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Lithium-ion conductivity is one of the critical factors in improving the rate capability of LiFePO4 in lithium-ion batteries. The one-dimensional diffusion pathway of lithium ions slows the charging/discharging rates in the olivine structure of LiFePO4. Herein, ultrathin LiFePO4 nanosheets were synthesized using surface-passivating ligands to address the rate capability issue. The thickness direction of the nanosheets is the [010] direction in which the lithium ions are inserted or extracted during cycling. The structural and morphological characterizations were performed via transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. A thickness of 7.5nm was obtained from the atomic force microscopy height profiles, which is in the scale of twelve unit cells of LiFePO4. Electrochemical performance test results revealed that the Li-ion batteries had superior rate capability during the charging/discharging process.

This report describes a dog infected with Hepatozoon canis, the first canine infection in the Republic of Korea. A 2-year-old intact male Maltese dog presented with anorexia and depression. Physical examinations revealed mild dehydration and hyperthermia (39.8°C), and blood analysis showed pancytopenia. Diff-Quik staining of blood smear specimens showed the presence of ellipsoidal shaped structures (gamonts of H. canis) within a small number of neutrophils. Real-time PCR analysis using whole blood confirmed infection by H. canis. The clinical condition of the dog improved after symptomatic treatment and administration of doxycycline. Although a molecular epidemiologic survey in Korea showed H. canis infection of dogs, to our knowledge this is the first report of a dog infection in Korea molecularly shown to be H. canis.

Sphingolipids have been implicated in the etiology of chronic metabolic diseases. Here, we investigated whether sphingolipid biosynthesis is associated with the development of adipose tissues and metabolic diseases. SPTLC2, a subunit of serine palmitoyltransferase, was transcriptionally upregulated in the adipose tissues of obese mice and in differentiating adipocytes. Adipocyte-specific SPTLC2-deficient (aSPTLC2 KO) mice had markedly reduced adipose tissue mass. Fatty acids that were destined for the adipose tissue were instead shunted to liver and caused hepatosteatosis. This impaired fat distribution caused systemic insulin resistance and hyperglycemia, indicating severe lipodystrophy. Mechanistically, sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) was reduced in the adipose tissues of aSPTLC2 KO mice, and this inhibited adipocyte proliferation and differentiation via the downregulation of S1P receptor 1 and decreased activity of the peroxisome proliferator–activator receptor γ. In addition, downregulation of SREBP (sterol regulatory element–binding protein)-1c prevented adipogenesis of aSPTLC2 KO adipocytes. Collectively, our observations suggest that the tight regulation of de novo sphingolipid biosynthesis and S1P signaling plays an important role in adipogenesis and hepatosteatosis.

The anti-inflammatory effects of fermented Ganoderma lucidum water extracts (FGW) were investigated. G. lucidum water extracts (GW) were fermented using the lactic acid bacterium Bifidobacterium bifidum, followed by Lactobacillus sakei subsp. sakei LI033. The effects of GW and FGW on cell proliferation and nitric oxide (NO) production in RAW 264.7 cells were investigated. After cells were treated with lipopolysaccharide, secondary fermented extracts (FGWBL) inhibited NO production more than GW and primary fermented extracts (FGWB) in a dose-dependent manner. FGW inhibited inducible nitric oxide synthesis (iNOS) and production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. In addition to immunological activities, FGW induced expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1). Treatment with ZnPP, a HO-1 inhibitor, counteracted the inhibitory effects of FGW on NO production, indicating that inhibition of NO production by FGW treatment was mediated via HO-1 expression. FGW suppressed pro-inflammatory markers via HO-1 regulation.

The antifungal effects of essential oils (EOs) on cultures of the known cheese fungal contaminants Penicillium spp. were evaluated. Cinnamon leaf and bark EOs were the most effective among 8 EOs tested. The main components of both cinnamon EOs were eugenol, cinnamaldehyde, and linalool. Both inhibited growth of Penicillium spp. at a concentration of 10% v/v (2,000 ppm/mm2) on a lawn cell plate. When tested using 3 commercially available cheese starters, cinnamon EOs showed no effect against the FD-DVS ABT-5 cheese starter. However, growth of lactobacilli was inhibited in the presence of ≥10% (v/v) of leaf and bark EOs for the KAZU 1 starter, and ≥5% (v/v) for the FD-DVS FLORA-DANICA starter. A concentration of 4,000 ppm/mm2 of cinnamon EOs completely inhibited growth of the Penicillium spp. that naturally contaminates the surface of Appenzeller cheese.

This study was focused on the development of fermented mushroom water extracts with antioxidative activities. Mushroom water extracts were fermented with Bifidobacterium bifidum , Lactobacillus plantarum , Lactobacillus acidophilus , Leuconostoc lactis , Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus sakei subsp. LI033 was isolated from kimchi. Fermented mushroom water extracts increased DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities in a dose-depend-ent manner. However, radical scavenging activity of fermented Phellinus linteus and Ganoderma lucidum water extracts was decreased compared to non-fermented mushroom water extracts. Antioxidative activity of fermented mushroom water extracts was also confirmed by xanthin oxidase (XO) inhibition and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities at the same concentration. As the fermentation progressed, fermented mushroom water extracts increased XO inhibition activity and SOD activity. In conclusion, fermented mushroom water extracts were tentatively identified to enhance enzyme activity.

전북대학교 바이오식품소재개발 및 산업화연구센터The antifungal activity against cheese fungi by lactic acid bacteria isolated from kimchi was investigated. Eight fungi were isolated from cheese in the cheese ripening room. Two of them were identified as Penicillium and Cladosporium via ITS-5.8S rDNA analysis. Twenty-two species of lactic acid bacteria with antifungal activity were isolated from kimchi. Two of them were identified as Lactobacillus and Pediococcus via 16S rRNA sequence analysis. Of the 22 lactic acid bacteria species, six were selected (L. sakei subsp. ALJ011, L. sakei subsp. ALI033, L. sakei subsp. ALGy039, P. pentosaceus ALJ015, P. pentosaceus ALJ024 and P. pentosaceus ALJ026) due to their higher activity against the eight fungi isolated from cheese in the cheese ripening room; and among the six species, the P. pentosaceus ALJ015 and P. pentosaceus ALJ024 isolates from the Jeonju area kimchi and the L. sakei subsp. ALI033 isolate from the Iimsil area kimchi had higher antifungal activity than the other lactic acid bacteria. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of L. sakei subsp. ALI033 against the eight fungi isolated from cheese in the cheese ripening room was 62.5 (/mL.Key words)cheese, cheese ripening, fungal, antifungal activity, lactic acid bacteria

Previous rodent studies showed that when injected into the brain, free fatty acids (FFAs) reduced food intake in an oleate-specific manner. The present study was performed to test whether food intake is regulated by circulating FFAs in an oleate-specific manner. Male Wistar rats received an intravenous infusion of olive, safflower, or coconut oil (100mg/h), together with heparin, to raise circulating oleate, linoleate, or palmitate, respectively, and their effects on overnight food intake were evaluated. Compared to other oils, olive oil infusion showed a significantly greater effect to reduce food intake (P0.01). Total caloric intake, the sum of the calories from the diet and infused oil, was significantly reduced with olive oil (P0.01) but not with coconut or safflower oil infusion, suggesting an oleate-specific effect on caloric intake. To further test this idea, different groups of rats received an intravenous infusion of oleate, linoleate, or octanoate (0.5mg/h). Oleate infusion decreased overnight food intake by 26% (P0.001), but no significant effect was seen with linoleate, octanoate, or vehicle infusion (P0.05). The effects of olive oil or oleate infusion could not be explained by changes in plasma glucose, insulin, leptin, or total FFA levels. The olive oil effect on food intake was not reduced in vagotomized rats, suggesting that oleate sensing may not involve peripheral sensors. In contrast, olive oil's effect was attenuated in high-fat-fed rats, suggesting that this effect is regulated (or impaired) under physiological (or pathological) conditions. Taken together, the present study provides evidence that circulating oleate is sensed by the brain differentially from other FFAs to control feeding in rats.

This experiment was carried out in order to separate bovine colostral whey protein from Imsil province and to test the effect of immunological activity on RAW 264.7 cells. The colostral whey protein contained TGF-β 7, 475 pg/g in total. We first tested the effect of the colostral whey protein on the proliferation of RAW 264.7 cells and it demonstrated cytotoxicity at concentrations greater than 20 mg/mL. Therefore, the immunological activities of colostral whey protein were investigated in maximum concentration of 10 mg/mL on LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells. Results indicated that colostral whey protein inhibited the LPS-induced nitric oxide (NO) production in a dose-dependent manner. The colostral whey protein also suppressed the productions of proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6) in a dose-dependent manner. In addition to the immunological activity, colostral whey protein led to the expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in RAW 264.7 cells. In conclusion, colostral whey protein containing TGF-β inhibited the production of NO, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 via expression of HO-1.

Medical School, and Center for Healthcare Technology Development, Chonbuk National University, Jeonbuk 561-756, KoreaAbstractIn this study, 20 kinds of raspberries and blackberries, cultivated or wild in Korea, were collected. Weight, moisture content, sugar content, sugar composition, pH, titratable acidity and acid composition of the fruits were determined. Weight of each of the fruits and moisture contents in the fruits were 0.9～7.8 g and 26～62%, respectively. The sugar contents in the fruit juices were 6.9～16.9% (Brix). The major sugars in the fruits were glucose (40.7～84.0% (w/w) of the total sugars) and fructose (6.5～57.5%). Sucrose and xylose were also detected in a small quantity. pH and titratable acidity of the berry juices were 2.8～3.9% (w/v, citric acid) and 0.6～2.9%, respectively. The major organic acids were citric acid (14.6～87.5% (w/w) of the total acids) and malic acid (9.6～87.1%). Succinic, tartaric and oxalic acids were also detected in a small amount.Key words: blackberry, raspberry, Rubus, sugar, organic acid

Seed and oil contents, and fatty acid compositions of oils of 20 caneberries grown in Korea were determined. Fatty acid compositions of the oils were analyzed using GC for the extracted and methylated oils from the berry seeds. The seeds comprised 4–10% (w/w) of the wet berries and accounted for 26–62% of the dry berries. Moisture and oil contents of the berry seeds were 8–17 and 13–28% (dry basis), respectively. More than 90% of the total fatty acids in the oils from the berry seeds were unsaturated. Linoleic and linolenic acids comprised 49–70 and 13–34%, respectively, of the oils in the berry seeds.

The objective of the study was to analyze the contents and fatty acid compositions in the extracted fats from selected commercial ice creams and ice cream-related products. Seventy four ice creams and ice cream-related products were collected from local stores: 22 regular `ice creams`, 10 premium `ice creams`, 22 `ice milks`, 4 `sherbets`, 11 `non-milk-fat ice creams` and 5 `non-milk product ice creams`. Contents and fatty acid compositions of the fats in the ice creams and ice cream-related products were analyzed. Fat contents in regular `ice creams`, premium `ice creams` and `ice milks` were , respectively. `Sherbets`, `non-milk-fat ice creams` and `non-milk product ice creams` contained fats, respectively. Fats extracted from 14 regular `ice creams`, all of the premium `ice creams` and 11 `ice milks` contained saturated fatty acids and trans fatty acids. Their fatty acid compositions were similar to those in milks and butter. However, fats from 8 regular `ice creams` and 11 `ice milks` contained lauric acid, respectively. Since these levels of lauric acid were 3 times more than in milk or butter, other fats along with milk fat might be used for manufacturing these` ice creams` and `ice milks`. Out of these 19 products, only 5 products were labelled as `coconut oil` or `refined oil` as well as milk fat being used. Fats extracted from `sherbets`, `non-milk-fat ice creams` and `non-milk product ice creams` contained saturated fatty acids, respectively. Lauric acid was the most abundant fatty acid in the fats of these products, being of the total fatty acids, respectively.

Uncoupling protein-1 (UCP-1) plays a major role in thermogenesis, and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of obesity and metabolic disorders. The purpose of this study was to estimate the effects of A-3826G polymorphism of the UCP-1 gene on the plasma lipid profiles in 190 Korean obese subjects with a body mass index (BMI) more than 30 kg/m2. Height, weight, BMI, wait-to-hip ratio (WHR), obesity index, and body composition were measured and genotype of UCP-1 was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) method. Serum concentrations of fasting glucose, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and triglyceride were measured. The frequencies of UCP-1 genotypes were AA type, 22.1%; AG type, 53.7%; and GG type, 24.2%; and the frequency of G allele was 0.51. Among many parameters, diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (P = .023) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (P = .011) were significantly higher in AG and GG types compared with AA type, whereas HDL cholesterol was significantly lower in GG type compared with other types (P < .05). Atherogenic index was significantly higher in GG type compared with AA type (P = 0.027). LDL-to-HDL cholesterol ratio was significantly increased in the order of AA < AG < GG types (P = .001). When the subjects were divided into a normal group and a hyper-LDL cholesterolemia group by LDL cholesterol level of 3.626 mmol/L (140 mg/dL), the frequency of hyper-LDL cholesterolemia was significantly higher in GG type compared with other types by Fisher's exact (chi-square) test (P = .05). When logistic regression analysis was conducted to find the risk factors of hyper-LDL cholesterolemia, the odds ratio was 4.115 (P = .03) for GG type of UCP-1 gene. These results suggest that the GG type of the UCP-1 gene has a strong association with increased LDL cholesterol level and might be a significant risk factor for hyper-LDL cholesterolemia among Korean obese subjects.