• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.18.1-18.7
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• 2022

According to long-term projections, by 2030, the world's population is predicted to reach 7.5 billion individuals, and there will be roughly 27 million new cancer cases diagnosed. The global burden of breast cancer (BC) is expected to rise. According to the Ministry of Health-Iraqi Cancer Registry, cancer is the second largest cause of death after cardiovascular disease. This study investigated the interleukin-18 (IL18) single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) -607C/A rs1946518 and -137G/C rs187238 using the sequence-specific amplification-polymerase chain reaction approach. Regarding the position -607C/A, there was a highly significant difference between the observed and expected frequencies in patients and controls (χ² = 3.16 and χ² = 16.5), respectively. The AA and CA genotypes were associated with significantly increased BC risk (odds ratio [OR], 3.68; p = 0.004 and OR, 2.83; p = 0.04, respectively). Women with the A allele had a 5.03-fold increased susceptibility to BC. The C allele may be a protective allele against BC (OR, 0.19). Although position -137G/C showed no significant differences in the CC genotype distribution (p = 0.18), the frequency of the CC genotype was significantly higher in patients than in controls. In contrast, patients had a significantly higher frequency of GC genotypes than controls (p = 0.04), which was associated with an increased risk of developing BC (OR, 2.63). The G allele frequency was significantly lower in patients than in controls (55.0% vs. 76.2%, respectively). This SNP may be considered a common genotype in the Iraqi population, with the wild-type G allele having a protective function (OR, 0.19) and the mutant C allele having an environmental effect (OR, 2.63).

• Journal of agriculture & life science
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.1-22
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• 2016

In this study, the securing state of nationally indicated beneficial microbial resources was evaluated in an aspect of bio-diversity using their taxonomical information. Depending on the analysis result with the Margalef's richness or the Mehinick's index which are representative bio-diversity analytical indices, species diversity values was revealed as 8.537, 3.546 within bacterial resources, 3.349, 2.167 within fungal resources. Several developed or researched beneficial strains and spoilage microbes showed relative taxonomical relationship with comparation of their biological information. As a result, we propose the necessity or countermeasure method for preventing the microbial spoilage with the overhauling consideration of advanced research on agricultural microbiology covering crop endophyte beneficial/spoilage microorganisms.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.42.1-42.11
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• 2022

Breast cancer (BC) is a significant threat to female health, with both modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors. It is essential to monitor patients regularly and to raise population awareness. Increasing research also suggests that E-selectin (SELE) may increase tumor angiogenesis and the development of cancer. This study investigated SELE single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the following positions: rs5367T/C, rs5368C/T, rs5362T/G, and rs5362T/C. Using polymerase chain reaction, significant differences in allele and genotype frequencies were found between BC patients and controls. Position rs5368 was associated with an increased risk of BC for the CT and TT genotypes, with odds ratios (ORs) of 16.3 and 6.90 (Fisher probability = 0.0001, p = 0.005). Women with the T allele had a 19.3-fold higher incidence of BC, while allele C may be a protective allele against BC (OR, 0.05). Heterozygous genotypes at rs5367, rs5362, and rs5362 were significantly more common in BC patients, with ORs of 5.70, 4.50, and 3.80, respectively. These SNPs may be associated with the risk of BC, because the frequency of mutant alleles was significantly higher in patients (OR: 4.26, 3.83, and 4.30, respectively) than in controls (OR: 0.23, 0.30, and 0.20, respectively). These SNPs may be considered a common genotype in the Iraqi population, with the wild-type allele having a protective fraction and the mutant allele having an environmental fraction. The results also revealed a 2-fold increase in gene expression in BC patients compared to controls, with a significant effect (p = 0.017). This study's findings confirm the importance of SELE polymorphisms in cancer risk prediction.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.15.1-15.17
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• 2023

Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are critical immune-response mediators. Although they largely reside in mucosal tissues, the kidney also bears substantial numbers. Nevertheless, kidney ILC biology is poorly understood. BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice are known to display type-2 and type-1 skewed immune responses, respectively, but it is unclear whether this extends to ILCs. We show here that indeed, BALB/c mice have higher total ILCs in the kidney than C57BL/6 mice. This difference was particularly pronounced for ILC2s. We then showed that three factors contributed to the higher ILC2s in the BALB/c kidney. First, BALB/c mice demonstrated higher numbers of ILC precursors in the bone marrow. Second, transcriptome analysis showed that compared to C57BL/6 kidneys, the BALB/c kidneys associated with significantly higher IL-2 responses. Quantitative RT-PCR also showed that compared to C57BL/6 kidneys, the BALB/c kidneys expressed higher levels of IL-2 and other cytokines known to promote ILC2 proliferation and/or survival (IL-7, IL-33, and thymic stromal lymphopoietin). Third, the BALB/c kidney ILC2s may be more sensitive to the environmental signals than C57BL/6 kidney ILC2s since they expressed their transcription factor GATA3 and the IL-2, IL-7, and IL-25 receptors at higher levels. Indeed, they also demonstrated greater responsiveness to IL-2 than C57BL/6 kidney ILC2s, as shown by their greater STAT5 phosphorylation levels after culture with IL-2. Thus, this study demonstrates previously unknown properties of kidney ILC2s. It also shows the impact of mouse strain background on ILC2 behavior, which should be considered when conducting research on immune diseases with experimental mouse models.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.126-137
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• 2011

Although Sumunmulbangdui wetland at the Halla Mountain in Jeju Island, a kind of montane wetlands, has been considered to bear high biodiversity, no study has been reported on the bacterial diversity. In this study, soil and water samples were collected from the wetland in order to isolate novel bacterial species. Bacterial strains belonging to the phyla Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria were isolated after spreading soil and water samples onto solid agar media. The 16S rRNA gene sequences of the strains assigned to the three phyla were compared to those of type strains of the species in the phyla. The strains that showed less than 98.7% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to the validly published species were considered to be novel species candidates. A total of 32 strains were regarded as novel species candidates in the phyla Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria. Diversity of novel species candidates was very low; the candidates were confined to only few genera. In the Bacteroidetes, 13 novel candidate species were affiliated with the genera Mucilaginibacter, Sphingobacterium, Pedobacter, Flavobacterium, and Chryseobacterium. A total of 13 novel candidate species that assigned to the genera Paenibacillus Lysinibacillus, and Bacillus were identified in the phylum Firmicutes. Only two candidate species that belonged to the genera Mycobacterium and Nocardia were excavated in the Actinobacteria. Cultural, physiological, and chemotaxonomic characteristics have been determined for the novel species candidates, and the characteristics are described in this study.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.128-134
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• 2012

Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is one of the most notorious and contagious viral diseases afflicting cloven-hoofed animals. In this study, the physicochemical properties of leachate from a FMD landfill site at 773-1, Waryong, Andong, Korea and the ground water from 777, Waryong, Andong, Korea, were analyzed for 1 year from December $10^{th}$ 2010 to November $17^{th}$ 2011. The leachate was collected from the FMD landfill site during March, May, July, September and November, 2011 and changes in pH, brix, water content, insoluble solids, crude proteins, crude lipids, total and reducing sugars and ash content were determined. Considering the annual profiles of temperature and rainfall at the FMD landfill site, the dramatic changes in the physicochemical properties of the leachate from March to July, and especially from May to July, such as increases in pH, and a rapid reduction of brix and organic matter, may be closely linked to the growth of microorganisms in the leachate. The sharp decreases in the concentration of biominerals, such as Mg, Ca, and Fe from 1073, 4311 and 56.2 ppm in March to 151, 78, and 0.1 ppm in November, further suggest that decreases in organic matter in the leachate result from degradation by microorganisms originating from the intestines of the livestock. Analysis of the profiles of the organic materials in the leachate revealed that the properties of the leachate were similar to those of excremental matter-derived water. These results could be applied to a number of fields for the analysis of organic matter behavior, the development of the degradation process, and risk analysis in the environment for hygiene and food industries, of leachate from FMD landfill sites.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.91-98
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• 1998

Purpose : The relationship between environmental PH on the radiation induced-apoptosis in SCK mammary adenocarcinoma cells and cell cycle dependence was investigated. Material and Methods : Mammary adenocarcinoma cells of A/J mice(SCK cells) in exponential growth phase were irradiated with a $l37^Cs$ irradiator at room temperature. The cells were irradiated 1 hour after the media was replaced with fresh media at a different pHs. After incubation at $37^{\circ}C$ for 0-48 h, the extent of apoptosis was determined using agarose gel electrophoresis and flow cytometry. The progression of cells through the cell cycle after irradiation in different pHs was also determined with flow cytometry. Bssults : The induction of apoptosis by irradiation in pH 6.6 medium was markedly less than that in pH 7.5 medium. When the cells were irradiated and maintained in pH 7.5 medium, the percentage of cells in $G_2/M$ phase rapidly increased to about $70\%$ at 12 h after an exposure to 120y and returned to control level by 36 h. The percentage of cells in G1 phase decreased as the percentage of cells in $G_2/M$ increased. On the other hand, in pH 6.6 medium the percentage of cells in G2/M phases gradually increased to about $45\%$ at 24 h after 12Gy irradiation and then slowly recessed and consequently, as much as $30-35\%$ of the cells were still in the Ga/M phase 48 h after irradiation. The percentage of cells in G1 phase then increased as the Ga/M arrest began to recede. The radiation-induced Ga/M arrest in PH 0.0 medium lasted markedly longer than that in pH 7.5 medium. Conclusion : Radiation-induced apoptosis in SCK tumor cells are reversely suppressed in an acidic environment. Radiation-induced Ga/M arrest is prolonged in an acidic environment indicating that the suppression of radiation-induced apoptosis and prolongation of radiation-induced Ga/M arrest in an acidic environment are related.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.132-138
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• 2019

Among several marine-derived microorganisms isolated from the coast of Jeju Island that had antimicrobial activity against fish disease pathogens, Bacillus subtilis MD-02 was tested for its dietary effect on the innate immune response and disease resistance of olive flounder. Strain MD-02 was fed to the olive flounder at a concentration of $1.2{\times}10^4$, $1.2{\times}10^6$, or $1.2{\times}10^8CFU/100g$, respectively. Consequently, the hematocrit was higher in these three groups than that in the control group at 4 weeks, and the aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase levels were decreased in the $1.2{\times}10^8$ and $1.2{\times}10^4CFU/100$ groups compared with the control group levels. The amylase activity and total protein were significantly increased in the $1.2{\times}10^4CFU/100g$ group at 3 weeks. The innate immune response, determined from the lysozyme and macrophage activities, was higher in the $1.2{\times}10^8CFU/100g$ group than in the control group. In addition, treatment of the olive flounders with Streptococcus parauberis at $1.2{\times}10^6CFU/ml$ confirmed the mortality rate, which was 100% in the control group and 40-60% in the groups fed B. subtilis MD-02, indicating that the fish had resistance to fish disease pathogens. Therefore, it was confirmed that when fed MD-02, olive flounder builds an innate immune response and acquires resistance to fish disease pathogens, indicating that B. subtilis MD-02 can be developed as a beneficial feed additive.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.105-119
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• 2012

Indigenous bacteria isolated from contaminated sites play important roles to remediate contaminated groundwater. Chromium has the most stable oxidation states. Cr(VI) is toxic, carcinogenic, and mobile, but Cr(III) is less toxic and immobile. In this study, indigenous microorganism (MMPH-0) was enriched from Cr(VI) contaminated groundwater, and identified by 16S rRNA gene analysis. Using MMPH-0, the effect of stimulating with e-donors (glucose, lactate, acetate, and no e-donor control), respiration conditions, biomass, tolerance, and geochemical changes on Cr(VI) reduction were investigated in batch experiments for 4 weeks. The changes of Cr(VI) concentration and geochemical conditions were monitored using UV-vis-spectrophotometer and Eh-pH meter. And the morphological and chemical characteristics of MMPH-0 and precipitates in the effluents were characterized by TEM-EDS and SEM-EDS analyses. MMPH-0 (Enterobacter aerogenes) was able to tolerate up to 2000 mg/L Cr(VI) and reduce Cr(VI) under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. MMPH-0 performed faster and higher efficiency of Cr(VI) reduction with electron donors (over 70% after 1 week with e-donor, 10-20% after 4 weeks without e-donor). The changes of Eh-pH in effluents showing the tendency from oxidizing to reducing condition and a bit of acidic change in pH due to microbial oxidation of organic matters donating electrons and protons suggested the roles of MMPH-0 on Cr(VI) in the contaminated water catalyzing to transit geochemical stable zone for more stable $Cr(OH)_3$ or Cr(III) precipitates. TEM/SEM-EDS analyses of MMPH-0 and precipitates indicate direct and indirect Cr(VI) reduction: extracellular polymers capturing Cr component outside cells. These results suggested diverse indigenous bacteria and their biogeochemical reactions might enhance more effective and feasible remediation technology of redox sensitive heavy metals in metal-contaminated in groundwater.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.7-13
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• 2015

Hydrotrope-combined copper (HCC) is a copper ($Cu^{2+}$)-based algicide, which is combined with a hydrotrope that keeps copper ion in solution to improve performance. This study assessed the growth inhibition effect of HCC against Microcystis aeruginosa which is one of the most common toxic cyanobacterium in eutrophic freshwater environment. Various HCC doses, ranging from 5.5 to $550{\mu}g/L$ as $Cu^{2+}$, were applied to either BG-11 or 1/4 diluted medium with low- or high-inoculum density of M. aeruginosa. Growth inhibition was monitored based on a decrease in chlorophyll-a content in culture medium during the incubation. Results showed that HCC significantly inhibited the growth of M. aeruginosa in a dose-dependent manner. In case of 1/4 diluted BG-11 medium, HCC dose as low as $5.5{\mu}g$ $Cu^{2+}/L$ completely inhibited the production of chlorophyll-a by M. aeruginosa. It was found that HCC did not induce any significant release of microcystin-LR from M. aeruginosa. Acute toxicity of HCC was tested using Daphnia magna, and the 24-h $EC_{50}$ value was 0.30 mg/L as $Cu^{2+}$ which was much higher than the actual inhibition dose. Ames test was performed using Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium TA100, and HCC showed no increase in the number of revertant colonies. The result suggested that HCC does not have any mutagenic potential in the aquatic environment. In addition, no genotoxic effect of HCC was also confirmed based on the SOS ChromoTest using Escherichia coli PQ37. Therefore, HCC could be used as a relatively safe and effective pre- and post-treatment agent to control hazardous algal blooming in aquatic environments.