• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.367-376
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• 2014

Recombinant antigenic proteins of Toxoplasma gondii are alternative source of antigens which are easily obtainable for serodiagnosis of toxoplasmosis. In this study, highly antigenic secretory organellar proteins, dense granular GRA2 and GRA3, rhoptrial ROP2, and micronemal MIC2, were analyzed by bioinformatics approach to express as water-soluble forms of antigenic domains. The transmembrane region and disorder tendency of 4 secretory proteins were predicted to clone the genes into pGEX-4T-1 vector. Recombinant plasmids were transformed into BL21 (DE3) pLysS E. coli, and GST fusion proteins were expressed with IPTG. As a result, GST fusion proteins with $GRA2_{25-105}$, $GRA3_{39-138}$, $ROP2_{324-561}$, and $MIC2_{1-284}$ domains had respectively higher value of IgG avidity. The $rGST-GRA2_{25-105}$ and $rGST-GRA3_{39-138}$ were soluble, while $rGST-ROP2_{324-561}$ and $rGST-MIC2_{1-284}$ were not. $GRA2_{31-71}$, intrinsically unstructured domain (IUD) of GRA2, was used as a linker to enhance the solubility. The $rGST-GRA2_{31-71}-ROP2_{324-561}$, a chimeric protein, appeared to be soluble. Moreover, $rGST-GRA2_{31-71}-MIC2_{1-284}$ was also soluble and had higher IgG avidity comparing to $rGST-MIC2_{1-284}$. These 4 highly expressed and water-soluble recombinant antigenic proteins may be promising candidates to improve the serodiagnosis of toxoplasmosis in addition to the major surface antigen of SAG1.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2012.05a
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• pp.73-73
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• 2012

Modern technology-driven society largely relies on hybrid electric vehicles or electric vehicles for eco-friendly transportation and the use of high technology devices. Lithium rechargeable batteries are the most promising power sources because of its high energy density but still have a challenge. Graphite is the most widely used anode material in the field of lithium rechargeable batteries due to its many advantages such as good cyclic performances, and high charge/discharge efficiency in the initial cycle. However, it has an important safety issue associated with the dendritic lithium growth on the anode surface at high charging current because the conventional graphite approaches almost 0 V vs $Li/Li^+$ at the end of lithium insertion. Therefore, a fundamental solution is to use an electrochemical redox couple with higher equilibrium potentials, which suppresses lithium metal formation on the anode surface. Among the candidates, $Li_4Ti_5O_{12}$ is a very interesting intercalation compound with safe operation, high rate capability, no volume change, and excellent cycleability. But the insulating character of $Li_4Ti_5O_{12}$ has raised concerns about its electrochemical performance. The initial insulating character associated with Ti4+ in $Li_4Ti_5O_{12}$ limits the electronic transfer between particles and to the external circuit, thereby worsening its high rate performance. In order to overcome these weak points, several alternative synthetic methods are highly required. Hence, in this presentation, novel ways using a synergetic strategy based on 1D architecture and surface coating will be introduced to enhance the kinetic property of Ti-based electrode. In addition, first-principle calculation will prove its significance to design Ti-based electrode for the most optimized electrochemical performance.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.31-39
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to isolate bacteriocin-producing bacteria with antagonistic activities against pathogens from the intestines of pigs for probiotic use. Lactobacillus sp. AP 116 possessing antimicrobial property was selected from a total of 500 isolates. The AP 116 strain showed a relatively broad spectrum of inhibitory activity against Listeria monocytogenes, Clostridium perfringens, Pediococcus dextrinicus, and Enterococcus strains using the spot-on-lawn method. Bacteriocin activity remained unchanged after 15 min of heat treatment at $121^{\circ}C$ and exposure to organic solvents; however, it diminished after treatment with proteolytic enzymes. Maximum production of bacteriocin occurred at $34^{\circ}C$ when a pH of 6.0 was maintained throughout the culture during fermentation. According to a tricine SDS-PAGE analysis, the molecular weight of the bacteriocin was approximately 5 kDa. The isolate tolerated bile salts and low pH, and also induced nitric oxide (NO) in mouse peritoneal macrophages. Bacteriocin and bacteriocin-producing bacteria, such as Lactobacillus sp. AP 116, could be potential candidates for use as probiotics as an alternative to antibiotics in the pig industry.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.203-209
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• 2016

Recently, increased attention has been directed toward medicinal extracts and their active ingredients as potential new drug candidates for androgenic alopecia. Resina Pini (RP), a resinous exudation obtained from Pinus sp. (Pinaceae), has been used as a traditional medicine for the treatment of infection, pain related to dental caries, and periodontal disease. Previously, we suggested that RP and its main constituent, abietic acid (abieta-7,13-dien-18-oic acid; AA), may play important roles against androgenic alopecia as $5{\alpha}$-reductase inhibitors. However, to date, there is no evidence that AA has hair growth-promoting effects in vivo. In this study, we found that 10 ~ 300 mg/kg RP and 3 ~ 30 mg/kg AA significantly promoted hair growth in a C3H/HeN mouse model of alopecia. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the hair growth-promoting effects of RP and AA in vivo. From these results, RP and its main constituent AA can promote hair growth in mouse by inhibiting $5{\alpha}$-reductase activity and may be effective alternative therapies for androgenic alopecia.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.14-21
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• 2013

Objectives: The objective of this study was to examine how an integrated approach to type 2 diabetes mellitus treatment could improve glycemic control and immune-potentiating activities adherent to oral hypoglycemic agents along with a botanical compound, among primary care patients. Methods: In this study, we used the self-control and the group-control methods. Candidates meeting the trial conditions were selected from among volunteers who had taken the test substance for 45 days. During the trial, all groups were on a controlled diet; neither were the original medications nor their dosages changed. Results: The results showed that the botanical compound (Glyco-Persica$^{(R)}$) significantly reduced the main clinical symptoms in diabetes type 2. In the treatment group, 36 of 52 patients (69.23%) and in the control group 10 of 52 patients (19.23%) showed reduced symptoms, and this difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The fasting blood sugar in the treatment group after treatment compared with that before treatment and with that in the control group after treatment was statistically different (P < 0.05). The post-prandial glucose in the treatment group after treatment was significantly different from that before treatment and from that in the control group after treatment (P < 0.05); the post-prandial blood sugar in the treatment group was reduced by 8.98%. Conclusions: The results revealed that the botanical compound (Glyco-Persica$^{(R)}$) has significant hypoglycemic properties which affect main clinical symptoms in diabetes type 2. Body weight, blood pressure, heart rate, routine blood, stool and urine tests showed no meaningful negative changes after the course of treatment. There was no significant adverse reaction during the trial.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2006.06a
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• pp.242-242
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• 2006

Increasingly complex tasks are performed by computers or cellular phone, requiring more and more memory capacity as well as faster and faster processing speeds. This leads to a constant need to develop more highly integrated circuit systems. Therefore, there have been numerous studies by many engineers investigating circuit patterning. In particular, PCB including module/package substrates such as FCB (Flip Chip Board) has been developed toward being low profile, low power and multi-functionalized due to the demands on miniaturization, increasing functional density of the boards and higher performances of the electric devices. Imprint lithography have received significant attention due to an alternative technology for photolithography on such devices. The imprint technique. is one of promising candidates, especially due to the fact that the expected resolution limits are far beyond the requirements of the PCB industry in the near future. For applying imprint lithography to FCB, it is very important to control thermal properties and mechanical properties of dielectric materials. These properties are very dependent on epoxy resin, curing agent, accelerator, filler and curing degree(%) of dielectric materials. In this work, the epoxy composites filled with silica fillers and cured with various accelerators having various curing degree(%) were prepared. The characterization of the thermal and mechanical properties wasperformed by thermal mechanical analysis (TMA), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), rheometer, an universal test machine (UTM).

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.379-385
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• 2015

The eye irritation potential of drug candidates or pharmaceutical ingredients should be evaluated if there is a possibility of ocular exposure. Traditionally, the ocular irritation has been evaluated by the rabbit Draize test. However, rabbit eyes are more sensitive to irritants than human eyes, therefore substantial level of false positives are unavoidable. To resolve this species difference, several three-dimensional human corneal epithelial (HCE) models have been developed as alternative eye irritation test methods. Recently, we introduced a new HCE model, MCTT HCE$^{TM}$ which is reconstructed with non-transformed human corneal cells from limbal tissues. Here, we examined if MCTT HCE$^{TM}$ can be employed to evaluate eye irritation potential of solid substances. Through optimization of washing method and exposure time, treatment time was established as 10 min and washing procedure was set up as 4 times of washing with 10 mL of PBS and shaking in 30 mL of PBS in a beaker. With the established eye irritation test protocol, 11 solid substances (5 non-irritants, 6 irritants) were evaluated which demonstrated an excellent predictive capacity (100% accuracy, 100% specificity and 100% sensitivity). We also compared the performance of our test method with rabbit Draize test results and in vitro cytotoxicity test with 2D human corneal epithelial cell lines.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.237-244
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• 2020

Endometrial cancer (EC) in young women tends to be early-stage and low-grade; therefore, such cases have good prognoses. Fertility-sparing treatment with progestin is a potential alternative to definitive treatment (i.e., total hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, pelvic washing, and/or lymphadenectomy) for selected patients. However, no evidence-based consensus or guidelines yet exist, and this topic is subject to much debate. Generally, the ideal candidates for fertility-sparing treatment have been suggested to be young women with grade 1 endometrioid adenocarcinoma confined to the endometrium. Magnetic resonance imaging should be performed to rule out myometrial invasion and extrauterine disease before initiating fertility-sparing treatment. Although various fertility-sparing treatment methods exist, including the levonorgestrel-intrauterine system, metformin, gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists, photodynamic therapy, and hysteroscopic resection, the most common method is high-dose oral progestin (medroxyprogesterone acetate at 500-600 mg daily or megestrol acetate at 160 mg daily). During treatment, re-evaluation of the endometrium with dilation and curettage at 3 months is recommended. Although no consensus exists regarding the ideal duration of maintenance treatment after achieving regression, it is reasonable to consider maintaining the progestin therapy until pregnancy with individualization. According to the literature, the ovarian stimulation drugs used for fertility treatments appear safe. Hysterectomy should be performed after childbearing, and hysterectomy without oophorectomy can also be considered for young women. The available evidence suggests that fertility-sparing treatment is effective and does not appear to worsen the prognosis. If an eligible patient strongly desires fertility despite the risk of recurrence, the clinician should consider fertility-sparing treatment with close follow-up.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.245-255
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• 2019

Stem cells are attracting attention as a key element in future medicine, satisfying the desire to live a healthier life with the possibility that they can regenerate tissue damaged or degenerated by disease or aging. Stem cells are defined as undifferentiated cells that have the ability to replicate and differentiate themselves into various tissues cells. Stem cells, commonly encountered in clinical or preclinical stages, are largely classified into embryonic, adult, and induced pluripotent stem cells. Recently, stem cell transplantation has been frequently applied to the treatment of pain as an alternative or promising approach for the treatment of severe osteoarthritis, neuropathic pain, and intractable musculoskeletal pain which do not respond to conventional medicine. The main idea of applying stem cells to neuropathic pain is based on the ability of stem cells to release neurotrophic factors, along with providing a cellular source for replacing the injured neural cells, making them ideal candidates for modulating and possibly reversing intractable neuropathic pain. Even though various differentiation capacities of stem cells are reported, there is not enough knowledge and technique to control the differentiation into desired tissues in vivo. Even though the use of stem cells is still in the very early stages of clinical use and raises complicated ethical problems, the future of stem cells therapies is very bright with the help of accumulating evidence and technology.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.137-145
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• 2021

Among the non-precious metal catalysts, iron-nitrogen doped carbon (Fe-N/C) catalysts have been recognized as the most promising candidates for an alternative to Pt-based catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) under alkaline and acidic conditions. In this study, the nano replication method using mesoporous silica, which features tunable primary particle sizes and shape, is employed to prepare the mesoporous Fe-N/C catalysts with different shapes. Platelet SBA-15, irregular KIT-6, and spherical silica particle (SSP) were selected as a template to generate three different kinds of shapes of the mesoporous Fe-N/C catalyst. Physicochemical properties of mesoporous Fe-N/C catalysts are characterized by using small-angle X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms, and scanning electron microscopy images. According to the electrochemical evaluation, there is no morphological preference of mesoporous Fe-N/C catalysts toward the ORR activity with half-cell configuration under alkaline electrolyte. By implementing X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis of Fe and N atoms in the mesoporous Fe-N/C catalysts, it is possible to verify that the activity towards ORR highly depends on the portions of "Fe-N" species in the catalysts regardless of the shape of catalysts. It was suggested that active site distribution in the Fe-N/C is one important factor towards ORR activity.