• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.7-12
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• 2018

In this review, we have tried to summarize the evidence and molecular characterization indicating that $20{\alpha}$-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase ($20{\alpha}$-HSD) is a group of the aldo-keto reductase (AKR) family, and it plays roles in the modulation and regulation of steroid hormones. This enzyme plays a critical role in the regulation of luteal function in female mammals. We have studied the molecular expression and regulation of $20{\alpha}$-HSD in cows, pigs, deer, and monkeys. The specific antibody against bovine $20{\alpha}$-HSD was generated in a rabbit immunized with the purified recombinant protein. The mRNA expression levels increased gradually throughout the estrous cycle, the highest being in the corpus luteum (CL) 1 stage. The mRNA was also specifically detected in the placental and ovarian tissues during pregnancy. The $20{\alpha}$-HSD protein was intensively localized in the large luteal cells and placental cytotrophoblast villus, glandular epithelial cells of the endometrium, syncytiotrophoblast of the placenta, the isthmus cells of the oviduct, and the basal part of the primary chorionic villi and chorionic stem villus of the placenta and large luteal cells of the CL in many mammalian species. Further studies are needed to determine the functional significance of the $20{\alpha}$-HSD molecule during ovulation, pregnancy, and parturition. This article will review how fundamental information of these enzymes can be exploited for a better understanding of the reproductive organs during ovulation and pregnancy.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.163-172
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• 2023

Background: Synaptic plasticity contributes to nociceptive signal transmission and modulation, with calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMK II) playing a fundamental role in neural plasticity. This research was conducted to investigate the role of CaMK II in the transmission and regulation of nociceptive information within the nucleus accumbens (NAc) of naïve and morphine-tolerant rats. Methods: Randall Selitto and hot-plate tests were utilized to measure the hindpaw withdrawal latencies (HWLs) in response to noxious mechanical and thermal stimuli. To induce chronic morphine tolerance, rats received intraperitoneal morphine injection twice per day for seven days. CaMK II expression and activity were assessed using western blotting. Results: Intra-NAc microinjection of autocamtide-2-related inhibitory peptide (AIP) induced an increase in HWLs in naïve rats in response to noxious thermal and mechanical stimuli. Moreover, the expression of the phosphorylated CaMK II (p-CaMK II) was significantly decreased as determined by western blotting. Chronic intraperitoneal injection of morphine resulted in significant morphine tolerance in rats on Day 7, and an increase of p-CaMK II expression in NAc in morphine-tolerant rats was observed. Furthermore, intra-NAc administration of AIP elicited significant antinociceptive responses in morphine-tolerant rats. In addition, compared with naïve rats, AIP induced stronger thermal antinociceptive effects of the same dose in rats exhibiting morphine tolerance. Conclusions: This study shows that CaMK II in the NAc is involved in the transmission and regulation of nociception in naïve and morphine-tolerant rats.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.509-515
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• 2023

Lead-free perovskite ceramics, which have excellent energy storage capabilities, are attracting attention owing to their high power density and rapid charge-discharge speed. Given that the energy-storage properties of perovskite ceramic capacitors are significantly improved by doping with various elements, modifying their chemical compositions is a fundamental strategy. This study investigated the effect of Zn doping on the microstructure and energy storage performance of potassium sodium niobate (KNN)-based ceramics. Two types of powders and their corresponding ceramics with compositions of (1-x)(K,Na)NbO₃-xBi(Ni_2/3Ta_1/3)O₃ (KNN-BNT) and (1-x)(K,Na)NbO₃-xBi(Ni_1/3Zn_1/3Ta_1/3)O₃ (KNN-BNZT) were prepared via solid-state reactions. The results indicate that Zn doping retards grain growth, resulting in smaller grain sizes in Zn-doped KNN-BNZT than in KNN-BNT ceramics. Moreover, the Zn-doped KNN-BNZT ceramics exhibited superior energy storage density and efficiency across all x values. Notably, 0.9KNN-0.1BNZT ceramics demonstrate an energy storage density and efficiency of 0.24 J/cm³ and 96%, respectively. These ceramics also exhibited excellent temperature and frequency stability. This study provides valuable insights into the design of KNN-based ceramic capacitors with enhanced energy storage capabilities through doping strategies.

• Journal of Radiation Industry
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.417-425
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• 2023

Lutetium(¹⁷⁷Lu), with its theranostic properties, is one of the most widely used radioisotopes and has a large share of the radiopharmaceutical market due to its many applications and targeted therapeutic research using lutetium-based radiopharmaceuticals. However, lutetium-based radiopharmaceuticals currently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are limited to the indications of gastrointestinal cancer, pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer and metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. To overcome these limitations, we aimed to demonstrate the feasibility of expanding the use of lutetium-based radiopharmaceuticals by verifying the availability and therapeutic efficacy of lutetium produced in a research reactor(HANARO). In this study, we confirmed the therapeutic efficacy of lutetium by using cancer cells from different types of cancer. In addition, we selected cancer biomarkers based on characteristics common to various cancer cells and compared and evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of lutetium by regulating the expression of target genes. The results showed that modulation of cancer biomarker gene expression resulted in higher therapeutic efficacy compared to lutetium alone. In conclusion, this study verified the potential use and therapeutic efficacy of lutetium based on the production of a research reactor (HANARO), providing fundamental evidence for the development of lutetium-based radiopharmaceuticals and the expansion of their indications.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.81-85
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• 2015

Since the banning of antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs), the death of livestock has been increased, thus there is a strong demand for AGP-alternatives. Modulation of gut microbiota has been reported to affect host physiological functions and suggested to be a novel approach for developing AGP-alternatives. However, little has been understood about livestock gut microbiota compared to that of humans. We conducted preliminary study provide fundamental information regarding to regional differences in swine gut microbiota. Swine fecal samples were obtained from farms in Jeju (n=40), Gwangju (n=28), and Haenam (n=30). MiSeq was used to sequence 16S rRNA V4 region, and Mothur pipeline (Schloss et al., 2009) was used for data processing. A total of 5,642,125 reads were obtained and 3,868,143 reads were remained after removing erroneous reads. Analysis of taxonomic composition at the phylum level indicated greater abundance of Firmicutes among Jeju swine, and cluster analysis of distribution of operational taxonomic units also showed regional differences among swine gut microbiota. In addition, correlation analysis between non-metric multidimensional scaling and abundance of phyla suggested that the phyla Actinobacter, Verrucomicrobia, Firmicutes, and Fibrobacteres were driving factors for the regional differences. Livestock gut microbiota may be affected by diet and practices in farms. Our results indicated significant regional differences in swine gut microbiota, suggesting that future livestock gut microbiota studies should be designed with the regional differences in mind.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.586-594
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• 2013

Post-translational O-GlcNAc modification (O-GlcNAcylation) of serine or threonine is a new protein modulation mechanism. In contrast to the classical glycosylation, O-GlcNAcylation occurs in a one-step transfer of O-GlcNAc on both nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins. In contrast to the general consensus that O-GlcNAc is a final modification, a recent paper (J Proteome Res. 2011 10:2725-2733) showed the presence of O-GlcNAc-P on a synaptic assembly protein AP180. This finding raises a fundamental question about its prevalence. To address this question, we used proteomics to identify those proteins that were phospho-signal enriched by GlcNAc kinase (NAGK). Comparison of pDsRed2-$NAGK_{WT}$-transfected HEK293T cell extract with pDsRed2-$NAGK_{D107A}$-transfected control culture revealed 15 phospho-signal increased spots. Excluding those spots that had no detectable amount of protein expression yielded 7 spots, which were selected for ID determination. Among these, two duplicate spots (two $HSP90{\beta}$ and two ENO1 spots) were shown to be O-GlcNAcylated, two (dUTP nucleotidohydrolase mitochondrial isoform 2, glutathione S-transferase P) were not known to be involved in O-GlcNAcylation, and one (heat shock protein gp96 precursor or grp94) was a glycoprotein. The increase in the phospho-levels of O-GlcNAc by NAGK strongly indicates that these proteins are phosphorylated on O-GlcNAc. Our present data support the idea that O-GlcNAc is not a terminal modification.

• Journal of Korea Entertainment Industry Association
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.63-73
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• 2021

This study aims to analyze music of Yoon-sang, as a part of musical research, which is the most fundamental approach among academic studies on Korean popular music. Yoon-Sang is a representative composer, who has gone through the 1980s to the present. The result of analysis of 21 songs created by Yoon-Sang showed that his songs are mostly characterized by tonal music, in which chord relationships develop focusing on keynotes. The reason why his music does not sound uniform pursuing stability is he properly added the progression of chromatic chords, based on diatonic chords and melodies. Dominant 7th chord and diminished 7th chord are used the most among diverse techniques adding chromatic colors. Along with these chords, chromatic intervals are used not only in chord progression but also in melodies. The successive, ascending or descending movement of the base line is his common composition and arrangement technique revealed in every song. One of formal changes with the stream of the times is that the number of measured in the pre-chorus and interlude that were of great importance in his songs of the 1990s decreased over time. With regard to harmonic changes, whereas modulation between parts was applied to his 2 songs created in the 2010s. Yoon-Sang's music had one strong tonality overall, but his music began to have more than two tonalities starting the 2010s, and this is a big variation in his music.