• 환경영향평가
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• 제18권1호
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• pp.51-57
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• 2009

Corylopsis coreana Uyeki is endemic species in the Korean peninsula and is designated a Category Endangered Plant Species by the Wildlife Protection Act of South Korea. We developed the plan and cooperative model within the local community for the species conservation. In order to carry out this plan we first investigated the ecological characteristics of the species. The species shows patterns of discontinuous distribution and is coupled with the unusual feature of only growing on northern exposed slopes. Although Corylopsis coreana is cut the stem every year, many new sprouts are still grown from the root. Natural germination of the seed occurs only on north-facing slopes, but not on south-facing slopes at spring. That is, the species is highly influenced by soil moisture until the seedling stage has been reached. This factor limits the distribution of the species. When saplings are planted on south-facing slopes, they grow well. The information we gathered greatly helped with efforts to draw up conservation plans. In addition, when the information was shared with the local community, builders and residents showed great interest and displayed a will to help with conservation efforts. Therefore, a cooperative model within the local community was drawn up for the conservation of the species. Accordingly this model could be applied at mitigation measure at environment impact assessment.

• BMB Reports
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• 제53권1호
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• pp.47-55
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• 2020

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a multifactorial neurodegenerative disease and has become a major socioeconomic issue in many developed countries. Currently available therapeutic agents for AD provide only symptomatic treatments, mainly because the complete mechanism of the AD pathogenesis is still unclear. Although several different hypotheses have been proposed, mitochondrial dysfunction has gathered interest because of its profound effect on brain bioenergetics and neuronal survival in the pathophysiology of AD. Various therapeutic agents targeting the mitochondrial pathways associated with AD have been developed over the past decade. Although most of these agents are still early in the clinical development process, they are used to restore mitochondrial function, which provides an alternative therapeutic strategy that is likely to slow the progression of the disease. In this mini review, we will survey the AD-related mitochondrial pathways and their small-molecule modulators that have therapeutic potential. We will focus on recently reported examples, and also overview the current challenges and future perspectives of ongoing research.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• 제29권3호
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• pp.199-207
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• 2002

The tropane alkaloids hyoscyamine (its racemic form being atropine) and scopolamine are used medicinally as anticholinergic agents that act on the parasympathetic nerve system. Because they differ in their actions on the central nervous system, currently there is a 10-fold higher commercial demand for scopolamine, in the N-butylbromide form, than there is for hyoscyamine and atropine combined. Several solanaceous species have been used as the commercial sources of these alkaloids, but the scopolamine contents in these plants often are much lower than those of hyoscyamine. For this reason there has been long-standing interest in increasing the scopolamine contents of cultivated medicinal plants. Naturally occurring and artificial interspecific hybrids of Duboisia have high scopolamine contents and are cultivated as a commercial source of scopolamine in Australia and other countries. Anther culture combined with conventional interspecific hybridization also has been used to breed high scopolamine-containing plants in the genera Datura and Hyoscyamus, but without much success. The use of recombinant DNA technology for the manipulation of metabolic processes in cells promises to provide important contributions to basic science, agriculture, and medicine. In this review, I introduce on the enzymes and genes involved in tropane alkaloid biosynthesis and current progress in metabolic engineering approaches for tropane alkaloid, especially scopolamine, production.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제25권1호
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• pp.1-6
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• 2008

Osteoarthritis (OA), one of the most common skeletal disorders characterized by cartilage degradation and osteophyte formation in joints, is induced by accumulated mechanical stress; however, little is known about the underlying molecular mechanism. Several experimental OA models in mice by producing instability in the knee joints have been developed to apply approaches from mouse genetics. Although proteinases like matrix metalloproteinases and aggrecanases have now been proven to be the principal initiators of OA progression, clinical trials of proteinase inhibitors have not been successful for the treatment, turning the interest of researchers to the upstream signals of proteinase induction. These signals include undegraded and fragmented matrix proteins like type II collagen or fibronection that affects chondrocytes through distinct receptors. Another signal is proinflammatory factors that are produced by chondrocytes and synovial cells; however, recent studies that used mouse OA models in knockout mice did not support that these factors have a role in the central contribution to OA development. Our mouse genetic approaches found that the induction of a transcriptional activator Runx2 in chondrocytes under mechanical stress contributes to the pathogenesis of OA through chondrocyte hypertrophy. In addition, chondrocyte apoptosis has recently been identified as being involved in OA progression. We hereby propose that these endochondral ossification signals may be important for the OA progression, suggesting that the related molecules can clinically be therapeutic targets of this disease.

• BMB Reports
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• 제56권10호
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• pp.537-544
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• 2023

The share of the population that is aging is growing rapidly. In an aging society, technologies and interventions that delay the aging process are of great interest. Dietary restriction (DR) is the most reproducible and effective nutritional intervention tested to date for delaying the aging process and prolonging the health span in animal models. Preventive effects of DR on age-related diseases have also been reported in human. In addition, highly conserved signaling pathways from small animal models to human mediate the effects of DR. Recent evidence has shown that the immune system is closely related to the effects of DR, and functions as a major mechanism of DR in healthy aging. This review discusses the effects of DR in delaying aging and preventing age-related diseases in animal, including human, and introduces the molecular mechanisms that mediate these effects. In addition, it reports scientific findings on the relationship between the immune system and DR-induced longevity. The review highlights the role of immunity as a potential mediator of the effects of DR on longevity, and provides insights into healthy aging in human.

• 셀메드
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• 제2권3호
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• pp.22.1-22.9
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• 2012

The aim of this study is to collate all available data on experiments reporting the antiproliferative, cytotoxic effects of plants and natural products in Morocco in the last two decades. A bibliographic investigation was carried out by analyzing recognized books and peer-reviewed papers, consulting worldwide accepted scientific databases (Scirus, Embase, HighWire, MEDLINE/PubMed, LILACS, Ovid, ScienceDirect, SciELO, Google Scholar). We used medical subject heading terms and the words 'anticancer', 'antiproliferative', 'antineoplastic', 'antitumoral', 'cytotoxic', 'Morocco', to identify relevant articles. Moroccan plants with attributed anti-cancer properties studied as plant extracts that have been evaluated for cytotoxic effects, antitumoral effects, plants with active compounds tested on cancer cell lines, and plants with active compounds that have been assayed on animal models were chosen for this research. In the present study, interest is focused on experimental research conducted on medicinal plants, particularly those which show antiproliferative or cytotoxic activities alongside bioactive components. A total of 20 plant species belonging to 12 families have been identified as active or promising sources of phytochemicals with antiproliferative properties. The plant families, which cover all the species studied in this field, are Lamiaceae (7 species) and Asteraceae (4 species); the most studied species being Argania spinosa (Sapotaceae) and Arisarum vulgare (Araceae), Thymus Genus (Labiateae) and Peganum harmala (Zygophyllaceae). Based on the search results, it is recommended to increase the number of experimental studies and to begin conducting clinical trials with Moroccan plants and their active compounds selected by in vitro and in vivo activities.

• International Journal of Fuzzy Logic and Intelligent Systems
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• 제14권2호
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• pp.91-97
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• 2014

Chaotic dynamics is an active research area in fields such as biology, physics, sociology, psychology, physiology, and engineering. Interest in chaos is also expanding to the social sciences, such as politics, economics, and societal events prediction. Most people pursue happiness, both spiritual and physical in many cases. However, happiness is not easy to define, because people differ in how they perceive it. Happiness can exist in mind and body. Therefore, we need to be happy in both simultaneously to achieve optimal happiness. To do this, we need to synchronize mind and body. In this paper, we propose a chaotic synchronization method in a mathematical model of happiness organized by a second-order ordinary differential equation with external force. This proposed mathematical happiness equation is similar to Duffing's equation, because it is derived from that equation. We introduce synchronization method from our mathematical happiness model by using the derived Duffing equation. To achieve chaotic synchronization between the human mind and body, we apply an idea of mind/body unity originating in Oriental philosophy. Of many chaotic synchronization methods, we use only coupled synchronization, because this method is closest to representing mind/body unity. Typically, coupled synchronization can be applied only to non-autonomous systems, such as a modified Duffing system. We represent the result of synchronization using a differential time series mind/body model.

• 응용통계연구
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• 제29권1호
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• pp.257-266
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• 2016

비선형 모형인 확률계수 자기회귀 모형의 모수를 추정하기 위해 전체 데이터를 부표본으로 나누어 확률계수 ${\phi}(t)$가 초기값, ${\phi}(0)$를 갖는 특별한 경우를 제안하고 추정하였다. 모의 실험으로 부표본으로 나누어 확률계수 자기회귀 모형을 추정하는 더 바람직함을 확인하였다. 실증분석에서는 한국 Mumps 자료를 선형 모형인 자기회귀 모형과 확률 계수 자기회귀 모형에 각각 적합시켜 모수를 추정하고, PRESS 값을 비교하여 확률계수 자기회귀 모형의 예측이 더 우수함을 보였다.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제24권2호
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• pp.167-176
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• 2007

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma ($PPAR{\gamma}$) is expressed at very high levels in the gastrointestinal epithelium. Many of the functions of $PPAR{\gamma}$ in gastrointestinal epithelial cells have been elucidated in recent years, and a pattern is emerging which suggests that this receptor plays an important role in gastrointestinal physiology. There is also strong evidence that $PPAR{\gamma}$ is a colon cancer suppressor in pre-clinical rodent models of sporadic colon cancer, and there is considerable interest in exploitation of $PPAR{\gamma}$ agonists as prophylactic or chemopreventive agents in colon cancer. Studies in mice and in human colon cancer cell lines suggest several mechanisms that might account for the tumor suppressive effects of $PPAR{\gamma}$ agonists, although it is not in all cases clear whether these effects are altogether mediated by $PPAR{\gamma}$. Conversely, several reports suggest that $PPAR{\gamma}$ agonists may promote colon cancer under certain circumstances. This possibility warrants considerable attention since several million individuals with type II diabetes are currently taking $PPAR{\gamma}$ agonists. This review will focus on recent data related to four critical questions: what is the physiological function of $PPAR{\gamma}$ in gastrointestinal epithelial cells; how does $PPAR{\gamma}$ suppress colon carcinogenesis; is $PPAR{\gamma}$ a tumor promoter; and what is the future of $PPAR{\gamma}$ in colon cancer prevention?

• 한국자기공명학회논문지
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• 제10권1호
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• pp.74-88
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• 2006

Since the first commercial NMR spectrometer came out in 1953 from Varian, much of the hardware development has been improved and matured through commercial equipments. Many of magnetic resonance laboratories however still build and use home-built spectrometers, which are satisfactory even with the consideration of educational purpose only. The home-built NMR spectrometer could be further advantageous and could be often an only option for investigating new ideas with demanding experimental conditions or new hardware support. A solid state NMR spectrometer was designed with extra interest in stochastic experiment and built for an 8.93 T superconducting magnet from Oxford instrument. Super-heterodyned system was implemented for the transmitter and receiver parts. Intermediate frequency (IF) for the heterodyne system was chosen to 70 MHz for the first and the second channels, with additional 120 MHz for the third channel for maximum NMR frequency capability. We will show overall schematics, and discuss the designs with detailed diagrams, then demonstrate the applicability of home-built spectrometer with stochastic-excitation in solid state NMR and in applications to quadrupolar nuclear Spins.