• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
• /
• v.30 no.4
• /
• pp.323-330
• /
• 2004

Estrogen may promote osteoblast/osteocyte viability by limiting apoptotic cell death. We hypothesize that hsp27 is an estrogen- regulated protein that can promote osteoblast viability by increasing osteoblast resistance to apoptosis. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of estrogen treatment and heat shock on $TNF{\alpha}$ - induced apoptosis in the MC3T3-E1 cell line. Cells were treated with 0 - 100 nM $17{\beta}$ estradiol (or ICI 182780) for 0 - 24 hours before heat shock. After recovery, apoptosis was induced by treatment with 0 - 10 ng/ml TNF${\alpha}$. Hsp levels were evaluated by Northern and Western analysis using hsp27, hsp47, hsp70c and hsp70i - specific reagents. Apoptosis was revealed by in situ labeling with Terminal Deoxyribonucleotide Transferase (TUNEL). A 5 - fold increase in hsp27 protein and mRNA was noted after 5 hours of treatment with 10 - 20 nM $17{\beta}$ estradiol prior to heat shock. Increased abundance of hsp47, hsp70c or hsp70i was not observed. TUNEL indicated that estrogen treatment also reduced (50%) MC3T3-E1 cell susceptibility to $TNF{\alpha}$ - induced apoptosis. Treatment with hsp27-specific antisense oligonucleotides prevented hsp27 protein expression and abolished the protective effects of heat shock and estrogen treatment on $TNF{\alpha}$- induced apoptosis. Hsp27 is a determinant of osteoblast apoptosis, and estrogen treatment increases hsp27 levels in cultured osteoblastic cells. Hsp27 contributes to the control of osteoblast apoptosis and may be manipulated by estrogenic or alternative pathways for the improvement of bone mass.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.17 no.3
• /
• pp.953-956
• /
• 2016

The risk of developing cervical cancer in women infected with human papillomavirus (HPV) may be influenced by an individual's genetic susceptibility. Published data linking single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-${\alpha}$) promoter region at positions -308G>A (rs1800629) and -238G>A (rs361525) to cervical cancer risk have been inconclusive. In this study, we examined 251 cervical specimens and classified them into two groups according to their cytological findings: 121 cancer cases and 130 controls (low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion and normal cytology). All specimens were typed by PCR and sequencing for TNF-${\alpha}$ promoter -308G>A (rs1800629) and -238G>A (rs361525). The genotype distribution of SNPs in either rs1800629 or rs361525 did not significantly demonstrate higher frequency in the cancer group (p=0.621 and p=0.68, respectively). Based on these results, neither the TNF-${\alpha}$ promoter -308G>A (rs1800629) nor the -238G>A (rs361525) polymorphism presents a major risk factor for cervical cancer among Thai women. Larger studies are necessary to elucidate possible genetic mechanisms influencing cervical cancer development.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.21 no.5
• /
• pp.539-543
• /
• 1992

This study was carried out to investigate the antimutagenic affect of crude and heated comfrey extract on N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG), benzo${(\alpha)}$pyrene (B${(\alpha)}$P) and 3-amino-1, 4-dimethyl-5H-pyri-do [4,3-b] indole (Trp-P-1). In spore rec-assay using Bacillus subtilis $H17(rec^+)$ and $M45(rec^-),$ crude comfrey extract showed strong antimutagenic effects on MNNG in the concentration of $40{\mu}l/disc$(p<0.01). In the Ames test using Salmonella typhimurium TA98 and TA100, the crude comfrey extract suppressed about 43% and 52% in the mutagenesis induced by $B{(\alpha)}P.$ However, the heated comfrey extract strongly suppressed about 75% and 76% in the mutagenesis in Salmonella typhimurium TA98 and TA100 induced by Trp-P-1(p<0.01).

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.17 no.2 s.82
• /
• pp.204-210
• /
• 2007

Previous reports indicated that the carboxyl terminal residues, glutamine276-threonine277 in particular, were important for actin affinity of the unacetylated smooth ${\alpha}-tropomyosin$. To determine the role of the glutamine and threonine residues in C-terminal region in actin binding, we constructed mutant striated muscle ${\alpha}-tropomyosin$ (TMs), in which these two residues were individually substituted. These mutant tropomyosins, designated TM18 (HT) and TM19 (QA), were overexpressed in E. coli as an either unacetylated form or Ala-Ser. (AS) dipeptide fusion form, and were analyzed F-actin affinity by cosedimentation. Unacetylated TM19 (QA) bound to actin approximately three times stronger than TM18 (HT) and much stronger than ST (HA). AS/TM19 (QA) showed four times stronger, in actin affinity than AS/ST (HA) while AS/TM14 (QT) bound to actin stronger to some extent than AS/TM18 (HT). These results suggested that the presence of Gln residue at 276 be primarily attributed to higher actin affinity of smooth ${\alpha}-tropomyosin$.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
• /
• v.27 no.3
• /
• pp.414-419
• /
• 1995

${\beta}-carotene$ was extracted from freeze-dried carrot by supercritical carbon dioxide $(SC-CO_2)$ and mixtures of $CO_2$ doped with ethanol or methanol as a cosolvent at temperatures of 40 to $60^{\circ}C$ and pressures of 138 to 276 bar. Solubility of ${\beta}-carotene$ in $SC-CO_2$ increased with the increase of extraction pressure and the decrease of extraction temperature. The highest solubility observed was $4.90\;{\mu}g/g\;CO_2\;for\;{\alpha}-carotene\;and\;0.604\;{\mu}g/g\;CO_2$ for ${\alpha}-carotene\;at\;40^{\circ}C$ and 276 bar. Addition of ethanol increased the solubility being the largest increase of 82% using a mixture of $CO_2$ and 17.4% ethanol. $SC-CO_2$ extraction can be used to selectively obtain natural carotenoids, free of solvent residuals, which can be used as food additives.

• Toxicological Research
• /
• v.3 no.1
• /
• pp.55-63
• /
• 1987

A Peri-and Postnatal Study was Carried out to examine the effects of rHuIFN-${\alpha}A$, produced by gene-manipulated E. coli, on offsprings of Wistar rats. The substance was administered intraperitoneally to dams at dose levels of $1{\times}10^5$, $4{\times}10^5$ and $1.2{\times}10^6$ I.U/kg/day during the period from day 17 of gestation to day 21 after delivery. All the pregnant dams were allowed to deliver naturally, and the postnatal development of the offsprings was observed. No noticeable toxic effects and pathological changes on dams were observed, and no detectable variations in postnatal development of offsprings occured.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• v.17 no.3
• /
• pp.193-198
• /
• 1984

Rice, the staple food in Korea, is deficient to some extent in protein, lipid and vitamins. This study was carried out in order to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation to the rice diet of cellulose, ginseng, and ${\alpha}$-tocopherol on lead toxicity in rats. Using male rats fed the rice diet with the distilled drinking water containing 750mg of lead as nitrate per liter, for 11 weeks, organ weights, hemoglobin levels, serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase activity and accumulation of lead in liver, blood and kidney were observed. Supplementation of cellulose, ginseng and ${\alpha}$-tocopherol to the lead groups showed the protective effect significantly in the weight of liver but no influence in hemoglobin levels. Ginseng especially decreased the serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase activity to normal level. The three supplemented diets reduced the lead accumulation in kidney and blood, but not in liver.

• The Pure and Applied Mathematics
• /
• v.17 no.3
• /
• pp.257-268
• /
• 2010

We investigate the existence of the following Dirichlet boundary value problem $({\mid}u'\mid^{p-2}u')'\;+\;(p\;-\;1)[\alpha{\mid}u^+\mid^{p-2}u^+\;-\;\beta{\mid}u^-\mid^{p-2}u^-]$ = (p - 1)h(t), u(0) = u(T) = 0, where p > 1, $\alpha$ > 0, $\beta$ > 0 and ${\alpha}^{-\frac{1}{p}}\;+\;{\beta}^{-\frac{1}{p}}\;=\;2$, $T\;=\;{\pi}_p/{\alpha}^{\frac{1}{p}}$, ${\pi}_p\;=\; \frac{2{\pi}}{p\;sin(\pi/p)}$ and $h\;{\in}\;L^{\infty}$(0,T). The results of this paper generalize some early results obtained in [8] and [9]. Moreover, the method used in this paper is elementary and new.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
• /
• v.17 no.3
• /
• pp.149-153
• /
• 1989

One strain of Aspergillus niger K-25 producing an acid-stable ${\alpha}-amylase$ was isolated from the soil. The optimum culture conditions were investigated. The production of the acid-stable ${\alpha}-amylase$ was enhanced when the strain was incubated in a medium containing soluble starch 3.5%, peptone 2%, $KH_2PO_4$ 0.5%, $MaSO_4{\cdot}7H_2O$ 0.25% and $FeCI_3$ 1.0% at pH 3 for 7 days. However, higher activity of acid-stable ${\alpha}-amylase$ was demonstrated on wheat bran culture. Amylase production was doubled when A. niger K-25 was incubated on the wheat bran supplemented with fumaric acid buffer (pH 3).

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.27 no.3
• /
• pp.367-375
• /
• 1998

The physicochemical properties of the $\alpha$-amylase inhibitors from black bean and naked barley is Korea were investigated. Preincubation time for maximum inhibition was 30min and no activity change was seen after that time. Optimum pH of the $\alpha$-amylase inhibitors from the black bean and naked barley was pH 7.0 and the inhibitory activities were stable in the range of pH 6.0~8.0 in both phosphate and Tris-HCI buffer solutions. Both inhibitors maintained more than 50% of activity after incubation for 17 min at 7$0^{\circ}C$. The inhibitors from the black bean and naked barley maintained more than 50% of activities after treatment for 40 min and 30 min with pepsin, and 30 min and 50 min with trypsin, respectively. Both inhibitors functioned via a noncompetitive mechanism and were active against porcine pancreatic and human salivary $\alpha$-amylases. The activities of both inhibitors were linear for the ionic stength ranging from 0 to 0.9. The addition of 70 mM maltose to the reaction mixture caused a maximum increase in the relative activities of both inhibitors, but it did not affect the dissociation of the EI complex. The activities of both inhibitors were significantly enhanced by adding 1mM of K+ or Mg2+.