• Title/Summary/Keyword: Mimetic

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Human and Animal Disease Biomarkers and Biomonitoring of Deoxynivalenol and Related Fungal Metabolites as Cereal and Feed Contaminants (곡물 및 사료오염 데옥시니발레놀 및 대사체에 의한 인축질환 연계 생체지표 및 바이오모니터링)

  • Moon, Yuseok;Kim, Dongwook
    • Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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    • v.29 no.2
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    • pp.85-91
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    • 2014
  • Deoxynivalenol (DON) and related trichothecene mycotoxins are extensively distributed in the cereal-based food and feed stuffs worldwide. Recent climate changes and global grain trade increased chance of exposure to more DON and related toxic metabolites in poorly managed production systems. Monitoring the biological and environmental exposures to the toxins are crucial in protecting human and animals from toxicities of the hazardous contaminants in food or feeds. Exposure biomarkers including urine DON itself are prone to shift to less harmful metabolites by intestinal microbiota and liver metabolic enzymes. De-epoxyfication of DON by gut microbes such as Eubacterium strain BBSH 797 and Eubacterium sp. DSM 11798 leads to more fecal secretion of DOM-1. By contrast, most of plant-derived DON-glucoside is also easily catabolized to free DON by gut microbes, which produces more burden to body. Phase 2 hepatic metabolism also contributes to the glucuronidation of DON, which can be useful urine biomarkers. However, chemical modification could be very typical depending on the anthropologic or genetic background, luminal bacteria, and hepatic metabolic enzyme susceptibility to the toxins in the diet. After toxin exposure, effect biomarkers are also important in estimating the linkage and mechanisms of foodborne diseases in human and animal population. Most prominent adverse effects are demonstrated in the DON-induced immunological and behavioral disorders. For instance, acutely elevated interleukin-8 from insulted gut exposed to dietaty DON is a dominant clinical biomarker in human and animals. Moreover, subchronic exposure to the toxins is associated with high levels of serum IgA, a biological mediator of IgA nephritis. In particular, anorexia monitoring using mouse models are recently developed to monitor the biological activities of DON-induced feed refusal. It is also mechanistically linked to alteration of serotoin and peptide YY, which are promising biomarkers of neurological disorders by the toxins. As animal-alternative biomonitoring, huamn enterocyte-based assay has been developed and more realistic gut mimetic models would be useful in monitoring the effect biomarkers in resposne to toxic contaminants in the future investigations.

Hyaluronic Acid Enhances the Dermal Delivery of Anti-wrinkle Peptide via Increase of Stratum Corneum Fluidity (히알루론산의 각질 유동성 향상을 통한 주름 개선 펩타이드 피부 흡수 촉진)

  • Kim, Yun-Sun;Kim, Daehyun;Kim, Yumi;Park, Sun-Gyoo;Lee, Cheon-Koo;Kang, Nae-Gyu
    • Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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    • v.44 no.4
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    • pp.447-453
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    • 2018
  • Acetyl hexapeptide 8 (AH8) is a synthetic peptide for anti-wrinkle cosmetics ingredient. It was developed as a mimetic of botox, patternd after N -terminal end of the protein synatosomal-associated protein 25 (SNAP25), a substrate of botulinum toxin. While AH8 has good efficacy and safety profiles, the permeation through the skin is poor. Therefore, we tried to enhance the transdermal delivery of AH8 by using of hyaluonic acid (HA), a linear polysaccharide of N-acetyl glucosamine and glucuronic acid. To investigate the effect of HA on AH8 penetration, we analyzed paraffin sections of $Micropig^{(R)}$ skin. Fluorescence labeled AH8 was applied to micropig skin with or without HA. The absorption of AH8 was limited to the stratum corneum (SC) without HA. On the other hand, AH8 penetrated to the dermis with HA. Especially, low molecular weight HA (5 kDa) was most efficient compared to 500 kDa HA and 2000 kDa HA. Experiments using fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy revealed that lower molecular weight HA had a tendency to increase the fluidity of the SC lipids more, which means enhancing the skin penetration. Therefore, HA could be expected to enhance the anti-wrinkle effect of AH8.

Development and effects of Nanta program using speech rhythm for children with limited speech sound production (말소리가 제한된 아동을 위한 말리듬을 이용한 난타 프로그램의 개발과 효과)

  • Park, Yeong Hye;Choi, Seong Hee
    • Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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    • v.13 no.2
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    • pp.67-76
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    • 2021
  • Nanta means "tapping" using percussion instruments such as drums, which is the rhythm of Samulnori, a tradtional Korean music. Nanta speech rhythm intervention program was developed and applied for the children with limited speech sound production and investigated its effect. Nanta program provided audible stimulation, various sound loudness and beats, and rhythms. Nanta program consists of three stages : Respiration, phonation and articulation with the rhythm. Six children with language development delay participated in this study. Children were encouraged to explore sounds and beats and freely express sounds and beats. Along with the rhythm, children also were encouraged to produce speech sounds by increasing the length of syllables in mimetic and imitating words. A total of 15 sessions were conducted twice a week for 40 minutes per session. For exploring the effectiveness, raw scores from preschool receptive-expressive scales (PRES) and receptive-expressive vocabulary test (REVT) were obtained and compared before and after therapy. The results demonstrated that significantly improved receptive (p=.027) and expressive language scores (p=.024) in PRES and receptive (p=.028) and expressive (p=.028) vocabulary scores following intervention using Wilcoxon signed-rank test.These findings suggest that the nanta rhythm program can be useful for improving language development and vocabulary in children with limited speech sound production.

Inhibitory Effect of Jeju Tea Extracts and Vanadate on Postprandial Hyperglycemia and Hypertension, and In Vitro Study (제주산 녹차, 발효차 추출물과 바나듐의 식후 혈당강하 및 항고혈압 기능에 미치는 In Vitro 효과)

  • Park, Shin Young
    • Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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    • v.52 no.4
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    • pp.398-407
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    • 2020
  • The inhibitory effect on α-glucosidase, a marker of postprandial hyperglycemia, and angiotensinconverting enzyme (ACE), a marker of hypertension, was analyzed using non-fermented green tea and three different types of fermented tea, which are popular beverages in modern life. Green tea was mixed with trace amounts of vanadate (50 ㎍/mL), which has insulin-mimetic effects, to investigate the synergistic effect of vanadate on the inhibition of α-glucosidase. The concentration of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and caffeine was also checked. The extracts of green tea and fermented teas showed clear inhibition on α-glucosidase, which caused a decrease in the postprandial glucose levels. The inhibitory effect was most prominent in the 20% fermented tea. Trace amounts of vanadate (50 ㎍/mL)-mixed green tea extract had twice the inhibitory effect on α-glucosidase than the pure tea extract. All teas showed inhibitory effects on ACE. Among those, the effect was most prominent in green tea, which had higher concentrations of EGCG. In contrast, the postprandial glucose-lowering effect and ACE inhibition of the fermented teas, which have a lower level of EGCG, was attributed to some other different functional substances.

Transformation of Ancient Greek Tragedy Revealed in The Killing of a Sacred Deer (<킬링 디어>에 드러난 고대 그리스 비극의 변용)

  • Kwon, Eunsun
    • The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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    • v.8 no.3
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    • pp.393-398
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    • 2022
  • Yorgos Lanthimos' The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017) uses Iphigeneia in Aulis written by Euripides, one of the three great Greek tragedies writers, as the archetypal narrative. Thus, Lanthimos introduces a mythical world stained with 'blood violence by a divine being' within the cinematic diegesis of a modern American metropolis. And the mythical motifs of curses and scapegoats are varied. This thesis tried to read the scapegoat mechanism, the oldest mechanism of escape from the crisis of collective sacrifice, and the imitative and mutual characteristics of desire and violence through René Girard through the mythical world built in the modern time and space of the film. Martin places a cursed oracle on Steven when his desire to place him in his father's place is thwarted. The 'good' reciprocity between two people is rapidly transformed into a 'bad' reciprocity. The Killing of Sacred Deer is an excellent portrayal of how the scapegoat mechanism works through Steven's family. The selection of the scapegoat by lot gives the sacrificial lamb a sacred character thanks to its divine nature, and the scapegoat becomes a sacred being, and the family order is re-established.

A Study on Factors Influencing Digital Entrepreneurship and Digital Innovation: Moderating Effect of Technology Absorptive Capacity (디지털 기업가정신과 디지털 혁신에 미치는 영향 요인 연구: 기술흡수역량의 조절효과 분석)

  • Jang Sung Hee
    • Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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    • v.19 no.1
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    • pp.107-118
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    • 2024
  • The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors affecting digital entrepreneurship and digital innovation and the moderating effect of technology absorptive capacity. To achieve the research purpose, the contributing factors are set as technical characteristic (digital technology capability), organizational characteristics (digital learning capability and financial readiness), and institutional pressures (coercive pressure, mimetic pressure, and normative pressure). The research model and hypothesis are established based on the theoretical background of digital entrepreneurship, digital innovation, institutional pressure, and technology absorptive capacity. The proposed model is analyzed by targeting 104 companies. Smart Partial Least Square (PLS) 4.0 is utilized for deriving the study results. The results of hypothesis testing are as follows: First, digital technology capability, digital learning capability, financial readiness, and institutional pressure have a positive influence on digital entrepreneurship. Second, digital entrepreneurship has a positive impact on digital innovation. Finally, technology absorptive capacity has a moderating effect in influencing digital entrepreneurship on digital innovation. The results of this study emphasize the need for digital entrepreneurship in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and digital transformation, and may provide strategic implications for companies that desire to achieve digital innovation through digital entrepreneurship.

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Hypoxia Inducible Factor-1α Directly Regulates Nuclear Clusterin Transcription by Interacting with Hypoxia Response Elements in the Clusterin Promoter

  • Park, Jeongsook;Park, So Yun;Shin, Eunkyung;Lee, Sun Hee;Kim, Yoon Sook;Lee, Dong Hoon;Roh, Gu Seob;Kim, Hyun Joon;Kang, Sang Soo;Cho, Gyeong Jae;Jeong, Bo-Young;Kim, Hwajin;Choi, Wan Sung
    • Molecules and Cells
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    • v.37 no.2
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    • pp.178-186
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    • 2014
  • Differential transcription of the clusterin (CLU) gene yields two CLU isoforms, a nuclear form (nCLU) and a secretory form (sCLU), which play crucial roles in prostate tumorigenesis. Pro-apoptotic nCLU and anti-apoptotic sCLU have opposite effects and are differentially expressed in normal and cancer cells; however, their regulatory mechanisms at the transcriptional level are not yet known. Here, we examined the transcriptional regulation of nCLU in response to hypoxia. We identified three putative hypoxia response elements (HREs) in the human CLU promoter between positions -806 and +51 bp. Using a luciferase reporter, electrophoretic gel mobility shift, and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays, we further showed that hypoxia-inducible factor-$1{\alpha}$ (HIF-$1{\alpha}$) bound directly to these sites and activated transcription. Exposure to the hypoxia-mimetic compound $CoCl_2$, incubation under 1% $O_2$ conditions, or overexpression of HIF-$1{\alpha}$ enhanced nCLU expression and induced apoptosis in human prostate cancer PC3M cells. However, LNCaP prostate cancer cells were resistant to hypoxia-induced cell death. Methylation-specific PCR analysis revealed that the CLU promoter in PC3M cells was not methylated; in contrast, the CLU promoter in LNCap cells was methylated. Co-treatment of LNCaP cells with $CoCl_2$ and a demethylating agent promoted apoptotic cell death through the induction of nCLU. We conclude that nCLU expression is regulated by direct binding of HIF-$1{\alpha}$ to HRE sites and is epigenetically controlled by methylation of its promoter region.

A Study on the Formation of Lamellar Liquid Crystalline Using Skin Mimicking Surfactant (피부모사체 계면활성제를 사용한 라멜라 액정의 생성에 관한 연구)

  • Kim, In-Young;Nam, Eun-Hee;Shin, Moon-Sam
    • Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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    • v.37 no.3
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    • pp.484-495
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    • 2020
  • This study is a mixed surfactant (MimicLipid-MSM1000) that forms the same structure as that of the stratum corneum, sucrose distearate, polyglyceryl-2 dioleate, fermented squalane, ergosterol, 10-hydroxystearic acid, mixture consisting of was synthesized. When using 2~5 wt% of this mixed surfactant, it was possible to make an artificial skin mimetic that forms a multi-layer lamellar structure of 5~30 layers. An emulsion was prepared using this mixed surfactant, and a multi-layered lamellar phase was formed and analyzed mechanically. The appearance of this surfactant was a light brown hard wax, the hydrophilic lipophilic balance (HLB) was 12.53, the critical parameter value was 0.987, and the acid value was 0.13. Stability according to pH change was also stable in acidic (3.8), neutral (7.2) and alkaline (10.8). The particle size of the liquid crystal was found to be the most stable maltese cross lamellar crystalline droplet at 5~25mm. The size of the emulsified particles according to the change in the speed of the homo agitator is 2500 rpm (17.9mm±2.6mm), 3500rpm (12.5mm±2.1mm), 4500rpm (6.2mm±1.8mm) particles were formed. Liquid crystal forming particles were observed through a polarization microscope, and the formation structure of the liquid crystal was precisely analyzed with a scanning electron microscope (cryo-SEM). As an application field, it is expected that it will be widely applicable to the development of various prescriptions, such as various skin care cosmetics, makeup care cosmetics, and scalp protection cosmetics, by using a skin-mimicking surfactant.