• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.8
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• pp.792-802
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• 2009

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are considered to be a promising alternative to conventional antibiotics for future generations. We identified four novel hexapeptides with antimicrobial activity: KCM11 (TWWRWW-$NH_2$), KCM12 (KWRWlW-$NH_2$), KCM21 (KWWWRW-$NH_2$), and KRS22 (WRWFIH-$NH_2$), through positional scanning of a synthetic peptide combinatorial library (PS-SCL). The ability of these peptides to inhibit the growth of a variety of bacteria and unicellular fungi was evaluated. KCM11 and KRS22 preferentially inhibited the normal growth of fungal strains, whereas KCM12 and KCM21 were more active against bacterial strains. Bactericidal activity was addressed in a clear zone assay against phytopathogenic bacteria, including Pectobacterium spp., Xanthomonas spp., Pseudomonas spp., etc. KCM21 showed the highest activity and was effective against a wide range of target organisms. Application of KCM21 with inoculation of Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum on detached cabbage leaves resulted in an immune phenotype or a significant reduction in symptom development, depending on the peptide concentration. Cytotoxicity of the four hexapeptides was evaluated in mouse and human epithelial cell lines using an MTT test. The results revealed a lack of cytotoxic effects.

• KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
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• v.12 no.7
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• pp.3128-3149
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• 2018

A number of effective methods for multiple-attribute group decision making (MAGDM) with interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy numbers (IVIFNs) have been proposed in recent years. However, the different methods frequently yield different, even sometimes contradictory, results for the same problem. In this paper a novel criterion to determine the advantages and disadvantages of different methods is proposed. First, the decision-making process is divided into three parts: translation of experts' preferences, aggregation of experts' opinions, and comparison of the alternatives. Experts' preferences aggregation is considered the core step, and the quality of the collective matrix is considered the most important evaluation index for the aggregation methods. Then, methods to calculate the similarity measure, correlation, correlation coefficient, and energy of the intuitionistic fuzzy matrices are proposed, which are employed to evaluate the collective matrix. Thus, the optimal method can be selected by comparing the collective matrices when all the methods yield different results. Finally, a novel approach for aggregating experts' preferences with IVIFN is presented. In this approach, experts' preferences are mapped as points into two-dimensional planes, with the plant growth simulation algorithm (PGSA) being employed to calculate the optimal rally points, which are inversely mapped to IVIFNs to establish the collective matrix. In the study, four different methods are used to address one example problem to illustrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed approach.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.213-217
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• 2006

Although AIMP1 (previously known as p43) is one of three auxiliary proteins bound to a macromolecular aminoacyl tRNA complex, it is also secreted as a cytokine controlling both angiogenesis and immune responses. Here we show that systemically administered purified recombinant human AIMP1 had anti-tumor activity in mouse xenograft models. In Meth A-bearing Balb/c mice, tumor volume increased about 28 fold in the vehicle treatment group, while an increase of about 16.7 fold was observed in the AIMP1-treated group. We also evaluated the anti-tumor activity of AIMP1 in combination with a sub-clinical dose of the cytotoxic anti-tumor drug, paclitaxel. The growth of NUGC-3 human stomach cancer cells was suppressed by 84% and 94% by the combinations of 5 mg/kg paclitaxel + 25 mg/kg AIMP1 (p = 0.03), and 5 mg/kg paclitaxel + 50 mg/kg AIMP1 (p = 0.02), respectively, while 5 mg/kg paclitaxel alone suppressed growth by only 54% (p = 0.02). A similar cooperative effect of AIMP1 and paclitaxel was observed in a lung cancer xenograft model. These results suggest that AIMP1 may be useful as a novel anti-tumor agent.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.8
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• pp.1221-1229
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• 2019

Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a causative pathogen of tuberculosis (TB), still threatens human health worldwide. To find a novel drug to eradicate this pathogen, we tested taurine-5-bromosalicylaldehyde Schiff base (TBSSB) as an innovative anti-mycobacterial drug using Mycobacterium smegmatis as a surrogate model for M. tuberculosis. We investigated the antimicrobial activity of TBSSB against M. smegmatis by plotting growth curves, examined the effect of TBSSB on biofilm formation, observed morphological changes by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, and detected differentially expressed proteins using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis coupled with mass spectrometry. TBSSB inhibited mycobacterial growth and biofilm formation, altered cell ultrastructure and intracellular content, and inhibited cell division. Furthermore, M. smegmatis adapted itself to TBSSB inhibition by regulating the metabolic pathways and enzymatic activities of the identified proteins. NDMA-dependent methanol dehydrogenase, NAD(P)H nitroreductase, and amidohydrolase AmiB1 appear to be pivotal factors to regulate the M. smegmatis survival under TBSSB. Our dataset reinforced the idea that Schiff base-taurine compounds have the potential to be developed as novel anti-mycobacterial drugs.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.25-32
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• 2022

Plant pathogens pose major threats on agriculture and horticulture, causing significant economic loss worldwide. Due to the continuous and excessive use of synthetic pesticides, emergence of pesticide resistant pathogens has become more frequent. Thus, there is a growing needs for environmentally-friendly and selective antimicrobial agents with a novel mode of action, which may be used in combination with conventional pesticides to delay development of pesticide resistance. In this study, we evaluated the potentials of lichen substances as novel biopesticides against eight bacterial and twelve fungal plant pathogens that have historically caused significant phytopathological problems in South Korea. Eight lichen substances of diverse chemical origins were extracted from axenic culture or dried specimen, and further purified for comparative analysis of their antimicrobial properties. Usnic acid and vulpinic acid exhibited strong antibacterial activities against Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis. In addition, usnic acid and vulpinic acid were highly effective in the growth inhibition of fungal pathogens, such as Diaporthe eres, D. actinidiae, and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Intriguingly, the growth of Rhizoctonia solani was specifically inhibited by lecanoric acid, indicating that lichen substances exhibit some degrees of selectivity to plant pathogens. These results suggested that lichen substance can be used as a selective biopesticide for controlling plant disease of agricultural and horticultural significance, minimizing possible emergence of pesticide resistant pathogens in fields.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.29-56
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• 2024

In recent years, remarkable progress has been made in the molecular profiling of gastric cancer. This progress has led to the development of various molecular classifications to uncover subtype-specific dependencies that can be targeted for therapeutic interventions. Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is a crucial biomarker for advanced gastric cancer. The recent promising results of novel approaches, including combination therapies or newer potent agents such as antibody-drug conjugates, have once again brought attention to anti-HER2 targeted treatments. In HER2-negative diseases, the combination of cytotoxic chemotherapy and programmed cell death-1/programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-1/PD-L1) inhibitors has become the established standard of care in first-line settings. In the context of gastric cancer, potential biomarkers such as PD-L1 expression, Epstein-Barr virus, microsatellite instability, and tumor mutational burden are being considered for immunotherapy. Recently, promising results have been reported in studies on anti-Claudin18.2 and fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 treatments. Currently, many ongoing trials are aimed at identifying potential targets using novel approaches. Further investigations will be conducted to enhance the progress of these therapies, addressing challenges such as primary and acquired resistance, tumor heterogeneity, and clonal evolution. We believe that these efforts will improve patient prognoses. Herein, we discuss the current evidence of potential targets for systemic treatment, clinical considerations, and future perspectives.

• International Journal of Molecular Medicine
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.2409-2419
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• 2019

The use of finasteride for alleviating hair loss has been investigated, and it has been applied as an oral dose medication. However, due to the inconvenience of daily drug administration over long period of time, novel controllable finasteride delivery has been actively investigated. As a novel method of finasteride delivery, the development of finasteride-loaded microspheres for subcutaneous administration is becoming increasingly pharmaceutically important. Therefore, the present study aimed to use finasteride-loaded microspheres in a controlled manner in an attempt to overcome the limitations of the oral administration of finasteride and to cause fewer adverse effects. Finasteride-loaded microspheres containing poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) and finasteride at a ratio of 4:1 were prepared, and a testosterone-induced androgenic alopecia mouse model was used. Following observation for 10 weeks, the percentage hair growth was 86.7% (total hair growth 60%, partial hair growth 26.7%) in the orally-applied finasteride-treated group as a positive control, and 93.3% (total hair growth 60%, partial hair growth 33.3%) in the finasteride-loaded microspheres-treated group. Serum dihydrotestosterone levels began to decrease at week 6 in the orally-applied finasteride- and finasteride-loaded microsphere-treated groups. In addition, the finasteride-loaded microspheres-treated group exhibited similar follicular number, follicular length, anagen/telogen ratio and hair bulb diameter values to those of the orally-applied finasteride-treated group. Furthermore, the finasteride-loaded microspheres increased the activities of phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B and Wnt/β-catenin in relation to hair follicle cell growth signaling in mouse skin, and suppressed the apoptosis of hair follicle cells by reducing the expression of transforming growth factor-β2 and caspase-3, which are indicators of apoptosis. In conclusion, the administration of a single injection of finasteride-loaded microspheres was effective in treating testosterone-induced alopecia. Furthermore, it led to equivalent hair growth effects when compared with orally-applied finasteride, thus revealing the possibility of effective treatment via different routes of administration.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.11
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• pp.1928-1935
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• 2015

Microbial growth kinetics is often used to optimize environmental processes owing to its relation to the breakdown of substrate (contaminants). However, the quantification of bacterial populations in the environment is difficult owing to the challenges of monitoring a specific bacterial population within a diverse microbial community. Conventional methods are unable to detect and quantify the growth of individual strains separately in the mixed culture reactor. This work describes a novel quantitative PCR (qPCR)-based genomic approach to quantify each species in mixed culture and interpret its growth kinetics in the mixed system. Batch experiments were performed for both single and dual cultures of Pseudomonas putida and Escherichia coli K12 to obtain Monod kinetic parameters (μ_max and K_s). The growth curves and kinetics obtained by conventional methods (i.e., dry weight measurement and absorbance reading) were compared with that obtained by qPCR assay. We anticipate that the adoption of this qPCR-based genomic assay can contribute significantly to traditional microbial kinetics, modeling practice, and the operation of bioreactors, where handling of complex mixed cultures is required.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.107-126
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• 2014

The core of the neoclassical growth theory is the capital investment. Solow proposed that the diminishing return is key to such growth process in establishing the stability of the equilibrium growth path. This key postulation has critical implications on the sustainable and effective development policies, emphasizing the importance of productivity growth not only for the steady-state growth but also for the transitional growth from capital accumulation. This paper suggests a novel way to test the diminishing return, the backbone assumption of Solow model, and confirms its strong presence using the Penn World Tables version 8.0 data, hence validates Solow's implications on effective development policies.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2006

Some lead-based crystals show excellent ferroelectric, piezoelectric or scintillation properties and have attracted much attention in recent years. However, the erosion of the high temperature solution on platinum crucible and the evaporation of PbO component are the main problems often encountered during the crystal growth. In this paper, we reported recent progress on the Bridgman growth of lead-based functional crystals, such as novel relaxor ferroelectric crystals (PZNT and PMNT), scintillation crystals $(PbWO_4,\;PbF_2\;and\;PbClF)$ and piezoelectric crystals $(Pb_5Ge_3O_{11}\;and\;Pb_2KNb_5O_{15}),$ in Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The vertical Bridgman method has been modified to grow PZNT crystals from high temperature solution and as-grown crystals have been characterized. Large size lead-based scintillators, $PbWO_4\;and\;PbF_2$ crystals, have been mass-produced by the vertical Bridgman method in the multi-crucible fumace. These crystals have been supplied to CERN and other laboratories for high-energy physics experiments. The Bridgman growth of piezoelectric crystals $Pb_5Ge_3O_{11}\;and\;Pb_2KNb_5O_{15}$ are discussed also.