• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.47 no.6
• /
• pp.757-767
• /
• 1999

Background: Diagnosis by smear and/or cultures of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis from body fluid or biopsy specimen is "Gold standard". However the sensitivity of the direct microscopy is relatively low and culture of mycobacteria is time consuming. Despite an explosion in the techniques of rapid identification of mycobacteria by molecular genetic means, it is laborious and expensive and then rapid, inexpensive serodiagnosis is interested in diagnosis of tuberculosis. But sensitivity and specificity of known serologic antigen is not full sufficient level and then new antigen develop and combination cocktails of new developed antigens by ELISA are needed. Method: To compare the efficacy of different mycobacterial specific antigen and to assess the applicability of the combination of several different antigens in the diagnosis of tuberculosis, five ELISA tests derived 14KDa, 16KDa, 19KDa, 23KDa, 38KDa were evaluated in 57 active pulmonary patient and 24 inactive post-therapy follow up patient and 48 normal control. Results: The optical densities of ELISA test with 14KDa, 16KDa, 19KDa, 23KDa, 38KDa were significantly higher in active tuberculosis cases than in normal control(P<0.001, P<0.001, P<0.027, P<0.001, P<0.001) and those with 16KDa, 38KDa were significant higher in active tuberculosis cases than in inactive post-therapy follow up cases(P<0.01. P<0.001) and those of 14KDa, 16KDa, 23KDa, 38KDa were significant higher in inactive post-therapy follow up cases than in normal control(P<0.008. P<0.01. P<0.006. P<0.001). The sensitivity of 14KDa, 16KDa, 19KDa, 23KDa, 38KDa in active pulmonary patient cases was 42.1%, 43.9%, 15.8%, 28.0%, 70.2%, respectively and the specificity of 14KDa, 16KDa, 19KDa, 23KDa, 38KDa in active pulmonary patient cases was 95.8%, 95.8%, 91.7%, 89.6%, 93.8%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of combination 38KDa with 16KDa was 87% and 93.7%. Conclusion: The sensitivity and specificity of new antigens for serodiagnosis of the tuberculosis still remains limited at around 70%, which makes its a poor diagnostic tool for disease confirmation. A combination of cocktail antigens provided by cut-off value adjustment for serodiagnosis of tuberculosis some improved diagnostic yield than single antigen serologic test.

• KSBB Journal
• /
• v.6 no.4
• /
• pp.327-336
• /
• 1991

A study on the optimum hydrolysis conditions of fish skin through the aid of enzymes and the development of a natural seasoning using the hydrolysate has been carried out for the effective utilization of fish skin. Using the "pH-drop" techniques the collagenase and pronase were identified as most suitable for this purpose. The $K_m$ and $V_{max}$ values of pronase were 1.82 mgN/ml and 0.06 mgN/mL/min, respectively. The hydrolysis conditions of the cod skin for the pronase were as follows: reaction temperature, $50^{\circ}C$; reaction time, 3hrs; pH 6; enzyme concentration, 0.03%. The degree of hydrolysis at these conditions was 76.8%. But after hydrolyzing cod skin with collagenase for 1hr, when the pronase was treated, the degree of hydrolysis was 83.13%. The molecular weight of the hydrolysate was 8,000 daltons. Among the amino acids in the hydrolysate, glycine(27.95%), glutamic acid(10.94%), proline(7.39%), aspartic acid(9.47%) and serine(7.39%) were responsible for 64.23% of the total amino acids. But valine, methionine, isoleucine, leucine, phenylalanine and histidine having a bitter taste were only 13.05%. From the results of the sensory evaluation, the imitation sauce which was made of 20% fermented soy sauce prepared from the hydrolysate was at least similar to the traditional soybean sauce in product quality. The complex seasoning containing 31.7% of the hydrolysate was nearly equal to complex seasonings on the market, too.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
• /
• v.45 no.4
• /
• pp.311-318
• /
• 2007

Soil contamination in Korea has been accelerated every year. Because of their persistence and cumulative tendency in the environment, soil contaminants have potential long-term environmental and health concerns and it is estimated to cost enormous expense for clean-up. Korea government has legislated the law on conservation of soil environment in mid 1990s, and managed and treated hazardous wastes in contaminated sites as a remediation policy since then. Soil remediation technologies are classified into in-situ/ex-situ or biological/physico-chemical/thermal processes according to applied places or treatment methods, respectively. In Korea, clean-up of polluted sites has been mostly carried out at military areas, railroad-related sites and small-scale oil spilt sites. For these cases, in-situ remediation technologies such as soil vapor extraction (SVE) and bioventing were mainly used. In recent days, an environmental-friendly soil remediation emerged as a new concept - for example, a new soil remediation process using nanotechnology or molecular biological study and an integrated process which can overcome the limitation of individual process. To have better applicability of remediation technologies, comprehensive understandings about the pollutants and soil characteristics and the suitable techniques are required to be investigated. Above all, development of environmental technologies based on the sustainability accompanied by public attention can improve soil environment in Korea.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.45 no.5
• /
• pp.1073-1081
• /
• 1998

Primary pulmonary lymphoma (PPL) is an uncommon tumor, which constitutes 3-4% of all extranodal lymphomas and 0.3-0.5 % of all primary pulmonary malignant tumors. Low-grade B-cell lymphomas of bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue (BALT) accounted for the majority of PPL. This BALT lymphomas are frequently asymptomatic and have an excellent prognosis and an indolent clinical course by contrast with T-cell type. Therefore, determination of the B- or T-immunophenotype of the tumor cells is known to be very important from a clinical aspect. Recent advances in immunohistochemical techniques, cytogenetics, and molecular biology have allowed better definition of type, maturation, and clonality of lymphoma cells and have made it possible to better understand the PPL. We experienced an asymptomatic 43-year-old man who was evaluated for infiltrates on both sides discovered incidentallly after a routine chest roentgenogram. He was eventually diagnosed as low-grade B-cell lymphoma of BALT by immunohistochemical staining from specimens obtained by open lung biopsy. He was treated with combination chemotherapy. At follow up 12 mons following initial diagnosis, he remains in stable. We report this case, who showed a relatively favorable prognosis and indolent clinical course compatible with low-grade B-cell lymphoma.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.25 no.3
• /
• pp.221-228
• /
• 1987

The extracellular adenine deaminase from Nocardioides sp. J-275L was purified by the following techniques: ammonium sulfate fractionation, DEAE-Cellulose, DEAE-Sephadex A-50 column chromatography, and Sephacryl S-200 superfine gel filtration. The enzyme was partially purified about 3889.5-fold with about 5.2% yield by these procedures. The molecular weight of the enzyme was 39,000 by a calibrated Sephacryl S-200 superfine column chromatography. The enzyme was stable at pH 7.5 and up to $40^{\circ}C$. Glycerol was effective on the stabilization of the enzyme during storage. The optimum pH and temperature of the enzyme were around pH 7.5 and $40^{\circ}C$, respectively. The apparent Michaelis constant Km of the enzyme for adenine was $7.4\times 10^{-5}$M. The purine analogues, 6-chloropurine, 2,6-diaminopurine, 6-bromopurine, 4-aminopyrazolo [3.4-d]pyrimidine, and 8-azaadenine were substrates for the enzyme. 6-Dimethylaminopurine was a competitive inhibitor of the enzyme. The enzyme was inhibited by 1mM of $Cu^{2+}, Fe^{3+}, Pb^{2+}, Hg^{2+}$, and $Ag^{+}$, and 1mM of $\alpha$,$\alpha$'-dipyridyl, pentachlorophenol, and pCMB.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.33 no.2
• /
• pp.149-156
• /
• 1997

We have employed comparative RFL,P(Restriction Fragment Ixngth Pol~iniorphism) analysis and molecular phylogenetic techniques to investigate the diversity of uncultured microorganisms associated with the anaerobic PCP degradation in PCP-adapted enrichment cultures inoculated by samples from anaerobic cewage sludgc(Jangrim, Pusan) and leachate of landfill site(Kimhae). 16s rDNA cloncs were obtairted by PCR amplification of mixed population DNAs extracted directly from the nonactive and active stage ol each PCP-adapted culture. After three rounds of comparative RFLP analyses. two RFLP types. designated as Ala and Hld, were found prevalent and common in both active stage samples. Thc analysis of phylogenctic diversity bawd on the 5'-terminal 180 nt of sequences from whole clones of the Ala and Bld RFLP types showed close similarity among themselves. In case of Bld clones, 7XQ of them shared identical sequences. Thcse resuliq suggest that the clones of both RFLP types wcre originated from highly affiliated microorganisms which are e~iriched as a result of metabolic activity to PCP. The full-length 16s rRNA sequence of each representative clone from both RFLP types was determined. and an Ala clone w i n found to he related to Clo.strrdiurn ulfutzac~(Genk~ank No. Z69203) and a Bld clone to Thermobacteroides proteolyticus(Genbank No. X09335), with sequence similarities of 89%' and 97%. respectively.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.54 no.2
• /
• pp.98-104
• /
• 2018

Naegleria fowleri and Acanthamoeba spp. are free-living amoebas that are widely distributed in natural environments. Although uncommon, infection with these protozoans can cause fatal disease in humans and animals. In this study, in order to select the appropriate method to survey Naegleria fowleri and Acanthamoeba spp. in water samples, four molecular biology techniques and one commercially available kit for real-time PCR were compared. The results indicated that the duplex real-time PCR was the most sensitive, and could be used to simultaneously detect two different free-living amoebas. Using the duplex real-time PCR approach, the two free-living amoebas were surveyed in three local streams in Daejeon, Republic of Korea. The concentrated free-living amoebas were inoculated onto non-nutrient agar plates which had been spread with heat-inactivated Escherichia coli and incubated for 5~7 days. After incubation, gDNA was extracted and used as the template for amplification by duplex real-time PCR. Acanthamoeba spp. and N. fowleri was detected from ten (83.3%) and two (16.6%) of the twelve samples, respectively. As these two free-living amoebas can be fatal, continuous surveillance is needed to track their distribution in the aquatic environment for the drinking water safety.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
• /
• v.28 no.4
• /
• pp.355-360
• /
• 2013

Precise, rapid and simple methods for species identification in animals are among the most important techniques in the livestock industry and research fields including meat classification. In this study, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based molecular identification using inter species polymorphisms were examined by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis for mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) cytochrome b (CYTB) gene sequences among four mammalian livestock animals (cattle, horse, goat and pig). The results from PCR-RFLP analysis using the AluI restriction enzyme were also provided for the species-specific band patterns among CYTB gene sequences in these four species. The AluI-digestion for CYTB genes provided interesting migration patterns differentially displayed according to each species. Cattle and horse had one AluI-recognition site at different nucleotide positions and their AluI-digested fragments showed different band patterns on the gels. Pig had two AluI-recognition sites within the amplified CYTB sequences and produced three bands on the gels. Goat had no AluI-recognition site and was located at the same position as the uncut PCR product. The results showed the species-specific band patterns on a single gel among the four livestock animal species by AluI-RFLP. In addition, the results from blind tests for the meat samples collected from providers without any records showed the identical information on the species recorded by observing their phenotypes before slaughter. The application of this PCR-RFLP method can be useful and provide rapid, simple, and clear information regarding species identification for various tissue samples originating from tested livestock species.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
• /
• v.57 no.5
• /
• pp.18.1-18.8
• /
• 2015

Background: Quantitative real time reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) is one of the most important techniques for gene-expression analysis in molecular based studies. Selecting a proper internal control gene for normalizing data is a crucial step in gene expression analysis via this method. The expression levels of reference genes should be remained constant among cells in different tissues. However, it seems that the location of cells in different tissues might influence their expression. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the source of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has any effect on expression level of three common reference genes (GAPDH, ${\beta}$-actin and ${\beta}2$-microglobulin) in equine marrow- and adipose-derived undifferentiated MSCs and consequently their reliability for comparative qRT-PCR. Materials and methods: Adipose tissue (AT) and bone marrow (BM) samples were harvested from 3 mares. MSCs were isolated and cultured until passage 3 (P3). Total RNA of P3 cells was extracted for cDNA synthesis. The generated cDNAs were analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR. The PCR reactions were ended with a melting curve analysis to verify the specificity of amplicon. Results: The expression levels of GAPDH were significantly different between AT- and BM-derived MSCs (p < 0.05). Differences in expression level of ${\beta}$-actin (P < 0.001) and B2M (P < 0.006.) between MSCs derived from AT and BM were substantially higher than GAPDH. In addition, the fold change in expression levels of GAPDH, ${\beta}$-actin and B2M in AT-derived MSCs compared to BM-derived MSCs were 2.38, 6.76 and 7.76, respectively. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that GAPDH and especially ${\beta}$-actin and B2M express in different levels in equine AT- and BM-derived MSCs. Thus they cannot be considered as reliable reference genes for comparative quantitative gene expression analysis in MSCs derived from equine bone marrow and adipose tissue.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.16 no.6
• /
• pp.413-422
• /
• 2012

The purpose of this study is to investigated the mechanism of pharmacological action of local anesthetic and provide the basic information about the development of new effective local anesthetics. Fluorescent probe techniques were used to evaluate the effect of lidocaine HCl on the physical properties (transbilayer asymmetric lateral and rotational mobility, annular lipid fluidity and protein distribution) of synaptosomal plasma membrane vesicles (SPMV) isolated from bovine cerebral cortex, and liposomes of total lipids (SPMVTL) and phospholipids (SPMVPL) extracted from the SPMV. An experimental procedure was used based on selective quenching of 1,3-di(1-pyrenyl)propane (Py-3-Py) and 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) by trinitrophenyl groups, and radiationless energy transfer from the tryptophans of membrane proteins to Py-3-Py. Lidocaine HCl increased the bulk lateral and rotational mobility of neuronal and model membrane lipid bilayes, and had a greater fluidizing effect on the inner monolayer than the outer monolayer. Lidocaine HCl increased annular lipid fluidity in SPMV lipid bilayers. It also caused membrane proteins to cluster. The most important finding of this study is that there is far greater increase in annular lipid fluidity than that in lateral and rotational mobilities by lidocaine HCl. Lidocaine HCl alters the stereo or dynamics of the proteins in the lipid bilayers by combining with lipids, especially with the annular lipids. In conclusion, the present data suggest that lidocaine, in addition to its direct interaction with proteins, concurrently interacts with membrane lipids, fluidizing the membrane, and thus inducing conformational changes of proteins known to be intimately associated with membrane lipid.