• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제56권3호
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• pp.282-290
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• 2023

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the potential interaction between kidney function and the non-linear association between serum calcium levels and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. Methods: This study included 8927 participants enrolled in the Dong-gu Study. Albumin-corrected calcium levels were used and categorized into 6 percentile categories: <2.5th, 2.5-25.0th, 25.0-50.0th, 50.0-75.0th, 75.0-97.5th, and >97.5th. Restricted cubic spline analysis was used to examine the non-linear association between calcium levels and CVD mortality. Cox proportional hazard regression was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for CVD mortality according to serum calcium categories. All survival analyses were stratified by the estimated glomerular filtration rate. Results: Over a follow-up period of 11.9±2.8 years, 1757 participants died, of whom 219 died from CVD. A U-shaped association between serum calcium and CVD mortality was found, and the association was more evident in the low kidney function group. Compared to the 25.0-50.0th percentile group for serum calcium levels, both low and high serum calcium tended to be associated with CVD mortality (<2.5th: HR, 6.23; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.16 to 33.56; >97.5th: HR, 2.56; 95% CI, 0.76 to 8.66) in the low kidney function group. In the normal kidney function group, a similar association was found between serum calcium levels and CVD mortality (<2.5th: HR, 1.37; 95% CI, 0.58 to 3.27; >97.5th: HR, 1.65; 95% CI, 0.70 to 3.93). Conclusions: We found a non-linear association between serum calcium levels and CVD mortality, suggesting that calcium dyshomeostasis may contribute to CVD mortality, and kidney function may modify the association.

• 원예과학기술지
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• 제32권5호
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• pp.607-613
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• 2014

Calcium has been associated with improved cold tolerance in many crops. The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in leaf cell $Ca^{2+}$ distribution and cell organelle ultrastructure of loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.) plants in response to cold stress at $-3^{\circ}C$, using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Two loquat accessions, Zaozhong 6 (a commercial cultivar) and oakleaf loquat (a wild relative) were used. Cold tolerance, as measured by leaf browning rate, was higher in oakleaf plants, and calcium treatment improved cold tolerance in both species. Cold stress first induced inward transport of $Ca^{2+}$ from the intracellular space. Then, the imported $Ca^{2+}$ was aggregated around the chloroplast membrane, finally entering the chloroplast. This pattern of $Ca^{2+}$ distribution in leaf cells occurred earlier in Zaozhong 6 than in the wild loquat. With increasing time of cold exposure, the chloroplast membranes of Zaozhong 6 leaves were damaged, blurred and even disappeared, while those of wild oakleaf loquat leaves maintained their structure longer. In Zaozhong 6, cold stress induced a clear cavity between poorly structured granal thylakoids and vesicles appearing inside the chloroplast, while in oakleaf leaves cold stress had little effect on the ultrastructure of chloroplasts (although chloroplast membranes looked blurred). Loquat leaves accumulated free calcium ions around chloroplasts in response to cold stress, with earlier calcium accumulation occurring in the cold-sensitive cultivar Zaozhong 6 than in wild oakleaf loquat. These results demonstrate that these two loquat species have differences in both cold tolerance and calcium accumulation dynamics.

• BMB Reports
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• 제41권1호
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• pp.11-22
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• 2008

Apoptosis (programmed cell death) is a cellular self-destruction mechanism that is essential for a variety of biological events, such as developmental sculpturing, tissue homeostasis, and the removal of unwanted cells. Mitochondria play a crucial role in regulating cell death. $Ca^{2+}$ has long been recognized as a participant in apoptotic pathways. Mitochondria are known to modulate and synchronize $Ca^{2+}$ signaling. Massive accumulation of $Ca^{2+}$ in the mitochondria leads to apoptosis. The $Ca^{2+}$ dynamics of ER and mitochondria appear to be modulated by the Bcl-2 family proteins, key factors involved in apoptosis. The number and morphology of mitochondria are precisely controlled through mitochondrial fusion and fission process by numerous mitochondria-shaping proteins. Mitochondrial fission accompanies apoptotic cell death and appears to be important for progression of the apoptotic pathway. Here, we highlight and discuss the role of mitochondrial calcium handling and mitochondrial fusion and fission machinery in apoptosis.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• 제13권2호
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• pp.55-62
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• 2013

Swiprosin-1 exhibits the highest expression in $CD8^+$ T cells and immature B cells and has been proposed to play a role in lymphocyte biology through actin remodeling. However, regulation of swiprosin-1 gene expression is poorly understood. Here we report that swiprosin-1 is up-regulated in T cells by PKC pathway. Targeted inhibition of the specific protein kinase C (PKC) isotypes by siRNA revealed that $PKC-{\theta}$ is involved in the expression of swiprosin-1 in the human T cells. In contrast, down-regulation of swiprosin-1 by A23187 or ionomycin suggests that calcium-signaling plays a negative role. Interestingly, swiprosin-1 expression is only reduced by treatment with $NF-{\kappa}B$ inhibitors but not by NF-AT inhibitor, suggesting that the $NF-{\kappa}B$ pathway is critical for regulation of swiprosin-1 expression. Collectively, these results suggest that swiprosin-1 is a $PKC-{\theta}$-inducible gene and that it may modulate the late phase of T cell activation after antigen challenge.

• Advances in Computational Design
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• 제3권2호
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• pp.147-163
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• 2018

Cementitious composites are multiphase heterogeneous materials with distinct dissimilarity in strength under compression and tension (high under compression and very low under tension). At macro scale, the phenomenon can be well-explained as the material contains physical heterogeneity and pores. But, it is interesting to note that this dissimilarity initiates at molecular level where there is no heterogeneity. In this regard, molecular dynamics based computational investigations are carried out on cement clinkers and calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) under tension and compression to trace out the origin of dissimilarity. In the study, effect of strain rate, size of computational volume and presence of un-structured atoms on the obtained response is also investigated. It is identified that certain type of molecular interactions and the molecular structural parameters are responsible for causing the dissimilarity in behavior. Hence, the judiciously modified or tailored molecular structure would not only be able to reduce the extent of dissimilarity, it would also be capable of incorporating the desired properties in heterogeneous composites. The findings of this study would facilitate to take step to scientifically alter the structure of cementitious composites to attain the desired mechanical properties.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• 제33권2호
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• pp.133-140
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• 2023

Soil erosion can cause scouring and failures of underwater structures, therefore, various soil improvement techniques are used to increase the soil erosion resistance. The microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) method is proposed to increase the erosion resistance, however, there are only limited experimental and numerical studies on the use of MICP treatment for improvement of surface erosion resistance. Therefore, this study investigates the improvement in surface erosion resistance of sands by MICP through laboratory experiments and numerical modeling. The surface erosion behaviors of coarse sands with various calcium carbonate contents were first investigated via the erosion function apparatus (EFA). The test results showed that MICP treatment increased the overall erosion resistance, and the contribution of the precipitated calcium carbonate to the erosion resistance and critical shear stress was quantified in relation to the calcium carbonate contents. Further, these surface erosion processes occurring in the EFA test were simulated through the coupled computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and discrete element method (DEM) with the cohesion bonding model to reflect the mineral precipitation effect. The simulation results were compared with the experimental results, and the developed CFD-DEM model with the cohesion bonding model well predicted the critical shear stress of MICP-treated sand. This work demonstrates that the MICP treatment is effective in improving soil erosion resistance, and the coupled CFD-DEM with a bonding model is a useful and promising tool to analyze the soil erosion behavior for MICP-treated sand at a particle scale.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제24권2호
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• pp.191-198
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• 2016

The vitamin D receptor (VDR) is a member of the nuclear receptor (NR) superfamily. The VDR binds to active vitamin $D_3$ metabolites, which stimulates downstream transduction signaling involved in various physiological activities such as calcium homeostasis, bone mineralization, and cell differentiation. Quercetin is a widely distributed flavonoid in nature that is known to enhance transactivation of VDR target genes. However, the detailed molecular mechanism underlying VDR activation by quercetin is not well understood. We first demonstrated the interaction between quercetin and the VDR at the molecular level by using fluorescence quenching and saturation transfer difference (STD) NMR experiments. The dissociation constant ($K_d$) of quercetin and the VDR was $21.15{\pm}4.31{\mu}M$, and the mapping of quercetin subsites for VDR binding was performed using STD-NMR. The binding mode of quercetin was investigated by a docking study combined with molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. Quercetin might serve as a scaffold for the development of VDR modulators with selective biological activities.

• Journal of the korean society of oceanography
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• 제32권3호
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• pp.128-137
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• 1997

This study presents results from a detailed sedimentological investigation of surface sediments obtained from the Korea Strait region, the southern part of the East Sea (Sea of Japan). The distribution of different types of bottom sediments is controlled by the recent fine-grained sediment transport and deposition combined with the lowerings of sea level during the last glacial period, forming a diverse mixture of organic-rich fine-grained and shelly coarse-grained sediments. In comparison to high organic concentration of fine-grained sediments in the inner continental shelf and slope areas, the shell-rich coarse-grained sediments on the outer shelf are discernible being further modified. These coarse-grained sediments are confirmed as relict resulting from the sediment dynamics during the lower sea levels of the last glacial period. Clay mineral distribution of the fine-grained sediments gives information about the transport mechanism. Presence of present-day current system (the Tsushima Warm Current) is most probable source for the fine-grained particles into the open East Sea from the East China Sea, indicating that Holocene sediment dynamics may be used to explain the observed distribution of surface coarse-grained shell-rich sediments.

• BMB Reports
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• 제50권12호
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• pp.597-598
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• 2017

Mitochondria have evolutionarily, functionally and structurally distinct outer- (OMM) and inner-membranes (IMM). Thus, mitochondrial morphology is controlled by independent but coordinated activity of fission and fusion of the OMM and IMM. Constriction and division of the OMM are mediated by endocytosis-like machineries, which include dynamin-related protein 1 with additional cytosolic vesicle scissoring machineries such as actin filament and Dynamin 2. However, structural alteration of the IMM during mitochondrial division has been poorly understood. Recently, we found that the IMM and the inner compartments undergo transient and reversible constriction prior to the OMM division, which we termed CoMIC, ${\underline{C}}onstriction$ ${\underline{o}}f$ ${\underline{M}}itochondrial$ ${\underline{I}}nner$ ${\underline{C}}ompartment$. In this short review, we further discuss the evolutionary perspective and the regulatory mechanism of CoMIC during mitochondrial division.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• 제20권1호
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• pp.15-25
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• 1997

The deciduous shrubs, Lindera sericea belonging to family Lauracea are distributed in Mt. Chogye and Mudeung locally. To estimate the community structure of this shrub, the relationship between the floristic composition and environmental factors of 20 sites in Mt. Chogye were investigated. L. sericea community distributed at the hum양 zone of altitude 305-480 m in ES and NE slope of $15~30^{\circ}$. The floristic composition of this communities consisted of 17-32 species varied with sites. Sasa borealis, Sapium japonicum, and Quercus serrata were the constant species over 90%. The forest vegetation was classified as Sasa borealis-Lindera sericea community, and the Sasa borealis-Meliosma oldhamii, and Sasa borealis-Callicarpa japonica were as subunit community. Acidity, organic matter content, inorganic phophate, potassium, calcium, magnesium, cation exchange capacity and conductivity were determined as environmental factors. Diameter of stem at ground surface and stem, distribution area and growth property of this plant were investigated, and this plant was presumed to be a relic endemic species.