• Journal of Aquaculture
• /
• v.22 no.1
• /
• pp.100-104
• /
• 2009

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary supplementation of paprika powder as carotenoid source with three different zooplankton on carotenoid deposition and skin pigmentation of rose bitterling Rhodeus ocellatus. Two replicate groups of fish (initial average weight 0.8 g) were fed the five experimental diets containing 5% paprika (P5) and mixture of 5% paprika with 3% three zooplankton of water flea Moina macrocopa (P5M3), Artemia nauplius Artemia sp. (P5A3) and rotifer Brachionus plicatilis (P5R3) and without supplementation of carotenoid source (Con) for 10 weeks. Survival of fish among the treatments was not affected by dietary supplementation. Total carotenoid contents of whole body in fish fed the diets containing 3% zooplankton was higher than that of fish fed other diets. Especially, the highest total carotenoid contents of whole body was observed in fish fed the P5A3 diet. Similarity, Lightness, $a^*$ and $b^*$ values of the fish fed the diets containing 3% zooplankton tended to be higher than that in fish fed control and P5 diets. The apparent color intensity of skin and fin in fish fed the diets containing paprika with Artemia nauplius and rotifer was better than those of fish fed other diets. The results of this study suggest that dietary supplementation of paprika with Artemia nauplius and rotifer can improve skin pigmentation of rose bitterling.

• Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.45 no.4
• /
• pp.305-310
• /
• 2007

The principal objective of this study was to compare the effects of whole and hydrolyzed cells (bifidobacteria) treated with gastrointestinal digestive enzymes on the activation of cloned macrophages. Seven different strains of Bifidobacterium obtained from swine, chickens, and rats, were digested with pepsin followed by pancreatin and the precipitate (insoluble fraction) and supernatant (soluble fraction) obtained via centrifugation. The RAW 264.7 murine macrophages were incubated with either whole cells, the precipitate, or supernatant at various concentrations. Pronounced increases in the levels of nitric oxide (NO), interleukin $(IL)-1{\beta}$, IL-6, IL-12, and tumor necrosis factor $(TNF)-{\alpha}$ were observed in the whole cells and precipitates, but these effects were less profound in the supernatants. The precipitates also evidenced a slight, but significant, inductive activity for NO and all tested cytokines, with the exception of $(TNF)-{\alpha}$ in the macrophage model as compared with the whole cells. By way of contrast, $(TNF)-{\alpha}$ production when cultured with whole cells (100 ng/ml) resulted in marked increases as compared with what was observed with the precipitates. The results of this study indicated, for the first time, that digested Bifidobacterium sp. can induce the production of NO and several cytokines in RAW 264.7 murine macrophage cells. In the current study, it was demonstrated that Bifidobacterium strains treated with digestive enzymes, as compared with whole cells, are capable of stimulating the induction of macrophage mediators, which reflects that they may be able to modulate the gastrointestinal immune functions of the host.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 2010.02a
• /
• pp.59-59
• /
• 2010

Graphene is a 2-D sheet of $sp^2$-bonded carbon arranged in a honeycomb lattice. This material has attracted major interest, and there are many ongoing efforts in developing graphene devices because of its high charge mobility and crystal quality. Therefore clear understanding of the substrate effect and mechanism of synthesis of graphene is important for potential applications and device fabrication of graphene. In a published paper in J. Phys. Chem. C (2008), the effect of substrate on the atomic/electronic structures of graphene is negligible for graphene made by mechanical cleavage. However, nobody shows the interaction between Ni substrate and graphene. Therefore, we have studied this interaction. In order to studying these effect between graphene and Ni substrate, We have observed graphene synthesized on Ni substrate and graphene transferred on $SiO_2$/Si substrate through Raman spectroscopy. Because Raman spectroscopy has historically been used to probe structural and electronic characteristics of graphite materials, providing useful information on the defects (D-band), in-plane vibration of sp2 carbon atoms (G-band), as well as the stacking orders (2D-band), we selected this as analysis tool. In our study, we could not observe the doping effect between graphene and Ni substrate or between graphene and $SiO_2$/Si substrate because the shift of G band in Raman spectrum was not occurred by charge transfer. We could noticed that the bonding force between graphene and Ni substrate is more strong than Van de Waals force which is the interaction between graphene and $SiO_2$/Si. Furthermore, the synthesized graphene on Ni substrate was in compressive strain. This phenomenon was observed by 2D band blue-shift in Raman spectrum. And, we consider that the graphene is incommensurate growth with Ni polycrystalline substrate.

• Research in Plant Disease
• /
• v.12 no.2
• /
• pp.115-118
• /
• 2006

In February of 2000-2001, the gray mold disease occurred on nephrolepis (Nephrolepis sp.) grown in a flower nursery farm in Suwen, Korea. Typical symptoms were water-soaked brown or blackish lesions on terminal leaf blades. Severely infected leaves were entirely blighted with grayish fungal mycelia formed on the surface. Conidia of the fungus in mass were hyaline or gray, 1-celled, mostly ellipsoid or ovoid and $13.5{\sim}16.9{\times}6.8{\sim}9.2{\mu}m$ in size. Conidiophores were formed on PDA with $8.7{\sim}11.1{\mu}m$ in width. The sclerotia were readily formed within 2 or 3 days on PDA. In addition, the Biolog database gave the causal fungus a high similarity to Botrytis cinerea (78%) with a match probability of 100%. Pathogenicity of the causal organism was proved according to Koch's postulate. The causal organism was identified as Eotrytis cinerea based on its mycological characteristics and utilization of carbon sources with Biolog system as supporting data. This is the first report of gray mold of nephrolepis caused by Botrytis cinerea in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Plant Tissue Culture
• /
• v.25 no.3
• /
• pp.207-217
• /
• 1998

Total of 78 strains were characterized based on the morphological characteristics of colonies isolated on Schroth, and New & Kerr's media for selection of hypervirulent wild-type Agrobacterium spp from galls, hairy root-like process and soil of Populus, Malus, Salix and Diopyros in Korea. Among them, 48 strains were able to induce tumors in carrot disc. Hypervirulent A. tumefaciens SP101 and SM042 were identified as biotype 1 and biotype 2, respectively, These strains formed fast growing, larger tumors as compared to those induced by other strains. The binary vector pGA643 with kanamycin resistant gene was mobilized from E. coli MC100 into A. tumefaciens strain SM042 isolated from soil, and/or disarmed vector PC2760 using a triparental mating method with E. coli HB101/pRK2013, and transconjugants, A. tumefaciens SM643 and PC643 were obtained in minimal media containing kanamycin and tetracycline. Tobacco tissues were cocultivated with conjugant Agrobacterium and then transferred to selective medium with 2,4-D and kanamycin to induce the transformants. Calli were formed more efficiently in cocultivation with A. tumefaciens SM643 than that with A. tumefaciens PC643. Most of calli transformed with A. tumefaciens PC643 were friable and regenerated into normal plantlets, while the calli transformed with A. tumefaciens SM643 were compact, hard, and mixed with friable calli. The friable calli formed normal shoots, while compact calli did not form shoots but only grew to typical compact tumor calli. When the shoots formed directly from tobacco stems without callus induction after transformation by A. tumefaciens SM643 with wild-type Ti-plasmid, normal transformed plants can be induced without using disarmed Ti-plasmid.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
• /
• v.22 no.3
• /
• pp.469-481
• /
• 2014

IIn vitro antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities of nargenicin and its derivatives were investigated. Nargenicin, an unusual macrolide antibiotic with potent anti-MRSA (methicilin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) activity, was purified from the culture broth of Nocardia sp. CS682. And variety of novel nargenicin derivatives was synthesized from nargenicin. Two compounds (4 and 5) exhibit a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activities against infectious bacteria. The antimicrobial activity of derivatives against fifteen organisms was assessed using the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). The MIC values were in the ranges of $0.15{\sim}80{\mu}g/mL$ (w/v) for compound 1 and 2, $5{\sim}80{\mu}g/mL$ (w/v) for compound 3, $1.25{\sim}40{\mu}g/mL$ (w/v) for compound 4, and $1.25{\sim}80{\mu}g/mL$ (w/v) for compound 5, depending on the pathogens studied. In vitro, we investigated cytotoxicity and inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) production of synthesized compounds 1-5 in Raw 264.7 cells. LPS-induced nitric oxide releases were significantly blocked by compound 3, 4 and 5 in a dose-dependent manner. At high concentrations ($5{\mu}g/mL$) compound 5 inhibited the NO production by 95%. Compound 4 inhibited the release of NO in LPS-activated Raw 264.7 cells by 75% at the concentration of $10{\mu}g/mL$. Compound 3 inhibited the release of NO in LPS-activated Raw 264.7 cells by 65% at the concentration of $100{\mu}g/mL$. On the other hand, nargenicin, compound 1 and 2 did not inhibit NO production. These results demonstrated that compound 4 and 5 displayed antimicrobial activity and blocked LPS-induced pro-inflammatory mediators such as NO in macrophages, which might be responsible for its therapeutic application.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• /
• v.31 no.1
• /
• pp.56-62
• /
• 1998

Seasonal variations of eelgrass and epiphytic algae in eelgrass beds in Kwangyang Bay were studied from January 1994 to December 1994. A peak of the shoot length and standing crop of eelgrass occurred in summer, but low values were observed in fall and winter. The dominant species of epiphytic algae were Callophyllis rhynchocarpa and Champia sp. In spring and summer, while Polysiphonia japonica and Lomentaria hakodatensis in fall and winter. In contrast to the eelgrass, the standing crop of epiphytic algae showed a minimum in summer. There was a gradual increase in the standing crop of epiphytic algae during fall, and a peak of standing crop occurred in winter. Epiphytic algae accounted for approximately $15\~20\%$ of total plant standing crops of the eelgrass meadows. Correlation analysis with environmental factors indicated that temperature influences on both the standing crop of eelgrass and epiphytic algae. There was a positive relationship between the standing crop of eelgrass and temperature, while there was a reverse relationship between that of epiphytic algae and temperature.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
• /
• v.39 no.3
• /
• pp.329-335
• /
• 2021

Chinese cabbage fields have been damaged by cyst nematodes in highland of Gangwon province in Korea since the year 2011, and clover cyst nematode (CCN) is one of the most problematic cyst nematodes in the crop. To investigate the plant resources for breeding new Chinese cabbage cultivar, which is resistant to CCN, screening for resistance of fifty-seven Brassicaceae plant resources to CCN was conducted. Among the plant resources, fifty-four plant resources (Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis, B. rapa, Brassica sp., B. juncea, B. carinata, B. rapa subsp. nipposinica, B. rapa subsp. narinosa, B. rapa var. perviridis, B. rapa var. perviridis, B. napus var. napobrassica, and Eruca sativa) were very susceptible to CCN and the number of females on roots was more than 300. Two plant resources (B. carinata and B. tournefortii) with more than 100 females on roots were susceptible to CCN. However, African mustard (B. tournefortii, Korean Genebank accession no. IT218058) was resistant to CCN because of the small number of females (4±1.8) on roots. This study showed that African mustard (IT218058) was valuable as a breeding material for Chinese cabbage, which is resistant to CCN.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.84 no.2
• /
• pp.125-133
• /
• 2021

Background: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) can manifest in a range of symptoms, including both asymptomatic systems which appear nearly non-existent to the patient, all the way to the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Specifically, COVID-19-associated pneumonia develops into ARDS due to the rapid progression of hypoxia, and although arterial blood gas analysis can assist in halting this deterioration, the current environment provided by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to an overall lack of medical resources or equipment, has made it difficult to administer such tests in a widespread manner. As a result, this study was conducted in order to determine whether the levels of oxygen saturation (SpO₂) and the fraction of inhaled oxygen (FiO₂) (SF ratio) can also serve as predictors of ARDS and the patient's risk of mortality. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study conducted from February 2020 to Mary 2020, with the study's subjects consisting of COVID-19 pneumonia patients who had reached a state of deterioration that required the use of oxygen therapy. Of the 100 COVID-19 pneumonia cases, we compared 59 pneumonia patients who required oxygen therapy, divided into ARDS and non-ARDS pneumonia patients who required oxygen, and then investigated the different factors which affected their mortality. Results: At the time of admission, the ratios of SpO₂, FiO₂, and SF for the ARDS group differed significantly from those of the non-ARDS pneumonia support group who required oxygen (p<0.001). With respect to the predicting of the occurrence of ARDS, the SF ratio on admission and the SF ratio at exacerbation had an area under the curve which measured to be around 85.7% and 88.8% (p<0.001). Multivariate Cox regression analysis identified that the SF ratio at exacerbation (hazard ratio [HR], 0.916; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.846-0.991; p=0.029) and National Early Warning Score (NEWS) (HR, 1.277; 95% CI, 1.010-1.615; p=0.041) were significant predictors of mortality. Conclusion: The SF ratio on admission and the SF ratio at exacerbation were strong predictors of the occurrence of ARDS, and the SF ratio at exacerbation and NEWS held a significant effect on mortality.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• /
• v.26 no.3
• /
• pp.204-215
• /
• 2023

The thermolabile haemolysin (tlh) of Vibrio parahaemolyticus (Vptlh) from V. parahaemolyticus is a multiple-function enzyme, initially describes as a haemolytic factor activated by lecithin and phospholipase A2 enzymatic activity (Shinoda, 1991; Vazquez-Morado, 2021; Yanagase et al., 1970). Until now, the tlh structure has hypothesized including N-terminal and C-terminal domain, but what domain of the Vptlh structure does the haemolytic activity has not been refined yet. In this study, a 450-bp VpTLH nucleotide sequence of the entire Vptlh gene encoded the C-terminal domain cloned firstly to examine its responsibility in the activity of the Vptlh. The C-terminal domain fused with a 6-His-tag named the His-tag-VpC-terminal domain was expressed successfully in soluble form in the BL21 (DE3) PlysS cell. Remarkably, both expression and purification results confirmed a high agreement in the molecular weight of the His-tag-VpC-terminal domain was 47 kDa. This work showed the His-tag-VpC-terminal domain lysed the erythrocyte membranes in the blood agar and the phosphate buffered saline (0.9%) media without adding the lecithin substrate of the phospholipase enzyme. Haemolysis occurred at all tested diluted concentrations of His-tag-VpC-terminal domain (p < 0.05), providing evidence for the independent haemolytic activity of the His-tag-VpC-terminal domain. The content of 100 ㎍ of the His-tag-VpC-terminal domain brought the highest haemolytic activity of 80% compared to that in the three remaining contents. Significantly, the His-tag-VpC-terminal domain demonstrated not to involve the phospholipase activity in Luria-Bertani agar supplemented with 1% (vol/vol) egg yolk emulsion. All results proved the vital responsibility of the His-tag-VpC-terminal domain in causing the haemolytic activity without the required activation by the phospholipase enzyme. Raw extracts of Phellinus igniarus and Phellinus pipi at 10^-1 mg/mL inhibited the haemolytic activity of the His-tag-VpC-terminal domain from 67.7% to 87.42%, respectively. Hence applying the His-tag-VpC-terminal domain as a simple biological material to evaluate quickly potential derivatives against the Vptlh in vivo conditions will accessible and more advantageous than using the whole of the Vptlh.