• Journal of Photoscience
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• 제9권2호
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• pp.186-189
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• 2002

Many of the adverse effects of solar UV exposure appear to be directly attributable to damage to epidermal DNA. In particular, cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD) may initiate mutagenic changes as well as induce signal transduction responses that lead to a loss of skin immune surveillance and micro-destruction of skin structure. Our approach is to reverse the DNA damage using prokaryotic DNA repair enzymes delivered into skin using specially engineered liposomes. T4 endonuclease V encapsulated in liposomes (T4N5 liposome lotion) enhanced DNA repair by shifting repair of CPD from the nucleotide excision to the base excision repair pathway. Following topical application to humans, increased repair limited UV-induction of cytokines, many of which are immunosuppressive. In a recent clinical study, topical treatment of UV-irradiated human skin with T4N5 liposome lotion reduced the suppression of the nickel sulfate contact hypersensitivity response. Similarly, the photoreactivating enzyme enhances repair by directly reversing CPDs after absorbing activating light. Here also treatment of UV-irradiated human skin with photoreactivating enzyme in liposomes and photoreactivating light restored the response to the contact allergen nickel sulfate. These findings confirm in humans the observation in mice that UV induced suppression of contact hypersensitivity is caused in part by CPDs. We have tested the ability of T4N5 liposome lotion to prevent UV-induced skin cancer in patients with xeroderma pigmentosum (XP), who have an elevated incidence of skin cancer resulting from a genetic defect in DNA repair. Daily use of the lotion for one year in a group of 20 XP patients reduced the average number of actinic keratoses by 68% and basal cell cancers by 30% compared to 9 patients in the placebo control group. Delivery of DNA repair enzymes to skin is a promising new approach to photoprotection.

• Animal Bioscience
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• 제36권7호
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• pp.1067-1074
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• 2023

Objective: Better feed efficiency can be achieved by selecting rabbit genotypes with lower residual feed intake (RFI) under high ambient temperatures. Methods: Two genotypes of rabbits (Jabali, Saudi local breed and imported, Spanish V-line) were used to derive RFI and to investigate the relationship between RFI and productive traits. In total, 250 animals (125 each) were housed in individual wire mesh cages in a semi-closed rabbitry. Growth performance, feed criteria, carcass evaluation, biochemical blood analysis, and immune responses were determined. Results: Superiority in growth performance, feed efficiency, carcass characteristics, and cellular immunity was recorded in the Jabali breed compared to the V-line genotype. According to regression analysis, a significant effect of daily body weight gain was found, upon computing the expected feed intake in both genotypes. Moreover, mid-body weight^0.75 had a significant effect only in the Jabali breed. Positive correlation coefficients between RFI and dry matter feed intake or feed conversion ratio were found. The same trend in this relationship between RFI and productive traits was observed in some cases for both genotypes. An opposite trend in correlations was observed in the studied genotypes for some traits. Conclusion: The results suggest that the relationship between RFI and productive traits must be taken into consideration in rabbit breeding programs under the prevailing environment. However, further studies are required to investigate the effect of rabbit genotype and environmental factors on computing RFI.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• 제24권5호
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• pp.54.1-54.13
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• 2023

Background: Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) vaccines do not provide full cross-protection, mainly due to the virus genetic variability. Despite this, vaccines based on modified-live PRRSV (PRRSV-MLV) reduce the disease impact. Objectives: To assess the efficacy of two commercial vaccines-one based on PRRSV1 (PRRSV1-MLV) and another on PRRSV2 (PRRSV2-MLV)-against a Japanese PRRSV2 field strain. Methods: Two groups of three-week-old piglets were vaccinated (G1: PRRSV1-MLV; G2: PRRSV2-MLV) and two were kept as non-vaccinated (INF and CTRL). One month later, G1, G2, and INF were challenged with a PRRSV2 field strain. Results: After the challenge, clinical signs were only observed in INF. Moreover, the highest rectal temperatures and values for the area under the curve (AUC) were observed in INF. Regarding viral detection, both AUC and the proportion of positive samples in blood were higher in INF. In G1, viremic animals never reached 100%. At necropsy (21 d after the challenge), differences for titers among groups were only found in tonsils (G1 < G2 and INF). One animal (belonging to G1) was negative in all tissues. Regarding humoral responses, G1 and G2 seroconverted after vaccination, as detected in the corresponding enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Specific neutralizing antibodies (NA) against PRRSV1-MLV were already detected at 14 d after vaccination in G1, showing a significant booster after the challenge, while PRRSV2-MLV NA were detected in G2 at the end of the experiment. Conclusions: Despite genetic differences, PRRSV1-MLV has been demonstrated to confer partial protection against a Japanese PRRSV2 strain, at least as good as PRRSV2-MLV.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제33권8호
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• pp.1057-1065
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• 2023

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a chronic inflammatory disease, results from dysregulation of the immune responses. Some lactic acid bacteria (LAB), including Lactobacillus, alleviate IBD through immunomodulation. In this study, the anti-colitis effect of LAB isolated from human breast milk was investigated in a mouse model induced acute colitis with 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS). TNBS remarkably increased weight loss, colon shortening, and colonic mucosal proliferation, as well as the expression levels of inflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin (IL)-1β. Oral administration of LAB isolated from human breast milk resulted in a reduction in TNBS-induced colon shortening, as well as induced cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB). In addition, LAB suppressed inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β, and thus showed an effect of suppressing the level of inflammation induced by TNBS. Furthermore, LAB alleviated gut microbiota dysbiosis, and inhibited intestinal permeability by increasing the expression of intestinal tight junction protein including ZO-1. Collectively, these results suggest that LAB isolated from human breast milk can be used as a functional food for colitis treatment by regulating NF-κB signaling, gut microbiota and increasing expression of intestinal tight junction protein.

• 한국동물위생학회지
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• 제46권4호
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• pp.263-268
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• 2023

Despite regular vaccinations, equine influenza virus (EIV) and Streptococcus equi subsp. equi (strangles) are the cause of highly contagious respiratory infections in horses. Many recent studies have reported that the concurrent administration of two vaccines could simplify horse management and minimize veterinary expenses. However, there is little information available regarding the efficacy of concurrent vaccinations against EIV and strangles. In this study, we evaluated EIV-specific antibody responses following the single EIV vaccination with the recombinant viral-vectored EIV vaccine or concurrent vaccination with the EIV and inactivated strangles vaccines. Blood samples were collected at 1-, 2-, 4-, and 8 weeks post-immunization (wpi) from each group. EIV-specific antibodies were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) assay. Both single and concurrent vaccination showed similar levels of EIV-specific serum immunoglobulin g (IgG) at 1 and 2 wpi. However, at 4 to 8 wpi, the EIV-only vaccination group showed significantly higher serum IgG levels than those from the concurrently vaccinated group. The HAI titers showed similar trends as the ELISA data, except at 8 wpi when both groups presented HAI titers with no significant differences. These data demonstrate that the concurrent vaccination against EIV and strangles could compromise the humoral immune response to equine influenza between vaccination intervals, which suggests the use of the consecutive vaccination protocol for EIV and strangles rather than concurrent vaccination.

• 한국수산과학회지
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• 제56권6호
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• pp.861-869
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• 2023

This study aimed to evaluate the effectivity of full-fat black soldier fly Hermetia illucens (BSF) and defatted mealworm Tenebrio molitor (MW) larvae meal as a fish meal (FM) substitute in a low-fish meal (LFM) diet for juvenile olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus. The LFM diet comprising 45% FM with tankage meal, poultry byproduct meal, soy protein concentrate and wheat gluten was the control diet. Three experimental diets were 10% FM in Con with BSF, MW and a mixture of both at the same ratio (designated as B10, M10 and B5M5, respectively). Four hundred and forty-fourth juvenile P. olivaceus (34.3±0.1 g) were randomly distributed into 12 tanks (425 L) in three replicate groups per treatment and fed the experimental diets for 15 weeks. At the end of the feeding trial, growth performance, survival, biological indices (condition factor, viscerosomatic index, hepatosomatic index), non-specific immune responses (lysozyme, myeloperoxidase) and intestinal histology (villi length and goblet cells) were not significantly affected by treatments. Feed utilization was significantly decreased in M10 compared to the control group. Alanine aminotransferase level was significantly higher in M10 than in the control group. Glucose level was significantly lower in B10 than in the control group. These results suggest that BSF and MW can be used as FM substitutes. However, considering feed conversion ratio and AST level, MW availability is thought to be lower than that of BSF, and feeding fish with a diet containing MW for an extended period is thought to adversely affect fish growth.

• 한국축산식품학회지
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• 제43권6호
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• pp.1111-1127
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• 2023

Health-promoting preparations of inanimate microorganisms or their components are postbiotics. Since probiotics are sensitive to heat and oxygen, postbiotics are stable during industrial processing and storage. Postbiotics boost poultry growth, feed efficiency, intestinal pathogen reduction, and health, making them acceptable drivers of sustainable poultry production. It contains many important biological properties, such as immunomodulatory, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory responses. Postbiotics revealed promising antioxidant effects due to higher concentrations of uronic acid and due to some enzyme's production of antioxidants, e.g., superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide oxidases and peroxidases. Postbiotics improve intestinal villi, increase lactic acid production, and reduce Enterobacteriaceae and fecal pH, all of which lead to a better immune reaction and health of the gut, as well as better growth performance. P13K/AKT as a potential target pathway for postbiotics-improved intestinal barrier functions. Similarly, postbiotics reduce yolk and plasma cholesterol levels in layers and improve egg quality. It was revealed that favorable outcomes were obtained with various inclusion levels at 1 kg and 0.5 kg. According to several studies, postbiotic compounds significantly increased poultry performance. This review article presents the most recent research investigating the beneficial results of postbiotics in poultry.

• 한국어병학회지
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• 제36권2호
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• pp.213-228
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• 2023

We evaluated the transcriptional response of interferon (IFN)-related genes in rock bream iridovirus (RBIV)-infected rock bream under high-, low-, or no-mortality conditions induced by different stocking water temperatures. Under the high susceptibility condition (group A, water temperature 26℃, 100% mortality), only the Mx gene was expressed early, with prolonged expression, and with heavy viral loads of approximately 10⁶~10⁷ major capsid protein gene copies/μL from 4 to 10 days post infection (dpi). However, IRF1, IRF3, IRF8, STAT1, ISG15, PKR, Viperin, GVIN1, IFI44, and ISG56 were activated at later time points (8 dpi) and then quickly decreased (10 dpi). For the low susceptibility condition, the water temperature was set at 23℃ for 7 days (group B) and then reduced to 17℃. Group B exhibited a 28% mortality rate, in which persistent and effective antiviral responses were observed for long periods of time. In particular, at 20 and 22 dpi, when virus replication was peaked at approximately 10⁷/μL, the expressions of most of the IFN-related genes (IRF1, IRF3, IRF8, Mx, STAT1, ISG15, PKR, Viperin, GVIN1, IFI44, and ISG56) were significantly higher in group B than in the control group. Moreover, prolonged and higher levels of IRF3 (at least 30 dpi), IRF8 (at least 30 dpi), ISG15 (at least 30 dpi), PKR (at least 28 dpi), Viperin (at least 30 dpi), and IFI44 (at least 30 dpi) were also observed in the recovery stage of infection. Under the no-susceptibility condition at 17℃ (0% mortality), significantly elevated levels of IRF3, Mx, ISG15, and PKR were observed mostly until 20 dpi. The findings indicate that RBIV infection can induce an efficient IFN-mediated antiviral immune response in low- and no-susceptibility conditions. The findings could be valuable for effective control of viral pathogens in fish.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• 제22권6호
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• pp.51.1-51.20
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• 2022

Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas disease, is an intracellular protozoan parasite, which is now present in most industrialized countries. About 40% of T. cruzi infected individuals will develop severe, incurable cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, or neurological disorders. The molecular mechanisms by which T. cruzi induces cardiopathogenesis remain to be determined. Previous studies showed that increased IL-6 expression in T. cruzi patients was associated with disease severity. IL-6 signaling was suggested to induce pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic responses, however, the role of this pathway during early infection remains to be elucidated. We reported that T. cruzi can dysregulate the expression of host PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) during early infection. Here, we aim to evaluate the dysregulation of IL-6 signaling and the piRNAs computationally predicted to target IL-6 molecules during early T. cruzi infection of primary human cardiac fibroblasts (PHCF). Using in silico analysis, we predict that piR_004506, piR_001356, and piR_017716 target IL6 and SOCS3 genes, respectively. We validated the piRNAs and target gene expression in T. cruzi challenged PHCF. Secreted IL-6, soluble gp-130, and sIL-6R in condition media were measured using a cytokine array and western blot analysis was used to measure pathway activation. We created a network of piRNAs, target genes, and genes within one degree of biological interaction. Our analysis revealed an inverse relationship between piRNA expression and the target transcripts during early infection, denoting the IL-6 pathway targeting piRNAs can be developed as potential therapeutics to mitigate T. cruzi cardiomyopathies.

• Clinical and Experimental Vaccine Research
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• 제12권2호
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• pp.107-115
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• 2023

Purpose: The present study aimed to study the immunogenicity of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine in patients with hematologic malignancies. Materials and Methods: This prospective cohort study of hematology patients aimed to evaluate their antibody levels against the receptor-binding domain of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 spike protein and seroconversion rates following two doses of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine. Between June and July 2021, we enrolled 61 patients and included 44 patients in our analysis. Antibody levels were assessed 8 and 4 weeks after the first and second injections, respectively, and compared with those of a healthy group. Results: Eight weeks after the first dose, the geometric mean antibody level was 1.02 binding antibody units (BAU)/mL in the patient group and 37.91 BAU/mL in the healthy volunteer group (p<0.01). Four weeks after the second dose, the geometric mean antibody level was 9.44 BAU/mL in patients and 641.6 BAU/mL in healthy volunteers (p<0.01). The seroconversion rates 8 weeks after the first dose were 27.27% and 98.86% in the patient and healthy volunteer groups, respectively (p<0.001). The seroconversion rate 4 weeks after the second dose was 47.73% in patients and 100% in healthy volunteers. Factors leading to lower seroconversion rates were rituximab therapy (p=0.002), steroid therapy (p<0.001), and ongoing chemotherapy (p=0.048). Factors that decreased antibody levels were hematologic cancer (p<0.001), ongoing chemotherapy (p=0.004), rituximab (p<0.001), steroid use (p<0.001), and absolute lymphocyte count <1,000/mm³ (p=0.009). Conclusion: Immune responses were impaired in individuals with hematologic malignancies, particularly patients undergoing ongoing therapy and B-cell-depleting therapy. Additional vaccinations should be considered for these patients, and further investigated.