• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.113-119
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• 2012

Guinea pigs were fed a hypercholesterolemic diet (0.25 g/100 g cholesterol) and randomly allocated either to a Control group (n = 9) or to a Lutein (0.1 g/100 g) group (n = 10) for 12 weeks to evaluate oxidative stress and inflammation in both liver and eyes. Malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations and inflammatory cytokines were measured as well as hepatic nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-${\kappa}B$) binding. Lutein concentrations were greater in eyes ($P$ < 0.01) and liver ($P$ < 0.001) in the Lutein group. All guinea pigs had high concentrations of hepatic cholesterol as well as high plasma ALT and AST levels indicative of liver injury. However, the Lutein group had 43% lower hepatic free cholesterol than the Controls ($P$ < 0.05). Hepatic MDA and MDA in the eye were lower in the Lutein compared to the Control group ($P$ < 0.05). Hepatic tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ was 32% lower in the Lutein group ($P$ < 0.05). Lastly, the Lutein group presented lower NF-${\kappa}B$ DNA binding activity than the Control group ($P$ < 0.001). These results suggest that in the presence of high cholesterol, lutein exerts both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, which can be explained by attenuated NF-${\kappa}B$ DNA binding activity. Furthermore, results also suggest that lutein accumulates in the eyes of guinea pigs to protect against oxidative stress.

• JSTS:Journal of Semiconductor Technology and Science
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.79-99
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• 2010

Pulsed current-voltage (I-V) methods are introduced to evaluate the impact of fast transient charge trapping on the performance of high-k dielectric transistors. Several pulsed I-V measurement configurations and measurement requirements are critically reviewed. Properly configured pulsed I-V measurements are shown to be capable of extracting such device characteristics as trap-free mobility, trap-induced threshold voltage shift (${\Delta}V_t$), as well as effective fast transient trap density. The results demonstrate that the pulsed I-V measurements are an essential technique for evaluating high-$\kappa$ gate dielectric devices.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.343-346
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• 2012

Two methods of identifying smokers with high nicotine dependence, the heaviness of smoking index (HSI) and number of cigarettes per day (CPD) were compared with the Fagerstrom test for nicotine dependence (FTND). The HSI, CPD and the FTND were administered to 316 adult Malaysian male, daily smokers aged between 25-64 years old in the Malaysian NCD Surveillance-1 Survey using a two-stage stratified random sampling of enumeration blocks and living quarters, via an interview based on a validated questionnaire. The cut-off point for classification of high nicotine dependence on the HSI was a score of four or higher, and for the heavy smoking category, smoking more than 20 cigarettes per day. Classification using each method was compared with classification by the FTND (score of six or more) as the reference standard. Sensitivity, specificity and kappa statistics for concordance between both measures and the FTND were evaluated. The HSI gave a similar prevalence rate of high nicotine dependence as the FTND. There was substantial agreement between the HSI and the FTND (kappa=0.63.), with moderate sensitivity (69.8%) and high specificity (92.5%). However, prevalence of high nicotine dependence using the CPD was 7% lower than the FTND. The heavy smoking category also showed fair agreement with the FTND (kappa=0.45) and moderate sensitivity (67.0%), but specificity was high (86.9%). The findings indicate that the HSI can be used as an alternative to the FTND in screening for high nicotine dependence among daily smokers in large population-based studies, while CPD may not be a suitable alternative to the FTND.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.66
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• pp.282-288
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• 2023

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the immuneenhancing health functional food market that protects our bodies from pathogens such as viruses continues to grow. In this study, we aimed to prove the Cheonggukjang, a high-nutrient food with high protein, fat, and dietary fiber content, as an immuneenhancing nutraceutical. Cheonggukjang water extract (CWE) increased the production of nitric oxide, reactive oxygen species, and cytokines such interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, and tumor necrosis factor-α without affecting viability in RAW 264.7 cells. Furthermore, CWE significantly upregulated the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 in RAW 264.7 cells. CWE enhanced the phosphorylation of I kappa B kinase α/β and I kappa B (IκB)α, as well as the degradation of IκBα. CWE also induced increased phosphorylation of nuclear factor-kappa B p65 and facilitated the redistribution of p65 from the cytoplasm to the nucleus in RAW 264.7 cells. These findings suggest that CWE has potential as a health functional food material that can enhance the innate immune response.

• The Journal of the Society of Korean Medicine Diagnostics
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.29-44
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• 2013

Objectives This study is aimed at assessing the reliability of the Pattern identification questionnaire (PIQ) developed by Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine and examining the validity of the PIQ by comparing the pattern identification scores of different groups. Methods We conducted a survey of 258 participants (79 teachers and 179 graduate students at one School of Korean Medicine) using self-reported questionnaire and all the samples were retested. The test-retest reliability was assessed by Kappa coefficient(${\kappa}$) and Pearson correlation coefficient. Also we compared the differences in pattern identification scores according to sex, age and occupation. Results 1. One of 116 questions are impossible to calculate; 22 of them (18.97%) scored under 0.4 in ${\kappa}$; 90(77.59%) ranged from 0.4 to 0.8 in ${\kappa}$; and three questions (3.58%) scored 0.8 or over in ${\kappa}$. 2. Pearson correlation coefficients between test score and retest score of all pattern identification items are 0.4 or over. 3. The mean score for pattern identification in women was generally higher than that in men, particularly in patterns of blood-deficiency, blood-stasis, yang-deficiency and kidney disease. 4. The mean score for pattern identification in the graduate student group was generally higher than that in the teacher group. Conclusion In test-retest reliability, the PIQ showed relatively high reliability. The mean pattern identification score showed differences in regards to retaining knowledge about Korean medicine. Therefore, future research involving modification of questionnaire items and confirming the validity of this questionnaire is required.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF PACKAGING SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.38-50
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• 1995

Tensile strength (TS) of ${\kappa}-carrageenan$ films without salt was 22-32 MPa and was the highest among ${\kappa},\;{\lambda}\;and\;{\iota}-carrageenan$ films. ${\kappa}-carrageenan$ films had high mechanical barrier properties as they are compared with TS of polyethylene films which are 13-28 MPa. TS of ${\iota}-carrageenan$ films without salt was 5-9 MPa and was the lowest among the films. Mechanical properties (TS and elongation) were affected by the concentration of plasticizers. Especially, elongation of ${\kappa}-carrageenan\;and\;{\iota}-carrageenan$ drastically increased as the concentration of plasticizer increased. Mechanical properties (TS and elongation) were greatly affected by various concentration and kind of salts. TS of Film-A (0.375 g plasticizer/g carrageenan) of ${\kappa}-carrageenan$ films which contains 0.1% (w/w) potassium chloride increased to 45 MPa which was the highest among the TS of biopolymer films which have been developed.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.18
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• pp.8579-8587
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• 2016

Background: The molecular mechanisms linking breast cancer progression and inflammation still remain obscure. The aim of the present study was to investigate the possible association of angiopoeitin like protein 4 (ANGPTL4) and its regulatory factor, hypoxia inducible factor-$1{\alpha}$ (HIF-$1{\alpha}$), with the inflammatory markers nuclear factor kappa B/p65 (NF-${\kappa}B$/P65) and interleukin-1 beta (IL-$1{\beta}$) in order to evaluate their role in inflammation associated breast cancer progression. Materials and Methods: Angiopoietin-like protein 4 (ANGPTL4) mRNA expressions were evaluated using quantitative real time PCR and its protein expression by immunohistochemistry. DNA binding activity of NF-${\kappa}B$/P65 was evaluated by transcription factor binding immunoassay. Serum levels of ANGPTL4, HIF-$1{\alpha}$ and IL-$1{\beta}$ were immunoassayed. Tumor clinico-pathological features were investigated. Results: ANGPTL4 mRNA expressions and serum levels were significantly higher in high grade breast carcinoma ($1.47{\pm}0.31$ and $184.98{\pm}18.18$, respectively) compared to low grade carcinoma ($1.21{\pm}0.32$ and $171.76{\pm}7.58$, respectively) and controls ($0.70{\pm}0.02$ and $65.34{\pm}6.41$, respectively), (p<0.05). Also, ANGPTL4 high/moderate protein expression was positively correlated with tumor clinico-pathological features. In addition, serum levels of HIF-$1{\alpha}$ and IL-$1{\beta}$ as well as NF-${\kappa}B$/P65 DNA binding activity were significantly higher in high grade breast carcinoma ($148.54{\pm}14.20$, $0.79{\pm}0.03$ and $247.13{\pm}44.35$ respectively) than their values in low grade carcinoma ( $139.14{\pm}5.83$, $0.34{\pm}0.02$ and $184.23{\pm}37.75$, respectively) and controls ($33.95{\pm}3.11$, $0.11{\pm}0.02$ and $7.83{\pm}0.92$, respectively), (p<0.001). Conclusion: ANGPTL4 high serum levels and tissue expressions in advanced grade breast cancer, in addition to its positive correlation with tumor clinico-pathological features and HIF-$1{\alpha}$ could highlight its role as one of the signaling factors involved in breast cancer progression. Moreover, novel correlations were found between ANGPTL4 and the inflammatory markers, IL-$1{\beta}$ and NF-${\kappa}B$/p65, in breast cancer, which may emphasize the utility of these markers as potential tools for understanding interactions for axes of carcinogenesis and inflammation contributed for cancer progression. It is thus hoped that the findings reported here would assist in the development of new breast cancer management strategies that would promote patients' quality of life and ultimately improve clinical outcomes. However, large-scale studies are needed to verify these results.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.249-255
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• 2013

Recently, algae has been considered as a potential anti-inflammatory source due to its distinctive habitat environment exposing to light and high oxygen concentration. In present study, anti-inflammatory effect of brown alga, Sargassum fullvellum ethanol extract (SFEE), was examined. SFEE inhibited not only the production of nitric oxide and pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-$1{\beta}$, TNF-${\alpha}$) but also the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase 2 in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells without affecting cell viability. SFEE also suppressed the expression of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-${\kappa}B$), suggesting that SFEE could affect the expression of inflammation related cytokines and proteins through the regulation of NF-${\kappa}B$. Furthermore, formation of edema of the ear was 40% lower in mice treated with the highest dose (250 mg/kg) of SFEE than in the control mice. Thus, our study showed that SFEE may be a potential therapeutic anti-inflammatory drug.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.306-316
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• 2013

Microstructure and fracture behavior of a multi-phase low-density steel were investigated. After hot-rolling and heat treatment, the microstructure of low-density steel was composed of coarse ferrite grains and elongated bands which include second phases such as austenite, martensite and ${\kappa}$-carbide depending on holding time during isothermal heat treatment. After tensile test, microcracks were observed at martensite or ${\kappa}$-carbide interface in the elongated bands. Coarse ferrite grains showed cleavage fracture behavior regardless of second phase. The cleavage fracture of ferrite could be attributed to their coarse grain size and solute atoms that increase ductile-to-brittle transition temperature of ferrite. Despite of the tendency of cleavage fracture in coarse ferrite grains, a specimen having coarse spheroidized ${\kappa}$-carbide particles in the elongated bands showed high total elongation of 30%. Thus, the easiness of plastic deformation in the elongated band seems to play an important role in retardation of cleavage crack formation in coarse ferrite grains.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.42 no.9
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• pp.628-636
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• 2019

Altered genetic features in cancer cells lead to a high rate of aerobic glycolysis and metabolic reprogramming that is essential for increased cancer cell viability and rapid proliferation. Pyruvate kinase muscle (PKM) is a rate-limiting enzyme in the final step of glycolysis. Herein, we report that PKM is a potential therapeutic target in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells. We found that PKM1 or PKM2 is highly expressed in TNBC tissues or cells. Knockdown of PKM significantly suppressed cell proliferation and migration, and strongly reduced S phase and induced G2 phase cell cycle arrest by reducing phosphorylation of the CDC2 protein in TNBC cells. Additionally, knockdown of PKM significantly suppressed $NF-{\kappa}B$ (nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells) activity by reducing the phosphorylation of p65 at serine 536, and also decreased the expression of $NF-{\kappa}B$ target genes. Taken together, PKM is a potential target that may have therapeutic implications for TNBC cells.