• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
• /
• v.38 no.5
• /
• pp.242-247
• /
• 2017

This study presents a bio-chemical energy harvesting system which can generate electric power from bioorganic substance contained in vermicompost. It produced electricity by inoculating microbial fuel cell(MFC) with earthworm-composted food waste. The generated electricity was converted into usable voltage level for mobile electronics through power conditioning circuits. The implemented prototype showed $200{\mu}W$ of maximum output electric power, which successfully supplied a beacon device which continuously transmitted data to nearby smartphone without a battery. The proposed system can help develop portable or bio-mimetic energy supply for sustainable use with further improvement.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
• /
• 2006.10c
• /
• pp.250-252
• /
• 2006

Due to enhanced high IT (information technology) development, IT-based technology convergences such as IT/ET(electric technology), IT/BT(biology technology) and IT/NT(nano technology) are actively merging trend and their applications spread wide. In this paper PLC (power line communication), one of the merging IT, is investigated as one of the potential IT candidates for IT/ET and IT/BT convergence technology for DLC (direct load control) or bio-medical engineering such as ubiquitous health cares or D2H2 (distributed diagnosis and home health care).

• Plant Biotechnology Reports
• /
• v.2 no.4
• /
• pp.267-270
• /
• 2008

We have successfully used the low-pressure BioWare gene gun, developed for gene transfer in animal cells, for plant tissues. The BioWare device is easy to manipulate. Just 50 psi helium pressure was sufficient to transfer foreign genes into the aleurone layer and embryo of maize without causing tissue damage in the impact area. As shown by expression signals from invasive histochemical ${\beta}-glucuronidase$ (GUS) activity, the foreign reporter gene expressed well in bombarded tissues. This successful GUS-transient expression extends the application of this low-pressure gene gun from animal cells to plant tissues.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.25 no.3
• /
• pp.334-342
• /
• 2015

4-O-Methylhonokiol (MH), a bioactive compound derived from Magnolia officinalis, is known to exhibit antitumor effects in various cancer cells. However, the precise mechanism of its anticancer activity in cervical cancer cells has not yet been studied. In this study, we demonstrated that MH induces apoptosis in SiHa cervical cancer cells by enhancing peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARγ) activation, followed by inhibition of the PI3K/Akt pathway and intrinsic pathway induction. MH upregulated PPARγ and PTEN expression levels while it decreased p-Akt in the MH-induced apoptotic process, thereby supporting the fact that MH is a PPARγ activator. Additionally, MH decreased the expression of Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL, inducing the intrinsic pathway in MH-treated SiHa cells. Furthermore, MH treatment led to the activation of caspase-3/caspase-9 and proteolytic cleavage of polyADP ribose polymerase. The expression levels of Fas (CD95) and E6/E7 oncogenes were not altered by MH treatment. Taken together, MH activates PPARγ/PTEN expression and induces apoptosis via suppression of the PI3K/Akt pathway and mitochondria-dependent pathways in SiHa cells. These findings suggest that MH has potential for development as a therapeutic agent for human cervical cancer.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.22 no.5
• /
• pp.400-405
• /
• 2014

G-protein coupled receptor 119 (GPR119) has emerged as a novel target for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. GPR119 is involved in glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) from the pancreatic b-cells and intestinal cells. In this study, we identified a novel small-molecule GPR119 agonist, HD047703, which raises intracellular cAMP concentrations in pancreatic ${\beta}$-cells and can be expected to potentiate glucose-stimulated insulin secretion from human GPR119 receptor stably expressing cells (CHO cells). We evaluated the acute efficacy of HD047703 by the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in normal C57BL/6J mice. Then, chronic administrations of HD047703 were performed to determine its efficacy in various diabetic rodent models. Single administration of HD047703 caused improved glycemic control during OGTT in a dose-dependent manner in normal mice, and the plasma GLP-1 level was also increased. With respect to chronic efficacy, we observed a decline in blood glucose levels in db/db, ob/ob and DIO mice. These results suggest that HD047703 may be a potentially promising anti-diabetic agent.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
• /
• v.15 no.2
• /
• pp.292-298
• /
• 2011

In order to acquire new information and biological meaning of the signal data by defining the relationships between them, new modeling technique, ontology, has been proposed. The data of bio-signal can be represented as a systematic and logical to manage continuously bio-signal data using ontology. Furthermore, knowledge of which resources are utilized to provide improved service quality in medical information, health services in various fields. However, relevant studies have not been performed actively to compare importance of relationships between bio-signals. Therefore semantic representation of biometric information should be by defining the relationship between bio-signals. In this paper, we have developed bio-signal ontology to use as a model for using domain knowledge. We verified the usefulness of the ontology by using scenarios.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
• /
• v.27 no.4
• /
• pp.154-163
• /
• 2006

A 64-channel magnetocardiogram (MCG) system using low-noise superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) planar gradiometers was developed for the measurements of cardiac magnetic fields generated by the heart electric activity. Owing to high flux-to-voltage transfers of double relaxation oscillation SQUID (DROS) sensors, the flux-locked loop electronics for SQUID operation could be made simpler than that of conventional DC SQUIDs, and the SQUID control was done automatically through a fiber-optic cable. The pickup coils are first-order planar gradiometers with a baseline of 4 em. The insert has 64 planar gradiometers as the sensing channels and were arranged to measure MCG field components tangential to the chest surface. When the 64-channel insert was in operation everyday, the average boil-off rate of the dewar was 3.6 Lid. The noise spectrum of the SQUID planar gradiometer system was about 5 fT$_{rms}$/$\checkmark$Hz at 100 Hz, operated inside a moderately shielded room. The MCG measurements were done at a sampling rate of 500 Hz or 1 kHz, and realtime display of MCG traces and heart rate were displayed. After the acquisition, magnetic field mapping and current mapping could be done. From the magnetic and current information, parameters for the diagnosis of myocardial ischemia were evaluated to be compared with other diagnostic methods.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.27 no.6
• /
• pp.1262-1266
• /
• 1998

The purpose of this study was to investigate peroxidative damage and antioxidative defense systems such as superoxide dismutase(SOD), glutathione peroxidase(GSH Px), glutathione S transferase (GST) and vitamin E of liver in rat exposed microwave. Sprague Dawley male rats 200$\pm$10gm were randomly assigned to normal and microwave(MW) groups. After rats were irradiated with microwave at frequency of 2.45GHz for 15min, the change patterns of antioxidative defense system and peroxidative damage of liver tissue in MW group were investigated for 16 days(the 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th and 16th days) compared with those of normal group. The activity of superoxide dismutase(SOD) in MW group was increased at the 2nd day compared with that of normal group, but not significantly. The glutathione peroxidase(GSH Px) in MW group was decreased to 24% and 25% at the 4th and 6th days, respectively, compoared with that of normal group, but GSH Px was increased to level of normal group at the 16th day. The activity of glutathione S transferase(GST) in MW group was decreased at the 2nd day after irradiated with microwave, but GST showed to that of normal group at the 16th day. The content of vitamin E in MW group was lower than that of normal group at the 6th and 8th days after the irradiation, but was recovered to the level of normal group at the 16th days. The content of thi obarbituric acid reactive substances(TBARS) of liver in MW group was increased to 28.9%, 53.8%, 69.7% and 30.2% of normal group at the 2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th days after the irradiation, respectively, but recovered to the level of normal group at the 16th day. The present results indicated that antiox idative defense systems of rats irradiated microwave was weaken more than that of normal group, which lead to acceleration of lipid peroxidation.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
• /
• v.32 no.1
• /
• pp.27-34
• /
• 2007

In this paper, We are evaluated about bio-signal between general workers and nuclear medicine workers which is more radiation exposure relatively. In order to reciprocal evaluated two group, we experimented nuclear medicine workers in Chung-Buk National University Hospital at department of nuclear medicine and worker in Chon-Nam National University Hospital at CT room, general radiographic room, medical recording room, receipt room, general office room. Used of experimental Equipments as follows, for a level of radiation measurement by pocket dosimeter which made by Arrow-Tech company, for heart rate and blood pressure measurement by TONOPORT V which made by GE medical systems company, for heat flux and skin temperature and energy expenditure measurement by Armband senseware 2000 which made by Bodymedia company. Result of experiment obtains as follows: 1) Individual radiation exposure is recorded 3.05 uSv at department of nuclear medicine and order as follows CT room, general radiograpic room, medical recording room, receipt room, general office room. Department of nuclear medicine more 1.5 times than other places. 2) Radiation accumulated dose is not related to Heat flux, Skin temperature, Energy expenditure. 3) Blood pressure is recorded equal to nuclear medical workers, general officer, general people about systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure. Compared to blood pressure between nuclear medical works which is more radiation exposure and other workers was not changed. Consequently, more radiation exposed workers at nuclear medicine field doesn't have hazard.

• Genomics & Informatics
• /
• v.10 no.1
• /
• pp.33-39
• /
• 2012

High-throughput genomic technologies (HGTs), including next-generation DNA sequencing (NGS), microarray, and serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE), have become effective experimental tools for cancer genomics to identify cancer-associated somatic genomic alterations and genes. The main hurdle in cancer genomics is to identify the real causative mutations or genes out of many candidates from an HGT-based cancer genomic analysis. One useful approach is to refer to known cancer genes and associated information. The list of known cancer genes can be used to determine candidates of cancer driver mutations, while cancer gene-related information, including gene expression, protein-protein interaction, and pathways, can be useful for scoring novel candidates. Some cancer gene or mutation databases exist for this purpose, but few specialized tools exist for an automated analysis of a long gene list from an HGT-based cancer genomic analysis. This report presents a new web-accessible bioinformatic tool, called CaGe, a cancer genome annotation system for the assessment of candidates of cancer genes from HGT-based cancer genomics. The tool provides users with information on cancer-related genes, mutations, pathways, and associated annotations through annotation and browsing functions. With this tool, researchers can classify their candidate genes from cancer genome studies into either previously reported or novel categories of cancer genes and gain insight into underlying carcinogenic mechanisms through a pathway analysis. We show the usefulness of CaGe by assessing its performance in annotating somatic mutations from a published small cell lung cancer study.