• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.25 no.9
• /
• pp.993-999
• /
• 2015

The beetle Popillia flavosellata has been no reported its functional effects. In this study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effect of P. flavosellata ethanol extract (PFE) on RAW 264.7 mouse macrophage cells treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for the induction of inflammation. First, we examined the cytotoxicity of PFE in the RAW 264.7 cells at a concentration of 2,000 μg/ml or less. To evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of PFE, we investigated the expression levels of proinflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-6, and proinflammatory enzymes, such as inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells. In addition, we examined whether PFE inhibited the translocation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) p65 into the nucleus in the LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells. We found that the protein levels of TNF-α and IL-6 were decreased in the LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells after the treatment with PFE in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, we confirmed that PFE inhibited the translocation of NF-κB p65 into the nucleus, as well as the protein expression levels of iNOS and COX-2. Accordingly, we propose that PFE exerts an anti-inflammatory effect through the down-regulation of NF-κB p65, TNF-α, IL-6, iNOS, and COX-2 via the toll like receptor (TLR)-4 inflammatory signaling pathway.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
• /
• v.49 no.1
• /
• pp.1-7
• /
• 2017

Zerumbone is a major component of the essential oil from Zingiber zerumbet Smith, which is a kind of wild ginger. In addition, various biological functions, such as liver protection, pain relief, atherosclerosis, and antimicrobial activity have been reported. It is also known to be effective in the proliferation of immune cells and the expression of cytokines. In this study, we investigated the effects of zerumbone on monocyte activation. First, it was confirmed that the proliferation of THP-1 cells was increased by zerumbone. The strongest increase in THP-1 proliferation after lipopolysaccharide treatment was observed at $5{\mu}M$ zerumbone treatment, and the increase of cell proliferation without lipopolysaccharide was the highest at $10{\mu}M$. Conversely, when treated with $50{\mu}M$ zerumbone, a rapid decrease of proliferation was observed regardless of the presence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The phosphorylation of signaling protein, Erk, induced by LPS was also increased by zerumbone. The strongest increase in phosphorylation was observed when treated with $50{\mu}M$ of zerumbone with reduced proliferation. The activity of transcription factor $NF-{\kappa}B$ was not significantly altered by zerumbone alone, but increased when treated with lipopolysaccharide. Furthermore, the transcription of the inflammatory cytokines $TNF-{\alpha}$ and IL-8, which are regulated by $NF-{\kappa}B$, is also increased by zerumbone. These results suggest that zerumbone can enhance the proliferation and activity of monocytes. Furthermore, it is believed that zerumbone can enhance rthe immune responses through increased monocyte activity in bacterial infections with LPS, thereby helping to treat effective bacteria.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
• /
• v.18 no.3
• /
• pp.197-202
• /
• 2009

The long term stability of ion current of QMS has been one of key parameters for monitoring gas process in vacuum. The time dependence of ionic current was monitored while the pressure of nitrogen gas was kept at a fixed pressure by introducing the gas into vacuum chamber. The chamber was evacuated to ${\sim}3{\times}10^{-9}\;Torr$ to reduce background signals before the measurement. Two ion sources were tested; one had brownish or black color due to gas contamination and the other one was new, i.e. cleaner. At a nitrogen pressure of $1{\times}10^{-5}\;Torr$, the ionic currents measured by the contaminated ion source decreased faster with time. The decrease rate was respectively ${\sim}46%$ for cleaner one and ${\sim}84%$ for contaminated one after ${\sim}5.5%$ hours. In order to test the effect of filament material on the ion current decrease, we fabricated a tungsten(W) filament which consisted of two parts; one half was made of W and the other was coated with yttria. The similar decrease of ionic currents were shown for the two types of filaments, indicating that slight change of temperature of filament due to material difference i.e. baking effect could not improve the origin of ionic current decrease. Overall the decreasing rate of ionic current is more closely associated with contaminated ion source of QMS rather than its filament materials.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.61-67
• /
• 1998

Effects of various jelly prepared with different concentrations of agar and sugars on overall acceptability of the peach jelly were investigated. The preparations of peach for experimental jelly were carried by the mixture of peach pulp and juice(MPJ), and the extract form peach(EP). The results were summarized as follows ; 1. The pH for MPJ and EP were 3.95 to 4/31, respectively, and the brix degree were 13.0% and 11.5%, respectively. 2. The jelly prepared with MPJ added 3% agar and 30% sugar were most effective in appearance, hardness, springiness and overall acceptability. The relation of samples(P<0.001) was found to be significant. On the other hand, the jelly prepared with EP was higher scored than that with MPJ in overall acceptability, but there was no significant differences between samples. 3. The Hunter values of L*, a* and b* were the highest in both the jelly prepared with MPJ and that with EP, added 2% agar and 10% sugar. However, the L*, a* and b* values of the jelly added MPJ were higher than those of the sample added EP. 4. Texture and color scores of both the jelly added EP became higher as the concentrations of agar and sugars increased and there was significant differences between samples. 5. The relation between springiness and overall acceptability, and L* value of the jelly added MPJ showed negative at P<0.05 and that between springiness and overall acceptability of the jelly added EP also showed negative.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.21 no.5
• /
• pp.631-646
• /
• 2011

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are multipotent and can be isolated from diverse human tissues including bone marrow, fat, placenta, dental pulp, synovium, tonsil, and the thymus. They function as regulators of tissue homeostasis. Because of their various advantages such as plasticity, easy isolation and manipulation, chemotaxis to cancer, and immune regulatory function, MSCs have been considered to be a potent cell source for regenerative medicine, cancer treatment and other cell based therapy such as GVHD. However, relating to its supportive feature for surrounding cell and tissue, it has been frequently reported that MSCs accelerate tumor growth by modulating cancer microenvironment through promoting angiogenesis, secreting growth factors, and suppressing anti-tumorigenic immune reaction. Thus, clinical application of MSCs has been limited. To understand the underlying mechanism which modulates MSCs to function as tumor supportive cells, we co-cultured human adipose tissue derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASC) with cancer cell lines H460 and U87MG. Then, expression data of ASCs co-cultured with cancer cells and cultured alone were obtained via microarray. Comparative expression analysis was carried out using DAVID (Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery) and PANTHER (Protein ANalysis THrough Evolutionary Relationships) in divers aspects including biological process, molecular function, cellular component, protein class, disease, tissue expression, and signal pathway. We found that cancer cells alter the expression profile of MSCs to cancer associated fibroblast like cells by modulating its energy metabolism, stemness, cell structure components, and paracrine effect in a variety of levels. These findings will improve the clinical efficacy and safety of MSCs based cell therapy.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.17 no.5
• /
• pp.412-420
• /
• 1989

To know how the ribosomes involved in secretory protein synthesis were attached to the cytoplasmic membrane in Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, the cells were treated with puromycin combinated with magnesium at the logarithmic phase, and the variation of cell-bound and extracellular $\alpha$-amylase activity was assayed for determining the $\alpha$-amylase translocation blocking through the cytoplasmic membrane. In the abnormal $\alpha$-amylase producing mutant in which the C-terminal of the $\alpha$-amylase structure was deleted, B. umytotiquefaciens CH10-2, the $\alpha$-amylase was translocated normally through the cytoplasmic membranes, and the translocation blocking by puromycin was revealed to have a similar pattern as that in the wild type. This means that the C-terminal part of the enzyme structure may not have a signal for secretion. The cell death of the logarithmic phase cells in both strains was not affected much under 20$\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$ of puromycin, however, the $\alpha$-amylase translocation was blocked markedly under less than 10$\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$ of the puromycin concentration. The blocking of the enzyme secretion by puromycin may be due to the detachment of the ribosomes from cytoplasmic membranes by disturbing the nascent polypeptide synthesis. Further evidence for confirming this was that the detachment was increased in 50 mM of magnesium ion because the extracellular $\alpha$-amylase activity was decreased more under this condition. If the cells were treated with trypsin combinated with Iysozyme, the extracellular $\alpha$-amylase activity from the cultured medium was reduced markedly, however, the activity from the cells treated with trypsin only was not reduced. This means that the nascent polypeptides protruding from the cytoplasmic membrane were sensitive to the trypsin digestion, whereas the matured ones were not. Therefore, the protruding polypeptides from the cytoplasmic membranes may be truncated by trypsin before forming their final tertiary structures by folding in the cell wall layer.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
• /
• v.18 no.4
• /
• pp.25-34
• /
• 2015

TThis study explored the requirement of fabric sensor that can measure the motion of the joint effectively by measuring and analyzing the variation in electric resistance of a sensor in accordance with bending and stretching motion of the arm by the implementation of a motion sensor utilizing conductive fabric. For this purpose, on both sides of two kinds of knitted fabric, namely 'L' fabric and 'W' fabric Single Wall Carbon Nano-Tube(SWCNT) was coated, fabric sensor was developed by finishing them in a variety of ways, and the sensor was attached to the arm band. The fabric sensor consisted of total 48 cases, namely background fabric for coating, the method of sensor attachment, the number of layer of sensors, the length of sensor, and the width of sensor. The performance of fabric motion sensors in terms of a dummy arm, that is, a Con-Trex MJ with 48 arm bands around it was evaluated. For each arm band, a total of 48, fastened around the dummy arm, it was adjusted to repeat the bending and stretching at the frequency : 0.5Hz, ROM : $20^{\circ}{\sim}120^{\circ}$, the voltage was recorded for each case after conducting three sets of repeat measurement for a total of 48 cases. As a result of the experiment, and as a consequences of the evaluation and analysis of the voltage based on the uniformity of the base line of the peak-to-peak voltage(Vp-p), the uniformity of Vp-p within the same set, and the uniformity of the Vp-p among three sets, the fabric sensors that have been configured in SWCNT coated 'L' fabric / welding / two layers / $50{\times}5mm$, $50{\times}10mm$, $100{\times}10mm$, and SWCNT coated 'W' fabric / welding / two layers / $50{\times}10mm$ exhibited the most uniform and stable signal value within 5% of the total variation rate. Through all these results of the experiment, it was confirmed that SWCNT coated fabric was suitable for a sensor that can measure the human limb operation when it was implemented as a fabric sensor in a variety of forms, and the optimal sensor types were identified.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
• /
• v.15 no.3
• /
• pp.187-199
• /
• 2013

Umbrella arch method (UAM) used for improving the stability of the tunnel ground condition has been widely applied in the tunnel construction projects due to the advantage of obtaining both reinforcement and waterproof. The purpose of this study is to develop the evaluation technique of the integrity of bore-hole in UAM by using a non-destructive test and to evaluate the possibility of being applied to the field. In order to investigate the variations of frequency depending on grouted length, the specimens with different grouted ratios are made in the two constraint conditions (free boundary condition and embedded condition). The hammer impact reflection method in which excitation and reception occur simultaneously at the head of pipe was used. The guided waves generated by hitting a pipe with a hammer were reflected at the tip and returned to the head, and the signals were received by an acoustic emission (AE) sensor installed at the head. For the laboratory experiments, the specimens were prepared with different grouted ratios (25 %, 50 %, 75 %, 100 %). In addition, field tests were performed for the application of the evaluation technique. Fast Fourier transform and wavelet transform were applied to analyze the measured waves. The experimental studies show that grouted ratio has little effects on the velocities of guided waves. Main frequencies of reflected waves tend to decrease with an increase in the grouted length in the time-frequency domain. This study suggests that the non-destructive tests using guided ultrasonic waves be effective to evaluate the bore-hole integrity of the UAM in the field.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
• /
• v.30 no.2
• /
• pp.185-205
• /
• 2014

SAR ground moving target indicator (GMTI) has long been an important issue for SAR advanced applications. As spatial resolution of space-borne SAR system has been significantly improved recently, the GMTI becomes a very useful tool. Various GMTI techniques have been developed particularly using multi-channel SAR systems. It is, however, still problematic to detect ground moving targets within single channel SAR images while it is not practical to access high resolution multi-channel space-borne SAR systems. Once a ground moving target is detected, it is possible to retrieve twodimensional velocities of the target from single channel space-borne SAR with an accuracy of about 5 % if moving faster than 3 m/s. This paper presents a quick-and-dirty method for detecting ground moving targets from single channel SAR single-look complex (SLC) images by differentiation. Since the signal powers of derivatives present Doppler centroid and rate, it is very efficient and effective for detection of non-stationary targets. The derivatives correlate well with velocities retrieved by a precise method with a correlation coefficient $R^2$ of 0.62, which is well enough to detect the ground moving targets. While the approach is theoretically straightforward, it is necessary to remove the effects of residual Doppler rate before finalizing the ground moving target candidates. The confidence level of results largely depends on the efficiency and effectiveness of the residual Doppler rate removal method. Application results using TerraSAR-X and truck-mounted corner reflectors validated the efficiency of the method. While the derivatives of moving targets remain easily detectable, the signal energy of stationary corner reflectors was suppressed by about 18.5 dB. It results in an easy detection of ground targets moving faster than 8.8 km/h. The proposed method is applicable to any high resolution single channel SAR systems including KOMPSAT-5.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.46 no.1
• /
• pp.34-38
• /
• 2017

Myelophycus simplex Papenfuss, a type of brown algae, is known to be majorly distributed in along the southern coast of Korea and Japan. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of M. simplex Papenfuss methanol extract (MSPME) on melanogenesis in ${\alpha}$-melanocyte-stimulating hormone-stimulated B16F10 melanoma cells. Melanin contents of B16F10 melanoma cells were decreased by 27, 41, and 59% in a dose-dependent manner, upon MSPME treatment at 100, 300, and $500{\mu}g/mL$, respectively. Tyrosinase activities in B16F10 melanoma cells were decreased by 18, 49, and 61% in a dose-dependent manner, upon MSPME treatment at 100, 300, and $500{\mu}g/mL$, respectively. MSPME suppressed expression of tyrosinase, tyrosinase-related protein-1, tyrosinase-related protein-2, and melanocyte-inducing transcription factor in B16F10 melanoma cells. Concentration of $50{\mu}g/mL$ of MSPME especially induced greater decreases in tyrosinase activity, melanin contents, and melanogenic enzyme protein expressions. This results indicate that MSPME inhibits melanin synthesis and tyrosinase activity, and M. simplex Papenfuss extract may be an ideal candidate as a skin whitening agent.