• 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.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.299-306
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• 2013

In the present study, we investigated the effect of ethanolic extract of the seed of Zizyphus jujuba var. spinosa (EEZS) on cholinergic blockade-induced memory impairment in mice. Male ICR mice were treated with EEZS. The behavioral tests were conducted using the passive avoidance, the Y-maze, and the Morris water maze tasks. EEZS (100 or 200 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly ameliorated the scopolamine-induced cognitive impairment in our present behavioral tasks without changes of locomotor activity. The ameliorating effect of EEZS on scopolamine-induced memory impairment was significantly reversed by a sub-effective dose of MK-801 (0.0125 mg/kg, s.c.). In addition, single administration of EEZS in normal naive mouse enhanced latency time in the passive avoidance task. Western blot analysis was employed to confirm the mechanism of memory-ameliorating effect of EEZS. Administration of EEZS (200 mg/kg) increased the level of memory-related signaling molecules, including phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase or cAMP response element-binding protein in the hippocampal region. Also, the time-dependent expression level of brain-derived neurotrophic factor by the administration of EEZS was markedly increased from 3 to 9 h. These results suggest that EEZS has memory-ameliorating effect on scopolamine-induced cognitive impairment, which is mediated by the enhancement of the cholinergic neurotransmitter system, in part, via NMDA receptor signaling, and that EEZS would be useful agent against cognitive dysfunction such as Alzheimer's disease.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.467-478
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• 2008

Simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and interSSR (ISSR) marker systems were used in this study to reveal genetic changes induced by artificial selection for short/long larval duration in the tropical strain Nistari of the silkworm Bombyx mori. Artificial selection separated longer larval duration (LLD) ($29.428{\pm}0.723days$) and shorter larval duration (SLD) ($22.573{\pm}0.839days$) lines from a base, inbred population of Nistari (larval span of $23.143{\pm}0.35days$). SSR polymorphism was observed between the LLD and SLD lines at one microsatellite locus, Bmsat106 ($CA_7$) and at two loci of 1074 bp and 823 bp generated with the ISSR primer UBC873. Each of these loci was present only in the LLD line. The loci segregated in the third generation of selection and were fixed in opposite directions. In the $F_2$ generation of the $LLD{\times}SLD$ lines, the alleles of Bmsat106 and $UBC873_{1074bp}$ segregated in a 1:1 ratio and the loci were present only in the LLD individuals. $UBC873_{823bp}$ was homozygous. Single factor ANOVA showed a significant association between the segregating loci and longer larval duration. Together, the two alleles contributed to an 18% increase in larval duration. The nucleotide sequences of the $UBC873_{1074bp}$ and $UBC873_{823bp}$ loci had 67% A/T content and consisted of direct, reverse, complementary and palindromic repeats. The repeats appeared to be "nested" (59%) in larger repeats or as clustered elements adjacent to other repeats. Of 203 microsatellites identified, dinucleotides (67.8%) predominated and were rich in A/T and T/A motifs. The sequences of the $UBC873_{1074bp}$ and $UBC873_{823bp}$ loci showed similarity (E = 0.0) to contigs located in Scaffold 010774 and Scaffold 000139, respectively, of the B. mori genome. BLASTN analysis of the $UBC873_{1074bp}$ sequence showed significant homology of (nt.) 45-122 with upstream region of three exons from Bombyx. The complete sequence of this locus showed ~49% nucleotide conservation with transposon 412 of Drosophila melanogaster and the Ikirara insertions of Anopheles gambiae. The A + T richness and lack of coding potential of these small loci, and their absence in the SLD line, reflect the active process of genetic change associated with the switch to short larval duration as an adaptation to the tropics.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.466-473
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• 2015

Over the last 30 years, Hanwoo has been selectively bred to improve economically important traits. Hanwoo is currently the representative Korean native beef cattle breed, and it is believed that it shared an ancestor with a Chinese breed, Yanbian cattle, until the last century. However, these two breeds have experienced different selection pressures during recent decades. Here, we whole-genome sequenced 10 animals each of Hanwoo and Yanbian cattle (20 total) using the Illumina HiSeq 2000 sequencer. A total of approximately 3.12 and 3.07 billion sequence reads were mapped to the bovine reference sequence assembly (UMD 3.1) at an average of approximately 10.71- and 10.53-fold coverage for Hanwoo and Yanbian cattle, respectively. A total of 17,936,399 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were yielded, of which 22.3% were found to be novel. By annotating the SNPs, we further retrieved numerous nonsynonymous SNPs that may be associated with traits of interest in cattle. Furthermore, we performed whole-genome screening to detect signatures of selection throughout the genome. We located several promising selective sweeps that are potentially responsible for economically important traits in cattle; the PPP1R12A gene is an example of a gene that potentially affects intramuscular fat content. These discoveries provide valuable genomic information regarding potential genomic markers that could predict traits of interest for breeding programs of these cattle breeds.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.103-110
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• 2016

As a degenerative joint disease, osteoarthritis (OA) constitutes a major cause of disability that seriously affects the quality of life of a large population of people worldwide. However, effective treatment that can successfully reverse OA progression is lacking until now. The present study aimed to determine whether two small non-coding RNAs miR-29a and miR-140, which are significantly down-regulated in OA, can be applied together as potential therapeutic targets for OA treatment. MiRNA synergy score was used to screen the miRNA pairs that potentially synergistically regulate OA. An in vitro model of OA was established by treating murine chondrocytes with IL-$1{\beta}$. Transfection of miR-29a and miR-140 via plasmids was investigated on chondrocyte proliferation and expression of nine genes such as ADAMTS4, ADAMTS5, ACAN, COL2A1, COL10A1, MMP1, MMP3, MMP13 and TIMP metallopeptidase inhibitor 1 (TIMP1). Western blotting was used to determine the protein expression level of MMP13 and TIMP1, and ELISA was used to detect the content of type II collagen. Combined use of miR-29a and miR-140 successfully reversed the destructive effect of IL-$1{\beta}$ on chondrocyte proliferation, and notably affected the MMP13 and TIMP1 gene expression that regulates extracellular matrix. Although co-transfection of miR-29a and miR-140 did not show a synergistic effect on MMP13 protein expression and type II collagen release, but both of them can significantly suppress the protein abundance of MMP13 and restore the type II collagen release in IL-$1{\beta}$ treated chondrocytes. Compared with single miRNA transfection, cotransfection of both miRNAs exceedingly abrogated the suppressed the protein production of TIMP1 caused by IL-$1{\beta}$, thereby suggesting potent synergistic action. These results provided1novel insights into the important function of miRNAs' collaboration in OA pathological development. The reduced MMP13, and enhanced TIMP1 protein production and type II collagen release also implies that miR-29a and miR-140 combination treatment may be a possible treatment for OA.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.509-513
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• 2010

Recently, an amount of waste electronic devices such as LED and trichromatic fluorescent lamp has increased with the development of electronic industry. Reportedly, rare earth metals such as yttrium and europium have been discovered in the waste electronic devices. In order to improve the selectivity of yttrium and europium, the effects of the following factors on recovery experiment have been considered : i) fatty acids with various alkyl chain lengths, ii) the concentration of extractant, and iii) pH. The results show that the extraction efficiencies decrease at the same pH with decreasing the concentration of extractant and so $pH_{0.5}$ (That value of pH in an aqueous phase at which the distribution ratio is unity at equilibrium: 50% of the solute is extracted (E = 0.5) only when the phase ratio is unity.) moves into higher pH. The highest selectivity of yttrium and europium was obtained with tetradecanoic acid as extractant. The extraction mechanism of yttrium and europium was varied with the change of concentration of the tetradecanoic acid. $MR_3$single-species was formed from the yttrium and europium ion in the extractant concentration less than 0.1 M. On the other hand, the yttrium or europium ion is solvated with three molecules of tetradecanoic acid monomer like $MR_3{\cdot}$ 3RH in the extractant concentration more than 0.1 M.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.161-169
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• 2007

We identified two alternatively spliced variants of the peroxisomal targeting signal 1 (PTS1) receptor protein Pex5ps in monocot (rice, wheat, and barley) but not in dicot (Arabidopsis and tobacco) plants. We characterized the molecular and functional differences between the rice (Oryza sativa) Pex5 splicing variants OsPex5pL and OsPex5pS. There is only a single-copy of OsPEX5 in the rice genome and RT-PCR analysis points to alternative splicing of the transcripts. Putative light-responsive cis-elements were identified in the 5' region flanking OsPEX5L and Northern blot analysis demonstrated that this region affected light-dependent expression of OsPEX5 transcription. Using the pex5-deficient yeast mutant Scpex5, we showed that OsPex5pL and OsPex5pS are able to restore translocation of a model PTS1 protein (GFP-SKL) into peroxisomes. OsPex5pL and OsPex5pS formed homo-complexes via specific interaction domains, and interacted with each other and OsPex14p to form hetero-complexes. Although overexpression of OsPex5pL in the Arabidopsis pex5 mutant (Atpex5) rescued the mutant phenotype, overexpression of OsPex5pS only resulted in partial recovery.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.435-441
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• 1994

The inclusion compound constituted with three-dimensional metal-complex $Cd(pn)Ni(CN)_4$ has been prepared and determined the crystal structure from single crystal X-ray diffraction data. Crystal data are as follows: $[Cd(pn)Ni(CN)_4]{\cdot}0.5(CH_3COCH_3{\cdot}H_2O)$, Fw = 387.35, Orthorhombic, $Pn2_1a$, a = 13.950(3) $\AA$, b = 26.713(7) $\AA$, c = 7.628(1) $\AA$, V = 2843(1) $\AA^3$, Z = 4, $D_x=1.81 gcm^{-3}$, $\mu(MoK{\alpha})$ = $28.153 cm^{-1}$, T = 297K, final R = 0.0418 for 3521($F_0>3{\sigma}(F_0)$). The metal-complex host provides tunnel cavity, similar to thiourea inclusion compounds, accommodated guest molecules $(=CH_3COCH_3\;and\;$H_2O).$ The stoichiometric host: guest ratio is 0.5. The title inclusion compound reveals another evidence for the host-selectivity, that is, the branched aliphatic guest molecule leads T-type host structure.

• Korean Journal of Crystallography
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.54-62
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• 1993

The crystal shnture of dehydrated fully Cd2+-exchanged zeolite A evacuated at 2 × 10-6 Torr and 650℃ (a:12.189(2) A) and of its iodine sorption corrplex (a:12.168(2)A) have been netsmlmn by single uystal x-ray diffraction techliques in the cubic space group hkTn at 21(1)℃. The strutures were refined to final error indices, Ri:0.057 and R2 =0.063 with 186 reflections and Rl:0.082 and R2:0.085 with 181 reflections, respectively, for which 1>3σ(In both structure, six lie at two distinguished threefold axes of unit cell ten the crystal structure of an iodine sorption complex of Cd6-A four Cd2+ ions are recessed 0.69(1) A into the large cavity to complex each with from the (111) plane of 0(3), whereas two Cd2+ ions recessed 0.68(1) A into the sodalite unit Awximately 4.0 l3ions per nit cell are sorbed. Each bridge between a Cd2+ ion and 8-ring oxygens ((I-I-I)= 117(1) ˚ and 0(1)-I(1)-I(2)=172(1)). The near linear I-I-0 angle and its interatomic distance (I-0=3.57(3) A) are indicative of a weak charge transfer interacticn between the frarrework oxygen and iodine. The existence of In3 inside the large cavity indicates that the If ions and H ions may be produced by reaction of In vapor with water molecules which maybe associated with Cd2+ ions in partially dehydrated Cd6-A In3- ions may be produced by the combination of I- and I2.