• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.61 no.1
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• pp.168-174
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• 2023

In commercial production processes of methyl methacrylate, there is a methacryl aldehyde as an intermediate or impurities. The existence of impurities is critical factor because of significant decrease of the conversion rate and selectivity of the entire chemical reaction. This study found that an acid was the main cause of the decrease in reactivity among various impurities because an acid rapidly lowers the activity of a catalyst and promotes a side reaction, the hetero Diels-Alder reaction. Therefore, the pretreatment methods with the removal of acid were comparatively evaluated by the selective hydrogenation reaction of the carbonyl group of the reactants. Based on several experimental conditions, we believe that proposed effective pretreatment improves productivity with appropriate economical process.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.20-37
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• 2023

Purpose: Our pilot study showed that a 3-dimensional dual drug delivery scaffold (DDDS) loaded with Chinese herbs significantly increased the regenerated bone volume fraction. This study aimed to confirm the synergistic anti-inflammatory and osteogenic preclinical effects of this system. Methods: The targets and pathways of parthenolide and naringin were predicted. Three cell models were used to assess the anti-inflammatory effects of parthenolide and the osteogenic effects of naringin. First, the distance between the cementoenamel junction and alveolar bone crest (CEJ-ABC) and the bone mineral density (BMD) of surgical defects were measured in a rat model of periodontitis with periodontal fenestration defects. Additionally, the mRNA expression levels of matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP9) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were measured. Furthermore, the number of inflammatory cells and osteoclasts, as well as the protein expression levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and levels of ALP were determined. Results: Target prediction suggested prostaglandin peroxidase synthase (PTGS2) as a potential target of parthenolide, while cytochrome P450 family 19 subfamily A1 (CYP19A1) and taste 2 receptor member 31 (TAS2R31) were potential targets of naringin. Parthenolide mainly targeted inflammation-related pathways, while naringin participated in steroid hormone synthesis and taste transduction. In vitro experiments revealed significant antiinflammatory effects of parthenolide on RAW264.7 cells, and significant osteogenic effects of naringin on bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and MC3T3-E1 cells. DDDS loaded with parthenolide and naringin decreased the CEJ-ABC distance and increased BMD and ALP levels in a time-dependent manner. Inflammation was significantly alleviated after 14 days of DDDS treatment. Additionally, after 56 days, the DDDS group exhibited the highest BMD and ALP levels. Conclusions: DDDS loaded with parthenolide and naringin in a rat model achieved significant synergistic anti-inflammatory and osteogenic effects, providing powerful preclinical evidence.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.27.1-27.16
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• 2022

Background: The role of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) in a feline infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV) infection is not completely understood. Objectives: This study examined the expression of TLR3, TLR7, TLR9, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interferon (IFN)-β, and interleukin (IL)-10 upon an FIPV infection in Crandell-Reese feline kidney (CRFK) cells and feline monocytes. Methods: CRFK cells and monocytes from feline coronavirus (FCoV)-seronegative cats and FCoV-seropositive cats were infected with type II FIPV-79-1146. At four, 12, and 24 hours post-infection (hpi), the expression of TLR3, TLR7, TLR9, TNF-α, IFN-β, and IL-10, and the viral load were measured using reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Viral protein production was confirmed using immunofluorescence. Results: FIPV-infected CRFK showed the upregulation of TLR9, TNF-α, and IFN-β expression between 4 and 24 hpi. Uninfected monocytes from FCoV-seropositive cats showed lower TLR3 and TLR9 expression but higher TLR7 expression compared to uninfected monocytes from FCoV-seronegative cats. FIPV-infected monocytes from FCoV-seropositive cats downregulated TLR7 and TNF-α expression between 4 and 24 hpi, and 4 and 12 hpi, respectively. IFN-β was upregulated early in FIPV-infected monocytes from FCoV-seropositive cats, with a significant difference observed at 12 hpi compared to FCoV-seronegative cats. The viral load in the CRFK and FIPV-infected monocytes in both cohorts of cats was similar over time.ConclusionTLR7 may be the key TLR involved in evading the innate response against inhibiting TNF-α production. Distinct TLR expression profiles between FCoV-seronegative and FCoV-seropositive cats were observed. The associated TLR that plays a role in the induction of IFN-β needs to be explored further.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.118-123
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• 2023

Background: Chronic exposure to silica is related with the provocation of an inflammatory response and oxidative stress mechanism. Vitamin D has multiple benefits in biological activities particularly respiratory system disease. Method: In this research, 20 male Wistar rats were randomly allocated into four groups (5 rats /group) as follow: Group1 received saline as (negative control) group. The group 2 received a single IT instillation of silica (positive control) group; the group 3 was co-administrated with single IT silica and Vitamin D (20 mg/kg/day) daily for a period of 90 days. The rats of group 4 received Vitamin D daily for a period of 90 days. Results: Silica significantly increased serum and lung total Oxidant Status (TOS). Meanwhile, silica reduced serum and lung total antioxidant capacity (TAC), GSH and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-a). Vitamin D treatment meaningfully reversed oxidative stress, antioxidants status and inflammatory response. Also, Vitamin D improved histopathological changes caused by silica. Conclusion: These findings indicate that Vitamin D exerts protective effects against silica-induced lung injury. It seems that Vitamin D has potential use as a therapeutic object for silica induced lung injure.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.120-127
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• 2023

Background: In general, measurement qualities of cross-culturally adapted quality of life (QOL) measures are altered in many aspects, although versions of them are well-validated measures. The latent trait and measurement qualities of the QOL measures for cancer-related samples should be considered when developing cross-culturally adapted measures. Objects: To investigate the latent trait of the translated into Korean World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) administered to different cancer survivors who had palliative rehabilitation care service (PRCS). Methods: A cross-sectional study with 139 cancer survivors who had an experience of cancer survivorship with PRCS were conducted with a two-step analytic procedure including exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to confirm the latent trait and Rasch rating scale modeling to investigate the measurement qualities of the cross-culturally adapted WHOQOL-BREF measure. Results: While the original WHOQOL-BREF measure constitutes a 4-latent trait, the EFA reveals that 24 items constitute six substantial factors. The item loadings are predominantly spread over factors 1 through 4 in a mixed manner of the latent traits, while the loadings of 'physical health' and 'environmental health' latent traits show similarity to what the original measure intended to assess. The latent trait of the cross-culturally adapted WHOQOL-BREF measure administered to different cancer survivors is likely to reveal more dimensions than the original WHOQOL-BREF measure. Person reliability (i.e., analogous to Cronbach's alpha) and separation are measured with 0.92 and 3.48, respectively. All items except the one item (medical treatment item) fit the Rasch rating model. Conclusion: Findings suggest that the latent trait and the measurement qualities of the cross-culturally adapted WHOQOL-BREF measure should be taken into consideration when applying versions of it to various populations.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.36 no.10
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• pp.1578-1583
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• 2023

Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of vitamin K (VK) supplementation on reproductive performance and bone metabolism-related biochemical markers in sows. Methods: Twenty-four Large White×Landrace sows (mean parity 4.04) were randomly assigned to two dietary treatments (NC diet, a basal diet with 0.5 mg/kg of VK₃; VK diet, a basal diet with 5 mg/kg of VK₃) with twelve replicates per treatment and one sow per replicate according to parity. The experiment started on day 107 of gestation and lasted until day 21 of lactation (weaning). Results: We observed that there were no differences (p>0.05) in average daily feed intake, backfat loss of sows, live piglet number at birth and weaning, average birth weight, average weaning weight, and average daily gain of piglets between two treatments. The apparent total tract digestibility of phosphorus was increased (p<0.05) in VK sows compared with NC sows. The serum bone alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin, type I procollagen amino-terminal peptide, and type I procollagen carboxyl-terminal peptide on day of farrowing were higher (p<0.05) in VK sows than in NC sows. The serum phosphorus, parathyroid hormone, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha on day of weaning were lower (p<0.05) in VK sows compared with NC sows. Conclusion: Therefore, the overall results suggested that increasing dietary VK₃ (0.5 to 5 mg/kg) during lactation improved the apparent total tract digestibility of phosphorus and serum bone metabolism biochemical markers in sows.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.36 no.9
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• pp.1403-1413
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• 2023

Objective: Intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP) maintains intestinal homeostasis by detoxifying bacterial endotoxins and regulating gut microbiota, and lipid absorption. Antibiotics administered to animals can cause gut dysbiosis and barrier disruption affecting animal health. Therefore, the present study sought to investigate the role of IAP in the intestinal environment in dysbiosis. Methods: Young male mice aged 9 weeks were administered a high dose of antibiotics to induce dysbiosis. They were then sacrificed after 4 weeks to collect the serum and intestinal organs. The IAP activity in the ileum and the level of cytokines in the serum samples were measured. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis of RNA from the intestinal samples was performed using primers for tight junction proteins (TJPs) and proinflammatory cytokines. The relative intensity of IAP and toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in intestinal samples was evaluated by western blotting. Results: The IAP activity was significantly lower in the ileum samples of the dysbiosis-induced group compared to the control. The interleukin-1 beta, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha concentrations were significantly higher in the ileum samples of the dysbiosis-induced group. The RNA expression levels of TJP2, claudin-3, and claudin-11 showed significantly lower values in the intestinal samples from the dysbiosis-induced mice. Results from western blotting revealed that the intensity of IAP expression was significantly lower in the ileum samples of the dysbiosis-induced group, while the intensity of TLR4 expression was significantly higher compared to that of the control group without dysbiosis. Conclusion: The IAP activity and relative mRNA expression of the TJPs decreased, while the levels of proinflammatory cytokines increased, which can affect intestinal integrity and the function of the intestinal epithelial cells. This suggests that IAP is involved in mediating the intestinal environment in dysbiosis induced by antibiotics and is an enzyme that can potentially be used to maintain the intestinal environment in animal health care.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.245-255
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• 2023

This study aimed to exploring the pathophysiological mechanism of 7α,25-dihydroxycholesterol (7α,25-DHC) in osteoarthritis (OA) pathogenesis. 7α,25-DHC accelerated the proteoglycan loss in ex vivo organ-cultured articular cartilage explant. It was mediated by the decreasing extracellular matrix major components, including aggrecan and type II collagen, and the increasing expression and activation of degenerative enzymes, including matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-3 and -13, in chondrocytes cultured with 7α,25-DHC. Furthermore, 7α,25-DHC promoted caspase-dependent chondrocyte death via extrinsic and intrinsic pathways of apoptosis. Moreover, 7α,25-DHC upregulated the expression of inflammatory factors, including inducible nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase-2, nitric oxide, and prostaglandin E₂, via the production of reactive oxygen species via increase of oxidative stress in chondrocytes. In addition, 7α,25-DHC upregulated the expression of autophagy biomarkers, including beclin-1 and microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B-light chain 3 via the modulation of p53-Akt-mTOR axis in chondrocytes. The expression of CYP7B1, caspase-3, and beclin-1 was elevated in the degenerative articular cartilage of mouse knee joint with OA. Taken together, our findings suggest that 7α,25-DHC is a pathophysiological risk factor of OA pathogenesis that is mediated a chondrocyte death via oxiapoptophagy, which is a mixed mode of apoptosis, oxidative stress, and autophagy.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.332-339
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• 2023

Background: The aim of the study was to test the validity and reliability of the Perceived Future Decent Work Securement Scale for Turkish nursing students. Methods: A cross-sectional, methodological study design was used. The study was carried out at three nursing undergraduate programs in Turkey during the academic year of 2020-2021 with 336 senior nursing students. Language validity and content validity analyses were performed for the scale adaptation, followed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) for construct validity. The reliability of the scale was determined using the test-retest and Cronbach's alpha internal consistency coefficient. Results: The scale-content validity index score was 0.988. In CFA, all goodness-of-fit indices verified the acceptable fit of the model; its root mean square error of approximation was 0.076; the normed fit index was 0.909; the standardized mean square residual was 0.097; the relative fit index was 0.881; the goodness-of-fit index was 0.915; the adjusted goodness-of-fit index was 0.872 and χ²/df = 2.932. The overall reliability was α = 0.86. The item-total correlations of the scale were above the acceptable level, and the test-retest analysis had a high correlation. The access to healthcare (14.68, SD 3.53) obtained the highest average score, and the adequate compensation (8.52, SD 3.76) was the lowest rated by the senior nursing students. Conclusion: The Perceived Future Decent Work Securement Scale is a valid and reliable scale to assess nursing students' future decent work securement.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.331-339
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• 2023

In this study, in vitro and clinical studies were conducted to assess the anti-inflammatory effects and skin improvement effects, including moisturizing, sebum secretion-regulating, skin barrier function enhancing, and soothing of Helianthus annuus (Sunflower) seed oil. In in vitro study using cultured human epidermal keratinocytes induced with inflammation by lipopolysaccharide, significant decreases in inflammatory cytokines interleukin-6, interleukin-8, and tumor necrosis factor alpha was revealed, indicating the anti-inflammatory effects of H. annuus (Sunflower) seed oil. Additionally, the results of clinical study on subjects with sensitive skin demonstrated improved skin hydration, regulation of sebum secretion, enhanced skin barrier function, as well as amelioration of skin redness and acne, indicating positive effects on overall skin conditions after application of H. annuus (Sunflower) seed oil containing test product for 4 weeks. Results of this study demonstrated the potential of H. annuus (Sunflower) seed oil as an ingredient for cosmetic, targeting consumers with sensitive skin.