Publications by authors named "Jina Son"

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are natural biopolyesters produced by microorganisms that represent one of the most promising candidates for the replacement of conventional plastics due to their complete biodegradability and advantageous material properties which can be modulated by varying their monomer composition. Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) [P(3HB-co-3HV)] has received particular research attention because it can be synthesized based on the same microbial platform developed for poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) [P(3HB)] without much modification, with as high productivity as P(3HB). It also offers more useful mechanical and thermal properties than P(3HB), which broaden its application as a biocompatible and biodegradable polyester.

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  • * The study involved a clinical nutritionist conducting interviews with patients at different treatment stages to assess the impact of nutrition care on their nutritional status and disease prognosis.
  • * After receiving nutrition education, patients showed improved dietary habits, including increased consumption of diverse food groups, indicating that ongoing support from dietitians can enhance nutrition and health outcomes during treatment.
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Sugarcane industry is a major agricultural sector capable of producing sugars with byproducts including straw, bagasse, and molasses. Sugarcane byproducts are no longer wastes since they can be converted into carbon-rich resources for biorefinery if pretreatment of these is well established. Considerable efforts have been devoted to effective pretreatment techniques for each sugarcane byproduct to supply feedstocks in microbial fermentation to produce value-added fuels, chemicals, and polymers.

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Preventing catastrophic climate events warrants prompt action to delay global warming, which threatens health and food security. In this context, waste management using engineered microbes has emerged as a long-term eco-friendly solution for addressing the global climate crisis and transitioning to clean energy. Notably, Pseudomonas putida can valorize industry-derived synthetic wastes including plastics, oils, food, and agricultural waste into products of interest, and it has been extensively explored for establishing a fully circular bioeconomy through the conversion of waste into bio-based products, including platform chemicals (e.

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  • Bio-based manufacturing of platform chemicals and polymers is gaining traction in biorefineries, aimed at sustainable and carbon-neutral industries.
  • Key products like bio-based diamines, aminocarboxylic acids, and diacids serve as monomers for versatile polyamides and are also precursors for valuable chemicals.
  • Recent advancements in their production have been made through metabolic engineering of microbial consortia and optimizations in bioconversion processes, enhancing efficiency and sustainability.
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γ-Aminobutyrate (GABA) is an important chemical by itself and can be further used for the production of monomer used for the synthesis of biodegradable polyamides. Until now, GABA production using harboring glutamate decarboxylases (GADs) has been limited due to the discrepancy between optimal pH for GAD activity (pH 4.0) and cell growth (pH 7.

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With the increasing concerns regarding climate, energy, and plastic crises, bio-based production of biodegradable polymers has become a dire necessity. Significant progress has been made in biotechnology for the production of biodegradable polymers from renewable resources to achieve the goal of zero plastic waste and a net-zero carbon bioeconomy. In this review, an overview of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) production from lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) was presented.

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The production of platform organic acids has been heavily dependent on petroleum-based industries. However, petrochemical-based industries that cannot guarantee a virtuous cycle of carbons released during various processes are now facing obsolescence because of the depletion of finite fossil fuel reserves and associated environmental pollutions. Thus, the transition into a circular economy in terms of the carbon footprint has been evaluated with the development of efficient microbial cell factories using renewable feedstocks.

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At present, mass production of basic and valuable commodities is dependent on linear petroleum-based industries, which ultimately makes the depletion of finite natural reserves and accumulation of non-biodegradable and hazardous wastes. Therefore, an ecofriendly and sustainable solution should be established for a circular economy where infinite resources, such as agro-industrial wastes, are fully utilized as substrates in the production of target value-added chemicals. Hereby, recent advances in metabolic engineering strategies and techniques used in the development of microbial cell factories for enhanced production of three-carbon platform chemicals such as lactic acid, propionic acid, and 3-hydroxypropionic acid are discussed.

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Since the 20th century, plastics that are widely being used in general life and industries are causing enormous plastic waste problems since improperly discarded plastics barely degrade and decompose. Thus, the demand for polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), biodegradable polymers with material properties similar to conventional petroleum-based plastics, has been increased so far. The microbial production of PHAs is an environment-friendly solution for the current plastic crisis, however, the carbon sources for the microbial PHA production is a crucial factor to be considered in terms of carbon-neutrality.

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Cupriavidus necator, a versatile microorganism found in both soil and water, can have both heterotrophic and lithoautotrophic metabolisms depending on environmental conditions. C. necator has been extensively examined for producing Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), the promising polyester alternatives to petroleum-based synthetic polymers because it has a superior ability for accumulating a considerable amount of PHAs from renewable resources.

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  • The global reliance on petroleum has resulted in significant environmental issues like climate change, prompting a shift towards biorefineries that use microorganisms for sustainable production.
  • C4 alcohols, important chemicals for biofuels and other products, can be effectively produced through DCEO biotechnology and metabolic engineering techniques.
  • The review highlights production strategies, synthetic tools, and the development of microbial cell factories to optimize processes for cost-effective industrial production of C4 alcohols.
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  • Concerns about pollution from non-degradable plastics have led to increased interest in biodegradable plastics, particularly polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), which are produced by microorganisms and possess similar properties to conventional plastics.
  • * Research efforts are focused on understanding how PHAs are synthesized and improving microbial strains to produce them efficiently for industrial use, leveraging advancements in biotechnology.
  • * This review highlights recent developments in microbial production of PHAs and other non-natural polyesters, aiming to pave the way for engineering microorganisms as sustainable alternatives in plastic manufacturing.
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Background/objectives: The aim of this study was to analyze the factors related to sarcopenic obesity among the elderly in South Korea.

Subjects/methods: A total of 3,367 elderly (≥ 65 years) from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2008-2011) were included in this analysis. The subjects were assessed to determine their sarcopenia and obesity status.

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To catalog factors that may contribute to the completion of myogenesis, we have been looking for molecular differences between BC3H1 and C2C12 cells. Cells of the BC3H1 tumor line, though myogenic, are nonfusing, and withdraw from the cell cycle only reversibly, whereas cells of the C2C12 line fuse, differentiate terminally, and express several muscle-specific gene products that BC3H1 cells do not. Relative to C2C12 cells, BC3H1 cells underaccumulated cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21 and underaccumulated transcripts for p21, GADD45, CDO, decorin, osteopontin, H19, fibronectin, and thrombospondin-1 (tsp-1).

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