본 연구는 담액수경재배(Deep Flow Technique, DFT)로 재배된 잎들깨(Perilla frutescens)의 생장 및 생리 적 반응에 미치는 인산결핍의 영향을 분석하였다. 인산 결핍 처리는 야마자키 표준 배양액을 수정하여 0% (대조 구), 30%, 50%, 70%, 100%의 5 수준으로 달리 조성하였다. 처리 20일부터 80일까지 인산 결핍 수준이 증가함에 따라 초장, 엽수, 마디 수, 경직경이 유의미하게 감소하였다. 80일째에는 100% 인산 결핍 처리에서 초장이 10.1cm, 엽수는 식물체당 2.7장으로 급감하였으며, 이는 대조구의 73.5cm 및 12.8장에 비해 현저한 생장 저해를 나타냈다. 또한, 인산 결핍 조건에서 생체중과 건물중 모두 현저히 감소하였으며, 대조구의 생체중은 93.4g 이었으나 100% 인산결핍 처리구에서는 2.1g으로, 건물중은 11.8g에서 0.4g으로 크게 감소하였다. 인산 결핍 정도가 증가할수록 하 부엽에서 황화(Chlorosis) 및 괴사(Necrosis)와 같은 생리장해 증상이 뚜렷하게 나타났다. 이러한 결과는 인산이 잎 들깨의 영양생장과 건물생산량 증가에 필수적인 역할을 수행함을 나타내었다.

국내 수박(Citrullus lanatus) 품종의 발아율에 대한 Solid Matrix Priming(SMP)의 영향을 평가하였다. Micro cel-E가 SMP 처리에 가장 이상적인 matrix로 밝혀졌으며, 종자:matix:물의 비율은 10:5:10(w/w/w)로, 25°C 에서 3일 동안 처리했을 때 유근의 돌출없이 발아속도가 촉진되었다. SMP 처리 과정 동안 초기 4시간 동안의 수분 흡수율은 급격하게 증가했으며, 이후 72시간 동안은 더 느린 속도로 흡수되었고, 처리 마지막 시간까지 수분 흡수 율은 41%이었다. 발아 온도와 상관없이, SMP 처리된 종자는 발아 시간이 단축되면서 발아율이 향상되었다. 특히, 최적 발아 온도보다 낮은 온도에서 발아율이 높았다. 품종별 차이는 있었으나, 특히 ‘해찬꿀’과 ‘리코스위트’ 품종 에서 발아율이 유의미하게 증가하였다. 또한 일부 품종에서 SMP 처리 종자의 유묘출현율과 초장, 생체중이 무처 리에 비하여 증가한 값을 보였으며, SMP 처리로 종자의 발아속도 및 유묘활력을 증진시켜 우량 묘 확보가 가능한 것으로 판단되었다.

Background: Cisplatin, a chemotherapeutic agent often causes nephrotoxic side effects. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is known to induce pro-inflammatory responses, often leading to septic renal injury. We hypothesized that the combination of cisplatin and LPS would amplify renal injury, thereby improving a renal injury model. Therefore, we administered both agents to mice and evaluated renal injury indicators. Methods: Eight-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were injected with cisplatin (8, 10, or 12 mg/kg) and LPS (5 mg/kg) on days 1 and 4 following of each week. Mice were euthanized at specific time points to assess renal injury. Body weight, renal weight, area, and BUN levels were measured to evaluate renal damage. Additionally, hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and Masson’s trichrome (MT) staining were performed to assess histological changes. Results: The combination of cisplatin and LPS significantly reduced body and renal weight compared to cisplatin alone. A high dose of cisplatin (12 mg/kg) resulted in a 50% mortality, while, lower doses (8 and 10 mg/kg) showed 100% survival. Significant renal injury was observed in the 10 mg/kg cisplatin group administered for two weeks. In the 8 mg/kg cisplatin group, no changes were observed after two weeks, but renal damage appeared after four weeks. Histological evaluations in the 10 mg/kg cisplatin group administered for two weeks showed renal injury features, including tubular damage and fibrosis. Conclusions: Administering cisplatin (10 mg/kg) with LPS for two weeks or cisplatin (8 mg/kg) with LPS for four weeks resulted in a distinct renal injury, effectively establishing a renal injury mouse model.

Following the previous study, which investigated the pharmacological properties of the Technekitty injection (Tc-99m), the toxicity of a single intravenous administration of the Technekitty injection (Tc-99m) and the side effects that may occur at the diagnostic dose were confirmed. The Technekitty injection (Tc-99m) was administered intravenously once at a dose of 0, 0.67, 2.0, and 6.0 mCi/kg to 5 male and female rats per group. Mortality, general symptom observation, and weight measurement were performed for 2 weeks, followed by observation of autopsy findings. There were no deaths, and no statistically significant weight change was observed. No abnormal systemic signs related to the Technekitty injection (Tc-99m) were observed. These results confirmed that Technekitty injection (Tc-99m) can be safely administered intravenously at doses up to 6.0 mCi/kg. Additionally, technetium-99m at an average dose of 2 mCi (74 MBq) has been verified as a diagnostic dose without adverse effects, allowing the Technekitty injection (Tc-99m) to be used safely without side effects at this dosage. This study demonstrates that the Technekitty injection (Tc-99m) has a wide safety margin, supporting its potential for clinical application. Moreover, these findings align with the nonclinical safety standards for radiopharmaceuticals, reinforcing its utility in veterinary medicine. The Technekitty injection (Tc-99m) is expected to be applicable for clinical diagnosis as a veterinary drug in Korea.

Thyroid scanning using technetium-99m (99mTc) is the gold standard for diagnosing feline hyperthyroidism. In cats with an overactive thyroid, a thyroid scan is the most appropriate imaging technique to detect and localize any hyperfunctional adenomatous thyroid tissue. In this study, the pharmacological properties of the Technekitty injection (Tc-99m), developed as a diagnostic agent for feline hyperthyroidism using 99mTc as an active ingredient, were tested in FRTL-5 thyroid follicular cell line and ICR mice. The percentage of cell uptake of the Tc-99m in FRTL-5 thyroid cells was 0.182 ± 0.018%, which was about 6 times higher compared to Clone 9 hepatocytes. This uptake decreased by 38.2% due to competitive inhibition by iodine (sodium iodide). In tissue distribution tests by using ICR mice, the highest distribution was observed in the liver, kidneys, spleen, lungs, and femur at 0.083 hours after administration, and this distribution decreased as the compound was excreted through the kidneys, the primary excretory organ. Maximum distribution was confirmed at 1 hour in the small intestine, 6 hours in the large intestine, and 2 hours in the thyroid gland. Additionally, the total amount excreted through urine and feces over 48 hours (2 days) was 78.80% of the injected dose, with 37.70% (47.84% of the total excretion) excreted through urine and 41.10% (52.16% of the total excretion) through feces. In conclusion, the Tc-99m has the same mechanism of action, potency, absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion characteristics as 99mTc used for feline hyperthyroidism in the United States, Europe, and other countries, because the Technekitty injection (Tc-99m) contains 99mTc as its sole active ingredient. Based on these results, the Technekitty injection (Tc-99m) is expected to be safely used in the clinical diagnosis of feline hyperthyroidism.

Distractive marking, as conceptualized by Abbott H. Thayer, refers to diminutive patterns of contrasting colors on an animal’s body. Thayer hypothesized that these patterns augment camouflage by diverting predatory focus from the outline of the prey, however, the evidence was insufficient. In this study, we verified the hypothesis that the presence of distractive markings confers a survival advantage under specific conditions. Specifically, the experiment aimed to ascertain whether the existence of lichens on trees hinders the visual detection of prey, given that lichens resemble distractive markings. The experimental design involved human subjects as predators and artificial moth images on a monitor as prey. The survival of moths with and without distractive markings was compared, also considering the influence of the presence of lichens in the background. As an analysis result, the survival likelihood of moths was statistically significantly hindered when the distractive marking was present. This result contradicts Thayer‘s hypothesis and implies the presence of a function distinct other than the enhancement of camouflage.

Haploidization in somatic cells is the process of reducing the diploid somatic chromosomes to haploid. Several studies have attempted somatic haploidization using oocytes in mice and humans. Some researchers showed partial somatic haploidization, but none observed embryo development. Our study attempted somatic haploidization using the modified somatic nuclear transfer (SCNT) protocol with various combinations of chemicals or proteins in mice. This study induced the proper segregation of somatic homologous chromosomes and full embryo development in vitro. Furthermore, somatic haploid embryos established embryonic stem cells and produced live births. The current review summarizes this recent study on the success of somatic haploidization and provides an overview of other related studies on somatic haploidization.

This study aimed to identify prognostic factors and describe the treatment outcomes of multidrug therapy in dogs with meningoencephalomyelitis of unknown etiology (MUE). A total of 23 dogs diagnosed with MUE were treated with prednisolone in combination with cyclosporine, cytosine arabinoside (CA), leflunomide, and mycophenolate mofetil. Based on the survival time, these dogs were divided into two groups: group A (n = 10), surviving for < 100 days, and group B (n = 13), surviving for > 100 days. Signalment, seizure activity, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis results, and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging findings were reviewed. Survival studies were conducted to investigate the association of each prognostic factor and treatment with the clinical outcome. There were no significant differences in age, sex, body weight, occurrence of seizures, cell number and protein concentration in the CSF, or location of lesions between groups A and B. Abnormal MR features were more frequently observed in group A than in group B. It was identified that the longest median survival time was administration of multi-drug therapy including CA. In conclusion, abnormal MR features were associated with poor prognosis in dogs with MUE and CA-based multi-drug therapy could be considered the most effective treatment of MUE.

Boric acid-containing B-10 is used in a nuclear reactor as a coolant and absorbs thermal neutrons generated during nuclear fission in the primary circuit. Boron-containing coolant water waste is generated from maintenance, floor drain, decontamination, and reactor letdown flows. There are two options for aqueous solution waste of boric acid. One is recycling and discharge through filtration, ion exchange, and reverse osmosis. The other is immobilization after evaporation and crystallization processes. The dry powder of boric acid waste liquid can be immobilized by cement, polymer, etc. Before the mid-1990s, concentrated boric acid waste was solidified with a cement matrix. To overcome the disadvantage of low waste loading of cement waste form, a method of solidifying with paraffin was adopted. However, paraffin solids were insufficient to be disposed of as final waste. Paraffin is a kind of soft solidified material and has low compressive strength and poor leaching resistance. As a result, it was decided as an unsuitable form for disposal. In KOREA, paraffin waste form was adopted for boric acid waste treatment in the 1990s. A large amount of paraffin waste forms about 20,000 drums (200 l drum) were generated to treat boric acid waste and were stored in nuclear power sites without disposal. In this study, we want to obtain high-purity boric acid waste by oxidizing and decomposing solid paraffin waste form through a boric acid catalytic reaction. In this reaction, paraffin is separated in the form of various by-products, which can then be treated through a liquid waste treatment device or an exhaust gas treatment device. The proper temperature for sample decomposition during the catalytic reaction was set through TGA analysis. Compositions of by-products and residues generated at each stage of the reaction could be analyzed to determine the state during the reaction. Finally, the boric acid waste powder was perfectly separated from paraffin waste form with disposable products through this pyrolysis process.

Embryo transfer (ET) in the animal is an important procedure to generate genetically engineered animals and conserve genetic resources. For ET experiments in mice, pseudopregnant recipients are usually prepared with proestrus stage of females and vasectomized males. However, this conventional method is inefficient because the size of female colonies should be large to select only the proestrus stage in the estrous cycle and the surgical procedures are required to generate vasectomized males. In this study, we established a simple and efficient protocol to prepare ET recipients using the estrous synchronization with hormone injection and the mating with wild male mice. The delivery rate of ET recipients tended to be increased with estrous synchronization using hormone injection (100%) compared to the conventional method (71%). Further, natural pregnancy of the recipients, induced by mating with a wild male, significantly enhanced the birth rate of ET offspring than the conventional method (33% vs. 13%). Based on the results, we concluded that our new protocol using hormone injection to ET recipients and mating with wild males could be more efficient and simpler compared to the conventional method.

농촌진흥청 국립원예특작과학원에서는 2018년 오리엔탈-트럼펫(OT) 종간잡종나리 ‘Pink Bella’를 개발하였다. 2008년 연노란색 OT 종간잡종나리 ‘Valparadiso’와 붉은색의 오리엔탈나리 ‘Scalini’를 각각 모본과 부본으로 화주 절단 수분법과 주 두교배법으로 각 3화를 인공교배하였고, 교배 후 미숙한 3개의 꼬투리를 수확하여 배가 형성된 배주를 기내에서 배양하여 잡종을 획득한 후 재배하였다. 육묘한 배양묘로부터 2011년 분홍색의 OT 종간잡종 나리 ‘OTO-11-43’ 계통을 개체 선발하였다. 2012년부터 2017년까지 선발된 계통은 자구와 인편번식, 조직배양을 이용하여 번식 및 양구한 후 1, 2차 생육특성 검정을 실시하였다. 2018년 3차 생육특성검정 및 소비자 기호도 평가를 수행한 결과 화색 및 화형에 대한 기호도가 높은 분홍색(RHS, RP62C)의 조기개화성 절화용 OT 종간잡종 나리 ‘Pink Bella’를 육성하였다. 3배체의 OT 종간잡종 나리로 초장은 131.7cm로 초장신장성이 우수하였다. ‘Pink Bella’의 화폭은 18.6cm이며 대조품종 ‘Table Dance’의 18.4cm와 유사한 크기였으며, 내화피의 폭, 길이 역시 대조품종과 통계적인 차이가 없었다. ‘Pink Bella’의 개화기는 6월 15일로 대조품종 ‘Table Dance’의 6월 28일에 비교하여 개화기가 13일 단축된 것으로 나타났으며 통계적으로 유의하였다.

Increasing the efficiency of HR (homologous recombination) is important for a successful knock-in. Rad51 is mainly involved in homologous recombination and is associated with strand invasion. The HR-related mismatch repair system maintains HR fidelity by heteroduplex rejection and repair. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to control Rad51, which plays a critical role in HR, through UV-induced DNA damage. It is also to confirm the effect on the expression of MMR related genes (Msh2, Msh3, Msh6, Mlh1, Pms2) and HR-related genes closely related to HR through treatment with the MMR inhibitor CdCl2. The mRNA expression of Rad51 gene was confirmed in both HC11 cells and mouse testes, but the mRNA expression of Dmc1 gene was confirmed only in mouse testes. The protein expression of Rad51 and Dmc1 gene increased in UV-irradiated HC11 cells. After 72 hours of treatment with 1 μm of CdCl2, the mRNA expression level of Msh3, Pms2, and Rad51 decreased, but the mRNA expression level of Msh6 and Mlh1 increased in HC11 cells. There was no significant difference in Msh2 mRNA expression between CdCl2 untreated-group and the 72 hours treated group. In conclusion, HR-related gene (Rad51) was increased by UV-induced DNA damage. Treatment of the MMR inhibitor CdCl2 in HC11 cells decreased the mRNA expression of Rad51.