• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.298-303
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• 2007

Antithrombotic activities of water extract of cheongkookjang and cheongkookjang fermented with green tea or mugwort were evaluated on some antithrombosis related activities in vitro and thrombotic death inhibition in vivo. Cheongkookjang made of white soybean (Glycine max) or black small soybean (Rhynchosia nulubilis) showed potent antioxidative activities. Addition of green tea or mugwort during cheongkookjang fermentation increased the antioxidative activity, cheongkookjang with green tea showed more drastic increase compared with cheongkookjang with mugwort. Nitrite scavenging effects of the cheongkookjang extracts were prominent but the addition of green tea or mugwort seldom increased the scavenging effects. All the cheongkookjang extracts showed strong inhibitory activities on platelet aggregation. The inhibitory activities of cheongkookjang were increased considerably by addition of green tea or mugwort even with low concentration. Plasmin unit as fibrinolytic activity was not affected considerably by addition of green tea. Addition of mugwort decreased the activity transiently at low concentration ($0.3{\sim}1.0%$) but increased again slowly at higher concentration ($1{\sim}3%$). In vitro thrombotic death inhibition test, the antithrombotic activity of cheongkookjang made of black small bean with green tea was higher by about 1.5 times compared to that without green tea. As results, cheongkookjang might inhibit antithrombosis not only by fibrinolytic action but also by inhibition of platelet aggregation and antioxidative action. The addition of functional materials such as green tea or mugwort could increase the antithrombotic function, even at low concentration.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.19 no.11
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• pp.1581-1590
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• 2009

Hizikia fusiforme is a kind of brown edible seaweed that mainly grows in the temperate seaside areas of the northwest pacific, including Korea, Japan and China, and has been widely used as a health food for hundreds of years. Recently, H. fusiforme has been known to exert pharmacological activities including antioxidant, antimutagenic and anticoagulant activities. However, the molecular mechanisms of H. fusiforme in malignant cells have not been clearly elucidated yet. In this study, the effects of ethyl alcohol extract of H. fusiforme (EAHF) on the anti-proliferative effects of MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 human breast cancer cells were investigated. EAHF treatment resulted in a concentration-dependent growth inhibition by including apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 cells and G1 phase arrest in MCF-7 cells, which could be proved by MTT assay, DAPI staining, agarose gel electrophoresis and flow cytometry analysis. In MDA-MB-231 cells, the increase in apoptosis induced by EAHF treatment correlated with up-regulation of pro-apoptotic Bax expression. EAHF treatment induced the proteolytic activation of caspase-3 and caspase-9, and a concomitant inhibition of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase, $\beta$-catenin, phospholipase-${\gamma}1$ protein and DNA fragmentation factor 45/inhibitor of caspase-activated DNase. Taken together, these findings provide important new insights into the possible molecular mechanisms of the anti-cancer activity of H. fusiforme.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.147-160
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• 2011

Eugenol (4-allyl-2-methoxyphenol) is a natural phenolic constituent extensively used in dentistry as a component of zinc oxide eugenol cement and is applied to the mouth environment. Chios gum mastic (CGM) is a resinous exudate obtained from the stem and the main leaves of Pistacia lenticulus tree native to Mediterranean areas. This study was undertaken to investigate the synergistic apoptotic effect of co-treatment with a natural product, CGM and natural phenolic compound, eugenol on SCC25 human tongue squamous cell carcinoma cell line. To investigate whether the co-treatment with eugenol and CGM compared to each single treatment efficiently reduces the viability of SCC25 cells, MTT assay was conducted. Induction and augmentation of apoptosis were confirmed by Hoechst staining, TUNEL staining and DNA hypoploidy. Westen blot analysis and immunofluorescent staining were performed to study the alterations of the expression level and the translocation of apoptosis-related proteins in co-treatment. In this study, co-treatment of with eugenol and CGM on SCC25 cells showed several lines of apoptotic manifestation such as nuclear condensations, DNA fragmentation, the increase and decrease of Bax and Bcl-2, decrease of DNA content, the release of cytochrome c into cytosol, translocation of AIF and DFF40 (CAD) onto nuclei, and activation of caspase-3, caspase-6 caspase-7, caspase-9, PARP, Lamin A/C and DFF45 (ICAD) whereas each single treated SCC25 cells did not show or very slightly these patterns. Although the single treatment of 40 ${\mu}g$/ml CGM and 0.5 mM eugenol for 24 h did not induce apoptosis, the co-treatment of these reagents prominently induced apoptosis. Therefore our data provide the possibility that combination therapy with CGM and eugenol could be considered as a novel therapeutic strategy for human oral squamous cell carcinoma.

• Korean Journal of Cognitive Science
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.149-171
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• 2017

In this research, based on the fact that spatial ability is important for the achievement in the STEM fields, and technological innovation, Purdue Spatial Visualization Test-Rotation has been used to investigate engineering freshmen's spatial ability and gender differences. Students who have taken advanced mathematics courses in high school(those who have taken type B math test in Korean SAT test) and students with general math courses(those who have taken type A in Korean SAT-Math test) are included in this study to find out the relationship between mathematics achievement and spatial ability. Finding out the strategies taken by students was another aim of this study. This strategic differences between high achievers and lower achievers, male and female students were analyzed from students' self report. Spatial ability test score was highest in the SAT-Math type B male students, decreased in the order of type A male students, type B female students, and lastly type A female students. There was no substantial difference between second and third groups. In each group, male students' average score was 8~10% higher than female students, which affirms 2015's results. The correlation between spatial ability and mathematics achievement was negligible in each group, but male students' math score and spatial ability score were higher than that of female students. This can be interpreted that there is some correlation between these two. Strategic choices can vary in the continuous spectrum with analytic method and holistic method at both ends. From students' self report, using Mann-Witney test, it turned out that there exists strategic differences between male and female students. Male students have a tendency to use holistic strategy more often than female students. I also found that the strategy choice did not vary greatly among all score groups. For the perfect score groups, both female and male students used holistic strategy most frequently. For low achieving groups, there is an evidence that these students overuse one method compared to average or high achieving groups, which turned out to be less effective. Based on these, I suggest that low achieving students need to have more chances to adopt efficient strategies and to practice challenging problems to improve their spatial abilities.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.68-74
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• 2016

Perchlorate (ClO₄⁻) is an emerging pollutant detected in surface water, soil, and groundwater. Previous studies provided experimental evidence of autotrophic ClO₄⁻ removal with elemental sulfur (S⁰) particles and activated sludge, which are inexpensive and easily available, respectively. In addition, ClO₄⁻ removal efficiency was shown to increase when an enrichment culture was used as an inoculum instead of activated sludge. PCR-DGGE was employed in the present study to investigate the microbial community in the enrichment culture that removed ClO₄⁻ autotrophically. Microorganisms in the enrichment culture showed 99.71% or more ClO₄⁻ removal efficiency after a 7-day incubation when the initial concentration was approximately 120 mg ClO₄⁻/l. Genomic DNA was isolated from the enriched culture and its inoculum (activated sludge), and used for PCR-DGGE analysis of 16S rRNA genes. Microbial compositions of the enrichment culture and the activated sludge were different, as determined by their different DGGE profiles. The difference in DGGE banding patterns suggests that environmental conditions of the enrichment culture caused a change in the microbial community composition of the inoculated activated sludge. Dominant DGGE bands in the enrichment culture sample were affiliated with the classes β-Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Spirochaetes. Further investigation is warranted to reveal the metabolic roles of the dominant populations in the ClO₄⁻ degradation process, along with their isolation.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.261-276
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• 2009

Lactacystin, a microbial natural product synthesized by Streptomyces, has been commonly used as a selective proteasome inhibitor in many studies. Proteasome inhibitors is known to be preventing the proliferation of cancer cells in vivo as well as in vitro. Furthermore, proteasome inhibitors, as single or combined with other anticancer agents, are suggested as a new class of potential anticancer agents. This study was undertaken to examine in vitro effects of cytotoxicity and growth inhibition, and the molecular mechanism underlying induction of apoptosis in SCC25 human tongue sqaumous cell carcinoma cell line treated with lactacystin. The viability of SCC25 cells, human normal keratinocytes (HaCaT cells) and human gingiva fibroblasts (HGF-1 cells), and the growth inhibition of SCC25 cells were assessed by MTT assay and clonogenic assay respectively. The hoechst staining, hemacolor staining and TUNEL staining were conducted to observe SCC25 cells undergoing apoptosis. SCC25 cells were treated with lactacystin, and Western blotting, immunocytochemistry, confocal microscopy, FAScan flow cytometry, MMP activity, and proteasome activity were performed. Lactacystin treatment of SCC25 cells resulted in a time- and does-dependent decrease of cell viability and a does-dependent inhibition of cell growth, and induced apoptotic cell death. Interestingly, lactacytin remarkably revealed cytotoxicity in SCC25 cells but not normal cells. And tested SCC25 cells showed several lines of apoptotic manifestation such as nuclear condensation, DNA fragmentation, the reduction of MMP and proteasome activity, the decrease of DNA contents, the release of cytochrome c into cytosol, the translocation of AIF and DFF40 (CAD) onto nuclei, the up-regulation of Bax, and the activation of caspase-7, caspase-3, PARP, lamin A/C and DFF45 (ICAD). Flow cytometric analysis revealed that lactacystin resulted in G1 arrest in cell cycle progression which was associated with up-regulation in the protein expression of CDK inhibitors, $p21^{WAF1/CIP1}$ and $p27^{KIP1}$. We presented data indicating that lactacystin induces G1 cell cycle arrest and apoptois via proteasome, mitochondria and caspase pathway in SCC25 cells. Therefore our data provide the possibility that lactacystin could be as a novel therapeutic strategy for human tongue squamous cell carcinoma.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.20-32
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• 2014

Objectives : There has been some controversy about the modulatory effects on brain function during acupuncture on each side of the same acupoint. This study was designed to investigate and compare the blood oxygen level-dependent(BOLD) responses of acupuncture on each side of ST36. Methods : Fourteen healthy subjects were recruited for imaging and received acupuncture or placebo stimulations either on the left or on the right acupoint of ST36 in each scan. For the voxel-wise statistical analysis, one sample T-test and the within-subject analysis of variance(ANOVA) test were performed using SPM8 software. Results : This study showed that acupuncture on each side of ST36 showed different BOLD signal patterns. Higher BOLD responses after acupuncture stimulations at the left ST36 compared to the right were observed mainly in the parahippocampal gyrus(BA 28), dorsolateral prefrontal cortex(DLPFC, BA 44), thalamus, culmen and claustrum. We investigated the different neural responses between rest and activation periods of placebo and acupuncture stimulations on each side of ST36. Acupuncture at the right ST36 elicited activation mainly in the insula, supplementary motor area(SMA) and anterior cingulate cortex(ACC), while acupuncture at the left ST36 elicited activation mainly in the insula, primary somatosensory cortex(SI, BA 2) and DLPFC(BA 44). Conclusions : To our knowledge, this is the first reported functional MRI study directly comparing when needling at the right and at the left side of ST36. This study's preliminary results proved to be evidence of acupuncture's different effects when performed on opposite sides of an acupoint.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.279-288
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• 2006

Objectives : We investigated the association of SNP A and P1763 polymorphisms on dystrobrevin binding protein 1(DTNBP1) gene with smooth pursuit eye movement(SPEM) abnormality in Korean schizophrenic patients. Methods : We measured SPEM function in 217 Korean schizophrenics(male 116, female 101) and divided them into two groups, one is a good SPEM function group and the other is a poor SPEM function group. We then analyzed SNP A polymorphism and P1763 polymorphism on DTNBP1 gene from their DNAs extracted from their blood. We compared the differences of genotype and allele distributions of the two polymorphisms on DTNBP1 gene between the two groups. Results : The Ln S/N ratio(mean${\pm}$SD) of the good SPEM function group was $4.39{\pm}0.33$ and the ratio of poor SPEM function group was $3.17{\pm}0.71$. There were no statistically significant differences of age and male/female ratio between the two groups. There were no significant differences of genotype or allele distributions of the SNP A polymorphism and P1763 polymorphism on DTNBP1 gene between the two schizophrenic groups divided by SPEM function. Conclusion : The results suggest that SNP A polymorphism and P1763 polymorphism on DTNBP1 gene might not be related to SPEM function abnormality in schizophrenia.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.60 no.4
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• pp.387-401
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• 2021

Thrips infesting hot peppers were monitored in greenhouses using yellow sticky traps. In addition, the hot peppers infected with tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) were observed during the monitoring period. The flower thrips (Frankliniella intonsa) were initially trapped at a low density just after transplanting seedlings of hot peppers at late March. The western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis) were trapped after mid April. These two thrips represented more than 98% of the total thrips attracted to the traps after May, in which F. intonsa showed higher occurrence frequency than F. occidentalis. The total number of thrips had two peaks at mid May with a small and short-term peak and at June-July with a large and long-term peak. The trapped thrips exhibited inconsistent sex ratios, suggesting a seasonal parthenogenesis. Different geographical populations were varied in cytochrome oxidase I sequences, in which local populations in Andong shared a high sequence similarity. TSWV-infected hot peppers, which might be mediated by these two thrips species, were observed and confirmed by an immunoassay kit and a molecular diagnosis using RT-PCR. In addition, the TSWV was detected in F. occidentalis collected from the infected hot peppers. Three open reading frames (NS_S, N, and NS_M) of the isolated TSWV genomes were sequenced and showed multiple point mutations containing missense mutations among geographical variants. When the isolated TSWV was fed to nonvirulent thrips of F. occidentalis, the virus was detected in both larvae and adults. However, the viral replication occurred in larvae, but not in adults.

• (The) Korean Journal of Educational Psychology
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.645-663
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• 2009

The purpose of this study is to develop and verify a Korean Diagnostic Scale of Multiple Intelligence(MI), which will be an alternative test to avoid problems with former Shearer's MI test and to adopt H. Gardner's suggestions to develop MI assessment. The test is developed 5 types; kindergartner, elementary lower grader, elementary upper grader, middle schooler, high schooler test. A form of test is diversified with 3 types; multiple-choice items for accomplishment, true or false items for ability, and self-reported items with likert scale for interest and ability. According to H. Gardner's suggestions, we have tried to reanalyze key component of MI, analyze an overlapping or hierarchical relationship between intelligences, develop intelligences-fair items, diversify form of item. We have developed a final standardized test through a primary, secondary preliminary-test analysis, and sampled 5,585 students by age, gender, and regional groups. As a result of this sampling test, we can get a norm score and compare individuals with other's score relatively. To verify this test, we analyzed behavior observation, mean, standard deviation, a percentage of correct answers, reliability of each test type, correlation between intelligence scales, Kruskal-Wallis test of mean rank of career choice by intelligences. As a result of correlation analysis between sub-intelligence scales, we can conclude that this MI test is satisfied with intelligence independent assumption. Besides, as non-parametric statistics test(Kruskal-Wallis) of career choice by intelligences, we can identify that MI is related with domain of career choice. This test is not a linguistic and logical-mathematical biased test but a intelligences-fair test. It makes us compare individual's potential with a norm score. Besides, it could be useful as a means of educational prescription or counsel in comparison with ability, interest, and accomplishment of individual. But this test is limited to do factor or correlation analysis between types of sub-test, because items are minimized for a time-constraint and a heavy burden of test receiver. But if it could be tested with increased items by two sessions, further research could be expected to get over this constraints and do a further validation analysis.