• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
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• 2017.06a
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• pp.8-9
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• 2017

Soybean yield has been low and unstable in Japan and other areas in East Asia, despite long history of cultivation. This is contrasting with consistent increase of yield in North and South America. This presentation tries to describe perspective of breaking stagnation of soybean yield in East Asia, considering the factors of the different yields between regions. Large amount of rainfall with occasional dry-spell in the summer is a nature of monsoon climate and as frequently stated excess water is the factor of low and unstable soybean yield. For example, there exists a great deal of field-to-field variation in yield of 'Tanbaguro' soybean, which is reputed for high market value and thus cultivated intensively and this results in low average yield. According to our field survey, a major portion of yield variation occurs in early growth period. Soybean production on drained paddy fields is also vulnerable to drought stress after flowering. An analysis at the above study site demonstrated a substantial field-to-field variation of canopy transpiration activity in the mid-summer, but the variation of pod-set was not as large as that of early growth. As frequently mentioned by the contest winners of good practice farming, avoidance of excess water problem in the early growth period is of greatest importance. A series of technological development took place in Japan in crop management for stable crop establishment and growth, that includes seed-bed preparation with ridge and/or chisel ploughing, adjustment of seed moisture content, seed treatment with mancozeb+metalaxyl and the water table control system, FOEAS. A unique success is seen in the tidal swamp area in South Sumatra with the Saturated Soil Culture (SSC), which is for managing acidity problem of pyrite soils. In 2016, an average yield of $2.4tha^{-1}$ was recorded for a 450 ha area with SSC (Ghulamahdi 2017, personal communication). This is a sort of raised bed culture and thus the moisture condition is kept markedly stable during growth period. For genetic control, too, many attempts are on-going for better emergence and plant growth after emergence under excess water. There seems to exist two aspects of excess water resistance, one related to phytophthora resistance and the other with better growth under excess water. The improvement for the latter is particularly challenging and genomic approach is expected to be effectively utilized. The crop model simulation would estimate/evaluate the impact of environmental and genetic factors. But comprehensive crop models for soybean are mainly for cultivations on upland fields and crop response to excess water is not fully accounted for. A soybean model for production on drained paddy fields under monsoon climate is demanded to coordinate technological development under changing climate. We recently recognized that the yield potential of recent US cultivars is greater than that of Japanese cultivars and this also may be responsible for different yield trends. Cultivar comparisons proved that higher yields are associated with greater biomass production specifically during early seed filling, in which high and well sustained activity of leaf gas exchange is related. In fact, the leaf stomatal conductance is considered to have been improved during last a couple of decades in the USA through selections for high yield in several crop species. It is suspected that priority to product quality of soybean as food crop, especially large seed size in Japan, did not allow efficient improvement of productivity. We also recently found a substantial variation of yielding performance under an environment of Indonesia among divergent cultivars from tropical and temperate regions through in a part biomass productivity. Gas exchange activity again seems to be involved. Unlike in North America where transpiration adjustment is considered necessary to avoid terminal drought, under the monsoon climate with wet summer plants with higher activity of gas exchange than current level might be advantageous. In order to explore higher or better-adjusted canopy function, the methodological development is demanded for canopy-level evaluation of transpiration activity. The stagnation of soybean yield would be broken through controlling variable water environment and breeding efforts to improve the quality-oriented cultivars for stable and high yield.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Inherited Metabolic disease
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.24-33
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• 2016

Mucopolysaccharidosis type VI (MPS VI) is a rare disease caused by the mutation of ARSB with prevalence range from 1/5,000 in northeast Brazil to 1/2,057,529 births in Czech Republic. In Asia, there is only one published figure in Taiwan of about 1/833,000 births. The exact prevalence in the Korean population is unknown, but we estimated the incidence of MPS VI is about 0.03/100,000 live births. Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) with recombinant human Arylsulfatase B (rhASB) is a modality for the treatment of MPS VI that reduces the excretion of urine glycosaminoglycan (GAG) and improves joint motion, pulmonary function, and endurance. We presented the clinical features, molecular analysis and outcome of ERT in three Korean MPS VI patients. All patients had the typical characteristic clinical features of MPS IV. Short stature, dysostosis multiplex, corneal opacity and valvular heart disease were found at first presentation, while restrictive lung disease and carpal tunnel syndrome developed later in all patients. Molecular analysis demonstrated novel missense and nonsense mutation in the patients, including p.Ile 67Ser, p.Gly328Arg, $p.Arg191^*$, p.Asp352Asn, and p.Gly17Asp. After ERT, urine GAG was decreased in all patients. Skeletal involvement, corneal opacity, heart valve abnormalities and pulmonary function were not improved with ERT, but it had a better outcome on regarding joint motion and endurance. One patient underwent allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) prior to ERT, but their clinical response was not improved much after BMT. This study demonstrates clinical phenotypes and molecular analysis of the severe form of MPS VI in Korean patients.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.175-182
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• 2008

DNA-dependent protein kinase(DNA-PK) is involved in joining DNA double-strand breaks induced by ionizing radiation or V(D)J recombination and is activated by DNA ends and composed of a DNA binding subunit, Ku, and a catalytic subunit, DNA-PKcs. It has been suggested that DNA-PK might be $2^{nd}$ upstream kinase for protein kinase B(PKB). In this report, we showed that Ser473 phosphorylation in the hydrophobic-motif of PKB is blocked in DNA-PK knockout mouse embryonic fibroblast cells(MEFs) following insulin stimulation, while there is no effect on Ser473 phosphorylation in DNA-PK wild type MEF cells. The observation is further confirmed in human glioblastoma cells expressing a mutant form of DNA-PK(M059J) and a wild-type of DNA-PK(M059K), indicating that DNA-PK is indeed important for PKB activation. Furthermore, the treatment of cells with doxorubicin, DNA-damage inducing agent, leads to PKB phosphorylation on Ser473 in control MEF cells while there is no response in DNA-PK knockout MEF cells. Together, these results proposed that DNA-PK has a potential role in insulin signaling as well as DNA-repair signaling pathway.

• Korean Journal of Weed Science
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.240-255
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• 2012

The objectives of this study were to investigate the levels of phytotoxicity of rice varieties to HPPD (4-hydroxy phenylpyruvate dioxygenase)-inhibiting herbicides known for their efficiency to control the sulfonylureas-resistant weed species：mestrione, benzobicyclone, and tefuryltrione. The twenty-six rice varieties (8-Japonica ${\times}$ Indica-type varieties and 18-Japonica-type varieties) were grown for 25 days on seedling trays and then transplanted to paddy rice fields followed by herbicide treatment i.e. standard and double doses of there respective herbicides at 5, 10, and 15 days after transplanting. Although mestrione, benzobicyclone and tefuryltrione are all HPPD-inhibiting herbicides, the phytotoxicity symptoms of the different rice varieties based on the timing of application and doses of the herbicides were significantly different. The Japonica ${\times}$ Indica-type varieties showed much more phytotoxicity symptoms than Japonica-type varieties in all applied herbicides. Increasing herbicidal doses of mesotrione, and an earlier application of and increasing herbicidal doses of benzobicyclon caused severe phytotoxicity symptoms. On the other hand, phytotoxicity due to tefuryltrione did not exhibit significant differences between rice varieties in either the timing of application or dose of the herbicide. Regardless of timing of application and dose of the herbicides, Hangangchalbyeo-1, Hyangmibyeo-1 and high-yield rice varieties such as Namcheonbyeo, Dasanbyeo, Areumbyeo, and Hanareumbyeo, which belong to the Japonica ${\times}$ Indica-type varieties, showed 5 to 8 levels of phytotoxicity symptoms including albinism, browning, detached leaf, and necrosis to mesotrione and benzobicyclon whereas only 1 to 3 levels of phytotoxicity symptoms (chlorosis, albinism, and browning) were seen with to tefuryltrione application. The Japonica-type varieties exhibited only slight phytotoxicity symptoms (1~2 levels) in conformity with the timing of application and doses of the herbicides. However, there were significant differences among the Japonica-type rice varieties, depending on the type of herbicide. Thirteen-Japonica type rice varieties were sensitive to benzobicyclone while 4-Japonica-type and 7-Japonica-type varieties showed phytotoxicity symptoms such as chlorosis and albinism with mestrione and tefuryltrione application, respectively. Therefore, we suggest that the combined-type herbicides including mestrione, benzobicyclone and tefuryltrione should be rejected in paddy fields where rice is grown for either human consumption (functional or processed rice) or livestock feed because of severe phytotoxicity symptoms on the various rice varieties seen regardless of the timing of application and doses of the herbicides.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.319-327
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• 1994

Background: The pathogenetic mechanism of adult respiratory distress syndrome(ARDS) is not clearly defined yet, but it is well known that increased pulmonary capillary permeabilty is characteristic feature of ARDS. The increased alveolar-capillary permeability is usually preceded by damage of pulmonary artery endothelial cells. The released enzymes and oxygen free radicals from the activated neutrophils seem to play a predominant role in endothelial cell cytotoxicity. The activated neutrophils, however, probably are not the sole contributing factor in this type of damage because many cases of ARDS have been reported in severe neutropenia. Bacterial endotoxin perse and/or oxygen free radicals released from endothelial cells are suggested to be possible factors that contribute to the development of ARDS. The purpose of this study is to investigate the direct cytotoxicity of endotoxin and the role of oxygen free radicals released from the endothelial cells in endotoxin-induced endothelial cell cytotoxicity. Methods: First, to investigate whether endotoxin is cytotoxic to HUVE by itself, various doses of endotoxin were added to culture medium and cytotoxicity was measured. Second, to evaluate the possible role of oxygen free radical in endotoxin-induced HUVE cytotoxicity, various antioxidants were added on the endotoxin-induced HUVE cytotoxicity and cytotoxicity was measured. Third, to verify the release of oxygen free radicals from HUVE, the concentrations of hydrogen peroxide in the endotoxin-treated culture supernatant were measured. Finally, to observe the cytotoxic effect of hydrogen peroxide, HUVE cytotoxicity in the presence of various doses of hydrogen peroxide was measured. The fourth generations of subcultured HUVE from primary culture were used. The cell cytotoxicity was quantified by the chromium-51 release assay. Results: 1) Endotoxin alone showed HUVE cytotoxicity in a dose-dependent fashion. 2) Endotoxin-induced HUVE cytotoxicity was significantly attenuated by the pretreatment of catalase and DMTU. 3) Hydrogen peroxide was released from HUVE after endotoxin treatment in a dose-dependent fashion. 4) Exogenous hydrogen peroxide also showed HUVE cytotoxicity in a dose-dependent fashion. Conclusion: These results suggest that endotoxin alone can directly injure HUVE, and, oxygen-free radicals released from HUVE in response to endotoxin may also participate in the endotoxin-induced HUVE cytotoxicity.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.441-452
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• 2002

Background : Anti-apoptotic proteins may be involved in tumor development, progression and the response to treatment, Bcl-2 is by far the most studied anti-apoptotic protein. A novel inhibitor of apoptosis, designated survivin, and the heat shock proteins (HSPs) have recently been found in many human cancers. Immunohistochemical methods were used to determine the expression level of survivin, HSP70 and bcl-2 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) to evaluate their clinical significance. Materials and Methods : Tissue array slides were obtained from 99 surgically resected NSCLCs. Immunohistochemical staining was performed by an immuno-peroxidase technique using an avidin-biotinylated horseradish peroxidase complex. Anti-survivin rabbit polyclonal antibodies, anti-HSP70 mouse monoclonal antibodies and anti-bcl-2 mouse monoclonal antibodies were used as the primary antibodies. Results : Positive staining of survivin was detected in 33.3% of the cases. Survivin positivity is associated with to females and recurrence. A nonstatistically significant trend toward increased survivin expression was observed in non-smokers, and its expression inversely correlated with the number of cigarettes smoked in smokers. HSP70 was detected in 84.8% but this did not correlated with the clinicopathologic characteristics. Bcl-2 was detected in 18.2% and its expression correlated to tumor recurrence. No significant difference in the median survival time was noted in a comparison of all cases with survivin expression and those without. There was no association between HSP70 or bcl-2 expression and survival. Conclusion : Survivin expression was significantly associated with females and tumor recurrence. In addition its expression was inversely associated with the number of cigarettes smoked. However, HSP70 and bcl-2 expression were not associated with the clinical parameters or survival. This suggests that measuring the survivin levels may be useful in identifying patients at high risk for disease recurrence. Therefore, survivin might be a new diagnostic/therapeutic target in cancer.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.845-855
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• 2013

Requirements of dietary chloride (dCl) and chloride salts were determined by using $4{\times}2$ factorial arrangement under four phase feeding program. Four levels (0.31, 0.45, 0.59 and 0.73%) and two sources ($NH_4Cl$ and $CaCl_2$) of the dCl were allocated to 1,472 chicks in eight dietary treatments in which each treatment was replicated four times with 46 birds per replicate. The four phase feeding program was comprised of four dietary phases: Prestarter (d 1 to 10), Starter (d 11 to 20), Grower (d 21 to 33) and Finisher (d 34 to 42); and diets were separately prepared for each phase. The cations, anions, pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), temperature, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS) and salinity were analyzed in drinking water and were not affected by dietary treatments. BW gain (BWG; $p{\leq}0.009$) and feed:gain (FG; $p{\leq}0.03$) were improved in $CaCl_2$ supplemented diets during d 1 to 10. The maximum response of BWG and FG was observed at 0.38% and 0.42% dCl, respectively, for d 34 to 42. However, the level of dCl for BWG during d 21 to 33 ($p{\leq}0.04$) and d 34 to 42 ($p{\leq}0.009$) was optimized at 0.60% and 0.42%, respectively. The level of dCl for optimized feed intake (FI; $p{\leq}0.006$), FG ($p{\leq}0.007$) and litter moisture (LM; $p{\leq}0.001$) was observed at 0.60%, 0.38% and 0.73%, respectively, for d 1 to 42. Water intake (DWI) was not affected by increasing dCl supplementation (p>0.05); however, the ratio between DWI and FI (DWI:FI) was found highest at 0.73% dCl during d 1 to 10 ($p{\leq}0.05$) and d 21 to 33 ($p{\leq}0.009$). Except for d 34 to 42 ($p{\leq}0.006$), the increasing level of dCl did not result in a significant difference in mortality during any phase. Blood pH and glucose, and breast and thigh weights (percentage of dressed weight) were improved while dressing percentage (DP) and gastrointestinal health were exacerbated with $NH_4Cl$ as compared to $CaCl_2$ supplemented diets ($p{\leq}0.001$). Higher plasma $Na^+$ and $HCO_3{^-}$ and lower $Cl^-$ and $Ca^{{+}{+}}$ were observed in $NH_4Cl$ supplemented diets ($p{\leq}0.001$). Increasing supplementation of dCl increased plasma $Cl^-$ ($p{\leq}0.04$; quadratically) and linearly reduced plasma $K^+$ ($p{\leq}0.001$), $Ca^{{+}{+}}$ ($p{\leq}0.003$), $HCO_3{^-}$ ($p{\leq}0.001$), and $Na^+$ ($p{\leq}0.001$; quadratically). Consequently, higher requirements of dietary chloride are suggested for feed intake; nevertheless, lower levels of dietary chloride are sufficient to support optimal BWG and FG with increasing age. The $NH_4Cl$ supplemented diets ameliorate breast and thigh meat yield along with overall energy balance (glucose).

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.8
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• pp.3395-3402
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• 2015

Background: Preoperative 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-based chemoradiotherapy is a standard treatment for locally advanced colorectal cancer (CRC). However, CRC cells often develop chemoradiation resistance (CRR). Recent studies have shown that long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) plays critical roles in a myriad of biological processes and human diseases, as well as chemotherapy resistance. Since the roles of lncRNAs in 5-FU-based CRR in human CRC cells remain unknown, they were investigated in this study. Materials and Methods: A 5-FU-based concurrent CRR cell model was established using human CRC cell line HCT116. Microarray expression profiling of lncRNAs and mRNAs was undertaken in parental HCT116 and 5-FU-based CRR cell lines. Results: In total, 2,662 differentially expressed lncRNAs and 2,398 mRNAs were identified in 5-FU-based CRR HCT116 cells when compared with those in parental HCT116. Moreover, 6 lncRNAs and 6 mRNAs found to be differentially expressed were validated by quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR). Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis for the differentially expressed mRNAs indicated involvement of many, such as Jak-STAT, PI3K-Akt and NF-kappa B signaling pathways. To better understand the molecular basis of 5-FU-based CRR in CRC cells, correlated expression networks were constructed based on 8 intergenic lncRNAs and their nearby coding genes. Conclusions: Changes in lncRNA expression are involved in 5-FU-based CRR in CRC cells. These findings may provide novel insight for the prognosis and prediction of response to therapy in CRC patients.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.324-329
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• 2009

Purpose : Acute interstitial pneumonia (AIP) is a rare disease, but its prognosis is fatal because of lack of efficient treatment modality. Recently, it has been reported that there was epidemic AIP in Korea. This study aims to investigate the past and current status of AIP in Korea. Methods : We performed a nationwide survey and a prospective study. From August 6 to 15, 2008, a questionnaire survey was conducted to identify the prevalence, local distribution, and response to current treatments. The questionnaire was answered by pediatrician working in 23 referral centers in Korea. In addition, 5 referral centers in Seoul performed a preliminary prospective observational study by obtaining clinical data and specimens from appropriate patients. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed the samples for possible pathogens. Results : The survey showed 78 AIP cases had occurred and 36 patients had died. Lung biopsy was performed only on 20 patients. In 2008, 9 AIP cases developed. In a prospective study, 9 (M:F=5:4) patients developed AIP in spring and 7 (78%) died, with the mean rate of death occurring 46 days after diagnosis. Human corona virus 229E, cytomegalovirus, influenza A virus, influenza B virus, and parainfluenza virus were isolated from the respiratory specimens. Conclusion : This study showed nationwide prevalence of AIP in Korea. In addition, because of the high mortality rate and rapid progress, pediatricians need to be aware of the disease. Further studies and a nationwide network are required for reducing the morbidity and mortality rates related to AIP.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.135-143
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• 2016

Purpose: Ultraviolet (UV)-induced oxidative stress contributes to several adverse biological effects on skin. Many phenolic phytochemicals have been shown to have antioxidant properties and protect skin cells from UV-induced oxidative damage. In this study, we investigated whether or not Aralia elata (AE) has a protective effect against UVB-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS), ultimately leading to photoaging. Methods: Phenolic content of dried AE and antioxidant properties of AE extract in 70% ethanol weredetermined by measuring DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). The effect of AE extract on cellular ROS generation and expression levels of oxidative stress-response proteins such as superoxide dismutase (SOD)-1, catalase, nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor (Nrf)-2, and heme oxygenase (HO)-1 in UVB-irradiated ($75mJ/cm^2$) human keratinocytes (HaCaT) were further determined by 2'-7'-dichlorofluoresceine diacetate assay and Western blotting, respectively. Results: The total phenolic and flavonoid contents of dried AE were 20.15 mg tannic acid/g and 18.75 mg rutin/g, respectively. The $IC_{50}$ of AE extract against DPPH radical was $98.5{\mu}g/mL$, and ABTS radical scavenging activity and FRAP upon treatment with $1,000{\mu}g/mL$ of AE extract were $41.8{\mu}g\;ascorbic\;acid\;(AA)\;eq./mL$ and $29.7{\mu}g\;AA\;eq./mL$,m respectively. Pretreatment with AE extract significantly reduced (p < 0.05) ROS generation compared to that in UVB-irradiated control HaCaT cells. Pretreatment with AE extract reversed reduction of Nrf-2 and SOD-1 protein expression and induction of HO-1 protein expression caused by UVB exposure in HaCaT cells, whereas it did not affect catalase expression. Conclusion: AE extract in 70% ethanol demonstrated a protective effect against UVB-induced oxidative stress and decreased expression of Nrf-2 and SOD-1 in human keratinocytes. These findings suggest that AE ethanol extract might have potential as a natural resource for a skin anti-photoaging product in the food and cosmetic industry.