• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.712-720
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• 2023

Osteoporosis is a growing global health concern primarily associated with decreased estrogen in postmenopausal women. Recently, some strains of probiotics were examined for potential anti-osteoporotic effects. This study intended to evaluate the impacts of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum MGE 3038 strain (MGE 3038) in ovariectomized rats. For this purpose, twelve weeks old female Wistar rats (n=21; 250-300 g) were divided into 3 groups; ovariectomy (OVX) group, OVX/MGE 3038 group and Sham group (control). In these groups; two went through respective OVX and one had daily MGE 3038 administration through oral gavage. Prior to 16 weeks after OVX, we collected blood samples and extracted the tibiae. We scanned the extracted tibiae by in-vivo micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) and evaluated pathology by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and Masson's trichrome staining. The serum levels of C-telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX), osteocalcin (OC), and the receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL) were examined. The OVX/MGE 3038 group showed increases in bone mineral density, trabecular bone volume, trabecular number, and trabecular thickness (Tb.Th), and a decrease in trabecular spacing than the OVX group. However, OVX/MGE 3038 group and control group were measurably comparable in Tb.Th. Micro-CT, H&E, and Masson's trichrome findings exhibited increased preservation and maintenance of trabecular bone structure in the OVX/MGE 3038 group in comparison to the OVX group. In serum, the levels of CTX, OC and RANKL were significantly different between the OVX and OVX/MGE 3038 groups. Taken together, L. plantarum MGE 3038 could be helpful for the treatment of osteoporosis.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.59 no.4
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• pp.406-412
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• 2005

Background : Recently, two commercialized whole-blood assays, $QuantiFERON^{(R)}-TB$ Gold (QFT) and T $SPOT-TB^{(R)}$ (SPOT), which measure the $IFN-{\gamma}$ released in the whole blood after being incubation with mycobacterial antigens, were approved for the diagnosis of a latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). However, there is data on whether or not the previously used PPD skin tests (TST) have any influence on the diagnostic ability of these ex-vivo $IFN-{\gamma}$ assays. Methods : Forty-six 15 year-old students who did not appear to be infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis were enrolled in this study. The peripheral blood was collected and used for two $IFN-{\gamma}$ assays. The $IFN-{\gamma}$ assays and TST were performed at the baseline ($1^{st}$). The TST was repeated two months later ($2^{nd}$), and the $IFN-{\gamma}$ assays were repeated two ($2^{nd}$) and four months ($3^{rd}$) later only in those subjects who had negative results at the baseline in both the $IFN-{\gamma}$ assays and TST. An induration size > 10 mm was considered to be positive in the TST. Results : The mean TST value was $3.1{\pm}5.4mm$ (range: 0-20). Of the 46 subjects examined, 13 subjects (28.3%) showed positive results in the two-step TST. Nine (19.6%) were SPOT-positive and only one (2.2%) was QFT-positive. The $2^{nd}$ and $3^{rd}$ QFT were carried out in 23 and 25 all-negative subjects, respectively, and all showed negative results. The $2^{nd}$ SPOT was performed in 23 subjects and only one (4.3%) showed a weak-positive result. Conclusion : Even though there were some discrepancies in the results of the two ex-vivo $IFN-{\gamma}$ assays, it appears that their results were not influenced by a previous TST carried out in two or four months earlier.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.716-725
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• 2017

The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between composition of muscle fiber types and meat quality traits of eight major muscles from Hanwoo steers. Longissimus lumborum (LL), psoas major (PM), semimembranosus (SM), semitendinosus (ST), gluteus medius (GM), triceps brachii (TB), rectus abdominis (RA) and superficialis flexor (SF) muscles were obtained from 9 Hanwoo steers and subjected to histochemical analysis. There were significant (p<0.05) differences in fiber number percentage (FNP) and fiber area percentage (FAP) of fiber types among these 8 major muscles. SF had the highest FNP of type I (55.9%), followed by PM (46.4%), TB (45.4%), RA (38.5%), LD (36.8%), GM (36.0%), SM (22.2%), and ST (18.8%). FAP of type IIB ranged from 9.9% in SF to 58.7% in ST. Meat quality traits, including fat content, myoglobin content, collagen content, CIE $L^*$ and $a^*$, drip and cooking loss, sarcomere length and Warner-Bratzler shear force, were all significantly (p<0.05) different among these muscles. Due to such diversities among these 8 muscles, lack of correlations were found between fiber type composition and meat quality traits. These results suggest that correlation for each individual muscle should be used to improve meat quality and profitability of retail beef cuts.

• The Korean Journal of Applied Statistics
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.529-538
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• 2018

Tuberculosis causes high morbidity and mortality. However, Korea still has the highest tuberculosis (TB) incidence and mortality among OECD countries despite decreasing incidence and mortality due to the development of modern medicine. Korea has now implemented various policy projects to prevent and control tuberculosis. This study analyzes the effects of public-private mix (PPM) tuberculosis control program on treatment outcomes and identifies the factors that affecting the success of TB treatment. We analyzed 130,000 new tuberculosis patient cohort from 2012 to 2015 using data of tuberculosis patient reports managed by the Disease Control Headquarters. A cumulative incidence function (CIF) compared the cumulative treatment success rates for each factor. We compared the results of the analysis using two popular types of competition risk models (cause-specific Cox's proportional hazards model and subdistribution hazard model) that account for the main event of interest (treatment success) and competing events (death).

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.99-110
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• 2016

Introduction Jaundice is one of the most common conditions found in neonatal period. Phototherapy is one of the main treatments for neonatal jaundice. However, several adverse effects of the phototherapy have been reported, including DNA damage recently. Therefore, a variety of treatments have been conducted to shorten the duration of phototherapy. Meanwhile, it has been hardly tried to prevent neonatal jaundice, but diverse approaches have been tried in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for many years. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the studies for the treatments to prevent neonatal jaundice based on TCM. Materials and Methods Various literatures have been searched via CNKI, and PubMed using the terms "neonatal jaundice" (新生儿黄疸, 胎黃, 胎疸) in category of 'Traditional Chinese Medicine', 'Traditional Chinese Medicinal Herbs' and 'Combination of Traditional Chinese Medicine With Western Medicine'. The search range included randomized controlled trials (RCTs), controlled clinical trials (CCTs), case reports, reviews and animal experiments published from 2013 to 2015. Results A total of 104 studies were found. 93 articles were excluded by reviewing the titles and abstracts. Out of the remaining 11 studies, 9 articles were RCTs, 2 articles were CCTs. The treatment used in neonatal babies in the studies were, using herbal remedies (meditation 5, bath 3 and retention enema 1) and the acupressure. All treatments were initiated within the first 24-48 hours after their birth. Then, there was a study that the subjects taken the herbal medicine were women during pregnancy. The outcome assessments used were the serum total bilirubin (TB), transcutaneous bilirubin measurement (TCB), the incidence of the hyperbilirubinemia, the duration time of the jaundice. Especially, TB, TCB and the incidence of the hyperbilirubinemia have decreased significantly more than that of the control group in the most of the results. No severe adverse events were reported in all articles reviewed. Conclusions Conventional treatment such as, herbal medicine in TCM, seems to be the effective way to prevent neonatal jaundice or hyperbilirubinemia. Therefore, the conventional treatment may be favorable choice for preventive treatment for neonatal jaundice.

• Korean Journal of Optics and Photonics
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.201-206
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• 2009

In this study, we have fabricated a fiber-optic radiation sensor for detection of tritium using inorganic scintillators and optical fibers. We have tested various kinds of inorganic scintillators such as $Gd_2O_2S$ : Tb, $Y_3Al_5O_{12}$ : Ce, and CsI : Tl to select the most effective sensor tip. In addition, we have measured the scintillating lights using a photomultiplier tube as a function of distance between sensor tips to the source with the different activities of hydride tritium. The final results are compared with those which are obtained using a surface activity monitor.

• Annals of Laboratory Medicine
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.569-577
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• 2018

Background: The increasing prevalence of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) infection represents a global public health emergency. We evaluated the usefulness of a newly developed multiplexed, bead-based bioassay (Quantamatrix Multiplexed Assay Platform [QMAP], QuantaMatrix, Seoul, Korea) to rapidly identify the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) and detect rifampicin (RIF) and isoniazid (INH) resistance-associated mutations. Methods: A total of 200 clinical isolates from respiratory samples were used. Phenotypic anti-TB drug susceptibility testing (DST) results were compared with those of the QMAP system, reverse blot hybridization (REBA) MTB-MDR assay, and gene sequencing analysis. Results: Compared with the phenotypic DST results, the sensitivity and specificity of the QMAP system were 96.4% (106/110; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.9072-0.9888) and 80.0% (72/90; 95% CI 0.7052-0.8705), respectively, for RIF resistance and 75.0% (108/144; 95% CI 0.6731-0.8139) and 96.4% (54/56; 95% CI 0.8718-0.9972), respectively, for INH resistance. The agreement rates between the QMAP system and REBA MTB-MDR assay for RIF and INH resistance detection were 97.6% (121/124; 95% CI 0.9282-0.9949) and 99.1% (109/110; 95% CI 0.9453-1.0000), respectively. Comparison between the QMAP system and gene sequencing analysis showed an overall agreement of 100% for RIF resistance (110/110; 95% CI 0.9711-1.0000) and INH resistance (124/124; 95% CI 0.9743-1.0000). Conclusions: The QMAP system may serve as a useful screening method for identifying and accurately discriminating MTBC from non-tuberculous mycobacteria, as well as determining RIF- and INH-resistant MTB strains.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.16.1-16.19
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• 2023

Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine is the only licensed vaccine for tuberculosis (TB) prevention. Previously, our group demonstrated the vaccine potential of Rv0351 and Rv3628 against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection by directing Th1-biased CD4⁺ T cells co-expressing IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-2 in the lungs. Here, we assessed immunogenicity and vaccine potential of the combined Ags (Rv0351/Rv3628) formulated in different adjuvants as subunit booster in BCG-primed mice against hypervirulent clinical Mtb strain K (Mtb K). Compared to BCG-only or subunit-only vaccine, BCG prime and subunit boost regimen exhibited significantly enhanced Th1 response. Next, we evaluated the immunogenicity to the combined Ags when formulated with four different types of monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL)-based adjuvants: 1) dimethyldioctadecylammonium bromide (DDA), MPL, and trehalose dicorynomycolate (TDM) in liposome form (DMT), 2) MPL and Poly I:C in liposome form (MP), 3) MPL, Poly I:C, and QS21 in liposome form (MPQ), and 4) MPL and Poly I:C in squalene emulsion form (MPS). MPQ and MPS displayed greater adjuvancity in Th1 induction than DMT or MP did. Especially, BCG prime and subunit-MPS boost regimen significantly reduced the bacterial loads and pulmonary inflammation against Mtb K infection when compared to BCG-only vaccine at a chronic stage of TB disease. Collectively, our findings highlighted the importance of adjuvant components and formulation to induce the enhanced protection with an optimal Th1 response.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.219-227
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• 2023

The US National Science Foundation's National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) is a continental-scale program intended to provide open data, samples, and infrastructure to understand changing ecosystems for a period of 30 years. NEON collects co-located measurements of drivers of environmental change and biological responses, using standardized methods at 81 field sites to systematically sample variability and trends to enable inferences at regional to continental scales. Alongside key atmospheric and environmental variables, NEON measures the biodiversity of many taxa, including microbes, plants, and animals, and collects samples from these organisms for long-term archiving and research use. Here we review the composition and use of NEON resources to date as a whole and specific to biodiversity as an exemplar of the potential of national research infrastructure to contribute to globally relevant outcomes. Since NEON initiated full operations in 2019, NEON has produced, on average, 1.4 M records and over 32 TB of data per year across more than 180 data products, with 85 products that include taxonomic or other organismal information relevant to biodiversity science. NEON has also collected and curated more than 503,000 samples and specimens spanning all taxonomic domains of life, with up to 100,000 more to be added annually. Various metrics of use, including web portal visitation, data download and sample use requests, and scientific publications, reveal substantial interest from the global community in NEON. More than 47,000 unique IP addresses from around the world visit NEON's web portals each month, requesting on average 1.8 TB of data, and over 200 researchers have engaged in sample use requests from the NEON Biorepository. Through its many global partnerships, particularly with the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, NEON resources have been used in more than 900 scientific publications to date, with many using biodiversity data and samples. These outcomes demonstrate that the data and samples provided by NEON, situated in a broader network of national research infrastructures, are critical to scientists, conservation practitioners, and policy makers. They enable effective approaches to meeting global targets, such as those captured in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

• The Journal of the Korean Society for Microbiology
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.1-16
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• 1986

Fifty-one strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were isolated from various clinical specimens. Among them, 26 (51%) strains were gentamicin-resistant (Gm') and 25 (49%) were susceptible to gentamicin (Gm'). The frequencies of resistant strains to piperacillin (Pi), cefotaxime, moxalactam, cefoperazone (Cz), and amikacin (Ak) ranged from 21.6 to 31.4%, and $MIC_{50}$ of these drugs were lower than the critical concentrations of susceptibility and resistance. Thirty (58.8%) strains were multiply resistant to 12 or more drugs. All Gm' strains were multiply resistant to 12 or more drugs and one was resistant to all 18 drugs tested, while only four Gm' strains were multiply resistant to 12 drugs and the multiplicity of resistance of the other Gm' strains were less than 10 drugs. Resistance to Gm appeared to have a significant correlation with the resistance to tobramycin (Tb), Ak, Pi, and Cz. All Gm' strains were resistant to Tb and about 38.4 to 46.1% of them were resistant to Ak, Pi, and Cz. The incorporation of $Ca^{++}$ and $Mg^{++}$ ions in Mueller-Hinton agar (MHA) did not influence the MICs of Gm, Tb, carbenicillin (Cb), Pi, and Cz as compared with the results obtained in MHA without these ions. Gm strains were studied on the combined effect of beta-lactam antibiotics and aminoglycosides by the methods of checkerboard and modified paper strip diffusion. Most Gm' strains showed significant synergistic effects by the FIC index between Ak and three beta-lactam antibiotics; Cb, Pi, and Cz, but these results did not in agreement the results obtained through the method of modified paper strip diffusion test. In order to know the nature of the drug resistance of P. aernginosa, the plasmid profile analysis was studied. Agarose gel electrophoresis of lysates processed by the method of Kado and Liu showed one or more plasmids in 22 (43.1%) strains. A group of 19 strains showed at least one band of plasmid and three strains two bands. The range of the molecular weight of plasmids was 3.8 to 243 Mdal. All strains carrying large plasmids larger than 200 Mdal were isolated from wound specimens. Three Gm' strains also harboured the plasm ids of 13 to 203 Mdal.