• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.311-318
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• 2010

Antimicrobial finishing of textiles has been found to be an economical way to prevent (or treat) skin disorders. Hence, this research effort was aimed at elucidating the relationship between the molecular weight (MW) of chitosan and its antimicrobial activity upon six dermal reference microorganisms, as well as the influence of the interactions with cotton fabrics on said activity. Using 3 chitosans with different MWs, as well as two chitooligosaccharide (COS) mixtures, a relevant antimicrobial effect was observed by 24 h for the six microorganisms tested; it was apparent that the antimicrobial effect is strongly dependent on the type of target microorganism and on the MW of chitosan - being higher for lower MW in the case of E. coli, K. pneumoniae, and P. aeruginosa, and the reverse in the case of both Gram-positive bacteria. Furthermore, a strong antifungal effect was detectable upon C. albicans, resembling the action over Gram-positive bacteria. Interactions with cotton fabric resulted in a loss of COS activity when compared with cultured media, relative to the effect over Gram-negative bacteria. However, no significant differences for the efficacy of all the 5 compounds were observed by 4 h. The three chitosans possessed a higher antimicrobial activity when impregnated onto the fabric, and presented a similar effect on both Gram-positive bacteria and yeast, in either matrix. Pseudomonas aeruginosa showed to be the most resistant microorganism to all five compounds.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.27 no.9
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• pp.771-780
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• 2018

To develope a microbial weed control agent, HCN-producing bacteria were isolated, and their characteristics were investigated. A selected strain of WA15 was identified as Pseudomonas koreensis by morphological, cultural, biochemical and 16S rRNA gene analyses. The conditions for HCN production was investigated by a One-Variable-at-a-Time (OVT) method. The optimal HCN production conditions were tryptone 1%, glycine 0.06%, NaCl 1%, and an initial pH and temperature of 5.0 and $30^{\circ}C$, respectively. The major component for HCN production was glycine. Under optimal conditions, HCN production was about 3 times higher than that of the basal medium. The WA15 strain had physiological activities, such as indoleacetic acid that was associated with the elongation of plant roots and siderophore and ammonification inhibiting fungal growth, and produced hydrolytic enzymes, such as cellulase, pectinase and lipase. The strain was able to inhibit the growth of phytopathogenic fungi, such as Rhizoctonia solani, Botrytis cinerea and Fusarium oxysporum, by the synergistic action of volatile HCN and diffusible antimicrobial compounds. A microscopic observation of R. solani that was teated with the WA15 strain showed morphological abnormalities of fungal mycelia, which could explain the role of the antimicrobial metabolites that were produced by the WA15 strain. The volatile HCN produced by the WA15 strain was also found to have insecticidal activity against termites. Our results indicate that Pseudomonas koreensis WA15 can be applied as a microbial agent for weed control and also as a termite repellent. Furthermore, it could be applied as a microbial termiticidal agent to replace synthetic insecticides.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.27-33
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• 2008

Candidiasis, an opportunistic infectious condition caused by the genus Candida, is the most common oral fungal infection in humans. The diagnosis of oral candidiasis can often be made based on recognition of its clinical pattern, but at times there is difficulty in making a clinical diagnosis because of its various manifestations. Several antifungal medications have been developed for managing fungal infections. Despite the availability of several effective antimycotics for the treatment of oral candidiasis, failure of therapy is not uncommon due to the unique environment of the oral cavity, where the flushing effect of saliva and the cleaning action of the oral musculature tend to reduce the drug concentration to sub-therapeutic levels. In this case report, we present two patients diagnosed with chronic hyperplastic candidiasis and median rhomboid glossitis, which are known as rare forms of candidiasis. In both cases, there was a significant reduction of clinical signs and symptoms when fluconazole was prescribed after the failure of initial nystatin therapy.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2012

Background: Curcumin has been reported to have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiviral, antifungal, antitumor, and antinociceptive activity when administered systemically. We investigated the analgesic efficacy of intrathecal curcumin in a rat model of inflammatory pain. Methods: Male Sprague Dawley rats were prepared for intrathecal catheterization. Pain was evoked by injection of formalin solution (5%, $50{\mu}l$) into the hind paw. Curcumin doses of 62.5, 125, 250, and $500{\mu}g$were delivered through an intrathecal catheter to examine the flinching responses. The $ED_{50}$ values (half-maximal effective dose) with 95% confidence intervals of curcumin for both phases of the formalin test were calculated from the dose-response lines fitted by least-squares linear regression on a log scale. Results: In rats with intrathecal administration of curcumin, the flinching responses were significantly decreased in both phases. The slope of the regression line was significantly different from zero only in phase 2, and the $ED_{50}$ value (95% confidence interval) of curcumin was $511.4{\mu}g$ (23.5-1126.5). There was no apparent abnormal behavior following the administration of curcumin. Conclusions: Intrathecal administration of curcumin decreased inflammatory pain in rats, and further investigation to elucidate the precise mechanism of spinal action of curcumin is warranted.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.353-359
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• 2010

In order to control postharvest spoilage of satsuma mandarin fruits, rhizobacteria were isolated from soil samples. The Pantoea agglomerans strain 59-4 (Pa 59-4) which suppresses the decay of mandarin fruit by green and blue mold, was tested for the control efficacy and its mode of action was investigated. Pa 59-4 inhibited infection by green and blue mold on wounded mandarins, which were artificially inoculated with a spore suspension of Penicillium digitatum and P. italicum with control efficacies of 85-90% and 75-80%, respectively. The biocontrol efficacy was increased by raising the concentration of cells to between $10^8$ and $10^9\;cfu/ml$, and pretreatment with the antagonist prevented subsequent infection by green mold. The population of Pa 59-4 was increased more than 10 fold during the 24 hr incubation at $20^{\circ}C$, indicating that colonization of the wound site might prevent the infection by green mold. Despite poor antifungal activity, the Pa 59-4 isolate completely inhibited the germination and growth of P. digitatum spores at $1{\times}10^8\;cfu/ml$. We argue that the control efficacy was mediated by nutrient competition. Overall, the effective rhizobacterium, Pa 59-4, was shown to be a promising biocontrol agent for the postharvest spoilage of mandarin fruits by green and blue mold.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.175-187
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• 2018

Myxobacteria produce diverse secondary metabolites for predation, self-defense, intercellular signaling, and other unknown functions. Many secondary metabolites isolated from myxobacteria show pharmaceutically useful bioactivity such as anticancer, antibacterial, and antifungal activities with a unique mechanism of action. Therefore, a large number of myxobacterial strains have been isolated globally and many bioactive compounds have been purified from them. However, 16S rRNA database analysis indicates that there are far more types of myxobacterial species in the wild than have ever been isolated, and genome sequence analysis suggests that each myxobacterium is capable of producing much more metabolites than already known. In this article, the current status of studies on the secondary metabolites from myxobacteria, their biosynthetic genes, biological functions, and transcriptional regulatory factors governing gene expression were reviewed.

• Journal of Marine Bioscience and Biotechnology
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.48-54
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• 2007

Bacillus polyfermenticus SCD (B. polyfermenticus SCD) has been appropriately used for the therapy of long-term intestinal disorders, because live strains in the form of active endospores can successfully reach the target intestine in humans. B. polyfermenticus SCD produces the most antibiotic-related materials. In the present study, B. polyfermenticus SCD was fermented with soybeans (BPFS) and its probiotic properties were investigated. B. polyfermenticus SCD and BPFS showed a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity against pathogenic Gram-positive (Streptococcus parauberis, Streptococcus iniae, Lactococcus garviae) and Gram-negative (Flexibacter tractuosus, Vibrio harveyi, Vibrio vulnificus, Vibrio ordalii) bacteria and moulds (Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus oryzae). Sebastes schlegeli were used to examine survival rate and cleanup action by BPFS. Bacterial infection resulted in a mortality of up to 99% in the commercial fodder fed groups. BPFS both enhanced the growth rate of fry by improving their appetite and had cleaned by decreased eutrophication. Therefore, it seems appropriate that BPFS should be developed as an antibiotic replacement, favorable fodder additive, and antifungal material in fish farming systems.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.561-574
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• 2021

This study was conducted to evaluate the control efficacy of the organic farming materials (OFMs) on tuber rot of Gastrodia elata caused by Fusarium spp. The antifungal activities in vitro as well as the suppressive effect of 15 OFMs on the spore germination and germ tube growth by inoculating spore suspension on immature tubers in vivo were investigated. 7 OFMs inhibited the mycelial growth of Fusarium spp. and 7 of them were microbial agents. In the screening using immature tubers, 3 OFMs were very effective with control efficacy value of 70%. Among them, sulfur provided suppressive effect on both mycelial growth and spore germination against tuber rot of G. elata. Finally, 3 OFMs were selected to test the protective and curative effects, and all chosen OFMs significantly suppressed disease incidence when applied in the preventive action, in comparison with the curative action. Especially, sulfur and Bacillus subtilis gave excellent protective control efficacy with control values of 93.2% and 86.9%, respectively, whereas its curative control effect was relatively low (73.3%, 60.2%). On the other hand, the preventive and curative effects of citronella + paraffin oil + ethyl alcohol were 73.3% and 67.0%, respectively. This study suggests that tuber rot of G. elata can be controlled by some OFMs in the rain shelter greenhouse under continuous cultivation condition and protective treatment is more important and efficient.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.201-209
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• 2012

The multi-function of 18 Bacillus subtilis isolates collected from agricultural extension centers of local government and National Academy of Agricultural Science was investigated by measuring their antifungal activities against five plant pathogens, such as Rhizoctonia solani, Colletotrichum acutatum, Fusarium oxysporum, Magnaporthe oryzae and Phytophthora capsici, phosphorus solubilization ability, production of indole acetic acid (IAA) and siderophore, and nitrogen fixation. The B. subtilis isolates showed antifungal activity against several plant pathogens and nitrogen fixation activity, and produced siderophore and IAA. They could control pepper powdery mildew (Leveillula taurica), but there was no difference in control efficacy among the B. subtilis isolates. In fields, the control efficacy of B. subtilis R2-1 ($10^8$ cells/ml) was compared with two microbial fungicides, Q-pect and Topsid. In 2009, the control efficacy of B. subtilis R2-1 (37.7%) was lower than that of Topsid (47.6%), but higher than that of Q-pect (25.7%). In 2010, the control efficacy of B. subtilis R2-1 (83.3%) was higher than that of Topsid (67.9%). In order to elucidate mode of action of B. subtilis R2-1 for controlling pepper powdery mildew, spore germination rates of pepper powdery mildew pathogen collected on treated leaves was investigated when suspensions of B. subtilis R2-1 and two microbial fungicides (Q-pect and Topsid) were foliar-sprayed. They highly suppressed spore germination of the pathogen with inhibition values of 84.2% for B. subtilis R2-1, 97.9% for Q-pect and 94.7% for Topsid. Further study on the mass-culturing method and formulation is needed for development of a microbial fungicide.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2012

Fungicidal activities against phytopathogenic fungi of diarylthiazole compound of 4-[5-(2-cyclopropylaminopyrimidin-4-yl)-4-(4-fluorophenyl)thiazol-5-yl]-1-methylpiperidine (I) have been determined to be excellent and compound I was used as the leading compounds in this study. Furthermore, the compound was synthesized by reacting them with five functional groups, 4-fluoro-3-methylphenyl, 4-fluoro-3-chlorophenyl, 4-chloro-2-fluorophenyl, 4-bromo-3-methylphenyl and 2,4-dichlorophenyl groups instead of 4-fluorophenyl group. Also, 2-amino-, 2-(N-ethoxycarbonyl)piperidin-4-yl-, and 2-piperidin-4-yl-thiazole were introduced as the leads instead of 2-N-methylpiperidine-4-yl-thiazol of compound I. VIII-1~VIII-5 and XIII-1~XV-5 compounds were newly synthesized and their structures were confirmed by $^1H$-NMR-spectrum. The fungicidal activities of all the synthesized compounds against Phytophthora capsici were examined using the whole plant method. Among the VIII-1~VIII-5 and XIII-1~XV-5 chemicals, XIV-3 showed the most potent antifungal activity in vivo. While the $EC_{50}$ and $EC_{90}$ values of the commercial fungicide dimethomorph and I were $4.26{\pm}0.02$, $14.72{\pm}0.05$ and $1.01{\pm}0.11$, $6.31{\pm}0.09mM$, those of 4-[5-(2-cyclopropylaminopyrimidin-4-yl)-4-(4-chloro-2-fluorophenyl)thiazol-5-yl]-1-methylpiperidine (XIV-3) was $0.98{\pm}0.21$ and $5.85{\pm}0.05mM$. Therefore, XIV-3 can be considered as a viable candidate for the control of plant diseases caused by P. capsici, and further studies will be conducted on the mode of action XIV-3.