• Journal of Life Science
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.253-259
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• 2010

The neuroprotective effects of extracts from various parts of peanut sprouts on glutamate-induced neurotoxicity in N18-RE-105 cells were investigated. This study was performed to evaluate the neuroprotective activity of methanolic extracts from the whole (WME), heads (HME), and stems (SME) of peanut sprouts. The neuroprotective effects of these extracts were measured by MTT reduction assay, LDH release assay, phase-contrast microscopy, and flow cytometric analysis on the N18-RE-105 cells. Among these extracts, the HME showed the greatest neuroprotective effects, and was further fractionated with hexane, diethyl ether, ethyl acetate, and water, according to degree of polarity. Out of the fractionated extracts, the diethyl ether layer showed the highest activity on glutamate-induced cytotoxicity in N18-RE-105 cells. The sub-G1 DNA contents of the glutamate-induced severely apoptotic N18-RE-105s were measured by flow cytometric analysis to confirm the HME's anti-apoptotic activity. Interestingly, after incubation with 100 mg/ml of the HME, the proportion of sub-G1 cells of the glutamate-stressed N18-RE-105s had been greatly reduced, from 58.5% to 9.1%. These results imply that HME may have strong potential as a chemotherapeutic agent against neuronal diseases.

• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.52-62
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• 2013

Owners' efforts to acquire Green building certification, which started in 2002, have been rapidly increasing since 2006. The causes of the increased owners' interests are due to various incentives, legal obligation, and purpose of advertising. As project owners generally are deficient in capabilities and knowledge on how to deal with administrative works on certification, they tend to fulfill the minimum requirements for certification. However, effective administration process need capabilities of identifying individual making decision point and review information. The implementation of green building certification system is expected to provide comfort to both occupants and potential users. Furthermore it contributes to reducing energy costs throughout the phase of O&M. In addition, technology innovation in green industry can be obtained. Therefore, this study is intended to support owners in order that they can clarify certification tasks and make a rational decision-making in time. For this purpose, first of all, the major decision points were selected as the gateways of green building certification process. And then management system based on IDEF3 modeling was developed for supporting owners' decision-making performance. This management system will improve owners' overall capacity in handling all the tasks regarding the certification of Green building.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.44 no.12
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• pp.740-746
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• 2007

The potential candidates for IT-SOFCs cathode materials, $Ba_{0.5}Sr_{0.5}Co_{0.8}Fe_{0.2}O_{3-{\delta}}$ (BSCF) and $La_{0.6}Ba_{0.4}Co_{0.2}Fe_{0.8}O_{3-{\delta}}$ (LBCF) powders, were synthesized by a EDTA-citrate combined method from $Sr(NO_3)_2$, $Ba(NO_3)_2$, $La(NO_3)_3{\cdot}6H_2O$, $Co(NO_3)_2{\cdot}6H_2O$, $Fe(NO_3)_3{\cdot}9H_2O$, citric acid and $EDTA-NH_3$. The cathode performance of symmetrical electrochemical cells consisting of BSCF-GDC or LBCF-GDC composite electrodes and a GDC electrolyte was investigated using by AC impedance spectroscopy at the temperature range of 500 to $700^{\circ}C$. It was found that a single phase perovskite could be successfully synthesized when the precursor is heated at $850^{\circ}C$ for 2 h. Due to thermal expansion mismatch between BSCF and GDC, the composite cathodes with lower GDC content than 45 wt% were peeled off from the GDC electrolyte and their electrode polarization resistance was estimated to be high. The thermal expansion coefficient of BSCF-GDC composites was decreased with increasing the GDC content and the electrode peeling off did not occur in BSCF-45 and 55 wt% GDC composites. BSCF-45 wt% GDC composite electrode showed the lowest area specific resistances (ASR) of 0.15 and $0.04{\Omega}{\cdot}cm^2$ at 600 and $700^{\circ}C$, respectively. On the other hand, LBCF-GDC composite cathodes showed higher ASR than the BSCF-45 and 55 wt% GDC and their cathode performance were decreased with the GDC content.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.369-378
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• 2017

Vascular endotherial growth factor (VEGF) is a potent mitogen that stimulates vascular permeability and angiogenesis and has a potential in therapeutic applications. An industrial production method that provides high yield as well as purity is needed. Researches for various factors of mild solubilization with combination of ubiquitin fusion protein to increase solubility were carried out as well as by changing pH and denaturant concentration. Usage of pET28-a bacteral expression vector in BL21 (DE3) host cell was capable of producing approximately 14 g/L VEGF fusion protein in 20L fermentor. A purification process consisting of four chromatography steps including refolding and digestion with UBP1 resulted in mild solublization under the conditions of 2M urea and pH 10.0 due to ubiquitin fusion tag protein that increases in solubility of target protein VEGF. High yield of refolding and dimerization could be obtained between two step Ni-affinity chromatography. Multimeric and misfolded proteins and endotoxin were removed by DEAE anion exchange chromatography. Final monomers were removed from dimers by gel filtration chromatography. Characterization analysis of purified dimeric VEGF was performed using SDS-PAGE and RP-HPLC with a purity of 97%.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute Of Construction Engineering and Management
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• 2004.11a
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• pp.504-509
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• 2004

Safety assessment of construction projects may be affected by various factors such as types and scale of projects, construction methods, procedure, climactic, and site conditions etc. Presently, in planning and design phases, designers are still often uncertain of their responsibilities, l3i]I information and training of safety. Therefore, designers are still failing to exploit the potential that have to eliminate and reduce risks on site. In this study, the concepts of safety impact assessment is introduced in order to derive the performing design for safety in design phase. For this purpose, a framework for safety impact assessment model using risk-based approach for construction projects is suggested. The suggested model includes of information survey and scenarios, classification of safety impact factors occurred by design and construction, and quantitative estimation of magnitude and frequency. Moreover, the checklist which is enable to identify relationship between safety impact factors and design factors is developed and the methodology of safety impact assessment model using risk-based approach is also proposed.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.37 no.7
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• pp.547-553
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• 2014

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is one of the most common brain malignancies and has a very poor prognosis. Recent evidence suggests that the presence of cancer stem cells (CSC) in GBM and the rare CSC subpopulation that is resistant to chemotherapy may be responsible for the treatment failure and unfavorable prognosis of GBM. A garlic-derived compound, Z-ajoene, has shown a range of biological activities, including anti-proliferative effects on several cancers. Here, we demonstrated for the first time that Z-ajoene specifically inhibits the growth of the GBM CSC population. CSC sphere-forming inhibition was achieved at a concentration that did not exhibit a cytotoxic effect in regular cell culture conditions. The specificity of this inhibitory effect on the CSC population was confirmed by detecting CSC cell surface marker CD133 expression and biochemical marker ALDH activity. In addition, stem cell-related mRNA profiling and real-time PCR revealed the differential expression of CSC-specific genes, including Notch, Wnt, and Hedgehog, upon treatment with Z-ajoene. A proteomic approach, i.e., reverse-phase protein array (RPPA) and Western blot analysis, showed decreased SMAD4, p-AKT, 14.3.3 and FOXO3A expression. The protein interaction map (http://string-db.org/) of the identified molecules suggested that the AKT, ERK/p38 and $TGF{\beta}$ signaling pathways are key mediators of Z-ajoene's action, which affects the transcriptional network that includes FOXO3A. These biological and bioinformatic analyses collectively demonstrate that Z-ajoene is a potential candidate for the treatment of GBM by specifically targeting GBM CSCs. We also show how this systemic approach strengthens the identification of new therapeutic agents that target CSCs.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.800-808
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• 2004

Resveratrol, a phytoalexin found at high levels in grapes and in grape products such as red wine, has been reported to possess a wide range of biological and pharmacological activities including antioxident, anti-inflammatory, anti-mutagenic, and anti-carcinogenic effects. According to recent studies, this compound is an effective inhibitor of cell growth in general, triggers partial arrest of the cell cycle and induce apoptosis. In this study, the anti-proliferative effects of resveratrol in A549 human lung carcinoma cells were investigated. It is shown that resveratrol induced the growth inhibition in a time-dependent manner and morphological changes of A549 cells, which were associated with induction of S phase arrest of the cell cycle and apoptotic cell death. The Bcl-$X_L$levels were markedly down-regulated in resveratrol treated cells, however, Bax and Bcl-2 were remained unchanged. Resveratrol treatment induced the proteolytic degradation of Sp-l and proliferating cell nuclear antigen protein, and inhibited the expression of $\beta$-catenin protein. Resveratrol treatment also induced a marked up-regulation of cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk) inhibitor p21 and inhibited the kinase activities of Cdk2 and Cdk4. In addition, resveratrol treatment inhibited the levels of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 mRNA and protein, and the release of prostagladin E2 without alteration of COX-1 expression. Taken together, these findings suggest that resveratrol may be a potential chemotherapeutic agent for the control of human lung carcinorma cells.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.25 no.11
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• pp.1235-1243
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• 2015

Hwangheuk-san (HHS) is a Korean multi-herb formula comprising four medicinal herbs. HHS, which was recorded in “Dongeuibogam,” has been used to treat patients with inflammation syndromes and digestive tract cancer for hundreds of years. However, little is known about its anti-tumor efficacy. The present study investigated the pro-apoptotic effect and mode of action of HHS against AGS human gastric carcinoma cells. HHS inhibited the cell growth of AGS cells in a dose-dependent manner, which was associated with the induction of apoptotic cell death, as evidenced by the formation of apoptotic bodies, chromatin condensation, and an accumulation of cells in the sub-G1 phase. HHS-induced apoptotic cell death was associated with the up-regulation of pro-apoptotic Bax protein expression, down-regulation of antiapoptotic Bcl-2 protein, and the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria to the cytosol. The treatment of AGS cells with HHS significantly elevated the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Additionally, apoptosis-inducing concentrations of HHS induced the activation of both caspase-9 and -8, initiator caspases of the mitochondrial-mediated intrinsic and death receptor-mediated extrinsic pathways, respectively, and caspase-3, accompanied by proteolytic degradation of poly (ADP-ribose)-polymerase. However, ROS scavenger and pan-caspases inhibitor significantly blocked HHS-induced growth inhibition and apoptosis. Taken together, these findings suggest that HHS induces apoptosis through ROS- and caspase-dependent mechanisms and that HHS may be a potential chemotherapeutic agent for the control of human gastric cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.12
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• pp.6191-6196
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• 2012

Aims and Background: Traditional chemotherapy strategies for human leukemia commonly use drugs based on cytotoxicity to eradicate cancer cells. One predicament is that substantial damage to normal tissues is likely to occur in the course of standard treatments. Obviously, it is urgent to explore therapies that can effectively eliminate malignant cells without affecting normal cells. Our previous studies indicated that ginsenoside $Rg_1$ ($Rg_1$), a major active pharmacological ingredient of ginseng, could delay normal hematopoietic stem cell senescence. However, whether $Rg_1$ can induce cancer cell senescence is still unclear. Methods: In the current study, human leukemia K562 cells were subjected to $Rg_1$ exposure. The optimal drug concentration and duration with K562 cells was obtained by MTT colorimetric test. Effects of $Rg_1$ on cell cycle were analyzed using flow cytometry and by SA-${\beta}$-Gal staining. Colony-forming ability was measured by colony-assay. Telomere lengths were assessed by Southern blotting and expression of senescence-associated proteins P21, P16 and RB by Western blotting. Ultrastructural morphology changes were observed by transmission electron microscopy. Results: K562 cells demonstrated a maximum proliferation inhibition rate with an $Rg_1$ concentration of $20{\mu}\;mol{\cdot}L^{-1}$ for 48h, the cells exhibiting dramatic morphological alterations including an enlarged and flat cellular morphology, larger mitochondria and increased number of lysosomes. Senescence associated-${\beta}$-galactosidase (SA-${\beta}$-Gal) activity was increased. K562 cells also had decreased ability for colony formation, and shortened telomere length as well as reduction of proliferating potential and arrestin $G_2$/M phase after $Rg_1$ interaction. The senescence associated proteins P21, P16 and RB were significantly up-regulated. Conclusion: Ginsenoside $Rg_1$ can induce a state of senescence in human leukemia K562 cells, which is associated with p21-Rb and p16-Rb pathways.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.8
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• pp.3781-3789
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• 2012

Background: Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive tumors with a dismal prognosis. The membrane cytoskeletal crosslinker Ezrin participates in several functions including cell proliferation, adhesion, motility and survival. There is increasing evidence that Ezrin is overexpressed in vast majority of malignant tumors and regulates tumor progression. However, its roles in pancreatic cancer remain elusive. Methods: Three pairs of specific Ezrin siRNAs were designed and synthetized and screened to determine the most efficient one for construction of a hairpin RNA plasmid targeting Ezrin. After transfection into the Panc-1 pancreatic cancer cell line, real-time quantitative PCR and Western blotting were performed to examine the expression of mRNA and protein. The MTT method was applied to examine the proliferation and the drug sensibility to Gemcitabine. Flow cytometry was used to assess the cycle and apoptosis, while capacity for invasion was determined with transwell chambers. Furthermore, we detected phosphorylated-Erk1/2 protein and phosphorylated-Akt protein by Western blotting. Results: Real-time quantitative PCR and Western blotting revealed that Ezrin expression was notably down-regulated at both mRNA and protein levels by RNA interference (P< 0.01). Proliferation was inhibited and drug resistance to gemcitabine was improved (P< 0.05). Flow cytometry showed that the proportion of cells in the G1/G0 phase increased (P< 0.01), and in G2/M and S phases decreased (P< 0.05), with no apparent differences in apoptosis (P> 0.05). The capacity for invasion was markedly reduced (P< 0.01). In addition, down-regulating Ezrin expression had no effect on phosphorylated-Akt protein (P>0.05), but could decrease the level of phosphorylated-Erk1/2 protein (P< 0.05). Conclusions: RNA interference of Ezrin could inhibit its expression in the pancreatic cancer cells line Panc-1, leading to a potent suppression of malignant behavior in vitro. Assessment of potential as a target for pancreatic cancer treatment is clearly warranted.