• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.1-32
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• 2005

The optimum population of a society or country can be defined as 'the population growth path that maximizes the welfare level of the society over the whole generations of both the present and the future, under the paths allowed by its endowments of production factors such as technology, capital and labor'. Thus, the optimum size or growth rate of population depends on: (i) the social welfare function, (ii) the production function, and (iii)demographic economic interrelationship which defines how the national income is disposed into consumption(birth and education of children included) and savings on the one hand and how the demographic and economic change induced thereby, in turn, affect production capacities on the other. The optimum population growth path can, then, be derived in the process of dynamic optimization of (i) under the constraints of (ii) and (iii), which will give us the optimum population growth rate defined as a function of parameters thereof. This paper estimates the optimum population growth rate of Korea by: specifying (i), (ii), and (iii) based on the recent development of economic theories, solving the dynamic optimization problem and inserting empirical estimates in Korea as the parametric values. The result shows that the optimum path of population growth in Korea is around TFR=1.81, which is affected most sensitively, in terms of the size of the partial elasticity around the optimum path, by the cost of children, share of capital income, consumption rate, time preference, population elasticity of utility function, etc. According to a survey implemented as a follow up study, there are quite a significant variations in the perceived cost of children, time preference rate, population elasticity of utility across different socio-economic classes in Korea, which implied that, compared to their counterparts, older generation and more highly educated classes prefer higher growth path for the population of Korea.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.229-237
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• 1975

An attempt was made to utilize the enzyme produced by Asp. oryzae as meat tenderizer. The production, purification, and various properties of proteinase produced by Asp. oryzae were investigated. Results obtained are as follow; 1. A strain which had the highest proteolytic activity was selected among 9 Aspergillus species. 2. Culture medium consisted of wheat bran 10g, 2% glucose, 0.03% urea and 0.1% $MgSO_4$ (pH 6.5). Mold was incubated at $30^{\circ}C$ for 3 days. 3. Enzyme extract from culture medium were fractionated with ammonium sulfate and purified by Sephadex G-75 column chromatography. 4. When pH of reaction mixture was controlled, maximal activity of proteinase by Asp. oryzae was obtained at pH 3, pH 6.6, $8.4{\sim}8.5$ and pH 10.0 to 10.5. Those results were interpreted to show that enzyme consists of acid proteinase, neutral proteinase and alkaline proteinase. Enzyme was stable at pH 6 to 10. 5. Opt. temperature for proteinase activity was $50^{\circ}C$, but enzyme was stable up to $40^{\circ}C$. 6. The proteinase was inhibited by $Ag^+$. It was also inhibited by EDTA. 7. When myofibrillar proteins were treated by proteinase from Asp. oryzae, ATPase activities of myofibrillar proteins changed remarkably. Accordingly, it was concluded that proteinase produced by Asp. oryzae were able to be used as meat tenderizer.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.7
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• pp.764-771
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• 2016

Extracts from Artemisia annua Linné (AAE) have been known to possess various functions, including anti-bacterial, anti-virus, and anti-oxidant effects. However, the mechanism of those effects of AAE is not well-known. The aim of this study was to analyze the inhibitory effects of AAE on cell proliferation of the human hepatoma cell line (Hep3B) and to examine its effects on apoptosis. Activation by phosphorylation of Akt is cell proliferation through the phosphorylation of TSC2, mTOR, and GSK-3β. We suggested that AAE may exert cancer cell apoptosis through Akt/mTOR/GSK-3β signal pathways and mitochondria-mediated apoptotic proteins. For this, we examined the effects of extracts of AAE on cell proliferation according to treatment concentration. Treatment with AAE not only reduced cell viability, but also resulted in the induced release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). These results were determined with a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and a lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay. Furthermore, we determined the effects of apoptosis through Hoechst 33342 staining, annexinⅤ-propidium iodide (PI) staining, 5,5′, 6,6′-tetrachloro-1,1′,3,3′-tetraethyl-imidacarbocyanine iodide (JC-1) staining, and Western blotting. Our study showed that the treatment of liver cancer cells with AAE resulted in the inhibition of Akt, TSC2, GSK-3β-phosphorylated, Bcl-2, and pro-caspase 3 and the activation of Bim, Bax, Bak, and cleaved PARP expressions. These results indicate that AAE induced apoptosis by means of a mitochondrial event through the regulate of Akt/mTOR/GSK-3β signaling pathways.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.66
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• pp.204-212
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• 2023

Whitening is inhibitory activity of the melanin synthesis of melanocytes. Recently, whitening materials have been developed on natural materials because of its side effects on skin. Figs (Ficus Carica L.) is a fruit belonging to the Moraceae family and whitening activity was reported in focusing on the fig's stem and leaf components, but whitening activity of the figs fruit was not known. Thus, in this study, we tried to observe its anti-melanogenesis as well as antioxidant and anti-inflammation. The radical scavenging activity of figs fruits extract (FFE) was observed as the level of 34.52±1.98%/60.71±1.26% compared to the control in the its maximum concentration in the DPPH/ABTS assay. Cytotoxicity of FFE was observed at 10% concentration by CCK8 assay, so the maximum concentration was set at 5% and applied to all experiments. FFE concentration dependently decreased NO production associated with inducible nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase-2, interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α gene expression, these strongly suggesting anti-inflammatory activity. In melanin contents assay, FFE significantly down-regulated melanin production in α-MSH-stimulated B16F10 cell as well as tyrosinase inhibition in vitro. In addition, FFE decreased the Microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) mRNA expression about 94.34% compared to the α-MSH treatment group in RT-PCR. Finally, FFE significantly reduced the MITF, cAMP response element-binding protein and tyrosinase protein expression in the α-MSH stimulated B16F10 cell. Through these results, we found that FFE can not only directly inhibit tyrosinase enzyme activity but also suppress melanogenesis through regulation of MITF gene expression in α-MSH signal transduction.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.745-755
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• 2024

Calystegia pubescens Lindl. (C. pubesens) is a native Korean herb that has been traditionally used for its diuretic, fatigue, and blood sugar-lowering effects. In previous studies, C. pubesens has shown antioxidant and whitening effects, but research on its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties is limited, and its potential as functional materials is lacking. In this study, we investigated the antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects of leaf (CPL) and stem (CPS) extracts of C. pubesens extracted with 70% ethanol. When the anti-bacterial effect was confirmed, CPL showed superior anti-bacterial effect than CPS for C. acne, S. aureus, E. coli and P. aeruginosa. Additionally, CPL exhibited significantly higher antioxidant activity compared to CPS, as demonstrated by DPPH and ABTS⁺ radical scavenging assays. Therefore, CPL showed superior anti-bacterial and antioxidant effects compared to CPS. Based on these results, further investigation was conducted to confirm the anti-inflammatory effect of CPL using RAW264.7 macrophages. Nitric oxide (NO) produced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation was significantly reduced by CPL treatment in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, the protein and mRNA expression of iNOS was reduced by CPL in LPS-indueced RAW264.7 cells, which was consistent with NO production. In conclusion, this study confirmed that CPL has superior anti-bacterial and antioxidant effects compared to CPS, and demonstrated anti-inflammatory effect of CPL via inhibiting iNOS expression and NO production induced by LPS. Based on the result, we suggest the potential of CPL as a valuable functional materials.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.638-645
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• 2004

Background : Uteroglobin is a protein produced by the normal bronchial epithelium and its expression level is lower in non-small cell lung cancer tissues and cell lines. It mainly functions as an anti-inflammatory, and when it is overexpressed in cancer cells, the neoplastic phenotype is antagonized. cPLA2 and COX-2, which are also associated with inflammation, were reported to be related to cancer. The relationship between cPLA2, COX-2 and uteroglobin is unclear. The relationship between uteroglobin and ERK, which is related to cell growth, is also not unclear. This study investigated the changes in the cPLA2 and COX-2 expression levels and the ERK activities after the overexpression of uteroglobin in non-small cell lung cancer cell lines. Methods : The A549 and NCI-H460 cell lines were infected by adenovirus-null and adenovirusuteroglobin. The cChange in the cPLA2, COX-2 expression level and ERK activity after uteroglobin overexpression was measured by Western blot. The change in MMP activity was measured by zymography. Results : Western blot revealed decreased expression levels of cPLA2, and COX-2, and increased pERK levels in nonsmall cell lung cancer cells after uteroglobin overexpression. Zymography revealed no changes in the MMP-2 activity and lower MMP-9 activity. U0126, which is a specific inhibitor of ERK-activating kinase MEK-1/-2, prevented the decrease in the MMP-9 activity Conclusions : A decrease in cPLA2 expression, COX-2 expression, MMP-9 activity and a increase in ERK activity may be related to the anticancer effects of uteroglobin in nonsmall cell lung cancer cells.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.11
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• pp.1289-1297
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• 2016

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a common malignant tumor in the oral cavity, comprising up to 90% of oral cancer. Oral cancer is characterized by a marked tendency of local invasiveness and is good for early detection and treatment; therefore, it is recognized as a good model for cancer prevention. The present study investigated the antioxidant, thrombin inhibitory, and anti-invasive activities of the solvent fractions of Zingiber officinale Roscoe. Samples were fractionated into hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, butanol, and water fractions, and each of these was assayed individually. The water fraction showed the highest extraction yield at 9.79%(w/w). Anti-oxidative activity was analyzed by DPPH assay. Thrombin inhibitory activity was used to analyze thrombin inhibitor assay. Cell viability was detected by the MTS assay. The activity and mRNA expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in human oral squamous carcinoma YD-10B cells were examined by zymography and RT-PCR. The antioxidative activities of hexane and water fractions were 92.38% and 92.96%, respectively. In the thrombin inhibitory activity test, water fraction was the highest, with a value of 65.86%. MMP-2/-9 activation was increased in phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-induced YD-10B cells. MMP-9 activation was increased in thrombin-treated YD-10B cells. In PMA- or thrombin-treated YD-10B cells, the increased mRNA expression and protein activation of MMP-2/-9 were significantly inhibited in the hexane fraction. Therefore, the hexane fraction obtained from a Zingiber officinale Roscoe water extract is a promising therapeutic anti-invasive agent in oral cancer.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.107-114
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• 2004

The purpose of this work was to examine the effect of peptide on blood pressure and serum lipid concentration of spontaneously hypertensive rat(SHR). This peptide was extracted from beef muscle hydrolysates and identified as hexapeptide, V-L-A-Q-Y-K. This peptide showed angiotensin converting enzymc(ACE) inhibition activity in vitro experimentation$(IC_50: I38.34{\mu}\ell$/ml). Diets containing 0.2g. 0.5g. and 1.0g of the peptide per kg body weight were fed to SHR every day for 8 weeks while the control group was ted on a diet and lml of drinking water instead of the peptide. Total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol concentrations of the treatment groups were lower than those of the control diet feeding group. The significant suppression of systolic blood pressure was shown by increasing the concentration of peptide supplement. especially by 3 weeks of feeding. although it started fluctuating later. These results suggest that the peptide may beneficially affect blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rat by the 3-week administration.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2001

To examine the structural properties of the proteoglycan (GMPG, Ganoderma lucidum mycelial proteoglycan) obtained from mycelia in Ganoderma lucidum IY009, we obtained the low and high molecular proteoglycan by ultrafiltration and sepharose CL-4B column chromatography. The physicochemical properties of these fractions were as follows. When the proteoglycan separated by ultrafiltration and sepharose CL-4B column chromatography, its was not fractionated completely. The molecular weight of high molecular proteoglycan by the gel column chromatography (CH) was 250 kD and 2,000 kD, and low molecular proteoglycan was 12kD. The total carbohydrate was consisted of 75.7% (UH) and 96.7% (CH), and the low fraction was 72.7% (UL) and 87.1% (CL), respectively. The sugar of high and low molecular proteoglycan composed of glucose, mannose, fructose, galactose, xylose, ribose and arabinose. Glucose contents of all fraction were ranged from $46.9%{\sim}82.4%$ of the total sugar and the ratio of ${\alpha}$\;and\;{\beta}-glucose$ was $0.84{\sim}1.14$, and its indicated the proteoglycan to be ${\beta}-glucan$. Amino acids pattern showed that the fractions contained a large amount of aspartie acid, glutamic acid, alanine and leucine. These fractions showed the characteristics of IR absorption for ${\beta}-glucan$ at $890\;cm^{-1}\;and\;^{13}C-NMR$ spectroscopy showed the presence of the ${\beta}-1,3-glucan$ and a ${\beta}-1,6-glucan$.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.38 no.1 s.246
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• pp.38-43
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• 2005

Matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) is a class of proteolytic enzymes that digest collagen type IV and other components of the basement membrane. It plays a key role in the local invasion and the formation of distant metastases by various malignant tumors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the activity of MMP-2 and its significance as a prognostic marker in resected stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Material and Method: In this study we obtained fresh-frozen samples of tumor and non-tumor tissues from 34 patients with stage I NSCLC who underwent resection without preoperative radiotherapy or chemotherapy. After the extraction of total protein from tissue samples, MMP-2 activities were assessed by gelatin-substrate-zymography. The activities were divided into the higher or lower groups. Result: The MMP-2 activities were higher in tumor tissues than in non-tumor tissues. The MMP-2 activity of non-tumor tissues in recurrent group was higher than in non-recurrent group (p<0.01). Also the patients with higher MMP-2 activity of non-tumor tissues showed poor 5 year survival (p<0.01). Conclusion: This result indicates that the higher level of MMP-2 activity in the non-tumor tissue is associated with the recurrence and survival after the resection of stage I NSCLC. Therefore, MMP-2 activity in the non-tumor tissue could be used as a potential prognostic marker for the resected stage I-NSCLC.