• The Korean Journal of Malacology
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.157-165
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• 2006

The present study was conducted to confirm that a bivalve Ruditapes philippinarum can be used as a biomarker for the monitoring of the heavy metal pollution in the silt of the marine environment. The clams were collected from the silt of Cheonsu-bay, Buheung-ri, and Tan-island of the West Sea, Korea. To observe the normal structures of the target organs (hepatopancreas and gill), they were dissected out for the immunohistochemical study and the electron microscopy with TEM, SEM, and SEM-EDS. The immunohistochemical study showed that the interdiverticular connective tissues of the hepatopancreas, and the outer epithelium of the gill lamellae was strongly reacted to anti-metallothionein (MT), indicating the presence of MT, a metal-binding protein, involved in metal detoxifying process. According to the examinations under the TEM, the epithelial cells of the hepatopancreas of the clams collected from polluted area (Tan-island) showed certain changes such as swollen rER, swollen nuclear envelope and inclusion bodies in the nulcei. In the SEM-EDS analysis, tissue of the hepatopancreas showed relatively higher concentration of S, Zn, and Cd. These elements are supposed to be concerning with the MT-reaction in the hepatopancreas. Considering that the coastal bivalve R. philippinarum showed immediate subcellular responses to heavy metal pollution in the overall experiments conducted, this species might act as one of efficient biomarkers for the heavy metal contamination in the marine environment.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.9
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• pp.1301-1309
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• 2011

The major function of adipocytes is to store fat in the form of triglycerides. One of the signaling pathways known to affect adipogenesis, i.e. fat formation, is the WNT/${\beta}$-catenin pathway which inhibits the expression and activity of key regulators of adipogenesis. The purpose of this research is to find genes among the WNT/${\beta}$-catenin pathway which regulate adipogenesis by using small interfering (si) RNA and to find the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the gene with serum triglyceride levels in the human population. To elucidate the effects of ${\beta}$-catenin siRNA on adipogenesis key factors, PPAR${\gamma}$ and C/EBP${\alpha}$, we performed real-time PCR and western blotting experiments for the analyses of mRNA and protein levels. It was found that the siRNA-mediated knockdown of ${\beta}$-catenin upregulates adipogenesis key factors. However, upstream regulators of the WNT/${\beta}$-catenin pathway, such as DVL2 and LRP6, had no significant effects compared to ${\beta}$-catenin. These results indicate that ${\beta}$-catenin is a candidate gene for human fat accumulation. In general, serum triglyceride level is a good indicator of fat accumulation in humans. According to statistical analyses of the association between serum triglyceride level and SNPs of ${\beta}$-catenin, -10,288 C>T SNP (rs7630377) in the promoter region was significantly associated with serum triglyceride levels (p<0.05) in 290 Korean subjects. On the other hand, serum cholesterol levels were not significantly associated with SNPs of the ${\beta}$-catenin gene. The results of this study showed that ${\beta}$-catenin is associated with fat accumulation both in vitro and in the human population.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.67-76
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• 2004

Background : Pulmonary hypertension is a poor prognostic factor in patients with chronic respiratory disease. However, diagnosing pulmonary hypertension is a difficult procedure which often requires an invasive test. Thus new alternative biochemical markers would be useful in clinical field and are in search. We sought to assess the role of plasma N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide(NT-proBNP) in patients with pulmonary hypertension. Method : We measured plasma NT-proBNP level in twenty nine patients suspected for pulmonary hypertension. Pulmonary hypertension was defined as being right ventricular systolic pressure more than 35 mm Hg estimated by Doppler echocardiography. Plasma NT-proBNP level was measured by electrochemiluminescence sandwich immunoassay. Results : The log-transformed values for plasma NT-proBNP levels showed a linear correlation (correlation coefficiency: 0.783, p-value <0.001) with right ventricular systolic pressure. Plasma NT-proBNP levels closely correlated with right ventricular systolic pressure, right ventricular hypertrophy, interventricular septal flattening and right ventricular dilatation. Conclusion : Our results suggest that the measurement of plasma NT-proBNP level is an useful marker of the presence of pulmonary hypertension.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.485-494
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• 2003

Background : Most previous studies regarding the role of GSTMl and GSTT1 on lung cancer risk have been focused mainly on male smokers. However, epidemiological characteristics, histologic types and risk factors are different in female and male lung cancers, we investigated the association between these genotypes and lung cancer risk in males and females separately. Materials and Methods : The study population consisted of 253 lung cancer (153 males and 100 females) and 243 controls (140 males and 103 females). GSTM1 and GSTT1 genotypes were determined by a multiplex PCR. Results : In the male population, neither GSTM1 nor GSTT1 null genotype showed significant difference between cases and controls. In the female population, the frequencies of GSTM1 null genotype showed no significant difference between cases and controls. However, the frequencies of GSTT1 null genotype was significantly higher in cases (70.3%) than controls (55.3%, odds ratio (OR)=2.18; 95% confidence interval (CI=l.21-3.93). When the female population was stratified by age and smoking status, the ORs for GSTT1 null genotype were significantly higher in subgroups of ${\leq}60$ years (OR=4.82; 95% CI=l.61-14.4) and never-smokers (OR=4.29; 95% CI=1.94-9.48) but not in subgroups of >60 years or smokers. When stratifying the female never-smokers by age, the ORs for GSTT1 null genotype were significantly higher in both age groups of ${\leq}60$ years (OR=7.64; 95% CI=2.00-29.2) and >60 years (OR=2.89; 95% CI=1.05-7.94). Conclusion : We found that GSTT1 null genotype was associated with an increased risk of lung cancer in Korean female never-smokers. This result suggests that GSTT1 null genotype could be used as a biomarker for genetic susceptibility to lung cancer in Korean female never-smokers.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.169-175
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• 2008

Purpose: The main target of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) is thymidylate synthase (TS). A high TS expression has been identified as promoting resistance to 5-FU. For colorectal cancers, the response to 5-FU based adjuvant chemotherapy is different according to the microsatellite instability (MSI) status. The reports on the relationship between MSI and the TS expression in colorectal cancer have been inconsistent. No data is available for gastric cancer regarding the relationship between MSI and the TS expression. Therefore, we studied the relationship between MSI and the TS expression in gastric cancer. Materials and Methods: Ninety-nine consecutive patients who underwent radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer from January 2004 to May 2006 at Bundang CHA hospital were studied. MSI was assessed for five markers (BAT25, BAT26, D2S123, D5S346, and D17S250) by PCR and with using an ABI prism 3100 Genetic analyzer. The TS expression was analyzed by immunohistochemistry with using mouse anti-thymidylate synthase monoclonal antibody to the TS 106 clone. Results: Out of the ninety-nine patients, MSS/MSI-L was detected in 92 (92.1%) cases and 7 cases (7.1%) were MSI-H. A negative TS expression was found in 46 (46.5%) cases, a low TS expression was found in 33 (33.3%) and a high TS expression was found in 20 (20.2%). Out of 92 MSS/MSI-L patients, the number of patients with negative, low and high TS expressions were 46 (50%), 30 (32.6%) and 16 (17.4%), respectively. Out of the 7 MSI-H patients, the number of patients with negative, low and high TS expressions were 0 (0%), 3 (42.9%) and 4 (57.1%), respectively. The relationship between MSI-H and a high TS expression was statistically significant. Conclusion: Gastric cancer with MSI-H showed higher levels of a TS expression compared to the gastric cancer with MSS/MSI-L.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.546-552
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• 2007

Purpose: In the breast cancer patient, lymphatic mapping and sentinel lymph node biopsy are the most important procedure for axillary lymph node staging. We aimed to compare the three radiocolloids [$^{99m}Tc$-antimony trisulfide colloid (ASC), $^{99m}Tc$-tin colloid (TC), and $^{99m}Tc$-human serum albumin (HSA)] for sentinel lymph node mapping. Subjects and Methods: Totally, 397 patients with clinically N0 stage were enrolled. $^{99m}Tc$-ASC was injected in 202 out of 397 patients, $^{99m}Tc$-TC was injected in 120 patients, and $^{99m}Tc$-HSA was injected in the remaining 75 patients. The sentinel lymph nodes were localized by lymphoscintigraphy and selected using intraoperative gamma probe. All sentinel lymph nodes were investigated by intraoperative pathologic consultation. The axillary lymph nodes which were harvested by the lymph node dissection were also investigated. Results: The patients of each group showed similar clinical characteristics. There were no significant differences (p>0.05) in the identification rate of sentinel lymph nodes (IR), false negative rate (FNR), and negative predictive value (NPV). The axillary lymphadenectomy revealed axillary lymph node metastases in those three groups (ASC-33.2%, TC-31.7%, HSA-22.7%). The IR, FNR, and NPV were not significantly different among those groups. Conclusion: Those three $^{99m}Tc$-labeled radiocolloids showed equivalent results in sentinel lymph node mapping of breast cancer.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.282-299
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• 2014

Cette $\acute{e}$tude a pour objectif de d$\acute{e}$velopper le g$\acute{e}$otourisme des $\hat{i}$les de Geomun et de Baek dans le Parc Marin National de Dadohae pour conna$\hat{i}$tre les caract$\acute{e}$ristiques de cette r$\acute{e}$gion du point de vue $\acute{e}$cologique, historique et culturel $\grave{a}$ partir de ses ressources g$\acute{e}$omorphiques et g$\acute{e}$ologiques qui ont la haute de valeur $prot{\acute{e}}g{\acute{e}}e$. Il y a plusieurs ressources g$\acute{e}$omorphiques et g$\acute{e}$ologiques sur l'$\hat{i}$le de Baek: falaise; caverne marine; tafoni; le relief li$\acute{e}$ $\grave{a}$ les roches volcaniques. Il y a aussi plusieurs ressources historiques et culturels sur les $\hat{i}$les de Go et d'Est: le cimeti$\grave{a}$r d'arm$\acute{e}$e anglaise li$\acute{e}$e $\grave{a}$ l'occupation ill$\acute{e}$gale de l'$\hat{i}$le de Geomun en 1885; le site historique de Kim Ryu(金劉) qui a enseign$\acute{e}$ les disciples de confucianisme et qui a $succ{\acute{e}}d{\acute{e}}$ au Confucius; la for$\hat{e}$t de feuillus de zone $temp{\acute{e}}r{\acute{e}}e$ sur l'$\hat{i}$le d'Ouest et la ceinture de falaise sur l'$\hat{i}$le de Baek. Une route g$\acute{e}$otouristique part de l'$\hat{i}$le d'Ouest et continue $\grave{a}$ l'$\hat{i}$le d'Est: c'est la route $\acute{e}$cologique, historique et culturel sur l'$\hat{i}$le de Geomun. L'autre route continue de la c$\hat{o}$te de l'$\hat{i}$le de Baek: c'est la route de paysages g$\acute{e}$omorphiques et g$\acute{e}$ologiques. Nous proposons des plusieurs exemples pour d$\acute{e}$velopper le g$\acute{e}$otourisme des $\hat{i}$les de Geomun et de Baek: installation de centre visiteur et de panneaux d'explication g$\acute{e}$otouristique sur le g$\acute{e}$osite central ; monitoring environmental.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.83-91
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• 2007

The present study examined the epidermal changes of adhesive disks which occur during attachment in Parthenocissus tricuspidata using scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Several adhesive disks, each covered with a bract, develop from the shoot apical meristem during early development. In the initial stage, the adhesive disks are club-shaped and their upper and lower epidermis are indistinguishable. However, in the actively growing stage, they become spherical and both epidermis are clearly differentiated into the adventitious roots. Prior to wall attachment, the adhesive disks exhibit adaxial convex and abaxial concave shapes, and electron-dense substances are abundant in the vacuoles of epidermal cells. The peripheral area of the adhesive disk is adhered first to the wall surface, while the central area is drawn inward in a vacuum-like state during attachment. As the attachment progresses and the electron-dense substances continue to discharge, the upper and lower epidermis rapidly undergo deterioration and the disks shrink considerably. At this stage, structural changes of the lower epidermis occur much faster than in the upper one. The discharged substance is accumulated on the wall surface, and this aids the attachment of adhesive disks on the wall for long periods. In this manner, the shape and structure of the adhesive disk epidermis change drastically from initial growth to the mature stage. Further, the role of electron-dense substance and shrinkage of the disk during attachment has been discussed in Parthenocissus tricuspidata.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.93-102
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• 2007

Secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI) was known as one of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced products of macrophage. Macrophages play an important role in the development of inflammatory responses by secreting an array of cytokines and chemokines in a tissue microenvironment. To identify the function and relationship between potent growth factors and SLPI after LPS stimulation, we conducted reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blots for the detection of mRNA and protein expression of SLPI and growth factors such as VEGF, PDGF, bFGF after 100 ng LPS stimulation on the RAW264.7 cells. The result of RT-PCR was showed SLPI mRNA expression was increased from 60 min to 48h in RAW 264.7 cells after incubation with LPS. VEGF and PDGF mRNA was expressed highly at initial stage by LPS stimulation. The mRNA of bFGF and type I collagen was very weakly expressed after LPS stimulation. SLPI protein level was increased likely the mRNA levels in RAW 267.7 cells. Additionally, phase contrast and scanning electron microscopic observation demonstrated that the LPS induce the change of morphology of the RAW264.7 cells. From these results, it suggest that expression of SLPI by LPS treatment may associate with VEGF and PDGF expression in RAW264.7 cells.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.227-238
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• 2006

Genomic DNAs(gDNAs) were isolated from the venus clam(Gomphina aequilatera) from Samcheok(venus clam from Samcheok; VCS) and Wonsan(venus clam from Wonsan; VCW) located in the East Sea of the Korean Peninsula. The amplified products were generated by agarose gel electrophoresis(AGE) with oligonucleotides primer, detected by staining with ethidium bromide and viewed by ultraviolet ray. The seven arbitrarily selected primers BION-21, BION-23, BION-25, BION-27, BION-29, BION-31 and BION-33 generated the shared loci, polymorphic, and specific loci, with the molecular sizes ranging from 150 bp to 2,400 bp. In this study, 147 polymorphic loci(147/954 loci, 15.41%) in VCS population and 274(274/996 loci, 27.51%) in VCW population were generated with seven primers. These results suggest the genetic variation in VCW population is higher than in VCS population. Especially, the 700 bp bands generated by the primer BION-21 were identified commonly in two Gomphina populations, which identified populations and/or species. This specific primer was found to be useful in the identification of individuals and/or population, resulting from the different DNA polymorphism among individuals/species/population. Two Gomphina populations between the individual SAMCHEOK no. 03 and WONSAN no. 22 showed the longest genetic distance(0.696) in comparison with other individuals used. The complete linkage cluster analysis indicating three genetic groupings and dendrogram revealed close relationships among individual identities within two geographical populations of venus clam(G. aequilatera) from the Samcheok and Wonsan. The intra-species classification and clustering analyses inferred from molecular markers supported the traditional taxonomy of the species based on morphological characters such as shell size, shape and color. Accordingly, as mentioned above, RAPD analysis showed that VCS population was more or less separated from VCW population.