• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.7
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• pp.933-941
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• 2021

Ginsenoside Rg4 is a rare ginsenoside that is naturally found in ginseng, and exhibits a wide range of biological activities including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in several cell types. The purpose of this study was to use an in vivo model of hair follicle (HF)-mimic based on a human dermal papilla (DP) spheroid system prepared by three-dimensional (3D) culture and to investigate the effect of Rg4 on the hair-inductive properties of DP cells. Treatment of the DP spheroids with Rg4 (20 to 50 ㎍/ml) significantly increased the viability and size of the DP spheres in a dose-dependent manner. Rg4 also increased the mRNA and protein expression of DP signature genes that are related to hair growth including ALP, BMP2, and VCAN in the DP spheres. Analysis of the signaling molecules and luciferase reporter assays further revealed that Rg4 induces the activation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT and the inhibitory phosphorylation of GSK3β, which activates the WNT/β-catenin signaling pathway. These results correlated with not only the increased nuclear translocation of β-catenin following the treatment of the DP spheres with Rg4 but also the significant elevation of mRNA expression of the downstream target genes of the WNT/β-catenin pathway including WNT5A, β-catenin, and LEF1. In conclusion, these results demonstrated that ginsenoside Rg4 promotes the hair-inductive properties of DP cells by activating the AKT/GSK3β/β-catenin signaling pathway in DP spheres, suggesting that Rg4 could be a potential natural therapy for hair growth.

• Clean Technology
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.115-123
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• 2021

This study demonstrates a new method for the synthesis of organic-inorganic hybrid particles composed of an inorganic silica shell and organic core particles. The organic core particles are prepared with a uniform size using droplet-based microfluidic technology. In the process of preparing the organic core particles, uniform droplets are generated by independently controlling the flow rates of the dispersed phase containing photocurable resins and the continuous phase. After the generation of droplets in a microfluidic device, the droplets are photo-polymerized as particles by ultraviolet irradiation at the ends of microfluidic channels. The core particle is coated with a nano complex composed of polyallylamine hydrochloride (PAH) and phosphate ion (Pi) through strong non-covalent interactions such as hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interaction under optimized pH conditions. The polyamine nano complex rapidly induces the condensation reaction of silicic acid through the arranged amine groups of the main chain of PAH. Therefore, this method enabled the preparation of organic-inorganic hybrid particles coated with inorganic silica nanoparticles on the organic core. Finally, we demonstrated the synthesis of organic-inorganic hybrid particles in a short time under ambient and environmentally friendly conditions, and this is applicable to the production of organic-inorganic hybrid particles having various sizes and shapes.

• The Korean Journal of Applied Statistics
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.823-832
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• 2020

The analgesic effects of music in people with glasses on perceived pain through cold-pressor task (CPT) is assessed based on three-sequence, three-period, crossover trial with three treatment conditions(music-listening, news-listening, and no-sound) to each subject. Fifty subjects are divided into three sequence groups by randomization, and CPTs under the pre-assigned treatment conditions at each period are performed. Pain responses after each CPT, subjects' pain tolerance (PT) in time scale and pain intensity (PI) and pain unpleasantness (PU) in visual analog scale (VAS) are measured. After classifying the group by whether or not to wear glasses, which is the phenotype of the myopia gene, pain responses are compared by F-tests and Tukey's multiple comparisons. CPT pain responses in group with glasses during the music intervention are significantly different from responses during the news intervention and the control conditions, respectively. This study investigates the pain responses of music intervention in the group wearing glasses, which can be seen as a phenotype of the nearsighted gene, and this result would play a role in explaining the biopsychosocial model of the pain mechanism.

• Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.297-306
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• 2020

The aims of the present study were to confirm that regulation of the PA and environment via TGF-β regulation of sperm by Percoll-separated in porcine uterine epithelial cells. And, it was performed to identify the cytokines (TGF-β1, 2 and 3, TGF-β receptor1 and 2; interleukin, IL-6, IL-8) and PA-related genes (urokinase-PA, uPA; tissue-PA, tPA; PA inhibitor, PAI; uPA-receptor, uPAR) by spermatozoa. The experiment used porcine uterus epithelial cells (pUECs) and uterine tissue epithelial cells, Boar sperm were separated by discontinuous Percoll density gradient (45/90%), and tissues were co-incubated with spermatozoa, followed by real-time PCR. PA activity was measured of sperm by discontinuous Percoll density gradient (45/90%) for 24 hours. To measure viability and acrosome damage of sperm double stained propidium iodide (PI) and SYBR-14 or FITC-PNA were used. In results, binding ratio of Percoll-separated sperm was found no differences, but sperms isolated from 90% Percoll layer reduced PA activity (p < 0.05). when co-cultured sperm selected Percoll in porcine uterus tissues epithelial cells, 90% layer sperm increased TGF-β R1, contrastively tPA and PAI-1 in comparison with control (p < 0.05). 45% sperm was decreased the expression of uPA (p < 0.05). TGF-β decreased PA activity in the supernatant collected from pUECs (p < 0.05). Especially, The group including uPA, PAI-1 were induce sperm intact, while it was reduced in sperm damage when compared to control (p < 0.05). Also, there was no significant difference group of tPA and tPA+I in the dead sperm and acrosome damage compared to control. The expression of tPA and PAI showed a common response. Percoll-separated spermatozoa in 90% layer reduced tPA and IL-related gene mRNA expression. Thus, Percoll-sparated sperm in 90% layer show that it can suppress inflammation through increased expression of TGF-β and downregulation of PA and IL in epithelial cells compared to 45% layer Percoll.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.38-49
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• 2021

Airway mucus secretion is an essential innate immune response for host protection. However, overproduction and hypersecretion of mucus, mainly composed of the gel-forming MUC5AC protein, are significant risk factors for patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) signaling pathway negatively regulates MUC5AC expression; however, the underlying molecular mechanism is not fully understood. Here, we showed that TGFβ significantly reduces the expression of MUC5AC mRNA and its protein in NCI-H292 cells, a human mucoepidermoid carcinoma cell line. This reduced MUC5AC expression was restored by a TGFβ receptor inhibitor (SB431542), but not by the inhibition of NF-κB (BAY11-7082 or Triptolide) or PI3K (LY294002) activities. TGFβ-activated Smad3 dose-dependently bound to MUC5AC promoter. Notably, TGFβ-activated Smad3 recruited HDAC2 and facilitated nuclear translocation of HDAC2, thereby inducing the deacetylation of NF-κB at K310, which is essential for a reduction in NF-κB transcriptional activity. Both TGFβ-induced nuclear translocation of Smad3/HDAC2 and deacetylation of NF-κB at K310 were suppressed by a Smad3 inhibitor (SIS3). These results suggest that the TGFβ-activated Smad3/HDAC2 complex is an essential negative regulator for MUC5AC expression and an epigenetic regulator for NF-κB acetylation. Therefore, these results collectively suggest that modulation of the TGFβ1/Smad3/HDAC2/NF-κB pathway axis can be a promising way to improve lung function as a treatment strategy for asthma and COPD.

• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.1-13
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• 2021

Introduction The previous study showed that the psychological Sasang Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) and physical Body Mass Index (BMI) were clinically useful for predicting Sasang types diagnosed with certified clinical specialist and QSCCII. The purpose of current study was to examine its clinical usefulness using large sized clinical sample. Methods The age, sex, height, weight, circumference of waist and hip, Sasang Personality Questionnaire (SPQ), and Sasang type of 2,049 participants listed on the Korean Medicine Data Center were acquired. The anthropometrics of BMI, Ponderal Index (PI), Waist-Hip Ratio (WHR), and Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) were calculated. The discriminant analysis using SPQ subscales, BMI, age and sex were performed to predict Sasang types. And, the ANCOVA with age and sex as covariate was also used to examine differences among diagnosed and predicted Sasang type groups in biopsychological features. Results The discriminant analysis showed 82.0% of percentage correctly predicted. And, the biopsychological characteristics of predicted Sasang type groups were significantly similar to those of diagnosed Sasang type groups. In both predicted and diagnosed Sasang type groups, the anthropometric measures were in increasing order of So-Eum, So-Yang, and Tae-Eum types, and the psychological measures were in increasing order of So-Eum, Tae-Eum, and So-Yang types as shown in previous studies. Discussion and Conclusion The well validated biopsychological variables of SPQ and BMI showed theoretical and clinical usefulness, and were found to be useful for diagnosing Sasang types in clinical setting. The current study might be useful for the East-West integrative medicine and evidence-based teaching.

• Yonsei Medical Journal
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• v.59 no.9
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• pp.1096-1106
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• 2018

Purpose: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the sixth most common cause of death in the United States. MicroRNAs have been identified as vital players in neurodegenerative diseases, including AD. microRNA-128 (miR-128) has been shown to be dysregulated in AD. This study aimed to explore the roles and molecular mechanisms of miR-128 in AD progression. Materials and Methods: Expression patterns of miR-128 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma ($PPAR-{\gamma}$) messenger RNA in clinical samples and cells were measured using RT-qPCR assay. $PPAR-{\gamma}$ protein levels were determined by Western blot assay. Cell viability was determined by MTT assay. Cell apoptotic rate was detected by flow cytometry via double-staining of Annexin V-FITC/PI. Caspase 3 and $NF-{\kappa}B$ activity was determined by a Caspase 3 Activity Assay Kit or $NF-{\kappa}B$ p65 Transcription Factor Assay Kit, respectively. Bioinformatics prediction and luciferase reporter assay were used to investigate interactions between miR-128 and $PPAR-{\gamma}$ 3'UTR. Results: MiR-128 expression was upregulated and $PPAR-{\gamma}$ expression was downregulated in plasma from AD patients and $amyloid-{\beta}$ $(A{\beta})-treated$ primary mouse cortical neurons (MCN) and Neuro2a (N2a) cells. Inhibition of miR-128 decreased $A{\beta}-mediated$ cytotoxicity through inactivation of $NF-{\kappa}B$ in MCN and N2a cells. Moreover, $PPAR-{\gamma}$ was a target of miR-128. $PPAR-{\gamma}$ upregulation attenuated $A{\beta}-mediated$ cytotoxicity by inactivating $NF-{\kappa}B$ in MCN and N2a cells. Furthermore, $PPAR-{\gamma}$ downregulation was able to abolish the effect of anti-miR-128 on cytotoxicity and $NF-{\kappa}B$ activity in MCN and N2a cells. Conclusion: MiR-128 inhibitor decreased $A{\beta}-mediated$ cytotoxicity by upregulating $PPAR-{\gamma}$ via inactivation of $NF-{\kappa}B$ in MCN and N2a cells, providing a new potential target in AD treatment.

• Journal of the Korean Physical Society
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• v.73 no.9
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• pp.1362-1369
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• 2018

A method aimed at improving the beam-wave interaction efficiency by changing the coupling slot configuration has been proposed in the study of extended interaction oscillators (EIOs). The dispersion characteristics, coupling coefficient and interaction impedance of the high-frequency structure based on different types of coupling slots have been investigated. Four types of coupled cavity structures with different layouts of the coupling slots have been compared to improve the beam-wave interaction efficiency, so as to analyze the beam-wave interaction and practical applications. In order to determine the improvement of the coupling slot to a coupled cavity circuit in an EIO, we designed four nine-gap EIOs based on the coupled cavity structure with different coupling slot configurations. With different operating frequencies and voltages takes into consideration, beam voltages from 27 to 33 kV have been simulated to achieve the best beam-wave interaction efficiency so that the EIOs are able to work in the $2{\pi}$ mode. The influence of the Rb and the ds on the output power is also taken into consideration. The Rb is the radius of the electron beam, and the ds is the width of the coupling slot. The simulation results indicate that a single-slot-type EIO has the best beam-wave interaction efficiency. Its maximum output power is 2.8 kW and the efficiency is 18% when the operating voltage is 31 kV and electric current is 0.5 A. The output powers of these four EIOs that were designed for comparison are not less than 1.7 kW. The improved coupling-slot configurations enables the extended interaction oscillator to meet the different engineering requirements better.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.7
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• pp.1210-1220
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• 2021

Objective: Unlike mammals, goose fatty liver shows a strong tolerance to fatty acids without obvious injury. Stearyl-coenzyme A desaturase 1 (SCD1) serves crucial role in desaturation of saturated fatty acids (SAFs), but its role in the SAFs tolerance of goose hepatocytes has not been reported. This study was conducted to explore the role of SCD1 in regulating palmitic acid (PA) tolerance of goose primary hepatocytes. Methods: 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide was examined to reflect the effect of PA on hepatocytes viability, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the mRNA levels of several genes related to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, inflammation, and apoptosis, and the role of SCD1 in PA tolerance of goose hepatocytes was explored using RNA interfere. Results: Our results indicated that goose hepatocytes exhibited a higher tolerant capacity to PA than human hepatic cell line (LO2 cells). In goose primary hepatocytes, the mRNA levels of fatty acid desaturation-related genes (SCD1 and fatty acid desaturase 2) and fatty acid elongate enzyme-related gene (elongase of very long chain fatty acids 6) were significantly upregulated with 0.6 mM PA treatment. However, in LO2 cells, expression of ER stress-related genes (x box-binding protein, binding immunoglobulin protein, and activating transcription factor 6), inflammatory response-related genes (interleukin-6 [IL-6], interleukin-1β [IL-1β], and interferon-γ) and apoptosis-related genes (bcl-2-associated X protein, b-cell lymphoma 2, Caspase-3, and Caspase-9) was significantly enhanced with 0.6 mM PA treatment. Additionally, small interfering RNA (siRNA) mediated downregulation of SCD1 significantly reduced the PA tolerance of goose primary hepatocytes under the treatment of 0.6 mM PA; meanwhile, the mRNA levels of inflammatory-related genes (IL-6 and IL-1β) and several key genes involved in the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT), forkhead box O1 (FoxO1), mammalian target of rapamycin and AMPK pathways (AKT1, AKT2, FoxO1, and sirtuin 1), as well as the protein expression of cytochrome C and the apoptosis rate were upregulated. Conclusion: In conclusion, our data suggested that SCD1 was involved in enhancing the PA tolerance of goose primary hepatocytes by regulating inflammation- and apoptosis-related genes expression.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.313-320
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• 2021

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of whole wheat cookie supplemented with Capsosiphon fulvescens (CF) extract on serum glucose homeostasis in C57BL/6 mice. This study examined whether the same effect was demonstrated for whole wheat cookie in comparison to previous research documenting the glucose-lowering effect of food products combined with CF extract. Mice were divided into three groups depending on the diet administered: normal cookie (NC), whole wheat cookie (WC), and WC blended with CF extract (WCFE). After 4 weeks of administering the experimental diet, the blood glucose level, serum insulin level, and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance index were found to be significantly lower in the WCFE group than in the NC and WC groups. These results suggest that whole wheat cookie containing CF extract is effective in preventing insulin resistance and maintaining blood glucose homeostasis.