• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.461-466
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• 2021

In this article, a portable and cost-effective voltammetric biosensor with nanoparticles was developed for the measurements of heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A1 protein (hnRNP A1) biomarker which can potentially be used for lung cancer diagnosis. Gold nanoparticles were first electrodeposited onto screen printed carbon electrode (SPCE) followed by immobilizing a single stranded DNA aptamer specific to hnRNP A1 onto the electrode surface. Ethanolamine was also used when immobilizing DNA aptamer on the surface to prevent signals from non-specific adsorption events. Sequential injection of hnRNP A1 biomarker and anti-hnRNP A1 conjugated with alkaline phosphatase (ALP) onto the aptamer chip surface allows to form the sandwich complex of DNA aptamer/hnRNP A1/ALP-anti-hnRNP A1 on the electrode surface which further reacted with 4-aminophenyl phosphate (APP). The electrocatalytic reaction of the enzyme, ALP, and the substrate, APP, resulting in the oxidative current response changes at -0.05 and -0.17 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) against the hnRNP A1 concentration was measured using cyclic and differential pulse voltammetry, respectively. The Au nanoparticles-integrated voltammetric biosensor was applied to analyze human normal serum solutions possibly suggesting potential applicability for lung cancer diagnosis.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.463-467
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• 2022

As a result of applying the COG (Cluster of Orthologous Groups of Protein) algorithm to 1,309 species to confirm the conserved genes of prokaryotes, ribosomal protein S11 (COG0100) was identified. The numbers of conservative genes were 2, 5, 5, and 6 in 1,308, 1,307, 1,306, and 1,305 species, respectively. Twenty-nine genes were conserved in over 1,302 species, and they encoded 23 ribosomal proteins, 3 tRNA synthetases, 2 translation factors, and 1 RNA polymerase subunit. Most of them were related to protein production, suggesting the importance of protein expression in prokaryotes. The highest conservative COG was COG0048 (ribosomal protein S12) among the 29 COGs. The 29 conserved genes usually have one protein for each prokaryote. COG0090 (ribosomal protein L2) had not only the lowest conservation value but also the largest standard deviation of phylogenetic distance value. As COG0090 is not only a member of the ribosome, but also a regulator of replication and transcription, it could be inferred that prokaryotes have large variations in COG0090 to survive in various environments. This study could provide data necessary for basic science, tumor control, and development of antibacterial agents.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.12
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• pp.1142-1148
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• 2021

As the average human lifespan has been extended, there has been a lot of interest in the quality of life of women after menopause. It is known that the average age of menopause among Korean women is 49.7 years, and the post-menopausal life of a woman takes up more than one third of her life. L-ascorbic acid (AsA) is known to be involved in the synthesis and maturation of collagen, a bone constituent protein. The aim of this review is to discuss the potential of AsA in bone health in postmenopausal women. AsA plays an important role in collagen biosynthesis, and collagen is a protein constituting bone and is a necessary material for calcification of the bone matrix. Collagen crosslinking is necessary for the stabilization and elasticity of collagen fibers during growth and matruation of animals, but an excessive increase is likely to lead to further aging because the movement of intercellular nutrients or waste is suppressed. AsA acts as a reducing agent to stabilize the immature collagen crosslinking and suppress pyridinoline production, a mature crosslinking. Therefore, AsA participates in collagen biosynthesis and helps bone tissue health, while regulating the excessive maturation of collagen crosslinking, it is expected to play an important role in bone-related problems that may occur in postmenopausal women.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.85-93
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• 2022

Objectives : This study investigated anti-inflammatory effects of Nardotidis seu Sulculii Concha water extract (NSCE) against restraint-induced stress. Methods : In vivo, NSCE was orally administered to male white mice at concentrations of 250 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg for 3 days, and then restraint-induced stress was induced for 6 hours. The level of liver damage was measured by serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). The stress-related hormones such as cortisol and corticosterone were measured by ELISA assay. Also, western blot analysis was performed to detect expression of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) proteins. Pathological changes were observed by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining of the liver tissue, and Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining was performed to examine liver inflammation through macrophage infiltration. Results : The AST, ALT, LDH and the stress related hormones such as cortisol and corticosterone were significantly decreased in the NSCE treated group compared with stress group. In histological analysis, H&E staining of liver tissues did not detect the hepatic injury or damage in all groups. As a result of IHC staining, it was confirmed that infiltration of macrophages was increased in the stress-induced group, but decreased in the group treated with NSCE. The COX-2 and MAPK proteins expression was significantly increased by restraint-induced stress, but these proteins were decreased in the NSCE treated group. Conclusions : These results suggest that NSCE has the anti-inflammatory activity in restraint-induced stress model, and it is believed that NSCE can be used for the prevention of liver inflammation.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.33 no.9
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• pp.703-712
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• 2023

Angiogenesis, the formation of blood vessels from pre-existing vessels, is a multistep process regulated by modulators of angiogenesis. It is essential for various physiological processes, such as embryonic development, chronic inflammation, and wound repair. Dysregulation of angiogenesis causes many diseases, such as cancer, autoimmune diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and delayed wound healing. However, the number of effective anti-angiogenic drugs is limited. Recent research has focused on identifying potential drug candidates from natural sources. For example, marine natural products have been shown to have anti-cancer, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and wound-healing effects. Thus, this study aimed to describe the angiogenesis inhibitory effect of Hizikia fusiforms (brown algae) extract. The hexane extract of H. fusiformis has shown inhibitory effects on in vitro angiogenesis assays, such as cell migration, invasion, and tube formation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). The hexane extract of H. fusiformis (HFH) inhibited in vivo angiogenesis in a mouse Matrigel gel plug assay. In addition, the protein expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/extracellular signal kinase, and AKT serine/threonine kinase 1 decreased following treatment with H. fusiformis extracts. Our results demonstrated that the hexane extract of H. fusiformis (HFH) inhibits angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.112 no.3
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• pp.374-381
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• 2023

The travel time of flash floods along mountain streams is mainly governed by reach-average velocity, rather than by the point velocity of the locations of interest. Reach-average velocity is influenced by various factors such as stream geometry, streambed materials, and the hydraulic roughness of streams. In this study, the reach-average velocity in mountain streams was measured for storm periods using rhodamine dye tracing. The point cloud data obtained from a LiDAR survey was used to extract the average hydraulic roughness height, such as R_a, R_max, and R_z. The size distribution of the streambed materials (D₅₀, D₈₄) was also considered in the estimation of the roughness height. The field experiments revealed that the reach-average velocities had a significant relationship with flow discharges (v = 0.5499Q^0.6165 ), with an R² value of 0.77. The root mean square error in the roughness height of the R_a-based estimation (0.45) was lower than those of the other estimations (0.47-1.04). Among the parameters for roughness height estimation, the R_a -based roughness height was the most reliable and suitable for developing the reach-average velocity equation for estimating the travel time of flood waves in mountain streams.

• 한국체육학회지인문사회과학편
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.353-362
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• 2012

The purpose of this research was to find effects of high fat diet and endurance exercise on mitochondria biosynthesis and insulin resistance in male Wister rat. Th rats were randomly separated into 4 groups: A, Isocaloric high fat diet group (50% of calories from fat), B. Chow group, C. Isocaloric high fat diet with endurance exercise (treadmill running, slop 8%, 23 m/min, 120 min/day, 5 days per week), D. Chow group with endurance exercise. Both Isocaloric high fat diet group and chow group were given an equal caloric composition with 3.2kcal/g. equal amount of food were checked every day and given to both groups. 4 weeks of high fat diet did not show any change in body weight and amount of body fat. Further the level of glucose and insulin in blood, and insulin-stimuilated glucose transport rate in epitrochlearis muscle was not affected by Isocaloric high fat diet. However, the endurance exercise showed statistically significant change in the level of insulin in blood. Although either Isocaloric high fat diet or endurance exercise alone did not change on mitochondria biogenesis marker, Isocaloric high fat diet with endurance exercise could induce the increased level of marker (p<0.05). Also, plasma free fatty acids were increased in this group. From this investigation, Isocaloric high fat diet with moderate-intensity endurance exercise is effective way to induce mitochondrial biogenesis.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.23-29
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• 2023

Ground subsidence shows a mechanism in which the upper ground collapses due to the formation of a cavity due to the movement of soil particles in the ground due to the formation of a waterway because of damage to the water supply/sewer pipes. As a result, cavity is created in the ground and the upper ground is collapsing. Therefore, ground subsidence frequently occurs mainly in downtown areas where a large amount of underground facilities are buried. Accordingly, research to predict the risk of ground subsidence is continuously being conducted. This study tried to present a ground subsidence risk prediction model for two districts of ○○ city. After constructing a data set and performing preprocessing, using the property data of underground facilities in the target area (year of service, pipe diameter), density of underground facilities, and ground subsidence history data. By applying the dataset to the machine learning model, it is evaluated the reliability of the selected model and the importance of the influencing factors used in predicting the ground subsidence risk derived from the model is presented.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.28-34
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• 2022

Glioblastoma is the most common primary malignant brain tumor and has an extremely poor prognosis. Glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs) contribute to tumor initiation, recurrence, and resistance to therapy, and are thus a key therapeutic target. The peel of Citrus unshiu Markovich has been used in traditional medicine in East Asia to treat various diseases. In this study, we investigated the anticancer activity and molecular mechanism of the chloroform extract of this natural product (CECU) in U87MG GSCs. The results show that CECU inhibited the proliferation, tumorsphere formation, and migration of U87MG GSCs by causing cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase and apoptosis. In addition, CECU downregulated key cancer stemness regulators, including CD133, Oct4, Nanog, integrin α6, ALDH1A1, and STAT3 signaling in U87MG GSCs. Furthermore, CECU significantly suppressed in vivo tumor growth of U87MG GSCs in a chorioallantoic membrane model. Therefore, CECU can be utilized as a natural medicine for the prevention and treatment of glioblastoma.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.105-112
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• 2023

Lycopene, a carotenoid hydrocarbon is known to have effects on reducing cardiovascular risk factors, blood lipids, and blood pressure. Thus, a lot of supplementary foods with lycopene in several dosage forms like soft capsule filled with liquid and hard capsule filled with powder are available in a market. Recently, however, our research group found that the lycopene assay in Supplementary Food Code of South Korea is only valid for oily lycopene preparation. Thus, here, we developed a simple method to determine lycopene in solid preparations for Supplementary Food Code of South Korea using saponification and liquid chromatography with an absorbance detector. The method was validated following Ministry of Food and Drug Safety guidelines. All validation parameters observed in this study were within acceptable criteria of the guidelines (selectivity, linearity of r² ≥ 0.991, lower limit of quantification of 0.0149 mg/mL, accuracy as recovery (R) between 92.70 and 97.18 %, repeatability as relative standard deviation (RSD) values of R between 0.85 and 1.59 %, and reproducibility as the RSD value of interlaboratory R of 3.70 %). Additionally, the practical sample applicability of the validated method was confirmed by accuracy between 98.81 and 101.59 % observed from its lycopene certified reference material (CRM) analyses. Therefore, the present method could contribute to fortify the supplementary food safety management system in South Korea.