• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.286-293
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• 2010

Cytokine production is a sensitive indicator for monitoring perturbations of the immune system by xenobiotics in animals and humans. In the present study, we evaluated the changes in $IFN{\gamma}$, IL-5 and $TNF{\alpha}$ mRNA expression after atrazine (ATZ), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) or zearalenone (ZEA) exposure in Jurkat cells. The IC50 (concentration for a 50% inhibition of cell proliferation) of PFOA and ZEA after 3 days culture were $226.6\;{\mu}M$ and $52.6\;{\mu}M$, respectively. The effects of ATZ on cytokine expression followed in increasing order of $IFN{\gamma}$>IL-5>$TNF{\alpha}$ at $3\;{\mu}M$ and at the lower concentrations the degree of effects on three cytokines were less clear between the cytokines when compared to control level. PFOA had marked increasing effect in order of $IFN{\gamma}$>$TNF{\alpha}$>IL-5 mRNA expression at IC50, and these patterns were continued at the lower concentrations, IC50/2 and IC50/4. ZEA caused the overexpression of cytokine mRNAs in order of IL-5>$IFN{\gamma}$>$TNF{\alpha}$ at both IC50 and IC50/2, and at IC50/4 the overexpression order was IL-5>$TNF{\alpha}$. On other hand, $IFN{\gamma}$ was less distinct compared to the control. These data indicate that ATZ, PFOA and ZEA caused the overtranscription of $IFN{\gamma}$, IL-5 and $TNF{\alpha}$ mRNA, and the overproduction of these cytokines may eventually lead to immune disorders.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.29 no.8
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• pp.1008-1018
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• 2000

Objective : Glutamate induced excitotoxicity is one of the leading causes of cell death under pathologic condition. However, there is controversy whether excitotoxicity may also participate in the neuronal death under low intensity insult such as simple hypoxia or hypoglycemia. To investigate the role of NMDA receptor in low intensity insult, we chose anoxia as the method of injury and used organotypically cultured hippocampal slice as the material of experiment. Materials & Methods : The hippocampal slices cultured for 2-3 weeks were exposed to 60 minutes of complete oxygen deprivation(anoxia). Neuronal death was assessed with Sytox stain. Corrected optical density of fluorescence in gray scale, used as cellular death indicator, was obtained from pictures taken at 24 and 48 hours following the insult. The well-known in vivo phenomenon of regional difference in susceptibility of hippocampal sub-fields to ischemic insult was reproduced in HOSC(hippocampal organotypic slice culture) by complete oxygen deprivation injury. Results : $CA_1$ was the most vulnerable to complete oxygen deprivation in hippocampus while $CA_3$ was resistant. Oxygen deprivation for 10 and 20 minutes with glucose(6.5g/l) present was insufficient to induce neuronal death in the cultured hippocampal slice. However, after 30 minutes exposure under anoxic condition, neuronal death was able to be detected in the center of $CA_1$ area. The intensity and area of fluorescence indicating cell death correlated with the duration of oxygen deprivation. NMDA receptor and non-NMDA receptor blocking with MK-801(30 & $60{\mu}M$) and CNQX($100{\mu}M$) did not provide cellular protection to HOSC against damage induced by oxygen deprivation, but increased intracellular calcium buffering capacity with BAPTA-AM($10{\mu}M$) was effective in preventing neuronal death (p=0.01, Student's t-test). Cycloheximide($1{\mu}g/ml$, $10{\mu}g/ml$) provided no protection to HOSC against insult of complete oxygen deprivation for 60 minutes and combined therapy of MK-801(30 & $60{\mu}M$) and cycloheximide(1 & $10{\mu}g/ml$) was also ineffective in preventing neuronal death. Conclusion : The results of this study show that the another mechanism not associated with glutamate receptor(NMDA & non NMDA) may play major role in cell death mechanisms induced by complete oxygen deprivation and increased intracellular calcium during anoxia may participate in the neuronal death mechanism of oxygen deprivation. Further investigation of the calcium entry channel activated during oxygen deprivation is necessary to understand the neuronal death of anoxia.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.11-21
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• 1986

The study was performed to investigate the effects of gaseous imission of sulfur dioxide and hydrogen fluoride on the growth of rice plant under stressed field conditions. The plants were cultivated in normal paddy fields where are 88 industrial plants operating with 285 smoke stacks emitting pollutants. There has been a number of reported studies (1, 3, 11, 19, 20) which deal with rice plant damages by air pollution under a simulated exposure experimental condition. Furthermore, these experiments were conducted to examine effects of a single pollutant on the plant. Furthermore, these experiments were conducted to examine effects of a single pollutant on the plant. In korea, however, there is no study reported in literature with respect to the in-situ dose-response relationship between rice pant reduction in yields and air pollution. This study is specifically dealt with multiple effects of sulfur dioxde and hydrogen fluoride on various plant growth indicators such as leaf damage, culm height, weight of grain, panicles per hill, spikelets per panicle and percent fertility.It appears that there is a good correlation between ambient concentrations of sulfur oxides and sulfur contents found in leaves with an average correlation coefficient of 0.868 within a 1% significance level. It is interesting to note that a better multiple correlation was found between percent leaf damage and sulfur and fluoride contentd found in leaf with a significance of 1% level. The yearly correlation coefficient ranges from 0.963 to 0.987 with an average being 0.971. It is, therefore, believed that a percent leaf damage may serve as a single indicator of pollutional damages to rice plant cultivating in fields. Regarding other factors to the diminution of rice plant growth in polluted atmosphere, it appears that a significant correlation to culm length and dry weight of grain with a 1% significance level whereas T/R ratio has a good correlation with lead damage within 5% significance level. An evaluation of data observed has demonstrated that both panicles per hill and percent fertility are significantly affected by air pollutants. As expected, hydrogen fluoride has more effects than sulfur oxide. It is, however, interesting to note that spikelets per panicles has slightly been affected while no indication of effects on 1000-grain-weight has been observed. This may lead to a conclusion that a reduction in yield of rice under polluted field conditions may have more been caused by the diminution of panicles per hill and percent fertility rather than by the diminution of spikelets per panicle and grain weight.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.71-84
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• 2017

Radon, which enters the interior environment from soil, rocks, and groundwater, is a radioactive gas that poses a serious risk to humans. Indoor radon concentrations are measured to investigate the risk of radon gas exposure and reliable radon concentration mapping is then performed for further analysis. In this study, we compared the predictive performance of various univariate kriging algorithms, including ordinary kriging and three nonlinear transform-based kriging algorithms (log-normal, multi-Gaussian, and indicator kriging), for mapping radon concentrations with an asymmetric distribution. To compare and analyze the predictive performance, we carried out jackknife-based validation and analyzed the errors according to the differences in the data intervals and sampling densities. From a case study in South Korea, the overall nonlinear transform-based kriging algorithms showed better predictive performance than ordinary kriging. Among the nonlinear transform-based kriging algorithms, log-normal kriging had the best performance, followed by multi-Gaussian kriging. Ordinary kriging was the best for predicting high values within the spatial pattern. The results from this study are expected to be useful in the selection of kriging algorithms for the spatial prediction of data with an asymmetric distribution.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.529-540
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• 2003

Recently, the researches on the durability design of concrete structures have been studied. As the examples, models to evaluate the service life prediction of the structure have been developed. The purpose of this article is to develop the model for predicting remaining service life. The final aim is to provide the user time for repairing the concrete structures. In addition, it makes possible to maintain the concrete structure economically. 70 reservoirs out of the inland concrete structures were selected and concrete structures of their components were surveyed. Two methods were used for measuring carbonation; TG/DTA method and Phenolphtalein indicator and, the value of pH was measured by the pH meter, After deriving correlations of calcium carbonate and used year, duration from completion year to 2002, pH value, and concrete cover depth the model was developed for predicting remaining service life by measuring data as small as possible. The conventional models had been developed on the basis of experiment data obtained from the restricted lab environment like as carbon gas exposure. On the other hand this model was developed on the basis of measuring data obtained from the real field that the complex deterioration actions are occurred such as freezing and thawing, carbonation, steel corrosion, and so on. The reliability of the developed model will be evaluated high in this point and this model can help to maintain concrete structures economically by providing the manager time to repair the deteriorated concrete structures in site of facility management.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.79-87
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• 1999

To know the stress response and antioxidative effect of sulfur containing compounds, we observed the expression of the stress protein (heat shock protein; inducible protein) from mouse tissues and evaluated the protective effects to hydroxyl radical in mouse brain cell culture. Cysteine, methionine or sodium sulfide was fed by oral administration of 1 ml/per 6hr/three times with 1 mM, 2mM or 3mM to mouse, respectively. After that, the stress proteins were extracted from mouse tissues and analyzed the features of expression. The stress proteins by sulfur containing compounds were showed different aspects in the kinds and concentrations of their compounds, and in the tissues of mouse. In the liver, the stress proteins were appeared at different time on the concentration of sulfur containing compounds and had less than 20 KDa as small molecules. In general, the molecular weights of stress protein in liver, the stress proteins were appeared at different time on the concentration of sulfur containing compounds and had less than 20 KDa as small molecules. In general, the molecular weights of stress protein in the spleen were evaluated from 32KDa to 50KDA, and the induced times were relatively late at high concentration of cysteine, early at low concentration of methionine or sodium sulfide. The stress proteins in mouse muscle were detected mostly between 24hr after treatment of sulfur containing compounds. Their molecular weights were 15~24KDa. In the antioxidative effects of sulfur containing compounds to hydroxyl radical, cell viabilities were measured by 63.2% at 10 $\mu\textrm{M}$, 65.5% at 50 $\mu\textrm{M}$, 68.6% at 100 $\mu\textrm{M}$, 78.3% at 150 $\mu\textrm{M}$, or 83.0% at 200 $\mu\textrm{M}$ of cysteine, respectively. At addition of methionine, the cell viabilities were assessed as 58.1% at 10 $\mu\textrm{M}$, 62.8% at 50 $\mu\textrm{M}$, 75.7% at 100 $\mu\textrm{M}$, 78.6% at 150 $\mu\textrm{M}$, and 79.2% at 200 $\mu\textrm{M}$ after 4hrs exposure with 20mU/ml glucose oxidase (GO) system, while the numbers of live cells to hydroxyl radicals in treatment of sodium sulfide were showed 48.6% at 10 $\mu\textrm{M}$, 54.8% at 100 $\mu\textrm{M}$, 51.8% at 150 $\mu\textrm{M}$, and 51.6% at 200 $\mu\textrm{M}$ in the neuronal cells. In the inhibitory effects on the proliferation of tumor cells, percentages of dead cells of the CT-26 or HeLa cell were generally less than 30% even 48hr after addition of sulfur containing compounds. Conclusively, the results of these experiments indicate that stress protein by sulfur containing compounds can be used as physiological indicator for animal nutrition and for environment, and also that cysteine and methionine can play critical roles as an antioxidant.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.30 no.10
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• pp.1200-1209
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• 2001

Objective : A thorough understanding of the related venous structure is mandatory for successful removal of the petroclival meningiomas. This study was planned to investigate the guideline for safe ligation and incision of transverse or sigmoid sinuses and the importance of drainage pattern of vein of $Labb{\acute{e}}$ in surgical removal of petroclival meningiomas. Patients and Methods : The authors reviewed the venogram of the consecutive 37 cases of petroclival meningiomas and retrospectively analyzed their surgical findings. The drainage pattern of confluence of Herophili was classified as Type A(confluent & equal on both sides), Type B(confluent & non-dominant on tumor side), Type C(confluent & dominant on tumor side) and Type D(unilateral drainage only) as these findings gave the information on safe ligation and resection of the sinus. Usefulness of intraoperative test clamping of sinus for safe ligation was also reviewed. The vein of $Labb{\acute{e}}$ was analyzed with respect to its draining point and its collaterals to other superficial veins. Results : Contraindications of the sinus ligation and resection according to the drainage pattern at the confluence of Herophili were Type C(n=10, 27%)and Type D(n=4, 11%). Patients with Type A(n=12, 32%)and Type B(n=11, 30%) were tolerable to sinus ligation ipsilateral to tumor, if the test clamping proved to be safe. Identification of no brain swelling, after intraoperative test clamping of the sinus for more than 30 minutes performed in 7 out of 11 cases, was a reliable indicator of safe sinus ligation. The drainage pattern of the vein of $Labb{\acute{e}}$, especially low-lying type, could predict the possibility of postoperative hemorrhage and infarction. Its drainage into tentorium or superior petrosal sinus, however, made the transtentorial approach impossible, leading to restricted operative field. Conclusion : For a successful removal of the petroclival meningiomas preoperative venogram should be examined carefully. The extent of exposure in a planned approach can be estimated by analyzing the variation of sinuses and the drainage pattern of vein of $Labb{\acute{e}}$.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.751-763
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• 2015

Both the selection of indicators and weights for them are critical issues in the vulnerability assessment. This study is to assess the air pollution vulnerability focused on ozone for 249 local jurisdictions using weights calculated by the entropy methodology and then examine the applicability of the methodology. We selected indicators for air pollution vulnerability assessment and standardized them. Subsequently, we calculated weights of each indicator using the entropy method and then integrated them into the vulnerability index. The exposure indicators consider meteorological and air pollution factors and the sensitivity of the local jurisdiction include variables on vulnerable areas and environments. The adaptive capacity contains socio-economic characteristics, health care capacities and air pollution managemental factors. The results show that Hwaseong-si, Gwangjin-gu, Gimpo-si, Gwangju-si, Gunpo-si are among the highest vulnerabilities based on the simple aggregation of indicators. And vulnerability-resilience (VRI) aggregation results indicates the similar spatial pattern with the simple aggregation outcomes. This article extends current climate change vulnerability assessment studies by adopting the entropy method to evaluate relative usefulness of data. In addition, the results can be used for developing customized adaptation policies for each jurisdiction reflecting vulnerable aspects.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.173-182
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• 2010

This study was conducted to investigate ozone sensitivity of physiological indicators and the difference in ozone tolerance of 8 families of Sophora japonica seedlings on the basis of the standardized physiological indicators. After ozone treatment, photosynthetic parameters, photosynthetic pigments and malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and antioxidative enzyme activities were analyzed from the leaves of S. japonica seedlings. Ozone tolerance indices among 8 families were calculated with the standardized physiological parameters. In addition, the reduction of carboxylation efficiency and apparent quantum yield were observed in the leaves of seven families, except for family No. 6 and 7, respectively. The apparent quantum yield varied from -27% to -61% of the control seedlings. Photosynthetic pigment content differed significantly among 8 families, but was not affected significantly by ozone treatment. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity increased from 7% to 64% after ozone exposure, and significant difference existed among 8 families. Ascorbate-peroxidase (APX) activity of 8 families increased by ozone treatment, and the activity of family No. 7 showed the highest increase (218%) in comparison to their respective control plants. On the basis of the standardized indices, family No. 6 showed the lowest tolerance by indicating higher reduction of both photosynthetic parameters and pigment content and lower increase of antioxidative enzyme activities. On the contrary, family No. 7 showed the highest tolerance as indicated by lower reduction of photosynthetic parameters, higher amounts of photosynthetic pigments, and higher enzyme activity.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.683-688
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• 2004

A bacteriocin-producing lactic acid bacteria was isolated from Kimchi on MRS selective media with the use of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. delbrueckii as an indicator strain. The strain YH-10 was identified as Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis through the API test. The crude bacteriocin (freeze-dried 50% ammonium sulfate precipitate of culture supernatant) produced by the strain was named as lacticin YH-10. Lacticin YH-10 showed the growth inhibitory activity against Gram positive pathogenic bacteria and other lactic acid bacteria. The bacteriocin was inactivated by proteases such as protamex and aroase AP-10 and partially inactivated by amylase, proteinase K, trypsin, and papain. The lacticin YH-10 remained its activity with the treatment of heat at 10$0^{\circ}C$ for 60 min or the changes of pH 2 to 11. However, the activity was lost at high pH combined with the exposure to 10$0^{\circ}C$. The bacteriocin production of the strain was started in the exponential phase and stopped in the stationary phase. The approximate molecular mass of the bacteriocin produced by the strain was approximate 14 kDa in the analysis on SDS-PAGE.