• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.35 no.3 s.138
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• pp.189-193
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• 2004

In order to find some lead compounds for the treatment of opportunistic infections of malaria and pathogenic microbes, an undescribed Indonesian sponge Agelas sp. collected at Manado, Indonesian Waters, was suggested containing active compounds. Crude ethanolic extract of the sponge exhibited significant in vitro antimalarial and antimicrobial activity against Plasmodium falciparum (D6 colne) with $IC_{5O}$ values of $8\;{\mu}/ml$ and against pathogenic microbes such as Candida albicans $(150\;{\mu}/ml)$, Cryptococcus neoformans $(<20\;{\mu}/ml)$, Staphylococcus aureus $25\;{\mu}/ml$, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus $(<20\;{\mu}/ml)$, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa $(<20\;{\mu}/ml)$. Active compound (5.0 mg) was isolated from the ethanolic extracts of the sponge and purified by using silica gel and ODS column, successively. Active compound was elucidated as dibromosceptrin $(C_{22}H_{24}Br_2N_{10}O_2)$ by detailed analysis of FTESI-MS and comparison of $^1H,\;^{13}C$, DEPT and HMQC NMR spectral data with those reported.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.147-153
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• 2018

Copper is used in various applications in environments favoring and enabling formation of biofilms by naturally occurring microbes. Copper is also the chosen corrosion barrier for nuclear waste in Finland. The copper canisters should have lifetimes of 100,000 years. Copper is commonly considered to be resistant to corrosion in oxygen-free water. This is an important argument for using copper as a corrosion protection in the planned canisters for spent nuclear-fuel encapsulation. However, microbial biofilm formation on metal surfaces can increase corrosion in various conditions and provide conditions where corrosion would not otherwise occur. Microbes can alter pH and redox potential, excrete corrosion-inducing metabolites, directly or indirectly reduce or oxidize the corrosion products, and form biofilms that create corrosive microenvironments. Microbial metabolites are known to initiate, facilitate, or accelerate general or localized corrosion, galvanic corrosion, and intergranular corrosion, as well as enable stress-corrosion cracking. Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) are present in the repository environment. Sulfide is known to be a corrosive agent for copper. Here we show results from corrosion of copper in anoxic simulated ground water in the presence of SRB enriched from the planned disposal site.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.286-294
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• 2004

Between 1997 and 1998 in Korea, 56 isolates of Escherichia coli were obtained from pig suffering diarrhea. Among those, 38 isolates that showed the hemolytic activity, antimicrobial resistance, and toxin production were studied. Among 38 isolates, thirty-six isolates $(94.7\%)$ were resistant to tetracycline, 27 isolates $(71.0\%)$ were resistant to ampicillin, 26 isolates $(68.4\%)$ were resistant to chloramphenicol, and 21 isolates $(55.2\%)$ were resistant to trimethoprim, while none was resistant to aztreonam, amikacin, and norfloxacin. Among these iso­lates, 21 isolates $(55.3\%)$ were multiple drug resistant to at least four different class antimicrobial agents. Extended spectrum $\beta-lactamase$ producing isolates were not detected in the double disk synergy test. In these hemolytic Escherichia coli, heat-stable enterotoxin $(89.5\%)$ was the most prevalent toxin, followed by vero­toxins $(47.4\%),$ and then heat-labile enterotoxin $(31.6\%).$ Except 8 isolates $(21.0\%)$ which produced ST only, 12 isolates $(31.6\%)$ produced ST and LT, 13 isolates $(34.2\%)$ produced ST, VT, and VTe, and 5 isolates $(13.2\%)$ produced VT and VTe. However, none produced all 4 types of toxin, simultaneously. The predominant serotype could not be determined by the agglutination method. Sixteen isolates $(42.1\%)$ were strongly adhered to T-24 bladder cell and 17 isolates $(44.7\%)$ were to Caco-2 intestinal cell. Especially, 11 strains $(28.9\%)$ were evaluated as strongly adhesive to both T-24 cells and Caco-2 cells. Genes for toxin and the antimicrobial resistance were transferred to clinical isolates of Escherichia coli from human urine by the filter mating method. Results suggest the possibility that antimicrobial resistance and toxin can be transferred from animals to humans by direct con­tact of resistant bacteria as well as gene transfer, although there was no correlation between toxin production, adherent activity, and antimicrobial resistance among hemolytic E. coli isolated from pig suffering diarrhea.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.335-340
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• 2013

This study screened for radio-resistant strains lactic acid bacteria (LAB) by evaluating their capability to survive exposure to ionizing radiation. Ten strains of LAB - Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Lactobacillus paracasei, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus delbruekii, Lactococcus lactis, Streptococcus thermophilus, Bifidobacterium breve, and Pediocuccos pentosaceus - were selected and subcultuted twice. The LAB was then further cultured for 3 d at $37^{\circ}C$ to reach 7-10 Log colony-forming units (CFU)/mL prior to irradiation and immediately exposed to gamma rays or electron beams with absorbed doses of 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 10 kGy. Gamma irradiation gradually decreased the number of the tested viable LAB, and the effect was irradiation dose dependent. A similar effect was found in electron beam-irradiated LAB. Radiation sensitivity of LAB was calculated as $D_{10}$ values, which ranged from 0.26 kGy to 0.9 kGy and 0.5 kGy to 1.44 kGy with exposure to gamma and electron beam irradiation, respectively, in all tested LAB. L. acidophilus was the most resistant to gamma and electron beam irradiation, with $D_{10}$ values of 0.9 kGy and 1.44 kGy, respectively. These results suggest that L. acidophilus might be suitable for the preparation of probiotics as direct-fed microbes for astronauts in extreme space environments.

• Advances in environmental research
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.1-17
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• 2020

Pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) have become an environmental havoc in last few decades with reported cases of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistant genes (ARGs), lethal effects over aquatic organisms, interference in natural decomposition of organic matter, reduced diversity of microbial communities in different environmental compartments, inhibition of growth of microbes resulting in reduced rate of nutrient cycling, hormonal imbalance in exposed organisms etc. Owing to their potential towards bioaccumulation and persistent nature, these compounds have longer residence time and activity in environment. The conventional technologies of wastewater treatment have got poor efficiency towards removal/degradation of PhACs and therefore, modern techniques with efficient, cost-effective and environment-friendly operation need to be explored. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) like Photocatalysis, Fenton oxidation, Ozonation etc. are some of the promising, viable and sustainable options for degradation of PhACs. Although energy/chemical or both are essentially required for AOPs, these methods target complete degradation/mineralization of persistent pollutants resulting in no residual toxicity. Considering the high efficiency towards degradation, non-toxic nature, universal viability and acceptability, AOPs have become a promising option for effective treatment of chemicals with persistent nature.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.110-114
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• 2004

Through in vitro screening for biocontrol agents (BCAs) against Streptomyces scabiei causing potato (Solanum tuberosum) common scab, 19 streptomycete and 17 fungal isolates with antagonistic activity were selected as BCA candidates. For the selection of BCA candidates which are highly resistant to 10 kinds of antibiotics or pesticides, chemical susceptibility testing was initially performed in vitro. A remarkable degree of variation in susceptibility to antibiotics or pesticides was observed among the isolates tested. Streptomycete A020645 isolate was highly resistant to all the tested chemicals except neomycin up to 5,000 ppm. On the other hand, out of 36 antagonistic microbes subjected to in vivo pot tests using cultivar Daejima, four streptomycete isolates namely, A020645, A010321, A010564, and A020973, showed high antagonistic activity with >60% and 55% control value, respectively, and high chemical resistance to 10 kinds of chemicals. Therefore, these isolates were selected as potential BCAs for the control of potato common scab.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.185-190
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• 2010

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one of the most prevalent pathogens in hospitals. To investigate cross contamination by this bacterium in both dental and medical settings, the pathogens that cause acute pyogenic infection and one of the major microbes responsible for nosocomial infection were isolated from health care providers, nurses and patients. We used VITEK II to measure drug sensitivity, and we further performed biochemical testing, coagulase serotype testing and pulse-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) for isolated MRSA colonies. The isolation rate of Staphylococcus aureus from nasal swabs was 75.0% from dental health care providers and 18.8% from the medical health care providers. A total of 10 MRSA strains were isolated from 40 health care providers and 2 patients and the prevalent coagulase serotype from patients and health care providers was VII. The antimicrobial drug resistance and partial PFGE types of the isolated MRSA strains showed a similar pattern. These results suggest that MRSA may be one of the principal causes of nosocomial infection in dental and medical hospitals.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.295-301
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• 2004

Recently, the rapid increase and global spread of extended-spectrum $\beta-lactamase$ producing clinical isolates has become a serious problem. The incidence of extended-spectrum $\beta-lactamase$ producing clinical isolates of Escherichia coli in Korea and susceptibility to antimicrobial agents were investigated. Total 233 isolates of E. coli were obtained from urine from hospitalized patients in Guro hospital, Korea University in 2001. One hun­dred and eighty four isolates $(78.9\%)$ were resistant to ampicillin, 80 isolates $(34.3\%)$ were resistant to ceph­alothin, 93 isolates $(39.9\%)$ were resistant to gentamicin, and 64 isolates $(27.5\%)$ were resistant to norfloxacin. Among 233 isolates, 17 isolates $(7.3\%)$ were positive as determined by the double disk synergy test. When min­imal inhibitory concentrations were assayed with additional 6 antimicrobial agents, 13 isolates $(76.5\%)$ were multi-drug resistant to at least four different class antimicrobial agents. Extended-spectrum $\beta-lactamase$ were characterized with isoelectric focusing gel electrophoresis and DNA sequencing. They were TEM-1 in 5 iso­lates, TEM-15 in 1 isolate, TEM-20 in 1 isolate, TEM-52 in 4 isolates, TEM-1 and AmpC in 2 isolates, TEM-1 and OXA-30 in 1 isolate, TEM-1 and OXA-33 in 1 isolate, TEM-1, CTX-M-3, and AmpC in 1 isolate, but SHV was not detected. Antimicrobial resistance genes were transferred to animal isolate of E. coli (CCARM No. 1203) by the filter mating method. Extended spectrum $\beta-lactamase$ producers studied in the current study have low correlation to each other as determined by random amplified polymorphic DNA and pulsed field gel elec­trophoresis. This is a contradictory result from the general hypothesis that extended-spectrum $\beta-lactamase$ pro­ducers in one hospital is a result from a clonal spread.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.41 no.2 s.405
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• pp.116-123
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• 2003

Antimicrobial Peptides are natural antibiotics evolved by many plants, invertebrate, and vertebrate to defend against the microbial infection. Antimicrobial peptides show a broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity with little opportunity for the development of resistance since they target microbial membranes that distinguish microbes from enkaryotic cells. The oral cavity is constantly exposed to microbial challenges and antimicrobial peptides play an important role in managing the oral health. With the increase of resistant micro-organisms to conventional antibiotics, antimicrobial peptides are attracting interests as novel antibiotics. In this review, the characteristics of antimicrobial of antimicrobial peptides including the classification, mechanism of action, resistance, and expression in the oral cavity have been discussed in the prospects of application to oral disease.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.429-432
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• 2012

According to the requirement of novel antimicrobial agents for the rapidly increasing emergence of multi-drug resistant pathogenic microbes, a number of researchers have found new antibiotics to overcome this resistance. Among them, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are host defense molecules found in a wide variety of invertebrate, plant, and animal species, and are promising to new antimicrobial candidates in pharmatherapeutic fields. Therefore, this review introduces the antimicrobial action of antimicrobial peptide and ongoing development as a pharmetherapeutic agent.