• Molecules and Cells
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.371-377
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• 2017

Despite the importance of the receptor activator of nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB ligand (RANKL)-RANK signaling mechanisms on osteoclast differentiation, little has been studied on how RANK expression is regulated or what regulates its expression during osteoclastogenesis. We show here that insulin signaling increases RANK expression, thus enhancing osteoclast differentiation by RANKL. Insulin stimulation induced RANK gene expression in time- and dose-dependent manners and insulin receptor shRNA completely abolished RANK expression induced by insulin in bone marrow-derived monocyte/macrophage cells (BMMs). Moreover, the addition of insulin in the presence of RANKL promoted RANK expression. The ability of insulin to regulate RANK expression depends on extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) since only PD98059, an ERK1/2 inhibitor, specifically inhibited its expression by insulin. However, the RANK expression by RANKL was blocked by all three mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases inhibitors. The activation of RANK increased differentiation of BMMs into tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-positive ($TRAP^+$) osteoclasts as well as the expression of dendritic cell-specific transmembrane protein (DC-STAMP) and d2 isoform of vacuolar ($H^+$) ATPase (v-ATPase) Vo domain (Atp6v0d2), genes critical for osteoclastic cell-cell fusion. Collectively, these results suggest that insulin induces RANK expression via ERK1/2, which contributes to the enhancement of osteoclast differentiation.

• Journal of the Architectural Institute of Korea Planning & Design
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.23-32
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• 2018

This study starts from the architectural and urban interest to integrate the daily life and behavior of residents in the city of Seongnam and to sustain the community. A fixed abode is something that can not be separated from the place and should be approached from a comprehensive perspective reflecting the physical and social conditions of the region. Although residential neighborhoods have a residential walking range, which has a steep slope, it has been formed in the suburbs of the residential area where commercial facilities are activated organically. The humanities and social organizations of the residents are integrated with the physical space and act as constituent factors of major cities. This is an attempt to suggest improvement and activation of existing cities based on their daily lives, rather than destroying cities and creating new ones. Also, it is proposed to 'Neighborhood Street' as an indicator of a uniform urban renewal plan for existing urban regeneration projects. Based on the definition of the city of living in the city, the center of the city will be located in the center of the city, and it will be the center of the city's bustling streets.

• Journal of the Architectural Institute of Korea Planning & Design
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• v.34 no.9
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• pp.43-54
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• 2018

Recently, residents' community center is trying to combine with various program and facilities as the residents self-government program's development. This is due to the reduction of administrative tasks, the computerization of programs, the importance of community participation activities, the activation of community, and the increase of welfare projects. Therefore, previous studies on program complexity have been actively carried out. Nevertheless, spaces and programs studies of considering regional characteristics are lacking. Therefore, the community centers' program and spaces need to change. Therefore, this study propose an improvement direction through analyzing the situation of the residents' community center. For this study, the precedent research and institutional limitations are examined. In addition, this study selected and analyzed the 15 local community center. Thirdly, interviews were conducted with users and officials of the 5 residents' community centers on major changes. Finally, This study suggests direction of program improvement and architectural design direction. As a result of this study, integrated management measures with overlapping agencies should be sought. Surplus space will have to be rearranged into a new program through prior examination. Above all, the proposed remodeling guidelines require user requirements to be reflected and designed with the residents.

• Journal of the Architectural Institute of Korea Planning & Design
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• v.34 no.12
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• pp.55-64
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to examine the status and limitations of the activation plan as a result of the change in urban regeneration paradigm. In particular, the change in housing life was considered following the guidelines of the New Deal project. Specifically, the three types - General Neighborhood, Housing Support, and DongneSaligi - were analyzed from the perspective of organization, space and program. In addition, the master plan and unit project, the organization and progress, and the budget plan were reviewed. As a result, the New Deal project for urban regeneration is importance on economic regeneration, which, unlike the integrated and continuous guide proposed by the government, could limit the individual progress of transitional organizations, 2-dimensional planing and various programs. Thus, first, in order to supplement the organization's verticality and inefficiency in progress, the annual business assessment should be discouraged and the permit and progress of the project should be determined at the local government level. Second, integrated and multidimensional planning is necessary to produce synergy effects in the physical environment. Finally, the link between program unit projects and the economic effects can be considered.

• Advances in nano research
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.355-362
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• 2023

Physical exercise, especially intense exercise and high intensity interval training (HIIT) by trampoline, can lead to muscle injuries. These effects can be reduced with intelligent products made of nanocomposite materials. Most of these nanocomposites are polymers reinforced with silicon dioxide, alumina, and titanium dioxide nanoparticles. This study presents a polymer nanocomposite reinforced with silica. As a result of the rapid reaction between tetraethyl orthosilicate and ammonia in the presence of citric acid and other agents, silica nanostructures were synthesized. By substituting bis (4-amino phenoxy) phenyl-triptycene in N, N-dimethylformamide with potassium carbonate, followed by catalytic reduction with hydrazine and Pd/C, the diamine monomer bis (4-amino phenoxy) phenyl-triptycene is prepared. We synthesized a new polyaromatic (imide) with triptycene unit by sol-gel method from aromatic diamines and dianhydride using pyridine as a condensation reagent in NMP. PI readily dissolves in solvents and forms robust and tough polymer films in situ. The FTIR and NMR techniques were used to determine the effects of SiO₂ on the sol-gel process and the structure of the synthesized nanocomposites. By using a simultaneous thermal analysis (DTA-TG) method, the appropriate thermal operation temperature was also determined. Through SEM analysis, the structure, shape, size, and specific surface area of pores were determined. Analysis of XRD results is used to determine how SiO₂ affects the crystallization of phases and the activation energy of crystallization.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.195-204
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• 2023

Micro-electronic gas sensor devices were developed for the detection of carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NO_x), ammonia (NH₃), and formaldehyde (HCHO), as well as binary mixed-gas systems. Four gas sensing materials for different target gases, Pd-SnO₂ for CO, In₂O₃ for NO_x, Ru-WO₃ for NH₃, and SnO₂-ZnO for HCHO, were synthesized using a sol-gel method, and sensor devices were then fabricated using a micro sensor platform. The gas sensing behavior and sensor response to the gas mixture were examined for six mixed gas systems using the experimental data in MEMS gas sensor arrays in sole gases and their mixtures. The gas sensing behavior with the mixed gas system suggests that specific adsorption and selective activation of the adsorption sites might occur in gas mixtures, and allow selectivity for the adsorption of a particular gas. The careful pattern recognition of sensing data obtained by the sensor array made it possible to distinguish a gas species from a gas mixture and to measure its concentration.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.37 no.12
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• pp.899-906
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• 2014

Prostaglandin $E_2$ ($PGE_2$) promotes tumor-persistent inflammation, frequently resulting in cancer. Curcumin is a diphenolic turmeric that inhibits carcinogenesis and induces apoptosis. $PGE_2$ inhibits curcumin-induced apoptosis; however, the underlying inhibitory mechanisms in colon cancer cells remain unknown. The aim of the present study is to investigate the survival role of $PGE_2$ and whether addition of exogenous $PGE_2$ affects curcumininduced cell death. HCT-15 cells were treated with curcumin and $PGE_2$, and protein expression levels were investigated via Western blot. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, lipid peroxidation, and intracellular glutathione (GSH) levels were confirmed using specific dyes. The nuclear factor-kappa B ($NF-{\kappa}B$) DNA-binding was measured by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). $PGE_2$ inhibited curcumin-induced apoptosis by suppressing oxidative stress and degradation of PARP and lamin B. However, exposure of cells to the EP2 receptor antagonist, AH6809, and the PKA inhibitor, H89, before treatment with $PGE_2$ or curcumin abolished the protective effect of $PGE_2$ and enhanced curcumin-induced cell death. $PGE_2$ activates PKA, which is required for cAMP-mediated transcriptional activation of CREB. $PGE_2$ also activated the Ras/Raf/Erk pathway, and pretreatment with PD98059 abolished the protective effect of $PGE_2$. Furthermore, curcumin treatment greatly reduced phosphorylation of CREB, followed by a concomitant reduction of $NF-{\kappa}B$ (p50 and p65) subunit activation. $PGE_2$ markedly activated nuclear translocation of $NF-{\kappa}B$. EMSA confirmed the DNA-binding activities of $NF-{\kappa}B$ subunits. These results suggest that inhibition of curcumin-induced apoptosis by $PGE_2$ through activation of PKA, Ras, and $NF-{\kappa}B$ signaling pathways may provide a molecular basis for the reversal of curcumin-induced colon carcinoma cell death.

• Journal of Korean Physical Therapy Science
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.137-145
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• 2006

We investigated whether increased contractile responsiveness to epidermal growth factor (EGF) is associated with altered activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) in the aortic smooth muscle of deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt hypertensive rats. EGF induced contraction and MAPK activity in aortic smooth muscle strips, which were significantly increased in tissues from the DOCA-salt hypertensive rats compared with those from sham-operated rats. AG1478, PD98059, and LY294002, inhibitors of EGF receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase, MAPK/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) kinase, and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), respectively, inhibited the contraction and the activity of ERK1/2 that were elevated by EGF. Y27632 and GF109203X, inhibitors of Rho kinase and protein kinase C, respectively, attenuated EGF-induced contraction, with no diminution of ERK1/2 activity. Although EGF also elevated the activity of EGFR tyrosine kinase in both sham-operated and DOCA-salt hypertensive rats, the expression and the magnitude of activation did not differ between strips. These results strongly suggest that EGF induces contraction by the activation of ERK1/2, which is regulated by the PI3K pathway in the aortic smooth muscle of DOCA-salt hypertensive rats.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.70-78
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• 2009

Coptis japonica (C. japonica) is a perennial medicinal plant that has anti-inflammatory activity. C. japonica contains numerous biologically active alkaloids including berberine, palmatine, epi-berberine, and coptisine. The most well-known anti-inflammatory principal in C. japonica is berberine. For example, berberine has been implicated in the inhibition of iNOS induction by cytokines in microglial cells. However, the efficacies of other alkaloids components on microglial activation were not investigated yet. In this study, we investigated the effects of three alkaloids (palmatine, epi-berberine and coptisine) from C. japonica on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced microglial activation. BV2 microglial cells were immunostimulated with LPS and then the production of several inflammatory mediators such as nitric oxide (NO), reactive oxygen species (ROS) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) were examined as well as the phosphorylation status of Erk1/2 mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK). Palmatine and to a lesser extent epi-berberine and coptisine, significantly reduced the release of NO, which was mediated by the inhibition of LPS-stimulated mRNA and protein induction of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) from BV2 microglia. In addition to NO, palmatine inhibited MMP-9 enzymatic activity and mRNA induction by LPS. Palmatine also inhibited the increase in the LPS-induced MMP-9 promoter activity determined by MMP-9 promoter luciferase reporter assay. LPS stimulation increased Erk1/2 phosphorylation in BV2 cells and these alkaloids inhibited the LPS-induced phosphorylation of Erk1/2. The anti-inflammatory effect of palmatine in LPS-stimulated microglia may suggest the potential use of the alkaloids in the modulation of neuroinflammatory responses, which might be important in the pathophysiological events of several neurological diseases including Alzheimer's disease (AD), multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson's disease (PD) and stroke.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.20 no.11
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• pp.1617-1624
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• 2010

Recently, it has been found that Asiasari radix showed a hypopigmenting effect on melanogenesis through activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MEK)/extracellular signal-activated kinase (ERK) in B16F10 melanoma cells. However, the hypopigmenting effect of A. radix on the $\alpha$-melanocyte stimulating hormone ($\alpha$-MSH)-stimulated melanogenesis has remained unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the inhibitory mechanism of the partially purified A. radix (PPAR)-induced hypopigmentating effects on $\alpha$-MSH-stimulated melanogenesis in B16F10 mouse melanoma cells. PPAR strongly inhibited tyrosinase activity and leads to decreased melanin synthesis in $\alpha$-MSH-stimulated B16F10 melanoma cells. PPAR also decreased the $\alpha$-MSH-induced over-expression of the melanogenic enzymes, tyrosinase, tyrosinase-related protein (TRP)-1, dopachrome tautomerase (Dct) and microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF). We further showed that PPAR inhibits $\alpha$-MSH-induced melanogenesis via phosphorylation of MEK/ERK and PI3K/Akt, and that their activation was blocked by MEK inhibitors, PD98059 and PI3K inhibitors, LY294002 in $\alpha$-MSH-stimulated B16F10 melanoma cells. These results suggest that PPAR inhibits $\alpha$-MSH-induced melanogenesis by activation of MEK/ERK and PI3K/Akt through MITF degradation, which may lead to down-regulation of tyrosinase.