• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.152-158
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• 2000

Background : No association between schizophrenia and dopamine D4 receptor polymorphisms have been reported. Despite these results, it is premature to exclude the association. It has been suggested that the susceptibility to develop schizophrenia could result from variation at a number loci which may interact or coact with each other. Therefore, we investigated a possible association of combinations of exon III 48bp polymorphism[D4E3] and exon I 12bp polymorphism of the DRD4 gene [D4E1] with schizophrenia. Methods : 207 unrelated Korean schizophrenic patients and 191 healthy controls were recruited. DRD4 genotype was established using the polymerase chain reaction. Statistical analysis consisted of ${\chi}^2$ tests for Hardy-Weinberg proportions and genotypic and allelic frequencies in the patients and control groups. Results : There were no statistically significant differences in the each polymorphisms between schizophrenics and controls. And all genotype frequencies were within Hardy-Weinberg expectations. When the combinations of the polymorphism in schizophrenia and controls were compared, however, there were significant differences at $A1A2^*2/4$ in the distributions of the combinations of D4E1 and D4E3(p<0.01). Conclusions : These findings suggest that the certain combination of D4E1 and D4E3($A1A2^*2/4$) has the protective role to a susceptibility for schizophrenia.

• Korean Journal of Ichthyology
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.39-48
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• 2020

The slender shinner (Pseudopungtungia tenuicorpa), a tiny freshwater fish of about 8 to 10 cm belonging to Cyprinidae, is an endangered species found only in the Han and Imjin Rivers on the Korean Peninsula. During the breeding season, this species spawns in nests of Coreoperca herzi, a predator of this species, or small crevices on rocks. This unique reproductive ecology can make this species more vulnerable to anthropogenic perturbance that can further limit the places to spawn. Here, mtDNA and microsatellite loci were analyzed to identify the genetic diversity and structure of slender shinners and further to provide the basic data necessary for the conservation planning of this species. A total of 28 polymorphic microsatellite markers were developed using Illumina paired-end sequencing, and 67 slender shinners collected from three localities in the Han River were genotyped using these loci. This species showed a remarkably high level of genetic diversity with mean expected heterozygosity of 0.914 and mean allele number per locus of 27.9, and no signature of drastic demographic decline was detected. As a result of our microsatellite analysis, the genetic structure between the two stems of the Han River, North Han and South Han, was prominent. Such a genetic structure was also evident in the sequence analysis of 14 haplotypes obtained from mtDNA control region. Although slender shinners are only found in very limited areas around the world, the genetic structure indicates that there is a block of gene flow among the populations, which should be reviewed in the future if management and restoration of this species is needed.

• The Korean Journal of Zoology
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.372-382
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• 1992

당뇨병유발제인 streptozotocin이 생쥐 신장 사구체곁세포의 미세구조에 어떠한 영향을 미치는 지를 알아보고자 일반계통인 ICR생쥐와 유전성 당뇨병계통인 KK생쥐에 streptozotocin을 투여하여 경시적으로 각 동물의 신장 사구체곁세포의 미세구조의 변화를 관찰하였다. Streptozotocin을 투여한 ICR생쥐의 사구체곁세포는 3일째부터 과립형질내세망의 미약한 팽창과 과립내에 대소 공포의 출현 및 용해소체가 간혹 관찰되었다. 그후 시간이 지남에 따라 더욱 심하여 특히 2주 및 4주에서는 과립형질내세망의 팽창, 사립체, 골지장치 및 리보소곤 등이 소수 출현하였는데 비해 대소 용해소체는 많이 관찰되었으며 심한 탈과립으로 인해 세포질내 과립의 면적이 현저히 감소되었다. 그러나 KK생쥐의 실험군에서는 전 실험군에 걸쳐 퇴행성변화가 적었으며 ICR 생쥐 실험군에 비해 그 영향이 훨씬 적었다. 이상의 결과를 종합하여 보면 정상 ICR생쥐에 streptozotocin을 투여하자 되면 ICR생쥐 사구체곁세포에서 과립의 유의한 감소 및 세포내 미세구조의 퇴행성변화가 뚜렷한데 비해 KK생쥐 실험군에서는 ICR생쥐 실험군에 비해 손상을 적게 받았는데 이는 KK생쥐가 갖고 있는 당뇨병에 대한 내성에 의해 영향을 적게 미치는 것이 아닌가 추측된다.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.48 no.7
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• pp.766-771
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• 2005

Purpose : Cysteinyl leukotrienes are important inflammatory mediators in the pathogenesis of asthma; therefore interruption of cysteinyl leukotrienes by leukotriene receptor antagonists improves clinical symptoms in the management of patients with mild to moderate asthma. We evaluated whether clinical response to montelukast, a leukotriene receptor antagonist, in childhood asthma was predicted by genotypes of leukotriene $C_4$ synthase($LTC_4S$) promoter gene polymorphism. Methods : An 8-week prospective, open trial of montelukast was carried out in 161 children with mild to moderate asthma. Genotyping of $LTC_4S$ gene polymorphism was determined by restriction fragment length polymorphism. Results : The distribution of the $LTC_4S$ genotypes AA, AC, and CC was 70.8 percent, 23.6 percent, and 5.6 percent, respectively in asthma group and 74.0 percent, 22.6 percent, and 3.4 percent, respectively in control group. A statistically significant difference in the distribution of $LTC_4S$ genotype was not observed between the asthma and the control groups, and there was no significant difference between the $LTC_4S$ genotype and asthma severity. The responders to montelukast were significantly prevalent in the mild asthma group(P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the distribution of the responders compared to non-responders within genotype in the total asthma group or the moderate asthma group. However, the responsiveness for montelukast was significant difference within genotype for both AA and AC/CC in the mild asthma group : The AA genotype was more included in the responder group(P<0.05). Conclusion : In the mild persistent asthma group, the A allele of $LTC_4S$ polymorphism may be regarded as a predictable factor for clinical response to montelukast. However, LTC4S polymorphism was not significantly associated with the clinical response to montelukast in asthmatic children.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.128-132
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• 2007

Purpose : Endometriosis is a steroid dependent disease with a particular genetic background but the location of possible genomic aberrations are still poorly clarified. This study was designed to investigate the associations between the polymorphism of the progesterone receptor gene (PROGINS) and endometriosis. Methods : 100 women with surgically diagnosed and histologically confirmed endometriosis were enrolled as a patient population and a total of 110 female control subjects undergoing health examination were enrolled as control population. DNA extraction and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were used to genotype women for the presence of the PROGINS polymorphism in peripheral blood samples. The x2-test was used to compare genotype distributions between endometriosis and controls. Results : T1/T2 heterozygote was found to be one patient in each group, and the rest of the subjects were all T1/T1 homozygotes. There was no difference in the genotype distribution between the endometriosis group and the control group. Conclusion : These results suggest that the progesterone receptor gene PROGINS is not associated with the risk for endometriosis.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.8
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• pp.963-969
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• 2013

Although it is popularly believed that vitamin C protects cells from various genotoxicants, the degrees and mechanisms of itsprotective actions are not fully understood. In this study, vitamin C's protective effects against various genotoxicants were quantified, together with subsequent analyses on the mechanisms of these protective effects. Comet assay was employed to measure the degree of DNA damage in Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO-K1) exposed to five genotoxicants, $H_2O_2$, $HgCl_2$, N-methyl-N-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG), 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide (4NQO), and UV-irradiation. In cases cells were treated with $H_2O_2$, $HgCl_2$, and 4NQO together with vitamin C, the damage to DNA decreased to the level of the control group. In cases of UV-irradiation, the protective effect of vitamin C appeared, but did not reach the control levels. Interestingly, vitamin C did not have protective effects against the genotoxicity of MNNG. The degrees of DNA damage of cells treated with vitamin C prior to exposure togenotoxicants were 28~49% lower than those of cells treated with vitamin C after being exposed to genotoxicants. In conclusion, vitamin C had strong antioxidanteffects against genotoxicants by being a primary antioxidant blocking genotoxicity reaching the cells, rather than being a secondary antioxidant acting on post-exposure DNA repair processes. However, vitamin C's protective effects appearto be limited, as there are genotoxicants, such as MNNG, whosegenotoxicityis not affected by vitamin C. Therefore, the results of this study warrant furtherstudies on toxic mechanisms of genotoxicants and their interactions with protective mechanisms of vitamin C.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.215-221
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• 2012

Five Korean Calanthe species, C. discolor, C. bicolor, C. sieboldii, C. reflexa, and C. aristulifera, were studied using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) to assess their taxonomic and genetic relationships. Sixteen accessions belonging to five native Calanthe spp. and mutants with yellow tepal and white lip (YW mutants) were studied. We identified 50 putative markers using AFLP analysis. The results of AMOVA showed that genetic variance was higher between species than within species. Genetic dissimilarity when compared with the rest of the species was the lowest for individuals of the YW mutants and the highest for individuals of C. reflexa. The mutants clustered outside the major group. Calanthe bicolor clustered with C. discolor, suggesting that its genetic composition is closer to that of C. discolor. Though it is suggested to have originated as a result of natural hybridization between C. sieboldii and C. discolor, introgression is likely to have occurred in the direction of C. discolor based on the data of molecular marker, clustering and genetic dissimilarity. Calanthe reflexa and C. aristulifera were genetically the most diverse of the species studied. In conclusion, the results showed that there is genetic diversity in Korean Calanthe species, that C. bicolor introgressed in the direction of C. discolor and that the YW mutants are genetically closer to C. sieboldii.

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.344-351
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• 2023

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma module for sterilizing airborne bacteria in indoor spaces and measure the concentration of ozone generated during plasma discharge. Method: The DBD plasma module was installed in a 76m³ space, and air samples were collected under various discharge times to compare the reduction of airborne bacteria. Result: The results showed a significant decrease in airborne bacteria, ranging from 92.057% to 99.999%, with an average ozone concentration of 0.04 ppm, below the reference value. Conclusion: The study suggests that plasma discharge can be used as a means of preventing the spread of airborne bacteria and viruses, while ensuring safety for human exposure.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.15 no.11
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• pp.6774-6781
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• 2014

This study examined the efficacy and the mechanism of action of biological response modifiers, ginsenosides Rb1 and Rg1 isolated from Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer on human keratinocytes HaCaT cell lines. A non-significant cytotoxic response was obtained in the HaCaT cell lines on treatment with various concentrations of ginsenosides Rb1 and Rg1 for different time durations. Furthermore, the global changes in the mRNA profile of HaCaT cells were investigated using DNA microarrays after stimulation with the ginsenosides Rb1 and Rg1. Ginsenosides Rb1 and Rg1 strongly increased FGF2 in HaCaT cells, and were found to be a candidate gene for antioxidant activity and elasticity. Other key candidate genes for antioxidant activity, such as FANCD2, LEPR, and FAS, also show enhanced regulation in HaCaT cells treated with ginsenoside Rb1. This study will be useful for understanding the regulatory genes involved in skin elasticity and signal transduction pathway stimulated by the ginsenoside Rb1. This paper currently focuses on the key factors regulating the interaction of anti-aging principles and skin elasticity.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.10-17
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• 2004

Purpose : $Henoch-Sch\"{o}nlein$ purpura(HSP) nephritis has a variable range of prevalence from 25 to 50% among HSP patients and is a common cause of chronic glomerulonephritis in children. In our study, we evaluated the distribution and the association of the angioten-sinogen(AGT) M235T polymorphism with the clinical manifestations, particularly proteinuria in children with HSP with or without nephritis. Methods : The AGT M235T polymorphism was determined in children with HSP nephritis (n=33) or HSP without nephritis(n=28) who had been diagnosed at Busan Paik hospital from January 1996 to June 2001. The M235T polymorphism of the AGT gene was determined by PCR amplification of the genomic DNA. Results : The M235T polymorphism of AGT gene frequency was MM 75%, MT : 25%, TT : 0% in HSP and MM : 64%, MT : 36%, TT : 0% in HSP nephritis, there was no significant differences in the genotype and allele frequencies between the two groups. No significant differences in clinical manifestations at onset and last follow-up were seen between the two genotypes. When statistical analysis was done according to the presence of the M allele, the amount of 24-hour urinary protein excretion and the incidence of moderate to heavy proteinuria(>500 $mg/m^2/day$) at onset and at last follow-up were higher in the MT genotype than in those of in the MM genotype but these difference were not statistically significant. Conclusion : We suggest a lack of association between M235T polymorphism of the AGT gene and clinical manifestations in children with HSP nephritis. However, further follow-up studies based on sufficient number of patients and long term follow up periods are necessary to confirm the role of M235T polymorphism of AGT gene in children with HSP nephritis.