• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2018

${\mu}MT$ knockout mice are genetically deficient in the transmembrane domain of mu chain of the immunoglobulin M (IgM) heavy chain, resulting in the absence of mature B cells. ${\mu}MT$ knockout mice is an in vivo model system used to clarify the role of B cells in various diseases. Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) induces acute and chronic diarrheal disease, especially in children of developing countries. The formation of attaching and effacing (A/E) lesion is a prominent pathogenic factor in the intestinal epithelium of EPEC infection. The A/E lesion is modulated by genes located on the pathogenic island locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE) which encode a type III secretion system (T3SS) and A/E lesion-related effector proteins. Citrobacter rodentium is a murine pathogen utilized in studying the pathogenic mechanisms of EPEC in human infections. Citrobacter rodentium produce A/E lesion to attach to intestinal epithelium, thus providing a murine model pathogen to study EPEC. Several studies have investigated the pathogenesis of Citrobacter rodentium in the ${\mu}MT$ knockout mice. In this review, we introduce the ${\mu}MT$ murine model in the context of C. rodentium pathogenesis and describe in detail the role of B cells and antibodies in this disease.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.238-243
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• 2020

Tuberculosis is a global public health problem and manifests itself as a difference in the genetic susceptibility of the host, along with the properties of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). The single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and candidate genes proposed in the Genome-wide association study (GWAS) on tuberculosis in a recently published Chinese population were reported. In this study, we investigated whether the genetic polymorphism of candidate genes related to tuberculosis is reproduced when targeting Koreans. The CLCN6 (rs12404124, rs198391, rs535107), DOK7 (rs1203104, rs1203103) and HLA-DRA (rs1051336) gene polymorphisms showed statistically significant results. In addition, it was also found whether it acts as an expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) that can influence gene expression. This study confirmed that the genetic polymorphism of the three genes (CLCN6, DOK7, HLA-DRA) affects the development of tuberculosis and will help to understand the genetic specificity of tuberculosis and the interaction between pathogens and hosts.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.15-19
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• 2003

Parathyroid hormone has clearly emerged as the most promising new anabolic treatment for osteoporosis by increasing the activation of osteoblast. It is known that chlorella increases both bone mineral density (BMD) and the rate of bone formation. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether the chlorella dietary supplementation could effect the thyroid or parathyroid hormones associated with increased BMD and bone formation. Twenty-two postmenopausal woman were treated for four month with 4 gm of chlorella dietary supplementation per day, then assessed serum calcium,25 OH vitamin D$_3$, thyroid hormone and parathyroid hormone before and after treatment. The mean 25 OH vitamin D$_3$ and parathyroid hormone were shown to marked increases by 193% and 265% respectively, in contrast to decreases by 9.4%, 37%, 33% and 14% in serum calcium, triiodo-thyroxine, free thyroxine and thyroxine stimulation hormone. In conclusion, treatment of postmenopausal women with chlorella dietary supplementation resulted in an increase in BMD and bone formation through enhancement of parathyroid hormone and 25 OH vitamin D$_3$, and a decrease in thyroid hormones.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.42-48
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• 2012

This study was performed to investigate the urinary methyl hippuric acid (UMHA) excretion among aircraft maintenance workers exposed to xylene by examination of blood test, urine test and biochemical tests. Study subjects (301) were divided into 2 groups; non-exposed group (n=123, who were not exposed to xylene), and exposed group (n=178, who were exposed to xylene). The average of blood level and MHA level was normal. The ${\gamma}$-GTP level was 35.5 IU/L (45.7%) in the exposed group and 27.9 IU/L (44.7%) in the non-exposed (control) group. The proportion of total cholesterol (TG) level higher than 150 mg/dl were 34.3% in the exposed group and 21.1% in the non-exposed group. These results were showed statistically significant difference (${\chi}^2$ = 6.10, P<0.05). Other items showed no statistically significant differences. The results of urine tests were no statistically significant differences in protein, occult blood and glucose level.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.127-131
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• 2010

Mycobacterium leprae detection is difficult even with molecular biological techniques due to the low sensitivity of current methodologies. In this report, real-time PCR targeting the M. leprae-specific repetitive element (RLEP) sequence was developed as a new diagnostic tool and evaluated using clinical specimens. For this, M. leprae DNAs were extracted from skin biopsy specimens from 80 patients and analyzed by real-time PCR using TaqMan probe. Then, the detection efficiency of the real-time PCR was compared with that of standard PCR. In brief, the rate of positive detection by the standard PCR and real-time PCR was 32.50% and 66.25%, respectively. The results seemed to clearly show that the TaqMan real-time PCR developed in this study may be a useful tool for sensitive detection of M. leprae from clinical specimens.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.435-438
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• 2018

Acanthamoeba culbertsoni is the causative agent of granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE), a condition that predominantly occurs in immunocompromised individuals and which is typically fatal. A mannose-binding protein (MBP) among lectins was shown to have strong A. castellanii pathogenic potential when correlated with major virulence proteins. In this study, protective effects were analyzed using the monoclonal antibody to A. culbertsoni MBP by quantification and were also compared with other free-living amoebae. For the amoebial cytotoxicity to the target cell, amoeba trophozoites were incubated with Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. For the protective effects of antibodies, amoebae were pre-incubated with them for 4 h and then added to the target cells. After 24 h, the supernatants were collected and examined for host cell cytotoxicity by measuring lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release. The cytotoxicity of A. culbertsoni to the CHO cells showed about 87.4%. When the monoclonal antibody was pre-incubated with A. culbertsoni, the amoebial cytotoxicity was remarkably decreased as shown at LDH release (1.858 absorbance), which was represented with about 49.9%. Taken together, it suggested that the monoclonal antibody against MBP be important to inhibit the cytotoxicity of A. culbertsoni trophozoites to the target cell. The antibody will be applied into an in vivo functional analysis, which would help to develop therapeutics.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.249-255
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• 2020

Radiation therapy is one of the primary options for the treatment of malignant tumors. Even though it is an effective anti-cancer treatment, it can cause serious complications owing to radiation-induced damage to the normal tissue around the tumor. It was recently reported that normal stem cell response to the genotoxic stress of ionizing radiation can boost the therapeutic effectiveness of radiation by repairing damaged cells. Therefore, we focused on annexin A-1 (ANXA1), one of the genes induced by low-dose irradiation, and assessed whether it can protect adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) against oxidative stress-induced damage caused by low-dose irradiation and improve effectively cell survival. After confirming ANXA1 expression in ADSCs transfected with an ANXA1 expression vector, exposure to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was used to mimic cellular damage induced by a chronic oxidative environment to assess cell survival under oxidative conditions. ANXA1-transfected ADSCs demonstrated that increased viability compared with un-transfected cells and exhibited enhanced anti-oxidative properties. Taken together, these results suggest that ANXA1 could be used as a potential therapeutic target to improve the survival of stem cells after low-dose radiation treatment.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.9-24
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• 2022

The aim of this study was to identify the expression of zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1), its prognostic significance, and correlation between ZEB1 and infiltrating immune cells in lung cancer. Correlation between ZEB1 and telomerase was also analyzed in different types of cancers. RNA sequencing analysis and survival rates of patients were confirmed by Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA). The Kaplan-Meier plotter and PrognoScan databases were used to analyze the prognostic value of ZEB1 in various cancers. The Tumor IMmune Estimation Resource (TIMER) was used to determine the correlation between ZEB1 and infiltrating immune cells. Lower ZEB1 expression was lower in lung cancer and was related to poor prognosis in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). ZEB1 expression exhibited a significantly positive correlation with infiltration levels of immune cells in LUAD and lung squamous cell carcinoma. Furthermore, we found that the ZEB1 expression correlated with subunits of telomerase. Our findings suggest ZEB1 as a potential biomarker to be used for prognostic significance and tumor immunology in lung cancer. The correlation between the expression of ZEB1 and telomere-related gene will help in understand the cancer-promoting mechanisms.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.344-354
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• 2023

This study emphasizes the importance of early diagnosis and response to COVID-19, leading to the development of a rapid diagnostic kit using quantum dots. The research focuses on finely tuning bioconjugation with quantum dots to enhance the accuracy and sensitivity of COVID-19 diagnosis. We have developed a COVID-19 rapid diagnostic kit that exhibits a sensitivity more than 50 times higher than existing COVID-19 diagnostic kits. Quantum dots enable the accurate detection of COVID-19 viral antigens even at low concentrations, providing a rapid response in the early stages of infection. The COVID-19 quantum dot diagnostic kit offers quick analysis time, utilizing the quantum properties of particles to swiftly measure COVID-19 infection for immediate response and isolation measures. Additionally, this diagnostic kit allows for multiple analyses with ease, as multiple quantum dots can detect various antigens and antibodies simultaneously in a single experiment. This efficiency enhances testing, reduces sample requirements, and lowers experimental costs. The application of this diagnostic technology is anticipated in the future for early diagnosis and monitoring of other infectious diseases.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.121-129
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• 2023

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects millions of people worldwide. The conventional treatment model for PD have harmful side effects, such as dyskinesia, hallucinations, nausea, and fatigue, and are expensive. As a result, natural products derived from medicinal herbs, fruits, and vegetables have emerged as potential therapeutic strategies for PD. These natural products have been traditionally used to treat various diseases and have been shown to possess anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as inhibitory roles in protein misfolding, mitochondrial homeostasis, neuroinflammation and other neuroprotective processes. In addition, they have fewer side effects and are generally less expensive than conventional drugs. It also discusses the limitations of current treatments and the potential of natural remedies derived from plants to treat PD in new ways or as supplements to existing treatments. The multifunctional mechanisms of medicinal plants that may be utilized to treat PD are also discussed, including the modulation of neurotransmitter systems, the enhancement of neurotrophic factors, and the inhibition of apoptosis. While more research is needed to fully understand their mechanisms of action and efficacy, natural products have the potential to provide safer and more effective treatment options for patients with PD.