• Nutritional Sciences
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.231-236
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• 2005

This study investigated the changes in the neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-diaphorase (NADPH-d) activities during food restriction in the rat brain such as cerebral cortex, cerebellum, caudate pautamen and hypothalamus. The rats were placed on a restricted feeding schedule consisting of half the ad libitum quantity for 3 days and 1, 2, 4, 6 and 9 weeks, and a free feeding schedule for 4 weeks. The loss of body weight peaked after 1 week of food restriction and persisted during the entire 9-week period of food restriction. The dramatic weight change in the first week ($12\%$) and the reduction in weight changes thereafter suggest that major adaptation changes occur early and body maintenance occurs subsequently. In the hypothalamus, the optical densities of the NADPH-d and nNOS immunoreactivities were found to be significantly higher in the 1-week and lower in the 9-week food restricted group than in the ad libitum fed control rats. In contrast, in the cerebral cortex, the optical densities of the NADPH-d- and nNOS-positive neurons were not changed significantly during the period of food restriction. This study provides the morphological evidence showing that food restriction has a significant effect on the nitric oxide synthesizing system of the hypothalamus.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.48-52
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• 2008

We here demonstrate an anti-inflammatory action of raloxifene, a selective estrogen receptor modulator, in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced murine macrophage RAW264.7 cells. Treatment with raloxifene at micromolar concentrations suppressed the production of nitric oxide (NO) by down-regulating expression of the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) gene in LPS-activated cells. The decreased expression of iNOS and subsequent reduction of NO were due to inhibition of nuclear translocation of transcription factor NF-${\kappa}B$. These effects were significantly inhibited by exposure to the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) inhibitor, LY294002, or by expression of a dominant negative mutant of PI 3-kinase. In addition, pretreatment with raloxifene reduced LPS-induced Akt phosphorylation as well as NF-${\kappa}B$ DNA binding activity and NF-${\kappa}B$-dependent reporter gene activity. Thus our findings indicate that raloxifene exerts its anti-inflammatory action in LPS-stimulated macrophages by blocking the PI 3-kinase-Akt-NF-${\kappa}B$ signaling cascade, and eventually reduces expression of pro-inflammatory genes such as iNOS.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.253-257
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• 2007

Among the arthritis symptoms, chronic pain is the most serious, and it can profoundly affect the quality of human life. Unfortunately, the mechanism of development in arthritis and arthritic pain has not yet been precisely elucidated. Accumulating evidence indicates that nitric oxide (NO) plays a pivotal role in nociceptive processing in the spinal cord. However, the modulation mechanism of NO in the peripheral site of arthritis and arthritic pain has not been clarified. Therefore, I determined in the present study which nitric oxide synthase (NOS) was involved in the induction of arthritis and arthritic pain. Monoarthritis was induced by intra-articular injection of carrageenan (2%, $50{\mu}l$) into rats, and resulted in the reduction of weight load on the injected leg, increase of knee joint diameter and inflammatory response. Pre-treatment of rats with L-N6-(1-iminoethyl)-lysine (L-NIL, $500{\mu}g$, in $50{\mu}l$), an inhibitor of inducible NOS (iNOS), partially prevented the induction of pain-related behavior and partially reduced inflammatory response in the synovial membrane in the knee joint. These results suggest that iNOS in the knee joint may play an important role in the induction of pain-related behavior and inflammation, and that NO produced by iNOS may be associated with nociceptive signaling in the peripheral site.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.113-123
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• 2012

A unit emission reduction of nitrous oxide ($N_2O$) from anthropogenic sources is equivalent to a 310-unit $CO_2$ emission reduction because the $N_2O$ has the global warming potential (GWP) of 310. This greatly promoted very active development and commercialization of catalysts to control $N_2O$ emissions from large-scale stationary sources, representatively nitric acid production plants, and numerous catalytic systems have been proposed for the $N_2O$ reduction to date and here designated to Options A to C with respect to in-duct-application scenarios. Whether or not these Options are suitable for $N_2O$ emissions control in nitric acid industries is primarily determined by positions of them being operated in nitric acid plants, which is mainly due to the difference in gas temperatures, compositions and pressures. The Option A being installed in the $NH_3$ oxidation reactor requires catalysts that have very strong thermal stability and high selectivity, while the Option B technologies are operated between the $NO_2$ absorption column and the gas expander and catalysts with medium thermal stability, good water tolerance and strong hydrothermal stability are applicable for this option. Catalysts for the Option C, that is positioned after the gas expander thereby having the lowest gas temperatures and pressure, should possess high de$N_2O$ performance and excellent water tolerance under such conditions. Consequently, each de$N_2O$ technology has different opportunities in nitric acid production plants and the best solution needs to be chosen considering the process requirements.

• Nutritional Sciences
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.214-217
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• 2004

Dietary intervention and simvastatin is beneficial in the prevention cardiovascular diseases by lowering plasma lipid levels. Endothelial dysfunction is associated with coronary artery disease and its risk factors and is reversed by dietary intervention. It has been suggested that hyperlipidemia contributes to the development of atherosclerosis by increasing inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression via intimal thickening. Statins treatment has been found to decrease iNOS expression and atherogenensis in animal models. We hypothesized that dietary intervention and simvastatin therapy could decrease plasma nitric oxide in hypercholesterolemic patients, which would suggest the opportunity for modulation of iNOS expression through the use of statins in a clinical situation. We measured the plasma levels of nitrite and nitrate (NOx) in 19 hyperlipidemia patients. The subjects were under dietary intervention following simvastatin therapy for 12 weeks. As a result, the plasma level of NOx, stable metabolites of nitric oxide (NO), saw a two-fold elevation in hyperlipidemic patients as compared to normal levels. Although 12 weeks of dietary intervention did not lower NOx levels, subsequent 12-week simvastatin (10 mg/day) treatment, along with dietary intervention, lowered NOx levels significantly. This NOx reduction, induced by simvastatin therapy, positively correlated with lowered coronary risk factors (r=0.40, p=0.02). It indicated that simvastatin therapy decreases plasma NOx levels by, perhaps, decreasing iNOS expression or activity leading to the attenuation of the development of neointima.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.165-166
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• 2004

• 한국연소학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2006.10a
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• pp.128-133
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• 2006

Influence of changing combustor pressure on flame stabilization and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emission in the swirl-stabilized flame with secondary fuel injection was investigated. The combustor pressure was controlled by suction at combustor exit. Pressure index ($P{\ast}=P_{abs}/P_{atm}$), where $P_{abs}$ and $P_{atm}$ indicated the absolute pressure and atmosphere pressure, was controlled in the range of $0.7{\sim}1.3$ for each equivalence ratio conditions. The flammable limits of swirl flames were largely influenced by changing combustor pressure and they showed different tendency compared with laminar flames. Emission index showed maximum value near atmospheric condition and decreased with decreasing pressure index for overall equivalence ratio conditions. R.m.s of pressure fluctuations also showed similar tendency with nitric oxide emission. By injecting secondary fuel into flame zone, the flammable limits were extended significantly. Emission index of nitric oxide and r.m.s. of pressure fluctuations were also controlled by injecting secondary fuel. The swirl flames were somewhat lifted by secondary fuel with high momentum, hence low nitric oxide emission. This NOx reduction technology is applicable to industrial furnaces and air conditioning system by adopting secondary fuel injection.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.461-467
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• 2009

The auditory cortex (A1) encodes the acquired significance of sound for the perception and interpretation of sound. Nitric oxide (NO) is a gas molecule with free radical properties that functions as a transmitter molecule and can alter neural activity without direct synaptic connections. We used whole-cell recordings under voltage clamp to investigate the effect of NO on spontaneous GABAergic synaptic transmission in mechanically isolated rat auditory cortical neurons preserving functional presynaptic nerve terminals. GABAergic spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sIPSCs) in the A1 were completely blocked by bicuculline. The NO donor, S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP), reduced the GABAergic sIPSC frequency without affecting the mean current amplitude. The SNAP-induced inhibition of sIPSC frequency was mimicked by 8-bromoguanosine cyclic 3',5'-monophosphate, a membrane permeable cyclic-GMP analogue, and blocked by 2-(4-carboxyphenyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide, a specific NO scavenger. Blockade of presynaptic $K^+$ channels by 4-aminopyridine, a $K^+$ channel blocker, increased the frequencies of GABAergic sIPSCs, but did not affect the inhibitory effects of SNAP. However, blocking of presynaptic $Ca^{2+}$ channels by $Cd^{2+}$, a general voltage-dependent $Ca^{2+}$ channel blocker, decreased the frequencies of GABAergic sIPSCs, and blocked SNAP-induced reduction of sIPSC frequency. These findings suggest that NO inhibits spontaneous GABA release by activation of cGMP-dependent signaling and inhibition of presynaptic $Ca^{2+}$ channels in the presynaptic nerve terminals of A1 neurons.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.14-18
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• 2002

It is shown that one-electron reduction of nitric oxide (NO) to nitroxyl anion $(NO^-)$ can be accelerated by vibrational energy. Potential energy surfaces of NO and $NO^-$ reveal that the vertical transition between them has favorable energetics for vibrationally excited molecule. Also, Franck-Condon factors between NO and $NO^-$ vibrational wave functions are calculated. It shows that the number of open channels increases with increased vibrational energy. These results mean that we can control the rate of reduction of NO to $NO^-$ by radiating an appropriate light.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.135-141
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• 2005

Nitric oxide(NO) reduction by methanol was investigated over $La_2O_3$ catalysts in the presence and absence of oxygen. In the absence of $O_2$, $CH_3OH$ reduced NO to both $N_2$ and $N_2O$, with selectivity to $N_2$ formation decreasing from 81-88% at 623K to 47-71% at 723 K. With 1.2% $O_2$ in the feed, the rates were 4-8 times higher, but the selectivity to $N_2$ dropped from 50% at 623 K to 9% at 723 K. The specific activities with $La_2O_3$ for this reaction were higher than those for other reductants; for example, at 773 K with hydrogen a specific activity of $34\;{\mu}mol\;NO/sec{\cdot}m^2$ was obtained whereas that for methanol was $638\;{\mu}mol\;NO/sec{\cdot}m^2$. The Arrhenius plots were linear under differential reaction conditions, and the apparant activation energy was consistantly near 15 kcal/mol with $CH_3OH$. Linear partial pressure dependencies based on a power rate law were obtained and showed a near-zero order in $CH_3OH$ and a near-first order in $H_2$.