• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.72-76
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• 2006

Plasma-derived products are produced from plasma via fractionation and chromatography techniques, but can also be produced by other methods. In the performance of nucleic acid amplification tests (NAT) with plasma-derived products, it is necessary to include an internal control for the monitoring of all procedures. In order to avoid false negative results, we confirmed the usefulness of the bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) for use as an internal control in the detection of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA in plasma-derived products. These products, which were spiked with BVDV, were extracted and then NAT was performed. Specificity and sensitivity were determined via the adjustment of primer concentrations and annealing temperatures. BVDV detection allows for validation in the extraction, reverse transcription, and amplification techniques used for HCV detection in plasma-derived products.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.300.2-301
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• 2002

HCV is transmitted via various plasma-derived medicinal products. The transmission of HCV could. however, be prevented by screening plasma pools with NAT and validating HCV viral clearance during the manufacturing of plasma derivatives, Although various screening methods including commercial kits are available. it is yet to develop an analytical method to detect HCV in both plasma and plasma derivatives. The objective of this study was to develop a reliable in house method for reliable for the HCV RNA detection from plasma and plasma derivatives. (omitted)

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.59-63
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• 2005

A kinetic assay was carried out in order to compare the ability of detection for prekallikrein activator(PKA) in plasma-derived products with that of an endpoint assay and a commercial method. Using these methods, 9 human albumin preparations were assayed and compared to each other. The coefficient of variation between the Kinetic assay and the end point assay was found within 6.6% and this result showed that two methods were highly correlative and the end point assay could act as a replacement of the kinetic assay. Another important goal of this study was to investigate the reproducibility among laboratories on the kinetic assay. A collaborative study was performed to validate the kinetic method with intra and inter assays. The coefficient of variation for the intra assay of each laboratory was less than 4% and that for between individuals in the inter assay was 4.1%. These results revealed that the kinetic assay showed good reproducibility. The contents of PKA in plasma-derived products were also determined by the kinetic assay. As a result, it was found that trace amounts of PKA were present in 32 human immunoglobulin preparations, however the average concentration of PKA in 171 albumin preparations was 5.8 IU/mL.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.293-298
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• 2008

HCV is transmitted via various plasma derived products. Current methods to detect hepatitis C virus (HCV) are based on its antibody detection in the donated blood and plasma. Viral contamination can potentially escape such detection during the window period of infection, when no antibody is present or the level of antibody is too low to detect. It is trying to application of nucleic acid amplification tests (NAT) for the direct detection of HCV. The objective of this study was to develop a reliable NAT for the HCV RNA detection from plasma-derived products. The most useful primers was selected for NAT among 5 sets of primers. We have also found that QIAamp viral RNA isolation kit was the most efficient for HCV RNA isolation. The highest sensitivity and specificity was appeared in $48^{\circ}C$ annealing temperature and 30 pmol of primers. With a spiking of HCV to albumin, immunoglobulins and coagulation factors, NAT can detect up to 100 IU/ml. Meanwhile, COBAS amplicor HCV 2.0 afforded a lower sensitivity in high concentrated intramuscular immunoglobulins to below 500 IU/ml. Our results suggested that NAT appears to be a highly sensitive and specific method for HCV RNA detection in plasma-derived products.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Applied Microbiology Conference
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• 2000.04a
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• pp.186-192
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• 2000

• Journal of Dairy Science and Biotechnology
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.143-150
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• 2004

The osteoporosis is a disease characterized by lower bone mineral content, deterioration of bone tissue and a reduction in the protein and mineral matrix of the bone. The bone becomes more porous leading to increased bone fragility and risk of fracture, particularly of the hip, spine and wrist. Osteoporosis can result in disfigurement, lowered self·esteem, reduction or loss of mobility, and decreased independence. Adequate calcium intake through milk and milk products in childhood and adolescence is a decisive marker for obtaining a maximum bone mass (peak adult bone mass) and f3r the prevention of osteoporosis. Calcium is one of the most critical nutrients associated with the osteoporosis. Dietary calcium is of great significance for healthy skeletal growth and development. The bone mineral content and bone mineral density of young adults is directly related to the calcium intake through milk and dairy products. Milk and milk products are the important sources of calcium as the richness and bioavailability of this nutrient is very high as compared to other food products. If enough calcium is not supplemented through diet, calcium from the bone will be depleted to maintain the blood plasma calcium level. The article focuses on the various issues related to osteoporosis manifestation and the role of dietary calcium especially calcium derived from dairy products.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.19-23
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• 2010

Recently, marine organisms are emerging as a leading group for identifying and extracting novel bioactive substances. These substances are known to possess a potential regarding not only as a source of pharmaceutical products but also their beneficial effects on humans. Among the substances, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) specifically have attracted considerable interest for possible use in the development of new antibiotics. AMPs are characterized by relatively short cationic peptides containing the ability to adopt a structure in which cationic or hydrophobic amino acids are spatially scattered. Although a few reports address novel marine organisms-derived AMPs, their antimicrobial mechanism(s) are still remain unknown. In this review, we summarized the peptides previously investigated, such as Pleurocidin, Urechistachykinins, Piscidins and Arenicin-1. These peptides exhibited significant antimicrobial activities against human microbial pathogens without remarkable hemolytic effects against human erythrocytes, and their mode of actions are based on permeabilization of the plasma membrane of the pathogen. Therefore, the study of antimicrobial peptides derived from marine organisms may prove to be useful in the design of future therapeutic antimicrobial drugs.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.105-119
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• 2024

Purpose: The atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) is gaining recognition as a superior predictor of coronary artery disease. This study examined the relationship between the AIP and the intake of various food groups in Korean adults, using the baseline data from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study-The Health Examinees (KoGES-HEXA) study. Methods: This study included 133,381 adults (46,288 men, 87,093 women) who completed the nutrition survey and biochemical tests of the KoGES-HEXA study. The AIP was calculated as the log (triglycerides/high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol) and was divided into quintiles according to sex for further analysis. Data on food group intake were obtained using the semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire, and daily food group intake (g/d) was evaluated for each individual. The association between the food group intake and the AIP was examined using the linear regression analysis after adjusting for the confounding variables. Results: In this study population, there was a positive correlation between energy intake and the AIP in men whereas an inverse assocation was shown in women (p < 0.001). In women, a rise in the AIP significantly correlated with an increased percentage of energy intake derived from carbohydrates but decreased percentages of energy from protein and fat (p < 0.001). In men and women, the consumption of grains and kimchi/pickles increased as the AIP rose, while the intake of legumes, nuts, meat and its products, eggs, fish, and milk and dairy products decreased. Among men, individuals in the highest AIP group showed higher intake of wheat products than those in the lowest group of the AIP. In women, the AIP was inversely correlated with potatoes and beverages consumption. Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of a balanced diet, including various protein sources, milk and dairy products, legumes, and nuts, for preventing cardiovascular diseases. Further research into sex-specific dietary patterns is essential for tailoring appropriate dietary recommendations.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.79-88
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• 2010

Spent $UO_2$ nuclear fuel discharged from a nuclear power plant (NPP) contains fission products, U, Pu, and other actinides. Due to neutron capture by $^{238}U$ in the rim region and a temperature gradient between the center and the rim of a fuel pellet, a considerable increase in the concentration of fission products, Pu, and other actinides are expected in the pellet periphery of high burnup fuel. The characterization of the radial profiles of the various isotopic concentrations is our main concern. For an analysis, spent nuclear fuels originating from the Yeonggwang-2 pressurized water reactor (PWR) were chosen as the test specimens. In this work, the distributions of some actinide isotopes were measured from center to rim of the spent fuel specimens by a radiation shielded laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (LA-ICP-MS) system. Sampling was performed along the diameter of the specimen by reducing the sampling intervals from 500 ${\mu}m$ in the center to 100 ${\mu}m$ in the pellet periphery region. It was observed that the isotopic concentration ratios for minor actinides in the center of the specimen remain almost constant and increase near the pellet periphery due to the rim effect apart from the $^{236}U$ to $^{235}U$ ratio, which remains approximately constant. In addition, the distributions of local burnup were derived from the measured isotope ratios by applying the relationship between burnup and isotopic ratio for plutonium and minor actinides calculated by the ORIGEN2 code.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.797-804
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• 2000

The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Tat is one of the viral gene products essential for HIV replication. The exogenous Tat protein is transduced through the plasma membrane and then accumulated in a cell. The basic domain of the Tat protein, which is rich in arginine and lysine residues and called the protein transduction domain (PTD), has been identified to be responsible for this transduction activity. To better understand the nature of the transduction mediated by this highly basic domain of HIV-1 Tat, the Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) was expressed and purified as a fusion protein with a peptide derived from the HIV-1 Tat basic domain in Escherichia coli. The transduction of Tat-GFP into mammalian cells was then determined by a Western blot analysis and fluorescence microscopy. The cells treated with Tat-GFP exhibited dose- and time-dependent increases in their intracellular level of the protein. the effective transduction of denatured Tat-GFP into both the nucleus and the cytoplasm of mammalian cells was also demonstrated, thereby indicating that the unfolding of the transduced protein is required for efficient transduction. Accordingly, the availability of recombinant Tat-GFP can facilitate the simple and specific identification of the protein transduction mediated by the HIV-1 Tat basic domain in living cells either by fluorescence microscopy or by a fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis.