• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.971-977
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• 2009

The most abundant tea catechin, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), has been reported to inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis in many types of cancer cells. In the present study, effects of EGCG on the growth of oral epithelial cells including CAL-27 oral squamous carcinoma cells and dysplastic oral keratinocytes (DOK) were investigated. EGCG inhibited growth of CAL-27 cells and DOK with $IC_{50}$ of 14.4-21.0 and 5.8-14.2 ${\mu}M$ after 24 and 48 hr incubation, respectively. EGCG was significantly less effective in inhibiting DOK growth. The effects of EGCG, however, were dramatically less pronounced in the presence of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase. Inhibitory effects of EGCG on CAL-27 cell growth were also much less pronounced in the presence of fetal bovine serum (FBS). EGCG induced caspase-3 activation in both CAL-27 and DOK cells in a serum free condition without SOD/catalase; in the presence of 10% FBS and SOD/catalase, EGCG, even at 100 ${\mu}M$, did not affect cell growth. The present results indicate that EGCG inhibited oral cell growth with higher potency to more malignant CAL-27 cells than DOK, and the effects were markedly altered by SOD/catalase and serum content in media.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.335-343
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• 2017

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is an inflammatory skin condition accompanied by symptoms such as edema and hemorrhage. Kimchi is a traditional fermented Korean dish consisting of various probiotics. In this study, the therapeutic effect of Lactobacillus plantarum CJLP55 isolated from Kimchi was studied in AD-induced mice. Orally administered Lactobacillus strain, CJLP55, suppressed AD symptoms and high serum IgE levels. CJLP55 administration reduced the thickness of the epidermis, infiltration of mast cells and eosinophils into the skin lesion, enlargement of axillary lymph nodes, and increase in cell population in axillary lymph nodes. CJLP55 treatment decreased the production of type 2 cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5, IL-10, IL-12, interferon (IFN)-${\gamma}$, and IL-6,which were stimulated by house dust mite extracts, in the axillary lymph node cells. Orally administered CJLP55 exhibited a therapeutic effect on house dust mite-induced AD in NC/Nga mice after onset of the disease by altering immune cell activation. The Lactobacillus strain, CJLP55, isolated from Kimchi, suppressed AD. Our results suggest its possible use as a potential candidate for management of AD.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.4 no.5
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• pp.385-391
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• 2000

Using the patch-clamp technique, we investigated the alteration of 4-aminopyridine(4-AP)-sensitive, voltage-dependent $K^+$ channel (Kv) in the mesenteric arterial smooth muscle cell (MASMC) of renovascular hypertensive model, one-kidney one-clip Goldblatt hypertensive rat (GBH). To isolate $K_V$ current, internal pipette solution contained 5 mM ATP and 10 mM EGTA. Under these condition, MASMC was depolarized by 4-AP, but charybdotoxin did not affect membrane potential. Membrane potential of hypertensive cell $(-40.3{\pm}3.2\;mV)$ was reduced when compared to that of normotensive cell $(-59.5{\pm}2.8\;mV).$ Outward $K^+$ current of hypertensive cell was significantly reduced when compared to normotensive cell. At 60 mV, the outward currents were $19.10{\pm}1.91$ and $14.06{\pm}1.05$ pA/pF in normotensive cell and hypertensive cell respectively. 4-AP-sensitive $K^+$ current was also smaller in hypertensive cell $(4.28{\pm}0.38\;pA/pF)$ than in normotensive cell $(7.65{\pm}0.52\;pA/pF).$ The values of half activation voltage $(V_{1/2})$ and slope factor (k1) as well as the values of half inactivation voltage $(V_{1/2})$ and slope factor (k1) were virtually similar between GBH and NTR. These results suggest that the decrease of 4-AP-sensitive $K^+$ current contributes to a depolarization of membrane potential, which leads to development of vascular tone in GBH.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.636-646
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• 2007

Adequate postural control depends on the spatial and temporal integration of vestibular, visual, and somatosensory information. Especially, the musculoskeletal function is essential to maintain the postural control. The experimental studies was performed on the muscular activities in the lower extremities during maintaining and moving exercises on an unstable platform with Magneto Rheological(MR) dampers. The unstable platform of the developed system was controlled by electric currents to the MR dampers. A subject executed the maintaining and moving exercises which are presented through the display monitor. The electromyographies of the eight muscles in lower extremities were recorded and analyzed in the time and the frequency domain: the muscles of interest were rectus femoris(RF), biceps femoris(BF), tensor fasciae latae(TFL), vastus lateralis(VL), vastus medialis(VM), gastrocnemius(Ga), tibialis anterior(TA), Soleus(So). The experimental results showed that the muscular activities differed in the four moving exercises and the nine maintaining exercises. For the anterior-posterior pattern, the TA showed highest activities; for the left-right pattern, the TFL; for the 45, $-45^{\circ}$ pattern, the TFL and TA. Also, the rate of the increase in the muscular activities were affected by the condition of the unstable platform with MR dampers for the maintaining and moving exercises. The experimental results suggest that the choice of different maintaining and moving exercises could selectively train different muscles in various intensity. Futhermore, the findings suggested that the training using this system can improve the ability of postural control.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.125-131
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• 2017

Status epilepticus is the most common serious neurological condition triggered by abnormal electrical activity, leading to severe and widespread cell loss in the brain. Lithium has been one of the main drugs used for the treatment of bipolar disorder for decades, and its anticonvulsant and neuroprotective properties have been described in several neurological disease models. However, the therapeutic mechanisms underlying lithium's actions remain poorly understood. The muscarinic receptor agonist pilocarpine is used to induce status epilepticus, which is followed by hippocampal damage. The present study was designed to investigate the effects of lithium post-treatment on seizure susceptibility and hippocampal neuropathological changes following pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus. Status epilepticus was induced by administration of pilocarpine hydrochloride (320 mg/kg, i.p.) in C57BL/6 mice at 8 weeks of age. Lithium (80 mg/kg, i.p.) was administered 15 minutes after the pilocarpine injection. After the lithium injection, status epilepticus onset time and mortality were recorded. Lithium significantly delayed the onset time of status epilepticus and reduced mortality compared to the vehicle-treated group. Moreover, lithium effectively blocked pilocarpine-induced neuronal death in the hippocampus as estimated by cresyl violet and Fluoro-Jade B staining. However, lithium did not reduce glial activation following pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus. These results suggest that lithium has a neuroprotective effect and would be useful in the treatment of neurological disorders, in particular status epilepticus.

• Korean Journal of Cognitive Science
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.371-398
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• 2007

This study examined effects of word frequency and semantic transparency on decomposition processes of compound nouns by semantic priming task and repetition priming task. In Experiment 1, it was investigated that decomposition process depended on word frequency of compound noun. Semantic priming effects were found In the compound noun's associate rendition consistently, and repetition priming effects were found in the whole rendition as well as in the part condition irrespective of word frequency and SOA. These results implied that compound noun was processed through decomposition process path and direct access path. In Experiment 2, Effects of semantic transparency on decomposition processes of compound nouns were examined. Semantic priming effects were found when compound nouns' associates were presented as primes irrespective of semantic transparency and SOA, and results were the same as experiment 1b in repetition priming task. Results of experiment 1 and 2 implies that compound nouns are interpreted by interactive activation processes of attributes activated by decomposition path and direct access path.

• Journal of Korean Library and Information Science Society
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.339-360
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• 2016

This study is intended to analyze the actual condition of operating the full-text information disclosure system of government and Officials' Perceptions. According to the results of analysis, the public servant group's level of full-text information disclosure system was high. With regard to the positive and negative function of full-text information disclosure, an expectation for positive function was high in the aspect of assuring the transparency of administration. And public servants were worried about an increase in the burden of administrative duties. With regard to factors in hindering the development of full-text information disclosure, it was shown that the percentage of clients' abuse and misuse of full-text information was the highest. For the activation of full-text information disclosure system, it is necessary to prepare measures for preventing the abuse and misuse of full-text information.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.430-434
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• 2017

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Chronic hyperglycemia induces oxidative stress via accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and contributes to diabetic complications. Hyperglycemia induces mitochondrial superoxide anion production through the increased activity of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase. This study aimed to determine whether fisetin and luteolin treatments suppress the oxidative stress by modulating the expression of sirtuins (SIRTs) and forkhead box O3a (FOXO3a) under hyperglycemic conditions in human monocytes. MATERIALS/METHODS: Human monocytic cells (THP-1) were cultured under osmotic control (14.5 mmol/L mannitol), normoglycemic (NG, 5.5 mmol/L glucose), or hyperglycemic (HG, 20 mmol/L glucose) conditions, in the absence or presence of fisetin and luteolin for 48 h. To determine the effect of fisetin and luteolin treatments on high glucose-induced oxidative stress, western blotting and intracellular staining were performed. RESULTS: Hyperglycemic conditions increased the ROS production, as compared to normoglycemic condition. However, fisetin and luteolin treatments inhibited ROS production under hyperglycemia. To obtain further insight into ROS production in hyperglycemic conditions, evaluation of p47phox expression revealed that fisetin and luteolin treatments inhibited p47phox expression under hyperglycemic conditions. Conversely, the expression levels of SIRT1, SIRT3, SIRT6, and FOXO3a were decreased under high glucose conditions compared to normal glucose conditions, but exposure to fisetin and luteolin induced the expression of SIRT1, SIRT3, SIRT6, and FOXO3a. The above findings suggest that fisetin and luteolin inhibited high glucose-induced ROS production in monocytes through the activation of SIRTs and FOXO3a. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study supports current researches that state fisetin and luteolin as potential agents for the development of novel strategies for diabetes.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.53-57
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• 2003

The glutamate receptors (GluRs) are key receptors for modulatory synaptic events in the central nervous system. It has been reported that glutamate increases the intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ concentration ($[Ca^{2+}]_i$) and induces cytotoxicity. In the present study, we investigated whether the glutamate-induced $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ increase was associated with the activation of ionotropic (iGluR) and metabotropic GluRs (mGluR) in substantia gelatinosa neurons, using spinal cord slice of juvenile rats (10${\sim}21 day). $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ was measured using conventional imaging techniques, which was combined with whole-cell patch clamp recording by incorporating fura-2 in the patch pipette. At physiological concentration of extracellular $Ca^{2+}$, the inward current and $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ increase were induced by membrane depolarization and application of glutamate. Dose-response relationship with glutamate was observed in both $Ca^{2+}$ signal and inward current. The glutamate-induced $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ increase at holding potential of -70 mV was blocked by CNQX, an AMPA receptor blocker, but not by AP-5, a NMDA receptor blocker. The glutamate-induced $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ increase in $Ca^{2+}$ free condition was not affected by iGluR blockers. A selective mGluR (group I) agonist, RS-3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine (DHPG), induced $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ increase at holding potential of -70 mV in SG neurons. These findings suggest that the glutamate-induced $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ increase is associated with AMPA-sensitive iGluR and group I mGluR in SG neurons of rats.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.125-131
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• 2014

Objective: Under estrogen deficiency, blastocysts cannot initiate implantation and enter dormancy. Dormant blastocysts live longer in utero than normal blastocysts, and autophagy has been suggested as a mechanism underlying the sustained survival of dormant blastocysts during delayed implantation. Autophagy is a cellular degradation pathway and a central component of the integrated stress response. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are produced within cells during normal metabolism, but their levels increase dramatically under stressful conditions. We investigated whether heightened autophagy in dormant blastocysts is associated with the increased oxidative stress under the unfavorable condition of delayed implantation. Methods: To visualize ROS production, day 8 (short-term dormancy) and day 20 (long-term dormancy) dormant blastocysts were loaded with $1-{\mu}M$ 5-(and-6)-chloromethyl-2', 7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate, acetyl ester (CM-$H_2DCFDA$). To block autophagic activation, 3-methyladenine (3-MA) and wortmannin were used in vivo and in vitro, respectively. Results: We observed that ROS production was not significantly affected by the status of dormancy; in other words, both dormant and activated blastocysts showed high levels of ROS. However, ROS production was higher in the dormant blastocysts of the long-term dormancy group than in those of the short-term group. The addition of wortmannin to dormant blastocysts in vitro and 3-MA injection in vivo significantly increased ROS production in the short-term dormant blastocysts. In the long-term dormant blastocysts, ROS levels were not significantly affected by the treatment of the autophagy inhibitor. Conclusion: During delayed implantation, heightened autophagy in dormant blastocysts may be operative as a potential mechanism to reduce oxidative stress. Further, ROS may be one of the potential causes of compromised developmental competence of long-term dormant blastocysts after implantation.