• BMB Reports
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• v.49 no.7
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• pp.359-369
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• 2016

DNA methylation is emerging as an attractive marker providing investigative leads to solve crimes in forensic genetics. The identification of body fluids that utilizes tissue-specific DNA methylation can contribute to solving crimes by predicting activity related to the evidence material. The age estimation based on DNA methylation is expected to reduce the number of potential suspects, when the DNA profile from the evidence does not match with any known person, including those stored in the forensic database. Moreover, the variation in DNA implicates environmental exposure, such as cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption, thereby suggesting the possibility to be used as a marker for predicting the lifestyle of potential suspect. In this review, we describe recent advances in our understanding of DNA methylation variations and the utility of DNA methylation as a forensic marker for advanced investigative leads from evidence materials.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.81-89
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• 2017

Healthy aging has become a major goal of public health. Many studies have provided evidence and theories to explain molecular mechanisms of the aging process. Recent studies suggest that epigenetic mechanisms are responsible for life span and the progression of aging. Epigenetics is a fascinating field of molecular biology, which studies heritable modifications of DNA and histones that regulate gene expression without altering the DNA sequence. DNA methylation is a major epigenetic mark that shows progressive changes during aging. Recent studies have investigated aging-related DNA methylation as a biomarker that predicts cellular age. Interestingly, growing evidence proposes that nutrients play a crucial role in the regulation of epigenetic modifiers. Because various nutrients and their metabolites function as substrates or cofactors for epigenetic modifiers, nutrition can modulate or reverse epigenetic marks in the genome as well as expression patterns. Here, we will review the results on aging-associated epigenetic modifications and the possible mechanisms by which nutrition, including nutrient availability and bioactive compounds, regulate epigenetic changes and affect aging physiology.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.46-55
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• 2020

Chrysosplenium grayanum Maxim. (Series Nepalensia), which had been known to be restricted to Japan, was newly discovered from Mt. Cheongtae in Yeonggwang-gun, Jeollanam-do, located in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula. Species identification was confirmed using morphological characteristics and DNA sequence data, while comparing with materials obtained from Japan and herbarium specimens. Chrysosplenium grayanum is clearly distinguished from the remaining taxa of the genus Chrysosplenium by having glabrous plant body, opposite leaves, cylindrical papillae with roundish head at the tip on the smooth seed surface, and four stamens. Molecular sequence data of the nuclear ribosomal ITS regions, chloroplast rbcL and matK genes strongly supported that this previously unknown Chrysosplenium species from Korea is C. grayanum. Taking the molecular and the morphological evidence into consideration, it is clear that newly discovered Chrysosplenium population in Korea is conspecific with the widely distributed C. grayanum in Japan. In this paper, we provide a description, illustration, and photo images of Chrysosplenium grayanum from Korea and also a key to the Chrysosplenium species in Korea.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.33-43
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• 2023

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has made significant impacts on global public health, including the development of several skin diseases that have arisen primarily as a result of the pandemic. Owing to the widespread expansion of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19), the development of effective treatments for these skin diseases is drawing attention as an important social issue. For many centuries, ginseng and its major active ingredients, ginsenosides and saponins, have been widely regarded as herbal medicines. Further, the anti-viral action of ginseng suggests its potential effectiveness as a therapeutic agent against COVID-19. Thus, the aim of this review was to examine the association of skin lesions with COVID-19 and the effect of ginseng as a therapeutic agent to treat skin diseases induced by COVID-19 infection. We classified COVID-19-related skin disorders into three categories: caused by inflammatory, immune, and complex (both inflammatory and immune) responses and evaluated the evidence for ginseng as a treatment for each category. This review offers comprehensive evidence on the improvement of skin disorders induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection using ginseng and its active constituents.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.1-15
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• 2010

Recognizing a basal group in a taxon is one of the most important factors involved in understanding the evolutionary history of that group of life. Many botanists have suggested a sister to all other angiosperms to understand the origin and rapid diversification of angiosperms based on morphological and fossil evidence. Recent technical advances in molecular biology and the accumulation of molecular phylogenetic data have provided evidence of the extant basal-most angiosperm which is a sister to all other angiosperms. Although it is still arguable, most plant taxonomists agree that Amborella trichopoda Baill., a species (monotypic genus and monotypic family) distributed in New Caledonia, is a sister to all other extant angiosperms based on evidence from the following molecular approaches: 1) classical phylogenetic analyses based on multiple genes (or DNA regions), 2) analyses of a tree network of duplicated gene families, and 3) gene-structural evidence. As an alternative hypothesis with relatively minor evidence, some researchers have also suggested that Amborella and Nymphaeaceae form a clade that is a sister to all other angiosperms. Debate regarding the basal-most angiosperms is still ongoing and is currently one of the hot issues in plant evolutionary biology. We expect that sequencing of the whole genome of Amborella as an evolutionary model plant and subsequent studies based on this genome sequence will provide information regarding the origin and rapid diversification of angiosperms, which is Darwin's so called abominable mystery.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.42 no.sup1
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• pp.140-148
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• 2008

$^{18}F-FDG$ PET showed a high sensitivity and specificity in the initial staging of malignant melanoma, and it also predicted the prognosis correctly. In addition, it had a higher sensitivity and specificity in the detection of recurrence and restaging than conventional imaging modalities. Meanwhile, there's less clinical evidence to support the use of $^{18}F-FDG$ PET in the response evaluation for chemotherapy and the diagnosis/differential diagnosis of malignant melanoma.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.42 no.sup1
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• pp.121-125
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• 2008

$^{18}F-FDG$ PET has a higher diagnostic accuracy than a in initial staging of testicular cancer. In seminoma, it can discriminate residual tumor from necrosis/fibrosis or mature teratoma. $^{18}F-FDG$ PET is also useful for the response evaluation of chemotherapy. However, there's no clinical evidence for the use of $^{18}F-FDG$ PET in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of testicular cancer.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.229-235
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• 2001

Clinical interest has lately been roused by evidence that comprehension of synaptic plasticity may be based on the theoretical opinion. This paper describes perception of synaptic plasticity. Especially processes of long term potentiation(LTP) and long term depression(LTD) are discussed. Recently, it is assessed to genetical parts from development of molecular biology. Therefore this review also represents aspect of molecular events of synaptic plasticity.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Toxicology Conference
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• 2003.05a
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• pp.93-94
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• 2003

beta-Amyloid peptide is considered to be responsible for the formation of senile plagues that accumulate in the brains of patients with Alzheimers disease. There has been a paucity of evidence to support the involvement of reactive oxygen and/or nitrogen species (ROS and/or RNS) in beta-amyloid-induced neuronal cell death. (omitted)

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2003.10b
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• pp.200.3-200.3
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• 2003

Reactive oxygen species(ROS) are produced at a high rate continuously as a by-product of aerobic metabolism. Several lines of evidence provided that ROS appears to cause to develop aging and various diseases. High level of hyaluronic acid with decreased molecular weight has been detected in patients with inflammatory diseases including rheumatoid arthritis. Hyaluronidase is an endohexosaminidase that initiates the degradation of hyaluronic acid with high molecular weight. Prunus persica Batsch var. davidiana Maximowicz has been known as a korean folk medicine for treatment of neuritis and rheumatism. (omitted)