• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.40 no.1
• /
• pp.54-65
• /
• 2017

Although cancer/testis antigen DDX53 confers anti-cancer drug-resistance, the effect of DDX53 on cancer stem cell-like properties and autophagy remains unknown. MDA-MB-231 ($CD133^+$) cells showed higher expression of DDX53, SOX-2, NANOG and MDR1 than MDA-MB-231 ($CD133^-$). DDX53 increased in vitro self-renewal activity of MCF-7 while decreasing expression of DDX53 by siRNA lowered in vitro self-renewal activity of MDA-MB-231. DDX53 showed an interaction with EGFR and binding to the promoter sequences of EGFR. DDX53 induced resistance to anti-cancer drugs in MCF-7 cells while decreased expression of DDX53 by siRNA increased the sensitivity of MDA-MB-231 to anti-cancer drugs. Negative regulators of DDX53, such as miR-200b and miR-217, increased the sensitivity of MDA-MB-231 to anti-cancer drugs. MDA-MB-231 showed higher expression of autophagy marker proteins such as ATG-5, $pBeclin1^{Ser15}$ and LC-3I/II compared with MCF-7. DDX53 regulated the expression of marker proteins of autophagy in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells. miR-200b and miR-217 negatively regulated the expression of autophagy marker proteins. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays showed the direct regulation of ATG-5. The decreased expression of ATG-5 by siRNA increased the sensitivity to anti-cancer drugs in MDA-MB-231 cells. In conclusion, DDX53 promotes stem cell-like properties, autophagy, and confers resistance to anti-cancer drugs in breast cancer cells.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
• /
• v.59 no.3
• /
• pp.141-149
• /
• 2019

From 1996 to 2014, 14 foals from nine farms in Jeju were diagnosed with a Rhodococcus equi infection. Clinically, most foals showed characteristic respiratory signs, including hyperthermia and dyspnea. The seasonal occurrence of R. equi infection in foals was higher in summer, such as June (eight foals; 57.1%) and July (four foals; 28.6%), than in the other seasons. The major cases of R. equi infections were observed among two-month-old (eight foals; 57.1%) and three-month-old (three foals; 21.4%) foals. Histopathologically, bronchopneumonia, abscess, and granulomatous pneumonia were the most prevalent lesions in the lungs of foals. Colonic ulcers and submucosal abscesses were found in a foal. Some foals showed granulomatous lymphadenitis and abscesses in the mesenteric and other lymph nodes. According to the polymerase chain reaction using 10 tissue samples of foals and nine R. equi isolates, the vapA gene was detected in 11/11 (100%) foals. Immunohistochemical staining using the anti-VapA monoclonal antibody was applied to detect the R. equi VapA antigen in the organs of foals. R. equi VapA antigens were demonstrated in most lungs and some mesenteric and hilar lymph nodes of 13 foals. Isolated virulent R. equi VapA bacteria showed high sensitivity to gentamicin, quinolones, rifampin, and vancomycin.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• v.28 no.10
• /
• pp.1792-1796
• /
• 2007

Insulating effects on Au electrode according to the thickness and density of coated materials are well-known. To do electrochemical immunoassay reproducibly the glod electrode would be coated with self-assembled monolayers and antobodies. To get reproducibility, the antobody monolayer should be packed at highest density so that the amount of immobilized antibody at defined area should be the same. The calix[4]crown-5 SAMs could provide the basis for the antibodies to be immobilized reproducibly and at highest density. But the insulating effect would be highest too. We proved that the compactly packed protein monolayers on SAMs inhibited the electron transfer by block the free shuttling of redox molecules. The inhibition was minimized by inserting redox molecules in between the proteins during immobilization process. In this paper, we demonstrated that the calix[4]crown-5 SAMs would provide the protein monolayers with highest density and new method to minimize the insulating effect by inserted redox molecules in between the compactly packed protein monolayers.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.14 no.3
• /
• pp.1707-1713
• /
• 2013

Background: This study aimed to better understand the barriers to perinatal hepatitis B prevention and to identify the reasons for poor hepatitis B knowledge and delivery of education to hepatitis B surface-antigen-positive pregnant women among healthcare providers in Santa Clara County, California. Materials and Methods: Qualitative interviews were conducted with 16 obstetricians and 17 perinatal nurses in Santa Clara County, California, which has one of the largest populations in the United States at high risk for perinatal hepatitis B transmission. Results: Most providers displayed a lack of self-efficacy attributed to insufficient hepatitis B training and education. They felt discouraged from counseling and educating their patients because of a lack of resources and discouraging patient attitudes such as stigma and apathy. Providers called for institutional changes from the government, hospitals, and nonprofit organizations to improve care for patients with chronic hepatitis B. Conclusions: Early and continuing provider training, increased public awareness, and development of comprehensive resources and new programs may contribute to reducing the barriers for health care professionals to provide counseling and education to pregnant patients with chronic hepatitis B infection.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Intelligent Systems
• /
• v.14 no.5
• /
• pp.551-556
• /
• 2004

According to revealing the DNA sequence of human and living things, it increases that a demand on a new computational processing method which utilizes DNA sequence information. In this paper we propose a classification algorithm based on negative selection of the immune system to classify DNA patterns. Negative selection is the process to determine an antigenic receptor that recognize antigens, nonself cells. The immune cells use this antigen receptor to judge whether a self or not. If one composes n group of antigenic receptor for n different patterns, they can classify into n patterns. In this paper we propose a pattern classification algorithm based on negative selection in nucleotide base level and amino acid level.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
• /
• v.31 no.1
• /
• pp.113-121
• /
• 2024

Purpose: In response to the surge in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) omicron variant cases, we have implemented preemptive testing for preschool and school. The purpose is to quickly detect COVID-19 cases using a rapid antigen test (RAT) kit so that normal school activities can continue. Methods: The results entered in The Healthcare Self-Test App were merged with the information on the status of confirmed cases in the COVID-19 Information Management System by Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) for preschool and school of students and staffs March 2 to May 1, 2022 to analyze the RAT positive rate and positive predictive value of RAT. Results: In preschool and school 19,458,575 people were tested, weekly RAT positive rate ranged from 1.10% to 5.90%, positive predictive value of RAT ranged from 86.42% to 93.18%. By status, RAT positive rate ranged from 1.13% to 6.16% for students, 0.99% to 3.93% for staffs, positive predictive value of RAT ranged from 87.19% to 94.03% for students, 77.55% to 83.10% for staffs. RAT positive rate by symptoms ranged from 76.32% to 88.02% for those with symptoms and 0.34% to 1.11% for those without symptoms. As a result of preschool and school RAT, 943,342 confirmed cases were preemptively detected, before infection spread in preschool and school. Conclusions: RAT was well utilized to detect confirmed cases at an early stage, reducing the risk of transmission to minimize the educational gap in preschool and school. To compensate for the limitations of RAT, further research should continue to reevaluate the performance of RAT as new strains of viruses continue to emerge. We will have to come up with various ways to utilize it, such as performing periodic and repeated RAT and parallel polymerase chain reaction.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.24 no.3
• /
• pp.343-350
• /
• 2007

Mesenchymal stem/progenitor cells (MPCs) were isolated from porcine umbilical cord blood (UCB) and their morphology, proliferation, cell cycle status, cell-surface antigen profile and expression of hematopoietic cytokines were characterized. Their capacity to differentiate in vitro into osteocytes, adipocytes and chondrocytes was also evaluated. Primary cultures of adherent porcine MPCs (pMPCs) exhibited a typical fibroblast-like morphology with significant renewal capacity and proliferative ability. Subsequent robust cell growth was indicated by the high percentage of quiescent (G0/G1) cells. The cells expressed the mesenchymal surface markers, CD29, CD49b and CD105, but not the hematopoietic markers, CD45 and CD133 and synthesized hematopoietic cytokines. Over 21 days of induction, the cells differentiated into osteocytes adipocytes and chondrocytes. The expression of lineage specific genes was gradually upregulated during osteogenesis, adipogenesis and chondrogenesis. We conclude that porcine umbilical cord blood contains a population of MPCs capable of self-renewal and of differentiating in vitro into three classical mesenchymal lineages.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.64-69
• /
• 2008

Although the arthritis symptoms observed in the K/BxN model have been shown to be dependent on the functions of T and B cells specific to the self antigen glucose-6-phosphate isomerase, less is known about the in vivo roles of $CD4^{+}CD25^{+}$ regulatory T($T_{reg}$) cells in the pathology of K/BxN mice. We determined the quantitative and functional characteristics of the $T_{reg}$ cells in K/BxN mice. These mice contained a higher percentage of $Foxp3^+\;T_{reg}$ cells among the $CD4^+$ T cells than their BxN littermates. These $T_{reg}$ cells were anergic and efficiently suppressed the proliferation of $na\ddot{i}ve$ $CD4^+$ T cells and cytokine production by effector $CD4^+$ T cells in vitro. Antibody-mediated depletion of $CD25^+$ cells caused K/BxN mice to develop multi-organ inflammation and autoantibody production, while the symptoms of arthritis were not affected. These results demonstrate that despite the inability of the $T_{reg}$ cells to suppress arthritis development, they play a critical role protecting the arthritic mice from systemic expansion of autoimmunity.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
• /
• v.4 no.2
• /
• pp.81-87
• /
• 2004

Background: In the thymus, developing thymocytes continually interact with thymic epithelial cell components. Self MHC restriction of mature T cells are imposed in the thymus through interaction of immature double positive thymocytes and thymic cortical epithelial cells. The site of negative selection, however, is a matter of debate. Through systemic injection of anti-TCR antibody or antigenic peptides, investigators suggested that most of the negative selection occurs in the thymic cortex. But the requirements for negative selection, i.e cellular counterparts and costimulatory molecules are more available in the medulla or cortico-medullary junction rather than in the thymic cortex. Methods: The direct and indirect pathways of thymocyte death after systemic anti-TCR antibody injection were separated through several experimental systems. B6 mice were either adrenalectomized or sham-adrenalectomized to evaluate the role of endogenous glucocorticoids from adrenal gland. Role of TNF were evaluated through using TNF receptor double knockout mice. Results: We found that without indirectly acting mediators such as $TNF-\alpha$ or corticosteroid, double positive thymocyte death were minimal by systemic injection of anti-TCR antibody in TNF receptor double knockout neonatal mice. Also by analyzing neonatal wild-type mice with adoptively transferred mature T cells, only peripheral activation of mature T cells could induce extensive double positive thymocyte death. Conclusion: Thus, systemically injected anti-TCR antibody mediated thymocyte death are mostly induced through indirect pathway.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers D
• /
• v.51 no.1
• /
• pp.8-17
• /
• 2002

This paper suggests that the immune algorithm can effectively be used in tuning of a PID controller. The artificial immune network always has a new parallel decentralized processing mechanism for various situations, since antibodies communicate to each other among different species of antibodies/B-cells through the stimulation and suppression chains among antibodies that form a large-scaled network. In addition to that, the structure of the network is not fixed, but varies continuously. That is, the artificial immune network flexibly self-organizes according to dynamic changes of external environment (meta-dynamics function). However, up to the present time, models based on the conventional crisp approach have been used to describe dynamic model relationship between antibody and antigen. Therefore, there are some problems with a less flexible result to the external behavior. On the other hand, a number of tuning technologies have been considered for the tuning of a PID controller. As a less common method, the fuzzy and neural network or its combined techniques are applied. However, in the case of the latter, yet, it is not applied in the practical field, in the former, a higher experience and technology is required during tuning procedure. In addition to that, tuning performance cannot be guaranteed with regards to a plant with non-linear characteristics or many kinds of disturbances. Along with these, this paper used immune algorithm in order that a PID controller can be more adaptable controlled against the external condition, including moise or disturbance of plant. Parameters P, I, D encoded in antibody randomly are allocated during selection processes to obtain an optimal gain required for plant. The result of study shows the artificial immune can effectively be used to tune, since it can more fit modes or parameters of the PID controller than that of the conventional tuning methods.