Background: Ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Mey.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVarious functional activities have been reported for the fermented soybean products (DJ) and (CGJ), although no systemic investigations of their immune functions have been conducted to date. We examined the effects of an experimental diet of DJ, CGJ, or a mixture of unfermented raw material for 4 weeks on overall immunity and immune safety in mice. No significant alterations were observed in peripheral or splenic immune cells among groups.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Ethanol (EtOH) is one of the oldest recreational substances known to man, primarily taken because it induces a sense of well-being (euphoric effects) and relaxation (anxiolytic effects). EtOH use entails various negative consequences. Of particular interest are EtOH-induced psychomotor alterations, because of its immediate manifestation and adverse consequences.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe objective of this study was to develop a novel technique for parallel analysis of eight important foodborne microbes using capillary electrophoresis-based single-strand conformation polymorphism (CE-SSCP) coupled with multiplex PCR. Specific primers for multiplex PCR amplification of the 16S rRNA gene were designed, corresponding to eight species of bacteria, including Escherichia coli, Clostridium perfringens, Campylobacter jejuni, Salmonella enterica, Listeria monocytogenes, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus cereus, for the species-specific identification and optimal separation of their PCR products in subsequent analysis by CE-SSCP. Multiplex PCR conditions including annealing temperature, extension time, the number of PCR cycles, and primer concentrations were then optimized for simultaneous detection of all target foodborne bacteria.
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