• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.190-198
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• 2021

Human Aichivirus (Aichivirus A; AiV-A) is a positive-sense single-strand RNA non-enveloped virus that has been detected worldwide in various water environments including sewage, river, surface, and ground over the past decade. To develop a method with excellent sensitivity and specificity for AiV-A diagnosis from water environments such as groundwater, a combination capable of reverse transcription (RT)-nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was developed based on existing reported and newly designed primers. A selective method was applied to evaluate domestic drinking groundwater samples. Thus, a procedure was devised to select and subsequently identify RT-nested PCR primer sets that can successfully detect and identify AiV-A from groundwater samples. The findings will contribute to developing a better monitoring system to detect AiV-A contamination in water environments such as groundwater.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.8
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• pp.1134-1143
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• 2021

In the present study, we investigated the inhibitory effect of heat-killed Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) and live E. faecalis on benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The BPH rat model was established by administering male rats with testosterone propionate (TP, 5 mg/kg, in corn oil) via subcutaneous injections daily for four weeks after castration. The rats were divided into five groups: Con, corn oil-injected (s.c.) + DW administration; BPH, TP (5 mg/kg, s.c.) + DW administration; BPH+K_EF, TP (5 mg/kg, s.c.) + heat-killed E. faecalis (7.5 × 10¹² CFU/g, 2.21 mg/kg) administration; BPH+L_EF, TP (5 mg/kg, s.c.) + live E. faecalis (1 × 10¹¹ CFU/g, 166 mg/kg) administration; BPH+Fi, TP (5 mg/kg, s.c.) + finasteride (1 mg/kg) administration. In both of BPH+K_EF and BPH+L_EF groups, the prostate weight decreased and histological changes due to TP treatment recovered to the level of the Con group. Both of these groups also showed regulation of androgen-signaling factors, growth factors, and apoptosis-related factors in prostate tissue. E. faecalis exhibited an inhibitory effect on benign prostatic hyperplasia, and even heat-killed E. faecalis showed similar efficacy on the live cells in the BPH rat model. As the first investigation into the effect of heat-killed and live E. faecalis on BPH, our study suggests that heat-killed E. faecalis might be a food additive candidate for use in various foods, regardless of heat processing.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.922-930
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• 2021

Objective: Tibetan pigs, predominantly originating from the Tibetan Plateau, have been subjected to long-term natural selection in an extreme environment. To characterize the metabolic adaptations to hypoxic conditions, transcriptomic and proteomic expression patterns in the livers of Tibetan and Yorkshire pigs were compared. Methods: RNA and protein were extracted from liver tissue of Tibetan and Yorkshire pigs (n = 3, each). Differentially expressed genes and proteins were subjected to gene ontology and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes functional enrichment analyses. Results: In the RNA-Seq and isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation analyses, a total of 18,791 genes and 3,390 proteins were detected and compared. Of these, 273 and 257 differentially expressed genes and proteins were identified. Evidence from functional enrichment analysis showed that many genes were involved in metabolic processes. The combined transcriptomic and proteomic analyses revealed that small molecular biosynthesis, metabolic processes, and organic hydroxyl compound metabolic processes were the major processes operating differently in the two breeds. The important genes include retinol dehydrogenase 16, adenine phosphoribosyltransferase, prenylcysteine oxidase 1, sorbin and SH3 domain containing 2, ENSSSCG00000036224, perilipin 2, ladinin 1, kynurenine aminotransferase 1, and dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase 1. Conclusion: The findings of this study provide novel insight into the high-altitude metabolic adaptation of Tibetan pigs.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.309-313
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• 2019

This study examined the response of the EMG of URA, LRA, IO, EO and RFM of various types of abdominal motion (crunch, spine V-up on ball, prone V-up on slide board, prone V-up on TRX, and prone V-up power wheel). The subjects performed anisometric contact of abs during these exercises. Tests have shown that there were no statistically significant differences between EO, URA and LRA between any movements. However, during the inspection of IO, the positive-wawed V-up motion showed significantly greater muscle activity than during the slide movement. Also, EMG activity during crunch was significantly lower than any other five exercises. These results indicate that in the implementation of equilateral absolutism, the equipment-free based exercise gives an impetus similar to equipment-based exercise. Abdominal muscle tissue is considered one of the five components that make up an individual's core. The abdominal muscles also ensure proper functioning of the lumbar spine. Although all abdominal muscles contribute to lumbar stabilization, TA & IO has been shown to perform major stabilizers.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.25-30
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• 2019

This study was aimed to examine the synergetic effects of photochemopreventive external agents composed of inorganic ZnO and esculetin. Zinc oxide (ZnO) is widely used in sunblocks because of its excellent biostability and little toxicity. Esculetin derived from Citrus Peel has an anti-oxidative effect. We made the hollow-shaped ZnO microsphere (MS), soaked it with esculetin (EZnO). We used SKH-1 mice to measure the photodamaging effects of UVB. The mice were divided into five groups as follows; UVB nontreated group (N), vehicle (C), esculetin (E), ZnO MS (ZnO), esculetin + ZnO MS(EZno) group. Each group of samples was topically applied to the dorsal skins before the UVB irradiation. The changes of collagen fibers in the skin tissues were observed by H & E staining and Van Gieson staining. The expression of mast cells in skin tissue was observed by immunohistochemical staining of tryptase present in the mast cell granules. Expression of inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-$1{\beta}$, and MMP-9, which plays an essential role in wrinkle formation, was measured by RT-PCR. Interestingly, the composition of collagen fibers was better in the EZnO applied group than in the E or ZnO group. Moreover, mast cell expression and the expression of TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-$1{\beta}$, and MMP-9 mRNA were markedly suppressed in the EZnO group, indicating that the synergetic effects of esculetin and ZnO were excellent.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.364-368
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• 2018

The R2R3-type protein IbMYB1 transcription factor is a key regulator for anthocyanin biosynthesis in the storage roots of sweet potatoes. It was previously demonstrated that the IbMYB1 expression stimulates anthocyanin pigmentation in tobacco leaves, arabidopsis and storage roots of sweet potatoes. In this study, we generated the transgenic potato plants that express the IbMYB1 genes, which accumulated high levels of anthocyanins under the control of either the tuber-specific patatin (PAT) promoter or oxidative stress-inducible peroxidase anionic 2 (SWPA2) promoter. The PAT-MYB1 transgenic lines exhibited higher anthocyanin levels in the tuber than the empty vector control (EV) or SWPA2-MYB1 plants. When combined, our results indicated that overexpression of the IbMYB1 is a highly promising strategy for the generation of transgenic plants with enhanced tissue specific anthocyanin production.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.216-233
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• 2021

In this work, Rhizophora spp. particleboard phantoms were made using SPI-based adhesives, modified with sodium hydroxide and itaconic acid polyamidoamine-epichlorohydrin (0, 5, 10, and 15 wt%). An X-ray computed tomography (CT) imaging system was used to ascertain the CT numbers and density distribution profiles of the particleboards. The SPI-based/NaOH/IA-PAE/Rhizophora spp. particleboard phantoms with 15 wt% IA-PAE addition level had the highest solid content, flexural strength, flexural modulus, and internal bonding strength of 36.06 ± 1.08%, 18.61 ± 0.38 Nmm^-2, 7605.76 ± 0.89 Nmm^-2, and 0.463 ± 0.053 Nmm^-2, respectively. The moisture content, mass density, water absorption, and dimensional stability were 6.93 ± 0.27%, 0.962 ± 0.037 gcm^-3, 22.36 ± 2.47%, and 10.90 ± 0.86%, respectively. The results revealed that the mass attenuation coefficients and effective atomic number values within the 16.59-25.26 keV photon energy region, were close to the calculated XCOM values in water, with a p-value of 0.077. Moreover, the CT images showed that the dissimilarities in the discrepancy of the profile density decreased as the IA-PAE concentrations increased. Therefore, these results support the appropriateness of the SPI-based/NaOH/IA-PAE/Rhizophora spp. particleboard with 15 wt% IA-PAE adhesive as a suitable tissue-equivalent phantom material for medical health applications.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.63 no.4
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• pp.693-724
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• 2021

The in-vitro meat is a novel concept in food biotechnology comprising field of tissue engineering and cellular agriculture. It involves production of edible biomass by in-vitro culture of stem cells harvested from the muscle of live animals by self-organizing or scaffolding methodology. It is considered as efficient, environmental friendly, better ensuring public safety and nutritional security, as well as ethical way of producing meat. Source of stem cells, media ingredients, supply of large size bioreactors, skilled manpower, sanitary requirements, production of products with similar sensory and textural attributes as of conventional meat, consumer acceptance, and proper set up of regulatory framework are challenges faced in commercialization and consumer acceptance of in-vitro meat. To realize any perceivable change in various socio-economic and environmental spheres, the technology should be commercialized and should be cost-effective as conventional meat and widely accepted among consumers. The new challenges of increasing demand of meat with the increasing population could be fulfill by the establishment of in-vitro meat production at large scale and its popularization. The adoption of in-vitro meat production at an industrial scale will lead to self-sufficiency in the developed world.

• Biomaterials Research
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.271-278
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• 2018

Background: The chondrogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is regulated by many factors, including oxygen tensions, growth factors, and cytokines. Evidences have suggested that low oxygen tension seems to be an important regulatory factor in the proliferation and chondrogenic differentiation in various MSCs. Recent studies report that synovium-derived mesenchymal stem cells (SDSCs) are a potential source of stem cells for the repair of articular cartilage defects. But, the effect of low oxygen tension on the proliferation and chondrogenic differentiation in SDSCs has not characterized. In this study, we investigated the effects of hypoxia on proliferation and chondrogenesis in SDSCs. Method: SDSCs were isolated from patients with osteoarthritis at total knee replacement. To determine the effect of oxygen tension on proliferation and colony-forming characteristics of SDSCs, A colony-forming unit (CFU) assay and cell counting-based proliferation assay were performed under normoxic (21% oxygen) or hypoxic (5% oxygen). For in vitro chondrogenic differentiation, SDSCs were concentrated to form pellets and subjected to conditions appropriate for chondrogenic differentiation under normoxia and hypoxia, followed by the analysis for the expression of genes and proteins of chondrogenesis. qRT-PCR, histological assay, and glycosoaminoglycan assays were determined to assess chondrogenesis. Results: Low oxygen condition significantly increased proliferation and colony-forming characteristics of SDSCs compared to that of SDSCs under normoxic culture. Similar pellet size and weight were found for chondrogensis period under hypoxia and normoxia condition. The mRNA expression of types II collagen, aggrecan, and the transcription factor SOX9 was increased under hypoxia condition. Histological sections stained with Safranin-O demonstrated that hypoxic conditions had increased proteoglycan synthesis. Immunohistochemistry for types II collagen demonstrated that hypoxic culture of SDSCs increased type II collagen expression. In addition, GAG deposition was significantly higher in hypoxia compared with normoxia at 21 days of differentiation. Conclusion: These findings show that hypoxia condition has an important role in regulating the synthesis ECM matrix by SDSCs as they undergo chondrogenesis. This has important implications for cartilage tissue engineering applications of SDSCs.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.27-34
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• 2023

Objectives : Currently, the benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is one of the most common urogenital disorder in old men. We were performed to determine the effects of abietic acid (AC), component of pine resin, in benign prostatic hyperplastic Sprague-Dawley rat (SD rat) induced by testosterone injection (IP). Methods : We monitored body weights in SD rat at start and end date of experiment. After end of experiment, the prostate weights were measured in SD rats. Glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) and glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT) levels was performed in serum. And we determined the 5-alpha reductase Ⅱ activity, testosterone levels, and dihydrotestosterone levels in prostate tissue and serum using ELISA kit. Results : As results, the prostate wights were increased in BPH group compared to normal group and were decreased in fina, AC30, and AC 50 groups, respectively. Serum GOT levels were decreased in AC50 group compared to BPH group. And Serum GPT levels of AC30 and AC50 groups were lower than BPH group. In addition, the 5-alpha reductase Ⅱ activity, testosterone levels, and dihydrotestosterone levels were decreased the fina, AC10, AC30, and AC 50 groups contrast to the BPH group. Furthermore, 5-alpha reductase Ⅱ activity, testosterone levels, and dihydrotestosterone levels were decreased dose dependent in AC groups compared to BPH group. Conclusion : These results suggest that AC could be used as a potential material for the treatment of BPH by decreasing the androgen levels in benign prostatic hyperplasia model rats.