• Applied Biological Chemistry
• /
• v.49 no.4
• /
• pp.322-327
• /
• 2006

Food constituents analysis of Acer tegmentosum. Maxim.(Acer TM) stem was carried out according to AOAC method, and the antiradical activity on DPPH and cytotoxicity on human cell lines (AGS, HepG2, A549, MCF-7 and Chang) for the 80% ethylalcohol(EtOH) extracts of Acer TM stem were studied. The antiradical activity on DPPH radical of the ethylacetate(EtOAc) fraction of the bark showed a higher activity than that of $\alpha$-tocopherol, ascorbic acid and BHT. The inhibition activity of the 80% EtOH extracts from Acer TM stem on human cancer cell lines by SRB assay indicated a dose-dependent growth inhibition on most human carcinoma cells. The growth inhibition rate of each human cancer cell line showed 91.3% to AGS, 75.0% to A549, 74.1% to HepG2, and 70.2% to MCF-7 cells, respectively, when the 80% EtOH extract(1 mg/ml) of Acer TM stem was added.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
• /
• v.18 no.4
• /
• pp.194-202
• /
• 1975

This study was conducted to study the properties of the water-soluble natural chelating agents from garbage compost and activated sewage sludge responsible for Fe chelation, which is closely associated with the effectiveness in correcting iron chlorosis in plant. The water-soluble fraction of these materials was fractionated by menas of Sephadex gel filtration and the fractions of Fe chehates were traced by radioactive $^{59}Fe$. The fractions were examined by ultraviolet and infrared. spectroscopy and stability constants for Fe. The water-soluble fraction from garbage compost was separated by Sephadex G-25 into approximately four fractions. Most of the added $^{59}Fe$ was associated with fraction I, which appeared at the void volume. Further fractionation by Sephadex G-50 indicated that the molecular weight of water-soluble chelating agents is in the approximate range of 5000 to 10,000. The water-soluble fraction from activated sewage sludge gave six fractions by Sephadex G-25. Most of the added $^{59}Fe$ was found in the fraction I,II, and III, The molecular weights of most chelating agents associated with $^{59}Fe$ appeared to be less than 5,000 and those of fraction I that appeared at the void volume was in the range of 5,000 to 1,000. Discrepancy between radio activity count and UV absorption indicated the heterogeneity of the fractions obtained by Sephadex gel filtration. Ultraviolet absorption spectra of all fractions separated by Sephadex G-25 and containing chelating agents showed no differences. Fraction IV and V of sewage extract showed absorption maxima and shifting similar to nucleic acid components suggesting the presence of decomposition products of nucleic acid. Similarity fraction VI contained phenolic type amino acid groups. Fraction I of compost extract contained most of the added $^{59}Fe$ and showed weak but extra definite absorption in the 1230, and $1270cm^{-1}$ region, suggesting that extra oxygen groups in polyphenolic structure were probably involved in Fe chelation. In sewage extract, fraction I,II, and III in which most of the $^{59}Fe$ was found, showed strong definite polypeptide absorption in the region of $1540cm^{-1}$ due to NH deformation and C-N stretching of amide groups in the peptidebond. These extra functional groups in fraction I, II, and III appeared to be associated with Fe chelation. The other fractions, not associated with $^{59}Fe$, still have carboxyl and hydroxyl groups, suggesting that these functional groups in these water extracts may not independently form the Fe chelates. Precipitation of ferric hydroxide precluded measuring the stability constants for Fe-chelates. However, the formation constants for Zn chelates as log K values for compost extract and sewage extract at pH 4.0 from which the strength of chelation with Fe could be presumed, were 8.23, and 9.75, respectively, indicating strong complexation with metals. The chelating capacity of compost extract containing 6.5 g organic matter per liter was 0.82 mM, and that of sewage extract containing 5.3 g per liter was 0. 64 mM.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
• /
• v.32 no.2
• /
• pp.104-108
• /
• 1989

A 2.5 ton scale of solar energy concentration blast-grain circulation dryer (SECD) was developed in order to shorten the drying time without damaged paddy. Comparative experiments were carried out on performance, drying efficiency, consistency in moisture content, milling recovery, grade of milled rice, and energy requirement and cost against all that of in-bin drying and storage (IBDS) method. The experiments were performed using mixture of several rice varieties of Tongil type(Japonica-Indica breeding type) under the autumn weather in Korea. The circulating air temperature inside SECD was $4{\sim}5^{\circ}C$ higher than that of IBDS. The moisture content of the paddy during the drying period in SECD was uniform while substantially varied in upper, middle or bottom layer in IBDS. By SECD, 24% initial moisture content of paddy was reduced to 15% after only 3 days of drying as compared to 14 days at IBDS. The percentage of cracked kernels in upper, middle and bottom layers in IBDS was 6, 6 and 12%, respectively, whereas 7% in all layers in SECD. Both types of dryers did not significantly affect the milling recovery of dried paddy and grade of milled rice. Energy requirement of SECD(28.8Kw/2.5ton) for paddy drying was much less than that of IBDS(108Kw/2.5ton).

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
• /
• v.16 no.2
• /
• pp.93-104
• /
• 1996

A field experiment was conducted in Chungju and Jungwon to evaluate growth characteristics, dry matter yield, protein yield and palatability of intercropping comparing with monocropping forage crops by the use of sorghum $\times$ sudangrass hybrid(S.S.H.), five forage soybeans and two forage cowpeas of superior to selected experiment of varieties. All eight treatment plots were replicated three times and cutting date were cut July 6 and September 9. 1. The mean leaf number of S.S.H. in intercropping T2 treatment showed high compared to T1 treatment in all treatment except for Hwangkeum treatment, but T3 treatment was lower than the other treatments. In the leaf number of soybean, Jangbaek treatment was the highest as 47 leaves per plant, cowpea treatments showed high above 50 leaves. The stem diameter of S.S.H. in Jangyeob treatment of T2 treatment was 9.6mm. In legume, cowpea of T3 treatment was high as ranged from 7.9mm to 8.2mm. In stem hardiness of S.S.H., TI treatment was the lower than the other treatments, while Jangbaek treatment of T2 treatment was the highest as $2.0kg/cm^2$. In legume crops, Jangbaek and Baekun treatment were the highest as $1.6kg/cm^2$, but T3 treatment was very low as $0.3~0.6kg/cm^2$. 2. In the mean leaf ratio of S.S.H., T1 treatment was higher than T2 and T3 treatment as 34.9%. In the legume crops, Togyu treatment was the highest as 40.9%. In the mean tiller number of S.S.H., T2 treatment showed high compared to TI treatment, but T3 treatment of was rather decrease than The tiller number of S.S.H. in Jangyeob treatment of T2 treatment was the highest as 4.6 per plant. The dead stubble of S.S.H. was high in order to T3>T1>T2 treatment>, T3 treatment was highly about 2 times compared to T2 treatment. 3. S.S.H. as T3 treatment was resistant to lodging, but T3 and T1 treatment showed highly lodging. In the legums, T3 treatment was resistant to lodging, but T2 treatment showed highly lodging. In the S.S.H. of T2 treatment, the leaf of summer depression was not occurrence, but T3 treatment was higher than the other treatments. 4. The palatability of domestic animals was high in order of T2>Tl>T3, especially Togyu treatment of T2 treatment was the highest at the holstein and deer, and Jangyeob treatment of T2 treatment was the highest in the Korean native cattle. But T3 treatment was lower than other treatments in the holstein and Korean native cattle. 5. Fresh yield of monocropping(T1) was the highest as 94, 650kg/ha, while dry matter yield in Jangyeob treatment of T2 treatment was the highest as 15, 575/ha But fresh yield and dry matter yield of T3 treatment were the lowest(P<0.05). 6. Protein yield in T2 treatment was high, especially Jangyeob treatment of T2 treatment was the highest as 1, 605.5 kg/ha T3 treatment was low in spite of high protein content, because dry matter yield was lower than the other treatments. In conclusion, among T1, T2 and T3 treatment, Jangyeob, Togyu and Baekun treatments of T2 treatment showed optimum varieties for intercropping with S.S.H., because they showed high Dry matter yield, protein yield and palatability.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.191-200
• /
• 2005

Many studies have shown that the development of mouse early 2-cell embryos in vitro is related with the intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ changes. In ICR strain mouse, the development of embryos arrests at early 2-cell stage, but the arrested early 2-cell embryos can be rescued by the addition of $Ca^{2+}$-related materials. Acetylcholine (ACh) increases intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ concentration ([$Ca^{2+}$]i) via the mAChR-PLC-IP3 pathway in mouse oocytes. We examined whether ACh rescues 2-cell block in mouse. In early 2-cell embryos, ACh increased [$Ca^{2+}$]i in a dose-dependent manner (p<0.001), and had an effect on rescue of 2-cell block and embryonic development. To identify the signal pathway involved in ACh-induced rescue of 2-cell block, we first applied an agonist of ACh receptor (AChR). Like ACh, carbachol increased intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ concentration ([$Ca^{2+}$]i) and atropine, an antagonist of ACh receptor, blocked the ACh-induced $Ca^{2+}$ increase. In $Ca^{2+}$-free medium, ACh also increased [$Ca^{2+}$]i, indicating that $Ca^{2+}$ increased by ACh is mainly released from the intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ store. The ACh-induced $Ca^{2+}$ increase was blocked by PLC inhibitor (U73122), ryanodine receptor (RyR) antagonist (dantrolene), and CaM KII inhibitor (KN-93), but not by IP3R antagonists (xestospongin C). These results show that ACh increases intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ concentration via mAChR/PLC/RyR, and this contributes to the rescue of 2-cell block.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
• /
• v.40 no.1
• /
• pp.54-59
• /
• 2012

This study investigates the effect of ${\beta}$-glucans on the growth of Caenorhabditis elegans. Comparison was made among lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and ${\beta}$-glucans extracted from Phellinus baumii, in the presence of peptidoglycans which is available as the major carbon source from OP50, a non-pathogenic strain of Escherichia coli. When the three sources of carbohydrate were added singularly or in mixture to the culture media, a significant level of variation was observed with respect to fecundity. Addition of ${\beta}$-glucans appeared to increase the fecundity. When ${\beta}$-glucans was reinforced in the culture media, the fecundity increased at least 20 percent compared to the OP50-only media which exclusively contains peptidoglycans. In terms of life span, C. elegans showed a modest reduction when treated especially with ${\beta}$-glucans. C. elegans accumulated less fat in the ${\beta}$-glucans containing media different from the OP50 media. Based on the Sudan black staining, fat deposition significantly decreased corresponding to the ${\beta}$-glucans content in the media. On LPS-supplemented media, no difference was observed in fat deposition compared to the normal OP50 media. At the level of motility, ${\beta}$-glucans-treated worms moved more distance as well as LPS-treated worm. They also showed a comparable degree of motility under similar treatment with each source of carbohydrate. In conclusion, LPS and ${\beta}$-glucans, extracted from P. baumii, may not entirely replace the food required for C. elegans; however, it might be utilized as valuable alternative food source which C. elegans use as forms of carbohydrates in stead of peptidoglycan of OP50.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
• /
• v.16 no.2
• /
• pp.142-149
• /
• 2009

Purpose : The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic value of serum procalcitonin (PCT) compared with that of C-reactive protein (CRP) and the total white blood cell count (WBC) in predicting bacterial infections in febrile infants<6 months of age. Methods : A prospective study was performed with infants <6 months of age who were admitted to the Department of Pediatrics with a fever of uncertain source between July and September 2008. Spinal taps were performed according to clinical symptoms and physical examination. Serum PCT levels were measured using an enzyme-linked fluorescent assay. Results : Seventy-one infants (mean age, 2.62 months) were studied. Twenty-six infants (36.6%) had urinary tract infections (UTIs), and 22 infants (31.0%) had viral meningitis. The remaining infants had acute pharyngitis (n=1), herpangina (n=1), upper respiratory tract infections (n=7), acute bronchiolitis (n=8), acute gastroenteritis (n=4), and bacteremia (n=2). The median WBC and CRP levels were significantly higher in infants with UTIs than in infants with viral meningitis. However, there were no differences in the median PCT levels between the groups (0.14 ng/mL vs. 0.11 ng/mL, P=0.419). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.792 (95% CI, 0.65-0.896) for WBC, 0.77 (95% CI, 0.626-0.879) for CRP, and 0.568 (95% CI, 0.417-0.710) for PCT. An elevated WBC count (>11,920/${\mu}L$) and an increased CRP level (>1.06mg/dL) were significant predictors of UTIs based on multiple logistic regression analysis. Conclusion : Serum PCT concentrations should be interpreted with caution in infants <6 months of age with a fever of uncertain source.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
• /
• v.25 no.2
• /
• pp.82-90
• /
• 2018

Purpose: Survival after liver transplantation (LT) has improved over the years, but infection is still a major complication. We aimed to identify the characteristics of bacterial infections in pediatric LT recipients. Methods: This study is a retrospective review of 189 consecutive children undergoing LT between 2000 and 2015 at a single center. In this study, the incidence of infection was determined for the following periods: within 1 month, between 1-5 months, and between 6-12 months. Patients who underwent liver transplants more than once or multiple organ transplants were excluded. Results: All patients had received postoperative antibiotic for 3 days. Only the maintenance immunosuppression with oral tacrolimus and steroids were performed. As a result, 132 bacterial infections developed in 87 (46.0%) patients (0.70 events per person-year). Bacterial infections occurred most frequently within the first month (n=84, 63.6%) after LT. In the pathogens, Staphylococcus aureus (15.2%), Enterococcus species (15.2%), and Klebsiella species (13.6%) were most common. Regarding the organ infected, bloodstream was most common (n=39, 29.5%), followed by peritoneum (n=28, 21.2%), urinary tract (n=25, 18.9%), and lungs (n=20, 15.2%). We changed prophylactic antibiotics from ampicillin-sulbactam to piperacillin-tazobactam at 2011, October, there were no significant effects in the prevalence of antibiotics resistant bacterial infections. The 1-year mortality was 9.0% (n=17), in which 41.2% (n=7) was attributable to bacterial infection; septicemia (n=4), pneumonia (n=2), and peritonitis (n=1). Conclusions: The incidence and type of bacterial infectious complications after LT in pediatric patients were similar to those of previous studies. Bacterial complications affecting mortality occur within 6 months after transplantation, so proper prophylaxis and treatment in this period may improve the prognosis of LT.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
• /
• v.12 no.2
• /
• pp.157-163
• /
• 2008

Purpose : Several studies have reported the recent increase in the incidence of acute poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis(APSGN). The objective of this study is to see changes of clinical findings/manifwstation in children with APSGN. Methods : Medical records of 63 children who were diagnosed with APSGN in the deparment of Pediatrics, Kyungpook National University Hospital, between January 1992 and December 2006 were reviewed retrospectively. We analyzed various clinical characteristics such as age, sex, degrees of proteinuria, degrees of hematuria, and presence or absence of histories of systemic antibiotic use in children with APSGN, and compared the children with APSGN who were diagnosed between 1992 and 2000 to those who were diagnosed between 2001 and 2006. Results : Age of the patients ranged from 2-14 years(median 7.11 years) at the time of disease onset. Study patients consisted of 41 boys and 22 girls. APSGN followed infection of the throat in 87% of cases. Patient developed an acute nephritic syndrome 12 days after an antecedent streptococcal pharyngitis. Forty patients presented with gross hematuria. Fortyone patients had hypertension at the time of diagnosis. Hypertension disappeared within 7.8$\pm$8.2 days, gross hematuria within 11.3$\pm$17.2 days and microscopic hematuria within 3.5$\pm$3.9 months from the disease onset. Patients in 2001-2006 had significantly higher increase of antistreptolysin O(ASO) titer. However, no significant differences in clinical characteristics were observed. Age, sex, severity of proteinuria, gross or microscopic hematuria, antibiotic therapy did not affect the clinical manifestations of glomerulonephritis. In other words, hypertension, duration of hematuria, recovery of serum C3 level are not different between the two time periods. Conclusion : Our data indicates that patients in 2001-2006 had significantly higher level of ASO titer. However, they did not show significant clinical differences. To evaluate the causes of the resurgence of APSGN, a national epidemic is needed.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
• /
• v.12 no.2
• /
• pp.194-201
• /
• 2008

Purpose : Voiding cystourethrography(VCUG) is required to detect vesicoureteral reflux(VUR), which may manifest as urinary tract infection(UTI) in children. It is well known that VCUG can cause UTI(post-VCUG UTI). In this study, risk factors for post-VCUG UTI and the preventive effect of antibiotics against this complication of VCUG were explored. Methods : Medical records of 284 patients who underwent VCUG at our hospital in 2007 were reviewed retrospectively. The incidence of post-VCUG UTI and risk factors for post-VCUG UTI, and the impact of antibiotic use on prevention of post-VCUG UTI were evaluated. According to antibiotics usage, we divided the enrolled patients into 4 groups of noantibiotics group, prophylactic antibiotics group(prophylactic antibiotics having been used before), antibiotics-for-VCUG group(antibiotics added for VCUG) and antibiotics-for-treatment group(treatment dose of antibiotics). Results : Seven of 284 children(2.5%) developed UTI after they underwent VCUG. Highgrade(grade$\geq$III) VUR was the only statistically significant risk factor(odds ratio[OR] 6.266, P=0.026) for post-VCUG UTI, while sex, age, and other anomalies of urinary system were not significant. Five post-VCUG UTI cases belonged to prophylactic antibiotics group. Antibiotics use (three groups using antibiotics vs. no-antibiotics group) or addition of antibiotics for VCUG (antibiotics-for-VCUG vs. other groups) did not have any effect on prevention of post-VCUG UTI. Conclusion : The risk factor for post-VCUG UTI was high-grade VUR. Antibiotics use did not prevent post-VCUG UTI in this study.