Diagnostic usefulness of a T cell-based assay for latent tuberculosis infection in kidney transplant candidates before transplantation

Kim, S.-H.,Lee, S.-O.,Park, I.-A.,Park, S.J.,Choi, S.-H.,Kim, Y.S.,Woo, J.H.,Park, S.-K.,Park, J.S.,Kim, S.C.,Han, D.J. Blackwell Publishing Inc 2010 Transplant infectious disease Vol.12 No.2

<P>S.-H. Kim, S.-O. Lee, I.-A. Park, S.J. Park, S.-H. Choi, Y.S. Kim, J.H. Woo, S.-K. Park, J.S. Park, S.C. Kim, D.J. Han. Diagnostic usefulness of a T cell-based assay for latent tuberculosis infection in kidney transplant candidates before transplantation.Transpl Infect Dis 2010: <B>12:</B> 113–119. All rights reserved</P><P>Background</P><P>The presence of latent tuberculosis (TB) infection (LTBI) should be evaluated before kidney transplantation. Although a new T cell-based assay for diagnosing LTBI gave promising results, this assay has not yet been compared with the tuberculin skin test (TST) for diagnosing LTBI in renal transplant candidates before transplantation.</P><P>Patients and methods</P><P>All adult patients admitted to a single institute for renal transplantation over a 1-year period were prospectively enrolled. A clinically predictive risk of LTBI was defined as: (i) recent close contact with a person with pulmonary TB; (ii) abnormal chest radiography; (iii) a history of untreated or inadequately treated TB; or (iv) a new infection (i.e., a recent conversion of TST).</P><P>Results</P><P>Of 209 renal recipients, 47 (22%) had a positive TST≥5 mm, 21 (10%) had a positive TST≥10 mm, 65 (30%) had a positive T-SPOT.<I>TB</I> test, and 25 (12%) had an indeterminate T-SPOT.<I>TB</I> test. The induration size of TST was significantly associated with a high positivity rate on T-SPOT.<I>TB</I> (<I>P</I><0.001). Agreement between T-SPOT.<I>TB</I> test and TST≥10 mm was fair (<I>k</I>=0.24, 95% confidence interval 0.11–0.36). However, neither univariate nor multivariate analysis showed any association between the clinical risk for LTBI and positivity on T-SPOT.<I>TB</I> or TST.</P><P>Conclusion</P><P>T-SPOT.<I>TB</I> test was more frequently positive than TST in renal transplant candidates. However, further longitudinal studies are awaited to determine whether the ability of T-SPOT.<I>TB</I> assay to detect LTBI in renal transplant recipients can better predict the development of TB than can TST after transplantation.</P>

대두박 수준을 달리한 사료내 미생물 PHYTASE 의 첨가가 잉어의 성장 및 인 배설량에 미치는 영향

김광석(K . S . Kim),김정대(J . D . Kim),송재성(J . S . Song),정관식(K . S . Jeong),우영배(Y . B . Woo) 한국영양사료학회 1996 韓國營養飼料學會誌 Vol.20 No.5

1987년 한국에서 발생한 렙토스피라병의 혈청역학적 조사

이증훈,박영수,이우곤,김석용,정선식,우준희,박성광,박경희,송영욱,김선영,기정일,최두혁,강성귀,김주완,최강원,김우열,최명식,최인학,장우현,윤성열 대한감염학회 1988 감염 Vol.20 No.3

Human leptospirosis was an unfamiliar disease in Korea until 1984 that outbreak of leptospirosis occurred among farmers and soldiers after field works for harvesting rice. During that time, Lee and Jo confirmed the first Korean cases of leptospirosis by serological test, isolation of causative agent and autopy findings. Afterward several outbreaks occurred also during autumn especially after flood in every years and some characterisitcs of leptospirosis in Korea such as clinical manifestations, serotypes and seroepidemiological features has been revealed by many investigators. Because of the major mode of transmission between rodents and human is by direct contact with leptospiral urine of rodents or contaminated soil by the urine, leptospirosis in Korea has been primarily a disease of person in occupations heavily exposed to contaminated soil or infected urine such as farmer, army and etc. Therefore it seems that leptospirosis is one of the main communicable diseases to be controlled urgently in Korea, for an agricultural people account for almost half of total Korean people. For clarifying the seroepidemiological patterns of human leptospirosis in Korea by sex, month region and main reacting serovars of L. interrogans among acute febrile disease occurred in 1987, 1,773 patient's sers with acute febrile episodes were tested by microagglutination test using 19 representative strains of leptospiral serogroup as antigen. All of those sera were collected from 10 collaborative clinics located in Kyunggi, Kangwon, Chungbuk, Chungnam, Chonbuk, Chonnam province and Seoul. The results wee summerized as follows. 1) Among 1,773 sera of patients with acute febrile episodes, 219 (12.4%) were seropositive to L. interrogans, 487(27.5%) to R. tsutsugamushi, 241(13.6%) to R.typhi and 160(90.0%) to Hantaan virus. 2) Among seropositives to L.interrogans, the male outnumbered the female, 65% and 35%. 3) For age distribution, 26.9% of seropositives to L.interrogans were fifties, 19.6% were forties, 9.1% were sixties, 5.9% were thirties and 4.1% were twenties. 4) Eighty three percent of seropositives had occurred between September and October in 1987 with a peak in September. 5) Main leptospiral serovars reactive to patient's sera were Icterohaemorrhagiae(54.3%), Canicola(31.0%), CH-48(13.2%), Tarassovi(0.9%)and Cynopteri(0.5%). 6) For regional distribution, 65.8% of seropositives to L.interrogans were residents from Chonbuk, 12.3% were Chonnam, 7.3% were Chungnam, 5.5% were Kyunggi and 1.4% were Kangwon.

Optimal Dietary Ratio of Spray Dried Plasma Protein (SDPP) and Dried Porcine Solubles (DPS) in Improving Growth Performance and Immune Status in Pigs Weaned at 21 Days of Age

Kim, J.D.,Hyun, Y.,Sohn, K.S.,Kim, T.J.,Woo, H.J.,Han, In K. Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2001 Animal Bioscience Vol.14 No.3

An experiment was conducted to determine the optimal inclusion ratio of spray dried plasma protein (SDPP) and dried porcine solubles (DPS) for maximizing growth and improving immunity in weaned pigs. One hundred-fifty male (barrow) pigs were allotted in a completely randomized block design. Treatments were as follows: 1) control (6% SDPP), 2) S6D6 (6% SDPP+6% DPS), 3) S6D3 (6% SDPP+3% DPS), 4) S3D6 (3% SDPP+6% DPS) and 5) S3D3 (3% SDPP+3% DPS). Each treatment has 6 replicates with 5 pigs per replicate. Average daily gain (ADG) and average daily feed intake (ADFI) were highest, but not significantly different when pigs were fed a diet contained 6% SDPP and DPS from d 0 to 7 after weaning. Pigs fed the S6D3 diet showed better weight gain and feed intake than other treatments, especially compared with pigs fed S3D6 diet (p<0.05) from d 8 to 21 after weaning. For the overall experimental period, pigs fed the S6D3 diet showed the best improvement in ADG and ADFI. The digestibilities of dry matter (DM) and crude protein (CP) were higher in pigs fed the S6D6 diet than other diets from d 0 to 7 after weaning. However, pigs fed S6D3 diet showed higher DM, CP and essential amino acids (except methionine and arginine) digestibilities than pigs fed other diets from d 8 to 21 after weaning, although there was no significant difference. From d 8 to 21 after weaning, threonine, valine, isoleucine and leucine digestibilites were higher in S6D6 group, and phenyalanine, histidine, lysine and arginine digestibility were higher in S6D3 group than other groups. The ratio of CD4 and CD8 positive lymphocytes during the overall experimental period was independent of the ratio of SDPP and DPS. However, CD4+:CD8+ ratio was numerically lowered in pigs fed diet the S6D3 diet. Therefore, the present study suggests that an optimal inclusion ratio for maximizing growth performance and maintaining low immune status is 6% of SDPP and 3% of DPS in weaned pigs.

Melatonin enhances arsenic trioxide-induced cell death via sustained upregulation of Redd1 expression in breast cancer cells

Yun, S.M.,Woo, S.H.,Oh, S.T.,Hong, S.E.,Choe, T.B.,Ye, S.K.,Kim, E.K.,Seong, M.K.,Kim, H.A.,Noh, W.C.,Lee, J.K.,Jin, H.O.,Lee, Y.H.,Park, I.C. North-Holland 2016 Molecular and cellular endocrinology Vol.422 No.-

Melatonin is implicated in various physiological functions, including anticancer activity. However, the mechanism(s) of its anticancer activity is not well understood. In the present study, we investigated the combined effects of melatonin and arsenic trioxide (ATO) on cell death in human breast cancer cells. Melatonin enhanced the ATO-induced apoptotic cell death via changes in the protein levels of Survivin, Bcl-2, and Bax, thus affecting cytochrome c release from the mitochondria to the cytosol. Interestingly, we found that the cell death induced by co-treatment with melatonin and ATO was mediated by sustained upregulation of Redd1, which was associated with increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Combined treatment with melatonin and ATO induced the phosphorylation of JNK and p38 MAP kinase downstream from Redd1 expression. Rapamycin and S6K1 siRNA enhanced, while activation of mTORC1 by transfection with TSC2 siRNA suppressed the cell death induced by melatonin and ATO treatment. Taken together, our findings suggest that melatonin enhances ATO-induced apoptotic cell death via sustained upregulation of Redd1 expression and inhibition of mTORC1 upstream of the activation of the p38/JNK pathways in human breast cancer cells.

Carbon contribution of sea ice floes in the Arctic Ocean

Lee, S.H.,Kyung Kim, B.,Joo, H.T.,Woo Park, J.,Han Lee, J.,Joo, H.M.,Byoul Lee, D.,Kang, C.K.,Kang, S.H. Pergamon Press 2015 Deep-sea research. Part II, Topical studies in oce Vol.120 No.-

To estimate detailed contributions of particulate organic carbon (POC) as a potential food source in various environments of the Arctic sea ice floes, intensive investigations were executed at two different types of sea ice stations (ST 1 and ST 2) in the northern Chukchi Sea during the summer period in 2011. The average uptake rates of carbon and nitrogen in melt ponds from this study were within the range measured previously. The surface ice of melt ponds at ST 1 had the highest POC concentration with a mean of 148.0mgCm<SUP>-3</SUP> (S.D.=+/-86.0mgCm<SUP>-3</SUP>), followed by sea ice cores at ST 2 (mean+/-S.D.=125.7+/-128.2mgCm<SUP>-3</SUP>). The POC concentrations in melt ponds ranged between 90.0mgCm<SUP>-3</SUP> (S.D.=+/-12.7mgCm<SUP>-3</SUP>) and 103.9mgCm<SUP>-3</SUP> (S.D.=+/-47.7mgCm<SUP>-3</SUP>) at ST 1 and ST 2, respectively. Major POC contributors to melt ponds were diatoms with a mean biovolume contribution of 48.7% (S.D.=+/-39.1%) which was strongly related to in situ salinity. Although the total POC concentration of entire sea ice floes ranged from 2.8% to 5.3% of the POC concentration within the euphotic water column at the study locations, the carbon contribution of sea ice floes could be important to higher trophic levels because of the concentrated POC within sea ice floes.

Structural, morphological, compositional, and optical properties of single step electrodeposited Cu₂ZnSnS₄ (CZTS) thin films for solar cell application

Lee, S.G.,Kim, J.,Woo, H.S.,Jo, Y.,Inamdar, A.I.,Pawar, S.M.,Kim, H.S.,Jung, W.,Im, H.S. Elsevier 2014 Current Applied Physics Vol.14 No.3

We fabricate a Cu<SUB>2</SUB>ZnSnS<SUB>4</SUB> (CZTS) absorber layer, by using single step electrodeposition of CZTS precursor, deposited at -1.05 V, followed by high temperature annealing in a sulfur atmosphere. X-ray diffraction pattern indicates that the as-grown sample is amorphous in nature, and polycrystalline CZTS thin films with kesterite crystal structure have been obtained by sulfurization from 450 to 580 <SUP>o</SUP>C. Surface morphologies of the as-grown sample show some voids with agglomerated particles. After sulfurization, the morphologies of the annealed samples become more uniform, and dense. EDAX study reveals that the sulfurized samples are nearly stoichiometric, being Cu-rich and S-deficient in composition. The band gaps of the annealed samples are found to be in the range from 1.9 to 1.5 eV.

Ribosomal Protein S6, a Target of Rapamycin, Is Involved in the Regulation of rRNA Genes by Possible Epigenetic Changes in <i>Arabidopsis</i>

Kim, Yun-Kyoung,Kim, Sunghan,Shin, Yun-jeong,Hur, Yoon-Sun,Kim, Woo-Young,Lee, Myung-Sok,Cheon, Choong-Ill,Verma, Desh Pal S. American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Bi 2014 The Journal of biological chemistry Vol.289 No.7

<P>The target of rapamycin (TOR) kinase pathway regulates various biological processes, including translation, synthesis of ribosomal proteins, and transcription of rRNA. The ribosomal protein S6 (RPS6) is one of the well known downstream components of the TOR pathway. Ribosomal proteins have been known to have diverse functions in regulating cellular metabolism as well as protein synthesis. So far, however, little is known about other possible role(s) of RPS6 in plants, besides being a component of the 40 S ribosomal subunit and acting as a target of TOR. Here, we report that RPS6 may have a novel function via interaction with histone deacetylase 2B (AtHD2B) that belongs to the plant-specific histone deacetylase HD2 family. RPS6 and AtHD2B were localized to the nucleolus. Co-expression of RPS6 and AtHD2B caused a change in the location of both RPS6 and AtHD2B to one or several nucleolar spots. ChIP analysis suggests that RPS6 directly interacts with the rRNA gene promoter. Protoplasts overexpressing both <I>AtHD2B</I> and <I>RPS6</I> exhibited down-regulation of pre-18 S rRNA synthesis with a concomitant decrease in transcription of some of the ribosomal proteins, suggesting their direct role in ribosome biogenesis and plant development. This is consistent with the mutation in <I>rps6b</I> that results in reduction in 18 S rRNA transcription and decreased root growth. We propose that the interaction between RPS6 and AtHD2B brings about a change in the chromatin structure of rDNA and thus plays an important role in linking TOR signaling to rDNA transcription and ribosome biogenesis in plants.</P>

Characteristics of Adherence and Invasion of Staphylococcus lugdunensis to Human Oral Epithelial Cells

Cha, J. D.,Lee, S. H.,Jung, K. Y.,Lim, D.S.,Woo, W. H.,Kim, K. J. Korean Academy of Oral Biology and the UCLA Dental 1999 International Journal of Oral Biology Vol.24 No.2

Staphulococcus lugdunensis is one of the most common pathogens in coagulase-negative staphylococci. Adhesion and invasion of S. lugdunensis to oral epithelial cells were demonstrated by recovery of viable organisms from gentamicin-treated KB cells, human oral epidemoid carcinoma cells. Adhesion was found to be time dependent and increased linearly with increasing number of bacteria added (10^3-10^5 CFU/well). Bacterial adhesion to the KB cells occurred via a cytochalasin B- and D-insensitive process. To clarify the time point and characteristics of S. lugdunensis invasion of KB cells, bacteria (10^4 CFU/well) were cocultered for several different times (1-5 hr) with or without cytochalasin B (1 ㎍/ml), follwed by additional coculture for 2hr in the presence of gentamicin (100㎍/ml). No bacteria were recovered at 2 hr, but a few colonies were detected after 3 hr of coculture. In addition, cytochalasin B also did not affect invasion of S. lugdunensis into KB cells. The data obtained here demonstrate that S. lugdunensis can adhere to the KB cells via a cytoskeletal actin protein-independent process; however its invasion through the cellular membrane is unclear. These data suggest a tissue-specific characteristic of pathogenesis for S. lugdunensis in in vivo.

Synthesis and characterization of a wide bandgap polymer based on a weak donor-weak acceptor structure for dual applications in organic solar cells and organic photodetectors

Choi, E.Y.,Eom, S.H.,Song, C.E.,Nam, S.Y.,Lee, J.,Woo, H.Y.,Jung, I.H.,Yoon, S.C.,Lee, C. Elsevier Science 2017 Organic Electronics Vol.46 No.-

We synthesized a novel wide bandgap polymer, PDTFBT, forming a weak donor (WD)-weak acceptor (WA) structure for use in organic photodetectors (OPDs) and organic solar cells (OSCs). The fluorination in the D unit and the alkoxy substitution in the A unit induced WD and WA properties, respectively. The WD-WA structure of PDTFBT effectively broadened the bandgap compared to typical D-A structures, and the S-F and S-O dipole-dipole interactions induces a highly planar backbone structure with excellent π-π stacking in the vertical direction. In OPDs, conformationally less disordered PDTFBT polymer retained the constant responsivity and significantly improved the detectivity of PDTFBT:PC<SUB>71</SUB>BM devices even with a thick active layer of 470 nm, contrary to the variation in the responsivity of P3HT:PC<SUB>61</SUB>BM devices depending on the thickness. In OSCs, the deep HOMO energy level (-5.57 eV) of PDTFBT led to high Voc of 0.92 V in PDTFBT:PC<SUB>71</SUB>BM devices, which was 0.3 eV higher than that of P3HT:PC<SUB>61</SUB>BM devices (0.62 V), resulting in 1.8-fold enhanced power conversion efficiency. We demonstrated that the WD-WA structure with S-F and S-O interactions is highly promising strategy to make wide bandgap polymers for organic photodetectors and for the bottom cell of tandem architecture.