• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.352-356
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• 1997

To induce the phytoalexins in plant cell culture systems, we surveyed the antimicrobial activity following the feeding of five naphthoquinones in cell cultures of petunia. Among naphthoquinones treated, 2,5,7-trihydroxy-3-(5'-hydroxyhexyl)-1,4-naphthoquinone (3-OH NQ ) was most efficiently absorbed into the cells within 48 hr. The crude extracts of cells treated with 3-OH NQ showed a strong inhibition activity on spore germination of Aspergillus candidus $(MIC:\;32\;{\mu}g/ml)$, whereas the untreated cells showed no activity. The two active compounds, 4,2',4',${\beta}$-tetrahydroxychalcone and 4',7-dihydroxyflavone, were isolated from petunia cells treated with 3-OH NQ. The major phytoalexin, 4,2',4',${\beta}$-tetrahydroxychalcone, inhibited strongly the spore germination of A. candidus $(MIC:\;16\;{\mu}g/ml)$.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.518-527
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• 2015

Controlled release of medications remains the most convenient way to deliver drugs. In this study, we precipitated gold nanoparticles with quercetin. We loaded gold-quercetin into poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolide) nanoparticles (NQ) and tested the biological activity of NQ on HepG2 hepatocarcinoma cells to acquire the sustained release property. We determined by circular dichroism spectroscopy that NQ effectively caused conformational changes in DNA and modulated different proteins related to epigenetic modifications and c ell cycle control. The mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), reactive oxygen species (ROS), cell cycle, apoptosis, DNA damage, and caspase 3 activity were analyzed by flow cytometry, and the expression profiles of different anti- and pro-apoptotic as well as epigenetic signals were studied by immunoblotting. A cytotoxicity assay indicated that NQ preferentially killed cancer cells, compared to normal cells. NQ interacted with HepG2 cell DNA and reduced histone deacetylases to control cell proliferation and arrest the cell cycle at the sub-G stage. Activities of cell cycle-related proteins, such as $p21^{WAF}$, cdk1, and pAkt, were modulated. NQ induced apoptosis in HepG2 cells by activating p53-ROS crosstalk and induces epigenetic modifications leading to inhibited proliferation and cell cycle arrest.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.494-499
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• 2019

This study examined the dietary behavior of elementary school students in the Gyunggi area using the Nutrition Quotient (NQ). The subjects were 406 students (199 boys and 207 girls) in their fourth and fifth grades. The NQ, consisting 19 items, was grouped into five domains (balance, diversity, moderation, regularity, and practice). The NQ score of the boys and girls was similar (boys $61.40{\pm}14.31$, girls $63.02{\pm}14.62$). Among the five domains of the NQ, girls showed a higher score in moderation (boys $63.57{\pm}19.00$, girls $70.84{\pm}16.20$) and practice (boys $58.56{\pm}20.50$, girls $64.69{\pm}22.57$) than boys. No gender differences in diversity (boys $71.70{\pm}24.72$, girls $71.26{\pm}23.57$), regularity (boys $59.39{\pm}23.73$, girls $59.34{\pm}23.57$), and balance (boys $56.73{\pm}19.62$, girls $54.58{\pm}20.03$) were observed. The percentage distribution of the NQ grade was 10.8% (highest), 9.4% (high), 45.1% (medium), 20.4% (low), and 14.3% (lowest). More opportunities should be provided for children with a low and lowest NQ grade to participate in nutrition education.

• Korean Journal of Plant Tissue Culture
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.149-152
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• 1997

To search for a compound inhibiting the petunia callus growth from Streptomyces sp., we investigated the activity in the culture broth of 400 strains. The active compound was successively purified with solvent fractionation, silica gel column chromatography from Streptomyces sp. 9602 strain, and identified as 2, 5, 7-trihydroxy-3-(5'-hydroxyhexyl)-1, 4-naphthoquinone by 1H-NMR, EI-MS, IR and UV. It inhibited the callus growth of petunia by 50% at $32\mu\textrm{g}$/mL.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.53-63
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• 2024

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the nutrition quotient and the dietary intake of adolescents. A total of 393 adolescents were surveyed to evaluate their Nutrition Quotient for Korean Adolescents (NQ-A) scores and dietary intake. The average age of the survey subjects was 15 years and the average NQ-A score of the subjects was 49.11±13.35. There was no significant difference in the NQ-A scores according to gender and age. The average dietary diversity score was 3.77±0.85, and it was significantly higher in boys than in girls (p< .05) with the scores of 12-14-year-old students being significantly higher than those aged 15-18 years (p< .01). The results of comparing the percentage of recommended intake or adequate intake and the mean adequacy ratio (MAR) according to the NQ-A grade, showed that the 'High' grade had a significantly higher intake percentage of vitamin B1, B12, folate, phosphorus, iron and a significantly higher MAR (p< .05). From a long-term perspective, efforts to improve dietary habits are deemed necessary to meet an individual's nutritional requirements. Adolescents themselves should develop proper eating behaviors and acquire suitable dietary management skills to enhance their nutritional status, ultimately contributing to an improvement in their quality of life.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.405-414
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• 2021

Objective: To compare two clinically available MR volumetry software, NeuroQuant^® (NQ) and Inbrain^® (IB), and examine the inter-method reliabilities and differences between them. Materials and Methods: This study included 172 subjects (age range, 55-88 years; mean age, 71.2 years), comprising 45 normal healthy subjects, 85 patients with mild cognitive impairment, and 42 patients with Alzheimer's disease. Magnetic resonance imaging scans were analyzed with IB and NQ. Mean differences were compared with the paired t test. Inter-method reliability was evaluated with Pearson's correlation coefficients and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). Effect sizes were also obtained to document the standardized mean differences. Results: The paired t test showed significant volume differences in most regions except for the amygdala between the two methods. Nevertheless, inter-method measurements between IB and NQ showed good to excellent reliability (0.72 < r < 0.96, 0.83 < ICC < 0.98) except for the pallidum, which showed poor reliability (left: r = 0.03, ICC = 0.06; right: r = -0.05, ICC = -0.09). For the measurements of effect size, volume differences were large in most regions (0.05 < r < 6.15). The effect size was the largest in the pallidum and smallest in the cerebellum. Conclusion: Comparisons between IB and NQ showed significantly different volume measurements with large effect sizes. However, they showed good to excellent inter-method reliability in volumetric measurements for all brain regions, with the exception of the pallidum. Clinicians using these commercial software should take into consideration that different volume measurements could be obtained depending on the software used.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.171-176
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• 2017

Streptomyces avermitilis produces clinically useful drugs such as avermectins and oligomycins. Its genome contains approximately 33 cytochrome P450 genes and they seem to play important roles in the biosynthesis of many secondary metabolites. The SAV_7130 gene from S. avermitilis encodes CYP158A3. The amino acid sequence of this enzyme has high similarity with that of CYP158A2, a biflaviolin synthase from S. coelicolor A3(2). Recombinant S. avermitilis CYP158A3 was heterologously expressed and purified. It exhibited the typical P450 Soret peak at 447 nm in the reduced CO-bound form. Type I binding spectral changes were observed when CYP158A3 was titrated with myristic acid; however, no oxidative product was formed. An analog of flaviolin, 2-hydroxynaphthoquinone (2-OH NQ) displayed similar type I binding upon titration with purified CYP158A3. It underwent an enzymatic reaction forming dimerized product. A homology model of CYP158A3 was superimposed with the structure of CYP158A2, and the majority of structural elements aligned. These results suggest that CYP158A3 might be an orthologue of biflaviolin synthase, catalyzing C-C coupling reactions during pigment biosynthesis in S. avermitilis.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.373-382
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• 2003

Magnesium ion ($Mg^{2+}$) is a vasodilator, but little is known about its mechanism of action on vascular system. In vitro, extracellular magnesium sulfate ($MgSO_4$) produced relaxation in phenylephrine (PE) or high KCl-precontracted isolated rat thorocic aorta with (+E) or without (-E) endothelium in a concentration-dependent manner. The $MgSO_4$-induced relaxations were not affected by removal of the endothelium. Pretreatment of +E or -E aortic rings with nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitors ($20{\mu}M$ L-NNA, $100{\mu}M$ L-NAME, $1{\mu}M$ dexamethasone and $400{\mu}M$ aminoguanidine), cyclooxygenase inhibitor ($10{\mu}M$ indomethacin), guanylate cyclase inhibitors ($10{\mu}M$ ODQ and $30{\mu}M$ methylene blue) and $Ca^{2+}$ transport blocker ($10{\mu}M$ ryanodine) did not affect the relaxant effects of $MgSO_4$. $Ca^{2+}$ channel blockers ($0.3{\mu}M$ nifedipine and $0.5{\mu}M$ veropamil) completely decreased the relaxant effects of $MgSO_4$ in +E and -E aortic rings. However, in $Ca^{2+}$-free medium, $MgSO_4$-induced vasorelaxation was potentiated and this response was inhibited by nifedipine. Protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitors ($1.0{\mu}M$ staurosporine, $0.5{\mu}M$ tamoxifen and $0.1{\mu}M$ H7) or PLC inhibitor ($100{\mu}M$ NCDC) markedly decreased the relaxant effects of $MgSO_4$ in +E and -E aortic rings. In vivo, infusion of $MgSO_4$ elicited significant decreases in arterial blood pressure. After intravenous injection of nifedipine ($150{\mu}g/kg$) and NCDC (3 mg/kg), infusion of $MgSO_4$ inhibited the $MgSO_4$-lowered blood pressure markedly. However, after introvenous injection of saponin (15 mg/kg), L-NNA (3 mg/kg), L-NAME (5 mg/kg), indomethacin (2 mg/kg), methylene blue (15 mg/kg) and aminoguanidine (10 mg/kg) failed to inhibit it. These results suggest that endothelial NQ-cGMP or prostaglandin pathway is not involved in vasorelaxant or hypotensive action of $Mg^{2+}$ and that these effects are due to the inhibitory action of $Mg^{2+}$ on the $Ca^{2+}$ channel or PLC-PKC pathway, and are due to the competitive influx of $Mg^{2+}$ and $Ca^{2+}$ through the $Ca^{2+}$ channel.