• Korean Journal of Hospice Care
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2008

Perpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the perception of death between Korean and Chinese nursing students. And it will help develop curriculum for preparing death, the quality of hospice care, as well as nursing education and practice. Methods: Data was collected from 492 nursing students participated(248 Korean and 244 Chinese) by questionnaire designed for examining Death Orientation (Thorson & Powell, 1988). They were analyzed using Cronbach's Alpha coefficients, factor analysis, t-test, ANOVA and regression analysis (SPSS; win 12.0 version) Results: More than half of the Korean nursing students followed a religion (58.5%) while the majority of Chinese nursing students did not follow a religion (93.9%). In the view of the afterlife, nursing students in China had two views. 'I really don't know what happens after a person dies (30.3%)' and ‘There is no afterlife and death is the end (29.5%)’. On the other hand the Korean nursing students’ answer were, 'After dying, a person goes to heaven or hell (27.3%)' and 'I really don't know what happens after a person dies. (22.9%)' The study also found that the average of 25 items in Death Orientation is 2.36points of nursing students in Korea and 2.50points of nursing students in China. This means that the concern, anxiety and fear were of the middle level for the Chinese Students and were higher than Korean students (t=3.51, p=.000). In the low factor of death orientation, those in Korea had higher 'anxiety of burden to family' than those in China (t=-3.50, p=.001). The nursing students in China had higher 'anxiety of the unknown (t=4.96, p=.000)', 'fear of suffering (t=6.88, p=.000), 'fear of extinction body and life (t=5.20, p=.000), 'fear of lost self-control(t=2.12, p=.034)', and 'anxiety of future existence and nonexistence (t=2.33, p=.020)' than those in Korea. There was no statistically significant difference for the 'concern of body and fear of identity lost' category. The death orientation of Korean nursing students had statistically significant differences according to age (t=3.20, p=.002), religion (t=2.56, p=.011), and afterlife (F=4.64, p=.000). The contribution of Death Orientation had a statistically significant difference, the afterlife variable (0.735, p=0.001). The death orientation of Chinese nursing students did not have any statistically significant differences. Conclusion: In conclusion, there were differences in death orientation between Korean and Chinese nursing students. In particular, those who believed in afterlife showed acceptance of death. The results of this study suggest that nursing curricula should include education program on death and spiritual nursing. Additional studies are needed to establish death education in China with careful considerations on Chinese policies, cultures and social systems.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.330-342
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• 2018

The Streptavidin and Biotin system has been studied most extensively as the high affinity non-covalent binding of Biotin to STR ($K_D=10^{-14}M$) and four Biotin binding sites in tetrameric Streptavidin makes this system useful for the production of multivalent antibody. For the application of this system, we cloned Streptavidin amplified from Streptomyces avidinii chromosome by PCR and fused to gene of hAY4 single-chain Fv antibody specific to death receptor 4 (DR4) which is a receptor for tumor necrosis factor ${\alpha}$ related apoptosis induced ligand. The hAY4 single-chain Fv antibody fused to Streptavidin expressed in Escherichia coli showed 43 kDa monomer in heated SDS-PAGE. However, this fusion protein shown in both non-heated SDS-PAGE and Size-exclusion chromatography exhibited 172 kDa as a tetramer suggesting that natural tetramerization of Streptavidin by non-covalent association induced hAY4 single-chain Fv tetramerization. This fusion protein retained a Biotin binding activity similar to natural Streptavidin as shown in Ouchterlony assay and ELISA. Death receptor 4 antigen binding activity of purified hAY4 single-chain Fv fused to Streptavidin was also confirmed by ELISA and Westernblot. In addition, surface plasmon resonance analysis showed 60-fold higher antigen binding affinity of the hAY4-STR than monomeric hAY4 ScFv due to tetramerization. In summary, hAY4 single-chain Fv fused to Streptavidin fusion protein was successfully expressed and purified as a soluble tetramer in E. coli and showed both Biotin and DR4 antigen binding activity suggesting possible production of bifunctional and tetrameric ScFv antibody.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.281-289
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• 2022

Fusarium head blight is an important disease of small grains. It is mainly caused by members of the Fusarium graminearum species complex (FGSC). Barley and wheat growers spray fungicides, especially demethylation-inhibitor fungicides, to suppress the disease. The objective of this study was to examine the changes in the sensitivity of the FGSC population to the triazole fungicide, propiconazole. A total of 124 and 350 isolates of FGSC were obtained from barley and wheat in Jeolla Province during 2010-2016 and 2020-2021, respectively. The species identity and trichothecene chemotypes of the FGSC isolates were determined based on polymerase chain reaction assays targeting translation elongation factor 1-alpha and TRI12 genes, respectively. Sensitivity to propiconazole was determined based on the effective concentration that reduced 50% of the mycelial growth (EC₅₀) using the agar dilution method. Of all isolates, F. asiaticum with the nivalenol chemotype was the most common (83.9% in 2010-2016 and 96.0% in 2020-2021), followed by F. asiaticum with the 3-acetyl deoxynivalenol chemotype (12.1% in 2010-2016 and 2.9% in 2020-2021). The EC₅₀ values of the isolates collected in 2010-2016 and 2020-2021 ranged from 0.0180 to 11.0166 ㎍/mL and 1.3104 to 17.9587 ㎍/mL, respectively. The mean EC₅₀ value of the isolates increased from 3.8648 ㎍/mL in 2010-2016 to 5.9635 ㎍/mL in 2020-2021. The baseline resistance to propiconazole was determined to be 7 ㎍/mL, based on the EC₅₀ value of isolates collected in 2010-2016, and the ratio of resistant isolates increased from 9.7% in 2010-2016 to 28.6% in 2020-2021.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.40 no.12
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• pp.1662-1667
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• 2011

Anthocyanins belong to a group of flavonoid compounds and are well known for their various health beneficial effects, which include antioxidative activities. Among them, the major anthocyanins isolated from seed coat of black soybean (Glycine max L.) were previously characterized as glycosides containing glucopyranose. Asthma is an allergic disease that is strongly associated with various immune cells, including basophils and mast cells. Eosinophils, basophils, and mast cells play important roles in allergic asthma through the release of inflammatory mediators such as asthma-specific T-helper 2 (Th2) cytokines and subsequent amplification of asthma symptoms via degranulation. Rat basophilic leukemia RBL-2H3 cells are the most common in vitro models for evaluating allergic reactions. In this study, we examined the effects of anthocyanin from seed coat of black soybean on antigen-stimulated degranulation and Th2 cytokine production in RBL-2H3 cells. Cell degranulation was evaluated by measuring the release of ${\beta}$-hexosaminidase. ${\beta}$-Hexosaminidase release and Th2 cytokine production in RBL-2H3 cells was much higher upon stimulation with IgE-antigen complex than those in untreated control cells. Anthocyanins significantly suppressed IgE-antigen complex-induced degranulation of RBL-2H3 cells and inhibited IgE-antigen complex-mediated interleukin (IL)-4, IL-13, and tumor necrosis factor ${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$) production in RBL-2H3 cells. These findings suggest that anthocyanins from seed coat of black soybean effectively inhibit allergic reactions and may have beneficial effects against allergic asthma.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.298-305
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• 2017

Atopic dermatitis is a chronic, relapsing inflammatory skin disease. This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic benefits of Aronia melanocarpa (AM) and Moringa oleifera seed extract (MO) on experimental atopic dermatitis. We examined the effects of AM or MO and their combination on 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB)-induced atopic dermatitis in BALB/c mice as well as tumor necrosis factor $(TNF)-{\alpha}$ and interferon $(IFN)-{\gamma}-stimulated$ HaCaT keratinocytes. Mice were orally treated with extract during repeated application of DNCB to shaved dorsal skin. Our results show that treatment with AM and MO in combination reduced histological manifestations such as epidermal hyperplasia and inflammatory cell infiltration. Furthermore, it significantly decreased skin thickness and serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) level compared to the AM or MO alone treated group. Combined extract of AM and MO suppressed expression of $TNF-{\alpha}/IFN-{\gamma}-induced$ T helper 2 (Th2) chemokines such as thymus and activation-regulated chemokine and macrophage-derived chemokine. To sum up, combination of AM and MO suppressed the inflammatory response and serum IgE as an indicator of several allergic diseases in DNCB-induced experimental atopic dermatitis and Th2 chemokine expression in HaCaT cells. This result suggests that combination of AM and MO could be a valuable strategy to improve atopic dermatitis.

• Journal of Mushroom
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.220-224
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• 2016

Chronic inflammation, which results from continuous exposure to antigens, is one of major reasons for tissue damage and diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and type 2 diabetes. In this study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of extracts (hexane, $CHCl_3$, MeOH, $MeOH/H_2O$, and $H_2O$) from GW10-45, which is our new cultivar of an edible mushroom Pleurotus ferulae (ASI 2803 and ASI 2778), in RAW264.7 murine macrophages. None of the extracts showed cytotoxicity in RAW264.7 cells and the hexane, CHCl and H extracts reduced nitric oxide (NO) production, an important inflammatory marker, in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. Particularly, the extract (CG45) inhibited NO production more than the other extracts did. To elucidate the effects of CG45 on molecular targets involved in pro-inflammatory responses, we performed western blot analysis. Expression of inducible nitric oxide (iNOS) significantly decreased in LPS and CG45 co-incubated cells compared to that in LPS only-treated cells. Additionally, another protein thatplays a critical role in inflammation, was down-regulated in cells treated with both LPS and CG45. In the nuclear factor $(NF)-{\kappa}B$ pathway, phosphorylation of $I{\kappa}B{\alpha}$ decreased in RAW264.7 cells treated with both LPS and CG45. Furthermore, CG45 inhibited the phosphorylation of $NF-{\kappa}B$ in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. Conclusively, CG45 could suppress pro-inflammatory responses in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells by down-regulating not only the phosphorylation of $NF-{\kappa}B$ and $I{\kappa}B{\alpha}$ but also the expression of iNOS and COX-2 without any cytotoxicity.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.26-41
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• 1999

The perceived stress response inventory(PSRI) was developed to measure 4 types of current stress responses : emotional, somatic, cognitive, and behavioral responses. 242 patients with psychiatric disorders(71 patients with anxiety disorders, 73 patients with depressive disorders, 47 patients with somatoform disorders, 51 patients with psychosomatic disorders) and 215 healthy subjects completed the questionnaire including the PSRI. Global assessment of recent stress(GARS) scale, perceived stress questionnaire(PSQ) and symptom checklist-90-revised(SCL-90-R) were also administered at the same time. Factor analysis for each of 4 types of stress responses yielded 8 factors : negative emotional responses, general somatic symptoms, specific somatic symptoms, lowered cognitive function and general negative thinking, self-depreciative thinking, impulsive-aggressive thinking, passive-responsive and careless behavior, and impulsive-aggressive behavior. Both test-restest reliability(r= .83 -.93) and internal consistency(Cronbach's alpha : .79 -.96 for each of 8 subscales and .98 for total items of the scale) were all at statistically significant levels. Total scores of the PSRI significantly correlated with total scores of GARS scale, PSQ, and global indicies of SCL-90-R, respectively. The patient group had significantly higher scores than healthy subjects in each of all the subscales except impulsive-aggressive behavior subscale. These results suggest that the PSRI is a reliable and valid tool stable over time which may be effectively used for the research in stress-related field including psychosomatic medicine.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.79-86
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• 2014

In previous work, we fermented coffee beans using solid-state culture with various fungal mycelia to enhance the physiological activity of the coffee. The coffee fermented with Monascus sp. showed a higher physiological activity than non-fermented coffee or other coffees fermented with mushroom mycelium. The aim of this study was to characterize the various fermented coffees with respect to their area of cultivation and their variety using Monascus purpureus (MP) mycelium solid-state culture. Thirty types of green coffee beans, which varied in terms of their cultivation area or variety, were purchased from different suppliers and fermented with MP under optimal conditions. Each MP-fermented coffee was medium roasted and extracted further using hot water (HW) under the same conditions. Of the HW extracts, those derived from MP-Mandheling coffees had the highest yield (13.6-15.5%), and MP-Robusta coffee showed a significantly higher polyphenolic content (3.03 mg gallic acid equivalent/100 mg) and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) free radical scavenging activity (27.11 mg ascorbic acid equivalent antioxidant capacity/100 mg). Furthermore, in comparison to other MP-fermented coffees at $1,000{\mu}g/mL$, MP-Robusta coffee showed not only the most effective inhibition of tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$) production in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells (67.1% of that in LPS-stimulated control cells), but also an effective inhibition of lipogenesis in 3T3-L1 adipose cells (22.2% of that in differentiated control cells). In conclusion, these results suggest that Vietnam Robusta coffee beans solid-state fermented with MP mycelium are amenable to industrial applications as a functional coffee beverage or material.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.78-91
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• 2002

Objective : The purpose of this study was to develop the somatization rating scale (SRS), and then to use the scale in clinical pracitice. Methods: First, a preliminary survey was conducted for 109 healthy adults to obtain 40 response items. Second, a preliminary questionnaire was completed by 215 healthy subjects. Third, a comparison was made regarding somatization responses among 242 patients (71 with anxiety disorder. 73 with depressive disorder, 47 with somatoform disorder, and 51 with psychosomatic disorder) and 215 healthy subjects. Results : Factor analysis yielded 5 subscales : cardiorespiratory and nervous responses, somatic sensitivity, gastrointestinal responses, general somatic responses, genitourinary, eye and muscular responses. Reliability was computed by administering the SRS to 62 healthy subjects during a 2-week interval. Test-retest reliability for 5 subscales and the total score was significantly high, ranging between .86-.94. Internal consistency was computed, and Cronbach's ${\alpha}$ for 5 subscales ranged between .72-.92, and .95 for the total score. Convergent validity was computed by correlating the 5 subscales and the total score with the total score of the global assessment of recent stress (GARS) scale, the perceived stress questionnaire (PSQ), and the symptom checklist-90-revised (SCL-90-R). The correlations were all at significant levels. Discriminant validity was computed by comparing the total score and the 5 subscale scores of the patient and control groups. Significant differences were found for 5 subscales and the total score. Only the depressive disorder group was siginificantly higher than control group in all the subscale scores and total scores of SRS among 4 patient groups. In somatic sensitivity, only depressive disorder patients were significantly higher than the normal controls, whereas in general somatic subscale, depressive disorder and somatoform disorder groups were significantly higher than the normal controls. In total scores of the SRS, female subjects were significantly higher than males. Conclusion : These results indicate that the SRS is highly reliable and valid, and that it can be utilized as an effective measure for research in stress- and somatization-related fields. The depressive disorder and somatoform disorder groups showed more widespread somatization than the anxiety and psychosomatic disorder groups.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.122-134
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• 2004

Objective : The purpose of this study was to develop the Anger Response Scale(ARS), and then to use the scale in clinical practice. Methods First, a preliminary survey was conducted for 123 healthy adults to obtain 16 response items. Second, a preliminary questionnaire was completed by 258 healthy subjects. Third, a comparison was made regarding anger responses among 189 patients(59 with anxiety disorder, 72 with depressive disorder and 58 with somatoform disorder) and 258 healthy subjects. Results : Factor analysis yielded 4 subscales : aggression, irritability, avoidance and anger suppression. Reliability was computed by administering the ARS to 53 healthy subjects during a 2-week interval. Test-retest reliability for 4 subscales and the total score was significantly high, ranging between .53-.71. Cronbach's ${\alpha}$ for 4 subscales ranged between .62-.72, and .76 for the total score. Convergent validity was computed by correlating the 4 subscales and the total score with the total score of Aggression Questionnaire, State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory, anger and aggression subscale of Stress Response Inventory and hostility subscale of Symptom Checklist-90-Revised. The disorder group was significantly higher than normal group in scores of the avoidance and anger suppression subacale. The depressive disorder and somatoform disorder groups scored significantly higher on the avoidance subscale than the normal group. Conclusion : These results indicate that the ARS is highly reliable and valid. In addition, avoidance response is likely to be a characteristic anger response of the depressive disorder and somatoform disorder groups.