• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.339-348
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• 2010

Objective: To investigate the beneficial effect of fragment removal on the subsequent cell division and clinical outcome of the fragmented human embryos. Methods: A prospective study was performed in Hanna Women's Clinic and Mizmedi Hospital. Sixty couples undergoing In vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) program were participated in the present study. The microsurgical fragment removal was performed in 106 fragmented embryos of 29 patients before the transfer. As a control group, 122 fragmented embryos of 31 patients were transferred without the fragment removal. Effects of fragment removal on morphological changes and clinical outcomes of fragmented embryos were investigated. Results: Mean morphological grade (G2.79) of fragmented embryos was significantly improved after the fragment removal(G1.63, p<0.001). Most of the fragmented embryos did not show a regeneration of fragments after the fragment removal during the subsequent development, and a beneficial effect of fragment removal on the development of the fragment removed embryos was observed. Implantation and pregnancy rates of fragment removed embryos were 12.3% and 31.3%, whereas the rates of control group embryos were 6.6% and 22.5%, respectively. There was no statistical significance in the rates between the two groups because of the low number of trials. Conclusion: Microsurgical fragment removal improved the subsequent development as well as the morphological grade of fragmented embryos. The fragment removal may be beneficial for neighboring blastomeres by repairing the intercellular communication and removing the secretion of the potential toxic materials by fragments.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.192-199
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• 2010

The alone and combined effects of bacteriocin produced from Enterococcus faecalis MJ-213 and potassium sorbate against the food-borne pathogenic bacteria were studied. Bacteriocin minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values for Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538 and Salmonella enteritidis ATCC 13076 were 50 and 100 ${\mu}g$/ml, respectively. Bacteriocin (100 ${\mu}g$/ml) alone was active against S. aureus and S. enteritidis, but it was lower in antimicrobial effectiveness than the combination of bacteriocin (100 ${\mu}g$/ml) with potassium sorbate (100 ${\mu}g$/ml), which reduced initial counts (6 log cycle) of S. aureus and S. enteritidis by 1 and 3 log cycle, respectively. The bactericidal activity of bacteriocin of E. faecalis MJ-213 heated at $100^{\circ}C$ for 30 min or $121^{\circ}C$ for 15 min was markedly decreased as compared with the control. Moreover, the activity of bacteriocin was completely abolished by pepsin or protease II, but not affected by ${\alpha}$-amylase or lipase. The activity of bacteriocin adjusted to pH 6.0-8.0 showed almost the same inhibition ratio compared with the bacteriocin unadjusted pH, and though the inhibition ratio against pathogenic bacteria was reduced than the control, the bacteriocin was stable at pH 4.0 or 10.0, relatively. Furthermore, the combined treatment of bacteriocin and potassium sorbate than the alone treatment of bacteriocin significantly decreased (p<0.05) the viable cell counts of S. aureus or S. enteritidis inoculated on grind beef during storage at $4^{\circ}C$.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.297-302
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• 2011

Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) causes a number of extraintestinal diseases in poultry. A virulence factor, P-fimbriae is firmly associated with the diseases. In this study, to develop an effective vaccine for the prevention of APEC, recombinant attenuatted Salmonella Typhimurium vaccines expressing PapA and PapG of P-fimbriae were evaluated whether these induced protective immune responses in murine models. Female BALB/c mice were primed and boosted orally at 7 and 10 weeks of age. In all immunized mice, the antigen-specific serum IgG levels were remained higher than those in the control mice from the fourth week post inoculation till the end of this study. In addition, antigen-specific serum IgG levels in the prime-booster immunized mice were enhanced as compared to the single immunized mice among each immunized group. The antigen-specific mucosal IgA levels in the mice immunized with each strain also induced higher than those in control mice. In addition, serum IgG and fecal IgA levels in mice administered with the combination of both strains were highly induced compared to those in mice immunized with each strain alone. These results indicated that PapA and PapG worked together for inducing high immune responses. To partly discern the nature of immunity induced by the strains, we quantified serum IgG subtypes IgG1 and IgG2a specific to antigens. The PapA and PapG strains biased the immunity to the Th1-type, as determined by the IgG2a/IgG1 ratio. On the other hand, the immunization with the both strains in combination produced mixed Th1- and Th2-type immune responses. These indicated that immunization with the combination of PapA and PapG could elicit both humoral and cell-mediated immunities.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.7
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• pp.869-878
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• 2013

Eleven functional plant materials were identified via a literature search, and their antioxidant capacity and inhibitory effects on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide (NO) production in RAW264.7 cells were tested. Yields from hot water extracts of the materials were the highest (52.10%) in Lycii fructus, and the yields from Phellinus linteus were the lowest (5.7%). The yields of another were 14.50-42.47%. Total phenol and flavonoids contents were the highest in P. linteus. The $EC_{50}$ values for DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities were lower than $100{\mu}g/ml$ for Salvia miltiorrhiza, whereas the values for P. linteus, Scutellaria baicalensis, and Paeonia lactiflora were $100-200{\mu}g/ml$. The $EC_{50}$ value for the superoxide anion radical scavenging activity of all the extracts was higher than $300{\mu}g/ml$. P. linteus for the reducing power was shown the highest activity. $Fe^{2+}$ chelating activity was the highest in the Morus alba extract. In an MTT assay, the cell viability of the RAW264.7 LPS-exposed cells was above 80% in extracts of $50{\mu}g/ml$ and above 77% in extracts of $100{\mu}g/ml$ in all the plant materials except Acanthopanax sessiliflorum. NO production in the RAW264.7 LPS-exposed cells showed a 12-fold increase compared to the control. The NO production level of all the extracts was $6.86-26.18{\mu}M$. Notably, $100{\mu}g/ml$ of S. baicalensis extract showed a remarkable decrease in NO production (72%) compared with the control. The potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of S.baicalensis, P. linteus, S. miltiorrhiza, M. alba, and P. lactiflora suggest that they are potential candidates as functional materials.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.68-75
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• 2008

The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality characteristics and antioxidant activity of yogurt containing spirulina. Yogurt base was prepared from skim milk added with $0.25{\sim}1%(w/v)$ spirulina powder and fermented with lactic acid bacteria (S. thermophilus : L. bulgaricus = 1 : 1) at $40^{\circ}C$ for 12 hr. Kiwi puree and oligosaccharides were then added. The addition of 1% spirulina powder stimulated the growth of lactic acid bacteria, which showed the highest viable cell count ($3.4{\times}10^9$ CFU/mL), and increased the titratable acidity (1.10%). The viscosity range of the yogurt was 6,000 to 9,000 cP, and the sugar content of the yogurt was around 18 $^{\circ}Brix$. The antioxidant activities were determined using the DPPH method, and the hydroxyl radical scavenging activity of the yogurt containing spirulina was higher than that of the control. The sensory evaluation scores for appearance, odor, taste, overall acceptability and buying intention were higher in the yogurt containing 0.25% spirulina than in the other groups. The amount of macronutrients in the yogurt containing spirulina was higher than that in the control. In addition, the amounts of micronutrients in the yogurt containing spirulina was significantly increased. According to these results, the optimum concentration of spirulina powder is around 0.25%.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.192-197
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• 2006

Purpose : Vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) is a key cytokine for controlling vascular permeability and angiogenesis, which is one of the major findings in airway remodeling. However, it is not well known if it is associated with acute lower respiratory tract disease such as lobar pneumonia. The aim of this study is to compare serum VEGF levels in patients with asthma according to its severity and duration of cough, and to compare its levels with children with lobar pneumonia. Methods : Using a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, the serum VEGF levels were measured in 16 mild asthmatics, 14 moderate to severe asthmatics, six children with lobar pneumonia, and 22 control subjects. The asthmatics were also classified into three groups according to the duration of cough. Serum VEGF levels were compared in each group. Results : Serum VEGF levels were significantly increased in the children with moderate to severe asthma and lobar pneumonia compared to the children with mild asthma and control subjects. Serum VEGF levels were higher in children with chronic coughs of more than two weeks than in children with coughs lasting less than two weeks. Serum levels of VEGF showed positive correlations with blood platelet and white blood cell counts. Conclusion : VEGF increased according to the severity of asthma and duration of cough in children with asthma. It may play an important role not only in chronic airway inflammation, but also in the acute inflammation in children with lower respiratory tract disease.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.35-41
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Chungkookjang viscous biopolymer supplementation on blood glucose and serum lipid-lowering in Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. The rats were divided into three experimental groups; a normal group (N), diabetic control group (D), and a diabetic group with the supplementation of Chungkookjang viscous biopolymer (DCB). The groups were given experimental diets for four weeks. The normal group (C) was fed a casein-based diet, and the Chungkookjang viscous biopolymer group (DCB) received 3% biopolymer added to the casein-based diet. In the diabetic group (D), food intake increased significantly, but weight gain decreased significantly. The food efficiency ratio was significantly lower in the diabetic group. Liver weight increased significantly in the D group as compared to the N group. However, the DCB group showed a significant decrease in liver weight when compared to the D group. Blood glucose decreased significantly in the DCB group after receiving the experimental diet for four weeks, as compared to the diabetic control (p<0.05). Serum triglyceride levels were significantly lower in the DCB group than in the D group, whereas HDL-cholesterol levels were significantly higher (p<0.05). Total cholesterol was decreased in DCB group, but there were no significant differences. Also, LDL-cholesterol level was not significantly different among the experimental groups. Hepatic triglyceride and cholesterol were lower in the DCB group with no significant differences among groups. These results indicate that dietary supplementation of Chungkookjang viscous biopolymer improved glucose lowering and lipid metabolism in diabetic rats.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.231-238
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• 1999

The objective of this study was to examine the effect of developmental stage and embryo age of in vitro produced bovine blastocysts after vitrification and thawing. In vitro cultured day 8 blastocysts after IVF were equilibrated 20% ethylene glycol (EG) for 3 min. and were vitrified using EFS40, which is consisted of 40% EG, 18% ficoll, 0.3M sucrose and 10% FBS added in mDPBS for 30 sec. before being plunged into $LN_2$. Also, survival in vitro was assessed by re-expansion and hatching or hatched at 24 hand 48 h postwarming, respectively. The results obtained in these experiments were summarized as follows; 1) When the embryos were cultured for 8 day after IVF, 41.0% of the cleaved embryos developed to the blastocysts (early; 7.6%, expanded; 22.9%, hatching; 4.6% and hatched; 5.9%). 2) When the embryos were exposed or vitrified to the freezing solution, the re-expansion of vitrified embryos (73.3%) was significantly lower than that of control and exposed embryos (100, 97.0%) (p<0.05). But the formation rate of hatching or hatched blastocysts of vitrified embryos (66.7, 46.7%) at 48h after thawing was similar to that of exposed embryos (66.7, 39.4%) but not control (100, 100%) (p<0.01). However, in the total cell numbers of those developed hatched blastocysts, there were not significantly different among the treatment groups. 3) When the embryo survival rates by different developmental stage were examined, the re-expansion was not different among the groups $(64.5{\sim}75.6%)$. After warming 48 h, the hatching and hatched formation of early blastocysts (25.8, 9.7%) was significantly lower than those of expanded (69.7, 39.4%) and hatching blastocysts (53.3, 43.3%) (p<0.05). 4) In addition, when the expanded blastocysts at day 7, 8 and 9 were vitrified, the re-expansion of day 8 and 9 embryos was significantly lower than that of day 7 (day 7; 93.9%, day 8; 75.8% and day 9; 87.5%) (p<0.05). However, the rates of development to hatched blastocysts were no difference among the groups (day 7; 36.4%, day 8; 36.4% and day 9; 31.3%). These results suggested that in vitro produced expanded or hatching blastocysts can be efficiently cryopreserved by the two-step vitrification method using EFS40.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.90-98
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• 1998

Background : The CD4+ T-helper cells comprise functionally distinct subsets of Th1 and Th2 cells that are distinguished on the basis of differential cytokines production Th1 cells secrete interferon-$\gamma$, lymphotoxin, interleukin-2. Th2 cells produce interleukin-4, interleukin-5, interleukin-10. A previous study shown that Th2 cells and their cytokines increased in patients with atopic asthma. We compared cytokines(IL-4, IFN-$\gamma$) activity and subpopulation of T-lymphocytes in peripheral blood from atopic asthmatics versus non-asthmatics. Method: Fifteen patients with atopic asthma(nine men, six women), twelve patients with chronic bronchitis(six men, six women), five healthy persons(three men, two women) were studied. Activity of IL-4, IFN-$\gamma$ and T-cell subpopulation in peripheral blood were estimated. Results: Patients had a median age of 55yr. The mean activity of IL-4 of asthmatics was significantly increased(control $0.75{\pm}1.1pmol/L$, atopic asthmatics $3.50{\pm}0.75pmol/L$, chronic bronchitis $2.01{\pm}1.2pmol/L$), but IFN-$\gamma$ was not significantly increased. In the T lymphocyte sunsets the percent of CD62L+ T-lymphoeytes of asthmatics was not significantly increased (control $16.7{\pm}16.4%$, atopic asthmatics $24.8{\pm}23.6%$, chronic bronchitis $17.0{\pm}16.9%$). Conclusion: In this study elevated production of IL-4 was observed in atopic asthmatics. CD62L+T-lymphoeytes was not increased in atopic asthma.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.471-477
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• 1999

Background : Smoking and high-risk occupation have been known to be the risk factors of lung cancer. The carcinogen-metabolizing enzymes in human body such as glutathione S-transferase M1, T1 and N-acetyltransferase 1 have also been regarded as risk factors in many cancers, because the activities of those enzymes play a role in metabolizing the carcinogen. A case-control study was conducted to evaluate the genetic polymorphism of GSTM1, T1 and NAT1 in lung carcinogenesis in Korean men. Methods : The histologically proven lung cancer cases were recruited from Seoul National University Hospital. The patients of more than 40-year-old with the nonmalignant urinary tract diseases were recruited as controls from the same hospitals. The informations of demographical characteristics and smoking were obtained by interview or chart review and the genetic polymorphisms of GSTM1, T1 and NAT1 were determined by PCR-based assay. The statistical analyses were performed by linear logistic regression. Results : The number of case-control was 118 and 150, respectively. The smoking history was significantly higher in the lung cancer patients than the controls. The prevalence of GSTM1 null-type was statistically higher(OR=2.25 ; 95% CI=1.12-4.51) in squamous cell carcinoma than other genotypes, but other histologic types were not The prevalence of GSTT1 null-type were not statistically higher than other genotypes in all histologic types. The fast acetylator of NAT1 was more prevalent than normal(OR=2.13 ; 95% CI=1.04-4.40) in all lung cancer patients. Conclusion : The null-type of GSTM1 and fast acetylator of NAT1 are associated with development of lung cancer in Korean men.