• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제52권1호
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• pp.57-62
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• 2014

Biting midges (Culicoides: Ceratopogonidae) were collected by Mosquito Magnet$^{(R)}$ traps at the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (NNSC) camp and Daeseongdong village inside the demilitarized zone (DMZ) and near the military demarcation line (MDL) separating North and South Korea and at Warrior Base (US Army training site) and Tongilchon 3 km south of the DMZ in northern Gyeonggi Province, Republic of Korea (ROK), from May-October 2010-2012, to determine their seasonal distributions. A total of 18,647 Culicoides females (18,399; 98.7%) and males (248; 1.3%) comprising 16 species were collected. Overall, the most commonly collected species was Culicoides nipponensis (42.9%), followed by C. erairai (29.2%), C. punctatus (20.3%), C. arakawae (3.3%), C. pallidulus (1.8%), and C. circumscriptus (1.4%), while the remaining 10 species accounted for only 1.1% of all Culicoides spp. collected. The seasonal distribution of C. nipponensis was bimodal, with high numbers collected during May-June and again during September. C. erairai was more frequently collected during June-July, followed by sharply decreased populations from August-October. C. punctatus was collected in low numbers from May-September with high numbers collected during October. C. erairai was predominantly collected from the NNSC camp (85.1% of all C. erairai collected) located adjacent to the MDL at Panmunjeom in the northernmost part of Gyeonggi-do (Province), while other sites yielded low numbers of specimens.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제42권3호
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• pp.121-127
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• 2004

The aim of this study was to relate personal data, socio-cultural and environmental characteristics, and the presence of symptoms/signs with the frequencies of Giardia spp. and Blastocystis hominis among a rural population in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Of the surveyed population (350), 3.7% were infected with only Giardia spp. or 22.9% with B. hominis, and 2.3% were infected with both protozoa. The frequency of infection according to sex; 6.1% of males were infected and 1.6% of females by Giardia spp., 26.7% and 19.5% by B. hominis, and 2.4% and 2.2% by both parasites, respectively. Giardia spp. was detected in only three adults (over 14 years), but B. hominis was more frequent in adults than in children. The prevalences of these protozoa in this community are lower than those reported by other Argentinean studies, which is probably associated with the low density of the studied population ($5.95{\;}inhab/\textrm{km}^2$). Statistical analysis revealed that a male sex, flooding of the home, the use of a latrine, and an abdominal pain were correlated with the presence of these parasites, which indicate the importance of these factors in rural communities.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• 제38권2호
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• pp.100-109
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• 2021

Objectives : Source acupoint is one of the representative acupoints to treat various diseases in each meridian. We aimed to identify the patterns of selection of Source acupoints and their associations with diseases using clinical trials data. Methods : We extracted the frequency of Source acupoints across 30 diseases from clinical trials database. Acupuncture treatment regimens were retrieved from the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. The frequency of Source acupoint use was calculated as the number of studies using a certain acupoint divided by the total number of included studies. Using hierarchical clustering and multidimensional scaling, the characteristics of Source acupoints were analyzed based on the similarity of the relationships between the Source acupoints and the diseases. Results : A total of 421 clinical trials were included for this analysis. LR3, HT7, KI3, and LI4 acupoints were most frequently used for the treatment of 30 diseases. Cluster analysis showed that LR3 and LI4 acupoints were grouped together and HT7 and KI3 acupoints were grouped together. Multidimensional scaling revealed that LR3, LI4, HT7, and KI3 acupoints have intrinsic properties in the two-dimensional space. Conclusions : The present study identified the selection patterns of the Source acupoints using clinical trials data. Our finding will provide the understanding of the characteristics of Source acupoints.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제32권4호
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• pp.437-446
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• 2022

In this study, to obtain icaritin with high pharmacological activities from icariin, which has a content ratio of over 58% in the total flavonoids of Epimedium herb, a special Epimedium flavonoid-glycosidase was produced, purified and characterized from Aspergillus sp.y848 strain. The optimal enzyme production was gained in a medium containing 5% (w/v) wheat bran extract and 0.7% (w/v) Epimedium leaf powder as the enzyme inducer, and strain culture at 30℃ for 6-7 days. The molecular weight of the enzyme was approximately 73.2 kDa; the optimal pH and temperature were 5.0 and 40℃. The enzyme Km and Vmax values for icariin were 15.63 mM and 55.56 mM/h. Moreover, the enzyme hydrolyzed the 7-O-glucosides of icariin into icariside II, and finally hydrolyzed 3-Orhamnoside of icariside II into icaritin. The enzyme also hydrolyzed 7-O-glucosides of epimedin B to sagittatoside B, and then further hydrolyzed terminal 3-O-xyloside of sagittatoside B to icarisiede II, before finally hydrolyzing 3-O-rhamnoside of icarisiede II into icaritin. The enzyme only hydrolyzed 7-O-glucoside of epimedin A or epimedin C into sagittatoside A or sagittatoside C. It is possible to prepare icaritin from the high-content icariin in Epimedium herb using this enzyme. When 2.5% icariin was reacted at 40℃ for 18-20 h by the low-cost crude enzyme, 5.04 g icaritin with 98% purity was obtained from 10 g icariin. Also, the icaritin molar yield was 92.5%. Our results showed icaritin was successfully produced via cost-effective and relatively simple methods from icariin by crude enzyme. Our results should be very useful for the development of medicines from Epimedium herb.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제32권5호
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• pp.627-634
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• 2024

Sesquiterpene lactones, a class of natural compounds abundant in the Asteraceae family, have gained attention owing to their diverse biological activities, and particularly their anti-proliferative effects on human cancer cells. In this study, we systematically investigated the structure-activity relationship of ten sesquiterpene lactones with the aim of elucidating the structural determinants for the STAT3 inhibition governing their anti-proliferative effects. Our findings revealed a significant correlation between the STAT3 inhibitory activity and the anti-proliferative effects of sesquiterpene lactones in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines. Among the compounds tested, alantolactone and isoalantolactone emerged as the most potent STAT3 inhibitors, highlighting their potential as candidates for anticancer drug development. Through protein-ligand docking studies, we revealed the structural basis of STAT3 inhibition by sesquiterpene lactones, emphasizing the critical role of hydrogen-bonding interactions with key residues, including Arg609, Ser611, Glu612, and Ser613, in the SH2 domain of STAT3. Furthermore, our conformational analysis revealed the decisive role of the torsion angle within the geometry-optimized structures of sesquiterpene lactones in their STAT3 inhibitory activity (R=0.80, p<0.01). These findings not only provide preclinical evidence for sesquiterpene lactones as promising phytomedicines against diseases associated with abnormal STAT3 activation, but also highlight the importance of stereochemical aspects in their activity.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• 제11권2호
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• pp.355-361
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• 1993

본 연구는 1991년 5월부터 국소적으로 진행된 자궁경부암 (FIGO stage IIB~IVA) 환자를 대상으로 5-FU와 Cis-platinum을 방사선 치료와 동시에 투여하여 치료 독성, 치료의 적합성과 국소관해율을 평가하기 위해 시행되었다. 방사선 치료는 외부방사선 조사로 전골반부에 23회에 걸쳐 4140 cGy 시행후, 고선량 근접치료기로 강내조사를 6회 내지 7회 (A점에 $3000\~3500$ cGy) 시행하였으며, B점에 추가조사를 시행하여 IIB병기 환자는 6000 cGy까지 IIIB병기 환자는 6500 cGy가지 B점에 조사되도록 하였다. 첫 번째 항암화학요법은 외부방사선 치료 시행의 두번째 주에 5-FU는 $1000 mg/m^2/24hr$를 96시간 동안에 걸쳐 토여하고 Cis-platinum은 $20mg/m^2/day$를 3일 투여하였다. 두번째 항암화학요법은 처음과 동일한 방법으로 첫번째 고선량 근접 강내 치료가 시행될 때 투여 되었다. 1993년 8월까지 총 16명의 환자(10 IIB 병기, 4 IIIB병기, 2 IVA 병기)가 등록되었으며, 이중 2명은 외부방사선 2회 조사후 치료를 중단하였으며, 1명은 강내치료중 3등급의 비뇨기계독성으로 치료를 중단하였다. 2회의 항암화학 요법이 종료된 후 독성의 평가가 가능했던 14명의 환자중 5명이 3등급의 위장관독성이 발생하였으나, 4명은 치료종료후 평가에서 회복되었다. 1명은 병기 IIIB환자로 초기에 서혜부 임파절 전이가 있어 다량의 방사선이 조사되었는데, 치료종료 후에 위장관독성이 악화되었고, 1개월후 원격전이로 사망하였다. 치료후 치료전 체중의 $10\%$ 이상 감소된 환자는 2명이었고, 1명이 3등급의 백혈구 감소를 보였다. 환자의 평균 치료 기간은 75일(포준 치료 기간은 $70\pm7$일)이었고, 80일 이상인 환자는 3명 (84, 84, 89일)이었다. 추적관찰 가능했던 13명 환자중 8명이 완전관해를 보였고, 특히 IIB병기 환자의 경우 9명중 8명이 완전관해를 보였다. 본 연구결과 진전된 자궁 경부암에서 방사선과 항암화학요법 병행치료는 효과나 독성면에서 수용가능 하였으나 향후 근치적 방사선치료 단독으로 시행된 경우와의 전향적 비교연구가 필요할 것으로 생각된다.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• 제23권2호
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• pp.237-252
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• 1989

고양이 회장 종주근에서 세포막 소포를 분리하여 $Na^+$의 농도 경사에 의존하여 일어나는 $Ca^{2+}$ 이동의 특성에 대하여 연구하였다. 막소포 내부에서 외부로 향하는 $Na^+$의 농도 경사 존재시 $Ca^{2+}$의 축적이 현저히 증가하여 $Na^+$ 의존성 $Ca^{2+}$ 축적을 보였으며, 이는 외부용액에 $Na^+$ ionophore인 monensin을 처리시 소실되었다. 한편 이러한 $Ca^{2+}$ 축적의 증가 작용은 $Na^+$에 특이적이었으며 $K^+$, $Li^+$, $Rb^+$, $Cs^+$ 및 choline이온은 $Na^+$의 작용을 대치하지 못하였다. $Ba^{2+}$, $Sr^{2+}$, $Mn^{2+}$ 및 $Cd^{2+}$ 등의 2가 양이온들은 0.5 mM의 농도에서 $Na^+$ 의존성 $Ca^{2+}$ 축적을 억제하였으나 $Mg^{2+}$은 이 농도에서 억제 효과를 보이지 않았다. 막소포 외부의 pH를 pH 6.0에서 8.5까지 증가시 $Na^+$ 의존성 $Ca^{2+}$ 축적이 증가하였다. Amiloride는 0.5 mM 이상의 농도에서 $Na^+$ 의존성 $Ca^{2+}$ 축적을 유의하게 억제하였으나 diltiazem 및 vanadate는 이 농도에서 유의한 억제효과를 보이지 않았다. 동력학적으로 분석하여 측정한 $Na^+$ 의존성 $Ca^{2+}$ 축적의 $Ca^{2+}$에 대한 $K_m$ 값은 $18.2\;{\mu}M$이었으며 5초에서 측정한 $V_{max}$값은 689.7 pmole/mg protein이었다. $Ca^{2+}$ 축적에 대한 $Na^+$ 농도 경사의 효과를 동력학적으로 분석한 결과 막소포 외부에서의 $Ca^{2+}$에 대한 친화도에는 변화없이 최고 이동치만 증가시켜 전형적인 비상경적 작용 양상을 보였다. $Ca^{2+}$ 축적에 대한 $Na^+$ 농도 경사의 효과를 $Na^+$ 농도에 따라 측정하여 Hill plot을 시행한 결과 Hill coefficient가 2.52로 나타났다. 막소포 내부로 향하는 $K^+$ 농도 경사하에서 valinomycin을 처리하여 막소포 내부에 양전위를 발생시킨 결과 $Na^+$ 의존성 $Ca^{2+}$ 축적이 증가하였다. 이와 같은 결과들은 고양이 회장 평활근에서 분리한 세포막에 $Na^{+}-Ca^{2+}$ 교환기전이 존재하고 이는 다른 조직에서 밝혀진 것과 유사한 특성을 지녔으며 electrogenic한 기전으로 작용할 가능성을 시사하였다.

• 미생물학회지
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• 제41권2호
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• pp.99-104
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• 2005

유전자 lacZYA가 aces 유전자의 프로모터 하단에 연계된 $(P_{aceB}-lacZYA)$ 리포터 플라스미드를 함유하는 Escherichia coli를 이용하여 glyoxylate bypass를 매개하는 유전자중하나인 aceB의 발현을 조절하는 것으로 여겨지는 Corynebacterium glutamicum클론들을 색판독에 의해 분리하였다. 이 중 한 개의 클론을 선택하여 분석할 결과 이 클론을 함유한 E. coli는 리포터 플라스미드에서 발현되는 $\beta-galactosidase$의 활성 이 약 $40\%$ 감소하였고 이는 클론에서 발현되는 단백질이 aceB프로로터에 작용함에 기인한 것으로 판단되었다. 서열분석결과 ORF1과 ORF2의 두 개의 인접한 ORF가 발견되었고 이중 ORF2가 reporter plasmid의 $\beta-galactosidase$의 활성 감소에 직접적으로 기여함을 알 수 있었다. ORF1은 206아미노산으로 구성된 23,218 Dalton의 단백질을 발현하는 것으로 여겨졌고, 유사성 분석결과 ECF-type에 해당되는 RNA polymerase의 sigma factor를 암호화하는 것으로 보여 sigH로 명명하였다. 유전자 sigH의 기능을 밝히기 위해 gene disruption technique을 이용하여 sigH 유전자가 기능을 하지 못하는 돌연변이 균을 제작하였으며 이 균주는 야생형에 비해 성장속도가 저하됨을 관찰하였다. 또한 변이균은 oxidative stress를유발하는 pumbagin둥에 대해서도 민감성을 나타내었다. 이들 결과는, 유사성 분석결과에서도 볼 수 있듯이 sigH유전자가 세포성장과정 중 처하게 되는 각종 stress중 특히 oxidative stress에 대한 대응과 관련되어 발현될 수 있음을 암시한다.상관관계는 공간적인 범위가 10$\times$10km 이하인 경우에 높게 나타났다. 하지만 공간범위가 그 이상이 될 경우에는 그 내부에서 나타나는 다양성으로 인해 통계적인 상관성이 현격하게 낮아지는 것을 관찰할 수 있었다. 이러한 결과는 지역 및 국가 단위의 환경변화모델에서 모델의 공간적인 구성범위가 일정한 수준을 넘으면, 그 내부에서 발생하고 있는 다양성이 급격하게 증가하여 지표피복변화의 원인과 결과를 정확하게 파악하기 힘들게 된다는 것을 의미한다. 10$\times$10km의 공간적인 범위는 농업생산이 위주가 되는 사바나 지역에서는 주로 개별 마을이 차지하고 있는 공간적인 범위와 대체적으로 일치한다. 따라서 사바나 지역에서 나타나는 지표피복변화의 다양성을 고려하면서 보다 정확하게 모형화하기 위해서는 마을단위에서 나타나는 지표피복변화과정이 최소의 모델단위가 되어야 함을 시사한다. 아니라 다른 방법으로 영향을 미치고 있다는 것을 알 수 있었다., 계절별로는 여름철에 강수가 집중됨으로서 습성강하물 침착량이 총량적으로 증가하였으며, 그 값은 $SO_4^{2-}\;2.118g/m^2/season,\;NO_3^-\;1.509g/m^2/season,\;Cl^-\;2.185g/m^2/season,\;NH_4\;^+\;1.096g/m^2/season$로. 나타났다. 계절별 잎의 평균 pH의 변화는 봄 pH $5.9\pm0.5$, 여름 pH $5.5\pm0.4$, 가을 pH $5.1\pm0.3$을 나타내었고, 엽중 수용성 황함량의 계절별 평균값은 봄 $0.012\pm0.004\%$, 여름 $0.012\pm0.002\%$, 가을 $0.020\pm0.007\%$ 수준을 보이고 있다. 수피 내 함유되어

• 한국산업보건학회지
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• 제24권2호
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• pp.122-129
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• 2014

Objectives: Because of its properties such as resistance to heat, chemicals and corrosion; tensile strength; sound absorption; and affordable price, asbestos has been widely used as a building material, fire resistant and retardant, thermal and heat insulator, soundproofing material, and electrical insulation. Since the prolonged inhalation of asbestos can cause serious illnesses such as lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis after an incubation period of 20 to 40 years, the mineral was classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, an intergovernmental agency forming part of the World Health Organization. Children and infants are more at risk than are adults if they are exposed to carcinogens, due to aweaker immunity that has not yet been fully developed. Most childcare centers are operated all day and children tend to spend a great amount of time in the centers. This is why it is important for them to be systematically isolated from environments that may expose them to asbestos. Materials: In order to understand both indoor and outdoor hazards to which children may have been exposed, the study focused on actual surveys of asbestos used in childcare centers, paying special attention to slate-roofed buildings in the vicinity of the centers. Results: A survey of a total of 211 childcare centers showed that the buildings of 18.1% of the centers contained asbestos, with 60.53% of the material being found in classroom ceilings. "Tex" was the most used material for ceilings, making up 89.47% of all ceilings. An outdoor survey showed that childcare centers in Daegu Metropolitan City had an average of 143 slate-roof buildings within a distance of 1km. Conclusions: Buildings housing mainly toddlers, children, teenagers and others more vulnerable to the toxicity of asbestos are not subject to asbestos investigation by law. A legal and practical basis for asbestos control is required for such buildings. In particular, housing materials which contain asbestos in day care centers require asbestos control. GIS should be used to identify the location of buildings with slate roofing materials in the vicinity of daycare centers in order to gauge toxicity of exposure to asbestos caused by potential asbestos friability possibility in outdoor conditions.

• 대한수의학회지
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• 제20권2호
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• pp.85-92
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• 1980

The antimicrobial drug susceptibility of 439 isolates of animal pathogens recovered from various clinical cases during 1978-79 has been investigated by the use of disk diffusion technique. The majority of 308 strains of Eschericihia coli were highly resistant to bacitracin, erythromycin, penicillin, streptomycin and tetracyclinon while only 0.3 per cent of them were resistant to gentamicin and 3.2 per cent to colistin. The percentages of strains resistant to ampicillin, carbenicillin, cephalothin, chloramphenicol and neomycin were 30.5%, 24.7%, 11:4%, 28.2% and 26.2% and repectively. However, none of E. coli cultures of ovine origin were resistant to ampicillin, carbenicillin, chloramphenicol, colistin, gentamicin, kanamycin, and neomycin. A total of 39 patterns of multipe drug1 resistance of 308 strains E. coli against 9 drugs in general use such as ampicillin, cephalothin, chloramphenicol, colistin, gentamicin, kanamycin, neomycin, streptomycin and tetracycline were observed and the most common multiple resistance patterns were SM, TC pattern (20.5%) and AM, CP, KM, NM, SM, TC pattern (9.7%). None of the 43 cultures of salmonella organism from pigs and chickens were resistant to ampicillin, carbenicillin, cephalothin, colistin, gentamicin and kanamycin; and the majority of the cultures were susceptible to chloramphenicol (90.0%), neomycin (97.7%) and tetracycline (93.0%). All the cultures were found to be resistant to bacitracin and penicillin and the rate of resistant strains to erythromycin and s treptomycin being 79.1% and 41.9% respectively. It was found that the majority of 63 cultures of staphylococcal isolates were resistant to lincomycin, penicillin, streptomycin and tetracycline. The percentages of 63 staphylococcal isolates susceptible to gentamicin, nitrofurantoin, cephalothin, ampicillin, methicillin, bacitracin and chloramphenicol were 98.4%, 98.4%, 95.2%, 93.7%, 93.7%, 92.1% and 92.1% respectively. The 25 cultures of streptococcal isolates were resistant in order of prevalence to streptomycin(88.0%), kanamycin(68.0%), gentamicin (44.0%), tetracycline (44.0%) and methicillin (40.0%) wihle the majority of them were sensitive to ampicillin, bacitracin, chloramphenicol and penicillin.