• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.39-45
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• 2007

Numerous psychological stressors playa role in development of the cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to determine whether a combined mental activity with experimental subway noise affects hematological physiology. Fifty-four healthy volunteers were divided group I which underwent subway noise (n=24) and group II which underwent a combined mental activity with subway noise (n=30). Venous blood samples were collected for measuring CBC, prothrombine time (PT), activated partial thromboplastine time (APTT), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), D-dimer and high sensitive C-reactive protein (H-CRP) levels before, 50 min of stress task (S-50m) and 60 min of recovery (R-60m). Changed ratios of granulocyte, lymphocyte, monocyte and platelet counts at S-50m and R-60m were higher in group II compared to group I. RBC count and hematocrit level in group I increased whereas those in group II decreased at S-50m. PT, APTT and ESR in the both groups were shortened at R-60m and the decreased ratios were high in group II compared to group I. H-CRP and D-dimer in the both groups were elevated at S-50m and R-60m while the increased ratios in group II were greater than those in group I. These observations imply that a combined mental activity with experimental subway noise may be a stressor which affects hematological physiology.

• BMB Reports
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.432-438
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• 2007

V(D)J recombination, a site-specific gene rearrangement process occurring during the lymphocyte development, begins with DNA double strand breaks by two recombination activating gene products (RAG1/2) and finishes with the repair process by several proteins including DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK). In this report, we found that RAG2 was specifically phosphorylated by DNA-PK at the $365^{th}$ serine residue, and this phosphorylated RAG2 affected the V(D)J recombination activity in cells in the GFP expression-based assay. While the V(D)J recombination activity between wild-type RAG2 and mutant S365A RAG2 in the assay using a signal joint substrate was undistinguishable in DNA-PK deficient cells (M059J), the activity with wild-type RAG2 was largely increased in DNA-PK proficient cells (M059K) in comparison with mutant RAG2, suggesting that RAG2 phosphorylation by DNA-PK plays a crucial role in the signal joint formation during V(D)J recombination.

• The Journal of the Korean Society for Microbiology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.57-64
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• 1981

The clinical need for agents to modify immune response in the treatment of viral infection has lead to an increased interest in cellular and biochemical mechanisms regulating the immune response and to the development of a variety of biological and chemical substance with immunomodulatory activity. Inosiplex has shown antiviral activity in tissue culture, animal models and huamn studies through augmentation of immune response. However, the effect of inosiplex on immune response in animal has not been extensively analyzed, and the effect of inosiplex on immune response has been paradoxical depending on the time of administration of inosiplex in relation to that of antigen. Therefore, this study was undertaken to assess the effect of inosiplex on the immune response to sheep red blood cells(SRBC) in normal and viral infected mice. Inosiplex increased cellular immune response and plaque forming lymphocyte response to SRBC, decreased the recovery of S. typhimurium from infected mice spleen, and restored the depressed cellular immune response by measle and newcastle disease virus infections. All of the above results were observed only when inosiplex was given after immunization but did not when given before immunization. These results indicate that inosiplex stimulate the efferent are of immune response and may even block the afferent are, and suggest that inosiplex is a very promising drug in therapy of many viral infections.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.123-131
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• 2003

Inflammation appears to have a major role in the development of atherosclerosis. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is involved in the inflammatory response via the generation of prostanoids that, in turn, are involved in the production of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). This study hypothesized that a vascular infection with cytomegalovirus (CMV) may induce a chronic inflammatory reaction and activated inflammatory cells may express inflammatory mediators such as cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and matrix metalloproteinases-9 (MMP-9). To confirm the hypothesis, the immunohistochemical stains for CMV late antigen, COX-2, MMP-9, macrophage, and T-lymphocyte were performed on CMV-infected atherosclerotic lesions. The immunoreactivity for COX-2 and MMP-9 was evident in all cases of atherosclerosis along with plaques, mainly in macrophages/foamy cells, intimal and medial smooth muscle cells, and endothelial cells of the intima. Within the intima, the increased immunoreactivity for COX-2 and MMP-9 was colocalized to the area stained with CMV late antigen. Sections from control specimens showed no immunoreactivity for CMV late antigen, COX-2 and MMP-9. These data seem to support the hypothesis that CMV may participate in a pathogenetic mechanism for atherogenesis or progression of atherosclerosis.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Visualization
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.35-42
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• 2015

CD4+ T-cell count determines the effectiveness for antiretroviral therapy (ART) in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Although ART slows the progression of HIV to AIDS, rapid counting of CD4+ T lymphocytes with a drop of patient's blood sample is urgently needed to ensure timely ART treatment in rural areas. Recently point-of-care CD4 testing devices have been developed by using non-flow based imaging cytometer incorporated with a sample cartridge where CD4+ T cells are reacted with fluorescently tagged specific antibodies. Here we conducted an experimental study using a conventional fluorescence microscope-based imaging system to quantitate the interaction of CD4 antibodies with CD4+ T cells at different reaction conditions. We demonstrated that a fast and affordable point-of-care CD4 test is feasible with a far less amount of antibodies and a shorter incubation time compared with a conventional sample preparation protocol for flow cytometry. We also proposed a general method to evaluate and compare the detection limit across different CD4 counting platforms by using fluorescently labelled microbeads for intensity calibration.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.163-166
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• 2009

Among benign proliferation of the urinary bladder, polypoid cystitis is a rare disease in dogs. It is characterized by epithelial proliferation, chronic inflammation in lamina propria, and development of a polypoid mass or masses without evidence of neoplasia. This report describes histopathologic features of polypoid cystitis in dog. A 10-year-old spayed female shihtzu-dog was presented with two-month history of hematuria. Abdominal ultrasonography confirmed the thickened bladder wall and calculi in both kidneys. Surgical biopsy sample was taken from the thickened bladder mucosa for the histopathologic examination. The mass was covered with irregular hyperplastic transitional epithelium with the projection into the lumen in multifocal areas as well as many Brunn's nests in lamina propria. Many inflammatory cells such as lymphocyte, plasma cell, and macrophage and few neutrophils were occupied in lamina propria and submucosa. Proliferated fibrous tissues in lamina propria were clarified by using special staining methods. These collagens were stained blue with Masson's trichrome and red with van Gieson, but negative for alcian blue. Based on the clinical, gross, and histopathologic examinations, this case was diagnosed as polypoid cystitis in a dog. In our best knowledge, this is the first report of polypoid cystitis in dog in Korea.

• Proceedings of the Korea Crystallographic Association Conference
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• 2002.11a
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• pp.54-55
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• 2002

The fabrication, characterization and manipulation of nanoparticle system brings together physics, chemistry, materials science and biology in an unprecedented way. Phenomena occurring in such systems are fundamental to the workings of electronic devices, but also to living organisms. The ability to fabricate the surface of nanoparticles Is essential in the further development of functional devices that incorporate nanoscale features. Even more essential is the ability to introduce a wide range of chemical and materials flexibility into these structures to build up more complex nanostructures that can ultimately rival biological nanosystems. In this respect, polymers are potentially ideal nanoscale building blocks because of their length scale, well-defined architecture, controlled synthesis, ease of processing and wide range of chemical functionality that can be incorporated. In this presentation, we will look at a number of promising polymer-based nanoparticle fabrication strategies that have been developed recently, with an emphasis on those techniques that incorporate nanostructured polymeric particles into electronic devices or biomedical applications. And functional nanoparticles deliberately designed using several powerful process methods and their application will be discussed. Nanostructured nanoparticles, what we called, implies dispersed colloids with the size ranged from several nanometers to hundreds of nanometer. They have extremely large surface area, thus it is very important to control the morphology or surface functionality fitted for adequate objectives and properties. Their properties should be controlled for various kind of bio-related technologies, such as immunomagnetic cell separation, drug delivery systems, labeling and identification of lymphocyte populations, extracorporeal and hemoperfusion systems, etc. Well-defined polymeric nanoparticles can be considered as smart bomb or MEMS.

• BMB Reports
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• v.41 no.8
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• pp.575-580
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• 2008

Thymocyte-specific transcriptional regulatory systems can be used to better understand the relationship between transcription and V(D)J recombination during early T cell development. In this study, we generated transgenic mice expressing the transactivator Gal4-VP16 or the Gal4 DNA binding domain (Gal4-DBD) under the control of the lck proximal promoter, which is only active in immature thymocytes. From these studies Gal4-VP16 and Gal4-DBD expression was shown to significantly alter thymic cellularity and differentiation without significantly changing the $CD3^+$ thymocyte distribution. Furthermore, the presence of Gal4-VP16 or Gal4-DBD in the transgenic thymocytes retarded the mobility of the Gal4 DNA binding motif as determined by a gel mobility shift assay, suggesting that the developmental alteration did not affect the functional property of the transgenic proteins. These results indicated that lck promoter-driven Gal4-VP16 or Gal4-DBD expression did not affect $CD3^+$ mature thymocytes, thus this system can be applied to study transcriptional regulation of transresponder genes in bigenic mouse model thymocytes.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.57-62
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• 2003

Flounder B lymphocytes isolated from different tissues were studied in terms of cell proliferation, apoptosis and the effects of cortisol on these processes. B lymphocytes, isolated from the flounder head kidney and spleen, were characterized by higher proliferation and lower intracellular calcium ($Ca^2$) response to lgcrosslinking compared with peripheral blood B lymphocytes. Cortisol induced high levels of apoptosis (150% of control levels) in peripheral blood B lymphocytes, in combination with a stimulatory LPS signal. Head kidney and to a lesser extent spleen B lymphocytes, although less sensitive than their equivalent in peripheral blood, underwent cortisol-induced apoptosis irrespective of extra stimulation up to 142% of control levels. Also proliferation with and without LPS stimulation was suppressed by cortisol (compared to plasma values measured during stress conditions) that is effective in inducing a significant increase in apoptosis in all three populations of B-cells, suggesting that cortisol may be important for immunoregulation in both stressed and non-stressed conditions. This implies possible severe impact of stress on lymphocyte development and activity, Different sensitivity of B-cells to the corticosteroid, with respect to developmental stage and activity, may prevent excessive and long lasting depletion of B-lymphocytes.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.268-273
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• 2008

For evaluation of immune stimulation effect of lacquer tree extracts, lymphocytes were counted by labeling of FITC-conjugated monoclonal antibody in the pheripheral blood of pigs that fed with a fodder supplemented by lacquer tree extracts. Populations of MHC-II+, CD4+, and CD8+T lymphocytes were increased more than 2% level after 1 week feed supply of the lacquer tree extracts. The increase of those T cells reached at maximum level after 2 weeks in the tested group. B lympyocytes with surface IgM were increased 5% after 1 week feed supply of the lacquer tree extracts, and their numbers reached maximum after 2 weeks in the tested group. For the assessment of cytotoxicity of the lacquer tree extracts, morphological changes were examined on the epithelial cells of small intestine from pigs fed with a fodder supplemented by 0.1 % lacquer tree extracts for 6 weeks (the tested group). Thin-sectioned tissue of small intestine was fixed with glutaraldehyde, then coated with gold particles, and the specimen was examined under scanning electron microscope. The villi on the mucus membrane of jejunum and ileum from the tested pigswere enlarged on the tip and were linked each other.