• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.85-95
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• 2024

Objectives : We proposed the hypothesis that administering Trigonella foenum-graecum seed extract (TSE) could alleviate menopausal symptoms and osteoporosis resulting from estrogen deficiency. Methods : Ovariectomized (OVX) rats were administered TSE at doses of 300 or 600 mg/kg body weight for 8 weeks, followed by measurement of serum lipid profile and serum bone markers using ELISA kits. Additionally, analysis of related genes in the femur and uterus was performed using Western blot and real-time PCR. Additionally, micro-CT analysis was performed to investigate the protective effect of TSE against bone loss due to oophorectomy. Results : The administration of TSE led to significant reductions in triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and glucose levels in the serum of OVX rats. Furthermore, TSE increased estradiol levels in the serum and notably improved the levels of biochemical markers associated with bone metabolism. Additionally, TSE exerted significant regulatory effects on the mRNA levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL)-genes closely associated with bone metabolism in the femur. TSE also demonstrated pronounced effects on uterine tissue, with improvements observed in gene expression related to estrogen receptors. Conclusion : Our findings confirm the efficacy of TSE in ameliorating menopause symptoms by modulating elements associated with both bone and lipid metabolism in the serum, uterine tissue, and femur of OVX rats. The present findings suggest that TSE may offer potential therapeutic effects for symptoms related to menopause and osteoporosis in females.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.65-74
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• 2014

Cemented soils have been widely used in road and dam construction, and recently ground improvement of soft soils. The strength of such cemented soils can be tested by using cored sample or laboratory-prepared specimen through unconfined compression or triaxial tests. It takes time to core a sample or prepare a testing specimen in the laboratory. In a certain situation, it is necessary to determine the in-situ strength of cemented soils very quickly and on time. In this study, the relation between unconfined compressive strength and shear wave velocity was investigated for predicting the in-situ strength of cemented soils. A small cemented specimen with 5 cm in diameter and 10 cm in height was prepared by Nakdong river sand and ordinary Portland cement. Its cement ratios were 4, 8, 12, and 16% and air cured for 7, 14, and 28 days. For recycling of resources, a blast furnace slag was also used with sodium hydroxide as an alkaline activator. The shear wave velocity for cemented soils was measured and then unconfined compressive strength test was carried out. As a cement ratio increased, the shear wave velocity and unconfined compressive strength increased due to increased density and denser structure. The relation between unconfined compressive strength and shear wave velocity increased nonlinearly for cemented soils with less than 16% of cement ratio.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.33-39
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• 2020

Lightweight geopolymers were fabricated by using fused slag from integrated gasification combined cycle as a law material and Si sludge from silicon wafer process as a bloating material for the purpose of replacing autoclaved lightweight concrete (ALC). Density and compressive strength of geopolymers were measured and compared with the properties of ALC according to the variation of mol concentration of alkaline activator, W/S ratio, addition of fibers, and addition of polystyrene and the possibility of replacing ALC panel was estimated through the comparisons. Although the geopolymer satisfying the standard of ALC panel was not made by controlling mol concentration and W/S ratio, addition of inserts such as fibers and polystyrene insert was tried to overcome the obstacle of enhancing properties. Geopolymers cannot satisfying the standard of ALC panel by adding carbon or glass fibers; however, adding fibers can be suggested as one of the methods enhancing compressive strength because the compressive strength of the specimen containing 0.3 wt.% glass fibers was increased by 3 times. The maximum addition of polystyrene insert was turned out to be 50 vol.% and the properties of geopolymers varied by the method of insertion. When using single polystyrene insert, compressive strength was 17.8 MPa and density was 0.996 g/㎤ which were similar values to the standard of ALC panel. If the difficulties of reproductivity of production and insertion method of inserts were overcome through the future research, the geopolymers containing polystyrene inserts could possibly replace ALC panel.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.64-70
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• 2010

Soybean is of particular interest as a food supplement of isoflavones for inhibiting bone resorption in postmenopausal woman. These beneficial effects of isoflavones are caused by functioning as partial agonists or antagonists of estrogen, of which anti-resorptive effect is mediated indirectly through paracrine factors produced by osteoblasts that act on osteoclasts. In this study, the indirect effect of soybean on osteoclastic differentiation of RAW264.7 cells were investigated. The conditioned medium was collected from MC3T3-E1 osbeoblasts treated with 0.001 mg/mL~0.1 mg/mL soybean extracts for 6 days, mixed in 1:1 ratio with osteoclast medium, and then added into RAW264.7 cells with receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B ligand (RANKL), a differentiation inducer for 3 days. Of paracrine factors in the conditioned medium, the protein expression of osteoprotegerin (OPG) with soybean extract was specifically higher in a dose dependent manner than with $10^{-9}$ M~$10^{-6}$ M of estrogen, genistein or daidzein standards. In RAW264.7 cells, the conditioned medium with soybean inhibited RANKL induced osteoclastic differentiation as total number of multinucleated tartrateresistant alkaline phosphatase (TRAP)-positive osteoclasts and protein expression of MMP-9 were significantly decreased. Coupled with the low expression of estrogen receptor $\alpha$ and $\beta$ proteins in RANKL treated RAW264.7 cells, we demonstrate that the conditioned medium of soybean treated osteoblasts inhibits RANKL induced differentiation of osteoclasts with the selective expression of OPG in osteoblasts.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.405-412
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• 2008

Six alkali-activated (AA) concrete mixes were tested to explore the significance and limitations of developing an environmental friendly concrete. Ground granulated blast-furnace slag and powder typed sodium silicate were selected as source material and an alkaline activator, respectively. The main parameter investigated was the replacement level of lightweight fine aggregate to the natural sand. Workability and mechanical properties of lightweight AA concrete were measured: the variation of slump with time, the rate of compressive strength development, the splitting tensile strength, the moduli of rupture and elasticity, the stress-strain relationship, the bond resistance and shrinkage strain. Test results showed that the compressive strength of lightweight AA concrete sharply decreased when the replacement level of lightweight fine aggregate exceeded 30%. In particular, the increase in the discontinuous grading of lightweight aggregate resulted in the deterioration of the mechanical properties of concrete tested. The measured properties of lightweight AA concrete were also compared, wherever possible, with the results obtained from the design equations specified in ACI 318-05 or EC 2, depending on the relevance, and the results predicted from the empirical equations proposed by Slate et al. for lightweight ordinary Portland cement concrete. The stress-strain curves of different concrete were compared with predictions obtained from the mathematical model proposed by Tasnimi. The measured mechanical properties of lightweight AA concrete generally showed little agreement with the predictions obtained from these equations.

• BMB Reports
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.92-97
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• 2018

B cell leukemia/lymphoma 3 (Bcl3) plays a pivotal role in immune homeostasis, cellular proliferation, and cell survival, as a co-activator or co-repressor of transcription of the $NF-{\kappa}B$ family. Recently, it was reported that Bcl3 positively regulates pluripotency genes, including Oct4, in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). However, the role of Bcl3 in the maintenance of pluripotency and self-renewal activity is not fully established. Here, we report the dynamic regulation of the proliferation, pluripotency, and self-renewal of mESCs by Bcl3 via an influence on Nanog transcriptional activity. Bcl3 expression is predominantly observed in immature mESCs, but significantly decreased during cell differentiation by LIF depletion and in mESC-derived EBs. Importantly, the knockdown of Bcl3 resulted in the loss of self-renewal ability and decreased cell proliferation. Similarly, the ectopic expression of Bcl3 also resulted in a significant reduction of proliferation, and the self-renewal of mESCs was demonstrated by alkaline phosphatase staining and clonogenic single cell-derived colony assay. We further examined that Bcl3-mediated regulation of Nanog transcriptional activity in mESCs, which indicated that Bcl3 acts as a transcriptional repressor of Nanog expression in mESCs. In conclusion, we demonstrated that a sufficient concentration of Bcl3 in mESCs plays a critical role in the maintenance of pluripotency and the self-renewal of mESCs via the regulation of Nanog transcriptional activity.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.533-544
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• 2015

Unlike the concrete structure built on land, that exposed to the marine environment is greatly degraded in durability due to the exposure to not only the physical action caused by sea wind, tide, and wave, but also the harsh conditions, including the chemical erosion and freeze-thaw which result from $SO_4{^{2-}}$, $Cl^-$ and $Mg^{2+}$ ions in seawater. In the process of the large scaled construction of submerged concrete structures, of course environmental hazardous substance, such as alkaline (pH) and heavy metals, may be leached. Thus, this issue needs to be adequately reviewed and studied. Therefore, this study attempted to develop a CSA (Calcium Sulfo Aluminate) activator using electric arc furnace reducing slags, as well as the eco-friendly concrete for artificial reefs using electric arc furnace oxidizing slag as aggregate for concrete. The strength properties of the eco-friendly concrete exposed to the marine environment were lower than those of the normal concrete by curing 28 days. This suggest that additional studies are needed to improve the early strength of the eco-friendly concrete. With respect to seawater resistance of the eco-friendly concrete, the average strength loss against 1 year of curing days reached 8-9%. the eco-friendly concrete using high volume of ground granulated blast furnace slags and high specific gravity of electronic arc furnace oxidizing slag demonstrated the sufficient usability as a freeze-thaw resistant material. With respect to heavy metal leaching properties of the eco-friendly concrete, heavy metal substances were immobilized by chemical bonding in the curing process through the hydration of concrete. Thus, heavy metal substances were neither identified at or below environmental hazard criteria nor detected, suggesting that the eco-friendly concrete is safe in terms of leaching of hazardous substances.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.17 no.12
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• pp.17-26
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• 2016

The experimental investigation aims at developing controlled low strength materials (CLSM) using a self-cementitious fly ash (FA) as a binder and a bottom ash (BA) as a aggregate. The fly ash and bottom ash used in this study were obtained from a circulating fluidized bed combustion boiler (CFBC) which produces relatively high CaO containing fly ash. To find the optimum mixing condition satisfying flow consistency and unconfined compression strength (UCS), the CLSM specimens were prepared under various mixing conditions, including two types of aggregate and different weight fractions between fly ash and aggregate. Additionally, the prepared specimens were evaluated using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results of this study demonstrate that the water content satisfying flow consistency ranges from 42% to 85% and the flowability is improved with increasing the fraction of aggregate in whole mixture. The USC ranges from 0.3 MPa to 1.9 MPa. The results of UCS increases with increasing the fraction of aggregate in FA-sand mixtures, but decreases with increasing the fraction of aggregate in FA-BA mixtures. SEM images and XRD patterns reveal that the occurrence of both geopolymerization and hydration. The results of this study demonstrate that CFBC fly ash could be used as an alternative binder of CLSM mixtures.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.119-125
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• 2007

Dlx3 is a homeodomain protein and is known to play a role in development and differentiation of many tissues. Deletion of four base pairs in DLX3 (NT3198) is causally related to tricho-dento-osseous (TDO) syndrome (OMIM #190320), a genetic disorder manifested by taurodontism, hair abnormalities, and increased bone density in the cranium. The molecular mechanisms that explain the phenotypic characteristics of TDO syndrome have not been clearly determined. In this study, we examined phenotypic characteristics of wild type DLX3(wtDlx3) and 4-BP DEL DLX3 (TDO mtDlx3) in C2C12 cells. To investigate how wtDlx3 and TDO mtDlx3 differentially regulate osteoblastic differentiation, reporter assays were performed by using luciferase reporters containing the promoters of alkaline phosphatase, bone sialoprotein or osteocalcin. Both wtDlx3 and TDO mtDlx3 enhanced significantly all the reporter activities but the effect of mtDlx3 was much weaker than that of wtDlx3. In spite of these differences in reporter activity, electrophoretic mobility shift assay showed that both wtDlx3 and TDO mtDlx3 formed similar amounts of DNA binding complexes with Dlx3 binding consensus sequence or with ALP promoter oligonucleotide bearing the Dlx3 binding core sequence. TDO mtDlx3 exhibits a longer half-life than wtDlx3 and it corresponds to PESTfind analysis result showing that potential PEST sequence was missed in carboxy terminal of TDO mtDlx3. In addition, co-immunoprecipitation demonstrated that TDO mtDlx3 binds to Msx2 more strongly than wtDlx3. Taken together, though TDO mtDlx3 acted as a weaker transcriptional activator than wtDlx3 in osteoblastic cells, there is possibility that during in vivo osteoblast differentiation TDO mtDlx3 may antagonize transcriptional repressor activity of Msx2 more effectively and for longer period than wtDlx3, resulting in enhancement of osteoblast differentiation.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.173-178
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• 2011

Tumor necrosis factor alpha ($TNF{\alpha}$) is a multifunctional cytokine that is elevated in inflammatory diseases such as atherosclerosis, diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. Recent evidence has suggested that ${\beta}2$ adrenergic receptor (${\beta}2AR$) activation in osteoblasts suppresses osteogenic activity. In the present study, we explored whether $TNF{\alpha}$ modulates ${\beta}AR$ expression in osteoblastic cells and whether this regulation is associated with the inhibition of osteoblast differentiation by $TNF{\alpha}$. In the experiments, we used C2C12 cells, MC3T3-E1 cells and primary cultured mouse bone marrow stromal cells. Among the three subtypes of ${\beta}AR$, ${\beta}2$ and ${\beta}3AR$ were found in our analysis to be upregulated by $TNF{\alpha}$. Moreover, isoproterenol-induced cAMP production was observed to be significantly enhanced in $TNF{\alpha}$-primed C2C12 cells, indicating that $TNF{\alpha}$ enhances ${\beta}2AR$ signaling in osteoblasts. $TNF{\alpha}$ was further found in C2C12 cells to suppress bone morphogenetic protein 2-induced alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and the expression of osteogenic marker genes including Runx2, ALP and osteocalcin. Propranolol, a ${\beta}2AR$ antagonist, attenuated this $TNF{\alpha}$ suppression of osteogenic differentiation. $TNF{\alpha}$ increased the expression of receptor activator of NF-${\kappa}B$ ligand (RANKL), an essential osteoclastogenic factor, in C2C12 cells which was again blocked by propranolol. In summary, our data show that $TNF{\alpha}$ increases ${\beta}2AR$ expression in osteoblasts and that a blockade of ${\beta}2AR$ attenuates the suppression of osteogenic differentiation and stimulation of RANKL expression by $TNF{\alpha}$. These findings imply that a crosstalk between $TNF{\alpha}$ and ${\beta}2AR$ signaling pathways might occur in osteoblasts to modulate their function.