• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.259-266
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• 2011

Elsholtzia hallasanensis, E. springia, and E. splendens var. fasciflora (Lamiaceae) were reported recently as new species or new varieties of E. splendens according to their morphological characteristics. To reappraise the taxonomic status of these additional taxa and to determine the relationships between all Korean Elsholtzia taxa except E. saxatilis, which is distributed in North Korea, molecular studies based on the nrDNA (ITS) and cpDNA (rpl16, and trnH-psbA) sequences of seven taxa of Elsholtzia and one outgroup were carried out. The molecular data support that E. angustifolia and E. minima are distinct species from E. splendens and E. ciliata, respectively, because they have several private marker genes and show monophyly. The molecular data also support that E. splendens has a very close taxonomic relationship with both E. hallasanensis and E. springia. We found that E. splendens var. fasciflora, with multiple inflorescence, was based on several private marker genes and on the monophyly of its trees, suggesting that it can be considered as a variety. Elsholtzia springia, with the same sequences and the same morphological characteristics with E. hallasanensis after transplanting, should be treated as a synonym of E. hallasanensis. Moreover, we consider the taxonomic status of E. hallasanensis as E. splendens var. hallasanensis (Y. Lee) N.S. Lee & C.S. Lee, stat. nov.

• Journal of Adhesion and Interface
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.30-39
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• 2002

The effect of cure accelerator content on the change in crosslink density by thermal aging was studied for silica-filled natural rubber (NR) vulcanizates. Influence of silane coupling agent was also investigated. N-tert-Butyl-2-benzothiazole sulfenamide (TBBS) and bis-(3-(triethoxysilyl)-propyl)-tetrasulfide (TESPT) were used as a cure accelerator and a silane coupling agent, respectively. The crosslink density increased by thermal aging and the increasing level became larger as the aging temperature increased. The degree of crosslink density change of the vulcanizates without the silane coupling agent was larger than that of the vulcanizates containing the silane coupling agent. For the vulcanizates silane coupling agent, the activation energy for the crosslink density change decreased with increase of the cure accelerator content in the vulvanizate.

• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.8-27
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• 2018

Objective This study investigated the effects of Jeoreongchajeonja-tang in a high-fat diet-induced obesity mouse model. Methods The study examined 9-week-old male mice (C57bl/6J) divided into four groups: the normal(C57bl/6J-Nr), control (high-fat diet only; HFD-CTL), positive-control (high-fat diet with Garcinia cambogia), and experimental (high-fat diet with Jeoreongchajeonja-tang; HFD-JCT) groups. After 7 weeks, the body weight, food efficiency ratio, organ weight, and visceral fat weight of the mice were measured. Blood serum tests, mRNA, liver histopathology, and epididymis adipocytes were also examined. Results Compared with the Control(HFD-CTL) group, the Experimental(HFD-JCT) group given Jeoreongchajeonja-tang showed significant reductions in absolute body weight and food efficiency ratio. The serum alanine aminotransferase, total-cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol, insulin-like growth factor-1, and leptin levels were significantly lower in the experimental group than in the control group. The serum adiponectin levels were significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group. Compared with the control group, the experimental group showed significant reductions in absolute abdominal subcutaneous fat, epididymal adipose tissue, kidney adipose tissue, intestine adipose tissue, and liver, kidney and spleen adipose tissue weights. The C/EBP-${\beta}$, leptin, and SREBP1c/ADD1 mRNA expression were significantly lower in the experimental group than in the control group, while the UCP-2 and adiponectin mRNA expression were significantly higher. Compared with the control group, the experimental group showed a significant reduction in the absolute adipocyte area in the liver and epididymal adipose tissue. Conclusion Jeoreongchajeonja-tang has an anti-obesity effect. Additional clinical studies are expected.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.2023-2028
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• 2013

A number of studies have indicated that Nurr1, which belongs to a novel class of orphan nuclear receptors (the NR4A family), is important for carcinogenesis. Here we investigated expression of Nurr1 protein in benign and malignant human prostate tissues and association with clinicopathologic features using immunohistochemical techniques. Moreover, we also investigated the ability of Nurr1 to influence proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis of human prostate cancer cells using small interfering RNA silencing. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that the expression of Nurr1 protein was higher in prostate cancer tissues than in benign prostate tissue (P<0.001), levels being positively correlated with tumor T classification (P = 0.003), N classification (P = 0.017), M classification (P = 0.011) and the Gleason score (P = 0.020) of prostate cancer patients. In vitro, silencing of endogenous Nurr1 attenuated cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and induced apoptosis of prostate cancer cells. These results suggest that Nurr1 may be used as an indicator for prostate cancer progression and be useful for novel potential therapeutic strategies.

• The Journal of Advanced Prosthodontics
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.328-334
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• 2017

PURPOSE. This study evaluated fracture resistance with regard to ferrule lengths and post reinforcement on endodontically treated mandibular premolars incorporating a prefabricated post and resin core. MATERIALS AND METHODS. One hundred extracted mandibular premolars were randomly divided into 5 groups (n=20): intact teeth (NR); endodontically treated teeth (ETT) without post (NP); ETT restored with a prefabricated post with ferrule lengths of either 0 mm (F0), 1 mm (F1), or 2 mm (F2). Prepared teeth were restored with metal crowns. A thermal cycling test was performed for 1,000 cycles. Loading was applied at an angle of 135 degrees to the axis of the tooth using a universal testing machine with a crosshead speed of 2.54 mm/min. Fracture loads were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and Tukey HSD test using a statistical program (${\alpha}=.05$). RESULTS. There were statistical differences in fracture loads among groups (P<.001). The fracture load of F2 ($237.7{\pm}83.4$) was significantly higher than those of NP ($155.6{\pm}74.3N$), F0 ($98.8{\pm}43.3N$), and F1 ($152.8{\pm}78.5N$) (P=.011, P<.001, and P=.008, respectively). CONCLUSION. Fracture resistance of ETT depends on the length of the ferrule, as shown by the significantly increased fracture resistance in the 2 mm ferrule group (F2) compared to the groups with shorter ferrule lengths (F0, F1) and without post (NP).

• Environmental Mutagens and Carcinogens
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.131-139
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• 1995

Air suspedned particulates are the most serious factor among air pollutants in Seoul and their extracts have been revealed to be pulmonary carcinogenes. Air particulates were collected at a site representative of the high traffic area of Seoul from December 1993 to May 1994. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and nitroarenes in organic extracts of air particulates were determined by gas chromatography and mutagenicity of particle extracts was evaluated by the pre-incubation procedure with Salmonella typhirnurium TA98 and TA 98NR. The average concentration of total suspended particulates and inhalable (less than 10 $\mu$m) particulates were 169.63 $\mu g/m^3$, 141.92 $\mu g/m^3$, respectively. The relative contribution of organic matters was highest in neutral fraction and was lowest in basic fraction. Among identified 20 PAHs, the level of PAHs with 4-benzen ring i.e., pyrene, benzo(a)anthracene and chrysene were much higher than the PAHs with higher ring numbers. The mutagenicity of air particulates was much higher in the presence of rat liver microsomai fraction (S9 mixture) than that observed in its absence, which indicates that air particulates contained both direct and indirect mutagens. Nitroarenes in this study were not almost detected but mutagenicity of their fraction was higher. These results are represent to research for the identification of nitroarenes in the forward study.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.261-263
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• 2009

Methylprednisolone is a synthetic glucocorticoid which is usually taken intravenously for many neurosurgical diseases which cause edema including brain tumor, and trauma including spinal cord injury. Methylprednisolone reduces swelling and decreases the body's immune response. It is also used to treat many immune and allergic disorders, such as arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, asthma, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn's disease. To identify genes expressed during methylprednisolone treatment against neurons of rats (PC12 cells), DNA microarray method was used. We have isolated 2 gene groups (up- or down-regulated genes) which are methylprednisolone differentially expressed in neurons. Lipocalin 3 is the gene most significantly increased among 772 up-regulated genes (more than 2 fold over-expression) and Aristaless 3 is the gene most dramatically decreased among 959 down-regulated genes (more than 2 fold down-expression). The gene increased expression of Fgb, Thbd, Cfi, F3, Kngl, Serpinel, C3, Tnfrsf4 and Il8rb are involved stress-response gene, and Nfkbia, Casp7, Pik3rl, I11b, Unc5a, Tgfb2, Kitl and Fgf15 are strongly associated with development. Cell cycle associated genes (Mcm6, Ccnb2, Plk1, Ccnd1, E2f1, Cdc2a, Tgfa, Dusp6, Id3) and cell proliferation associated genes (Ccl2, Tnfsf13, Csf2, Kit, Pim1, Nr3c1, Chrm4, Fosl1, Spp1) are down-regulated more than 2 times by methylprednisolone treatment. Among the genes described above, 4 up-regulated genes are confirmed those expression by RT-PCR. We found that methylprednisolone is related to expression of many genes associated with stress response, development, cell cycle, and cell proliferation by DNA microarray analysis. However, We think further experimental molecular studies will be needed to figure out the exact biological function of various genes described above and the physiological change of neuronal cells by methylprednisolone. The resulting data will give the one of the good clues for understanding of methylprednisolone under molecular level in the neurons.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.9
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• pp.3907-3912
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• 2015

Purpose: To investigate the antitumor activity and mechanism of chloroquine (CQ) in combination with cisplatin (DDP) in nude mice xenografted with gastric cancer SGC7901 cells. Materials and Methods: 35 cases of gastric cancer patients with malignant ascites were enrolled and intraperitoneal cisplatin injection was performed. Ascites were collected before and 5 days after perfusion for assessment of autophagy levels in cancer cells. In addition, 24 tumor-bearing mice were randomly divided into control, DDP, CQ and CQ + DDP groups. Results: In 54.3% (19/35) of patients the treatment was therapeutically effective (OR), 5 days after peritoneal chemotherapy, 13 patients had the decreased ascites Beclin-1 mRNA levels. In 16 patients who had NR, only 2 cases had decreased Beclin-1 (P=0.001). Compared with the control group, the xenograft growth in nude mice in the DDP group was low, and the inhibition rate was 47.6%. In combination with chloroquine, the inhibition rate increased to 84.7% (P<0.01). The LC3-II/I ratio, and Beclin1 and MDR1/P-gp expression were decreased, while caspase 3 protein levels increased (P<0.05). Conclusions: Antitumor ability of cisplatin was associated with autophagy activity and chloroquine can enhance chemosensitivity to cisplatin in gastric cancer xenografts nude mice.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.547-554
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• 2016

The genus Tilia is characterized by linear form bracts of which the lower part is attached to the peduncle of a cyme. This character is distinguished from the others genus of Malvaceae. The purpose of this study is verifying the phylogenetic relationship of genus Tilia. Phylogenetic analyses were conducted to evaluate relationships of 10 taxa of Tilia in Korea and Japan including one outgroup (Gossypium hirsutum). The molecular phylogenetic analyses were conducted with sequences based on ITS, trnL-F and rpl32-trnL region. The combined data result of ITS, trnL-F and rpl32-trnL was formed by 6 clades. T. kiusiana situated as the most basal clade. T. amurensis, T. taquetii and T. rufa are composed a clade. T. koreana, T. insularis and T. japonica was formed independent clade. T. insularis has the closest relationship with T. japonica. T. miqueliana, T. mandshurica, and T. megaphylla are composed a clade and showed a sister relationship than other species.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.1-12
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• 2015

Objective : The goal of this study is to identify the effects of extract ofGentianae sino-ornata(GSO) on the anti-oxidative activity of skin.For this purpose, several functions of GSO were analyzed in terms of skin-lightening activity and wrinkle improvement. Methods : Cell viability was measured by neutral red (NR) assay, and GSO showed highly efficacy in DPPH radical scavenging activity. The level of tyrosinase and matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) in media was analyzed by ELISA kit, and the expressions of p-JNK and p-ERK was measured by Western blot. To elucidate inhibitory effects of GSO on melanin synthesis, I determined the tyrosinase activity and melanin production in B16F10 cells. Results : MMP-1 production in UVB-stimulated HDF cells was inhibited by GSO treatments, and also GSO inhibited protein expression levels of p-JNK and p-ERK. GSO significantly reduced tyrosinase activity and melanin synthesis in B16F10 cells. Conclusions : From these results, GSO appears to be effective on skin elasticity increase, wrinkle improvement, whitening as anti-aging activity.