• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.89-94
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• 2010

Melatonin is induced by light information through the retina and leads to growth factor activation. Thus, we investigated the effects of melatonin by controlling the photoperiod of growing young rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (n=6; 4 weeks old) were divided into two experimental groups: the L/D group (normal photoperiod; light/dark: 12/12 h; lights on at 9:00 a.m.) and the L/L group (light/light: 24 h). Rat body weight and food consumption were measured daily for 8 weeks. After 8 weeks, the rats were anesthetized with a mixture of ketamine (50 mg/kg) and xylazine (10 mg/kg) and sacrificed. Tissue was then collected for RNA isolation (from brain, heart, liver, kidney, adrenal gland, testis, tibia, hind limb muscles). Also, serum was isolated from blood using a centrifugal separation. The L/L group had significantly lower body weight than the L/D group from 4 to 6 weeks (p<0.05). The L/D group had increased tissue mass, compared with the L/L group, but the difference was not statistically significant. The L/D group had a significantly higher melatonin concentration than the L/L group between the hours of midnight and 2:00 a.m (p<0.01). These results indicate that photoperiod length may affect the secretion of melatonin from the pineal gland. Also, the reduction of nocturnal melatonin secretion may retard the development of growing young rats. In future studies, we plan to compare exogenous melatonin administration with endogenous melatonin concentration induced by photoperiod control. Moreover, we will confirm whether the effects seen in pathological animal models can be reversed by controlling the photoperiod.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.263-273
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• 2020

In this study, in order to confirm the ameliorative effects of onion (Allium cepa L.) flesh and peel on amyloidbeta (Aβ)-induced cognitive dysfunction, we evaluated their in vitro neuroprotection and in vivo cognitive functions. As the result of in vitro neuroprotection, the protective effect of the ethyl acetate fraction of onion flesh (EOF) on Aβ-induced cytotoxicity was similar to that of the ethyl acetate fraction of onion peel (EOP). In the behavioral tests, the EOF and EOP effectively improved the Aβ-induced learning and memory impairments. For this reason, it could be concluded that the EOF and EOP improved the antioxidant activities (superoxide dismutase, oxidized glutathione/total glutathione, and malondialdehyde) in brain tissue. In addition, the EOF and EOP effectively activated mitochondrial functions by protecting the mitochondrial membrane potential, ATP, mitochondria-mediated protein (BAX and cytochrome c), and caspase 3/7 activities. The EOF and EOP also improved the cholinergic system (acetylcholinesterase and acetylcholine). Therefore, we suggest that onion could be used for management of Aβ-induced cognitive dysfunction.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.161-170
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• 2013

Objectives : Our study aimed to investigate the sustained effects of sham (SHAM) and verum acupuncture (ACUP) into the post-stimulus resting state. Methods : In contrast to previous studies, in order to define the changes in resting state induced by acupuncture, changes were evaluated with a multi-method approach by using regional homogeneity (ReHo) and amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (ALFF). Twelve healthy participants received SHAM and ACUP stimulation right GB34 (Yanglingquan) and the neural changes between post- and pre-stimulation were detected. Results : The following results were found; in both ReHo and ALFF, the significant foci of; left and right middle frontal gyrus, left medial frontal gyrus, left superior frontal gyrus, and right posterior cingulate cortex, areas that are known as a default mode network, showed increased connectivity. In addition, in ReHo, but not in ALFF, brain activation changes in the insula, anterior cingulate cortex, and the thalamus, which are associated with acupuncture pain modulation, were found. Conclusions : In this study, results obtained by using ReHo and ALFF, showed that acupuncture can modulate the post-stimulus resting state and that ReHo, but not ALFF, can also detect the neural changes that were induced by the acupuncture stimulations. Although more future studies with ReHo and ALFF will be needed before any firm conclusions can be drawn, our study shows that particularly ReHo could be an interesting method for future clinical neuroimaging studies on acupuncture.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.39-44
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• 2004

The present study is to determine whether the Red-ginseng extract has a proliferative or cytotoxic effect on the human neuronal stem cells(hNSCs). The hNSCs were grown and incubated with different doses of Red-ginseng extract. We tested the proliferative or cytotoxic effects by MTT and FACS analysis. Cell viability cell cycle analysis, DNA fragmentation, and bax or PARP expressions were evaluated. The hNSCs showed a proliferafe trend with its peak concentration at 0.3 $\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$. Beyond this point, higher doses decreased viabilities and showed a cytotoxic effect at 10 $\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$. There was a tendency of increased S and G2/M phases during cell proliferation. In a cytotoxic condition, decreased S phase and increased G0/G1 phases were noted, suggesting cell cycle arrest. The cytotoxic effect was associated with increase DNA fragmentation in a dose-dependent manner, However PARP cleavage or bax expression was not detected. Our results suggest that Red-ginseng extract has dual effects, the cell proliferative or cytotoxic effect, on hNSCs in vitro with dose-dependent manner.

• Proceedings of the Korea Crystallographic Association Conference
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• 2003.05a
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• pp.18-18
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• 2003

Thioredoxin (Trx) is a small redox protein that is ubiquitously distributed from achaes to human. In diverse organisms, the protein is involved in various physiological roles by acting as electron donor and regulators of transcription and apoptosis as well as antioxidants. Sequences of Trx within various species are 27～69% identical to that of E. coli and all Trx proteins have the same overall fold, which consists of central five β strands surrounded by four α helices. The N-terminal cysteine in WCGPC motif of Trx is redox sensitive and the motif is highly conserved. Compared with general cysteine, the N-terminal cysteine has low pKa value. The result leads to increased reduction activity of protein. Recently, novel thio.edoxin-related protein (TRP14) was found from rat brain. TRP14 acts as disulfide reductase like Trx1, and its redox potential and pKa are similar to those of Trx1. However, TRP14 takes up electrons from cytosolic thioredoxin reductase (TrxR1), not from the mitochondrial thioredoxin reductase (TrxR2). Biological roles of TES14 were reported to be involved in regulating TNF-α induced signaling pathways in different manner with Trx1. In depletion experiments, depletion of TRP14 increased TNF-α induced phosphorylation and degradation of IκBα more than the depletion Trx1 did. It also facilitated activation of JNK and p38 MAP kinase induced by TNF-α. Unlike Trx1, TRP14 shows neither interaction nor interference with ASK1. Here, we determined three-dimensional crystal structure of TRP14 by MAD method at 1.8Å. The structure reveals that the conserved cis-Pro (Pro90) and active site-W-C-X-X-C motif, which may be involved in substrate recognition similar to Trx1 , are located at the beginning position of strand β4 and helix α2, respectively. The TRP14 structure also shows that surface of TRP14 in the vicinity of the active site, which is surrounded by an extended flexible loop and an additional short a helix, is different from that of Trx1. In addition, the structure exhibits that TRP14 interact with a distinct target proteins compared with Trx1 and the binding may depend mainly on hydrophobic and charge interactions. Consequently, the structure supports biological data that the TRP14 is involved in regulating TNF-α induced signaling pathways in different manner with Trx1.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.45 no.11
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• pp.1580-1588
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• 2016

The 70% ethanol extract from Adenophora triphylla showed a strong antioxidant effect and reduced cytotoxicity of $H_2O_2$ in SK-N-SH cells. The chloroform fraction from A. triphylla extract (AT-CH) among the six fractions showed strong DPPH radical and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger effects and the highest protective effect against $H_2O_2$-induced SK-N-SH cell death. Bioactivity compounds were purified from AT-CH, and the chemical structures of the compounds were determined as ${\beta}$-sitosterol and daucosterol on the basis of $^1H-NMR$, $^{13}C-NMR$, and EI mass spectra. ${\beta}$-Sitosterol and daucosterol also had protective effects against oxidative stress in SK-N-SH cells. Phospho-p38 MAPK levels were elevated by $H_2O_2$ but were inhibited by treatment with AT-CH and phytosterols (${\beta}$-sitosterol and daucosterol) isolated from AT-CH. These results suggest that AT-CH has brain neuroprotective effects against oxidative stress ($H_2O_2$) by inhibiting activation of p38 pathways and scavenging intracellular ROS.

• Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.59-69
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• 2016

This study aimed to understand the importance of applying finishing materials into interior space, and to add meaning to the creation of functional space, associated interior finishing materials with brain science. To achieve this purpose, brainwave(EEG) experiment was conducted. The brainwave appearing when sensing the surface of interior finishing materials with hands was measured. The locations of the electrode were FP1, FP2, F3, F4, C3, C4, P3, P4, O1, O2, F7, F8, T3, T4, T5, T6, CZ, FZ, and PZ and in addition to these, AFZ was added. Eight(8) kinds of finishing materials: metallic material, film paper, lumbar, stone, glass, silk wallpaper, fabric, and paint were used to measure '${\alpha}$-wave against ${\beta}$ wave.' As a result, it was found that the most activated finishing material in term of relaxation was film paper, followed by metallic, glass, paint, fabric, stone, lumbar, and silk wallpaper. To explain in light of this, (1) '${\alpha}$-wave against ${\beta}$ wave' was the most activated at ch1-FP1 and ch2-FP2, and at ch17-AFZ and ch19-FZ, which indicated that metopic-prefrontal lobe showed the highest activation in relaxation. Film paper, among the finishing materials, showed the highest increase in relaxation. (2) In general, '${\alpha}$-wave against ${\beta}$ wave' relaxation was inhibited at ch13-T3 and ch14-T4, and at ch15-T5 and ch16-T6 and the arousal in the temporal lobe was prominent. Silk wallpaper, among the finishing materials, showed the highest arounsal effect. As a result of measuring the superficial touch on the silk wallpaper, which was regarded as the most rough material among the eight finishing materials, the arousal effect of ${\alpha}$-wave against ${\beta}$-wave, among the brainwave characteristics, was found to be the highest. (3) to judge from the scope of this experiment regarding the tactile sensation over the finishing materials, it is considered that the brainwave reaction sometimes appeared contrastive depending on whether the surface was smooth or rough and there also appeared a difference in relaxation and arousal reaction of the brainwave depending on whether the surface was hot or cold, but the sensation on the surface texture was often evaluated differently depending on who you were. For this reason, this study has some limitations.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2010.02a
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• pp.44-45
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• 2010

We are currently conducting studies on culturing and biocompatibility assessment of various cells such as neural stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells(IPS cells) on carbon nanotube (CNT), on nerve regeneration electrodes, and on silicon wafers with a focus on developing nerve integrated CNT based bio devices for interfacing with living organisms, in order to develop brain-machine interfaces (BMI). In addition, we are carried out the chemical modification of carbon nanotube (mainly SWCNTs)-based bio-nanosensors by the plasma ion irradiation (plasma activation) method, and provide a characteristic evaluation of a bio-nanosensor using bovine serum albumin (BSA)/anti-BSA binding and oligonucleotide hybridization. On the other hand, the researches in the case of "novel plasma" have been widely conducted in the fields of chemistry, solid physics, and nanomaterial science. From the above-mentioned background, we are conducting basic experiments on direct irradiation of body tissues and cells using a micro-spot atmospheric pressure plasma source. The device is a coaxial structure having a tungsten wire installed inside a glass capillary, and a grounded ring electrode wrapped on the outside. The conditions of plasma generation are as follows: applied voltage: 5-9 kV, frequency: 1-3 kHz, helium (He) gas flow: 1-1.5 L/min, and plasma irradiation time: 1-300 sec. The experiment was conducted by preparing a culture medium containing mouse fibroblasts (NIH3T3) on a culture dish. A culture dish irradiated with plasma was introduced into a $CO_2$-incubator. The small animals used in the experiment involving plasma irradiation into living tissue were rat, rabbit, and pick and are deeply anesthetized with the gas anesthesia. According to the dependency of cell numbers against the plasma irradiation time, when only He gas was flowed, the growth of cells was inhibited as the floatation of cells caused by gas agitation inside the culture was promoted. On the other hand, there was no floatation of cells and healthy growth was observed when plasma was irradiated. Furthermore, in an experiment testing the effects of plasma irradiation on rats that were artificially given burn wounds, no evidence of electric shock injuries was found in the irradiated areas. In fact, the observed evidence of healing and improvements of the burn wounds suggested the presence of healing effects due to the growth factors in the tissues. Therefore, it appears that the interaction due to ion/radicalcollisions causes a substantial effect on the proliferation of growth factors such as epidermal growth factor (EGF), nerve growth factor (NGF), and transforming growth factor (TGF) that are present in the cells.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.7
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• pp.824-835
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• 2019

In recent decades, oncolytic viruses (OVs) have extensively been investigated as a potential cancer drug. Oncolytic viruses have primarily the unique advantage in the fact that they can only infect and destroy cancer cells. Secondary, oncolytic viruses induce the activation of specific adaptive immunity which targets tumor-associated antigens that were hidden during the initial cancer progression. In 2015, one genetically modified oncolytic virus, talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC), was approved by the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of melanoma. Currently, various oncolytic viruses are being investigated in clinical trials as monotherapy or in combination with preexistent cancer therapies like immunotherapy, radiotherapy or chemotherapy. The efficacy of oncolytic virotherapy relies on the balance between the induced anti-tumor immunity and the anti-viral response. Despite the revolutionary outcome, the development of oncolytic viruses for the treatment of cancer faces a number of obstacles such as delivery method, neutralizing antibodies and induction of antiviral immunity due to the complexity, variability and reactivity of tumors. Intratumoral administration has been successful reducing considerably solid tumors with no notable side effects unfortunately some tumors are not accessible (brain) and require a systemic administration of the oncolytic viruses. In order to overcome these hurdles, various strategies to enhance the efficacy of oncolytic viruses have been developed which include the insertion of transgenes or combination with immune-modulatory substances.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Therapy
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.13-26
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• 2018

Objective : The aim of the study was to investigate the application of nonpharmacological cognitive interventions in patients with dementia. Methods : We searched published studies in KISS, PubMed, and Sciencedirect databases from January 2013 to December 2017. The main keywords used were "Dementia" AND "Cognitive stimulation OR Cognitive rehabilitation OR Cognitive training" and a total of ten studies were selected for analysis from 753 searched articles. Results : Seven of the ten selected studies showed significant improvements in cognitive function after intervention, whereas three studies showed no improvement in cognitive function; however, activation of brain waves, improvement in the relationship between care givers and patients, improvement in the quality of life of care givers, and improvements in visual motor skills were shown. Mini-Mental State Examination(MMSE) was used as the assessment tool for identifying the effects of the cognitive function improvement, and in four studies the quality of life of dementia patients was measured as an intervention effect. The main subject of the cognitive intervention is patients with mild to moderate dementia. Conclusion : The results of this study can be used as a basis for the selection of intervention methods, as well as their duration and assessment, according to the characteristics of dementia patients.