• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.135-140
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• 2003

Bacillus sp. secretes high levels of extracellular enzymes into the culture medium. The signal recognition particle (SRP) and the SRP receptor play a central role in targeting pre secretory proteins to the translocase. By the analysis of the DNA microarray of B. lentimorbus WJ5, it was detected that WJ5m12, antifungal activity deficient mutant induced by gamma radiation, had a down-regulated expression of the SRP receptor gene (B. subtitis srb homologue, srbL). To determine the relationship of SRP receptor to antifungal activity, srbL of B. lentimorbus WJ5 was amplified by PCR and ligated into pQE30 vector, and then transferred into WJ5m12. The transformant, WJ5m12::srbL, recovered the antifungal activity. From the 2-DE analysis, the several presecretory proteins accumulated in the mutant cell and decreased to a level of the wild type in WJ5m12::srbL. It seems that the srbL could play an important role in the secretion of the antifungal activity related proteins of B. lentimorbus WJ5.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.101-115
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• 2004

Objective : The present studies investigated the effects of 120 Hz high frequency electroacupuncture (EA) on the stress-induced stomach dysfunction in relation to its effect on the level of stress hormones and gastric mucosal damages. The gastric mucosal injury was induced by cold-restraint stress and two acupoints corresponding to Zusanli and Sanyinjiao in man were used. Methods : Cold-restraint stress produced typical gastric lesions in all rats of the stressed groups, but the number of ulcers as well as the mean ulcer diameter were reduced by 120 Hz EA pre-treatment. Results : The degranulation value of gastric mast cell was significantly higher in cold-restrained rats than in control ones. However, with the significant reduction of degranulation values of gastric mast cells in EA pre-treated rats compared with cold-restrained rats. Cold-restarint stress induced an elevated mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory gene such as cyclooxygenases-2 and tumor necrosis factor $(TNF)-{\alpha}$, but these expression were down-regulated in EA pre-treated rats. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that while the $inhibitory-{\kappa}B{\alpha}$ and $TNF-{\alpha}$ immunorection in the surface epithelium of the stomach tended to increase, both reactions in the EA pre-treated rats showed similar pattern as observed in controls. Conclusion : These results suggest that 120 Hz EA may act as a therapeutical means for gastric mucosal damages through an activation of pituitary adrenal system. It could be concluded that 120 Hz high frequency electroaucupuncture affords a good protective potential against stress-induced gastrointestinal dysfunction.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.183-188
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• 2014

In order to increase the nutritional quality of soybean meal (SBM) as an animal feed, Bacillus subtilis TP6, a previously isolated strain from an Indonesian traditional fermented soybean food, Tempeh, was used as a starter organism for solid-state fermentation. In the pre-treated SBM with water content of 60% (v/w), B. subtilis TP6 was grown to a maximum viable cell number of $3.5{\times}10^9CFU/g$. Compared to control, crude protein in Bacillus fermented SBM was increased by 16%, while raffinose, stachyose, and trypsin inhibitors were reduced by 31, 37, and 90%, respectively. The Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis showed that proteins in the fermented SBM were remarkably hydrolyzed into smaller molecular masses, resulting in a decrease in large sized proteins. Our data suggested that B. subtilis fermentation could increase the nutritive value of SBM through reduction of anti-nutritive factors and improvement of protein quality by hydrolysis of soy protein. In addition, B. subtilis TP6 produced a functional ingredient, poly-${\gamma}$-glutamic acid which has various health benefits.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.227-237
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• 2002

A numerical technique for simulating the aggregation of charged particles was presented with a Brownian dynamic simulation in the free molecular regime. The Langevin equation was used for tracking each particle making up an aggregate. A periodic boundary condition was used for calculation of the aggregation process in each cell with 500 primary particles of 16 nm in diameter. We considered the thermal force and the electrostatic force for the calculation of the particle motion. The electrostatic force on a particle in the simulation cell was considered as a sum of electrostatic forces from other particles in the original cell and its replicate cells. We assumed that the electric charges accumulated on an aggregate were located on its center of mass, and aggregates were only charged with pre-charged primary particles. The morphological shape of aggregates was described in terms of the fractal dimension. In the simulation, the fractal dimension for the uncharged aggregate was D$\_$f/ = 1.761. The fractal dimension changed slightly for the various amounts of bipolar charge. However, in case of unipolar charge, the fractal dimension decreased from 1.641 to 1.537 with the increase of the average number of charges on the particles from 0.2 to 0.3 in initial states. In the bipolar charge state, the average sizes of aggregates were larger than that of the uncharged state in the early and middle stages of aggregation process, but were almost the same as the case of the uncharged state in the final stage. On the other hand, in the unipolar charge state, the average size of aggregates and the dispersion of particle volume decreased with the increasing of the charge quantities.

• Clinical Endoscopy
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.55-64
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• 2023

Background/Aims: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) has been established as a treatment modality for superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Long-term follow-up data are lacking in Western countries. The aim of this study was to analyze long-term survival in a Western center. Methods: Patients undergoing ESD for ESCC were included. The analysis was performed retrospectively using a prospectively collected database. Results: R0 resection rate was 96.7% (59/61 lesions in 58 patients). Twenty-seven patients (46.6%) fulfilled the curative resection criteria (M1/M2) (group A), 11 patients (19.0%) had M3 lesions without lymphovascular invasion (LVI) (group B), and 20 patients (34.5%) had lesions with submucosal invasion or LVI (group C). Additional treatment was recommended after non-curative resection. It was not performed in 20/31 patients (64.5%), mainly because of comorbidities (75%). Twenty-nine out of 58 (50.0%) patients died during a mean follow-up of 3.7 years. Death was related to ESCC in 17.2% (5/29) of patients. The disease-specific survival rate after curative resection was 100%. Overall survival rates after 5 years were 61.5%, 63.6% and 28.1% for groups A, B, and C, respectively. The overall survival was significantly worse after non-curative resection (p=0.038). Conclusions: Non-curative resection is frequent after ESD for ESCC in Western patients. The long-term prognosis is limited and mainly determined by comorbidity. Early diagnosis and pre-interventional assessments need to be improved.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.190-197
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• 2011

The objective of the present study was to elucidate the fundamental mechanism of bovine oviduct epithelial cell (BOEC) co-culture on developmental capacity of bovine IVM/IVF embryos and to determine whether or not melatonin acts as an antioxidant in BOEC culture and subsequent embryo development. These studies examined the effects of melatonin against NO-induced oxidative stress on cell viability, lipid peroxidation (LPO) and the expression of antioxidant genes (CuZnSOD, MnSOD and Catalase) or apoptosis genes (Bcl-2, Caspase-3 and Bax) during BOECs culture. We also evaluated the developmental rates of bovine IVM/IVF embryos with BOEC co-culture, which were pre-treated with melatonin ($1,000\;{\mu}M$) in the presence or absence of sodium nitroprusside (SNP, $1,000\;{\mu}M$) for 24 h. Cell viability in BOECs treated with SNP (50-$2,000\;{\mu}M$) decreased while melatonin addition (1-$1,000\;{\mu}M$) increased viability in a dose-dependent manner. Cell viability in melatonin plus SNP ($1,000\;{\mu}M$) gradually recovered according to increasing melatonin addition (1-$1,000\;{\mu}M$). The LPO products were measured by thiobarbituric acid (TBA) reaction for malondialdehyde (MDA). Addition of melatonin in BOEC culture indicated a dose-dependent decrease of MDA, and in the SNP group among BOECs treated with SNP or melatonin plus SNP groups MDA was significantly increased compared with SNP plus melatonin groups (p<0.05). In expression of apoptosis or antioxidant genes detected by RT-PCR, Bcl-2 and antioxidant genes were detected in melatonin or melatonin plus SNP groups, while Caspase-3 and Bax genes were only found in the SNP group. When bovine IVM/IVF embryos were cultured for 6-7 days under the BOEC co-culture system pre-treated with melatonin in the presence or absence of SNP, the highest developmental ability to blastocysts was obtained in the $1,000\;{\mu}M$ melatonin group. These results suggest that melatonin has an anti-oxidative effect against NO-induced oxidative stress on cell viability of BOECs and on the developmental competence of bovine IVM/IVF embryo co-culture with BOEC.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.355-359
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• 2019

Exosomes, known as nanoscale extracellular vesicles in the range of 30-150 nm, are known to contain clinically significant information. However, there is still insufficient information on exosomal membrane proteins for cancer diagnosis. In this work, we investigated the characteristics of the membrane proteins of exosomes shed by cultured breast cancer cell lines using a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) spectroscopy and pre-activated alkanethiols modified sensor chips. The antibodies of breast cancer biomarkers such as MCU-16, EpCAM, CD24, ErbB2, and CA19-9 were immobilized on the pre-activated alkanethiols surfaces without any activation steps. The purified exosomes were loaded onto each antibody surface. The affinity rank of the antibody surfaces was decided by the relative capture efficiency factors for the exosomes. In addition, an antibody with a relative capture efficiency close to 100% was tested with exosome concentration levels of 10⁴/µl, 10⁵/µl, and 10⁶/µl for quantitative analysis.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.9
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• pp.4607-4611
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• 2012

Objective: Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most common gynecologic malignancy. Identification of potential biomarkers of EC would be helpful for the detection and monitoring of malignancy, improving clinical outcomes. Methods: The Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis method was used to identify prognostic markers for EC in this study. Moreover, underlying molecular mechanisms were characterized by KEGG pathway enrichment and transcriptional regulation analyses. Results: Seven gene co-expression modules were obtained, but only the turquoise module was positively related with EC stage. Among the genes in the turquoise module, COL5A2 (collagen, type V, alpha 2) could be regulated by PBX (pre-B-cell leukemia homeobox 1)1/2 and HOXB1(homeobox B1) transcription factors to be involved in the focal adhesion pathway; CENP-E (centromere protein E, 312kDa) by E2F4 (E2F transcription factor 4, p107/p130-binding); MYCN (v-myc myelocytomatosis viral related oncogene, neuroblastoma derived [avian]) by PAX5 (paired box 5); and BCL-2 (B-cell CLL/lymphoma 2) and IGFBP-6 (insulin-like growth factor binding protein 6) by GLI1. They were predicted to be associated with EC progression via Hedgehog signaling and other cancer related-pathways. Conclusions: These data on transcriptional regulation may provide a better understanding of molecular mechanisms and clues to potential therapeutic targets in the treatment of EC.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.125-138
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• 2010

Objective : The present study was examined to evaluate the effects of Ecliptae Herba on the production of inflammatory mediators in vivo and in vitro. Methods : In cell viability, all three doses of Ecliptae Herba extract (25, 50 and $100\;{\mu}g/ml$) had no significant cytotoxicity during the experimental period. The increases of NO production and iNOS expression were detected in LPS-activated cells compared to control, but these increases were dose-dependently attenuated by pre-treatment with Ecliptae Herba extract. Results : 1. LPS plays a pivotal roles in inducing to the massive production of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-$\alpha$, IL-$1{\beta}$ and IL-6 in macrophages. 2. Ecliptae Herba extract reduced the elevated production of cytokines by LPS. 3. Ecliptae Herba extract reduced $PGE_2$ levels in a dose-dependent manner as a consequence of inhibition of COX-2 activity. 4. Ecliptae Herba extract significantly reduced the nuclear translocation of $NF-{\kappa}B$ induced by LPS. 5. In histopathological study, Ecliptae Herba effectively inhibited the increases of hind paw edema, skin thicknesses and inflammatory cell infiltrations induced by carrageenan treatment. Conclusions : These results provide evidences that therapeutic effect of Ecliptae Herba on the acute inflammation is partly due to the reduction of some of inflammatory factors by inhibiting iNOS and COX-2 through the suppression of $NF-{\kappa}B$.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.81-89
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• 2008

Objectives: In this study, the pharmacological effects of the ethylacetate extract of Ostericum koreanum(North Kangwhal; NK) on allergic inflammation were investigated in activated human mast cells. Methods: North Kangwhal was extracted with 80% methanol for 24 h, and then fractionated with ethylacetate(NK-EtOAc extract). HMC-1 cells, an human mast line, were pre-incubated with different concentrations of NK-EtOAc extract for 30 min, and then stimulated with PMA(50 nM/ml) and A23187($1{\mu}M/ml$) at indicated times. The cell toxicity was determined by MTT assay. The concentrations of prostaglandin E2(PGE2) and cytokines(TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-8) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay. Results: NK-EtOAc extract($10{\sim}50{\mu}g/ml$) significantly inhibited the productions of $PGE_2$, TNF-${\alpha}$ and IL-8 in PMA/A23187-stimulated HMC-1 cells without cell toxicity($0{\sim}50{\mu}g/ml$). NK-EtOAc extract also inhibited PMA/A23187-induced phosphorylation of ERK1/2 MAPK and the NF-${\kappa}B$ p65 subunit translocation into the nuclear of HMC-1 cells. Conclusions: This study suggests that NK-EtOAc extract may have an anti-inflammatory property through suppressing the production of inflammatory mediators in activated mast cells and its molecular mechanism underlies the blocking of NF-${\kappa}B$ pathway.