• Journal of Embryo Transfer
• /
• v.16 no.2
• /
• pp.107-115
• /
• 2001

Development of effective activation protocols is of great importance for improving the success of cloning and subsequent transgenic. Three methods for oocyte activation, including 5$\mu$M ionomycin (5 min) alone, ionomycin + 1.9 mM 6-dimetylaminopurine (DMAP, 3 hrs) and ionomycin + 10 $\mu\textrm{g}$/ml cycloheximide (CHX, 3 hrs) were compared for their effects of pronuclei (PN) formation, development, developmental velocity and ploidy of parthenotes to IVF control in bovine. In group of ionomycin + DMAP, the oocytes having more 3PN were significantly (P<0.05) higher than in groups of ionomycin alone and of ionomycin + CHX (45.5% vs. 0 and 0%, respectively). Activation with the ionomycin alone, ionomycin + DMAP and ionomycin + CHX resulted in cleavage rates of 30, 85.5 and 57.9%, respectively. The blastocysts rate of parthenotes activated by ionomycin + DMAP treatment was significantly higher (12.3%. p<0.05) than those of other treated groups. Chromosome analysis shows that ionomycin + DMAP treatment greatly enhances the incidence of chromosomal abnormality of the parthenotes. From the results, we may conclude that DMAP treatment to the oocytes accelerates developmental velocity resulting in both the higher incidence of chromosome abnormality and of PN formation, and strongly suggest that CHX combined with ionomycin is better than DMAP for the purpose of successful nuclear transplantation. Developmental velocity of parthenotes activated by ionomycin + DMAP treatment was significantly (P<0.05) faster than others.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
• /
• v.12 no.3
• /
• pp.235-243
• /
• 2014

Surface oxidation behavior of ZIRLO (ZIRconium Low Oxidation) hulls was investigated using an X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) technique. The effects of oxidation time (10-336 h at $500^{\circ}C$) and temperature ($400-700^{\circ}C$ for 10 h) were studied. Deconvolution results of the hulls oxidized at $500^{\circ}C$ revealed that a $ZrO_2$ phase appeared after 24 h (11.86%), and an increase in the $ZrO_2$ ratio was observed when the hulls were oxidized for 336 h (17.93%). On the other hand, the ZrO phase which employed 5.68% in the 10 h oxidized sample disappeared when the oxidation time increased to 24 h. The XPS results also showed that an increase in the oxidation temperature resulted in an increase in the ratio of ZrO, which increased from 0 to 5.68, 8.31, and 9.16% when the oxidation temperature increased from 400 to 500, 600, and $700^{\circ}C$, respectively. $ZrO_2$ phase was observed only in the sample that was oxidized at $700^{\circ}C$. The mechanism of ZrO formation was not conclusive, but it was suggested that a formation of hydroxide might have been accelerated at elevated temperatures leading to a formation of a $Zr(OH)_4$ phase. The relationship between the surface oxidation status of the hulls oxidized at $500^{\circ}C$ and their chlorination reaction feasibility was discussed, and it was suggested that the thickness of the oxide layer is an important parameter that determines the chlorination reaction feasibility.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
• /
• v.10 no.1
• /
• pp.45-53
• /
• 2012

The metal chloride wastes from a pyrochemical process to recover uranium and transuranic elements has been considered as a problematic waste difficult to apply to a conventional solidification method due to the high volatility and low compatibility with silicate glass. In this study, a dechlorination approach to treat LiCl-KCl waste for final disposal was adapted. In this study, a $SiO_2-Al_2O_3-P_2O_5$ (SAP) inorganic composite as a dechlorination agent was prepared by a conventional sol-gel process. By using a series of SAPs, the dechlorination behavior and consolidation of reaction products were investigated. Different from LiCl waste, the dechlorination reaction occurred mainly at two temperature ranges. The thermogravimetric test indicated that the first reaction range was about $400^{\circ}C$ for LiCl and the second was about $700^{\circ}C$ for KCl. The SAP 1071 (Si/Al/P=1/0.75/1 in molar) was found to be the most favorable SAP as a dechlorination agent under given conditions. The consolidation test revealed that the bulk shape and the densification of consolidated forms depended on the SAP/Salt ratios. The leaching test by PCT-A method was performed to evaluate the durability of consolidated forms. This study provided the basic information on the dechlorination approach. Based on the experimental results, the dechlorination method using a $SiO_2-Al_2O_3-P_2O_5$ (SAP) could be considered as one of alternatives for the immobilization of waste salt.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.49-58
• /
• 2018

For the immobilization of high-radioactive nuclides such as Cs and Sr by high-temperature thermal decomposition, this study was carried out to investigate the phase transformation with calcined temperature by using TGA (thermogravimetric analysis) and XRD (X-ray diffraction) in the Cs-adsorbed CHA (chabazite zeolite of K type)-Cs and CHA-PCFC (potassium cobalt ferrocyanide)-Cs zeolite system, and Sr-adsorbed 4A-Sr and BaA-Sr zeolite system, respectively. In the case of CHA-Cs zeolite system, the structure of CHA-Cs remained at up to $900^{\circ}C$ and recrystallized to pollucite ($CsAlSi_2O_6$) at $1,100^{\circ}C$ after undergoing amorphous phase at $1,000^{\circ}C$. However, the CHA-CFC-Cs zeolite system retained the CHA-PCFC-Cs structure up to $700^{\circ}C$, but its structure collapsed in $900{\sim}1,000^{\circ}C$, and then transformed to amorphous phase, and recrystallized to pollucite at $1,100^{\circ}C$. In the case of 4A-Sr zeolite system, on the other hand, the structure of 4A-Sr maintained up to $700^{\circ}C$ and its phase transformed to amorphous at $800^{\circ}C$, and recrystallized to Sr-feldspar ($SrAl_2Si_2O_8$, hexagonal) at $900^{\circ}C$ and to $SrAl_2Si_2O_8$ (triclinic) at $1,100^{\circ}C$. However, the BaA-Sr zeolite system structure began to break down at below $500^{\circ}C$, and then transformed to amorphous phase in $500{\sim}900^{\circ}C$ and recrystallized to Ba/Sr-feldspar (coexistence of $Ba_{0.9}Sr_{0.1}Al_2Si_2O_8$ and $Ba_{0.5}Sr_{0.5}Al_2Si_2O_8$) at $1,100^{\circ}C$. All of the above zeolite systems recrystallized to mineral phase through the dehydration/(decomposition) ${\rightarrow}$ amorphous ${\rightarrow}$ recrystallization with increasing temperature. Although further study of the volatility and leachability of Cs and Sr in the high-temperature thermal decomposition process is required, Cs and Sr adsorbed in each zeolite system are mineralized as pollucite, Sr-feldspar and Ba/Sr-feldspar. Therefore, Cs and Sr seen to be able to completely immobilize in the calcining wasteform/(solidified wasteform).

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.29 no.11
• /
• pp.1227-1234
• /
• 2019

Prunus mume, also known as maesil, is a popular fruit consumed in East Asia (Korea, Japan, and China). It contains high amounts of organic acids, minerals, and polyphenols and has been used as a medication for fever, vomiting, and detoxification. In this study, the anti-proliferative and apoptotic effects of solvent fractions from maesil were evaluated using sulforhodamine B (SRB) assays, morphological evaluations, Hoechst 33258 staining, and western blotting. Addition of the maesil methanol fraction (MMF) and the maesil butanol fraction (MBF) significantly and dose-dependently decreased the cell viability of HT-29 human colon cancer cells. Colony-forming assays confirmed that the MMF and MBF treatments decreased colony numbers when compared with untreated control cells. Treatment of HT-29 cells with MMF and MBF caused a distortion of the cell morphology to a shrunken cell mass. Treatment with MMF and MBF also dose-dependently increased nuclear condensation and the formation of apoptotic bodies in HT-29 cells. Treatment with MMF and MBF significantly and dosedependently increased the expression of Bax (a pro-apoptotic protein), caspase-3, and poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) and decreased the expression of Bcl-2 (an anti-apoptotic protein). MMF significantly and dose-dependently inhibited cell proliferation induced by bisphenol A, an environmental hormone. Therefore, MMF may have potential use as a functional food and as a possible therapeutic agent for the prevention of colon cancer.

• Journal of Mushroom
• /
• v.14 no.4
• /
• pp.220-224
• /
• 2016

Chronic inflammation, which results from continuous exposure to antigens, is one of major reasons for tissue damage and diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and type 2 diabetes. In this study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of extracts (hexane, $CHCl_3$, MeOH, $MeOH/H_2O$, and $H_2O$) from GW10-45, which is our new cultivar of an edible mushroom Pleurotus ferulae (ASI 2803 and ASI 2778), in RAW264.7 murine macrophages. None of the extracts showed cytotoxicity in RAW264.7 cells and the hexane, CHCl and H extracts reduced nitric oxide (NO) production, an important inflammatory marker, in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. Particularly, the extract (CG45) inhibited NO production more than the other extracts did. To elucidate the effects of CG45 on molecular targets involved in pro-inflammatory responses, we performed western blot analysis. Expression of inducible nitric oxide (iNOS) significantly decreased in LPS and CG45 co-incubated cells compared to that in LPS only-treated cells. Additionally, another protein thatplays a critical role in inflammation, was down-regulated in cells treated with both LPS and CG45. In the nuclear factor $(NF)-{\kappa}B$ pathway, phosphorylation of $I{\kappa}B{\alpha}$ decreased in RAW264.7 cells treated with both LPS and CG45. Furthermore, CG45 inhibited the phosphorylation of $NF-{\kappa}B$ in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. Conclusively, CG45 could suppress pro-inflammatory responses in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells by down-regulating not only the phosphorylation of $NF-{\kappa}B$ and $I{\kappa}B{\alpha}$ but also the expression of iNOS and COX-2 without any cytotoxicity.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
• /
• v.36 no.3
• /
• pp.248-256
• /
• 2021

A total of 120 samples corresponding to 12 categories of dried processed fishery products distributed in Gyeonggi-do were examined for radioactivity contamination (¹³¹I, ¹³⁴Cs, ¹³⁷Cs) and heavy metals (lead, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury). One natural radioactive material, ⁴⁰K, was detected in all products, while the artificial radioactive materials ¹³¹I, ¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs were not detected at above MDA (minimum detectable activity) values. The detection ranges of heavy metals converted by biological basis were found as follows: Pb (N.D.-0.332 mg/kg), Cd (N.D.-2.941 mg/kg), As (0.371-15.007 mg/kg), Hg (0.0005-0.0621 mg/kg). Heavy metals were detected within standard levels when there was an acceptable standard, but the arsenic content was high in most products, although none of the products had a permitted level of arsenic. In the case of dried processed fishery products, there are products that are consumed by restoring moisture to its original state, but there are also many products that are consumed directly in the dry state, so it will be necessary to set permitted levels for heavy metals considering this situation in the future. In addition, Japan has decided to release contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean, so there is high public concern about radioactivity contamination of food, including fishery products. Therefore, continuous monitoring of various food items will be necessary to ease consumers' anxiety.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.157-162
• /
• 2006

It is well known that unidentified factors in sera, hormones and growth factors promote the proliferation of granulosa cells and nuclear maturation of bovine COCs (cumulus oocytes complexes) in vitro. Attempts had been developed the simple composition of culture media and similar system to in vivo conditions has been applied. In the present study, we investigated the effect of FGF (fibroblast growth factor) on in vitro maturation and in vitro development of Hanwoo COCs. When the COCs were matured in HPM 199 (Inst. of Functional peptide, Japan) containing 0.1, 1 and 10 ng/ml FGF for 24 hr, maturation rates to metaphase II ($70.0{\sim}75.0%$) were significantly higher (p<0.05) than that of control group (0 ng/ml FGF, 37.5%). When matured COCs with FGF were cultured in maturation medium after in vitro fertilization, developmental rates to blastocysts were 9.5, 0 and 2.9%, respectively, compared to 25.0% of the control group (p<0.05). When the matured COCs with FGF were cultured in HPM 199 (IFP971, Inst. of Functional peptide, Japan) containing 10% FBS, 0.8% BSA or 0.1% PVA (polyvinyl alcohol), the blastocyst formation rates were 12.4, 12.8 and 8.5%, respectively, while the rates of matured COCs with FGF and cultured with IVMD and IVD (Inst. of Functional peptide, Japan) without serum were 38.4% and 34.8%, respectively (p<0.05). These results suggested that FGF is available for in vitro maturation of bovine COCs and is not suitable for in vitro development, but further investigation would be need for finding the synergistic autocrine/paracrine fashion of other growth factors in early bovine embryo development.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
• /
• v.26 no.4
• /
• pp.441-449
• /
• 2013

This study was conducted to select some useful plants as functional material candidates. A total of 38 plants were preliminarily screened for the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. The preliminarily selected 8 plants were further investigated to verify the in vitro inhibitory effect on inflammation and oxidative stress. Boehmeria platanifolia (root), Carpinus coreana (branch), and Eupatorium japonicum (leaf) inhibited the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated RAW 264.7 cells. Eupatorium japonicum (leaf) suppressed the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), whereas Boehmeria platanifolia (root) and Prunus yedoensis (branch) inhibited the transcription of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-${\kappa}B$). Treatment with the extracts ($2.5{\sim}20{\mu}g/ml$) of Abutilon theophrasti (leaf, flower/seed) and Hemistepta lyrata (stem) did not show toxicity on RAW 264.7 cell proliferation, but treatment with $2.5{\mu}g/ml$ of Boehmeria platanifolia (root) exhibited cell toxicity. Carpinus coreana (branch) and Prunus yedoensis (branch) showed potent scavenging activities on peroxynitrite. Akebia quinata (flower), Carpinus coreana (branch), and Prunus yedoensis (branch) effectively inhibited reactive oxygen species (ROS). Abutilon theophrasti (leaf), Boehmeria platanifolia (root), Carpinus coreana (branch), and Eupatorium japonicum (leaf) exhibited strong inhibitory capacity with regard to nitric oxide (NO) production. The results suggested that Abutilon theophrasti (leaf) has in vitro anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities, and that is a useful functional material candidate.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
• /
• v.14 no.3
• /
• pp.223-234
• /
• 2016

This study aimed to the adsorption-removal of high- radioactive iodide (I) contained in the initially generated high-radioactive seawater waste (HSW), with the use of AgX (Ag-impregnated X zeolite). Adsorption of I by AgX (hereafter denoted as AgX-I adsorption) was increased by increasing the Ag-impregnated concentration in AgX, and its concentration was suitable at about 30 wt%. Because of AgCl precipitation by chloride ions contained in seawater waste, the leaching yields of Ag from AgX (Ag-impregnated concentration : about 30~35 wt%) was less than those in distilled water (< 1 mg/L). AgX-I adsorption was above 99% in the initial iodide concentration ($C_i$) of 0.01~10 mg/L at m/V (ratio of weight of adsorbent to solution volume)=2.5 g/L. This shows that efficient removal of I is possible. AgX-I adsorption was found to be more effective in distilled water than in seawater waste, and the influence of solution temperature was insignificant. Ag-I adsorption was better described by a Freundlich isotherm rather than a Langmuir isotherm. AgX-I adsorption kinetics can be expressed by a pseudo-second order rate equation. The adsorption rate constants ($k_2$) decreased by increasing $C_i$, and conversely increased by increasing the ratio of m/V and the solution temperature. This time, the activation energy of AgX-I adsorption was about 6.3 kJ/mol. This suggests that AgX-I adsorption is dominated by physical adsorption with weaker bonds. The evaluation of thermodynamic parameters (a negative Gibbs free energy and a positive Enthalpy) indicates that AgX-I adsorption is a spontaneous reaction (forward reaction), and an endothermic reaction indicating that higher temperatures are favored.