• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.11-16
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• 2005

Humic substances(HS) from raw and process waters at a conventional water treatment plant were isolated and extracted by physicochemical fractionation methods to investigate their characteristics. They are characterized for their functionality, chemical composition, and spectroscopic characteristics using FT-IR(Fourier transform infrared) and $^1H-NMR$(proton nuclear magnetic resonance) spectroscopy. Humic fraction gradually decreased from 47.2% to 26.4%(from 0.97 to 0.54 mgC/L) through conventional water treatment processes. Concentration of phenolic groups in the HS fraction gradually decreased from 60.5% to 21.8%(from 12.2 to $6.0\;{\mu}M/L$ as phenolic-OH) through water treatment. In the case of carboxylic groups, the concentration increased from 39.5% to 46.9%(from 7.9 to $10.6\;{\mu}M/L$ as COOH) by pre-chlorination, but gradually decreased to 34.2%($9.4\;{\mu}M/L$ as COOH) through sedimentation and sand filtration. From the results of the FT-IR and $^1H-NMR$ spectra of HS, the content of carboxylic groups increased and ratio of aliphatic protons to aromatic protons($P_{Al}/P_{Ar}$) also increased through water treatment, which indicated the increase of aliphatic compounds.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.88-104
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• 2024

Purpose: High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is primarily synthesized in the liver upon stimulation of infectious disease cytokines, such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), and is used as a biological marker of systemic inflammation. Previous studies reported that hs-CRP is closely related to diet and abdominal obesity. Furthermore, a dietary score favoring the consumption of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains over meat and saturated fat reduced inflammation and decreased the prevalence of obesity and abdominal obesity. Nevertheless, no studies have examined whether hs-CRP mediates the relationship between dietary scores and abdominal obesity, and research on the Korean Healthy Eating Index (KHEI) is lacking. Therefore, the present study examined the association between the KHEI and abdominal obesity and the mediating effect of hs-CRP. Methods: In total, 17,770 adults aged ≥19 years were included in the study using the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2015-2018. KHEI was developed to assess the overall diet quality of Korean adults. Multivariable linear and logistic regression analyses assessed the relationship between KHEI, hs-CRP, and abdominal obesity. The mediation analysis with the bootstrapping method was performed using SAS MACRO. Results: Among women, the odds ratio (OR) of abdominal obesity prevalence was lower in the highest KHEI compared to the lowest KHEI after adjusting for age, body mass index, educational level, income level, occupational status, marital status, household type, region type, alcohol consumption, smoking status, physical activity, total energy intake, and hsCRP (OR 0.744, 95% confidence interval 0.598-0.926). The association between KHEI and abdominal obesity was partially mediated via hs-CRP, and the mediated proportion was 68.7% in men and 38.1% in women. Conclusion: A substantial relationship was observed between the KHEI and abdominal obesity among females. Moreover, according to the KHEI, abdominal obesity may be mediated partially by hs-CRP.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.565-577
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• 2017

Purpose: There have been limited studies investigating the relationship between high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), metabolic diseases, and dietary factors in Korean adults. Here, we examined the association between nutrient intake and serum hsCRP among Korean adults. Methods: Using data on 2,624 healthy Korean adults (1,537 women and 1,087 men) from the 2015 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, demographic, anthropometric, biochemical, and dietary factors were analyzed once the subjects were grouped into either sex, age, or BMI. Nutrient intake was evaluated using the dietary data obtained by one-day 24-hour recall. Based on the guidelines of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Heart Association, hsCRP level was classified as HCRPG (High CRP Group, hsCRP > 1 mg/L) and LCRPG (Low CRP Group, hsCRP ${\leq}1mg/L$). Proc surveyreg procedure was performed to examine the associations between nutrient intake and hsCRP after adjustment for potential confounding variables. Results: The average hsCRP level of healthy Korean adults was $0.95{\pm}0.03mg/L$ ($0.97{\pm}0.04mg/L$ in men, $0.92{\pm}0.05mg/L$ in women). Obese subjects had significantly higher hsCRP than non-obese subjects in both sexes. The hsCRP level was positively associated with current smoking, physical inactivity, BMI, waist circumference, fasting blood glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and blood pressure and inversely associated with HDL-cholesterol. LCRPG had significantly higher intake of dietary fiber compared to HCRPG in women. High hsCRP level was associated with more dietary cholesterol intake but less omega-3 fatty acid intake among subjects aged ${\geq}50y$. HCRPG of obese subjects had higher intakes of fat and saturated fatty acid than LCRPG. Conclusion: The hsCRP level is closely associated with several lifestyle variables and nutrient intake in healthy Korean adults. Individuals with high hsCRP level show low intakes of dietary fiber and omega-3 fatty acids but high intakes of dietary fat and cholesterol. Our findings suggest that a potential anti-inflammatory role for nutrients and lifestyle in the Korean adult population.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.16 no.7 s.80
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• pp.1181-1187
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• 2006

HS-1580 series (HS-1580, HS-1581, HS-1582) can produce anti-imflammatory effects were synthesized from the marine algae extraction in 2,3,6-tribromo-4,5-dihydroxy benzyl methyl ether (TDB). Raw 264.7 cells were pre-treated with $1{\mu}g/{\mu}l$ lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and later treated with HS-1580 series. These cells of inflammatory mediators were tested as well. Nitric oxide (NO) is related to autoimmune disease and is produced by inducible NOS (iNOS). When treated with HS-1580 series, the product of NO will reduce in a dose-dependent manner. HS-1580 series significantly inhibit the iNOS protein expression. Cyclooxygenase (COX) involves with the various physiologic events and catalyzes in prostaglandin. HS-1580 series also inhibit the COX-2 protein expression as well as pro-inflammatory cytokines production such as tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}\;(TNF-{\alpha})\;and\;interluekin-1{\alpha]\;(IL-1{\beta})$. These upcoming results suggest that HS-1580 series have anti-inflammatory efforts in Raw 264.7 cells by inhibiting such as iNOS, COX-2, $TNF-{\alpha}\;and\;IL-1{\beta}$ as inflammatory mediators.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.709-718
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• 2019

Objective: To investigate the association of myocardial blood flow (MBF) quantified by dynamic computed tomography (CT) myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) with troponin level and left ventricle (LV) function in patients with ST-segment elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI). Materials and Methods: Thirty-five STEMI patients who successfully had undergone reperfusion treatment within 1 week of their infarction were consecutively enrolled. All patients were referred for dynamic CT-MPI. Serial high-sensitivity troponin T (hs-TnT) levels and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) measured by echocardiography were recorded. Twenty-six patients with 427 segments were included for analysis. Various quantitative parameters derived from dynamic CT-MPI were analyzed to determine if there was a correlation between hs-TnT levels and LVEF on admission and again at the 6-month mark. Results: The mean radiation dose for dynamic CT-MPI was 3.2 ± 1.1 mSv. Infarcted territories had significantly lower MBF (30.5 ± 7.4 mL/min/100 mL versus 73.4 ± 8.1 mL/min/100 mL, p < 0.001) and myocardial blood volume (MBV) (2.8 ± 0.9 mL/100 mL versus 4.2 ± 1.1 mL/100 mL, p = 0.044) compared with those of reference territories. MBF showed the best correlation with the level of peak hs-TnT (r = -0.682, p < 0.001), and MBV showed a moderate correlation with the level of peak hs-TnT (r = -0.437, p = 0.026); however, the other parameters did not show any significant correlation with hs-TnT levels. As for the association with LV function, only MBF was significantly correlated with LVEF at the time of admission (r = 0.469, p = 0.016) and at 6 months (r = 0.585, p = 0.001). Conclusion: MBF quantified by dynamic CT-MPI is significantly inversely correlated with the level of peak hs-TnT. In addition, patients with lower MBF tended to have impaired LV function at the time of their admission and at 6 months.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.796-805
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• 2010

This study investigated the correlations and risk distribution differences between high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and the diagnosis factors of metabolic syndrome among the residents of a rural community. Two thousand adults aged from 40 to 70 were recruited and 1,968 subjects were included in the study after excluding those with infectious disease or with hs-CRP higher than 10 mg/L in blood. The subjects were then divided into three groups of hs-CRP to examine the correlations and risk ratio with the risk factors of metabolic syndrome. There was a tendency of hs-CRP increasing according to the number of risk factors of metabolic syndrome. The risk ratio with hs-CRP according to metabolic syndrome significantly increased by 2.0 and 2.2 times in the intermediate and high risk group, respectively, compared with the low risk group. The risk ratio with the risk factors of metabolic syndrome according to hs-CRP rose in abdominal obesity, triglyceride, and W/Ht in the intermediate risk group of hs-CRP. The risk ratio also surged in high pressure, W/Ht, ex-drinking (1.7 times), exsmoking (2.0 times) and current smoking (2.0 times) in the high risk group. The results indicate that hs-CRP is related to the risk factors of metabolic syndrome and that it's very important to manage obesity including abdominal obesity and W/Ht and everyday habits including drinking and smoking.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.233-237
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• 2008

The essential oil was obtained from the aerial part of Rhododendon mucronulatum Turcz. var. ciliatum Nakai by steam distillation, samples were collected by headspace (HS) and solid-phase microextraction (SPME) methods, and the compositions of the oil were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Nineteen constituents were identified from the essential oil: 15 carbohydrates, 3 alcohols, and 1 acetates. Major constituents were 2-${\beta}$-pinene (16.1%), camphene (11.9%), ${\delta}$-3-carene (11.4%), d,l-limonene (9.5%), and ${\gamma}$-terpinene (9.5%). By SPME extraction, seventeen constituents were identified: 13 hydrocarbons, 1 alcohol, 1 nitrogen-containing compound, 1 acetate, and 1 amine. Major constituents of the SPME-extracted sample were cam phene (19.6%), 2-${\beta}$-pinene (18.0%), ${\delta}$-3-carene (17.4%), trimethyl hydrazine (9.7%), ${\gamma}$-terpinene (8.5%), and d,l-limonene (5.5%). By HS extraction, thirteen constituents were identified: 11 hydrocarbons, 1 alcohol, and 1 nitrogen-containing compound. Major constituents of the HS-extracted sample were camphene (25.8%), ${\delta}$-3-carene (24.8%), 2-${\beta}$-pinene (20.2%), d,l-limonene (5.4%), tricyclene (5.1%) and trimethyl hydrazine (4.6%). The fragrance of the essential oil was coniferous, balsamic, and woody, and the $IC_{50}$ value of the essential oil was 0.030 ${\mu}g/mg$ in MTT assay using UaCaT keratinocyte cell line.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.2643-2648
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• 2016

Background: High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels are lower in Japanese compared with Western subjects. Since it is uncertain whether hsCRP is a potent predictor of mortality at low CRP concentrations, the present study examined associations with all-cause and cause-specific mortality in a large population of Japanese. Materials and Methods: Subjects were 4,737 men and 6,343 women aged 49-76 years participating in the baseline survey of an ongoing cohort study of lifestyle-related diseases between February 2004 and July 2006. Hazard ratios for all-cause and cause-specific mortality associated with hsCRP levels were estimated using Cox proportional hazards regression. Results: A total of 436 all-cause deaths occurred during a median follow-up of 8 years. The main cause of death was cancer. In men, hsCRP levels were positively associated with the risk of all-cause mortality as well as deaths from cancer and cardiovascular disease (CVD). All-cause mortality hazards for the 2nd (0.34-0.84 mg/L) and the 3rd (${\geq}0.85mg/L$) tertiles of hsCRP were 1.27 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.93-1.73) and 1.75 (1.30-2.37), respectively (p for trend=0.001). In women, increased risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality associated with elevated hsCRP levels was observed, but the associations were not statistically significant. Conclusions: HsCRP may be an independent predictor of all-cause, cancer and CVD mortality in apparently healthy Japanese men, but not women. The differential effect of hsCRP in predicting mortality risk by sex warrants further investigation.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.329-342
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• 2022

The liver is the predominant metastatic site for pancreatic cancer. However, the factors that determine the liver metastasis and the specific molecular mechanisms are still unclear. In this study, we used human pancreatic cancer cell line Hs766T to establish Hs766T-L3, a subline of Hs766T with stable liver metastatic ability. We performed RNA sequencing of Hs766T-L3 and its parental cell line Hs766T, and revealed huge differences in gene expression patterns and pathway activation between these two cell lines. We correlated the difference in pathway activation with the expression of the four core transcriptional factors including STAT1, NR2F2, GATA2, and SMAD4. Using the TCGA database, we examined the relative expression of these transcription factors (TFs) in pan-cancer and their relationship with the prognosis of the pancreatic cancer. Among these TFs, we considered GATA2 is closely involved in tumor metastasis and may serve as a potential metastatic driver. Further in vitro and in vivo experiments confirmed that GATA2-mediated transcriptional activation of Notch3 promotes the liver metastasis of Hs766T-L3, and knockdown of either GATA2 or Notch3 reduces the metastatic ability of Hs766T-L3. Therefore, we claim that GATA2 may serve as a metastatic driver of pancreatic cancer and a potential therapeutic target to treat liver metastasis of pancreatic cancer.

• Journal of Mushroom
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.31-38
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• 2018

This study investigated the synergistic effect of single inoculation and co-inoculation of phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) Pantoea rodasil LH-1and Burkholderia stabilis HS-7. Phosphate-solubilizing abilities of these strains were assessed by measuring phosphorus content in culture media that were singly inoculated or co-inoculated with these strains for 7 days. The co-inoculation of P. rodasil LH-1and B. stabilis HS-7 was found to release the highest content of soluble phosphorus ($783.41{\mu}g\;mL^{-1}$) into the medium, followed by single inoculation of B. stabilis HS-7B ($743.90{\mu}g\;mL^{-1}$) and P. rodasil LH-1 ($736.59{\mu}g\;mL^{-1}$). The highest pH reduction, organic acid production, and glucose consumption were also observed in the medium inoculated with both the strains, compared with that in the medium inoculated with the strain alone. Results of a plant growth promotion bioassay showed 7.7% and 15.5% higher leaf and root growth, respectively, in romaine lettuce co-inoculated with P. rodasil LH-1and B. stabilis HS-7 than those inoculated with the strain alone. However, no significant difference was observed between single inoculation and co-inoculation of these strains with respect to phosphorus release and plant growth. Although the results of the present study did remarkdly not show the synergistic effect of phosphate solubilization by co-inoculation of the PSB strains examined, these results indicate that treatment with PSB exerts a beneficial effect on crop growth.