• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.9.1-9.5
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• 2020

Ulcerative colitis is a form of inflammatory bowel disease characterized by chronic inflammation of the colon and rectum. The abnormal lesions in the digestive system caused by ulcerative colitis and intermittent colitis are of major clinical importance. MDM2 is a phospho-protein that functions as a ubiquitin ligase for p53. Recently, a T>G substitution in the promoter of the MDM2 gene (rs309) has been identified. In this case-control study, 174 ulcerative colitis biopsy samples and 82 control samples were collected from colonoscopy centers, hospitals, and clinics in Mazandaran and Gilan Provinces in Iran from October 2014 to May 2015. This MDM2 polymorphism was investigated in DNA samples (extracted from biopsy samples) by amplification-refractory mutation system polymerase chain reaction. The mean age of patients with ulcerative colitis was 46.5 years (range, 28 to 69 years) and that of control individuals was 45.3 years (range, 26 to 71 years). Seventy-eight patients (44.82%) were men and 96 (55.18%) were women. The distribution of the TT, TG, and GG genotypes was 17.93%, 27.59%, and 34.48%, respectively, in the ulcerative colitis patients and 31.70%, 24.40%, and 43.90%, respectively, in the control individuals (odds ratio of GG for ulcerative colitis, 7.142; 95% confidence interval, 2.400 to 9.542; p = 0.001). It was found that a single-nucleotide polymorphism at rs309 in the MDM2 gene was associated with ulcerative colitis. A direct relationship was found between age and ulcerative colitis, while no relationship was found with sex. This finding is of note because the occurrence of intestinal inflammation and subsequent ulcers can precede the development of cancer.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.251-257
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• 2000

Chitin synthases are identified as key enzymes of chitin biosynthesis in most of the fungi. Among them, chitin synthase II has been reported to be and essential enzyme in chitin biosynthesis, and exists as a membrane-bound form. To search and screen new antifungal agents from natural resources to inhibit chitin synthase II, the assay conditions were established using the enzyme isolated from Saccharomyces cerevisiae ECY38-38A(pAS6) that overproduces only chitin synthase II. This enzyme was activated only by partial proteolysis with trypsin. Its actibity reached the maximum at $80{\;}\mu\textrm{g}/ml$ of trypsin and was strongly stimulated by 2.0 mM $Co^{2+}$, 1.0 nM UDP-[$^{14}C$]-GicNAc, and 32 mM free-GlcNAc. Under these assay conditions, the highest chitin synthase II activity was observed by incubation at $30^{\circ}C$ for 90 min. However, and extremely narrow range of organic solvents up to as much as 25% of DMSO and 25% of MeOH was useful for determining optimal assay conditions. After a search or potent inhibitors of chitin synthase II from natural resources, prodigiosin was isolated from Serratia marcescens and purified by solvent extration and silica gel column chromatographies. The structure of prodigiosin was determined by UV, IR, Mass spectral, and NMR spectral analyses. Its molecular weight and formula were found to be 323 and $C_{20}H_{25}N_{3}O$, respectively. Prodigiosin ingibited chitin synthase II by 50% at the concentration of $115{\;}\mu\textrm{g}/ml$.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.129-136
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• 1992

As it has been reported that the depolarization-induced acetylcholine (ACh) release is modulated by activation of presynaptic $A_1-adenosine$ heteroreceptor in hippocampus and various lines of evidence indicate the involvement of adenylate cyclase system in $A_1-adenosine$ post-receptor mechanism in hippocampus, it was attempted to delineate the role of adenylate cyclase system in the $A_1-receptor-mediated$ control of ACh release in this study. Slices from rat hippocampus were incubated with $[^3H]-choline$ and the release of the labelled products was evoked by electrical stimulation $(3\;Hz,\;5\;Vcm^{-1},\;2\;ms,\;rectangular\;pulses)$, and the influence of various agents on the evoked tritium-outflow was investigated. $N^6-cyclopentyladenosine$ (CPA), a specific $A_1-adenosine$ receptor agonist, in concentrations ranging from 0.1 to $10\;{\mu}M$, decreased the $[^3H]-ACh$ release in a dose-dependent manner without the changes of basal rate of release. 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine $(DPCPX,\;1{\sim}10\;{\mu}M)$, a selective $A_1-receptor$ antagonist, increased the $[^3H]-ACh$ release in a dose-related fashion with slight increase of basal tritium-release. And the CPA effects were significantly inhibited by DPCPX $(2\;{\mu}M)$ pretreatment and the dose-response curve produced by CPA was shifted to the right. The responses to N-ethylmaleimide $(NEM,\;10\;&\;30\;{\mu}M)$, a SH-alkylating agent of G-protein, were characterized by increments of the evoked ACh-release and the basal release, and the CPA effect were completely abolished by NEM pretreatment. Forskolin, a specific adenylate cyclase activator, in concentrations ranging from 0.3 to $10\;{\mu}M$, increased the evoked ACh-release in a dose-dependent manner and the CPA effects were inhibited by forskolin. These results indicate that the $A_1-adenosine$ heteroreceptor plays an important role in ACh-release via nucleotide-binding protein Gi in the rat hippocampus and that the adenylate cyclase system might be participated in this process.

• Journal of Marine Bioscience and Biotechnology
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.76-83
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• 2006

Epidemiological studies have indicated that the ubiquitous consumption of seaweeds is a protective factor against some types of cancer. Previous results showed that the administration of seaweed powder or extract reduced the incidence rate of chemically induced tumorigenesis using in vivo animal model. Recently, we reported that the extracts of Gloiopeltis furcata, a kind of Korean edible seaweed, caused he cell growth inhibition of various human cancer cell lines, among them methanol extract exhibited a relatively strong antiproliferative activity. However, the molecular mechanisms of this seaweed in malignant cells have been poorly studied until now. To elucidate this problem, we investigated the effects of methanol extract of G. furcata (MEGF) on the growth inhibition in several human cancer cell lines, and further we analyzed the effects of this extract were tested on the activity of apoptosis induction in human leukemic cells. The results demonstrated that MEGF treatment resulted in the morphological changes and the growth inhibition in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, MEGF potently suppresses the growth of human leukemic U937 cells by induction of apoptosis, which was associated with induction of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21(WAF1/CIP1) in a tumor suppressor p53-independent fashion and up-regulation of Fas/FasL system. Further studies will be needed to identify the active compounds that confer the anticancer activity of MEGF. Once such compounds are identified, the mechanisms by which they exert their effects can begin to be characterized.

• Journal of the Korean Solar Energy Society
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.9-18
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• 2011

This study assessed the performance of a compact heat exchanger with staggered tube banks for recuperation of high temperature exhaust thermal energy for SOFC fuel cell system. The compact heat exchanger in this study is two pass system which consists of $315{\times}202.5{\times}48.5mm^3$ and 132 tubes of $6.0mm{\Phi}$ for each heat exchanger. From experiments of the 2 pass heat exchanger system, air temperature was increased from $60{\sim}85^{\circ}C$ to $402{\sim}482^{\circ}C$ while gas temperature was decreased from $600^{\circ}C$ to $305{\sim}402^{\circ}C$ according to mass flow rates of 3.9~7.8 g/s. The experimental heat transfer rates of the heat exchanger were compared with CFD numerical solutions with the conventional ${\xi}-NTU$ method. From the comparisons, the following conclusions were obtained. For the heat exchanger system, the relative errors of heat transfer rate by CFD solution were from 7.1 to 27%, and those by ${\xi}-NTU$ method were from 0.6% to 21% compared with experimental data. From the comparisons, it can be said that both of CFD and ${\xi}-NTU$ method almost simulated to experimental data except specific conditions. Pressure drops through air tubes and gas passages were calculated with both of the CFD computation and head loss equations. The differences between them were from 14 to 22%.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.78-88
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to investigate dietary fat and individual fatty acids intake pattern of 174 college women living in Seoul and Gyong-gi province through internet nutritional assessment system. Each of the subjects was required to input their own food intake for three days, which included two days during the week and one day of the weekend, on the web program directly and all of the data collected were used for statistical analysis. The mean daily caloric intake of the subjects was 1,500.9 kcal which was at 71.5% of Estimated Energy Requirement (EER). Dietary fat contributed 27.6% of the total caloric intake which was slightly higher than the recommended limit of 25%. Daily cholesterol intake was 310.0 mg, which was also high to some degree. Mean daily N6 and N3 fatty acid intake was 6.1 g and 0.9 g, respectively, and calory % calculated from each were 3.63% and 0.53%. This result showed the intake of N3 fatty acid fell in Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges (AMR) $0.5\sim1.0%$ but that of N6 fatty acid was somewhat lower than the AMDR $4\sim8%$. N6/N3 ratio 8.5/l, however, was within the desirable range $4\sim10/1$. Considering overall dietary fatty acids intake, oleic acid was the most abundant, followed by linoleic and palmitic acid. And among polyunsaturated fatty acids intake, linoleic acid was exclusively high, accounting for 97.4% of total N6 fatty acid intake. On the contrary, three fatty acids, linolenic (67.3%), DHA (21.1%) and EPA (10.0%), together supplied 98.4% of total N3 fatty acid intake. Mean P/M/S was 0.9/l.1/1.0. The subjects' intake of fat, many fatty acids and cholesterol came from diverse food groups including meats, fats and oils, milk and milk products, eggs, fish, and soybean products. Nevertheless, the subjects tended to show unfavorable fat and fatty acids intake pattern in terms of quantity and quality. Based on these results, it is important to monitor dietary fat intake pattern of the general population continuously and an internet program such as the one used for this study would be valuable, especially for assessing dietary patterns in the younger generation.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.197-201
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• 2012

Potyviruses express their RNA genomes through the production of polyproteins that are processed in host cells by three virus-encoded proteases. Soybean plants produce large amounts of protease inhibitors during seed development and in response to wounding that could affect the activities of these proteases. The in vitro activities of two of the proteases of Soybean mosaic virus (SMV) and Tobacco vein mottling virus (TVMV) were compared in the rabbit reticulocyte lysate in vitro translation system using synthetic RNA transcripts. Transcripts produced from SMV and TVMV cDNAs that included the P1 and helper component-protease (HC-Pro) coding regions directed synthesis of protein products that were only partially processed. Unprocessed poly-proteins were not detected from transcripts that included all of the P1, HC-Pro, P3 and portions of the cylindrical inclusion protein coding regions of either virus. Addition of soybean trypsin inhibitor to in vitro translation reactions increased the accumulation of the unprocessed polyprotein from TVMV transcripts, but did not alter the patterns of proteins produced from SMV. These experiments suggest that SMV-and TVMV-encoded proteases are differentially sensitive to protease inhibitors.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.157-162
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• 2013

The need for lead-free piezoceramics has caused a renewal of interest in $BaTiO_3$-based systems. Recently, it was found that ceramics in the $(Ba,Ca)(Zr,Ti)O_3$ system have properties comparable to those of $Pb(Zr,Ti)O_3$. However, these ceramics require rather high sintering temperatures of $1450-1550^{\circ}C$. In this work, the effect of $TiO_2$ and CuO addition on the sintering behavior, microstructure, dielectric and piezoelectric properties of $(Ba_{0.85}Ca_{0.15})(Zr_{0.1}Ti_{0.9})O_3$ (BCTZ) ceramics will be discussed. BCTZ ceramics were prepared by the mixed oxide route and 1 mol % of $TiO_2$ or CuO was added. Undoped and doped ceramics were sintered at $1350^{\circ}C$ for 1-5 h. CuO was found to be a very effective sintering aid, with samples sintered for 1 h at $1350^{\circ}C$ having a bulk density of 95% theoretical density; however the piezoelectric properties were greatly reduced, probably due to the small grain size.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.736-742
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• 2015

Cosmopolitan green macroalga, Ulva pertusa is a widely spread species in most coastal waters. This benthic alga is appearing on marine objectives causes significantly economical and social problems. To prevent fouling organisms, new antifouling (AF) agents, such as ziram, diruon, zinc pyrithione, copper pyrithione, DBNPA and triclosan are used. However, the evaluations of new antifouling system of those agents strongly need more information on algae species for considering environment effect. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the activity of antifouling system using Ulva spores and Nitzschia pungens. In addition, new AFS were evaluated the toxicity of microalga, Nitzschia pungens. In the motility of Ulva spores, ziram and zinc pyrithione were shown 50% higher inhibition motility than diuron, copper pyritione, DBNPA and triclosan. Ziram was appered the highest AFS of Ulva sore attachment. Copper pyrithione at the concentration of $100{\mu}g/L$ was inhibited 80% growth rate comparison of control. In conclusion, each new AF agents showed their specific AF activities against marine organisms based on this work.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.161-178
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• 2011

Objectives : The aim of this study is to find the therapeutic meaning of Rhizoma Cyperi in herbal medication. Methodes : In this study, we investigate 85 prescriptions related to the use of Rhizoma Cyperi main blended from Dongeuibogam. we research about field of therapy, symtoms of a disease, the chief virtue of a medicine, the cause of a disease, the pathology of a disease, dosage, contents of composition. Results : The following conclusions were reached through investigations on the prescriptions that use Rhizoma Cyperi as the main ingredient. Prescriptions that Rhizoma Cyperi was taken as a monarch drug are utilized for 24 therapeutic purpose, for example, woman disease, uterine disease, vitality and abdominal mass. In particular, 16.4% of prescriptions appear in the chapter of woman, and 15.2% of those appear in the chapter of uterus. Prescriptions that utilize Rhizoma Cyperi as the main ingredient are used in the treatment of menstrual disorder, pain due to disorder of Gi, infertility, irregular menstruation and abdominal mass. Rhizoma Cyperi is used in pathogenic factors such as seven modes of emotions and used in pathology related to the stagnation of blood system. The dosage of Rhizoma Cyperi is 6li(about 0.23g) to 6don(about 22.5g), however 1don(about 3.75g) has been taken the most for clinical application. Gyogamdan and Yukmisamleunghwan are the most useful base prescriptions which use the Rhizoma Cyperi as the main component. Conclusions : This information provide the rationale for establishing Basic evidance in the oriental medical prescription.