• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.28-47
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• 2011

Objectives: This study was performed to investigate the effects of Angelicae gigantis Radix (AGR) which is one of the most useful herbal-drug to treat patients with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) in Oriental medicine on gene expression of ovary tissue. Methods: The effects of AGR on gene expression of ovary tissue resected from PCOS induced rats using single injection of $\ss$-Estradiol 17-valerate (EV) was measured using microarray technique, and the functional analysis on these genes was conducted. Results: Total 2,812 genes were up-regulated or down-regulated, 1,421 genes were up-regulated, 1,391 genes were down-regulated by induction of PCOS. Up-regulated genes were mainly involved in biological function such as cell signalling pathways and inflammatory response. Expression levels of 1,442 genes were restored to those of naive animals by administration of AGR. 558 genes were restored to those of naive animals, which were lowered by induction of PCOS. 884 genes were lowered to naive levels, which were elevated by induction of PCOS. The functions of restored genes were partially involved in the restoration of expression levels, which were changed by induction of PCOS. Especially, up-regulated gene by induction of PCOS were mainly involved in these changes. These results mean restorative effects of AGR on damaged functions by induction of PCOS. The network of total protein interactions was measured using cytoscape program, and some key molecules, such as IRS2, MCM10, ORC2L related in up-regulated genes, CTBP2, CD44, RHOA, related in down-regulated genes that can be used for elucidation of therapeutical mechanism of medicine in future were identified. Conclusion: Restored genes by AGR were thought to have common pathways related in regulation of gene expressions. Especially, genes in restored expression levels by AGR, which were up-regulated by induction of PCOS, were regulated by 9 of common transcription factors, genes in restored expression levels by AGR, which were down-regulated by induction of PCOS, were involved in 25 of common transcription factors.

• Korean Journal of Crystallography
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.43-53
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• 2005

The dihydrido P-C-P pincer complex, $IrH_2{C_6H_3-2,6-(CH_2PBu_2^t)_2}$ (1), was successfully prepared from the reaction of the hydrochloride complex, $IrClH (C_6H_3-2,6-(CH_2PBu_2^t)_2}$, and super acid $(LiBEt_3H)$ under 1 atm of hydrogen in pentane solution at room temperature and followed by Heating at $130^{\circ}C$ in vacuo. Jensen recently found that the dihydrido P-C-P pincer complex 1 is a highly active homogeneous catalyst for the transfer dehydrogenation of alkanes with unusual longterm stability at temperatures as high as $200^{\circ}C$. The treatment of dihydrido complex 1 with nitrogen, water, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide in presence of tert-butylethylene (the) at room temperature in an appropriate solution gave the dinitrogen complex, $[Ir{C-6H_3-2,6-(CH_2PBu_2^t)_2}]_2({\mu}-N_2)$ (2), the hydrido hydroxyl complex, $IrH(OH){C_6H_3-2,6-(CH_2PBu_2^t)_2}$ (3), the carbon dioxide complex, $Ir({\eta}^2-CO_2) {C_6H_3-2,6-(CH_2PBu_2^t)_2}$ (including the bicarbonate complex, $IrH({\kappa}^2-O_2COH){C_6H_3-2,6-(CH_2PBu_2^t)_2}\;(4))$, and the carbonyl complex, $Ir(CO) {C_6H_3-2,6-(CH_2PBu_2^t)_2}\;(5)$ (including the carboxyl complex, $IrH(C(O)OH) {C_6H_3-2,6-(CH_2PBu_2^t)_2}\;(6))$, in good yield, respectively. These P-C-P iridium complexes were isolated and characterized by $^1H,\;^{13}C,\;^{31}P\; NMR$, and IR spectroscopy. In addition, the complexes (1-6) were characterized by a single crystal X-ray crystallography. These complexes account for these small molecules' inhibition of dehydrogenation of alkanes catalyzed by the dihydrido complex 1.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.307-319
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• 2008

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: It is known that an anodic oxidation technique, one of the methods for the implant surface treatment, remarkably increased surface area, enhanced wettability and accelerated the initial bone healing. Purpose: This study was performed to evaluate the wettability of anodized titanium surface which has a nanotubular structure, to assess osseointegration after the placement of implant with nano-size tubes on tibia of rats and to analyze quantitatively transferable rhBMP-2 on each surface. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Four different kinds of surface-treated titanium discs (polished (machined surface) group, micro (blasting surface) group, nano (anodizedmachined surface) group, and nano-micro (anodized-blasting surface) group) were fabricated (n=10). Three different media were chosen to measure the surface contact angles; distilled water, plasma and rhBMP-2 solution. After a single drop (0.025 $m{\ell}$) of solution, the picture was taken with the image camera, and contact angle was measured by using image analysis system. For the test of osseointegration, 2 kinds of anodized surface (anodized-machined surface, anodized-blasting surface) implants having 2.0 mm in diameter and 5.0 mm in length inserted into the tibia of Wistar rats. After 3 weeks, tibia were harvested and the specimens were stained with hematoxylin and eosin for histological analysis. To test the possibility of drug delivery, after soaking sample groups in the concentration of 250 ng/$m{\ell}$l of rhBMP-2 for 48 hours, the excess solution of rhBMP-2 were removed. After that, they were lyophilized for 24 hours, and then the rhBMP-2 on the surface of titanium was resolved for 72 hours in PBS. All the extracted solution was analyzed by ELISA. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed on the data. RESULTS: The wettability is improved by anodic oxidation. The best wettability was shown on the nano-micro group, and it was followed by nano group, micro group, and polished group. In the histological findings, all implants showed good healing and the new bone formation were observed along the implant surface. After 3 days, nano-micro group delivered the most amount of rhBMP-2, followed by nano group, micro group, and polished group. CONCLUSION: It indicated that anodic oxidation on blasting surface produce functionally graded nano-micro porous structure and enhance hydrophilicity of the surface and osseointegration. The findings suggest that the nano-micro porous structure could be a useful carrier of osteogenic molecules like rhBMP-2.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.16-26
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• 2007

Wild progenitor species provide potential gene sources for complex traits such as yield and multiple resistances to biotic and abiotic stresses, and thus are expected to contribute to sustainable food supplies. An introgression line 'IR71033-121-15' was derived from a wild species Oryza minuta (2n = 48, BBCC, Acc No. 101141) at IRRI. Introgression analysis using 530 SSR and STS markers revealed that at least 14 chromosomal segments distributed over 12 chromosomes had been introgressed from O. minuta. An $F_{2:3}$ population from the cross between IR71033 and Junambyeo (a Korean japonica cultivar) consisting of 146 lines was used for quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis of 16 agronomic traits. A total of 36 single-locus QTLs (S-QTLs) and 45 digenic epistasis (E-QTLs) were identified. In spite of it's inferiority of O. minuta for most of the traits studied, its alleles contributed positively to 57% of the QTLs. The other QTLs originated from either parent, IR71033 or Junambyeo. QTLs for phenotypically correlated traits were mostly detected on introgressed segments. Fourteen QTLs corresponded to QTLs reported earlier, indicating that these QTLs are stable across genetic backgrounds. Twenty-two QTLs controlling yield and its components had not been detected in previous QTL studies. Of these, thirteen consisted of potentially novel alleles from O. minuta. QTLs from O. minuta introgression could be new sources of natural variation for the genetic improvement of rice.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.259-266
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• 2015

The regulation of flowering time has crucial implications for plant fitness. MicroRNA156 (miR156) represses the floral transition in Arabidopsis thaliana, but the mechanisms regulating its transcription remain unclear. Here, we show that two AGAMOUS-like proteins, AGL15 and AGL18, act as positive regulators of the expression of MIR156. Small RNA northern blot analysis revealed a significant decrease in the levels of mature miR156 in agl15 agl18 double mutants, but not in the single mutants, suggesting that AGL15 and AGL18 co-regulate miR156 expression. Histochemical analysis further indicated that the double mutants showed a reduction in MIR156 promoter strength. The double mutants also showed reduced abundance of pri-miR156a and pri-miR156c, two of the primary transcripts from MIR156 genes. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays demonstrated that AGL15 directly associated with the CArG motifs in the MIR156a/c promoters. AGL18 did not show binding affinity to the CArG motifs, but pull-down and yeast two-hybrid assays showed that AGL18 forms a heterodimer with AGL15. GFP reporter assays and bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) showed that AGL15 and AGL18 co-localize in the nucleus and confirmed their in vivo interaction. Overexpression of miR156 did not affect the levels of AGL15 and AGL18 transcripts. Taking these data together, we present a model for the transcriptional regulation of MIR156. In this model, AGL15 and AGL18 may form a complex along with other proteins, and bind to the CArG motifs of the promoters of MIR156 to activate the MIR156 expression.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.386-392
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• 2017

Periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) are multipotent stem cells derived from periodontium and have mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-like characteristics. Recently, the perivascular region was recognized as the developmental origin of MSCs, which suggests the in vivo angiogenic potential of PDLSCs. In this study, we investigated whether PDLSCs could be a potential source of perivascular cells, which could contribute to in vivo angiogenesis. PDLSCs exhibited typical MSC-like characteristics such as the expression pattern of surface markers (CD29, CD44, CD73, and CD105) and differentiation potentials (osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation). Moreover, PDLSCs expressed perivascular cell markers such as NG2, ${\alpha}-smooth$ muscle actin, platelet-derived growth factor receptor ${\beta}$, and CD146. We conducted an in vivo Matrigel plug assay to confirm the in vivo angiogenic potential of PDLSCs. We could not observe significant vessel-like structures with PDLSCs alone or human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) alone at day 7 after injection. However, when PDLSCs and HUVECs were co-injected, there were vessel-like structures containing red blood cells in the lumens, which suggested that anastomosis occurred between newly formed vessels and host circulatory system. To block the $SDF-1{\alpha}$ and CXCR4 axis between PDLSCs and HUVECs, AMD3100, a CXCR4 antagonist, was added into the Matrigel plug. After day 3 and day 7 after injection, there were no significant vessel-like structures. In conclusion, we demonstrated the perivascular characteristics of PDLSCs and their contribution to in vivo angiogenesis, which might imply potential application of PDLSCs into the neovascularization of tissue engineering and vascular diseases.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.630-635
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• 1991

The crystal structure of a bromine sorption complex of dehydrated fully $Ca^{2+}$-exchanged zeolite A (a = 12.211(2) ${\AA}$) has been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction techniques in the cubic space group, Pm3m at $21(1)^{\circ}C$. The crystal was prepared by dehydration at $360^{\circ}C$ and 2 ${\times}$ $10^{-6}$ Torr for 2 days, followed by exposure to about 180 Torr of bromine vapor at $24^{\circ}C$ for 30 min. In the resulting structure, six $Ca^{2+}$ ions are located on two different threefold axes associated with 6-ring oxygens. A total of six dibromine molecules are sorbed per unit cell. Each $Br_2$ molecule approaches a framework oxide ion axially, with O-Br = 3.12(7) ${\AA}$, Br-Br = 2.64(9) ${\AA}$ and O-Br-Br = $178(2)^{\circ}$, indicating a charge-transfer interaction. Full-matrix least-squares refinement converged to a conventional R index of 0.104 using the 103 independent reflections for which I > 3${\sigma}$ (I).

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.339-344
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• 1994

The crystal structure of a methanol sorption complex of dehydrated partially Co(II)-exchanged zeolite A, $Co_4Na_4-A{\cdot}6.5CH_3OH$ (a = 12.169(1) $\AA)$, has been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction techniques in the cubic space group Pm$\bar3$m at $21(1)^{\circ}C. $Co_4Na_4$-A was dehydrated at $360^{\circ}C\;and\;2{\times}10^{-6}$ torr for 2 days, followed by exposure to about 104 torr of methanol vapor at $22(1)^{\circ}C$ for 1 hr. The structure was refined to final error indices, $R_1$ = 0.061 and $R_2$ = 0.060 with 147 reflections, for which I > $3\sigma(I).$ In this structure, four $Co^{2+}$ ions and 1.5 $Na^+$ ions per unit cell lie at 6-ring positions: the $Na^+$ ions are recessed 0.44 $\AA$ into the sodalite unit and the Co(II) ions extend ca. 0.55 $\AA$ into the large cavity. 2.5 $Na^+$ ions lie in an 8-oxygen ring plane. The 6.5 methanol molecules are sorbed per unit cell. The 6.5 methanol oxygens, all in the large cavity, associate with the 4 $Co^{2+}$ ions and 2.5 $Na^+$ ions.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.320-326
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• 2013

In this study, various polyimide films were synthesized via low temperature cure in order to understand changes in their physical properties when using 4,4'-oxydianiline (ODA) as a diamine and dianhydride molecules with different backbones on a single diamine such as 4,4'-Oxydiphthalic anhydride (ODPA), 4,4-hexafluoroisopropylidene diphthalic dianhydride (6FDA), and 3,3', 4,4'-benzophenone tetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA). After the synthesis of poly(amic acid), polyimide films were fabricated by adding 1,4-diazabicyclo [2.2.2]octane (DABCO), a low-temperature catalyst, at various wt% to poly(amic acid)s. Changes of optical and thermal properties were compared and analyzed between polyimide films without catalyst and polyimide films with catalyst by FT-IR, UV-Vis transmittance, DSC/TGA, and WAXD analysis. Wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) analysis revealed that the mean intermolecular distance decreased with the use of a catalyst by the type of dianhydride. Thus, while the optical properties of the films improve by a low-temperature cure performed using a catalyst, their thermal properties decrease. These changes can be explained by the changes in the morphological structure of the films triggered by a catalyst-induced reduction in the mean intermolecular distance. Moreover, the results show that the type of dianhydride determines the degree of change in the optical and thermal properties in each types of polyimide, demonstrating that changes in the optical and thermal properties are directly associated with the backbone of the polyimide structure.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.31-38
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• 2008

The objective of this work is to study transdermal delivery of levodopa using iontophoresis and evaluate various factors which affect the transdermal transport. Levodopa is unstable in aqueous solution, and, in order to establish a stable condition for levodopa for the duration of experiment, we investigated the stability of levodopa in aqueous solutions of different pHs with/without the addition of dextrose or the application of current. Using stable aqueous solution, we have studied the effect of pH, polarity and penetration enhancer (ethanol) on transdermal flux and compared the results. We also investigated the iontophoretic flux from hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) hydrogel. In vitro flux study was performed at $33^{\circ}C$, using side-by-side diffusion cell. Full thickness hairless mouse skin and rat skin were used for this work. Current densities applied were 0.4 or $0.6mA/cm^2$ and current was off after 6 hour application. Stability study showed that levodopa solution with a pH 2.5 or 4.5 maintained the initial concentration of levodopa for 24 hours with the addition of 5% dextrose. However, at pH 9.5, levodopa was unstable and 30 to 40% of levodopa degraded within 24 hours, even with the addition of 5% dextrose. Hydrogel swollen with dextrose added levodopa solution maintained about 97% of the initial concentration of levodopa for 13 days, when stored in $4^{\circ}C$. The application of current did not affect the stability of levodopa in hydrogel. Flux study from levodopa solution with pH 2.5 showed that cathodal delivery of levodopa was higher than passive or anodal delivery. When the pH of the donor solution was 4.5, anodal delivery of levodopa was higher than passive or cathodal delivery. These results seem to indicate that electroosmosis plays more dominant role than electrorepulsion in the flux of levodopa at pH 2.5, and the reverse situation applies for pH 4.5. The passive flux was unexpectedly high for the ionized levodopa. Similar to the results from aqueous solution, cumulative amount of levodopa transported trom HPC hydrogel by cathodal delivery was significantly higher than passive or anodal delivery. The treatment of 70% ethanol cotton ball by scrubbing increased passive, anodal and cathodal flux, with the largest increase for anodal flux. These results indicate that iontophoretic delivery of zwitterion such as levodopa is much complicated than that can be expected from small ionic molecules with single charge. The results also indicate that the balance between electroosmosis and electrorepulsion plays a very important role in the transport through skin.