• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• 제9권2호
• /
• pp.149-158
• /
• 2018

Background: Work comfort studies have been extensively conducted, especially in the underground and meteorological fields resulting in an avalanche of recommendations for their evaluation. Nevertheless, no known or universally accepted model for comprehensively assessing the thermal work condition of the underground mine environment is currently available. Current literature presents several methods and techniques, but none of these can expansively assess the underground mine environment since most methods consider only one or a few defined factors and neglect others. Some are specifically formulated for the built and meteorological climates, thus making them unsuitable to accurately assess the climatic conditions in underground development and production workings. Methods: This paper presents a series of sensitivity analyses to assess the impact of environmental parameters and metabolic rate on the thermal comfort for underground mining applications. An approach was developed in the form of a "comfort model" which applied comfort parameters to extensively assess the climatic conditions in the deep, hot, and humid underground mines. Results: Simulation analysis predicted comfort limits in the form of required sweat rate and maximum skin wettedness. Tolerable worker exposure times to minimize thermal strain due to dehydration are predicted. Conclusion: The analysis determined the optimal air velocity for thermal comfort to be 1.5 m/s. The results also identified humidity to contribute more to deviations from thermal comfort than other comfort parameters. It is expected that this new approach will significantly help in managing heat stress issues in underground mines and thus improve productivity, safety, and health.

• 미생물학회지
• /
• 제36권4호
• /
• pp.306-311
• /
• 2000

Herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1)의 감염에 따른 세포내 유리 칼슘농도의 변화에 대한 실험을 수행한 결과, HSV-1이 Vero 세포에 감염한 후 4시간째에 세포내 칼슘농도가 최대로 감소한 것을 알았으며 이러한 세포내 유리 칼슘농도의 감소는 감염성 바이러스의 양에 따라 커지며, 유전자 발현 억제제의 처리나 바이러스의 불활성화에 의해 극복되었다. 따라서 바이러스의 유전자발현이 세포내 유리 칼슘농도의 감소에 중요한 역할을 한다는 것을 알 수 있다. 또한 Vero 세포에 바이러스를 감염시키고 미세소관 안정제인 taxol을 처리하여 4 시간째의 세포내 유리 칼슘농도의 감소가 극복된다는 사실로부터 바이러스이 유전자 물질의 이동에는 미세소관이 관여한다는 것을 알 수 있었다. 이와 같은 실험 결과로부터 Vero 세포에서 HSV-1에 의해 유도되는 세포내 유리칼슘 농도의 감소는 HSV-1 증식과 밀접한 관계를 가진다고 생각된다.

• 동의생리병리학회지
• /
• 제21권6호
• /
• pp.1407-1410
• /
• 2007

We designed to investigate the relationship the cold-hot theory of herbology and body temperature in experimental model. we prepared four kinds of oriental medicine, which consisted of two cold herbs, Daehwang and Seokgo, and two hot herbs, Buja and Padu. Decrease of body temperature by cold exposure for 12 hour was not inhibited by four herbs oral administration for two weeks. Thermogenesis in mammals is an essential physiological function to maintain the body temperature. Mitochondrial uncoupling proteins(UCPs), which have a potential to generate heat by uncoupling oxidative phosphorylation, apper to play a crucial role in thermogenesis. Therefore UCP is commonly recognized as a key molecule in metabolic thermogenesis and its dysfunction contributes to the development of obesity. In these experiments, Daehwang water extracts inhibited the UCP1 mRNA expression increase by cold exposure in brown adipose tissue. But other herbs did not significantly influence on UCPs mRNA expression in white adipose tissue and seleus muscle tissue. Based on this experiment, we will try to clarify the effects of Daehwang water extracts on UCP1 expression and function.

• 한국축산시설환경학회지
• /
• 제9권1호
• /
• pp.45-56
• /
• 2003

$TAO^{TM}$ System is an auto-heated thermophilic aerated digestion process using a proprietary microbe called as a Phototropic Bacteria (PTB). High metabolic activity results in heat generation, which enables to produce a pathogen-free and digested liquid fertilizer at short retention times. TAO$^{TM}$ system has been developed to reduce a manure volume and convert into the liquid fertilizer using swine manure since 1992. About 100 units have been installed and operated in Korean swine farms so far. TAO$^{TM}$ system consists of a reactor vessel and ejector-type aeration pumps and foam removers. The swine slurry manure enters into vessel with PTB and is mixed and aerated. The process is operated at detention times from 2 to 4 days and temperature of 55 to $65^{\circ}C$. Foams are occurred and broken down by foam removers to evaporate water contents. Generally, at least 30% of water content is evaporated, 99% of volatile fatty acids caused an odor are removed and pathogen destruction is excellent with fecal coliform, rotavirus and salmonella below detection limits. The effluent from TAO$^{TM}$ system, called as the "TAO EFFLUX", is screened and has superb properties as a fertilizer. Normally N-P-K contents of screened TAO Efflux are 4.7 g/L, 0.375 g/L and 2.8 g/L respectively. The fertilizer effect of TAO EFFLUX compared to chemical fertilizer has been demonstrated and studied with various crops such as rice, potato, cabbage, pumpkin, green pepper, parsley, cucumber and apple. Generally it has better fertilizer effects and excellent soil fertility improvement effects. Moreover, the TAO EFFLUX is concentrated through membrane technology without fouling problems for a cost saving of long distance transportation and a commercialization (crop nutrient commodity) to a gardening market, for example.

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
• /
• 제9권1호
• /
• pp.24-29
• /
• 2018

DC23, a triazolothione resorcinol analogue, is known to inhibit heat shock protein 90 and pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase which are up-regulated in cancer and diabetes, respectively. This study was performed to elucidate the metabolism of DC23 in human liver microsomes (HLMs). HLMs incubated with DC23 in the presence of uridine 5'-diphosphoglucuronic acid (UDPGA) and/or ${\beta}$-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) resulted in the formation of four metabolites, M1-M4. M1 was identified as DC23-N-Oxide, on the basis of LC-MS/MS analysis. DC23 was further metabolized to its glucuronide conjugates (M2, M3, and M4). In vitro metabolic stability studies conducted with DC23 in HLMs revealed significant glucuronide conjugation with a $t_{1/2}$ value of 1.3 min. The inhibitory potency of DC23 on five human cytochrome P450s was also investigated in HLMs. In these experiments, DC23 inhibited CYP2C9-mediated tolbutamide hydroxylase activity with an $IC_{50}$ value of $8.7{\mu}M$, which could have implications for drug interactions.

• Genes and Genomics
• /
• 제40권12호
• /
• pp.1287-1300
• /
• 2018

Hydrogen sulfide ($H_2S$), a small bioactive gas, has been proved functioning in plant growth and development as well as alleviation of abiotic stresses, which including promoting seed germination, accelerating embryonic root growth, regulating flower senescence, inducing stomatal closure, and defending drought, heat, heavy metals and osmotic stresses etc. However, the molecular functioning mechanism of $H_2S$ was still unclear. The primary objective of this research was to analyze the transcriptional differences and functional genes involved in the $H_2S$ responses. In details, 4-week-old plantlets in tissue culture of grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) cultivar 'Zuoyouhong' were sprayed with 0.1 mM NaHS for 12 h, and then transcriptome sequencing and qRT-PCR analysis were used to study the transcriptional differences and functional genes involved in the $H_2S$ responses. Our results indicated that 650 genes were differentially expressed after $H_2S$ treatment, in which 224 genes were up-regulated and 426 genes were down-regulated. The GO enrichment analysis and KEGG enrichment analysis results indicated that the up-regulated genes after $H_2S$ treatment focused on carbon metabolism, biosynthesis of amino acids, and glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, and the down-regulated genes were mainly in metabolic pathways, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, and plant hormone signal transduction. Analyzing the transcription factor coding genes in details, it was indicated that 10 AP2/EREBPs, 5 NACs, 3 WRKYs, 3 MYBs, and 2 bHLHs etc. transcription factor coding genes were up-regulated, while 4 MYBs, 3 OFPs, 3 bHLHs, 2 AP2/EREBPs, 2 HBs etc. transcription factor coding genes were down-regulated. Taken together, $H_2S$ increased the productions in secondary metabolites and a variety of defensive compounds to improve plant development and abiotic resistance, and extend fruits postharvest shelf life by regulating the expression of AP2/EREBPs, WRKYs, MYBs, CABs, GRIP22, FERRITINs, TPSs, UGTs, and GHs etc.

• 한국임상수의학회지
• /
• 제35권6호
• /
• pp.251-257
• /
• 2018

We determined the relationships between calving season and the incidence of postpartum disorders, milk yield, and reproductive performance in dairy cows. Data regarding cow parity, postpartum disorders, milk yield, and reproduction were collected from 1,478 lactations. The incidence of retained placenta was higher in spring- and summer-calving cows than in autumn- and winter-calving cows (P < 0.05). The incidence of septicemic metritis was highest in spring- and summer-calving cows, and was higher in autumn-calving cows than in winter-calving cows (P < 0.05). The incidence of metabolic disorders was higher in summer-calving cows than in autumn- and winter-calving cows (P < 0.01). The mean milk yield 1 and 2 months after calving was higher in spring-calving cows than in summer-calving cows (P < 0.05). The percentage of cows that had resumed cycling, defined by detection of a corpus luteum using ultrasonography 4 weeks after calving, was highest in autumn-calving cows, and was higher in summer- and winter-calving cows than in spring-calving cows (P < 0.05). The hazard of first insemination by 150 days after calving was higher in summer- and autumn-calving cows (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.19; P < 0.05) than in spring-calving cows. The hazard of pregnancy by 210 days after calving was also higher in summer-calving (HR = 1.24; P < 0.05) and autumn-calving (HR = 1.59; P < 0.0001) cows than in spring-calving cows. The probability of conception at the first insemination was higher (P < 0.0001) in autumn-calving (odds ratio [OR] = 1.96) and winter-calving (OR = 2.04) cows than in spring-calving cows. In conclusion, spring calving is associated with the worst, and autumn calving with the best, postpartum health and reproductive performance, whereas milk yield is higher in spring-calving cows than in summer-calving cows. Therefore, an effective strategy to support postpartum health and fertility should be instituted for spring-calving dairy cows kept in the Korean climate.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• 제31권7호
• /
• pp.999-1010
• /
• 2021

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous in the environment. They are highly toxigenic and carcinogenic. Probiotic bacteria isolated from fermented foods were tested to check their ability to degrade and/or detoxify PAHs. Five probiotic bacteria with distinct morphologies were isolated from a mixture of 26 fermented foods co-cultured with benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) containing Bushnell Haas minimal broth. Among them, B. velezensis (PMC10) significantly reduced the abundance of BaP in the broth. PMC10 completely degraded BaP presented at a lower concentration in broth culture. B. velezensis also showed a clear zone of degradation on a BaP-coated Bushnell Haas agar plate. Gene expression profiling showed significant increases of PAH ring-hydroxylating dioxygenases and 4-hydroxybenzoate 3-monooxygenase genes in B. velezensis in response to BaP treatment. In addtion, both live and heat-killed B. velezensis removed BaP and naphthalene (Nap) from phosphate buffer solution. Live B. velezensis did not show any cytotoxicity to macrophage or human dermal fibroblast cells. Live-cell and cell-free supernatant of B. velezensis showed potential anti-inflammatory effects. Cell-free supernatant and extract of B. velezensis also showed free radical scavenging effects. These results highlight the prospective ability of B. velezensis to biodegrade and remove toxic PAHs from the human body and suggest that the biodegradation of BaP might be regulated by ring-hydroxylating dioxygenase-initiated metabolic pathway.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
• /
• 제48권1호
• /
• pp.12-17
• /
• 2021

Saponarin found in young barley sprouts has a variety of beneficial biological and pharmacological properties, including antioxidant, hypoglycemic, antimicrobial, and hepatoprotective activities. Our previous work demonstrated that saponarin content was correlated with the expression levels of three biosynthetic pathway genes [chalcone synthase (HvCHS1), chalcone isomerase (HvCHI), and UDP-Glc:isovitexin 7-O-glucosyltransferase (HvOGT1)] in young barley seedlings under various abiotic stress conditions. In this study, we investigated the saponarin content and expression levels of three saponarin biosynthetic pathway genes in hulled and hulless domestic barley cultivars. In the early developmental stages, some hulled barley cultivars (Kunalbori1 and Heukdahyang) had much higher saponarin contents than did the hulless barley cultivars. An RNA expression analysis showed that in most barley cultivars, decreased saponarin content correlated with reduced expression of HvCHS1 and HvCHI, but not HvOGT1. Heat map analysis revealed both specific increases in HvCHS1 expression in certain hulled and hulless barley cultivars, as well as general changes that occurred during the different developmental stages of each barley cultivar. In summary, our results provide a molecular genetic basis for the metabolic engineering of barley plants to enhance their saponarin content.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• 제26권6호
• /
• pp.501-509
• /
• 2022

Irisin is a myokine caused by exercise that improves insulin resistance and weight loss. However, under unfavorable conditions such as air pollution, and during the pandemic, outdoor activities are uncomfortable. Therefore, in this study, the effect of heat therapy (half bath 42 ± 0.5℃ for 30 min) on irisin circulation levels as an exercise alternative for middle-aged obese women after menopause was investigated. Subjects were 33 women aged 49.54 ± 6.04 years, with parameters of height, 160.12 ± 4.33 cm, weight, 69.71 ± 7.52 kg, body surface area 1.73 ± 0.13 m², body mass index, 27.19 ± 3.40 kg/m². The results suggest that circulating irisin levels showed a significant increase after one-time thermotherapy (TH-1). However, the increase in circulating irisin levels after 15 treatments (TH-15, 5 days/week, 3 weeks) was significantly varied. The level of adiponectin, which increases fatty oxidation to reduce fatty deposition, increased significantly at TH-1, but further increased at TH-15, which was significantly different from the level of TH-1. In addition, the basic serum free fatty acid (FFA) level was significantly increased at TH-15 compared to TH-1. Significant differences were also found in the lipid profile (body mass index, waist circumference, and % body fat). Thermotherapy can significantly increase the tympanic temperature and induce changes in circulating irisin and adiponectin levels. Thus, it resulted in positive changes in FFA and lipid profiles. Therefore, repeated thermotherapy is effective in increasing circulating irisin levels in postmenopausal obese women.