• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.47-57
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• 2010

Objective: The present study investigated the effect of ethanol extract of Cynanchum wilfordii (ECW) on vascular relaxation and vascular inflammation in rat artery isolated from rats and anti-inflammatory activity in human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMC). Methods: Vascular tone and guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP) production were examined in rat artery isolated from Sprague Dawley rats, in the presence of ECW. HASMC were incubated with tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-${\alpha}$) or Angiotensin II for 24 h. Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and anti-oxidant activity of ECW was investigated by pretreatment with ECW in HASMC. Results: Cumulative treatment of ECW relaxed aortic smooth muscles of rats in a dose-dependent manner. ECW-induced vasorelaxation was significantly decreased by pretreatment of L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) or oxadiazolo-quinoxalinone (ODQ). Furthermore, ECW treatment of thoracic aorta significantly increased cGMP production. Incubation of ECW with ODQ or L-NAME markedly decreased ECW-induced cGMP production. ECW treatment dose-dependently suppressed TNF-${\alpha}$- or Angiotensin II-induced increase in matrix metalloproteinase-2 expression in HASMC. Also, ECW exhibited 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity in vitro and reduced TNF-${\alpha}$-induced increase in reactive oxygen species production in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusions: Taken together, the results suggest that ECW exerts vascular relaxation via NO/cGMP signaling pathway and decreases MMP-2 expression via anti-oxidant activity.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.639-644
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• 2010

Amphiphilic porphyrin derivatives have been synthesized and characterized by $^1H$ NMR and MALDI-TOF-MS. All porphyrin derivatives showed very high solubility to aqueous medium as well as hydrophobic organic solvent. The UV-vis absorption of the porphyrin derivatives showed significant broadness and decrease of maximum intensity of absorption in aqueous solution. SEM experiment showed the formation of spherical micellar structure. The $T_1$ relaxation time of aqueous medium was drastically decreased in the presence of Mn(III)-porphyrin derivative, indicating that the supramolecular micelle has strong possibility to use as a $T_1$ contrast agent.

• Advances in materials Research
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2013

Lead-free compound $(Na_{0.5}Bi_{0.5})(Zr_{0.75}Ti_{0.25})O_3$ was prepared using conventional ceramic technique at $1070^{\circ}C$/4h in air atmosphere. X-ray diffraction analysis showed the formation of single-phase orthorhombic structure. Permittivity data showed low temperature coefficient of capacitance ($T_{CC}{\approx}5%$) up to $100^{\circ}C$. Complex impedance studies indicated the presence of grain boundary effect, non-Debye type dielectric relaxation and evidences of a negative temperature coefficient of resistance. The ac conductivity data were used to evaluate the density of states at Fermi level and apparent activation energy of the compound.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2020

In this article, an analytical solution for the effect of the rotation on thermo-viscoelastic non-homogeneous medium with a spherical cavity subjected to periodic loading is studied. The distribution of displacements, temperature, redial stress, and hoop stress in non-homogeneous medium, in the context of generalized thermo-viscoelasticity using the GL theory, is discussed and obtained. The results are displayed graphically to illustrate the effect of the rotation. Comparisons with the previous work in the absence of rotation and viscosity are made.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.863-869
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• 2011

The aim of the present study is to investigate whether an ethanol extract of Acorus gramineus Soland (EAG) augments penile erection in vitro and in vivo experiment. Preconstructed with phenylephrine (PE) in isolated endothelium-intact rabbit corpus cavernosum, EAG relaxed penile smooth muscle in a dose-dependent manner, which was inhibited by pretreatment with NG-nitro-L-argininemethylester (L-NAME), a nitricoxide synthase inhibitor, and 1H-[1,2,4]-oxadiazole-[4,3-${\alpha}$]-quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ), a soluble guanylylcyclase (sGC) inhibitor, respectively. EAG-induced relaxation was significantly attenuated by pretreatment with tetraethylammonium (TEA), a nonselective $K^+$ channel blocker. EAG increased cGMP levels of the rabbit corpus cavernosum in a concentration-dependent manner without changes in cAMP levels. In addition, EAG caused increase of peak intracavernous pressure (ICP), ICP/MAP ratio and area under the carve (AUC) in SD rats. Taken together, these results suggest that EAG augments penile erection via NO-cGMP system and $K^+$ channels in corpus cavernosum.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.587-595
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• 2003

The aim of this study was to investigate trazodone's effect on vasorelaxation and blood pressure lowering and to examine its underlying mechanism of action in isolated thoracic aorta and anesthesized rats. Precontracted aortic rings with high KCl were relaxed with trazodone, at concentrations of $50{\mu}M$ or greater. However, precontracted rings with phenylephrine (PE) were relaxed with trazodone, at concentrations of $0.03{\mu}M$ or greater, in a concentration-dependent manner. These relaxant effects of trazodone on endothelium intact rat aortic rings were significantly greater than those on denuded rings. The trazodone-induced relaxations were suppressed by nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitors, N(G)-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA) and N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), guanylate cyclase inhibitors, methylene blue and 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ), a $Ca^{2+}$-activated $K^+$ channel blocker, tetrabutylammonium (TBA), a $Ca^{2+}$ channel blocker, nifedipine, $Na^+$ channel blockers, lidocaine and procaine, and removal of extracellular $Na^+$, but not by aminoguanidine, 2-nitro-4-carboxyphenyl-n, n-diphenylcarbamate (NCDC), indomethacin, glibenclamide and clotrimazole. In vivo, infusion of trazodone elicited significant decrease in arterial blood pressure. Trazodone-induced decrease in blood pressure was markedly inhibited by pretreatment of intravenous injection of saponin, L-NNA, methylene blue, TBA, lidocaine or nifedipine. These findings suggest that the endothelium-dependent relaxation and decrease in blood pressure induced by trazodone is mediated by release of NO from the endothelium, activation of TBA-sensitive $Ca^{2+}$-activated $K^+$ channels or inhibition of $Ca^{2+}$ entry through voltage-gated channel.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.102-105
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• 2008

The freezing patterns of commercial frozen foods were characterized by using proton nuclear magnetic resonance ($^1H$ NMR) relaxometry and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The liquid-like components like unfrozen water were investigated as a function of temperature (10 to $-40^{\circ}C$) and then compared with the unfrozen water content measured by DSC. The formation of ice crystals and the reduction of water in the foods during freezing were readily observed as a loss of the NMR signal intensity. The proton NMR relaxation measurement showed that the decreasing pattern of the liquid-like components varied depending on the samples even though they exhibited the same onset temperature of ice formation at around $0^{\circ}C$. When compared with the unfrozen water content obtained by the DSC, the NMR and DSC results could be closely correlated at the temperature above $-20^{\circ}C$. However, the distinct divergence in the values between 2 methods was observed with further decreasing temperatures probably due to the solid glass formation which was not detected by DSC.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.205-209
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• 1982

Anisotropic rotation of $CDCl_3$ in neat liquid is investigated by the analysis of ${\nu}_1$ band of Raman spectrum and the diffusion constant($D_{\perp}$) for the tumbling motion is obtained. The diffusion constant ($D_{II}$) for the spinning motion is obtained from the above $D_{\perp}$ value and the chlorine-35 nuclear quadrupole relaxation time. The diffusion constants thus obtained seem to agree very well with the ones obtained from $^2H$ and $^35C$l in NQR results within experimental errors. The data suggest fairly anisotropic character of reorientational motions in neat $CDCl_3$.

• Progress in Superconductivity
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.52-56
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• 2009

Temperature distributions and thermal stresses were calculated and analyzed to investigate the effect of the artificial holes to the transient behaviors of the superconductors which was cooled in liquid nitrogen. Three dimensional finite element method was used to calculated the transient temperature and thermal stresses in the superconductors. The cooling speed of the superconductors with holes is faster than those without holes. Because the thermal stresses calculated in the superconductors can be relaxed by the distributed holes, the volume of the peak tensile stress decreases during the cooling in liquid nitrogen. If optimal metal, which can maintain the relaxation of thermal stresses, is used to fill and reinforce the artificial holes, the probability of failure of the superconductors may be decreased by the decrease of volume of peak tensile stress.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.40 no.8
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• pp.725-729
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• 2003

The fluorine doping along with heavy metal oxides remarkably raised the $^3$H$_4$ lifetime and the quantum efficiency in Tm$^{3+}$-doped silicate glasses. 29 mol% of fluorine substitution for oxygen in 70SiO$_2$-15Pbo-12ZnO-3KO$_{1}$2/ glass raised $^3$H$_4$ lifetime to 193 $mutextrm{s}$. Refractive indices were raised by heavy metal oxide substitution, but hardly changed by fluorine substitution. The fluorine doping changed the local structure around Tm$^{3+}$ions, then low energy vibrations related to fluorine are considered to largely reduce the multi-phonon relaxation rates in the oxyfluoride silicate glasses. The $^3$H$_4$ lifetimes and absorption and emission spectra of Tm$^{3+}$doped silicate and oxyfluoride silicate glasses are reported, and Judd-Ofelt calculation results are discussed in this paper.