Development of a Recombinase Polymerase Amplification-Coupled CRISPR/Cas12a Platform for Rapid Detection of Antimicrobial-Resistant Genes in Carbapenem-Resistant .

The worldwide spread of carbapenemase-producing (CPE) represents a significant threat owing to the high mortality and morbidity rates. Traditional diagnostic methods are often too slow and complex for rapid point-of-care testing. Therefore, we developed a recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA)-coupled CRISPR/Cas12a system (RCCS), a rapid, accurate, and simple diagnostic platform for detecting antimicrobial-resistant genes.

Sceptrin-Au nano-aggregates (SANA) for overcoming drug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria.

One of the recent advances in medical nanotechnology has been the development of nanoformulations to overcome drug-resistant bacterial infections. Herein, we disclose a new nano-antibiotic formulation based on sceptrin-Au nano-aggregates (SANA), which are drug-metal ion multiple complexes. Sceptrin is a natural compound from a marine organism (sponge) and was reported as a potential compound with drug activities.

Membrane-Targeting Triphenylphosphonium Functionalized Ciprofloxacin for Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria have become a severe problem for public health. Developing new antibiotics for MDR bacteria is difficult, from inception to the clinically approved stage. Here, we have used a new approach, modification of an antibiotic, ciprofloxacin (CFX), with triphenylphosphonium (TPP, PPh) moiety via ester- (CFX-ester-PPh) and amide-coupling (CFX-amide-PPh) to target bacterial membranes.

Penta-fluorophenol: a Smiles rearrangement-inspired cysteine-selective fluorescent probe for imaging of human glioblastoma.

Two of the most critical factors for the survival of glioblastoma (GBM) patients are precision diagnosis and the tracking of treatment progress. At the moment, various sophisticated and specific diagnostic procedures are being used, but there are relatively few simple diagnosis methods. This work introduces a sensing probe based on a turn-on type fluorescence response that can measure the cysteine (Cys) level, which is recognized as a new biomarker of GBM, in human-derived cells and within on-site human clinical biopsy samples.

Visualizing mitochondria and mouse intestine with a fluorescent complex of a naphthalene-based dipolar dye and serum albumin.

We have explored a new research field of fluorophores through the manipulation of fluorophore-binding proteins. The development of a new imaging agent for tracing a specific organelle or a particular site within a living organism has been of great interest in the field of basic science as well as translational medicine. In this work and for the first time, we will disclose a new naphthalene-based dipolar dye and its complex, with serum albumin (SA), and show their applicability for the selective imaging of mitochondria in cells and the intestine in a mouse.

Pilot plant study on nitrogen and phosphorus removal in marine wastewater by marine sediment with sequencing batch reactor.

Effective biological treatment of marine wastewater is not well-known. Accumulation of nitrogen and phosphorus from land-based effluent is a crucial cause of red-tide in marine systems. The purpose of the study is to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus in marine wastewater with a pilot plant-scale sequencing batch reactor (SBR) system by using marine sediment as eco-friendly and effective biological materials, and elucidate which bacterial strains in sludge from marine sediment influence the performance of SBR.

Analysis of bacterial community using pyrosequencing in semen from patients with chronic pelvic pain syndrome: a pilot study.

Background: Although empirical antibacterial treatments are currently recommended for inflammatory chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS), physicians cannot verify infections in most cases. Therefore, in this study, the microbiota of semen was investigated via pyrosequencing to obtain evidence underlying infectious disease.

Methods: Patients diagnosed with CP/CPPS (n=17) and healthy volunteers (n=4) participated in the study.

Latent turn-on fluorescent probe for the detection of toxic malononitrile in water and its practical applications.

A latent turn-on fluorescent probe for the detection of malononitrile (NCCHCN), a precursor of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) in the mammalian tissue metabolism, is developed based on reaction-based fluorophore generation for the first time. Malononitrile is utilized within a wide spectrum of academic and industrial applications, and it is a key reagent to make o-chlorobenzylidene malononitrile (CS gas; tear gas), which is used for riot control. Due to its extensive use as well as potential health risks and the environmental pollution, malononitrile monitoring method has been required.

A bright blue fluorescent dextran for two-photon in vivo imaging of blood vessels.

Fluorescence-based in vivo imaging is one of the most important tools for monitoring of biological processes in cells and tissues of live animal models. Fluorescence imaging agents have also been used to monitor the microcirculation. Tracking microcirculation of the blood is vital to gain further insight into various vascular disease-related anomalies within the human body.

Harnessing Intramolecular Rotation To Enhance Two-photon Imaging of Aβ Plaques through Minimizing Background Fluorescence.

The aggregation of amyloid beta (Aβ) proteins in senile plaques is a critical event during the development of Alzheimer's disease, and the postmortem detection of Aβ-rich proteinaceous deposits through fluorescent staining remains one of the most robust diagnostic tools. In animal models, fluorescence imaging can be employed to follow the progression of the disease, and among the different imaging methods, two-photon microscopy (TPM) has emerged as one of the most powerful. To date, several near-infrared-emissive two-photon dyes with a high affinity for Aβ fibrils have been developed, but there has often been a tradeoff between excellent two-photon cross-sections and large fluorescence signal-to-background ratios.

Systematic Degradation Rate Analysis of Surface-Functionalized Porous Silicon Nanoparticles.

Porous silicon nanoparticles (pSiNPs) have been utilized within a wide spectrum of biological studies, as well as in chemistry, chemical biology, and biomedical fields. Recently, pSiNPs have been constantly coming under the spotlight, mostly in biomedical applications, due to their advantages, such as controlled-release drug delivery in vivo by hydrolysis-induced degradation, self-reporting property through long life-time photoluminescence, high loading efficiency of substrate into pore, and the homing to specific cells/organ/bacteria by surface functionalization. However, the systematic degradation rate analysis of surface-functionalized pSiNPs in different biological media has not been conducted yet.

Advances in diagnostic methods for keloids and biomarker-targeted fluorescent probes.

A keloid is a type of unusually raised scar. Unlike other raised scars, keloids form larger sizes than the wound site due to overgrowth, generally related to various biological factors. To date, only a few diagnostic and therapeutic methods for keloids have been reported.

CRISPR-based genome editing of clinically important Escherichia coli SE15 isolated from indwelling urinary catheters of patients.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are clinically important problems that lead to serious morbidity and mortality, and indwelling urinary catheters are a major factor of UTIs. In this study, we applied clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) genome editing to generate ΔluxS mutant strains from clinical isolates of Escherichiacoli SE15, which is one of major pathogens and can cause colonization and biofilm formation in the catheter. A major regulatory pathway of such biofilm formation on medical devices is the quorum sensing mechanism via small molecule autoinducer-2 synthesized by LuxS enzyme.

Burkholderia humi sp. nov., isolated from peat soil.

A Gram-negative, aerobic, short-rod-shaped, non-motile bacterium designated Rs7(T), was isolated from peat soil collected from Russia and was characterized to determine its taxonomic position. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that the strain Rs7(T) belongs to the class Betaproteobacteria. The highest degree of sequence similarities were determined to be with Burkholderia tropica Ppe8(T) (98.

Regulation of Proinflammatory Mediators via NF-κB and p38 MAPK-Dependent Mechanisms in RAW 264.7 Macrophages by Polyphenol Components Isolated from Korea Lonicera japonica THUNB.

Lonicera japonica THUNB., which abundantly contains polyphenols, has been used as a traditional medicine for thousands of years in East Asian countries because of the anti-inflammation properties. This study aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory mechanism of polyphenol components isolated from Korea L.

Polyphenolic extract isolated from Korean Lonicera japonica Thunb. induce G2/M cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in HepG2 cells: involvements of PI3K/Akt and MAPKs.

Lonicera japonica Thunb. (L. japonica T.

Suppressive effect of flavonoids from Korean Citrus aurantium L. on the expression of inflammatory mediators in L6 skeletal muscle cells.

Citrus fruits (Citrus aurantium L.) have long been used as a traditional herbal medicine. The benefits of the flavonoids found in Citrus aurantium L.

Comparative root protein profiles of Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng) and Indian ginseng (Withania somnifera).

Ginsenosides and withanolides are the secondary metabolites from Panax ginseng and Withania somnifera, respectively. These compounds have similar biological properties. Two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) analysis was utilized to reveal the protein profile in the roots of both plants, with the aim of clarifying similarly- and differentially-expressed proteins.

Flavonoids Isolated from Korea Citrus aurantium L. Induce G2/M Phase Arrest and Apoptosis in Human Gastric Cancer AGS Cells.

Aim of the Study. Citrus species is used in traditional medicine as medicinal herb in several Asian countries including Korea. Flavonioids became known as various properties, such as anti-oxidants, anti-inflammation and anti-cancer, and so forth.

Proteomic analysis of effects on natural herb additive containing immunoglobulin Yolksac (IgY) in pigs.

Thirty male pigs were infected orally with E. coli and Salmonella typhimurium, and divided into a control group and two additive groups to determine the effect of an additive mixture on the changes in protein expression. The pigs were given a food supplemented with a natural herbal additive containing immunoglobulin yolksac (IgY) at concentrations of 0.

Korean Scutellaria baicalensis water extract inhibits cell cycle G1/S transition by suppressing cyclin D1 expression and matrix-metalloproteinase-2 activity in human lung cancer cells.

Aim Of The Study: Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi is a widely used medicinal herb in several Asian countries including Korea. The various medicinal properties attributed to Scutellaria baicalensis include anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects. The present study investigated the cytotoxicity of Scutellaria baicalensis water extract (SBWE) on A549 non-small-cell-lung cancer cells and the A549 expression of cyclin D1, cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4) and matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), and the effects of SBWE on cell cycle progression, especially the G1/S phase, and on cell motility.

Suppressive Effect on Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Proinflammatory Mediators by Citrus aurantium L. in Macrophage RAW 264.7 Cells via NF-κB Signal Pathway.

Citrus fruits have been used as an edible fruit and a traditional medicine since ancient times. In particular, the peels of immature citrus fruits are used widely in traditional herbal medicine in Korea, as they are believed to contain bioactive components exerting anti-inflammatory activity. This study examined whether the crude methanol extract of Citrus aurantium L.

Polychlorinated biphenyls have inhibitory effect on testicular steroidogenesis by downregulation of P450(17alpha) and P450(scc).

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are environmental pollutants that are quite toxic to biological systems. This study examined the inhibitory effect of PCB126 and PCB114 on testicular steroidogenesis in male rats. Male Sprague Dawley rats received weekly intraperitoneal injections of PCB126 (0.

Hypothyroidism induced by polychlorinated biphenyls and up-regulation of transthyretin.

Polychlorinated biphenyls are environmental pollutants that are toxic to many biological systems. This study examined whether or not PCB126 and PCB114 have adverse effects on the serum thyroxine level and the serum proteome in rats. The results showed a lower serum total thyroxine level in the PCB126 and PCB114-treated groups than the control.