• Journal of Ceramic Processing Research
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.182-186
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• 2019

0.7 mol% Er-TiO2 nanotubes were prepared using a sol-gel derived electrospinning and subsequent calcination at intervals of 50 ℃ from 500 ℃ to 650 ℃ to investigate the effect of calcination temperature on the crystal structure and the photocatalytic activity of methylene blue (MB). X-ray diffraction (XRD) results indicated that Er-TiO2 nanotubes calcined at 500 ℃ were composed of anatase only. However, mixed phases of anatase (51%, 55%, 96%) and rutile (49%, 45%, 4%) were observed for the nanotubes calcined at 550 ℃, 600 ℃ and 650 ℃, respectively. As the calcination temperature rose from 500 ℃ to 600 ℃, the Barrette-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area and degradation kinetic constant increased from 97.77 ㎡/g to 117.62 ㎡/g and from 1.2 × 10-2min-1 to 1.6 × 10-2 min-1, respectively. The Er-TiO2 nanotubes calcined at 600 ℃ exhibited enhanced MB degradation (87%) compared to that of Er-TiO2 nanofibers (37%) due to the synergic combinations of tailored mixed crystals and larger BET area.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.66
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• pp.106-113
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• 2023

Plant extracts have been studied due to their potential as photoprotective agents against UV and blue light exposure. Previous studies have revealed that several plant extracts have photoprotection capacities and synergistic effects with synthetic products. However, such results for pu'er tea and Curcuma longa L. have not been reported yet for a cosmetic formulation. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate photoprotection capacities of pu'er tea and C. longa L. extracts for a sunscreen compound. The pu'er tea extract improved sun protection factor value of 2-ethyl-hexyl methoxycinnamate (a synthetic sunscreen compound) by 46% and showed a high antioxidant capability that could help skin recover from photo-induced damage. C. longa L. extract also showed a potential to protect skin from blue light-induced damage because it not only had a maximum absorption peak at the blue light range, but also protected human fibroblasts from blue light-induced damage. The addition of both extracts shifted the critical wavelength of 2-ethyl-hexyl methoxycinnamate from 350 nm to 386 nm, giving it a broad-spectrum feature. Thus, pu'er tea and C. longa L. extracts may enhance the photoprotection ability of synthetic sunscreen products.

• The korean journal of orthodontics
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.141-155
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• 1997

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Nd:YAG laser and the Er:YAAG laser on etching enamel for direct bonding of orthodontic bracket. The advantages of laser etching rather than conventional acid etching are to reduce the subsurface demineralization rate, to inhibit the spillage of acid onto uninvolved ""its of enamel, and to save the clinical manipulation time involving drying, trashing and drying again. 189 freshly extracted human premolars were prepared for this research. 165 out of them were divided into 11 groups of 15 teeth. One group was acid etching and the rest groups were irradiated with Nd:YAG laser by four different energy levels(100mj 10pps, 100mj 20pps, 150mj 20pps, 200mj 20pps) and with Er:YAG laser by six different energy levels(60mj 5pps, 60mj 10pps, 100mj 10pps. 200mj 10pps, 200mj l5pps, 400mj 10pps). Shear bond strength was tested with Instron after 24 hours, one week, and three weeks. Twenty-four out of 189 teeth were divided into twelve groups untreated control, acid etching, and ten laser irradiation subgroups. And the ultrastructural enamel surfaces of each group were observed with scanning electron microscope. The results were as follows; 1. The means and the standard deviations of shear bond strength of Nd:YAG and Er:YAU laser irradiation by different energy levels were obtained. 2. Shear bond strengths of Er:YAG laser irradiation groups were higher than those of Nd:YAG laser irradiation groups at the identical energy level. 3. Maximum bond strengths was achieved at the energy of I50mj, 20pps in Nd:YAG laser irradiation groups or 60mj, 10pps in Er:YAG laser irradiation groups. 4. It was acceptible for direct bonding to irradiate lb0mj 20pps with Nd:YAG laser or to irradiate 60mj 10pps with Er:YAG laser considering the results of shear bond strength tests and SEM obsesvation.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.459-462
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• 2012

Expression of estrogen-receptor (ER), progesterone-receptor (PR) and HER-2 has recently been linked with various breast cancer subtypes identified by gene microarray. This study aimed to document breast cancer subtypes based on ER, PR and HER-2 status in Thai women, where expression of these subtypes may not be similar to those evident in Western women. During 2009 to 2010, histological findings from 324 invasive ductal carcinomas (IDC) at Siriraj Hospital were studied. Various subtypes of IDC were identified according to expression of ER, PR and HER-2: luminal-A (ER+;PR+/-;HER-2-), luminal-B (ER+;PR+/-;HER-2 +), HER-2 (ER-;PR- ;HER-2+) and basal-like (ER-;PR-;HER-2-). As well, associations of tumor size, tumor grade, nodal status, angiolymphatic invasion (ALI), multicentricity and multifocality with different breast cancer subtypes were studied. Of 324 IDCs, 143 (44.1%), 147 (45.4%), 15 (4.6%) and 12 (3.7%) were T1, T2, T3 and T4, respectively. Most tumors were grade 2 (54.9%) and had no nodal involvement (53.4%). According to ER, PR and HER-2 status, 192 (59.3%), 40 (12.3%), 43 (13.3%) and 49 (15.1%) tumors were luminal-A, luminal-B, HER-2 and basal-like subtypes. HER-2 subtype presented with large tumor (p=0.04, ANOVA). Luminal-A IDC was associated with single foci (p<0.01, ${\chi}^2$). HER-2 and basal-like subtypes were likely to have high tumor grade (p<0.01, ${\chi}^2$). In addition, HER-2 subtype had higher number of nodal involvement (p=0.048, ${\chi}^2$). In conclusion, the luminal-A subtype accounted for the majority of IDCs in Thai women. Percentages of HER-2 and basal-like IDCs were high, compared with a recent study from the USA. The HER-2 subtype was related with high nodal invasion. The findings may highlight biological differences between IDCs occurring in Asian and Western women.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.111-118
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• 2009

Puopose : Exposure to dietary phytoestrogens such as genistein during early childhood is a growing public health concern. We examined the effect of early exposure to genistein on sexual maturation in immature rats. Methods : Weaning (3wk-old) Sprague-Dawley female rats were assigned to three groups (n=6 for each): fed by high dose of genistein (100 mg/kg/d), low dose of genistein (10 mg/kg/d) and control group. First vaginal opening (VO) day was observed. Structural alterations in the ovary and uterus were assessed by histologically. Expression of genes of $ER{\alpha}$, $ER{\beta}$, and progesterone receptor (PR) in the ovary and uterus were investigated by RT-PCR. Results : High genistein group had earlier VO than control and low genistein group. Graafian follicles and corpora lutea were observed from the ovary of genistein-treated groups, while primary, secondary follicles and small atretic follicles were observed in the control group. Hypertrophy of luminal and glandular uterine epithelia were found in the genistein-treated groups while poor development of gland and fewer myometrial cell layers were evident in control group. In ovary, the transcriptional activities of $ER{\alpha}$ and $ER{\beta}$ were higher in high genistein group than in controls. In uterus, the transcriptional activities of $ER{\alpha}$, $ER{\beta}$ and PR were higher in low genistein group than in controls. Conclusion : Acute exposure to genistein during the prepubertal period could activate the reproductive endocrine system resulting in the early onset of puberty in female rats. Further clinical investigation on the effect of genistein on the sexual maturation in children is warranted.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.231-236
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• 1999

Understanding the exgenous water induced thermomechanical effect on the dental hard tissue by the Q-switched Er:YAG laser (1-$mutextrm{s}$-long pulse width) has an important impact on the further understanding of the free-running Er:YAG laser (250-$mutextrm{s}$-long pulse width) ablation on the dental gard tissue because one macroscopic effect in the free-running laser is an accumulation of microscopic effects we investigated in this study. The Q-switched Er:YAG laser with exogenous water on the tooth enhanced ablation rate compared to the case of no water on the tooth. The frequency of exogenous-water jet on the tooth has affected the ablation rate in such a way that as we dispensed water drops less frequently we could get more enhanced ablation rate. The amplitude of the recoil pressure depends on the tooth surface conditions such that as surfaces wet, and as the volume of the exogenous water drop increased, the amplitude of the recoil pressure increased also. From this study we realized that the 1 $mutextrm{s}$ long pulsed induced thermomechanical effect provides us useful information for the understanding of the free-running Er:YAG laser induced ablation with exogenous water.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.337-343
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• 2002

Objectives: To investigate the distribution of $ER{\alpha}$, $ER{\beta}$, c-fos and c-jun in the uterine myoma and myometrium in oder to know how the tamoxifen cause the growth of myoma. Methods: Myoma and myometrial tissue were obtained from the postmenopausal women treated with tamoxifen in the patients with breast cancer and in the premenopausal patients, who were undergoing myoma of uterus from 1998 through 2000. The espression of each gene was quantitated with quantitative RT-PCR. Results: The expression of $ER{\alpha}$ was slightly increased in the myoma than the myometrium in the proliferative phase, and was slightly decreased in the myometrium than the myoma in the secretory phase. However it was not significant statistically. In the postmemopausal women treated with tamoxifen, $ER{\alpha}$ was expressed in all myoma and myome1rial tissues and the expression was not statistically significant. The expression ofER~ was slightly increased in the myome1rium than the leiomyoma in the proliferative and secretory phase, but it was not significant statistically. In the postmemopausal women treated with tamoxifen, the expression of ER~ was significantly incresed in the myome1rium than the leiomyoma. The expression of c-fos was significantly increased in the myome1rium than the leiomyoma in the proliferative and secretory phase. In the postmemopausal women treated with tamoxifen, the expression of c-fos was slightly increased in the leiomyoma than the myomelrium, however, it was not statistically significant. Conclusion: Tamoxifen may cause the growth of leiomyoma by $ER{\alpha}$ with AP-l pathway reducing the counteraction of 6$ER{\beta}$ to $ER{\alpha}$.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.25-30
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• 2015

Purpose: Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) is a peripheral neuropathy mainly divided into CMT type 1 (CMT1) and CMT2 according to the phenotype and genotype. Although molecular pathologies for each genetic causative have not been revealed in CMT2, the correlation between cell death and accumulation of misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of Schwann cells is well documented in CMT1. Establishment of in vitro models of ER stress-mediated Schwann cell death might be useful in developing drug-screening systems for the treatment of CMT1. Materials and Methods: To develop high-throughput screening (HTS) systems for CMT1, we generated cell models using transient expression of mutant proteins and chemical induction. Results: Overexpression of wild type and mutant peripheral myelin protein 22 (PMP22) induced ER stress. Similar results were obtained from mutant myelin protein zero (MPZ) proteins. Protein localization revealed that expressed mutant PMP22 and MPZ proteins accumulated in the ER of Schwann cells. Overexpression of wild type and L16P mutant PMP22 also reduced cell viability, implying protein accumulation-mediated ER stress causes cell death. To develop more stable screening systems, we mimicked the ER stress-mediated cell death in Schwann cells using ER stress inducing chemicals. Thapsigargin treatment caused cell death via ER stress in a dose dependent manner, which was measured by expression of ER stress markers. Conclusion: We have developed genetically and chemically induced ER stress models using Schwann cells. Application of these models to HTS systems might facilitate the elucidation of molecular pathology and development of therapeutic options for CMT1.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.728-734
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• 2001

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Er:YAG laser on cutting of efficacy of enamel and dentin in primary and permanent teeth. We used the enamel and dentin specimens of human teeth which contain the physiologic saline and maintain the pulpal pressure in dentinal tubules. Each specimen was exposed to Er:YAG laser with non-contact mode under different treatment condition of irradiation energy, pulse repetition rate. We investigated the cutting efficacy of Er:YAG laser by Scanning Intensity Microscopy, and obtained following results. 1. Cutting volume of enamel and dentin in primary and permanent teeth were increased by increasing the irradiation energy, pulse repetition rate. 2. Cutting volume of primary teeth was larger than that of permanent teeth. 3. Cutting volume of dentin was larger than that of enamel in primary and permanent teeth. From these results, Er:YAG laser would be more effective in cutting dentin than enamel, and in cutting primary teeth than permanent teeth for clinical application.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.473-480
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• 2015

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in the eukaryotic cells is the first compartment in the secretory pathway. Almost secretory proteins and membrane proteins are secreted through the ER, in which post-translational modifications occur via diverse signals from the ER lumen to the cytoplasm and nucleus. Only then are correctly-folded proteins secreted to the outside cells. Unfolded proteins that accumulate in the ER cause a kind of intracellular stress, ER stress, and activate an unfolded protein response (UPR) system. The 3 major transducers of the UPR are inositol requiring 1 (IRE1), PKR-like ER kinase (PERK) and activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6), all of which are ER transmembrane proteins. Recently, novel types of a new ATF6 family have been identified. Those commonly have an ER-transmembrane domain, a transcription-activation domain and a basic leucine zipper (bZIP) domain―Luman, OASIS, BBF2H7, CREBH and CREB4. Each factor functions by regulating the UPR in specific organs and tissues. Although the detailed molecular mechanisms of OASIS family members are unknown, in this study we comprehensively introduce these molecular signals.