• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.60-65
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• 2022

Gadoxetic acid-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been widely used to detect and characterize focal hepatic lesions. Because gadoxetic acid is a hepatocyte-specific contrast agent, its patterns during hepatobiliary phase enhancement provide useful information for differential diagnoses of focal hepatic lesions. Hepatic angiomyolipoma (AML) is a rare mesenchymal hepatic neoplasm composed of blood vessels, epithelioid cells, and varying amounts of adipose tissue components. Hepatic AMLs usually show marked hypointensity during the hepatobiliary phase of gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI as hepatic AMLs are devoid of hepatocytes and fibrotic components. The present study describes a patient with hepatic AML and an atypical imaging feature. This tumor showed hyperintensity during the hepatobiliary phase of gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI, mimicking hepatocellular tumors such as hepatocellular adenoma. The hepatobiliary hyperintensity of this lesion was likely due to multifocal entrapped hepatocytes resulting from an intrasinusoidal growth pattern of tumor cells and insufficient hepatic parenchymal enhancement during the hepatobiliary phase of gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI.

• Proceedings of the SCSK Conference
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• 2003.09b
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• pp.145-148
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• 2003

Previously, we reported that L-PCA enhanced blood circulation by modulating constitutive NO production. It was that L-PCA increased L-Arg uptake into endothelial cell, followed by the enhancement of NO production. Then we recommended the use of L-PCA for cosmetics, not only as humectants but also as enhancer of blood circulation. Since L-Arg is transported into endothelial cells by CAT (cationic amino acid transporter), it is expected that L-PCA also increase the uptake of basic amino acid, L-Lys. In this study, the uptakes of some amino acids into cells were evaluated by using 3H-labelled amino acid. Then we found the tendency that the uptake of L-Lys into endothelial cells was also enhanced by L-PCA. And the evident effect was observed in the epidermal fibroblasts, which had also CAT. Furthermore, it was found that the transportation of the other type of amino acids were not enhanced by L-PCA. That is to say, a famous moisturizer, L-PCA, has some effects on basic amino acid transport into cells.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.805-809
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• 1999

The growth of Lactobacillus casei in milk was enhanced by adding yams. Addition of 1% yam(raw or dry) promoted the cell growth and acid production in fermented milk. The milk containing 1% yams formed the complete curd by lactic acid fermentation at 37oC for 19hr while the milk without yams showed the incomplete curd formation. The crude mucilage extracted from a raw yam also enhanced the cell growth as well as the acid production. Addition of mucilage(0.08%) showed the similar effects with adding heat treated yam(1%). The milk fermented by adding various yams showed the high scores for sensory evaluation comparing with the milk fermented without yams. The fermenting ability of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus kefir and Leuconostoc mesenteroides was evaluated by adding 1% of a dry yam in milk. A dry yam also enhanced the cell growth of L. acidophilus resulting in the high acid production. The viable cell counts of L. casei, L. acidophilus and Leuc. mesenteroides except L. kefir were increased by adding 1% of a dry yam.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.10
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• pp.1604-1613
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• 2018

Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) is a probiotic commonly used in fermented dairy products. In this study, RNA-sequencing was performed to unravel the effects of acid stress on LGG. The transcriptomic data revealed that the exposure of LGG to acid at pH 4.5 (resembling the final pH of fermented dairy products) for 1 h or 24 h provoked a stringent-type transcriptomic response wherein stress response- and glycolysis-related genes were upregulated, whereas genes involved in gluconeogenesis, amino acid metabolism, and nucleotide metabolism were suppressed. Notably, the pilus-specific adhesion genes, spaC, and spaF were significantly upregulated upon exposure to acid-stress. The transcriptomic results were further confirmed via quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis. Moreover, acid-stressed LGG demonstrated an enhanced mucin-binding ability in vitro, with 1 log more LGG cells (p < 0.05) bound to a mucin layer in a 96-well culture plate as compared to the control. The enhanced intestinal binding ability of acid-stressed LGG was confirmed in an animal study, wherein significantly more viable LGG cells (${\geq}2log\;CFU/g$) were observed in the ileum, caecum, and colon of acid-stressed LGG-treated mice as compared with a non-acid-stressed LGG-treated control group. To our knowledge, this is the first report showing that acid stress enhanced the intestine-binding ability of LGG through the induction of pili-related genes.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.169-173
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• 2017

Butyric acid (C4 carboxylic acid) is used as an important compound in food, pharmaceutical, and chemical industries. Currently, butyric acid is mainly produced at the industrial scale through the petrochemical processes. Bio-based butyric acid has also gained attention, because the consumer prefers the food and pharmaceutical ingredients that are produced through fermentation. Clostridia is one of the well-known butyric acid producers, and massively engineered for enhanced production of butyric acid. In this paper, we reviewed the metabolic pathway of clostridia, especially Clostridium acetobutylicum and Clostridium tyrobutyricum, and summarized the metabolic engineering strategies of the strains for enhanced production of butyric acid.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.30-36
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• 2003

The effect of humic acid on the simultaneous removal of nitrate and phosphate was investigated in a micellar-enhanced ultrafiltration (MEUF). At the low molar ratio of cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) to contaminants, the removal of nitrate was lower to 50％ by 100 ppm of humic acid due to the competition for binding on micelles. At the molar ratio higher than 3, however, the removal of nitrate was over 80％. Phosphate was removed over 80% at the molar ratio higher than 1. The CPC and humic acid were rejected over 99 ％ by UF membrane. The flux did not decrease by 100 ppm of humic acid but rather slightly increased since the humic acid adsorbed on the membrane made the membrane more hydrophilic. As a result, humic acid did not diminish the performance of MEUF in the simultaneous removal of nitrate and phosphate.

• Journal of Integrative Natural Science
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.107-110
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• 2015

Amino acid-catalyzed directed asymmetric aldol reactions showed enhanced enantioselectivity when conducted in ionic liquids. Optically active products were afforded in better yields (up to 23% higher) and enantiomeric excess (up to 21% higher) in ionic liquids than in conventional organic solvents.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.333-338
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• 2000

We have examined whether bile acids can affect the electrical and mechanical activities of circular smooth muscle of canine colon and ileum, using isometric tension measurement or patch clamp technique. It was found that a dilution of canine bile $(0.03{\sim}2%\;by\;volume)$ enhanced or inhibited the amplitude of spontaneous contractions. An individual component of bile, deoxycholic acid (DCA) enhanced the frequency and amplitude of the spontaneous contractile activity at $10^{-6}\;M,$ while DCA at $10^{-4}\;M$ inhibited the contraction. Similarly, the response to cholic acid was excitatory at $10^{-5}\;M$ and inhibitory at $3{\times}10^{-4}\;M.$ Taurocholic acid at $10^{-4}\;M$ enhanced the amplitude of muscle contraction. Electrically, canine bile at 1% reversibly depolarized the colonic myocytes under current clamp mode. Bile acids also elicited non-selective cation currents under voltage clamp studies, where $K^+$ currents were blocked and the $Cl^-$ gradient was adjusted so that $E_{Cl}^-$ was equal to -70 mV, a holding potential. The non-selective cation current might explain the depolarization caused by bile acids in intact muscles. Furthermore, the bile acid regulation of electrical and mechanical activities of intestinal smooth muscle may explain some of the pathophysiological conditions accompanying defects in bile reabsorption.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.17-22
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• 2008

The feasibility of acid-enhanced electrokinetic remediation on zinc and nickel-contaminated soil was investigated in the laboratory. Simple extraction efficiency using 1M HCl was 24% for Zn and 9% for Ni, as a result, the acid washing is not effective to remove Zn and Ni from the soil. The effiencey of normal electrokinetic treatment during 28 days was less than simple soil washing. Catholyte circulation with a strong acid enhanced dramatically the removal of Zn and Ni and pretreatment of soil with acid increased more the removal. Based on the result, acid-enhanced electrokinetic remediation is effective to remove Zn and Ni from the contaminated soil.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.24-32
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• 2024

Despite improvements in operative techniques and perioperative care, post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) remains the most serious cause of morbidity and mortality after surgery, and several risk factors have been identified to predict PHLF. Although volumetric assessment using imaging contributes to surgical simulation by estimating the function of future liver remnants in predicting PHLF, liver function is assumed to be homogeneous throughout the liver. The combination of volumetric and functional analyses may be more useful for an accurate evaluation of liver function and prediction of PHLF than only volumetric analysis. Gadoxetic acid is a hepatocyte-specific magnetic resonance (MR) contrast agent that is taken up by hepatocytes via the OATP1 transporter after intravenous administration. Gadoxetic acid-enhanced MR imaging (MRI) offers information regarding both global and regional functions, leading to a more precise evaluation even in cases with heterogeneous liver function. Various indices, including signal intensity-based methods and MR relaxometry, have been proposed for the estimation of liver function and prediction of PHLF using gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI. Recent developments in MR techniques, including high-resolution hepatobiliary phase images using deep learning image reconstruction and whole-liver T1 map acquisition, have enabled a more detailed and accurate estimation of liver function in gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI.