• Journal of Life Science
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• v.19 no.8
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• pp.1164-1169
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• 2009

Aberrant DNA methylation plays an important role in the development of cancer. It has been reported recently that DNA hypermethylation is involved in the maintenance of cancer stem cells. The present study was designed to test the hypothesis that the demethylating agent, 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (AZA), can inhibit the potential for maintenance of cancer stem cells. To validate this hypothesis, we used 4T1 syngeneic mouse models of breast cancer. The AZA pre-treated 4T1 cells showed a dramatic inhibition of tumorsphere formation, compared to their counterparts in vitro. In addition, the AZA treatment significantly suppressed the expression of stem regulator genes, such as oct-4, nanog and sox2, compared to counterparts in vivo. Therefore, selective inhibition of DNA methylation may be useful for stem-specific cancer therapy.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.405-418
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• 2007

Mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs) have been though to be multipotent cells that can replicate that have the potential to differentiate into lineages of mesenchymal tissue including the bone, cartilage, fat, tendon, muscle, and marrow stroma. Especially, scaffolds to support cell-based tissue engineering are critical determinants of clinical efforts to regenerate and repair the body. Selection of a matrix carrier imvolves consideration of the matrix's role as a scaffold for physical support and host tissue integration as well as its ability to support of synergize the osteoinductive program of the implanted mesenchymal stem cell. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of autobone and Bio-$Oss^{(R)}$ to adherent mesenchymal stem cells as scaffolds on sinus augmentation with fibrin glue mixture in a rabbit model. 16 New Zealand White rabbits were divided randomly into 4 groups based on their time of sacrifice(1, 2, 4 and 8 weeks). First, mesenchymal stem cells were isolated from iliac crest marrow of rabbits and expanded in vitro. Cell culture was performed in accordance with the technique described by Tsutsumi et al. In the present study, the animals were sacrificed at 1, 2, 4 and 8 weeks after transplantation, and the bone formation ability of each sides was evaluated clinically, radiologically, histologically and histomorphologically. According to the histological observations, autobone scaffolds group showed integrated graft bone with host bone from sinus wall. At 2 and 4 weeks, it showed active newly formed bone and neovascularization. At 8 weeks, lamellae bone was observed in sinus graft material area. Radiologically, autobone with stem cell showed more radiopaque than Bio-$Oss^{(R)}$ scaffolds group. there were significant differences in bone volume between 4 and 8 weeks(p<0.05).

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.407-418
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• 2021

In this study, the two-dimensional flow model, Nays2DH, and driftwood dynamics model were combined to analyze the flow and driftwood behavior depending on the characteristics of the inflow of driftwood and the length of the driftwood stem. In particular, the Dashpot-spring model was added to the driftwood dynamics model to simulate the collision motion of the driftwood, and the wood jam characteristics by the collision of the driftwood were compared. As a result of the simulation, the pass rate of the obstacle section, the travel distance of wood jam, and the mean position of the wood pieces were respondent sensitively by the length of the driftwood stem, but the cohort size of the driftwood supply was insignificant excepting for the pass rate. Through this study, we could understand the interaction between hydraulic structures and driftwood, and through this, it is believed that it will be helpful in establishing a durable maintenance plan for hydraulic structures by predicting the transport and jam formation phenomena of driftwood in advance.

• BMB Reports
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• v.47 no.8
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• pp.424-432
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• 2014

The defining feature of Parkinson's disease is a progressive and selective demise of dopaminergic neurons. A recent report on Parkinson's disease animal model demonstrates that poly (ADP-ribose) (PAR) dependent cell death, also named parthanatos, is accountable for selective dopaminergic neuronal loss. Parthanatos is a programmed necrotic cell death, characterized by PARP1 activation, apoptosis inducing factor (AIF) nuclear translocation, and large scale DNA fragmentation. Besides cell death regulation via interaction with AIF, PAR molecule mediates diverse cellular processes including genomic stability, cell division, transcription, epigenetic regulation, and stress granule formation. In this review, we will discuss the roles of PARP1 activation and PAR molecules in the pathological processes of Parkinson's disease. Potential interaction between PAR molecule and Parkinson's disease protein interactome are briefly introduced. Finally, we suggest promising points of therapeutic intervention in the pathological PAR signaling cascade to halt progression in Parkinson's disease.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.240-249
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• 2020

Despite the therapeutic effect of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in ischemic diseases, pathophysiological conditions, including hypoxia, limited nutrient availability, and oxidative stress restrict their potential. To address this issue, we investigated the effect of melatonin on the bioactivities of MSCs. Treatment of MSCs with melatonin increased the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1 alpha (PGC-1α). Melatonin treatment enhanced mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation in MSCs in a PGC-1α-dependent manner. Melatonin-mediated PGC-1α expression enhanced the proliferative potential of MSCs through regulation of cell cycle-associated protein activity. In addition, melatonin promoted the angiogenic ability of MSCs, including migration and invasion abilities and secretion of angiogenic cytokines by increasing PGC-1α expression. In a murine hindlimb ischemia model, the survival of transplanted melatonin-treated MSCs was significantly increased in the ischemic tissues, resulting in improvement of functional recovery, such as blood perfusion, limb salvage, neovascularization, and protection against necrosis and fibrosis. These findings indicate that the therapeutic effect of melatonin-treated MSCs in ischemic diseases is mediated via regulation of PGC-1α level. This study suggests that melatonin-induced PGC-1α might serve as a novel target for MSC-based therapy of ischemic diseases, and melatonin-treated MSCs could be used as an effective cell-based therapeutic option for patients with ischemic diseases.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.228-232
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• 2008

Antidiabetic effects of an aqueous and solvent extract prepared from the root, stem and fruit parts of Acanthopanax senticosus, were investigated in experimental Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats model. The n-butanol and water extracts of A. senticosus were orally administrated once a day for 6 days. The n-butanol extracts of fruit (FB) showed highest efficiency than other groups (water extracts of stem, root and fruit; butanol extracts of stem, root) on serum glucose values in the STZ-induced diabetic rats. We have studied gene expression of glucose transporter genes in C2C12 skeletal muscle cell line during differentiation treated by the n-butanol and water extracts of A. senticosus, SW, RW, FW, SB, RB and FB. The GLUT4 gene was high expressed by FB treatment. These findings suggest that FB of A. senticosus have GLUT4 gene expression activity for glucose homeostasis and may have beneficial effects on blood glucose lowering in the diabetic patients.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.690-696
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• 1996

It has been known that many kinds of cancer are caused by continued proliferation or abnormal differentiation. Thus, recent approaches to anticancer therapy have been focused on developing drugs that induce differentiation of cancer cells to normal cells. A typical differentiation agent, all trans-retinoic acid, is unsuitable for anticancer drug because all trans-retinoic acid produces unfavorable side effects and cytotoxicity in normal cells. Therefore, we have screened some new differentiation-inducing compounds obtained from marine organisms using F9 teratocarcinoma stem cells as a model system. We observed that fatty acid. glycolipid, saponin, sphingosine and sterol compounds of marine organisms had differentiation-inducing activity in F9 cells, were determined by morphological changes and Northern blot analysis. The expression of differentiation marker genes, such as laminin B1, type IV collagen and retinoic acid receptor beta were induced by treatment with those compounds.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.16-23
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• 2010

Adipocyte differentiation in human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs) is not as efficient as that in murine pre-adipocytes when induced by adipogenic agents including insulin, dexamethasone, and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IDX condition). Therefore, the promotion of adipocyte differentiation in hBM-MSCs has been used as a cell culture model to evaluate insulin sensitivity for anti-diabetic drugs. In hBM-MSCs, $PPAR{\gamma}$ agonists or sulfonylurea anti-diabetic drugs have been added to IDX conditions to promote adipocyte differentiation. Here we show that troglitazone, a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma ($PPAR{\gamma}$) agonist, significantly reduced the levels of anti-adipogenic $PGE_2$ in IDX-conditioned hBM-MSC culture supernatants when compared to $PGE_2$ levels in the absence of $PPAR{\gamma}$ agonist. However, there was no difference in the mRNA levels of cyclooxygenases (COXs) and the activities of COXs and prostaglandin synthases during adipocyte differentiation in hBM-MSCs with or without troglitazone. In hBM-MSCs, troglitazone significantly increased the mRNA level of 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (HPGD) which can act to decrease $PGE_2$ levels in culture. These results suggest that the role of $PPAR{\gamma}$ activation in promoting adipocyte differentiation in hBM-MSCs is to reduce anti-adipogenic $PGE_2$ levels through the up-regulation of HPGD expression.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.7
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• pp.3025-3033
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• 2016

Chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) is a clonal myeloproliferative hematopoietic stem cell disorder. Deregulated BCR-ABL fusion tyrosine kinase activity is the main cause of CML disease pathogenesis, making BCR-ABL an ideal target for inhibition. Current tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) designed to inhibit BCR-ABL oncoprotein activity, have completely transformed the prognosis of CML. Interruption of TKI treatment leads to minimal residual disease reside (MRD), thought to reside in TKI-insensitive leukaemia stem cells which remain a potential reservoir for disease relapse. This highlights the need to develop new therapeutic strategies for CML either as small molecule master TKIs or phytopharmaceuticals derived from nature to achieve chronic molecular remission. This review outlines the past, present and future therapeutic approaches for CML including coverage of relevant mechanisms, whether ABL dependent or independent, and epigenetic factors responsible for developing resistance against TKIs. Appearance of mutant clones along the course of therapy either pre-existing or induced due to therapy is still a challenge for the clinician. A proposed in-vitro model of generating colony forming units from CML stem cells derived from diagnostic samples seems to be achievable in the era of high throughput technology which can take care of single cell genomic profiling.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.94 no.5 s.162
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• pp.313-320
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• 2005

This study was performed in a 38-year-old Mongolian pine (Pinus sylvestris L. var. mongolica Litvin) plantation in northeast China. Data were collected from 5 sample trees with different canopy position ranging in DBH from 14.6 cm to 23.8 cm. Sawn speciments that included the biggest knot were taken from the stem below the living crown. Number and distribution of knots per whorl below the living crown were studied by relative height below living crown (RHBC). A linear model expressed as function of whorl age (AGE), whorl height ($H_k$) and the stem diameter at which the whorl was located ($D_k$) was developed to predict the knot diameter and angle. The number of annual rings in four periods and the width of respective zone alone stem were used as dependant variables to analyze the knot develop phases. In average, the number of years from branch birth to ceased forming rings was 7.8, the branches remained alive for 4.2 years without forming annual rings, and branches were occluded 14.4 years after their death. These results can provide abundance branch and knot information so as to describe current and past tree growth dynamic of Mongolian pine plantation.