• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• 제9권6호
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• pp.579-585
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• 2015

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Sonchus asper is used extensively as an herbal anti-inflammatory for treatment of bronchitis, asthma, wounds, burns, and cough; however, further investigation is needed in order to understand the underlying mechanism. To determine its mechanism of action, we examined the effects of an ethyl acetate fraction (EAF) of S. asper on nitric oxide (NO) production and prostaglandin-E2 levels in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages. MATERIALS/METHODS: An in vitro culture of RAW264.7 macrophages was treated with LPS to induce inflammation. RESULTS: Treatment with EAF resulted in significant suppression of oxidative stress in RAW264.7 macrophages as demonstrated by increased endogenous superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and intracellular glutathione levels, decreased generation of reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation, and restoration of the mitochondrial membrane potential. To confirm its anti-inflammatory effects, analysis of expression of inducible NO synthase, cyclooxygenase-2, tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$, and the anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-$1{\beta}$ and IL-6 was performed using semi-quantitative RT-PCR. EAF treatment resulted in significantly reduced dose-dependent expression of all of these factors, and enhanced expression of the antioxidants MnSOD and heme oxygenase-1. In addition, HPLC fingerprint results suggest that rutin, caffeic acid, and quercetin may be the active ingredients in EAF. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, findings of this study imply that the anti-inflammatory effect of EAF on LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells is mediated by suppression of oxidative stress.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제20권6호
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• pp.1001-1005
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• 2010

The chitinase-producing strain TKU008 was isolated from soil in Taiwan, and it was identified as a new species of Pseudomonas. The culture condition suitable for production of chitinase was found to be shaking at $30^{\circ}C$ for 4 days in 100 ml of medium containing 1% shrimp and crab shell powder, 0.1% $K_2HPO_4$, and 0.05% $MgSO_4{\cdot}7H_2O$ (pH 7). The TKU008 chitinase was suppressed by the simultaneously existing protease, which also showed the maximum activity at the fourth day of incubation. The molecular mass of the chitinase was estimated to be 40 kDa by SDS-PAGE. The optimum pH, optimum temperature, pH stability, and thermal stability of the chitinase were pH 7, $50^{\circ}C$, pH 6-7, and <$50^{\circ}C$, respectively. The chitinase was completely inhibited by $Mn^{2+}$ and $Cu^{2+}$. The results of peptide mass mapping showed that 11 tryptic peptides of the chitinase were identical to the chitinase CW from Bacillus cereus (GenBank Accession No. gi 45827175) with a 32% sequence coverage.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권7호
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• pp.3099-3103
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• 2014

TMPRSS2:ERG gene fusions in prostate cancer have a dominant prevalence of approximately 50.0%, but infomration is limited on differences among ethnic and geographical groups. Some studies focusing on Japanese and Korean patients reported a lower incidence. Investigations concerning Chinese revealed controversial results. We evaluated TMPRSS2:ERG, TMPRSS2:ETV1 and TMPRSS2:ETV4 fusions in more than 100 Eastern Chinese prostate cancer patients. Paraffin blocks of needle biopsy and radical prostatectomy were collected from 91 and 18 patients respectively. All patients' clinicopathologic factors were gathered. TMPRSS2:ERG, TMPRSS2:ETV1 and TMPRSS2:ETV4 fusions were tested by multi-probe fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assay. TMPRSS2:ERG fusions was present in 14.3% biopsy specimens and 11.1% radical prostatectomy patients. Neither TMPRSS2:ETV1 nor TMPRSS2:ETV4 fusion was found in any case. Altogether, 13 (86.7%) TMPRSS2:ERG fusion positive cases possessed deletion pattern and 7 (46.6%) and insertion pattern. Some 5 cases had both deletion and insertion patterns. While 38.5% (5/13) patients with deletion pattern had distant metastasis, except for one metastatic case harboring both deletion and insertion, there were no patients with insertion pattern accompanied with metastasis. There were no differences between fusion positive and negative cases in the distribution of age, PSA, Gleason score and TNM stage. Eastern Chinese prostate cancer patients have a significantly low incidence of TMPRSS2:ERG fusion. They also lack TMPRSS2:ETV1 and TMPRSS2:ETV4 fusion. There are more deletion pattern than insertion pattern in TMPRSS2:ERG positive cases. Fusion positive and negative patients have no clinicopathologic factor differences.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제28권7호
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• pp.1147-1155
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• 2018

The degradation efficiency and catabolism pathways of the different methylxanthines (MXs) in isolated caffeine-tolerant strain Pseudomonas putida CT25 were comprehensively studied. The results showed that the degradation efficiency of various MXs varied with the number and position of the methyl groups on the molecule (i.e., xanthine > 7-methylxanthine ${\approx}$ theobromine > caffeine > theophylline > 1-methylxanthine). Multiple MX catabolism pathways coexisted in strain CT25, and a different pathway would be triggered by various MXs. Demethylation dominated in the degradation of N-7-methylated MXs (such as 7-methylxanthine, theobromine, and caffeine), where C-8 oxidation was the major pathway in the catabolism of 1-methylxanthine, whereas demethylation and C-8 oxidation are likely both involved in the degradation of theophylline. Enzymes responsible for MX degradation were located inside the cell. Both cell culture and cell-free enzyme assays revealed that N-1 demethylation might be a rate-limiting step for the catabolism of the MXs. Surprisingly, accumulation of uric acid was observed in a cell-free reaction system, which might be attributed to the lack of activity of uricase, a cytochrome c-coupled membrane integral enzyme.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• 제33권7호
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• pp.2352-2358
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• 2012

A high-nitrogen energetic salt, 1-amino-1-hydrazino-2,2-dinitroethylene guanidine salt [G(AHDNE)], was synthesized by reacting of 1-amino-1-hydrazino-2,2-dinitroethylene (AHDNE) and guanidine hydrochloride in sodium hydroxide aqueous solution. The theoretical investigation on G(AHDNE) was carried out by B3LYP/$6-311+G^*$ method. The thermal behaviors of G(AHDNE) were studied with DSC and TG-DTG methods, and the result presents an intense exothermic decomposition process. The enthalpy, apparent activation energy and pre-exponential constant of the process are $-1060J\;g^{-1}$, $148.7kJ\;mol^{-1}$ and $10^{15.90}s^{-1}$, respectively. The critical temperature of thermal explosion of G(AHDNE) is $152.63^{\circ}C$. The specific heat capacity of G(AHDNE) was studied with micro-DSC method and theoretical calculation method, and the molar heat capacity is $314.69J\;mol^{-1}K^{-1}$ at 298.15 K. Adiabatic time-to-explosion of G(AHDNE) was calculated to be a certain value between 60-72 s. The detonation velocity and detonation pressure were also estimated. G(AHDNE) presents good performances.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제37권11호
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• pp.812-818
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• 2014

This study was to investigate the mechanism and role of Kif4A in doxorubicin-induced apoptosis in breast cancer. Using two human breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 (with wild-type p53) and MDA-MB-231 (with mutant p53), we quantitated the expression levels of kinesin super-family protein 4A (Kif4A) and poly (ADP-ribose) Polymerase-1 (PARP-1) by Western blot after doxorubicin treatment and examined the apoptosis by flow cytometry after treatment with doxorubicin and PARP-1 inhibitor, 3-Aminobenzamide (3-ABA). Our results showed that doxorubicin treatment could induce the apoptosis of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells, the down-regulation of Kif4A and upregulation of poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR). The activity of PARP-1 or PARP-1 activation was significantly elevated by doxorubicin treatment in dose- and time-dependent manners (P < 0.05), while doxorubicin treatment only slightly elevated the level of cleaved fragments of PARP-1 (P > 0.05). We further demonstrated that overexpression of Kif4A could reduce the level of PAR and significantly increase apoptosis. The effect of doxorubicin on apoptosis was more profound in MCF-7 cells compared with MDA-MB-231 cells (P < 0.05). Taken together, our results suggest that the novel role of Kif4A in doxorubicin-induced apoptosis in breast cancer cells is achieved by inhibiting the activity of PARP-1.

• 대한물리의학회지
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• 제10권2호
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• pp.89-94
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• 2015

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of device considering Mckenzie type for the subjects with forward head posture (FHP). METHODS: The subjects were 35 patients with FHP (mean age was $23.7{\pm}2.8$ years; mean height; $172.1{\pm}11.7$, mean weight; $65.8{\pm}13.9$, mean NDI(Neck Disability Index; $3.7{\pm}3.2$, mean FHP; $6.7{\pm}2.2$). We measured the posture with the Body style S-8.0(LU Commerce, South Korea) to evaluate the FHP. We collected the surface EMG(Myosystem 1400, Noraxon, USA) data to quantify changes in normalized activation levels of muscles in SternoCleidoMastoid muscle(SCM), Scalenus Anterior(SA), Trapezius upper fiber(TU) and Splenius Cervicis(SC), during the subjects were instructed to glide their head into a "chin-in" position for a retraction without and with device. RESULTS: The condition with device significantly decreased the %RVC of SA($90.84{\pm}40.54$), SCM($74.98{\pm}43.65$) and TU($67.60{\pm}47.83$) compared to the condition without device(SA;$100.39{\pm}56.32$, SCM;$119.03{\pm}109.26$, Trapezius;$80.55{\pm}39.27$). But the %RVC of capitis($65.87{\pm}47.83$) with device was increased($70.82{\pm}52.78$). There was significant difference in the %RVC between SCM and Trapezius muscle in two conditions. CONCLUSION: New device for FHP reduces the EMG activities of the TU, SCM and SA muscle. We have to develop the function of feedback to facilitate the motion in the future.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제17권8호
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• pp.1369-1378
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• 2007

For effective exopolysaccharide production and mycelial growth by a liquid culture of Fomitopsis pinicola in an air-lift bioreactor, the culture temperature, pH, carbon source, nitrogen source, and mineral source were initially investigated in a flask. The optimal temperature and pH for mycelial growth and exopolysaccharide production were $25^{\circ}C$ and 6.0, respectively. Among the various carbon sources tested, glucose was found to be the most suitable carbon source. In particular, the maximum mycelial growth and exopolysaccharide production were achieved in 4% glucose. The best nitrogen sources were yeast extract and malt extract. The optimal concentrations of yeast extract and malt extract were 0.5 and 0.1%, respectively. $K_2HPO_4\;and\;MgSO_4{\cdot}7H_2O$ were found to be the best mineral sources for mycelial growth and exopolysaccharide production. In order to investigate the effect of aeration on mycelial growth and exopolysaccharide production in an air-lift bioreactor, various aerations were tested for 8 days. The maximum mycelial growth and exopolysaccharide production were 7.9 g/l and 2.6 g/l, respectively, at 1.5 vvm of aeration. In addition, a batch culture in an air-lift bioreactor was carried out for 11 days under the optimal conditions. The maximum mycelial growth was 10.4 g/l, which was approximately 1.7-fold higher than that of basal medium. The exopolysaccharide production was increased with increased culture time. The maximum concentration of exopolysaccharide was 4.4 g/l, which was about 3.3-fold higher than that of basal medium. These results indicate that exopolysaccharide production increased in parallel with the growth of mycelium, and also show that product formation is associated with mycelial growth. The developed model in an air-lift bioreactor showed good agreement with experimental data and simulated results on mycelial growth and exopolysaccharide production in the culture of F. pinicola.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제17권3호
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• pp.965-971
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• 2016

Aims: To investigate the distribution of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations, and explore any relationships with clinical characteristics in non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) patients. Materials and Methods: EGFR mutations were assessed by ADx-ARMS in 261 NSCLC patients from West China Hospital of Sichuan University. Relationships between EGFR mutation and clinical characteristics were analyzed by SPSS. Results: The EGFR mutation rate was 48.7% (127/261), 19-del and L858R mutations occurred predominantly, accounting for 33.1% and 40.9%, respectively, in mutated cases. Moreover, 10.2% patients were found to carry double mutations. EGFR mutations occurred more frequently in women (57.5%) than in men (41.8%) (P=0.01), and were more frequent in non-smokers (61.2%) than in former or current smokers (31.2%) (P<0.00). In addition, they were more common in adenocarcinomas (52.8%) and adenosquamous carcinomas (42.8%) than in squamous cell carcinomas (14.8%) (p<0.00). However, only smoking history and pathological types, rather than gender, proved to be associated with EGFR mutations on multivariate logistic regression analysis. No significant differences in pathological stage and metastasis status were found between EGFR wild-type and mutated cases, although EGFR mutation type was related to pathological type (p=0.00) - 19-del, L858R and other mutation types respectively occurred in 34.2%, 42.5% and 23.3% of adenocarcinomas, but in 14.3%, 0% and 85.7% of non-adenocarcinomas. Conclusions: The EGFR mutation rate was 48.7% in NSCLCs in Southwest China, so that nearly 40% patients might benefit from targeted therapies. Smoking status and pathological types were independent predictors of EGFR mutation, while EGFR mutation type was related to only pathological type, rather than smoking status.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제13권7호
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• pp.3329-3334
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• 2012

Background: Several potential risk factors have been identified for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL); however, epidemiological studies investigating the association between these risk factors and DLBCL have yielded inconsistent results. Objectives: To investigate potential medical, lifestyle, and environmental risk factors of DLBCL in Shanghai, China through a hospital-based case-control study. Method: One-hundred-and-forty-seven newly diagnosed DLBCL patients and 294 sex- and age-matched controls were recruited from 11 hospitals in Shanghai between 2003 and 2007. A standardized structured questionnaire was used to obtain patient data on demographics, medical history, family history, lifestyle, and environmental exposures. Conditional logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs), with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), for risk associated with each data category. Results: History of tuberculosis (TB) infection and "living on a farm" were positively associated with DLBCL (TB: OR=3.05, 95% CI: 1.19-7.80; farm: OR=1.82, 95% CI: 1.21-2.73). In contrast, taking traditional Chinese medicine was negatively associated with DLBCL (OR=0.36, 95% CI: 0.14-0.89). No significant correlation with DLBCL risk was found for any of the other potential risk factors (p>0.05), including but not limited to hair dyes, alcohol drinking, smoking, and home/workplace renovation within one year. Conclusions: Consistent with results from previous studies in other DLBCL case populations, traditional Chinese medicine appeared to have a direct or indirect protective effect against DLBCL. However, this study also identified a possible predisposition for DLBCL in TB sufferers and farmers.