• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.89-94
• /
• 2003

Tributyltin (TBT) used world-wide in antifouling paints for ships is a widespread environmental pollutant and cause reproductive organs atrophy in rodents. At low doses, antiproliferative modes of action have been shown to be involved, whereas at higher doses apoptosis seems to be the mechanism of toxicity in reproductive organs by TBT. In this study, we investigated that the mechanisms underlying DNA fragmentation induced by TBT in the rat leyding cell line, R2C. Effects of TBT on intracellular Ca$\^$2+/ level and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were investigated in R2C cells by fluorescence detector. TBT significantly induced intracellular Ca$\^$2+/ level in a time-dependent manner. The rise in intracellular Ca$\^$2+/ level was followed by a time-dependent generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) at the cytosol level. Simultaneously, TBT induced the release of cytochrome c from the mitochondrial membrane into the cytosol. Furthermore, ROS production and the release of cytochrome c were reduced by BAPTA, an intracellular Ca$\^$2+/ chelator, indicating the important role of Ca$\^$2+/ in R2C during these early intracellular events. In addition, Z-DEVD FMK, a caspase-3 inhibitor, decreased apoptosis by TBT. Taken together, the present results indicated that the apoptotic pathway by TBT might start with an increase in intracellular Ca$\^$2+/ level, continues with release of ROS and cytochrome c from mitochondria, activation of caspases,and finally results in DNA fragmentation.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
• /
• v.48 no.6
• /
• pp.527-533
• /
• 2003

This experiment was conducted in 2001 to investigate the effect of four nitrogen levels (0, 5.5, 11, 16.5kg/10a) on the yield and quality of vice especially with respect to eating quality. One early-maturing variety (Daejinbyeo) and two mid-late-maturing varieties (Ilpumbyeo and Chucheongbyeo) were used in this experiment. Rice yields of all varieties were increased by the higher rate of nitrogen application, mainly due to a larger number of panicles per m2. Head rice ratio was reduced significantly with an increased rate of nitrogen, while immature vice ratio was increased significantly. Increasing the nitrogen application rate, a considerable increase of protein content was found in all tested rice varieties. Palatability value of Daejinbyeo and Ilpumbyeo measured by rice taster was not affected by nitrogen application rate ranging from 0 to 11 kg/10a, but it was decreased significantly at the rate of 16.5kg/10a. In contrast, the palatability value of Chucheongbyeo was decreased significantly by increasing nitrogen application at the whole application rate. A positive correlation was found between nitrogen application rate and protein content (r=$0.88^{**}\textrm{-}0.96^{**}$), but head rice (r=$-0.84^{**}$~$-0.91^{**}$) and palatability value (r=$-0.72^{**}$~$-0.85^{**}$) showed a negative correlation with the nitrogen application rate. Regardless of the fact that eleven aroma-active volatile compounds were detected in cooked vice of Chucheongbyeo, it was concluded that the aroma-active volatile compounds of cooked rice was not affected by the different nitrogen application rate. The results of this study showed that the standard nitrogen fertilization rate of 11kg/10a could be appropriate considering both rice yield and palatability.

• Applied Microscopy
• /
• v.30 no.4
• /
• pp.347-355
• /
• 2000

Zinc is one of the most abundant oligoelements in the living cell. It appears tightly bound to some metalloproteins and nucleic acids, loosely bound to some metallothioneins or even as free ion. Small amounts of zinc ions (in the nanomolar range) regulate a plentitude of enzymatic proteins, receptors and transcription factors, thus rolls need accurate homeostasis of zinc ions. Zinc is an essential catalytic or structural element of many proteins, and a signaling messenger that is released by neural activity at many central excitatory synapses. Growing evidences suggest that zinc may also be a key mediator and modulator of the neuronal death associated with transient global ischemia and sustained seizures, as well as perhaps other neurological disease stoles. Some neurons have developed mechanisms to accumulate zinc in specific membrane compartment ('vesicular zinc') which can be evidenced using histochemical techniques. Substances giving a bright colour or emitting fluorescence when in contact with divalent metal ions are currently used to detect them inside cells; their use leads to the so called 'direct' methods. The fixation and precipitation of metal ions as insoluble salt precipitates, their maintenance along the histological process and, finally, their demonstration after autometallographic development are essential steps for other methods, the so called 'indirect methods'. This study is a short report on the autometallograhical approaches for zinc detection in the central nervous system (CNS) by means of a modified selenium method.

• Journal of Korea Soil Environment Society
• /
• v.5 no.2
• /
• pp.55-66
• /
• 2000

A U.S EPA Synthetic soil matrix was used for reference neat soil and pyrene contaminated soil. For the contaminated soil, 4.79 wt.% pyrene was dissolved completely into the djchlorornethane, and the soil was evenly soaked with the pyrene solution. The contaminated soil samples(50$\pm$0.5mg) were heated in a modified electrical screen heater reactor which consisted of a thin stainless foil (3.5cm$\times$13cm$\times$0.00254cm, 302 stainless steel shim), two electrodes, and a 20cm dia. $\times$30cm tall cylindrical Pyrex chamber sealed at both ends by aluminum flanges. The heating rate and time conditions were selected as $455^{\circ}C$ @ $1137^{\circ}C$ /s, $760^{\circ}C$ @ $950^{\circ}C$ /s and $977^{\circ}C$ @ $977^{\circ}C$/s. Tar samples after heating the soils were collected on the aluminum foil funnel and a glass filter paper (25mm dia. filter paper) The tar sample and remnant soil on the reactor were extracted with dichloromethane covering the filters, foils and soil by sonicating each in the waterbath for 10 minutes. The extractions were run on a HPLC. At the low peak temperature(about $455^{\circ}C$ @ $1137^{\circ}C$/s) the color of tar was "white", at the middle peak temperature (about 76$0^{\circ}C$ @ 95$0^{\circ}C$/s) the color of tar was "pink brown", at the high peak temperature (about 977$^{\circ}C$ @ 977$^{\circ}C$/s) the color of tar was "dark brown". Cyclopeta(cd)pyrene (CPEP) , which is an interesting species due to mutagenic effect on human cells, was detected in tar samples only above the middle peak temperature. This species was not detected at the low peak temperature. Six isomers of bipyrene were detected. Phenanthrene(C$_{14}$ $H_{10}$) and cyclopenta(def)phenanthrene(C$_{15}$ $H_{10}$) were also detected, but their content was very small relative to the other listed compounds.to the other listed compounds.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.16 no.2 s.75
• /
• pp.199-205
• /
• 2006

Peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR)-$\alpha$ of three PPAR subtypes ($-\alpha,\;-\beta/-\gamma,\;-\delta$), which are members of the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily of ligand-activated transcription factors, plays a key role in lipoprotein and glucose homeostasis. A variation in the PPAR-a gene expression has been suggested to influence the development of metabolic syndrome through alterations in lipid concentrations. The aim of our study was to investigate the association between the PPAR-a and metabolic syndrome among South Korean. A total of 542 health screen examinees were enrolled in this study who were examined in Kosin University Gospel Hospital from December, 2004 to July, 2005. The height, weight, waist circumference, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure of the subjects were examined and fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglyceride were measured by-sampling in venous blood. The metabolic syndrome was defined as the presence of three or more of the following : waist circumference men ${\geq}90cm$, women ${\geq}80cm$, blood pressure ${\geq}130/85mmHg$, fasting glucose ${\geq}110mg/dL$, HDL cholesterol men <40 mg/dL, women <50 mg/dL, triglyceride ${\geq}150mg/dL$. The blood pressure, fasting glucose, HDL cholesterol, triglyceride were evaluated by using the criteria of NECP ATP III and waist circumference was assessed by using the criteria of WHO Asia-Western Pacific. And the author compared the frequency of the PPAR-$\alpha$ mutation of L162V ($C{\rightarrow}G$ variant in exon 5) in a sample of 542 subjects with and without the metabolic syndrome by polymerase chain reaction allele-specific oligonucleotide (PCR-ASO) method. One (0.2%) hetero-isotype among high risk of metabolic syndrome was identified. The values of waist circumference, body mass index and low density lipoprotein cholesterol of the mutant were 100 cm, 28.6 $kg/m^2$ and 120 mg/dL, respectively. Although the author failed to see significant association between the presence of the PPAR-$\alpha$ L162V polymorphism and metabolic syndrome, one PPAR-$\alpha$ L162V polymorphism in metabolic syndrome patients was found.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
• /
• v.27 no.3
• /
• pp.183-188
• /
• 2007

This study was conducted to determine the effects of seeding date on agronomic characteristics, productivity and feed value of Italian ryegrass, barley and rye during cropping after rice in Suwon, middle region of Korea, during 2004 and 2005. In general, early seeding (26 September) showed longer plant length and branch numbers per square meter than late sowing (11 October). Italian ryegrass had more early seeding effect than barley and rye. The yield of each plant was affected by sowing date in all experiments: the earlier seeding had higher yields than late seeding. In case of Italian ryegrass and barley as late-heading varieties showed more early seeding effect than rye. On the other hand, feed value tended to respond differently to yields. The feed value of each plant were based on liquid swine manure (12%) > composted cattle manure (7%) > composted swine manure (2%). The present results highlight the earlier planting obtained higher yield compared to those planted conventionally.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• v.21 no.4
• /
• pp.177-196
• /
• 2004

Objective : Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that pathogenesis is not fully understood and one of the most intractable musculoskeletal diseases. The concern in the immunopathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis has been increased since 1980's and many immunotherapeutic agents including disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) were developed and became the mainstay of treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. However, the cure of the disease has hardly been achieved. In oriental medicine, rheumatoid arthritis is related to Bi-Zheng(痺證), that presents pain, swelling, andlor loss of joint function as major clinical manifestations, and also known to be deeply involved in suppression of immune function related to weakness of Jung-Ki(正氣). The herbal medicine, empirically used, could be a potential resource of development of new immunotherapeutic agents for rheumatoid arthritis. Methods : We developed a search strategy using terms to include "rheumatoid arthritis and herbal medicine" combined with "Chinese medicine" and/or "Oriental medicine". The search was focused on experimental studies of herbal medicine (January 1999 to May 2004), which is known to have effects on immune function of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Computerized search used Internet databases including KISS and RISS4U (Korea), CNKI (China), MOMJ (Main Oriental Medicine Journal, Japan), and PubMed. The articles were selected from journals of universities or major research institutes. Results : The literature search for experimental studies on effects of herbal medicine on immunity of rheumatoid arthritis retrieved a total of 21 articles (Korea; 8, China ; 12, Japan ; 1). Of 21 articles, 10 were related to single-drug formula, 2 to drug interaction, and 9 to multi-drug formula. Single-drug formula was mainly used for aqua-acupuncture and researches on active components. Studies of drug interaction emphasized harmony of Ki-Hyul(氣血) and balance of Han-Yeul(寒熱). Multi-drug regimen was mainly found among formulas for Bo-Ki-Hyul(補氣血) and Bo-Sin(補腎). Conclusion : Studies on rheumatoid arthritis were performed both in vitro and in vivo in vitro study, LPS-stimulated splenocytes and synoviocytes were treated with herbal medicine, resulting in proliferation and activation of immune cells and suppression of cytokine activities in vivo study CIA animal model demonstrated that herbal medicine decreased antibody production and improved function of immune cells. In cellular and molecular study herbal medicine showed profound effects on the level of mRNA expression of certain cytokines related to immune function. This study revealed that herbal medicine has significant immune modulatory action and could be used for recovery of immune dysfunction of rheumatoid arthritis patients.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
• /
• v.37 no.4
• /
• pp.208-212
• /
• 2012

In previous studies, ovarian follicle in rat has been used a higher radiation dose than that for cancer radiotherapy in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of radiation dose used for cancer radiotherapy on ovarian follicle atresia in rat. Mice of 4-week-old female were whole body irradiated with 2 cGy or 2 Gy (Mevatron 67, Siemens, Germany) and sacrificed by cervical dislocation. Ovaries were collected at 24 hours after irradiation to observe the degree of follicular atresia. Ovaries were fixed in neutral formaldehyde solution for 24 hours and embedded with paraffin. Cutted in $5{\mu}m$ thickness with microtome and stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and TUNEL immunohistochemical stain, and examined histologically under a light microscope. All data were presented as mean ${\pm}SD$, calculating the ratio of normal or atretic follicles to total ovarian follicles. Statistical analysis was performed by the Mann Whitney test using the SPSS ver 19.0. Ratio of atretic to total follicles of 2 Gy group was significantly higher than control or 2 cGy groups (p<0.05). Ratio of normal to total follicles of 2 Gy group was significantly lower than control group in preantral follicle (64.0 vs. 87.7, p=0.027). Ratio of normal to total follicles of 2 cGy group was significantly increased more than control or 2 Gy groups in antral follicle, and there were no significant difference between control and 2 Gy groups (p=0.522). Radiation dose of 2 Gy for cancer radiotherapy have a significant effect on ovarian follicle atresia in rat.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.64 no.2
• /
• pp.87-94
• /
• 2008

Background: Surveillance of TB drug resistance (DR) is essential for providing information on the magnitude and trends in resistance, for developing treatment guidelines and for monitoring the effect of interventions. Up to now national surveys of drug resistance of M. tuberculosis have been conducted four times since 1994 among patients registered at health centers. The purpose of this study is to estimate the prevalence of primary drug resistance among new cases identified in private sector, and to compare it with the previous national drug resistance surveys. Methods: The study collected results of drug susceptibility testing (DST) performed at the Korean Institute of Tuberculosis by the request of private sector from January 2003 to December 2005, and then finally selected new cases for the analysis from the database of Korean TB Surveillance (KTBS) by matching patients' name and social identification numbers. Results: Of the 5,132 new patients included in the study, 689 (13.4%) patients were found to have drug resistance at least one drug, 530 patients (10.3%) were isoniazid resistant, 195 patients (3.8%) were multi-drug resistant (MDR), and 21 patients (0.4%) were extensively drug resistant (XDR). The rate of drug resistance tended to decrease annually but it was not statistically significant. When compared with previous national DR surveys in 2003 and in 2004 respectively, they were not significantly different. Conclusion: The prevalence of DR among new cases managed in the private sector did not show significant difference from that of new patients registered in the public sector in the same year.

• KSBB Journal
• /
• v.14 no.5
• /
• pp.593-599
• /
• 1999

In this study, optimal conditions to infect CD34 positive cells containing hematopoietic stem cells obtained from cord blood and bone marrow were found using two different retroviral vectors expressing human growth hormone (hGH) and $\beta$-galactosidase. CD34 positive cells were successfully infected with recombinant retroviruses only when the CD34 positive cells were co-cultured with packaging cells secreting recombinant retroviruses. To find the highest infection efficiency for the gene transfer, CD34 positive cells from cord blood were co-cultured with packaging cells secreting recombinant retroviruses encoding E. coli lacZ gene. The highest infection efficiency was obtained when CD34 positive cells were cultured for 3 days, and then co-culturing was done for another 2 days. When CD34 positive cells from bone marrow were co-cultured with packaging cells secreting recombinant retroviruses encoding hGH gene, the maximum amount of hGH was also secreted at the same conditions found above, i.e. 3 days of culture and 2 days of co-culture. These results show that there are optimal conditions for the gene transfer into hematopoietic stem cells regardless of sources of target cells or retroviral vectors used to infect.