• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.141-147
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• 2012

This work describes the characteristics of $Malassezia$ $pachydermatis$ isolated from dog ear canals and the effect of essential oils on the growth of this organism. Sterile cotton swabs were used to collect specimens from the external ear canal and culture tests were performed to detect the population size of $Malassezia$ yeast. Using three different isolation media, included Sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA) to isolate common $M.$ $pachydermatis$, and SDA supplemented with olive oil (SDAO) and Leeming's medium (LM) to detect lipophilic yeast, $Malassezia$ spp were isolated from 14 of 18 dogs (77.8%); isolation rates were 33.3% in SDA, 72.2% in SDAO and 66.7% in LM media. All $Malassezia$ spp isolates were identified as $M.$ $pachydermatis$ according to results of PCR amplification, but gross colony morphology and SDA growth rates suggested four different subtypes. Large (LC) and medium colony (MC) types respectively describe large colony (diameter > 3 mm) and medium colony (around 2 mm) after 72 hour incubation, and small (SC) type refers to smaller colony (< 1 mm) even after 5 days incubation; lipid dependent colonies did not grow onto SDA. Large Colony type strains were isolated from 4, 11, and 11 samples, MC type strains from 2, 3 and 1 and SC type strains from 1, 2 and 1 in SDA, SDAO and LM, respectively. Lipid-dependent $M.$ $pachydermatis$ (Lipo) were isolated from 3 samples each in SDAO and LM. Anti-$M.$ $pachydermatis$ activity testing was done using disc-diffusion assays and well diffusion tests. Most essential oils inhibited the growth of $M.$ $pachydermatis$ in a range from 0.5% to 1.0% of essential oils. MIC90 and MIC50 were variable depending upon the nature of essential oils. Thyme oil was found to be highly effective in inhibiting the growth of $M.$ $pachydermatis$ in a range from 0.125% to 0.0625% while marjoram and then tea tree oil exhibited lower inhibitory capacity.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.280-291
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• 2011

Bottom-up approaches to control of Microcystis aeruginosa blooms were comparatively investigated through an in situ mesocosm experiment using aquatic plants (Iris pseudoacorus). In the mesocosm experiments, floating I. pseudoacorus, seemed to be effective in controlling massive M. aeruginosa blooms in an agricultural reservoir, exhibiting a close coupling with temporal variations in Chl-a and DO concentration. Shading by floating I. pseudoacorus resulted in a reduced phytoplankton abundance inhibiting light energy availability. Moreover, I. pseudoacorus may suppress phytoplankton growth through the excretion of chemical substances, likes a allelopathy, that inhibit phytoplankton photosynthetic activity. The $^{15}N$ atom % of I. pseudoacorus showed higher values than POM, suggesting that I. pseudoacorus assimilates DIN predominantly compared to phytoplankton, which was mostly M. aeruginosa. This result strongly suggests that the M. aeruginosa bloom should be regulated by aquatic plants, like I. pseudoacorus, this approach can affect zooplankton composition. This is the first study that has used stable isotope tracers to evaluate the biomanipulation efficiency through floating I. pseudoacorus.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.34 no.8
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• pp.896-904
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• 2001

Conjugated linoleic acid(CLA) is a group of positional and geometric isomers of linoleic acid(LA) and exhibits anticarcinogenic activity in multiple experimental animal models. Cis-9,trns-11(c9t11) and trans-10,cis-12(t10c12) CLA are the principal isomers found in foods. The present study was performed to determine whether CLA and the two isomers inhibits HT-29 cell proliferation and to assess whether such an effect was related to changes in secretion of eicosanoids. Cells were incubated in serum-free medium with various concentrations(0 to 20$\mu$M) of CLA or LA. CLA inhibited cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner, with maximal inhibition(70 $\pm$ 1%) observed at 20$\mu$M concentration after 96 hours. However, LA had no effect at the same concentration range. To compare the ability of c9f11 and t10c12 to inhibit cell proliferation, cells were incubated with increasing concentrations(0 to 4$\mu$M) of these isomers. T10c12 inhibited cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. A 66 $\pm$ 2% decrease in cell number was observed within 96 hours after addition of 4$\mu$M t10c12. By contrast, c9t11 had no effect. The concentrations of CLA and the two isomers in the plasma membrane were increased when they were added to the incubation medium. However, they did not alter the levels of arachidonic acid in plasma membrane. To assess whether the proliferation inhibiting effect of CLA was related to changes in eicosanoid production, prostaglandin E$_2$(PGE$_2$) and leukotriene B$_4$(LTB$_4$) concentrations in conditioned media were estimated by a competitive enzyme immunoassay. Both CLA and t10c12 increased the production of materials reactive to PGE$_2$ and LTB$_4$ antibodies in a dose-dependent manner. By contrast, c9t11 had no effect. These results indicate that inhibition of HT-29 cell proliferation by CLA is attributed to the effect of the t10v12 isomer. The materials reactive to PGE$_2$ and LTB$_4$ antibodies may inhibit growth stimulatory effect of arachidonic acid-derived eicosanoids on HT-29 cell proliferation.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.80-91
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• 2003

Mutans streptococci, especially S. mutans and S. sobrinus strongly implicated in pathogenesis of dental caries, the major cause of tooth loss in children. Use of an antibacterial agent controlling dental caries has been rationalized. The present study was performed to observe the antibacterial effect of inorganic polyphosphates (polyP) on S. mutans and S. sobrinus. S. mutans GS5 and S. sobrinus 6715 were grown in brain-heart infusion broth with or without polyP. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of polyP for S. mutans GS5 was determined to be 0.08% and that for S. sobrius 6715 was 0.17%. PolyP 15 added to the growing culture of S. mutans GS5 and S. sobrinus 6715 at their exponential phase was as effective in inhibiting the growth of S. mutans GS5 and S. sobrinus 6715 as polyP added at the very beginning of the culture. More than 85% of the cells lost their viability determined by viable cell count when polyP 15 was added to the culture of growing S. mutans GS5 at MIC, suggesting that polyP 15 has bacterial effect on the bacterium. And more than 99.9% of the cells lost their viability determined by viable cell count when polyP 15 was added to the culture of growing S. sobrinus 6715 at MIC, suggesting that polyP 15 has bacterial effect on the bacterium. Intracellular nucleotide release from S. mutans CS5 and S. sobrinus 6715 was increased in the presence of polyP 15 for 5h but was not really reversed by the addition of divalent cations like $Ca^{++}\;and\;Mg^{++}$. The majority of the cells appeared to be atypical in their shape, demonstrating accumulation of highly electron-dense granules and ghost cells. The overall results suggest that polyP have a strong bactericidal activity against S. mutans and S. sobrinus in which lysis in relation to chelation may not play the major role but unknown mechanism that possibly affects the viability of the bacterium may be involved. PolyP may be used as an agent for prevention of dental caries.

• Weed & Turfgrass Science
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.166-169
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• 2018

Repeated use of ACCase inhibiting herbicides for a long time has resulted in increases of resistant Echinochloa oryzicola populations in paddy fields in middle west area of Korea. This study aims to investigate current status of herbicide resistant E. oryzicola in Gyeongsangnam-do, in which there is less information about herbicide resistance. For resistance frequency and dose-response study, seeds from 100 individual plants of E. oryzicola in Gyeongsangnam-do were collected and tested with cyhalofop-butyl. Seven percent of plants from Gyeongsangnam-do was resistant at a recommended rate of cyhalofop-butyl. $GR_{50}$ values (herbicide rates required to reduce plant growth 50%) for one representative resistant populations and five susceptible populations were $738g\;a.i.\;ha^{-1}$ and 66-234 (average 147)$g\;a.i.\;ha^{-1}$, respectively, indicating average 5 times difference in resistance. Although lower rate of frequency of herbicide resistance in Gyeongsangnam-do than in Jeollabuk-do, increases of herbicide resistance are expected in this area because of increases of direct seeded rice fields and increases of dependence on a specific herbicide. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor herbicide resistance regularly and conduct integrated herbicide resistance management in this area.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.109-117
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• 2008

Phellinus linteus (Sang Hwang mushroom; P. linteusis) has been widely used for a traditional medicine in Japan, Korea and China. In traditional oriental applications, P. linteus and their extracts have been exclusively used to treat various diseases like insomnia, neurasthenia, gastric ulcers, arthritis, nephritis, stress, asthma, bronchitis, neuromuscular disorders, hypertension and also as an immune system stimulator in cancer therapy. In a number of articles, it is indicated how tremendous their therapeutic values are. According to these studies, P. linteus and their extracts show immunomodulatory activities like enhancing immune system function including anti-tumor activity and inhibiting the growth of existing tumors. P. linteus and their extracts have been being studied for use as immunotherapy agents and biological response modifiers (BRMs) for the possible treatment of cancer without side effects. Recently, the cultured mycelium product of P. linteus has been developed and approved as a medicine in Korea. This review shows not only the current status of methods of developmental technology like artificial culture and various biological applications of P. linteus but also recent market trends of functional foods made from P. linteus.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.18 no.12
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• pp.1679-1685
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• 2008

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is a naturally occurring compound found in dairy and beef products. It has been shown to suppress cancer cells and to induce apoptosis. Practically, there is emerging evidence that CLA can inhibit chemically induced carcinogenesis in various tissues. However, the molecular mechanisms of CLA on human MCF-7 breast cancer cells have not been clearly explained yet. In this report, we investigated the anti-cancer activity of CLA in MCF-7 cells. It was found that CLA could inhibit the growth of the MCF-7 cells and induce apoptosis, through modulating AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). AMPK acts as a cellular fuel gauge and responds to decreased cellular energy status by inhibiting ATP-consuming pathways and increasing ATP-synthesis. CLA treatment with variable concentrations and different time of same-dose CLA on MCF-7 cells resulted in a strong activation of AMPK and an inhibition of COX-2 expression. It supports that CLA induces apoptosis in CLA-treated MCF 7 cells. Therefore, the effects of CLA induced COX-2 expression via activating AMPK can provide new possibility into the understanding the molecular mechanisms of anti-cancer component.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.459-466
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• 2013

This study was carried out in order to investigate sterilization effect and to extend storage periods of the Rubus coreanus by treating with tap water (TW), electrolyzed water (EW) and aqueous chlorine dioxide ($ClO_2$). After each treatment plot was soaked with 10, 50, 100, 200 ppm in each sterilizing solution within 30 sec, each treatment was compared during the storage time at room temperature and refrigerator temperature. As results of total plate count according to temperatures and periods, the microbial sterilizing power of each treatment plot was bigger at EW and $ClO_2$ treatment plots than the TW treatment plot; however, it sharply increased on the high concentration $ClO_2$ treatment plot. Futhermore, the cold storage treatment plot had more outstanding microbial sterilizing power than the room temperature treatment plot. As a result of observing the surface of the Rubus coreanus using scanning electron microscope (SEM), no microbe was seen in EW and $ClO_2$ treatment plot. The results of measuring enzyme activity showed a more significant decrease in EW and $ClO_2$ solutions treatment plot than TW treatment plot but gradually increased with time. The contents of total polyphenol revealed similar values on each treatment. The EW and $ClO_2$ treatment of the Rubus coreanus could be considered as good methods for inhibiting microbial growth in fresh vegetables and fruit, thereby contributing to quality maintenance.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.20-52
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• 1999

In order to investigate the effect of Naetakchungumsankamibang(NTCGS) water extract on the skin tumor induced by 3-MCA and immunological responses in mice, the cytotoxicity against SK-MEL-2 cells and total number of tumors induced by 3-MCA were measured. The numbers of WBC, platelets and RBC, plaque forming cells, hemagglutinin titer, hemolysis titer, carbon clearance, proliferation of splenocyte by thymidine uptake assay, splenic leukocyte by FACS analysis and $TNF-{\alpha}$ were also measured for the evaluation of the immunological responses. The results were obtained as follows: 1. In cytotoxicity against SK-MEL-2 cells, concentration inhibiting cell growth up to below $20\%$ of control was recognized at 1mg/ml of NTCGS. 2. In Inhibitory effect on the skin tumor induced by 3-MCA, the results showed a strong inhibitory effect of NTCGS. 3. In hematological changes in the tumor bearing mice, the numbers of WBC decreased significantly in NTCGS treated group as compared with control. 4. In hematological changes in the tumor bearing mice, the numbers of platelets increased significantly in NTCGS treated group as compared with control. 5. In hematological changes in the tumor bearing mice, the numbers of RBC increased with no significance in NTCGS treated group as compared with control. 6. Effects of the plaque forming cells in the tumor bearing mice, NTCGS treated group exhibited a significant effect compared with control. 7. In terms of the effects on hemagglutinin titer, NTCGS treated group showed higher level than control, without significance. 8. In terms of the effects on hemolysis titer, NTCGS treated group showed higher level than control, without significance. 9. In terms of the effects on phagocytic index K in Balb/C mice, NTCGS treated group showed significant difference from control. 10. In terms of the effects on proliferation of splenocyte by thymidine uptake assay, NTCGS showed significant effect at the concentration of 0.5mg/ml. 11. In terms of the effects on splenic leukocyte of Balb/C mice by FACS analysis, NTCGS treated group showed significantly higher level of helper T cell, B cell and macrophage than in control. 12. In terms of the effects on the secretion of $TNF-{\alpha}$, the treated group showed significant effect at the concentration of 1mg/ml of NTCGS. Based on the results summarized above, NTCGS is considered to have antitumor activity and immunological responses against skin tumor, and to be usable fur the treatment.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.474-483
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• 2019

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a pivotal role in pathologic ocular neovascularization and vascular leakage via activation of VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2). This study was undertaken to evaluate the therapeutic mechanisms and effects of the tetrapeptide Arg-Leu-Tyr-Glu (RLYE), a VEGFR2 inhibitor, in the development of vascular permeability and choroidal neovascularization (CNV). In cultured human retinal microvascular endothelial cells (HRMECs), treatment with RLYE blocked VEGF-A-induced phosphorylation of VEGFR2, Akt, ERK, and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), leading to suppression of VEGF-A-mediated hyper-production of NO. Treatment with RLYE also inhibited VEGF-A-stimulated angiogenic processes (migration, proliferation, and tube formation) and the hyperpermeability of HRMECs, in addition to attenuating VEGF-A-induced angiogenesis and vascular permeability in mice. The anti-vascular permeability activity of RLYE was correlated with enhanced stability and positioning of the junction proteins VE-cadherin, ${\beta}$-catenin, claudin-5, and ZO-1, critical components of the cortical actin ring structure and retinal endothelial barrier, at the boundary between HRMECs stimulated with VEGF-A. Furthermore, intravitreally injected RLYE bound to retinal microvascular endothelium and inhibited laser-induced CNV in mice. These findings suggest that RLYE has potential as a therapeutic drug for the treatment of CNV by preventing VEGFR2-mediated vascular leakage and angiogenesis.