• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.390-395
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• 2022

Objectives: Sweet bee venom (sBV) is purified from Apis mellifera, containing a high level of melittin-its main component. It has been used as a therapeutic agent for pain relief and anti-inflammation, as well as for treating neuronal abnormalities. Recently, there have been studies on the therapeutic application of sBV for anticancer treatment. In the present study, we investigated the pharmacological effect of sBV treatment in A549 human lung cancer cells. Methods: We used microscopic analysis to observe the morphological changes in A549 cells after sBV treatment. The MTT assay was used to examine the cytotoxic effect after dose-dependent sBV treatment. Molecular changes in sBV were evaluated by the expression of apoptosis marker proteins using western blot analysis. Results: Microscopic analysis suggested that the growth inhibitory effect occurred in a dose-dependent manner; however, cell lysis occurred at a concentration over 20 ㎍/mL of sBV. The MTT assay indicated that sBV treatment exhibited a growth inhibitory effect at a concentration over 5 ㎍/mL. On fluorescence activated cell sorting analysis, G0 dead cells were observed after G1 arrest at treatment concentrations up to 10 ㎍/mL. However, rapid cell rupture was observed at a concentration of 20 ㎍/mL. Western blot analysis demonstrated that sBV treatment modulated the expression of multiple cell death-related proteins, including cleaved-PARP, cleaved-caspase 9, p53, Bcl2, and Bax. Conclusion: sBV induced cell death in A549 human lung cancer cells at a pharmacological concentration, albeit causing hemolytic cell death at a high concentration.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.41-48
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• 1999

This review focused on the pharmacological treatment of alcoholism, especially alcoholism-related mental disorder. The pharmacological agent for alcoholism can be divided into the following categories : anticraving agent, aversive agent, agent to treat acute alcohol withdrawal, agent to diminish drinking by treating associated psychiatric pathology, agent to induce sobriety in intoxicated individuals. Following trends are included in new trends of pharmacological treatment of alcoholism. What are precise conditions amenable to pharmacological intervention? ; How can psychosocial and behavioral intervention be integrated with pharmacotherapy to enhance treatment outcome? ; Is the concept of "matching" specific pharmacotherapy treatment to different aspect of alcoholism more efficacious than a more generalized medicational approach to treatment? One of the most important factors for alcoholics treatment is good and proper therapeutic relationship with patients and setting up individually specialized treatment program is also important.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.541-545
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• 2008

This paper was studied to research regarding the removal of contained nitrogen in industrial wastewater which uses the A2O4 advanced water treatment process. The field researches of two companies' wastewater occurred in each wastewater treatment site to apply the A2O4 process system, it was observed them for 20 days. As a result of the A2O4 system advanced wastewater process which applied an altitude control process obtained $10{\sim}76\;mg/L$, and 20 mg/L total nitrogen compound concentration in the two wastewater plants. In conclusion, it applied the A2O4 system in the two companies' wastewater system.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.597-603
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• 2018

Inhibitory effect of colchicine on growth and gravitropic responses in Arabidopsis root was explored to find whether there was an involvement of ethylene production. It has been known that cytoskeleton components are implicated in sedimentation of statoliths to respond to gravitropism and growth. The root growth was inhibited by 25% and 40% over control for 8 hr treatment of colchicine at a concentration of $10^{-5}M$ and $10^{-7}M$, respectively. The roots treated with colchicine at the concentration of $10^{-7}M$ showed the same pattern as control in 3 hr, however, gravitropic response was decreased in the next 5 hr. The colchicine treatment at the concentration of $10^{-5}M$ inhibited the gravitropic response resulting in $60^{\circ}$ of curvature. In order to better understand the role of colchicine, the production of ethylene was measured with and without the treatment of colchicine. Colchicine increased the ethylene production by 20% when compared to control via the activation of ACC oxidase and ACC synthase activity. These results suggest that the inhibition of the growth and gravitropic responses of Arabidopsis roots by the treatment of colchicine could be attributed to the rearrangement of microtubule, and increase of ethylene production.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.89-100
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• 2018

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation method that delivers 1-2 mA of current to the scalp. Several clinical studies have been conducted to confirm the therapeutic effect of major depressive disorder (MDD) patients with tDCS. Some studies have shown tDCS's antidepressant effect, while the others showed conflicting results in antidepressant effects. Our aim of this review is to understand the biological bases of tDCS's antidepressant effect and review the results of studies on tDCS's antidepressant effect. For the review and search process of MDD treatment using tDCS, the US National Library of Medicine search engine PubMed was used. In this review, we discuss the biological mechanism of tDCS's antidepressant effect and the existing published literature including meta-analysis, systematic review, control trial, open studies, and case reports of antidepressant effects and cognitive function improvement in patients with MDD are reviewed. We also discuss the appropriate tDCS protocol for MDD patients, factors predictive of response to tDCS treatment, the disadvantages of tDCS in MDD treatment, and side effects.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2012

In the previous review, the physical aspect of heavy particles, with a focus on the carbon beam was introduced. Particle beam therapy has many potential advantages for cancer treatment without increasing severe side effects in normal tissue, these kinds of radiation have different biologic characteristics and have advantages over using conventional photon beam radiation during treatment. The relative biological effectiveness (RBE) is used for many biological, clinical endpoints among different radiation types and is the only convenient way to transfer the clinical experience in radiotherapy with photons to another type of radiation therapy. However, the RBE varies dependent on the energy of the beam, the fractionation, cell types, oxygenation status, and the biological endpoint studied. Thus this review describes the concerns about RBE related to particle beam to increase interests of the Korean radiation oncologists' society.

• Journal of Marine Life Science
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.117-123
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• 2021

Post-disturbance recovery pattern of subtidal soft corals-macroalgae mixed community and the role of water depth were investigated. The experiment was conducted in a subtidal rock wall of Munseom, Jeju Island, Korea for 2.5 years. Artificial disturbance was done at established treatment plots at depths of 10, 15 and 20 m and were then compared with undisturbed control plots. After disturbance, recovery of soft corals was very slow, whereas macroalgae quickly occupied the plots and reached a similar level as the control in 6 months, and this pattern was consistent at all water depths. This unbalanced speed of recovery caused higher macroalgae establishment than soft corals in treatment compared to control plots, indicating a possible phase shift in the community structure. This study provides an important implication for the necessity of monitoring the influence of disturbance at a larger scale, from a conservation perspective of soft corals in Jeju coast.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.409-416
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• 2018

Vasicinone, a quinazoline alkaloid from Adhatoda vasica Nees. is well known for its bronchodilator activity. However its anti-proliferative activities is yet to be elucidated. Here-in we investigated the anti-proliferative effect of vasicinone and its underlying mechanism against A549 lung carcinoma cells. The A549 cells upon treatment with various doses of vasicinone (10, 30, 50, $70{\mu}M$) for 72 h showed significant decrease in cell viability. Vasicinone treatment also showed DNA fragmentation, LDH leakage, and disruption of mitochondrial potential, and lower wound healing ability in A549 cells. The Annexin V/PI staining showed disrupted plasma membrane integrity and permeability of PI in treated cells. Moreover vasicinone treatment also lead to down regulation of Bcl-2, Fas death receptor and up regulation of PARP, BAD and cytochrome c, suggesting the anti-proliferative nature of vasicinone which mediated apoptosis through both Fas death receptors as well as Bcl-2 regulated signaling. Furthermore, our preliminary studies with vasicinone treatment also showed to lower the ROS levels in A549 cells and have potential free radical scavenging (DPPH, Hydroxyl) activity and ferric reducing power in cell free systems. Thus combining all, vasicinone may be used to develop a new therapeutic agent against oxidative stress induced lung cancer.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.136-142
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• 2018

The river water source of Saidabad Surface Water Treatment Plant at Dhaka, Bangladesh, is deteriorated too much to be treated by conventional treatment process due to excessive ammonia pollution. In order to improve the raw water quality before it enters into the main treatment chain, a pilot study was conducted for pre-treatment of the raw water. The objective is to investigate the rate of reduction of ammonia using the Meteor pilot, a biological pretreatment system, which is a laboratory scale Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor with a nominal volume of hundred liters, filled with 50 L of Meteor 660 media. The reduction of ammonia was quite significant on average 73%, while the reduction of COD was in a range from 20 to 60%. The Meteor pilot was able to treat and nitrify the raw water and produce an effluent that respects the guarantee of ammonia < $4.0mg\;NH_3-N/L$ when the raw water ammonia concentration was < $15mg\;NH_3-N/L$. The study identified operating parameters necessary to achieve the desired goal of adequate ammonia removal. The study results would benefit a range of systems across the country by providing guidance on the design and operation of a biological pre-treatment system for ammonia removal.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.73-80
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• 1987

Primary cultures of adult rat hepatocytes were used to study the cytotoxicity of D-galactosamine. Hepatocytes were isolated by a collagenase perfusion technique and maintained as monolayers in serum-free medium on collagen-coated culture dishes. Treatment of galactosamine to the culture markedly inhibited the uptake of ${\alpha}$-aminoisobutyric acid (AIB) inducible with glucagon and dexamethasone. At0.1 mM of galactosamine, AIB uptake was inhibited significantly when treated for 12 hr. At higher doses (0.25, 0.5 and 1.0mM), a significant inhibition was noticed after 1 hr exposure. Generally the magnitude of the inhibition was related to the dose and treatment time of galactosamine. Treatment of galactosamine also produced a dose- and treatment time-related suppression of the tyrosine aminotransferase (TAT) induction caused by dexamethasone. Meanwhile, uptake of ouabain was not affected by the treatment of galactosamine. The viability of the hepatocytes was decreased only slightly by the treatment of galactosamine; more than 87% of the cells excluded tryphane blue when treated 1 mM galactosamine for 12 hr. Galactosamine induced depressions of AIB uptake and TAT activity were prevented by the simultaneous addition of uridine to the culture. D-Galactosamine, cytotoxicity, hepatocytes culture, ${\alpha}$-aminoisobutyric acid uptake, tyrosine aminotransferase.