• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.128-135
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• 2020

Objective: The objectives of this study are to report the number of humidifier disinfectant (HD) associated health problems, including HD associated lung injury (HDLI), by year. This data was analyzed by the type of HD and HD brand. Methods: A total of 530 patients registered with the national program on HD through its third round were distributed based on the year when they developed their first health problem including HDLI (N=221). The distribution of health problems at diagnosis was clinically evaluated in order to examine the association between their lung injury and the use of HD. Results: The number of HD associated victims and HDLI patients was found to rise sharply from 2008 to 2011, with a peak in 2011. This trend was found not only for HD brands containing polyhexamethylene guanidine phosphate (PHMG), but also chloromethylisothiazolinone/methylisothiazolinone (CMIT/MIT). The number of patients who responded as developing health problems in the specific year was 35 for 2008, 51 for 2009, 108 for 2010 and 182 for 2011. Other types of HD brands and HD chemicals did not follow the trend of abrupt increase in HD associated patients since 2008. Conclusion: This study found the number of HD associated victims and HDLI patients who used HD brands containing PHMG sharply increased starting in 2008. A significant change in the process of manufacturing PHMG can be suspected with the abrupt rise in HD associated patients in specific years.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.230-237
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• 2017

Changes in the activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) isoenzymes and isoforms in human serum have a major diagnostic value, therefore the regulation of ALP activities is a valuable target for therapeutic interventions. To assess the pharmacological activity of retinoids, i.e., all-trans retinoic acid and 13-cis retinoic acid, their tissue-specific inhibitory effect on human serum ALP activity was elucidated by chemical inhibition methods, heat-sensitive inactivation, and wheat-germ lectin precipitation test. Retinoids showed significant inhibition of the total ALP activity in human serum at a concentration of 5 mM. All-trans retinoic acid (5 mM) and 13-cis retinoic acid (5 mM) inhibited ALP activities by up to 12% and 15%, respectively, compared to that by guanidine hydrochloride (200 mM). L-phenylalanine (100 mM) and urea (30 mM) had no further inhibitory effect on ALP activities in human serum pretreated with retinoids (5 mM). Retinoids significantly inhibited ALP activities by up to 20% compared with that of tetramisole (30 mM). The ALP activities in retinoid-pretreated serum remained unchanged after the heat inactivation process. These results suggest that retinoids are inhibitors of the intestinal ALP isoenzyme. Remarkably, retinoids revealed potent inhibitory activities against ALP in wheat-germ lectin precipitant serum, indicating that they also function as inhibitors of the bone ALP isoform. The results show that retinoids inhibit the specific tissue-derived human serum ALP activities, moreover, the inhibitory effect of retinoids against bone ALP activity suggests their clinical utility as monitoring and prevention of metastasis of bone cancer.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.19-26
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• 1996

A phospholipase C (PLC) inhibitor (MT267-2B) was isolated from the culture broth of actinomycetes isolate MT2617-2 by the extraction with n-butanol and column chromatographic techniques. The molecular weight of the inhibitor was 1057, by the spectroscopic analyses of IR, $^{13}C$-and $^{1}H$-NMR and ESI-MS. The chemical structure of MT2617-2B was found to be a macrolide compound consisted of a hemiketal ring, polyhydroxyl and polymethyl groups, which had a malonate and guanidine group as its side chain. MT2617-2B produced its two isomers having the same molecular weight by standing in methanol solution at room temperature. Therefore, MT2617-2B was identified as copiamycin and niphithricin A, macrolide antibiotics. The values of $IC_{50}$ against PLC-${\gamma}$1 and PLC-${\beta}$1 were 25 and 50${\mu}$g/ml, respectively. MT2617-2B had antimicrobial activities against Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans, but not against Escherichia coli.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.224-230
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• 1989

For the production of catechol from benzene, bacteria capable of assimilating benzene as a sole carbon and energy source were isolated from soils. Among them, newly isolated strain, KY-114 hay-ing the best ability of producing catechol from benzene was selected and a mutant Pseudomonas sp. HW-103 was developed from Pseudomonas sp. KY-114 by using mutagenesis induced by N-methyl - N'- nitro - N -nitrobo guanidine. The catechol reduction from benzone by Pseudomonas sp. HW-103 was investigated under various conditions. The highest catechol concentration (0.61 g/$\ell$) was obtained in the growth medium (pH 6.5) containing 1% sodium citrate, 0.75% (NH$_4$)$_2$SO$_4$, 0.15% benzene and other minerals at 3$0^{\circ}C$ after incubating of 15hrs. In the catechol production through the reaction with resting rolls, 2.5 g/1 of catechol was produced from 4 g/$\ell$ of benzene after incubation of 10 hrs under the optium conditions, which correponds to 45% of theoretical catechol yield.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Inherited Metabolic disease
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.88-98
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• 2011

Lesch-Nyhan syndrome is a X-linked recessive disorder caused by a deficiency of the enzyme hypoxanthine-guanidine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT), enzyme to recycle purines. Case history: born induced vaginal delivery at 40 weeks complicated by premature membrane ruputure, body weight 2.820 gm. He showed failure to thrive showing severe protein aversion like milk products and pink daper. Developmental delay revealing rolling over at 10.5 month, followed by regression. Seizure at 2 months, His poor oral feeding was lifelong problem. Weak crying, spastic, choreoathetoid movement. Self mutilating behavior noted and diagnosed at age 3 years. No family history of consanguinity and neurological disorders. Method: Laboratory test, physical exam, imaging study and molecular. Clinical follow up Treat ment with allopurinol. Result: uric acid 10.5 mg/dL (N 3.5-7.9), APRT 151.1uM/ min/ml pro(25.7-101), HPRT 7.6 (N 233.5-701) and c.151C>T hemizygote (p,Arg51X). Abdominal sonogram showed staghorn calculi in both kidneys, brain MRI brain atrophy. Clinical follow up showed, seizure at 2 mo, developmental delay (head control and, rolling over at at 11mo, pointing body part at 2 yr 7 mo, eye hand coordination at 2 y 11mo,creeping at 3 y 7 mo, speaking words at 6 y 6 mo ),and developmental regression at 3 yr of age. Sleeping problem including insomnia and severe constipation. Self mutilating behavior (lip bite) started at 2.5 yr, neurologic sx including intermittent upward gaze accompanied by swallowing difficulty at 3 y 7 mo grand mal seizure at 4.5 yr and spastic extremity and trunchal hypotonia and choleoathetoid movement and ataxia at 6.5 yr. Scoliosis with severe spasticity at 9 yr 9 mo. Acute life threatening episode with irregular breathing at 9 yr and 9 mo, Emaciation and nephrolithiasis and recurrent pneumonia. Died suddenly at 10 yr 3 mo. Conclusion: life long feeding problem, chronic gut motility dysfunction, sleeping difficulty and progressing neurologic deterioration and nephrolithiasis despite normal serum uric acid maintence by allopurinol treatment.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.186-192
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• 2004

Purpose: Human tooth proteins are highly heterogeneous, comprising diverse proteins derived from a number of genes. The attempts to identify protein for activity of tooth matrix proteins have been defied by several factors. First, the amount of proteins within teeth is very small relative to many extracellular matrix proteins of other tissues. Second, the bioassay system is tedious and needed for long time. Therefore we tried to find easy techniques, which increase the product rate, and an assay of small proteins, with which amino acid sequence is possible without additional procedures. Materials and Methods: Total protein were extracted from 300 g enamel removed teeth and 600 g teeth with 4 mol/L guanidine HCl and purified by gel chromatography. Aliquot of proteins was implanted into muscle pouches in Sprague-Dawley rats for bioassay. By SDS-PAGE and membrane blotting, molecular weight of each protein was estimated and a partial amino acid sequence was obtained. Each fraction blotted on the membrane was cut out and inserted in rat ectopic model. Results: In dissociative method, total tooth proteins were obtained 1mg/ml from enamel removed teeth and 3.5 mg/ml from teeth. In SDS-PAGE, four clear bands at the sites corresponding to 66, 40, 20 and 18 kD. Especially The 66 kD band was clearly exhibited. Amino acid sequencing from tooth could be possible using PVDF membrane blotting technique. In amino acid sequencing, 66 kD protein was identified as albumin. Conclusion: Compared with conventional method for extraction of teeth protein and bioassay of proteins, the methods in this study were easy, time-saving and more productive technique. The matured tooth proteins omitting additional procedure of mechanical removal of enamel were simply analyzed using blotted PVDF membrane. This method seems to make a contribution as a technique for bioassay and amino acid sequencing of protein.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.81-92
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• 2016

1,3-Diphenylguanidine (DPG) is commonly used as a secondary accelerator which not only acts as booster of cure but also activating silanization reaction. The aim of this study is to increase the interaction between silica and rubber by using DPG. In this study, mixing was proceeded in two steps. The T-1 compound is mixed DPG with silica and silane coupling agent in the kneader at high temperature which is named as $1^{st}$ mixing step. T-3 compound is mixed DPG with curatives in the two-roll mill at low temperature which is named as $2^{nd}$ mixing step. The T-2 compound is mixed a half of DPG in $1^{st}$ mixing step and the remainder is mixed in $2^{nd}$ mixing step. Total DPG content was equal for all compounds. When DPG is mixed with silica, silane coupling agent during the $1^{st}$ mixing step, a decrease in cure rate and an increase in scorch time can be seen. This indicates that DPG is adsorbed on the surface of silica. during rubber processing. However, bound rubber content is increased and dynamic properties are improved. These results are due to the highly accelerated silanization reaction. However, there are no significant difference in 100%, 300% modulus.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.6 no.6
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• pp.474-481
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• 1996

Since the commercially available rabbit anti-cyclin D3, generated from c-terminal 16 amino acid residues which are common to human and murine cyclin D3, is highly cross-reactive with many other cellular proteins of mouse, a new rabbit polyclonal anti-cyclin D3 has been raised by using murine cyclin D3 protein expressed at a high level in Escherichia coli as the immunogen. To express murine cyclin D3 protein in E. coli, the cyclin D3 cDNA fragment encoding c-terminal 236 amino acid residues obtained by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was inserted into the NcoI/BamHI site of protein expression vector, pET 3d. Molecular mass of the cyclin D3 overexpressed in the presence of IPTG (Isopropyl $\beta$-D-thiogalactopyranoside) was approximately 26 kDa as calculated from the reading frame on the DNA sequence, and the protein was insoluble and mainly localized in the inclusion bodies that could be easily purified from the other cellular soluble proteins. When renaturation was performed following denaturation of the insoluble cyclin D3 protein in the inclusion bodies using guanidine hydrochloride, 4.4 mg of soluble form of cyclin D3 protein was produced from the transformant cultured in 100ml of LB media under the optimum conditions. Four-hundred micrograms of the soluble form of cyclin D3 protein was used for each immunization of a rabbit. When the antiserum obtained 2 weeks after tertiary immunization was applied to Western blot analysis, it was able to detect 33 kDa cyclin D3 protein in both murine lymphoma cell line BW5147.G.1.4 and human Jurkat T cells at 3,000-fold dilution with higher specificity to murine cyclin D3, demonstrating that the new rabbit polyclonal anti-murine cyclin D3 generated against c-terminal 236 amino acid residues more specifically recognizes murine cyclin D3 protein than does the commercially available rabbit polyclonal antibody raised against c-terminal 16 amino acids residues.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.7
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• pp.969-978
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• 2014

The aprE2 gene with its prosequence from Bacillus subtilis CH3-5 was overexpressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) by using plasmid pET26b(+). After IPTG induction, active and mature AprE2 was produced when cells were grown at $20^{\circ}C$, whereas inactive and insoluble enzyme was produced in a large amount when cells were grown at $37^{\circ}C$. The insoluble fraction was resuspended with 6 M guanidine-HCl and dialyzed against 2 M Tris-HCl (pH 7.0) or 0.5 M sodium acetate (pH 7.0) buffer. Then active AprE2 was regenerated and purified by a Ni-NTA column. Purified AprE2 from the soluble fraction had a specific activity of $1,069.4{\pm}42.4U/mg$ protein, higher than that from the renatured insoluble fraction. However, more active AprE2 was obtained by renaturation of the insoluble fraction. AprE2 was most stable at pH 7 and $40^{\circ}C$, respectively. The fibrinolytic activity of AprE2 was inhibited by PMSF, but not by EDTA and metal ions. AprE2 degraded $A{\alpha}$ and $B{\beta}$ chains of fibrinogen quickly, but not the ${\gamma}$-chain. AprE2 exhibited the highest specificity for N-succinyl-Ala-Ala-Pro-Phe-pNA. The $K_m$ and $k_{cat}/K_m$ of AprE2 was 0.56 mM and $3.10{\times}10^4S^{-1}M^{-1}$, respectively.

• BMB Reports
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.143-154
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• 2002

The structural and functional aspects of ervatamin B were studied in solution. Ervatamin B belongs to the $\alpha+\beta$ class of proteins. The intrinsic fluorescence emission maximum of the enzyme was at 350 nm under neutral conditions, and at 355 nm under denaturing conditions. Between pH 1.0-2.5 the enzyme exists in a partially unfolded state with minimum or no tertiary structure, and no proteolytic activity. At still lower pH, the enzyme regains substantial secondary structure, which is predominantly $\beta$-sheet conformation and shows a strong binding to 8-anilino-1-napthalene-sulfonic acid (ANS). In the presence of salt, the enzyme attains a similar state directly from the native state. Under neutral conditions, the enzyme was stable in urea, while the guanidine hydrochloride (GuHCl) induced equilibrium unfolding was cooperative. The GuHCl induced unfolding transition curves at pH 3.0 and 4.0 were non-coincidental, indicating the presence of intermediates in the unfolding pathway. This was substantiated by strong ANS binding that was observed at low concentrations of GuHCl at both pH 3.0 and 4.0. The urea induced transition curves at pH 3.0 were, however, coincidental, but non-cooperative. This indicates that the different structural units of the enzyme unfold in steps through intermediates. This observation is further supported by two emission maxima in ANS binding assay during urea denaturation. Hence, denaturant induced equilibrium unfolding pathway of ervatamin B, which differs from the acid induced unfolding pathway, is not a simple two-state transition but involves intermediates which probably accumulate at different stages of protein folding and hence adds a new dimension to the unfolding pathway of plant proteases of the papain superfamily.