• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.52-63
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• 2000

Non-specific reaction has been a problem in doing, especially, research and diagnosis for infectious agents. Avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex (ABC) techniques has widely been used to amplify a reaction. Photobacterium damse1a subsp. piscicdia (formerly Pasteurella piscicida) exhibited a capacity to bind with streptavidin non-specifically. The band, estimated 26 K Da in Western blotted paper, was blocked with biotin but incompletely. In an attempt to explore an involvement of the non-specific substance in attaching piscine cells, cell attachment test performed using anti- Ph. d. subsp piscicida sera raised mouse and rabbit exhibited slightly blocking effects for Mediterranean (1736) and significantly for Japanese (Sp 92144) isolate. Biotin decreased the attachment ability significantly for Sp92144 but it was not effective to 1736. Both isolates showed greatly enhanced attachment ability with poly-L-lysin. The non-specific binding substance was contained in bacterial extracellular products (ECPs). The substance was able to purified with 2-imminobiotin affinity column, the purified substance appeared to have 4 bands in silver staining, and had a carbohydrate branch. This purified substance showed cytotoxic effects selectively between 5 piscine cell lines. Moreover, it stimulated rainbow trout macrophage in terms of reduction of cytochrome cas well as yeast phagocytosis, significantly.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.704-709
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• 2009

The emergence of methicillin-resistant of Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) has led to an urgent need for the discovery and development of new antibacterial agents. As part of an ongoing investigation into the antibacterial properties of the natural products, (2S)-7,4'-dihydroxy-5-methoxy-8-(${\gamma}$, ${\gamma}$-dimethylally)-f1avanone (2S-DMDF), isolated from the roots of Sophora flavescens, was found to be antibacterial active MRSA and VRE. Sophora flavescens has been used as antibacterial, antiviral, antiprotozoal, anti-inflammatory. Therefore, this study investigated the antibacterial activity of 2S-DMDF against all the bacterial strains tested. In this result, at the end point of an optically clear well, the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) ranged from 0.97 to 15.6 mg/ml for 2S-DMDF, from 125 to 256 mg/ml for ampicillin, and from 64 to 512 mg/ml for gentamicin with MRSA, also, 7.8 to 15.6 mg/ml for 2S-DMDF, from 125 to 256 mg/ml for ampicillin, and from 512 to 1024< mg/ml for vacomicin with VRE. These findings indicated that the application of the tested 2S-DMDF alone might prove useful in the control and treatment of MRSA and VRE infections.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.256-260
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• 2012

Purpose: Actinomycosis is an uncommon chronic granulomatous disease that presents as a slowly progressive, indolent, indurated infiltration with multiple abscesses, fistulas, and sinuses. The purpose of this article is to report on a case of actinomycosis with clinical findings similar to periodontitis. Methods: A 46-year-old female presented with recurrent throbbing pain on the right first and second molar of the mandible three weeks after root planing. Exploratory flap surgery was performed, and the bluish-gray tissue fragment found in the interproximal area between the two molars was sent for histopathology. Results: The diagnosis from the biopsy was actinomycosis. The clinical and radiographic manifestations of this case were clinically indistinguishable from periodontitis. The patient did not report any symptoms, and she is scheduled for a follow-up visit. Conclusions: The present study has identified periodontitis-mimicking actinomycosis. Actinomycosis should be included in the differential diagnosis in cases with periodontal pain and inflammation that do not respond to nonsurgical treatment for periodontitis. More routine submissions of tissue removed from the oral cavity for biopsies may be beneficial for differential diagnosis.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.50-54
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• 2022

Antibiotics are commonly prescribed medications in the hospice and palliative care setting, as well as in many other healthcare settings. The overuse or negligent use of antibiotics is associated with the harmful consequence of fostering the development of antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Thus, there is an urgent need to critically examine and audit antibiotic use in all aspects of healthcare. In the status quo, there is a lack of consistent standards and guidelines surrounding the use of antibiotics in hospice and palliative care settings, leading to significant variations in how antibiotics are prescribed and administered in end-of-life care. It is apparent that greater thought needs to go into antibiotic decisions for patients receiving hospice or palliative care, especially considering the harmful consequences of the overprescription of antibiotics. The literature suggests that many clinicians prescribe antibiotics inappropriately for patients who would not benefit from their use or prescribe them without adequate documentation. Clinicians should be deliberate about when they prescribe antibiotics and adhere to the appropriate documentation standards and procedures within their institution or community. Future research should seek to generate generalizable knowledge about which patients will benefit most from antibiotic therapy during end-of-life care.

• Mycobiology
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.1-15
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• 2023

Wound care has become increasingly important over the years. Various synthetic products for wound care treatment have been reported to cause toxic side effects and therefore natural products are in significant demand as they have minimal side effects. The presence of bioactive compounds in medicinal mushrooms contributes to various biological activities which assist in the early inflammatory phase, keratinocyte proliferation, and its migration enhancement which are pertinent to wound rehabilitation. Lignosus rhinocerus (tiger milk mushroom) can reduce the inflammation phase in wound healing by fighting off bacterial infection and modulating pro-inflammatory cytokines expression in the early stage to avoid prolonged inflammation and tissue damage. The antibacterial, immunomodulating, and anti-inflammatory activities exhibited by most macrofungi play a key role in enhancing wound healing. Several antibacterial and antifungal compounds sourced from traditional botanicals/-products may prevent further complications and reoccurrence of injury to a wounded site. Scientific studies are actively underway to ascertain the potential use of macrofungi as a wound healing agent.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.130-136
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• 2023

In this study, the anti-bacterial activity of three medicinal herbs such as Dioscorea batatas, Morus alba, and Tagetes erecta, have been applied in oriental medicine against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The antibacterial activity of Dioscorea batatas ethanol extract (DBEE), Morus alba ethanol extract (MAEE), and Tagetes erecta ethanol extract (TEEE) was analyzed by disk diffusion, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) assays. As a result, three medicinal herbs exhibited antibacterial activity in a dose-dependent manner as well as MAEE and TEEE showed the most potent antibacterial activity followed by disk diffusion assay against E. coli and S. aureus, respectively. MIC against E. coli and S. aureus was 1.6 mg/mL of MAEE and TEEE as well as 0.2 mg/mL of TEEE. MBC against both strains was 5 mg/mL of DBEE and 2.5 mg/mL of TEEE. Consequently, three medicinal herbs in this study showed potent antibacterial activity through the inhibited growth of E. coli and S. aureus, which is considered as a potential candidate for cosmeceutic agents to attenuate the pruritus. In addition, antibacterial and antihistamine effects followed by the extraction solvents should be analyzed in future studies.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.217-222
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• 2018

Phagocytosis is a fundamental process in which phagocytes capture and ingest foreign particles including pathogenic bacteria. Several oral pathogens have anti-phagocytic strategies, which allow them to escape from and survive in phagocytes. Impaired bacteria phagocytosis increases inflammation and contributes to inflammatory diseases. The purpose of this study is to investigate the influences of various agents on oral pathogenic phagocytosis. To determine phagocytosis, Streptococcus mutans, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and Porphyromonas gingivalis were stained with 5-(and-6)-carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester (CFSE), and was measured using flowcytometery and confocal microscopy. The influencing factors on phagocytosis were evaluated through the pretreatment of ROS inhibitor (N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC)), lysozyme, potassium chloride (KCI) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in THP-1 cells. Expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The phagocytosis of various bacteria increased in a MOI-dependent manner. Among the tested bacteria, phagocytosis of P. gingivalis showed the highest fluorescent intensity at same infection time. Among the tested inhibitors, the NAC treatment significantly inhibited phagocytosis in all tested bacteria. In addition, NAC treatment indicated a similar pattern under the confocal microscopy. Moreover, NAC treatment significantly increased the bacteria-induced secretion of $IL-1{\beta}$ among the tested inhibitors. Taken together, we conclude that the phagocytosis occurs differently depending on each bacterium. Down-regulation by ROS production inhibited phagocytosis and lead increased of oral pathogens-associated inflammation.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.20.1-20.11
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• 2021

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) membranes incorporated with antimicrobial agents regarding cytotoxicity in fibroblasts of the periodontal ligament (PDLF), antimicrobial activity, and inhibition of multispecies biofilm formation. Materials and Methods: The tested BNC membranes were BNC + 1% clindamycin (BNC/CLI); BNC + 0.12% chlorhexidine (BNC/CHX); BNC + nitric oxide (BNC/NO); and conventional BNC (BNC; control). After PDLF culture, the BNC membranes were positioned in the wells and maintained for 24 hours. Cell viability was then evaluated using the MTS calorimetric test. Antimicrobial activity against Enterococcus faecalis, Actinomyces naeslundii, and Streptococcus sanguinis (S. sanguinis) was evaluated using the agar diffusion test. To assess the antibiofilm activity, BNC membranes were exposed for 24 hours to the mixed culture. After sonicating the BNC membranes to remove the remaining biofilm and plating the suspension on agar, the number of colony-forming units (CFU)/mL was determined. Data were analyzed by 1-way analysis of variance and the Tukey, Kruskal-Wallis, and Dunn tests (α = 5%). Results: PDLF metabolic activity after contact with BNC/CHX, BNC/CLI, and BNC/NO was 35%, 61% and 97%, respectively, compared to BNC. BNC/NO showed biocompatibility similar to that of BNC (p = 0.78). BNC/CLI showed the largest inhibition halos, and was superior to the other BNC membranes against S. sanguinis (p < 0.05). The experimental BNC membranes inhibited biofilm formation, with about a 3-fold log CFU reduction compared to BNC (p < 0.05). Conclusions: BNC/NO showed excellent biocompatibility and inhibited multispecies biofilm formation, similarly to BNC/CLI and BNC/CHX.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.284-288
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• 2009

The innate immune system is important for the first line of host defence against infectious agents, which have penetrated the mechanical barriers. Mannose-binding lectin (MBL or mannan-binding protein, MBP) is a serum protein that is synthesized in the liver as a part of the acute phase response. MBL binds to carbohydrate structures presented by a wide range of pathogenic bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. MBL is synthesized as a monomer that has a carboxy-terminal carbohydrate recognition domain, a neck region and a collagen region. Low MBL level was reported to be the most frequent immuno-deficiency syndrome. Although extensive studies have yielded detailed information on the structure of MBL, functions of the MBL complex are not fully understood yet. We, here, present cloning process of MBL cDNA from the rat liver and production of truncated recombinant MBL protein using a bacterial expression system in order to produce anti-MBL polyclonal antibody. Anti-MBL polyclonal antibody was raised in a New Zealand rabbit and its affinity was tested against recombinant protein using western blot technique. MBL cDNA, recombinant protein and anti-MBL antibody could be used as great arsenals to dissect cellular biochemistry of MBL.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.35 no.9
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• pp.2818-2824
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• 2014

Trp residue is considered as one of the important constituents in antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) as it presence secured good activities in many cases. However, it is preferable to be changed because of their sensitivity towards light. We have synthesized the short Trp-rich AMP Pac-525 and its analogues to investigate the possibility of His(chx) as possible replacement analogue for Trp in AMPs. Based on the assay result of the antibacterial activity including anti-MRSA activity, His(chx) is considered as good candidate for the Trp replacement. Through these study, we found that His(chx) had several merits to design therapeutic antimicrobial agents compare to Trp in terms of i) increasing antibacterial activity without hemolytic activity, ii) successful in designing the short peptide (only four residues), iii) having anti-MRSA activity, iv) overcoming the light sensitivity. Furthermore, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dye leakage experiments suggested that P11 and P16 containing His(chx) kill bacteria via forming pore/ion channels on bacterial cell membranes.