• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.820-830
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• 2019

Most consumers consider yogurt to be a healthy food because it contains probiotic microorganisms. Although a plethora of commercially produced yogurts exists, nutritional and functional aspects of the commercial yogurts have not been well characterized. In this study, the microbiological and physicochemical properties of popular drinking yogurts in Korea were extensively characterized. The viability of lactic acid bacteria, including lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, varied between yogurt samples. These lactobacilli and bifidobacteria showed effective antimicrobial activities against foodborne pathogenic bacteria. Unlike the titratable acidity and pH, the soluble solids content varied between yogurt samples. All the yogurt samples contained high levels of potassium (average 143.53 mg/100 g) and calcium (average 133.92 mg/100 g), as well as phosphorus and sodium. Lactose, fructose, and glucose were the major sugar components in most yogurt samples, whereas the levels of sucrose and maltose were relatively low. Among several organic acids analyzed in the yogurt samples, lactic acid (average 767.67 mg/100 g) and citric acid (average 170.91 mg/100 g) were the most predominant. Taken together, this study provides preliminary information about the nutritional and functional characteristics of commercially available drinking yogurts.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.58 no.4
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• pp.193-199
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• 2018

As animal welfare issue becomes important, the European Union bans conventional cages for laying hens from 2012. So the alternative housing systems like floor pens, aviaries or free range systems have been suggested. From 2011 to 2014, we monitored 20 welfare-oriented laying hen farms in South Korea to figure out serological status of major viral diseases. During this period, total 3,219 blood samples were collected from the randomly selected chickens to test and evaluate the hemagglutination inhibition titers for low pathogenic avian influenza, Newcastle disease and egg drop syndrome '76. A total of 2,926 blood samples were tested through enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to assess the serological status of infectious bronchitis (IB). The distribution of ELISA titers for IB was various from almost 0 to 20,000 through the all weeks of age. Also, the antibody coefficient of variation for most of the diseases in this study was higher than those of typical cage layers. As this study was the first surveillance for major avian viral diseases of the animal welfare-oriented farms in South Korea, the results obtained from this study will help to determine what information and resources are needed to maintain better biosecurity and to improve the health and welfare of laying hen flocks.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.59 no.2
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• pp.101-104
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• 2019

This study examined the disinfection conditions (exposure time, 0-30 min; exposure temperature, $4^{\circ}C-65^{\circ}C$) of hypochlorous acid water (HOCl) in automobile disinfection equipment. The study tested poliovirus type 1 (PV1), low pathogenic avian influenza virus (AIV, H9N2), and foot and mouth disease virus (FMDV, O type). As a result, the PV1 and FMD viruses were inactivated easily (virus titer 4 log value) by HOCl (> 100 ppm) but the AIV required higher exposure temperatures (> $55^{\circ}C$). In conclusion, the exposure temperature and time are important factors in deactivating AIV and FMDV.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.79-82
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• 2020

In epilepsy-aphasia spectrum (EAS) disorders, mutations in the glutamate receptor ionotropic N-methyl-D-aspartate type subunit 2A (GRIN2A) have become important for screening the disease. Research into the phenotypic variability of several types of neurologic impairment involving these mutations is in progress. However, the non-neurological problems related to these mutations are poorly understood. EAS disorders usually have epileptic, cognitive, or behavioral manifestations. In this case report, we present a female patient with epilepsy, delay in expressive language and social development, and intellectual disability with low intelligence quotient and memory quotient, but normal motor development. Through genetic analysis, she was found to have a missense and a nonsense mutation in GRIN2A (c.1770A>C; p.Lys509Asn and c.3187G>T; p.Glu1063∗, respectively) and we consider the nonsense mutation as 'pathogenic variant'. She was also discovered to have congenital hypothyroidism, growth hormone deficiency and Rathke's cleft cyst in the brain, which were previously unknown features of GRIN2A mutation. Our findings should widen understanding of the spectrum of GRIN2A phenotypes, and emphasize the need for more research into the association between GRIN2A mutations and non-neurologic clinical presentations.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.5.1-5.16
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• 2023

The H9N2 avian influenza (AI) has become endemic in poultry in many countries since the 1990s, which has caused considerable economic losses in the poultry industry. Considering the long history of the low pathogenicity H9N2 AI in many countries, once H9N2 AI is introduced, it is more difficult to eradicate than high pathogenicity AI. Various preventive measures and strategies, including vaccination and active national surveillance, have been used to control the Y439 lineage of H9N2 AI in South Korea, but it took a long time for the H9N2 virus to disappear from the fields. By contrast, the novel Y280 lineage of H9N2 AI was introduced in June 2020 and has spread nationwide. This study reviews the history, genetic and pathogenic characteristics, and control strategies for Korean H9N2 AI. This review may provide some clues for establishing control strategies for endemic AIV and a newly introduced Y280 lineage of H9N2 AI in South Korea.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.220-227
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• 2023

Rose crown gall caused by Agrobacterium tumefaciens is a major disease that damages the production of cutroses in Korea. The effective prevention methods for this disease include the use of resistant varieties. This study was conducted to evaluate the resistance of 58 Korean cultivars and six foreign cultivars to crown gall disease with nodal explants in vitro. Among 180 A. tumefaciens strains, pathogenic strain RC12 was selected as an inoculant strain. The strain RC12 was identified based on characteristics of some selective media, pathogenicity test, and polymerase chain reaction analysis. Forty rose cultivars formed tumors on explants inoculated with A. tumefaciens RC12. However, 24 cultivars, including 22 Korean cultivars and 2 foreign cultivars, showed resistance to A. tumefaciens RC12 without forming any tumors. Six cultivars with tumor formation rates of over 30% formed initial tumors within 23 days after inoculation. Six cultivars with low tumor formation rates of around 5% formed initial tumors after 28 days of inoculation. It was found that gall formation rate was highly correlated with the initial gall formation period. Thus, the relationship between the period of gall formation and the rate of gall formation could be useful for assessing resistance to crown gall disease. In vitro inoculation methods could be used to evaluate resistance of cut-rose cultivars to crown gall diseases.

• Journal of Digestive Cancer Research
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.31-38
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• 2022

Ulcerative colitis (UC) exhibits chronic intestinal inflammatory conditions with cycles of relapse and remission. The incidence is rapidly growing in Asian countries including South Korea possibly due to changes in lifestyles. Although the etiology of inflammatory bowel disease is inconclusive, gut microbiota composition is considered a critical factor involved in the pathogenesis of UC. The overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria evokes hyper-immune responses in gut epithelium causing tissue inflammation and damage. Also, failure to regulate gut epithelium integrity due to chronic inflammation and mucus depletion accelerates bacterial translocation aggravating immune dysregulation. Gut microbiota composition responds to the diet in a very rapid manner. Epidemiological studies have indicated that the risk of UC is associated with low plant foods/high animal foods consumption. Several bacterial strains consistently found depleted in UC patients use plant food-originated dietary fiber producing short chain fatty acids to maintain epithelial integrity. These bacteria also use mucus layer mucin to keep gut microbiota diversity. These studies partly explain the association between dietary modification of gut microbiota in UC development. Further human intervention trials are required to allow the use of specific bacterial strains in the management of UC.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.70-75
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• 2023

Dent disease is a rare inherited kidney tubulopathy caused by mutations in either the CLCN5 (Dent disease 1) or OCRL1 (Dent disease 2) genes, and which is often underdiagnosed in practice. A diagnosis is clinically suspected in patients with low-molecular-weight proteinuria, hypercalciuria, and one of the following: hematuria, nephrolithiasis, nephrocalcinosis, hypophosphatemia, or chronic kidney disease. Inheritance is X-linked recessive, meaning, these symptoms are generally only found in males; female carriers may have mild phenotypes. Genetic testing is only a method to confirm the diagnosis, approximately 25% to 35% of patients have neither the CLCN5 nor OCRL1 pathogenic variants (Dent disease 3), making diagnosis more challenging. The genotype-phenotype correlations are not evident with the limited clinical data available. As with many other genetic diseases, the management of patients with Dent disease concentrates on symptom relief rather than any causative process. The current treatments are mainly supportive to reduce hypercalciuria and prevent nephrolithiasis. Chronic kidney disease progresses to end-stage between the ages of the third to fifth decades in 30% to 80% of affected males. In this review, we aimed to summarize the literature on Dent disease and reveal the clinical characteristics and molecular basis of Korean patients with Dent disease.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.34 no.9
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• pp.1919-1925
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• 2024

Effective isolation and sensitive detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) is crucial for the early diagnosis and prognosis of various diseases, such as urinary tract infections. However, efficient isolation and simultaneous detection of P. aeruginosa remains a huge challenge. Herein, we depict a novel fluorescence assay for sensitive, enzyme-free detection of P. aeruginosa by integrating DNAzyme cascade-induced DNA tweezers and magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs)-based separation. The capture probe@MNPs is capable of accurately identifying target bacteria and transporting the bacteria signal to nucleic acid signals. Based on the DNAzyme cascade-induced DNA tweezers, the nucleic acid signals are extensively amplified, endowing the method with a high sensitivity and a low detection limit of 1 cfu/mL. In addition, the method also exhibits a wide detection of six orders of magnitudes. The proposed method could be extended to other bacteria detection by simply changing the aptamer sequence. Taking the merit of the high sensitivity, greatly minimized detection time (less than 1.5 h), enzyme-free characteristics, and stability, the proposed method could be potentially applied to diagnosing and preventing diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.369-373
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• 2008

The indoor environment is an important source of exposure to various aeroallergens and pathogenic microorganism. It has been shown that exposure to aeroallergens enhances the risk of indoor inhabitants developing asthma. Since the skin prick test, a typical clinical method for identification of subjects positive to allergens, can rarely cause fatal or non-fatal reactions in susceptible persons, an in vitro assay such as ELISA using serum has been considered for testing positivity against various allergens. We evaluated the validity of a serum ELISA kit for screening positive subjects to major aeroallergens including Dermatophagoides farinae, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, cockroach, Alternaria, Cladosporium, Aspergillus, Penicillium, dog hair, cat fur, mugwort, and ragweed. The ELISA results were compared with the skin prick test results, and sensitivity, specificity, and overall accuracy were calculated to each allergen. Higher sensitivities were obtained from D. farinae, (77.8%) and D. pteronyssinus (69.2%), but sensitivities to Aspergillus, Penicillium, dog hair, cat fur, and ragweed were very low down to 0%. Specificity ranged from 88.7% (cat fur) to 100% (mugwort and ragweed). Overall the accuracy of the serum ELISA kit was relatively high, in that the lowest was 85.1% for cat fur and the highest was 98.6% for Alternaria, Cladosporium, and ragweed. Considering specificity and overall accuracy for the serum ELISA kit, it may be considered reliable. However, when the kit is used for screening purpose, positivity to aeroallergens should be carefully determined since sensitivity for the kit is low.