• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.9
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• pp.964-971
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• 2019

Hepatic lipid accumulation and insulin resistance increases in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Piperine is a major compound found in black pepper (Piper nigrum) and long pepper (P. longum). Piperine has been used in fine chemical for its anti-cancer, anti-obesity, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. However, the signaling-based mechanism of piperine and its role as an inhibitor of lipogenesis and insulin resistance in human hepatocyte cells remains ill-defined. In the present study, we explored the effects of piperine on lipid accumulation and insulin resistance, and explored the potential underlying molecular mechanisms in palmitate-treated HepG2 cells. Piperine treatment resulted in a significant reduction of triglyceride content. Furthermore, piperine treatment decreased palmitate-treated intracellular lipid deposition by inhibiting the lipogenic target genes, sterol-regulatory-element-binding protein 1c (SREBP-1c) and fatty acid synthase (FAS); whereas the expression of carnitine palmitoyl transferase (CPT-1) and phosphorylation of acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase (ACC) gene involved in fatty acid oxidation was increased. Moreover, piperine also inhibited the phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate (IRS)-1 (Ser307). Piperine treatment modulated palmitate-treated lipid accumulation and insulin resistance in HepG2 cells with concomitant reduction of lipogenic target genes, such as SREBP-1 and FAS, and induction of CPT-1-ACC and phosphorylation of IRS-1 (Tyr632)-Akt pathways. Therefore, piperine represents a promising treatment for the prevention of lipid accumulation and insulin resistance.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.220-227
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• 2013

Objectives : This study aims to investigate the clinical characteristics and neuropsychological profiles of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and their siblings. Methods : Eighteen children (age $8.2{\pm}1.7$ years, 12 boys) with ADHD and their 18 siblings (age $7.8{\pm}1.6$ years, 8 boys) completed Continuous Performance (CPT), Stroop, Children's Trail Making, Rey-Kim Memory, and Kim's Frontal Executive Function tasks. The parents of these subjects underwent the Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Rating Scale (ARS), 10-item Parent General Behavior Inventory (P-GBI), and the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS). Paired t-tests were used. Results : The inattention (p=.020), and hyperactivity-impulsivity (p=.001), scores of the ARS and the P-GBI score (p=.004) were significantly higher in children with ADHD than in their siblings. Deficits in social communication and motivation on SRS were higher in children with ADHD than in their siblings (p=.017 and p=.011, respectively). Z-scores of omission and commission errors as well as response time variability on visual CPT and omission errors on auditory CPT were in clinically significant range, and z-score of omission errors on auditory CPT was in borderline range in siblings. Omission (p=.018) and commission errors on Visual CPT (p=.007) were significantly higher in children with ADHD compared to their siblings. Recognition efficiency on Kim's Frontal Executive Function Task was lower in children with ADHD compared to their siblings, but in normal range in both groups. Stroop interference and figure fluency on Kims Frontal Executive Function Task were in borderline range in ADHD group, and figure fluency was in borderline range in siblings. Conclusion : Our results support a preliminary evidence for mild degree of attention deficit in ADHD siblings. Further studies are needed to examine the cognitive functions of siblings with ADHD in larger samples.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.75-83
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• 2008

This studies were designed to elucidate whether inhibitors of topoisomerase regulate function and activity of topoisomerase, and gene expression in HL-60 human leukemia cells. HL-60 cells were treated with 10-hydroxycamptothecin or doxorubicin, total RNA was isolated, and expressed genes were investigated with human oligonucleotide microarray containing 10K gene, respectively. Expression profiles of the human leukemia HL-60 cells treated with 10-hydroxycamptothecin (10-CIT) or doxorubicin associated with signal transduction,. cell adhesion, cell cycle, cell growth, cell proliferation, cell differentiation, transcription and immune response, especially genes related with transcription and cell growth. In HL-60 cells treated with 10-CPT, the expression of topoisomerase III${\alpha}$, III${\beta}$ and I gene from oligo chip microarray analysis were increased over, but the expression of topoisomerase II${\alpha}$ and II${\beta}$ gene were decreased over. In contrast, the expression of topoisomerase II${\alpha}$ and II${\beta}$ gene were increased over in HL-60 cells treated with doxorubicin, whereas the expression of topoisomerase III${\alpha}$ and III${\beta}$ mRNA remained no significant change. These results suggest that these data may be useful for novel therapeutic markers.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.1-8
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• 2014

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a neuromodulatory technique that delivers low-intensity direct current to cortical areas, thereby facilitating or inhibiting spontaneous neuronal activity. This study was designed to investigate changes in various sensory functions after tDCS. We conducted a single-center, single-blinded, randomized trial to determine the effect of a single session of tDCS with the current perception threshold (CPT) in 50 healthy volunteers. Nerve conduction studies were performed in relation to the median sensory and motor nerves on the dominant hand to discriminate peripheral nerve lesions. The subjects received anodal tDCS with 1 mA for 15 minutes under two different conditions, with 25 subjects in each groups: the conditions were as follows tDCS on the primary motor cortex (M1) and sham tDCS on M1. We recorded the parameters of the CPT a with Neurometer$^{(R)}$ at frequencies of 2000, 250, and 5 Hz in the dominant index finger to assess the tactile sense, fast pain and slow pain, respectively. In the test to measure CPT values of the M1 in the tDCS group, the values of the distal part of the distal interphalangeal joint of the second finger statistically increased in all of 2000 Hz (p=.000), 250 Hz (p=.002), and 5 Hz (p=.008). However, the values of the sham tDCS group decreased in all of 2000 Hz (p=.285), 250 Hz (p=.552), and 5 Hz (p=.062), and were not statistically significant. These results show that M1 anodal tDCS can modulate sensory perception and pain thresholds in healthy adult volunteers. The study suggests that tDCS may be a useful strategy for treating central neurogenic pain in rehabilitation medicine.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.33 no.12
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• pp.967-977
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• 2023

Rubus crataegifolius (RC) is a traditional Asian medicinal plant belonging to the Rosaceae family. The fruits of RC are known to prevent adult diseases through antioxidants. In this study, the effects of RC extract (RCex) on obesity and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) were evaluated in animal models. Twenty-eight male C57BL/6J mice were induced to become obese for 8 weeks and then the extract was orally administered for 8 weeks. RCex reduced body weight, adipose tissue, liver weight. RCex improved biochemical biomarkers including lipid metabolism (alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), plasma triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol). The activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) reduced the expression of adipogenesis genes (liver × receptor (LXR), sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c), fatty acid synthesis (FAS), acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1 (ACC1) and the effect of enhancing carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT) activity by RCex was verified. RCex also influence on plasma production of hormones (adiponectin & leptin) related on energy expenditure and metabolism. In addition, we confirmed that RCex improved glucose intolerance in HFD-induced obese rats. RCex was first demonstrated to have anti-obesity as well as anti-NAFLD effects by regulating fatty acid oxidation and fatty acid synthesis by phosphorylation of AMPK. This suggests that RCex could be a good supplement for the prevention of obesity and related NAFLD.

• Proceedings of the KHMA Conference
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• 2000.10a
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• pp.147-148
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• 2000

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.267-278
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• 2005

Postmenopausal women or ovariectomized rats are associated with increased cholesterol levels, which are risk factors of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases. Increased prevalence of metabolic syndrome after menopause might be associated with estradiol deficiency. Harmful effect of estradiol hampers the casual usage of hormone to prevent the metabolic syndrome. Soy protein has been reported to show several beneficial effects on health, however it is unclear which components of soy protein is responsible for anti-obesity and hypocholesterolemic effects. Soy isoflavones, gem-stein and daizein, are suggested to have anti-obesity and hypocholesterolemic effects but with inconsistency. The present study investigated the effect of supplementation of genistein (experiment I) and soy protein containing isoflavones (experiment II) to high fat diet on body weight gain, food intake, liver and fat tissue weight and the lipid levels in ovariectomized rats. Plasma and hepatic lipid contents and the mRNA levels of genes encoding lipid metabolism related proteins, such as CPT1 and HMGR were measured. Ovariectomy increased body weight, fat tissue weight and plasma and hepatic lipid levels which increase the risk of metabolic syndrome. Soy protein could improve plasma and hepatic lipids levels. Soy protein also increased hepatic CPT1 and HMGR mRNA levels. Plasma and hepatic lipids levels could not be decreased by dietary genistein alone. In contrast, lipids levels could be decreased by isoflavone-fortified soy protein, suggesting that the ingestion of soy protein enriched with isoflavone gives more benefit for protecting postmenopausal women from metabolic syndrome.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.105-115
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• 2009

In this study, SPT, FV, and CPT tests were performed at five very soft grounds in southern coast of Korea to characterize the $S_u$ of very soft ground. In addition, a new modified SPT that is applicable to very soft ground was developed. Tests results showed that in very soft ground (N<2), the $S_u$ was lower than 12.5 kPa using the empirical N-Su correlation, and lower than 50 kPa and 65 kPa using vane shear test and CPT, respectively. It was shown that the results of in-situ tests were higher than those estimated from the N-Su correlation, and it was also demonstrated that the range of estimated $S_u$ was quite wide. New correlations that relate the modified SPT $N_m$ with Su from FV and CPT were developed, which are $S_u=1.76N_m-10.47$ and $S_u=1.82N_m-9.71$, respectively.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.49 no.5
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• pp.428-436
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• 2005

DNA topoisomerase I(TOP1) helps the control of DNA replication, transcription and recombination by assist­ing breaking and rejoining of DNA double strand. Camptothecin (CPT) and its derivative, topotecan, are known to inhibit TOP1 by intercalating into TOP1-DNA complex. Recently various non-CPT intercalators are synthesized for a new class of TOP1 inhibitors. In this study, six compounds isolated from Poria cocos were investigated for their interaction with TOP1­DNA complex using the flexible docking program, FlexiDock. The binding modes were analyzed and compared with the TOP1 inhibition activities. The compounds that showed potent activity were intercalated between the + 1/-1 base pairs of DNA, located near the active site phosphotyrosine723 and formed hydrogen bonds with active site residues. On the other hand, compounds with no activity were not docked at all. The binding modes were well correlated with the inhibition activity, suggesting the possibility that potent inhibitors can be designed from the information presented by the docking study.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2006.03a
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• pp.466-475
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• 2006

Reliability analysis between safety factor and reliability index for driven and bored pile load capacity was analyzed in this study. 0.1B, Chin, De Beer, and Davisson's methods were used for determining pile load capacity by using load-settlement curve from pile load test. Each method define ultimate, yield and allowable pile load capacities. LCPC method using CPT results was performed for comparing with results of pile load test. Based on FOSM analysis using load factors, it is obtained that reliability indices for ultimate pile load capacity were higher than those of yield and allowable condition. Present safety factor 2 for yield and allowable load capacities are not enough to satisfy target reliability index $2.0\sim2.5$. However, it is sufficient for ultimate pile load capacity using safety factor 3.