• Title/Summary/Keyword: toxin A

Search Result 1,085, Processing Time 0.03 seconds

Molecular probe for identification of cysts of resting cyst of PSP-producer Alexandrium tamarense (Dinophyceae) (분자생물학적 방법을 이용하여 마비성 패류 독소를 생산하는 알렉산드륨 타마렌스 시스트 탐색)

  • Cho, Eun-Seob
    • Journal of Life Science
    • /
    • v.13 no.2
    • /
    • pp.163-167
    • /
    • 2003
  • Identification of species within the toxin-producing genus Alexandrium is vital for biotoxin monitoring and mitigation decisions regarding shellfish industry. In particular, the discrimination of resting cysts of only A. tamarense from that of Alexandrium spp. is considerable important to fundamentally monitor and predict this species before vegetative cells occur in the nature. Fluorescent cTAM-F1 DNA probe was responsible to not only binding the activity of the vegetative cells in A. tamarense, but also to the resting cysts, which was treated with methanol after fixation and stained by primuline on the surface The location of fluorescence in cultured vegetative cells and resting cysts was almost at tile bottom of the nucleus. The optimal incubation temperature and time using in situ hybridization were 50-$54^{\circ}C$ and 40-60 min, respectively, to penetrate the DNA probe into cell.

Immunogenicity of Exosomes from Dendritic Cells Stimulated with Toxoplasma gondii Lysates in Ocularly Immunized Mice

  • Jung, Bong-Kwang;Kim, Eun-Do;Song, Hyemi;Chai, Jong-Yil;Seo, Kyoung Yul
    • Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
    • /
    • v.58 no.2
    • /
    • pp.185-189
    • /
    • 2020
  • Immunogenicity of dendritic cell-derived exosomes stimulated with Toxoplasma gondii lysates (TLA exo), mixed with cholera toxin as an adjuvant, was investigated in mice immunized via 2 mucosal routes (ocular vs intranasal). BALB/c mice were injected 3 times with TLA exo vaccine at 2 week interval, and the levels of IgG in serum and IgA in tear, saliva, feces, and vaginal wash were measured. To observe the expression of T. gondii-specific B1 gene, mice infected with ME49 T. gondii cysts were immunized with TLA exo or PBS exo (not stimulated with TLA), and their brain tissues were examined. The mice vaccinated via intranasal route elicited significantly higher humoral and mucosal immune responses compared with mice treated with PBS alone. Also, mice immunized via ocular route (by eyedrop) induced significantly higher T. gondii-specific IgG in serum and IgA in tear and feces in comparison with PBS controls. B1 gene expression was significantly lower in TLA exo vaccinated mice than in PBS or PBS exo vaccinated mice. These results demonstrated that ocular immunization of mice with TLA exo vaccine has the potential to stimulate systemic or local antibody responses. This study also highlighted an advantage of an eyedrop vaccine as an alternative for T. gondii intranasal vaccines.

Effects of Curcuma longa Rhizoma on MIA-induced Osteoarthritis in Rat Model (강황(薑黃)이 MIA 유도 골관절염 모델에 미치는 영향)

  • Kim, Young Jun
    • The Journal of Korean Medicine
    • /
    • v.40 no.3
    • /
    • pp.35-58
    • /
    • 2019
  • Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of Curcuma longa rhizoma extract in an experimental rat model of osteoarthritis. Methods: Osteoarthritis was induced in rats by injecting monosodium iodoacetate (MIA) into the knee joint cavity of rats. The rats were divided into 5 groups (Normal, Control, positive comparison, low (CL) and high (CH) concentration groups). Rats in the low concentration (CL) group had MIA-induced osteoarthritis; they were treated with Curcuma longa rhizoma extract at a dose of 50mg/kg body weight. Rats in the high concentration (CH) group had MIA-induced osteoarthritis; they were treated with Curcuma longa rhizoma extract at a dose of 100mg/kg body weight. Hind paw weight distribution and ROS levels were measured. At the end of all treatments, changes in alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and creatinine levels were analyzed. In addition, inflammatory protein levels were evaluated by western blot analysis. Results: In this study, hind paw weight distribution significantly improved in the CL and CH groups, while. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production significantly decreased in both. The levels of ALT, AST, BUN, and creatinine did not significantly change in either group. The production of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase 4 (NOX4), $p47^{phox}$, and Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1 (RAC1) decreased in both. Catalase, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) significantly increased in the CL and CH groups, respectively. Nuclear factor erythroid 2 (Nrf2) increased, but there were no significant differences between the experimental and control groups. Inflammatory cytokines, including nuclear factor-kappa Bp65 (NF-${\kappa}Bp65$), interleukin-1beta (IL-$1{\beta}$), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-${\alpha}$), decreased significantly in both the CL and CH groups. Conclusions: Our results showed that Curcuma longa rhizoma extract has anti-inflammatory effects. Anti-inflammatory activity is regulated by the inhibition of inflammatory cytokines and mediators, such as NF-${\kappa}B$, therefore, it suppresses cartilage damage as well.

Comparative Study of Multimodal Therapy in Facial Palsy Patients

  • Neville, Catriona;Gwynn, Tamsin;Young, Karen;Jordan, Elizabeth;Malhotra, Raman;Nduka, Charles;Kannan, Ruben Yap
    • Archives of Plastic Surgery
    • /
    • v.49 no.5
    • /
    • pp.633-641
    • /
    • 2022
  • Introduction In chronic facial palsy, synkinetic muscle overactivity and shortening causes muscle stiffness resulting in reduced movement and functional activity. This article studies the role of multimodal therapy in improving outcomes. Methods Seventy-five facial palsy patients completed facial rehabilitation before being successfully discharged by the facial therapy team. The cohort was divided into four subgroups depending on the time of initial attendance post-onset. The requirement for facial therapy, chemodenervation, or surgery was assessed with East Grinstead Grade of Stiffness (EGGS). Outcomes were measured using the Facial Grading Scale (FGS), Facial Disability Index, House-Brackmann scores, and the Facial Clinimetric Evaluation scale. Results FGS composite scores significantly improved posttherapy (mean-standard deviation, 60.13 ± 23.24 vs. 79.9 ± 13.01; confidence interval, -24.51 to -14.66, p < 0.0001). Analysis of FGS subsets showed that synkinesis also reduced significantly (p < 0.0001). Increasingly, late clinical presentations were associated with patients requiring longer durations of chemodenervation treatment (p < 0.01), more chemodenervation episodes (p < 0.01), increased doses of botulinum toxin (p < 0.001), and having higher EGGS score (p < 0.001). Conclusions This study shows that multimodal facial rehabilitation in the management of facial palsy is effective, even in patients with chronically neglected synkinesis. In terms of the latency periods between facial palsy onset and treatment initiation, patients presenting later than 2 years were still responsive to multimodal treatment albeit to a lesser extent, which we postulate is due to increasing muscle contracture within their facial muscles.

Evaluation of Barley and Wheat Germplasm for Resistance to Head Blight and Mycotoxin Production by Fusarium asiaticum and F. graminearum

  • Seul Gi, Baek;Jin Ju, Park;Sosoo, Kim;Mi-Jeong, Lee;Ji-Seon, Paek;Jangnam, Choi;Ja Yeong, Jang;Jeomsoon, Kim;Theresa, Lee
    • The Plant Pathology Journal
    • /
    • v.38 no.6
    • /
    • pp.637-645
    • /
    • 2022
  • Fusarium head blight (FHB) is one of the most serious diseases in barley and wheat, as it is usually accompanied by the production of harmful mycotoxins in the grains. To identify FHB-resistant breeding resources, we evaluated 60 elite germplasm accessions of barley (24) and wheat (36) for FHB and mycotoxin accumulation. Assessments were performed in a greenhouse and five heads per accession were inoculated with both Fusarium asiaticum (Fa73, nivalenol producer) and F. graminearum (Fg39, deoxynivalenol producer) strains. While the accessions varied in disease severity and mycotoxin production, four wheat and one barley showed <20% FHB severity repeatedly by both strains. Mycotoxin levels in these accessions ranged up to 3.9 mg/kg. FHB severity was generally higher in barley than in wheat, and Fa73 was more aggressive in both crops than Fg39. Fg39 itself, however, was more aggressive toward wheat and produced more mycotoxin in wheat than in barley. FHB severity by Fa73 and Fg39 were moderately correlated in both crops (r = 0.57/0.60 in barley and 0.42/0.58 in wheat). FHB severity and toxin production were also correlated in both crops, with a stronger correlation for Fa73 (r = 0.42/0.82 in barley, 0.70 in wheat) than for Fg39.

Effects of mining activities on Nano-soil management using artificial intelligence models of ANN and ELM

  • Liu, Qi;Peng, Kang;Zeng, Jie;Marzouki, Riadh;Majdi, Ali;Jan, Amin;Salameh, Anas A.;Assilzadeh, Hamid
    • Advances in nano research
    • /
    • v.12 no.6
    • /
    • pp.549-566
    • /
    • 2022
  • Mining of ore minerals (sfalerite, cinnabar, and chalcopyrite) from the old mine has led in significant environmental effects as contamination of soils and plants and acidification of water. Also, nanoparticles (NP) have obtained global importance because of their widespread usage in daily life, unique properties, and rapid development in the field of nanotechnology. Regarding their usage in various fields, it is suggested that soil is the final environmental sink for NPs. Nanoparticles with excessive reactivity and deliverability may be carried out as amendments to enhance soil quality, mitigate soil contaminations, make certain secure land-software of the traditional change substances and enhance soil erosion control. Meanwhile, there's no record on the usage of Nano superior substances for mine soil reclamation. In this study, five soil specimens have been tested at 4 sites inside the region of mine (<100 m) to study zeolites, and iron sulfide nanoparticles. Also, through using Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Extreme Learning Machine (ELM), this study has tried to appropriately estimate the mechanical properties of soil under the effect of these Nano particles. Considering the RMSE and R2 values, Zeolite Nano materials could enhance the mine soil fine through increasing the clay-silt fractions, increasing the water holding capacity, removing toxins and improving nutrient levels. Also, adding iron sulfide minerals to the soils would possibly exacerbate the soil acidity problems at a mining site.

Production and Identification of Secondary Metabolite Gliotoxin-Like Substance Using Clinical Isolates of Candida spp.

  • Noorulhuda Ojaimi Mahdi, Al-Dahlaki;Safaa Al-Deen Ahmed Shanter, Al-Qaysi
    • Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
    • /
    • v.50 no.4
    • /
    • pp.488-500
    • /
    • 2022
  • Most fungal infections by opportunistic yeast pathogens such as Candida spp. are the major causes of morbidity and mortality in patients with lowered immune. Previous studies have reported that some strains of Candida secret secondary metabolites play an important role in the decreasing of immunity in the infected patient. In this study, 110 Candida spp. were isolated from different clinical specimens from Baghdad hospitals. Candida isolates were identified by conventional methods, they were processed for Candida speciation on CHROMagar. The results of identification were confirmed by internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequencing. Phylogenetic trees were analyzed with reference strains deposited in GenBank. Antifungal susceptibility testing was evaluated by the disc diffusion method and performed as recommended by the Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institute (CLSI) M44-A document. Candida isolates investigated produce secondary metabolites gliotoxin with HPLC technique and quantification. Out of 110 Candida isolates, C. albicans (66.36%) was the most frequent isolate, followed by the isolates of C. tropicalis (10.9%) and C. glabrata (6.36%) respectively. Concerning the antifungal susceptibility test, Candida isolates showed a high level of susceptibility to Miconazole (70.9%), Itraconazole (68.2%), and Nystatine (64.5%). The ability of obtained isolates of Candida spp. to produce gliotoxin on RPMI medium was investigated, only 28 isolates had the ability to secret this toxin in culture filtrates. The highest concentrations were detected in C. albicans (1.048 ㎍/ml). Gliotoxin productivity of other Candida species was significantly lower. The retention time for gliotoxin was approximately 5.08 min.

Development of Non-toxic Recombinant Ricin Vaccine and Evaluation of Vaccine Efficacy (독성을 제거한 재조합 리신 백신 개발 및 효능평가)

  • Hyeongseok Yun;Hae-Eun Joe;Dong Hyun Song;Chi Ho Yu;Young-Jo Song;Gyeung Haeng, Hur
    • Journal of the Korea Institute of Military Science and Technology
    • /
    • v.27 no.2
    • /
    • pp.304-310
    • /
    • 2024
  • Ricin is a highly toxic protein which is produced in the seeds of the castor oil plant. Ricin toxin A chain has ribosomal RNA N-glycosylase activity that irreversibly hydrolyses the N-glycosidic bond of the adenine residue at position 4324 within the 28S rRNA. In this study, we developed non-toxic recombinant ricin vaccine(R51) in E. coli expression system, and evaluated efficacy of the R51 according to adjuvants. When the R51 was administered using aluminum hydroxide as an adjuvant, the vaccine efficacy was higher than that of TLR agonists or aluminum phosphate. Because it is time-consuming to administer the vaccine three times at three-week intervals, we investigated the survival rate and antibody titer of mice according to the change of time interval of vaccination. Interestingly, there was no difference in survival rate and antibody titer when R51 was administered at 0, 1, and 3 weeks or 0, 2, and 4 weeks compared to when administered at 0, 3, and 6 weeks. Therefore, the developed R51 vaccine is promising to protect soldiers from Ricin attack.

Compilation of 104 Experimental Theses on the Antitumor and Immuno-activating therapies of Oriental Medicine (한의학의 항종양 면역치료에 관한 연구 -1990년 이후 발표된 실험논문을 중심으로-)

  • Kang Yeon Yee;Kim Tai Im;Park Jong Ho;Kim Sung Hoon;Park Jong Dai;Kim Dong Hee
    • Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
    • /
    • v.17 no.1
    • /
    • pp.1-24
    • /
    • 2003
  • This study was done to compile 104 experimental theses which are related to the antitumor and immuno-activating therapies between February 1990 through February 2002. Master's and doctoral theses were dassified by schools, degrees, materials, effects, experimental methods of antitumor and immunoactivity, and results. The following results were obtained from this study : 1. Classifying the theses by the school, 34.6% were presented by Daejeon University, 29.8% by Kyung-hee University and 11.5% by Won-kwang University. Of all theses, 51.0% were aimed for the doctoral degree and 43.3% were for the master's degree. All of three universities have their own cancer centers. 2. Classifying the theses by herb materials, complex prescription accounted for 60.3%, single herb accounted for 24.8% and herbal acupuncture accounted for 14.2%. Considering the key principles of the traditional medicine, complex prescription was much more thoroughly studied than single herb prescription. The results showed that the complex prescription had both antitumor activity and immuno-activating activity, which might reflects on multi-activation mechanisms by complex components. 3. Classifying the theses by the efficacy of herbs examined, in single herb, invigorating spleen and supplementing was 35.5%, expelling toxin and cooling was 29.0%, activating blood flow and removing blood stasis was 12.9%. In herbal acupuncture, invigorating spleen and supplementing was 52.9%, expelling toxin and cooling was 29.4%. In complex prescription, pathogen-free status was 41.9%, strengthening healthy qi to eliminate pathogen was 35.5%, strengthening healthy qi was 22.6%. It is presumed that the antitumor and immunoactivating therapy based on syndrome differentiation is the best way to develop oriental oncology. 4. Classifying the theses by antitumor experiments, cytotoxic effect was 48.1 %, survival time was 48.1 % and change of tumor size was 42.3%. Survival rate was not necessarily correlated with cytotoxicity. These data reflect the characteristic, wholistic nature of the oriental medicine which is based on BRM (biological response modifier). 5. Classifying the theses by immunoactivating experiments, hemolysin titer was 51.0%, hemagglutinin titer was 46.2% and NK cell's activity was 44.2%. In the future studies, an effort to elucidate specific molecular and cellular mechanisms of cytokine production in the body would be crucial. 6. Classifying the theses according to the data in terms of antitumor activity, 50% was evaluated good, 24.0% was excellent, and 15.5% have no effect. In an evaluation of immuno-activating activity, 35.9% was excellent and 18.0% showed a little effect. The index point, as described here, may helps to use experimental data for clinical trials. Changes in index points by varying dosage implicate the importance of oriental medical theory for prescription. 7. In 167 materials, IIP (immunoactivating index point, mean : 3.12±0.07) was significantly higher than AIP(antitumor index point, mean : 2.83±0.07). These data demonstrate that the effect of herb medicine on tumor activity depends more on immunoactivating activity than antitumor activity. This further implies that the development of herbal antitumor drugs must be preceded by the mechanistic understanding of immunoactivating effect. 8. After medline-searching tumor and herb-related articles from NCBI web site, we conclude that most of the studies are primarily focused on biomolecular mechanisms and/or pathways. Henceforth, we need to define the biomolecular mechanisms and/or pathways affected by herbs or complicated prescriptions. 9. Therefore, the most important point of oriental medical oncology is to conned between experimental results and clinical trials. For the public application of herbal therapy to cancer, it is critical to present the data to mass media. 10. To develop the relationship of experimental results and clinical trials, university's cancer clinic must have a long-range plan related to the university laboratories and, at the same time, a regular consortium for this relationship is imperative. 11. After all these efforts, a new type herbal medicine for cancer therapy which is to take care of the long-term administering and safety problem must be developed. Then, it would be expected that anti-tumor herbal acupuncture can improve clinical symptoms and quality of life (QOL) for cancer patients. 12. Finally, oriental medical cancer center must be constructed in NCC (National Cancer Center) or government agency for the development of oriental medical oncology which has international competitive power.

Characterization of bft Genes among Enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis Isolates from Extraintestinal Specimens at a University Hospital in Korea (국내 한 대학병원의 임상검체에서 분리된 Bacteroides fragilis 독소 유전자의 특성)

  • Kim, Myungsook;Kim, Hyunsoo;Ji, Seung Eun;Rim, John Hoon;Gwon, Sun Yeong;Kim, Wan Hee;Rhee, Ki-Jong;Lee, Kyungwon
    • Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
    • /
    • v.48 no.2
    • /
    • pp.82-87
    • /
    • 2016
  • Enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis (ETBF) produces enterotoxins known to be a virulence factor. Three isotypes of the B. fragilis toxin (BFT) gene have been identified: bft-1, bft-2, and bft-3. We investigated the presence of bft isotypes in clinical B. fragilis isolates and the antimicrobial resistance of BFT-negative and BFT-positive isolates. Overall, 537 B. fragilis isolates were collected from extraintestinal specimens over 8 years (2006~2013) from a university hospital in Korea. Samples were analyzed by multiplex PCR to identify the bft gene isotypes. Additionally, the antimicrobial susceptibility of 107 B. fragilis isolates (74 BFT-negative and 33 BFT-positive) was examined by the CLSI agar dilution method. PCR revealed a total bft gene detection rate of 30%, while 33% and 29% of blood and other extraintestinal isolates contained the gene, respectively. Among ETBF isolates, the most common isotype was bft-1 gene, followed by bft-2 and bft-3 (bft-1 77%, bft-2 14%, bft-3 9%). Resistance rates (%) for BFT-negative and positive isolates differed in response to various antimicrobial agents, with 3%, 5%, 1% and 38% of BFT-negative isolates and 3%, 6%, 3% an 42% of BFT-positive isolates being resistant to piperacillin-tazobactam, cefoxitin, imipenem, and clindamycin, respectively. Interestingly, neither BFT-negative nor positive isolates showed antimicrobial resistance to chloramphenicol and metronidazole. Overall, the proportion of ETBF from blood was similar to that of other extraintestinal sites and the bft-1 gene was the predominant isotype. Higher antimicrobial resistance rates were found in BFT-positive isolates than BFT-negative isolates, but these differences were not statistically significant.