• Development and Reproduction
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.65-74
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• 2010

Placenta has been shown to be a site of expression of several of the monoamine membrane uptake transporters. However, the correlation between the expressions of norepinephrine transporter (NET) and placental development including gynecological diseases is still unknown. To investigate the expression and functions of NET in placenta, we conducted to compare NET expression in normal and preeclamptic placenta and analyzed the function of NET in HTR8-SV/neo trophoblast cells after NET gene transfection. The expression of NET was analyzed in placental tissues from the following groups of patients (none underwent labor): 1) term normal placenta (n=15); 2) term with preeclamptic placeneta (n=15); and 3) pre-term with preeclamptic placenta (n=11) using semi-quantitative RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry, and Western blot. In order to evaluate the function of NET, NET gene plasmid and NET gene-specific siRNA were trnasfected into HTR-8/SVneo trophoblast cells for 24 hours. NET had low expression in the pre-eclamptic placenta compare with normal placenta but no difference in western blot data. NET was expressed in the trophoblasts, and the up-regulation of NET gene stimulated the invasion of HTR-8/SVneo trophoblast cells by 2.5 fold (p<0.05), whereas the NET-siRNA treatment reduced invasion rates. Also, we observed that the expression of NET induces to expression and activity of MMP-9 in HTR-8/SVneo trophoblast cells in zymography. The results suggest that the expression of NET were reduced in pre-eclampsia and should be inhibited invasion activity of trophoblasts. Therefore, these findings provide useful guidelines for the mechanisms of trophoblast invasion as well as for the basic understanding of gynecological diseases including pre-eclampsia.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.412-420
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• 1989

To know how the ribosomes involved in secretory protein synthesis were attached to the cytoplasmic membrane in Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, the cells were treated with puromycin combinated with magnesium at the logarithmic phase, and the variation of cell-bound and extracellular $\alpha$-amylase activity was assayed for determining the $\alpha$-amylase translocation blocking through the cytoplasmic membrane. In the abnormal $\alpha$-amylase producing mutant in which the C-terminal of the $\alpha$-amylase structure was deleted, B. umytotiquefaciens CH10-2, the $\alpha$-amylase was translocated normally through the cytoplasmic membranes, and the translocation blocking by puromycin was revealed to have a similar pattern as that in the wild type. This means that the C-terminal part of the enzyme structure may not have a signal for secretion. The cell death of the logarithmic phase cells in both strains was not affected much under 20$\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$ of puromycin, however, the $\alpha$-amylase translocation was blocked markedly under less than 10$\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$ of the puromycin concentration. The blocking of the enzyme secretion by puromycin may be due to the detachment of the ribosomes from cytoplasmic membranes by disturbing the nascent polypeptide synthesis. Further evidence for confirming this was that the detachment was increased in 50 mM of magnesium ion because the extracellular $\alpha$-amylase activity was decreased more under this condition. If the cells were treated with trypsin combinated with Iysozyme, the extracellular $\alpha$-amylase activity from the cultured medium was reduced markedly, however, the activity from the cells treated with trypsin only was not reduced. This means that the nascent polypeptides protruding from the cytoplasmic membrane were sensitive to the trypsin digestion, whereas the matured ones were not. Therefore, the protruding polypeptides from the cytoplasmic membranes may be truncated by trypsin before forming their final tertiary structures by folding in the cell wall layer.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.488-496
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• 2017

Emissions of pollutants from ship-based sources are controlled by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Since pollutants emitted from ship may be dispersed to the land, controlling emissions from ships is necessary for efficient air quality management in Incheon, where exposure to ship-based pollution is frequent. It has been noted that the ratios of air pollutant emissions from coastal areas to inland areas are about 14% for NOx and 10% for SOx. The air quality of coastal urban areas is influenced by the number of ships present and the dispersion pattern of the pollutants released depending on the local circulation system. In this study, the dispersion of pollutants from ship-based sources was analyzed using the numerical California Puff Model (CALPUFF) based on a meteorological field established using the Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF). Air pollutant dispersion modeling around coastal urban regions such as Incheon should consider point and line sources emitted from both anchored and running ships, respectively. The total average NOx emissions from 82-84 ships were 6.2 g/s and 6.8 g/s, entering and leaving, respectively. The total average SOx emissions from 82-84 ships, entering and leaving, were 3.6 g/s and 5.1 g/s, respectively. The total average emissions for NOx and SOx from anchored ships were 0.77 g/s and 1.93 g/s, respectively. Due to the influence of breezes from over land, the transport of pollutants from Incheon Port to inland areas was suppressed, and the concentration of NOx and SOx inland were temporarily reduced. NOx and SOx were diffused inland by the sea breeze, and the concentration of NOx and SOx gradually increased inland. The concentration of pollutants in the area adjacent to Incheon Port was more influenced by anchored ship in the port than sea breezes. We expect this study to be useful for setting emission standards and devising air quality policies in coastal urban regions.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.97-102
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• 2001

Cheju island depends on a hydrogeologically vulnerable aquifer system as its principle source of drinking water. Most of golf courses are located in the area which is important for the ground water recharge, and pesticides are applied to golf courses often at relatively high rates. Therefore, turf pesticides in golf course should be applied without adversely impacting ground water. In this experiment, downward movement of pesticides was monitored in model greens of golf course, where different adsorbents were layered in 3-cm thickness at 35-cm depth, and effect of the adsorption layer on the leaching loss of pesticides was investigated. Major leachings were observed in the periods of heavy rain and very limited leaching was observed under artificial irrigation. Fenitrothion and triadimefon, which have relatively short persistence and high adsorption coefficient, were found in the leachate in low concentrations only at the first rainfall event, around 20 days after the pesticide application. However, diniconazole, which has a relatively long half-life (97 days), was detected in the leachate during the whole period of experiment and concentration was much higher than those of the other pesticides. Maximum leachate concentrations were 1.9, 10.3, and 84.5 ${\mu}l^{-1}$ for fenitrothion, triadimefon, and diniconazole, respectively. Therefore, in golf course green which allows rapid water percolation and has extremely low adsorption capacity, persistence in soil could be more important factor in determination of leaching potential of pesticides. Total quantity of pesticides leached from the model green was <0.2% for fenitrothion and triadimefon and 1.8% for diniconazole. Adsorption layers significantly reduced pesticide leaching, and active carbon and Orpar were more effective than zeolite. In the model green having adsorption layer of active carbon or Orpar, leaching loss of pesticides was reduced below 0.01% of the initial application.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.380-391
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• 1993

The experimental study was made to propose the treatment method of wastewater in the high-density fish culture system. The BOD to COD ratios of effluents were almost same to 0.65 in the eel-farm, but were various in the farm rearing together with tilapia etc. A BOD rate curve of the eel-farm effluent could be described mathematically by the equation, $BODu=14.1(1-10^{-0.222t})+30.9(1-10^{-0.035(t-8)})$. Nitrification in Biological Fluidized Bed(BFB) system to treat the fish-farm wastewater could be reduce ammonium level up to $65{\sim}79\%$ when ammonium loading rates were between 0.014 and 0.075g $NH_4/g$ BVS-day. Nitrification efficiency was decreased by organic matters in the wastewater when ammonium loading was low(0.014 g $NH_4/g$ BVS-day). T-N removal ratios were decreased to increase loading in denitrification process, because of low C/N ratio. Based on much higher biological mass concentrations, BFB system takes many advantages of a practical viewpoint, such as stability of treatment efficiency and reduction of necessary site area for the facility, as compared with conventional treatment systems.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.381-398
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• 1975

Present work was executed to evaluate effects of adjuvants. stabilizers. moisture. pH and heavy metals on the stability of Fenitrothion in the emulsifiable concentrate. In addition, susceptibility ' of Fenitrothion in various formulations, to UV-irradiation has been also examined. The results are summarized as follows; 1. Xylene and benzene were found to be satisfactory solvents for Fenitrothion emulsifiable concentrate. As expected, polar sol vents such as aliphatic alcohols considerably reduced stability of the pesticides. 2. Of the two non-ionic emulsifiers, an alkyl aryl type Sorpol-1200, in contrast to sorbitan type Tweens, substantially reduced decomposition of Fenitrothion in the emulsifiable concentrates. Moisture and pH of emulsifiers. in the ranges studied. affected little if any. on the stabi ity of the Fenitrothion during the experiment periods. 3. Maleic anhydride, p-toluene sulfonic acid, sulfosalicylic acid, maleic anhydride-sulfosalicylic acid reduced decomposition of Fenitrothion in the emulsifiable concentrate. Addition of organic acids, however, increased liability of Fenitrothion in the emulsifiable concentrate. 4. Presence of either zinc or copper metals in the emulsifiable concentrate containing Tween-80 as a emulsifier, reduced stability of the Fenitrothion. 5. UV-irradiation, as expected, brought decomposition of Fenitrothion. The liability of Fenitrothion formulations decreased in the order, wettable powder ${\gg}$ dust > emulsifiable concentrate.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.650-659
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• 1999

Background/Aims: It is well recognized that all aerobic cells have the protective mechanisms in order to minimize the tissue damage induced by various reactive oxygen species(ROS). Thioredoxin peroxidase(TPX) which has been recently identified and characterized functions to convert peroxide to water. The protein is also found in various subtypes(TPX-A & B, MER5, HS22 and HORF-06) and is known to be ubiquitous in most human cells. Especially, ischemic brain injuries, partial hepatectomy and radiation induced DNA damages. In treating lung cancer, radiation therapy has a major place in the local control and the relief of symptoms, but radiation induced free radical injury and resulting pulmonary fibrosis has been the major drawback of the therapy. However, little is known about the protective mechanisms and biologic modulations against radiation-induced tissue damages. Methods: Eighteen mice were divided into six groups, 3 in each group, and fifteen had received 900cGy of radiation. The mice were sacrificed according to the pre determined time schedule; immediate, 1, 2, 3 and 6 weeks after irradiation. Extracts were made from the lungs of each mice, Western blot analysis of various subtypes of TPX were done after SDS-P AGE. Examination of H & E stained slides from the same irradiated specimens and the control specimens were also performed. Results: No difference in the intensity of the immunoreactive bands in the irradiated lung samples of the mice compared to the unirradiated control was observed regardless of the time intervals, although H & E examination of the sample specimens demonstrated progressive fibrotic changes of the irradiated lung samples. Conclusion: In conclusion, according to our data, it is suggested that various thioredoxin peroxidase subtypes and catalase which are known to be increased in many repair processes may not be involved in the repair of the radiation injury to the lung and subsequent fibrosis.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.321-331
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• 2009

In this study, Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge(Danshen) powder was extracted with ethanol, and its antimicrobial activity was investigated. The ethanol extract of the Danshen had antimicrobial activity against Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus. The inhibition zones of the Danshen extract(3 mg/disc) against B. subtilis, E. coli and S. aureus were 13, 12 and 8.5 mm, respectively. To test the food preservation effect of Danshen and determine the optimal ratio of the Danshen extract in a formulation, Sulgidduk samples were prepared with substitutions of 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1% Danshen extract, and then their quality characteristics were investigated over 4 days of storage. According to the results, total cell counts showed a decreasing trend with an increasing amount of added Danshen extract. Moisture contents were not significantly different among the Sulgidduk samples. As the content of Danshen extract increased, the L-values of samples decreased and the a- and b- values increased. For the textural characteristics, the hardness, gumminess, and chewiness of the Sulgidduk samples decreased as the amount of Danshen extract increased; however, they increased with the progression of storage time. In the sensory evaluation, the control group had significantly higher scores for color, flavor and after-taste as compared to the Danshen extract-added groups. With increasing Danshen extract contents, flavor and overall acceptability decreased, while Danshen flavor, bitterness and off-flavor increased. Chewiness was not significantly different among the samples. In conclusion, the results indicate that substituting 0.5% Danshen extract in Sulgidduk is optimal for quality and provides a product with reasonably high overall acceptability.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.63-71
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• 2004

The human skin is constantly exposed to environmental irritants such as ultraviolet, smoke, chemicals. Free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) caused by these environmental facts play critical roles in cellular damage. These irritants are in themselves damaging to the skin structure but they also participate the immensely complex inflammatory reaction. The purpose of this study was to investigate the skin cell protective effect of Juniperus chinensis xylem extract on the UV and SLS-induced skin cell damages. We tested free radical and superoxide scavenging effect in vitro. We found that Juniperus chinensis xylem extracts had potent radical scavenging effect by 98％ at 100 $\mu\textrm{g}$/mL. Fluorometric assays of the proteolytic activities of matrix metalloproteinase-l(MMP-1, collagenase) were performed using fluorescent collagen substrates. UV A induced MMP-1 synthesis and activity were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and gelatin-based zymography in skin fibroblasts. The extract of Juniperus chinensis showed strong inhibitory effect on MMP-1 activities by 97％ at 100 $\mu\textrm{g}$/mL and suppressed the UVA induced expression of MMP-1 by 79％ at 25 $\mu\textrm{g}$/mL. This extract also showed strong inhibition on MMP-2 activity in UVA irradiated fibroblast by zymography. We also examined anti-inflammatory effects by the determination test of proinflammatory cytokine, interleukin 6 in HaCaT keratinocytes. In this test Juniperus chinensis decreased expression of interleukin 6 about 30％. Expression of prostaglandin E$_2$, (PGE$_2$) after UVB irradiation was measured by competitive enzyme immunoassay (EIA) using PGE$_2$ monoclonal antibody. At the concentrations of 5-50 $\mu\textrm{g}$/mL of the extracts, the production of PGE$_2$ by HaCaT keratinocytes (24 hours after 10 mJ/$\textrm{cm}^2$ UVB irradiation) was significantly inhibited in culture supernatants (p〈0.05). The viability of cultured HaCaT keratinocytes was significantly reduced at the doses of above 10 mJ/$\textrm{cm}^2$ of UVB irradiation, but the presence of these extracts improved cell viability comparing to control after UVB irradiation. We also investigated the protective effect of this extract in sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS)-induced irritant skin reactions from 24 hour exposure. Twice a day application of the extract for reducing local inflammation in human skin was done. Irritant reactions were assessed by various aspects of skin condition, that is, erythema (skin color reflectance) and transepidermal water loss (TEWL). After 5 days the extract was found to reduce SLS-induced skin erythema and improve barrier regeneration when compared to untreated symmetrical test site. In conclusion, our results suggest that Juniperus chinensis can be effectively used for the prevention of UV and SLS-induced adverse skin reactions such as radical production, inflammation and skin cell damage.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.287-292
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• 2009

Human skin is constantly exposed to environmental irritants such as smoke, chemicals and ultraviolet (UV). Free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) caused by these environmental irritants play critical roles in cellular damage. In this study, to investigate the skin cell protective effect of Ophioglossum vulgatum extract, we investigated its effects on intercellular antioxidative activity and UVA-induced MMP expression in human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs). The dried O. vulgatum was extracted in a mixture of ethanol and water (1 : 1) for 24 h at room temperature. The extract was filtered and concentrated in vacuo and lyophilized. For testing intracellular ROS scavenging activity the cultured HDFs were analyzed by increase in DCF fluorescence upon exposure to UVB $20\;mJ/cm^2$. After treatment of O. vulgatum extracts, intracellular ROS levels were measured by luminescence spectrophotometer. Enzyme linked immuno sorbent assay (ELISA), and RT-PCR techniques were used for evaluating the effects of O. vulgatumon on MMP protein and mRNA expression in UVA irradiated HDFs. O. vulgatum extract was found to have ROS scavenging activity with the $IC_{50}$ values of $18.2\;{\mu}g/mL$ against superoxide radicals in the xanthine/xanthine oxidase system. After treatment of O. vulgatum extracts, the oxidation of CM-DCFDA was inhibited effectively and O. vulgatum extracts showed a potent free radical scavenging activity by 30.4 % at $100\;{\mu}g/mL$ in UVB-irradiated HDFs. UVA induced MMP protein expression was reduced 37.7 % by treatment with O. vulgatum extract, and MMP-1 mRNA expression was reduced in a dose-dependent manner. Taken together, these results suggest that O. vulgatum extract prevents the skin cell damage induced by UV irradiation, and implies that O. vulgatum extract may be useful as a new ingredient for anti-aging cosmetics.