• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.386-395
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• 2010

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSC) are a multipotent cell population that can differentiate into neuron-like cells. Previously it has been reported that murine BM-MSC can differentiate into neuron-like cells by co-treatment with a Rho-associated kinase (ROCK) inhibitor -Y27632 and $CoCl_2$. In this study, we compared several ROCK inhibitors for the ability to induce human BM-MSCs to differentiate into neuron-like cells in the presence of $CoCl_2$. Y27632 with high specificity for ROCK at 1-30 ${\mu}M$ was best at inducing neuronal differentiation of MSCs. Compared to HA1077 and H1152, which also effectively induced morphological change into neuron-like cells, Y27632 showed less toxicity even at 100 ${\mu}M$, and resulted in longer multiple branching processes at a wide range of concentrations at 6 h and 72 h post-induction. H89, however, which has less specificity by inhibition of protein kinase A, S6 kinase 1 and MSK1 with similar or greater potency, was less effective at inducing neuronal differentiation of MSCs. Simvastatin, which can inhibit Rho, Ras, and Rac by blocking the synthesis of isoprenoid intermediates, showed little activity for inducing morphological changes of MSCs into neuron-like cells. Accordingly, the expression patterns for neuronal cell markers,including ${\beta}$-tubulin III, neuron-specific enolase, neurofilament, and microtubule-associated protein, were consistent with the pattern of the morphological changes. The data suggest that the ROCK inhibitors with higher specificity are more effective at inducing neuronal differentiation of MSCs.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.209-225
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• 2001

Recently many efforts were focused to understand the mechanical insights of melanogenesis to develop the agents for hyper-pigmentation and hypo-pigmentation. In the melanin biosynthetic pathway, tyrosinase is the rate limiting enzyme, and ${\alpha}$-melanocyte stimulating hormone(MSH) or cAMP-elevating agents stimulate melanogenesis and enhance the melanin synthesis and the tyrosinase activity. The author has analyzed the effects of Radix Trichosanthis on the basal melanogenic activities of B16/F10 mouse melanoma cells, and on the ${\alpha}$-MSH or forskolin-induced melanogenesis. Radix Trichosanthis alone markedly suppressed melanin content and tyrosinase activity in a dose-dependent manner. Pretreatment of the cells with Radix Trichosanthis also suppressed the increase of ${\alpha}$-MSH (10 nM) or forskolin (20${\mu}M$)-induced melanin content and tyrosinase activity. The decrease in the tyrosinase activity was paralled by a decrease in the abundance of tyrosinase protein and tyrosinase promoter activity. Pretreatment of the cells with Radix Trichosanthis also inhibited the increase of forskolin($20{\mu}M$) induced the amount of tyrosinase protein and tyrosinase promoter activity. The results of DOPA staining revealed that pretreatment of the cells with Radix Trichosanthis showed less intensity than B16 melanoma cells stimulated with ${\alpha}$- MSH or forskolin. These results suggest that Radix Trichosanthis inhibits melanogenesis and abrogates ${\alpha}-MSH and cAMP-induced melanogenesis in B16 melanoma cells.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.765-770
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• 2012

In this paper, we proposed an effective hardware structure using DCT-based inra-prediction mode selection to reduce computational complexity caused by intra mode decision. In this hardware structure, the input block is transformed at first and then analyzed to determine its texture directional tendency. the complexity has solved by performing intra prediction in only predicted edge direction. $4{\times}4$ DCT is calculated in one cycle using Multitransform_PE and Inta_pred_PE calculates one prediction mode in two cycles. Experimental results show that the proposed Intra prediction encoding needs only 517 cycles for one macroblock encoding. This architecture improves the performance by about 17% than previous designs. For hardware implementation, the proposed intra prediction encoder is implemented using Verilog HDL and synthesized with Megnachip $0.18{\mu}m$ standard cell library. The synthesis results show that the proposed architecture can run at 125MHz.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.15 no.3 s.71
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• pp.20-29
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• 2006

This study was carried out for to recover the purified crystalline gypsum from phosphogypsum by means of using it's crystallographical Properties. The dehydration of hydrated phosphogypsum to $\alpha$-hemihydrate is completed with the 2 hours treatment of it in $99^{\circ}C$ waterrs. The purified crystalline gypsum having the maximum size of $200{\mu}m$ was obtained by 325# wet screening after recrystallization of the $\alpha$-hemihydrate gypsum at the condition of $Na_2SO_4$ 10 wt%, slurry density 20%, $pH\;5{\sim}6,\;65^{\circ}C$ and 4hr. In this process, the yield of gypsum was 93.9% and its grade was 99%.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.34 no.12
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• pp.1837-1842
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• 2010

Studies on alternative energy have been carried out for many decades because of the accelerated exhaustion of fuel. While the efficacy of solar cells is still low in comparison with that of nuclear power, solar cells have been highlighted as potential sources of alternative energy because they are environmentally friendly and have a source of unlimited energy, namely, the sun. In this study, the optimum efficiency of solar cells was simulated as a function of the incident angle of sunlight and the geometric shapes of patterns using MATLAB and MathCAD software. The foremost efficiency of the solar cell was found to be 1.10 when the thickness and width of the patterns were in the range 25-$50{\mu}m$ and 50-$100{\mu}m$, respectively. To achieve the 25 um thick layer, 100,000 cps silver paste and 500 um orifice tip has been successfully implemented with Micro-Dispensing Deposition Writing.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.225-230
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• 2001

Background: Opioids such as morphine are widely used in the treatment for pain, but chronic treatment with morphine can be complicated by the development of tolerance. The mechnisms of tolerance were still not completely understood, but recently it has been reported that NOS inhibitors can prevent development of morphine tolerance in animals. The present study accessed the possible role of supraspinal NO on antinociceptive effect of morphine in morphine tolerance using a highly specific inhibitor of the neuronal isoform of NOS, 1-(2-trifluoromethylphenyl) imidazole (TRIM). Methods: Thirty two male SD rats (300 g) were prepared with intracerebroventricular (icv) and IV cannulae. We administrated IV morphine, 3 mg/kg, daily for 4 days, resulting in tolerance. On the fifth day, a challenge dose of morphine, 3 mg/kg, was administered following pretreatment with icv TRIM, $10{\mu}g$. We also evaluated the antinociceptive effect of icv TRIM alone and the effect on a single dose of morphine (3 mg/kg) in morphine nave rats. Antinociception from morphine was determined by response to intraplantar injection of 5% formalin $100{\mu}l$ was qualified as the number of flinches in the first 0-10 min (first phase), 10-40 min Phase IIa, and 40-60 min (Phase IIb). Results: Pretreatment with icv TRIM significantly enhanced the antinociceptive effects of systemically administered morphine in morphine tolerant rats. The antinociceptive effect of morphine in opioid nave rats was also significantly increased by pretreatment with icv TRIM. Conclusions: Our results further support the hypothesis that supraspinal NO modulates morphine-sensitive nociceptive process in morphine tolerance due to chronic intravenous administration.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.191-196
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• 1993

This method using the synthesis substrate of $5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl-{\alpha}-galactoside\;(X-{\alpha}-Gal)$ was examined for the differential enumeration of Bifidobacteria and lactic acid-producing bacteria. Bifidobacteria possess a high level of ${\alpha}-galactosidase$ activity. Bifidobacterium longum KCTC 3215 exhibited the highest ${\alpha}-galactosidase$ specific activity (8.57 units/mg protein). Determination of ${\alpha}-galactosidase$ activity using the PNPG procedure showed that Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, Pediococcus, and Leuconostoc strain had lower ${\alpha}-galactosidase$ activity as compared to Bifidobacteria. The $X-{\alpha}-Gal$ based medium is useful to identify Bifidobacteria among lactic acid-producing bacteria since the enzyme action of ${\alpha}-galactosidase$ spills $X-{\alpha}-Gal$ substrate and releases indol which impacts a blue color to Bifidobacterial colonies on agar plates. All strains of Bifidobacteria appeared as blue colonies on MRS agar medium supplemented with $100\;{\mu}M\;X-{\alpha}-Gal$ while colonies of other lactic acid-producing bacteria appeared white or light blue.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.143-153
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• 1996

To improve the efficiency of nuclear transplantation in the rabbit, this study were evaluated the influence of celly cycle of donor nuclei on the in vitro developmental potential in the nuclear transplant embryos. The embryos of 16-cell stage were collected from the mated does at 48h post-hCG injection and they were synchronized to G1 phase of 32-cell stage. Synchronization of the cell cylce of blastomeres were induced, first, using an microtubules polymerization inhibitor, 0.5$\mu\textrm{g}$/ml colcemid for 10h to arrest blastomeres in metaphase, and secondly, using a DNA synthesis inhibitor, 0.1$\mu\textrm{g}$/ml aphidicolin for 1.5 to 2h to cleave to 32-cell stage and arrest them in G1 phase. The separated G1 phase blastomeres of 32-cell stage were injectied into enucleated recipient cytoplasms by micromanipulation. After culture until 20h post-hCG injection, the nuclear transplant oocytes were electrofused and activated by electrical stimulation. The nuclear transplant embryos were co-cultured for 120h. In vitro cultured embryos were monitored every 24h to assess for development rate. After in vitro cultue for 120h, the nuclear transplant embryos developed to blastocyst stage were stained with Hoechst 33342 dye for counting the number of blastomeres under a fluorescence microscopy. The cleavage rate of blastomeres from 16-cell stage stage rabbit embryos treated with colcemid for 10h or aphidicolin for 6h following colcemid for 10h were not significantly different. The electrofusion rate was similar by high in S and G1 phase donor nuclei as 80.6 and 79.1%, respectively. However, the nuclear transplant embryos using G1 phase donor nuclei were developed to blastocyst at high rate(60.3%) than those using S phase donor nuclei(26.0%). Moreover, the mean blastocyst stage were increased significantly(P<0.05) with the G1 phase donor nuclei(176.6 cells and 1.50 cycles), as compared with the S phase donor nuclei(136.6 cells and 1.42 cycles). These results show that the blastomeres of G1 phase were more successful as donor nuclei in the nuclear transplant procedure, compared with S phase.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.623-630
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• 2017

The purpose of this study was to investigate the possibility of applying cosmetic material about extracted from Lycii Fructus seed supercritical fluid. This study was conducted to evaluate the anti-melanogenesis effect and antimicrobial activity about the extracts from Lycii Fructus seed. These researches studied for emulsion physical stability of pH, viscosity, particle size from emulsion containing Lycii Fructus seed extract. As a result, the supercritical fluid extract from Lycii Fructus seed significantly inhibited melanin synthesis by 81.86 % at the concentration $750{\mu}g/mL$. Antimicrobial effects of extract was determined against Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans, Escherichia coli. except by Staphylococcus epidermidis. The physical stability of viscosity and pH on the emulsion containing Lycii Fructus seed extract were stable for 28 days. Emulsion containing Lycii Fructus seed extract did not change particles at observation into optical microscope. These results suggest that extracts from Lycii Fructus seed may have value as the potential cosmetic formulation.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.111-116
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• 2015

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Inonotus obliquus (I. obliquus, Chaga mushroom) has long been used as a folk medicine to treat cancer. In the present study, we examined whether or not ethanol extract of I. obliquus (EEIO) inhibits cell cycle progression in HT-29 human colon cancer cells, in addition to its mechanism of action. MATERIALS/METHODS: To examine the effects of Inonotus obliquus on the cell cycle progression and the molecular mechanism in colon cancer cells, HT-29 human colon cancer cells were cultured in the presence of $2.5-10{\mu}g/mL$ of EEIO, and analyzed the cell cycle arrest by flow cytometry and the cell cycle controlling protein expression by Western blotting. RESULTS: Treatment cells with $2.5-10{\mu}g/mL$ of EEIO reduced viable HT-29 cell numbers and DNA synthesis, increased the percentage of cells in $G_1$ phase, decreased protein expression of CDK2, CDK4, and cyclin D1, increased expression of p21, p27, and p53, and inhibited phosphorylation of Rb and E2F1 expression. Among I. obliquus fractions, fraction 2 (fractionated by dichloromethane from EEIO) showed the same effect as EEIO treatment on cell proliferation and cell cycle-related protein levels. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that fraction 2 is the major fraction that induces $G_1$ arrest and inhibits cell proliferation, suggesting I. obliquus could be used as a natural anti-cancer ingredient in the food and/or pharmaceutical industry.