• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.9
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• pp.1377-1383
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• 2006

Among 46 Acinetobacter baumannii isolates collected in 2004, two imipenem-resistant isolates were obtained from clinical specimens taken from patients hospitalized in Busan, Republic of Korea. Two carbapenemase-producing isolates were further investigated to determine the mechanism of resistance. These isolates were analyzed by antibiotic susceptibility testing, microbiological tests of carbapenemase activity, determination of pI, transconjugation test, enterobacterial repetitive consensus (ERIC)-PCR, and DNA sequencing. Two cases of infection by A. baumannii producing the IMP-1 ${\beta}$-lactamase were detected. The isolates were characterized by a modified cloverleaf synergy test and EDTA-disk synergy test. Isoelectric focusing of crude bacterial extracts revealed nitrocefin-positive bands with a pI value of 9.0. PCR amplification and characterization of the amplicons by direct sequencing indicated that the isolates carried a $bla_{IMP-l}$ determinant. The isolates were characterized by a multidrug resistance phenotype, including penicillins, extended-spectrum cephalosporins, carbapenems, and aminoglycosides. These results indicate that the observed imipenem resistance of two Korean A. baumannii isolates was due to the spread of an IMP-1-producing clone. Our microbiological test of carbapenemase activity is simple to screen class B metallo-${\beta}$-lactamase-producing clinical isolates to determine their clinical impact and to prevent further spread. This study shows that the $bla_{IMP-l}$ resistance determinant, which is emerging in Korea, may become an emerging therapeutic problem, since clinicians are advised not to use extended-spectrum cephalosporins, imipenem, and aminoglycosides. This observation emphasizes the importance of having effective control measures in Asian hospitals, such as early detection of colonized patients, isolation procedures, and a judicious use of antibiotics.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.140-145
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• 2005

Quantitative Structure Activity Relationship (QSAR) assumes the relatedness between physical property and biological activity. However, activity data measured at single concentration such as percent activity have not been used extensively for modeling purpose. This probably comes from the fact that these values are qualitative instead of quantitative. To utilize percent activity data for molecular modeling, we classified the whole data into two classes. One class represents the active while the other signifies the inactive. The percent activity data of ${\beta}$-Ketoacetoanilides measured for TLB (Tomato Late Blight) were investigated. CoMFA (Comparative Molecular Field Analysis) was used as a discriminant function. Using CoMFA provides 3D (three dimensional) information, which is crucial for chemical insight. It can also serve as a predictive model. The resultant model classified the given data correctly (98%). When LOO (leave-one-out) crossvalidation procedure was applied, the classification accuracy was 69%. Therefore two class approximation of percent activity data with CoMFA can be utilized to understand the relationship between chemical structure and biological activity and design subsequent chemical analogs.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.375-382
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• 2015

We discovered three soil ciliates of the class Colpodea-Colpoda henneguyi Fabre-Domergue, 1889; C. lucida Greeff, 1888; and Bursaria truncatella $M{\ddot{u}}ller$, 1773 from Obong-ri, Ayajin-ri and Elwang-ri (Korea), respectively. Colpoda henneguyi had the following features: often wider preorally than postorally, size in vivo $60-80{\mu}m{\times}50-70{\mu}m$; extrusomes indistinct in vivo, cylindroid approximately $1{\mu}m$ long; notches caused by deep diagonal groove; yellowish globules on the cortex of the cell; 10-12 postoral kineties; silverline system aspera-type. Colpoda lucida exhibited the following features: broadly reniform, size in vivo $70-90{\mu}m{\times}50-70{\mu}m$; conspicuous extrusomes, $3.5-5{\mu}m$ long in vivo, cylindroid to fusiform; 13-16 postoral kineties; silverline system cucullus-type. Bursaria truncatella had the following features: bursiform, size in vivo $300-470{\mu}m{\times}120-260{\mu}m$; macronucleus coiled with highly variable shapes, $600-1100{\mu}m{\times}30-40{\mu}m$ long in vivo; micronuclei 16-25 in number, approximately $4{\mu}m$ in diameter; extrusomes cylindroid, $3-4{\mu}m$ long in vivo. This is the first report of colpodean ciliates from Korea, and we describe these species based on observations of live and impregnated (protargol and silver nitrate impregnation) specimens.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.205-215
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• 2004

In the early host defense system, effector function of natural killer (NK) cells results in natural killing against target cells such as microbe-infected, malignant, and certain allogenic cells without prior stimulation. NK cell cytotoxicity is selectively regulated by homeostatic prevalence between a repertoire of both activating and inhibitory receptors, and the discrimination of untransformed cells is achieved by recognition of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I alleles through inhibitory signals. Although it is well known that the bipotential T/NK progenitors are derived from the common precusor, functional mechanisms in terms of the development of NK cells remain to be further investigated. NK cells are mainly involved in innate immunity, but recent studies have been reported that they also play a critical role in adaptive immune responses through interaction with dendritic cells (DC). This interaction will provide effector functions and development of NK cells, and elucidation of its precise mechanism may lead to therapeutic strategies for effective treatment of several immune diseases.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.468-474
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to examine the elementary pre-service teachers' interest in biological topics and activities. The instrument to survey the interest of them consists of 8 domains containing 27 topic items and 7 domains containing 12 activity items(three-point from 0 to 2 Likert scale). Data were collected from 108 pre-service teachers. The interest level in the topics was high, but the interest level in the activities was average. There was not different between interest levels of females and males in both topic and activity components (p > .05). Among the topics, the 'genetics' domain correlated strongly with the domains of 'nutrition and digestion', 'circulation', 'respiration' and 'nervous system', and the 'respiration' domain correlated with the 'circulation' domain(r >.450, p<.01). The correlation between the domains of 'out-of class experience activity' and 'visual information activity', and 'experimental performance following procedure' and 'discussing and debating'(r >.450, p<.01). This results suggested that the educational contents including learning materials and experiential activities be developed to activate the interest of elementary pre-service teachers in biology.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.22-26
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• 2016

Five bacterial strains designated DY37, BS333, JJ521, BM1, and DG13-2 were assigned to the genus Deinococcus were isolated from forest soil samples collected from Deogyusan, Busan, Changwon, and Seoul of South Korea. The isolates were Gram-staining negative or positive, and pale pink- or red-pigmented, short-rod shaped. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed that strains DY37, BS333, JJ521, BM1, and DG13-2 were most closely related to Deinococcus aquatilis CCM $7524^T$ (with 99.0% similarity), D. ficus CC-FR2-$10^T$ (100.0%), D. grandis KS $0485^T$ (99.2%), D. roseus TDMA-$uv51^T$ (98.9%), and D. yunweiensis $YIM007^T$(100.0%), respectively. These 5 species have never been proposed in Korea; therefore 5 species of 1 genera in the family Deinococcaceae in the order Deinococcales within the class Deinococci are reported for proteobacterial species found in Korea.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.104-112
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• 2012

Silica is one of the most abundant compounds found in nature. Immoderate exposure to crystalline silica has been linked to pulmonary disease and crystalline silica has been classified as a Group I carcinogen. Ultrafine (diameter <100 nm) silica particles may have different toxicological properties compared to larger particles. We evaluated the effect of ultrafine silica nanoparticles on mouse bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDC) and murine dendritic cell line, DC2.4. The exposure of dendritic cells (DCs) to ultrafine silica nanoparticles showed a decrease in cell viability and an induction of cell death in size- and concentration-dependent manners. In addition, in order to examine the phenotypic changes of DCs following co-culture with silica nanoparticles, we added each sized-silica nanoparticle along with GM-CSF and IL-4 during and after DC differentiation. Expression of CD11c, a typical DC marker, and multiple surface molecules such as CD54, CD80, CD86, MHC class II, was changed by silica nanoparticles in a size-dependent manner. We also found that silica nanoparticles affect inflammatory response in DCs in vitro and in vivo. Finally, we found that p38 and NF-${\kappa}B$ activation may be critical for the inflammatory response by silica nanoparticles. Our data demonstrate that ultrafine silica nanoparticles have cytotoxic effects on dendritic cells and immune modulation effects in vitro and in vivo.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.325-331
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• 2010

In this study, we have evaluated the physical characteristics of neonate, female, and male Mongolian racerunners (Eremias argus) and determined the age structure of a population of the species in a field located in Taean-gun, Chungnam, South Korea. The physical parameters of females and males, including snout-vent length (SVL), head length, head width, and body mass were found to be significantly interrelated. Male Mongolian racerunners exhibited significantly longer heads than the females, but other physical parameters, such as SVL, head width, and body mass did not differ between the female and male specimens. In the study population, the females ranged in age from two to eleven years old and the males ranged between two to eight years of age. The number of females and males, when separated into different age classes, did not differ within each age class. Male Mongolian racerunners evidenced greater SVL growth coefficients than the females, but asymptotic SVL did not differ between the females and males.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.116-121
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• 2016

Objectives Experience of early childhood abuse elevates the risk of developing schizophrenia in later period of life, incidence of psychiatric comorbidity, symptomatic severity and complexity. In this context, we hypothesized that the pattern of psychotropic medication used would reflect this; those with childhood trauma will received more types and higher doses of psychotropic medication. Methods From our database of 102 outpatients diagnosed with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) schizophrenia, we analyzed experiences of childhood trauma measured by the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form and types and dose of prescribed psychotropic medication. Results We found significant positive correlations between child sexual abuse and the number of psychotropic medications (p = 0.029) and between child emotional neglect and the number of psychotropic medications other than antipsychotics (p = 0.045). Conclusions This preliminary study suggests that the pattern of psychotropic use may be affected by types of childhood trauma. Further studies will have to shed light on mediating factors such as symptoms or comorbid conditions that lead to prescription of certain psychotropic class.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.179-184
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• 2014

Xenobiotics causing a variety of toxicity in biological systems could be classified as two types, inorganic and organic chemicals. It is estimated that the organic xenobiotics are responsible for approximately 80~90% of chemical-induced toxicity in human population. In the class for toxicology, we have encountered some difficulties in explaining the mechanisms of toxicity caused especially by organic chemicals. Here, a simple flowchart was introduced for explaining the mechanism of toxicity caused by organic xenobiotics, as the central dogma of molecular biology. This flowchart, referred to as a central dogma, was described based on a view of various aspects as follows: direct-acting chemicals vs. indirect-acting chemicals, cytochrome P450-dependent vs. cytochrome P450-independent biotransformation, reactive intermediates, reactivation, toxicokinetics vs. toxicodynamics, and reversibility vs. irreversibility. Thus, the primary objective of this flowchart is to help better understanding of the organic xenobiotics-induced toxic mechanisms, providing a major pathway for toxicity occurring in biological systems.