• KSBB Journal
• /
• v.27 no.5
• /
• pp.308-312
• /
• 2012

Argon-plasma jet (Ar-PJ) is generated by ionizing Ar gas, and the resulting Ar-PJ consists of a mixture of neutral particles, positive ions, negative electrons, and various reactive species. Although Ar-PJ has been used in various biomedical applications, little is known about the biological effects on cells located near the plasma-exposed region. Here, we investigated the effects of the Ar-PJ on actin cytoskeleton of mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) in response to indirect as well as direct exposure to Ar-PJ. This Ar-PJ was generated at 500 mL/min of flow rate and 100 V electric power by our device mainly consisting of electrodes, dielectrics, and a high-voltage power supply. Because actin cytoskeleton is the key cellular machinery involved in cellular movement and is implicated in regulation of cancer metastasis and thus resulting in a highly desirable cancer therapeutic target, we examined the actin filament architectures in Ar-PJ-treated MEFs by staining with an actin-specific phalloidin labeled with fluorescent dye. Interestingly, the Ar-PJ treatment causes destabilization of actin filament architectures in the regions indirectly exposed to Ar-PJ, but no differences in MEFs treated with Ar gas alone and in untreated cell control, indicating that this phenomenon is a specific cellular response against Ar-PJ in the live cells, which are indirectly exposed to Ar-PJ. Collectively, our study raises the possibility that Ar-PJ may have potential as anti-cancer drug effect through direct destabilization of the actin cytoskeleton.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• v.61 no.6
• /
• pp.680-688
• /
• 2018

Objective : To mitigate the risk of iatrogenic instability, new posterior decompression techniques able to preserve musculoskeletal structures have been introduced but never extensively investigated from a biomechanical point of view. This study was aimed to investigate the impact on spinal flexibility caused by a unilateral laminotomy for bilateral decompression, in comparison to the intact condition and a laminectomy with preservation of a bony bridge at the vertebral arch. Secondary aims were to investigate the biomechanical effects of two-level decompression and the quantification of the restoration of stability after posterior fixation. Methods : A universal spine tester was used to measure the flexibility of six L2-L5 human spine specimens in intact conditions and after decompression and fixation surgeries. An incremental damage protocol was applied : 1) unilateral laminotomy for bilateral decompression at L3-L4; 2) on three specimens, the unilateral laminotomy was extended to L4-L5; 3) laminectomy with preservation of a bony bridge at the vertebral arch (at L3-L4 in the first three specimens and at L4-L5 in the rest); and 4) pedicle screw fixation at the involved levels. Results : Unilateral laminotomy for bilateral decompression had a minor influence on the lumbar flexibility. In flexion-extension, the median range of motion increased by 8%. The bone-preserving laminectomy did not cause major changes in spinal flexibility. Two-level decompression approximately induced a twofold destabilization compared to the single-level treatment, with greater effect on the lower level. Posterior fixation reduced the flexibility to values lower than in the intact conditions in all cases. Conclusion : In vitro testing of human lumbar specimens revealed that unilateral laminotomy for bilateral decompression and bone-preserving laminectomy induced a minor destabilization at the operated level. In absence of other pathological factors (e.g., clinical instability, spondylolisthesis), both techniques appear to be safe from a biomechanical point of view.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.79-82
• /
• 1995

Exposure of spleen lymphocytes to 2-chloroethylethyl sulfide (CEES) leads to a reduction of the intracellular ATP level, followed by a decrease in cell viability. Addition of nicotinamide, an inhibitor of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PADPRP), restores both ATP level and viability, indicating that an activation of PADPRP is responsible for the cytotoxicity of CEES. The involvement of a $Ca^{2+}$-mediated process in cytotoxicity is suggested. Verapamil, EGTA, trifluoperazine, and butacaine exhibit a partial protection (20 to 58%) against the cytotoxicity of CEES. Investigation of the causative role of proteolytic degradation in cell death indicate that pepstatin and leupeptin exert a substantial protective effect (60 to 70%), suggesting the involvement of lysosomal destabilization in CEES-induced cytotoxicity. Also, lysosomotropic agents markedly decrease the cytotoxicity. Lysosomal labilization may be a mechanism for the cytotoxicity of CEES.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
• /
• v.20 no.4
• /
• pp.559-571
• /
• 2006

The overall objective of this research was to find out the interrelation of coagulant and organic matter during rapid mixing process and to identify the change of organic matter by mixing condition and to evaluate the effect of coagulation pH. During the coagulation, substantial changes in dissolved organics must be occurred by coagulation due to the simultaneous formation of microflocs and NOM precipitates. Increase in the organic removal efficiency should be mainly caused by the removal of microflocs formed during coagulant injection. That is, during the mixing period, substantial amount of dissolved organics were transformed into microflocs due to the simultaneous formation of microflocs and NOM precipitates. The results also showed that 40 to 80% of dissolved organic matter was converted into particulate material after rapid mixing process of coagulation. During the rapid mixing period, for purewater, formation of dissolved Al(III) (monomer and polymer) constant by rapid mixing condition, but for raw water, the species of Al hydrolysis showed different result. During the rapid mixing period, for high coagulant dose, Al-ferron reaction increases rapidly. At A/D(Adsorption and Destabilization) and sweep condition, both $Al(OH)_3(s)$ and dissolved Al(III) (monomer and polymer) exist, concurrent reactions by both mechanism appear to cause simultaneous precipitation.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
• /
• v.9 no.3
• /
• pp.147-153
• /
• 2018

This study investigates the role of microbial extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) as bioflocculants to harvest microalgae (water-microalgae separation). The EPS extracted from waste activated sludge (WAS) by heat extraction were fractionated into soluble EPS (S-EPS), loosely-bound EPS (LB-EPS) and tightly-bound EPS (TB-EPS) forms. All the EPSs facilitated the flocculation of microalgal cells from stable growth medium. Of those EPSs, the TB-EPS showed the highest flocculating activity (FA) resulting in the substantial decrease in the amount of EPS added in terms of total organic carbon (TOC) during flocculation. The FA of microalgae was improved with the increase in TB-EPS dose, however, excessive dose of TB-EPS adversely affected it due to destabilization. Both LB- and TB-EPS could be utilized for flocculating microalgae as a sustainable option to the existing chemical-based flocculants. In addition to the conventional assessments, the effectiveness of the two bioflocculants for floc forming was also confirmed using a novel assessment of lens-free shadow imaging technique (LSIT), which was firstly applied for the rapid and quantitative assessment of microalgal flocculation.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.6 no.3
• /
• pp.247-255
• /
• 1998

Carbon tetrachloride (CCI$_4$) induces the hepatotoxicity due to the reactive free radicals generated by cytochrome P-450 (CYP-450) enzyme, which result in destabilization of cellular membrane. Diltiazem, a calcium channel blocking agent, has been known to suppress the CYP-450 enzyme activities. To study the effect of diltiazem in $CCl_4$-treated rats, we measured the activities of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and glutathione S-transferase (GST), contents of bilirubin, albumin, total protein, cholesterol, triglyceride, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine malondialdehyde and calcium. Also we conducted liver histopathologic examinations. Diltiazem, when administered 1 hour prior to CCI$_4$ treaeent, significantly reduced the activities of ALT and AST, the contents of microsomal malondialdehyde and calcium in liver and microsome as compared with those of $CCl_4$-treated rats. In addition, histopathologic examination showed that diltiazem prevented the development of centrilobular necrosis induced by CCI$_4$ in liver tissue. Our results suggested that diltiazem could inhibit the formation of free radicals and the influx of calcium. Therefore diltiazem may be applied to suppress the liver damage caused by $CCl_4$.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Food Science of Animal Resources Conference
• /
• 2002.05a
• /
• pp.82-89
• /
• 2002

Acid dairy drinks(ADD) are a worldwide product existing in many variations: fruit milk drinks, yogurt drinks, soy milk, butter milk, whey drinks and kefir etc. These drinks are marketed with different shelf lives depending on processing: -Short shelf life(maximum 3 weeks, cold storage) - Long shelf life(2 to 9 months, pasteurized, sterilized or retorted) Acidic protein drinks tend to a separation or destabilization process in the absence of stabilizing system during the shelf life of the ADD. A phase separation results in sedimentation of large particles at the bottom of the package and/or the formation of a serum layer at the top(whey off). These beverages are usually composed of an acid dairy phase (fermented base)or a natural base(milk, soymilk etc.)with an acidic medium (fruit phase: pulp, fruit concentrate etc.) which can be flavored. Sugar and stabilizers are added. It has been proved since the late 1950's that adding high methoxy pectin (HM pectin)to acid milk drinks is the best way to prevent the formation of a sediment and/or the whey off. In this presentation, we explain about stabilization mechanism of ADD induced by pectin. Applications and market trend of ADD in Asia and Europe are explained.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.41 no.7
• /
• pp.979-988
• /
• 2009

Tensioned metastable fluids provide a powerful means for low-cost, efficient detection of a wide range of nuclear particles with spectroscopic capabilities. Past work in this field has relied on one-component liquids. Pure liquids may provide very good detection capability in some aspects, such as low thresholds or large radiation interaction cross sections, but it is rare to find a liquid that is a perfect candidate on both counts. It was hypothesized that liquid mixtures could offer optimal benefits and present more options for advancement. However, not much is known about radiation-induced thermal-hydraulics involving destabilization of mixtures of tensioned metastable fluids. This paper presents results of experiments that assess key thermophysical properties of liquid mixtures governing fast neutron radiation-induced cavitation in liquid mixtures. Experiments were conducted by placing liquid mixtures of various proportions in tension metastable states using Purdue's centrifugally-tensioned metastable fluid detector (CTMFD) apparatus. Liquids chosen for this study covered a good representation of both thermal and fast neutron interaction cross sections, a range of cavitation onset thresholds and a range of thermophysical properties. Experiments were devised to measure the effective liquid mixture viscosity and surface tension. Neutron-induced tension metastability thresholds were found to vary non-linearly with mixture concentration; these thresholds varied linearly with surface tension and inversely with mixture vapor pressure (on a semi-log scale), and no visible trend with mixture viscosity nor with latent heat of vaporization.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.37 no.6
• /
• pp.441-448
• /
• 2014

Inflammasomes are specialized signaling platforms critical for the regulation of innate immune and inflammatory responses. Various NLR family members (i.e., NLRP1, NLRP3, and IPAF) as well as the PYHIN family member AIM2 can form inflammasome complexes. These multiprotein complexes activate inflammatory caspases (i.e., caspase-1) which in turn catalyze the maturation of select pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-$1{\beta}$ and IL-18. Activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome typically requires two initiating signals. Toll-like receptor (TLR) and NOD-like receptor (NLR) agonists activate the transcription of pro-inflammatory cytokine genes through an NF-${\kappa}B$-dependent priming signal. Following exposure to extracellular ATP, stimulation of the P2X purinoreceptor-7 ($P2X_7R$), which results in $K^+$ efflux, is required as a second signal for NLRP3 inflammasome formation. Alternative models for NLRP3 activation involve lysosomal destabilization and phagocytic NADPH oxidase and /or mitochondria-dependent reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. In this review we examine regulatory mechanisms that activate the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway. Furthermore, we discuss the potential roles of NLRP3 in metabolic and cognitive diseases, including obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, Alzheimer's disease, and major depressive disorder. Novel therapeutics involving inflammasome activation may result in possible clinical applications in the near future.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.135-144
• /
• 1990

The effects of bile salts (BS) on the stability of dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE) liposomes were investigated, observing apparent absorbance of vacant liposomes and calcein release from entrapped liposomes. Unilamellar liposomes were prepared by using a small quantity of palmitoly-immunoglobulin G(IgG) ($2.5{\times}10^{-4}$ mo1/lipid mol) to stabilize the bilayer phase of the unsaturated DOPE which by itself does not form stable liposomes. The destabilization of PE immunoliposomes by papain, clearly demonstrates that the IgG is essential for stabilization of PE bilayer. Approximately 4% of the entrapped calcein was released from the PE liposomes after 1 hr from liposome formation. Calcein release and absorbance of liposomes depended on the BS/lipid ratio because of the solubilization of lipid molecule in bilayer and the formation of mixed micelles. At very low BS concentrations, the incorporation of BS induced BS/lipid aggregates in the outer vesicles monolayer, while high BS concentrations, mixed micelles were formed. Chelate and its conjugates as $3{\alpha},\;7{\alpha},\;12{\alpha}-trihydroxy$ BS induce the concentration of the $3{\alpha}$, $12{\alpha}-dihydroxy$ BS at half-maximal solubilization of immunoliposomes to approximately 2.5-, or 5-fold. Conjugation of BS with glycine or taurine slightly enhanced their capacities to perturb membranes.