Mi‐Ju Kim

An earth-abundant and feasible air cathode electrocatalyst is of importance for energy devices including fuel cells and metal–air batteries. Herein, hierarchically porous S,N-co-doped carbon materials derived from bamboo are prepared via pyrolysis of bamboo and thiourea to function as oxygen reduction reaction electrocatalysts. Due to their controlled mesopore ratio and increased effective dopant amount, the S,N-co-doped bamboo carbons (SNBCs) present half-wave potentials and stabilities compara

Polyelectrolyte microcapsules represent versatile stimuli-responsive structures that enable the encapsulation, protection, and release of active agents. Their conventional preparation methods, however, tend to be time-consuming, yield low encapsulation efficiency, and seldom allow for the dual incorporation of hydrophilic and hydrophobic materials, limiting their widespread utilization. In this work, we present a method to fabricate stimuli-responsive polyelectrolyte microcapsules in one step ba

We report a new method for the micropatterning of multiple proteins and cells with micrometer-scale precision. Microscope projection photolithography based on a new protein-friendly photoresist, poly(2,2-dimethoxy nitrobenzyl methacrylate-r-methyl methacrylate-r-poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate) (PDMP), was used for the fabrication of multicomponent protein/cell arrays. Microscope projection lithography allows precise registration between multiple patterns as well as facile fabrication of micr

It is known that treatments with heat shock, some anticancer drugs, and ionizing radiation increase the expression of heat-shock proteins (HSPs) and natural killer group 2D (NKG2D) ligands in tumor cells. The increased HSPs may make the tumor cells resistant to apoptosis and reduction of HSPs may make the tumor cells more susceptible to natural killer (NK)-cell mediated lysis of tumor cells. In this study, we investigated whether quercetin which has inhibitory activities against heat-shock facto

As quercetin, which can inhibit phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, nuclear factor-kappa B, and protein kinase C (PKC) pathways, induced expression of natural killer group 2, member D (NKG2D) ligands on cancer cells and made the cells sensitive to NK -cell-mediated killing; inhibition of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway might lead to induction of NKG2D ligands. In this study, it was investigated whether EGFR inhibitors, including erlotinib or gefitinib, could regulate expression of NKG

<i>Lactobacillus plantarum</i> CJLP55 has anti-pathogenic bacterial and anti-inflammatory activities in vitro. We investigated the dietary effect of CJLP55 supplement in patients with acne vulgaris, a prevalent inflammatory skin condition. Subjects ingested CJLP55 or placebo (<i>n</i> = 14 per group) supplements for 12 weeks in this double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized study. Acne lesion count and grade, skin sebum, hydration, pH and surface lipids were assessed. Metagenomic DNA analysis

An enzyme-mimetic nanoparticle-based point of care bioassay device is developed for rapid and sensitive detection of analytes. Digital images acquired by smart cellular phones allow quantifying the amounts of analytes. Using this new device, quantitative analysis of liquid sample is performed within 15 min with an order of magnitude enhancement of sensitivity compared with conventional Au nanoparticle-based devices.

To develop a starter culture system for improving the shelf-life and quality of kimchi, we prepared a mixed starter composed of Lactococcus lactis and Leuconostoc citreum. Two strains, L. lactis WiKim0098 and Leu. citreum WiKim0096, showed high antimicrobial activity and mannitol productivity, respectively. These lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were introduced as a starter into kimchi following cultivation in foodgrade liquid medium. Two kimchi samples, with and without starter, were fermented for 12