Glutamate-mediated oxidative stress causes neuronal cell death by increasing intracellular Ca2+ uptake, reactive oxidative species (ROS) generation, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation, and translocation of apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) to the nucleus. In the current study, we demonstrated that corydaline exerts potent neuroprotective effects against glutamate-induced neurotoxicity. Treatment with 5 mmol/L glutamate increased cellular Ca2+ influx, ROS generation, MAPK activation, and AIF translocation. In contrast, corydaline treatment decreased cellular Ca2+ influx and ROS generation. Western blot analysis revealed that glutamate-mediated MAPK activation was attenuated by corydaline treatment. We further demonstrated that corydaline treatment inhibited the glutamate-mediated translocation of AIF to the nucleus. We propose that corydaline is a promising lead structure for the development of safe and effective neuroprotectants.

본 연구에서는 액체감쇠역전회복(FLAIR) 시퀀스를 대체하였던 방법 중에 비교적 간단하면서 높은 재현성을 나타내었던 고신호 강도제거 원리를 MAGiC에 적용하여 MAGiC-FLAIR와 기존의 고속스핀에코-FLAIR 영상과 비교하여 고신호 강 도제거영상의 유용성과 임상적으로 유의미한 기준을 제시하고자 하였다. 연구방법은 MAGiC 적용 후 MAGiC-FLAIR와 MAGiC-고신호 강도제거 영상을 재구성하여, 기존의 고속스핀에코-FLAIR 영상과 각각 정성적, 정량적 평가를 비교하였 다. 정성평가결과 MAGiC-고신호 강도제거는 MAGiC-FLAIR 보다는 월등히 우수하며, 고속스핀에코-FLAIR와 유사한 결과를 보였고, 정량평가결과 MAGiC-고신호강도제거는 MAGiC-FLAIR보다 백질과 회백질 대조도는 더 우수할 뿐만 아 니라, 뇌척수액의 신호 억제도 우수한 결과를 나타냈다. Synthetic 영상을 통하여 획득한 다양한 대조도 영상 중 FLAIR의 부정확도를 고신호 강도제거기법을 적용한다면 진단적 가치를 개선하여 제공할 수 있을 것이다.

The bacterial soft-rot disease is one of the most critical diseases in vegetables such as Chinese cabbage. The researchers isolated two bacteria (Pseudomonas kribbensis and Pantoea vagans) from diseased tissue samples of Chinese cabbages and confirmed them as being the strains that cause soft-rot disease. Lactic-acid bacteria (LAB), were screened and used to control soft-rot disease bacteria. The researchers tested the treatments with hypochlorous acid water (HAW) and LAB supernatant to control soft-rot disease bacteria. The tests confirmed that treatments with the HAW (over 120 ppm) or LAB (Lactobacillus plantarum PL203) culture supernatants (0.5 mL) completely controlled both P. kribbensis and P. vagans.

본 연구에서는 국내산 돌미나리에서 GABA생성능이 있 는 신규 유산균을 분리, 동정한 결과, Enteroccoccus casseliflavus로 확인되었다. 최근까지 Lactobacillus속과 같 은 GABA 생성 유산균에 대한 보고는 많이 되고 있고, 일 부 Enterococcs속 유산균도 보고되고 있으나 E. casseliflavus 종에 대한 보고는 없었다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 E. casseliflavus PL05 균주에 대한 GABA 생성 최적 조건을 찾기 위하여 배지의 유형, 생육 온도, 초기 pH 조건, 배양 시간, MGS 농도 및 탄소원을 포함한 다양한 조건을 테스 트하였다. PL05 균주는 MRS 혹은 TSB 배지보다 BHI 배 지에서 생육이 잘 되었으며, 배지의 초기 pH는 7-9 조건 에서 가장 생육이 왕성하였고, GABA 생성 조건 역시 유 사한 결과로 확인되었다. GABA의 기질에 해당하는 MSG 의 농도별 GABA 생성량을 조사한 결과, 7%에서 가장 높 은 생성량을 나타내었으나 5%에서도 유사한 수준으로 확 인되어 효율적인 측면에서 5%가 적합할 것으로 판단된다. 탄소원에 따른 생육 및 GABA 생성량은 말토오스를 사용 하였을 때 가장 높은 것으로 확인되었고, 이러한 최적의 조건들로 최종 테스트를 진행한 결과, 24시간째 140.06±0.71 mM의 GABA가 생성되었고, 전환율은 78.95%로 확인되 었다. 또한 반코마이신을 포함한 10개의 항생제에 대한 감 수성을 조사한 결과 내성이 없는 것을 확인하였다.

To enhance mechanical properties through improvement of dispersion stability of carbon black (CB) in epoxy resins, fluorine functional groups were introduced on the CB surface by fluorination. The changes in the chemical properties and dispersion stabilities after fluorination were evaluated with different partial pressures of fluorine gas. The mechanical properties of the fluorinated CB/epoxy composites were evaluated by the test of tensile, impact strengths and creep behavior. The fluorinated CB/epoxy composites showed approximately 1.6 and 1.1 times enhancement in the tensile and impact strengths compared to that of neat epoxy, respectively. Moreover, when a constant load was applied at 323 K, the fluorinated CB/epoxy composites lasted longer and had smaller strain changes than those of the raw CB/epoxy composites. Thus, well-dispersed CB by fluorination in epoxy resins effectively transfers mechanical stress.

Symbiotic bacteria are common in insects. Because symbiotic bacteria are known to intimately affect the various aspects of insect host biology, ideally insects can be controlled by manipulating their symbiont. However, the attempts to control insects through their symbiont have been very limited. The paucity of the insect pest control using their symbiont is most likely due to the poor understanding of the symbiotic interactions between host insect and symbiont, which is attributed to the difficulty in cultivation of insect symbionts. However, the recently established bean bug, Riptortus pedestris, symbiotic system provides good opportunities to study insect’s symbiont in molecular level through their cultivable symbionts. Bean bugs acquire genus Burkholderia cells from environment and harbor them as their gut symbionts in the specialized posterior midgut. The genome of the Burkholderia symbiont was sequenced, and the genomic information has been used to generate the genetically manipulated Burkholderia symbiont strains. After orally administering the mutant Burkholderia symbionts into bean bugs for symbiotic association, the bacterial colonization levels in the host gut and host phenotypes were analyzed. As a result, we have identified novel symbiotic factors necessary for establishing successful association with host. Our recent understandings on the bacterial symbiotic factors demonstrate a great possibility to control the bean bug pest using genetically modified Burkholderia symbiont.

The Riptortus (stinkbug) has a specialized symbiotic organ, M4 midgut, to harboring symbiont Burkholderia. M4 midgut is located in abdomen and surrounded with insect hemolymph. Recently our group demonstrated that symbiotic Burkholderia showed different physiology after adapting in M4 gut compare with in vitro cultured Burkholderia. And population of symbiotic Burkholderia in the M4 midgut is regulated by special organ. However, the molecular mechanism to prevent spreading and migrating symbiont bacteria to other host tissues from symbiotic organ is not clear. Therefore, we assumed that symbiont Burkholderia are susceptible to host humoral immunity after established infection in M4 midgut to prevent spreading and migrating into the other host tissues through Riptortus hemolymph. To prove this assuming, we tested the susceptibility and survival rate of symbiont Burkholderia in hemolymph of Riptortus in vitro and in vivo. We also examined the susceptibility of symbiont Burkholderia using purified antimicrobial peptides (AMP), pyrrhocoricin-like, thanatin-like and defensin-like AMPs. Finally, we tested inducing ability for AMPs by systemic infection of symbiotic Burkholderia. Gene expression of purified AMPs was not different after systemic infection of both symbiont and in vitro cultured Burkholderia. Surprisingly, in vitro cultured Burkholderia resisted on bacteria injected hemolymph and purified AMPs but symbiont Burkholderia were highly susceptible in bacteria injected hemolymph and purified AMP. These results suggest that symbiont Burkholderia can't survive in the hemolymph after escaping symbiotic organ. Moreover, humoral immunity of host Riptortus is important to prevent spreading and migrating symbiont Burkholderia into the other host tissue or organ from symbiotic organ.

Cotesia plutellae has been known as a natural enemy against the Diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella via laying eggs into a larva. When the larva hatches from the egg, teratocytes also are released and expected to work as immune suppressor via secreting immune suppressive factors such as venom proteins, teratocytes and polydnavirus. In order to identify immune suppressive factors from teratocytes, we collected the supernatant from serum-free culture media of teratocytes. Concentration of secreted proteins from teratocytes was successfully performed with using centricons among tested methods such proteins precipitation and electrophoresed in sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel. The gel slices were directly digested with trypsin using in-gel digestion method and analyzed via LC-Ms-Ms. Molecular weight of peptide fragments were compared with protein database predicted by full-genome sequences of C. plutellae. We identified two immune responsive proteins, which are calreticulin, host cellular response-related gene and neprilysin 2, immune regulator. This result suggests that host immune response is suppressed or regulated by the immune suppressive factors of teratocytes.

The subfamily Acaenitinae Foerster, 1869 is a small-sized group belonging to the family Ichneumonidae. It includes 250 species in 26 genera from Ethiopian, Oriental, and Palaearctic region. However, only 14 species of six genera, Arotes, Coleocentrus, Jezarotes, Phaenolobus, Spilopteron and Yamatarotes have been reported from Korea. This subfamily can be easily recognized from other ichneumonids by the combination of the following characters: subgenital plate very elongate; tarsal claws with accessory tooth. Members of Acaenitinae are parasitoids of wood-boring Coleoptera, Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera. Among them, some of parasitoids of Cerambycidae are known as intermediate carrier of Bursaphelenchus xylophilus (Nematoda: Parasitaphelenchidae). In this study of the Korean Acaenitinae, we found the genus Yezoceryx from Korea for the first time, including newly recorded two species, Y. sp.1 and Y. sp.2. We provide description of the genus and two species with a key to the Korean genera of the subfamily Acaenitinae.

The subfamily Acaenitinae Föster, 1869 is a small-sized subfamily belonging to the family Ichneumonidae. Members of Acaenitinae distributes in Ethiopian, Oriental, and Palearctic Regions. Twenty six genera have been recorded in the World, and six genera are known from Korea. The biology of the Acaenitinae is not well known, however, some hosts are recorded from Cerambycidae in Coleoptera (Gardiner, 1960), Sesiidae and Tortricidae in Lepidoptera (Ulbricht, 1909; Starke, 1956). Generally female is easily distinguished from that of other subfamily of Ichneumonidae. They can be recognized by their very elongate subgenital plate, and by the auxiliary tooth on the tarsal claws. Male can be also easily recognized by the form of the claws and the facial shape. In this study, we found a newly recorded genus Yezoceryx, belonging to the Tribe Acaenitini, with two species in Korean fauna. Illustrated key of species and genera, diagnosis and photographs of each species are provieded.

Neutropenic enterocolitis (NE), the most serious gastrointestinal complication, has been reported as a clinical syndrome that occurs in the setting of disease- or chemotherapy-induced neutropenia. Complications of NE include bowel necrosis with perforation, fistula, stenosis, massive bleeding, abscess formation, and pneumatosis intestinalis (PI). Most physicians recommend initial conservative management with bowel rest, intravenous fluids, total parenteral nutrition, broad-spectrum antibiotics, and normalization of neutrophil counts. Surgical intervention is recommended in the event of obstruction, perforation, persistent gastrointestinal bleeding despite correction of thrombocytopenia and coagulopathy, or clinical deterioration. We experienced a patient whose abdominal computed tomography scan showed pneumoretroperitoneum, intramural gas in the colon, and inferior vena caval gas. Her condition improved after treatment with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and broad-spectrum antibiotics. We report on this case along with a review of the literature.