• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.418-428
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• 2020

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of resistance exercise(RE) on beta-amyloid(Aβ) metabolism, neuronal cell death, and cognitive function in the transgenic mice model of Alzheimer's disease(AD). Fourteen transgenic(tg) mice and fourteen non-transgenic(non-tg) mice were divided into four groups: (1)non-tg-control(NTC, n=7) (2)non-tg-RE(NTRE, n=7) (3)tg-control(TC, n=7), and (4)tg-RE(TRE, n=7). The groups with RE were performed to progressive RE on ladder equipment for 8 weeks. The groups with RE were performed to progressive RE on ladder equipment for 8 weeks. After then, the cognitive function was measured by using the water maze test, and Aβ metabolism-related proteins, neuronal cell death, and SIRT1/PGC-1α pathway were also measured. Here, we found escape latency and time were significantly increased in the TC compared to the NTC group, but it was significantly reduced in the TRE group, indicating RE may ameliorate cognitive dysfunction. Next, we found an increased in Aβ protein of TC compared to NTC, but it was significantly reduced in the TRE group following RE. In neuronal cell death, Bcl-2 was also significantly decreased and Bax was significantly increased in the TC compared to the NTC group, but RE can increase Bcl-2 and reduce Bax, which may elevate the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax. We further found a decrease in the level of ADAM10 and RARβ protein was significantly increased whereas increased in ROCK1 and BACE1 expression level was significantly reduced following RE in the TRE compared to the TC group. In addition, the level of SIRT1/PGC-1α proteins was decreased in the TC group compared to NTC group, but, these markers were significantly increased in the TRE group following RE. Therefore, our finding indicated that RE may ameliorate cognitive deficits by reducing Aβ protein and neuronal cell death via regulating SIRT1/PGC-1α, amyloidogenic pathway, and non-amyloidogenic pathway, which may play a role in an effective strategy for AD.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.853-856
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• 2005

Inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching of magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) stack, which is one of the key elements in magnetic random access memory, was studied. The MTJ stacks were patterned in nanometer size by electron(e)-beam lithography, and TiN thin films were employed as a hard mask. The etch process of TiN hard mask was examined using Ar, $Cl_2/Ar$, and $SF_6/Ar$. The TiN hard mask patterned by e-beam lithography was first etched and then the etching of MTJ stack was performed. The MTJ stacks were etched using Ar, $Cl_2/Ar$, and $BCl_3/Ar$ gases by varying gas concentration and pressure.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.10
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• pp.5287-5290
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• 2012

Throughout human history, plant products have been used for many purposes including as medicines. Herbal products and spices can be used as preventive agents against cancer due to their antimicrobial, antioxidant and antitumorigenic properties. This study was designed to evaluate the potential protective effect of curcum in rats administered nitrosamine precursors; dibutylamine (DBA) and sodium nitrate (NaNO3); and infected with Escherichia coli (E. coli) and also to monitor changes in nuclear factor the Kappa B p65 (NF-${\kappa}B$ p56) pathway and its downstream products, Bcl-2 and interleukin-6 (IL-6), in parallel with nitrosamine precursors, E. coli and curcum treatment. Rats were divided into three groups (n=25 each; except of control group, n+20). Group I a normal control group, group II administered DBA/NaNO3 in drinking water and infected with E. coli and group III was administered DBA/NaNO3 in drinking water, infected with E. coli and receiving standard diet containing 1% curcum powder. Histopathological examination reflected that the curcum treated group featured a lower incidence of urinary bladder lesions, and lower levels of NF-${\kappa}B$, Bcl-2 and IL-6, than the group receiving nitrosamine precursor and infected with E. coli. These findings suggested that curcum may have a protective role during the process of bladder carcinogenesis by inhibiting the NF-${\kappa}B$ pathway and its downstream products.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.1-16
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• 2016

Objectives : The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of Gentianae Macrophyllae Radix pharmacopuncture (GP) at Hwando (GB30) in neuropathic pain induced rats. Methods : Neuropathic pain in rats was induced by tibial and sural nerve transection. The rat subjects were divided into 6 groups : normal (Nor, n = 5), control (Con, n = 5), neuropathic pain- induced injected at GB30 with 1 mg/kg GP (GP-A, n = 5), 5 mg/kg GP (GP-B, n = 5) and 20 mg/kg GP (GP-C, n = 5), and neuropathic pain-induced injected with 1mg/kg Tramadol (Tramadol, n＝5). Injections were administered 2 times a week for a total of 5 treatments. After each treatment plantar withdrawal response was measured and after all 5 treatments were completed c-fos, Bax, Bcl-2, mGlu5 and leukocytes in the blood were analyzed. Results : 1. Groups GP-A, GP-B and GP-C showed a meaningful decrease in the withdrawal response of mechanical allodynia compared to the control group. 2. Groups GP-A, GP-B and GP-C showed a meaningful decrease in the expression of c-fos compared to the control group. 3. Groups GP-A and GP-C showed a meaningful increase in the expression of mGluR5 compared to the control group. 4. Groups GP-A, GP-B and GP-C showed a meaningful decrease in Bax/Bcl-2 ratio compared to the control group. Conclusion : These results suggest that Gentianae Macrophyllae Radix pharmacopuncture at Hwando (GB30) could decrease mechanical allodynia and could have analgesic and neuroprotective effects on the model of neuropathic pain.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.53 no.10
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• pp.898-908
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• 2010

Purpose: The neuroprotective effects of erythropoietin (EPO) have been recently shown in many animal models of brain injury, including hypoxic-ischemic (HI) encephalopathy, trauma, and excitotoxicity; however, limited data are available for such effects during the neonatal periods. Therefore, we investigated whether recombinant human EPO (rHuEPO) can protect against perinatal HI brain injury via an antiapoptotic mechanism. Methods: The left carotid artery was ligated in 7-day-old Sprague-Dawley (SD) rat pups ($in$ $vivo$ model). The animals were divided into 6 groups: normoxia control (NC), normoxia sham-operated (NS), hypoxia only (H), hypoxia+vehicle (HV), hypoxia+rHuEPO before a hypoxic insult (HE-B), and hypoxia+rHuEPO after a hypoxic insult (HE-A). Embryonic cortical neuronal cell culture of SD rats at 18 days gestation ($in$ $vitro$ model) was performed. The cultured cells were divided into 5 groups: normoxia (N), hypoxia (H), and 1, 10, and 100 IU/mL rHuEPO-treated groups. Results: In the $in$ $vivo$ model, Bcl-2 expressions in the H and HV groups were lower than those in the NC and NS groups, whereas those in the HE-A and HE-B groups were greater than those of the H and HV groups. The expressions of Bax and caspase-3 and the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 were in contrast to those of Bcl-2. In the $in$ $vitro$ model, the patterns of Bcl-2, Bax, and caspase-3 expression and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio were similar to the results obtained in the in vivo model. Conclusion: rHuEPO exerts neuroprotective effect against perinatal HI brain injury via an antiapoptotic mechanism.

• Exercise Science
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.289-298
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• 2012

In the present study, we investigated the effect of treadmill exercise on apoptotic neuronal cell death in the retinas of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Twenty-eight male Sprague-Dawley rats were used for this study. The animals were divided into four groups(n = 7 in each group):(1) control group, (2) exercise group, (3) diabetes-induced group, (4) diabetes-induced and exercise group. Diabetes mellitus(DM) was induced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin. The rats in the exercise groups were forced to run on the treadmill for 30 minutes once a day, five times per a week, during 12 weeks. In this study, a terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling(TUNEL) assay and western blot for the expressions of caspase-3, cytochrome c, Bax, and Bcl-2 in the retinas were conducted for the detection of apoptotic retinal cell death. The present results showed that the number of TUNEL-positive cells was increased in the retinas of the diabetic rats, whereas treadmill exercise suppressed this number. The expressions of pro-apoptotic factors caspase-3, cytochrome c, and Bax were enhanced and the expressions of anti-apoptotic factor Bcl-2 was decreased in the retinas of the diabetic rats. In contrast, treadmill exercise suppressed the expressions of caspase-3, cytochrome c, and Bax and increased the expression of Bcl-2. The present study demonstrated that treadmill exercise suppressed diabetes-induced apoptotic neuronal cell death in the retinas. Based on the present results, treadmill exercise may be effective therapeutic strategy for the alleviating complications of diabetes patients.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.159-166
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• 2011

Simazine (6-chloro-N,N'-diethyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine) is a triazine herbicide that has been applied worldwide including Korea for agricultural purposes. Simazine is the second most commonly detected pesticide in surfaceand ground-water in the United States, Europe and Australia. It has been shown that simazine is a potent endocrine disruptor in wildlife and laboratory animals. Although many endocrine disruptors can induce apoptosis in various types of cells, the effects of simazine on apoptosis and on the expression of Bcl-2 family genes are not known. Also it is unknown the effect of simazine on the expression of steroidogenesis-regulating genes in testicular cells. In this study, we investigated the effect of simazine on the expression levels of apoptosis- and steroidogenesis-regulating genes in testicular cells. We found that a low concentration of simazine can alter the mRNA expression levels of steroidogenesis-related genes and Bcl-2 family genes in mouse Sertoli cells and rat Leydig cells. Thus, our results suggest that simazine can disturb normal testicular development and reproductive function by altering the expression of genes that are critical for the regulation of apoptosis and steroidogenesis.

• Journal of Photoscience
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.217-220
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• 2002

Ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation may activate or deteriorate cultured human epidermal melanocytes, depending on the doses and culture conditions. In this study, we examined whether apoptosis of melanocytes can be induced by physiologic doses of UVB irradiation. PI staining for DNA condensation and flow cytometric analyses demonstrated the apoptotic cell death of melanocytes after UVB irradiation. The level of p53 and Bax revealed a dose-dependent increase with increasing dose of UVB, but the level of Bcl-2 remained unchanged. Confocal microscopic examination showed that Bax moved trom a diffuse to a punctate distribution after UVB irradiation. However, there were no changes in the pattern of Bcl-2. We next examined the downstream targets of apoptosis. Our results showed that a precursor form of caspase-3 disappeared with increasing doses of UVB. We also observed cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) after UVB irradiation. In addition, UVB irradiation resulted in a remarkable activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). These results indicate that UVB may induce apoptosis via JNK activation in human melanocytes.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.37 no.11
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• pp.1408-1414
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• 2008

The anticancer properties of Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans extract were investigated. The extract from S. subspinipes mutilans by 80% EtOH was fractionated with n-hexane, dichloromethan ($CH_2Cl_2$), ethylacetate (EtOAc), and butanol (BuOH) in order. The EtOAc fraction showed the highest inhibitory activity (about 80%) against human leukemia (HL-60) cell growth at $50\;{\mu}g/mL$. To explore the mechanism of cytotoxicity, we used several measures of apoptosis to determine whether these processes were involved in EtOAc fraction-induced HL-60 cell death. Our results showed EtOAc fraction induced cell shrinkage, cell membrane blebbing, apoptotic body, and DNA fragmentation. The EtOAc fraction gradually decreased the expression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-xL and led to the activation of caspase-3, -9 and cleavage of PARP. These findings suggest that S. subspinipes mutilans exhibits potential anticancer properties.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.201-218
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• 2011

Objectives : The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Guibi-Tang(GBT) on focal brain ischemic injury induced by intraluminal filament insertion in rats. Methods : The ischemia was induced by intraluminal filament insertion into middle cerebral artery. Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into five groups, normal group(n=8); control group was ischemia induced and no treatment(n=8); GBT 1X group was ischemia induced and administrated 42.2 mg/ml/kg of Guibi-Tang orally(n=8); GBT 3X group was ischemia induced and administrated 126.6 mg/ml/kg of Guibi-Tang orally(n=8); GBT 6X group was ischemia induced and administrated 253.2 mg/ml/kg of Guibi-Tang orally(n=8) for 21 days. mGluR5, Bax, Bcl-2 and cytochrome C were investigated to observe the effects of Guibi-Tang on apoptosis. The effects of Guibi-Tang on neuroprotective/apoptotic agents in cresyl violet, choline acetyltranferase(ChAT) with ischemic injury were investigated. Results : The intensity of mGluR5 mRNA in the hippocampal CA1 was increased in normal and GBT(Guibi-Tang) 1X groups compared with the control group. The intensity of Bax mRNA in the hippocampal CA1 was decreased in normal and GBT 1X groups compared with the control group. However it was increased unexpectedly in GBT 3X group. The intensity of Bcl-2 mRNA in the hippocampal CA1 was increased in normal and GBT 1X groups compared with the control group. The intensity of Bax/Bcl-2 ratio in the hippocampal CA1 was decreased in normal and GBT 1X groups compared with the control group. The intensity of cytochrome C protein in the hippocampal CA1 was decreased in normal, GBT 1X and GBT 6X groups compared with the control group. The density of neurons stained by cresyl violet and ChAT was increased in normal and GBT 1X groups compared with the control group. Conclusions : These results suggest that Guibi-Tang may have protective effect on vascular dementia.