• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.7
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• pp.671-676
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• 2021

A cDNA encoding the protein lethal (2) essential for life [l(2)efl] was cloned from Gryllus bimaculatus and named GBl(2)efl. This protein is composed of 189 amino acids, including an N-glycosylation site and 15 phosphorylation sites. Its predicted molecular mass is 21.19 kDa, with a theoretical isoelectric point of 6.2. The secondary structure of GBl(2)efl was predicted from the identification of random coils (56.08%), alpha helices (22.22%), extended strands (17.99%), and beta turns (3.7%) through sequence analyses. A homology analysis revealed that GBl(2)efl exhibited a high similarity with other species at the amino acid level, ranging from 52% to 69%. While GBl(2)efl mRNA expression was higher in the dorsal longitudinal flight muscle following a three-day starvation and in the Malpighian tubules following a one-day starvation, no changes in expression were detected in other tissues. Furthermore, tunicamycin-induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress resulted in an approximately 1.8-fold higher expression in the fat body compared with the wild type.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.107-112
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• 2010

Purpose: Recently, the change to a more complex social structure has led to an increased frequency of traumas due to violence, accident and so on. In addition, the severity of the traumas and the frequency of penetrating injuries have also increased. Traumas to cervical and abdominal areas, what are commonly seen by general surgeons, can have mild to fatal consequences because in these areas, various organs that are vital to sustaining life are located. The exact location and characteristics of the injury are vital to treating patients with the trauma to these areas. Thus, with this background in mind, we studied, compared, and analyzed clinical manifestations of patients who were admitted to Wonju Christian hospital for penetrating injuries inflicted by themselves or others. Methods: We selected and performed a retrospective study of 64 patients who had been admitted to Wonju Christian Hospital from January 2005 to December 2009 and who had cervical or abdominal penetrating injuries clearly inflicted by themselves or others. Results: There were 51 male (79.7%) and 13 female (20.3%) patients, and the number of male patients was more dominant in this study, having a sex ratio of 3.9 to 1. The range of ages was between 20 and 86 years, and mean age was 43.2 years. There were 5 self-inflicted cervical injuries, and 19 self-inflicted abdominal injuries, making the total number of self-inflicted injury 24. Cervical and abdominal injuries caused by others were found in 11 and 29 patients, respectively. The most common area involved in self-inflicted injuries to the abdomen was the epigastric area, nine cases, and the right-side zone II was the most commonly involved area. On the other hand, in injuries inflicted by others, the left upper quadrant of the abdomen was the most common site of the injury, 14 cases. In the neck, the left-side zone II was the most injured site. In cases of self-inflicted neck injury, jugular vein damage and cervical muscle damage without deep organ injury were observed in two cases each, making them the most common. In cases with abdominal injuries, seven cases had limited abdominal wall injury, making it the most common injury. The most common deep organ injury was small bowel wounds, five cases. In patients with injuries caused by others, six had cervical muscle damage, making it the most common injury found in that area. In the abdomen, small bowel injury was found to be the most common injury, being evidenced in 13 cases. In self-inflicted injuries, a statistical analysis discovered that the total duration of admission and the number of patients admitted to the intensive care unit were significantly shorter and smaller, retrospectively, than in the patient group that had injuries caused by others. No statistically significant difference was found when the injury sequels were compared between the self-inflicted-injury and the injury-inflicted-by-others groups. Conclusion: This study revealed that, in self-inflicted abdominal injuries, injuries limited to the abdominal wall were found to be the most common, and in injuries to the cervical area inflicted by others, injuries restricted to the cervical muscle were found to be the most common. As a whole, the total duration of admission and the ICU admission time were significantly shorter in cases of self-inflicted injury. Especially, in cases of self inflicted injuries, abdominal injuries generally had a limited degree of injury. Thus, in our consideration, accurate injury assessment and an ideal treatment plan are necessary to treat these patients, and minimally invasive equipment, such as laparoscope, should be used. Also, further studies that persistently utilize aggressive surgical observations, such as abdominal ultrasound and computed tomography, for patients with penetrating injuries are needed.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.23 no.7
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• pp.855-862
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• 2010

Among the known interferon-induced antiviral mechanisms, the Mx pathway is one of the most powerful pathways. The Mx protein has direct antiviral activity and inhibits a wide range of viruses by blocking an early stage of the viral replication cycle. Cloning, characterization, and expression of Mx in vivo and in vitro have been conducted. The chicken Mx gene spans 21 kb and is made up of 14 exons and 13 introns, of which the promoter region was analyzed. The real-time PCR results showed that Mx expression was increased in chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEF) after 12- and 24-h induction with polyI: C. Induction of Mx expression by poly I: C in vivo revealed tissue-specific patterns among the chicken tissues tested. A trace expression of Mx was detected in healthy chicken liver tissues from adult chickens without inducement; the expression levels in the liver, heart, and gizzard were higher than in the muscle and kidney. This is the first report to demonstrate the expression of a glutathione-S-transferase-tagged-Mx fusion protein of 75 KDa, as well as the biological activity tested by SDS-PAGE and western blotting.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.139-145
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• 1998

This report describes a rare, congenital hypertrophy of the left upper extremity that appeared after compressive bandage of right arm at the age of two. He is eighteen years old, and hypertrophy was aggravated for about 2 years since he started weight training exercise. Recently, skin turgor changed and he visited the Dermatology department. Skin biopsy revealed increased thickness of the dermis. On Orthopaedic examination, the left arm showed non­specific neuro-muscular changes other than easy fatigability a.nd increased skin consistency after exercise, compared to the right arm. The differences of circumference were 2.5 to 4cm according to the level of the upper limb. But the relative proportion of hypertrophy of the limb was balanced., On X-ray examination, bony changes were not shown. Through the MRI, we could find edematous changes of subcutaneous fatty tissue. Muscular structures showed unremarkable changes. Through the endurance test of both arms, we could find a decrease in endurance of the left upper arm musculatures. On histologic examination, infrequent focal necrosis and peri fascicular degeneration of the muscle fiber were present.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.101-110
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• 2020

Transient receptor potential canonical 4 (TRPC4) channel is a nonselective calcium-permeable cation channels. In intestinal smooth muscle cells, TRPC4 currents contribute more than 80% to muscarinic cationic current (mIcat). With its inward-rectifying current-voltage relationship and high calcium permeability, TRPC4 channels permit calcium influx once the channel is opened by muscarinic receptor stimulation. Polyamines are known to inhibit nonselective cation channels that mediate the generation of mIcat. Moreover, it is reported that TRPC4 channels are blocked by the intracellular spermine through electrostatic interaction with glutamate residues (E728, E729). Here, we investigated the correlation between the magnitude of channel inactivation by spermine and the magnitude of channel conductance. We also found additional spermine binding sites in TRPC4. We evaluated channel activity with electrophysiological recordings and revalidated structural significance based on Cryo-EM structure, which was resolved recently. We found that there is no correlation between magnitude of inhibitory action of spermine and magnitude of maximum current of the channel. In intracellular region, TRPC4 attracts spermine at channel periphery by reducing access resistance, and acidic residues contribute to blocking action of intracellular spermine; channel periphery, E649; cytosolic space, D629, D649, and E687.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.108-113
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• 2020

Objective: Endometrial fibrosis, the primary pathological feature of intrauterine adhesion, may lead to disruption of endometrial tissue structure, menstrual abnormalities, infertility, and recurrent pregnancy loss. At present, no ideal therapeutic strategy exists for this fibrotic disease. Eupatilin, a major pharmacologically active flavone from Artemisia, has been previously reported to act as a potent inducer of dedifferentiation of fibrotic tissue in the liver and lung. However, the effects of eupatilin on endometrial fibrosis have not yet been investigated. In this study, we present the first report on the impact of eupatilin treatment on transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β)-induced endometrial fibrosis. Methods: The efficacy of eupatilin on TGF-β-induced endometrial fibrosis was assessed by examining changes in morphology and the expression levels of fibrosis markers using immunofluorescence staining and quantitative real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. Results: Eupatilin treatment significantly reduced the fibrotic activity of TGF-β-induced endometrial fibrosis in Ishikawa cells, which displayed more circular shapes and formed more colonies. Additionally, the effects of eupatilin on fibrotic markers including alpha-smooth muscle actin, hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha, collagen type I alpha 1 chain, and matrix metalloproteinase-2, were evaluated in TGF-β-induced endometrial fibrosis. The expression of these markers was highly upregulated by TGF-β pretreatment and recovered to the levels of control cells in response to eupatilin treatment. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that suppression of TGF-β-induced signaling by eupatilin might be an effective therapeutic strategy for the treatment of endometrial fibrosis.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.35-46
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• 1979

A number of experimental studies have been carried out in order to clarify the question as to how temporomandibular joint adapt to the changes of mandibular movement and occlusal equilibration. Recently, the studies on the interrelations between anatomical structure of temporomandibular joint and the state of occlusion have been actively performed in dentistry particularly in prosthodontic field. Author performed extraction of unilateral mandibular molars in 30 mature male rats, and observed histological changes of temporomandibular joint through the light microscope. Following results were obtained. 1. The loss of unilateral teeth gave rise to the changes in the location of condylar head, that is, interior displacement of condylar head in the extraction side and upper displacement in the non-extraction side. 2. Articular disk was compressed by the interior surface of condylar head, resulting in its extension below the condylar neck in the extraction side, and the histological arrangement of the compressed area showed irregular feature. 3. The extension of articular disk below the condylar neck was accompanied with the contraction of muscle fibers which were originated from the articular disk. 4. The cartilage layer of articular fossa to the exterior of the extraction side showed hypertropy. 5. Early in the experiment, the inernal extremity of condylar head of extract ion side showed bone resorption, and cartilage layer of condylar head showed hypertropy. At 12 weeks after experiment, the condylar surface showed flattened, and the cartilage layer of condylar head was replaced by the compact bone. 6. The articular disk showed the formation of pannus in the extraction side as well as in the non-extraction side. 7. The occlusal disturbance due to unilateral missing teeth has brought about the non-inflammatory retrogressive change and osteoarthrotic change late in the experiment.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.286-290
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• 2005

Oxytocin (OT)-related peptide, isotocin was purified from the brain extract of conger eel (Conger myriaster) using reverse-phase, ion-exchange and size exclusion high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The sequence of the peptide, with a molecular weight of 967.30 Da, was determined as Cys-Tyr-Ile-Ser-Asn­Cys-Pro-Ile-Gly-$NH_2$, where the Cys between 1st and 6th residues made an intramolecular disulfide bridge by the automated amino acid sequence analysis and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. The sequence was confirmed by identical elution with the purified and synthetic peptide using the HPLC system. As a result of homology investigation, the primary structure of this peptide was the same as that of OT -superfamily member, isotocin. The synthetic peptide showed a contractile activity at a minimal effective concentration of $10^{-7}M$ on the intestinal smooth muscle of goldfish (Carassius auratus).

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.494-500
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• 2016

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Evidence indicates that berry anthocyanins are anti-atherogenic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory. However, berries differ vastly in their anthocyanin composition and thus potentially in their biological and metabolic effects. The present study compared hypolipidemic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties of blueberry (BB), blackberry (BK), and blackcurrant (BC) in a diet-induced obesity (DIO) mouse model. MATERIALS/METHODS: Male C57BL/6J mice were fed a high fat (HF; 35% fat, w/w) control diet or a HF diet supplemented with freeze-dried 5% BB, 6.3% BK or 5.7% BC for 12 weeks (10 mice/group) to achieve the same total anthocyanin content in each diet. Plasma lipids, antioxidant status and pro-inflammatory cytokines were measured. The expression of genes involved in antioxidant defense, inflammation, and lipid metabolism was determined in the liver, epididymal adipose tissue, proximal intestine, and skeletal muscle. Histological analysis was performed to identify crown-like structure (CLS) in epididymal fat pads to determine macrophage infiltration. RESULTS: No differences were noted between the control and any berry-fed groups in plasma levels of liver enzymes, insulin, glucose, ferric reducing antioxidant power, superoxide dismutase, and tumor necrosis factor ${\alpha}$. However, BK significantly lowered plasma triglyceride compared with the HF control and other berries, whereas BC significantly reduced F4/80 mRNA and the number of CLS in the epididymal fat pad, indicative of less macrophage infiltration. CONCLUSIONS: The present study provides evidence that BB, BK and BC with varying anthocyanin composition differentially affect plasma lipids and adipose macrophage infiltration in DIO mice, but with no differences in their antioxidant capacity and anti-inflammatory potential.

• Journal of Dental Rehabilitation and Applied Science
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.107-112
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• 2001

The prosthodontic treatment of severely resorbed edentulous patients has been one of the frustrating areas due to extensive loss of tissues. The integrated neuromuscular balance among tongue, lip, and cheek is compromised. The retention, stability, and support are the three major factors to influence the clinical outcome. Fish described a denture as having three surface, with each surface playing an independent and important role in the over all fit, stability, and comfort of the denture. He recommended that the polished surface should be a series of inclines so that pressure from muscular activity will retain dentures. Within the denture space there is an area that has been termed the neutral zone. The neutral zone is that area in the mouth where, during function, the forces of the tongue pressing outward are neutralized by the forces of the cheeks and lips pressing inward. According to Jacobson and Krol, neuromuscular control interacts to provide retention and the relationship of polished surface of denture base to the surrounding muscular structure of orofacial capsule facilitates the stability and retention. This neutral zone concept has been demonstrated with various modification by a number of authors. The theory used to develop the denture base contours is based on the belief that the muscle should functionally mold not only the border but the entire polished surface. Lott and Walsh reported the clinical success on complete mandibular dentures with application of neutral zone concept. A number of studies demonstrated that denture stability and retention are more dependent on correct position of the teeth and correct contour of external surfaces of the denture in a severely resorbed alveolar ridge. This article presents a prosthodontic approach to treatment of a edentulous patient using neutral zone technique to improve the retention and stability of the prosthesis.