• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
• /
• v.63 no.3
• /
• pp.211-219
• /
• 2020

Quercetin is a polyphenol compound with excellent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. However, little has been reported about the efficacy of quercetin to control psoriasis. Thus, we aimed to investigate the effect of quercetin to regulate psoriatic dermatitis with HaCaT cell lines activated by TNF-α and IL-17A, which are in vitro psoriasis skin models. When quercetin was treated with TNF-α-activated HaCaT cell line, inflammatory cytokine expressions such as IL-1α, IL-1β and IL-6 were reduced by 49.1±7.14, 42.8±8.16, and 34.5±2.52%, respectively. In addition, mRNA expression levels of IL-8 and CCL20 the chemokines that attract immune cells such as Th17 cells and dendritic cells to the inflammatory reaction site, were also reduced by 38.4±5.83 and 52.9±4.59% compared to the TNF-α treatment group. The expression of proteins KRT6A and KRT16, which was nonspecifically increased in psoriatic skin was also significantly suppressed. Moreover, phosphorylation of IκBα and STAT3 proteins activated by TNF-α was also significantly inhibited. After stimulating the HaCaT with IL-17A, known as another psoriasis-inducing cytokine, it was observed that IκBα mRNA expression decreased by 55.8±5.28%, and STAT3 phosphorylation was downregulated by 36.3±6.81%. Finally, after co-activation by TNF-α/IL-17A, quercetin inhibited all of IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α and CCL20 gene expression. The above results strongly suggest that quercetin is a material that has not only anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, but also has an activity in improving psoriasis.

• Cartoon and Animation Studies
• /
• s.46
• /
• pp.85-106
• /
• 2017

With the media's shift into the digital era in the 2000s, comic book publishers attempted a transition into the new medium by establishing a distribution structure using internet networks. But that effort shied from escaping the parallel-page reading structure of traditional comics. On the other hand, webtoons are showing divers changes by redesigning the structure of traditional sequential art media; they tend to separate and allot spaces according to the vertical scroll reading method of the internet browser and include animations, sound effects and background music. This trend is also in accordance with the preferences of modern readers. Modern society has complicated social structures with the development of various media; the public is therefore exposed to different stimuli and shows characteristics of differentiated perceptions. In other words, webtoons display more relevant and entertaining characteristics by inserting sounds and using moving texts and characters in specific frames, while traditional comics require an appreciation of withdrawal and immersion like other published media. Motions in webtoons are partially applied for dramatic tension or to create an effective expression of action. For example, hand-drawn animation is adopted to express motions by dividing motion images into many layers. Sounds are also utilized, such as background music with episode-related lyrics, melodies, ambient sounds and motion-related sound effects. In addition, webtoons provide readers with new amusement by giving tactile stimuli via the vibration of a smart phone. As stated above, the vertical direction, time-based nature of animation motions and tactile stimuli used in webtoons are differentiated from published comics. However, webtoons' utilization of innovative techniques hasn't yet reached its full potential. In addition to the fact that the software used for webtoon effects is operationally complex, this is a transitional phenomenon since there is still a lack of technical understanding of animation and sound application amongst the general public. For example, a sound might be programmed to play when a specific frame scrolls into view on the monitor, but the frame may be scrolled faster or slower than the author intended; in this case, sound can end before or after a reader sees the whole image. The motion of each frame is also programmed to start in a similar fashion. Therefore, a reader's scroll speed is related to the motion's speed. For this reason, motions might miss the intended timing and be unnatural because they are played out of context. Also, finished sound effects can disturb the concentration of readers. These problems come from a shortage of continuity; to solve these, naturally activated consecutive sounds or animations, like the simple rotation of joints when a character moves, is required.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
• /
• v.32 no.2
• /
• pp.165-174
• /
• 2010

The numerical modeling of a coal gasification reaction occurring in an entrained flow coal gasifier is presented in this study. The purposes of this study are to develop a reliable evaluation method of coal gasifier not only for the basic design but also further system operation optimization using a CFD(Computational Fluid Dynamics) method. The coal gasification reaction consists of a series of reaction processes such as water evaporation, coal devolatilization, heterogeneous char reactions, and coal-off gaseous reaction in two-phase, turbulent and radiation participating media. Both numerical and experimental studies are made for the 1.0 ton/day entrained flow coal gasifier installed in the Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER). The comprehensive computer program in this study is made basically using commercial CFD program by implementing several subroutines necessary for gasification process, which include Eddy-Breakup model together with the harmonic mean approach for turbulent reaction. Further Lagrangian approach in particle trajectory is adopted with the consideration of turbulent effect caused by the non-linearity of drag force, etc. The program developed is successfully evaluated against experimental data such as profiles of temperature and gaseous species concentration together with the cold gas efficiency. Further intensive investigation has been made in terms of the size distribution of pulverized coal particle, the slurry concentration, and the design parameters of gasifier. These parameters considered in this study are compared and evaluated each other through the calculated syngas production rate and cold gas efficiency, appearing to directly affect gasification performance. Considering the complexity of entrained coal gasification, even if the results of this study looks physically reasonable and consistent in parametric study, more efforts of elaborating modeling together with the systematic evaluation against experimental data are necessary for the development of an reliable design tool using CFD method.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
• /
• v.35 no.3
• /
• pp.165-170
• /
• 2013

In this study, physico-chemical properties and environmental fate were investigated and ecotoxicity tests using fish, daphnia and algae were conducted for an initial ecological risk assessment of 1,2-Benzisothiazol-3-one. Due to low volatility of the test substance under environmental conditions, it is likely to distributed in soil and water environment. The compound has low adsorption in the soil, with low bioconcentration potential. Acute toxicity results showed that 96 h-$LC_{50}$ for Oryzias laties was 4.7 mg/L (measured) and 48h-$EC_{50}$ for Daphnia magna was 3.3 mg/L (measured). In a growth inhibition test with Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata, 72 h-$EC_{50}$ was 0.456 mg/L (growth rate, nominal) and 0.262 mg/L (yield, nominal). Using the acute toxicity value of algae, predicted no-effect concentration (PNEC) in the aquatic environment was determined to be 2.62 ${\mu}g/L$ using an factor of 100. According to globally harmonized system (GHS), the compound was categorized as aquatic acute 1 for algae, while it was categorized as aquatic acute 2 for fish and daphnia. This screening assessment suggests that the test substance may pose ecological risks in the aquatic environment.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.36 no.10
• /
• pp.1271-1278
• /
• 2007

In this study, the ability of Styela clava or Styela plicata to reduce ethanol-induced hepatotoxicity and hepatic and leucocytic DNA damages was evaluated. Twenty four male SD rats were given 25% ethanol containing water (ad lib, p.o.) and divided into 3 groups; ethanol treated control group (EtOH), ethano1+3% S. clava (EtOH+SC), and ethano1+3% S. plicata (EtOH+SP). After 6 weeks, the supplementation of S. clava reduced the plasma ALT, ALP and LDH activities significantly (p<0.05), while S. plicata induced significant decrease in the plasma LDH activity only. The comet assay was employed to quantify the alcohol-induced DNA damage in rat hepatocytes and leucocytes. A significant protective effect on hepatic and leucocytic DNA damages was observed in S. clava or S. plicata supplemented groups compared to the EtOH control group. The hepatic DNA damage was correlated positively with plasma ALP and LDH activities. These results demonstrated that S. clava or S. plicata supplementation protected alcohol-induced hepatic and leucocytic DNA damage.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.36 no.8
• /
• pp.965-974
• /
• 2007

This study was performed to investigate the effects of vegetable sprout powder on serum and adipose tissue lipid metabolism in rats fed high-fat diet for 4 weeks for induction hyperlipidemic model rat. Weight-matched male Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to five groups according to dietary fat level (10% or 20% of diet wt.) and mixture of vegetable sprout powder levels (5% or 10% 10% or 20% of diet wt.). Vegetable sprout powder was the mixture of same amounts of dried barley, broccoli, rapeseed, alfalfa, radish, mustard, buckwheat and brussels sprouts. Experimental groups were normal fat diet with 5% cellulose (NF-C), high fat diet without fiber (HF-N), high fat diet with 5% cellulose (HF-C), HF-C diet with 5% vegetable sprout powder (HF-CSL), and HF-C diet with 10% vegetable sprout powder (HF-CSH). The body weight of HF-N group increased 16% compared with the NF-C group, while it was decreased by 15% and 22% for HF-CSL group and HF-CSH group, respectively. Fat mass and fat cell size of adipose tissue were lower in HF-CSL group and HF-CSH group compared with HF-C group, and lower in HF-CSH group compared with HF-CSL group. Serum triglyceride, total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol contents were markedly decreased by vegetable sprout powder containing diet, while the serum HDL-cholesterol and phospholipid contents were higher in vegetable sprout powder containing diet in a dose-dependent manner. Leptin and insulin levels in serum showed a decrease in HF-CSH group. Significantly increased contents of triglyceride, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, leptin and insulin in the serum of HF-N group were returned to normal or even below normal levels by feeding 10% vegetable sprout powder diet. The increased activities of NADP-malate dehydrogenase (ME), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6PGDH) and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) in adiposetissue by HF-N group were decreased to the activity of normal fat group by feeding vegetable sprout powder in a dose-dependant manner. These results indicate that lipid metabolism in rats fed high-fat diet was suppressed by feeding vegetable sprout powder.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.40 no.3
• /
• pp.335-342
• /
• 2011

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of mugwort powder on the quality characteristics and antioxidant activity of Maejakgwa. Maejakgwa were prepared with mugwort powder at levels 0%, 1%, 3% and 5% ($60{\pm}1^{\circ}C$, 14 days). The lightness, redness, and yellowness values of Maejakgwa significantly reduced depending on mugwort powder. The hardness of Maejakgwa was decreased with the increase of storage period and increased with the increase of mugwort powder. In the sensory evaluations, the Maejakgwa prepared with 3% added mugwort powder received higher acceptance scores for the properties of color, taste, hardness, crispiness, adhesiveness and overall acceptability. As the mugwort powder content increased, acid value and peroxide value were decreased. With the increase of storage period, acid value and peroxide value of all sample increased but growth rate of these values decreased with the addition of the mugwort powder. DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity was improved significantly via the addition of mugwort powder and decreased as storage period increased. During storage period, Maejakgwa with mugwort powder showed a stronger antimicrobial effect in yeasts and molds than in total aerobic bacteria. Coliform bacteria were not detected in all samples. Also the antimicrobial activity was increased with the addition of the mugwort powder and decreased as storage period increased. The results show that addition of the mugwort powder to foods with fat such as Maejakgwa would be a useful way to enhance the antioxidant quality, sensory characteristics and shelf life.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.40 no.3
• /
• pp.401-408
• /
• 2011

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) is a metabolic disorder that is characterized by high blood glucose in the context of insulin resistance and relative insulin deficiency. In order to control the type 2 diabetes mellitus, anti-hyperglycemic effect of Triticum aestivum L. water extracts (TAWE) was investigated in 7 week old male diabetic C57BL6/J-ob/ob mice. For the experiments, the diabetic animal model ob/ob mice and non-diabetic animal model lean mice were divided into 3 groups: non-treatment control group (Control), and two experimental groups orally treated with 25 or 100 mg/kg/day dose of TAWE (TAWE-25 and TAWE-100, respectively). The lean mice were used as the non-diabetic normal control. TAWE was orally administrated for 6 weeks and the diabetic clinical markers, including blood glucose level, body weight, organs weight and insulin level were determined. The oral administration of TAWE-100 in ob/ob diabetic mice significantly decreased blood glucose level (78.4%) and body weight (11.9%) compared with diabetic control group. The weights of organs, including spleen, liver, kidneys, heart and lung were not different among groups, while the treatments of TAWE-100 in ob/ob diabetic mice significantly reduced blood total cholesterol (24.35%) and triglyceride (23.97%) levels compared with the diabetic control group. The levels of serum insulin and glucose tolerance were improved after TAWE-100 treatment in ob/ob diabetic mice. Moreover, the immunohistochemical staining for insulin detection in pancreatic islet $\beta$-cells expressed high level of insulin in TAWE-100 treated ob/ob mice. From the above results, the intake of TAWE may be effective in anti-hyperglycemia by the attenuation of glucose and lipid levels. TAWE-containing diets or drugs may be beneficial for controlling diabetes mellitus type 2 in human.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
• /
• v.39 no.4
• /
• pp.337-345
• /
• 2013

In this study, the antioxidative effects of Aronia melanocarpa fruit and leaf extracts were investigated. The free radical (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl, DPPH) scavenging activities ($FSC_{50}$) of the ethylacetate and aglycone fractions of fruit extracts were 16.29 ${\mu}g/mL$, and 12.29 ${\mu}g/mL$, respectively. The free radical scavenging activity of fruit extract was higher than that of leaf extracts. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging activities ($OSC_{50}$) of the ethylacetate and aglycone fractions of fruit extracts on ROS generated in $Fe^{3+}-EDTA/H_2O_2$ system using the luminol-dependent chemiluminescence assay showed 2.86 ${\mu}g/mL$, and 1.80 ${\mu}g/mL$, respectively. ROS scavenging activity of the aglycone fraction of fruit extracts was similar to that of L-ascorbic acid (1.50 ${\mu}g/mL$). The ROS scavenging activity of fruit extracts was higher than that of leaf extracts. The cellular protective effects of aglycone fraction of fruit extracts (${\tau}_{50}$ = 72.3 min) on the $^1O_2$-induced cellular damage of human erythrocytes especially were increased in a concentration dependent manner (5 ~ 50 ${\mu}g/mL$). ${\tau}_{50}$ (72.3 min) of the aglycone fraction showed 1.9 times higher than (+)-${\alpha}$-tocopherol (38 min), known as lipophilic antioxidant at 10 ${\mu}g/mL$. These results incidicate that A. melanocarpa fruit extracts have higher antioxidant effects than leaf extracts and could be applicable to functional cosmetics materials for antioxidants by protecting skin exposed to solar UV radiation against ROS including $^1O_2$.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
• /
• v.27 no.1
• /
• pp.47-57
• /
• 2000

Objective: The effects of cryopreservation with or without coculture on the in vitro development of blastomere-biopsied 8-cell mouse embryos were investigated. This experimental study was originally designed for the setup of a preclinical mouse model for the preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) in human. Methods: Eight-cell embryos were obtained after in vitro fertilization (IVF) from F1 hybrid mice (C57BL(표현불가)/CBA(표현불가)). Using micromanipulation, one to four blastomeres were aspirated through a hole made in the zona pellucida by zona drilling (ZD) with acid Tyrode's solution (ATS). A slow-freezing and rapid-thawing protocol with 1.5M dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and 0.1M sucrose as cryoprotectant was used for the cryopreservation of blastomere- biopsied 8-cell mouse embryos. After thawing, embryos were cultured for 110 hours in Ham's F-10 supplemented with 0.4% bovine serum albumin (BSA). In the coculture group, embryos were cultured for 110 hours on the monolayer of Vero cells in the same medium. The blastocyst formation was recorded, and the embryos developed beyond blastocyst stage were stained with 10% Giemsa to count the total number of nuclei in each embryo. Results: The survival rate of embryos after cryopreservation was significantly lower in the blastomere-biopsied (7/8, 6/8, 5/8, and 4/8 embryos) groups than in the non-biopsied, zona intact (ZI) group. Without the coculture, the blastocyst formation rate of embryos after cryopreservation was not significantly different among ZI, the zona drilling only (ZD), and the balstomere-biopsied groups, but it was significantly lower than in the non-cryopreserved control group. The mean number of cells in embryos beyond blastocyst stage was significantly higher in the control group ($50.2{\pm}14.0$) than in 6/8 ($26.5{\pm}6.2$), 5/8 ($25.0{\pm}5.5$), and 4/8 ($17.8{\pm}7.8$) groups. With the coculture using Vero cells, the blastocyst formation rate of embryos after cryopreservation was significantly lower in 5/8 and 4/8 groups, compared with the control, 7/8, and 6/8 groups. The mean number of cells in embryos beyond blastocyst stage was also significantly lower in 4/8 group ($25.9{\pm}10.2$), compared with the control ($50.2{\pm}14.0$), 7/8 ($56.0{\pm}22.2$), and 6/8 ($55.3{\pm}25.5$) groups. Conclusion: After cryopreservation, blastomere-biopsied mouse embryos have a significantly impaired developmental competence in vitro, but this detrimental effect might be prevented by the coculture with Vero cells in 8-cell mouse embryos biopsied one or two blastomeres. Biopsy of mouse embryos after ZD with ATS is a safe and highly efficient preclinical model for PGD of human embryos.