• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.343-351
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• 2016

Although the chemical, physical, and nutritional properties of bovine milk have been extensively studied, only a few studies have attempted to characterize milk-synthesizing genes using RNA-seq data. RNA-seq data was collected from 21 Holstein samples, along with group information about milk production ability; milk yield; and protein, fat, and solid contents. Meta-analysis was employed in order to generally characterize genes related to milk production. In addition, we attempted to investigate the relationship between milk related traits, parity, and lactation period. We observed that milk fat is highly correlated with lactation period; this result indicates that this effect should be considered in the model in order to accurately detect milk production related genes. By employing our developed model, 271 genes were significantly (false discovery rate [FDR] adjusted p-value<0.1) detected as milk production related differentially expressed genes. Of these genes, five (albumin, nitric oxide synthase 3, RNA-binding region (RNP1, RRM) containing 3, secreted and transmembrane 1, and serine palmitoyltransferase, small subunit B) were technically validated using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) in order to check the accuracy of RNA-seq analysis. Finally, 83 gene ontology biological processes including several blood vessel and mammary gland development related terms, were significantly detected using DAVID gene-set enrichment analysis. From these results, we observed that detected milk production related genes are highly enriched in the circulation system process and mammary gland related biological functions. In addition, we observed that detected genes including caveolin 1, mammary serum amyloid A3.2, lingual antimicrobial peptide, cathelicidin 4 (CATHL4), cathelicidin 6 (CATHL6) have been reported in other species as milk production related gene. For this reason, we concluded that our detected 271 genes would be strong candidates for determining milk production.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.43-54
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• 1974

The cactus family Cactaceae, numbering about 1,500 species, is a fleshy-stemmed perennial plant which is principally distributed in the south and north America. On the other hand, the cactus plant is presumed to be introduced into Korea in 1912-1945, thereafter it has been cultivated merely in favor of ornamentation with the exception of being occasionally used as medication among laymen. Opuntia elata which belongs to Opuntia genus, the Cactaceae family is one of the cacti being cultivated a great deal in Korea. Cho et. al. reported in 1974 that Opuntia dilenii manifested the cardiac inhibitory effect and oxytocic effect, and its mechanism might be partially due to the direct action. Besides this, there are few reports on the pharmacological research concerning Opuntia genus to be demonstrated in Korea. However, some other cacti have the remarkable pharmacological effects; the active ingredients, mescaline, anhalamine, anhalanine, etc. from Peyote cactus (Lophophora williamsii) belonging to Lophophora genus have the psychotomimetic and sympathomimetic effects, and the cardioactive glycosides from Cactus Grandifolius (Selenicereus grandiflorus) belonging to Cereus genus have the cardioactive and diuretic effects. The authors hereby inquired into this study to find out the propriety of the pharmacological properties of the ethanol extract of Opuntia elata (EX) on the heart, blood pressure, respiration, intestine and uterus in the experimental animals. The results of the experiment were as follows: 1. Administration of EX manifested the cardiac inhibitory effect caused by the negative inotropic action in the isolated heart of frog, and the pretreatment of atropine did not affect the inhibitory effect produced by EX. 2. Administration of EX manifested the transient hypotensive effect in the intact rabbit, and the pretreatment of atropine did not affect the hypotensive effect produced by EX. 3. Administration of the small dose of EX manifested no significant effect, but moderate dose or more the stimulating effect, and the large dose the asphyxia on the respiratory motility in the intact rabbit. 4. Administration of EX manifested the sustained augmentation of contractility in the excised duodenum of rabbit, and the pretreatment of atropine did not affect the stimulating effect produced by EX. 5. Administration of EX manifested the sustained augmentation of contractility in the excised pregnant uterus of rabbit, and the pretreatment of atropine and oxytocin did not affect the oxytocic effect produced by EX, but that of barium chloride more or less stimulated the oxytocic effect produced by EX.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.9-12
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• 2012

Background: Cefcapene pivoxil hydrochloride, is an ester-type oral cephem antibiotic. This study was performed to compare the pharmacokinetics and evaluate the bioequivalence of two cefcapene pivoxil hydrochloride 75 mg formulations. Method: In a randomized $2{\times}2$ crossover study, sixty healthy male volunteers were randomly assigned into two groups. After a single dose of 75 mg cefcapene pivoxil hydrochloride oral administration, blood samples were collected at specific time intervals from 0-12 hours. The plasma concentrations of cefcapene pivoxil hydrochloride were determined by LC-MS/MS. The pharmacokinetic parameters were determined from the plasma concentration-time profiles of both formulations. The pharmacokinetic parameters such as $AUC_{last}$, $AUC_{inf}$ and $C_{max}$, were calculated and the 90% confidence intervals for test/reference ratio for pharmacokinetic parameters were obtained by analysis of variance on logarithmically transformed data. Results: The mean value for $AUC_{last}$ in test and reference drug was $4053.1{\pm}876.5\;ng{\cdot}hr/mL$ and $3595.7{\pm}1029.1\;ng{\cdot}h/mL$, respectively. The mean value for $C_{max}$ in test and reference drug was $1324.9{\pm}321.4$ ng/mL and $1159.1{\pm}335.9$ ng/mL, respectively. The 90% confidence intervals of the $AUC_{last}$ and $C_{max}$ ratio for test drug and reference drug were log 1.09-log1.22 and log 1.09-log1.24, respectively. No adverse events were reported by subjects or found on analysis of vital signs or laboratory tests. Conclusion: This single dose study found that the test and reference products met the regulatory criteria for bioequivalence in these health volunteers. Both formulations were safe and well tolerated in 75 mg of cefcapene pivoxil hydrochloride.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.337-349
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• 1999

The extracellular matrix(ECM) is a complex network of different combination of collagens, glycosaminoglycans, laminin, fibronectin, and many other glycoproteins including proteolytic enzymes. The composition and organization of the ECM contributes to the uniques physical or biomechanical properties of a tissue. Fibronectins(FN) are dimeric glycoproteins located on cell surfaces, in the matrix of connective tissue, and in blood. Fibronectins mediate cell attachment to collagen substratum and have been implicated in a variety of important biological processes, including embryogenesis and cell differentiation. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of surgical induction of anterior disk displacement(ADD) on distribution of fibronectin in the rabbit temporomandibular joint(TMJ) tissues included the articular cartilage, disc, retrodiscal tissue, articular eminence using an immunohistochemical technique. The left TMJ was exposed surgically, and all discal attachments were severed except for the posterior attachment. The disk was then repositioned anteriorly and sutured to the zygomatic arch. The right TMJ served as a shamoperated control. Normal joints were used as a nonoperated control. Fourty-five rabbits were used for experiments in total. For fibronectin immunohistochemical study, eighteen rabbits (one normal group and 5 experimental groups, each group consists of 3 rabbits) were used. The experimental rabbits were sacrified after operation period of 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8 weeks on fibronectin. The obtained results were as follows ; 1. Fibronectin immunoreaction on all TMJ tissues(mandibular condyle, articular disc, retrodiscal tissue, articular eminence) in the normal rabbit was observed. Especially the reverse cell layer and proliferation zone of articular cartilage of condyle show strong positive reaction. 2. Depletion of fibronectin in the all TMJ tissues except hypertrophic zone of articular cartilage occurred at 2 weeks following induction of ADD. 3. The restoration of immunoreaction at 4 weeks was observed and a progressive increasing reaction at 6 weeks, 8 weeks also was found. Our study generally showed degenerative changes in TMJ tissues after ADD although TMJ tissues adapted or degenerated to abnormal loads and stress distribution according to the remodeling capacity of TMJ tissues.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.26-32
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• 2013

Boesenbergia pandurata (Roxb.) Schltr. has been reported to possess anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Boesenbergia pandurata extract (BPE) in a high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice model. C57BL/6J mice were fed with either the high-fat diet or a 0.5% BPE-supplemented HFD for 8 weeks. The BPE-containing HFD significantly reduced body weight gain and the accumulation of visceral fat mass in mice model without altering the amount of food intake. Moreover, mice fed with BPE-containing HFD had lower concentrations of lipids in their blood, lower hepatic lipid accumulation, and lower serum leptin levels compared with the HFD-fed mice. RT-PCR analysis showed that the expression levels of peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor ${\gamma}2$ ($PPAR{\gamma}2$) and CCAT/enhancer binding protein ${\alpha}$ ($C/EBP{\alpha}$) genes in the epididymal fat tissue of mice fed the BPE-containing HFD increased 1.16- and 1.30-fold, respectively, compared to mice fed HFD only. In conclusion, BPE attenuated visceral fat accumulation and improved dyslipidemia in a mice model with HFD-induced obesity.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.274-281
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• 2010

In this study, PEG-PLA(or PLGA) amphiphilic di-block copolymers were synthesized by ring opening polymerization of D,L-lactide(or glycolide) and applied to polymeric micelle system for solubilization of a rosiglitazone as diabetes drug. The drug could be efficiently loaded into the polymer micelle by solid dispersion technique, and the drug-loaded micelles were characterized and evaluated as a drug delivery carrier by fluorescence spectrometer, DSC, and DLS measurements. The colloidal stability of drug loaded micelles in aqueous media could be enhanced by addition of 2-hydroxy-N-picolylnitinamide as a hydrotropic agent. The polymer micelles also showed biocompatible and nontoxic properties in vitro cell viability using MTT assay, and the drug loaded micelles were observed to be more effective than free drug for decreasing glucose in blood of rats.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.707-717
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• 2018

Leukocytes are reportedly the first line of the innate immune defense and essential for the control of common bacterial infections. Therefore, in this work, the antibacterial activity of crocodile leukocyte extract against Propionibacterium acnes was evaluated, and we also characterized the related activity of skin infection. The leukocyte extract showed the minimum inhibitory concentration to be $100{\mu}g/ml$ to P. acnes. SEM imaging demonstrated that the leukocyte extract adversely affected P. acnes cell permeability in a concentration-dependent manner. Furthermore, the crocodile leukocyte extract could significantly reduce proinflammatory markers and decrease inflammatory signs in infected mouse ears. The crude leukocyte extract was further purified using FPLC and RP-HPLC. The resulting fraction F5 was indicated as the anti-acne peptide-containing fraction. The molecular mass of the peptide contained in F5 was calculated to be 4,790.5 Da. N-Terminal sequencing revealed the amino acid sequence as GPEPVPAIYQ, which displays similarities to immunoglobulin A and leucine-rich repeat neuronal protein. This is the first reported amino acid sequence of a crocodile leukocyte extract that possesses anti-acne activity. To attempt to use it in a prototype cosmetic, an anti-acne gel containing crude crocodile leukocyte extract was formulated, resulting in seven gel formulations (G1, G2, G3, G4, G5, G6, and G7). The formulations G5, G6, and G7 exhibited 2-fold higher anti-acne activity than G1-G4. Investigation of accelerating stability studies of anti-acne gel formulations G5, G6, and G7 demonstrated that a low storage temperature ($4^{\circ}C$) is suitable for maintaining the physical properties and biological activity of the anti-acne gel products.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.201-207
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• 2006

Acetaminophen (paracetamol), a para-aminophenol derivative, has analgesic and antipyretic properties and weak anti-inflammatory activity. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the bioequivalence of two acetaminophen tablets, $Tylenol^{\circledR}$ ER (Janssen Korea Ltd.) and Tylicol ER (Hana Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.), according to the guidelines of the Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA). The release of acetaminophen from the two acetaminophen formulations in vitro was tested using KP VIll Apparatus II method with pH 1.2 buffer solution. Twenty six healthy male subjects, $22.8{\pm}1.99$ years in age and $65.6{\pm}8.03$ kg in body weight, were divided into two groups and a randomized $2{\times}2$ cross-over study was employed. After a single tablet containing 650 mg as acetaminophen was orally administered, blood samples were taken at predetermined time intervals and the concentrations of acetaminophen in serum were determined using HPLC with UV detector. The dissolution profiles of two formulations were similar in pH 1.2 buffer solution. The pharmacokinetic parameters such as $AUC_t$, $C_{max}$ and $T_{max}$ were calculated and ANOVA test was utilized for the statistical analysis of the parameters using logarithmically transformed $AUC_t$, $C_{max}$ and untransformed $T_{max}$. The results showed that the differences between two formulations based on the reference drug, $Tylenol^{\circledR}$ ER, were 2.84, 1.89 and -1.36% for $AUC_t$, $C_{max}$ and $T_{max}$, respectively. There were no sequence effects between two formulations in these parameters. The 90% confidence intervals using logarithmically transformed data were within the acceptance range of log 0.8 to log 1.25 (e.g., log $0.987{\sim}log$ 1.08 and log $0.944{\sim}log$ 1.17 for $AUC_t$ and $C_{max}$, respectively). Thus, the criteria of the KFDA bioequivalence guideline were satisfied, indicating Tylicol ER tablet was bioequivalent to $Tylenol^{\circledR}$ ER tablet.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.37-44
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• 2016

Objectives: This study examined the relative efficacies of a derivative of betulinic acid (dBA) and its poly (lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nano-encapsulated form in A549 lung cancer cells in vivo and in co-mutagen [sodium arsenite (SA) + benzo[a]pyrene (BaP)]-induced lung cancer in mice in vivo. Methods: dBA was loaded with PLGA nanoparticles by using the standard solvent displacement method. The sizes and morphologies of nano-dBA (NdBA) were determined by using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and their intracellular localization was verified by using confocal microscopy. The binding and interaction of NdBA with calf thymus deoxyribonucleic acid (CT-DNA) as a target were analyzed by using conventional circular dichroism (CD) and melting temperature (Tm) profile data. Apoptotic signalling cascades in vitro and in vivo were studied by using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); the ability of NdBA to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) was also examined. The stage of cell cycle arrest was confirmed by using a fluorescence-activated cell-sorting (FACS) data analysis. Results: The average size of the nanoparticles was ~ 110 nm. Confocal microscopy images confirmed the presence of NdBA in the cellular cytoplasm. The bio-physical properties of dBA and NdBA ascertained from the CD and the Tm profiles revealed that NdBA had greater interaction with the target DNA than dBA did. Both dBA and NdBA arrested cell proliferation at G0/G1, NdBA showing the greater effect. NdBA also induced a greater degree of cytotoxicity in A549 cells, but it had an insignificant cytotoxic effect in normal L6 cells. The results of flow cytometric, cytogenetial and histopathological studies in mice revealed that NdBA caused less nuclear condensation and DNA damage than dBA did. TEM images showed the presence of NdBA in brain samples of NdBA fed mice, indicating its ability to cross the BBB. Conclusion: Thus, compared to dBA, NdBA appears to have greater chemoprotective potential against lung cancer.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.106-114
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• 2008

One bacterium, which showed strong antagonistic activity against H. pylori KCCM 41756, was isolated from kimchi. The strain NO1 was designated as Lactobacillus plantarum NO1 based on Gram staining, biochemical properties, and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The culture medium $(2{\sim}4{\mu}g/ml)$ of Lb. plantarum NO1 reduced $(40{\sim}60%)$ the urease activity of H. pylori KCCM 41756. Lb. plantarum NO1 inhibited the binding of H. pylori to human gastric cancer cell line, AGS cells, by more than 33%. Lb. plantarum NO1 exhibited high viability (maintained initial viable cell count of $10^9CFU/ml$) in 0.05 M sodium phosphate buffer (pH 3.0) for 2 h, in artificial gastricjuice for 2 h and in 0.3%, 0.5% oxgall for 24 h. Hemolysis phenomena did not observed when Lb. plantarum NO1 was incubated in the blood agar media. We concluded that Lb. plantarum NO1 can be a good candidate as a probiotic, harboring anti-H. pylori activity.