• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.390-396
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• 2008

The hyaluronic acid (HA) polymers cross-linked with lactide (LA) using the crosslinking agent, 1,3-butadiene diepoxide (BD), were prepared in order to develop a biomedical material for tissue engineering. The degree of lactide and BD reaction of the crosslinked polymer was determined by the analysis of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Both degree of reaction and swelling ratio increased with BD concentration or LA/HA mole ratio. Tensile modulus decreased with increasing BD concentration or decreasing LA/HA mole ratio. Degradation was shown to be progressed at two different stages and became slow with increasing BD concentration. It was shown that the first stage degradation was mainly due to the decomposition of ester linkage in the crosslinked structure. The cell growth inhibition increased with BD concentration. Although cytotoxicity was slightly observed in the high BD concentration, the value was very low (below 6%) enough not to affect the cell growth.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.553-564
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• 2017

This report compared and analyzed the degree of surface change and results of a deterioration experiment to assess the possibility of using Dobak glue as an adhesive in the fossilizing treatment of the paint layer in earthen mural paintings. The weathering experiments were performed with a color-difference meter (CR-400, MINOLTA). After the experiment, Cinnabar 3% specimens, which exhibited diverse changes in the durability test, were additionally tested with a reflection-transmission device (CARY-5000, AGILENT). Post UV degradation, most of the Dobak-glue samples exhibited lesser color change than animal-glue samples, and after moisture absorption and drying, the 0.5% and 3% Dobak samples displayed a lower degree of change in the value of color difference. Furthermore, results of the reflection-transmission test after deterioration indicated that Dobak glue presented a lesser color change than animal glue. Therefore, if Dobak glue is used as a consolidating agent, discoloration on account of degradation is minimal.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.15 no.11
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• pp.6952-6957
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• 2014

In photocatalysis, the addition of metal matter to $TiO_2$ can alter the surface properties. As such, the metal can increase the rate of the photodegradation reaction. In this study, a range of modified $TiO_2$ photocatalysts were prepared and tested to improve the activity of photodegradation at a batch-typed photoreactor. To obtain a good sol solution of the $TiO_2$ photocatalyst, several types of dispersion agents and stabilizers were investigated. The photocatalyst solutions were modified with isoproply alcohol as the dispersion agent and sodium silicate as the stabilizer. The effects of various metallic elements on enhancing the photocatalytic activity of $TiO_2$ on the degradation of toluene were examined. Palladium-added $TiO_2$ was found to be the best, whereas copper or tungsten-added also showed good results. In the case of palladium addition, the increase in removal efficiency was 25%. On the other hand, Fe-added $TiO_2$ showed a notable decrease in photocatalytic degradation. Additional doping of copper or tungsten on the $Pd/TiO_2$ had no positive effect on the photodegradation activity.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.10
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• pp.1567-1573
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• 2020

Ultraviolet (UV) is one of the major factors harmful to skin health. Irradiation with ultraviolet accelerates the decline of skin function, causing the skin to have deep wrinkles, dryness, decreased procollagen production, and degradation of collagen. Novel materials are needed to prevent the aging of the skin by blocking the effects of UV. Safflower seed oil (Charthamus tinctorius L., SSO) contains significantly high levels of unsaturated fatty acids and phytochemicals. SSO has been traditionally used in China, Japan, and Korea to improve skin and hair. Our objective in this study was to determine the effect of SSO and its active compound acacetin on UVB-induced skin photoaging in HaCaT cells and human dermal fibroblasts (HDF). SSO inhibited UVB-induced matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) at both protein and mRNA levels in HaCaT cells and HDF. MMP-1 is known to play important roles in collagen degradation and wrinkle formation. Acacetin, a type of flavonoid, is present in SSO. Similar to SSO, acacetin also inhibited UVB-induced MMP-1 protein and mRNA levels in HaCaT cells and HDF. MMP-1 mRNA is primarily regulated by the mitogen-activated kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. Acacetin regulated the phosphorylation of JNK1/2 and c-jun, but did not inhibit the phosphorylation of ERK1/2, p38 and AKT. Taken together, these results indicate that SSO and its active compound acacetin can prevent UVB-induced MMP-1 expression, which leads to skin photoaging, and may therefore have therapeutic potential as an anti-wrinkle agent to improve skin health.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.275-281
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• 2014

Autophagy is a series of catabolic process mediating the bulk degradation of intracellular proteins and organelles through formation of a double-membrane vesicle, known as an autophagosome, and fusing with lysosome. Autophagy plays an important role of death-survival decisions in neuronal cells, which may influence to several neurodegenerative disorders including Parkinson's disease. Chebulagic acid, the major constituent of Terminalia chebula and Phyllanthus emblica, is a benzopyran tannin compound with various kinds of beneficial effects. This study was performed to investigate the autophagy enhancing effect of chebulagic acid on human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell lines. We determined the effect of chebulagic acid on expression levels of autophagosome marker proteins such as, DOR/TP53INP2, Golgi-associated ATPase Enhancer of 16 kDa (GATE 16) and Light chain 3 II (LC3 II), as well as those of its upstream pathway proteins, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and Beclin-1. All of those proteins were modulated by chebulagic acid treatment in a way of enhancing the autophagy. Additionally in our study, chebulagic acid also showed a protective effect against 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ($MPP^+$) - induced cytotoxicity which mimics the pathological symptom of Parkinson's disease. This effect seems partially mediated by enhanced autophagy which increased the degradation of aggregated or misfolded proteins from cells. This study suggests that chebulagic acid is an attractive candidate as an autophagy-enhancing agent and therefore, it may provide a promising strategy to prevent or cure the diseases caused by accumulation of abnormal proteins including Parkinson's disease.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.31-37
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• 1994

For a microbiological study of composting process, screening and assay method for biopolymer degrading enzymes and microorganisms were developed and for the study of the possibility of composting in anaerobic state, distribution of sulfate reducing bacteria which plays a final role in anaerobic degradation was investigated. Substrates used for the development of assay methods for biopolymer degradation are ${\beta}-glucan$, xylan, dextran, CMC(carboxy methly cellulose), casein, and collagen. These substrates were made insoluble by a cross-linking agent and linked with dye to make chromogenic substrates. ${\beta}-glucan$ and xylan substrates could substitute congo-red method for screening of polymer degrading microorganisms without damaging the colonies. Sulfate reducing bacteria contained in the sample sludge showed preference to lactic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid and formic acid and could use acetic acid and valeric acid.

• Journal of Marine Bioscience and Biotechnology
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.275-281
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• 2006

The compound 3,4-dichloroaniline (DCA) is an aromatic amine used as an intermediate product in the synthesis of herbicides, azo-dyes and harmaceuticals. It is also a degradation product of some herbicides (diuron, propanil, and linuron) and of trichlorocarbanilide, a chemical used as active agent in the cosmetic industry. 3,4-DCA, however, is considered potential pollutants due to their toxic and recalcitrant properties to humans and other species. A bacterium capable of growth on 3,4-DCA was isolated by dilution method from 3,4-DCA-containing enrichment culture. Finally, a strain, YM-14, capable of degrading efficiently 3,4-DCA was isolated from a sandbank. The isolated strain, YM-14 was identified to be Arthrobacter sp.. Fifty ppm 3,4-DCA in 1/10 LB media was completely degraded by the growth of Arthrobacter sp. YM-14 for 12 h at $30^{\circ}C$. The isolated strain is capable of growth on 3,4-DCA as sole carbon source and also able to degrade other chloroaniline compounds. Also, the isolated strain showed high level of catechol 1,2-dioxygenase activity by 3,4-DCA exposure. The catechol 1,2-dioxygenase was supposed to be ones of the important factors for 3,4-DCA degradation.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2009

The ubiquitin-proteasome mediated protein degradation pathway plays an important role in regulating both cell proliferation and cell death. Proteasome inhibitors are well known to induce apoptosis in various human cancer cell lines. We investigated the effect of combined treatment with proteasome inhibitor and TRAIL, and a possible mechanism of the enhancing apoptosis by the both treatment, on TRAIL-resistant non-small cell lung cancer. A549 cells were exposed to the N-Acetyl-Leu-Leu-Norleu-al (ALLN) as a proteasome inhibitor and then treated with recombinant TRAIL protein. In A549 cells under proteasome inhibition conditions by pretreatment with ALLN, TRAIL treatment significantly decreased cell viability compared to that ALLN and TRAIL alone treatment. Also, the both treatment induced cell damage through DNA fragmentation and p53 expression. In addition, the combined treatment of both markedly increased caspase-8 activation, especially the exposure for 2 h, and Bax expression and induced the dissipation of mitochondrial transmembrane potential in A549 cells. Taken together, these findings showed that proteasome inhibition by ALLN enhanced TRAIL-induced apoptosis via DNA degradation by activated P53 and mitochondrial transmembrane potential loss by caspase-8 activation and bax expression. Therefore, our results suggest that proteasome inhibitor may be used a very effectively chemotherapeutic agent for the tumor treatment, especially TRAIL-resistant tumor cell.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.191-197
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• 2013

Purpose: Nitric oxide (NO) is a short-lived bioactive molecule that is known to play an important role in the pathogenesis of periodontal disease. In the current study, we investigated the effect of the flavonoid quercetin on the production of NO in murine macrophages activated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Prevotella intermedia, a pathogen related to inflammatory periodontal disease, and tried to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of action. Methods: LPS was isolated from P. intermedia ATCC 25611 cells by the standard hot phenol-water method. The concentration of NO in cell culture supernatants was determined by measuring the accumulation of nitrite. Inducible NO synthase (iNOS) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) protein expression, phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38, inhibitory ${\kappa}B$ $(I{\kappa}B)-{\alpha}$ degradation, and signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) phosphorylation were analyzed via immunoblotting. Results: Quercetin significantly attenuated iNOS-derived NO production in RAW246.7 cells activated by P. intermedia LPS. In addition, quercetin induced HO-1 protein expression in cells activated with P. intermedia LPS. Tin protoporphyrin IX (SnPP), a competitive inhibitor of HO-1, abolished the inhibitory effect of quercetin on LPS-induced NO production. Quercetin did not affect the phosphorylation of JNK and p38 induced by P. intermedia LPS. The degradation of $I{\kappa}B-{\alpha}$ induced by P. intermedia LPS was inhibited when the cells were treated with quercetin. Quercetin also inhibited LPS-induced STAT1 signaling. Conclusions: Quercetin significantly inhibits iNOS-derived NO production in murine macrophages activated by P. intermedia LPS via anti-inflammatory HO-1 induction and inhibition of the nuclear factor-${\kappa}B$ and STAT1 signaling pathways. Our study suggests that quercetin may contribute to the modulation of host-destructive responses mediated by NO and appears to have potential as a novel therapeutic agent for treating inflammatory periodontal disease.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.11-18
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• 1991

A precipitation method, one of the most effective liquid phase reaction methods, was adopted in order to prepare high-tech Al2O3/ZrO2 composite ceramics, and the effects of stress-induced phase transformation of ZrO2 on thermal shock behavior of Al2O3-ZrO2 ceramics were investigated. Al2(SO4)3.18H2O, ZrOCl2.8H2O and YCl3.6H2O were used as starting materials and NH4OH as a precipitation agent. Metal hydroxides were obtained by single precipitation(process A) and co-precipitation(process B) method at the condition of pH=7, and the composition of Al2O3-ZrO2 composites was fixed as Al2O3-15v/o ZrO2(+3m/o Y2O3). Critical temperature difference showing rapid strength degradation by thermal shock showed higher value in Al2O3/ZrO2 composites(process A : 20$0^{\circ}C$, process B : 215$^{\circ}C$) than in Al2O3(175$^{\circ}C$). The improvement of thermal shock property for Al2O3/ZrO2 composites was mainly due to the increase of strength at room temperature by adding ZrO2. The strength degradation was more severe for the sample with higher strength at room temperature. Crack initiation energies by thermal shock showed higher values in Al2O3/ZrO2 composites than in Al2O3 ceramics due to increase of fracture toughness by ZrO2.