In recent years, there is rising conversation about animal welfare with increasing concern about animals. However, disease control is still not being carried out effectively. It is hard to discuss the specific plan of the domestic animal shelter and pet shop due to limited information about their present condition. Thus, we analyzed existing data and suggested a new disease control system. Disease management reports of pet shops and animal shelters investigated by local government and animal protection organizations were the main reference of this study. As the euthanasia rate of shelters has recently decreased, animals stay in shelters for extended periods. As a result, mortality rate from disease has increased. Also, many animals in pet shops die due to health problems. In animal shelters, there is always a certain proportion of individuals with disease, and many shelters do not treat them or vaccinate animals before infection. In pet shops, information such as each individual’s health condition and vaccination records is not properly disclosed, and contagious pathogens are detected in hygiene tests. In order to improve the condition, each animals’ information should be dealt with using a system based on ICT technology. Also, it is necessary to perform antibody tests and infectious disease kit tests provided by local governments, set up breeding environment manuals, and supervise the management of local governments.

The Republic of Korea has implemented an obligatory vaccination on major livestock breeds to prevent and eradicate nationwide foot and mouth disease (FMD) since the end of 2010. The government has executed massive serological survey to check the immune level of various herds after vaccination, and seropositive rates against FMD virus (FMDV) structural proteins can be measured to assess FMD immunity level. The purpose of this study is to investigate the FMDV serological level of every cattle breeding farm in the country and to determine whether there is a significant difference between groups classified by time, age, and management authority. A total of 5,781 serum samples was collected in 18 cattle breeding farms from 2020 to 2021, and the seropositive rates were measured using PrioCHECK FMDV Type O ELISA kit. Firstly, the cattle breeding farms were classified by which they are managed: the central government, the local government, and the private agency. Every management authority had a seropositive rate of 99.5% or higher. Secondly, the samples were divided into 6 to 12 months old, 12 to 24 months old, and 24 months or more. The 6 to 12 months old group in 2020 showed a significantly low seropositive rate of 98.1%, but it was improved by implementing the enhanced vaccination policy from 2021 to 100%. In summary, there are considerably high seropositive rates including all groups with time, age, and by which they are managed, which means the FMD vaccination in cattle breeding farms is well-managed.

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a very deadly and highly contagious disease that occurs in various cloven-hoofed animals. Korea imports vaccines including non-vaccinated serotype for the vaccine bank. The two company vaccines imported from 2019 to 2021 were evaluated through multiple tests based on national standard assay. SN titers for the vaccine of company A were more than 1.5 log10, those of company B vaccine in the geometric mean were at least 1.72. All imported vaccines exceeded the evaluation criteria, and the potency of each vaccine was above its own company standard. Stockpiled vaccines for emergency may help to control non-vaccinated serotypes of FMD outbreak nationally.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Cheonggukjang pills with aronia and blueberries on dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis in mice. There have been several reports that Cheonggukjang is effective for intestinal health, but the efficacy of Cheonggukjang containing fruits has not yet been reported. In this study, we showed the effect of cheonggukjang pills with blueberries and aronia (CPBA) on DSS-induced colitis in BALB/c mice. CPBA was obtained from Soonchang Moonokae foods and orally administered once a day for 2 weeks before DSS treatment. Colitis was induced in mice by feeding 5% (w/v) DSS drinking water for 7 days. The results showed that CPBA treatment significantly alleviated DSS-induced disease activity index associated with a decrease in colon length. CPBA improved DSS-induced histological changes and intestinal epithelial barrier integrity in mice colon. In addition, CPBA administration significantly reduced the levels of DSS-mediated interferon-γ and interleukin-6 in serum and tumor necrosis factor-α in colon tissue. Moreover, the gene expression of COX-2 and iNOS, which are factors involved in inflammatory signaling, was significantly reduced by CPBA treatment. These results suggest that CPBA have a protective effect against DSS-induced mice colitis and may be a candidate for colitis treatment.

Periodontitis, especially in its chronic form, is one of the leading causes of tooth loss, significantly affecting the quality of life in the modern era of aging society. Recent studies have revealed a potential correlation between periodontitis and various systemic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases and Alzheimer’s dementia (AD). With the body of epidemiologic evidence that links these separate disease entities, several lines of hypotheses have been postulated to provide mechanistic understandings that mostly comprises abnormal regulation of immunologic and inflammatory signaling. In this review, we revisit the experimental findings that describe virulence factors derived from Porphyromonas gingivalis, including gingipains and lipopolysaccharides, as well as their roles in the pathophysiology of AD. In addition, we address potential immunologic challenges imposed by this bacterial pathogen contributing to progression of AD.

본 연구에서는 명리학적 간명 사례를 통하여 치매와의 상관성을 살펴보았 다. 치매 환자들의 생년월일과 대운(大運)⋅세운(歲運)을 기준으로 하고 사주 와 대운(大運)⋅세운(歲運)을 구성하는 오행(五行) 가운데 5개 이상 들어있는 경우를 선별하여 보았다. 상호(相互) 상생(相生) 관계에 있는 육친(六親)에 해 당하는 오행이 5개 이상 들어있는 경우를 분석해보았다. 그 결과 생부(生扶)의 기운에 해당하는 인성(印性)과 비겁(比劫)의 경우 다른 육친의 오행의 다과(多 寡)에 비해 큰 차이를 보였다. 비겁⋅ 식상(食傷)은 평균치에 해당하는 결과를 보였고 인성⋅비겁은 평균치 보다 두 배 넘게 차지하였고 관성(官星)⋅인성은 평균치의 1/3 정도였다. 또한 재성(財星)과 관성, 식상과 재성은 평균치의 절반 을 차지하였다. 결과적으로 사주의 인비(印比) 태과와 치매 발병 사이에는 유 의미한 관계가 있다는 것을 알 수 있었다. 또한 사주와 대운과 세운의 오행 태과가 인성과 비겁으로 이루어지는 시기에 치매 질병이 유의미한 결과를 보 여 주었다. 본 연구로 보았을 때 사주와 운을 종합해보았을 때 오행 중 인비 (印比)의 생부(生扶)가 태과로 판단된다면 치매에 대한 예방의 주의를 더 기울일 수 있도록 하면 좋다. 향후 좀 더 정확한 연관관계를 밝히기 위해 지속적 인 연구가 필요하다고 보인다.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the most common forms of dementia, affecting more than 50 million people globally. The onset of AD is linked to age, smoking, obesity, hypercholesterolemia, physical inactivity, depression, gender, and genetics of an individual. The accumulation of Aβ peptides and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) in the brain is one of the critical factors that lead to AD, which is known to disrupt neuronal signaling and causing neurodegeneration. As per the current understanding, inhibiting the accumulation of Aβ peptides and NFTs is crucial in the management/treatment of AD. Latest research studies show that nanoparticles have the potency of improving drug transport across the blood–brain barrier easily. Specifically, graphene quantum dots (GQDs), a type of semiconducting nanoparticles, have been established as effective inhibitors for blocking the aggregation of Aβ peptides. The small size of GQDs allows them to pass through the blood– brain barrier with ease. Moreover, GQDs have fluorescence properties, which can be used to detect the concentration of Aβ in vivo. In recent years, compared to other carbon materials, the low cytotoxicity and high biocompatibility of GQDs, give them an advantage in the suitability and clinical research for AD. In this manuscript, we have discussed the role of different types of nanoparticles in the transportation of encapsulated or co-assembled compound drugs for the treatment of AD and importantly, the role of GQDs in the diagnosis and management/treatment of AD.

This study investigated the association between dietary intake and 10-year risk for CHD predicted from Framingham risk score in Korean adults using the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2019-2020. Eight thousand subjects (3,382 men and 4,618 women) aged 30 years or older were classified into three groups according to the 10-year CHD risk (%). The sociodemographics, anthropometrics indices, blood profiles, and dietary intake were collected. After adjusting for confounding variables, the mean adequacy ratio (MAR) decreased for both men and women as the disease risk increased. The high–risk group was below the MAR criteria, indicating that the overall quality of the meal was not good. The highest consumers of legumes (OR 0.56, 95% CI 0.37-0.84), fruits (OR 0.67, 95% CI 0.48-0.93), and fish (OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.42-0.87) had a 44%, 33%, and 40% lower 10-year CHD risk than lowest consumers in men, respectively. In women, there is no significant relationship between food groups and disease risk. Therefore, improving lifestyle habits such as weight control, increased activity, and adequate food intake, especially legumes, fruits, and fish rich in antioxidant nutrients and bioactive substances, appears to have a potential association with preventing coronary heart disease in Korean adults.

This study evaluated the effect of a combination of acetaminophen (AAP), vitamin C (VC) and thioctic acid (TA) on reducing serum cortisol concentrations in mice with foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccination. For 5 days from 3 days before FMD vaccination to 2 days after vaccination, mice were orally administered with AAP 600 mg/kg feed (n=25, AAPT), combination of AAP 600 mg and VC 200 mg per kg feed (n=25, AVCT) and combination of AAP 600 mg, VC 200 mg and TA 20 mg per kg feed (n=25, AVTT), respectively. From day 1 to day 7 after FMD vaccination, the cortisol concentration of all groups treated with the drug was significantly decreased compared to that of the positive control group with FMD vaccination (p<0.05). In conclusion, the combined treatment of AAP, VC and TA was the most effective in relieving stress from FMD vaccination compared to the single treatment.

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious vesicular disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, causing substantial economic losses to the livestock industry. The causative FMD virus (FMDV) comprises four structural proteins (VP1, VP2, VP3, and VP4) and several non-structural proteins. Among the capsid proteins, VP4 is the most conserved, making it an attractive target as a diagnostic and vaccine antigen, regardless of FMDV serotype. In this study, we attempted to express the VP4 protein N-terminally fused to a glutathione S-transferase (GST) tag in Escherichia coli. Whereas VP0 and VP2 proteins were expressed in the soluble fraction, we failed to detect VP4, even in the insoluble fraction. To investigate the effect of VP4 C-terminal amino acid residues on protein expression, we constructed three VP4 mutants fused to GST, among which the mutant in which the C-terminal 15 amino acid residues had been deleted showed the highest level of protein expression. Furthermore, protein expression was observed even in the mutant in which three amino acid residues (DKK) had been fused to the C terminus. However, unlike the other two mutants, the wild-type VP4 mutant was poorly expressed, thereby indicating that the C-terminal amino acid residues could play a pivotal role in determining expression of the VP4 protein in E. coli.