• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.192-194
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• 2022

The trophic factor Neuregulin-1 (NRG-1) plays a critical role in the development of the peripheral nervous system and the repair of nerve injuries. The regulation of neutrophil apoptosis by cytokine secretion from structural cells is an important process in inflammatory diseases, including asthma. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between NRG-1 and the alteration of neutrophil apoptosis by the regulation of cytokine release in the human lung epithelial BEAS-2B cells. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) induce the increase in the release of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1). NRG-1 alone had no effect on the secretion of IL-6, IL-8, and MCP-1. However, co-treatment of TNF-α and IFN-γ with NRG-1 inhibited the secretion of IL-6, IL-8, and MCP-1 that had been increased by TNF-α and IFN-γ. Treatment with NRG-1 did not have a direct effect on neutrophil apoptosis. Co-treatment of TNF-α and IFN-γ with NRG-1 was not effective on suppression of neutrophil apoptosis due to TNF-α and IFN-γ. The supernatant of BEAS-2B cells after co-treatment of TNF-α and IFN-γ with NRG-1 suppressed the inhibition of neutrophil apoptosis that had been caused due to the supernatant treated with TNF-α and IFN-γ. Taken together, NRG-1 has an anti-inflammatory effect in an inflammatory milieu by the regulation of cytokine secretion and neutrophil apoptosis.

• Integrative Medicine Research
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.149-155
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• 2017

Background: Naringenin (NRG) is a common dietary polyphenolic constituent of fruits. NRG has diverse pharmacological activities, and is used in traditional medicine to treat various diseases including gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. Interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs) are pacemaker cells of the GI tract. In this study, the authors investigated the effects of NRG on ICCs and on GI motility in vitro and in vivo. Methods: ICCs were dissociated from mouse small intestines by enzymatic digestion. The whole-cell patch clamp configuration was used to record pacemaker potentials in cultured ICC clusters. The effects of NRG on GI motility were investigated by calculating percent intestinal transit rates (ITR) using Evans blue in normal mice. Results: NRG inhibited ICC pacemaker potentials in a dose-dependent manner. In the presence of tetraethylammonium chloride or iberiotoxin, NRG had no effect on pacemaker potentials, but it continued to block pacemaker potentials in the presence of glibenclamide. Preincubation with SQ-22536 had no effect on pacemaker potentials or on their inhibition by NRG. However, 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one blocked pacemaker potential inhibition by NRG. In addition, L-NG-nitroarginine methyl ester blocked pacemaker potential inhibition by NRG. Furthermore, NRG significantly suppressed murine ITR enhancement by neostigmine in vivo. Conclusion: This study shows NRG dose-dependently inhibits ICC pacemaker potentials via a cyclic guanosine monophosphate/nitric oxide-dependent pathway and $Ca^{2+}$-activated $K^+$ channels in vitro. In addition, NRG suppressed neostigmine enhancement of ITR in vivo.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.128-133
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• 2012

Objectives : Located on chromosome 10q22-q23, the human neuregulin 3 (NRG3) is suggested as a strong positional and functional candidate gene involved in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Several case-control studies examining the association between polymorphisms on NRG3 gene with schizophrenia and/or its traits (such as delusion) have been reported recently in cohorts of Han Chinese, Ashkenazi Jews, Australians, white Americans of Western European ancestry and Koreans. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the association of one SNP in exon 9 (rs2295933) of NRG3 gene with the risk of schizophrenia in a Korean population. Methods : Using TaqMan assay, rs2295933 in the exon 9 of NRG3 was genotyped in 435 patients with schizophrenia as cases and 393 unrelated healthy individuals as controls. Differences in frequency distributions were analyzed using logistic regression models following various modes of genetic inheritance and controlling for age and sex as covariates. Results : Subsequent analysis revealed that the frequency distribution of rs2295933 of NRG3 was not different between schizophrenia patients and healthy controls of Korean ethnicity. Conclusions : This study does not support the role of NRG3 in schizophrenia in a Korean population.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.58-65
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• 2015

This study is designed to investigate the protective effects of fermented Red Ginseng (FRG) against photoaging in vitro and in vivo. UVB was irradiated to the human keratinocyte HaCaT cell and dorsal skin of SKH-1 mice for the induction of photoaging. After treatment of non-fermented red ginseng (NRG), fermented red ginseng (FRG), and fortified fermented red ginseng (FFRG) to the UVB irradiated HaCaT cell, ROS production and activity of MMP-9 were examined by DCFC-DA assay and gelatin zymographic assay respectively. UVB irradiated SKH-1 mice were treated with NRG, FRG, and FFRG via oral(300 mg/Kg B.W./day) and topical($100{\mu}{\ell}/mouse/day$) route.All of NRG, FRG, and FFRG had significantly reduced the intracellular ROS production elicited by UVB, among them FRG slightly more reduced the ROS production than NRG and FFRG. FFRG had slightly more reduced the MMP-9 activity in UVB irradiated HaCaT cells than NRG and FFRG in high dose. Oral and topical treatment of NRG, FRG, and FFRG had decreased the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-2, -3, and -9 in dorsal skin of UVB irradiated mice. Among them, inhibitory effect of FRG on the expression of MMP-2 was apparent. We speculate that FRG has therapeutic potentials on the UVB irradiated photoaging.

• Journal of applied mathematics & informatics
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• v.14 no.1_2
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• pp.289-303
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• 2004

The non-rigid molecule group theory (NRG) in which the dynamical symmetry operations are defined as physical operations is a new field of chemistry. Smeyers in a series of papers applied this notion to determine the character table of restricted NRG of some molecules. In this work, a simple method is described, by means of which it is possible to calculate character tables for the symmetry group of molecules consisting of a number of NH3 groups attached to a rigid framework. We study the full non-rigid group (f-NRG) of tetraammineplatinum(II) with two separate symmetry groups C2v and C4v. We prove that they are groups of order 216 and 5184 with 27 and 45 conjugacy classes, respectively. Also, we will compute the character tables of these groups.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.353-362
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• 2014

The effects of nuclear data uncertainties are studied on a typical PWR fuel assembly model in the framework of the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency UAM (Uncertainty Analysis in Modeling) expert working group. The "Fast Total Monte Carlo" method is applied on a model for the Monte Carlo transport and burnup code SERPENT. Uncertainties on $k_{\infty}$, reaction rates, two-group cross sections, inventory and local pin power density during burnup are obtained, due to transport cross sections for the actinides and fission products, fission yields and thermal scattering data.

• Journal of applied mathematics & informatics
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• v.27 no.3_4
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• pp.915-931
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• 2009

The non-rigid molecule group theory in which the dynamical symmetry operations are defined as physical operations is applied to deduce the character table of the full non-rigid molecule group (f-NRG) of 2,3,5,6-Tetramethylpyrazine The f-NRG of this molecule is seen to be isomorphic to the group $\mathbb{Z}_3{\wr}(\mathbb{Z}_2{\times}\mathbb{Z}_2)$, where $\mathbb{Z}_n$ is the cyclic group of order n, of order 324 which has 45 conjugacy classes. We determine the some properties and relations between characters of the group. Also, we examine the symmetry group of this molecule and show that its symmetry group is $\mathbb{Z}_2{\times}\mathbb{Z}_2$.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.161-168
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• 2009

In the peripheral nerves, injury-induced cytokines and growth factors perform critical functions in the activation of both the MEK/ERK and JAK/STAT3 pathways. In this study, we determined that nerve injury-induced ERK activation was temporally correlated with STAT3 phosphorylation at the serine 727 residue. In cultured Schwann cells, we noted that ERK activation is required for the serine phosphorylation of STAT3 by neuropoietic cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6). Serine phosphorylated STAT3 by IL-6 was transported into Schwann cell nuclei, thereby indicating that ERK may regulate the transcriptional activity of STAT3 via the induction of serine phosphorylation of STAT3. Neuregulin-1 (NRG) also induced the serine phosphorylation of STAT3 in an ERK-dependent fashion. In contrast with the IL-6 response, serine phosphorylated STAT3 induced by NRG was not detected in the nucleus, thus indicating the non-nuclear function of serine phosphorylated STAT3 in response to NRG. Finally, we determined that the inhibition of ERK prevented injury-induced serine phosphorylation of STAT3 in an ex-vivo explants culture of the sciatic nerves. Collectively, the results of this study show that ERK may be an upstream kinase for the serine phosphorylation of STAT3 induced by multiple stimuli in Schwann cells after peripheral nerve injury.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.115-124
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• 2016

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This is the first study to identify common genetic factors associated with the basal metabolic rate (BMR) and body mass index (BMI) in obese Korean women including overweight. This will be a basic study for future research of obese gene-BMR interaction. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The experimental design was 2 by 2 with variables of BMR and BMI. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) was conducted in the overweight and obesity (BMI > $23kg/m^2$) compared to the normality, and in women with low BMR (< 1426.3 kcal/day) compared to high BMR. A total of 140 SNPs reached formal genome-wide statistical significance in this study (P < $1{\times}10^{-4}$). Surveys to estimate energy intake using 24-h recall method for three days and questionnaires for family history, a medical examination, and physical activities were conducted. RESULTS: We found that two NRG3 gene SNPs in the 10q23.1 chromosomal region were highly associated with BMR (rs10786764; $P=8.0{\times}10^{-7}$, rs1040675; $2.3{\times}10^{-6}$) and BMI (rs10786764; $P=2.5{\times}10^{-5}$, rs10786764; $6.57{\times}10^{-5}$). The other genes related to BMI (HSD52, TMA16, MARCH1, NRG1, NRXN3, and STK4) yielded P < $10{\times}10^{-4}$. Five new loci associated with BMR and BMI, including NRG3, OR8U8, BCL2L2-PABPN1, PABPN1, and SLC22A17 were identified in obese Korean women (P < $1{\times}10^{-4}$). In the questionnaire investigation, significant differences were found in the number of starvation periods per week, family history of stomach cancer, coffee intake, and trial of weight control in each group. CONCLUSION: We discovered several common BMR- and BMI-related genes using GWAS. Although most of these newly established loci were not previously associated with obesity, they may provide new insights into body weight regulation. Our findings of five common genes associated with BMR and BMI in Koreans will serve as a reference for replication and validation of future studies on the metabolic rate.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.121-127
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• 2010

Background and Objectives : Unilateral vocal fold paralysis is generally treated using injection laryngoplasty or voice therapy. However, the decision of treatment method is dependent on clinician's preference and hospital facilities without specific criteria. The purpose of the study was to examine factors predictive of voice therapy outcome in patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis. Materials and Method : 38 patients diagnosed as unilateral vocal fold paralysis, aged from 24 to 81 years and undergone voice therapy more than 1 month were included. After 3 to 12 (mean 5.1) sessions of voice therapy, subjects had divided into responder group (RG, 28 patients) and non-responder group (NRG, 10 patients) according to G scale change. Paramters of perceptual assessment, acoustic and aerodynamic measure, and videostroboscopy were compared between two groups, and factors predictive of voice therapy result were analyzed. Results : RG patients showed significantly reduced rough, breathy, asthenic voice after voice therapy. Change of MPT and MFR was more substantial in RG than in NRG. By videostroboscopy, RG patients showed significantly more mucosal wave symmetry, glottal closure, reduced glottal gap index during the closed phase of phonation, while NRG patients showed more occurrences of abnomal supraglottic activities during phonation (p < 0.05). Poor outcome of voice therapy significantly associated with increased asthenic scale, short MPT, and less glottal closure (p=0.02). In addition, 90% of patients with MPT more than 5 seconds were in RG, whereas 56% of patients with MPT less than 5 secondes were in RG. Conclusion : Voice therapy is useful for large proportion of patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis as an initial treatment method. However, patients with large asthenia scale, large glottic gap or MPT less than 5 seconds tend to have poor voice therapy outcome, and early injection laryngoplasty maybe recommended for these patients.