• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.175-182
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• 2014

This study investigates the free radical-scavenging activities of Amaranth (Amaranthus spp. L.) red and purple flower extracts. The methanol and hot water extracts of flower are being evaluated for its total polyphenol and flavonoid contents, scavenging activities by the DPPH and ABTS analysis, SOD-like activity, and inhibition activities of superoxide radical on the HL-60 cells and nitric oxide of the RAW 264.7 cells. The PFM (purple flower extracted with MeOH) showed the highest total phenolic and flavonoid content, 606.95 mg GAE/100 g and 254.69 mg CE/100 g, respectively. Amongst the scavenging activities of the DPPH radicals, PFM($RC_{50}=155.06{\mu}g/m{\ell}$) is the highest of all the samples. The ABTS radical-scavenging activity is also highest for PFM (53.16%) at the $250{\mu}g/m{\ell}$ concentration. But, the SOD-like activity of the PFW (purple flower extracted with hot water) increases more than 3 folds of the PFM. In the leukemia HL-60 cell, the PFM shows strongly inhibited superoxide radical generations at a concentration of $200{\mu}g/m{\ell}$ at 72.34%, which increases with 1.79 folds more than the RFW (red flower extracted with hot water). The inhibition activity of nitric oxide in Raw 264.7 cells is the highest for PMF (46.90%) at a $250{\mu}g/m{\ell}$ concentration. In conclusion, PMF show the highest flavonoid contents and the most powerful free radical-scavenging activity. Our results suggest that the increase of antioxidant activities depend on flavonoid contents. Thus, Amaranth flower can be useful for natural antioxidant compounds.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.7
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• pp.3403-3408
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• 2012

The molecular mechanisms involved in the progression of clear cell renal cell carcinomas (ccRCCs) are still unclear. The aim of this study was to analyse the relationships between expression of RALYL and clinical characteristics. In 41 paired samples of ccRCCs and adjacent normal tissues, we used real-time qPCR to evaluate the expression of RALYL mRNA. RALYL protein levels were determined in 146 samples of ccRCC and 37 adjacent normal tissues by immunohistochemistry. Statistical analysis was used to explore the relationships between expression of RALYL and the clinical characteristics (gender, age, tumor size, T stage, N stage, M stage, survival times and survival outcome) in ccRCC. In addition, these patients were follow-up period 64 months (range: 4~116months) to investigate the influence on prognosis. We found significantly differences between ccRCC tissues and normal tissues (p<0.001, paired-sample t test) in mRNA levels of RALYL. Immunohistochemistry analyses in 146 ccRCC samples and 37 adjacent normal tissues showed significantly lower RALYL protein levels in ccRCC samples (${\chi}^2$-test, p<0.001), inversely correlating with tumour size (p=0.024), T stage (0.005), N stage (p<0.001) as well as M stage (p=0.019), but not age (p=0.357) and gender (p=0.348). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis demonstrated that people with lower level of RALYL expression had a poorer survival rate than those with a higher level of RALYL expression, significantly different by the log-rank test (p=0.011). Cox regression analysis indicated that RALYL expression (p=0.039), N stage (p=0.008) and distant metastasis (p<0.001) were independent prognosis factors for the overall survival of ccRCC patients. We demonstrated that the expression of RALYL was significantly low in ccRCC and correlated with a poor prognosis in a large number of clinical samples. Our findings showed that RALYL may be a potential therapeutic target as well as a poor prognostic factor.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.8
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• pp.3395-3402
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• 2015

Background: Preoperative 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-based chemoradiotherapy is a standard treatment for locally advanced colorectal cancer (CRC). However, CRC cells often develop chemoradiation resistance (CRR). Recent studies have shown that long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) plays critical roles in a myriad of biological processes and human diseases, as well as chemotherapy resistance. Since the roles of lncRNAs in 5-FU-based CRR in human CRC cells remain unknown, they were investigated in this study. Materials and Methods: A 5-FU-based concurrent CRR cell model was established using human CRC cell line HCT116. Microarray expression profiling of lncRNAs and mRNAs was undertaken in parental HCT116 and 5-FU-based CRR cell lines. Results: In total, 2,662 differentially expressed lncRNAs and 2,398 mRNAs were identified in 5-FU-based CRR HCT116 cells when compared with those in parental HCT116. Moreover, 6 lncRNAs and 6 mRNAs found to be differentially expressed were validated by quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR). Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis for the differentially expressed mRNAs indicated involvement of many, such as Jak-STAT, PI3K-Akt and NF-kappa B signaling pathways. To better understand the molecular basis of 5-FU-based CRR in CRC cells, correlated expression networks were constructed based on 8 intergenic lncRNAs and their nearby coding genes. Conclusions: Changes in lncRNA expression are involved in 5-FU-based CRR in CRC cells. These findings may provide novel insight for the prognosis and prediction of response to therapy in CRC patients.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.3075-3078
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• 2013

Background: KLK3 gene products, like human prostate-specific antigen (PSA), are important biomarkers in the clinical diagnosis of prostate cancer (PCa). G protein-coupled receptor RFX6, C2orf43 and FOXP4 signaling plays important roles in the development of PCa. However, associations of these genes with PCa in northern Chinese men remain to be detailed. This study aimed to investigate their impact on occurrence and level of malignancy. Methods: All subjects were from Beijing and Tianjin, including 266 cases with prostate cancer and 288 normal individuals as controls. We evaluated associations between clinical covariates (age at diagnosis, prostate specific antigen, Gleason score, tumor stage and aggressive) and 6 candidate PCa risk loci, genotyped by PCR- high resolution melting curve and sequencing methods. Results: Case-control analysis of allelic frequency of PCa associated with PCa showed that one of the 6 candidate risk loci, rs339331 in the RFX6 gene, was associated with reduced risk of prostate cancer (odds ratio (OR) = 0.73, 95% confidence interval (CI) =0.57-0.94, P = 0.013) in northern Chinese men. In addition, subjects with CX (CC+TC) genotypes had a decreased risk for prostrate cancer compared to those carrying the TT homozygote (OR =0.64, 95% CI = 0.45- 0.90, P = 0.008). The TT genotype of 13q22 (rs9600079, T) was associated with tumor stage (P=0.044, OR=2.34, 95% CI=0.94-5.87). Other SNPs were not significantly associated with clinical covariates in prostate cancer (P > 0.05). Conclusions. rs339331 in the RFX6 gene may be associated with prostate cancer as a susceptibility locus in northern Chinese men.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.123-133
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• 2010

The purpose of this study is to investigate Tension-type headache associated with pericranial tenderness and Headache attributed to temporomandibular joint disorder among Characteristic pain index, Disability points, Chronic pain grade, Depression index, Nonspecific physical symptoms (pain items included), Nonspecific physical symptoms (pain items excluded), Jaw disability score using RDC/TMD Axis II. Eighty five patients who visited the Kyung Hee University Dental Hospital were diagnosed as Tension-type headache associated with pericranial tenderness(n=48) and Headache attributed to temporomandibular joint disorder(n=37) by the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 2nd Edition, and were administered the Korean versions of the RDC/TMD Axis II- Characteristic pain index, Disability points, Chronic pain grade, Depression index, Nonspecific physical symptoms (pain items included), Nonspecific physical symptoms (pain items excluded), Jaw disability score. Then it was analyzed statistically by SPSS(ver. 10.0). T-test, The Wilcoxon-signed rank test and Mann-Whitney U test (p<0.05) were used. There were no significant differences in Characteristic pain index, Disability points, Chronic pain grade, Depression index, Nonspecific physical symptoms (pain items included), Nonspecific physical symptoms (pain items excluded), Jaw disability score between two groups. Tension type headache associated with pericranial tenderness and Headache attributed to temporomandibular joint disorder showed similar Axis II feature. Tension-type headache associated with pericranial tenderness may be related to Headache attributed to temporomandibular joint disorder.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.109-116
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• 1997

Purpose : Chronic renal failure is often accompanied by severe dyslipidemia, a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] has recently been characterized as a risk factor for atherosclerosis and thrombosis. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in adult patients on dialysis. However, there are only limited data available concerning risk factors for atherosclerosis in uremic children. We have measured serum levels of lipids, lipoproteins, apolipoproteins and Lp(a) in uremic children with maintenance dialysis. Methods : Ten uremic children with hemodialysis (HD) and 14 with peritoneal dialysis (PD) in our dialysis unit were included in this study. The mean age of HD patients was $162{\pm}59$ months and the male to female ratio was 7:3. The mean age and sex ratio of PD patients were $123{\pm}63$ months and 6:8, respectively. The levels of cholesterol, triglyceride, lipoproteins, apolipoproteins and Lp(a) were measured from serum sampled after 14 hours of fasting. The normal control levels were cited from 2 articles presenting the normal blood lipid and lipoprotein levels of primary school and middle school children in Korea. Results : There was no difference in age, sex ratio, body mass index and duration of dialysis between the HD and the PD group. The serum concentration of the cholesterol, triglyceride and apolipoprotein B were significantly elevated in dialysis patients compared with normal subjects. The serum level of Lp(a) was significantly elevated in only PD group. The serum Lp(a) level was below 30 mg/dl in 13 and above 30 mg/dl in 11 patients. The serum albumin level was significantly decreased in high Lp(a) group than in low Lp(a) group. Conclusion : The uremic children receiving dialysis reveal abnormal serum lipid and lipoprotein profiles. These results suggest that they have a higher risk for coronary heart disease, although there has been no clinical evidence of coronary heart disease at present. A long-term follow-up study of these children to clarify the suggestion should be started now.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.125-130
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• 2009

The aim of this study was to investigate whether differences in the distribution of soil invertebrates among different vegetation types (forest, reservoir, and crop land types) in rural area. A total of 18 orders and 137 species were collected by pitfall traps. Species numbers were the lowest (33 species) at the Chamaecyparis obtusa plantation (St. 6). On the forest sites, the individual number of Hymenoptera was the most abundant, and Acari and Coleoptera was the relatively more abundant than the other sites. On the reservoir sites (Salix chaenomeloides community), the individual number of Collembola was the most abundant, and Diptera was the relatively more abundant than the other sites. On the crop land sites, the individual numbers of Collembola, Hymenoptera, and Araneae were the relatively more abundant than the other orders. The density of Araneae was higher in the reservoir and crop land sites than in the forest sites. From a point of view of biodiversity, although the diversity index(H') was the highest in the mixed broad-leaved forest type (St. 2) with Quercus serrata and Q. acutissima, and the lowest in the upland levee of crop land(St. 11), there was no significant difference among the habitat or vegetation types. According to the community analysis, the soil invertebrates could be divided into 4 groups, the mixed broad-leaved forest type (A group), the plantation or pure forest type (B group), the reservoir type (C group), and the crop land type (D group).

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.121-136
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• 2013

It has been known that saliva may affect the most of oral diseases. On the contrary, several systemic conditions may affect salivary flow and cause oral dryness and psychosocial stress especially may a crucial role in the etiology of hyposalivation and oral dryness. Many studies have focused on macroscopic effects of the stress on the salivary glands by autonomic response, but on the other hand it has hardly been reported on cellular microscopic effects of the stress on the salivary glands. Therefore, this study was performed to examine clusterin, a antiapoptotic and cytoprotective protein, in the parotid glands under restraint stress condition. For this study, 18 rats were divided into 3 groups; 1) 2 rats of group I were selected as a normal control. 2) 2 rats of group II, as a experimental control were placed in the restraint cone for 2 hours 3) 14 rats of group III were placed in the restraint cone for 2 hours once a day. The rats were sacrificed immediately(group II, as a experimental control), 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 days after application of the stress and the both parotid glands were excised. Immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy were performed. The finding were as follows: 1. In parotid glands, repeated stress denaturalize the acinar cells, interacinous tissues and interacinous connective tissues were separated to individual acinar cells. After 4 days of experiment, there were lots of vacuoles and intercalated ducts. 2. In parotid glands, repeated stress make the rER which is in acinar cells swollen after 3 days of experiment and it was intensified to 4 days. After 5 days of experiment the edema got worse and degenerated. 3. In parotid glands, clusterin was reduced in ductal cell cytoplasm but in intercalated duct clusterin was slightly stained until 3 days prominently increased until 4 days and then decreased again after 5 days of experiment.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.18-24
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• 2012

Lignocellulose is difficult to hydrolyze due to the presence of lignin and the technology developed for cellulose fermentation to ethanol is not yet economically viable. However, recent advances in the extremely new field of biotechnology for the ethanol production are making it possible to use of Agriculture residual biomass, e.q., Barley straw, because of their several superior aspects as Agriculture residual biomass; low lignin, high contents of carbohydrates. Barley straw consists of 39.78% cellulose (glucose), 22.56% hemicelluloses and 19.27% lignin. Pretreatment of barley straw using NaOH pretreatment solutions concentration with 2%, temperature $85^{\circ}C$ and reaction times 1 hr were investigates. $NH_4OH$ pretreatment condition was solutions concentration with 15%, temperature $60^{\circ}C$, and reaction times 24hr were investigates. Furthermore, enzymatic saccharification using cellulose at $50^{\circ}C$, pH 4.8, 180 rpm for conversion of cellulose contained in barley straw to monomeric sugar. The pretreatment of barley straw using NaOH and $NH_4OH$ can significantly improve enzymatic saccharification of barley straw by extract more lignin and increasing its accessibility to hydrolytic enzymes. The result showed NaOH pretreatment extracted yield of lignin was 24.15%. $NH_4OH$ pretreatment extracted yield of lignin was 29.09%. Shaccharification of barley straw pretreatment by NaOH for 72hr and pH 4.8 result in maximum glucose concentration 15.39g/L (58.40%) and by $NH_4OH$ for 72hr and pH 4.8 result in maximum glucose concentration 16.01g/L (64.78%).

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.570-579
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• 2015

Lindera sericea, which belongs to genus Lindera in the Lauraceae family, is labeled under Least Concerned (LC) among Korean rare plants, floristics specific species IV grade and also flagpole species of the Mudeung National Park. It is distributed in Mt. Mudeung, Mt. Cheonbong and Mt. Chogye within gradients from $12^{\circ}$ to $51^{\circ}$. The slope area is from northeast to northwest sides and the altitude range of distribution site is between 220 m and 533 m. The vascular plants in the quadrate where Lindera sericea were studied were identified as a total of 72 taxa; 37 families, 54 genera, 66 species, 5 variants and 1 forma. Among the floristics specific species, IV grade species was Lindera sericea and III grade species were Stewartia pseudocamellia and Acer palmatum. Korean endemic species were Stewartia pseudocamellia and Carex okamotoi. As for the vegetation group, Quercus mongolica and Q. serratak - Lindera sericea, Styrax japonicus populations were found in Mt. Mudeung area where Lindera sericea appeared, Stewartia pseudocamellia-Lindera sericea and Sasa borealis populations were found in Mt. Cheonbong areas, Carpinus laxiflora - Lindera sericea and Sasa borealis populations were found in Mt. Chogye area, and Stewartia pseudocamellia-Lindera sericea and Sasa borealis populations were found in Songgwangsa area. A total number of 662 Lindera sericea individuals were examined. The number of trees with 1 trunk including younger individuals was 353 (53.32%), and the number of trees with 2 to 5 stems was 270 (40.79%). The number of trees with the greatest number of sprouts was 27. Of 662 trees in total, the total number of sprouts was 1,198. Among these, 699 trees (58.34%) were between 50 cm and 150 cm in height. The tallest tree was 585 cm. The most common root-collar diameter of sprouts (992, 82.81%) was under 1 cm, followed by the sprouts with collar diameter from 1.0 to 1.5 cm(156, 13.2%). Among them, the largest root-collar diameter was 3.2 cm. This Lindera sericea specimen had the tallest trunk (565 cm) which was torn lengthwise on one side. Its root and breast parts were decayed by 50% and 25 respectively. Some branches of the three trunks that were more than 4 m in length were dead in the apical portion. Therefore, it is proposed that the Korean Lindera sericea maintains an apical dominance tree type while showing morphological adaptation as a typical shrub because it autonomously decays some branches and trunks over a certain height while increasing the number of its sprouts.