• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.21 no.5
• /
• pp.531-546
• /
• 2017

Activation of Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR-4) in articular chondrocytes increases the catabolic compartment and leads to matrix degradation during the development of osteoarthritis. In this study, we determined the proteomic and genomic alterations in human chondrocytes during lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and consequences of TLR-4 activation. Human chondrocytes were cultured with LPS for 12, 24, and 36 h to induce TLR-4 activation. The TLR-4-induced inflammatory response was confirmed by real-time PCR analysis of increased interleukin-1 beta ($IL-1{\beta}$), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor alpha ($TNF-{\alpha}$) expression levels. In TLR-4-activated chondrocytes, proteomic changes were determined by two-dimensional electrophoresis and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-mass spectroscopy analysis, and genomic changes were determined by microarray and gene ontology analyses. Proteomics analysis identified 26 proteins with significantly altered expression levels; these proteins were related to the cytoskeleton and oxidative stress responses. Gene ontology analysis indicated that LPS treatment altered specific functional pathways including 'chemotaxis', 'hematopoietic organ development', 'positive regulation of cell proliferation', and 'regulation of cytokine biosynthetic process'. Nine of the 26 identified proteins displayed the same increased expression patterns in both proteomics and genomics analyses. Western blot analysis confirmed the LPS-induced increases in expression levels of lamin A/C and annexins 4/5/6. In conclusion, this study identified the time-dependent genomic, proteomic, and functional pathway alterations that occur in chondrocytes during LPS-induced TLR-4 activation. These results provide valuable new insights into the underlying mechanisms that control the development and progression of osteoarthritis.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
• /
• v.6 no.6
• /
• pp.513-519
• /
• 2012

Aged garlic extract (AGE) is known to have a protective effect against immune system, endothelial function, oxidative stress and inflammation. We examined the effects of exercise with and without aged garlic extract administration on body weight, lipid profiles, inflammatory cytokines, and oxidative stress marker in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese rats. Forty-five Sprague-Dawley rats were fed either a HFD (HFD, n = 40) or a normal diet (ND, n = 5) for 6 weeks and thereafter randomized into ND (n = 5), HFD (n = 10), HFD with AGE (n = 10), HFD with Exercise (n = 10), or HFD with Exercise+AGE (n = 10) for 4 weeks. AGE groups were administered at a dose of 2.86 g/kg body weight, orally. Exercise consisted of running 15-60 min 5 days/week with gradually increasing intensity. AGE (P<0.01), Exercise, and Exercise+AGE (P<0.001) attenuated body weight gain and food efficiency ratio compared to HFD. Visceral fat and liver weight gain were attenuated (P<0.05) with all three interventions with a greater effect on visceral fat in the Exercise+AGE than AGE (P<0.001). In reducing visceral fat (P<0.001), epididymal fat (P<0.01) and liver weight (P<0.001), Exercise+AGE was effective, but exercise showed a stronger suppressive effect than AGE. Exercise+AGE showed further additive effects on reducing visceral fat and liver weight (P<0.001). AGE significantly attenuated the increase in total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol compared with HFD (P<0.05). Exercise+AGE attenuated the increase in triglycerides compared with HFD (P<0.05). Exercise group significantly decrease in C-reactive protein (P<0.001). These results suggest that AGE supplementation and exercise alone have anti-obesity, cholesterol lowering, and anti-inflammatory effects, but the combined intervention is more effective in reducing weight gain and triglycerides levels than either intervention alone.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
• /
• v.47 no.4
• /
• pp.357-370
• /
• 2014

This study aims to develop a rainfall field tracking method for depth-area-duration (DAD) analysis and assess whether the proposed tracking methods are able to properly estimate the maximum average areal rainfall (MAAR) within the study area during a rainfall period. We proposed three different rainfall field tracking algorithms (Box-tracking, Point-tracking, Advanced point-tracking) and then applied them to the virtual rainfall field with 1hr duration and also compared DAD curves of each method. In addition, we applied the three tracking methods and a traditional GIS-based tool to the typhoon 'Nari' rainfall event of the Yongdam-Dam watershed and then assess applicability of the proposed methods for DAD analysis. The results showed that Box-tracking was much faster than the other two tracking methods in terms of searching for the MAAR but it was impossible to describe rainfall spatial pattern during its tracking processes. On the other hand, both Point-tracking and Advanced point-tracking provided the MAAR by considering the spatial distribution of rainfall fields. In particular, Advanced point-tracking estimated the MAAR more accurately than Point-tracking in the virtual rainfall field, which has two rainfall centers with similar depths. The proposed automatic rainfall field tracking methods can be used as effective tools to analyze DAD relationship and also calculate areal reduction factor.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.36 no.5
• /
• pp.839-846
• /
• 2016

Since oil leakage is one of the most common nonpoint pollution sources that contaminate soil in Korea, the capacity of soil microbial community for degrading petroleum hydrocarbons should be considered to assess the functional value of soil resource. However, conventional methods (e.g., microcosm experiments) to assess the remediation capacity of soil microbial community are costly and time-consuming to cover large area. The present study suggests a new approach to assess the toluene remediation capacity of soil microbial community using a microbial diversity index, which is a simpler detection method than measuring degradation rate. The results showed that Shannon index of microbial community were correlated with specific degradation rate ($V_{max}$), a degradation factor. Subsequently, a correlation equation was generated and applied to Michaelis-Menten kinetics. These results will be useful to conveniently assess the remediation capacity of soil microbial community and can be widely applied to diverse engineering fields including environment-friendly construction engineering fields.

• Korean Educational Research Journal
• /
• v.38 no.3
• /
• pp.231-248
• /
• 2018

This was explorative study to exam whether the moderating effects of emotional expressiveness on the relationship between social anxiety and intimacy in romantic relationship were with classificaton of emotional type(positive, negative) and gender(male, female). Data of 270 students were analysed with hierarchical multiple regression analysis. The results were as follow. First, In case of male, positive emotional expressiveness had moderating effect between social anxiety and intimacy in romantic relationship, though negative emotional expressiveness had not. Second, In case of female, negative emotional expressiveness had moderating effect between social anxiety and intimacy in romantic relationship, though positive emotional expressiveness had not. The meaning of results, implications of results, and suggestions for following researches were discussed.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
• /
• v.21 no.4
• /
• pp.313-322
• /
• 2011

On September 2007, numerous slopes at Jeonranam-Do collapsed as a result of rainfall related to Typhoon Nari. Failure occurred at a road cut-slope on the ${\bigcirc}{\bigcirc}$ detour road, damaging transport infrastructure. This study aims to determine the cause of failure based on field investigations, the geotechnical properties of soil, clay mineral composition, and quantitative analysis. The studied cut slope consists of weathered soil that originated from volcanic rocks, and minor faults and a mafic dyke. Surface water tends to seep into the soil because the roadway is not sealed and because of poorly installed drainage. Sieve and XRD analyses indicate that soils in the failure zone are ML and CH, which are prone to swelling due to the presence of clay minerals such as smectite and vermiculite. The slope failed due to the improper construction of drainage facilities, the presence of geological weak zones, and high soil contents of swelling clay.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.19 no.5
• /
• pp.389-399
• /
• 2015

Zinc has been considered as a vital constituent of proteins, including enzymes. Mobile reactive zinc ($Zn^{2+}$) is the key form of zinc involved in signal transductions, which are mainly driven by its binding to proteins or the release of zinc from proteins, possibly via a redox switch. There has been growing evidence of zinc's critical role in cell signaling, due to its flexible coordination geometry and rapid shifts in protein conformation to perform biological reactions. The importance and complexity of $Zn^{2+}$ activity has been presumed to parallel the degree of calcium's participation in cellular processes. Whole body and cellular $Zn^{2+}$ levels are largely regulated by metallothioneins (MTs), $Zn^{2+}$ importers (ZIPs), and $Zn^{2+}$ transporters (ZnTs). Numerous proteins involved in signaling pathways, mitochondrial metabolism, and ion channels that play a pivotal role in controlling cardiac contractility are common targets of $Zn^{2+}$. However, these regulatory actions of $Zn^{2+}$ are not limited to the function of the heart, but also extend to numerous other organ systems, such as the central nervous system, immune system, cardiovascular tissue, and secretory glands, such as the pancreas, prostate, and mammary glands. In this review, the regulation of cellular $Zn^{2+}$ levels, $Zn^{2+}$-mediated signal transduction, impacts of $Zn^{2+}$ on ion channels and mitochondrial metabolism, and finally, the implications of $Zn^{2+}$ in health and disease development were outlined to help widen the current understanding of the versatile and complex roles of $Zn^{2+}$.

• Proceedings of the Korean Biophysical Society Conference
• /
• 2003.06a
• /
• pp.23-23
• /
• 2003

It has been suggested that the impairment of smooth muscle cell (SMC) function by alterations in the $Ca^{2+}$-activated $K^{+}$ ( $K_{Ca}$ ) channels accounts for the reduction in coronary reserve during left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). However, this hypothesis has not been fully investigated. The main goal of this study was to assess whether the properties of $K_{Ca}$ channels in coronary SMCs were altered during LVH. New Zealand white rabbits (0.8-1.0 kg) and Sprague-Dawley rats (300-400 g) were randomly selected to receive either an injection of isoproterenol (300 $\mu\textrm{g}$/kg body weight) or an equal volume of 0.9％ saline (1 mL/kg body weight). The animals developed LVH 10 days after injection. In patch-clamp experiments, the unitary current amplitude and open probability for the $K_{Ca}$ channels were significantly reduced in LVH patches compared with control patches. The concentration-response curve of the $K_{Ca}$ channel to [C $a^{2+}$]$_{i}$ was shifted to the right. Inhibition of the $K_{Ca}$ channels with TEA was more pronounced in LVH cells than in the control cells. The whole-cell currents of $K_{Ca}$ channels were reduced during LVH. Western blot analysis indicated no differences in $K_{Ca}$ channel expression between the control and LVH coronary SM membranes. In contraction experiments, the effect of a high $K^{+}$concentration on the resting tension of the LVH coronary artery was greater than on that of the control. The effect of TEA on the resting tension of the LVH coronary artery was reduced as compared with the effect on the control. Our findings imply a novel mechanism for reduced coronary reserve during LVH.ing LVH.

• Resources Recycling
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.11-17
• /
• 2017

Many problems are occurred by using industrial by-product and municipal solid waste in the cement manufacturing process. The main components of chlorine by-pass dust generated by the use of the wastes are $K^+$, $Cl^-$, and a slight amount of heavy metals is also contained. In terms of waste recycling, it is necessary to eliminate the heavy metals. Therefore, in this study, the experiments for the removal of heavy metals from KCl which was produced by chlorine by-pass dust were conducted. In order to find optimum conditions for the removal of heavy metals, we have controlled the amount of water and precipitator. The type and concentration of heavy metals in KCl were analyzed. The concentration of heavy metals decreased as amount of precipitator increased. The heavy metals such as Pb, Cd, and As were not detected in dust A and B, when the mixing ratios between dust A(B) and water were controlled to be 1:2 (1:2, 1:3.5) with the addition of 3% precipitator (NaOCl).

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.43 no.4
• /
• pp.357-366
• /
• 2015

Quorum sensing (QS) is involved in the process of cell-to-cell communication and as a gene regulatory mechanism, which has been implicated in bacterial pathogenicity. Bacteria use this QS system to control a variety of physiological processes. In this study, pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) peel extract (PPE) was first screened for its ability to inhibit QS in bio-reporter strains (Chromobacterium violaceum and C. violaceum CV026). Next, the ability of PPE to inhibit swimming motility and biofilm formation was examined in Y. enterocolitica. Additionally, changes in the expression of specific genes involved in the synthesis of the N-acylhomoserine lactones (AHLs; yenI and yenR) and in the flagellar regulon (fliA, fleB and flhDC) were evaluated by reverse transcription (RT)-PCR. The results show that PPE specifically inhibited and reduced QS-controlled violacein production by 78.5% in C. violaceum CV026, and decreased QS-associated biofilm formation and swimming motility in Y. enterocolitica without significantly affecting bacterial growth. These inhibitory effects were also associated with the down-regulation of gene expression involved in the synthesis of AHLs and in motility. Our results suggest that PPE could be a potential therapeutic agent to prevent enteropathogens in humans, as well as highlight the need to further investigate the in vivo properties of PPE for clinical applications.