• Molecules and Cells
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.452-452
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• 2005

• Journal of applied mathematics & informatics
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.185-195
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• 2002

Previous research has shown that the flow of patients around departments of geriatric medicine and ex-patients in the community may be-modelled by the application of a mixed-exponential distribution. In this proper we considered a ave-compartment model using a continuous-time Markov process to describe the flow of patients. Using a M/ph/c queuing model, we present a way of optimizing the number of beds in order to maintain an acceptable delay probability a sufficiently low level. Finally, we constructed a Java computer simulation, using data from St George's Hospital, London.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.1475-1479
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• 2012

Human peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma ($hPPAR{\gamma}$) has been implicated in numerous pathologies, including obesity, diabetes, and cancer. In this study, we verified that amentoflavone is an agonist of $hPPAR{\gamma}$ and probed the molecular basis of its action. It was demonstrated that amentoflavone bound $hPPAR{\gamma}$ with high (picomolar) affinity and increased the binding between $hPPAR{\gamma}$ and steroid receptor coactivator-1 (SRC-1) by approximately 4-fold. Based on a docking study, for the first time, we propose a model of amentoflavone and $hPPAR{\gamma}$ binding in which amentoflavone forms three hydrogen bonds with the side chains of His323, Tyr327, and Arg280 in $hPPAR{\gamma}$ and participates in two hydrophobic interactions.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.32 no.8
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• pp.2717-2721
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• 2011

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are a subfamily of nuclear receptors (NRs). Human peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (hPPAR${\gamma}$) has been implicated in the pathology of numerous diseases, including obesity, diabetes, and cancer. ELISA-based hPPAR${\gamma}$ activation assay showed that biapigenin increased the binding between hPPAR${\gamma}$ and steroid receptor coactivator-1 (SRC-1) by approximately 3-fold. In order to confirm that biapigenin binds to hPPAR${\gamma}$, fluorescence quenching experiment was performed. The results showed that biapigenin has higher binding affinity to hPPAR${\gamma}$ at nanomolar concentrations compared to indomethacin. Biapigenin showed anticancer activity against HeLa cells. Biapigenin was noncytotoxic against HaCa T cell. All these data implied that biapigenin may be a potent agonist of hPPAR${\gamma}$ with anticancer activity. We will further investigate its anticancer effects against human cervical cancer.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.69-73
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• 2005

The flavonoid, quercetin, is a low molecular weight substance found in apple, tomato and other fruit. Besides its antioxidative effect, quercetin, like other flavonoids, has a wide range of neuropharmacological actions including analgesia, and motility, sleep, anticonvulsant, sedative and anxiolytic effects. In the present study, we investigated its effect on mouse 5-hydroxytryptamine type 3 ($5-HT_{3A}$) receptor channel activity, which is involved in pain transmission, analgesia, vomiting, and mood disorders. The $5-HT_{3A}$ receptor was expressed in Xenopus oocytes, and the current was measured with the two-electrode voltage clamp technique. In oocytes injected with $5-HT_{3A}$ receptor cRNA, quercetin inhibited the 5-HT-induced inward peak current ($I_{5-HT}$) with an $IC_{50}$ of $64.7{\pm}2.2{\mu}M$. Inhibition was competitive and voltage-independent. Point mutations of pre-transmembrane domain 1 (pre-TM1) such as R222T and R222A, but not R222D, R222E and R222K, abolished inhibition, indicating that quercetin interacts with the pre-TM1 of the $5-HT_{3A}$ receptor.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.237-237
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• 2002

Creatine phosphokinase (CPK) was a marker in diagnosis of rhabdomyolysis. The CPK abnormality could be induced by intake of HMG CoA reductase inhibitors (statins). The objective of this study was to estimate the incidence rate of CPK abnormality by each statin. (omitted)

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.48.1-48.8
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• 2023

Liver cancer is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide. Well-known risk factors include hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus, along with exposure to aflatoxins, excessive alcohol consumption, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. Genomic variants play a crucial role in mediating the associations between these risk factors and liver cancer. However, the specific variants involved in this process remain under-explored. This study utilized a bioinformatics approach to identify genetic variants associated with liver cancer from various continents. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with liver cancer were retrieved from the genome-wide association studies catalog. Prioritization was then performed using functional annotation with HaploReg v4.1 and the Ensembl database. The prevalence and allele frequencies of each variant were evaluated using Pearson correlation coefficients. Two variants, rs2294915 and rs2896019, encoded by the PNPLA3 gene, were found to be highly expressed in the liver tissue, as well as in the skin, cell-cultured fibroblasts, and adipose-subcutaneous tissue, all of which contribute to the risk of liver cancer. We further found that these two SNPs (rs2294915 and rs2896019) were positively correlated with the prevalence rate. Positive associations with the prevalence rate were more frequent in East Asian and African populations. We highlight the utility of this population-specific PNPLA3 genetic variant for genetic association studies and for the early prognosis and treatment of liver cancer. This study highlights the potential of integrating genomic databases with bioinformatic analysis to identify genetic variations involved in the pathogenesis of liver cancer. The genetic variants investigated in this study are likely to predispose to liver cancer and could affect its progression and aggressiveness. We recommend future research prioritizing the validation of these variations in clinical settings.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.243-249
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• 2015

Background: Anticancer agents induce a variety of adverse effects when administered to cancer patients. Busulfan is a known antileukemia agent. When administered for treatment of leukemia in young patients, busulfan could cause damage to the male reproductive system as one of its adverse effects, resulting in sterility. Methods: We investigated the effects of Korean Red Ginseng extract (KRGE) on busulfan-induced damage and/or dysfunction of the male reproductive system. Results: We found that administration of busulfan to mice: decreased testis weight; caused testicular histological damage; reduced the total number of sperm, sperm motility, serum testosterone concentration; and eventually, litter size. Preadministration of KRGE partially attenuated various busulfan-induced damages to the male reproductive system. These results indicate that KRGE has a protective effect against busulfan-induced damage to the male reproduction system. Conclusion: The present study shows a possibility that KRGE could be applied as a useful agent to prevent or protect the male reproductive system from the adverse side effects induced by administration of anticancer agents such as busulfan.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.334-342
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• 2015

4-O-Methylhonokiol (MH), a bioactive compound derived from Magnolia officinalis, is known to exhibit antitumor effects in various cancer cells. However, the precise mechanism of its anticancer activity in cervical cancer cells has not yet been studied. In this study, we demonstrated that MH induces apoptosis in SiHa cervical cancer cells by enhancing peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARγ) activation, followed by inhibition of the PI3K/Akt pathway and intrinsic pathway induction. MH upregulated PPARγ and PTEN expression levels while it decreased p-Akt in the MH-induced apoptotic process, thereby supporting the fact that MH is a PPARγ activator. Additionally, MH decreased the expression of Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL, inducing the intrinsic pathway in MH-treated SiHa cells. Furthermore, MH treatment led to the activation of caspase-3/caspase-9 and proteolytic cleavage of polyADP ribose polymerase. The expression levels of Fas (CD95) and E6/E7 oncogenes were not altered by MH treatment. Taken together, MH activates PPARγ/PTEN expression and induces apoptosis via suppression of the PI3K/Akt pathway and mitochondria-dependent pathways in SiHa cells. These findings suggest that MH has potential for development as a therapeutic agent for human cervical cancer.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.33 no.7
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• pp.2219-2223
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• 2012

Human peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma ($hPPAR{\gamma}$) has been implicated in numerous pathologies, including obesity, diabetes, and cancer. Previously, we verified that amentoflavone is an activator of $hPPAR{\gamma}$ and probed the molecular basis of its action. In this study, we investigated the mechanism of action of amentoflavone in cancer cells and demonstrated that amentoflavone showed strong cytotoxicity against MCF-7 and HeLa cancer cell lines. We showed that $hPPAR{\gamma}$ expression in MCF-7 and HeLa cells is specifically stimulated by amentoflavone, and suggested that amentoflavone-induced cytotoxic activities are mediated by activation of $hPPAR{\gamma}$ in these two cancer cell lines. Moreover, amentoflavone increased PTEN levels in these two cancer cell lines, indicating that the cytotoxic activities of amentoflavone are mediated by increasing of PTEN expression levels due to $hPPAR{\gamma}$ activation.