• Molecules and Cells
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.24-30
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• 2014

Inductive expression of early growth response 1 (Egr-1) in neurons is associated with many forms of neuronal activity. However, only a few Egr-1 target genes are known in the brain. The results of this study demonstrate that Egr-1 knockout (KO) mice display impaired contextual extinction learning and normal fear acquisition relative to wild-type (WT) control animals. Genome-wide microarray experiments revealed 368 differentially expressed genes in the hippocampus of Egr-1 WT exposed to different phases of a fear conditioning paradigm compared to gene expression profiles in the hippocampus of KO mice. Some of genes, such as serotonin receptor 2C (Htr2c), neuropeptide B (Npb), neuronal PAS domain protein 4 (Npas4), NPY receptor Y1 (Npy1r), fatty acid binding protein 7 (Fabp7), and neuropeptide Y (Npy) are known to regulate processing of fearful memories, and promoter analyses demonstrated that several of these genes contained Egr-1 binding sites. This study provides a useful list of potential Egr-1 target genes which may be regulated during fear memory processing.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.345-350
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to observe the effects of Cynanchi wilfordii Radix extracts (CRE) on the improvement of the lipid compositions and blood pressure level in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) fed an experimental diet for 5 weeks. The rats were divided into 3 groups: a control group, a 0.5% CRE treated group, and a 1% CRE treated group. Consumption of CRE extract for 5 weeks in SHR significantly suppressed blood pressure rise with aging (p<0.05). After eating the experimental diets, the triglycerides in serum was significantly lower in the CRE group than that in the control group. The fasting glucose levels of the 0.5% and 1% CRE group had a tendency to be lower compared with those of the control group. Total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and HTR (HDL-cholesterol/total cholesterol) of the SHR in the 0.5% and 1% CRE diet were significantly increased compared to the control diet. Thus, long term consumption of CRE might be beneficial in lowering high blood pressure and the improvement of lipid metabolism in SHR rats.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.219-240
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• 2006

Objective : This experimental study was designed to determine the anti-obestic effects of Bangpoongtongsungcankamibang(BTSK). Method : In vitro, BTSK extracts of various concentration (50,100, 200 $200{\mu}g/ml$)were added examination. The protein and mRNA expression of $C/EBP{\alpha}$ and $PPAR{\gamma}$ receptor was measured by western blot assay and RT-PCR. In vivo, BTSK extracts of various concentration (100, $200{\mu}g/ml$) were orally administered to induced hyperlipidemic rats by poloxamer-407 for consecutive four weeks and serum triglyceride, total cholesterol were measured. This method applied to induced hyperlipidemic rats by triton WR-1339, too. Obesity induced rats by the high fat-diet for six weeks were orally administered BTSK extracts of various concentration (100, $200{\mu}g/ml$) and serum triglyceride, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL-cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL-cholesterol, hydroxy radical, superoxide dismuatse activity were measured. Results : I. In vitro 1. The 3T3-L1 cells' differentiation was significantly decreased by BTSK. 2. expression of $C/EBP{\alpha}$ and $PPAR{\gamma}$ was was significantly decreased by BTSK. II. In vitro 1. BTSK significantly reduced serum triglyceride, total cholesterol, contents in poloxamer-407 treated rat. 2. BTSK significantly reduced serum triglyceride, contents in Triton WR-1339 treated rat. But Total cholesterol did not show a significant change. 3. BTSK significantly reduced body weight gain of rat and adipose tissue mass of rats and serum triglyceride, LDL-cholesterol, contents and significantly increased HDL-cholesterol, HTR(HDL-cholesterol/Total-cholesterol) in rats with obesity induced by the high fat-diet. 4. BTSK reduced blood lipid peroxide, hydroxy radical and increased superoxied dismuatse(SOD) activity.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.421-430
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• 2002

This study was performed to investigate the influence of dietary and extract foods from A. capilliaris Thunberg on plasma and liver lipid metabolism in male Sprague-Dawley rats. For the experiment of liver and plasma lipid metabolism, Rats were find diets containing normal concentrations of fat or high concentrations of lard and two different preparations of A. capillaris Thunberg ; control diet (group C),50 mg/kg body weight A. capillary Thunberg methanol extract (group M), 6 g/kg diet A. capillary Thunberg dried powder (group P), high lard control diet (group L), 50 mg/kg body weight A. capillaris Thunberg with high lard (group LM) and 6 g/kg diet A. capillary Thunberg with hi\ulcorner lard (group LP). Effects of A. capillary Thunberg on plasma total cholesterol. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, Atherogenic index, triglyceride, plasma and liver peroxide contents, fatty acid composition of liver lipid and the distribution of fat droplets of liver. Supplementation of A. capillaris Thunberg resulted in lower plasma cholesterol, atherogenic index and triglyceride, and higher HDL-cholesterol in rats find high lard diets. However, these effects were not observed with low level of fat (groups C, M and P). A shift caused by feeding high lard diets in increased plasma and liver peroxides, saturated fatty arid composition of liver lipid and the more frequent distribution of fat droplets in liver could be reversed by feeding A. capillary Thunberg. This study suggests that A. capillary Thunberg co alter lipid metabolism in plasma and liver.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.42-53
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• 2020

Objective: Recently, microRNA (miRNA) has been identified both as a powerful regulator involved in various biological processes through the regulation of numerous genes and as an effective biomarker for the prediction and diagnosis of various disease states. The objective of this study was to identify and validate miRNAs and their target genes involved in inflammation in placental tissue. Methods: Microarrays were utilized to obtain miRNA and gene expression profiles from placentas with or without inflammation obtained from nine normal pregnant women and 10 preterm labor patients. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blots were performed to validate the miRNAs and differentially-expressed genes in the placentas with inflammation. Correlations between miRNA and target gene expression were confirmed by luciferase assays in HTR-8/SVneo cells. Results: We identified and validated miRNAs and their target genes that were differentially expressed in placentas with inflammation. We also demonstrated that several miRNAs (miR-371a-5p, miR-3065-3p, miR-519b-3p, and miR-373-3p) directly targeted their target genes (LEF1, LOX, ITGB4, and CD44). However, some miRNAs and their direct target genes showed no correlation in tissue samples. Interestingly, miR-373-3p and miR-3065-3p were markedly regulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment, although the expression of their direct targets CD44 and LOX was not altered by LPS treatment. Conclusion: These results provide candidate miRNAs and their target genes that could be used as placental biomarkers of inflammation. These candidates may be useful for further miRNA-based biomarker development.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.338-343
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• 1998

Artemisia iwayomogi(A. iwayomogi) is a major edible vegetable in Korea. A iwayomogi containing a strong bitter taste, particularly, is known to manifest an effect on cough, abdominal pain, indigestion and bleeding. In this experiment, ethanol extract of A. iwayomogi(50mg/kg body weight) was fed to growing male Sprague-Dawley rats for four weeks in order to examine the lipid lowering effect of A. iwayomogi in the live and serum. High fat diet included 10% lard, 1% cholesterol and 0.25% sodium cholate. The administration of A. iwayomogi extract decreased serum cholesterol compared with the control. At the same time, serum triglyceride(TG) was decreased to 25%. Although atherogenic index and HTR tended to decrease, phospholipid level in the serum was shown to increase by A. iwayomogi administration. At the same token, total liver lipids were decreased to 40%. The group fed both high fat and ethanol extract showed 28% decrease of liver lipids compared with the group fed only high fat diet. On the other hand, HDL cholesteol level of high fat and extract fed group was increased to 30% compared with the non-extract-fed control. Liver TG also was decreased to about 21% in the extract fed groups. Liver phospholipids, particularly, exceeded more than double of the level of high fat control. The above results indicate than A. iwayomogi exert a strong hypocholesterolemic and hypolipidemic effect which may lead to the protection from hypertention, obesity, stroke and many other circulatory diseases.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.12
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• pp.1436-1444
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• 2013

To improve the functionality of black garlic drinks, black garlic extract (5%) and five herb extracts (1%) were mixed in 70:30 (v/v) ratios as BHF1, and BHF2 was prepared using a 3X concentration of BHF1. After the black garlic and herb formulas (BHFs) were administered over the course of five weeks in rats by interval running training, the lipid profiles and the antioxidant enzyme activities were tested. The total phenolic content of the BHFs were significantly higher in BHF2 than they were in BHF1, and their antioxidant activities were dependent upon the total phenolic content. No significant difference was found in the total serum protein levels among the rats in the Ex-con group by interval running training and the rats in the BHFs-fed groups. However, the albumin level was significantly higher in the Ex-BHF2 to Ex-con group. AST and ALT activities significantly decreased in the BHFs-fed groups compared to the Ex-con group. In terms of changes in the serum lipid profiles, no significant difference was found between the specimens that underwent interval running training and those that did not undergo interval running training. Triglyceride levels, total cholesterol, LDL-C, and HTR levels in the serum were significantly decreased in the Ex-BHF2 to Ex-con group. No significant difference was found in the total lipid levels in the livers of the BHFs-fed groups and the Ex-con group. The triglyceride levels and total cholesterol levels in the Ex-BHF2 group were significantly lower compared to another group. Hepatic catalase activity was significantly increased in the Ex-BHF2 group, but SOD and GSH-px activities were significantly increased as the concentration of the BHF. The antioxidant enzyme activities by supplementation of BHFs increased; thus, three intakes of BHF each day could improve antioxidant status against different types of oxidative stress.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.310-323
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• 2023

The k-eigenvalue neutronics/thermal-hydraulics coupling calculation is a key issue for reactor design and analysis. Jacobian-free Newton-Krylov (JFNK) method, featured with super-linear convergence rate and high efficiency, has been attracting more and more attention to solve the multi-physics coupling problem. However, it may converge to the high-order eigenmode because of the multiple solutions nature of the k-eigenvalue form of multi-physics coupling issue. Based on our previous work, a modified JFNK with a line search method is proposed in this work, which can find the fundamental eigenmode together with thermal-hydraulics feedback in a wide range of initial values. In detail, the existing modified JFNK method is combined with the line search strategy, so that the intermediate iterative solution can avoid a sudden divergence and be adjusted into a convergence basin smoothly. Two simplified 2-D homogeneous reactor models, a PWR model, and an HTR model, are utilized to evaluate the performance of the newly proposed JFNK method. The results show that the performance of this proposed JFNK is more robust than the existing JFNK-based methods.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.211-218
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• 2013

Large quantities of irradiated graphite waste from graphite-moderated nuclear reactors exist and are expected to increase in the case of High Temperature Reactor (HTR) deployment [1,2]. This situation indicates the need for a graphite waste management strategy. Of greatest concern for long-term disposal of irradiated graphite is carbon-14 ($^{14}C$), with a half-life of 5730 years. Fachinger et al. [2] have demonstrated that thermal treatment of irradiated graphite removes a significant fraction of the $^{14}C$, which tends to be concentrated on the graphite surface. During thermal treatment, graphite surface carbon atoms interact with naturally adsorbed oxygen complexes to create $CO_x$ gases, i.e. "gasify" graphite. The effectiveness of this process is highly dependent on the availability of adsorbed oxygen compounds. The quantity and form of adsorbed oxygen complexes in pre- and post-irradiated graphite were studied using Time of Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) and Xray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) in an effort to better understand the gasification process and to apply that understanding to process optimization. Adsorbed oxygen fragments were detected on both irradiated and unirradiated graphite; however, carbon-oxygen bonds were identified only on the irradiated material. This difference is likely due to a large number of carbon active sites associated with the higher lattice disorder resulting from irradiation. Results of XPS analysis also indicated the potential bonding structures of the oxygen fragments removed during surface impingement. Ester- and carboxyl-like structures were predominant among the identified oxygen-containing fragments. The indicated structures are consistent with those characterized by Fanning and Vannice [3] and later incorporated into an oxidation kinetics model by El-Genk and Tournier [4]. Based on the predicted desorption mechanisms of carbon oxides from the identified compounds, it is expected that a majority of the graphite should gasify as carbon monoxide (CO) rather than carbon dioxide ($CO_2$). Therefore, to optimize the efficiency of thermal treatment the graphite should be heated to temperatures above the surface decomposition temperature increasing the evolution of CO [4].

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.12-18
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• 2011

Asthma is a chronic disease associated with airway constriction due to inflammation caused by eosinophils, mast cells, and T lymphocytes, leading to serious chronic illness in children. The eotaxin gene family has been shown to play an important role in the pathogenesis of asthma. We hypothesized that the distinctive variations among the four seasons in Korea may affect the expression of eotaxin polymorphisms, especially in children. We examined the possible effects of birth season (spring, March-May; summer, June-August; fall, September-November; and winter, December-February) on the phenotype of asthma in children. All SNP data sets of the eotaxin-2 and eotaxin-3 genes were collected from 78 asthma patients and 101 controls. Here, we investigated the effects of birth season on the expression of eotaxin-2 and eotaxin-3 in Korean children. Using the HAPLOTYPE procedure with the HTR method in SAS/Genetics, we showed that children born in spring and summer show significant haplotypes in both the eotaxin-2 and eotaxin-3 genes. Thus, the expression of polymorphisms in eotaxin-2 and eotaxin-3 may vary by season.