• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.162-167
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• 2009

Various fermented foods were screened in search of food-grade bacteria that produce bacteriocins active against Gram-negative pathogens. An isolate from a mold-ripened cheese presented antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The most active isolate was identified as Lactobacillus casei by a biochemical method, ribotyping, and membrane lipid analysis, and was designated as OSY-LB6A. The cell extracts of the isolate showed inhibition against Escherichia coli p220, E. coli O157, Salmonella enerica serovar Enteritidis, Salmonella Typhimurium, and Listeria monocytogenes. The antibacterial nature of the cell extract from the isolate was confirmed by eliminating the inhibitory effects of acid, hydrogen peroxide, and lytic bacteriophages. The culture supernatant and cell extract retained antibacterial activity after heating at $60{\sim}100^{\circ}C$ for $10{\sim}20$ min. The activity of the cell extract from Lb. casei was eliminated by pronase and lipase. Finally, the cell extract showed a bactericidal mode of action against E. coli in phosphate buffer solution, but it was bacteriostatic in broth medium and food extracts.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.38 no.8
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• pp.685-696
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• 2015

Rice is a model plant widely used for basic and applied research programs. Plant cell wall proteins play key roles in a broad range of biological processes. However, presently, knowledge on the rice cell wall proteome is rudimentary in nature. In the present study, the tightly-bound cell wall proteome of rice callus cultured cells using sequential extraction protocols was developed using mass spectrometry and bioinformatics methods, leading to the identification of 1568 candidate proteins. Based on bioinformatics analyses, 389 classical rice cell wall proteins, possessing a signal peptide, and 334 putative non-classical cell wall proteins, lacking a signal peptide, were identified. By combining previously established rice cell wall protein databases with current data for the classical rice cell wall proteins, a comprehensive rice cell wall proteome, comprised of 496 proteins, was constructed. A comparative analysis of the rice and Arabidopsis cell wall proteomes revealed a high level of homology, suggesting a predominant conservation between monocot and eudicot cell wall proteins. This study importantly increased information on cell wall proteins, which serves for future functional analyses of these identified rice cell wall proteins.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.109-116
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• 2003

It is well known that SSCC (sulfide stress corrosion cracking) is caused by drastic ingression of hydrogen during the service and accumulation of hydrogen near the potential crack initiation site in the material. It is important to characterize the hydrogen trapping behavior to evaluate the service performance of the high strength pipeline steels. In this study. the relationship between the hydrogen trapping behavior and SSCC susceptibility is evaluated in terms of alloy composition, microstructure and carbide behavior. The hydrogen trapping behavior was measured by electrochemical hydrogen permeation test cell (Devanathan cell). The SSCC susceptibility is evaluated by constant extension rate test and constant strain lest method. The hydrogen trapping behavior is affected greatly by microstructure and nature of carbide particles. The fine TiC, and NbC in the matrix of ferritic structure acts as strong irreversible trap sites whereas the bainitic structure acts as reversible trap site. The SSCC susceptibility is closely related to not only the hydrogen trapping behavior but also the loading condition. As the activity of reversible trap site increases, SSCC susceptibility decreases under static loading condition below yield strength, whereas SSCC susceptibility increases under dynamic loading condition or above yield strength. As the activity of irreversible trap site increases. SSCC susceptibility increases regardless of loading condition. It is cased by the mixed effect of dislocation on hydrogen diffusion and trapping behavior.

• Applied Science and Convergence Technology
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.221-239
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• 2014

The global demand for energy has been increasing since past decades. Various technologies have been working to find a suitable alternative for the generation of sustainable energy. Photovoltaic technologies for solar energy conversion represent one of the significant routes for the green and renewable energy production. Despite of remarkable improvement in solar cell technologies, the generation of power is still suffering with lower energy conversion efficiency, high production cost, etc. The major problem in improving the PV efficiency is spectral mismatch between the incident solar spectrum and bandgap of a semiconductor material used in solar cell. Luminescent materials such as rare-earth doped phosphor materials having the quantum efficiency higher than unity can be helpful for photovoltaic applications. Quantum cutting phosphors are the most suitable candidates for the generation of two or more low-energy photons for the absorption of every incident high-energy photons. The phosphors which are capable of converting UV photon to visible and near-IR (NIR) photon are studied primarily for photovoltaic applications. In this review, we will survey various near IR quantum cutting phosphors with respective to their synthesis method, energy transfer mechanism, nature of activator, sensitizer and dopant materials incorporation and energy conversion efficiency considering their applications in photovoltaics.

• BMB Reports
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.265-274
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• 2012

Lignin hydrolysates contain many different chemical species, including ferulic acid, coumaric acid, vanillic acid, vanillin, syringaldehyde and furfural. From the perspective of biofuels, these compounds are problematic and can cause downstream loss of product if not removed prior to beginning the fermentative process. In contrast, a search for these compounds within the literature turns up many papers where the same compounds have beneficial properties pertaining to human health, including as antioxidants and in cancer prevention, or are involved in bacterial cell-to-cell signaling. Consequently, this article reviews the dual nature of these and other compounds found in lignin hydrolysates, highlighting both their detrimental and beneficial activities.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.55-60
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• 2011

Skin is a physical barrier against diverse injury and damages. Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation causes detrimental skin injuries such as inflammation and cell death. The value of natural pigments could be applied to many usages including cosmetics. This study was conducted to examine the protective effect of natural pigments extracted from mulberry, balsam pear, purple-colored sweet potato, pehmannia root, gardenia fruit, and black rice against UV-induced cell death in HaCaT cells, human keratinocyte cell lines. In the present study, the exposure of 50 mJ/$cm^2$ UV-B for 24 hr induced cell death in HaCaT cells, which was prevented by the pretreatment of extracts of mulberry, balsam pear, purple-colored sweet potato, rehmannia root, gardenia fruit, and black rice. In addition, the exposure of 50 mJ/$cm^2$ UV-B for 24 hr also increased lipid peroxide (LPO) formation, compared to control in HaCaT cells, which was prevented by the pretreatment of extracts of mulberry, balsam pear, purple-colored sweet potato, rehmannia root, gardenia fruit, and black rice. In conclusion, the extracts of mulberry, balsam pear, purple-colored sweet potato, rehmannia root, gardenia fruit, and black rice prevented the UV-B-induced cell apoptosis via the inhibition of oxidative stress in HaCaT cells.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.477-490
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• 2014

Non-thermal atmospheric-pressure plasma, also named cold plasma, is defined as a partly ionized gas. Therefore, it cannot be equated with plasma from blood; it is not biological in nature. Non-thermal atmospheric-pressure plasma is a new innovative approach in medicine not only for the treatment of wounds, but with a wide-range of other applications, as e.g. topical treatment of other skin diseases with microbial involvement or treatment of cancer diseases. This review emphasizes plasma effects on wound healing. Non-thermal atmospheric-pressure plasma can support wound healing by its antiseptic effects, by stimulation of proliferation and migration of wound relating skin cells, by activation or inhibition of integrin receptors on the cell surface or by its pro-angiogenic effect. We summarize the effects of plasma on eukaryotic cells, especially on keratinocytes in terms of viability, proliferation, DNA, adhesion molecules and angiogenesis together with the role of reactive oxygen species and other components of plasma. The outcome of first clinical trials regarding wound healing is pointed out.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.167-179
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• 2005

The cells of metazoans respond to DNA damage by either arresting their cell cycle in order to repair the DNA, or by undergoing apoptosis. This response is highly conserved across species, and many of the genes involved in this DNA damage response have been shown to be inactivated in human cancers. This suggests the importance of DNA damage response with regard to the prevention of cancer. The DNA damage checkpoint responses vary greatly depending on the developmental context, cell type, gene expression profile, and the degree and nature of the DNA lesions. More valuable information can be obtained from studies utilizing whole organisms in which the molecular basis of development has been well established, such as Drosophila. Since the discovery of the Drosophila p53 orthologue, various aspects of DNA damage responses have been studied in Drosophila. In this review, I will summarize the current knowledge on the DNA damage checkpoint response in Drosophila. With the ease of genetic, cellular, and cytological approaches, Drosophila will become an increasingly valuable model organism for the study of mechanisms inherent to cancer formation associated with defects in the DNA damage pathway.

• BMB Reports
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.324-330
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• 2009

Autophagy is a bulk lysosomal degradation process important in development, differentiation and cellular homeostasis in multiple organs. Interestingly, neuronal survival is highly dependent on autophagy due to its post-mitotic nature, polarized morphology and active protein trafficking. A growing body of evidence now suggests that alteration or dysfunction of autophagy causes accumulation of abnormal proteins and/or damaged organelles, thereby leading to neurodegenerative disease. Although autophagy generally prevents neuronal cell death, it plays a protective or detrimental role in neurodegenerative disease depending on the environment. In this review, the two sides of autophagy will be discussed in the context of several neurodegenerative diseases.

• Biomaterials and Biomechanics in Bioengineering
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.61-69
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• 2015

Undifferentiated stem cells are being studied to obtain information on the therapeutic potential of isolates that are produced. Dental Pulp Stem Ccell (DPSC) may provide an abundant supply of highly proliferative, multipotent Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSC), which are now known to be capable of regenerating a variety of human tissues including bone and other dental structures. Many factors influence DPSC quality and quantity, including the specific methods used to isolate, collect, concentrate, and store these isolates once they are removed. Ancillary factors, such as the choice of media, the selection of early versus late passage cells, and cryopreservation techniques may also influence the differentiation potential and proliferative capacity of DPSC isolates. This literature review concludes that due to the delicate nature of DPSC, more research is needed for dental researchers and clinicians to more fully explore the feasibility and potential for isolating and culturing DPSCs extracted from adult human teeth in order to provide more accurate and informed advice for this newly developing field of regenerative medicine.