The culture filtrate of Lentinula edodes showed potent antimicrobial activity against the plant pathogenic bacteria and fungi. To purify antibacterial compound, the culture filtrate was subjected to Octadecyl-silica (ODS) column chromatography and was eluted with different concentrations from 5 to 100% methanol and each 50 μL aliquot of the methanol elutes did not show antimicrobial effect on the bacteria, but the water fraction that passed through the column maintained antibacterial activity on the bacteria. The pH of the passed fraction was 3.9, speculating the low pH can be caused by an organic acid. Qualitative analyses of organic acids from culture filtrate of L. edodes were carried out by high-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC). Nine organic acids including oxalic acid, phytic acid, malonic acid, and fumaric acid were identified and oxalic acid was a dominant component in culture filtrate of L. edodes and it made up 50% from HPLC analysis data. Oxalic acid concentrations over 300mg/L exhibited antimicrobial activities on eight phytopathogenic bacteria and different fungi. The quantitative analysis by HPLC revealed that the content of oxalic acid was more highly detected in water extract from spent mushroom substrate than that of liquid culture.

Medical mushroom, Phellinus linteus (PL) called as “Sanghwang” has been studied extensively for its extraordinary capacity of suppressing cancer or enhancing body immunity. The mycelial materials of PL have mainly been used as research samples worldwide because its fruiting body was difficult to artificially produce. Alternatively, P. baumii (variety, “Jangsu”) have stably been cultivated in Korea. However, fruiting body morphology of P. baumii is clearly different to that of PL. Of Phellinus isolates collected in Korea, P. linteus, KACC 93057P having features of fast mycelial growth rate was mycologically characterized. This study is to establish artificial cultivation of P. linteus KACC93057P having high mycelial growth rate and to examine bioactive efficacy of its fruiting body. The grain spawn of P linteus KACC93057P was inoculated on oak and mulberry logs (20 cm). The optimum temperature for the mycelial growth was at 25-30°C and growth was optimal at pH 5-7. The mycelial growth of P. linteus was faster than P. baumii and other P. linteus isolates. The mushroom pinning was observed on the 60 days after the inoculation, and fruiting bodies were formed in more than 90% of the logs after 6 months. The productivity fruiting body on the logs was more than 10 times that of the existing P. linteus (Korean Sanhwang). The fruiting bodies showed typical morphologies of P. linteus. The pore shape in basidiocarp is circular with 5-7 per mm, hyphal system is dimity, and basidiospores are ellipsoid. Bioactive efficacy of the fruiting bodies was analyzed by immunoreactivity and antioxidant activity.

In the present study, four edible mushrooms, Lentinula edodes, Agaricus bisporus, Pleurotus ostreatus, and Pleurotus eryngii, were air-dried or freeze-dried for a certain period of time. After finely ground the materials, their beta-glucan contents were measured. Beta-glucan is a polysaccharide of plant and fungal cell wall and also a dietary fiber. It has an effect on stimulating immune cells and decreasing cholesterol. In the mushroom materials used in this study, beta-glucan contents were measured as 11-16%. Among them, P. ostreatus represented the highest contents, 16%. The authors also examined the contents of polyphenol, which is a phenolic compound known to have antioxidant activity. The polyphenol concentrations of the selected mushrooms were measured in 1 mg/ml of each sample prepared by hot-air drying and freeze-drying, respectively. As a result, 28-32 mg/ml of polyphenol was measured in hot air dried samples of P. ostreatus. In P. eryngii, air-dried samples had 6 mg/ml more polyphenols than freeze-dried ones, while in P. ostreatus, the former had 10 mg/ml more than the latter, indicating that the polyphenol contents in mushrooms can be changed by the different drying treatments. In other words, for P. eryngii and P. ostreatus, hot-air drying is more suitable processing method than freeze-drying in the light of physiological activity.

Lignosus rhinocerotis, commonly known as Tiger Milk Mushroom, has been long extolled for its medicinal properties and used for treatment of asthma, cough, fever, cancer, liver-related illnesses, joint pains and as tonic. The history of usage for Tiger Milk Mushroom dates back to almost 400 years, ago but there were no records of scientific studies done due to inavailability of sufficient samples. Even when there were samples collected from the wild, the supply and quality was inconsistent. With the advent of cultivation success of one of the most utilized species of Tiger milk mushroom (L. rhinocerotis) in 2009 (known as TM02), scientific investigation was done to validate its traditional use and to investigate its safety for consumption, biochemical and biopharmacological properties. Preclinical toxicology evaluations showed that TM02 did not induce adverse effects on fertility. It also poses neither teratogenic effects nor genotoxicity. The no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) dose of the TM02 in 180-day chronic toxicity study is 1000 mg/kg which is equivalent to 162 mg/kg human dose, anticipated dose for a 60 kg adult is ~10g. The effective dosage of TM02 is as low as 0.5g per day for an adult. There is therefore, a huge margin for the safe consumption of TM02. TM02 is proven to be effective in supporting the lung and respiratory health, immune health, maintenance of joint health (caused by inflammation), improving vitality and stamina and improving the quality of life for cancer patients. Recent scientific findings have shown that TM02 contains various active components such as the polysaccharides-protein complexes, β-glucans, proteins, immuno-modulatory proteins all of which could play possible roles in rendering significant therapeutic properties such as anti-inflammatory, immuno-modulatory, anti-proliferative, anti-oxidative, neurite outgrowth stimulation etc. The revelation of the genome, transcriptome, proteome of L. rhinocerotis by MMRG has provided valuable insights into the biomolecule discovery and provided the foundation for future research and exploitation of L. rhinocerotis in pharmacological and functional food applications. These data forms a valuable foundation for future research in the exploitation of the L. rhinocerotis in pharmacological and industrial applications.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of abdominal hollowing with ultrasound biofeedback on multifidus and transversus abdominis/internal oblique muscle activities during lifting tasks. This study recruited 12 healthy men. All subjects received training on expiration without and with abdominal hollowing with ultrasound biofeedback. After receiving training for each condition, the thickness of transversus abdominis was measured using ultrasound, and then, electromyography activities of transversus abdominis/internal oblique and multifidus during lifting tasks were measured using a surface electromyography system. The differences in thickness of transversus abdominis and electromyography activities of transversus abdominis/ internal oblique and multifidus between the two conditions were analyzed using paired t-test. Thickness of transversus abdominis and transversus abdominis/internal oblique and multifidus activities were significantly increased during expiration with abdominal hollowing with ultrasound biofeedback compared to during expiration without abdominal hollowing (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that abdominal hollowing with ultrasound biofeedback is effective in increasing trunk stabilizer muscle activities during both static and dynamic tasks such as lifting.

A study searching for unrecorded and taxonomically undescribed indigenous species has been conducted since 2006. Samples were collected from many sites in coastal waters and offshore in Korea as well as around Jeju Island. Since 2008 we have found 13 unrecorded species belonging to family Diplopsaliaceae, Heterocapsaceae, Kolkwitziellaceae, Protoperidiniaceae and Thoracosphaeraceae. The species are as follows, Preperidinium meunieri (2014), Heterocapsa ovata (2015), H. pseudotriquetra (2015), Diplopsalis lenticula (2008), Protoperidinium abei (2009), P. diabolus var. longipes (2010), P. depressum (synonym: P. parallelum (2008)), P. latispinum (2016), P. punctulatum (2010), P. solidicorne (synonym: P. spinosum (2010)), P. subpyriforme (2010), P. pacificum (2013), Scrippsiella hexapraecingula (2009) (note; The numbers in parenthesis refer to the year that the species was reported as unrecorded indigenous species by National Institute of Biological Resources, NIBR hereafter). Among these, 5 species were described as newly recorded species in Korean waters, and 8 were re-described in this study.

We have previously shown that the specific phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor LY294002 (LY29), and its inactive analog LY303511 (LY30), inhibit a monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) expression in human umbilical vein endothelial cells; these results suggest the potential of LY30 as an anti-inflammatory drug. In this study, we determined the effects of LY30 on the production of various inflammatory cytokines in human macrophagic THP-1 cells which were stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). LY30 selectively suppressed the mRNA expression of IL-12 p40, TNF-α, and MCP-1 without affecting the expression of IL-1α, IL-6, and IL-8. Inhibition of the production of IL-12 and TNF-α by LY30 was also demonstrated using ELISA assays. In order to elucidate the mechanisms of the action of LY30, we examined the role played by the mitogen-activated protein kinases and the key transcription factors, AP-1 and NF-κB in LPS-stimulated THP-1 cells. The results revealed that LY30 inhibited LPS-induced activation of ERK, but not p38 or JNK. Furthermore, the AP-1 DNA binding activity was suppressed by LY30 based upon the dosage, whereas NF-κB DNA binding was not affected. These results suggest that LY30 selectively inhibits cytokine production in the LPS-stimulated macrophagic THP-1 cells by downregulating the activation of ERK and AP-1.

Overseas R&D subsidiaries contribute to the cross -border knowledge sourcing of MNC headquarter by providing tacit and context specific knowledge and reducing the searching cost of the headquarter

Despite extensive research attention that has been paid to second language (SL) or foreign language (FL) learners’ argumentative writing, most research has focused on the structural features characteristic of such writers. There have not been many systematic attempts to identify the quality of argument features SL or FL writers rely on, and how they contribute to the overall writing qualities. This study was designed to examine the relationship between the Toulmin elements, widely used measures of content qualities in arguments which include claims, data, warrants, rebuttals, qualifiers, and backings, and the overall qualities of advanced Korean high school EFL learners’ argumentative writing. Each of the thirty three participants’ argumentative writing was analyzed, applying the Toulmin model, and the results demonstrate that their overall argument qualities were closely related to the uses of the fundamental Toulmin elements, especially data and predicted best by the degree to which each claim was supported with relevant and sufficient data. These findings shed light on the need for instruction on the use of Toulmin elements in enhancing the overall quality of Korean EFL learners’ argumentative writing.