• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.12
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• pp.4809-4813
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• 2014

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) have been reported to interfere with estrogen signaling. Exposure to these chemicals decreases the immune response and causes a wide range of diseases in animals and humans. Recently, many studies showed that licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) root extract (LRE) commonly called "gamcho" in Korea exhibits antioxidative, chemoprotective, and detoxifying properties. This study aimed to investigate the mechanism of action of LRE and to determine if and how LRE can alleviate the toxicity of EDCs. LRE was prepared by vacuum evaporation and freeze-drying after homogenization of licorice root powder that was soaked in 80% ethanol for 72 h. We used 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) as a representative EDC, which is known to induce tumors or cancers; MCF-7 breast cancer cells, used as a tumor model, were treated with TCDD and various concentrations of LRE (0, 50, 100, 200, $400{\mu}g/mL$) for 24, 48, and 72 h. As a result, TCDD stimulated MCF-7 cell proliferation, but LRE significantly inhibited TCDD-induced MCF-7 cell proliferation in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The expression of TCDD toxicity-related genes, i.e., aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), AhR nuclear translocator, and cytochrome P450 1A1, was also down-regulated by LRE in a dose-dependent manner. Analysis of cell cycle distribution after treatment of MCF-7 cells with TCDD showed that LRE inhibited the proliferation of MCF-7 cells via G2/M phase arrest. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis also revealed that LRE dose-dependently increased the expression of the tumor suppressor genes p53 and p27 and down-regulated the expression of cell cycle-related genes. These data suggest that LRE can mitigate the tumorigenic effects of TCDD in breast cancer cells by suppression of AhR expression and cell cycle arrest. Thus, LRE can be used as a potential toxicity-alleviating agent against EDC-mediated diseases.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.265-270
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• 1993

In order to retain the freshness of fruits and vegetables and to reduce the rate of disease damage, grafruit seed extract (GPSE), natural microorganism control agent, was applied during the preservation process of fresh fruits and vegetables. GFSE showed an effective inhibitory action against plant putrefactive bacteria and fungi which were involved in the decay of fruits and vegetables. Minimal inhibitory concentrations for GFSE against the microbes were in the range of 50 to 2,000 ppm. Direct observation of microbial cells and spores using electron microscopy showed their function was destroyed by the treatment of the dilute solutions of GFSE. Fresh Welsh onions, onions and red peppers treated with GFSE and stored in polyethylene film (0.1 mm) retained better quality in color and texture than the non-treated control. GFSE was efficient in controlling the germination of potatoes. It was observed that GFSE would reduce disease damages and have bactericidal and fungicidal properties during the storage of such fruits and vegetables as zucchinis, cucumbers, tomatoes and mandarin oranges.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.263-269
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• 2008

Hydrazinocurcumin (HC), a synthetic derivative of curcumin, has been reported to inhibit angiogenesis via unknown mechanisms. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of the drug's action is important for the development of improved compounds with better pharmacological properties. A genome-wide drug-induced haploinsufficiency screening of fission yeast gene deletion mutants has been applied to identify drug targets of HC. As a first step, the 50% inhibition concentration $(IC_{50})$ of HC was determined to be $2.2{\mu}M$. The initial screening of 4,158 mutants in 384-well plates using robotics was performed at concentrations of 2, 3, and $4{\mu}M$. A second screening was performed to detect sensitivity to HC on the plates. The first screening revealed 178 candidates, and the second screening resulted in 13 candidates, following the elimination of 165 false positives. Final filtering of the condition-dependent haploinsufficient genes gave eight target genes. Analysis of the specific targets of HC has shown that they are related to septum formation and the general transcription processes, which may be related to histone acetyltransferase. The target mutants showed 65% growth inhibition in response to HC compared with wild-type controls, as shown by liquid culture assay.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.126-130
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• 1989

In 14 kinds of ginsenosides in ginseng saponin, ginsenoside Rbr is contained the most abundantly. But ginsenoside Rd which is similar to ginsenoside R $b_1$in structure, was known to be superior to ginsenoside R $b_1$pharmaceutically. The convertible enzyme which can transform ginsenoside R $b_1$to Binsenoside Rd specifically among ginseng saponin, was purified homogeneously from Rhizopus japonicus. The optimal pH for the action of the enzyme was pH 4.8 to 5.0, and optimal temperature was 45$^{\circ}C$. The enzyme was stable in the range of pH 4.0 to 9.0, and the half activity of enzyme was remained by the thermal treatment at 6$0^{\circ}C$ for 2 hours. The enzyme activity was enhanced by addition of M $n^{++}$ or Fe, though inhibited by EDTA or o-phenanthroline. On the substrate specificity, the enzyme was. able to hydrolyze gentiobiose, cellobiose, amygdalin and prunasin, but not to hydrolyze any other kinds of Binsenosides besides Binsenoside R $b_1$. Km values of the enzyme for ginsenoside R $b_1$, gentiobiose and amygdalin were 5.0mM, 4.8mM and 3.7mM, respectively.3.7mM, respectively.y.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.440-452
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• 1994

Nuclear fuel bundles are designed such that the heat flux at a-fuel pin surface should not exceed the critical heat flux (CHF) during normal operation and anticipated transient. Therefore, evaluation of the CHF for fuel bundle is demanded in an exact and reliable manner. One of the major concerns with the current application of CHF correlations is that the CHF based on circular tubes is applied to the fuel bundle subchannel analysis, mainly in terms of the hydraulic diameter with correction factors which may result in a source of possibly large uncertainties in CHF prediction. The hydraulic diameter does not recognize the local properties of fluid nor such effect as the surface curvature; the turbulence action on the convex surface is much more pronounced than that on the concave surface. Even for the tube having concave curvature, the effect of tube diameter on CHF becomes important with decreasing diameter. These facts imply that the convex curvature effect is significant and crucial to the reliable CHF prediction. This paper reviews and discusses analytical and experimental aspects of effect of transverse convex curvature in incompressible turbulent flow and heat transfer, and on CHF. Flow models to quantify this effect are briefly mentioned and future works are recommended.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.111-117
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• 2006

An area of current research is investigating the app1ication of human mesenchymal stem cells or hMSCs as a cell-based regenerative therapy. In order to achieve effective bone regeneration, appropriate matrices functioning as cell-carriers must be identified and optimized in terms of function, efficacy and biocompatibility. Two methods of approaching optimization of matrices are to facilitate adhesion of the donor hMSCs and furthermore to facilitate recruitment of host progenitor cells to osteoblastic differentiation. Pleiotrophin is an extracellular matrix protein that was first identified in developing rat brains and believed to be associated with developing neuronal pathways. A recent publication by Imai and colleagues demonstrated that transgenic mice with upregulated pleiotrophin expression developed a greater volume of cortical as well as cancellous bone. The proposed mechanism of action of pleiotrophin is demonstrated here. Through either environmental stresses and/or intracellular regulation, there is an increase in pleiotrophin production. The pleiotrophin is released extracellularly into areas requiring bone deposition. A receptor-mediated process recruits host osteoprogenitor cells into these areas. Therefore, the aim of our study was to investigate the osteoconductive properties of pleiotrophin. We wanted to determine if pleiotrophin coating facilitates cellular adhesion and furthermore if this has any effect on hMSCs derived bone formation in an animal model. The results showed a dose dependent response of cellular adhesion in fibronectin samples, and cellular adhesion was facilitated with increasing pleiotrophin concentrations. Histologic findings taken after 5 weeks implantation in SCID mouse showed no presence of bone formation with only a dense fibrous connective tissue. Possible explanations for the results of the osteogenesis assay include inappropriate cell loading.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.64-73
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• 2009

Background: 15d-$PGJ_2$ has been known to act as an anti-inflammatory agent and has anti-hypertensive effects. As a result of these properties, we examined the effect of 15d-$PGJ_2$ on the LPS-induced IL-8/CXCL8 mRNA expression in VSMCs from SHR. Methods: Effect and action mechanism of 15d-$PGJ_2$ on the expression of LPS-induced IL-8/CXCL8 mRNA in VSMCs from SHR and WKY were examined by using real-time polymerase chain reaction, electrophoretic mobility shift assay for NF-${\kappa}B$ avtivity, Western blotting analysis for ERK and p38 phosphorylation and flow cytometry for NAD(P)H oxidase activity. Results: 15d-$PGJ_2$ decreased the expression of LPS-induced IL-8/CXCL8 mRNA in WKY VSMCs, but increased the expression of LPS-induced IL-8/CXCL8 mRNA in SHR VSMCs. The upregulatory effect of 15d-$PGJ_2$ in SHR VSMCs was mediated through PPAR${\gamma}$, and dependent on NF-${\kappa}B$ activation and ERK phosphorylation. However, inhibition of the p38 signaling pathway augmented the upregulatory effect of 15d-$PGJ_2$ on LPS-induced IL-8/CXCL8 mRNA. A NAD(P)H oxidase inhibitor inhibited the upregulatory effect of 15d-$PGJ_2$ on LPS-induced IL-8/CXCL8 mRNA expression in SHR VSMCs, and an increase in NAD(P)H oxidase activity was detected in SHR VSMCs treated with 15d-$PGJ_2$/LPS. Conclusion: Our results indicate that the upregulatory effect of 15d-$PGJ_2$ on LPS-induced IL-8/CXCL8 expression in SHR VSMCs is mediated through the PPAR${\gamma}$ and ERK pathway, and may be related to NAD(P)H oxidase activity. However, p38 inactivation may also play an important role in 15d-$PGJ_2$/LPS-induced IL-8/CXCL8 expression in SHR VSMCs.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.4
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• pp.11-18
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• 1965

In order to investigate the fungicidal activities against various plant pathogenes, diminishing effect of plant transpiration, phytotoxicities, vapor effect and the rate of reduction by ultraviolet rays of phenylmercuric 8-oxyquinolinate(P.M.Q), this experiments were undertaken under various laboratory conditions. 1. Inhibitory activity on the spore germination of this chemical was shown less effective than that of P.M.A..(Table 2, Table 3, Table 4, Table 5 and Table 6) Also, P.M.Q. was resulted a somewhat higher inhibitory activity on the hyphae growth than P.M.A. (Table 7). 2. In the diminishing effect of plant transpiration, 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate(oxine sulfate) was more strong inhibitory at first than P.M.Q., while, at last, P.M.Q. was more strong inhibitory in comparison with oxine sulfate(Table 8, Fig. 1 and Table 9). 3. P.M.Q. was shown less injury on the germination of rice plant seeds and the emergence of their roots than P.M. A.(Table 10). Injuries was not observed on the rice seedlings and soy-bean seedlings sprayed with 40 ppm of this chemical. 4. P.M.A. had more inhibitory effects on the mycelial growth of phytopathogenes than P.M.Q. on the vapor effect (Table 11, Fig. 2). 5. Biological activity and chemical decomposition rate of P.M.A. were greatly reduced by exposure of this compound to ultraviolet rays. But, P.M.Q. was only slightly affected by similar treatment(Table 12, Fig. 3, Table 13 and Fig. 4). From the above results, this chemical will be a promising fungicide adding fungitoxicities against various phytopatho genes, diminishing effect of plant transpiration and physico-stability.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.42-51
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• 1994

Visual features of a mushromm(Lentinus Edodes L.) are critical in sorting and grading as most agricultural products are. Because of its complex and various visual features, grading and sorting of mushrooms have been done manually by the human expert. Though actions involved in human grading look simple, it decision making underneath the simple action comes from the result of the complex neural processing of visual image. Recently, an artificial neural network has drawn a great attention because of its functional capability as a partial substitute of the human brain. Since most agricultural products are not uniquely defined in its physical properties and do not have a well defined job structure, the neuro -net based computer visual information processing is the promising approach toward the automation in the agricultural field. In this paper, first, the neuro - net based classification of simple geometric primitives were done and the generalization property of the network was tested for degraded primitives. And then the neuro-net based grading system was developed for a mushroom. A computer vision system was utilized for extracting and quantifying the qualitative visual features of sampled mushrooms. The extracted visual features of sampled mushrooms and their corresponding grades were used as input/output pairs for training the neural network. The grading performance of the trained network for the mushrooms graded previously by the expert were also presented.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.543-551
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• 2016

This study was designed to evaluate the pharmacological effects of Vaccinium bracteatum Thunb. methanol extract (VBME) on microglial activation and to identify the underlying mechanisms of action of these effects. The anti-inflammatory properties of VBME were studied using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated BV-2 microglial cells. We measured the production of nitric oxide (NO), inducible NO synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, prostaglandin $E_2$ ($PGE_2$), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-${\alpha}$), interleukin-1 beta (IL-$1{\beta}$), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) as inflammatory parameters. We also examined the effect of VBME on intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and the activity of nuclear factor-kappa B p65 (NF-${\kappa}B$ p65). VBME significantly inhibited LPS-induced production of NO and $PGE_2$ and LPS-mediated upregulation of iNOS and COX-2 expression in a dose-dependent manner; importantly, VBME was not cytotoxic. VBME also significantly reduced the generation of the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-$1{\beta}$, and IL-6. In addition, VBME significantly dampened intracellular ROS production and suppressed NF-${\kappa}B$ p65 translocation by blocking $I{\kappa}B-{\alpha}$ phosphorylation and degradation in LPS-stimulated BV2 cells. Our findings indicate that VBME inhibits the production of inflammatory mediators in BV-2 microglial cells by suppressing NF-${\kappa}B$ signaling. Thus, VBME may be useful in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases due to its ability to inhibit inflammatory mediator production in activated BV-2 microglial cells.