• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.221-226
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• 2019

Background: Accurate mediastinal lymph node staging is vital for the optimal therapy and prognostication of patients with lung cancer. This study aimed to determine the preoperative risk factors for pN2 disease, as well as its incidence and long-term outcomes, in patients with clinical N0-1 non-small cell lung cancer. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients who were treated surgically for primary non-small cell lung cancer from November 2005 to December 2014. Patients staged as clinical N0-1 via chest computed tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography (PET)-CT were divided into two groups (pN0-1 and pN2) and compared. Results: In a univariate analysis, the significant preoperative risk factors for pN2 included a large tumor size (p=0.083), high maximum standard uptake value on PET (p<0.001), and central location of the tumor (p<0.001). In a multivariate analysis, central location of the tumor (p<0.001) remained a significant preoperative risk factor for pN2 status. The 5-year overall survival rates were 75% and 22.9% in the pN0-1 and pN2 groups, respectively, and 50% and 78.2% in the patients with centrally located and peripherally located tumors, respectively. In a Cox proportional hazard model, central location of the tumor increased the risk of death by 3.4-fold (p<0.001). Conclusion: More invasive procedures should be considered when preoperative risk factors are identified in order to improve the efficacy of diagnostic and therapeutic plans and, consequently, the patient's prognosis.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.343-353
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• 2018

Our previous research demonstrated the essential role of the xenB gene in stress response to RDX by using Pseudomonas sp. HK-6 xenB knockout. We have extended this work to examine the cellular responses and altered proteomic profiles of the HK-6 xenA knockout mutant under RDX stress. The xenA mutant degraded RDX about 2-fold more slowly and its growth and survival rates were several-fold lower than the wild-type HK-6 strain. SEM revealed more severe morphological damages on the surface of the xenA mutant cells under RDX stress. The wild-type cells expressed proportionally-increased two stress shock proteins, DnaK and GroEL from the initial incubation time point or the relatively low RDX concentrations, but slightly less expressed at prolonged incubation period or higher RDX. However the xenA mutant did not produced DnaK and GroEL as RDX concentrations were gradually increased. The wild-type cells well maintained transcription levels of dnaA and groEL under increased RDX stress while those in the xenA mutant were decreased and eventually disappeared. The altered proteome profiles of xenA mutant cells under RDX stress also observed so that the 27 down-regulated plus the 3 up-regulated expression proteins were detected in 2-DE PAGE. These all results indicated that the intact xenA gene is necessary for maintaining cell integrity under the xenobiotic stress as well as performing an efficient RDX degradation process.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.59 no.4
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• pp.421-425
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• 2020

We investigated an ecologically-sensitive method to control Polyphagotarsonemus latus in a green perilla polyvinyl house using concentrated pyrethrum. The survival rates of Polyphagotarsonemus latus nymphs and adults to 2%, 4%, and 6% pyrethrum 3 days after spraying were 58.1%, 27.5%, and 22.7% respectively, and 73.4%, 37.3%, and 30.6% at 5 days after spraying. These results show that the most effective control occurred using 6% pyrethrum. To investigating the densities of P. latus on a 1 cm diameter leaf-disk of green perilla, we sprayed the leaf every 10 days from May 10 with 6% pyrethrum 1,000 times and milbemectin EC 2% 1,000 times. The period chosen was one where the incidence of P. latus could be predicted. The density was kept low during the treatment period. However, if leaf damage had already occurred from P. latus, the density could not be decreased by spraying 1 or 2 times each week where milbemectin EC 2% was used, but the population could be reduced when sprayed 3 times. Therefore, in order to effectively control P. latus in green perilla greenhouses, it is important to begin treatment at an early stage when P. latus are first observed.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.485-492
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• 2021

In this study, the whitening effect of Abelmoschus esculentus extract was investigated to confirm its applicability in cosmetics. To determine the whitening effect, the tyrosinase-inhibitory activity of Abelmoschus esculentus hot water extract (AEWE) and 70% ethanol extract (AEEE) was measured. At the final concentration of 1000 ㎍/ml, AEWE showed an inhibitory activity of 22.2% and AEEE of 32.8%. To determine the whitening effect at the cellular level, the viability of melanoma cells treated with AEWE and AEEE was evaluated using the MTT assay. At concentrations of 100 ㎍/ml or less, both AEWE- and AEEE-treated groups showed cell survival rates of >95%. Furthermore, in both AEWE- and AEEE-treated melanoma cells, the melanin content decreased in a concentration-dependent manner. The inhibitory effects of AEWE and AEEE used at 5, 10, 50, and 100 ㎍/ml on protein expression were measured by western blot, with β-actin as the positive control. At a concentration of 100 ㎍/ml, AEWE showed an inhibitory effect of 88.1%, 24.8%, 62.2%, and 42.9% on microphthalmia-associated transcription factors (MITF), tyrosinase, tyrosinase-related proteins (TRP)-1, and TRP-2 factors, respectively. At the same concentration, AEEE showed inhibitory effect of 65.3%, 58.3%, 66.2%, and 65.3% against MITF, tyrosinase, TRP-1, and TRP-2 factors, respectively. In conclusion, the whitening effects of AEWE and AEEE were verified, and their applicability as a natural ingredient in cosmetics was confirmed.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.209-217
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• 2022

In this study, Enterococcus faecalis BMSE-HMP005 isolated from human breast milk demonstrated antimicrobial effects against multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial strains. The bacteriocin produced by E. faecalis BMSE-HMP005 was fractionated using reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. This fraction showed antimicrobial effects against both gram-positive and gram-negative MDR bacteria. No hemolytic reactions were observed. E. faecalis BMSEHMP005 was resistant to vancomycin; however, kanamycin, ampicillin, and erythromycin showed minimum inhibitory concentrations that were lower than the acceptable range provided by the European Food Safety Authority. For artificial gastric juice and bile acid, the survival rates were 98.67% and 95.70%, respectively. These results show the potential utility of E. faecalis BMSE-HMP005 as a probiotic with remarkable antimicrobial effects against MDR bacteria.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.21-27
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• 2022

Objectives : Single oral dose toxicity test of Lythri Herba water extracts (LHWE) in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rat was performed to determine approximate lethal dose (ALD) of LHWE. Methods : This test was progressed according to OECD Guidelines for the Testing of Chemicals : acute oral toxicity. After adaptation of 7 days, SD rats were divided into 2 groups : vehicle control and 5000 mg/kg LHWE-treated group. Each group consisted of 5 female rats and 5 male rats. Vehicle or 5000 mg/kg LHWE was orally administrated once a day. Survival rates, general toxicity, and changes of body weight were investigated for 14 days after administration. On the last day of examination, the weight of all animals was measured and an autopsy was performed. All internal organ abnormalities were checked macroscopically and their findings were recorded. Results : In both groups, dead animals were not observed. During 14 days of administration, abnormal clinical signs were not detected. There was also no significant difference in weight gains between each group. Autopsy analysis showed that one case of the LHWE-treated female group had retention of clear fluid in the uterus; however, it was not considered to be affected by LHWE administration. Moreover, abnormal findings were not discovered in the control male group and the LHWE-treated male group. Conclusions : These results suggest that the ALD of LHWE exceed 5000 mg/kg and single oral administration of LHWE below 5000 mg/kg is nontoxic.

• Journal of Marine Life Science
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.102-112
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• 2022

Crucian carp, Carassius carassius (Weight 39.7±3.1 g, Length 14.8±0.5 cm) were exposed to waterborne nickel at 0, 10, 20, 40, 80 and 160 mg Ni²⁺/l. The lethal concentration 50 (LC₅₀) of C. carassius exposed to waterborne nickel was 117.69 mg Ni²⁺/l. In hematological parameters, RBC counts was significantly increased at 48 hours, whereas a significant decrease was observed at 96 hours. The MCV and MCH were significantly increased in the concentration of 80 mg Ni²⁺/l at 96 hours. The plasma components such as calcium, magnesium, glucose, cholesterol, total protein, AST, ALT and ALP were significantly changed by waterbonre nickel exposure. The results of this study suggest that the nickel exposure to C. carassius affects the survival rates, hematological parameters and plasma components as toxicity

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.113-120
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• 2022

Scuticociliatosis caused by Miamiensis avidus is a very important parasitic disease in olive flounder farming industry. The aim of this study was to determine effect of combined treatment with blue LED (light-emitting diode) illumination and formalin on olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) infected with M. avidus. Different intensity of 405 nm LED (20, 40, and 60 μmol·m^-2·s^-1) was illuminated on 2.2×10⁴ cells/well of M. avidus in a 24 well microplate for 24 h. Also, 2.4×10⁴ cells/well of M. avidus were exposed to varying combinations of 60 μmol·m^-2·s^-1 of 405 nm LED and serial 10-fold dilutions of formalin (from 10 to 100 ppm) for 15, 30, 45, and 60 min. Surviving M. avidus were counted using a hemocytometer. For in vivo test, flounder acclimatized at 11-12 practical salinity unit (psu) were challenged with 2×10⁶ cells/ml of M. avidus by immersion method for 1 h. Then, fish were moved and divided into four groups; "F" group, treated with formalin at 50 ppm; "L" group, treated with 60 μmol·m^-2·s^-1 of 405 nm LED; "C" group, treated with combination of the two methods; and the control group. After treatment for 30 min, fish were transferred to new tanks (salinity = 11-12 psu) and observed for 3 weeks. As a result, illumination of 405 nm LED at 60 μmol·m^-2·s^-1 killed 100% of M. avidus after 12 h, while 67% and 90% of the scuticociliate died at 20 and 40 μmol·m^-2·s^-1, respectively, after 24 h exposure. One hundred percent of M. avidus was killed at 90, 80, 80 and 70 ppm after exposure to formalin for 15, 30, 45 and 60 min, respectively. However, combined method (e.g., 60 μmol·m^-2·s^-1 of 405 nm-LED plus 50 ppm formalin) killed the parasite within 30 min. From in vivo test, similarly, survival rates of fish challenged with M. avidus were 100%, 43%, 29% and 0% in the C, F, L, and control groups, respectively. Results obtained in this study demonstrates that the combined treatment method has clear synergistic effect on scuticociliatosis in fish.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.103-111
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• 2022

This study has been performed to investigate the potential effects of by-product discarded after probiotics production (BPPP) on growth performance, immune gene expression, innate-immunity status, and disease resistance of carp, Cyprinus carpio. For 3 weeks, carp were fed four diets containing different levels of BPPP at 0, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.5% per kg of normal diet. Every 7 days of feeding, immune-related gene expression, serum lysozyme activity and ACH₅₀ were analyzed. Growth rates and challenge test with E. tarda were conducted after 3 weeks of BPPP feeding. Both lysozyme activity and ACH₅₀ were significantly (p<0.05) increased in all BPPP supplemented groups compared to the control at every 7 day for 3 weeks of feeding trial. The gene expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, IL-1β and TNF-α was significantly (p<0.05) up-regulated until 21 days of feeding in all groups except for 0.2% group on day 7 post feeding. The anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 gene expression was only significantly (p<0.05) increased in 0.1% group on day 7 and decreased (p<0.05) on day 14 in all BPPP supplemented groups. On day 21, the IL-10 gene expression was augmented (p<0.05) in all groups. SOD gene expression was significantly (p<0.05) increased compared to the control on day 14 and 21 post feeding, whereas no significant difference was observed on day 7. In challenging test, 0.2%, 0.1%, 0.5% and control group showed 80%, 70%, 60% and 40% of survival rate, respectively. Feed conversion rate was only improved in 0.5% group. In conclusion, the present study indicates that dietary BPPP suplementation improved growth performance, innate immune response and bactericidal activity in carp.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.16-28
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• 2023

Lung adenocarcinoma accounts for about 40% of all lung cancers. With the recent development of gene profiling technology, studies on mutations in oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, which are important for the development and growth of tumors, have been actively conducted. Companion diagnosis using next-generation sequencing helps improve survival with targeted therapy. In this study, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues of non-small cell lung cancer patients were subjected to hematoxylin and eosin staining for detecting genetic mutations that induce lung adenocarcinoma in Koreans. Immunohistochemical staining was also performed to accurately classify lung adenocarcinoma tissues. Based on the results, next-generation sequencing was applied to analyze the types and patterns of genetic mutations, and the association with smoking was established as the most representative cause of lung cancer. Results of next-generation sequencing analysis confirmed the single nucleotide variations, copy number variations, and gene rearrangements. In order to validate the reliability of next-generation sequencing, we additionally performed the existing genetic testing methods (polymerase chain reaction-epidermal growth factor receptor, immunohistochemistry-anaplastic lymphoma kinase (D5F3), and fluorescence in situ hybridiation-receptor tyrosine kinase 1 tests) to confirm the concordance rates with the next-generation sequencing test results. This study demonstrates that next-generation sequencing of lung adenocarcinoma patients simultaneously identifies mutation.