• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.601-606
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• 2023

The edible sweetener aspartame is formed from the synthesis of asparagine, one of the amino acids, and phenylalanine. It is a protein ingredient that produces sweetness 200 times higher than sucrose, and is used as a diet product because it is a substance that can replace sugar. Although the effects on animals and humans have been well studied, no studies have been conducted on plant metabolism. In this study, the effect of aspartame metabolism was tested using germinated onion, bean sprouts, and Kalanchoe. The three types of plants with germinated roots showed rapid growth in the early stage of treatment with 1mM aspartame, and showed a nutrient supply effect due to the effect of amino acids, which are constituents. However, when treated for 4 weeks, symptoms similar to lateral roots appear in the form of lignification in onions, the effect of quickly withering is seen in bean sprouts, and senescence of roots appears in 12-week-old Kalanchoe. All of them show accelerated aging after the growth phase. This shows that, among the two amino acids, asparagine is related to auxin generation that induces rapid growth, and it is thought to be the result of lignification due to the effect of phenylalanine.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.345-351
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• 2010

Toxoplasma gondii is a species of parasitic protozoa in the genus Toxoplasma. The definitive host of T. gondii is the cat, but the parasite can be carried by the vast majority of warm-blooded animals, including humans. It is often found in the tissues of food animals including pigs and sheep. To determine the regional prevalence of infection with T. gondii, bloods (n=300) from domestic pigs and tissues (n=200) from slaughter pigs in Gyeongnam province were tested using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for detection of antibody and antigen. A total of 115 sero-positive pigs were identified for a prevalence rate of 38.3%. Of the 50 herds from domestic pigs tested, 34 had at least one sero-positive pig for a herd prevalence rate of 68.0%. Sero-positive rates of pigs in fattening farm were higher than that of pigs in breeding company. Sero-positive rates of sows were higher than that of growing pigs. Seasonally, sero-positive rates of pigs were highest in winter (80.0%) and lowest in spring (23.8%). According to farm size, sero-positive rates of pigs were higher in small size farms (${\leq}$2,000) than that of big size farms (>2,000). However, none of the bloods (n=300) from domestic pigs and tissues (n=200) from slaughter pigs were positive for T. gondii specific DNA by PCR.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.275-279
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• 2009

Toxoplasma gondii is one of the most common protozoa parasites of human and other warm-blooded animals. Cats and wild felidae play crucial roles in the epidemiology of toxoplasmosis. This study was performed to survey the prevalence of T. gondii infection among stray cats in the Seoul. A total of 422 stray cat blood samples were collected from Seoul area. Positive sera for T. gondii were identified in 56 samples (13.3%) exclusively via the latex agglutination test and the detection no antigen particles among seropositive samples by PCR. The overall infection rate of male stray cats (14.4%) presented as higher than that of female cats (10.7%). This study suggested that T. gondii is widespread in stray cats of Seoul area. It is needed to control urban stray cat population and to reduced the risk of zoonotic transmission of toxolasmosis to other animals and humans.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.297-307
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• 2009

Animal shelters are potentially vulnerable to constant exposure to a variety of diseases for both animals and humans, because thousands of animals with unknown histories are being admitted to each shelter on a yearly basis in Korea. The control of disease spread, therefore, can be a major challenge to veterinarians in most shelters. This study investigated the health status of stray dogs admitted to the Gwangju Animal Shelter during the year of 2008, and analyzed types of disorders at the time of admission as well as newly acquired diseases while housed in the shelter. Canine heartworm disease was the most prevalent infection among stray dogs at the time of admission, while the respiratory disorder was the most common shelteracquired disease. The majority of dogs (93.5%) was either small or middle-sized breeds with Maltese (19.7%) and Shih Tzu (16.0%) being the most commonly found stray dogs. Out of 1,143 dogs admitted to the shelter, owners of 128 dogs (11.2%) visited the shelter and found their lost dogs, while 518 dogs (45.3%) were adopted to new families. Results of this study strongly indicate that stray dogs in Korea are exposed to a variety of diseases and the disease control by veterinarians is one of the most important aspects of the shelter management.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.194-198
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• 2019

Streptococcus dysgalactiae has two main subspecies: S. dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis (SDSE) and S. dysgalactiae subsp. dysgalactiae (SDSD). SDSE often colonizes and causes infections in humans; however, SDSD is an animal pathogen which often causes pyogenic infection in domestic animals. We present a case of meningitis with SDSD and herpes simplex virus in a 22-day-old newborn baby who had no exposure to animals.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.128-132
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• 2022

Wild boars (Sus scrofa) not only cause crop damage and human casualties, but also facilitate the spread of many infectious diseases in domestic animals and humans. To determine the efficiency of a fencing system in blocking the movement of wild boars, long-term monitoring was performed in a fenced area in Bukhansan National Park using camera traps. Upon monitoring for a period of 46 months, there was a 72.6% reduction in the number of wild boar appearances in the fence-enclosed area, compared to that in the unenclosed area. For 20 months after the fence installation, the blocking effect of the fence was effective enough to reduce the appearance of wild boars by 92.6% in the fence-enclosed area, compared to that in the unenclosed area. The blocking effect of the fence remained effective for 20 months after its installation, after which its effectiveness decreased. Maintaining a fence for a long time is likely to lead to habitat fragmentation. It can also block the movement of other wild animals, including the endangered species - the long-tailed goral. This study suggests a 20-month retention period for the fences installed to inhibit the movement of wild boars in wide forests such as Gangwon-do in South Korea. To identify how long the blocking effect of the fences lasts, further studies are needed focusing on the length and height of the fence, and the conditions of the ground surface.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.65-98
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• 2014

Plastics of the marine environment are broken gradually down into smaller particles by chemical weathering, called "microplastic". Microplastics absorb organic pollutants that are persistent bioaccumulative substances. If marine animals ingested microplastic added to contaminant, it will lead to a bioaccumation through the food web. It eventually destroy health of marine environment and is harmful to marine top predators including humans. Also, Microplastics can impact marine animals by leaching the endocrine disruptor in microplastic itself as well as playing an adsorbent role of organic pollutants. Persistent and bioaccumulative substances in Korea have been regulated in terms of chemical risk but existing regulations largely have been limited in land-based source management of microplastic. Thus, the harmful impact will be increased whether the microplastics absorbed contaminants. To prevent risk of persistent bioaccumulative substances, this study suggests the following: (1) the strict management of microplastic by designating the hazardous substances, (2) expand the use of biodegradable plastic, (3) the effort for reuse and recycle, (4) the expand of microplastic clean-up programs.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.299-305
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• 2015

Tapeworms of the genus Spirometra are pseudophyllidean cestodes endemic in Korea. At present, it is unclear which Spirometra species are responsible for causing human infections, and little information is available on the epidemiological profiles of Spirometra species infecting humans in Korea. Between 1979 and 2009, a total of 50 spargana from human patients and 2 adult specimens obtained from experimentally infected carnivorous animals were analyzed according to genetic and taxonomic criteria and classified as Spirometra erinaceieuropaei or Spirometra decipiens depending on the morphology. Morphologically, S. erinaceieuropaei and S. decipiens are different in that the spirally coiled uterus in S. erinaceieuropaei has 5-7 complete coils, while in S. decipiens it has only 4.5 coils. In addition, there is a 9.3% (146/1,566) sequence different between S. erinaceieuropaei and S. decipiens in the cox1 gene. Partial cox1 sequences (390 bp) from 35 Korean isolates showed 99.4% (388/390) similarity with the reference sequence of S. erinaceieuropaei from Korea (G1724; GenBank KJ599680) and an additional 15 Korean isolates revealed 99.2% (387/390) similarity with the reference sequences of S. decipiens from Korea (G1657; GenBank KJ599679). Based on morphologic and molecular databases, the estimated population ratio of S. erinaceieuropaei to S. decipiens was 35: 15. Our results indicate that both S. erinaceieuropaei and S. decipiens found in Korea infect humans, with S. erinaceieuropaei being 2 times more prevalent than S. decipiens. This study is the first to report human sparganosis caused by S. decipiens in humans in Korea.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.23-34
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• 2020

Loneliness is an unpleasant experience due to the human need for social connection. Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, and intentions to nonhuman entities. The inverse process of anthropomorphism is dehumanization in which individuals treat humans like animals or objects. Two studies were conducted to investigate whether relationships exist among loneliness, anthropomorphism, and dehumanization. In Study 1, loneliness was measured via self-reports, and an anthropomorphism task was introduced to examine the extent to which subjective experiences of loneliness related to the tendency to describe nonhuman agents with humanlike characteristics. According to the results, lonelier participants attributed more humanlike capacities to computers and cats. Study 2 examined whether significant differences emerged in anthropomorphism and dehumanization between the experimental condition of loneliness and the control condition. After having been induced to the emotion of loneliness using an experimental writing task, the participants tended to perceive nonhuman agents to be more humanlike in the condition of loneliness than in the control condition. Moreover, there was a stronger tendency of dehumanization toward other humans in the condition of loneliness than in the control condition. There was also higher levels of negatively biased perceptions of neighborhood characteristics. This scenario implies that anthropomorphism is related to sociality motivation, which is the need for social connection through establishing bonds with nonhumans, and may result in the dehumanization and emotional experiences of other humans.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.194-198
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• 2014

Methicillin-resistant staphylococci (MRS) are emerging as important pathogens in humans and animals worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of MRS in the racehorse population and in horse-related personnel in Korea. A total of 195 horses and 18 humans (eight veterinarians, three veterinary hospital staff, and seven horse-handlers) from racehorse farms in Korea were included in the study. The samples were collected from nasal cavities using bacterial transport medium and were cultivated on tryptic soy agar with 5% sheep blood for 3 days at $37^{\circ}C$ to confirm the presence of Staphylococcus spp. Presumptive Staphylococcus spp. isolates were identified by 16S ribosomal RNA gene analysis. The coagulase test and oxacillin susceptibility tests were performed using the tube dilution and disk diffusion methods, respectively. The presence of the mecA gene was determined using a polymerase chain reaction assay. Of the 195 horses, 29 (15.6%) yielded 29 MRS isolates. Twelve (66.7%) of the 18 horse-related personnel yielded 12 MRS isolates. All of the MRS isolates from horses or horse-related personnel were identified as methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci (MRCNS). The result of this study suggest that the prevalence of MRS increased with the duration of antibiotic use (p = 0.002). This study also provides evidence for the zoonotic transmission of MRCNS between horses and humans, although further investigations are needed.