• Atmosphere
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.223-233
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• 2022

Recent studies have shown that Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) is modulated by Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO) during the boreal winter; MJO becomes more active and predictable during the easterly phase of QBO (EQBO) than the westerly phase (WQBO). Despite growing evidences, climate models fail to capture the QBO-MJO connection. One of the possible reasons is a weak static stability change in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) by neglecting QBO-induced ozone change in the model. Here, we investigate the possible impact of the ozone-radiative feedback in the tropical UTLS on the QBO-MJO connection by integrating the Global Seasonal Forecasting System 5 (GloSea5) model. A set of experiments is conducted by prescribing either the climatological ozone or the observed ozone at a given year for the EQBO-MJO event in January 2006. The realistic ozone improves the temperature simulation in the UTLS. However, its impacts on the MJO are not evident. The MJO phase and amplitude do not change much when the ozone is prescribed with observation. While it may suggest that the ozone-radiative feedback plays a rather minor role in the QBO-MJO connection, it could also result from model biases in UTLS temperature and not-well organized MJO in the model.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.12
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• pp.1975-1983
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• 2008

The neuropeptide ${\alpha}$-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (${\alpha}$-MSH) has anti-inflammatory property by down regulating the expressions of proinflammatory cytokines. Because ${\alpha}$-MSH elicits the anti-inflammatory effect in various inflammatory disease models, we examined the therapeutic effect of oral administration of recombinant Lactobacillus casei, which secretes ${\alpha}$-MSH (L. casei-${\alpha}$-MSH), on dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis in Balb/c mice. Thus, we constructed the ${\alpha}$-MSH-secreting Lactobacillus casei by the basic plasmid, pLUAT-ss, which was composed of a PldhUTLS promoter and ${\alpha}$-amylase signal sequence from Streptococcus bovis strain. Acute colitis was induced by oral administration of 5% DSS in drinking water for 7 days. To investigate the effect of L. casei-${\alpha}$-MSH on the colitis, L. casei or L. casei-${\alpha}$-MSH was orally administered for 7 days and their effects on body weight, mortality rate, cytokine production, and tissue myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity were observed. Administration of L. casei-${\alpha}$-MSH reduced the symptom of acute colitis as assessed by body weight loss (DSS alone: $14.45{\pm}0.2\;g$; L. casei-${\alpha}$-MSH: $18.2{\pm}0.12\;g$), colitis score (DSS alone: $3.6{\pm}0.4$; L. casei-${\alpha}$-MSH: $1.4{\pm}0.6$), MPO activity (DSS alone: $42.7{\pm}4.5\;U/g$; L. casei-${\alpha}$-MSH: $10.25{\pm}0.5\;U/g$), survival rate, and histological damage compared with the DSS alone mice. L. casei-${\alpha}$-MSH-administered entire colon showed reduced in vitro production of proinflammatory cytokines and $NF-{\kappa}B$ activation. The ${\alpha}$-MSH-secreting recombinant L. casei showed significant anti-inflammatory effects in the murine model of acute colitis and suggests a potential therapeutic role for this agent in clinical inflammatory bowel diseases.