• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.473-483
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• 2023

Many cancers arise from sites of chronic inflammation, which creates an inflammatory microenvironment surrounding the tumor. Inflammatory substances secreted by cells in the inflammatory environment can induce the proliferation and survival of cancer cells, thereby promoting cancer metastasis and angiogenesis. Therefore, it is important to identify the role of inflammatory factors in cancer progression. This review summarizes the signaling pathways and roles of C-reactive protein (CRP) in various cancer types, including breast, liver, renal, and pancreatic cancer, and the tumor microenvironment. Mounting evidence suggests the role of CRP in breast cancer, particularly in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), which is typically associated with a worse prognosis. Increased CRP in the inflammatory environment contributes to enhanced invasiveness and tumor formation in TNBC cells. CRP promotes endothelial cell formation and angiogenesis and contributes to the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis. In pancreatic and kidney cancers, CRP contributes to tumor progression. In liver cancer, CRP regulates inflammatory responses and lipid metabolism. CRP modulates the activity of various signaling molecules in macrophages and monocytes present in the tumor microenvironment, contributing to tumor development, the immune response, and inflammation. In the present review, we overviewed the role of CRP signaling pathways and the association between inflammation and cancer in various types of cancer. Identifying the interactions between CRP signaling pathways and other inflammatory mediators in cancer progression is crucial for understanding the complex relationship between inflammation and cancer.

• Journal of Technology Innovation
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.23-42
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• 2006

This study investigates the determinants of output of a manufacturing firm's innovative activity (the number of patent applications) and spillover effects using a count data model. This paper attempted a negative binomial distribution In order to take into account unobserved heterogeneity. The results of our study suggested that Firm size, R&D intensity, technical network activity, and online business performance have significantly positive effects in the Korean manufacturing industry. Moreover, there are significantly positive spillover effects in the same industry sector.

• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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• v.23 no.60
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• pp.83-89
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• 2000

As customer's needs change rapidly in recent days, the evaluation scale about service quality is changing against the variation of the customer's needs. It is fact that the need of change which established evaluation ways about service quality rise more and more. 6-Sigma activity, called "most innovative management strategy in 20th Century", have many problems apply to service company. The important one between these problems is the problem about Critical To Quality(CTQ) Selection caused from the absence of more precise evaluation system. The objective of this study is the development of methodology for CTQ selection coincide to service company. It is the basic logic that the way to regard MOT mainly effects about total customer satisfaction index(CSI) as CTQ, after the development of the evaluation system based on MOT with customers. Also, the study focused on the case of department store progress to exhibit the reasonableness of this logic.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.241-252
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• 2023

The era of innovative RNA therapies using antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), siRNAs, and mRNAs is beginning. Since the emergence of the concept of ASOs in 1978, it took more than 20 years before they were developed into drugs for commercial use. Nine ASO drugs have been approved to date. However, they target only rare genetic diseases, and the number of chemistries and mechanisms of action of ASOs are limited. Nevertheless, ASOs are accepted as a powerful modality for next-generation medicines as they can theoretically target all disease-related RNAs, including (undruggable) protein-coding RNAs and non-coding RNAs. In addition, ASOs can not only downregulate but also upregulate gene expression through diverse mechanisms of action. This review summarizes the achievements in medicinal chemistry that enabled the translation of the ASO concept into real drugs, the molecular mechanisms of action of ASOs, the structure-activity relationship of ASO-protein binding, and the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, and toxicology of ASOs. In addition, it discusses recent advances in medicinal chemistry in improving the therapeutic potential of ASOs by reducing their toxicity and enhancing their cellular uptake.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.211-218
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• 2023

Background: Traditional wildlife monitoring has often relied on invasive techniques posing risks to species and demanding substantial resources. To address this, camera traps emerged as non-invasive alternatives, albeit primarily tailored for larger mammals, posing limitations for small mammal research. Thus, the Mostela, an innovative tool designed to overcome these challenges, was introduced to monitor small mammals in South Korea. Results: The Mostela was deployed at two study sites in South Korea, yielding compelling evidence of its efficiency in capturing small mammal species. By analyzing the collected data, we calculated the relative abundance of each species and elucidated their activity patterns. Conclusions: In summary, the Mostela system demonstrates substantial potential for advancing small mammal monitoring, offering valuable insights into diversity, community dynamics, activity patterns, and habitat preferences. Its application extends to the detection of endangered and rare species, further contributing to wildlife conservation efforts in South Korea. Consequently, the Mostela system stands as a valuable addition to the toolkit of conservationists and researchers, fostering ethical and non-invasive research practices while advancing our understanding of small mammal populations and ecosystems.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.363-370
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• 2018

Many studies reported reduced antioxidant capacity in the vasculature under hypertensive conditions. However, little is known about the effects of antihypertensive treatments on the regulation of vascular antioxidant enzymes. Thus, we hypothesized that antihypertensive treatments prevent the reduction of antioxidant enzyme activity and expression in the small vessels of angiotensin II-induced hypertensive rats (ANG). We observed the small mesenteric arteries and small renal vessels of normotensive rats (NORM), ANG, and ANG treated with a triple antihypertensive therapy of reserpine, hydrochlorothiazide, and hydralazine (ANG + TTx). Systolic blood pressure was increased in ANG, which was attenuated by 2 weeks of triple therapy (127, 191, and 143 mmHg for NORM, ANG, and ANG + TTx, respectively; p < 0.05). Total superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in the small mesenteric arteries of ANG was lower than that of NORM. The protein expression of SOD1 was lower in ANG than in NORM, whereas SOD2 and SOD3 expression was not different between the groups. Reduced SOD activity and SOD1 expression in ANG was not restored in ANG + TTx. Both SOD activity and SOD isoform expression in the small renal vessels of ANG were not different from those of NORM. Interestingly, SOD activity in the small renal vessels was reduced by TTx. Between groups, there was no difference in catalase activity or expression in both the small mesenteric arteries and small renal vessels. In conclusion, SOD activity in the small mesenteric arteries decreased by angiotensin II administration, but not by hypertension, which is caused by decreased SOD1 expression.

• Management & Information Systems Review
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.95-112
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• 2009

The paper investigates the determinants of firm's standardization activity in the Korean service industry. Standardization variables as dependent ones are standardization management at the firm level, domestic standardization activity, and international standardization activity. The independent variables include innovative activities(R&D intensity and patent application), firm size, export ratio, network, and firm's organization characteristics. We estimated the logistic regression model, using the data from 102 Korean service firms. The empirical findings are as follows. First, R&D intensity has a positive effect on international standardization activity, but not on the standardization management at the firm level and domestic standardization activity. Second, patent application has a negative effect on the standardization management at the firm level. Third, firm size doesn't have any influence on firms' standardization activities in the service sector. Fourth, the level of chief executive officer's interest on standardization is a very important factor in determining firms' efforts to participate standardization process, regardless of types of standardization activity.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.264-271
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• 2020

Background: Because a forward-leaning posture can cause increased back muscle activity and pain. Therefore, an innovative method to reduce back muscle activity and pain is required. Objects: This study aimed to investigate the effects of a head support on muscle activity and pain in a forward-leaning posture. Methods: A total of 14 male and 16 female students (average age, 21.65 ± 2.37 years; height, 166.15 ± 7.90 cm; and weight, 60.65 ± 9.00 kg) were recruited for the experiment. Two of them were excluded due to musculoskeletal disorders. The muscle activity and pain in the forward-leaning posture were assessed while participants washed dishes for 7 minutes with and without a head support. The condition of using a head support was randomly performed with a 5-minutes break. To confirm a lumbar flexion angle of 30° during the experiment, myoVIDEO was used, and surface electromyography was used to measure muscle activity. Pain was assessed using a 10-point visual analog scale (VAS). The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to analyze the data, with p < 0.05 indicating statistical significance. Results: The cervical, thoracic, and lumbar erector spinae muscle activities significantly decreased with the use of the head support, but there was no significant change in the gluteus maximus. There was a significant decrease in the VAS score for the lumbar erector spinae (p < 0.05), but there was no significant change in the VAS score for the cervical region. Conclusion: The use of a head support in a forward-leaning posture reduced cervical, thoracic, and lumbar erector muscle activity and pain. Therefore, it could be recommended during working in a forward-leaning posture, such as during dishwashing, cooking, and working as a factory employee.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.721-727
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• 2007

Stability-enhanced mutants, H44, 11-94, 5A2-84, and F8, of L-threonine aldolase(L-TA) from Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2)(SCO1085) were isolated by an error-prone PCR followed by a high-throughput screening. Each of these mutant, had a single amino acid substitution: H177Y in the H44 mutant, A169T in the 11-94 mutant, D104N in the 5A2-84 mutant and F18I in the F8 mutant. The residual L-TA activity of the wild-type L-TA after a heat treatment for 20 min at $60^{\circ}C$ was only 10.6%. However, those in the stability-enhanced mutants were 85.7% for the H44 mutant, 58.6% for the F8 mutant, 62.1% for the 5A2-84 mutant, and 67.6% for the 11-94 mutant. Although the half-life of the wild-type L-TA at $63^{\circ}C$ was 1.3 min, those of the mutant L-TAs were longer: 14.6 min for the H44 mutant, 3.7 min for the 11-94 mutant, 5.8 min for the 5A2-84 mutant, and 5.0 min for the F8 mutant. The specific activity did not change in most of the mutants, but it was decreased by 45% in the case of mutant F8. When the aldol condensation of glycine and 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde was studied by using whole cells of Escherichia coli containing the wild-type L-TA gene, L-threo-3,4-dihydroxyphenylserine(L-threo-DOPS) was successfully synthesized with a yield of 2.0 mg/ml after 20 repeated batch reactions for 100 h. However, the L-threo-DOPS synthesizing activity of the enzyme decreased with increased cycles of the batch reactions. Compared with the wild-type L-TA, H44 L-TA kept its L-threo-DOPS synthesizing activity almost constant during the 20 repeated batch reactions for 100 h, yielding 4.0 mg/ml of L-threo-DOPS. This result showed that H44 L-TA is more effective than the wild-type L-TA for the mass production of L-threo-DOPS.

• Fibers and Polymers
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.181-185
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• 2005

Silk fibroin (SF) nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning and their application as an enzyme immobilization support was attempted. By varying the concentration of SF dope solution the diameter of SF nanofiber was controlled. The SF nanofiber web had high capacity of enzyme loading, which reached to $5.6\;wt\%$. The activity of immobilized a-chymotrypsin (CT) on SF nanofiber was 8 times higher than that on silk fiber and it increased as the fiber diameter decreased. Sample SF8 (ca. 205 nm fiber diameter) has excellent stability at $25^{\circ}C$ by retaining more than $90\%$ of initial activity after 24 hours, while sample SF11 (ca. 320 nm fiber diameter) shows higher stability in ethanol, retaining more than $45\%$ of initial activity. The formation of multipoint attachment between enzyme and support might increase the stability of enzyme. From these results, it is expected that the electrospun SF nanofibers can be used as an excellent support for enzyme immobilization.