• Molecules and Cells
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• v.40 no.7
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• pp.466-475
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• 2017

Dietary supplements have exhibited myriads of positive health effects on human health conditions and with the advent of new technological advances, including in the fields of proteomics, genomics, and metabolomics, biological and pharmacological activities of dietary supplements are being evaluated for their ameliorative effects in human ailments. Recent interests in understanding and discovering the molecular targets of phytochemical-gene-protein-metabolite dynamics resulted in discovery of a few protein signature candidates that could potentially be used to assess the effects of dietary supplements on human health. Persimmon (Diospyros kaki) is a folk medicine, commonly used as dietary supplement in China, Japan, and South Korea, owing to its different beneficial health effects including anti-diabetic implications. However, neither mechanism of action nor molecular biomarkers have been discovered that could either validate or be used to evaluate effects of persimmon on human health. In present study, Mass Spectrometry (MS)-based proteomic studies were accomplished to discover proteomic molecular signatures that could be used to understand therapeutic potentials of persimmon leaf extract (PLE) in diabetes amelioration. Saliva, serum, and urine samples were analyzed and we propose that salivary proteins can be used for evaluating treatment effectiveness and in improving patient compliance. The present discovery proteomics study demonstrates that salivary proteomic profile changes were found as a result of PLE treatment in prediabetic subjects that could specifically be used as potential protein signature candidates.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.362-367
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• 2009

Among total 176 strains with antialgal effects isolated from So-ok stream in Korea, Pseudomonas aeruginosa AJ1 showed the highest removal efficiency for an algal species Microcystis aeruginosa (clear zone of diameter 50.0 mm on algal lawn after 20 days). The algal growth was suppressed even when the supernatant of AJ1 culture was applied, suggesting that extracellular substances are responsible for its antialgal activity. The removal activity of AJ1 was optimal under the following condition: pH 8, $30^{\circ}C$, and mannitol as a carbon source. The antialgal activity of AJ1 appeared to be dependent of the growth phase of M. aeruginosa, i.e., the highest at the early phase, but not its own phase. As expected, the algicidal effect was improved as the amount of the treated supernatant was increased; the highest removal efficiency (80.3%) was achieved when 40 ml/L of the supernatant was used. Interestingly, however, the removal rate was opposite. The highest removal rate ($8.2{\mu}g$ chl-a/ml supernatant/day) was achieved when low concentration (10 ml/L) was applied. These results suggest that P. aeruginosa AJ1 is a promising biological agent to control the problematic algal bloom.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.628-634
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• 2003

Bronchiectasis is defined as an abnormal, irreversible dilatation of the bronchi, which may result from a number of possible causes, and the recognition of these causes may lead to a specific management strategy. Immunodeficiency is known as one of the conditions associated with bronchiectasis. X-linked agammaglobulinemia is a rare inheritable immunodeficiency disorder, caused by a differentiation block, leading almost to the complete absence of B lymphocytes and plasma cells. The affected protein is a cytoplasmic protein tyrosine kinase, Bruton's tyrosine kinase. The early detection and treatment with immunoglobulin replacement are most important for the management of recurrent infections and for reducing severe complications. We report a 20-year-old male patient, with X-linked agammaglobulinemia associated with bilateral bronchiectasis, carrying a missense mutation(R520P) in the BTK gene.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.556-563
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• 2007

We carried out a laboratory scale experiment about the characteristics of chemically active species produced in hybrid gas-liquid discharges. The electrode configuration which had high voltage electrode in the gas phase and ground electrode in the liquid was utilized while high voltage electrode has been typically positioned in the liquid in other studies. Our electrode was configured in such a way as to increase the energy efficiency of chemical reactions by creating a higher electrical field strength and a narrower pulse width than the typical electrode configuration. The highest ozone concentration was obtained at 45 kV which was the medium value in operating voltages. The decrease of solution conductivity increased the resistance of liquid phase and the electric field strength through the gas phase, so ozone gene-ration rate was enhanced. The increase of voltage promoted the production rate of hydrogen peroxide by increasing the electric field strength. In a lower voltage, the increase of solution conductivity increased the degradation rate of $H_2O_2$, so the $H_2O_2$ generation rate decreased. On the other hand, the effects of UV radiation, shock waves etc. increased the $H_2O_2$ generation rate as the solution conductivity increased. A higher rate of $H_2O_2$ generation can be achieved by mixing argon to oxygen which generates a stronger and more stable discharges.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.76-82
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• 2005

Evaporative cooling pad system is one of the main cooling methods in greenhouses and its efficiency is very high. However, it has some disadvantages such as greenhouse temperature distributions are not uniform and installation cost is expensive. In this study, a CFD simulation model f3r predicting the air temperature distribution in the fan and fad cooling greenhouse was developed. The model was calibrated and validated against experimental data and a good fit was obtained. The influence of different outside wind, fan and pad height, ventilation rate, shading, and greenhouse length, were then examined. In order to reduce the internal temperature gradients, it is desired that the prevail wind direction and the fan and pad heights are considered. The simulation indicates that high ventilation rates and shading contribute to reduce the temperature gradients in the fan and pad cooling greenhouse. In order to maintain the desired greenhouse temperature, the pad-to-fan distance should be restricted according to the design climate conditions, shading and ventilation rates. The developed CFD model can be a useful tool to evaluate and design the fan and pad systems in the greenhouses with various configurations.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.289-292
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• 2018

Using pyrene as the enrichment nutrient, a bacterial strain 10PY1A, was isolated by enrichment culture from oil-contaminated sea sand of Arabian Gulf in Saudi Arabia, and this strain belongs to the species Idiomarina piscisalsi, based on 16S RNA gene sequence analysis. The genome of I. piscisalsi strain 10PY1A contains 2,346 protein-coding sequences and an average GC content of 47.4% in its chromosome (2.59 Mbp). Genes encoding proteins related to the degradation of pyrene were existed in the strain 10PY1A genome, indicating that this strain can be used to degrade polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in oil-contaminated marine flora and soil.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.387-394
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• 2007

Despite geographic barriers such as oceans, many freshwater algal species inhabit different continents of the world. A unicellular freshwater alga, Mallomonas caudeata, commonly occurring in Asia, Europe, and America of the northern Hemisphere, is closely related to human life such as monitoring blooms and defecting changes in climates. In order to demonstrate its occurrence in Korea and to infer its phylogeny, we sequenced nuclear SSU and plastid rbcL genes from isolates collected in six different reservoirs. We have also investigated transmission electron microscopy of the Korean isolates. SSU sequences of the species from Korea and USA were almost identical, having pair-wise divergences of 0.06% in SSU and 0.45% in rbcL. Both gene trees revealed that the species was clearly separated from other species of the genus, while the genus was not monophyletic. Rhizoplasts are composed of microfibrils organised in striated rootlets attached to the multilayered plate of basal bodies and arranged on the surface of the nucleus at their distal ends. The rhizoplast constitutes a basal body-nucleus connector similar to that of typical Synurophyceas. The results that Mallomonas was not supported by both SSU and rbeL data sets require a further study with additional taxon sampling.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.133-136
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to compare a conventional culture method and real-time PCR for the detection of Yersinia enterocolitica (Y. enterocolitica) in sausage and in vegetable salad. Food samples inoculated with Y. enterocolitica were enriched in peptone-sorbitol bile-broth, and swabs were then streaked onto cefsulodin-irgasan-novobiocin agar. Biochemical tests for suspected colonies were performed with an API 20E strip. In parallel, real-time PCR was performed, targeting the 16S rRNA gene using 1 mL of enrichment broth. In sausage, the number of positive samples detected by culture method (49 out of 60) was similar (p>0.05) with that of real-time PCR (50 out of 60). However, the number of positive samples of real-time PCR (26 out of 60) was significantly higher (p<0.05) than that of the conventional culture method (6 out of 60) in vegetable salad. Real-time PCR could be an effective screening tool for detecting Y. enterocolitica, particularly in food samples with high levels of background flora, such as a vegetable salad.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.40-46
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• 2014

We have screened Bacillus strains suitable for the fermentation of soybean products with respect to the control of Bacillus cereus and the reduction of biogenic amines. Of 26 isolates, a strain named as the SCK A08 carried antimicrobial activity against B. cereus and Staphylococcus aureus, major food poisoning species in soybean products. PCR analysis revealed that the SCK A08 strain did not contain genes for Bacillus cereus toxins including nonhemolytic enterotoxin, hemolytic enterotoxin, cytotoxin K, cereulide and certrax. The SCK A08 strain could degrade histamine, tyramine, putrescine, and cadaverine by 67.41%, 76.59%, 57.32%, and 50.69%, respectively, during fermentation in cooked soybeans containing 0.5% (w/w) of each biogenic amine. The morphological and biochemical properties and phylogenetic relationships based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that the isolate was most closely related to Bacillus licheniformis. Use of the strain SCK A08 would be a potential measure to overcome two hygienic problems that were frequently faced during manufacture of traditionally fermented soybean products.

• Experimental and Molecular Medicine
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• v.50 no.12
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• pp.1.1-1.14
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• 2018

DNA methylation is a regulatory mechanism in epigenetics that is frequently altered during human carcinogenesis. To detect critical methylation events associated with gastric cancer (GC), we compared three DNA methylomes from gastric mucosa (GM), intestinal metaplasia (IM), and gastric tumor (GT) cells that were microscopically dissected from an intestinal-type early gastric cancer (EGC) using methylated DNA binding domain sequencing (MBD-seq) and reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS) analysis. In this study, we focused on differentially methylated promoters (DMPs) that could be directly associated with gene expression. We detected 2,761 and 677 DMPs between the GT and GM by MBD-seq and RRBS, respectively, and for a total of 3,035 DMPs. Then, 514 (17%) of all DMPs were detected in the IM genome, which is a precancer of GC, supporting that some DMPs might represent an early event in gastric carcinogenesis. A pathway analysis of all DMPs demonstrated that 59 G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) genes linked to the hypermethylated DMPs were significantly enriched in a neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction pathway. Furthermore, among the 59 GPCRs, six GI hormone receptor genes (NPY1R, PPYR1, PTGDR, PTGER2, PTGER3, and SSTR2) that play an inhibitory role in the secretion of gastrin or gastric acid were selected and validated as potential biomarkers for the diagnosis or prognosis of GC patients in two cohorts. These data suggest that the loss of function of gastrointestinal (GI) hormone receptors by promoter methylation may lead to gastric carcinogenesis because gastrin and gastric acid have been known to play a role in cell differentiation and carcinogenesis in the GI tract.