• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.351-357
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• 2014

In membrane covered stent, occlusion and fracture from membrane degradation by gastric acid sometimes occurred. Therefore, we investigated the physical properties of membrane covered stent according to its ingredient and concentration in gastric acid environment. Membrane covered stents consisted of silicone and polyurethane with 15%, 18%, 20% concentrations were used. After incubating stents in a condition of pH 1.2, we checked any changes at every 3 weeks for 18 weeks. The changes of membrane surface, radial expansion and recovery force of stent were investigated. Coating thickness increased proportionally to an increase in ingredient concentration. Surface was evenly coated with silicone compared to the case with polyurethane and its homogeneity was excellent in a high concentration. Degradation was much severe in the case of polyurethane. The radial force of silicone was higher than polyurethane, and the decrease of radial and recovery force was higher in the case of polyurethane. In conclusion, high concentration of silicone membrane was more stable than polyurethane in acid environment of in vitro study.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.357-366
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• 2015

Quorum sensing (QS) is involved in the process of cell-to-cell communication and as a gene regulatory mechanism, which has been implicated in bacterial pathogenicity. Bacteria use this QS system to control a variety of physiological processes. In this study, pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) peel extract (PPE) was first screened for its ability to inhibit QS in bio-reporter strains (Chromobacterium violaceum and C. violaceum CV026). Next, the ability of PPE to inhibit swimming motility and biofilm formation was examined in Y. enterocolitica. Additionally, changes in the expression of specific genes involved in the synthesis of the N-acylhomoserine lactones (AHLs; yenI and yenR) and in the flagellar regulon (fliA, fleB and flhDC) were evaluated by reverse transcription (RT)-PCR. The results show that PPE specifically inhibited and reduced QS-controlled violacein production by 78.5% in C. violaceum CV026, and decreased QS-associated biofilm formation and swimming motility in Y. enterocolitica without significantly affecting bacterial growth. These inhibitory effects were also associated with the down-regulation of gene expression involved in the synthesis of AHLs and in motility. Our results suggest that PPE could be a potential therapeutic agent to prevent enteropathogens in humans, as well as highlight the need to further investigate the in vivo properties of PPE for clinical applications.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.624-633
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• 2012

This study was executed to provide the basic data that can be helpful for a program aiming at the enhancement of life quality or establishment of policy related to public health by analyzing the importance of health state among the middle-aged adults when it came to the decision of life quality. For 160 adults who were older than 40 years old, a survey was conducted and the results were derived by using t-test, one way ANOVA, and multiple regression analysis. Followings are the outcome of the study. According to such results, it was known that the level of general life quality and oral health related life quality were shown to be different depending on symptoms of depression and xerostomia. Therefore, it suggests that prevention and early intervention of depression and xerostomia will make a great contribution to improve the life quality among the middle-aged adults.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.11
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• pp.1386-1395
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• 2018

Over recent years, it has become evident that the central nervous system bidirectionally interacts with the gastrointestinal tract along the gut-brain axis. A series of preclinical studies indicate that the gut microbiota can modulate central nervous system function through a multitude of physiological functions. Polyphenols are ubiquitous plant chemicals included in foods such as fruits, vegetables, tea, coffee and wine, and their consumption is directly responsible for beneficial health effects due to antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, immunomodulatory, anticancer, vasodilating, and prebiotic-like effects. There is increasing evidence that dietary polyphenol can contribute to beneficial effects in neuronal protection acting against oxidative stress and inflammatory injury as well as in cognitive functions. In this paper, we overview the neuroprotective role of dietary polyphenols especially focusing on the neuroinflammation and neurovascular function by interaction with the gut microbiome. Polyphenol metabolites could directly act as neurotransmitters crossing the blood-brain barrier and modulating the cerebrovascular system or indirectly modulating gut microbiota. In addition, evidence suggests that dietary polyphenols are effective in preventing and managing neurological disorders, such as age-related cognitive decline and neurodegeneration, through a multitude of physiological functions. Dietary polyphenols are increasingly envisaged as a potential nutraceuticals in the prevention and treatment of neurological disorders, because they possess the ability to reduce neuroinflammation, to improve memory and cognitive function and to modulate the gut microbiota.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.74-76
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• 2019

Gram-positive anaerobic bacilli Actinomyces spp. commonly reside on mucosal surfaces of the oropharynx, gastrointestinal tract, and urogenital tract. Here, we first report the draft genome sequence of Actinomyces georgiae KHUD_A1, isolated from dental plaque of a Korean elderly woman. The genome is 2,652,059 bp in length and has a GC content of 68.06%. The genome includes 2,242 protein-coding genes, 9 rRNAs, and 64 tRNA. We identified 157 KHUD_A1 strain-specific genes, including genes encoding CPBP family intramembrane metalloprotease, bile acid: sodium symporter family protein, Txe/YoeB family addiction module toxin and Phd/YefM family antitoxin. The sequence information of A. georgiae KHUD_A1 will help understand the general characteristics of the bacterial species and the genome diversity of the genus Actinomyces.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.28-36
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• 2021

Edwardsiella piscicida is a significant cause of hemorrhagic septicemia in fish and gastrointestinal infections in humans. Survival bacteria require specialized mechanisms to adapt to environmental fluctuations. Hence, to understand the mechanism through which E. piscicida senses and responds to environmental osmolarity changes, we determined the protein expression profile and physiological properties under various salinity conditions in this study. The OmpR protein is a part of the Env-ZOmpR two-component system that has been implicated in sensing salt stress in bacteria. However, the physiological role played by this protein in E. piscicida remains to be elucidated. Therefore, in this work, the function of the OmpR protein in response to salt stress was investigated. Phenotypic analysis revealed that, in the mutant, three of the biochemical phenotypes were different from the wild type, including, citrate utilization, hydrogen sulfide, and indole production. Introduction of the plasmid containing the entire ompR gene to the mutant strain returned it to its parental phenotype. The retarded growth rate also partially recovered. Furthermore, in our studies, OmpR was not found to be related to cell motility. Taken together, our results from the mutational analysis, the growth assay, MALDI-TOF MS, qRT-PCR, and the phenotype studies suggest that the OmpR of E. piscicida is implicated in osmoregulation, growth, expression of porins (ETAE_1826), virulence-related genes (EseC, EseD and EvpC), and certain genes of unknown function (ETAE_1540 and ETAE_2706).

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.288-296
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• 2022

This study aimed to verify the effect of Citrus unshiu peel water extract (CUP) on a mouse model of acute gastritis (AG) induced by HCl/ethanol. Several studies have found that CUP has anti-inflammatory effects. The AG model was induced by oral administration of 150 mM HCl/60% ethanol (550 µL) to all groups except the control group. Also, for drug treatment, sucralfate (10 mg/kg) and CUP (100 or 200 mg/kg) were orally administered for 90 minutes before induction. The effect of CUP treatment was confirmed by gross gastric mucosal damage measurement, and the levels of Glutamic Oxaloacetic Transaminase (GOT), Glutamic Pyruvic Transaminase (GPT), and myeloperoxidase were reduced as well as the levels of oxidative stress biomarkers and their related proteins. In addition, the levels of inflammatory proteins, mediators, and cytokines were significantly downregulated byPI3K/Akt signaling. Taken together, these results show that CUP treatment alleviates AG by regulating PI3K/Akt signaling.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.36-43
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• 2022

Mucosal immunity is a well-designed defense system that builds precise and dynamic relationships against pathogens, and the gastrointestinal tract is the most important organ with this system, acting as a guardian at the forefront of its activity. Salmonella spp. cause food poisoning, entering the body orally and mainly invading the Peyer's patches of the small intestine. Although Salmonella strains share similar mechanisms for inducing innate immunity, different serotypes may have different effects on the intestinal mucosa due to host specificities and pathogenicity. In this study, we evaluated the effects of Salmonella enteritidis infections in mouse intestine and observed significantly reduced dose-dependent survival rates in a challenge test. Flow cytometry data showed no significant differences in intestinal immune cell populations, although histology indicated increased mucin production and decreased goblet cell counts in the Salmonella-treated groups. Furthermore, Claudin expression was significantly decreased in the samples with Salmonella. To investigate the relationship between S. enteritidis infection and inflammatory response, dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) was administered after infection and the results indicate lower survival rate after DSS treatment. In conclusion, we were able to identify the optimal concentration of S. enteritidis to modulate the intestinal mucosal immunity of mice and inflammatory response.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.45-51
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• 2023

Canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2) and canine coronavirus (CCoV) are major pathogens that can induce gastroenteritis in dogs. They are highly contagious and have a high morbidity rate. There are no specific treatments available for them to date. Therefore, rapid and accurate diagnosis becomes essential. The rapid diagnostic test (RDT) for animals can be used widely in the field because it is fast and easy to use for diagnosis. Thus, this study aimed to clinically evaluate and confirm the clinical utility of CPV-2/CCoV RDT. The parameters evaluated included the limit of detection (LoD), cross-reactivity, interference, sensitivity, specificity, negative likelihood ratio (NLR), and kappa value. The results revealed that the LoD values for CPV-2 and CCoV were 9.7×10 50% tissue culture infectious dose (TCID₅₀)/mL and 2.5×10² TCID₅₀/mL, respectively. There was no cross-reactivity with nine pathogens or interference by interfering materials. The RDT showed a sensitivity of 90.0%, a specificity of 100.0%, NLR of 0.1, and a kappa value of 0.90 for diagnosing both viruses. In conclusion, CPV-2/CCoV RDT is useful as a screening test because of its high sensitivity, specificity, kappa value, and low NLR.

• Journal of Digestive Cancer Research
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.35-38
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• 2015

62-year-old patient who had past history of endoscopic submucosal dissection for early gastric cancer at September 2008, underwent endoscopic submucosal dissection of esophagus for early esophageal cancer at mid esophagus during health screening service. Because there was a high risk of lymph node metastasis at biopsy results, concurrent chemoradiotherapy was added to endoscopic submucosal dissection. There was a metachronous cancer at mid-esophagus at March 2013. He underwent endoscopic mucosal resection and photodynamic therapy. Concurrentchemoradiotherapy after endoscopic submucosal dissection is an effective treatment method.