• Journal of Life Science
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• v.22 no.12
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• pp.1729-1739
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• 2012

The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of fermented medicinal herbs. A search of the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), PubMed databases and Korean Journal of Oriental Medicine in 2000-2011 located 11 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that investigated the clinical efficacy of fermented medicinal herbs. Domestic RCTs reported clinical efficacy on improvement of immune responses and clinical safety on usage of fermented medicinal herbs in subjects suffering from cerebral hemodynamics. Countries other than Chinareported studies on the cause of esophageal cancer and on local inflammatory reactions. In China, studies were reported on the effectiveness of fermented medicinal herbs on scapulohumeral periarthritis of the stasis type, chronic superficial gastritis, dysuria induced by benign prostatic hyperplasia of deficiency of kidney yang, diabetic nephropathy, essential hypertension, and benign prostate hyperplasia. These results indicate that fermented medicinal herbs have obvious clinical effects in some diseases and no adverse reactions. Therefore, we need to initiate more fermentation research with useful bacteria, fungi, and mushrooms to produce fermented medicinal herbs. Both governments and research authorities should focus on research involving fermentation of medicinal herbs.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.79-85
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• 2002

Ecological characteristics of microorganisms in tideland soils were studied by investigation of microbial diversity and population. Twenty soil samples were taken at surface, 10, 20 and 30 cm depth each. Bacteria, actinomycetes and fungi were isolated on each selective isolation medium containing different concentration of NaCl. Actinomycetes were the most isolated from soil samples taken at 10 cm depth and isolated by humic acid-vitamin (HV) medium without sea water or salt. Twenty nine strains of actinomycetes were isolated at surface soil and 74, 39, 37 strains were at 10, 20, and 30 cm depth, respectively. All these isolates were analysed and grouped by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD)-PCR analysis. Many of the isolates were clustered into Microtetraspora and Pseudonocardia. Fungal isolates were highly distributed at the surface soil and isolated well on potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium with sea water. Bacterial isolates were higly distributed at surface soil and isolated well by nutrient medium without sea water or salt. Soil samples taken at 10 cm depth showed the highest microbial diversity and population.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.30-36
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• 2006

Neutrophils are short-lived leukocytes that play a vital role in immune responses to bacteria, yeast, and fungi. This study was performed to investigate the effect of 4-O-methyl-ascochlorin (MAC), an anti-tumor, antibiotic, and anti-fungal prenyl-phenol compound on the spontaneous apoptosis of human neutrophils. MAC time- and dose-dependently accelerated the spontaneous apoptosis of human neutrophils. The effect of MAC on neutrophil apoptosis was blocked by pre-treatment of the neutrophils with specific inhibitors of pancaspase (zVAD-fmk), caspase-8 (zIETD-fmk), or caspase-3 (zDEVD-fmk). The cleavage of procaspase-8 and procaspase-3 was increased by MAC. Mitochondrial permeability, which was measured by the retention of $DiOC_6(3)$, was dose-de-pendently increased by MAC but the change of mitochondrial permeability was not blocked by pretreatment of neutrophils with zIETD-fmk. These results suggest that MAC induces neutrophil apoptosis by caspase-8-dependent but mitochondria-independent manner.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.15 no.4 s.71
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• pp.561-565
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• 2005

In this study, we report antigenotoxicity and cytotoxicity of Korean Radish extract (RJ) and its seed protein (RSP) to non-tumoral 3T3 cell line. In the case of antigenotoxicity, each cell line was treated with $10{\mu}l\;of\;100{\mu}g/ml$ N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine(MNNG) before adding $10{\mu}l$of 10mg/ml RJ and 1mg/ml RSP to the cell. Both RJ and RS were shown $30\%\;and\;43\%$ of antigenotoxicity respectively. As a result of quantitative analysis for lactose dehydrogenase (LDH), no cytotoxic activity against 3T3 cells was detected when the cells were treated with various concentrations of RJ and RSP, RSP showed $85\%$ of antimicrobial activity against cosmetic sample (C1) assumed as contaminated by bacteria. RSP and RJ showed $79\%\;and\;76\%$ of antimicrobial activities repectively on another cosmetic sample (C4, contaminated by fungi) were treated with 10mg/ml RJ and 1 mg/ml RSP

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.466-472
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• 2011

BACKGROUND: Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] is a legume and an important oil crop worldwide. This study was conducted to evaluate the possible impact of transgenic soybean cultivation on the soil microbial community. METHODS AND RESULTS: Microorganisms were isolated from the rhizosphere soils. Microbial community was identified based on the culture-dependent and molecular biology methods. The total numbers of bacteria, fungi, and actinomycete in the rhizosphere soils cultivated with transgenic and non-transgenic soybeans were similar to each other, and there was no significant difference between transgenic and non-transgenic soybeans. Dominant bacterial phyla in the rhizosphere soils cultivated with transgenic or non-transgenic soybeans were Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria. The microbial communities in transgenic and non-transgenic soybean soils were characterized using the denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The DGGE profiles showed the different patterns, but didn't show significant difference to each other at 0.05 significance level. DNAs were isolated from soils cultivating transgenic or non-transgenic soybeans and analyzed for persistence of transgenes in the soil by using PCR. PCR analysis revealed that there were no amplified ${\gamma}$-tmt and bar gene in soil DNA. CONCLUSION(S): The results of this study suggested that microbial community of soybean field were not significantly affected by cultivation of the transgenic soybeans.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.134-144
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• 2001

This study was conducted to investigate physicochemical and microbiological properties during composting process when pig manure was composted with some bulking agents(Saw dust, Rice hull, Crushed wood). The pig manure consisted of 2.95% total nitrogen, 4.55% $P_2O_5$, 2.07% $K_2O$, 81.2% organic matter and 14.0 C/N, dry base. The inorganic content of bulking agents were similar one another, and C/N ratio was Saw dust 392. Rice hull 91.5, Crushed wood 266. The temperature of Saw dust composting slowly increased at initial stage, whereas one of Rice hull and Crushed wood rapidly increased and stabilized similarly to outdoor temperature after about 2 month. The pH of compost increased during initial 1 month after decreasing, but thereafter decreased rapidly. The C/N ratio rapidly decreased at initial stage, and it slowly decreased after 1 month. Total nitrogen somewhat increased according to composting process. Ammonium-nitrogen increased until 60th day, and thereafter it was rapidly inclined to decrease. The population of aerobic bacteria, Bacillus spp., actinomycetes and fungi increased up to > $10^{10}cfu\;g^{-1}$ fresh weight, > $10^7$, > $10^8$ and > $10^6$, respectively in Rice hull and Crushed wood composting, and more than ones in Saw dust composting, and specially actinomycetes. The persuasive Bacillus spp. isolated from composting process were B. lentimorbus, B. licheniformis, B. pumilus, B. megaterium, etc.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.295-301
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• 2011

Aquaporin is a water channel protein, which is classified as Major Intrinsic Protein (MIP), found in almost all organisms from bacteria to human. To date, more than 200 members of this family were identified. There are two major categories of MIP channels, orthodox aquaporins and aquaglyceroporins, which facilitate the diffusion across biological membranes of water or glycerol and other uncharged compounds, respectively. The full genome sequencing of various fungal species revealed 3 to 5 aquaporins in their genome. Although some functions of aquaporins found in yeast were characterized, however, no functional characteristics were studied so far in filamentous fungi, including Aspergillus sp. In this study, one orthodox aquaporin homolog gene, aqpA, and four aquaglyceroporin homologs, aqpB-E, in a model filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans were identified and the function of the aqpA gene was characterized. Knock-out of the aqpA gene didn't show any obvious phenotypic change under the osmotic stress, indicating that the function of the gene does not involved in the osmotic stress response or the function could be redundant. However, the mutant showed antifungal susceptibility resistance phenotype, suggesting that the function of the aqpA gene could be involved in sensing the antifungal substances rather than the osmotic stress response.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.70-76
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• 2017

Objectives: This on-site study was performed to evaluate the reduction efficiency of an air cleaner on particulate matters and biological agents in a swine facility. Materials and Methods: Particulate matter was measured using a real-time monitoring recorder and biological agents were sampled with a one-stage impactor and then analyzed based on the microbial culture method. An experimental process for the reduction effect on airborne pollutants through air cleaner operation consisted of three conditions: no treatment, wet scrapper by water spray and wet scrapper by disinfectant spray. Results: Geometric mean levels of particulate matter(TSP, $PM_{10}$, $PM_{2.5}$ and $PM_1$) were presented at $1,608{\mu}g/m^3$, $1,373.8{\mu}g/m^3$, $401.8{\mu}g/m^3$ and $144.5{\mu}g/m^3$ for no treatment; $1,503{\mu}g/m^3$, $1,017{\mu}g/m^3$, $159.4{\mu}g/m^3$ and $69.8{\mu}g/m^3$ for wet scrapper by water spray; and $1,222.17{\mu}g/m^3$, $477.17{\mu}g/m^3$, $33.2{\mu}g/m^3$ and $11.1{\mu}g/m^3$ for wet scrapper by disinfectant spray, respectively. In the case of biological agents, the geometric averaged concentrations of total airborne bacteria and fungi were as follows: $45,371cfu/m^3$ and $13,474cfu/m^3$ for no treatment, $43,286cfu/m^3$ and $8,610cfu/m^3$ for wet scrapper by water spray, and $2,440cfu/m^3$ and 1,867 cfu/ for wet scrapper by disinfectant spray, respectively. Regardless of particulate matter and biological agent, the highest concentrations were found for no treatment, while the lowest concentrations were found with wet scrapper by disinfectant spray. Conclusions: Based on the results obtained from this on-site evaluation, there was a significant reduction effect on particulate matter and biological agents through the application of an air cleaner in this study.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.642-647
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• 2008

This study investigated the microbiological and sensory characteristics of Kongnamul muchim stored with gamma-irradiated red pepper powder at $4^{\circ}C$. Total aerobic microbes in raw Kongnamul muchim were 5.72 log CFU/g in the red pepper powder and 2.40 log CFU/g in the garlic used during storage, but were not detected n other raw materials. Coliform bacteria and fungi were found, at 3.11 and 3.48 log CFU/g respectively, only n the red pepper powder. Microorganisms in Kongnamul muchim stored with gamma-irradiated (10 kGy) red pepper owder were not detected over 3 days of storage at $4^{\circ}C$. The pH, Hunter's color value, and sensory characteristics id not change significantly on storage. These results suggest that the addition of gamma-irradiated (less than 10 Gy) red pepper powder could improve the microbiological safety of Kongnamul muchim without changing desirable ensory characteristics.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.8-16
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• 2001

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects on plant growth, soil chemical properties and microbial flora with microbial fertilizer to chinese cabbage cultivation. The plant growth was promoted and the yield increased by application of Tian Li Bao(TLB) microbial fertilizer as compared with the control. However, yield a littler decreased in case of the reduced amount of urea application as a top dressing and half of compost chicken manure as a basial fertilizer even if treated with TLB microbial fertilizer. Organic matter and total nitrogen contents decreased as compared to those in the control, and total nitrogen ranged in 0.76~1.44% in the treatments at harvesting time, and decreased with application of TLB microbial fertilizer compared to that of the control. The available phosphorus content in the field before experiment was 559ppm, but it was 755ppm and 653 in the control and treatments at harvesting time, respectively. Therefore, it was shown that phosphorus content in the treatment was lower than that of the control. On the other hand, total nitrogen, phosphorous and K ranged from 2.62 to 2.94%, from 1.48 to 1.55% and from 3.60 to 4.38% in plants after harvest, respectively. There were no significant differences among the treatments. For the soil microbial flora, the population of bacteria in the treatments decreased with application of microbial fertilizer as compared with the control over all cultivation periods. It was shown that the population of pseudomonas spp. was over 3 times higher than that of the control after harvesting. The population of actinomycetes didn't show difference among the treatments, but high density of fungi after harvesting were observed in the treatments.