• Title/Summary/Keyword: Primary Activity

Search Result 1,582, Processing Time 0.031 seconds

Characterization of Laccase Purified from Korean Pycnoporus cinnabarinus SCH-3 (한국산 주걱송편버섯(Pycnoporus cinnabarinus) SCH-3로부터 정제 된 Laccase의 특성)

  • Park, Eun-Hye;Yoon, Kyung-Ha
    • The Korean Journal of Mycology
    • /
    • v.31 no.2
    • /
    • pp.59-66
    • /
    • 2003
  • Laccase produced by Pycnoporus cinnabarinus SCH-3 isolated from Korea was partially purified using ultrafiltration, anion exchange chromatography and affinity chromatography, The laccase was produced as the predominant extracellular phenoloxidase during primary metabolism. Neither lignin peroxidase nor manganese-dependent peroxidase were detected in the culture fluid. In order to examine the effect of inducers in laccase production, 2,5-xylidine was added in the culture of Pycnoporus cinnabarinus SCH-3. Addition of 2,5-xylidine enhanced 25-fold laccase production. Purified laccase was a single polypeptide having a molecular mass of approximately 66 kDa, as determined by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and carbohydrate content of 9%. $K_{m}\;and\;V_{max}$ values for laccase with ABTS [2,2-azinobis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline 6-sulfonic acid)] as a substrate (Lineweaver-Burk plot) was determined to be $44.4{\mu}M\;and\;56.0{\mu}mole$, respectively. The optimal pH for laccase activity was found to be 3.0. The enzyme was very stable for 1 hour at $60{\circ}C$. Half-life ($t_{1/2}$) of the enzyme was about 10 min at $80{\circ}C$. Spectroscopic analysis of purified enzyme indicated that the enzyme was typical of copper-containing protein. Substrate specificity and inhibitor studies for laccase also indicated to be a typical fungal laccase. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the P. cinnabarinus SCH-3 laccase showed 94% of homology to the N-terminal sequences of laccases from P. cinnabarinus PB and P. coccineus.

Spatio-Temporal Incidence Modeling and Prediction of the Vector-Borne Disease Using an Ecological Model and Deep Neural Network for Climate Change Adaption (기후 변화 적응을 위한 벡터매개질병의 생태 모델 및 심층 인공 신경망 기반 공간-시간적 발병 모델링 및 예측)

  • Kim, SangYoun;Nam, KiJeon;Heo, SungKu;Lee, SunJung;Choi, JiHun;Park, JunKyu;Yoo, ChangKyoo
    • Korean Chemical Engineering Research
    • /
    • v.58 no.2
    • /
    • pp.197-208
    • /
    • 2020
  • This study was carried out to analyze spatial and temporal incidence characteristics of scrub typhus and predict the future incidence of scrub typhus since the incidences of scrub typhus have been rapidly increased among vector-borne diseases. A maximum entropy (MaxEnt) ecological model was implemented to predict spatial distribution and incidence rate of scrub typhus using spatial data sets on environmental and social variables. Additionally, relationships between the incidence of scrub typhus and critical spatial data were analyzed. Elevation and temperature were analyzed as dominant spatial factors which influenced the growth environment of Leptotrombidium scutellare (L. scutellare) which is the primary vector of scrub typhus. A temporal number of diseases by scrub typhus was predicted by a deep neural network (DNN). The model considered the time-lagged effect of scrub typhus. The DNN-based prediction model showed that temperature, precipitation, and humidity in summer had significant influence factors on the activity of L. scutellare and the number of diseases at fall. Moreover, the DNN-based prediction model had superior performance compared to a conventional statistical prediction model. Finally, the spatial and temporal models were used under climate change scenario. The future characteristics of scrub typhus showed that the maximum incidence rate would increase by 8%, areas of the high potential of incidence rate would increase by 9%, and disease occurrence duration would expand by 2 months. The results would contribute to the disease management and prediction for the health of residents in terms of public health.

Effect of treadmill exercise on autophagy related protein expression in the cardiac muscle of high-fat diet fed rats (트레드밀 운동이 고지방 식이 쥐 심근세포의 자가포식 관련 단백질 발현에 미치는 영향)

  • Jeong, Jae-Hoon;Kang, Eun-Bum
    • Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
    • /
    • v.37 no.1
    • /
    • pp.91-101
    • /
    • 2020
  • The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of obesity on the expression of autophagy-related proteins in cardiac muscle. To this end, obesity was induced in rats through 20 weeks of high-fat diet, and the animals were then subjected to 8 weeks of treadmill exercise. Subsequently, the expression of proteins that regulate the induction of autophagy, formation of autophagosome, and fusion of autophagosome and lysosome was confirmed. Obesity was induced in the experimental animals (SD rats) through 20 weeks of high-fat diet (carbohydrate: 20%, fat: 60%, and protein: 20%), and they were subsequently subjected to 8 weeks of treadmill exercise (5 days/week, 30 min/day, 5 minutes; 8m/min, 5 minutes; 11m/min, 20 minutes; 14m/min). The experimental groups comprised the normal diet control group (ND-CON, n=10), high-fat diet comparison group (HFD-CON, n=10), and high-fat exercise group (HFD-TE, n=10). Oral glucose tolerance test was conducted before and after 8 weeks of treadmill exercise, and the area under the curve (AUC) was calculated. Through fasting insulin and fasting glucose levels, HOMA-IR, which is an index of insulin resistance, and abdominal visceral fat/body weight (AVF/BW) were calculated for comparison. Moreover, autophagy-related proteins were analyzed from cardiac tissue to investigate the effects of exercise training. Obesity was successfully induced in the HFD-CON group through long-term high-fat diet, and the HFD-CON group had higher body weight, AUC, HOMA-IR, and AVF/BW compared to the ND-CON group. The HFD-TE group, which underwent 8 weeks of treadmill exercise, showed improvements in AUC, HOMA-IR, and AVF/BW. Although the body weight tended to decrease as well, there was no statistically significant difference. mTOR and AMPK, which are involved in the induction of autophagy, both decreased in obesity but increased upon exercise. Beclin-1, BNIP3, ATG-7, p62, and LC3, which are related to the formation of autophagosomes, all increased in obesity and decreased after exercise. Cathepsin L and LAMP2, which regulate the fusion of autophagosome and lysosome, both decreased in obesity and increased upon exercise. Physical activity, including treadmill exercise, was found to induce normal autophagy and improve pathological phenomena observed in metabolic diseases. Therefore, the findings suggest the need to consider treadmill exercise as a primary means to achieve effective prevention and treatment of cardiac diseases.

A Study about the Direction and Responsibility of the National Intelligence Agency to the Cyber Security Issues (사이버 안보에 대한 국가정보기구의 책무와 방향성에 대한 고찰)

  • Han, Hee-Won
    • Korean Security Journal
    • /
    • no.39
    • /
    • pp.319-353
    • /
    • 2014
  • Cyber-based technologies are now ubiquitous around the glob and are emerging as an "instrument of power" in societies, and are becoming more available to a country's opponents, who may use it to attack, degrade, and disrupt communications and the flow of information. The globe-spanning range of cyberspace and no national borders will challenge legal systems and complicate a nation's ability to deter threats and respond to contingencies. Through cyberspace, competitive powers will target industry, academia, government, as well as the military in the air, land, maritime, and space domains of our nations. Enemies in cyberspace will include both states and non-states and will range from the unsophisticated amateur to highly trained professional hackers. In much the same way that airpower transformed the battlefield of World War II, cyberspace has fractured the physical barriers that shield a nation from attacks on its commerce and communication. Cyberthreats to the infrastructure and other assets are a growing concern to policymakers. In 2013 Cyberwarfare was, for the first time, considered a larger threat than Al Qaeda or terrorism, by many U.S. intelligence officials. The new United States military strategy makes explicit that a cyberattack is casus belli just as a traditional act of war. The Economist describes cyberspace as "the fifth domain of warfare and writes that China, Russia, Israel and North Korea. Iran are boasting of having the world's second-largest cyber-army. Entities posing a significant threat to the cybersecurity of critical infrastructure assets include cyberterrorists, cyberspies, cyberthieves, cyberwarriors, and cyberhacktivists. These malefactors may access cyber-based technologies in order to deny service, steal or manipulate data, or use a device to launch an attack against itself or another piece of equipment. However because the Internet offers near-total anonymity, it is difficult to discern the identity, the motives, and the location of an intruder. The scope and enormity of the threats are not just focused to private industry but also to the country's heavily networked critical infrastructure. There are many ongoing efforts in government and industry that focus on making computers, the Internet, and related technologies more secure. As the national intelligence institution's effort, cyber counter-intelligence is measures to identify, penetrate, or neutralize foreign operations that use cyber means as the primary tradecraft methodology, as well as foreign intelligence service collection efforts that use traditional methods to gauge cyber capabilities and intentions. However one of the hardest issues in cyber counterintelligence is the problem of "Attribution". Unlike conventional warfare, figuring out who is behind an attack can be very difficult, even though the Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has claimed that the United States has the capability to trace attacks back to their sources and hold the attackers "accountable". Considering all these cyber security problems, this paper examines closely cyber security issues through the lessons from that of U.S experience. For that purpose I review the arising cyber security issues considering changing global security environments in the 21st century and their implications to the reshaping the government system. For that purpose this study mainly deals with and emphasis the cyber security issues as one of the growing national security threats. This article also reviews what our intelligence and security Agencies should do among the transforming cyber space. At any rate, despite of all hot debates about the various legality and human rights issues derived from the cyber space and intelligence service activity, the national security should be secured. Therefore, this paper suggests that one of the most important and immediate step is to understanding the legal ideology of national security and national intelligence.

  • PDF

A Study on Pulmonary Toxic Effect of High-Dose Cisplatin Administered by Isolated Lung Perfusion in Dogs (잡견에서 분리폐관류 방법으로 투여된 고농도 cisplatin의 페독성에 관한 연구)

  • 김관민;한정호;김주현
    • Journal of Chest Surgery
    • /
    • v.33 no.9
    • /
    • pp.697-706
    • /
    • 2000
  • Background: Isolated lung perfusion(ILP) was developed as a new treatment approach to non-resectable primary or metastatic lung cancer, because of its ability to reduce systemic toxicity while delivering high-dose chemotherapeutic agents to the target organs. This research was planned to evaluate the direct toxic effect of high-dose cisplatin to the lung tissue during isolated lung perfusion. Material and Method: Fifteen mongrel dogs were divided in the perfusate for 40 minutes. The second group was composed of 5 mongrel dogs which underwent ILP with cisplatin 2.5 mg/Kg added to the perfusate for 30 minutes and 10 minutes with washing solution without cisplatin. The third group underwent the same procedure as the second group except cisplatin 5.0 mg/Kg in the perfusate. Activities of serum angiotensin converting enzyme(ACE), tumor necrosis factor-$\alpha$(TNF-$\alpha$), and concentration of serum lactate dehydrogenase(LDH) and blood urea nitrogen/creatinine (BUN/Cr) were analyzed in each groups at the time of pre-perfusion, 1 hour, 1 day, 1 week, and 2 weeks after ILP. Result: Serum ACE activities before and 1 hour, 1 day, 1 week, and 2 weeks after ILP in control group were 45.1$\pm$6.3, 44.6$\pm$9.3, 46.7$\pm$9.5, 50.8$\pm$9.1, 46.1$\pm$4.3 U/L. Those in cisplatin 2.5 and 5.0 mg/Kg groups were 49.4$\pm$12.6, 39.0$\pm$8.6, 42.3$\pm$15.9, 50.0$\pm$2.6, 53.8$\pm$8.3 and 55.5$\pm$12.3, 47.0$\pm$6.3, 45.1$\pm$6.9, 74.8$\pm$19.5, 60.2$\pm$12.0 U/L, respectively. Serum TNF-$\alpha$ activities in each group before and after ILP were 5.0$\pm$1.5 / 7.7$\pm$2.2 / 6.6$\pm$2.5 / 4.3$\pm$1.3 / 5.2$\pm$1.1(control), 8.7$\pm$1.6 / 9.9$\pm$2.2 / 7.9$\pm$1.5 / 6.3$\pm$2.2 / 7.4$\pm$2.4 (cisplatin 2.5 mg/Kg), and 6.9$\pm$0.7 / 8.9$\pm$3.4 / 7.9$\pm$4.0 / 3.3$\pm$0.9 / 5.8$\pm$1.3 pg/ml(cisplatin 5.0 mg/Kg). Mean LDH levels of each group were 225.7 / 271.3 / 328.9 / 350.8 / 255.7(control), 235.7 / 265.7 / 336.0 / 379.5 / 299.2 (cisplatin 2.5 mg/Kg), and 259.6 / 285.2 / 340.6 / 433.4 / 292.4 IU/L(cisplatin 5.0 mg/Kg). So there was no significant difference in serum ACE, TNF-$\alpha$, and LDH activity changes after ILP between the 3 groups. And, there was no significant changes in BUN/Cr in each groups, which was independent of ILP and perfused concentration of cisplatin. In addition, all dogs survived the ILP and there was no significant evidence of pulmonary vascular injury after 2 weeks of ILP with cisplatin. Conclusion: There was no harmful effect of cisplatin to the lund tissue of the mongrel dog up to 5.0 mg/Kg in perfusate. Therefore, it is perceived to be safe and effective to deliver high-dose cisplatin to the lung without pulmonary toxicity and renal damage with ILP.

  • PDF

Quality of Life among Family Caregivers of Terminal Cancer Patient (말기 암 환자 가족 간병인의 삶의 질)

  • Jung, Jin-Gyu;Kim, Sung-Soo;Kang, Dong-Soo;Kim, Sung-Min;Lee, Dong-Hoon;Han, Kyung-Hee;Kim, Jong-Sung
    • Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
    • /
    • v.9 no.1
    • /
    • pp.1-10
    • /
    • 2006
  • Purpose: Terminal cancer influences on patients as well as their family members. This research was performed to evaluate the quality of lift of primary family caregivers and to investigate the influencing factors. Methods: The results of survey were collected from 81 family caregivers who were taking care of hospitalized terminal cancer patients at an oncology department of university hospital in Daejeon from March 2005 to January 2006 with questionnaires. The questionnaires were consisted of the general characteristics of the subjects, and 36-items short-form Health Survey (SE-36) Korean version to evaluate the quality of life of family caregivers, the characteristics of patients and family caregivers' caring trait. Results: Family caregivers' mean (${\pm}SD$) SF-36 score was 47.9 (${\pm}20.7$). Influential factors on family caregivers' life quality were daily raring hours, economic burden, type of treatment; only supportive care, caring duration, sex, the numbers of ADLs (activity of daily livings) items that patients needed help in order by stepwised multiple logistic regression analysis (overall $R^2=0.639$, P=0.044). Conclusion: Daily raring hours and economic burden were two influential modifiable factors on family caregivers' quality of life. Therefore, social supportive systems are required to reduce family caregivers' daily caring hour and economic burden.

  • PDF

Cloning and Characterization of Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase γ cDNA from Flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) (넙치에서 분리된 phosphoinositide 3-kinase γ 유전자의 클로닝 및 특성 연구)

  • Jeong, Tae Hyug;Youn, Joo Yeon;Ji, Keunho;Seo, Yong Bae;Kim, Young Tae
    • Journal of Life Science
    • /
    • v.24 no.4
    • /
    • pp.343-351
    • /
    • 2014
  • Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) plays a central role in cell signaling and leads to cell proliferation, survival, motility, exocytosis, and cytoskeletal rearrangements, as well as specialized cell responses, superoxide production, and cardiac myocyte growth. PI3K is divided into three classes; type I PI3K is preferentially expressed in leukocytes and activated by ${\beta}{\gamma}$ subunits of heterotrimeric G-proteins. In this study, the cDNAs encoding the $PI3K{\gamma}$ gene were isolated from a brain cDNA library constructed using the flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus). The sequence of the isolated $PI3K{\gamma}$ was 1341 bp, encoding 447 amino acids. The nucleotide sequence of the $PI3K{\gamma}$ gene was analyzed with that of other species, including Oreochromis niloticus and Danio rerio, and it turned out to be well conserved during evolution. The $PI3K{\gamma}$ gene was subcloned into the expression vector pET-44a(+), and expressed in the E. coli BL21 (DE3) codon plus cell. The resulting protein was expressed as a fusion protein of approximately 49 kDa containing a C-terminal six-histidine extension that was derived from the expression vector. The expressed protein was purified to homogeneity by His-tag affinity chromatography and showed enzymatic activity corresponding to $PI3K{\gamma}$. The binding of wortmannin to $PI3K{\gamma}$, as detected by anti-wortmannin antisera, closely followed the inhibition of the kinase activities. The results obtained from this study will provide a wider base of knowledge on the primary structure and characterization of the $PI3K{\gamma}$ at the molecular level.

Role of Two New Phytotoxins in the Pathogenicity of Botrytis cinerea (두 개의 새로운 phytotoxin의 Botrytis cinerea 병원성에시의 역할)

  • Kim, Geum-Jung;Yoon, Mi-Young;Kim, Heung-Tae;Choi, Gyung-Ja;Jang, Kyoung-Soo;Choi, Yong-Ho;Park, Myung-Soo;Cha, Byeong-Jin;Kim, Jin-Cheol
    • Research in Plant Disease
    • /
    • v.15 no.2
    • /
    • pp.120-126
    • /
    • 2009
  • In the course of study on the roles of phytotoxins in the pathogenicity of Botrytis cinerea, we isolated two novel phytotoxins. They were identified as 3-O-acetyl botcinol and 3-O-acetyl botcinolide. In this study, we investigated correlation between the two phytotoxins and the pathogenicity of B. cinerea. In liquid cultures, the two phytotoxins were not produced by three low pathogenic isolates out of 25 B. cinerea isolates. Among strong or moderate pathogenic isolates, some produced the two phytotoxins, but the others did not. On the other hand, the ethyl acetate extracts of fermentation broths of 10 out of 25 isolates showed phytotoxic activity against various plants tested in a whole plant assay. The phytotoxins were detected in all of the 10 phytotoxic ethyl acetate extracts. In planta, the two phytotoxins were detected in all of the plant tissues infected with strong pathogenic isolates. However, there was no correlation between the ability of B. cinerea isolates to produce the two phytotoxins and their pathogenicities. The two phytotoxins began to detect in tomato plant tissues infected with B. cinerea 2-16 at 3 days after inoculation, increased gradually till 4 days after inoculation, and then decreased. The above results suggest that 3-O-acetyl botcinol and 3-O-acetyl botcinolide are one of pathogenicity factors for B. cinerea, but not a primary determinant of its pathogenicity.

Report on the Effects Lipemic Specimen in Anti-ds DNA Antibody Test (Anti-ds DNA 항체 검사 시 Lipemic 검체의 영향에 관한 보고)

  • Cheon, Jun Hong;Kim, Whe Jung;Kim, Sung Ho;Moon, Hyoung Ho;Yoo, Seon Hee
    • The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
    • /
    • v.18 no.1
    • /
    • pp.153-157
    • /
    • 2014
  • Purpose: SLE (systemic lupus erythematosus) is an inflammatory autoimmune disease, characterized by various autoantibody. The detection of Anti double-stranded DNA (Anti-ds DNA) is important in the diagnostics of SLE, and include the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) diagnostic criteria for SLE. Also SLE disease activity and correlativity with the level Anti-ds DNA antibody have been reported and Anti-ds DNA antibody quantitative test is very useful for tracing before and after SLE treatment. When These Anti-ds DNA antibody test (Farr assay: $^{125}I$ labeled ds-DNA and bound Anti-ds DNA antibodies complex in serum is precipitated by ammonium sulfate and used to centrifugation, measured it) inhaled supernatant after centrifugation, a lipemic specimen does not facilitate the formation of precipitate and also occurs situation was inhaled with precipitate. To solve these problems, The Influence of the degree of lipemic specimen was evaluated. Materials and Methods: September 2012 to February 2013, We selected lipemic samples (n=81) of specimen commissioned by Anti-ds DNA antibody test. Lipemic samples were done pre-treatment (high-speed centrifugation: 14,000 rpm 5 mins) used a micro-centrifuge (Eppendorf Model 5415D). At the same time lipemic specimen and pre-treatment samples were performed Anti-ds DNA antibody test (Anti-ds DNA kit, Trinity Biotech, Ireland). Statistical analysis were analyzed Pearson's correlation coefficients and regression and paired t-test, and Difference (%). Results: Experimental group 1 (Lipemic Specimen Anti-ds DNA Ab concentration ${\leq}7IU/mL$) at y=0.368X+4.732, $R^2=0.023$, Pearson's correlation coefficient was 0.154, paired t-test (P=0.003), Difference (%) mean 65.7 and showed a statistically significant difference. Experimental group 2 (Lipemic Specimen Anti-ds DNA Ab concentration ${\geq}8IU/mL$) at y=0.983X+0.298, $R^2=0.994$, Pearson's correlation coefficient showed 0.997, paired t-test (P=0.181), Difference (%) mean -5.53 made no statistically significant difference. Conclusion: Lipemic sample of low Anti-ds DNA Ab concentration (2.5-7 IU/mL) and the result is obtained pre-treatment (high-speed centrifugation: 14,000 rpm 5 mins) were made a significant difference statistically. Anti-ds DNA is one of the primary auto-antibodies present in patients with SLE, and remain an important diagnostic test for SLE. Therefore, we recommend preprocessing (high-speed centrifugation: 14,000 rpm 5 mins) in order to exclude the influence of lipemic specimen.

  • PDF

Effect of Vinclozolin on the Onset of Puberty in Immature Female Rats (미성숙 암컷 흰쥐의 사춘기 개시에 미치는 Vinclozolin의 영향)

  • An, Na-Kyung;Lee, Sung-Ho
    • Development and Reproduction
    • /
    • v.11 no.3
    • /
    • pp.245-251
    • /
    • 2007
  • Vinclozolin(VCZ), a systemic dicarboximide fungicide, has been used in the control of diseases caused by microorganism of some species in fruits, vegatables and ornamental plants. Although VCZ itself is a very weak antagonist for androgen receptor binding, both melabolites M1 and M2 are effective antagonists. The present study was undertaken to examine whether prepubertal exposure to VCZ affects on the onset of puberty and the associated reproductive parameters such as hormone receptor expressions in female rats. VCZ(10 mg/kg/day) was administered daily from postnatal day 21(PND 21) through the day when the first vaginal opening(V.O.) was observed. Gross anatomy and weight of reproductive tissues were compared to test the VCZ's effects on the cell proliferation. Furthermore, histological studies were performed to assess the structural alterations in the tissues. To determine the transcriptional changes in progesterone receptor(PR), total RNAs were extracted and applied to the semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR). As a result, delayed V.O. was shown in the VCZ group(PND $34.00{\pm}1.22$) compared to the control group(PND $38.20{\pm}1.92$; p<0.01). VCZ treatment significantly decreased the wet weight of ovaries and uteri compared to the control group(p<0.01). Graafian follicles and corpora lutea were observed only in the ovaries from the control animals, while numerous primary, secondary follicles and small atretic follicles were observed in the ovaries from VCZ group. Similarly, hypotrophy of luminal and glandular uterine epithelium was found in the VCZ group. In the semi-quantitative RT-PCR studies, the transcriptional activity of PR in ovary(p<0.01) from VCZ group were significantly lower than those from the control group while in uterus were similar compared with the control group. The present studies demonstrated that the acute exposure to VCZ during the critical period of prepubertal stage could inactivate the reproductive system resulting delayed puberty in female rats.

  • PDF