• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.307-314
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• 2008

Purpose : Capsaicin, the major pungent ingredient in red pepper, has long been used in spices and food additives. It has been recently shown to induce apoptosis in several cell lines through a not well known mechanism. The aim of this study was to investigate the apoptosis-inducing effect of capsaicin on gastric cancer cells, and to provide valuable information concerning the application of capsaicin for therapeutic purposes. Methods : Cultured SNU-668 cells were treated with capsaicin. We analyzed cell survival by trypan blue and crystal violet analysis, cell cytotoxicity by MTT assay, apoptosis by nuclear condensation and DNA fragmentation, bcl-2 and bax mRNA expression by RT-PCR, and the expression of apoptosis related proteins by Western immunoblot analysis. In order to assess whether the growth inhibitory effect of anticancer drugs is enhanced by capsaicin, we investigated the effects of cell cytotoxicity and the expression of apoptosis related proteins of etoposide and adriamycin treated with capsaicin in cells. Results : Capsaicin inhibited growth of SNU-668 cells in a dose-dependent manner. This inhibitory effect of capsaicin on cell growth was mainly due to the induction of apoptosis as evidenced by DNA fragmentation, nuclear condensation and the expression of apoptosis related proteins. Furthermore, capsaicin prominently reduced the ratio of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 to pro-apoptotic Bax and consequently increased caspase-3 activity. The cells treated with capsaicin were more sensitive to death induced by etoposide and adriamycin than the cells without capsaicin. Conclusion : These results demonstrate that capsaicin efficiently induced apoptosis in SNU-668 cells through a caspase-3-dependent mechanism and sensitizes cancer cells to anticancer drugs toward apoptotic cell death, which may contribute to its anticancer effect and chemosensitizer function against gastric cancer.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.175-183
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• 2008

Liver regeneration is a result of highly coordinated proliferation of hepatocytes and non-parenchymal liver cells. At this process, induction of metallothionein (MT), which is low molecular and cysteine rich, has been reported. The present study was carried to find the ultrastructure of hepatocytes and determine the expression of MT in regenerating rat liver after partial hepatectomy. As a result, the remnant liver after PH grew fast from 1 day until 7 days. Various changes were morphologically observed. Disintegration of cell plates and liver lobule appeared shortly after PH. And hepatocytes showed the rapid proliferation, characterized by high nuclear cytoplasmic ratio, weak intercellular junctional complexes, chromatin condensation, increase of ribosomes and mitochondria, and temporary increase of lipid droplets. Finally, remodeling of the liver lobule was completed through the rearrangement of blood vessels and cell plates by 7 days after PH. On histochemistry, immunoreactivity indicating the presence of MT appeared moderately throughout the cytoplasm of control rat hepatocyte. After PH, positive reactions for MT increased at the cytoplasm and the nucleus. These results suggest that the remnant liver cells immediately entered cell proliferation and increase of MT expression after PH. It is thought that MT protein might be associated with transfer of some factors needed to cell division from the cytoplasm to the nucleus for regeneration of the liver after PH.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.51 no.8
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• pp.874-878
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• 2008

Purpose : This study was undertaken to develop an animal model of periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) induced by in utero clamping of pregnant rat aorta in fetal rats. Methods : A timed pregnanct Sprague-Dawley rat on embryonic day 21 just prior to delivery was sedated and anesthetized, and a Harvard ventilator for small animals was applied. Following laparotomy, the maternal aorta was clamped reversibly for 40 minutes using a surgical clip. The fetal rats were then delivered by Cesarean section, resuscitated if necessary, and reared by a surrogate mother rat until postnatal day 21 to obtain the brain specimen. After systemic perfusion and fixation, $10{\mu}m$ thick serial brain sections were obtained and stained for pathologic examination and assessment of ventriculomegaly. Ventriculomegaly was assessed by the measured ventricle to total brain volume ratio. Results : Eight out of eleven fetal rats (73%) survived in the ischemia group after induction of in utero ischemia by clamping maternal rat aorta, and all ten survived in the control group. Body and brain weights measured at postnatal day 21 were significantly lower in the ischemia group compared to the control group. In pathologic findings, significant ventriculomagaly ($3.67{\pm}1.21%$ vs. $0.23{\pm}0.06%$) was observed in the ischemia group compared to the control group; although cystic lesion was not observed, mild (n=6) and moderate (n=2) rerefaction of the brain tissue was observed. Conclusion : A fetal rat model of PVL induced by in utero clamping of pregnant rat aorta was developed.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.369-376
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• 2003

This experiment was conducted to investigate the influence of different levels of metabolizable energy (ME) and crude protein (CP) on post-molt performance and egg quality of spent laying hens. Four hundred and thirty two, ISA Brown hens at sixty six weeks of age after molt induction were fed six experimental diets containing three ME (2,750, 2,800, 2,850 kcal/kg) with two CP (15, 17%) levels in a factorial design. The influence of ME and CP were evaluated on egg production, egg weight and feed intake throughout 24 weeks of production. Egg mass and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were measured during the experimental period. Haugh unit, yolk color and eggshell breaking strength were measured at 5%, 50%, peak, post peak and end stage of egg production. The hens fed 2800 kcal/kg diet along with 15% CP recorded the highest outcome of egg production (P<0.05). The egg weight has been shown to increase with hens receiving 2,800 kcal/kg ME. Daily egg mass tended to increase in hens fed with 15% CP and 2,800 kcal/kg ME. Feed intake decreased significantly with the level of ME and CP in the diet increased (P<0.05). Yolk color was improved significantly in eggs laid by the hens receiving 17% CP than 15% diet. It also tended to be higher in 17% CP with 2,800 or 2,850 kcal/kg ME diet treatments. Egg shell breaking strength increased with hens receiving diets of 15% CP and 2,800 kcal/kg. From this experiment it can be concluded that the ME level of 2,800 kcal/kg coupled with 15% CP could be used to achieve the higher egg production and better eggshell strength in induced molting hens.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.297-302
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• 2011

Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) causes a number of extraintestinal diseases in poultry. A virulence factor, P-fimbriae is firmly associated with the diseases. In this study, to develop an effective vaccine for the prevention of APEC, recombinant attenuatted Salmonella Typhimurium vaccines expressing PapA and PapG of P-fimbriae were evaluated whether these induced protective immune responses in murine models. Female BALB/c mice were primed and boosted orally at 7 and 10 weeks of age. In all immunized mice, the antigen-specific serum IgG levels were remained higher than those in the control mice from the fourth week post inoculation till the end of this study. In addition, antigen-specific serum IgG levels in the prime-booster immunized mice were enhanced as compared to the single immunized mice among each immunized group. The antigen-specific mucosal IgA levels in the mice immunized with each strain also induced higher than those in control mice. In addition, serum IgG and fecal IgA levels in mice administered with the combination of both strains were highly induced compared to those in mice immunized with each strain alone. These results indicated that PapA and PapG worked together for inducing high immune responses. To partly discern the nature of immunity induced by the strains, we quantified serum IgG subtypes IgG1 and IgG2a specific to antigens. The PapA and PapG strains biased the immunity to the Th1-type, as determined by the IgG2a/IgG1 ratio. On the other hand, the immunization with the both strains in combination produced mixed Th1- and Th2-type immune responses. These indicated that immunization with the combination of PapA and PapG could elicit both humoral and cell-mediated immunities.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.389-398
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• 2013

Platycodin D is a major constituent of triterpene saponins, which is found in the root of Platycodon grandiflorum, Platycodi Radix, which is widely used in traditional Oriental medicine for the treatment of many chronic inflammatory diseases. Several pharmacological effects of this compound have been reported recently, such as anti-inflammation, immunogenicity, anti-adipogenesis, lowered cholesterol, and anti-cancer activity. However, the mechanism by which this action occurs is poorly understood. In this study, we found that platycodin D greatly increased the potential of the anti-proliferative effect in various cancer cell lines. Our data revealed that platycodin D treatment resulted in a time- and concentration-response growth inhibition of U937 cells by inducing apoptosis, as evidenced by the formation of apoptotic bodies, chromatin condensation, and the accumulation of cells in the sub-G1 phase. Apoptosis induction of U937 cells by platycodin D correlated with an increase in the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and caused the down-regulation of IAP family members. In addition, platycodin D treatment resulted in proteolytic activation of caspase-3, the concomitant degradation of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases, and the collapse of the mitochondria membrane potential (${\Delta}{\Psi}_m$). However, the cytotoxic effects induced by platycodin D treatment were significantly inhibited by z-DEVD-fmk, a caspase-3 inhibitor, which demonstrated the important role that caspase-3 played in the observed cytotoxic effect. These findings suggest that platycodin D may be a potential chemotherapeutic agent for use in the control of human leukemia U937 cells. These findings also provided important new insights into possible molecular mechanisms of the anti-cancer activity of platycodin D.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.416-426
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• 2005

Intravenous sedation have many advantages of rapid onset and recovery, ability of control sedation levels and duration through titration. Midazolam is most commonly used intravenous medication for sedation in pediatrics, endoscopy, oncologic procedures and so on. But in dentistry, midazolam intravenous sedation is usually for adult, and there are few reports for children. Todays, children who need sedation become more and older, intravenous sedation technique is going a matter of concern in pediatric dentistry. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the efficacy of sedation and clinical success for different initial dosage of midazolam in intravenous sedation for pediatric dental patients. 16 healthy children (male 10, female 6), mean age $54.7{\pm}10.7$ months, who needed at least two separate treatment visits requiring local anesthesia were chosen for this study. Every children were taken 0.3mg/kg, maximum 5mg of midazolam by intramuscular route, and then 30~50% $N_2O-O_2$ for 10 minutes was given. On every visits, one of the following 2 different initial dosage was given by intravenous route : (1) Group I : 0.1mg/kg Midazolam (2) Group II : 0.2mg/kg Midazolam. Additional dosage was half of the first dose. Physiologic parameters (oxygen saturation, heart rate, respiratory rate, end-tidal carbon dioxide pressure) was recorded by ten procedure steps. Behavior was videotaped and rated using Ohio State University Behavioral Rating Scale and Automated Counting System by one investigator, blind to administered dosage. After the treatment, operator evaluated the clinical success. Physiologic parameters were stable and within normal range during treatment in both groups. The analyzed sedative effect, in behavioral evaluation, ratio of favorable Quiet was higher in group II, and clinical success rate of group II was better than group I. Induction time was rapid in group II, and recovery time was rapid in group I. And there was no statistically difference between two groups in every results.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.20 no.7
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• pp.1054-1065
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• 2010

SH21B is a natural composition composed of seven herbs: Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, Prunus armeniaca Maxim, Ephedra sinica Stapf, Acorus gramineus Soland, Typha orientalis Presl, Polygala tenuifolia Willd and Nelumbo nucifera Gaertner (Ratio 3:3:3:3:3:2:2). In our previous study, we reported that SH21B inhibited adipogenesis and fat accumulation in 3T3-L1 cells through modulation of various regulators in the adipogenesis pathway. The aim of this study was to analyze the transcriptome profiles for the anti-adipogenic effects of SH21B in 3T3-L1 cells. Total RNAs from SH21B-treated 3T3-L1 cells were reverse-transcribed into cDNAs and hybridized to Affymetrix Mouse Gene 1.0 ST array. From microarray analyses, we identified 2,568 genes of which expressions were changed more than two-fold by SH21B, and the clustering analyses of these genes resulted in 9 clusters. Three clusters among the 9 showed down-regulation by SH21B (cluster 4, cluster 6 and cluster 9), and two clusters showed up-regulation by SH21B (cluster 7 and cluster 8) during the adipogenesis of 3T3-L1 cells. It was found that many genes related to cell proliferation and adipogenesis were included in these clusters. Clusters 4, 6 and 9 included genes which were related with adipogenesis induction and cell cycle arrest. Clusters 7 and 8 included genes related to cell proliferation as well as adipogenesis inhibition. These results suggest that the mechanisms of the anti-adipogenic effects of SH21B may be the modulation of genes involved in cell proliferation and adipogenesis.

• Korean Journal of Dental Materials
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.243-256
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the anodization and cyclic calcification treatment on the surface characteristic and bioactivity of the titanium thin sheet in order to obtain basic data for the production of bioactive titanium membrane. A $30{\times}20{\times}0.08mm$ titanium sheets were prepared, and then they were pickled for 10 seconds in the solution which was mixed with $HNO_3:HF:H_2O$ in a ratio of 12: 7: 81. The $TiO_2$ nanotube layer was formed to increase the specific surface area of the titanium, and then the cyclic calcification treatment was performed to induce precipitation of hydroxiapatite by improvement of the bioactivity. The corrosion resistance test, wettability test and immersion test in simulated body solution were conducted to investigate the effect of these surface treatments. The nanotubes formed by the anodization treatment have a dense structure in which small diameter tubes are formed between relatively large diameter tubes, and their inside was hollow and the outer walls were coupled to each other. The hydroxyapatite precipitates were well combined on the nanotubes by the penetration into the nanotube layer by successive cyclic calcification treatment, and the precipitation of hydroxyapatite tended to increase proportionally after immersion in simulated body solution as the number of cycles increased. In conclusion, it was confirmed that induction of precipitation of hydroxyapatite by cyclic calcification treatment after forming the nanotube $TiO_2$ nanotube layer on the surface of the titanium membrane can contribute to improvement of bioactivity.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.12-21
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• 2024

The aim of this research was to investigate the effect of gibberellin on improving seedling growth characteristics and enhancing strawberry quality in cutting propagation. Cuttings of the cultivar 'Seolhyang' were treated with GA₃ for 30 and 60 minutes at concentrations of 50, 100, and 150 mg·L^-1, with distilled water used for dipping as the control. Evaluation of seedling growth showed a positive correlation between the duration of gibberellin dipping and growth characteristics such as leaf number and SPAD value. Plant height, petiole length, leaf length and width, and leaf area varied significantly based on the interaction between dipping time and concentration. Crown diameter exhibited differences depending on the dipping time, with cuttings producing superior seedlings having a diameter of 8.0 mm or more for all treatments except the 30-minute, 100 mg·L^-1 treatment. The T/R ratio was significantly lower in the 30-minute, 50 mg·L^-1 treatment, indicating the highest plant vigor. Quantum yield was lower at a concentration of 150 mg·L^-1, showing a decreasing trend with increasing gibberellin concentration. Nonphotochemical quenching was significantly smaller in the 30-minute, 150 mg·L^-1 treatment, indicating an effective reduction of stress in the cuttings. Antioxidant content was highest in the 30-minute, 50 mg·L^-1 treatment and the 60-minute, 150 mg·L^-1 treatment. Moreover, the results of post-transplanting growth assessment showed no negative effect of gibberellin on flowering induction. Therefore, it was confirmed that gibberellin treatment during the cutting propagation of 'Seolhyang' strawberries had a positive effect on the production of high-quality seedlings. Dipping the cuttings in 50 mg·L^-1 gibberellin for 30 minutes is considered to be the most suitable method for improving growth and quality compared to the control.