• BMB Reports
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• 제49권10호
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• pp.529-535
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• 2016

The NLRP3 inflammasome is activated by a variety of external or host-derived stimuli and its activation initiates an inflammatory response through caspase-1 activation, resulting in inflammatory cytokine IL-1β maturation and secretion. The NLRP3 inflammasome activation is a kind of innate immune response, most likely mediated by myeloid cells acting as a host defense mechanism. However, if this activation is not properly regulated, excessive inflammation induced by overactivated NLRP3 inflammasome can be detrimental to the host, causing tissue damage and organ dysfunction, eventually causing several diseases. Previous studies have suggested that mitochondrial damage may be a cause of NLRP3 inflammasome activation and autophagy, which is a conserved self-degradation process that negatively regulates NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Recently, mitochondria-selective autophagy, termed mitophagy, has emerged as a central player for maintaining mitochondrial homeostasis through the elimination of damaged mitochondria, leading to the prevention of hyperinflammation triggered by NLRP3 inflammasome activation. In this review, we will first focus on the molecular mechanisms of NLRP3 inflammasome activation and NLRP3 inflammasome-related diseases. We will then discuss autophagy, especially mitophagy, as a negative regulator of NLPP3 inflammasome activation by examining recent advances in research.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제15권3호
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• pp.484-490
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• 2005

Human ribosomal protein S3 (rpS3), which has a DNA repair endonuclease activity, is a multifunctional protein. This protein is involved in DNA repair, translation, and apoptosis. In particular, rpS3 has a lyase activity, which cleaves the phosphodiester bond of damaged sites such as cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers and AP sites. Here, using deletion analysis, we identified that the repair endonuclease domain resides in the C-terminal region (165-243 aa) of rpS3. We also found that ectopic expression of GST-rpS3 in bacterial strain BL21 promoted the resistance of these cells to ultraviolet (UV) radiation and hydrogen peroxide ($H_{2}O_{2}$) treatment. The repair domain of rpS3 was sufficient to exhibit the resistance to UV irradiation and recover cell growth and viability, showing that the repair activity of rpS3 is responsible for the resistance to UV irradiation. Our study suggests that rpS3 is able to process DNA damage in bacteria via its repair domain, showing the resistance to genotoxic stress. This implies that rpS3-like activity could be operative in bacteria.

• 한국식품영양과학회지
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• 제27권1호
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• pp.168-174
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• 1998

This study was conducted to determine whether Mildronate, an analogue of carnitine, influences blood alcohol concentration and hang-over syndrome in rabbits and healthy college male students. In the animal study, ten rabbits were randomly divided into two groups. One hundred mg per 1kg body weight of Mildronate was injected twice into five rabbits before injecting 50% ethanol; the rest of rabbits were injected with saline. The human study was performed with two sections. Each section of the study was conducted by a two-phase cross-over design with a four day wash-out period. All volunteers took Mildronate in one phase, and took a placebo in the next phase. The difference between the two sections was related to the time of taking the Mildronate pill and the amount of alcohol consumed. Blood alcohol concentrations were not significantly different between in those taking Mildronate and in those taking the placebo in both the human and the animal study. However, the concentration of serum aspartate aminotransferase(AST, GOT), the indicator of liver cell damage, was lowered in those taking Mildronate, compared to those taking the placebo. Also, headache and heartburn among hang-over syndrome patients were less severe with Mildronate. In conclusion, taking Mildronate prior to drinking alcohol can somewhat reduce liver cell damage and hang-over syndrome without stimulating alcohol metabolism.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제33권1호
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• pp.135-141
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• 2023

Protection of skin cells from chronic infrared-A (IRA) irradiation is crucial for anti-photoaging of the skin. In this study, we investigated the protective activity of Rg3(S) and Rg3(S)-incorporated anionic soybean lecithin liposomes (Rg3/Lipo) with a size of approximately 150 nm against IRA-induced photodamage in human fibroblasts. The formulated Rg3/Lipo showed increased solubility in aqueous solution up to a concentration of 200 ㎍/ml, compared to free Rg3(S). In addition, Rg3/Lipo exhibited superior colloidal stability in aqueous solutions and biocompatibility for normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDFs). After repeated IRA irradiation on NHDFs, elevated levels of cellular and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) were greatly reduced by Rg3(S) and Rg3/Lipo. In addition, cells treated with Rg3/Lipo exhibited noticeably reduced apoptotic signals following IRA irradiation compared to untreated cells. Thus, considering aqueous solubility and cellular responses, Rg3/Lipo could serve as a promising infrared protector for healthy aging of skin cells.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• 제11권1호
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• pp.320-324
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• 2023

As urbanization accelerates and facilities that use energy increase, human life and property damage due to fire is increasing. Therefore, a fire monitoring system capable of quickly detecting a fire is required to reduce economic loss and human damage caused by a fire. In this study, we aim to develop an improved artificial intelligence model that can increase the accuracy of low fire alarms by mixing DeepSORT, which has strengths in object tracking, with the YOLOv5s model. In order to develop a fire detection model that is faster and more accurate than the existing artificial intelligence model, DeepSORT, a technology that complements and extends SORT as one of the most widely used frameworks for object tracking and YOLOv5s model, was selected and a mixed model was used and compared with the YOLOv5s model. As the final research result of this paper, the accuracy of YOLOv5s model was 96.3% and the number of frames per second was 30, and the YOLOv5s_DeepSORT mixed model was 0.9% higher in accuracy than YOLOv5s with an accuracy of 97.2% and number of frames per second: 30.

• 산업경영시스템학회지
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• 제46권3호
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• pp.101-108
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• 2023

Although the proportion of coal-fired power generation is decreasing, efficient operating technology is needed to continuously invest in facilities and reduce maintenance costs until it is abolished. Boilers, one of the main facilities of power plants, operate for a long time in harsh environments of high temperature and high pressure. In addition, damage due to deterioration is likely to occur depending on the fuel and tube material used. It is very important to judge soundness because damage caused by deterioration adversely affects facility operation. Previously, replication method was used to analyze the progress of deterioration. In the replication method, pre-treatment such as chemical treatment is performed on the boiler tube in the field, the area is reproduced by attaching a film, and the replicated film is determined by an expert in the laboratory with an expensive microscope. However, this method involves substantial costs and time requirements, as well as the possibility of human errors. To address these issues, we developed a mobile health assessment system in this research. Since it is detachable and takes images in real time, this system enables swift evaluations across a broad range and facilitates the assessment of preprocessing quality. In addition, it was intended to reduce existing human mistakes by developing a degradation classification algorithm using the merger cluster method.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제34권7호
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• pp.1401-1409
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• 2024

Postbiotics have various functional effects, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-obesity. Levilactobacillus brevis BK3, the subject of this study, was derived from lactic acid bacteria isolated from Kimchi, a traditional Korean fermented food. The antioxidant activity of BK3 was confirmed through the measurements of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC). The wrinkle improvement effect was validated by assessing elastase inhibitory activity and collagenase inhibitory activity. The intracellular activity was confirmed using human keratinocytes (HaCaT) and human fibroblasts (HFF-1). BK3 protects skin cells from oxidative stress induced by H₂O₂ and reduces intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. In addition, the expressions of the antioxidant genes superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were upregulated. Meanwhile, matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) and collagen type I alpha 1 (COL1A1), involved in collagen degradation and synthesis, were significantly regulated. These results suggest the possibility of utilizing BK3 as a functional ingredient with antioxidant and wrinkle-improving effects.

• 한국산학기술학회논문지
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• 제19권2호
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• pp.668-675
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• 2018

전 세계적으로 도시화와 산업화의 발달은 많은 양의 전력을 필요로 하였다. 그리하여 연안 지역에 원자력 발전소를 비롯한 주요 사회기반시설의 건설이 가속화되었다. 또한 지구 온난화와 이상 기후 현상에 의해 자연 재해의 강도는 증가하고 있다. 자연 재해는 발생 지점과 규모를 예측하기 어렵고, 인명 피해와 재산 피해에 영향을 주고 있다. 이러한 문제로 인하여 연안 지역의 피해 예측과 재해 규모의 산정은 중요한 문제가 되었다. 그리하여 본 연구에서는 예측 가능한 기상 자료를 바탕으로 풍랑 피해의 피해액을 예측하고 예측한 결과를 바탕으로 풍랑 피해에 대하여 사전 대비 차원의 재난 관리가 가능할 것이라 판단된다. 본 연구에서는 재해 통계 자료가 부족한 시 군 구는 인접한 기상 관측소의 자료를 활용하는 지역은 군집분석을 활용하였다. 예측 가능한 기상자료와 지역 등급을 반영하였고, 재해 통계를 기반으로 남해연안지역의 풍랑 피해 예측함수를 개발 하였고, 검증 작업으로는 NRMSE를 활용하였다. 그 결과 NRMSE는 1.61%에서 21.73%로 분석되었다.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제13권7호
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• pp.3409-3416
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• 2012

Aim: It is well known that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) such as benzo (a) pyrene have carcinogenic properties and may cause many types of cancers in human populations. Genetic susceptibility might be due to variation in genes encoding for carcinogen metabolizing enzymes, such as cytochrome P-450 (CYP450). Our study aimed to investigate the effect of genetic polymorphisms of CYP1A1 (m1 and m2) on genetic damage in 115 coal-tar workers exposed to PAHs at their work place. Methods: Genetic polymorphisms of CYP1A1 were determined by the PCR-RFLP method. Comet and buccal micronucleus assays were used to evaluate genetic damage among 115 coal tar workers and 105 control subjects. Results: Both CYP1A1 m1 and CYP1A1 m2 heterozygous and homozygous (wt/mt+mt/mt) variants individually as well as synergistically showed significant association (P<0.05) with genetic damage as measured by tail moment (TM) and buccal micronuclei (BMN) frequencies in control and exposed subjects. Conclusion: In our study we found significant association of CYP1A1 m1 and m2 heterozygous (wt/mt)+homozygous (mt/mt) variants with genetic damage suggesting that these polymorphisms may modulate the effects of PAH exposure in occupational settings.

• 한국환경독성학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국환경독성학회 2002년도 추계국제학술대회
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• pp.169-169
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• 2002

The mobilizable amount of transition metals is a fraction of the total amount of the metal from urban particulate matter. Although the fraction is small, some metals (Fe, Cu) are the major participants in a reaction that generates reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can damage various biomolecules. Damaging effects of the metals can be measured by the single strand breakage (SSB) of X174 RFI DNA or the carbonyl formation of protein. In another study, we have shown that more metals are mobilized by PM2.5 than by PM10 in general. DNA SSB of >20% for PM2.5 and >15% for PM10 was observed in the presence of chelator (EDTA or citrate)/reductant (ascorbate), compared to the control (<3%) only with the chelator. The carbonyl formation by both PMs was very similar in the presence of the chelator, regardless of the kind of proteins. Compared to the control in the absence of chelator/reductant, 3.3 times and 4.9 times more carbonyl formation for PM2.5 and PM10, respectively, was obtained with BSA in the presence of chelator/reductant, showing that PM10 induced 33% more damage than PM2.5. However, 4.8 times and 1.9 times more carbonyl formation for PM2.5 and PM10, respectively, was observed with lysozyme in the presence of chelator/reductant, showing that PM2.5 induced 250% more damage than PM10. Although different proteins showed different sensitivities toward ROS, all these results indicate that the degrees of the oxidation of or damage to the biomolecules by the mobilized metals were higher with PM2.5 than with PM10. Therefore, it is expected that more metals mobilized from PM2.5 than from PM10, more damage to the biomolecules by PM2.5 than by PM10. We suggest that when the toxicity of the dust particle is considered, the particle size as well as the mobilizable fraction of the metal should be considered in place of the total amounts.