Cadmium-induced Carcinogenesis in Respiratory Organs and the Prostate: Insights from Three Perspectives on Toxicogenomic Approach.

Cadmium (Cd) exposure primarily occurs through inhalation, either by smoking or occupational exposure to contaminated air. Upon inhalation, Cd ultimately reaches the prostate through the bloodstream. In this review, we investigate the carcinogenic potential of Cd in both respiratory organs and the prostate.

Adverse Human Health Effects of Chromium by Exposure Route: A Comprehensive Review Based on Toxicogenomic Approach.

Heavy metals are defined as metals with relatively high density and atomic weight, and their various applications have raised serious concerns about the environmental impacts and potential human health effects. Chromium is an important heavy metal that is involved in biological metabolism, but Cr exposure can induce a severe impact on occupational workers or public health. In this study, we explore the toxic effects of Cr exposure through three exposure routes: dermal contact, inhalation, and ingestion.

Health risk assessment for multimedia exposure of formaldehyde emitted by chemical accident.

This study was conducted to provide basic data for chemical accident response by assessing the health risks of residents living near a chemical accident site due to long-term exposure. The study considered the temporal concentration changes of the leaked chemical (i.e.

Continuous separation of fungal spores in a microfluidic flow focusing device.

The research of fungi is of great importance in a number of fields, such as environmental and healthcare studies. While there are a large number of optical and molecular methods available for characterization and identification of fungi and their spores, their isolation is still conducted using slow and labor-intensive methods. Here, we develop a microfluidic device for the continuous separation of fungal spores from other eukaryotic cells.

Distribution and Influencing Factors of Airborne Bacteria in Public Facilities Used by Pollution-Sensitive Population: A Meta-Analysis.

The aim of this study was to support management of airborne bacteria in facilities used by pollution-sensitive individuals (in daycares, medical facilities, elder care facilities, and postnatal care centers). A field survey was conducted on 11 facilities from October 2017 to April 2018. Elder care facilities in industrial, urban, and forested areas were excluded.

Reliability of Low-Cost, Sensor-Based Fine Dust Measurement Devices for Monitoring Atmospheric Particulate Matter Concentrations.

Currently, low-cost, sensor-based fine dust measurement devices are commercially available in South Korea. This study evaluated the reliability of three such devices-Yi Shan A4, Plantower PMS7003, and Plantower PMS7003-in comparison to long-term consecutive monitoring systems for discharge and prevention facilities regarding fine dust control. The performance of these devices for concentration intervals over time was examined through real-time comparison using a GRIMM (Model: 11-A, dust spectrometer from Grimm Technologies) as a reference; this included a correction factor (C-Factor), calculated by a gravimetric method and an equivalence test.

Rapid and Sensitive Detection of Aspergillus niger Using a Single-Mediator System Combined with Redox Cycling.

Rapid and sensitive mold detection is becoming increasingly important, especially in indoor environments. Common mold detection methods based on double-mediated electron transfer between an electrode and molds are not highly sensitive and reproducible, although they are rapid and simple. Here, we report a sensitive and reproducible detection method specific to Aspergillus niger ( A.

Interactions between the antifungal drug myclobutanil and gold and silver nanoparticles in Penicillium digitatum investigated by surface-enhanced Raman scattering.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) of an antifungal reagent, myclobutanil (MCB), was performed on Au and Ag nanoparticles (NPs) to estimate the drug-release behaviors in fungal cells. A density functional theory (DFT) calculation was introduced to predict a favorable binding site of MCB to either the Ag or Au atom. Myclobutanil was presumed to bind more strongly to Au than to Ag in their most stable, optimized geometries of the N4 atom in its 1,2,4-triazole unit binding to the metal atom.

Detection of the mycotoxin citrinin using silver substrates and Raman spectroscopy.

We detected a trace amount of the mycotoxin citrinin using surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) on silver nanoparticle (Ag NP) surfaces. The SERS substrate on hydrophobic Teflon films was also introduced to observe the citrinin peaks. A broad band at ∼1382cm(-1), which was ascribed to the symmetric carboxylate stretching mode, was observed in addition to an antisymmetric carboxylate stretching mode at ∼1568cm(-1) in the Raman spectra.

Organotin compounds act as inhibitor of transcriptional activation with human estrogen receptor.

In aquatic invertebrates, particularly marine gastropods, organotin compounds induce irreversible sexual abnormality in females, which is termed imposex, at very low concentrations. Organotin compounds are agonists for nuclear receptors such as RXRs and PPARgamma. However, the imposex phenomenon has not been reported to act as an antagonist on estrogen receptors in other species, including vertebrates and invertebrates.

Construction of high sensitive detection system for endocrine disruptors with yeast n-alkane-assimilating Yarrowia lipolytica.

To construct a highly sensitive detection system for endocrine disruptors, we have compared the activity of promoters with the ALK1, ICL1, RPS7 and TEF1 for heterologous gene in Yarrowia lipolytica. The promoters were introduced into the upstream of lacZ or hERalpha reporter gene, respectively, and the activity was evaluated by beta-galactosidase assay by lacZ or western blot analysis by hERalpha. The expression analysis revealed that the ALK1 and ICL1 promoter were induced by n-decane and by EtOH, respectively.

Mutational analysis of whole mitochondrial DNA in patients with MELAS and MERRF diseases.

Mitochondrial diseases are clinically and genetically heterogeneous disorders, which make the exact diagnosis and classification difficult. The purpose of this study was to identify pathogenic mtDNA mutations in 61 Korean unrelated families (or isolated patients) with MELAS or MERRF. In particular, the mtDNA sequences were completely determined for 49 patients.

A MELAS syndrome family harboring two mutations in mitochondrial genome.

Mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) syndrome is a genetically heterogeneous mitochondrial disorder with variable clinical symptoms. Here, from the sequencing of the entire mitochondrial genome, we report a Korean MELAS family harboring two homoplasmic missense mutations, which were reported 9957T>C (Phe251Leu) transition mutation in the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 3 (COX3) gene and a novel 13849A>C (Asn505His) transversion mutation in the NADH dehydrogenase subunit 5 (ND5) gene. Neither of these mutations was found in 205 normal controls.

Phage display cDNA cloning and expression analysis of hydrophobins from the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria (Cordyceps) bassiana.

Hydrophobins are small amphipathic proteins that function in a broad range of growth and developmental processes in fungi. They are involved in the formation of aerial structures, the attachment of fungal cells to surfaces, and act in signalling in response to surface cues and pathogenesis. Beauveria bassiana is an important entomopathogenic fungus used as an arthropod biological control agent.

Evaluation on antagonist activities of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons using the yeast two-hybrid detection system for endocrine disruptors.

We constructed an efficient and reliable yeast two-hybrid detection system to evaluate the estrogenic activity of endocrine disruptors (EDs) (Lee et al., Journal of Biochemistry, 131, 2002). This system employs the interaction between the human estrogen receptor beta (hERbeta) ligand binding domain and the co-activator SRC1.

EST analysis of cDNA libraries from the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria (Cordyceps) bassiana. II. Fungal cells sporulating on chitin and producing oosporein.

In the accompanying paper [Cho, E.-M., Liu, L.

EST analysis of cDNA libraries from the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria (Cordyceps) bassiana. I. Evidence for stage-specific gene expression in aerial conidia, in vitro blastospores and submerged conidia.

The entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria (Cordyceps) bassiana holds much promise as a pest biological control agent. B. bassiana produces at least three in vitro single cell infectious propagules, including aerial conidia, vegetative cells termed blastospores and submerged conidia, that display different morphological, biochemical and virulence properties.

Stemar-13-ene synthase, a diterpene cyclase involved in the biosynthesis of the phytoalexin oryzalexin S in rice.

In suspension-cultured rice cells, diterpenoid phytoalexins are produced in response to exogenously applied elicitors. We isolated a cDNA encoding a diterpene cyclase, OsDTC2, from suspension-cultured rice cells treated with a chitin elicitor. The OsDTC2 cDNA was overexpressed in Escherichia coli as a fusion protein with glutathione S-transferase, and the recombinant OsDTC2 was indicated to function as stemar-13-ene synthase that converted syn-copalyl diphosphate to stemar-13-ene, a putative diterpene hydrocarbon precursor of the phytoalexin oryzalexin S.

Molecular cloning and characterization of a cDNA encoding ent-cassa-12,15-diene synthase, a putative diterpenoid phytoalexin biosynthetic enzyme, from suspension-cultured rice cells treated with a chitin elicitor.

We have isolated and characterized a cDNA encoding a novel diterpene cyclase, OsDTC1, from suspension-cultured rice cells treated with a chitin elicitor. OsDTC1 functions as ent-cassa-12,15-diene synthase, which is considered to play a key role in the biosynthesis of (-)-phytocassanes recently isolated as rice diterpenoid phytoalexins. The expression of OsDTC1 mRNA was also confirmed in ultraviolet (UV)-irradiated rice leaves.

Cloning and characterization of a jasmonic acid-responsive gene encoding 12-oxophytodienoic acid reductase in suspension-cultured rice cells.

In suspension-cultured rice ( Oryza sativaL.) cells, jasmonic acid (JA) functions as a signal transducer in elicitor N-acetylchitoheptaose-induced phytoalexin production. Differential screening of a cDNA library constructed using poly(A)(+) RNA from suspension-cultured rice cells treated with JA (10(-4) M) for 2 h yielded a cDNA for a gene that responded to exogenous JA by an increase in mRNA level.

Cloning and characterization of cDNAs for the jasmonic acid-responsive Genes RRJ1 and RRJ2 in suspension-cultured rice cells.

Two cDNA clones for jasmonic acid (JA)-responsive genes, RRJ1 and RRJ2, were isolated by differential screening from suspension-cultured rice cells treated with JA for 2 h. The putative RRJ1 protein is completely identical to that of a putative rice cystathionine gamma-lyase, while the putative RRJ2 protein is highly similar in sequence to a rice pyruvate decarboxylase, PDC1.