• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제21권4호
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• pp.313-322
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• 2013

Previous studies have demonstrated that repeated administration of the exogenous stress hormone corticosterone (CORT) induces dysregulation in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and results in depression and anxiety. The current study sought to verify the impact of catechin (CTN) administration on chronic CORT-induced behavioral alterations using the forced swimming test (FST) and the elevated plus maze (EPM) test. Additionally, the effects of CTN on central noradrenergic systems were examined by observing changes in neuronal tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunoreactivity in rat brains. Male rats received 10, 20, or 40 mg/kg CTN (i.p.) 1 h prior to a daily injection of CORT for 21 consecutive days. The activation of the HPA axis in response to the repeated CORT injections was confirmed by measuring serum levels of CORT and the expression of corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) in the hypothalamus. Daily CTN administration significantly decreased immobility in the FST, increased open-arm exploration in the EPM test, and significantly blocked increases of TH expression in the locus coeruleus (LC). It also significantly enhanced the total number of line crossing in the open-field test (OFT), while individual differences in locomotor activities between experimental groups were not observed in the OFT. Taken together, these findings indicate that the administration of CTN prior to high-dose exogenous CORT significantly improves helpless behaviors, possibly by modulating the central noradrenergic system in rats. Therefore, CTN may be a useful agent for the treatment or alleviation of the complex symptoms associated with depression and anxiety disorders.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• 제63권2호
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• pp.169-174
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• 2020

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of a hypodermic injectable solution comprised of an LPM LB meso solution containing Melissa officinalis L. leaf extract (LPM) on the lipogenesis in the 3T3-L1 cells line. The lipid accumulation measured by oil red o staining in the 3T3-L1 adipocytes treated with LPM, which was reduced in a dose dependent manner and showed 91.7 to 62.9% compared to control group. Its effectiveness with a 50% solution was significantly higher than the hydroxycitric acid (positive control) treatment without showing cell cytotoxicity. In a quantitative real-time PCR, it was demonstrated that the LPM treatment appeared to upregulate the mRNA expression of the adipogenesis-related genes, which included the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (50% concentration) while down-regulating the CCAAT-enhancer binding protein alpha (50% concentration) and the sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c (10, 25, and 50% concentrations). The results from the current study suggest that the LPM could be useful biomaterials that can inhibit obesity in the 3T3-L1 cells, which could possibly be by regulating the specific adipogenic gene transcription factors.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제37권11호
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• pp.804-811
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• 2014

The protease-activated receptor (PAR)-2 is highly expressed in endothelial cells and vascular smooth muscle cells. It plays a crucial role in regulating blood pressure via the modulation of peripheral vascular tone. Although several mechanisms have been suggested to explain PAR-2-induced hypotension, the precise mechanism remains to be elucidated. To investigate this possibility, we investigated the effects of PAR-2 activation on N-type $Ca^{2+}$ currents ($I_{Ca-N}$) in isolated neurons of the celiac ganglion (CG), which is involved in the sympathetic regulation of mesenteric artery vascular tone. PAR-2 agonists irreversibly diminished voltage-gated $Ca^{2+}$ currents ($I_{Ca}$), measured using the patch-clamp method, in rat CG neurons, whereas thrombin had little effect on $I_{Ca}$. This PAR-2-induced inhibition was almost completely prevented by ${\omega}$-CgTx, a potent N-type $Ca^{2+}$ channel blocker, suggesting the involvement of N-type $Ca^{2+}$ channels in PAR-2-induced inhibition. In addition, PAR-2 agonists inhibited $I_{Ca-N}$ in a voltage-independent manner in rat CG neurons. Moreover, PAR-2 agonists reduced action potential (AP) firing frequency as measured using the current-clamp method in rat CG neurons. This inhibition of AP firing induced by PAR-2 agonists was almost completely prevented by ${\omega}$-CgTx, indicating that PAR-2 activation may regulate the membrane excitability of peripheral sympathetic neurons through modulation of N-type $Ca^{2+}$ channels. In conclusion, the present findings demonstrate that the activation of PAR-2 suppresses peripheral sympathetic outflow by modulating N-type $Ca^{2+}$ channel activity, which appears to be involved in PAR-2-induced hypotension, in peripheral sympathetic nerve terminals.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제15권5호
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• pp.285-289
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• 2011

Shilajit, a medicine herb commonly used in Ayurveda, has been reported to contain at least 85 minerals in ionic form that act on a variety of chemical, biological, and physical stressors. The substantia gelatinosa (SG) neurons of the trigeminal subnucleus caudalis (Vc) are involved in orofacial nociceptive processing. Shilajit has been reported to be an injury and muscular pain reliever but there have been few functional studies of the effect of Shilajit on the SG neurons of the Vc. Therefore, whole cell and gramicidin-perfotrated patch clamp studies were performed to examine the action mechanism of Shilajit on the SG neurons of Vc from mouse brainstem slices. In the whole cell patch clamp mode, Shilajit induced short-lived and repeatable inward currents under the condition of a high chloride pipette solution on all the SG neurons tested. The Shilajit-induced inward currents were concentration dependent and maintained in the presence of tetrodotoxin (TTX), a voltage gated $Na^+$ channel blocker, CNQX, a non-NMDA glutamate receptor antagonist, and AP5, an NMDA receptor antagonist. The Shilajit-induced responses were partially suppressed by picrotoxin, a $GABA_A$ receptor antagonist, and totally blocked in the presence of strychnine, a glycine receptor antagonist, however not affected by mecamylamine hydrochloride (MCH), a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor antagonist. Under the potassium gluconate pipette solution at holding potential 0 mV, Shilajit induced repeatable outward current. These results show that Shilajit has inhibitory effects on the SG neurons of Vc through chloride ion channels by activation of the glycine receptor and $GABA_A$ receptor, indicating that Shilajit contains sedating ingredients for the central nervous system. These results also suggest that Shilajit may be a potential target for modulating orofacial pain processing.

• Journal of Electrical Engineering and Technology
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• 제5권1호
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• pp.116-128
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• 2010

Modeling of the three phase electric arc furnace and its voltage flicker mitigation are the purposes of this paper. For modeling of the electric arc furnace, at first, the arc is modeled by using current-voltage characteristic of a real arc. Then, the arc random characteristic has been taken into account by modulating the ac voltage via a band limited white noise. The electric arc furnace compensation with static VAr compensator, Thyristor Controlled Reactor combined with a Fixed Capacitor bank (TCR/FC), is discussed for closed loop control of the compensator. Instantaneous flicker sensation curves, before and after accomplishing compensation, are measured based on IEC standard. A new method for controlling TCR/FC compensator is proposed. This method is based on applying a predictive approach with closed loop control of the TCR/FC. In this method, by using the previous samples of the load reactive power, the future values of the load reactive power are predicted in order to consider the time delay in the compensator control. Also, in closed loop control, two different approaches are considered. The former is based on voltage regulation at the point of common coupling (PCC) and the later is based on enhancement of power factor at PCC. Finally, in order to show the effectiveness of the proposed methodology, the simulation results are provided.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• 제17권2호
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• pp.166-171
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• 2012

6-Shogaol, a dehydrated form of 6-gingerol, is a minor component in ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) and has recently been reported to have more potent bioactivity than 6-gingerol. Based on the thermal instability of gingerols (their dehydration to corresponding shogaols at high temperature), we aimed to develop an optimal process to maximize the 6-shogaol content during ginger extraction by modulating temperature and pH. Fresh gingers were dried under various conditions: freeze-, room temperature (RT)- or convection oven-drying at 60 or $80^{\circ}C$, and extracted by 95% ethanol at RT, 60 or $80^{\circ}C$. The content of 6-shogaol was augmented by increasing both drying and extraction temperatures. The highest production of 6-shogaol was achieved at $80^{\circ}C$ extraction after drying at the same temperature and the content of 6-shogaol was about 7-fold compared to the lowest producing process by freezing and extraction at RT. Adjustment of pH (pH 1, 4, 7 and 10) for the 6-shogaol-richest extract (dried and extracted both at $80^{\circ}C$) also affected the chemical composition of ginger and the yield of 6-shogaol was maximized at the most acidic condition of pH 1. Taken together, the current study shows for the first time that a maximized production of 6-shogaol can be achieved during practical drying and extraction process of ginger by increasing both drying and extracting temperatures. Adjustment of pH to extraction solvent with strong acid also helps increase the production of 6-shogaol. Our data could be usefully employed in the fields of food processing as well as nutraceutical industry.

• 한국정보과학회논문지:소프트웨어및응용
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• 제30권11호
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• pp.1072-1079
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• 2003

본 논문은 점층적으로 대규모 문서 분류를 할 수 있는 새로운 클러스터링 알고리즘에 대한 것으로, 고차원의 대규모 문서 집합에 대한 클러스터링을 수행하는 spherical k-means (SKM) 알고리즘과 점층적인 방식으로 클러스터링을 수행하는 퍼지(fuzzy) ART(adaptive resonance theory) 신경망의 특징을 이용하였다. 즉, SKM의 벡터 공간 모델과 개념벡터를 토대로 퍼지 ART의 경계변수의 개념을 결합한 것이다. 제시하는 알고리즘은 점층적 클러스터링의 지원과 함께 최적의 클러스터 수를 자동으로 결정할 뿐 아니라 이상치(outlier)와 노이즈(noise)에 의한 overfitting의 문제도 해결하였다. 또한 생성된 클러스터들의 질을 평가할 수 있는 응집도를 측정하는 목적 함수의 값에 있어서도 CLASSIC3 데이타 집합으로 실험한 결과 기존의 SKM에 비해 평균 8.04%의 향상된 응집도를 나타냈다.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• 제17권6호
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• pp.1625-1636
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• 2017

A power electronic transformer (PET) based on the cascaded H-bridge (CHB) and the isolated bidirectional DC/DC converter (IBDC) is capable of accommodating a large scale battery energy storage system (BESS) in the medium-voltage grid, and is referred to as a power electronic transformer based battery energy storage system (PET-BESS). This paper investigates the PET-BESS and proposes a coordinative control strategy for it. In the proposed method, the CHB controls the power flow and the battery state-of-charge (SOC) balancing, while the IBDC maintains the dc-link voltages with feedforward implementation of the power reference and the switch status of the CHB. State-feedback and linear quadratic Riccati (LQR) methods have been adopted in the CHB to control the grid current, active power and reactive power. A hybrid PWM modulating method is utilized to achieve SOC balancing, where battery SOC sorting is involved. The feedforward path of the power reference and the CHB switch status substantially reduces the dc-link voltage fluctuations under dynamic power variations. The effectiveness of the proposed control has been verified both by simulation and experimental results. The performance of the PET-BESS under bidirectional power flow has been improved, and the battery SOC values have been adjusted to converge.

• 산업식품공학
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• 제22권4호
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• pp.353-357
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• 2018

Previous studies have suggested that rice bran oil (RBO), an edible oil from the byproducts of rice milling, has anti-inflammatory effects in inflammation inducing macrophages, known as M1 subsets. Yet the effects of RBO on the counterpart M2 subsets, the "healing" macrophages, were poorly investigated to date. In this regard, recent studies on the molecular/cellular anti-inflammatory mechanisms of dietary components have demonstrated that mitochondrial respiration contributes to macrophage functioning. Therefore, the current study examined whether RBO regulates cytokine secretion by modulating mitochondrial metabolism in wound healing M2 subsets. Palm oil (PO), enriched with medium-chain fatty acids, served as a positive control. C57BL/6 mice were fed a diet containing either corn oil (CO), PO or RBO for 4 weeks, followed by purification of bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM) from their tibias and femurs. Cells were further polarized to M2-BMDM, and the expression of M2 marker (CD206) on cellular surfaces were not affected by dietary intervention. In addition, the secretion of anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL-10) in the culture supernatant was not affected by dietary lipids. Oxygen consumption rate, the indicator of mitochondrial respiration in M2-BMDM was not regulated by RBO intervention and PO treatment. Taken together, this study imply that RBO did not intervene both the regulation of inflammatory responses and mitochondrial respiration in M2 macrophages.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• 제55권4호
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• pp.450-461
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• 2022

Purpose: DNA damage and repair responses are induced by metabolic diseases and environmental stress. The balance of DNA repair response and the antioxidant system play a role in modulating the entire body's health. This study uses a high-fat and high-calorie (HFC) drink to examine the new roles of a plant-based multivitamin/mineral supplement with phytonutrients (PMP) for regulating the antioxidant system and cellular DNA repair signaling in the body resulting from metabolic stress. Methods: In a double-blind, randomized, parallel-arm, and placebo-controlled trial, healthy adults received a capsule containing either a PMP supplement (n = 12) or a placebo control (n = 12) for 8 weeks. Fasting blood samples were collected at 0, 1, and 3 hours after consuming a HFC drink (900 kcal). The blood samples were analyzed for the following oxidative stress makers: areas under the curve reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, plasma malondialdehyde (MDA), erythrocytes MDA, urinary MDA, oxidized low-density lipoprotein, and the glutathione:oxidized glutathione ratio at the time points. We further examined the related protein levels of DNA repair signaling (pCHK1 (Serine 345), p-P53 (Serine 15), and 𝛄H2AX expression) in the plasma of subjects to evaluate the time-dependent effects of a HFC drink. Results: In a previous study, we showed that PMP supplementation for eight weeks reduces the ROS and endogenous DNA damage in human blood plasma. Results of the current study further show that PMP supplementation is significantly correlated with antioxidant defense. Compared to the placebo samples, the blood plasma obtained after PMP supplementation showed enhanced DNA damage response genes such as pCHK1(Serine 345) (a transducer of DNA response) and 𝛄H2AX (a hallmark of DNA damage) during the 8 weeks trial on metabolic challenges. Conclusion: Our results indicate that PMP supplementation for 8 weeks enhances the antioxidant system against oxidative stress and prevents DNA damage signaling in humans.