• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.185-199
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• 2021

Vibriosis is an important septicemic bacterial disease that affects a variety of commercial fish species, including cultured Dicentrarchus labrax. Nanotechnology has become an important modern tool for fish diseases prevention. Furthermore, nanomaterials have the ability to prevent and treat fish diseases. The current study was aimed to identify the causative agent of massive mortality of D. labrax commercial farm in Alexandria, Egypt. Experimental infection and the median lethal dose (LD50) of pathogenic isolate were assessed. Also, the effect of ginger nanoparticles (GNPs) and Sacchromyces cerevisiae as feed additives for prevention of vibriosis in D. labrax was carried out. Similarly, the tissue immunstimulant genes, IL-1β and TLR2 were measured in the spleen of feeding groups. The clinical signs of naturally diseased D. labrax showed corneal opacity and paleness of gills with excessive mucous secretion. The post-mortem abnormalities were severe hemorrhage and adhesion of internal organs. After bacteriological isolation and identification, the causative agent of mortality in the current study was Vibrio alginolyticus. The LD₅₀ of V. alginolyticus was 1.5×10^5.4 CFU/ml. The experimentally infected D. labrax showed ulceration, exophthalmia and skin hemorrhages. The post-mortem findings of the experimentally infected D. labrax revealed internal hemorrhage, spleen darkness and paleness of liver. There is no mortality and 100% RPS in groups fed GNPs then injected with V. alginolyticus, in those fed a combination of GNPs and S. cerevisiae and a group fed normal diet then injected with physiological saline (control negative), respectively. Contrarily, there was 10% mortality and 87.5 RPS in the group fed S. cerevisae then injected with V. alginolyticus. On the other hand, the control positive group showed 79% mortality. The spleen IL-1β and TLR2 immunostimulant genes were significantly increased in groups of fish fed GNNP, S. cerevisiae and a combination of GNPs and S. cerevisiae, respectively compared to control group. The highest stimulation of those immunostimulant genes was found in the group fed a combination of GNPs and S. cerevisiae, while fish fed S. cerevisiae had the lowest level. Dietary combination of GNPs and S. cerevisiae was shown to be efficient in preventing of vibriosis, with greatest stimulation of spleen IL-1β and TLR2 immunostimulant genes.

• Korean Journal of Breeding Science
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.695-698
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• 2010

The incidence of Anthracnose causing severe damage to the foliage and fruit in watermelon has increased in some major watermelon producing areas in Korea. To develop anthracnose resistant line, 'AU-Producer' having resistant gene to anthracnose was selected from germplasm and crossed with high quality line '920533'. Following the initial cross, backrossing and disease screening were performed to select resistant lines that produced high yields with excellent quality fruit. As a results of these procedure, a mid maturing watermelon line, 'Hangyeol' with resistance to anthracnose (Colletotrichum orbiculare) race 1 and 3 was developed at the National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Science, Rural Development Administration (RDA). It has red flesh and commonly produces fruit with clear stripes on skin between 5.3 to 10.1 kg. Average soluble solid contents are ranged from 9.8 to 11.8$^{\circ}$Bx. The yield and quality of 'Hangyeol' is comparable to or better than those harvested from the popular commercial cultivars. The achievement of this experiment could contribute to provide the resistant parents in an anthracnose resistance breeding program in watermelon.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.220-227
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• 2019

Stevia rebaudiana (Asteraceae), a perennial plant, has been used as a low-calorie sweetener and is being developed as a therapeutic agent for diabetes, hypertension, myocardial diseases, and microbial infections. Despite the common use of its leaves and stem, the bioavailability of the components present in S. rebaudiana flowers, when used as ingredients of cosmetics, has not been well investigated. Herein, we investigated the antioxidative and antimelanogenic effects of an aqueous extract of S. rebaudiana flowers (Stevia-F). Total flavonoid and phenolic content in Stevia-F were determined to be $8.64{\pm}0.23mg$ of quercetin equivalents/100 g and $631.5{\pm}2.01mg$ of gallic acid equivalents/100 g, respectively. The $IC_{50}$ values of Stevia-F for reducing power, and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate radical, hydrogen peroxide, and nitric oxide scavenging activities were 5541.96, 131.39, 466.34, and $10.44{\mu}g/mL$, respectively. Stevia-F showed inhibitory effects on the tyrosinase ($IC_{50}=134.74{\mu}g/mL$) and ${\alpha}$-glucosidase ($IC_{50}=114.81{\mu}g/mL$) activities. No significant cytotoxicity of Stevia-F was observed in B16F10 cells, treated with up to $100{\mu}g/mL$ of the extract for 24 and 48 h (p > 0.05). Stevia-F ($1-100{\mu}g/mL$) suppressed ${\alpha}$-melanocyte stimulating hormone-induced melanin production in B16F10 cells (p < 0.05) and also inhibited the cellular tyrosinase activity (p < 0.05). Overall, our results show that Stevia-F possesses potential for inhibiting tyrosinase and ${\alpha}$-glucosidase activities and has significant antioxidant capacity. The antimelanogenic potential of Stevia-F should extend the usage of S. rebaudiana flowers in the development of skin-whitening products.

• Journal of the Korean Recycled Construction Resources Institute
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.252-258
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• 2018

A larger energy consumption and concentration of population induced green house gas glowing and heat island effect in the urban space. Roof green system was a effect method to reduce green house gas and heat concentration in the city. Therefore, construction of this system was increasing. Most of lightweight soil used in roof green system was perlite, but this caused dust and skin disease. So it needed to develop another new lightweight soli for roof green system. Meanwhile, a thermoelectric power plant generated bottom ash as a by-product. According to previous research, bottom ash could be used for artificial lightweight soil with 60 wt% of mixing rate. But this study was proceed to develop a artificial lightweight soil using bottom ash with higher mixing rate by 65 wt% and different organic ingredients. First, physical and chemical properties of bottom ash was investigated. Then test according to landscaping design standard was proceeded for various artificial lightweight soil mix types using bottom ash, bark, compost and coco peat. As a result, the artificial lightweight soil with 65% of bottom ash, 30% of bark and 5% of compost was suitable for low and middle range of soil standard.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.367-379
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• 2019

Although atopic dermatitis (AD) is known to be a representative skin disorder, it also affects the systemic immune response. In a recent study, myoblasts were shown to be involved in the immune regulation, but the roles of muscle cells in AD are poorly understood. We aimed to identify the relationship between mitochondria and atopy by genome-wide analysis of skeletal muscles in mice. We induced AD-like symptoms using house dust mite (HDM) extract in NC/Nga mice. The transcriptional profiles of the untreated group and HDM-induced AD-like group were analyzed and compared using microarray, differentially expressed gene and functional pathway analyses, and protein interaction network construction. Our microarray analysis demonstrated that immune response-, calcium handling-, and mitochondrial metabolism-related genes were differentially expressed. In the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology pathway analyses, immune response pathways involved in cytokine interaction, nuclear factor-kappa B, and T-cell receptor signaling, calcium handling pathways, and mitochondria metabolism pathways involved in the citrate cycle were significantly upregulated. In protein interaction network analysis, chemokine family-, muscle contraction process-, and immune response-related genes were identified as hub genes with many interactions. In addition, mitochondrial pathways involved in calcium signaling, cardiac muscle contraction, tricarboxylic acid cycle, oxidation-reduction process, and calcium-mediated signaling were significantly stimulated in KEGG and Gene Ontology analyses. Our results provide a comprehensive understanding of the genome-wide transcriptional changes of HDM-induced AD-like symptoms and the indicated genes that could be used as AD clinical biomarkers.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.49-56
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• 2019

Pueraria thomsonii Benth. as a medicinal ingredient, has been traditionally used in Chinese medicine to treat fever, acute dysentery, diarrhea, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. The effects of P. thomsonii flower on skin have not been reported yet. In this study, the whitening effect of P. thomsonii flower was verified using B16F1 melanoma cells and HS68 fibroblasts. P. thomsonii flower extract reduced melanin contents of B16F1 cells in a dose-dependent manner. To identify its active components, we analyzed P. thomsonii flower extract using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). As a result, we identified three major isoflavones of tectorigenin, tectoridin, and tectorigenin 7-O-xylosylglucoside. At a non-cytotoxic concentration, the three components also reduced melanin contents of B16F1 cells in a dose-dependent manner. The depigmentation effects were attributed to the reduced gene expression of tyrosinase and microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF). In order to elucidate another depigmentation mechanism, their effects on DKK-1, a fibroblast-derived depigmentation factor, was determined in HS68 cells. As a result, P. thomsonii flower extracts, tectoridin and tectorigenin 7-O-xylosylglucoside, reduced DKK-1 gene expression, while tectorigenin increased DKK-1 gene expression in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that tectorigenin can be used as an effective whitening agent that inhibit melanin synthesis in melanocytes and promote the secretion of depigmentation factor from fibroblasts.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.201-209
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• 2020

In Korea, bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a representative zoonotic disease that causes considerable economic loss. In determining the positive bTB, the ELISA method for examining the amount of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) is included in Korea's diagnostic standard method. Recently, commercially available BIONOTE TB-Feron ELISA Plus (TB-Feron Plus) that detects IFN-γ has been introduced. However, since the scientific basis for the performance is limited, we evaluated performance by comparing it with the results of another IFN-γ ELISA assay kit (BOVIGAM®) certified by Office International des Epizooties. In our research, 42 positive blood samples preliminarily tested with a tuberculin skin test and/or BOVIGAM® and 54 negative blood samples collected from three bTB free farms were subjected to IFN-γ assay using the TB-Feron Plus and the BOVIGAM®, respectively. The result shows that the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were 81.0% (34/42), 100% (54/54), 91.7% (88/96) in TB-Feron Plus kit and 78.6% (33/42), 100% (54/54), 90.6% (87/96) in BOVIGAM® kit, respectively. Moreover, the overall accordance percentage of the two kits was 99.0% (95/96) and there was almost perfect agreement between two assays (Kappa=0.977, P<0.0001). Furthermore, additional studies confirmed that elevated lymphocyte numbers in blood did not interfere with the results of the TB-Feron Plus kit. And, delayed time from sampling to culture decreased the optical density (OD) value. Therefore, we concluded that the TB-Feron Plus kit was not inferior to BOVIGAM® in performance. High lymphocyte numbers in blood did not impact on TB-Feron Plus results, while delayed time before culture interfered with OD value.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.142-154
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• 2022

Arsenic (As) contamination in groundwater is one of the main problems in Bangladesh. As toxicity causes serious human health problems such as edema, skin cancer, bladder cancer, lung cancer, hyperkeratosis, premature birth, and black foot disease. As contamination in groundwater mainly originates from the geological characteristics of the area due to the influence of anthropogenic activities. Since most of the people in Bangladesh rely on tube well for drinking water, it is necessary to investigate the current status of As pollution and identify the treatment technologies that can be used to provide arsenic-free drinking water in water-scarce areas. A total of 92 papers were reviewed in this study to present a complete overview of the recent status of groundwater As contamination in Bangladesh and different low-cost remediation technologies. A method for evaluating the relative feasibility of different treatment technologies was also utilized to determine the most appropriate technologies for groundwater As treatment in Bangladesh. The districts with the highest groundwater As contamination include Brahamanbariya, Tangail, Barisal, Pabna, Patuakhali, Kurigram, Magura, and Faridpur, with concentrations exceeding 0.05 mg/L. Only six districts had relatively low groundwater arsenic concentrations (0.01 mg/L), including Kushtia, Khagrachari, Jessore, Dinajpur, Meherpur, and Munshiganj. There were a number of technologies used for treating As in water, but aerated electrocoagulation, Mg-Fe-based hydrotalcite-like compound, and electro-chemical As remediation (ECAR) reactor were found to be the most feasible treatment methods for As. Overall, the investment, operational, and maintenance costs, availability of materials, and expertise requirements should be considered when selecting the most appropriate treatment method for As in water.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.1-11
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• 2023

Objectives : The objective of this study is to identify the characteristics of outpatients and the frequently diagnosed diseases in dermatology of Korean medicine through periodic research and comparison with previous studies. Methods : We analyzed medical records of new outpatients who visited department of dermatology at Kyung Hee university Korean medicine hospital between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2022. We analyzed the patient demographic characteristics and the frequency of diagnosed diseases. Then we compared these results with previous studies in 2000, 2007 and 2016. Results : 1. Average number of patients and proportion of male patients have increased from 1996 to 2022. 2. From 1996 to 2022, there was a decrease in the proportion of patients aged 0-39 and an increase in the proportion of patients aged over 40. 3. The distribution proportions of eczema, atopic dermatitis, and rosacea during 2018-2022 have increased compared to those during 2011-2015. 4. The distribution of diseases according to age appears to vary based on the epidemiological characteristics of the diseases. 5. The distribution of diseases according to gender also appears to vary based on the epidemiological characteristics of the diseases, as well as cosmetic issues related to the affected areas. Conclusions : Considering the sustained trend of a high proportion of non-infectious inflammatory diseases since 1996, it is important to enhance treatment capacity through continuous research.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.167-177
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• 2023

Background: Pressure injuries are localized areas of damage to the skin and/or underlying tissue, usually over a bony prominence due to pressure. Cerebrovascular disease increases the risk of pressure injuries due to the immobility caused by physical paralysis. The general approach to managing a patient with pressure injuries should include pain relief, the treatment of the infection, optimizing nutritional intake, proper positioning, and contamination prevention. Nonetheless, the duration of treatment for pressure injuries varies from person to person. Case report: An 80-year-old female intracerebral hemorrhage patient developed a pressure injury. To improve the injury faster, a Radix Astragali pharmacoacupuncture solution was applied to the pressure sore. The pressure injury's width, length, and depth was assessed using a ruler, and the exudate amount and tissue types were assessed. The treatment was performed for 35 days. The rate at which the size of the pressure sore lessened increased since the Radix Astragali pharmacoacupuncture solution was applied to the pressure sore. In addition, the tissue type of the pressure injury improved, and the exudates decreased. There was no significant difference in the Pressure Ulcer Scale for Healing Tool 3.0, since the Radix Astragali pharmacoacupuncture solution was applied to the pressure injury. Conclusion: This clinical case study suggests that the Radix Astragali pharmacoacupuncture solution might be effective in speeding up the healing of pressure injuries.