• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.333-341
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• 2000

Blends consisting of linear shape polylactic acid and star shape polylactic acid (L-PLLA/S-PLLA) have been prepared by melt and solution blending. The effect of blending method on the thermal properties and crystallization behavior of L-PLLA/S-PLLA blends has been investigated. The molecular weight decrease was revealed both in melt and solution blending. S-PLLA was found to be more stable than L-PLLA in the reduction of molecular weight during the course of blending due to its star shape structure. As a result, broad molecular weight distribution was obtained in solution blending. It was found that melting temperature and glass transition temperature decrease with increasing S-PLLA content. Blending method had large influence on the glass transition temperature of PLLA blends, while less effect on melting temperature. From DSC results, it can be noticed that solution blending is more effective blending method to obtain higher crystallinity than melt blending for S-PLLA and blend with higher S-PLLA content.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.414-422
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• 2020

Fangchinoline (FAN) is a bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloid that is widely known for its anti-tumor properties. The goal of this study is to examine the effects of FAN on arthritis and the possible pathways it acts on. Human fibroblast-like synovial cells (FLS), carrageenan/kaolin arthritis rat model (C/K), and collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mice model were used to establish the efficiency of FAN in arthritis. Human FLS cells were treated with FAN (1, 2.5, 5, 10 µM) 1 h before IL-1β (10 ng/mL) stimulation. Cell viability, reactive oxygen species measurement, and western blot analysis of inflammatory mediators and the MAPK and NF-κB pathways were performed. In the animal models, after induction of arthritis, the rodents were given 10 and 30 mg/kg of FAN orally 1 h before conducting behavioral experiments such as weight distribution ratio, knee thickness measurement, squeaking score, body weight measurement, paw volume measurement, and arthritis index measurement. Rodent knee joints were also analyzed histologically through H&E staining and safranin staining. FAN decreased the production of inflammatory cytokines and ROS in human FLS cells as well as the phosphorylation of the MAPK pathway and NF-κB pathway in human FLS cells. The behavioral parameters in the C/K rat model and CIA mouse model and inflammatory signs in the histological analysis were found to be ameliorated in FAN-treated groups. Cartilage degradation in CIA mice knee joints were shown to have been suppressed by FAN. These findings suggest that fangchinoline has the potential to be a therapeutic source for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.72-79
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• 2013

Inactivation of the gene coding for dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (DFR) is responsible for the color difference between red and yellow onions (Allium cepa L.). Two inactive DFR-A alleles, DFR-$A^{PS}$ and DFR-$A^{DEL}$, were identified in our previous study. A functional marker was developed on the basis of the premature stop codon that inactivated the DFR-$A^{PS}$ allele. A derived cleaved amplified polymorphic sequences (dCAPS) primer was designed to detect the single nucleotide polymorphism, an A/T transition, which produced the premature stop codon. Digested PCR products clearly distinguished the homozygous and heterozygous red $F_2$ individuals. Meanwhile, to develop a molecular marker for detection of the DFR-$A^{DEL}$ allele in which entire DFR-A gene was deleted, genome walking was performed and approximately 3 kb 5' and 3' flanking sequences of the DFR-$A^R$ coding region were obtained. PCR amplification using multiple primers binding to the extended flanking regions showed that more of the extended region of the DFR-A gene was deleted in the DFR-$A^{DEL}$ allele. A dominant simple PCR marker was developed to identify the DFR-$A^{DEL}$ allele using the dissimilar 3' flanking sequences of the DFR-A gene and homologous DFR-B pseudogene. Distribution of the DFR-$A^{PS}$ and DFR-$A^{DEL}$ alleles in yellow onion cultivars bred in Korea and Japan was surveyed using molecular makers developed in this study. Results showed predominant existence of the DFR-$A^{PS}$ allele in yellow onion cultivars.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.387-393
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• 2014

In this study were performed to investigate the physicochemical properties of flying fish roe shell extract(FRSE) extracted from flying fish roe shell. FRSE was prepared using marine flying fish roe shell, and then analyzed it's physicochemical properties. The result showed that the nutritional composition of FRSE consisted of 81.00% protein, 9.12% ash and 4.48% moisture. There were OH-proline and glycine known as characteristics of collagen peptide in the amino acid analysis of FRSE, and there were large amount of glutamic acid and aspartic acid involved in the metabolism of glucose and fat. The calories of FRSE was 347 kcal/100g and molecular weight appeared less than 1,300 Da molecular weight distribution.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.57 no.5
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• pp.531-536
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• 2019

Cryptosporidium parvum and Giardia duodenalis are the main diarrhea-causing parasitic pathogens; however, their prevalence in Korea is unknown. Here, we conducted a survey to determine the prevalence and genotype distribution of these 2 pathogens causing acute diarrhea in 8,571 patients hospitalized in 17 Regional Institute of Health Environment sites in Korea, during 2013-2016. C. parvum and G. duodenalis were detected and genotyped by nested PCR, and the isolate were molecularly characterized by sequencing the glycoprotein 60 (Gp60) and ${\beta}-giardin$ genes, respectively. The overall prevalence of C. parvum and G. duodenalis was 0.37% (n=32) and 0.55% (n=47), respectively, and both pathogens were more prevalent in children under 9 years old. Molecular epidemiological analysis showed that the C. parvum isolates belonged to the IIa family and were subtyped as IIaA13G2R1, IIaA14G2R1, IIaA15G2R1, and IIaA18G3R1. Analysis of the ${\beta}-giardin$ gene fragment from G. duodenalis showed that all positive strains belong to assemblage A. This is the first report on the molecular epidemiology and subtyping of C. parvum and G. duodenalis in such a large number of diarrheal patients in Korea. These results highlight the need for continuous monitoring of these zoonotic pathogens and provide a basis for implementing control and prevention strategies. Further, the results might be useful for epidemiological investigation of the source of outbreak.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.50.1-50.10
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• 2021

Background: Bovine papillomatosis is a type of proliferative tumor disease of skin and mucosae caused by bovine papillomavirus (BPV). As a transboundary and emerging disease in cattle, it poses a potential threat to the dairy industry. Objectives: The aim of this study is to detect and clarify the genetic diversity of BPV circulating in dairy cows in Xinjiang, China. Methods: 122 papilloma skin lesions from 8 intensive dairy farms located in different regions of Xinjiang, China were detected by polymerase chain reaction. The genetic evolution relationships of various types of BPVs were analyzed by examining this phylogenetic tree. Results: Ten genotypes of BPV (BPV1, BPV2, BPV3, BPV6, BPV7, BPV8, BPV10, BPV11, BPV13, and BPV14) were detected and identified in dairy cows. These were the first reported detections of BPV13 and BPV14 in Xinjiang, Mixed infections were detected, and there were geographical differences in the distribution of the BPV genotypes. Notably, the BPV infection rate among young cattle (< 1-year-old) developed from the same supply of frozen sperm was higher than that of the other young cows naturally raised under the same environmental conditions. Conclusions: Genotyping based on the L1 gene of BPV showed that BPVs circulating in Xinjiang China displayed substantial genetic diversity. This study provided valuable data at the molecular epidemiology level, which is conducive to developing deep insights into the genetic diversity and pathogenic characteristics of BPVs in dairy cows.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.9
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• pp.1460-1469
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• 2019

The extensive distribution of multidrug-resistant (MDR) methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) poses a threat to healthcare worldwide. This study aimed to investigate the MDR and molecular patterns of MRSA isolates in children admitted to the two biggest tertiary care pediatric hospitals in northern and southern Vietnam. A total of 168 MRSA strains were collected to determine antibiotic susceptibility by minimum inhibitory concentration tests. Antibiotic-resistant genes, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) typing, and multilocus sequence typing were used for the molecular characterization of MRSA. Among the total strains, the MDR rate (51.8%) was significantly higher in the northern hospital than in the southern hospital (73% vs. 39%, p < 0.0001). The MDR-MRSA with the highest rates were "ciprofloxacin-erythromycin-gentamicintetracyclines" (35.6%), followed by "erythromycin-tetracycline-chloramphenicol" (24.1%), and "ciprofloxacin-erythromycin-gentamicin" (19.5%), showing an accumulative total of 79.3%. The most susceptible antibiotics were rifampicin (100%) and vancomycin (100%), followed by doxycycline (94.0%), meropenem (78.0%), and cefotaxime (75.0%). The SCCmecII strains showed greater resistance to gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, meropenem and cephalosporins compared with the other strains. The SCCmecII strains exhibited the highest rate in the tested genes (aacA/aphD: 55.2%, ermA/B/C: 89.7%, and tetK/M: 82.8%). ST5-SCCmecII was the predominant clone in the northern hospital, whereas SCCmecIVa was more pronounced in the southern hospital. In conclusion, our results raised concerns about the predominant MDR-MRSA strains in the pediatric hospitals in Vietnam. The north-south difference in the antibiotic resistance patterns and genetic structure of MRSA suggests different MRSA origins and various uses of antimicrobial agents between the two regions.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Fisheries and Ocean Technology
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.134-148
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• 2021

During the ichthyoplankton survey around the Chilsan Island (previously known as the biggest spawning ground of the Sciaenidae) in the southwestern sea of Korea from April to June in 2019 using ring nets, we collected a total of 12 individuals belonging to the family Sciaenidae. Using molecular methods, we identified five sciaenid species (Collichthys lucidus, Collichthys niveatus, Johnius grypotus, Nibea albiflora, and Pennahia argentata), and described and compared them on the basis of the preflexion larval stage. C. lucidus was well distinguished by the presence of occipital crests at preflexion stage. Although there were no occipital crests, preflexion larva of C. niveatus was distinguished by the absence of melanophore except for the upper part of the abdominal cavity. J. grypotus and N. albiflora were very similar morphologically, but were distinguished by myomere height (15.22-15.53% in J. grypotus vs. 11.66-12.78% in N. albiflora) in the percentage of notochord length, and eye diameter (32.58-33.37% in J. grypotus vs. 40.32-42.53% in N. albiflora) in the percentage of head length between specimens of similar size (J. grypotus: 3.22-3.23 mm, N. albiflora: 3.04-3.13 mm). P. argentata were distinguished by distribution of ventral caudal melanophore (one row of small spot in P. argentata vs. irregular patches on the central part of caudal in J. grypotus and N. albiflora). Comparative morphological studies using more diverse species must be conducted for more comprehensive understanding of the morphogenesis of Sciaenidae.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.33.1-33.17
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• 2022

Nervous necrosis virus (NNV) is a deadly infectious disease that affects several fish species. It has been found that the NNV utilizes grouper heat shock cognate protein 70 (GHSC70) to enter the host cell. Thus, blocking the virus entry by targeting the responsible protein can protect the fishes from disease. The main objective of the study was to evaluate the inhibitory potentiality of 70 compounds of Azadirachta indica (Neem plant) which has been reported to show potential antiviral activity against various pathogens, but activity against the NNV has not yet been reported. The binding affinity of 70 compounds was calculated against the GHSC70 with the docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation approaches. Both the docking and MD methods predict 4 (PubChem CID: 14492795, 10134, 5280863, and 11119228) inhibitory compounds that bind strongly with the GHSC70 protein with a binding affinity of -9.7, -9.5, -9.1, and -9.0 kcal/mol, respectively. Also, the ADMET (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity) properties of the compounds confirmed the drug-likeness properties. As a result of the investigation, it may be inferred that Neem plant compounds may act as significant inhibitors of viral entry into the host cell. More in-vitro testing is needed to establish their effectiveness.

• Journal of Radiopharmaceuticals and Molecular Probes
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.63-70
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• 2022

The development of myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) agents has been motivated because coronary artery disease has been one of the leading causes of death worldwide since the 1960s. Several positron emission tomography (PET) MPI agents were developed, and ¹⁸F-labeled phosphonium cations were reported actively among them. In this study, we synthesized novel ¹⁸F-labeled phosphonium cations, (5-[¹⁸F]fluoropentyl)diphenyl(pyridin-2-yl)phosphonium and (2-(2-[¹⁸F]fluoroethoxy)ethyl)diphenyl(pyridin-2-yl)phosphonium, and evaluated potential as MPI agents. Two labeled compounds were synthesized via nucleophilic substitution reactions of ¹⁸F-fluoride with the appropriate tosylate precursor in the presence of Kryptofix 2.2.2 and K₂CO₃. MicroPET studies were performed in normal rats to evaluate in vivo distribution of radiolabeled phosphonium cations for 60 min. The radiolabeled compounds were synthesized with 5%-10% yield. The radiochemical purity of labeled compounds was > 98% by analytical HPLC, and the specific activity was > 11.8 GBq/µmol. The result of microPET studies of these labeled compounds in rats showed intense uptake in the myocardium at 30 and 60 min. The results suggest that these ¹⁸F-labeled novel phosphonium cations would have potential as promising candidates for myocardial perfusion imaging.