• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.488-492
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• 2012

Two strains, traditionally referred to as rock flower (Bawhi-kot) and buckwheat flower (Memil-kot or Chile-Kot), were isolated from stored traditional soy sauce and were identified by using the 18S ITS1/4 region sequences. The rock flower strain showed 99% of similarity with Cladosporium sp. and buckwheat flower strain was 99% identical with yeast Sterigmatomyces halophilus. Both strains were tentatively named Cladosporium sp. NK1 and Sterigmatomyces halophilus NK2, respectively. The optimal growth pHs and temperatures of both strains in a YPD broth medium were in the range of pH 5.0 to 7.0 and 22 to $27^{\circ}C$. Both strains were able to grow in more than 20% of NaCl. In the enzyme activity assay, high protease activity of Cladosporium sp. NK1 and S. halophilus NK2 were obtained in YPD containing 10% of NaCl. High amylase activities of both stains were in 15% and 5% of NaCl, respectively. Lipase activity was, however, not detected in both strains.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.553-563
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• 2011

This experiment was conducted to determine the effect of nattokinase (NK) additives on milk production and composition, and blood metabolites in dairy cows. The two kinds of nattokinase with high fibrinolytic activity were produced by two strains of bacteria, Bacillus amyloliquefacines (NK1) and Bacillus subtilis (NK2). Total fifteen Holstein cows (average $1.83{\pm}0.37$ parity; average milk yield $23.2{\pm}3.2$ kg/d) were randomly assigned to three treatments (5 animals per treatment). Cows were fed TMR supplemented with 0g, 100g and 100g for control, NK1 and NK2 treatment, respectively for 4 weeks. Milk yield was significantly higher (p<0.05) for NK1 (22.89 kg/d) than for control (21.07 kg/d) and NK2 (21.36 kg/d). Somatic cell counts in NK treatments were significantly lower than that in control group (58,000 vs. 21,000 and 35,000 cells/ml, control vs. NK1 and NK2). Serum ALT levels in all treatment were similar to the range of 32.00~35.83 IU/L, but AST levels in NK1 (85.67 IU/L) was significantly decreased compared with those in control and NK2 (121.67 and 117.67 IU/L respectively). Serum T-CHO levels in NK1 (145.33 mg/dl) was significantly decreased (p<0.05) compared with that in control (179.00 mg/dl) and NK2 (176.17 mg/dl). This finding showed that NK1 additives could possibly have a positive effect in lactation performance of mid-lactation dairy cows by increasing milk yield, reducing somatic cell count, improving liver function and decreasing cholesterol in blood.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.22.1-22.15
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• 2023

Alcoholic liver cirrhosis (ALC) is caused by chronic alcohol overconsumption and might be linked to dysregulated immune responses in the gut-liver axis. However, there is a lack of comprehensive research on levels and functions of innate lymphocytes including mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells, NKT cells, and NK (NK) cells in ALC patients. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine the levels and function of these cells, evaluate their clinical relevance, and explore their immunologic roles in the pathogenesis of ALC. Peripheral blood samples from ALC patients (n = 31) and healthy controls (HCs, n = 31) were collected. MAIT cells, NKT cells, NK cells, cytokines, CD69, PD-1, and lymphocyte-activation gene 3 (LAG-3) levels were measured by flow cytometry. Percentages and numbers of circulating MAIT cells, NKT cells, and NK cells were significantly reduced in ALC patients than in HCs. MAIT cell exhibited increased production of IL-17 and expression levels of CD69, PD-1, and LAG-3. NKT cells displayed decreased production of IFN-γ and IL-4. NK cells showed elevated CD69 expression. Absolute MAIT cell levels were positively correlated with lymphocyte count but negatively correlated with C-reactive protein. In addition, NKT cell levels were negatively correlated with hemoglobin levels. Furthermore, log-transformed absolute MAIT cell levels were negatively correlated with the Age, Bilirubin, INR, and Creatinine score. This study demonstrates that circulating MAIT cells, NKT cells, and NK cells are numerically deficient in ALC patients, and the degree of cytokine production and activation status also changed. Besides, some of their deficiencies are related to several clinical parameters. These findings provide important information about immune responses of ALC patients.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.500-509
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• 2019

The study looked at the effect of body food on stress reduction and NK cell activity in improving natural healing for nurses, and examined whether it is effective in preventing and curing human health. The study was conducted for 30 days on 22 nurses who currently worked for more than a year at a general hospital in Gyeonggi Province. Stress measurements were conducted through pulse wave measuring instrument, and blood tests were conducted on the activity of NK cells. Treatment of collected data was performed by Paired t-testing through the Stat program SPSS 21 and providing body food suitable for the physical quality of participants after the classification of the body based on the internal diameter of the emperor and scholarship. Studies have shown that the effect on reducing the stress of body food has significant positive effects and that body food is effective for the activity of NK cells. This study has the following significance: First, the main health threat factor for modern people is the increased resistance of natural healing through body food to stress, which has the potential to prevent disease. Second, immunodeficiency in disease prevention and treatment is very important, which can increase the natural healing power of the human body by increasing the activity of NK cells through body food.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.199-207
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• 2009

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to compare the decidual NK cell populations between increased pre-conceptional peripheral NK cell population and normal pre-conceptional peripheral NK cell population in women with a history of recurrent abortion. Methods: Fourteen women with history of recurrent abortion and elevated pre-conceptional peripheral NK cell, above 15% of peripheral lymphocyte population were included in this study. As a control, twelve women with history of recurrent abortion and their peripheral NK cell percentage showed below 15% were included. Distribution of $CD56^+$ and $CD16^+$ NK cells in paraffin embedded decidual tissues including implantation sites were examined by immunohistochemical staining using anti-CD56, 16 monoclonal antibodies. After immuohistochemical staining, the numbers of decidual NK cells were counted and compared these results between study and control groups. Results: There was significant difference in decidual $CD56^+$ NK cell count ($170.1{\pm}132.1$ vs. $68.3{\pm}66.1$, p=0.02) between increased peripheral $CD56^+$ NK cell group and control group. But, there showed no statistically significant correlation between decidual $CD56^+$ NK cell count and peripheral $CD56^+$ NK cell percentage (r=0.229, p=0.261). Also there was no statistically difference decidual $CD16^+$ NK cell count between study and control group ($25.70{\pm}11.72$ vs. $31.17{\pm}22.67$), and no correlation between decidual $CD16^+$ NK cell and peripheral $CD16^+$ NK cell percentage (r=-1.40, p=0.535). Conclusions: This study shows that decidual $CD56^+$ NK cell are significantly increased in decidua of women exhibiting a history of recurrent abortion with increased $CD56^+$ peripheral NK cell. This study suggests that the percentage of peripheral NK cell reflect the expression of decidual NK cell. Consequently, pre-conceptional peripheral blood NK cell population can be the useful marker for detecting the risk of subsequent miscarriage.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.106-113
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• 2014

In the present study, we investigated anti-cancer effect of snake venom activated NK cells (NK-92MI) in lung cancer cell lines. We used snake venom ($4{\mu}g/ml$) treated NK-92MI cells to co-culture with lung cancer cells. There was a further decrease in cancer cell growth up to 65% and 70% in A549 and NCI-H460 cell lines respectively, whereas 30-40% was decreased in cancer cell growth by snake venom or NK-92MI alone treatment. We further found that the expression of various apoptotic proteins such as that Bax, and cleaved caspase-3 as well as the expression of various death receptor proteins like DR3, DR4 and Fas was also further increased. Moreover, consistent with cancer cell growth inhibition, the DNA binding activity of NF-${\kappa}B$ was also further inhibited after treatment of snake venom activated NK-92MI cells. Thus, the present data showed that activated NK cells could further inhibit lung cancer cell growth.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.22
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• pp.9667-9672
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• 2014

Background: Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is a malignant gastrointestinal cancer with significant morbidity and mortality. Despite severe side effects of chemotherapy, the use of immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy has emerged as a common clinical treatment. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of the combined doxorubicin and interferon-${\alpha}$ (IFN-${\alpha}$) therapy on murine pancreatic cancer Panc02 cells in vitro and in vivo and underlying mechanisms. Materials and Methods: A Panc02-bearing mouse model was established to determine whether doxorubicin and interferon-${\alpha}$ (IFN-${\alpha}$) could effectively inhibit tumor growth in vivo. Cytotoxicity of natural killer (NK) cells and cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) was evaluated using a standard LDH release assay. To evaluate the relevance of NK cells and CD8 T cells to the combination therapy-mediated anti-tumor effects, they were depleted in tumor-bearing mice by injecting anti-asialo-GM-1 antibodies or anti-CD8 antibodies, respectively. Finally, the influence of doxorubicin+interferon-${\alpha}$ (IFN-${\alpha}$) on the ligands of NK and T cells was assessed by flow cytometry. Results: The combination therapy group demonstrated a significant inhibition of growth of Panc02 in vivo, resulting from activated cytotoxicity of NK cells and CTLs. Depleting CD8 T cells or NK cells reduced the anticancer effects mediated by immunochemotherapy. Furthermore, the doxorubicin+IFN-a treatment increased the expression of major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC I) and NKG2D ligands on Panc02 cells, suggesting that the combined therapy may be a potential strategy for enhancing immunogenicity of tumors. All these data indicate that the combination therapy using doxorubicin and interferon-${\alpha}$ (IFN-${\alpha}$) may be a potential strategy for treating pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.1661-1675
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• 2016

Objectives: Can addition of neurokinin-1 receptor antagonists (NK1-RAs) be considered as an ideal strategy for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV)? Researchers differ on this question. Materials and Methods: Electronic databases were searched for randomized control trials (RCTs) that evaluated the effectiveness and safety of NK1-RAs in preventing CINV. The primary end point was complete response (CR) in the acute, delayed, and overall phases after chemotherapy. Subgroup analyses evaluated the types of NK1-RAs, routines of administration, types of malignancies, regimens used in combination with NK1-RAs, and age of patients included in the studies. The incidences of different types of adverse events were also extracted to estimate the safety of NK1-RAs. Results: A total of 38 RCTs involving 13,923 patients were identified. The CR rate of patients receiving NK-RAs was significantly higher than patients in the control groups during overall phase (70.8% vs 56.0%, P<0.001), acute phase (85.1% vs 79.6%, P<0.001), and delayed phase (71.4% vs 58.2%, P<0.001). There were three studies including patients of children or adolescents, the CR rate was also significantly higher in the treatment group (overall phase: OR=2.807, P<0.001; acute phase: OR=2.863, P =0.012; delayed phase: OR=2.417, P<0.001). For all the other outcomes, patients in the NK1-RAs groups showed improvements compared to the control groups (incidence of nausea: 45.2% vs 45.9%, P<0.001; occurrence of vomiting: 22.6% vs 38.9%, P<0.001; usage of rescue drugs: 23.5% vs 34.1%, P<0.001). The pooled side effects from NK1-RAs did not significantly differ from previous reports and the toxicity rates in patients less than eighteen years old also did not diff between the two groups (P=0.497). However, we found that constipation and insomnia were more common in the patients of control groups, whereas diarrhea and hiccups were more frequently detected in patients receiving NK1-RAs. Conclusions: NK1-RAs improved the CR rate of CINV. They are effective for both adults and children. The use of NK1-RAs might be associated with the appearance of diarrhea and hiccups, while decreasing the possibility of constipation and insomnia.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.140-146
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• 1993

A colostral protein that augments natural killer (NK) cell activity was isolated from bovine colostrum. This protein, designated matemal immunity enhancing factor (MIEF), increased NK cell-mediated cytotxicity against human tumor targets wheb added to cultures of resting peripheral blood lymphocytes. The NK cell stimulatory activity of the MIEF was demonstrated at the concentrations as low as 0.1-0.01 $\mu$g/ml. Purified MIEF showed an apparent molecular weight of 22,000 in SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The unusual biochemical characteristics of the MIEF distinguish it from other cytokines. The MIEF was soluble at a cold tgemperature, and precipitated by raising the temperature. This themal precipitability was reversible, and dependent on the concentration, pH and ionic strength. Maximal precipitation was observed at neutral pH, and higher ionic strength.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.233-239
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• 1991

Phellinus linteus was examined for its anticancer activity using an animal model. Water extract of Phellinus linteus was prepared from artificially cultivated mycelia. Neither toxicity nor abnormal changes of hematological parameters were observed in the rat given orally with high doses of drug extract for 15 days. ICR mice were transplanted with Sarcoma-180 tumor cells intraperitoneally and drug extract was daily given to the mice from 1 day after tumer transplantation for 3 weeks. Administration of drug extract significantly prolonged the survival duration of Sarcoma 180-transplanted mice. For the better understanding of the anticancer activity, we have examined the effect of the drug extract administration on various killer cell functions, such as natural killer(NK) cells, cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTL) and macrophages which have been known to be main effector cells in immune responses against tumors. The results from the 4 hr $^{51}Cr-release$ assay have shown that the drug extract augments mouse NK cell activity but neither CTL nor macrophages. It is possible, then, that the anticancer activity of the Phellinus linteus may be associated with augmentation of NK cell function in the cancerated hosts.