• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.45-57
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• 2009

The molecular genetic characterization of Aujeszky's disease virus (ADV) Yangsan strain (ADVYS), a Korean isolate, was investigated by analyzing the electrophoresis patterns and the physical maps of the viral DNA digested with various endonucleases. To establish DNA library for ADV-YS, twelve major BamHI restricted segments were cloned. Each location of the segments in the ADV genome was determined by sequence comparison with the sequences reported in Genbank and those sequences of the both termini of the segments. Physical maps were constructed based on the electrophoresis patterns of the digested viral DNA by restriction endonuclease and the results of Southern blot analyses with various DIG labeled probes originated from those of enzyme restricted segments of virulent (Shope) and avirulent (Bartha) strain. Comparing ADV-YS with a standard strain of Kaplan in the maps of restriction enzymes, following major respects were identified: (i) disappearance of BamHI restriction site between the first and second BamHI segments, (ii) creation of the BamHI restriction site in the fifth segment, and (iii) generation of the BglII site in the unique short (US) region. The genome of ADV-YS also contains a type 2 herpesvirus DNA molecule (in which the US region only inverts itself relative to the unique longregion) like all other ADV strains except Norden strain(type3), analyzed up to date. The size of the ADV genome estimated from the sizes of the restriction enzyme fragments, was approximately 145.3 kb (BamHI) or 145.4 kb (BglII). BamHI enzyme cleavage patterns were compared among the five Korean ADV isolates: Yangsan, Yongin, Dangjin, Jincheon and Iksan strains. Difference either in the number or in the size of the DNA fragments, suspected regions of termini of IR and TR, could be detected among all five strains.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.129-135
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• 2008

Paraquat (1,1-dimethyl 4,4' -dipyridium dichloride; PQ) is a kind of herbicide. Terminalia chebulae (TC) has been used as a medicine in China and in Korea for treating illnesses such as diarrhea, collapsed anus, spasmodic, diphtheria, asthma etc.. This study was to examin new physiological activities of methanol extract of TC (TCM) on the toxicity of PQ. It was observed biochemical effects on the toxicity of PQ in kidney and lung tissues after treatment orally administered 100, 200, 300 mg/kg of TCM daily for two weeks. In the experiment related to the toxicity of PQ, we got following results: renal and pulmonary lipid peroxide contents, activities of aminopyrine N-demethylase, aldehyde oxidase and xanthine oxidase were significantly increased in control group as compared with normal group, in the treatment of TCM the values were decreased as compared with control group. Activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase which are free radical scavenging enzymes were also increased in control group as compared with normal goup, but were decreased in TCM group as compared with control group. Collagen content and glucose-6-phosphatase activity in lung tissue were increased in control group as compared with normal, but was decreased in TCM group as compared with control group. From these results, we concluded that TCM can playa role as an effective agent to decrease toxicity of PQ.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.25 no.7
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• pp.748-756
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• 2015

The report explores the possibility that the single extract of natural substances and the mixture of single extracts of natural substances create a synergy effect to increase the antimicrobial activity. It also compares the previous researches to find out if the natural medicinal herbs’ extract has antimicrobial activity on dandruff causative organism, Malassezia furfur. For the experiment on the mixture of single extracts of natural substances, the results are like following: 1. Staphylococcus aures’s antibacterial activity is resistant to mixture of three natural substances. 2. Escherichia coil’s antibacterial activity is resistant to mixture with Coptidis rhizoma. 3. Candida albicans’ antifungal activity is resistant to mixture with Chinese galls, which means the different results may be expected when tested with each germ. 4. On the other hand, Malassezia furfur has no antifungal activity on the single extract of natural substances and shows weak antifungal activity, whose diameter is 3.20 mm when tested with the mixture of 50% of Coptidis rhizoma and 50% of Phytoncide. The result is totally different from the one on the same eumycetes, C. albicans. That is because M. furfur has more lipophilic chemicaled cell walls than C. albicans does and it also consists of lamella layer, inner plasma membrane and intermediate multiple layers.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.260-265
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• 2014

Dried Citrus unshiu peels (Aurantii Nobilis Pericarpium; ANP) are used as a traditional folk medicine for the treatment of gastrointestinal (GI) motility disorders in East Asia, including Korea. In the present study, an ethanolic extract of ANP (ANP-E) exhibited no significant toxicity in mice, even at an oral dose of 5 g/kg. The effects of ANP-E on GI motor function were investigated by measuring the intestinal transit rate (ITR) of Evans blue in normal mice and mice with experimental GI motility dysfunction (i.e., peritoneal irritation by acetic acid; PIA). In normal mice, ANP-E significantly increased the ITR in a dose-dependent manner. The ITR in the PIA mice was significantly retarded compared to that in the normal mice. However, ANP-E significantly inhibited this retardation in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, in all the models, the potency of ANP-E appeared to be same or higher than that of cisapride, which was used predominantly for the treatment of various GI motility disorders in humans in the 1900s but was removed from the market in 2000 due to fatal side effects. The results suggest that ANP-E has potential as a new prokinetic agent that could be used as a substitute for cisapride.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.643-649
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• 2013

In this study, we examined the antioxidative activities of ethanol extracts obtained from three plants; Lithospermum erythrorhizon Siebold & Zucc., Xanthium strumarium Linn, and Lonicera japonica, which have traditionally been used as drugs in Eastern medicine in Korea. Their extraction yields were 7.01%, 2.92%, and 7.95% in Lithospermum erythrorhizon Siebold & Zucc., Xanthium strumarium L, and Lonicera japonica, respectively. The contents of the phenolic compounds were $4.3{\pm}0.1{\mu}g/ml$, $5.4{\pm}0.1{\mu}g/ml$, and $4.6{\pm}0.1{\mu}g/ml$ in Lithospermum erythrorhizon Siebold & Zucc., and Xanthium strumarium L, respectively. Furthermore, the radical scavenging activity measured through the DPPH assay appeared highest in the Lonicera japonica's extract, and its $EC_{50}$ was 0.24 mg/ml. Compared to the control, the xanthine oxidase inhibiting activities of all extracts were effective at 0.01 mg/ml concentration. Superoxide radical scavenging activity in Lithospermum erythrorhizon Siebold & Zucc. and Lonicera japonica was more than 80%, with a concentration of 50 mg/ml. OH radical scavenging activity was 40% in the three plants, with a concentration of 50 mg/ml scavenging activity. From our results, we demonstrated that the ethanol extracts of three medicinal plants have antioxidant activities and could be potential candidates for natural antioxidants.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.602-608
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• 2013

The multifaceted role of chronic inflammation in multistep carcinogenesis has been extensively investigated and well documented. Periodontal diseases are associated with multifactorial agents, including bacterial endotoxins and the generation of an inflammatory response, indicating that poor oral health is associated with a variety of systemic diseases. The association between poor oral health, chronic inflammation, smoking, and increased alcohol consumption as risk factors for tumorogenesis is well established. More recently, associations between oral health and tooth loss and gastric, lung, and pancreatic cancers have been explored, with some studies pointing to smoking and oral health as a common link with an increased risk for malignant disease. In addition, epidemiological studies consistently indicate increased risks of various cancers with periodontal disease or poor oral condition caused by oral bacteria, which may activate alcohol- and smoking-related carcinogens locally or act through chronic inflammation. Appropriate oral care is vital in preventing cancer, as well as many other diseases. Thus, research on the correlation between oral care and periodontal inflammation and cancer is required. This review highlights the association between oral health and the risk of certain malignancies, such as periodontal disease-associated chemoprevention of inflammation" in this sentence.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.648-655
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• 2015

Balloon flower (Platycodon grandiflorum A. DC.) is a perennial plant of mainly Campanulaceae family, which have been widely used as a food ingredient and herbal medicine in East Asia. Although demands on related products and yearly cultivation area for balloon flower are increasing, diverse fundamental technologies and molecular breeding studies are not very well supported in Platycodons. In this study, 30 random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) primers were test in an attempt to explore genetic diversities. In addition, sequences information of the actin gene, a well conserved gene encoding a globular protein that forms microfilaments, was retrieved and analyzed. Two actin homologs were recovered; 3.4 kb fragment is a Pg-actin and 1.4 kb fragment is a Pg-actin homolog with 28.6% similarity. We have confirmed that the Pg-actin gene is configured into 4 exons and 3 introns. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), G↔A, was detected on the intron 3, which served as a target for the CAPS marker development. The marker Pg-Actin-Int3 was applied to 32 balloon flower accessions. Balloon flower DNA sequence information generated in this study is expected to contribute to the analysis and molecular breeding and genetic diversity analysis of balloon flowers.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.655-661
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• 1992

Form reports of the Korean National Nutrition Survey from 1969 to 1989, trends of nutrients intakes are reported as follows. The amount of energy intakes are decreased gradually. The proportion of energy from cereals to total energy are decreased from 85.9 percent at 1969 to 66.5 percent at 1989. There are increasing trend for the proportion of energy from animal foods to the total energy. The amount of protein intakes are increasing gradually. The ratio of animal protein to the plant protein have been increasing since the survey has been started. The amount of fat intakes are also increasing. The proportion of energy from the fat and protein to total energy had been shown increasing trends. Gradually, the calcium and iron intakes are increasing over the years. But the intakes of calcium is less than the average dietary allowance of subject examine until recently. The intakes of thiamin, showing adequate intake, are almost equal to the average dietary allowance. For the riboflavin, the amount of intakes are increasing from the mid nineteen-eighty. But the intake of riboflavin is less than the average dietary allowance. For the niacin and ascorbic acid, the amount of intakes are showing variations. But the amount of intakes are not inadequate.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.209-214
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• 2004

A bioequivalence study of $Roxithrin^{TM}$ tablet (Kukje Pharma. Ind. Co., Ltd.) to $Rulid^{TM}$ tablet (Han Dok Pharma. Ind. Co., Ltd.) was conducted according to the guidelines of Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA). Twenty four healthy male Korean volunteers received each medicine at the roxithromycin dose of 300 mg in a $2{\times}2$ crossover study. There was a one-week wash-out period between the doses. Plasma concentrations of roxithromycin were monitored by a high-performance liquid chromatography for over a period of 36 hours after drug administration. $AUC_t$ (the area under the plasma concentration-time curve from time zero to 36 hr) was calculated by the linear trapezoidal rule method. $C_{max}$ (maximum plasma drug concentration) and $T_{max}$ (time to reach $C_{max}$) were compiled from the plasma concentration-time data. Analysis of variance was carried out using logarithmically transformed $AUC_t$ and $C_{max}$. No significant sequence effect was found for all of the bioavailability parameters indicating that the cross-over design was properly performed. The 90% confidence intervals of the $AUC_t$ ratio and the $C_{max}$ ratio for $Roxithrin^{TM}/Rulid^{TM}$ were 1.00 - 1.13 and 0.98 - 1.10, respectively. These values were within the acceptable bioequivalence intervals of 0.80 - 1.25. Thus, our study demonstrated the bioequivalence of $Roxithrin^{TM}$ and $Rulid^{TM}$ with respect to the rate and extent of absorption.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.116-133
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• 2002

Background : It is very common in Korea to take care of non-acute patients in an acute setting, due to the lack of long-term facilities. Long term hospitalization increase medical expenses and decreases the bed utilization, which can affect the urgent and emergent admissions, and eventually jeopardize the hospital financially. In this study, strategies for effective transfers to the lower levels of care, and to decrease the length of stay were presented by surveying and analyzing the patient's knowledge of the transfer needs, and the willingness to transfer those whose hospital length of stay was more than 30days. Method : The survey is subject to a group of 251 patients who have been hospitalized over 30 days in a general hospital in Seoul. Excluding those that were in the Intensive Care Unit and psychiatric ward, 214 in-patients were used as participants. They were surveyed from April 9, 2002 to April 17, 2002. One hundred and thirty seven out of 214 were responded which made the response rate 64%. Data were analyzed by SAS and SPSS. Result : Multi-variable Logistic Regression Analysis showed a significant effect in medical expenses, knowledge of referral system and the information of the receiving hospital. The financial burden in medical expenses made the patient 10.7 times more willing to be transferred, knowledge of the referral system made them 5 times more willing to be transferred, and the information of receiving hospital makes 6.5 times more willing to be transferred. Reasons for willing to be transferred to a lower level of care were the phase of physical therapy, the distance from home, the attending physician's advice and being unable to be treated as an out patient. Reasons for refusing to be transferred were the following. The attending physician's competency, not being ready to be discharged, not trusting the receiving hospital's competency due to the lack of information, or never hearing about the referring system by the attending physician. Conclusion : Based on this, strategies for the effective transfer to the lower levels of care were suggested. It is desirable for the attending physician to be actively involved by making an effort to explain the transfer need, and referring to the Healthcare Coordinating Center, which can help the patient make the right decision. Nationwide networking for the referral system is the another key factor that may need to be suggested as an alternative to decrease the medical expenses. Collaborating with the Home Health Agency for the early discharge planning and the Social Service Department for financial aid are also needed. It is recommended that the hospital should expedite the transfer process by prioritizing the cost and the information as medical expenses, knowledge of referring system and the information of the receiving hospital, are the most important factors to the willingness to transfer to a lower level of care.