• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.795-799
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• 2013

Ku70/80 heterodimer is a central element in the nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) DNA repair pathway, Ku80 playing a key role in regulating the multiple functions of Ku proteins. It has been found that the Ku80 protein located at telomeres is a major contributor to radiosensitivity in some telomerase positive human cancer cells. However, in ALT human osteosarcoma cells, the precise function in radiosensitivity and telomere maintenance is still unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Ku80 depletion in the U2OS ALT cell line cell line. Suppression of Ku80 expression was performed using a vector-based shRNA and stable Ku80 knockdown in cells was verified by Western blotting. U2OS cells treated with shRNA-Ku80 showed lower radiobiological parameters (D0, Dq and SF2) in clonogenic assays. Furthermore, shRNA-Ku80 vector transfected cells displayed shortening of the telomere length and showed less expression of TRF2 protein. These results demonstrated that down-regulation of Ku80 can sensitize ALT cells U2OS to radiation, and this radiosensitization is related to telomere length shortening.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.59 no.4
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• pp.334-340
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• 2016

Objective : The aim of our study was to evaluate the neuroprotective functions of the combination therapy using methylprednisolone (MP) and tranilast (TR) after spinal cord injury (SCI) in adult rats. Methods : Spinal cord compression injury model was achieved using Yasargil aneurysm clip. Rats were divided into control group, MP group, TR group, and combination therapy group using TR and MP. Rat models were assessed for locomotor functional recovery using Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) score, spinal cord water content and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity 24 hours post SCI, haematoxylin and eosin staining and glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP) staining at 7 and 14 days post SCI. Results : The spinal cord water content and MPO activity in the combination therapy group was significantly lower than the control group and the individual therapy groups p<0.05. The combination therapy group had significantly higher BBB scores than control group and individual therapy groups (p<0.05). At one week after SCI, GFAP expression in the combination group was significantly lower than the control group (p<0.05) but there was no significant difference compared to the individual therapy groups (p>0.05). At 2 weeks after SCI there was a slight decrease in GFAP expression compared to the first week but the difference was not statistically significant (p>0.05), GFAP expression between the groups was not statistically significant p>0.05. Conclusion : Combining MP and TR is therapeutically more effective in improving functional recovery, inhibiting inflammation and glial scar formation after acute SCI.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.311-315
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• 2012

A novel ${\beta}$-proteobacterium, designated BXN5-$27^T$, was isolated from soil of a ginseng field of Baekdu Mountain in China, and was characterized using a polyphasic approach. The strain was Gram-staining-negative, aerobic, motile, non-spore-forming, and rod shaped. Strain BXN5-$27^T$ exhibited ${\beta}$-glucosidase activity that was responsible for its ability to transform ginsenoside $Rb_1$ (one of the dominant active components of ginseng) to compound Rd. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that this strain belonged to the family Comamonadaceae; it was most closely related to Ramlibacter henchirensis $TMB834^T$ and Ramlibacter tataouinensis$TTB310^T$ (96.4% and 96.3% similarity, respectively). The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 68.1%. The major menaquinone was Q-8. The major fatty acids were $C_{16:0}$, summed feature 4 (comprising $C_{16:1}$ ${\omega}7c$ and/or iso-$C_{15:0}$ 2OH), and $C_{17:0}$ cyclo. Genomic and chemotaxonomic data supported the affiliation of strain BXN5-$27^T$ to the genus Ramlibacter. However, physiological and biochemical tests differentiated it phenotypically from the other established species of Ramlibacter. Therefore, the isolate represents a novel species, for which the name Ramlibacter ginsenosidimutans sp. nov. is proposed, with the type strain being BXN5-$27^T$ (=DSM $23480^T$ = LMG $24525^T$ = KCTC $22276^T$).

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.145-151
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• 2006

We investigated the effects of Ginsenoside $R_e$ on human sperm motility in fertile and asthenozoospermic infertile individuals in vitro and the mechanism by which the Ginsenosides play their roles. The semen samples were obtained from 10 fertile volunteers and 10 asthenozoospermic infertile patients. Spermatozoa were separated by Percoll and incubated with 0, 1, 10 or $100\;{\mu}M$ of Ginsenoside $R_e$. Total sperm motility and progressive motility were measured by computer-aided sperm analyzer (CASA). Nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity was determined by the $^{3}H$-arginine to $^{3}H$-citrulline conversion assay, and the NOS protein was examined by the Western blot analysis. The production of sperm nitric oxide (NO) was detected using the Griess reaction. The results showed that Ginsenoside $R_e$ significantly enhanced both fertile and infertile sperm motility, NOS activity and NO production in a concentration-dependent manner. Sodium nitroprusside (SNP, 100 nM), a NO donor, mimicked the effects of Ginsenoside $R_e$. And pretreatment with a NOS inhibitor $N^{w}$-Nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, $100\;{\mu}M$) or a NO scavenger N-Acetyl-L-cysteine (LNAC, 1 mM) completely blocked the effects of Ginsenoside $R_e$. Data suggested that Ginsenoside $R_e$ is beneficial to sperm motility, and that induction of NOS to increase NO production may be involved in this benefit.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.446-451
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• 2018

In this study, different formulations of magnesium oxide and various modifiers (phosphoric acid, ferrous sulfate, pure acrylic emulsion, silicone acrylic emulsion, glass fiber, and polypropylene fiber) were used to prepare magnesium oxychloride cement composites. The compressive strength of the magnesium oxychloride cement was tested, and the softening coefficients of the composites after soaking in water were also calculated. The results showed that a magnesium oxychloride cement sample could not be coagulated when the MgO activity was 24.3%, but the coagulation effect of the magnesium oxide cement sample was excellent when the MgO activity was 69.5%. While pure acrylic emulsion, silicon-acrylic emulsion, and glass fiber showed insignificant modification effects on the magnesium oxychloride cement, ferrous sulfate heptahydrate, phosphoric acid, and polypropylene fiber could effectively improve its water resistance and compressive strength. When the phosphoric acid, ferrous sulfate heptahydrate, and polypropylene fiber contents were 0.47%, 0.73%, and 0.25%, respectively, the softening coefficient of a composite soaked in water reached 0.93 after 7 days, and the compressive strength reached 64.3 MPa.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.418-424
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• 2012

This study focused on the enzymatic biotransformation of the major ginsenoside Rb1 into Rd for the mass production of minor ginsenosides using a novel recombinant ${\beta}$-glucosidase from Flavobacterium johnsoniae. The gene (bglF3) consisting of 2,235 bp (744 amino acid residues) was cloned and the recombinant enzyme overexpressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) was characterized. This enzyme could transform ginsenoside Rb1 and gypenoside XVII to the ginsenosides Rd and F2, respectively. The glutathione S-transferase (GST) fused BglF3 was purified with GST-bind agarose resin and characterized. The kinetic parameters for ${\beta}$-glucosidase had apparent $K_m$ values of $0.91{\pm}0.02$ and $2.84{\pm}0.05$ mM and $V_{max}$ values of $5.75{\pm}0.12$ and $0.71{\pm}0.01{\mu}mol{\cdot}min^{-1}{\cdot}mg$ of $protein^{-1}$ against p-nitrophenyl-${\beta}$-D-glucopyranoside and Rb1, respectively. At optimal conditions of pH 6.0 and $37^{\circ}C$, BglF3 could only hydrolyze the outer glucose moiety of ginsenoside Rb1 and gypenoside XVII at the C-20 position of aglycon into ginsenosides Rd and F2, respectively. These results indicate that the recombinant BglF3 could be useful for the mass production of ginsenosides Rd and F2 in the pharmaceutical or cosmetic industry.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.565-568
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• 2015

In this work, we study the correlation between the photon index (${\Gamma}$) of the X-ray spectrum and the 2-10 keV X-ray luminosity ($L_X$) for black hole X-ray binaries (BHBs). The BHB sample is mainly from the quiescent, hard and intermediate states, with values of $L_X$ ranging from ${\sim}10^{30.5}$ to $10^{37.5}$ erg $s^{-1}$. We find that the photon index ${\Gamma}$ is positively or negatively correlated with the X-ray luminosity $L_X$, for $L_X$ above or below a critical value, ${\sim}10^{36.5}$ erg $s^{-1}$. This result is consistent with previous works. Moreover, when $L_X{\leq}{\sim}10^{33}$ erg $s^{-1}$, we found that the photon index is roughly independent of the X-ray luminosity. We interpret the above correlations in the framework of a coupled hot accretion flow - jet model. Besides, we also find that in the moderate-luminosity region, different sources may have different anti-correlation slopes, and we argue this diversity is caused by the different value of ${\delta}$, which describes the fraction of turbulent dissipation that directly heats electrons.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.284-290
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• 2019

Ternary MoS₂/graphene (G)-TiO₂ photocatalysts were prepared by a simple hydrothermal method. The morphology, phase structure, band gap, and catalytic properties of the prepared samples were investigated by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, UV-vis spectrophotometry, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area measurement. The H₂ production efficiency of the prepared catalysts was tested in methanol-water mixture under visible light. MoS₂/G-TiO₂ exhibited the highest activity for photocatalytic H₂ production. For 5 wt.% and 1 wt.% MoS₂ and graphene (5MT-1G), the production rate of H₂ was as high as 1989 µmol^-1h^-1. The catalyst 5MT-1G showed H₂ production activity that was ~ 11.3, 5.6, and 4.1 times higher than those of pure TiO₂, 1GT, and 5MT, respectively. The unique structure and morphology of the MoS₂/G-TiO₂ photocatalyst contributed to its improved hydrogen production efficiency under visible light.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.9
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• pp.1559-1565
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• 2017

Naturally occurring ginsenoside F1 (20-O-${\beta}$-$\text\tiny{D}$-glucopyranosyl-20(S)-protopanaxatriol) is rare. Here, we produced gram-scale quantities of ginsenoside F1 from a crude protopanaxatriol saponin mixture comprised mainly of Re and Rg1 through enzyme-mediated biotransformation using recombinant ${\beta}$-glucosidase (BgpA) cloned from a soil bacterium, Terrabacter ginsenosidimutans Gsoil $3082^T$. In a systematic step-by-step process, the concentrations of substrate, enzyme, and NaCl were determined for maximal production of F1. At an optimized NaCl concentration of 200 mM, the protopanaxatriol saponin mixture (25 mg/ml) was incubated with recombinant BgpA (20 mg/ml) for 3 days in a 2.4 L reaction. Following octadecylsilyl silica gel column chromatography, 9.6 g of F1 was obtained from 60 g of substrate mixture at 95% purity, as assessed by chromatography. These results represent the first report of gram-scale F1 production via recombinant enzyme-mediated biotransformation.

• The Journal of Advanced Prosthodontics
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.286-296
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• 2019

PURPOSE. The aim was to study the masking ability of high-translucency monolithic zirconia and provide guidance in selecting resin luting cements in order to mask discolored substrates. MATERIALS AND METHODS. 160 high-translucency zirconia specimens were divided into 32 groups depending on their thickness and shades. Using five shades of try-in paste, the specimens were luted onto the substrates (Co-Cr, precious-metal, opaque porcelain-sintered Co-Cr, opaque porcelain-sintered precious-metal, and 5M3-shade zirconia). All CIELAB color parameters were measured and statistically analyzed. RESULTS. Zirconia shade and thickness and try-in paste shade affected CIELAB color parameters (P=.000) in different substrates groups, and there were interactions among these factors (P=.000). All five try-in paste shades can be chosen to achieve ${\Delta}E$ values of zirconia with 1.2 - 1.5 mm for masking dark-tooth-like 5M3-shade and zirconia with 1.5 mm for masking precious-metal groups < 2.6. Only suitable try-in paste shades were used, can ${\Delta}E$ values that less than 2.6 be achieved when applied translucent monolithic zirconia with 0.7-1.0 mm for masking dark-tooth-like 5M3-shade and zirconia with 0.7 - 1.2 mm for masking precious-metal groups. CONCLUSION. Choosing suitable resin cement shades is necessary for high-translucency monolithic zirconia to achieve ideal masking ability (${\Delta}E$ < 2.6) on the dark-tooth.