• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.375-377
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• 2012

Malaria is still a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. The increase in lipid peroxidation reported in malaria infection and antioxidant status may be a useful marker of oxidative stress during malaria infection. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of antioxidant enzymes against toxic reactive oxygen species in patients infected with Plasmodium vivax and healthy controls. Malondialdehyde levels, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase activities were determined in 91 P. vivax patients and compared with 52 controls. Malondialdehyde levels, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase activities were $8.07{\pm}2.29$ nM/ml, $2.69{\pm}0.33$ U/ml, and $49.6{\pm}3.2$ U/g Hb in the patient group and $2.72{\pm}0.50$ nM/ml, $3.71{\pm}0.47$ U/ml, and $62.3{\pm}4.3$ U/g Hb in the control group, respectively. Malondialdehyde levels were found statistically significant in patients with vivax malaria higher than in healthy controls (P<0.001). On the other hand, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities were found to be significantly lower in vivax malaria patients than in controls (P<0.05). There was an increase in oxidative stress in vivax malaria. The results suggested that antioxidant defense mechanisms may play an important role in the pathogenesis of P. vivax.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.161-166
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• 2004

The effects of kimchis intake on Helicobacter pylori infection in the stomach, the counts of lactic acid bacteria in the large intestine, and bacterial enzymes ($\beta$-glucosidase, $\beta$-glucuronidase) and pH in feces were examined. A total of 20 participants (age range 34 ∼ 57) were assessed for H. pylori infection status by Be urea breath test. Fourteen participants were eliminated because they were H. pylori-negative. This study consisted of 4 consecutive phase, each of which lasted 4 weeks. Three hundred grams of kimchi were administered to H. pylori-infected subjects during the kimchi phase, followed by 4 weeks of control phase. During the control phase, subjects consumed 60 g of kimchi, the minimum amount in their customary diets. All participants were found to be H. pylori-positive during all experimental periods. During the kimchi phase, delta over baseline (DOB) level was lower than during the control phase, although significant difference between the kimchi and control phases were not found (p=0.9439). However, the counts of Lactobacillus sp. and Leuconostoc sp. significantly (p < 0.0005) increased during the kimchi phase. $\beta$-Glucosidase and $\beta$-glucuronidase activities and pH were significantly decreased by kimchi intake compared to control (p=0.000l). These results suggested that kimchi consumption did not show any therapeutic effect on H. pylori in the stomach. However, kimchi seemed to be a good food for colon health, since it increased the beneficial bacteria such as lactobacillus and decreased toxic enzyme ($\beta$-glucosidase and $\beta$-glucuronidase) activity and pH.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.125-129
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• 2003

Effects of synthetic oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) containing cytidine-phosphate-guanosine(CpG) motif(s) on nonspecific immune responses of olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) and on protection against lethal infection with Edwardsiella tarda were investigated. Respiratory bunt activities of the head kidney phagocytes in the fish injected either 0.25 or 0.5 ${\mu}g/fish$of ODNs containing CpG motifs (ODN 1826 and ODN 1670) were significantly higher than those injected with an ODN containing a guanosine-phosphate-cytidine (GpC) motif (ODN 1720) or with hanks balanced salt solution (HBSS, control) at 3, 5 and 7 days after injection. The serum lysozyme activities of fish injected with 0.25${\mu}g$ of ODN 1826 were significantly higher than those injected with ODN 1720 or HBSS at 1 and 7 days after injection. At 7 days after injection, the group of fish injected with CpG ODNs showed higher serum lysozyme activities than fish injected with ODN 1720 or control. The group of fish injected 0.25 or 0.5${\mu}g$ of CpG ODNs showed higher survival rates than those treated with GpC ODN and the control group after challenge with Edwardsiella tarda. The present study proved the ability of synthetic CpG ODN to increase nonspecific immune responses and disease resistance in olive flounder.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.616-623
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• 2017

Ginsenoside Rg3, a saponin extracted from ginseng, has various pharmacological and biological activities; however, its effects against Brucella infection are still unclear. Herein, the inhibitory effects of ginsenoside Rg3 against intracellular parasitic Brucella infection were evaluated through bacterial infection, adherence assays, and LAMP-1 colocalization, as well as immunoblotting and FACS for detecting MAPK signaling proteins and F-actin polymerization, respectively. The internalization, intracellular growth, and adherence of Brucella abortus in Rg3-treated RAW 264.7 cells were significantly decreased compared with the Rg3-untreated control. Furthermore, an apparent reduction of F-actin content and intensity of F-actin fluorescence in Rg3-treated cells was observed compared with B. abortus-infected cells without treatment by flow cytometry analysis and confocal microscopy, respectively. In addition, treating cells with Rg3 decreased the phosphorylation of MAPK signaling proteins such as ERK 1/2 and p38 compared with untreated cells. Moreover, the colocalization of B. abortus-containing phagosomes with LAMP-1 was markedly increased in Rg3-treated cells. These findings suggest that ginsenoside Rg3 inhibits B. abortus infection in mammalian cells and can be used as an alternative approach in the treatment of brucellosis.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.528-543
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• 1993

Vitamin E, which has its advocates in the treatment of diabetes mellitus. autoimmune disease, cancer and peripheral vascular and thromboembolic disease, has now been alleged to have a powerful antioxident effect and to affect various biological activities such as fertility factor, inhibition of human platelet aggregation and stabilization of biological membranes. The present study was designed to test whether vitamin I(alpha-tocopherol) can : (1) enhance the hemagglutinin response to sheep red blood cells (SRBC), (2) modulate Arthus and delayed type hypersensitivity(DTH) to SRBC and contact hypersensitivity to dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB). (3) enhance the mitogenic response of murine splenocyte, (4) decrease the recovery of Cryptococcus neoformans from brain, lung, liver, spleen and kidney of infected mice and (5) have an inhibitory or enhancing effect on the induction of active systemic anaphylaxis(ASA) induced by chicken-gamma globulin (CGG) in mice. Mice were given either intramuscular injections of 0.3ml (300mg) of vitamin I before immunization or were infection for 10 consecutive days or were given by vitamin I esophageal intubation, 0.1ml(100mg), for 20 days before sacrifice for the mitogenic response experiments. It was found that vitamin E treated mice showed a significant enhancement in hemagglutinin response, Arthus reaction and DTH to SRBC and contact hypersensitivity to DNFB. There was no significant difference in the mitogenic response to phytohemagglutinin(PHA), but the response to concanavalin A(ConA) or pokeweed mitogem(PWM) was increased in vitamin E-treated mice. Interestingly, the vitamin E administration before C. neoformans infection decreased significantly the recovery of C. neoformans from brain lung, liver, spleen and kidney of the infected mice as compared with that of the control mice, strongly suggesting that vitamin E pretreatment may increase the resistance of mice to the fungal infection. Unexpectedly, vitamin E administration enhanced the production of CGG -induced ASA. Taken together, it can be concluded that vitamin I administration may in-crease the humoral and cellular immune response and resistance. to C. neoformans infection, but enhance the induction of ASA to CGG. Further studies are necessary to clarify the underlying mechanism accounting for these effects.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Tobacco Science
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.29-38
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• 2009

Although prion diseases, a group of fatal neurodegenerative diseases of human and animals, are presumed to be caused by several mechanisms including abnormal change of prion protein, oxidative stress is still believed to play a central role in development of the diseases. Cigarette smoking has a few beneficial effects on neuronal diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease despite of many detrimental effects. In this study, we investigated how chronic cigarette smoking could exert such beneficial effect against oxidative damage. For this study, homogenates of 87V scrapie-infected brain was inoculated on intracerebral system of IM mice through stereotaxic microinjection and biochemical properties concerning with oxidative stress were examined. The scrapie infection decreased the activity of mitochondrial Mn-containing superoxide dismutase by 50% of the control, meanwhile the effects on other antioxidant enzymes including Cu or Zn-containing superoxide dismutase were not significant. Additionally, the infection elevated superoxide level as well as monoamine oxide-B (MAO-B) in the infected brain. Interestingly, many of the detrimental effects were improved in partial or significantly by long-term cigarette smoke exposure (CSE). CSE not only completely prevented the generation of mitochondrial superoxide but also significantly (p<0.05) decreased the elevated mitochondrial MAO-B activity in the infected brain. Concomitantly, CSE prevented subsequent protein oxidation and lipid peroxidation caused by scrapie infection; however, it did not affect the activities of antioxidant enzymes. These results suggest that chronic exposure of cigarette smoke contribute to in part preventing the progress of neurodegeneration caused by scrapie infection.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.13.1-13.19
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• 2021

Macrophages are important for the first line of defense against microbial pathogens. Integrin CD11b, which is encoded by Itgam, is expressed on the surface of macrophages and has been implicated in adhesion, migration, and cell-mediated cytotoxicity. However, the functional impact of CD11b on the inflammatory responses of macrophages upon microbial infection remains unclear. Here, we show that CD11b deficiency resulted in increased susceptibility to sepsis induced by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection by enhancing the pro-inflammatory activities of macrophages. Upon infection with MRSA, the mortality of Itgam knockout mice was significantly higher than that of control mice, which is associated with increased production of TNF-α and IL-6. In response to MRSA, both bone marrow-derived macrophages and peritoneal macrophages lacking CD11b produced elevated amounts of pro-inflammatory cytokines and nitric oxide. Moreover, CD11b deficiency upregulated IL-4-induced expression of anti-inflammatory mediators such as IL-10 and arginase-1, and an immunomodulatory function of macrophages to restrain T cell activation. Biochemical and confocal microscopy data revealed that CD11b deficiency augmented the activation of NF-κB signaling and phosphorylation of Akt, which promotes the functional activation of macrophages with pro-inflammatory and immunoregulatory phenotypes, respectively. Overall, our experimental evidence suggests that CD11b is a critical modulator of macrophages in response to microbial infection.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.345-351
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• 2009

The $\beta$-glucans derived from yeast cell walls have been reported for having many immunomodulatory activities in vivo and in vitro. In this study, Aureobasidium-derived soluble branched (1,3-1,6) $\beta$-glucan (Sophy $\beta$-glucan) was checked for natural killer (NK) activity and for the production of IFN-$\gamma$ and IL-4 in Leishmania amazonensis infection. The main experiment was performed with a group of female C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice, orally supplemented with 5% of Sophy $\beta$-glucan and infected with promastogotes of L. amazonensis ($1\;{\times}\;10^7$) into the footpad. Increase in the footpad thickness with time was observed in BALB/c mice in spite of the oral Sophy $\beta$-glucan supplement, but it was less in C57BL/6 mice. The difference in overall mean footpad thickness between 'infection only' versus 'infection + glucan' groups was statistically significant (P < 0.001). High NK activity in C57BL/6 than BALB/c mice was observed in 'glucan only' group compared to the control group and also in 'infection + glucan' group compared to 'infection only' group. The difference in the NK activity among these groups was significant (P < 0.05). The IFN-$\gamma$ level increased at weeks 7 and 8 post-infection in C57BL/6 mice and was significantly high in 'infection + glucan' group compared to the 'infection only' group (P < 0.05). IL-4 levels did not increase up to detectable levels throughout the study. The results led a conclusion that Sophy $\beta$-glucan enhances NK activity and cellular immunity in L. amazonensis-infected mice.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.240-248
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• 2006

Control of white rot which is one of the most serious apple diseases in Korea has mainly relied on periodical spray of protective fungicides. As the main inoculum source of the disease is pycnidiospores produced in the warts formed on affected stems of apple tree, it can be conceivable that inhibition of spore production might be an effective means for controlling the disease. Inhibitory efficacy of eight selected fungicides against sporulation of the fungus was assessed by counting the number of spores produced at detached warts treated with the fungicides of recommended dilution. They showed diverse effect on sporulation. Carbendazim and azoxystrobin suppressed sporulation almost completely, the former irreversively. Thiram and folpet promoted sporulation as producing much more number of spores than untreated control. Others showed almost no effect on sporulation. Effects of suppression and promotion in the sporulation shown by the fungicides on the control of white rot were examined by incidences of disease and infection at the plots adopted the spray programs of which the fungicide at late May was substituted by carbendazim, azoxystrobin, folpet and thiram, respectively. Disease incidence and infection frequency at the plots sprayed former two chemicals which suppressed sporulation were much lower than those of the plots adopted latter two chemicals and untreated plot at which the fungicide spray was skipped at that time. These facts were reconfirmed in the experiments conducted with carbendazim and thiram, in which 100 fruits were bagged just prior to each spray from late May to late July for elucidating the effect of the two fungicides on the action of subsequent ones. Disease incidence and infection frequency on the fruit bagged just prior to each spray were gradually increased as the seasons going on. The increase rate at the carbendazim plot was much lower than that of thiram. Especially, the fruit infected till late July at the carbendazim plot were almost completely cured by the three fungicides, iminoctadine-triacetate, tebuconazole and samzinwang, a combined formular of iminoctadine-triacetate and difenoconazole, sprayed at late July and hence. In thiram plot, infected fruit were also cured by the 3 fungicides but not remarkable. From these results, it can be concluded that control efficiency of white rot can be greatly enhanced by selecting the fungicide capable of suppress the sporulation of white rot fungus at the season when the mass dispersal of spores is not initiated.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.138-142
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• 2003

Soil amendments with oriental herbal medicines such as fruit of Anethum graveolens, flower buds of Syzygium aromaticum, rhizome of Cnidium officinale, rhizome of Coptis chinensis, root bark of Paeonia suffructicosa, stem bark of phellodendron amurense, and stem bark of Cinnamomum cassia at the rate of 0.2％ (weight by volume of soil) significantly reduced Meloidogyne incognita infection (root gall formation) of tomato seedlings compared with the control. The most effective treatments were root bark of p. suffructicosa and stem bark of C. cassia as they gave minimum numbers of galls on tomato roots (4.7% and 8.9%, respectively, relative to control) as compared to other treatments. Another study with root bark of p. suffructicosa and C. cassia at different application doses also showed consistent results in reducing gall number. The control efficacy decreased as the application doses were lower-ed, indicating their dose-dependent control activities. These treatments significantly enhanced aboveground plant growths (total masses).