악성 간문부 담관 폐쇄(malignant hilar biliary obstruction, MHBO) 치료를 위해 시행되는 내시경 담관배액술은 후속 치료, 생존율 및 환자 삶의 질 향상에 필수적이다. 그러나 간문부 담관의 복잡한 해부학적 특징으로 인해 시술의 난이도가 높고 시술 관련 우발증의 위험이 있다. 본 고에서는 완전 피막형 자가팽창성 금속 스텐트(fully covered self-expandable metal stent, fcSEMS)를 이용한 나란한 양측 삽입 담관배액술을 시행 후 근위부 담관내 이탈(proximal stent migration)이 발생한 증례를 보고한다. 현재까지 MHBO에 대해서는 어떤 종류의 스텐트를 어떠한 방법으로 시술할지에 대하여 충분한 근거가 정립되어 있지는 않다. 그렇지만 본 증례와 같이 fcSEMS를 사용할 경우 스텐트 이탈 위험성이 ucSEMS보다 높다는 것은 인지하고 있어야 하겠으며, 환자 진료 시 이러한 사항을 고려하여 적절한 대비가 필요하겠다. 향후 이러한 스텐트 이탈을 줄일 수 있는 다양한 예방법이 고안된다면 많은 도움이 될 것으로 기대 된다.

The objective of this study was to determine the ultrasonication-assisted extraction conditions that maximize the DPPH radical scavenging activity of extracts obtained from the stems of Lespedeza bicolor Turcz through the application of the Response Surface Methodology (RSM). Before delving into the analysis of extraction conditions using the RSM model, we conducted efficiency validation of ultrasonication-assisted extraction and executed single-factor experiments for ethanol concentration, extraction time, and extraction temperature. The data obtained from these single-factor experiments were employed to construct the Box-Behnken Design (BBD). In these results, in the single-factor experiments, it was evident that the parameters for ethanol concentration, extraction time, and extraction temperature exhibited quadratic trends. The single-factor experiments allowed us to discern the trends for each parameter leading to the maximum antioxidant capacity, and this data was subsequently applied to the BBD. Following the completion of initial experiments, a Response Surface Methodology (RSM) model was constructed based on Box-Behnken Design (BBD). According to the predictive model developed in this study, it was anticipated that performing ultrasonic-assisted extraction for 85.0412 minutes at an ethanol concentration of 32.573% and an extraction temperature of 51.5608°C will result in a DPPH radical scavenging activity of 79.7146%. The predictive results were statistically verified through a comparative analysis with actual measurements and ANOVA analysis, confirming the statistical significance of the model. The finding of this study underscore the significance of optimizing extraction conditions in the precise quantification of the antioxidant potential for economic advantages in both experimental and industrial contexts.

Haemaphysalis longicornis는 사람과 동물에게 여러 심각한 병원체를 전달하는 주요 매개체로, 한반도에 널리 분포하고 있다. H. longicornis는 Rickettsia spp., Borrelia spp., Francisella spp., Coxiella spp., 그리고 중증열성혈소판 감소증후군 바이러스 (SFTS virus) 등을 매개하는 것으로 알려져 있다. 국내에 서식하는 H. longicornis의 미생물 군집과 관련된 연구는 많이 진행되지 않은 것으로 확인되었다. 이 연구는 한반도 내 다양한 지역에서 채집된 H. longicornis의 미생물군집 다양성을 지역별, 성장 단계 및 성별에 따라 분석하였다. 2019년 6월부터 7월까지 질병관리청 권역별기후변화매개체감시거점센터 16개 지역에서 채집한 H. longicornis의 16S rRNA 유전자 V3-V4 영역을 PCR로 증폭 후 Illumina MiSeq 플랫폼으로 시퀀싱하였다. Qiime2를 활용한 미생물 다양성 분석을 통해 총 46개의 샘플에서 1,754,418개의 non-chimeric reads를 얻었으며, 평균 126개 의 operating taxonmic unit (OTU) 을 식별하여 총 1,398개의 OTU를 확인하였다. 대부분의 지역에서 Coxiella spp.가 우점종으로 나타났으며, 특히 Coxiella endosymbiont는 가장 높은 우점도를 보이며, Coxiella burnetii와 계통 발생 학적으로 유사한 것으로 확인되었다. 이 연구를 통해 분석된 결과는 각 지역의 H. longicornis 미생물군집 데이터 베이스 구축에 활용되었으며, 이를 통해 지역별 미생물군집의 특이성을 식별할 수 있게 하였다. 이는 한반도의 H. longicornis에 의한 질병 전파 연구와 이를 통한 공중보건 개선에 기여할 것으로 기대된다.

The steamed and freeze-dried mature silkworm powder (SMSP) is developed by the Rural Development Administration (RDA) in 2012. In here, the nutritional components of SMSP produced by rearing white-silk cocoon silkworm, Baekokjam, at high temperatures were compared and analyzed with those produced under optimal temperature conditions of 25°C. The weight of silkworms reared in a high-temperature environment increased compared to that under an optimal condition. However, when the silkworms matured, the difference in weight according to temperature conditions narrowed. As for the growth rate, the 5th instar silkworms grew a day earlier in a high-temperature environment than in an optimal. SMSPs produced in a high-temperature environment showed a difference when comparing the nutritional components with the SMSPs in an optimal condition. Overall, high-temperature-reared SMSPs contained about twice as high carbohydrates and slightly lower protein and fat than the optimal-reared SMSPs. These results show that SMSPs produced in a high-temperature environment have a difference in growth rate and nutritional composition from those produced under an optimal condition.

In this study, we examined the antagonistic effects of sprout-borne lactic acid bacteria (LAB) on Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis. This antagonism is promoted as a means of controlling contamination during sprout production and provides additional LAB for consumers. We isolated a total of 24 LAB isolates in nine species and five genera from seven popular vegetable sprouts: alfalfa (Medicago sativa), clover (Trifolium pratense), broccoli (Brassica oleracea ssp. italica), vitamin (B. rapa ssp. narinosa), red radish (Raphanus sativus), red kohlrabi (B. oleracea var. gongylodes), and Kimchi cabbage (B. campestris var. pekinensis). Based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, the LAB species were identified as Enterococcus casseliflavus, E. faecium, E. gallinarum, E. mundtii, Lactococcus taiwanensis, Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Pediococcus pentosaceus, and Weissella cibaria, and W. confusa. A total of 16 LAB isolates in seven species including E. faecium, E. gallinarum, E. mundtii, L. taiwanensis, L. mesenteroides, P. pentosaceus, and W. cibaria showed antagonistic activity toward S. enterica. The growth inhibition of sprout LAB on S. enterica was confirmed by co-culture. Unexpectedly, sprout LAB failed to suppress the growth of S. enterica in alfalfa sprouts, whereas all LAB strains stimulate S. enterica growth even if it is not significant in some strains. The findings of this study indicate that S. enterica-antagonistic LAB are detrimental to food hygiene and will contribute to further LAB research and improved vegetable sprout production.

The development of advanced nuclear facilities is progressing rapidly around the world. Newly designed facilities have differences in structure and operation from existing nuclear facilities, so Safeguards by Design (SBD), which applies safeguards at the design stage, is important. To this end, designers should consider the safeguardability of nuclear facilities when designing the system. Safeguardability represents a measure of the ease of safeguards, and representative evaluation methodologies are Facility Safeguardability Analysis (FSA) and Safeguardability Check-List (SCL). Those two have limitations in the quantification of safeguardability. Accordingly, in this study, the Safeguardability Evaluation Method (SEM), which has clear evaluation criteria based on engineering formulas, was developed. Nuclear Material Accountancy (NMA), a key element of Safeguards, requires the Material Balance Area (MBA) of the target facility and performs Material Balance Evaluation (MBE) based on the quantitative evaluation of nuclear materials entering or leaving the MBA. In this study, about 10 factors related to NMA were developed, including MBA, Key Measurement Point (KMP), Uncertainty of a detector, Radiation signatures, and MUF (Material Unaccounted For). For example, one of the factors, MUF is used in MBA to determine diversion through analysis of unquantified nuclear materials and refers to the difference between Book Inventory and Physical Inventory, as well as errors occurring during the process in bulk facilities, errors in measurement, or intentional use of nuclear materials. This occurs in situations such as attempted diversion, and accurate MUF evaluation is essential for solid Safeguards implementation. MUF can be evaluated using the following formula (MUF=(PB+X-Y)-PE). The IAEA’s Safeguards achievement conditions (MUF < SQ) should be met. Considering this, MUF-related factors were developed as follows. (􀜵􀜧􀜯 = 1 − 􀯆􀯎􀮿 􀯌􀯊 ) In this way, about 10 factors were developed and described in the text. This factors is expected to serve as an important factor in evaluating the safeguardability of NMA, and in the future, safeguardability factors related to Containment & Surveillance (C&S) and Design Information Verification (DIV) will be additionally developed to conduct a comprehensive safeguardability evaluation of the target facility. This methodology can significantly enhance safeguardability during the design stage of nuclear facilities.

This study was aimed to isolate bacterial inoculants producing chitinase and evaluate their application effects on corn silage. Four corn silages were collected from four beef cattle farms to serve as the sources of bacterial inoculants. All isolates were tested against Fusarium graminearum head blight fungus MHGNU F132 to confirm their antifungal effects. The enzyme activities (carboxylesterase and chitinase) were also measured to isolate the bacterial inoculant. Based on the activities of anti-head blight fungus, carboxylesterase, and chitinase, L. buchneri L11-1 and L. paracasei L9-3 were subjected to silage production. Corn forage (cv. Gwangpyeongok) was ensiled into a 10 L mini silo (5 kg) in quadruplication for 90 days. A 2 × 2 factorial design consists of F. graminearum contamination at 1.0104 cfu/g (UCT (no contamination) vs. CT (contamination)) and inoculant application at 2.1 × 105 cfu/g (CON (no inoculant) vs. INO (inoculant)) used in this study. After 90 days of ensiling, the contents of CP, NDF, and ADF increased (p<0.05) by F. graminearum contamination, while IVDMD, acetate, and aerobic stability decreased (p<0.05). Meanwhile, aerobic stability decreased (p<0.05) by inoculant application. There were interaction effects (p<0.05) on IVNDFD, NH3-N, LAB, and yeast, which were highest in UCT-INO, UCT-CON, CT-INO, and CT-CON & INO, respectively. In conclusion, this study found that mold contamination could negatively impact silage quality, but isolated inoculants had limited effects on IVNDFD and yeast.

Nuclear fusion energy is considered as a future energy source due to its higher power density and no emission of greenhouse gas. Therefore, various researches on nuclear fusion is being conducted. One of the key materials for the nuclear fusion research is tritium because the D-T reaction is the main reaction in the nuclear fusion system. However, that tritium can also be used for non-peaceful purposes such as hydrogen bombs. Therefore, it is necessary to establish the safeguards system for tritium. In that regards, this study analyzed the possibility of applying safeguards to tritium. To achieve this objective, the tritium production capacity through the light water reactor was analyzed. Tritium Production Burnable Absorber Rod (TPBAR) was modeled through the MCNP code, and tritium production was analyzed. The TPBAR is composed of a cylindrical tube with a double coating of aluminum and zirconium, filled with a sintered lithium aluminate (LiAlO2) pellet to prevent the release of tritium. Tritium is produced by the reaction of Li-6 in the TPBAR with neutrons, and it is extracted and stored at the Tritium Extraction Facility (TEF). As a result, the tritium production increased as the burnup and Li-6 mass increased. In addition, when the tritium produced in this way was transferred to TEF and extracted through the process, the application of safeguards measures was analyzed. To this end, various safeguards measures were devised, such as setting an Material Balance Area (MBA) for TEF and analyzing Material Balance Period (MBP). As there is no designated Significant Quantity (SQ) for tritium, cases were classified based on the type and form of nuclear weapons to estimate the Sigma MUF (Material Unaccounted For) of the TEF. Finally, the comprehensive application of safeguards to tritium was discussed. This research is expected to contribute to the establishment of IAEA safeguards standards related to tritium by applying the findings to actual facilities.