• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.685-695
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• 2009

Objectives : In this study, the author tried to investigate whether Geonpye-tang(GPT) significantly affects PMA-, EGF- or TNF-alpha-induced MUC5AC mucin production and gene expression from human airway epithelial cells. Materials and Methods : Effects of the agent on PMA-, EGF- or TNF-alpha-induced MUC5AC mucin production and gene expression from human airway epithelial cells (NCI-H292) were investigated. Confluent NCI-H292 cells were pretreated for 30 min in the presence of GPT and treated with PMA (10ng/ml) or EGF (25ng/ml) or TNF-alpha (0.2nM), to assess both effect of the agent on PMA- or EGF- or TNF-alpha-induced MUC5AC mucin production by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and gene expression by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Possible cytotoxicity of the agent was assessed by examining the rate of survival and proliferation of NCI-H292 cells after treatment with the agent over 72 hrs (SRB assay). Results : (1) GPT significantly inhibited PMA-induced and EGF-induced MUC5AC mucin production from NCI-H292 cells. However, GPT did not affect TNF-alpha-induced MUC5AC mucin production. (2) GPT significantly inhibited the expression levels of PMA-, EGF- or TNF-alpha-induced MUC5AC genes in NCI-H292 cells (3) GPT did not show significant cytotoxicity to NCI-H292 cells. Conclusion : This result suggests that GPT can affect the production and gene expression of respiratory mucin observed in diverse respiratory diseases accompanied by mucus hypersecretion. This can explain the traditional use of GPT in oriental medicine. Effects of GPT with their components should be further investigated using animal experimental models that reflect pathophysiology of airway diseases through future studies.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.165-175
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• 2010

Dietary lipid biomarkers (fatty acids, fatty alcohols, and sterols) in adult specimens were analyzed to compare and understand the feeding ecology of the euphausiid, Euphausia pacifica, from three geographically and environmentally diverse Korean waters (Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and East Sea). Total lipid content of E. pacifica from Korean waters was about 10% dry weight (DW) with a dominance of phospholipids (>46.9% of total lipid content), which are known as membrane components. A saturated fatty acid, C16:0, a monounsaturated fatty acid, C18:1(n-9), and two polyunsaturated fatty acids, C20:5(n-3) and 22:6(n-3), were most abundant (>60% of total fatty acids) in the fatty acid composition. Some of the fatty acids showed slight differences among regions although no significant compositional changes of fatty acids were detected between these regions. Phytol, originating from the side chain of chlorophyll and indicative of active feeding on phytoplankton, was detected all samples. Trace amounts of various fatty alcohols were also detected in E. pacifica. Specifically, krill from the Yellow Sea showed relatively high amounts of longchain monounsaturated fatty alcohols (i.e. 20:1 and 22:1), generally found in herbivorous copepods. Three different kinds of sterols were detected in E. pacifica. The most dominant of these sterols was cholest-5-en-$3{\beta}$-ol (cholesterol). The lipid compositions and ratios of fatty acid trophic markers are indicative of herbivory in E. pacifica from the Yellow Sea and East Sea (mainly feeding on dinoflagellates and diatoms, respectively). The lipid compositions and ratios of fatty acid trophic markers are indicative of carnivory or omnivory in E. pacifica from the East China Sea, mainly feeding on microzooplankton such as protozoa. In conclusion, lipid biomarkers provide useful information about krill feeding type. However, further analyses and experiments (i.e. gut content analysis, in situ grazing experiment, etc.) are needed to better understand the feeding ecology of E. pacifica in various marine environments.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.25-37
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• 2014

To understand the degradation processes of organic matter related to sulfate reduction by Sulfate Reduction Bacteria (SRB) in the tidal flat sediments of Hwang-do and Sogeun-ri, Tae-an Peninsula in Chungnam-do, biogeochemical characteristics were analyzed and highlighted using specific microbial biomarkers. The organic geochemical parameters (TOC, ${\delta}^{13}C_{org}$, C/N ratio, long-chain-n-alkane) indicate that most of the organic matter has been derived from marine phytoplankton and bacteria in the fine-grained sediment of Sogeun-ri, although terrestrial plant components have occasionally been incorporated to a significant degree in the coarse-grained sediment of Hwang-do. The concentration of sulfate in pore water is a constant tendency with regard to depth profile, while methane concentration appears to be slightly different with regard to depth profile at the two sites. Especially, the sum of bacteria fatty acid (a-C15:0 + i-C15:0 + C16:1w5) confirms that the these concentrations in Sogeun-ri are related to the degradation of Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene and Xylene (BTEX) compounds from the crude oil retained in the sediments as a result of the Hebei Spirit oil-spill accident in 2007. The methane-related microbial communities as shown by lipid biomarkers (crocetane, PMI) are larger in some sedimentary sections of Hwang-do than in the Sogeunri tidal flat. These findings suggest that methane production by microbiological processes is clearly governed by SRB activity along the vertical succession in organic-enriched tidal flats.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.355-361
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• 2006

Intraarticular corticosteroid injections for therapy of rheumatic arthritis are administered with the aim of optimal local anti-inflammatory effect at the injection site. Since the side effects of corticosteroidal drug, dexamethasone(DEX), administered at hish dose limited the therapeutic efficacy, there was a need to design a new drug delivery system for controlled release of dexamethasone. As a prodrug for continuous therapeutic efficacy, dexamethasone-21-palmitate(DEX-PAL) was prepared via esterification of palmitoyl chloride and dexamethasone. DEX-PAL was identified by NMR and MASS analysis. DEX-PAL or DEX was entrapped in lipid nanosphere which could be prepared by using a self emulsification-solvent evaporation method. Physicochemical characteristics such as mean particle diameter, zeta potential and drug loading efficiency of the lipid nanospheres were investigated with variation of either the kind of lipid or the lipid composition. The lipid nanospheres had a mean diameter $83{\sim}95$ nm and DEX-PAL loading efficiency of up to 95%. The drug loading efficiency increased with the increase of aliphatic chain length attached to the phospholipid. The incorporation of cationic lipid was very efficient for both reducing particle size of lipid nanospheres and enhancing drug loading efficiency. The lipid nanospheres containing DEX-PAL may be a promising novel drug carrier for the controlled release of the poorly water-soluble drugs.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.103-111
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• 2020

To compare the cleaning effect of solvents such as water and ethanol used to clean lacquer relics, the components extracted with various solvents were analyzed. A freshly dried lacquer sample and a lacquer sample exposed to ultraviolet radiation for 24 days were treated with water, ethanol, acetone, and hexane, and the dissolved material was detected by pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The amount extracted was significantly higher in acetone and ethanol than in hexane, a nonpolar solvent. Water, a highly polar solvent, was relatively efficient for extracting low-molecular-weight materials. After experiencing 24 days of ultraviolet radiation, the lacquer exhibited a significant increase of extracted materials compared with the nonexposed one. This may be due to the degradation of the urushiol chain in the form of polymers, resulting in the formation of low-molecular-weight polar substances, including dicarboxylic acids. In addition to the deterioration status of lacquer relics, such solvent extraction properties will be a crucial consideration in selecting the appropriate cleaning solvent.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.341-346
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• 1998

Optimization for the production of Pest an was followed by the Plackett-Burman Design, using modified Czapek-dox medium as the starting point. At the flask level, $K_2HPO_4$, $MgSO_4{\cdot}7H_2O$, and aeration variables positively affected the Pestan production, DCW (dry cell weight), apparent viscosity, and flocculating activity response. KCI and $FeSO_4{\cdot}7H_2O$ negatively affected the Pestan production, DCW, apparent viscosity, and flocculating activity response. Aeration variable was shown to have a positive effect on only the flocculating activity response among Pestan production, DCW, and apparent viscosity responses. In comparison of the positive and negative variables media conditions, Pestan production and flocculating activity differed by about 9 and 125 times, respectively. In particular, at the jar fermentor level, the aeration variable was the most important factor of the all responses (pestan production, DCW, apparent viscosity, flocculating activity, and anionic charge density). The flocculating activity and apparent viscosity of Pestan were closely related to the molecular chain length and charge density.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.127-130
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• 2002

The present study was aimed to investigate whether the adriamycin-induced nephrosis is associated with an altered regulation of local renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in the kidney. Rats were subjected to a single injection of adriamycin (2 mg/kg body weight, IV) and kept for 6 weeks to allow the development of nephrosis. They were then divided into two groups, and supplied with and without cilazapril, an angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, in drinking water (100 mg/l) for additional 6 weeks. Another group without adriamycin-treatment served as control. The mRNA expression of renin, ACE, type 1 and type 2 angiotensin II receptors (AT1R, AT2R), and transforming growth factor $(TGF)-{\beta}1$ was determined in the cortex of the kidney by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Adriamycin treatment resulted in heavy proteinuria. Accordingly, the mRNA expression of renin, ACE, and AT1R was increased in the renal cortex, while that of AT2R was decreased. Co-treatment with cilazapril attenuated the degree of proteinuria. While not affecting the altered expression of renin, cilazapril decreased the expression of ACE to the control level. Cilazapril further increased the expression of AT1R, while it restored the decreased expression of AT2R. The expression of $(TGF)-{\beta}1$ was increased by the treatment with adriamycin, which was abolished by cilazapril. An altered expression of local RAS components may be causally related with the development of adriamycin-induced nephrosis, in which AT1R is for and AT2R is against the development of nephrosis.

• 한국태양에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2009.04a
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• pp.31-36
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• 2009

There have been many solar tracking systems developed for the high accuracy in solar tracking. One of the key components of any motion control system is software. LabVIEW offers an ideal combination of flexibility, ease-of-use and well-integration with other I/O pieces for developing solar tracking system. Real-time solar positions which vary with GPS's data are used simultaneously to control the solar tracker by a chain of operating modes between the open and closed loops. This paper introduces a step by step procedure for the fabrication and performance assessment of a precision solar tracking system. The system developed in this study consists of motion controllers, motor drives, step-motors, feedback devices and application. CRD sensors are applied for the solar tracking system which play a primary role in poor conditions for tracking due to a gear backlash and a strong wind. Mini-dish was used as a concentrator for collecting sun light. The solar position data, in terms of azimuth and elevation, sunrise and sunset times was compared with those of KASI(Korea Astronomy & Space Science Institute). The results presented in this paper demonstrate the accuracy of the present system in solar tracking and utilization.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.28 no.12
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• pp.2209-2213
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• 2007

Ginseng has long been used as a traditional medicine in Asian countries including Korea and China. In recent years, it has been reported that the biological activities of ginseng are due to its active components, ginsenosides. Ginsenosides are represented by triterpenes of the dammarane type. Ginsenoside Re consists of two glucose rings, one rhamnose ring, and the triterpene ring. In the present study ginsenoside Re has been isolated from the Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng) and the tertiary structure has been determined using NMR spectroscopy. Flexibilities around each linkages described by seven torsion angles were considered. The structures of ginsenoside Re obtained by NMR spectroscopy show the rigidity around the glucopyranosyl ring II and alkene side chain. The dihedral angles of φ5, φ6, φ7 are about 150o, 50o and 45o, respectively. In addition, flexibility exists around rhamnopyranosyl and glucopyronosyl moiety. The linkage around the rhamnopyranosyl and glucopyranosyl ring I, are divided into three groups. This flexibility seems to play important role in regulation of the hydrophobic surface exposed to the solvent. Because of the growing need for the structural determination of ginsenoside, this result can help to understand their well-accepted pharmacological effects of ginsenoside Re.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.113-121
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• 2017

In flight particulate matter particularly emissions generated by incomplete combustion processes has become a subject of global concern due to the health problems and environmental impacts associated with them. This has compelled most countries to set standards for coarse and fine particles due to their conspicuous impacts on environment and public health. This contribution therefore explores forest fire emissions and how its particulates affects air quality, damage to vegetation, water bodies and biological functions as architects for lung diseases and other degenerative illnesses such as oxidative stress and aging. Soot was collected from simulated forest fire using a clean glass surface and carefully transferred into amber vials for analysis. Volatile components of soot were collected over 10 mL dichloromethane and analyzed using a QTOF Premier-Water Corp Liquid Chromatography hyphenated to a mass selective detector (MSD), and Gas Chromatograph coupled to a mass spectrometer (GC-MS). To characterize the size and surface morphology of soot, a scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used. The characterization of molecular volatiles from simulated forest fire emissions revealed long chain compounds including octadec-9-enoic acid, octadec-6-enoic acid, cyclotetracosane, cyclotetradecane, and a few aromatic hydrocarbons (benzene and naphthalene). Special classes of organics (dibenzo-p-dioxin and 2H-benzopyran) were also detected as minor products. Dibenzo-p-dioxin for instance in chlorinated form is one of the deadliest environmental organic toxins. The average particulate size of emissions using SEM was found to be $11.51{\pm}4.91{\mu}m$. This study has shown that most of the emissions from simulated forest fire fall within $PM_{10}$ particulate size. The molecular by-products of forest fire and particulate emissions may be toxic to both human and natural ecosystems, and are possible precursors for various respiratory ailments and cancers. The burning of a forest by natural disasters or man-made fires results in the destruction of natural habitats and serious air pollution.