• Molecules and Cells
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.449-456
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• 2014

The use of synovial fluid-derived mesenchymal stem cells (SFMSCs) obtained from patients with degenerative arthropathy may serve as an alternative therapeutic strategy in osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). For treatment of OA and RA patients, autologous transplantation of differentiated MSCs has several beneficial effects for cartilage regeneration including immunomodulatory activity. In this study, we induced chondrogenic differentiation of SFMSCs by inhibiting protein kinase A (PKA) with a small molecule and microRNA (miRNA). Chondrogenic differentiation was confirmed by PCR and immunocytochemistry using probes specific for aggrecan, the major cartilaginous proteoglycan gene. Absorbance of alcian blue stain to detect chondrogenic differentiation was increased in H-89 and/or miRNA-23b-transfected cells. Furthermore, expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 and MMP-2 was decreased in treated1 cells. Therefore, differentiation of SFMSCs into chondrocytes through inhibition of PKA signaling may be a therapeutic option for OA or RA patients.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.563-568
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• 2006

The properties of mung bean were investigated depending on hydrolysis condition. The results showed that enzyme treatments (${\alpha}$-amylase and protease each at 0.1% (w/w)) by varying hydrolysis temperature showed better properties than non-pretense treatment (control group). The treatment with 0.08% ${\alpha}$-amylase was best for optimum hydrolysis of mung bean starch The treatment using a mixture of 0.08% (w/w) ${\alpha}$-amylase and 0.12% (w/w) protease was best for optimum hydrolysis of meg bean protein. The effects of Hydrolysis time of mung bean showed that the optimum time was 60 and 90 min and there fore the optimum time was set at 60 min. These result showed that the best hydrolysis conditions of mung bean were the treatment at $60^{\circ}C$ for 60 min using a mixture of 0.08%(w/w) ${\alpha}$-amylase and 0.12% (w/w) pretense, with the sugar level shown at $5.8^{\circ}Brix$, reducing sugar at 2,022.13 mg% and crude protein at 7,666.17 mg%.

• The Korean Journal of Malacology
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.109-113
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• 2006

Subcellular localization of a protein containing nuclear localization signals (NLS) has been well studied in many organisms ranging from invertebrates to vertebrates. However, no systematic analysis of NLS-containing proteins available from Mollusks has been reported. Here, we describe in silico screening of NLS-containing proteins using the mollusks database that contains 22,138 amino acids. To screen putative proteins with NLS-motif, we used both predict NLS and perl script. As a result, we have found 266 proteins containing NLS sequences which are about 1.2% out of the entire proteins. On the basis of KOG (The eukaryotic orthologous groups) analysis, we can't predict the precise functions of the NLS-containing proteins. However, we found out that these proteins belong to several types of proteins such as chromatin structure and dynamics, translation, ribosomal structure, biogenesis, and signal transduction mechanism. In addition, we have analysed these sequences based on the classes of mollusks. We could not find many from the species that are the main subjects of phylogenetic studies. In contrast, we noticed that cephalopods has the highest number of NLS-containing proteins. Thus, we have constructed mollusks NLS database and added these information and data to the mollusks database by constructing web interface. Taken together, these information will be very useful for those who are or will be studying NLS-containing proteins from mollusks.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.423-430
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• 2011

This study was carried out to examine the nutritive values and quality of agricultural bag (AG-BAG) silage manufactured with corn grown in reclaimed paddy field of Sukmoon at Dangjin Province in Korea. The cultivars of silage corn used in this experiment 1 were both Kwangpyungok and P32B33. The fertilizer were applied with the amounts of customary applications (200 kg N/ha, 150 kg $P_2O_5$/ha and 150 kg $K_2O$/ha). The content of moisture in corn AG-BAG silage ranged from 68 to 79%. The pH in corn AG-BAG silage stages ranged from 3.49 to 3.65 and was not influenced by the harvest time. The contents of crude protein (CP) in corn AG-BAG silage decreased with delayed harvest time. However, the contents of ADF (acid detergent fiber) and NDF (neutral detergent fiber) increased. The content of lactic acid increased with delayed harvest time, but the content of acetic acid decreased. Therefore, we suggest that the system of AG-BAG silage can improve the quality of corn silage and be one of the economical and effective methods to manufacture corn silage.

• The Korean Journal of Malacology
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.223-230
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• 2009

Metallothioneins (MTs) play a key role in metallic homeostasis and detoxification in most living organisms. In an attempt to study the biological functions and significance of MT in a snail, we cloned and partially characterized the MT gene from the left-handed snail, Physa acutawhich has been regarded as a potential biomonitering species for fresh water. The complete cDNA sequence of PaMT cDNA was identified from the expressed sequence tag (EST) sequencing project of Physa acuta. The coding region of 180 bp gives 60 amino acid residues including the initiation methionine and termination codon. Clustering and phylogenic analysis of PaMT with other MT amino acid sequences show that it has some identities to Helix pomatia (60%), Arianta arbustorum (58%), Perna viridis (49%), Mytilus edulis (49%), Bathymodiolus azoricus (49%), Bathymodiolus azoricus (48%) and Bathymodiolus sp. FD-2002 (48%). Time dependent induction for PaMT from P. acuta exposed with cadmium (50 ppb) indicated that PaMT was induced at 4-8 hr after exposure. It remains to further develop PaMTas a potential biomarker for water contamination in fresh water.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.233-241
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• 2021

Polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN) is known to accelerate wound healing process by acting on specific adenosine receptors. Differently from the PDRN substances obtained so far from piscine tissues, unique PDRN was prepared recently from Porphyra, a seaweed species. In this study, effects of the Porphyra PDRN was evaluated by inducing artificial skin wounds in Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus. The wound recovered almost completely in 2 weeks without any treatment, however only a partial recovery was done after one week. Facilitated healing was observed by PDRN fed for 5 days before wound induction at 10 or 20 mg/kg, against the partially recovered 1-week old wound. The healing effects were identified not only by visual observation, wound area measurement, but also by colorimetric estimations. These novel wound healing effects suggest beneficial therapeutic utility of Porphyra-derived PDRN for wound treatments in fishes occurring from various causes.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.82 no.4
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• pp.348-356
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• 2019

Background: Recently, the number of lung transplants in South Korea has increased. However, the long-term outcome data is limited. In this study, we aimed to investigate the long-term outcomes of adult lung transplantation recipients. Methods: Among the patients that underwent lung transplantation at a tertiary referral center in South Korea between 2008 and 2017, adults patient who underwent deceased-donor lung transplantation with available follow-up data were enrolled. Their medical records were retrospectively reviewed. Results: Through eligibility screening, we identified 60 adult patients that underwent lung (n=51) or heart-lung transplantation (n=9) during the observation period. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (46.7%, 28/60) was the most frequent cause of lung transplantation. For all the 60 patients, the median follow-up duration for post-transplantation was 2.6 years (range, 0.01-7.6). During the post-transplantation follow-up period, 19 patients (31.7%) died at a median duration of 194 days. The survival rates were 75.5%, 67.6%, and 61.8% at 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years, respectively. Out of the 60 patients, 8 (13.3%) were diagnosed with chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD), after a mean duration of $3.3{\pm}2.8years$ post-transplantation. The CLAD development rate was 0%, 17.7%, and 25.8% at 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years, respectively. The most common newly developed post-transplantation comorbidity was the chronic kidney disease (CKD; 54.0%), followed by diabetes mellitus (25.9%). Conclusion: Among the adult lung transplantation recipients at a South Korea tertiary referral center, the long-term survival rates were favorable. The proportion of patients who developed CLAD was not substantial. CKD was the most common post-transplantation comorbidity.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.343-351
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• 2020

BACKGROUND: Irrigation water is known to be one of the major sources of bacterial contamination in agricultural products. In addition, anti-microbial resistance (AMR) bacteria in food products possess serious threat to humans. This study was aimed at investigating the prevalence of foodborne bacteria in irrigation water and evaluating their anti-microbial susceptibility. METHODS AND RESULTS: Surface water (n = 66 sites) and groundwater (n = 40 sites) samples were collected from the Gyeongi and Gangwon provinces of South Korea during April, July, and October 2019. To evaluate the safety of water, fecal indicators (Escherichia coli) and foodborne pathogens (E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp., and Listeria monocytogenes) were examined. E. coli isolates from water were further tested for antimicrobial susceptibility using VITEK2 system. Overall, detection rate of foodborne pathogens in July was highest among three months. The prevalence of pathogenic E. coli (24%), Salmonella (3%), and L. monocytogenes (3%) was higher in surface water, while only one ground water site was contained with pathogenic E. coli (2.5%). Of the 343 E. coli isolates, 22.7% isolates were resistant to one or more antimicrobials (ampicillin (18.7%), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (7.0%), and ciprofloxacin (6.7%)). CONCLUSION: To enhance the safety of agricultural products, it is necessary to frequently monitor the microbial quality of water.

• (The)Study of the Eastern Classic
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• no.32
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• pp.159-187
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• 2008

This article aims to investigate the change of theories of reading and its historical meaning in the later Joseon period. Three scholar who left major theories of reading are mainly analyzed for the sake of it. Park, Se-chae(1631-1695) was a Neo-Confucianist who had the theory of reading named Dokseo-Gungliron(讀書窮理論). It was totally based on the scheme of Neo-Confucianist instruction and concentrated on mastering the moral principles with relishing the sentences of the Confucian Canons. Jeong, Yak-yong(1762-1836) was a Practical learning scholar and then criticized the moral-centric theory of reading of Neo-Confucianism. He valued much of the Confucian Canons but also focused on erudite reading so as to enlarge practical knowledge. Hong, Gil-ju(1786-1841) was a stylist and presented a severe criticism against Neo-Confucianist theory of reading as much. He thought that what we could realize with reading are the principles of the individual, not of the whole. The change of theories of reading in the later Joseon period as above reveals us the fact that the intellectual history of that period was in the process of dynamical change.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.3-18
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• 2023

Background: A chronic disease management program including patient education, recall and remind service, and reduction of out-of-pocket payment was implemented in Korea through a chronic care model. This study aimed to assess the effect of a community-based intervention program for improving medication adherence of patients with diabetes mellitus in rural areas of Korea. Methods: We applied a non-equivalent control group design using Korean National Health Insurance Big Data. Hongcheon County has been continuously adopting this program since 2012 as an intervention region. Hoengseong County did not adopt such program. It was used as a control region. Subjects were a cohort of patients with diabetes mellitus aged more than 65 years but less than 85 years among residents for 11 years from 2010 to 2020. After 1:1 matching, there were 368 subjects in the intervention region and 368 in the control region. Indirect indicators were analyzed using the difference-in-difference regression according to Andersen's medical use model. Results: The increasing percent point of diabetic patients who continuously received insurance benefits for more than 240 days from 2010 to 2014 and from 2010 to 2020 were 2.6%p and 2.7%p in the intervention region and 3.0%p and 3.9%p in the control region, respectively. The number of dispensations per prescription of diabetic patient in the intervention region increased by approximately 4.61% by month compared to that in the control region. Conclusion: The intervention program encouraged older people with diabetes mellitus to receive continuous care for overcoming the rule of halves in the community. More research is needed to determine whether further improvement in the continuity of comprehensive care can prevent the progression of cardiovascular diseases.