• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.301-308
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• 2024

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive and irreversible neurodegenerative disorder characterized by extracellular amyloid plaques composed of amyloid β-peptide (Aβ). Studies have indicated that Ca²⁺ dysregulation is involved in AD pathology. It is reported that decreased capacitative Ca²⁺ entry (CCE), a refilling mechanism of intracellular Ca²⁺, resulting in increased Aβ production. In contrast, constitutive activation of CCE could decrease Aβ production. Panax ginseng Meyer is known to enhance memory and cognitive functions in healthy human subjects. We have previously reported that some ginsenosides decrease Aβ levels in cultured primary neurons and AD mouse model brains. However, mechanisms involved in the Aβ-lowering effect of ginsenosides remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the relationship between CCE and Aβ production by examining the effects of various ginsenosides on CCE levels. Aβ-lowering ginsenosides such as Rk1, Rg5, and Rg3 potentiated CCE. In contrast, ginsenosides without Aβ-lowering effects (Re and Rb2) failed to potentiate CCE. The potentiating effect of ginsenosides on CCE was inhibited by the presence of 2-aminoethoxydiphenyl borate (2APB), an inhibitor of CCE. 2APB alone increased Aβ42 production. Furthermore, the presence of 2APB prevented the effects of ginsenosides on Aβ42 production. Our results indicate that ginsenosides decrease Aβ production via potentiating CCE levels, confirming a close relationship between CCE levels and Aβ production. Since CCE levels are closely related to Aβ production, modulating CCE could be a novel target for AD therapeutics.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.37-44
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• 2022

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of Alisma canaliculatum Extract (ACE) on pacemaker potentials of small and large intestinal interstitial Cells of Cajal (ICC) in mice. Methods : We used enzymatic digestions to dissociate the ICC in the small and large intestine in mice. The whole-cell patch-clamp method was used to record pacemaker potentials in ICC. Results : 1. The ICC generated the pacemaker potentials in small intestine in mice. ACE (0.1-1mg/ml) induced membrane depolarization and decreased frequency with concentration-dependent manners. 2. Pretreatment with a Ca²⁺ free solution, Na⁺ 5 mM solution or 2-APB, a nonselective cation channel blocker, stopped the small intestinal ICC pacemaker potentials. In the case of Ca²⁺-free solution, Na⁺ 5 mM solution or 2-APB, ACE had no effects on the membrane depolarizations in small intestinal ICC. 3. The ICC generated the pacemaker potentials in large intestine in mice. Membrane depolarization appears regularly in the small intestine, but irregularly in the large intestine. ACE induced membrane depolarization (0.1-1mg/ml) and increased frequency (0.1-0.5mg/ml). 4. Pretreatment with a Ca²⁺ free solution, Na⁺ 5 mM solution or 2-APB, stopped the large intestinal ICC pacemaker potentials. In the case of Ca²⁺-free solution, Na⁺ 5 mM solution or 2-APB, ACE depolarized the membrane depolarizations in large intestinal ICC. 5. In mice, intestinal transit rate (ITR) values were dose-dependently decreased by the intragastric administration of ACE. Conclusions : These results suggest that ACE can regulate the pacemaker activity of ICC and the reaction by ACE is different from the small and large intestinal ICC, and the control of the intestinal motion by ACE may be caused by many complex processes.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.73-79
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• 2008

Retinal prosthesis is regarded as the most feasible method for the blind caused by retinal diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP) or age related macular degeneration (AMD). Recently Korean consortium launched for developing retinal prosthesis. One of the prerequisites for the success of retinal prosthesis is the optimization of the electrical stimuli applied through the prosthesis. Since electrical characteristics of degenerate retina are expected to differ from those of normal retina, we performed voltage stimulation experiment both in normal and degenerate retina to provide a guideline for the optimization of electrical stimulation for the upcoming prosthesis. After isolation of retina, retinal patch was attached with the ganglion cell side facing the surface of microelectrode arrays (MEA). $8{\times}8$ grid layout MEA (electrode diameter: $30{\mu}m$, electrode spacing: $200{\mu}m$, and impedance: $50k{\Omega}$ at 1 kHz) was used to record in-vitro retinal ganglion cell activity. Mono-polar electrical stimulation was applied through one of the 60 MEA channel, and the remaining channels were used for recording. The electrical stimulus was a constant voltage, charge-balanced biphasic, anodic-first square wave pulse without interphase delay, and 50 trains of pulse was applied with a period of 2 sec. Different electrical stimuli were applied. First, pulse amplitude was varied (voltage: $0.5{\sim}3.0V$). Second, pulse duration was varied $(100{\sim}1,200{\mu}s)$. Evoked responses were analyzed by PSTH from averaged data with 50 trials. Charge density was calculated with Ohm's and Coulomb's law. In normal retina, by varying the pulse amplitude from 0.5 to 3V with fixed duration of $500{\mu}s$, the threshold level for reliable ganglion cell response was found at 1.5V. The calculated threshold of charge density was $2.123mC/cm^2$. By varying the pulse duration from 100 to $1,200{\mu}s$ with fixed amplitude of 2V, the threshold level was found at $300{\mu}s$. The calculated threhold of charge density was $1.698mC/cm^2$. Even after the block of ON-pathway with L-(1)-2-amino-4-phosphonobutyric acid (APB), electrical stimulus evoked ganglion cell activities. In this APB-induced degenerate retina, by varying the pulse duration from 100 to $1200{\mu}s$ with fixed voltage of 2 V, the threshold level was found at $300{\mu}s$, which is the same with normal retina. More experiment with APB-induced degenerate retina is needed to make a clear comparison of threshold of charge density between normal and degenerate retina.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.413-418
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• 2018

Cypress woods treated individually with boric acid (BA4), ammonium pentaborate (APB4), or BA4/APB4 additives were examined for combustion gases. Each of the specimens was painted with a 4 wt% solution of boron compounds three times. Dried at room temperature, the combustion gas was analyzed using a cone calorimeter (ISO 5660-1). Consequently, the second maximum oxygen consumption rate of the specimen treated with boron compounds was 0.1067 to 0.1246 g/s, which was 5.3 to 18.9%, respectively lower than that of the blank specimen. The specific extinction area of specimens treated with BA4 and APB4 was also 2.0 to 19.0% lower, respectively. However, treated with BA4/APB4 showed 21.2% higher than that of the blank specimen. The maximum carbon monoxide concentration of the specimens with boron compounds was reduced by 0 to 25%. It was estimated to be 1.6 to 2.2 times higher than the permissible exposure limits by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), indicating a fatal toxicity. The boron compounds were effective in reducing carbon monoxide, but didn't meet the OSHA limit. The boron compound inhibited the burning behavior of the cypress wood, which suppressed the second maximum oxygen consumption rate by 5.3 to 18.9% and the maximum carbon monoxide generation by 0 to 25%.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.194-201
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• 2017

Lysophosphatidylethanolamine (LPE), a lyso-type metabolite of phosphatidylethanolamine, has been reported to be an intercellular signaling molecule. LPE mobilizes intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ through G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) in some cells types. However, GPCRs for lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) were not implicated in the LPE-mediated activities in LPA GPCR overexpression systems or in SK-OV3 ovarian cancer cells. In the present study, in human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells, experiments with $LPA_1$ antagonists showed LPE induced intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ increases in an $LPA_1$ GPCR-dependent manner. Furthermore, LPE increased intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ through pertussis-sensitive G proteins, edelfosine-sensitive-phospholipase C, 2-APB-sensitive $IP_3$ receptors, $Ca^{2+}$ release from intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ stores, and subsequent $Ca^{2+}$ influx across plasma membranes, and LPA acted on $LPA_1$ and $LPA_2$ receptors to induce $Ca^{2+}$ response in a 2-APB-sensitive and insensitive manner. These findings suggest novel involvements for LPE and LPA in calcium signaling in human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.497-499
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• 2010

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.273-278
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• 2012

In this contribution, we design and implement an SPI hardware interface for the microprocessor to communicate with the MMC (Multi-Media Card) in an embedded system. Proposed architecture is compatible with the APB in AMBA bus architecture. Embedding OS in an embedded system means a big burden in terms of hardware and software ending up with performance decline. In this paper, we adopt the concept of SPI communication without using OS in the embedded system and implement in a form of FPGA chip. The designed SPI module was automatically synthesized, placed, and routed. Implementation was performed through the Altera FPGA and well operated at 25MHz clock frequency, which satisfied our target speed.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.113-120
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• 2004

Microstructural characteristics of the Complex Perovskite (1-x) $(Li_{1/2}Sm_{1/2})TiO_3-x (Na_{1/2}Sm_{1/2})TiO_3$ (LNST) system have been investigated using the transmission electron microscopy (TEM). When $0.0{\leq}x{\leq}0.6$, the vacancy ordering forming the 1/2 (001) superlattice reflections due to the A-site cation deficiencies has apperaed. It could be confirmed by presence of ABPs. But it was difficult to form the vacancy ordering since vacancy concentration gradually lowered as the amount of the substituted Li ions decrease. Antiphase boundaries (APBs) were presented in microstructures of LNST when $0.8{\leq}x{\leq}1.0$. It was considered that these boundaries were caused by the 1:1 chemical ordering of A-site cations, Na and Sm ions. LNST had not only the antiphase tilting of oxygen octahedron but also the inphase tilting of oxygen octahedron and the antiparallel shift of cations all of them. It could be confirmed by presence of ferroelastic domains

• Proceedings of the Korean Biophysical Society Conference
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• 2003.06a
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• pp.39-39
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• 2003

In our previous study, WEHI-231, an immature B cell line, showed intractable increase in [C $a^{2+}$]$_{c}$ after the B-cell receptor (BCR) ligation and treatment with 2-aminoethoxydiphenylborate (2-APB), which was never observed in Bal-17, a mature B cell line (Nam et al., 2003, FEBS Lett). In this study, a whole cell voltage clamp study revealed a specific expression of a novel type of $K^{+}$ current, namely voltage-independent background-type $K^{+}$ channels (IK-bg), in WEHI-231 cells. IK-bg was dramatically increase by the application of 2-APB (50 $\square$M), which induced severe hyperpolarization of WEHI-231 from -45 ㎷ to -90 ㎷, When dialyzed with $Mg^{2+}$ and ATP-free pipette solution, a spontaneous development of IK-bg and membrane hyperpolarization were observed. IK-bg was insensitive to classical $K^{+}$ channel blockers (TEA, glibenclamide, $Ba^{2+}$(1 mM)), whereas blocked by quinine and quinidine in a voltage-dependent manner ($IC_{50}$/=6~9 $\square$M at +60㎷). Phorbol myrstate, a PKC activator, decreased the amplitude of IK-bg. Extracellular acidification (pH 6.5) slightly inhibited IK-bg. Arachidonic acid, riluzole, or hyposmotic stress could not affect the IK-bg after the full development by the intracellular dialysis with Mg-ATP-free solution. In a cell-attached mode of single channel recording from WEHI231, we found two types of voltage-independent $K^{+}$ channels with unitary conductance of 300 pS and 120 pS, respectively. Both channels showed very short mean open times and their open probabilities were increase by the application of 2-APB. In Bal-17 cells, no such $K^{+}$ current was observed in 50 cells tested. In summary, WEHI-231 immature B cells express background $K^{+}$ channels. The pharmacological properties and the large unitary conductance suggest that novel types of two-pore domain $K^{+}$ channels (2-P-K channels) might be expressed in WEHI-231, which may provide an intriguing targets of signal transduction in the immature B lymphocytes.e B lymphocytes.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.58 no.7
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• pp.1418-1423
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• 2009

This paper describes the design and implementation of a System-on-a-Chip (SoC) for image processing applications to use in wearable/mobile products. The target Soc consists of LEON 2 core, AMBA/APB bus-systems and custom-designed controllers. A new FPGA-based prototyping platform is implemented and used for design and verification of the target SoC. To ensure that the implemented SoC satisfies the required performances, an image processing application is performed.