• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.145-152
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• 2007

Transgenic mice were generated by microinjecting a plasmid DNA containing the SV40 (simian virus 40) large T antigen (Tag) gene fused with mouse albumin promoter/enhancer sequences into fertilized one-cell mouse embryos. Among eleven founder transgenic animals, four developed hepatocellular carcinoma, two showed kidney cancer and one developed skin and brain tumors. Three stable transgenic lines, #1-2, #1-6 and #1-11 were established. Members of the lines #1-6 and #1-11 reproducibly developed liver tumors by 8 to 10 weeks of age but did not exhibit any phenotypic changes in other tissues. Histological changes loading to liver tumor formation occurred with predictable kinetics and could be classified into three distinct stages; (a) newborn to 3 weeks of age, characterized by hyperplastic hepatocytes with reduced amounts of cytoplasm without any nuclear alterations, (b) between 4 to 8 weeks of age, characterized by diffuse liver cell dysplasia without observable tumor nodules, and (c) 9 weeks of age and thereafter, characterized by hepatocellular carcinomas in the background of extensive liver dysplasia. Metastasis to the lung from a liver carcinoma was observed in #1-11 founder animal. This transgenic mouse system displays similarities with human liver cancers in a number of aspects and provides a useful model for the study of molecular events involved in hepatocarcinogenesis.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.445-456
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• 2008

Telomeres consist of TTAGGG tandem repeated DNA sequences with specific proteins and locate at chromosome ends. Telomeres are essential for chromosome stability and are related with cell senescence, apoptosis and cancer. Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein which has a template for the synthesis of telomeric DNA. This study was carried out to analyze the amount of telomeric DNA and telomerase activity in cattle cells. Analysis of the quantity of telomere in lymphocytes was done at different ages, sex and among Korean cattle and Holstein breeds. The telomerase activity was also analyzed in liver, brain, heart, kidney, and testis tissues of fetal calf and of 18 month old cattle. The amount of telomeres in lymphocytes and other tissue cells was analyzed by Quantitative-Fluorescence in situ Hybridization (Q-FISH) technique using a telomeric DNA probe. Telomerase activity was analyzed by Telomeric Repeat Amplification Protocol assay (TRAP). The amount of telomeric DNA on the lymphocytes during the whole life span was decreased along with age. Quantity of telomeres in Korean cattle was significantly higher than that in Holstein breed. The amount of telomeric DNA in males was significantly higher than that in females. Telomerase activity was up-regulated in most bovine tissues during fetal stage, but was down-regulated in most tissues at mature 18 month age except the testis cells. This study indicates that the amount of telomeres and telomerase activity of cells can be used as an age marker or/and a physiological marker of cattle.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.199-208
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• 2015

Objectives : In the present study, we investigated the effects of ethanol extract of Scutellaria baicalensis (EESB) on the progression of cell cycle in human renal cell carcinoma Caki-1 cells. Methods : The effects of EESB on cell growth and apoptosis induction were evaluated by trypan blue dye exclusion assay and flow cytometry, respectively. The mRNA and protein levels were determined by Western blot analysis and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, respectively. Results : It was found that EESB treatment on Caki-1 cells resulted in a dose-dependent inhibition of cell growth and induced apoptotic cell death as detected by Annexin V-FITC staining. The flow cytometric analysis indicated that EESB resulted in G2/M arrest in cell cycle progression which was associated with the down-regulation of cyclin A expression. Our results also revealed that treatment with EESB increased the mRNA and proteins expression of tumor suppressor p53 and cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk) inhibitor p21(WAF1/CIP1), without any noticeable changes in cyclin B1, Cdk2 and Cdc2. In addition, the incubation of cells with EESB resulted in a significant increase in the binding of p21 and Cdk2 and Cdc2. These findings suggest that EESB-induced G2/M arrest and apoptosis in Caki-1 cells is mediated through the p53-mediated upregulation of Cdk inhibitor p21. Conclusions : Taken together, these findings suggest that EESB may be a potential chemotherapeutic agent and further studies will be needed to identify the biological active compounds that confer the anti-cancer activity of S. baicalensis.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.141-145
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• 2011

Actinomycin D is a natural antibiotic that is used in anti-cancer chemotherapy and is known as a transcription inhibitor. Interestingly, actinomycin D induces phosphorylation of signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3) in renal cancer Caki cells. In this study, we examined the molecular mechanism of actinomycin D-induced STAT3 phosphorylation. Treatment with actinomycin D induced phosphorylation of STAT3 (Tyr705) in a dose- and time-dependent manner. However, actinomycin D did not induce phosphorylation of STAT3 (Ser727), STAT1 (Tyr701) and STAT1 (Ser727). Moreover, actinomycin D-induced STAT3 phosphorylation was caused by decreased protein and mRNA levels of SOCS3, but not by JAK2 and SHP-1. In addition, other transcription inhibitor (5,6-dichloro-1-b-D-ribofuranosyl benzimidazole; DRB) also induced phosphorylation of STAT3 (Tyr705). Taken together, the present study demonstrates that transcriptional inhibitors (actinomycin D and DRB) induce phosphorylation of STAT3 (Tyr705) in Caki cells by down-regulation of SOCS3.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.427-431
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• 2002

Lateral roots of soybean sprout might reduce the quality. The study was done to measure the effect of light quality treated during 24 hour imbibition or 6 day culture on growth and development of soybean sprouts on the 6th day after culture. With the soybean seeds imbibed in 4 ppm benzyladenopurine (BA) solution for last 6 hours of the imbibition, blue and red lights were treated during the imbibition, but during 6 day culture, blue and red or far-red light treatments were done for 50 minutes or 5 hours a day, respectively, the periods taking for their cotyledons to turn green color, On the 6th day after culture, the soybean sprouts were classified by 4 categories on the base of hypocotyl length;＞7cm, 4 to 7cm, ＜4cm and non-germination, and their lateral roots, hypocotyl diameters and fraction dry weights were measured. Blue and red lights treated during the imbibition completely blocked lateral root formation regardless of the lights treated during the culture, and showed nearly the same rate of hypocotyls of longer than 4cm. The period of each light treatment forced during the culture did not influence the growth of soybean sprouts. far-red light treated for 5 hours everyday, however, had the least rate of seed germination and hypocotyls of longer than 7cm of the light quality treatments. In addition, red and far-red lights almost equally having the commercial soybean sprouts of longer than 4cm hypocotyls move elongated and selenderized than blue light and dark treatment, meaning the growth and morphology of soybean sprouts was affected by light treatments during the culture.

• The Korean Journal of Petroleum Geology
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• v.9 no.1_2 s.10
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• pp.16-23
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• 2001

The study area in the East Sea is located on the northeastern margins of the Ulleung Basin near the Kita-Yamato Bank. The research area provides the important clue to the development of Miocene basins which are characterized by the normal faults and volcanic activities related to rifting in the continental crust. Kita-Yamato Bank is a small sediment-filled graben which was formed by failed rifting in the Early Miocene. The basins rapidly vary the bathymetry, depth of acoustic basement and thickness of sedimentary layer. The tension in the study area caused the extensional lithospheric deformation before/during the Early Miocene. In consequence, tectonic forces resulted in the depression or subsidence of basement from continental rifting in the Kita-Yamato Bank followed by the opening of the Ulleung Basin, and caused the onset of graben or half-graben structure bounded by large blocked syn-rift faults. Afterward no significant tectonic deformation exists, with the consequence that post-rift normal faults with small heave were formed and reactivated by the resultant forces such as tectonic subsidence, sediment loading and volcanic activity. The Cenozoic sediment layer has a maximum thickness of 1.0 s along the center of the graben or half-graben, which overlies the consolidated acoustic basement. Seismic units V and IV supposed to be syn-rift sedimentary rocks are deformed by both the volcanic activities and numerous basement-involved normal faults induced from extension. In the uppermost layer, slump scars resulted from the slope failure are recognized.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.23-36
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• 2012

Morphological and mineralogical characteristics of laumontite and adularia in the breccia zone in a fault, Yangbuk-myeon, Gyeongju, Korea suggest that they formed by reaction with hydrothermal alteration related to fault activity. Laumontite commonly occurring in the breccia zone is related to the presence of hydrothermal fluids bearing alkaline elements in the zone. Laumonite is characterized by elongated columnar form with aspect ratio varying 5~10. Laumontite and adularia whose characteristic euhedral forms are indicative of the latest product formed as rapid precipitation from fluids or replacements of Ca-plagioclase. Hydrothermal fluids reacted with intensively fractured granite, typical with high permeability, leached alkaline elements such as Ca, K, allowing laumontite and adularia to be precipitated under neutral to weak alkaline conditions. It is noteworthy that the formation process and genesis of low temperature minerals such as laumontite and adularia are very similar to those formed by wallrock alteration or hydrothermal alteration that occurred in epithermal deposits. Taking into account its characteristic morphology and chemistry, authigenic K-feldspar that commonly forms at low temperature in many fault zones must be adularia.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.61-73
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• 2014

The dextral strike-slip Yecheon Shear Zone of (E)NE-(W)SW trend is developed in the Pukhumyeon-Pyeongeunmyeon area, Gyeongsangbukdo, in the central part of Sobaeksan Massif, Korea which mainly consists of Precambrian metasedimentary rocks and Mesozoic granite. This paper researched the relative formation time, the deformation temperature, and the distribution of ultramylonite zone of Yecheon Shear Zone from the analysis of their deformed rock structures and microstructures. There are the mylonite foliation and stretching lineation by shear deformation, and the (E)SE-vergence gentle plunging, moderately inclined tight fold defined by the gneissosity and mylonite foliation as ductilely deformed main rock structures. Flame perthites, myrmekites, microfractures, microkinks, kinkband, and undulatory extinction are recognized as characteristic microstructures in feldspars during ductile shear deformation. Patterns of c-axis fabrics of recrystallized quartz aggregate display single girdle and type I crossed girdle where the rhomb and basal slip systems are predominant. The shearing senses on sense-of-shear plane show top-to-the-NE and top-to-the-SW on the predominant NW-dipping and subordinate SE-dipping mylonite foliations, respectively. These characteristic rock structures and microstructures suggest that the Yecheon ductile shearing occurred under $350{\sim}450^{\circ}C$ deformation temperature after the tight folding. The (E)NE trending ultramylonite zone of Yecheon Shear Zone, which passes through the Pulnobong and the north part of Pakdalsan, is established from the zonal distribution of Precambrian metasedimentary rocks and the grain-size distribution of feldspars in the Precambrian metasedimentary rocks and quartzs in the Mesozoic granite.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.293-298
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• 2009

Background/aim : Gallbladder stone is the most common disease of biliary tract. It is lead to acute abdominal pain. The cholecystitis which is caused by in gallbladder stone occurs frequently and the possibility of the gallbladder cancer comes to be high. Our study was designed to determine the prevalence and risk factors gallbladder stone in a population who community. Materials and Methods : We enrolled a total of 826 (male : 297, female : 529) persons who 60 or older in Jeju-do 10 places from 2008 July one months. The height, weight, liver function tests, lipid profile, fasting blood sugar, were all measurement. They had their gallbladder examined with using ultrasonography. Statistical significance was defined as a p-value less than 0.05. Results : Among 826 persons, gallbladder stone was found in 49 persons (5.9%). The male is 6.1% and the female is 5.8%, the male 1.03 times appeared more highly the female. The body mass index above of 23.0 kg/$m^2$ with the gallbladder stone was 69.3% (p<0.047). Conclusion : The gallbladder stone appeared highly according to age increases. The obesity is the risk factor of gallbladder stone. The weight management and diet control is a possibility of reducing a gallbladder stone creation.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.243-251
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• 2000

Purpose: This prospective study was performed to evaluate the usefulness of preoperative radioimmunoscintigraphy and intraoperative scintimetric examination (radioimmunoguided surgery: RIGS) using $^{99m}Tc-anti-CEA\;F(ab')_2$ fragment. Materials and Methods: Nineteen patients with rectal cancer underwent preoperative whole body planar scintigraphy at 4 hours after injection of $^{99m}Tc-anti-CEA\;F(ab')_2$ fragment and SPECT imaging at 18 hours. Surgical operation was performed at 24 hours after injection. During laparotomy, radioactivities from intraabdominal viscera were measured by gamma probe. The radioactivities from excised tumor and lymph nodes were also measured and compared with pathology. Results: All nineteen patients were confirmed to have adenocarcinomas in the rectum. Twenty-seven of 97 excised lymph node groups had metastasis and 2 patients had liver metastasis in pathology Preoperative radioimmunoscintigraphy detected primary tumors in 11 patients (sensitivity 55%) and it could not detect any lymph nodes or liver metastasis. All patients showed high radioactivity in the kidneys, liver, spleen, and major vessels in intraoperative measurement by gamma probe, and tumor activity was not discriminated from background activity However, radioactivity from excised tumor was higher than normal rectum (T/B ratio; $3.47{\pm}2.25$). When excised lymph node activity/background activity ratio >1.5 was considered as positive criteria of metastasis, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were 78.6%, 73.9%, 55.0% and 89.5%, respectively. Conclusion: Radioimmunoscintigraphy using $^{99m}Tc-anti-CEA\;F(ab')_2$ has no additional value for preoperative staging and use of early RIGS using $^{99m}Tc-anti-CEA\;F(ab')_2$ is inappropriate. For early RIGS using $^{99m}Tc$ labeled antibodies in rectal cancer patients, further development of more specific antibodies and methods to reduce background activity are needed.