• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.66
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• pp.29-38
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• 2023

Recent studies have highlighted the link between diseases and inflammation across our lifespan. Our sedentary lifestyle, high-calorie diet, chronic stress, chronic infections, and exposure to pollutants and xenobiotics, collectively intensify the course and recurrence of infections and inflammation in our bodies, promoting the prevalence of chronic diseases and aging. Given such phenomena and considering additional factors such as the frequency of prescription, and easy access to over-the-counter drugs, the need for anti-inflammatory therapeutics is ever-increasing. However, the readily available anti-inflammatory treatment option comes with a greater risk of side effects or high cost (biologics). Therefore in this growing competition of discovering and developing new potent anti-inflammatory drugs, we focused on utilizing the established knowledge of traditional medicine to find lead compounds. Since lead optimization is an indispensable step toward drug development, we applied this concept for the production of potent anti-inflammatory compounds achieved by structural modification of flavonoids. The derivative obtained through acetylation of myricetin, 3,3',4',5,5',7-hexaacetate myricetin, showed a greater inhibitory effect in the production of pro-inflammatory mediators such as nitric oxide, Prostaglandin E₂, and pro-inflammatory cytokines like interleukin-6, interleukin1β, in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW264.7 mouse macrophage cells compared to myricetin. The increased potency of inhibition was in conjunction with an increased inhibitory effect on inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 proteins. Through such measures, this study supports lead optimization for well-established lead compounds from traditional medicine using a simpler and greener chemistry approach for the purpose of designing and developing potent anti-inflammatory therapeutics with possibly fewer side effects and increased bioavailability.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.33-46
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• 2006

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent form of neurodegenerative disease associated with aging in the human population. This disease is characterized by the extracellular deposition of beta-amyloid peptide $(A{\beta})$ in cerebral plaques. $A{\beta}$ is derived from the ${\beta}-amyloid$ precursor protein (APP) by the enzymes, ${\beta}-$ and ${\eta}o-secretase$. Compounds that ${\beta}-$ or ${\eta}o-secretase$ inhibit activity, can reduce the production of $A{\beta}$ peptides, and thus have therapeutic potential in the treatment of AD. Increasing body of evidence has been demonstrated that Bee Venom(BV) Acupuncture could compete with complex protein involving in multiple step of $NF-{\kappa}B$ activation and exert the anti-inflammatory potential of combined inhibition of the prostanoid and nitric oxide synthesis systems by inhibition of IKK and $NF-{\kappa}B$. In this study, I investigated possible effects of BV on memory dysfunction caused by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and $A{\beta}$ through inhibition of secretases activities and $A{\beta}$ aggregation. I examined the improving effect of BV on the LPS (2.5 mg/Kg, i.p.)-induced memory dysfunction using passive avoidance response and water maze tests in the mice. BV (0.84, $1.67\;{\mu}g/ml$) reversed the LPS-induced memorial dysfunction in dose dependent manner. BV also dose-dependently attenuated LPS-induced ${\beta}$ and ${\eta}o-secretase$ activities in cerebral cortex and hippocampus of the mice brain. This study therefore suggests that BV acupuncture method may be useful for prevention of development or progression of AD.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.189-194
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• 2002

Microstructure and magnetic properties of Sm-Co sintered magnet were investigated with the variation of Zr content and their solution treatment and aging temperatures. The fraction of eutectic structure and the size of eutectic area decreased with increasing x value of cast Sm(C $O_{.688-x}$F $e_{.242}$C $u_{.07}$Z $r_{x}$)$_{7.404}$ alloys. On the other hand, x=0.022 ingot had finer dendritic structure compared to the other alloys. The sintered magnet of Sm(C $O_{.688-x}$F $e_{.242}$C $u_{.07}$Z $r_{x}$)$_{7.404}$ had well defined cell structure which is composed of cell boundary Sm $Co_{5}$ and cell interior S $m_2$Co/ssub 17/ phase. Cell boundary Sm $Co_{5}$ phase has 20nm thickness and its relative angle was 120$^{\circ}$ in x=0.018 and 0.022 alloys. Cell size was decreased with increasing Zr contents. But, x=0.026 alloy has diffuse cell boundary and irregular shape compared to x=0.022 and 0.018 alloys. Maximum value of coercive force and maximum energy Product were obtained from x=0.022 alloys. Optimum solution treatment temperature of Sm(C $O_{.688-x}$F $e_{.242}$C $u_{.07}$Z $r_{x}$)$_{7.404}$ alloy was 1170 $^{\circ}C$ and 1st aging temperature of two step aging process for higher coercivity was 850 $^{\circ}C$.

• BMB Reports
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• v.50 no.8
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• pp.429-434
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• 2017

Endometriosis is the abnormal growth of endometrial cells outside the uterus, causing pelvic pain and infertility. Furthermore, adhesion of endometrial tissue fragments to pelvic mesothelium is required for the initial step of endometriosis formation outside uterus. $TGF-{\beta}1$ and adhesion molecules importantly function for adhesion of endometrial tissue fragments to mesothelium outside uterus. However, the function of $TGF-{\beta}1$ on the regulation of adhesion molecule expression for adhesion of endometrial tissue fragments to mesothelium has not been fully elucidated. Interestingly, transforming growth factor ${\beta}1$ ($TGF-{\beta}1$) expression was higher in endometriotic epithelial cells than in normal endometrial cells. The adhesion efficiency of endometriotic epithelial cells to mesothelial cells was also higher than that of normal endometrial cells. Moreover, $TGF-{\beta}1$ directly induced the adhesion of endometrial cells to mesothelial cells through the regulation of integrin of ${\alpha}V$, ${\alpha}6$, ${\beta}1$, and ${\beta}4$ via the activation of the $TGF-{\beta}1/TGF-{\beta}RI/Smad2$ signaling pathway. Conversely, the adhesion of $TGF-{\beta}1-stimulated$ endometrial cells to mesothelial cells was clearly reduced following treatment with neutralizing antibodies against specific $TGF-{\beta}1-mediated$ integrins ${\alpha}V$, ${\beta}1$, and ${\beta}4$ on the endometrial cell membrane. Taken together, these results suggest that $TGF-{\beta}1$ may act to promote the initiation of endometriosis by enhancing integrin-mediated cell-cell adhesion.

• 한국노년학
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.837-850
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• 2009

Previous epidemiological studies reported that significant muscle loss is observed with advancing aging, called sarcopenia. This study is to investigate the effects of treatment dumbbell exercise on prevention of sarcopenia. The subjects were elderly between 60~70 years old who participated in J-Welfare senior center exercise program at J-gu in S-city and divided into control group(N=19) and exercise group(N=8). Treatment dumbbell exercise was performed 2 times per week for 12 weeks and body composition, fitness, and blood lipid profiles were measured before and after this program. There was no significance in body fat before and after 12 weeks of treatment dumbbell exercise, but there was significance in weight(F=4.312, p=0.048), BMI(F=4.532, p=0.043), and FFM(F=4.743, p=0.039). There was no significance in fitness such as arm curl(F=1.103, p=0.304), and back scratch(F=0.214, p=0.648), but there was significance in 2-minute step(F=33.638, p<0.001), chair stand(F=14.575, p=0.001), chair sit and reach(F=7.198, p=0.013), and 8-ft up and go(F=14.890, p=0.001). The variables of blood lipid profiles such as TC(F=0.030, p=0.864), TG(F=0.142, p=0.710), HDL(F=2.066, p=0.163), glucose (F=0.125, p=0.727), and HbA1c(F=0.945, p=0.340) has no significance. It was found that treatment dumbbell exercise has positive effects on body composition and fitness but has no positive effects on blood lipid profiles of the elderly.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.113-120
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• 2015

Osteoporosis is a major bone disorder defined as having bone mineral density (BMD) of 2.5 standard deviations or more below the peak bone mass. Osteoporosis will increasingly be a major disorder that faces the aging mankind. It is the result of an imbalance in the bone remodeling system, where bone constantly undergoes a cycle of resorption by osteoclasts and formation by osteoblasts. Estrogen deficiency in women following menopause is identified as the predominant reason that causes disparity in this system. Current medical treatments for osteoporosis include hormone replacement therapy (HRT), biphosphonates, and teriparatide, but have various side effects that raise questions concerning their medical safety and practicality. Alternative treatments involving natural product sources are under study to find a safer therapy. Many natural sources including lactoferrin and isoflavones and numerous traditional herbal medicines exhibit anti-resorptive or anabolic effects on bone and thus show promises to provide therapeutic agents in treating osteoporosis. Unfortunately, the majority of natural product treatments are still in its preliminary stages to prove their efficacy even though the development pace of treatment for osteoporosis is astounding in the past few decades. Further progress in pre-clinical studies and the subsequent clinical studies will someday lead to a breakthrough that takes us another step forward in science.

• Journal of Technologic Dentistry
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.37-49
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• 1998

The specimens used were Ag-25 Pd-15 Cu ternary alloy and Au addition alloy. These alloys were melted and casted by induction electric furnace and centrifugal casting machine in Ar atmosphere. These specimens were solution treated for 2hr at $800^{\circ}C$ and were then quenched into iced water, and aged at $350{\sim}550^{\circ}C$ Age- hardening characteristics of the small Au-containing Ag-Pd-Cu dental alloys were investigated by means of hardness testing. X-ray diffraction and electron microscope observations, electrical resistance, ergy dispersed spectra and electron probe microanalysis. Principal results are as follows : Hardening occured in two stages, i.e., stage I in low temperature and stage II in high temperature regions, during continuous aging. The case of hardening in stage I was due to the formation of the $L1_0$ type face-centered tetragonal PdCu-ordered phase in the grain interior and hardening in stage I was affected by the Cu concentration. In stage II, decomposition of the ${\alpha}$ solid solution to a PdCu ordered phase($L1_0$ type) and an Ag-rich ${\alpha}2$ phase occurred and a discontinuous precipitation occurred at the grain boundary. From the electron microscope study, it was conclued that the cause of age-hardening in this alloy is the precipitation of the PdCu ordered phase, which has AuCu I type face-centered tetragonal structure. Precipetation procedure was ${\alpha}{\to}{\alpha}+{\alpha}_2+PdCu {\to}{\alpha}_1+{\alpha}_2+PdCu$ at Pd/Cu = 1.7 Ag-Pd-Cu alloy is more effective dental alloy as ageing treatment and is suitable to isothermal ageing at $450^{\circ}C$.