• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.227-234
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• 2011

The purpose of present study was to examine brain functions associated with intention to conceal information. Kubo & Nittono(2009) and Verschuere et al.(2009) studied the intention to conceal information using P300 amplitude. On the basis of these two studies, present study attempted to identify brain area while participants were performing concealed information test. 19 healthy college students participated in fMRI-based concealed information test. Participants' name were used as concealed information. The test was performed in two conditions. In the intention condition, participants were instructed to try leaving their names undetected by suppressing their brain response to it. In the no intention condition, participants performed the test without intention to conceal. The fMRI results showed that the right anterior cingulated cortex (Rt. ACC), and left orbito-frontal cortex (Lt. OFC) activations were greater in the deceptive condition than the truth condition. These finding confirmed that ACC is area a deception-specific process as shown in the previous fMRI study. The OFC activation was also observed in the deceptive condition. The OFC is an area known as associated with emotional response such as anxiety, fear, and guilty. The anxiety induced while participants were intended to conceal information might be related to the OFC activation.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.208-213
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• 2002

Purpose : The major cause of cardiac dysfunction, after open heart surgery for congenital heart disease, is perioperative myocardial injury. Cardiac troponin I is found only within the myocardial cell, so it can be used as a biochemical marker of the myocardial injury. We performed this study to evaluate the worth of cardiac troponin I as a biochemical marker reflecting the extent of perioperative myocardial injury and recovery. Methods : Thirty-four patients who had undergone elective open heart surgery of congenital heart disease(CHD) from April to July 2001 were enrolled in this study. We measured types of CHD, serial cardiac troponin I(baseline 1 day before operation, postoperative day 1, 2, 3, 7), duration of cardiopulmonary bypass(CPB), aortic cross clamping(ACC), intubation and postoperative hospital stay. Results : Compared with the baseline before operation, there was a significant, increase of cardiac troponin I on the postoperative day 1 and a significant gradual decrease on the day 2, 3, 7. The levels of cardiac troponin I were the highest in the transposition of great artery(TGA) repair on the postoperative day 1 and high in the tetralogy of Fallot(TOF), atioventricular septal defect (AVSD), ventricular septal defect(VSD) and atrial septal defect(ASD) repair with decreasing sequence. The longer duration of CPB, ACC and intubation, the higher of cardiac troponin I, but there were no significant correlations between cardiac troponin I levels and duration of hospital stay. Conclusion : Because there was significant increases or decreases of cardiac troponin I according to the perioperative time and types of the congenital heart disease, it is a worthy biochemical marker which reflects the extent of perioperative myocardial injury and recovery after open heart surgery.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.355-367
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• 2016

Soil salinization refers to the buildup of salts in soil to a level toxic to plants. The major factors that contribute to soil salinity are the quality, the amount and the type of irrigation water used. The presented review discusses the different sources and causes of soil salinity. The effect of soil salinity on biological processes of plants is also discussed in detail. This is followed by a debate on the influence of salt on the nutrient uptake and growth of plants. Salinity decreases the soil osmotic potential and hinders water uptake by the plants. Soil salinity affects the plants K uptake, which plays a critical role in plant metabolism due to the high concentration of soluble sodium ($Na^+$) ions. Visual symptoms that appear in the plants as a result of salinity include stunted plant growth, marginal leaf necrosis and fruit distortions. Different strategies to ameliorate salt stress globally include breeding of salt tolerant cultivars, irrigation to leach excessive salt to improve soil physical and chemical properties. As part of an ecofriendly means to alleviate salt stress and an increasing considerable attention on this area, the review then focuses on the different plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) mediated mechanisms with a special emphasis on ACC deaminase producing bacteria. The various strategies adopted by PGPB to alleviate various stresses in plants include the production of different osmolytes, stress related phytohormones and production of molecules related to stress signaling such as bacterial 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) derivatives. The use of PGPB with ACC deaminase producing trait could be effective in promoting plant growth in agricultural areas affected by different stresses including salt stress. Finally, the review ends with a discussion on the various PGPB activities and the potentiality of facultative halophilic/halotolerant PGPB in alleviating salt stress.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.542-547
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• 2008

The anti-diabetic effects of water extracts (WE) from medicinal herbs on hepatic glucose-regulating enzymes, such as glucokinase (GCK), pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH), acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) and ${\alpha}$-glucosidase, were studied using the cytosol fraction in liver and mitochondia fraction in heart of a type II diabetic animal (GK rat, Goto-Kakizaki). The free radical scavenging activity of water extracts by DPPH method was also tested. We found that free radical scavenging activity was strong in Corni fructu (CF), Mokdan Bark (MDB), Chenhwabon (CHB) and Sanyack (SY), while that of Backbocreng (BBR), Shuckgihwang (SGH) and Taecsa (TS) was lower. For GCK activity in cytosol of liver, CF and CHB had a more effective activity than other extracts. PDH activity in mitochondria fraction of heart was higher in all of the extracts, expect for the TS extract, than in the control. ACC activity in cytosol fraction of liver was significantly higher in the CF, CHB, SGH, TS and SY extracts than in the control. CF, BBR and MDB led to a decrease in the ${\alpha}$-glucosidase activity. Therefore, these results suggest that all of the extracts may be used as functional material in the development as anti-diabetic functional food and medicine.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.54-61
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• 2011

Antisense construct of cDNA for senescencerelated ACC oxidase (CAO) cDNA isolated from carnation flowers were introduced into tobacco by Agrobacteriummediated transformation. The decreasing expression of NtACO and the reduction of ethylene production were observed in these transgenic lines. In contrast, the SAMDC transcripts and spermidine content were increased. The findings that higher content of spermidine in the ethylene suppressed transgenic plants compared with wild-type should be directly resulted in the enhancement of SAMDC activity followed by the increased accumulation of SAMDC transcript. To investigate the pathogenic response in these transgenic plants, wild-type and transgenic plants were inoculated with Phytophthora parasitica pv. nicotianae. Transgenic plants suppressing ethylene production showed the increased resistance against fungal pathogen, comparing with wild-type plant. PR-protein genes expression in CAO-AS-2 and CAOAS-4 were also higher at the normal growth condition and pathogenic response than in wild-type plants. The results of higher spermidine content and SAMDC activity in transgenic plants, CAO-AS-2 and CAO-AS-4, support the possibility that an increase in spermidine content might induce the higher transcripts of PR-protein genes. This results agreed with the phenomena that spermidine promoted the expression of PR1a and a SAMDC inhibitor, MGBG, decreased the expression of PR1a in leaf discs. These results suggest that the resistance against fungal pathogen in transgenic tobacco impaired in ethylene production might be caused by increasing in polyamine, especially spermidine, biosynthesis.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.37-43
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• 2015

We have investigated the effects of the ethylene precursor 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC), indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and methyl jasmonate (MeJA) on the development of aerenchyma in the primary root of maize (Zea mays). Because plant hormones affected the longitudinal organization of the primary root, we need an indicator to direct the positions for comparison between control and hormone-treated roots. Therefore, the zones of the maize primary root were categorized as PR25, PR50 and PR75, where each value indicates the relative position between the root tip (PR0) and the base (PR100). Aerenchyma was not observed at PR25 and PR50 and rarely found at PR75 in the cortex of control roots. The aerenchymal area at PR75 increased in the presence of the ethylene precursor ACC or a natural auxin IAA. On the other hand, MeJA differentially acted on non-submerged and submerged roots. Exogenously applied MeJA suppressed the aerenchyma formation in non-submerged roots. When the primary root was submerged, aerenchymal area expanded prominently. The submergence-induced aerenchyma formation was amplified with MeJA. Lateral root primordia have been known to inhibit aerenchymal death of surrounding cells. All the three hormones stimulating aerenchyma formation as described above did not restore the inhibition caused by lateral root primordia, suggesting that the inhibitory step regulated by lateral root primordia can be located after hormonal signaling steps.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.15-20
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• 1996

Cysts of Entamoebn histoIMtica are still found from humans in Korea, but notall of the cysts are known as pathogenic. The non-pathogenic strain is regarded as a differenL species, E. nispnr. In this study, Korean isolates of conventional E. histolvticn were subjected for the differentiation by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. Human stools were screened by routine microscopic examination, and cyst or trophozoite positive stools were inoculated into Robinson media. The cultivated trophozoites were prepared for DNA extraction, and the DNAs were used for PCR with common primers of Pl gene. The PCR products were divested with 3 restriction enzymes and RFLP was observed. Also anti-sense primers containing the cleavage site of each restriction eWe were designed for differentiation only by PCR. The PCR products of Korean isolates 59,512, YS-6, and YS-27 were spliced by Taq I and Xmnl but not byAccl, and the isolates S1, S3, S11, S15, S16, S17, S20, YS- l7, and YS-44 were spliced by Acc I but not by Taq I and Xmn I. These RFLP pattern correlated well with PCR products by the species specific primers. The findings confirm that the Korean isolates 59,512, YS-6, and YS-27 are E. histolwtico and others are E. dispar. In Korea, most of the asymptomatic cyst carriers are infected by E. dispar, not by E. histolytica. Key words: Entcmoebc histolytica, Entcmoebn dispar Korean isolates, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP)

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.148-156
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• 2016

This study examined effects of Enterobacter ludwigii SJR3 showing a high 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase activity, on growth of tomato plant and its expression of stress-related genes under drought and salt stress. SJR3 strain was inoculated at $10^6cell/g$ soil to 4-week grown tomato plants, and drought and salt stresses were treated. After additional incubation for 1 week, root length, stem length, fresh weight and dry weight of tomato plants treated with SJR3 increased by 37.8, 37.2, 96.8 and 146.6%, respectively compared to those of uninoculated plants in drought stress environment, and they increased by 19.2, 25.4, 19.5, and 105.8%, respectively in salt stress environment. Proline content in tomato leaves increased significantly under stress conditions as one of a protecting substance against stresses, but proline contents in tomato treated with SJR3 decreased by 62.1 and 54.1%, respectively. Relative expression of genes encoding ACC oxidase, ACO1 and ACO4, ethylene response factor genes ERF1 and ERF4, and some other stress-related genes were examined from tomato leaves. Compared to the non-stressed tomato, expressions of all stress-related genes increased significantly in the stressed tomato, but gene expressions in the inoculated tomato were similar to those of no-stressed control tomato. Therefore, E. ludwigii SJR3 may play an important role in mitigating drought and salt stress in plants, and can increase productivity of crops under various abiotic stresses.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.129-133
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• 2012

To exploit plant growth promoting bacteria in the roots of Miscanthus sacchariflorus, a biomass energy crop, total 64 bacteria were isolated. For the investigation of plant growth promoting effects from the isolated bacteria, production of indole acetic acid (IAA) and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) deaminase activities were tested and other cultural conditions were examined. As results, 8 isolates showed plant growth promoting effects on the M. sacchariflorus and an isolate designated Agrobacterium sp. BE516 has the highest activity by enhancing the shoot elongation over 2-fold than the control. Agrobacterium sp. BE516 produced 64 ${\mu}g$ IAA per mL and showed ACC deaminase activity which is involved in the resistance to environmental stress such as high salt and drought. It could grow at low temperature in the range from 4 to $15^{\circ}C$, at pH 4.0 and at 4% NaCl. These results indicate that the Agrobacterium sp. BE516 can be useful as a bio-fertilizer for M. sacchariflorus under the stressed conditions.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.9
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• pp.964-971
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• 2019

Hepatic lipid accumulation and insulin resistance increases in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Piperine is a major compound found in black pepper (Piper nigrum) and long pepper (P. longum). Piperine has been used in fine chemical for its anti-cancer, anti-obesity, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. However, the signaling-based mechanism of piperine and its role as an inhibitor of lipogenesis and insulin resistance in human hepatocyte cells remains ill-defined. In the present study, we explored the effects of piperine on lipid accumulation and insulin resistance, and explored the potential underlying molecular mechanisms in palmitate-treated HepG2 cells. Piperine treatment resulted in a significant reduction of triglyceride content. Furthermore, piperine treatment decreased palmitate-treated intracellular lipid deposition by inhibiting the lipogenic target genes, sterol-regulatory-element-binding protein 1c (SREBP-1c) and fatty acid synthase (FAS); whereas the expression of carnitine palmitoyl transferase (CPT-1) and phosphorylation of acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase (ACC) gene involved in fatty acid oxidation was increased. Moreover, piperine also inhibited the phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate (IRS)-1 (Ser307). Piperine treatment modulated palmitate-treated lipid accumulation and insulin resistance in HepG2 cells with concomitant reduction of lipogenic target genes, such as SREBP-1 and FAS, and induction of CPT-1-ACC and phosphorylation of IRS-1 (Tyr632)-Akt pathways. Therefore, piperine represents a promising treatment for the prevention of lipid accumulation and insulin resistance.