• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.63-70
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• 2019

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) that are able to suppress T cell function are a heterogeneous cell population frequently observed in cancer, infection, and autoimmune disease. Immune checkpoint molecules, such as programmed death 1 (PD-1) expressed on T cells and its ligand (PD-L1) expressed on tumor cells or antigen-presenting cells, have received extensive attention in the past decade due to the dramatic effects of their inhibitors in patients with various types of cancer. In the present study, we investigated the expression of PD-1 on MDSCs in bone marrow, spleen, and tumor tissue derived from breast tumor-bearing mice. Our studies demonstrate that PD-1 expression is markedly increased in tumor-infiltrating MDSCs compared to expression in bone marrow and spleens and that it can be induced by LPS that is able to mediate $NF-{\kappa}B$ signaling. Moreover, expression of PD-L1 and CD80 on $PD-1^+$ MDSCs was higher than on $PD-1^-$ MDSCs and proliferation of MDSCs in a tumor microenvironment was more strongly induced in $PD-1^+$ MDSCs than in $PD-1^-$ MDSCs. Although we could not characterize the inducer of PD-1 expression derived from cancer cells, our findings indicate that the study on the mechanism of PD-1 induction in MDSCs is important and necessary for the control of MDSC activity; our results suggest that $PD-1^+$ MDSCs in a tumor microenvironment may induce tumor development and relapse through the modulation of their proliferation and suppressive molecules.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.413-426
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• 2019

Many factories indiscriminately located in the vicinity of residential areas need to be adjusted to quasi-industrial parks or new planning management area. In the present work, the changes of atmospheric $SO_2$ concentration according to clustering of individual location factories throughout Gimpo city into a new area were evaluated using a commercial dispersion model, AERMOD. As a result of the evaluation, it was suggested the possibility of improving the pollution through the relocation of individual factories. The combination of relocation and discharge regulation on the stack height may reduce the overall pollution from Gimpo approximately up to 70%, and some areas achieve maximum 87% decrease. However, the area selected as a cluster zone may show a relatively large increase compared to the change in the total pollution level of Gimpo.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.43-54
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• 2019

The objective of this study was to assess the effect of policies on water quality management based on the changes in pollutants and water quality in Special Water Preservation Area (SWPA) of Lake Paldang watershed from 1990 to 2016. The population, total sewage and flow rate of wastewater in SWPA continuously increased from 1990 to 2016, while the location of new facilities for industrial and livestock facilities has been restricted. However, unlike the buffer zone in which industrial and livestock facilities were continuously reduced after implementing of TMDL, it was found that the effect of land-use regulations on industrial and livestock facilities in SWPA were mitigated by the increase in the size of large facilities. Since 1999 when the emission standard of public sewage treatment plants (STP) was changed, the water quality of Lake Paldang has increased despite the increase of pollutant source. Since emission standard of STP changed in 2012 (BOD 5 mg/L, TP 0.2 mg/L), BOD concentration in Lake Paldang has also improved to the level of water quality in the early 1990s where as TP concentration has remained at its lowest since 1990. BOD and TP average discharge concentration of 43 STP (${\geq}500m^3/day$) in 2016 have been maintained $1.7{\pm}0.7mg/L$ and $0.06{\pm}0.02mg/L$ respectively. While the discharged load of STP in SWPA was decreased by the concentration management, the contribution rate to the total discharged load of non-point pollutants increased to 70 % in 2015, and the contribution rate to the point discharged load of individual treatment facilities increased to 80 %.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.256-263
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• 2021

This paper studies the problems and improvements of government real estate policies. Moon Jae-in government shifted toward regulation and pledge to curb the tax imposed by speculators. It strengthened regulations on reconstruction and bank loans rather than supply, and raised capital gains taxes. As the government implemented measures, emphasizing political logic rather than the economy, the market is unstable and the economy is in a recession. Land has increased the vicious cycle of problems due to population growth, industrialization, urbanization, and wealth growth. Mis-established land policies not only accelerate land prices, but also accelerate the use of disordered land and lead to disruptions in the trading order. In addition, real estate is so difficult to recover from the land problem that it is difficult to contain water that has been spilled once. This is called the irreversible nature of land. Once the land price rises, it is difficult to regain control and reckless development leads to the destruction of the ecosystem, making it difficult to return. This is why such a complex real estate issue should not be implemented as if it were a punishment in a short period of time with government policies. This paper aims to examine the problems of real estate policies and to examine ways to improve them.

• BMB Reports
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• v.53 no.12
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• pp.622-627
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• 2020

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) or tumor-initiating cells are thought to play critical roles in tumorigenesis, metastasis, drug resistance, and tumor recurrence. For the diagnosis and targeted therapy of CSCs, the molecular identity of biomarkers or therapeutic targets for CSCs needs to be clarified. In this study, we identified CD166 as a novel marker expressed in the sphere-forming CSC population of A2780 epithelial ovarian cancer cells and primary ovarian cancer cells. The CD166+ cells isolated from A2780 cells and primary ovarian cancer cells highly expressed CSC markers, including ALDH1a1, OCT4, and SOX2, and ABC transporters, which are implicated in the drug resistance of CSCs. The CD166+ cells exhibited enhanced CSC-like properties, such as increased sphere-forming ability, cell migration and adhesion abilities, resistance to conventional anticancer drugs, and high tumorigenic potential in a xenograft mouse model. Knockdown of CD166 expression in the sphere-forming ovarian CSCs abrogated their CSC-like properties. Moreover, silencing of CD166 expression in the sphere-forming CSCs suppressed the phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase, paxillin, and SRC. These results suggest that CD166 plays a key role in the regulation of CSC-like properties and focal adhesion kinase signaling in ovarian cancer.

• BMB Reports
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.142-147
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• 2022

Human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) have been utilized as a promising source in regenerative medicine. However, the risk of teratoma formation that comes with residual undifferentiated PSCs in differentiated cell populations is most concerning in the clinical use of PSC derivatives. Here, we report that a monoclonal antibody (mAb) targeting PSCs could distinguish undifferentiated PSCs, with potential teratoma-forming activity, from differentiated PSC progeny. A panel of hybridomas generated from mouse immunization with H9 human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) was screened for ESC-specific binding using flow cytometry. A novel mAb, K312, was selected considering its high stem cell-binding activity, and this mAb could bind to several human induced pluripotent stem cells and PSC lines. Cell-binding activity of K312 was markedly decreased as hESCs were differentiated into embryoid bodies or by retinoic acid treatment. In addition, a cell population negatively isolated from undifferentiated or differentiated H9 hESCs via K312 targeting showed a significantly reduced expression of pluripotency markers, including Oct4 and Nanog. Furthermore, K312-based depletion of pluripotent cells from differentiated PSC progeny completely prevented teratoma formation. Therefore, our findings suggest that K312 is utilizable in improving stem cell transplantation safety by specifically distinguishing residual undifferentiated PSCs.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.59 no.6
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• pp.573-583
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• 2021

Toxoplasma gondii, an intracellular protozoan parasite that infects one-third of the world's population, has been reported to hijack host cell apoptotic machinery and promote either an anti- or proapoptotic program depending on the parasite virulence and load and the host cell type. However, little is known about the regulation of human FHs 74 small intestinal epithelial cell viability in response to T. gondii infection. Here we show that T. gondii RH strain tachyzoite infection or ESP treatment of FHs 74 Int cells induced apoptosis, mitochondrial dysfunction and ER stress in host cells. Pretreatment with 4-PBA inhibited the expression or activation of key molecules involved in ER stress. In addition, both T. gondii and ESP challenge-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and cell death were dramatically suppressed in 4-PBA pretreated cells. Our study indicates that T. gondii infection induced ER stress in FHs 74 Int cells, which induced mitochondrial dysfunction followed by apoptosis. This may constitute a potential molecular mechanism responsible for the foodborne parasitic disease caused by T. gondii.

• International Journal of Computer Science & Network Security
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.109-114
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• 2022

The article is devoted to analyzing the police influence on road safety formation. The globalization processes confirm the study's relevance, provoking population mobility and the need to increase freight traffic. The study aims to identify the factors that affect road safety and the activities of the police and the EU transport safety units. An empirical analysis using factor analysis, correlation analysis, and general scientific methods of cognition were carried out to achieve the goal. The analysis results found that the number of police officers affects road safety, but not in all countries, which confirms the importance of other factors. Based on the analysis results of the scientific literature, the factors affecting transport safety are legislative regulation, the use of innovative technologies, transport infrastructure, geography, and psycho-physical and emotional drivers factors. It has been proved that the police authorities and units cannot fully ensure transport safety in the European Union because the safety is formed by a complex of actions by the state and road users.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.946-953
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• 2022

Using the management strategy evaluation methods and data on the Korea chub mackerel Scomber japonicus where the state-space logistic production model is used as the operation and the estimation model respectivley, we examined the effects of both Dorn's rule, α and the buffer value for ABC (allowable biological catch), which are used by the Korea fishery managers for decision rules. We set scenarios that have different pairs of buffer and α values, which include those currently used in the management in Korea. Under each sceanario, we projected the fish population biomass until year 2050, during which ABC is determined in each year with the decision rule. We used three kinds of performance measures: (i) whether the biomass in 2050 is overfished; (ii) the average of annual yields over the simulation period; and (iii) the variability of annual yields over the period. We found that the current practice (buffer=0.9, and α = 0.05) resulted in the best performance in terms of avoiding the "overfished" status. However, the current practice failed to reach the maximum average of the annual yields and led to larger uncertainty in the annual yields.

• BMB Reports
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.281-286
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• 2022

Hepatocellular carcinoma is a major health burden, and though various treatments through much research are available, difficulties in early diagnosis and drug resistance to chemotherapy-based treatments render several ineffective. Cancer stem cell model has been used to explain formation of heterogeneous cell population within tumor mass, which is one of the underlying causes of high recurrence rate and acquired chemoresistance, highlighting the importance of CSC identification and understanding the molecular mechanisms of CSC drivers. Extracellular CSC-markers such as CD133, CD90 and EpCAM have been used successfully in CSC isolation, but studies have indicated that increasingly complex combinations are required for accurate identification. Pseudogene-derived long non-coding RNAs are useful candidates as intracellular CSC markers - factors that regulate pluripotency and self-renewal - given their cancer-specific expression and versatile regulation across several levels. Here, we present the use of microarray data to identify stemness-associated factors in liver cancer, and selection of sole pseudogene-derived lncRNA ZNF204P for experimental validation. ZNF204P knockdown impairs cell proliferation and migration/invasion. As the cytosolic ZNF204P shares miRNA binding sites with OCT4 and SOX2, well-known drivers of pluripotency and self-renewal, we propose that ZNF204P promotes tumorigenesis through the miRNA-145-5p/OCT4, SOX2 axis.