• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.9-17
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• 2011

Positive effect of multiple-PGPR (Plan Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria), isolated from heavy metal contaminated soil, on the germination of Barnyard grass (Echinochloa crus-galli var. frumentacea) was quantitatively estimated in 5 heavy metal (Cd, As, Ni, Cu, and Pb) contaminated liquid medium. The $EC_{50}$ value for respective heavy metal was estimated by TSK (Trimmed Speraman-Karber) model based on germination rate. The results showed overall increase in $EC_{50}$ with PGPR inoculation. The $EC_{50}$ value increased 1.4% from 96.0 mg/L (control) to 97.4 mg/L (PGPR-treated) in As contaminated medium. In Ni contaminated medium, the $EC_{50}$ value increased 31.9% from 148.0 mg/L (control) to 195.2 mg/L (PGPR-treated), while the $EC_{50}$ showed 4.8% increase from 63.4 mg/L (control) to 66.5 mg/L (PGPR-treated) in Cu medium. Overall seedling growth was stronger in the PGPR treated seeds than that in the control, but positive effect on seedling growth was not conspicuous. At effective concentration of 100 mg/L, the average seedling length of the PGPR treatment in As, Cd, Cu, and Ni medium, respectively, was 1.13, 0.14, 0.40, and 0.06 cm longer than that in the control. However, the increase of seedling growth was statistically insignificant (p < 0.05). These results suggest that inoculation of the isolated-PGPR exerts positive effects on seed germination by reducing heavy metal toxicity and can be an effective tool for application of phytoremediation on heavy metal contaminated soils.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.611-616
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• 2014

Objectives: Dendritic cell (DC)-based tumor immunotherapy needs an immunogenic tumor associated antigen (TAA) and an effective approach for its presentation to lymphocytes. In this study we explored whether transduction of DCs with lentiviruses (LVs) expressing the human interleukin-12 gene could stimulate antigen-specific cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) against human lung cancer cells in vitro. Methods: Peripheral blood monocyte-derived DCs were transduced with a lentiviral vector encoding human IL-12 gene (LV-12). The anticipated target of the human IL-12 gene was detected by RT-PCR. The concentration of IL-12 in the culture supernatant of DCs was measured by ELISA.Transduction efficiencies and CD83 phenotypes of DCs were assessed by flow cytometry. DCs were pulsed with tumor antigen of lung cancer cells (DC+Ag) and transduced with LV-12 (DC-LV-12+Ag). Stimulation of T lymphocyte proliferation by DCs and activation of cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTL) stimulated by LV-12 transduced DCs pulsed with tumor antigen against A549 lung cancer cells were assessed with methyl thiazolyltetrazolium (MTT). Results: A recombinant lentivirus expressing the IL-12 gene was successfully constructed. DC transduced with LV-12 produced higher levels of IL-12 and expressed higher levels of CD83 than non-transduced. The DC modified by interleukin -12 gene and pulsed with tumor antigen demonstrated good stimulation of lymphocyte proliferation, induction of antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes and antitumor effects. Conclusions: Dendritic cells transduced with a lentivirus-mediated interleukin-12 gene have an enhanced ability to kill lung cancer cells through promoting T lymphocyte proliferation and cytotoxicity.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2015

We investigated green phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes with stepwise doping to improve efficiency roll-off and operational lifetime by efficient distribution of triplet excitons. The host material which was 4,4,N,N'-dicarbazolebiphenyl (CBP) of bipolar characteristic that can control the carrier in emitting layer (EML). When the EML devided into four parts with different doping concentration, each devices shows various efficiency roll-off and lifetime enhancement. The distribution of the carrier and excitons in the EML can be confirmed by using stepwise doping structure. The properties of device C exhibited luminous efficiency of 51.10 cd/A, external quantum efficiency of 14.88%, respectively. Lifetime has increased 73.70% compared to the reference device.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.973-980
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• 1998

To investigate the effect of sea tangle on immune function in normal and diabetic states, 10-week old ICR mice were feed control(C) and sea tangle(5) diets containing 5%(w/w) cellulose and 13.6%(w/w) dry sea tangle for 4 weeks. After 4 weeks, three quarters of mice(CD and SD) were made diabetic by intramuscular injection of streptozotocin(150mg/kg bw). On the 4th day after diabetes was apparent by urinary glucose, one third of diabetic mire(CDG and SDG) were treated with glipizide(20mg/kg bw) and the other third(CDM and SDM) with metformin (500mg/kg bw) orally. Spleen weights of diabetic mice with no hypoglycemic drug treatment appeared to be higher in the sea tangle group(SD) than in control(CD), but were not different when drugs were administered. Data on splenocyte proliferation stimulated by lipopolysaccaride from Salmonella abortus equi(0.l$\mu\textrm{g}$/ml) showed that sea tangle increased mitogen response in normal mice(C group vs S group) and appeared to have the same effect in diabetic mice with or without drug treatment. Splenocyte proliferation induced by concanavalin A(0.1$\mu\textrm{g}$/ml) also showed similar results, although there were not statistically significant. Concentration of interleukin-2(IL-2) released from splenocytes of the S group seemed higher than from the C group, but the IL-2 concentrations were not different among six diabetic groups. Results of fatty acid compositions of splenocyte phospholipids showed that diabetes reduced arachidonic acid/linoleic acid ratios and that sea tangle intake and glipizide treatments increased contents of polyunsaturated fatty acids. It is concluded that dietary sea tangle has a positive effect on splenocyte proliferation under normal condition and could have the same effect under diabetic conditions. IL-2 appears to be one of factors mediating the effect but involvement of membrane fatty arid changes and other unknown factors needs lurker Investigation. (Korean J Nutrition 31(6) : 973-980, 1998)

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.209-214
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• 1986

In order to study the trehalase (EC 3. 2. 1. 28) from mushroom, Agaricus bisporus Lange Sing., the crude trehalase preparation was separated by fractionation of mushroom extracts with ammonium sulfate between 0.4 and 1.0 saturation, and its properties were examined. Mushroom trehalase showed optimum pH 6.0, and optimum temperature $40^{\circ}C$. The enzyme was stable at pH range between 5.0 and 7.0, and at temperature below $50^{\circ}C$. The activities of crude trehalase had proportional relations with enzyme concentrations below 490.2 mg % of protein and with substrate concentration below $2.6{\times}10^{-3}M$, showing a Km value of 0.760 mM. The enzyme was inhibited by some metal ions such as $Sn^{2+}$, $Ca^{2+}$, $Hg^{2+}$, $Cd^{2+}$, $Cu^{2+}$, $Mn^{2+}$, $Zn^{2+}$, $Al^{3+}$, and $Fe^{3+}$, while $Ag^{+}$, $Ba^{2+}$, and $Mg^{2+}$ demonstrated remarkable increasing effects on the enzyme activity.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.45-56
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• 2008

This study was carried out to determine the effects of mineral composition and grain size of zeolite and bentonite from Po-hang and Kyung-ju, South Korea on the adsorption of heavy metals. Zeolite specimen consists mainly of mordenite, clinoptilolite, heulandite etc. And bentonite specimen is mainly composed of montmorillonite. Five heavy metals, Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, and Pb were used to conduct the relevant adsorption experiments with the fixed concentrations of 10 ppm and 20 ppm, respectively. Host specimens excluding specimen for Cr resulted in the adsorption rate over average 80 percent, and over 95 percent for Pb. This study indicates that zeolite is more efficient in the adsorption of the heavy metals than bentonite, and its adsorption rate tends to decrease with increasing concentration of the heavy metals.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.20-26
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• 2014

Objectives: The study aimed to determine changes in laboratory data for cancer patients receiving Korean medicine (KM) care, with a focus on patients' functional status, cancer-coagulation factors and cancer immunity. Methods: We conducted an observational study of various cancer patients in all stages admitted to the East-West Cancer Center (EWCC), Dunsan Korean Hospital of Daejeon University, from Mar. 2011 to Aug. 2011. All patients were under the center's multi-modality Korean-medicine-based inpatient cancer care program. The hospitalization stay at EWCC ranged from 9 to 34 days. A total of 80 patients were followed in their routine hematologic laboratory screenings performed before and after hospitalization. Patients were divided into three groups depending on the status of their treatment: prevention of recurrence and metastasis group, KM treatment only group, and combination of conventional and KM treatment group. The lab reports included natural killer cell count (CD16 + CD56), fibrinogen, white blood cell (WBC), lymphocytes, monocytes, neutrophil, red blood cell (RBC), hemoglobin, platelet, Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR), and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status. Results: With a Focus on patients' functional status, cancer-coagulation factors and cancer immunity, emphasis was placed on the NK cell count, fibrinogen count, and ECOG scores. Data generally revealed decreased fibrinogen count, fluctuating NK cell count and decreased ECOG, meaning improved performance status in all groups. The KM treatment only group showed the largest decrease in mean fibrinogen count and the largest increase in mean NK cell count. However, the group's ECOG score showed the smallest decrease, which may be due to the concentration of late-cancer-stage patients in that particular group. Conclusions: Multi-modality KM inpatient care may have positive effect on lowering the cancer coagulation factor fibrinogen, but its correlation with the change in the NK cell count is not clear.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.9-16
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• 1995

The low concentration of cadmium in the whole-blood was determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry(GFAAS) after the sample was diluted five-fold by 1% Triton X-100, 2% $(NH_4)_2HPO_4$ as matrix modifier and pyrocoated graphite tube with L'vov platform was tried remove the interferences of blood matrix and reduce the loss of volatility of cadmium at higher ashing temperature($600^{\circ}C$). The criteria for evaluating the accuracy and precision of this analysis was confirmed by analysis of interlaboratory comparison(Japan) and NIST SRM No. 909(Cd in Serum). The limit of the determination for cadium was 0.1ng/ml and the relative standard deviation(RSD) at 1.0ng/ml level was about 10% for the GFAAS.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.256-261
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• 2004

In order to detect chitooligosaccharides (COS) in soybean paste, tandem immunoaffinity chromatography and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were developed. Polyclonal anti-chitooligosaccharides mixture (CaSM) antibody specific to COSM was attached to Sepharose gel for initial sample cleanup and concentration of COS in soybean paste. COS was eluted and quantified by competitive direct ELISA (cdELISA). Average ELISA recoveries from the column using binding buffer spiked with COSM at levels of 0.5, 2.0, 5.0, and $10.0\mu$g/ml were 79.8, 72.0, 77.7, and 60.6%, respectively, with a mean recovery of 72.5%. Mean inter-well and inter-assay coefficients of variation (CV) were 7.7% and 10.3%, respectively. Average recoveries from soybean paste spiked with COSM at levels of 2, 6, 20, and $60\mu$g/g were 115, 91.7, 91, and 73.3%, respectively, with a mean recovery of 92.8%. Mean inter-well and inter-assay CV were 12.9% and 16%, respectively. The COS was detected from 24 out of 25 homemade Korean soybean paste samples at an average of $14.0\mu$g/g (n, 25; range, $0-51.2 \mu$g/g) and from 13 out of 14 commercially made soybean paste samples at an average of $4.1\mu$g/g(n, 14; range, $0-18.4\mu$g/g). The tandem immunoaffinity chromatography-cdELISA that was developed in this study showed that the level of COS eluted from homemade soybean paste was higher than that of the commercially made ones. In addition, the level of COS eluted from commercially available soybean paste in Korea was higher than that of the ones in Japan.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.670-675
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• 2004

Humic acids are macromolecules originated from natural water, soil, and sediment. The characteristics of humic acid enable it to change the distribution of metals as well as many kinds of organic contaminants and to determine the sorption of them from soil solution. To see the effect of humic acid on the removal rate of organic contaminants and heavy metals, batch-scale experiments were performed. As a natural geosorbent, black shale was used as a sorbent media, which showed hight sorption capacity of trichloroethylene (TCE), lead, cadmium and chromium. The effect of sorption-desorption, pH, ionic strength and the concentration of humic acid was taken into consideration. TCE sorption capacity by black shale was compared to natural bentonite and hexadecyltrimethylammonium (HDTMA) modified bentonite. The removal rate was good and humic acid also sorbed onto black shale very well. The organic part of humic acid could effectively enhance the partition of TCE and it act as an electron donor to reduce Cr(VI) to Cr(III). Cationic metal of Pb(II) and Cd(II) also removed from the water by black shale. With 3 mg/L of humic acid, both Pb(II) and Cd(II) were removed more than without humic acid. That could be explained by sorption and complexation with humic acid and that was possible when humic acid could change the hydrophobicity and solubility of heavy metals. Humic acid exhibited desorption-resistivity with black shale, which implied that black shale could be an alternative sorbent or material for remediation of organic contaminants and heavy metals.