This study aimed to examine the effect of a mild elevation in serum cholesterol level in a porcine coronary overstretch restenosis model using a balloon angioplasty catheter or drug-eluting coronary stent. Pigs were divided into two groups and were fed a commercial normal diet (CND, n = 4) or a high-fat diet (HFD, n = 4) for 5 weeks. Coronary overstretch injury by balloon angioplasty or stent implantation was induced in the left anterior descending and left circumflex artery after 1 week of feeding. Histopathological analysis was performed at 4 weeks after coronary injury. During the experiment, the total cholesterol level in the HFD group increased by approximately 44.9% (from 65.9 ± 3.21 mg/dL at baseline to 95.5 ± 9.94 mg/dL at 5 weeks). The lumen area in the CND group was reduced in comparison with that in the HFD group after balloon angioplasty. After stent implantation, the injury score showed no significant difference. There were significant differences in the neointimal area (2.7 ± 0.33 mm2 in the CND group vs. 3.3 ± 0.34 mm2 in the HFD group, p<0.05), lumen area (2.6 ± 0.54 mm2 in the CND group vs. 2.0 ± 0.33 mm2 in the HFD group, p<0.05), and percent area stenosis (52.0 ± 7.96% in the CND group vs. 62.4 ± 5.15% in the HFD group, p<0.05). Body weight change was not different between the two groups. Increased serum cholesterol level activated vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation in the porcine coronary overstretch model.

배초향은 항동맥경화나 항박테리아의 특성을 가지는 한약재에 널리 사용되는 영년생 약용식물이다. 연구의 목적은 수경재배에서 배양액의 종류와 PPFD값에 따른 배초향의 생장 및 항산화 물질의 변화를 조사하는 것이다. 배초향은 주야간 16:8 시간의 일장조건에서 150과 200 μmol·m-2·s-1 PPFD 조건과 일본원시(HES), 서울시립대(UOS), 유럽채소연구소(EVR), 오오츠카 배양액(OTS)을 이용하여 6주간 재배하였다. OTS 배양액조 건에서 자란 배초향의 지상부 및 지하부 건물중은 다른 배양액 처리구와 비교하여 유의적으로 높았다. 배초향의 틸리아닌 함량은 OTS 처리에서 가장 높았으며 다음으로 EVR, HES, UOS 순서로 낮아졌다. 총 아카세틴의 함량은 EVR처리에서 가장 높았으나 OTS처리와는 유의적 차이를 보이지 않았다. 또한 200 μmol·m-2·s-1 PPFD 조건에서 자란 배초향은 PPFD 150처리구와 비교하여 유의적으로 생체중과 건물중이 증가하였으며 기능성 물질은 틸리아닌과 아카세틴의 함량도 높았다. 본 연구는 수경재배 방식을 이용하여 식물공장에서 배초향을 재배할 경우 200 μmol·m-2·s-1 PPFD 조건과 OTS 배양액 조건에서 경제적인 광원조건으로 최적 바이오매스 생산량과 틸라아닌과 아카세틴의 함량을 증가시킬 수 있을 것으로 제안한다.

Earthworms, especially Eisenia andrei, are cultivated for a variety of purposes including waste disposal and compost production. In this study, bacteria from earthworm gut were cultured and the dominant species identified. Subsequently, we isolated bacteriophages able to lyse the isolated gut bacteria. Two dominant genera of gut bacteria, Aeromonas sp. and Citrobacter sp. were identified by using MALDI-TOF MS analysis and a library was constructed to find lytic phages. Phage EF1 showed lytic activity for C. freundii and two Citrobacter isolates, C. braakii and C. murliniae. These 3 species have similar sensitivities to EF1. Several aspects of the life cycle of EF1 were investigated by using C. freundii under optimal growth conditions. EF1 infects C. freundii with a moderate latent period, approximately 25 min, and a large burst size averaging 5 × 109 per infected cell. Moreover, the antimicrobial activity of EF1 was well maintained under diverse conditions including a broad temperature range of 40°C to 50°C and a wide pH range of 4 to 11. In conclusion, the results indicate that earthworm casting contain a wide range of bacteria species, for which there are various corresponding bacteriophages.

Oleanolic acid is a natural triterpenoid that exists widely in foods and some medicinal herbs. The purpose of this study was to determine the antimicrobial activity of oleanolic acid against Streptococcus mutans strains isolated from a Korean population. Antimicrobial activity against these bacteria was evaluated by minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and time kill curves. The tolerance of human gingival fibroblasts and human periodontal ligaments to oleanolic acid was tested using a methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay. The MIC90 value of oleanolic acid for both S. mutans and S. sobrinus isolated from Koreans was 8μg/mℓ. Oleanolic acid showed bactericidal effects against S. mutans ATCC 25175T and S. sobrinus ATCC 33478T at 1 × MIC(8μg/mℓ) and had no cytotoxic effects against KB cells at this dose. The results suggest that oleanolic acid could be useful in the future development of oral hygiene products for the prevention of dental caries.

Five field-collected populations (TR-CP, UR-CP, JR-CP, GR-CP, and BR-CP colonies) of northern house mosquito, Culex pipiens pallens, identified by polymer chain reaction (PCR) were tested for susceptibility to 10 different insecticides by direct-contact mortality bioassay in comparison with an insecticide-susceptible KS-CP strain. Marked regional variations of insecticide susceptibility were observed. Extremely high to high levels of resistance were obtained: bifenthrin, resistance ratio (RR) = 1–520; β-cyfluthrin, RR = 16–397; α -cypermethrin, RR = 9–343; deltamethrin, RR = 1–40; etofenprox, RR = 2–42; permethrin, RR = 2–12; chlorpyrifos, RR = 2–675; fenitrothion, RR = 0.5–364; and fenthion, RR = 2–360. All of the colonies were susceptible to one or more of the insecticides examined. These results indicate that careful selection and rotational use of these insecticides should result in continued satisfactory control against field populations of northern house mosquito.

Background : Management of air temperature are known to primarily affecting on physiological properties and yield in plant. Methods and Results : The effect of air temperature on characteristics of photosynthesis and chlorophyll fluorescence in Schisandra chinensis Baillon were investigated under controlled temperature using growth chamber. Net photosyntheis rate, transpiration was measured at 1,000 μmol m-2 s-1 of photon flux density and chlorophyll fluorescence was analyzed by OJIP method. Net photosyntheis rate and transpiration rate was higher in treatment of 25℃. As results of chlorophyll fluorescence by OJIP analysis, maximum quantum yield (Fv/Fm) of photosystem II (PSII) and PIabs was higher in treatment of 25℃ which reflects the relative reduction state of PSII. But in treatment of 35℃ the relative activities per reaction center such as ABS/RC, DIo/RC were higher than in treatment of 25℃ which implied that the relative reduction of electron transport at PSI and increasement of photo inhibition at reaction center. Conclusion : This result implies that 25℃ of air temperature may be a adequate temperature to improving the efficiency of photosynthesis through controlling a photosystem in Schisandra chinensis Baillon.