• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.482-489
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• 2020

We previously identified β-sitosterol (BS) as one of the most abundant compounds found in Korean red ginseng oil. BS is a widely prevalent vegetable-derived phytosterol with many known health benefits. Here, we investigated the efficacy of BS against Brucella (B.) abortus infection. BS showed no effect on bacterial growth but attenuated internalization, intracellular survival and MAPKs-linked intracellular signaling in RAW264.7 cells. BS treatment in cells is also associated with increased nitrite concentration during infection at 24 h. Slightly enhanced resistance to B. abortus infection was observed in mice orally given BS, which could be mediated by induced production of proinflammatory cytokines. Taken together, our study demonstrates the contribution of BS treatment against B. abortus infection although further investigation is encouraged to maximize its beneficial effects against intracellular infection.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.71-77
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• 2012

Mitochondrial dynamics and distribution is critical for their role in bioenergetics and cell survival. We investigated the consequence of altered fission/fusion on mitochondrial function and motility in INS-1E rat clonal ${\beta}$-cells. Adenoviruses were used to induce doxycycline-dependent expression of wild type (WT-Mfn1) or a dominant negative mitofusin 1 mutant (DN-Mfn1). Mitochondrial morphology and motility were analyzed by monitoring mitochondrially-targeted red fluorescent protein. Adenovirus-driven overexpression of WT-Mfn1 elicited severe aggregation of mitochondria, preventing them from reaching peripheral near plasma membrane areas of the cell. Overexpression of DN-Mfn1 resulted in fragmented mitochondria with widespread cytosolic distribution. WT-Mfn1 overexpression impaired mitochondrial function as glucose- and oligomycin-induced mitochondrial hyperpolarization were markedly reduced. Viability of the INS-1E cells, however, was not affected. Mitochondrial motility was significantly reduced in WT-Mfn1 overexpressing cells. Conversely, fragmented mitochondria in DN-Mfn1 overexpressing cells showed more vigorous movement than mitochondria in control cells. Movement of these mitochondria was also less microtubule-dependent. These results suggest that Mfn1-induced hyperfusion leads to mitochondrial dysfunction and hypomotility, which may explain impaired metabolism-secretion coupling in insulin-releasing cells overexpressing Mfn1.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetic Resonance Society
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.175-186
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• 2011

Amyloid fibrils have long been known to be the well known ${\alpha}$-helix to ${\beta}$-sheet transition characterizing the conversion of cellular to scrapie forms of the prion protein. A very short sequence of Yeast prion-like protein, GNNQQNY (SupN), is responsible for aggregation that induces diseases. KSI-fused tandem repeats of SupN vector are constructed and used to express SupN peptide in Escherichia coli (E.Coli). A method for a production, purification, and cleavage of tandem repeats of recombinant isotopically enriched SupN in E. coli is described. This method yields as much as 20 mg/L of isotope-enriched fusion proteins in minimal media. Synthetic SupN peptides and $^{13}C$ Gly labeled SupN peptides are studied by Congo Red staining, Birefringence and transmission electron microscopy to characterize amyloid fibril formation. To get a better understanding of aggregation-structure relationship of 7 residues of Yeast prion-like protein, the change of a conformational structure will be studied by $^{13}C$ solid-state nmr spectroscopy as powder of both amorphous and fibrillar forms.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.91-95
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• 2008

Embryonic stem cells have a pluripotency and a potential to differentiate to all type of cells. In our previous study, we have shown that embryonic stem cells (ESCs) lines can be generated from murine parthenogenetic embryos. This parthenogenetic ESCs line can be a useful stem cell source for tissue repair and regeneration. The defect in full-term development of parthenogenetic ESCs line enables researchers to avoid the ethical concerns related with ESCs research. In this study, we presented the results demonstrating that parthenogenetic ESCs can be induced into osteogenic cells by supplementing culture media with ascorbic acid and $\beta$-glycerophosphate. These cells showed morphologies of osteogenic cells and it was proven by Von Kossa staining and Alizarin Red staining. Expression of marker genes for osteogenic cells (osteopontin, osteonectin, alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin, bone-sialoprotein, collagen type1, and Cbfa1) also confirmed osteogenic potential of these cells. These results demonstrate that osteogenic cells can be generated from parthenogenetic ESCs in vitro.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.15 no.spc1
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• pp.147-151
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• 2000

Symbiotic stars, believed to be binary systems of a mass-losing giant and a white dwarf with an emission nebula, are known to exhibit very broad wings around Hex that extend to $\~10^3km\;s^{-1}$. The wing formation mechanism is not a settled matter and recently Lee (2000) proposed that Raman scattering of Ly$\beta$ by neutral hydrogen is responsible for the broad H$\alpha$ wings. In this model, it is predicted that. the Hex wings will be polarized depending on the geometric and kinematic distribution of the scatterers relative to the UV emission region. In this paper, we investigate the polarization of Hex wings in symbiotic stars. Noting that many symbiotic stars possess bipolar nebular morphology, we assume that the distribution of neutral scatterers follows the similar pattern with a receding velocity of several tens of km $s^{-1}$ that mimics the expansion of the neutral envelope of the nebula. It is found that the red wing is more strongly polarized than the blue and main part and that the polarization direction is along the equatorial plane. We obtain a typical degree of polarization $\~10$ percent, however, it varies depending on the detailed distribution of H I scatterers We conclude that spectropolarimetry will provide very important information on the origin of the Hex wings.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.298-302
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• 2006

Kochujang was fermented using hot red pepper, meju prepared with soybean and rice, and malt-digested syrup. To reduce salt content, mustard powder (1.2%, w/w) was added to Korean traditional kochujang with 4-10% salt, and microbial characteristics, enzyme activities, and gas formation in kochujang were evaluated during fermentation for 120 days at $25^{\circ}C$. Yeast numbers of all treatments maintained 2.43-2.86 log CFU/g up to 60 days fermentation, indicating salt concentration had no effect on yeast count. Activities of ${\alpha}$- and ${\beta}$-amylases, and neutral and acidic proteases of kochujang added with mustard powder were slightly higher than those of control group. Total accumulative volume of gas produced during fermentation of kochujang without mustard powder (control group) was 5,892 mL/pack, but decreased to 34-99 mL/pack in low-salted kochujang (4 and 6% salt) added with mustard powder. Major gas produced was carbon dioxide (79-80%) with oxygen content less than 1.25%(v/v). Results indicate salt concentration of kochujang could be lowered up to 6-8% by addition of mustard powder without gas formation and quality alteration during distribution.

• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.78-87
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• 2016

Purpose: This study was conducted to investigate the factors that influence the psychosocial adjustment of organ transplant recipients. Methods: Participants were 132 organ transplant recipients who received follow-up more than 3 months after the organ transplantation at one general hospital in Seoul. A questionnaire survey was done from November 3 to December 3, 2015. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficient, and hierarchical multiple regression. Results: Family support, medical staff support and hope were significantly correlated with psychosocial adjustment. In the hierarchical multiple regression analysis, hope appeared to be the most important factor influencing psychosocial adjustment (${\beta}=.39$, p<.001). Conclusion: The findings show that hope had an influence on the psychosocial adjustment of organ transplant recipients. Thus, to improve psychosocial adjustment it is important for nurses to develop interventions to increase hope in organ transplant recipients.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.32.4-33
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• 2018

We study the kinematical properties of the Seyfert galaxy, NGC 4051 and Mrk 79. The data used in this study had been observed with OASIS spectrometer at CFHT 3.6m telescope using O300 grism, MR1. The wavelength coverage is $4760{\AA}$ $-5558{\AA}$, which includes emission lines, $H{\beta}4861{\AA}$, $[OIII]4959{\AA}$, and $[OIII]5007{\AA}$. We observe that forbidden lines have both narrow and broad components. Radial velocity of NGC 4051 is blue-shifted, perhaps due to the z value derived by the earlier studies, 0.002336. We use the revised z, 0.002099, according to the radial velocity of the central spectrum. NGC 4051 is face-on galaxy without rotation observed. Radial velocity of Mrk 79 shows a rotation characteristic in narrow components, relative to $PA=60^{\circ}$, red-shifted to north-west, and blue-shifted to south-east. In the [OIII] broad components, blue-shifted points are observed at the place at 2 arcsec apart from the center of Mrk 79 to north-west, which are likely to be gas outflow.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.290-298
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• 2011

Natural Omija belongs to magnoliaceae was known to possess natural odor, taste, color, and various pharmaceutical & chemical characteristics. Omija extraction was extracted using ethanol as a solvent. Omija extract showed a light red-violet color of viscous liquid state. Some conclusions from the result of characteristic experiment were obtained as follows. From the result of antimicrobial experiment, occurrence of staphylococuss aureus and aspergillus niger as microbes was decreased according to the passage of time. This phenomenon could know that Omija component is affected to antimicrobial effect. From the result of dye experiment, fiber dyeing showed with some ivory color after dyed to cotton and silk. This phenomenon could know that Omija component is affected to dyeing effect from observation of scanning electron microscope(SEM). From the result of instrument analysis, inorganic components of K(107.30ppm), Na(2.110ppm), Ca(0.935ppm), Mg(0.891ppm), Li(0.270ppm) etcs from Omija were detected with ICP/OES, and aromatic components of benzene(10.808), a-pinene(13.996), phenol(14.183), ${\beta}$-terpene(15.840), a-terpinolene(17.616) etcs from Omija were also detected with GC/MSD.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.300-305
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• 1999

A sensitive and efficient assay method was applied to determine the level of glutamic acid (GA) and ${\gamma}-aminobutyric$ acid (GABA) in frontal cortex and hippocampus of rat administrated with ethanol and drugs. The compounds were derivatized with ο-phthalaldehyde (OPA) and 2-mercaptoethanof for precolunm analysis. The condition for the simultaneous determination of GA, GABA and $\beta-aminobutyric$ acid (BABA) by high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection was reverse phase $C_{18}$ column as stationary phase, 0.1 M phosphate buffer containing 0.1 mM $Na_4EDTA$ : methanol = 55:45 (v+v) pH 3.8 as mobile phase and 0.7V electrode voltage. The stability of reaction product of GA, GABA and BABA with OPA could be increased by adding the same volume of polyethylene glycol 400 to reaction mixture. The GABA level in frotal cortex of rat was significantly decreased by the administration of picrotoxin and diazepam, but it was significantly increased by the administration of red ginseng total saponin, N-methyl-D-glucamine and (-)-deprenyl.