• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.21-28
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• 2010

The objective of the present investigation is to evaluate the antimicrobial potency of the terpenoid fractions isolated from Luffa cylindrica seeds against various pathogenic microbes. The seeds were powdered and extracted with methanol in soxhlet appratus based on phytochemical screening. Three terpenoid components were isolated by column chromatography and identified by thin layer chromatography and chemical analysis which were designated as ${LCSF_4}^*$, ${LCSF_6}^*$ & ${LCSF_8}^*$ respectively. Disc diffusion method was employed to determine the antimicrobial effectiveness of test compounds I, II and III $({LCSF_4}^*,\;{LCSF_6}^*\;&\;{LCSF_8}^*)$ against 6 microbial species viz., Staphylococcus (S.) aureus, Bacillus (B.) subtilis, Escherichia (E.) coli, Pseudomonas (P.) aeruginosa, Candida (C.) albicans and Aspergillus niger. The disc was saturated with $100{\mu}l$ of each compound, allowed to dry and introduced on the upper layer of seeded agar plate. The plates were incubated overnight at $37^{\circ}C$. Microbial growth was determined by measuring the zonal inhibition diameters. Compound I showed maximum potency against gram positive S. aureus (21 mm) in comparison with standard ciprofloxacin (38 mm), whereas the same compound was completely devoid of activity against both the fungi tested. Compound II was found to be highly sensitive against both the gram negative E. coli (20 mm) and P. aeruginosa (22 mm). Compound II was found to exhibit maximum potency against the fungi C. albicans (15 mm) and A. niger (20 mm). Compound III was found to be very effective against both the gram positive S. aureus (20 mm) and B. subtilis (15 mm) respectively.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.241-247
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• 1999

Experimental studies were carried out to optimize the culture conditions of Corynebacterium diphtheriae for the production of diphtheria toxin. A new media which does not contain any meat digest products was selected. The main ingredient of new medium was enzymatic digests of casein known as NZ-Case. In fermenter experiments, the toxin production was increased with the increase of cell growth. The optimum initial pH of media, air flow rate and agitation speed were 7.0, 0.22, vvm and 400 rpm, respectively. The contents of iron and calcium-phosphate precipitate were important for maximal cell growth and toxin production. The optimum concentration of iron was 0.3 mg/L and calcium-phosphate precipitate could serve in gradual supply of iron to maintain the optimal culture condition which is required for enhanced yield of toxin production. In potency test, the potency of toxoid from fermentor culture was higher than that from static culture. When diphtheria toxin is produced by fermentor culture, it is possible to produce higher levels of toxin and better toxoid quality in terms of safety, yield, productivity and immunity.

• BMB Reports
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.294-298
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• 2003

The pathological effect of the Bacillus thuringiensis Cry $\delta$-endotoxins on susceptible insect larvae had extensive damage on the midgut epithelial cells. In this study, an ex vivo assay was devised for assessing the insecticidal potency of the cloned Cry4B mosquito-larvicidal protein that is expressed in Escherichia coli. Determination of toxicity was carried out by using a cell viability assay on the midguts that were dissected from 5-day old Aedes aegypti mosquito larvae. After incubation with the toxin proteins, the number of viable epithelial cells was determined photometrically by monitoring the quantity of the bioreduced formazan product at 490 nm. The results showed that the 65-kDa trypsin-activated Cry4B toxin exhibited toxic potency ca. 3.5 times higher than the 130-kDa Cry4B protoxin. However, the trypsin-treated products of the non-bioactive Cry4B mutant (R158A) and the lepidopteran-specific Cry1Aa toxin displayed relatively no ex vivo activity on the mosquito-larval midguts. The ex vivo cytotoxicity studies presented here confirms data that was obtained in bioassays.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.40-45
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• 2007

The vascular relaxant effects on isolated rat aorta of amlodipine camsylates (S-, R-enantiomer, and R/S-racemate), were evaluated and compared with that of S-amlodipine besylate. Furthermore, antihypertensive effects were measured in spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR). The S-amlodipine camsylate concentration-dependently inhibited $Ca^{2+}$-induced contraction of rat aorta with a very slow onset of action (reached its maximum at 3.5h; $ED_{50}:\;1.50\;{\pm}\;0.24$ nM), having a potency 2-fold higher than those of R/S-amlodipine camsylate $(ED_{50}:\;3.36\;{\pm}\;0.91\;nM)$ and similar to those of S-amlodipine besylate $(ED_{50}:\;1.44\;{\pm}\;0.14\;nM)$, whereas the R-amlodipine camsylate has 590-fold lower vasorelaxant activity $(ED_{50}:\;886.4\;{\pm}\;49.7\;nM)$. In SHR, orally administered S-amlodipine camsylate produced a dose-dependent and long-lasting (>>10 h) antihypertensive effect $(ED_{20}:\;0.89\;mg/kg)$, with a potency 2-fold higher than those of R/S-amlodipine camsylate $(ED_{20}:\;1.82\;mg/kg)$ and similar to those of S-amlodipine besylate $(ED_{20}:\;0.71\;mg/kg)$. In contrast, the R-amlodipine camsylate has no effect even-though administrated high concentration 10 mg/kg. These results suggest that S-amlodipine camsylate has the potency and long-lasting antihypertensive activity as single enantiomer drug, and its antihypertensive effect is not significantly different to that of S-amlodipine besylate.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.188-195
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• 2016

$17{\alpha}$-Ethynylestradiol (EE2) has gotten growing concerns due to its widely detected in the environment and high estrogenic potency. However, the knowledge on the photochemical behaviors of EE2 in natural waters is still limited. Herein, the photodegradation and estrogenic potency variation of EE2 induced by nitrate were studied using a sunlight simulator consisted by a 300 W medium pressure mercury lamp and 290 nm cut-off filters. It was found that EE2 could be photodegraded at a rate of $0.0193h^{-1}$ in pure aqueous solutions, and the photodegradation of EE2 could be significantly promoted by nitrate. The photodegradation removal rate of EE2 was increased from 9% in Milli-Q water to 85% in 2.0 mM nitrate solutions. Reactive species scavenging experiments demonstrated that the photogenerated $HO{\bullet}$ contributed about 55% to EE2 degradation. Fe(III), Cl- and dissolved humic acid (DHA) could inhibit the photodegradation of EE2 by competing the incident light and photogenerated $HO{\bullet}$, while $HCO_3{^-}$ had no influence on EE2 photodegradation. EE2 was determined to be phototransformed into organic chemicals without estrogenic potency by GC-MS and MCF-7 cell proliferation toxicity tests. These findings could extend our knowledge on the photochemical behaviors of steroid estrogens and provide information for ecological risk assessment.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.54-65
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• 2002

Black-pigmented bacteria have been implicated in the endodontic infections. This group of microorganisms includes Porphyromonas endodontalis, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, and Prevotella nigrescens. The organisms display a wide variety of virulence factors that may be pertinent to acute endodontic infections. The aim of this study was to identify P. endodontalis, P. gingivalis, P. intermedia, and P. nigrescens by using special potency disk test, filter paper spot test, 165 rRNA gene-directed PCR, and API 32A. Microbial samples were collected from root canals of 33 intact teeth with necrotic pulp and/or apical periodontitis. Conventional laboratory methods were used for identification of the strains of black pigmented bacteria. Eighteen of 33 samples were positive for the growth of black-pigmented bacteria Five colonies were cultured from each pure cultured colonies from Brucella agar plate. Seventy seven colonies were positive for the growth of black-pigmented bacteria. Thirty three of 77(42.6%) were identifed as P. nigrescens, 10 of 77(12.9%)were P. gingivalis, 6 of 77(7.8%) were P. endodontalis, 10 of 77(12.9%) were P. intermedia. On the contrary the reference strains of P. nigrescens, experimental strains of P nigrescens was sensitive to kanamycin in special potency disk test. 165 rRNA gene PCR and API test after rapid presumptative identification methods, such as special potency disk test and filter paper spot test, would be accurate detection methods for black-pigemented bacteria.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.231-238
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• 2012

Menthae herba (MH) extracts exhibit anti-inflammatory effects. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the anti-inflammatory effects of MH extracts vary according to the cultivation regions. We performed a comparative analysis of MH extracts by evaluating the production of inflammatory mediators in RAW 264.7 murine macrophage cells and HaCaT human keratinocyte cells. MH extracts obtained from different cultivation regions in Korea and China significantly reduced the production of nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin $E_2$ ($PGE_2$), and tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$) in RAW 264.7 cells stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). No differences in these inhibitory activities were observed between MH extracts. In HaCaT cells stimulated with TNF-${\alpha}$ and interferon-${\gamma}$ (IFN-${\gamma}$), MH extracts did not inhibit the production of macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC/CCL22), but most extracts reduced the production of the regulated on activation normal T-cell expression and secreted (RANTES/CCL5). We used clustering tree analysis of the MH extracts according to the chromatographic pattern and anti-inflammatory potency of MH extracts. We observed differences in the chromatographic pattern of MH extracts but no difference in anti-inflammatory potency. Our findings suggest that MH extracts from different regions do not show any differences in their pharmacological potency in that MH extracts are used as therapeutic agents to treat inflammatory disorders.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.45-53
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• 2006

Anaerobic black-pigmented bacteria have been implicated in the endodontic infections. This group of microorganisms includes Porphyromonas endodontalis, P. gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, and Prevotella nigrescens. The organisms display a wide variety of virulence factors that may be pertinent to acute endodontic infections. The aim of this study was to identify P. endodontalis, P. gingivalis, P. intermedia, and P. nigrescens by using the special potency disk test, filter paper spot test, 16S rRNA gene-directed PCR, and API 32A system. Microbial samples were collected from root canals of 33 intact teeth with necrotic pulp and apical periodontitis. Conventional laboratory methods were used to identify the strains of anaerobic black pigmented bacteria. Eighteen out of 33 samples were positive for the growth of black-pigmented bacrteria. Five colonies were cultured from each pure cultured colony from Brucella agar plates. Seventy seven colonies were positive for the growth of black-pigmented bacteria. Thirty three out of 77(42.8%) were identifed as P. nigrescens, 10 out of 77(13%)were P. gingivalis, 6 out of 77(7.8%) were P. endodontalis, 10 out of 77(13%) were P. intermedia. On the contrary the reference strains of P. nigrescens, experimental strains of P. nigrescens were susceptible to kanamycin in the special potency disk test. We concluded that after rapid presumptive identification methods, such as the special potency disk test and filter paper spot test were done, 16S rRNA gene PCR and API 32A test would be accurate detection methods for black-pigemented bacteria.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.227-236
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• 2001

The complexity and variability of both the biologicals and the bioassays used to test them led to the use of the reference standard- a sample of the product of defined purity and potency, against which all preparations of that product must be calibrated. In order to prepare and establish KFDA reference standard for recombinant human growth hormone (somatropin), somatropin substance was filled in ampoules in National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC). The candidate KFDA reference standard for somatropin (designated as 98/674) was evaluated to determine the suitability of serving as a KFDA reference standard for somatropin by the collaborative study, in which 10 laboratories participated. Physicochemical analysis and in vivo bioassay were performed by direct comparison with the international somatropin standard 88/624. 98/674 was identified as somatropin by SDS-PAGE, IEF, peptide mapping, and HPLC. Determination of somatropin content by SE-HPLC yielded a mean estimate of 2.01 mg somatropin per ampoule. Data from the study also yielded mean values of 0.39 $\pm$ 0.26% for high molecular weight impurities by SE-HPLC and mean values of 2.13 $\pm$ 1.29% for somatropin related proteins by RP-HPLC. Estimates of relative potency by weight gain bioassay in the hypophysectomised rats showed that relative potency of KS 98/674 was 1.07 aganist IS 88/624. Based on the results of the collaborative study, the candidate reference standard for somatropin is suitable to serve as a KFDA reference standard for somatropin.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.43
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• pp.187-202
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• 1999

The objectives of this study were to analyze the effect of dress(Korean traditional dress and suit) of elderly Women and situation on impression formation. The experimental design was $10\times{2}\times{2(dress}\times{perceiver's age}\times{situation)}$ factorial design by 3 independent variables. The stimuli of color photographs of female in her 60's model and the semantic differential scale were used. Six variables of impression formation were used: preference: elegance: potency: activity: feminine: and modernity. Samples were 400 women 200 were in their twenties and 200 in their forties and fifties. The data were analyzed by $\alpha$-reliability t-test ANOVA and duncan's multiple range test. The Korean traditional dress with the combination of Korean traditional color(light blue upper dress with dark red purple collar and string.dark blue skit) had the most positive effect on impression of elegance. Pink traditional dress and light blue traditional dress had a negative effect on impression of potency activity and modernity. Red purple suit had a positive effect on potency and modernity. The interaction between dress perceiver's age and stituation was significant for the impression of activity. Women in their 40's and 50's perceived the activity of red purple suit positively in the situation of alumnae meeting more than in the wedding ceremony. The perceived age of the stimulus person was different according to dresses. Traditional dresses was perceived older than suits were. Women in their 40's and 50's evaluated preferences of the dresses positively more than 20's did. This means that 40's and 50's feel similarity with the stimulus person more than 20's as the age of model was in their 60's The result supports the theory that similarity is basic factor in interpersonal attraction.