• Journal of Life Science
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.407-416
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• 2012

In this study, we purified the extracts from the seeds and the roots of various plant species, including Q. acutissima, C. lanceolata, P. mirifica, P. bambusoides, and S. repens, and then investigated the effects of these extracts on cell growth and fat accumulation in adipocytes. We found that the extracts purified from Q. acutissima, C. lanceolata, P. mirifica, P. bambusoides, and S. repens more effectively increased the cell growth, as well as promoting the fat accumulation in adipocytes to a greater extent, than other extracts in vitro. Therefore, we made breast packs containing these effective extracts, and then investigated whether they were effective in enhancing the elasticity and volume of women's breasts. The measurements of breast elasticity and size revealed that the breast packs efficiently increased the elasticity and size of women's breasts. Furthermore, evaluation of the questionnaires related to usage of the breast packs indicated great satisfaction in terms of the lift, firmness, and elasticity of breasts. In conclusion, extracts purified from Q. acutissima, C. lanceolata, P. mirifica, P. bambusoides, and S. repens leading to cell growth and fat accumulation in adipocytes can effectively contribute to improving the elasticity and size of women's breasts.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.355-361
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• 1999

Distribution of size class, population regeneration and changes in the population structure of Quercus mongolica were studied from 1994 to 1999 in Mt. Jumbong (128°27' E, 38° 04' N) of Mt. Sorak National Park and Biosphere Reserve in central Korea. Three 20m × 20m permanent quadrats were set up at the elevation of 900m. The vegetation of the study site was dominated by Quercus mongolica and Acer pseudosieboldianum, but little change was observed in the community structure from 1995 to 1999. Most mortality in the study site was observed in small trees of A. pseudosieboldianum and Tilia amurensis. Mean annual growth in dbh (diameter of breast height) of Q. mongolica for 4 years was only 0.09cm, and no ingrowth of saplings (dbh < 2.5cm) into tree class was observed during the study period. Among the 21 Q. mongolica trees studied in the permanent quadrats. all the smaller trees (dbh < 30cm) were established in 1920 ∼ 1950, while many bigger trees (with 40cm < dbh < 80cm) were established in 1750 ∼ 1800, indicating that its establishment was episodic. Distribution of dbh classes among Q. mongolica trees shows that smaller trees were poorly represented, and no saplings of Q. mongolica occurred in the permanent quadrats studied, indicating that currently Q. mongolica is not regenerating well in the study site. Total seed production of Q. mongolica in 1994 was estimated as 88 acorns per square meter in the study site. Rate of predation including caching of acorns was highest in 1994, then declined sharply thereafter. Most of the acorns which managed to survive in the first year were predated in the second year, and only 5% of the acorns produced in 1994 survived into the third year. No seeds produced in 1994 or seedlings germinated from them succeeded to survive to 5 years after seed production. However, seedling emergence rate and seedling survival were high in the early growing season in 1995. These results suggest that predation can be a significant factor in the regeneration of Q. mongolica. and that Q. mongolica is not regenerating well in Mt. Jumbong and needs large scale disturbances for its new recruitment.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.67-77
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• 2010

Stand structure and spatial associations of the dominant tree species in Quercus mongolica stands were investigated to understand interspecific relationships and the persistent dominance of Q. mongolica. We examined the species composition, DBH (diameter at breast height) distribution, and spatial distribution of trees (${\geq}\;2.5\;cm$ DBH) in two permanent $100\;m\;{\times}\;100\;m$ plots in Q. mongolica-dominant stands on the western part of Mt. Jiri. Ripley's K-function was used to characterize the spatial patterns and associations of dominant tree species. Q. mongolica showed a continuous and reverse-J shaped DBH distribution with clumped spatial distribution in both study sites. Q. mongolica and Abies koreana exhibited a negative association implying potential interspecific competition. The positive spatial association between Q. mongolica and Alnus hirsuta var. sibirica and Fraxinus sieboldiana were affected by site characteristics: limited habitat conditions with a large proportion of rock surface. Our results suggest that interactions among species were complex and ranged from positive to negative. Differences in stand and site characteristics and regeneration mechanisms among the species play an important role in regulating their spatial distribution patterns, while competition between individuals also contributes to spatial patterning of these communities. The high density and the early developmental stage of spatial distribution and structural characteristics of Q. mongolica and the relatively low importance values of other species in the stands imply that Q. mongolica will remain dominant in the study sites in the near future.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.21
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• pp.9535-9541
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• 2014

Background: Identifying risk factors of breast cancer is a key point for preventive strategies to reduce the incidence. The aim of current study was to determine most important risk factors for breast cancer in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) using a systematic review. Materials and Methods: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science till August 24, 2012 and the reference lists of all included studies were searched. Analytic studies which had reported odds ratios (OR), relative risk (RR) or required data to calculate them were included. A total of 343 studies were critically appraised and finally 30 studies were meta-analyzed. Heterogeneity between the studies was assessed by $I^2$ and Cochran's Q. Egger's test was used to assess publication bias. Results: Twenty five casecontrol studies, one nested case-control and four cohort studies were included. The largest ORs were obtained for history of no live birth (2.25; 95%CI: 1.58-3.18), body mass index (BMI) more than 30 (2.21; 95%CI: 1.71-2.36), age at first pregnancy more than 30 years old (1.52; 95%CI: 1.30-1.77) and meat consumption more than three times per week (1.39; 95%CI: 1.03-1.87). The other important predictors were higher education and smoking as risk factors, physical activity and ovulatory stimulating medication as protective factors. Conclusions: The most important predictors of breast cancer in EMR were history of no live birth, BMI more than 30, age at first pregnancy more than 30 years old, physical inactivity and smoking. Almost all these risk factors are consistent with known risk factors for this cancer in other parts of the world.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.10
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• pp.6089-6094
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• 2013

Berberine, a common isoquinoline alkaloid, has been shown to possess anti-cancer activities. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms are still not completely understood. In the current study, we investigated the effects of berberine on cell growth, colony formation, cell cycle distribution, and whether it improved the anticancer efficiency of cisplatin and doxorubicin in human breast cancer estrogen receptor positive (ER+) MCF-7 cells and estrogen receptor negative (ER-) MDA-MB-231 cells. Notably, berberine treatment significantly inhibited cell growth and colony formation in the two cell lines, berberine in combination with cisplatin exerting synergistic growth inhibitory effects. Accompanied by decreased growth, berberine induced G1 phase arrest in MCF-7 but not MDA-MB-231 cells. To provide a more detailed understanding of the mechanisms of action of berberine, we performed genome-wide expression profiling of berberine-treated cells using cDNA microarrays. This revealed that there were 3,397 and 2,706 genes regulated by berberine in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells, respectively. Fene oncology (GO) analysis identified that many of the target genes were involved in regulation of the cell cycle, cell migration, apoptosis, and drug responses. To confirm the microarray data, qPCR analysis was conducted for 10 selected genes based on previously reported associations with breast cancer and GO analysis. In conclusion, berberine exhibits inhibitory effects on breast cancer cells proliferation, which is likely mediated by alteration of gene expression profiles.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.379-387
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• 2024

Breast cancer (BC) is most commonly diagnosed worldwide. Liquiritigenin is a flavonoid found in various species of the Glycyrrhiza genus, showing anti-tumor activity. This article was to explore the influences of liquiritigenin on the biological behaviors of BC cells and its underlying mechanism. BC cells were treated with liquiritigenin alone or transfected with oe-HSP90 before liquiritigenin treatment. RT-qPCR and Western blotting were employed to examine the levels of HSP90, Snail, E-cadherin, HSC70, and LAMP-2A. Cell viability, proliferation, migration, and invasion were evaluated by performing MTT, colony formation, scratch, and Transwell assays, respectively. Liquiritigenin treatment reduced HSP90 and Snail levels and enhanced E-cadherin expression as well as inhibiting the proliferation, migration, and invasion of BC cells. Moreover, liquiritigenin treatment decreased the expression of HSC70 and LAMP-2A, proteins related to chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA). HSP90 overexpression promoted the CMA, invasion, and migration of BC cells under liquiritigenin treatment. Liquiritigenin inhibits HSP90-mediated CMA, thereby suppressing BC cell growth.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.425-436
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• 2015

The carbon cycle came into the spotlight due to the climate change and forests are well-known for their capacity to store carbon amongst other terrestrial ecosystems. The annual organic carbon of litter production, forest floor litter layer, soil, aboveground and belowground part of plant, standing biomass, net primary production, uptake of organic carbon, soil respiration, etc. were measured in Mt. Worak in order to understand the production and carbon budget of Quercus serrata forest that are widely spread in the central and southern part of the Korean Peninsula. The total amount of organic carbon of Q. serrata forest during the study period (2010-2013) was 130.745 ton C ha^-1. The aboveground part of plant, belowground part of plant, forest floor litter layer, and organic carbon in soil was 50.041, 12.510, 4.075, and 64.119 ton C ha^-1, respectively. The total average of carbon fixation in plants from photosynthesis was 4.935 ton C ha^-1 yr^-1 and organic carbon released from soil respiration to microbial respiration was 3.972 ton C ha^-1 yr^-1. As a result, the net ecosystem production of Q. serrata forest estimated from carbon fixation and soil respiration was 0.963 ton C ha^-1 yr^-1. Therefore, it seems that Q. serrata forest can act as a sink that absorbs carbon from the atmosphere. The carbon uptake of Q. serrata forest was highest in stem of the plant and the research site had young forest which had many trees with small diameter at breast height (DBH). Consequentially, it seems that active matter production and vigorous carbon dioxide assimilation occurred in Q. serrata forest and these results have proven to be effective for Q. serrata forest to play a role as carbon storage and NEP.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2019

The objective of this study was to establish an optimized 1D $^1H$ quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance (qNMR) analytical method for analyzing polar metabolites in meat. Three extraction solutions [0.6 M perchloric acid, 10 mM phosphate buffer, water/methanol (1:1)], three reconstitution buffers [20 mM 3-morpholinopropane-1-sulfonic acid, 2-[4-(2-hydroxyethyl)piperazin-1-yl]ethanesulfonic acid, phosphate buffer], and two pulse programs (zg30, noesypr1d) were evaluated. Extraction with 0.6 M perchloric acid and 20 mM phosphate resulted in a stable baseline and no additional overlap for quantifying polar metabolites in chicken breast. In qNMR analysis, zg30 pulse program (without water-suppression) showed smaller relative standard deviation (RSD) and faster running time than noesypr1d (water-suppression). High-performance liquid chromatography was compared with qNMR analyses to validate accuracy. The zg30 pulse program showed good accuracy and lower RSD. The optimized qNMR method was able to apply for beef and pork samples. Thus, an optimized 1D $^1H$ qNMR method for meat metabolomics was established.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.147-153
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• 2007

To search for a molecular design of a new breast cancerous inhibitory active compound, 2D-QSAR and HQSAR between the substituents of flavopiridol analogues as substrates and their breast cancerous inhibitory activities against MCF-7 cell were analyzed and discussed quantitatively. It was found that the dispersion with molecule and steric hindrance with substituents will have a tremendous impact on the inhibitory activities from the 2D-QSAR model (1). Also, MR constant is better than that of MS constant as animportant factor. The inhibitory activities from 2D-QSAR model (2) were dependent upon the optimum MR constant (MR = 126 $Cm^3/mol$). Optimized HQSAR model (V) exhibited the best predictability of the inhibitory activities based on the cross-validated $r^2_{cv}$($q^2$= 0.583) and non-cross-validated conventional coefficient ($r^2_{ncv}$= 0.982). From the contribution maps, the inhibitory activity by the imino group on $C_9$ atom was higher than that of the hydroxyl group of $C_8$ atom on the A ring in molecule. Therefore, we can confirm that the dispersion by substituents in molecule is the most important factor in inhibitory activities against MCF-7 cell.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.148-156
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• 1995

This study was conducted to investigate the actual vegetation and plant community structure of the urban forest in Kwangju Metropolitan City. Thirty eight plots in the urban forest were set up by the clumped sampling method. The degree of green naturality, 6 that is artifical planting area covered 10.9% in Kwangju Metropolitan City and Pinus densiflora community covered 48.7% of the actual vegetations of urban forest. Canopy height, Diameter of breast height (DBH) and No. of species in urban forest were 13.5m, 21cm and 24 species, respectively. The soil conditions and community structure of the urban forest were differenced by location of urban and suburban area. The plant communities divided into six groups which were Quercus acutissima community, Q. acutissima-Robinia pseudo-acacia community, Pinus rigida Community, P. rigida-P. densiflora community, P. densifrora-Q. acutissima community and Q, serrata-P. densiflora community. Successional series of the urban forest in the surveyed area were proceeding from P. dinsiflora to Quercus species. The species diversity of plant were high in natural plant community but low in artificial plant community. Tree density in the canopy layer varied from 600ea/ha to 2,800ea/ha.