• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.39-44
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• 2021

This study aimed to investigate whether neurotransmitter receptors in the nervous system were also expressed in oral keratinocytes. Expressions of various neurotransmitter receptor genes in immortalized mouse oral keratinocyte (IMOK) cells were examined by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. IMOK cells expressed calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor subunit genes Ramp1 and Ramp3 and glutamate receptor subunit genes Grina, Gria3, Grin1, Grin2a, and Grin2d. Moreover, IMOK cells expressed Adrb2 and Chrna5 that encode beta 2 adrenergic receptor and cholinergic receptor nicotinic alpha 5 for sympathetic and parasympathetic neurotransmitters, respectively. The expression of Bdkrb1 and Ptger4, which encode receptors for bradykinin and prostaglandin E2 involved in inflammatory responses, was also observed at low levels. Expressions of Ramp1 and Grina in the mouse gingival epithelium were also confirmed by immunohistochemistry. When the function of neurotransmitter receptors expressed on IMOK cells was tested by intracellular calcium response, CGRP, glutamate, and cholinergic receptors did not respond to their agonists, but the bradykinin receptor responded to bradykinin. Collectively, oral keratinocytes express several neurotransmitter receptors, suggesting the potential regulation of oral epithelial homeostasis by the nervous system.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.68-78
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• 2022

Objective: In this study, we investigated the protective effect of rhododendron mucronulatum extract (RME) on allergic reactions and inflammation. Methods: The effect of RME was determined using ELISA and RT-PCR in RBL-2H3 mast cells and RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. We determined cell viability, β-hexosaminidase release, and the synthesis of IL-4 and TNF-α in RBL-2H3 cells. In addition, we determined NO from RAW 264.7 and the gene expression of IL-1β, iNOS, IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-10. Results: RME inhibited β-hexosaminidase release and synthesis of IL-4 and TNF-α in RBL-2H3 by the anti-DNP IgE plus DNP-HSA stimulation. In addition, RME inhibited the production of NO and the gene expression of IL-1β, iNOS, IL-6, and TNF-α in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Conclusion: From these results, we concluded that RME possesses anti-allergic activity and anti-inflammatory activity due to the inhibition of mast cells and macrophage function.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.6.1-6.15
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• 2022

Litorilituus sediminis is a Gram-negative, aerobic, novel bacterium under the family of Colwelliaceae, has a stunning hypothetical protein containing domain called von Hippel-Lindau that has significant tumor suppressor activity. Therefore, this study was designed to elucidate the structure and function of the biologically important hypothetical protein EMK97_00595 (QBG34344.1) using several bioinformatics tools. The functional annotation exposed that the hypothetical protein is an extracellular secretory soluble signal peptide and contains the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL; VHL beta) domain that has a significant role in tumor suppression. This domain is conserved throughout evolution, as its homologs are available in various types of the organism like mammals, insects, and nematode. The gene product of VHL has a critical regulatory activity in the ubiquitous oxygen-sensing pathway. This domain has a significant role in inhibiting cell proliferation, angiogenesis progression, kidney cancer, breast cancer, and colon cancer. At last, the current study depicts that the annotated hypothetical protein is linked with tumor suppressor activity which might be of great interest to future research in the higher organism.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.82 no.3
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• pp.385-400
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• 2022

Sky-bridges between adjacent buildings can enhance lateral stiffness and limit the impact of lateral forces. This study analysed the structural capabilities and dynamic performances of sky-bridge-coupled buildings under various sets of ground motions. Finite Element (FE) analyses were carried out with the link being iteratively repositioned along the full height of the structures. Incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) and probabilistic damage distribution were also applied. The results indicated that the establishment of sky-bridges caused a slight change in the natural frequency and mode shapes. The sky-bridge system was shown to be efficient in controlling displacement and Inter-Storey Drift Ratio (%ISDR) and reducing the probability of damage in the higher floors. The most efficient location of the sky-bridge, for improving its rigidity, was found to be at 88% of the building height. Finally, the effects of two types of materials (steel and concrete) and end conditions (hinged and fixed) were studied. The outcomes showed that coupled buildings with a sky-bridge made of steel with hinged connection could withstand ground motions longer than those made of concrete with fixed connection.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.63.3-63.3
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• 2019

Nearby young moving groups (NYMGs hereafter) are gravitationally unbound loose young stellar associations located within 100 pc of the Sun. Since NYMGs are crucial laboratories for studying low-mass stars and planets, intensive searches for NYMG members have been performed. For identification of NYMG members, various strategies and methods have been applied. As a result, the reliability of the members in terms of membership is not uniform, which means that a careful membership re-assessment is required. In this study, I developed a NYMG membership probability calculation tool based on Bayesian inference (Bayesian Assessment of Moving Groups: BAMG). For the development of the BAMG tool, I constructed ellipsoidal models for nine NYMGs via iterative and self-consistent processes. Using BAMG, memberships of claimed members in the literature (N~2000) were evaluated, and 35 per cent of members were confirmed as bona fide members of NYMGs. Based on the deficiency of low-mass members appeared in mass function using these bona fide members, low mass members from Gaia DR2 are identified. About 2000 new M dwarf and brown dwarf candidate members were identified. Memberships of ~70 members with RV from Gaia were confirmed, and the additional ~20 members were confirmed via spectroscopic observation. Not relying on previous knowledge about the existence of nine NYMGs, unsupervised machine learning analyses were applied to NYMG members. K-means and Agglomerative Clustering algorithms result in similar trends of grouping. As a result, six previously known groups (TWA, beta-Pic, Carina, Argus, AB Doradus, and Volans-Carina) were rediscovered. Three the other known groups are recognized as well; however, they are combined into two new separate groups (ThOr+Columba and TucHor+Columba).

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.159-167
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• 2023

The prevalence of diabetes continues to increase worldwide, and the problem is also important in Korea, and about 14% of Korean adults have diabetes. Alcohol consumptions are increasing rapidly around the world and are recognized as one of the major problems in the country. Alcohol consumption is an environmental factor previously known to be associated with the risk of developing diabetes. Alcohol consumption can cause problems in the endocrine system and gastrointestinal function, and oxidative stress of acetaldehyde, an ethanol metabolite, can damage beta cells in the pancreas. In the present study, we found the effect of alcohol intake on fasting blood sugar and the difference between men and women in the risk of diabetes according to alcohol intake. In men, the high-drinking group had a higher risk of diabetes than the non-drinking group (OR, 1.41; P=0.058). In women, the Moderate-drinking group had a lower risk of diabetes compared to the non-drinking group (OR, 0.42; P=0.039). The high-drinking group had a higher risk of diabetes than the non-drinking group (OR, 2.97; P=0.034). The group that consumed more than the WHO's daily alcohol intake risk standard tended to have a higher risk of diabetes than the group that did not (OR, 5.48; P=0.001). This study suggest that moderate alcohol consumption reduce the risk of developing diabetes, and high alcohol consumption increase the risk of developing diabetes.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.854-862
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• 2024

Lactobacillus is a commonly used probiotic, and many researchers have focused on its stress response to improve its functionality and survival. However, studies on persister cells, dormant cells that aid bacteria in surviving general stress, have focused on pathogenic bacteria that cause infection, not Lactobacillus. Thus, understanding Lactobacillus persister cells will provide essential clues for understanding how Lactobacillus survives and maintains its function under various environmental conditions. We treated Lactobacillus strains with various antibiotics to determine the conditions required for persister formation using kill curves and transmission electron microscopy. In addition, we observed the resuscitation patterns of persister cells using single-cell analysis. Our results show that Lactobacillus creates a small population of persister cells (0.0001-1% of the bacterial population) in response to beta-lactam antibiotics such as ampicillin and amoxicillin. Moreover, only around 0.5-1% of persister cells are heterogeneously resuscitated by adding fresh media; the characteristics are typical of persister cells. This study provides a method for forming and verifying the persistence of Lactobacillus and demonstrates that antibiotic-induced Lactobacillus persister cells show characteristics of dormancy, sensitivity of antibiotics, same as exponential cells, multi-drug tolerance, and resuscitation, which are characteristics of general persister cells. This study suggests that the mechanisms of formation and resuscitation may vary depending on the characteristics, such as the membrane structure of the bacterial species.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.123-131
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• 1987

The possible inolvement of central opiate system in the control of cardiovascular function and in the antihypertensive action of clonidine has been examined in unanesthetized rats with shamoperated or 2-kidney, 1-clip (2K1C) renal hypertension. In both groups of rats, intraventricular clonidine $(3-30\;{\mu}g/kg)$ produced hypotension and bradycardia. Hypotensive action of clonidine was more potent in the hypertensive rats than in the normotensive sham-operated rats. Yohimbine $(30\;{\mu}g/kg,\;i.v.t.)$ inhibited the hypotension and bradycardia produced by clonidine. Naloxone ($50\;{\mu}g/kg$, i.v.t.) inhibited the action of clonidine in 2K1C hypertensive rats but not influenced in the sham-operated rats. Intraventricular morphine $(10-100\;{\mu}g/kg)$ also reduced rats. Intraventricular morphine $(10-100\;{\mu}g/kg)$ also reduced blood pressure and heart rate in both groups of rats. But these effects were not affected by yohimbine, but antagonized by naloxone ($50\;{\mu}g/kg$, i.v.t.). Chronic treatment of 2K1C rats with clonidine ($3{\times}20\;{\mu}g/kg$, p.o.,) for 14 days from 1 day after 2K1C operation) suppressed the development of hypertension and maintained the blood pressure in normal level and this errect of clonidine was abolished by naloxone (2 mg/kg, i. p.). In the 2K1C hypertensive rats, immunoreactive ${\beta}-endorphin$ content was significantly decreased, but maximum binding (Bmax) of $(^3H)-naloxone$ was significantly increased in brain of 2K1C hypertensive rats. However, Kd value was not changed. These results suggest that the opioidergic component might be involved in the antihypertensive action of clonidine only in hypertensive and that central opiate system might play important roles in pathophysiology of development and maintenance of hypertension.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.403-409
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• 2018

Objective: The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of a lipid-coated zinc oxide (ZnO) supplement Shield Zn (SZ) at the sub-pharmacological concentration on intestinal morphology and gene expression in weanling pigs, with an aim to gain insights into the mechanism of actions for SZ. Methods: Forty 22-day-old weanling pigs were fed a nursery diet supplemented with 100 or 2,500 mg Zn/kg with uncoated ZnO (negative control [NC] or positive control [PC], respectively), 100, 200, or 400 mg Zn/kg with SZ for 14 days and their intestinal tissues were taken for histological and molecular biological examinations. The villus height (VH) and crypt depth (CD) of the intestinal mucosa were measured microscopically following preparation of the tissue specimen; expression of the genes associated with growth and immune function was determined using the real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results: There was no difference in daily gain, gain:feed, and diarrhea score between the SZ group and either of NC and PC. The VH and VH:CD ratio were less for the SZ group vs NC in the jejunum and duodenum, respectively (p<0.05). The jejunal mucosal mRNA levels of insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I) and interleukin (IL)-10 regressed and tended to regress (p = 0.053) on the SZ concentration with a positive coefficient, respectively, whereas the IL-6 mRNA level regressed on the SZ concentration with a negative coefficient. The mRNA levels of IGF-I, zonula occludens protein-1, tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}$, IL-6, and IL-10 did not differ between the SZ group and either of NC and PC; the occludin and transforming growth $factor-{\beta}1$ mRNA levels were lower for the SZ group than for PC. Conclusion: The present results are interpreted to suggest that dietary ZnO provided by SZ may play a role in intestinal mucosal growth and immune function by modulating the expression of IGF-I, IL-6, and IL-10 genes.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.635-647
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• 1995

Human polymorphonuclear leukocytes(PMN) constitute a first line of defense against all forms of injury and microbial challenge, which share a common cell lineage with macrophage. Microbial component LPS activates macrophages to produce IL-1, MIP-1${\alpha}$, -1${\beta}$, TNF-${\alpha}$ and IL-6, etc. Those cytokines have autocrine function to the macrophages, and paracrine function to other cell such as PMN and affect them to produce some biological functions. Having a responsive homogeneous cell line, HL-60, offers us the possibility of studying extensively on the function of PMN, which were not possible previously with peripheral PMN, due to the short-lived nature and difficulty of getting a purified PMN. In the present study, I performed MIP-1 receptor binding assay using HL-60 cell and human peripheral PMN. Also, in vitro antimicrobial assay was performed using differentiated or undifferentiated HL-60 cell. Differentiation was induced by treatment with 500 M of $N^6,O^2-dibutyryl$ adenosine 3'5' cyclic monophosphate(dbcAMP) (PMN-like cell), or 20ng/ml of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate(TPA) (macrophage/monocyte-like cell). Receptors for MIP-1${\alpha}$ were identified on dbcAMP-treated HL-60 as well as peripheral PMN. However, bound radioactive MIP-1${\alpha}$ on differentiated HL-60 was much higher than that of peripheral PMN, which suggest receptor number of differentiated HL-60 cell is higher than that of peripheral PMN. Although both of TPA and dbcAMP treatment significantly enhanced antimicrobial action of HL-60 cell, dbcAMP-treated cell(PMN-like HL-60) killed S.aureus more effectively in this experiment. TPA or dbcAMP treatment significantly enhanced antimicrobial action of undifferentiated HL-60 cell. MIP-1${\alpha}$ further increased enhancing effect of TPA or dbcAMP. IL-1${\alpha}$, however, increased only dbcAMP-induced enhancing effect of antimicrobial action of HL-60 cell. These results suggest that differentiated HL-60 cell could replace peripheral PMN in analysis of various biological functions of cytokines on PMN cell.