• BMB Reports
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.71-77
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• 2023

Cancers are one of the most dreaded diseases in human history and have been targeted by numerous trials including surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and anti-cancer drugs. Adult stem cells (ASCs), which can regenerate tissues and repair damage, have emerged as leading therapeutic candidates due to their homing ability toward tumor foci. Stem cells can precisely target malicious tumors, thereby minimizing the toxicity of normal cells and unfavorable side effects. ASCs, such as mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), neural stem cells (NSCs), and hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), are powerful tools for delivering therapeutic agents to various primary and metastatic cancers. Engineered ASCs act as a bridge between the tumor sites and tumoricidal reagents, producing therapeutic substances such as exosomes, viruses, and anti-cancer proteins encoded by several suicide genes. This review focuses on various anti-cancer therapies implemented via ASCs and summarizes the recent treatment progress and shortcomings.

• International Journal of Stem Cells
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.27-35
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• 2023

Background and Objectives: Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) are the most primitive cells in spermatogenesis and are the only adult stem cells capable of passing on the genome of a given species to the next generation. SSCs are the only adult stem cells known to exhibit high Oct4 expression and can be induced to self-reprogram into pluripotent cells depending on culture conditions. Epigenetic modulation is well known to be involved in the induction of pluripotency of somatic cells. However, epigenetic modulation in self-reprogramming of SSCs into pluripotent cells has not been studied. Methods and Results: In this study, we examined the involvement of epigenetic modulation by assessing whether selfreprogramming of SSCs is enhanced by treatment with epigenetic modulators. We found that second-generation selective class I HDAC inhibitors increased SSC reprogramming efficiency, whereas non-selective HDAC inhibitors had no effect. Conclusions: We showed that pluripotent stem cells derived from adult SSCs by treatment with small molecules with epigenetic modulator functions exhibit pluripotency in vitro and in vivo. Our results suggest that the mechanism of SSC reprogramming by epigenetic modulator can be used for important applications in epigenetic reprogramming research.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Tobacco Science
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2010

This study was carried out to investigate the influence of stem materials such as black stem on the quality of expended stem and cigarettes. Normal and black stem were separated by tobacco scan and then, those stems were expanded after treating with their respective stem casings. Total sugar, ether extract, ash contents and pH were slightly low in black stem compared with normal stem. However, the number of bacteria and fungi ratio were remarkably higher in black stem than that of normal stem. As compared with normal stems, ratio of rushed stem in rolled process was approximately 2 times higher in black stem with the consequency that the filling capacity of black stem was decreased. The ratio of large particles (> 3.35 mm) of expanded black stem showed decreasing tendency and small particles rate (1.40 mm <) was increased compared with normal stem. When expanded stems were prepared using stem containing 5 levels (0, 10, 20, 30 and 100 %) of black stem, the filling capacity was decreased and static burning rate was significantly decreased with increasing expanded black stem rate. However, the weight and hardness of cigarettes were slightly increased with increasing expanded black stem rate. The contents of phenol compounds, aromatic amines and carbonyl compounds in the cigarette mainstream smoke from the cigarette which was manufactured with various ratio of expended black stem, were gradually increased with increasing expanded black stem rates. Also, the cytotoxicity and the mutagenicity of the TPM were significantly increased with increasing expanded black stem rate. The sensory test result showed that cigarettes blended with 10 and 30 % level of black stem rate was exhibited significantly high sensory attributions such as off-taste, impact, hotness, bitterness and irritation as compared with cigarette blended with normal stem, while smoke fullness and cleanness were slightly decreased with increasing expanded black stem rates. The number of brown spots on cigarettes paper was 2 to 3 times high in cigarettes containing black stem than that of cigarette made from normal stem and were high with increasing black stem rate. The overall assessment in this study suggest, that black stem should not be used because of bad quality of expanded stem and high toxicological activity of cigarette mainstream smoke.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.421-428
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• 2006

Water extracts, ethanol extracts, and juice of Cusuta japonica, C, australis, and C. chinensis were prepared, and their cytotoxicity, antioxidant activity and inhibitory effects on tyrosinase activitiy and melanin biosynthesis were estimated by using melanoma Clone M-3. From this study; the following conclusions were attained. Extracts of Cuscuta japonica, C. australis, and C. chinensis showed noticeable cytotoxicity except ethanol extracts from the stem of C. australis. A maximual cytotoxicity was observed with tile ethanol extract from the seed of C, australis (87.39%). While the ethanol extract from the seed of C. japonica (91.88%) showed the most pronounced inhibitory effect on melanin biosynthesis, the water extract from the stem of C. japonica (1.05%) possessed very little inhibitory effect. The most inhibitory effect on tyrosinase activity was observed with the water extract from the stem of C. australis (76.67%). Howeverr the water extract from the stem of C. japonica showed a very poor effect on the inhibition of tyrosinase activity All the preparations, except extracts from the seed of C. australis were able to remove reactive oxygen species (ROS) in a dose-dependent manner. The juice of C. japonica demonstrated the strongest activity (59.02%).

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.7-15
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• 2010

Complex human tissues harbor stem cells and precursor cells, which are responsible for tissue development or repair. Recently, dental tissues such as dental pulp, periodontal ligament (PDL), dental follicle have been identified as easily accessible sources of undifferentiated cells. These tissues contain mesenchymal stem cells that can be differentiate into bone, cartilage, fat or muscle by exposing them to specific growth conditions. In this study, the authors procured the stem cell from pulp, PDL, and dental follicle and differentiate them into osteoblast and examine the bone induction capacity. Dental pulp stem cell (DPSC), periodontal ligament stem cell (PDLSC), and dental follicle precursor cell (DFPC) were obtained from human 3rd molar and cultured. Each cell was analyzed for presence of stem cell by fluorescence activated cell sorter (FACs) against CD44, CD105 and CD34, CD45. Each stem cell was cultured, expanded and grown in an osteogenic culture medium to allow formation of a layer of extracellular bone matrix. Osteogenic pathway was checked by alizarin red staining, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity test and RT-PCR for ALP and osteocalcin (OCN) gene expression. According to results from FACs, mesenchymal stem cell existed in pulp, PDL, and dental follicle. As culturing with bone differentiation medium, stem cells were differentiated to osteoblast like cell. Compare with stem cell from pulp, PDL and dental follicle-originated stem cell has more osteogenic effect and it was assumed that the character of donor cell was able to affect on differential potency of stem cell. From this article, we are able to verify the pulp, PDL, and dental follicle from extracted tooth, and these can be a source of osteoblast and stem cell for tissue engineering.

• Journal of Plant Biology
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• v.16 no.1_2
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• pp.12-16
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• 1973

The inhibitory effect of Inula sesquiterpene lactones on the growth of Phaseolus vulgaris was tested and the abnormality of the stem organization caused by the lactones was also examined. The longitudinal growth of the young stem and the expansion of the young leaf were stopped by the application of the lactones. However, this inhibitory effect was appeared and strictly restricted within the treated area. So the young shoot was observed for possible bending as a result of the unilateral application of the lactones. When the application of the lactones into the medium, the growth of the plant was entirely repressed. However, the growth of shoot and re-initiation of root were started after the plant was transfered to the lactone free medium. And partial reversal of inhibition of the stem growth was achieved by the additions of gibberelline and the lactones.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.24 no.2 s.191
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• pp.140-148
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• 2007

THRA(Total Hip Replacement Arthroplasty) has been widely used for several decades as a viable treatment of otherwise-unsolved hip problems. In THRA surgery, cement mantle thickness is critical to long-term implant survival of femoral stem fixed with cement. Numerous studies reported thin or incomplete cement mantle causes osteolysis, loosening, and the failure of implant. To analyze the effect of femoral stem rotation on cement thickness, in this study, we select two most popular stems used in THRA. Using CAD models obtained from a 3D scanner, we measure the cement mantle thickness developed by the rotation of a femoral stem in the virtual space created by broaching. The study shows that as the femoral stem deviates from the target coordinates, the minimum thickness of cement decreases. Therefore, we recommend development of a new methodology for accurate insertion of a femoral stem along the broached space. Also, modification of the stem design robust to the unintentional movement of a femoral stem in the broached space, can alleviate the problem.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.485-491
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• 2009

In order to examine the nutritional value of prickly pear(Opuntia humifusa), contents of ash, protein, fat, minerals and vitamins were determined on freeze-dried stem, fruit, seed and root from plants harvested in autumn. The average moisture contents for stem, fruit, seed and root were 67~87%. Crude ash content determined on dry weight basis was 2~3%. Crude protein existed mostly in seed(2.95%) and root(2.37%). Crude fat was detected mainly in seed(4.49%). Contents of major minerals(mg/100 mg dry weight) was generally higher in stem. Ca in stem(4,142.30) and fruit(2,790.86) were much higher than in seed(43.37). P in stem, seed and fruit were 448.19, 263.20 and 161.59, respectively. Stem also displayed more abundant Mg(1,110.86), Zn(35.62) and Mn(37.07). However, fruit contained higher amounts of Fe(13.38) and Se(0.15). Vitamin A was negligible in all plant parts. Vitamin E contents in fruit and stem were 1.78 mg and 1.22 mg/mg dry weight, respectively. Vitamin C was detected mostly in fruit(445.40) and stem(260.94). Use of a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide-based microtiter assay of cell viability demonstrated an anti-proliferative effect of O. humifusa extract on the MCF-7 estrogen-dependent human breast cancer cell line.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.1553-1564
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• 2016

Identification of novel therapeutics in glioblastoma remains crucial due to the devastating and infiltrative capacity of this malignancy. The current study was aimed to appraise effect of arsenic trioxide (ATO) in U87MG cells. The results demonstrated that ATO induced apoptosis and impeded proliferation of U87MG cells in a dose-dependent manner and also inhibited classical NF-${\kappa}B$ signaling pathway. ATO further upregulated expression of Bax as an important proapoptotic target of NF-${\kappa}B$ and also inhibited mRNA expression of survivin, c-Myc and hTERT and suppressed telomerase activity. Moreover, ATO significantly increased adhesion of U87MG cells and also diminished transcription of NF-${\kappa}B$ down-stream targets involved in cell migration and invasion, including cathepsin B, uPA, MMP-2, MMP-9 and MMP-14 and suppressed proteolytic activity of cathepsin B, MMP-2 and MMP-9, demonstrating a possible mechanism of ATO effect on a well-known signaling in glioblastoma dissemination. Taken together, here we suggest that ATO inhibits survival and invasion of U87MG cells possibly through NF-${\kappa}B$-mediated inhibition of survivin and telomerase activity and NF-${\kappa}B$-dependent suppression of cathepsin B, MMP-2 and MMP-9.

• International Journal of Molecular Medicine
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.678-686
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• 2020

Use of bone marrow aspirate (BMA) is a clinically advantageous cell therapeutic that bypasses the need for elaborate ex vivo cell culturing. However, a low level of bone marrow-mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) in the BMA and weak survival rate of these cells post-transplantation entails an insufficient efficacy in vivo. Moreover, stem cell activity in BMA is impaired by age or background diseases. Thus, in order to enrich the BM-MSC pool and improve cell survival, novel cell preconditioning technologies are required. In this study, it has been revealed that the pretreatment of repetitive electromagnetic stimulation (rEMS) is capable of enhancing fibroblastic colony-forming units and cell proliferation in the BM-MSCs, possibly via transient nitric oxide production and extracellular signal regulated kinase 1/2 activation. Notably, this effect was more apparent in stem cells isolated from older patients than from young patients. Furthermore, the rEMS-pretreated cells showed ~53% higher cell survival, compared with the untreated cells, after cell transplantation in mice with no signs of tumorigenesis. Collectively, transient rEMS preconditioning could be utilized to enhance the activity of stem cells and thus, application of rEMS preconditioning to stem cells isolated from older patients is expected to improve the therapeutic effect of stem cells.