• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제43권2호
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• pp.157-166
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• 2017

Objectives: Exposure to hazardous air pollutants could be affected by sociodemographic factors such as age, gender and more. Information on time spent in microenvironments has a critical role in exposure assessment. The purpose of this study was to analyze the exposure pathways which influence personal exposure through time-activity patterns and sociodemographic factors. Methods: A total of 379 subjects were collected from the second term of the Korean National Environmental Health Survey. A questionnaire survey in relation to sociodemographic factors and a time-activity diary were carried out for personal exposure to toluene. Focusing on personal exposure to toluene, factors affecting personal exposure were analyzed using multiple regression analysis. Results: Participants spent their time in an indoor house for $16.8{\pm}4.0hr$, workplace or school $2.3{\pm}3.5hr$, and other indoor $2.1{\pm}2.2hr$. Sociodemographic factors were significantly different among each personal exposure and microenvironment. Time of staying at an office turned out to be a main factor from point of exposure in exposure pathway using multiple regression analysis. As a result, this means that exposure may be different according to the time of staying in each microenvironment. Conclusions: Personal exposure to air pollutants might be decided by time-activity pattern indicating when, where, and which activities people pursue, as well as individual sociodemographic factors.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• 제36권1호
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• pp.1-9
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• 2006

Human solid tumors exhibit a multicellular resistance (MCR) resulting from limited drug penetration and decreased sensitivity of tumor cells when interacting with their microenvironments. Multicellular cultures represent solid tumor condition in vivo and provide clinically relevant data. There is little data on antitumor effect of paclitaxel (PTX) in multicellular cultures although its MCR has been demonstrated. In the present study, we evaluated antiproliferative effects of PTX in multicellular layers (MCL) of DLD-1 human colorectal carcinoma cells. BrdU labeling index (LI), thickness of MCL, cell cycle distribution and cellular uptake of calcein were measured before and after exposure to PTX at 0.1 to 50 ${\mu}M$ for 24, 48 and 72 hrs. BrdU LI and thickness of MCL showed a concentration- and time-dependent decrease and the changes in both parameters were similar, i.e., 34.2% and 40.6% decrease in BrdU LI and thickness, respectively, when exposed to $50\;{\mu}M$ for 72 hr. The DLD-1 cells grown in MCL showed increase in $%G_{0}/G_{1}$ and resistance to cell cycle arrest and apoptosis compared to monolayers. Calcein uptake in MCL did not change upon PTX exposure, indicating technical problems in multicellular system. Overall, these data indicate that antitumor activity of PTX may be limited in human solid tumors (a multicellular system) and MCL may be an appropriate model to study further pharmacodynamics of PTX.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• 제42권1호
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• pp.23-43
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• 2017

Purpose: As application-specific wireless sensor networks are gaining popularity, this paper discusses the development and field performance of the GHAN, a greenhouse area network system to monitor, control, and access greenhouse microenvironments. GHAN, which is an upgraded system, has many new functions. It is an intelligent wireless sensor and actuator network (WSAN) system for next-generation greenhouses, which enhances the state of the art of greenhouse automation systems and helps growers by providing them valuable information not available otherwise. Apart from providing online spatial and temporal monitoring of the greenhouse microclimate, GHAN has a modified vapor pressure deficit (VPD) fuzzy controller with an adaptive-selective mechanism that provides better control of the greenhouse crop VPD with energy optimization. Using the latest soil-matrix potential sensors, the GHAN system also ascertains when, where, and how much to irrigate and spatially manages the irrigation schedule within the greenhouse grids. Further, given the need to understand the microclimate control dynamics of a greenhouse during the crop season or a specific time, a statistical assessment tool to estimate the degree of optimality and spatial variability is proposed and implemented. Methods: Apart from the development work, the system was field-tested in a commercial greenhouse situated in the region of Punjab, India, under different outside weather conditions for a long period of time. Conclusions: Day results of the greenhouse microclimate control dynamics were recorded and analyzed, and they proved the successful operation of the system in keeping the greenhouse climate optimal and uniform most of the time, with high control performance.

• 한국산림과학회지
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• 제98권5호
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• pp.593-601
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• 2009

Forest disturbances including forest fire, insect pests and diseases, landslides, and forest conversion from 1976 to 2005 were investigated to trace the changes of major forest disturbance agents and their characteristics over time in accordance with changes in natural and social environment in South Korea. While the damaged area by insect pests and diseases continuously decreased for the past 30 years, damaged areas by forest fire and landslide were fluctuating through years. The interval of large forest fires has become shorter with increased tree volume. The precipitation between January and April were significantly correlated with large fire occurrences as Pearson's correlation coefficient -0.400 (P=0.029). The composition of major insect pests and diseases damaging Korean forests has been changed continuously, and become more diversified. While damages by pine caterpillar (Dendrolimus spectabilis) and pine needle gall midge (Thecodiplosis japonensis) decreased, damage by introduced pests has been more serious recently. The change of precipitation pattern that brought more localized heavy rain or powerful typhoon resulted in the recent increase in landslide areas. The major land uses to induce forest conversion have been changed, reflecting the changes in industrial structure in South Korea as agriculture and mining in 1970s, mining and golf ranges classified in pasture in 1980s, and road and housing construction in 1990s and 2000s. Changes in forest disturbance patterns in South Korea show that a country's industrial development is jointly working with global warming on forest stand dynamics. Altering energy structure and land use pattern induced by industrial development accumulates forest volume and reforms microenvironments on forest floor, interacting with climate change, inducing shorter interval of large forest fire and changes in major species composition of forest insect pests and diseases.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• 제14권6호
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• pp.296-306
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• 2014

There is growing evidence that crosstalk between mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) cells and stromal microenvironments, such as bone marrow and secondary lymphoid tissues, promotes tumor progression by enhancing survival and growth as well as drug resistance of MCL cells. Recent advances in the understanding of lymphoma microenvironment have led to the identification of crucial factors involved in the crosstalk and subsequent generation of their targeted agents. In the present study, we evaluated the combinatory effect of blocking antibodies (Ab) targeting CXCR4 and VLA-4, both of which were known to play significant roles in the induction of environment-mediated drug resistance (EMDR) in MCL cell line, Jeko-1. Simultaneous treatment with anti-CXCR4 and anti-VLA-4 Ab not only reduced the migration of Jeko-1 cells into the protective stromal cells, but also enhanced sensitivity of Jeko-1 to a chemotherapeutic agent to a greater degree than with either Ab alone. These combinatorial effects were associated with decreased phosphorylation of ERK1/2, AKT and NF-${\kappa}B$. Importantly, drug resistance could not be overcome once the adhesion of Jeko-1 to the stromal occurred despite the combined use of Abs, suggesting that the efforts to mitigate migration of MCLs should be attempted as much as possible. Our results provide a basis for a future development of therapeutic strategies targeting both CXCR4 and VLA-4, such as Ab combinations or bispecific antibodies, to improve treatment outcomes of MCL with grave prognosis.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• 제24권4호
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• pp.233-237
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• 2001

Changes of the oribatid mite species composition during the litter decomposition was investigated in the north-facing and south-facing slopes with different lower vegetation (annual herbaceous plants in north and perennial Sasa in south) in the altitude 1,000 m of Mt. Jumbong, a nature reserve area in Korea, from August 1994 to September 1995. Total 58 species of oribatid mites were collected. The values of O1son's negative exponential index (k) were -0.56 in the south-facing slope and -0.49 in the north-facing slope, but there was no significant difference between them. The decomposition rate of litter increased rapidly until Oct. 1994, and decreased thereafter. Intensive settlement of the forest litter by oribatid mites was recorded in the autumn periods and it decreased in the next spring and summer. Species diversity index (H'), and species evenness (J') ranged from 1.74 to 2.69, and from 0.57 to 0.93, respectively, and the values were lowest in spring. In the successive periods of growing season, there followed great changes in the structure of species dominance. Heminothrus minor was one of the most dominant species in autumn in the first year when litter were placed, but was never recovered next seasons. In contrast, Platynothrus yamasakii was also dominant in the first autumn, then decreased very low in numbers in next spring and summer, but regained its number in autumn. On the other hand, an increase of the number during these periods was observed by Epidamaeus sp.2. Ceratopia bipilis and Epidamaeus sp.1 were abundant both in the north-and south-facing slopes. Trichogalumna nipponica was only found in the south-facing slope, and Nanhermannia elegantula was only found in the north-facing slope.

• Experimental and Molecular Medicine
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• 제50권11호
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• pp.2.1-2.16
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• 2018

Supplementation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) at sites of bone resorption is required for bone homeostasis because of the non-proliferation and short lifespan properties of the osteoblasts. Calcium ions ($Ca^{2+}$) are released from the bone surfaces during osteoclast-mediated bone resorption. However, how elevated extracellular $Ca^{2+}$ concentrations would alter MSCs behavior in the proximal sites of bone resorption is largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the effect of extracellular $Ca^{2+}$ on MSCs phenotype depending on $Ca^{2+}$ concentrations. We found that the elevated extracellular $Ca^{2+}$ promoted cell proliferation and matrix mineralization of MSCs. In addition, MSCs induced the expression and secretion of osteopontin (OPN), which enhanced MSCs migration under the elevated extracellular $Ca^{2+}$ conditions. We developed in vitro osteoclast-mediated bone resorption conditions using mouse calvaria bone slices and demonstrated $Ca^{2+}$ is released from bone resorption surfaces. We also showed that the MSCs phenotype, including cell proliferation and migration, changed when the cells were treated with a bone resorption-conditioned medium. These findings suggest that the dynamic changes in $Ca^{2+}$ concentrations in the microenvironments of bone remodeling surfaces modulate MSCs phenotype and thereby contribute to bone regeneration.

• 치위생과학회지
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• 제21권4호
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• pp.227-232
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• 2021

Background: Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are abundant in tumor microenvironments and interact with cancer cells to promote tumor proliferation in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Cathepsin D (CTSD) is a soluble lysosomal aspartic endopeptidase involved in tumor proliferation and angiogenesis. In this preliminary study, we observed CTSD expression in OSCC and CAFs, postulating that CTSD might act as a bridge between OSCC and CAFs. Methods: Human epidermal keratinocytes (HEKs), OSCC, and immortalized human normal oral fibroblasts (hTERT-hNOFs) were used in this study. Additionally, we used hTERT-hNOFs transfected with an empty vector, WT (wild-type)-YAP (Yes-associated protein), and YAPS127A (YAP serine 127 to alanine). YAP127A hTERT-hNOFs activated fibroblasts similar to CAFs. To identify CTSD expression between OSCC and CAFs, conditioned medium (CM) was collected from each cell. Protein expression of CTSD was identified by western blotting. Results: To identify the expression of CTSD in fibroblasts stimulated by OSCC, we treated fibroblasts with CM from HEK and OSCC. Results indicated that hTERT-hNOFs with OSCC CM showed a weakly increased expression of CTSD compared to stimulation by HEK CM. This indicates that CAFs, YAPS127 hTRET-hNOFs, overexpress CTSD protein. HEK cells showed no CTSD expression, regardless of treatment with fibroblast CM, whereas OSCC highly expressed CTSD proteins compared with the CTSD expression in HEK cells. We also found that CTSD expression was unaffected by changes in transforming growth factor-β levels. Conclusion: This study proposes that CTSD might have potential as an interacting executor between OSCC and CAFs. Further studies are needed to investigate the role of CTSD in tumor and stromal cells.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• 제64권6호
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• pp.1092-1104
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• 2022

Using antibiotics as growth promoter has been banned in poultry feed industry, thus various researchers try to seek an alternative to replace the growth-promoting antibiotics. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the growth performance via intestinal nutrient utilization and cecal microbial composition of broiler after dietary supplementation with most commonly using antibiotics, zinc bacitracin, and sophorolipid. A total of 180 1-day-old chicks were randomly assigned, and dietary treatment was as follow: CON, basal diet; ZB, 100 ppm of zinc bacitracin supplemented diet; and SPL, 250 ppm of sophorolipid supplemented diet. Their growth performance was evaluated and the samples of blood, small intestine, and ileal and cecal digesta were collected for biochemical, histological, and genomic analyses. The body weight and average daily gain of 7-day-old chicks were higher in ZB and those in overall experimental period were improved by ZB and SPL supplementation (p < 0.05). Their intestinal characteristics were not affected by dietary treatments in duodenum and ileum. Nonetheless, villus height was increased by SPL supplementation in jejunum (p < 0.05). Moreover, dietary SPL supplementation could down-regulate the expression level of pro-inflammatory cytokine, IL-1β (p < 0.05). mRNA levels of lipid and protein transporters did not differ among the treatments, however, relative expression levels of carbohydrate transporters, GLUT2 and SGLT1 were increased in broiler chicken's jejumum fed zinc bacitracin and sophorolipid supplemented diets (p < 0.05). Dietary zinc bacitracin supplementation could increase the population of Firmicutes in phylum level, and the portion of Turiciacter in genus level. On the other hands, the portion of Faecalibacterium was increased by dietary SPL supplementation compared to the other treatments. Our findings suggest that SPL supplementation improves growth performance through enhanced carbohydrate utilization capacity via improvement of gut morphological status and modulation of the cecal microbial population of broilers.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제63권3호
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• pp.242-250
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• 2007

배경 및 목적: 암세포는 빠른 증식 속도로 인하여 상대적인 저산소증에 노출되면서 비정상적인 종양 혈관을 형성하여 치명적인 병인을 형성한다. 저산소증에서의 암세포 내의 유전자 표현을 연구하는 것은 병인의 규명과 나아가 치료에 결정적인 단초를 제공할 수 있다. 이에 본 연구에서는 체외 배양한 비소세포폐암의 증식과 저산소증 상태에 대한 연구를 시행하였다. 재료 및 방법: 비소세포폐암주인 A549를 RPMI 배지에서 계대 배양하였다. 저산소 유사 상태는 Modular Incubator Chamber(MIC-101)을 이용하였고 5% 이산화탄소와 95% 질소 혼합 가스를 5분간 공급하여 저산소 상태를 만들었으며 세포 배양액을 채취하여 혈액가스분석기(Blood Gas Analyzer ABL 725)로 세포 배양 상태를 측정하였다. 대조군으로 5% $CO_2$와 멸균한 대기 공기 95%가 혼합된 가스를 사용하였다. 세포의 증식 상태는 MTT 방법을 실시하였다. 결과: 1. MIC-101을 이용하였을 때, 무산소혼합가스를 투여 후 30분에 50%의 산소 분압저하를 확인하였으며, 대기 가스에 의해 산소농도를 회복하는 것을 볼 수 있었다. 2. 무산소 혼합가스로 정화(purging)를 하면 산소의 분압을 더 낮출 수 있었다. 3. 저산소 상태에서 세포 배양액 내에는 pH 감소, 젖산 증가, 포도당의 감소와 같은 미세환경이 변하였다. 4. 세포배양액에 따라 저산소에 의해 유도되는 포도당 저하에 차이가 있었다. 5. 비소세포폐암주는 저산소에 의해 증식능이 억제되었다. 결론: 저산소 상태는 세포 배양액 내 포도당 농도의 감소, 젖산의 증가, pH의 감소 등 세포 배양 미세 환경을 변화시키며, 비소세포폐암세포는 증식이 억제된다. 저산소는 미세 환경 변화와 함께 직접적으로 그리고 간접적으로 비소세포의 증식능에 영향을 미친다.