• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.54-61
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• 2012

In this study, the adsorption of $Cu^{2+}$ from aqueous solution by the biochar derived from woody biomass at different pyrolysis temperatures has been investigated. The woody biomass wastes used in this study were branch of willow ($Salix$ $koreensis$ $Andersson$) and bark of chestnut ($Castanea$ $crenata$ $var.$ $dulcis$). Three biochar samples prepared by heating each biomass at temperature of $300^{\circ}C$, $500^{\circ}C$, and $700^{\circ}C$were tested for the adsorption capacity of Cu. Also the physicochemical properties of the developed biochars were studied using different characterization techniques such as FT-IR, SEM, BET surface area, and cation exchange capacity (CEC). The adsorption of Cu could be well described by Langmuir model for both willow and chestnut biochars with $R^2{\geq}0.98$. The maximum adsorption capacities of the biochar produced at $700^{\circ}C$ from the Langmuir equation were found to be 12.5 mg $g^{-1}$ and 16.9 mg $g^{-1}$ for willow and chestnut, respectively. Chestnut biochar was found to interact more effectively with the active sites available for Cu, resulting higher removal of Cu(II) than wiloow biochar. Ion exchange and surface complexation found to be the main mechanisms involved in the adsorption process. This study demonstrated the feasibility of the biochars derived from woody biomass to be as a low-cost potential adsorbent for heavy metals as Cu(II) removal in aquatic system.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.105-120
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• 2010

Paeonia Suffruticosa and Prunus Persica have been used as oriental medicine for removal of fever, alleviation of pain, an anti-phlogistic effect and removal of extravasated blood. However, it has been never shown the effects of these herbal medicines on anti-inflammatory processes. This experiment was performed to show how these herbs could act as anti-inflammatory medicines at cellular level. Anti-inflammation effects of water extracts from Paeonia Suffruticosa and Prunus Persica as well as their mixture have been investigated, and the results were follows; 1) each extract slightly suppressed the expression and production of inflammatory mediators and enzymes such as NO, iNOS, IL-$1{\beta}$, and TNF-$\alpha$ in lipopolysaccharid(LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 cells and mouse primary peritoneal macrophages in a dose-dependent manner. These suppressive effects, however, were synergistically increased by their mixture. 2) Each extract of Paeonia Suffruticosa and Prunus Persica insignificantly suppressed the activation and activity of NF-${\kappa}B$ in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells, which controls the expression of inflammatory mediators such as NO, iNOS, IL-$1{\beta}$, and TNF-$\alpha$. However, extract mixture of Paeonia Suffruticosa and Prunus Persica suppressed effectively the activation and activity of NF-${\kappa}B$. 3) Each of Paeonia Suffruticosa and Prunus Persica induced translocation of NF-${\kappa}B$ to the nucleus from the cytosol and DNA-binding activity of nuclear NF-${\kappa}B$ in LPS-activated RAW264.7 cells. The extract mixture of Paeonia Suffruticosa and Prunus Persica showed more significant suppression of the NF-${\kappa}B$ translocation and its DNA-binding activity, as compared to those of the each extract. These results suggest that the extract mixture of Paeonia Suffruticosa and Prunus Persica may affect different control mechanisms for NF-${\kappa}B$ activation and the expression and production of NF-${\kappa}B$-dependent inflammatory mediators, indicating that this extract mixture may be useful for treatment of inflammatory diseases.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.390-397
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• 2020

Objective: The objective of this study was to measure the special expression pattern of lipid metabolism genes and investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying intramuscular fat (IMF) deposition in Longissimus dorsi muscle of Laiwu pigs. Methods: Thirty-six pigs (Laiwu n = 18; Duroc×Landrace×Yorkshire n = 18) were used for the measurement of the backfat thickness, marbling score, IMF content, and expression of lipid metabolism genes. Results: Significant correlations were found between IMF content and the mRNA expression of lipid metabolism genes. Of the 14 fat deposition genes measured, fatty acid synthase (FASN) showed the strongest correlation (r = 0.75, p = 0.001) with IMF content, and of the 6 fat removal genes, carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1B (CPT1B) exhibited the greatest negative correlation (r = -0.66, p = 0.003) with IMF content in Laiwu pig. Multiple regression analysis showed that CPT1B, FASN, solute carrier family 27 member 1 (SLC27A1), and fatty acid binding protein 3 (FABP3) contributed 38% of the prediction value for IMF content in Laiwu pigs. Of these four variables, CPT1B had the greatest contribution to IMF content (14%) followed by FASN (11%), SLC27A1 (9%), and FABP3 (4%). Conclusion: Our results indicate that the combined effects of an upregulation in fat deposition genes and downregulation in fat removal genes promotes IMF deposition in Laiwu pigs.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.203-212
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• 1993

This study was designed to observe hypoxia-induced mechanical responses of porcine cerebral artery and to clarify their possible mechanisms. Hypoxia produced a transient vasoconstriction, recovering to the basal tension within 10 min and subsequent reoxygenation produced a biphasic (relaxalion-contraction) response in rings with endothelium under resting tension. Hypoxia produced a further contraction in rings precontracted with KCl or $PGF_{2{\alpha}}$, and following reoxygenation caused only sustained relaxation. Removal of the endothelium and pretreatment with nimodipine or indomethacin markedly attenuated the hypoxia- and reoxygenation-induced contractions. The KCl-induced contraction was not affected in hypoxic state, but contractions induced by $PGF_{2{\alpha}}$ or endothelin (ET) were inhibited in the hypoxia, the latter being more sensitive to the hypoxia. Upon reoxygenation, the attenuated contraction rapidly recovered to the original tension. Both hypoxia and reoxygenation significantly increased cyclic GMP content in the intact preparations, but not in the endothelium-removed ones. Acetylcholine (ACh) produced concentration-dependent relaxations in the intact endothelial rings precontracted with $PGF_{2{\alpha}}$ or endothelin, and the ACh-induced relaxation was inhibited by removal of endothelium and by hypoxia. ACh also increased cyclic GMP content in tissues pretreated with $PGF_{2{\alpha}}$ and the increase of cyclic GMP was abolished in hypoxic state. These results suggest that hypoxia- and reoxygenation-induced contractions are dependent on endothelium and extracellular calcium, and related to the release of prostaglandin-like substance(s).

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.194-200
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• 2016

The impervious surface rate increased by urbanization causes various problems on the environment such as water cycle distortion, heat island effect, and non-point pollutant discharges. The Low Impact Development (LID) techniques are significantly considered as an important tool for stormwater management in urban areas and development projects. The main mechanisms of LID technologies are hydrological and environmental pollution reduction among soils, media, microorganisms, and plants. Especially, the media provides important functions on permeability and retention rate of stormwater runoff in LID facilities. Therefore, this research was performed to assess the pollutant removal efficiency for different types of media such as zeolite, wood chip, bottom ash, and bio-ceramic. All media show high pollutant removal efficiency of more than 60% for particulate materials and heavy metals. Double layered media is more effective in reducing heavy metals by providing diverse sizes of micro-pores and macro-pores compared to the single layered media. The results recommend the use of different sizes of media application is more cost-effective in LID than a single size of media. Furthermore, soluble proportion of total heavy metal in the stormwater is an important component in proper media selection and arrangement.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.147-155
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• 1998

Acupuncture and Radix Astragali aqua-acupuncture stimuli have long been used to cure human diseases. However, it still remains to be unkown on its action mechanism, physiolosical and biochemical aspects. Thus, many attempts were made to show the scientific background covering the above mentioned mechanisms. Most recent studies show that these tests improve blood circulatory system and increase leucocyte counts. In this study, we have applied the acupuncture stimuli to mouse Sinsu(BL-23), which is a stimulative point of oriental medicine, to see if cytokine such as IL-6 can be detected. Mice were treated with lipopolysaccharide(LPS) for inflammation induction, and then reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using each primer set was performed to trace the amounts of mRNA. The results are summarized as follows ; 1. IL-6 was not temporarily expressed in normal mice 15 min after the acupuncture was pulled out. But, it started to show a feeble expression at 30 min after the removal of acupuncture and it started to reduce at 1h. after the acupuncture was pulled out 2. IL-6 was specifically expressed in LPS-treated mouse 30 min after the acupuncture was pulled out. The transcriptional expressions of LPS-treated mice were more effective than those of normal mice at 30 min after the removal of acupuncture 3. IL-6 was not temporarily expressed in normal mice 15 min after Radix Astragali aqua-acupuncture. But it expressed most highly at 30 min, and the transcriptional expressions of IL-6 was continued to 3 h. 4. IL-6 was not expressed in all the time after Radix Astragali aqua-acupuncture in LPS-treated mice. Therefore, a follow-up of cytokine IL-6 can be used not only a basis of the effect of acupuncture and Radix Astragali aqua-acupuncture but a diagnosis giude through the immunological action of thats. And, it is suggested that cytokine's expression by Acupuncture and Radix Astragali aqua-acupuncture stimulation should be continuously elucidated.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.37-44
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• 2017

Nonpoint source (NPS) pollution continues to degrade the water quality. NPS pollutants signals high concerns against a sustainable environment. Low impact development (LID) is the leading management practice which regulates and treats stormwater runoff especially in highly impervious urban areas. Constructed wetlands are known to have efficient removal capability of NPS pollutants. Likewise, these LID facilities were intended to maintain the predeveloped hydrologic regime through series of mechanisms such as particle settling, filtration, plant uptake, and etc. In this study, the objective was to investigate the characteristics, fate and treatment performance of the two in-campus constructed wetlands (SW1 and SW2) which were installed adjacent to impervious roads and parking lots to treat stormwater runoff. A total of 42 storm events were monitored starting from July 2010 until November 2015. Manual grab sampling was utilized at the inlet and outlet units of each LID facilities. Based on the results, the wetlands were found to be effective in reducing 37% and 41% of the total runoff volume and peak flows, respectively. Aside from this, outflow EMCs were generally lower than the inflow EMCs in most events suggesting that the two wetlands improved the water quality of stormwater runoff. The average removal efficiency of pollutants in facilities were 63~79% in TSS, 38~54% in TN, 54% in TP and 32%~81% in metals. The results of this study recommend the use of constructed wetlands as efficient treatment facility for urban areas for its satisfactory performance in runoff and pollutant reduction.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.73-83
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• 2014

The objective of the this study was to investigate the binding capacity and removal ability of lactic acid bacterial strains obtained from Korean soybean paste for mutagenic heterocyclic amines (HCAs) formed during cooking of protein-rich food at high temperature. Among 19 strains identified by carbohydrate fermentation and 16S rRNA sequencing, the live cell or cell-free culture supernatant of Lactobacillus acidophilus D11, Enterococcus faecium D12, Pediococcus acidilactici D19, L. acidophilus D38, Lactobacillus sakei D44, Enterococcus faecalis D66, and Lactobacillus plantarum D70 inhibited the mutagenesis caused by either 3-amino-1,4-dimethyl-5H-pyrido[4,3-b] indole (Trp-P-1) or 3-amino-1-methyl-5H-pyrido[4,3-b] indole (Trp-P-2) in Salmonella typhimurium TA98 and TA100. The bacterial cells of the isolated strains showed greater binding activity than the pure cell wall, exopolysaccharide, and pepetidoglycan. The carbohydrate moieties of the cell wall or protein molecules on the cell surface have a significant role in binding Trp-P-1 and Trp-P-2, since protease, heating, sodium metaperiodate, or acidic pH treatments significantly (P<0.05) reduced the binding efficacy of the tested bacteria. Addition of metal ions or sodium dodecyl sulfate decreased the binding ability of E. faecium D12, L. acidophilus D38, and E. faecalis D66. Therefore, the binding mechanisms of these strains may consist of ion-exchange and hydrophobic bonds. Especially, the high mutagen binding by L. acidophilus D38 and L. plantarum D70 may reduce the accumulation or absorption of Trp-P-1 and Trp-P-2 in the small intestine via increased excretion of a mutagen-bacteria complex.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.418-425
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• 2022

Background: Sorafenib is effective in treating hepatoma, but most patients develop resistance to it. STAT3 signaling has been implicated in sorafenib resistance. Artesunate (ART) and 20(R)-ginsenoside Rg3 (Rg3) have anti-hepatoma effects and can inhibit STAT3 signaling in cancer cells. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of Rg3 in combination with ART (Rg3-plus-ART) in overcoming sorafenib resistance, and to examine the involvement of STAT3 signaling in these effects. Methods: Sorafenib-resistant HepG2 cells (HepG2-SR) were used to evaluate the in vitro anti-hepatoma effects of Rg3-plus-ART. A HepG2-SR hepatoma-bearing BALB/c-nu/nu mouse model was used to assess the in vivo anti-hepatoma effects of Rg3-plus-ART. CCK-8 assays and Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining were used to examine cell proliferation and apoptosis, respectively. Immunoblotting was employed to examine protein levels. ROS generation was examined by measuring DCF-DA fluorescence. Results: Rg3-plus-ART synergistically reduced viability of, and evoked apoptosis in HepG2-SR cells, and suppressed HepG2-SR tumor growth in mice. Mechanistic studies revealed that Rg3-plus-ART inhibited activation/phosphorylation of Src and STAT3 in HepG2-SR cultures and tumors. The combination also decreased the STAT3 nuclear level and induced ROS production in HepG2-SR cultures. Furthermore, overactivation of STAT3 or removal of ROS diminished the anti-proliferative effects of Rg3-plus-ART, and removal of ROS diminished Rg3-plus-ART's inhibitory effects on STAT3 activation in HepG2-SR cells. Conclusions: Rg3-plus-ART overcomes sorafenib resistance in experimental models, and inhibition of Src/STAT3 signaling and modulation of ROS/STAT3 signaling contribute to the underlying mechanisms. This study provides a pharmacological basis for developing Rg3-plus-ART into a novel modality for treating sorafenib-resistant hepatoma.

• Journal of the Korean Recycled Construction Resources Institute
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.260-266
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• 2023

In recent years, excessive emissions of carbon dioxide(CO₂) have become the cause of global climate change. Consequently, there has been significant research activity aimed at both removing and utilizing CO₂. This study assesses the potential utilization of railway tie concrete waste, generated from railway infrastructure, as a CO₂ absorption material and investigates the physicochemical properties before and after CO₂ absorption to understand the CO₂ removal mechanisms. Railway tie concrete waste primarily consists of Si(26.60 %) and contains 9.82 % of Ca. Compared to samples of Cement and Normal concrete waste, it demonstrated superior potential for use as a CO₂ absorption material, with approximately 98 % of the Ca content participating in CO₂ absorption reactions. Through Thermogravimetric Analysis(TGA) and X-ray Diffraction(XRD) analysis, it was confirmed that the carbonate reaction, where the Ca in railway tie concrete waste converts into CaCO₃ through reaction with CO₂ gas, is the primary mechanism for CO₂ removal. Furthermore, Scanning Electron Microscopy(SEM) analysis revealed the formation of numerous CaCO₃ particles with sizes less than 0.1 ㎛ after the CO₂ absorption reaction. This transformation of large internal voids in the CO₂ absorption material into mesopores resulted in an increase in the specific surface area of the material.