds after fermentation. The fibrinolytic activities of a 10% BWS water extract were high at 120.8 units compared to the control (71.6 units). In a sensory evaluation, Soksungjang with 60% added BW showed a significantly higher score (p < 0.001) for color, taste, smell, texture, and overall. The results suggest that a new type of shortened fermented soybean paste had good safety, bioactivities, and sensory characteristics within 4 weeks.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.8
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• pp.1392-1400
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• 2017

Galactooligosaccharides (GOSs) are known to be selectively utilized by Bifidobacterium, which can bring about healthy changes of the composition of intestinal microflora. In this study, ${\beta}-GOS$ were synthesized using bifidobacterial ${\beta}-galactosidase$ (G1) purified from recombinant E. coli with a high GOS yield and with high productivity and enhanced bifidogenic activity. The purified recombinant G1 showed maximum production of ${\beta}-GOSs$ at pH 8.5 and $45^{\circ}C$. A matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry analysis of the major peaks of the produced ${\beta}-GOSs$ showed MW of 527 and 689, indicating the synthesis of ${\beta}-GOSs$ at degrees of polymerization (DP) of 3 and DP4, respectively. The trisaccharides were identified as ${\beta}-{\text\tiny{D}}$-galactopyranosyl-($1{\rightarrow}4$)-O-${\beta}-{\text\tiny{D}}$-galactopyranosyl-($1{\rightarrow}4$)-O-${\beta}-{\text\tiny{D}}$-glucopyranose, and the tetrasaccharides were identified as ${\beta}-{\text\tiny{D}}$-galactopyranosyl-($1{\rightarrow}4$)-O-${\beta}-{\text\tiny{D}}$-galactopyranosyl-($1{\rightarrow}4$)-O-${\beta}-{\text\tiny{D}}$-galactopyranosyl-($1{\rightarrow}4$)-O-${\beta}-{\text\tiny{D}}$-glucopyranose. The maximal production yield of GOSs was as high as 25.3% (w/v) using purified recombinant ${\beta}-galactosidase$ and 36% (w/v) of lactose as a substrate at pH 8.5 and $45^{\circ}C$. After 140 min of the reaction under this condition, 268.3 g/l of GOSs was obtained. With regard to the prebiotic effect, all of the tested Bifidobacterium except for B. breve grew well in BHI medium containing ${\beta}-GOS$ as a sole carbon source, whereas lactobacilli and Streptococcus thermophilus scarcely grew in the same medium. Only Bacteroides fragilis, Clostridium ramosum, and Enterobacter cloacae among the 17 pathogens tested grew in BHI medium containing ${\beta}-GOS$ as a sole carbon source; the remaining pathogens did not grow in the same medium. Consequently, the ${\beta}-GOS$ are expected to contribute to the beneficial change of intestinal microbial flora.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.141-152
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• 2016

The demand to develop more safe and efficient methods for treating allergic patient is now continuously growing due to the increasing prevalence of allergic diseases. Probiotics are endogenous microbial flora that gives health benefits within hosts. Probiotics are now considered as one of solutions to treat allergic patients since recent evidence shows that some of probiotics have immunomodulatory function. Also, the treatment of probiotics to patients is relatively safer than other anti-inflammatory agents. In this review, we summarized on immunomodulatory function of some probiotics which show preventive or therapeutic effects on major allergic diseases such as atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis, asthma, or food allergy. Based on previous literature, the treatment of probiotics can alleviate the symptoms of allergic diseases via balancing $Th_1/Th_2$ response or increasing the number of regulatory T ($T_{reg}$) cells.