• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.250-257
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• 2007

Functional gastrointestinal disorders affect millions of people of all age regardless of race and sex. There are, however, rare diagnostic methods for the functional gastrointestinal disorders because functional disorders show no evidence of organic and physical causes. Our research group identified recently that the gastrointestinal tract well in the patients with the functional gastrointestinal disorders becomes more rigid than healthy people when palpating the abdominal regions overlaying the gastrointestinal tract. The aim is, therefore, to develop a diagnostic method for the functional gastrointestinal disorders based on quantitative measurement of the rigidity of the gastrointestinal tract well using ultrasound technique. For this purpose, a preliminary ultrasound diagnostic system was developed and verified through phantom tests. The system consisted of transmitter, ultrasonic transducer, receiver, TGC, and CPLD, and verified via a phantom test. For the phantom test, ten soft-tissue specimens were harvested from porcine. Five of them were then treated chemically to mimic a rigid condition of gastrointestinal tract well, which was induced by functional gastrointestinal disorders. Additionally, the specimens were tested mechanically to identify if the mimic was reasonable. The customized ultrasound system was finally verified through application to human subjects with/without functional gastrointestinal disorders(Normal and Patient Groups). It was identified from the mechanical test that the chemically treated specimens were more rigid than normalspecimen. This finding was favorably compared with the result obtained from the phantom test. The phantom test also showed that ultrasound system well described the specimen geometric characteristics and detected an alteration in the specimens. The maximum amplitude of the ultrasonic reflective signal in the rigid specimens $(0.2{\pm}0.1Vp-p)$ at the interface between the fat and muscle layers was explicitly higher than that in the normal specimens $(0.1{\pm}0.0Vp-p)$ (p<0.05). Clinical tests using our customized ultrasound system for human subject showed that the maximum amplitudes of the ultrasonic reflective signals nea. to the gastrointestinal tract well for the patient group$(2.6{\pm}0.3Vp-p)$ were generally higher than those in normal group$(0.1{\pm}0.2Vp-p)$ (p<0.05). These results suggest that newly designed diagnostic system based on ultrasound technique may diagnose enough the functional gastrointestinal disorders.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.104-111
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• 2012

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are zinc-dependent endopeptidases which degrade extracellular matrix (ECM) during embryogenesis, wound healing, and tissue remodeling. Dysregulation of MMP activity is also associated with various pathological inflammatory conditions. In this study, we examined the expression pattern of MMPs during PMA-induced differentiation of THP-1 monocytic cells into macrophages. We found that MMP1, MMP8, MMP3, MMP10, MMP12, MMP19, MMP9, and MMP7 were upregulated during differentiation whereas MMP2 remained unchanged. Expression of MMPs increased in a time-dependent manner; MMP1, MMP8, MMP3, MMP10, and MMP12 increased beginning at 60 hr post PMA treatment whereas MMP19, MMP9, and MMP7 increased beginning at 24 hr post PMA treatment. To identify signal transduction pathways involved in PMA-induced upregulation of MMPs, we treated PMA-differentiated THP-1 cells with specific inhibitors for PKC, MEK1, NF-${\kappa}B$, PI3K, p38 MAPK and PLC. We found that inhibition of the MEK1 pathway blocked PMA-induced upregulation of all MMPs to varying degrees except for MMP-2. In addition, expression of select MMPs was inhibited by PI3K, p38 MAPK and PLC inhibitors. In conclusion, we show that of the MMPs examined, most MMPs were up-regulated during differentiation of monocyte into macrophage via the MEK1 pathway. These results provide basic information for studying MMPs expression during macrophage differentiation.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.43-48
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• 2013

Cisplatin is a anti-neoplastic agent which is commonly used for the treatment of solid tumor. Cisplatin activates multiple signal transduction pathways involved in the stress-induced apoptosis in a variety of cell types. Previous study reported that cisplatin induces apoptosis through activation of ERK, p38 and JNK in rat mesangial cells, but apoptotic pathway remain known. The present study investigated the apoptotic pathway for cisplatin-indcued apoptosis in rat mesangial cells. cisplatin-induced apoptosis was associated with activation of caspase-3, caspase-8, caspase-9. Caspase-8 inhibition prevented the activation of both caspase-3 and caspase-9. In addition, cisplatin-induced apoptosis increased the expression of Bax, but not the level of Bcl-2. These change of Bax/bcl-2 ratio caused the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria into cytosol. In previous study, the ethanol extract of Bojungbangam-tang (EBJT) inhibited cisplatin-induced apoptosis in rat mesangial cells through inhibition of ERK and JNK activation. However, EBJT did not increase cell proliferation, because it did not prevent cisplatin-induced G2/M phase arrest. These effect of EBJT may be related to p38 activation. Cisplatin-induced G2/M phase arrest are inhibited by treatment with p38 inhibitor and EBJT in rat mesangial cells. Also, p38 inhibition and EBJT treatment on cisplatin-induced G2/M phase arrest are markedly increased the G0/G1 phase and reduced the sub-G1. In conclusion, anti-apoptotic effet of EBJT did not increases cell proliferation, because EBJT did not reduce p38 activation related to cisplatin-induced G2/M phase arrest.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.343-354
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• 2014

Rice blast disease caused by Magnaporthe oryzae is one of the most serious diseases of cultivated rice (Oryza sativa L.) in most rice-growing regions of the world. In order to investigate early response genes in rice, we utilized the transcriptome analysis approach using a 300 K tilling microarray to rice leaves infected with compatible and incompatible M. oryzae strains. Prior to the microarray experiment, total RNA was validated by measuring the differential expression of rice defense-related marker genes (chitinase 2, barwin, PBZ1, and PR-10) by RT-PCR, and phytoalexins (sakuranetin and momilactone A) with HPLC. Microarray analysis revealed that 231 genes were up-regulated (>2 fold change, p < 0.05) in the incompatible interaction compared to the compatible one. Highly expressed genes were functionally characterized into metabolic processes and oxidation-reduction categories. The oxidative stress response was induced in both early and later infection stages. Biotic stress overview from MapMan analysis revealed that the phytohormone ethylene as well as signaling molecules jasmonic acid and salicylic acid is important for defense gene regulation. WRKY and Myb transcription factors were also involved in signal transduction processes. Additionally, receptor-like kinases were more likely associated with the defense response, and their expression patterns were validated by RT-PCR. Our results suggest that candidate genes, including receptor-like protein kinases, may play a key role in disease resistance against M. oryzae attack.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.379-385
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• 2002

Tele-medicine and emergency medical system are necessary for moving from an accidental point or far distance to a hospital and emergency treatment or home treatment before a hospital. Emergency treatment is extremely important in the case of death before arriving a hospital and deformed of disabled by medical treatment delay. A necessary element for this medical system is the emergency communication system. This system is on preparing for an ability of furnishing patient status to a corresponding health service by monitoring the patient at an ambulance of the accident place. This is the transportation of basic biological information of a patient to a medical center by wireless communication system and the corresponding hospital of medical center examine the patient by monitoring, then they can send emergency medical order to the patient for emergency treatment. The TRS is most efficient way of emergency medical communication system, which is currently used with popularity. In this paper studied simultaneously a way of detecting and transporting bio-logical signals, and monitoring of transporting data with communication of voice in the accident place of ambulance.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.16-24
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• 2017

For the development of feasible retinal prosthesis, one of the important elements is acquiring proper judging tool if electrical stimulus leads to patient's visual perception. If evoked potential to electrical stimulus is recorded in primary visual (V1) cortex, it means that the stimulus effectively evokes visual perception. Therefore, in this study, we established VEP recording system on V1 cortex using BioPAC modules as the judging tool. And the measuring system was evaluated by recording VEP of mice. After anesthesia, normal mice (C57BL/6J strain; n = 6) were secured to stereotaxic apparatus (Harvard Apparatus, USA). For the recording of VEP, the stainless steel needle electrode (impedance: $2-5k{\Omega}$) was positioned on the surface of the cortex through the burr hole at 2.5 mm lateral and 4.6 mm caudal to bregma. DA 100C and EEG 100C BioPAC modules were used for the trigger signal and VEP recording, respectively. When left eye was blocked by black cover and right eye was stimulated by flash light using HMsERG (RetVet Corp, USA), VEP response at left V1 cortex was detected, but there was no response at right V1 cortex. Amplitudes and latencies of P2, N3 peaks of VEP recording varied according to the depths of the electrodes on V1 cortex. From the surface upto $600{\mu}m$ depth, amplitudes of P2 and N3 increased, while deeper than $600{\mu}m$, those amplitudes decreased. The deeper the insertion depth of the electrode, the latency of N1 peaks tends to be delayed. However, there was no statistically significant difference among the latencies of P2 and N3 peaks (P > 0.05, ANOVA). Our VEP recording data such as the insertion depth and the latency and amplitudes of peaks might be used as guidelines for electrically-evoked potential (EEP) recording experiment in near future.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.301-310
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• 2010

Bacillus subtilis strains produce a broad spectrum of bioactive peptides. The lipopeptide surfactin belongs to one well-known class, which includes amphiphilic membrane-active biosurfactants and peptide antibiotics. Both the srfA promoter and the ComP-ComA signal transduction system are an important part of the factor that results in the production of surfactin. Bs-M49, obtained by means of low-energy ion implantation in wild-type Bs-916, produced significantly lower levels of surfactin, and had no obvious effects against R. solani. Occasionally, we found strain Bs-M49 decreased spore formation and the development of competence. Blast comparison of the sequences from Bs-916 and M49 indicate that there is no difference in the srfA operon promoter PsrfA, but there are differences in the coding sequence of the comA gene. These differences result in three missense mutations within the M49 ComA protein. RT-PCR analyses results showed that the expression levels of selected genes involved in competence and sporulation in both the wild-type Bs-916 and mutant M49 strains were significantly different. When we integrated the comA ORF into the chromosome of M49 at the amyE locus, M49 restored hemolytic activity and antifungal activity. Then, HPLC analyses results also showed the comA-complemented strain had a similar ability to produce surf actin with wild-type strain Bs-916. These data suggested that the mutation of three key amino acids in ComA greatly affected the biological activity of Bacillus subtilis. ComA protein 3D structure prediction and motif search prediction indicated that ComA has two obvious motifs common to response regulator proteins, which are the N-terminal response regulator receiver motif and the C-terminal helix-turn-helix motif. The three residues in the ComA N-terminal portion may be involved in phosphorylation activation mechanism. These structural prediction results implicate that three mutated residues in the ComA protein may play an important role in the formation of a salt-bridge to the phosphoryl group keeping active conformation to subsequent regulation of the expression of downstream genes.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.597-606
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• 2008

Resorption of alveolar bone in periodontitis is due to excessive differentiation and activation of osteoclasts. Bacterial antigens causing periodontitis activates CD4 T cells, which leads to expressing RANK ligand (RANKL) on CD4 T cells. RANKL binds RANK on preosteoclasts or osteoclasts, and enhances the differentiation preosteoclasts into osteoclasts and the activation of mature osteoclasts. CD137, one of TNF receptor (TNFR) family, expressed on activated T cells binds with CD137 ligand (CD137L) on antigen presenting cells. Cross-linking of CD137 by CD137L acts as T cell co-stimulatory signals and, therefore, enhances the activation of T cell. In this study, I elucidated the biological responses of CD137L on (pre)osteoclasts and RANKL on T cells in the context of in vivo interaction between T cells and osteoclasts. RAW264.7, murine monocytic cells, constitutively express CD137L. Ligation of CD137L with anti-CD137L mAb inhibited RANKL-induced osteoclast formation in a dosedependent manner. Bone marrow cells are expressed CD137L by the treatment with M-CSF. Cross-linking of CD137L abolished M-CSF/ RANKL-evoked the formation of multi-nucleated osteoclasts. Both mouse CD4 and CD8 T cells are expressed RANKL following their activation. Ligation of RANKL with OPG, the decoy receptor for RANKL, inhibited both CD4 and CD8 T cell proliferation. These effects were attributed to RANKL-induced apoptosis. These data indicate that CD137L and RANKL on osteoclasts and T cells, respectively provide them with inhibitory signal.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.41 no.9
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• pp.1226-1234
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• 2012

3,4,3',5'-Tetrahydroxy-trans-stilbene (piceatannol) is a derivative of resveratrol with a variety of biological activities, including anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative, and anti-cancer activities. We assessed the mechanisms by which piceatannol inhibits inflammatory responses using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated Raw264.7 murine macrophages. Piceatannol (0~10 ${\mu}mol/L$) decreased LPS-induced release of nitric oxide, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-${\alpha}$, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-$1{\beta}$, and inhibited LPS-induced protein expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). Activation of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-${\kappa}B$), activator protein (AP)-1, and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) are crucial steps during an inflammatory response. Piceatannol prevented LPS-induced degradation of inhibitor of ${\kappa}B$ ($I{\kappa}B$), translocation of p65 to the nucleus, and phosphorylation of stress-activated protein kinase/c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (SAPK/JNK). Additionally, piceatannol inhibited LPS-induced phosphorylation of STAT3 and IL-6-induced translocation of STAT3 to the nucleus. Furthermore, piceatannol increased the protein and mRNA levels of hemeoxygenase (HO)-1, the rate-limiting enzyme of heme catabolism that plays a critical role in mediating antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Piceatannol further induced antioxidant response elements (ARE)-driven luciferase activity in Raw264.7 cells transfected with an ARE-luciferase reporter construct containing the enhancer 2 and minimal promoter region of HO-1. These results suggest that piceatannol exerts anti-inflammatory effects via the down-regulation of iNOS expression and up-regulation of HO-1 expression.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics and Information Engineers
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• v.53 no.12
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• pp.67-75
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• 2016

DNA computing technology makes the interests on DNA storage and DNA watermarking / steganography that use the DNA information as a newly medium. DNA watermarking that embeds the external watermark into DNA information without the biological mutation needs the reversibility for the perfect recovery of host DNA, the continuous embedding and detecting processing, and the mutation analysis by the watermark. In this paper, we propose a reversible DNA watermarking based on circular histogram shifting of DNA code values with the prevention of false start codon, the preservation of DNA sequence length, and the high watermark capacity, and the blind detection. Our method has the following features. The first is to encode nucleotide bases of 4-character variable to integer code values by code order. It makes the signal processing of DNA sequence easy. The second is to embed the multiple bits of watermark into -order coded value by using circular histogram shifting. The third is to check the possibility of false start codon in the inter or intra code values. Experimental results verified the our method has higher watermark capacity 0.11~0.50 bpn than conventional methods and also the false start codon has not happened in our method.