• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.7
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• pp.3195-3199
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• 2014

Inonotus obliquus is a medicinal mushroom that has been used as an effective agent to treat various diseases such as diabetes, tuberculosis and cancer. Inotodiol, an included triterpenoid shows significant anti-tumor effect. However, the mechanisms have not been well documented. In this study, we aimed to explore the effect of inotodiol on proliferation and apoptosis in human cervical cancer HeLa cells and investigated the underlying molecular mechanisms. HeLa cells were treated with different concentrations of inotodiol. The MTT assay was used to evaluate cell proliferating ability, flow cytometry (FCM) was employed for cell cycle analysis and cell apoptosis, while expression of cyclinE, p27, bcl-2 and bax was detected by immunocytochemistry. Proliferation of HeLa cells was inhibited by inotodiolin a dose-dependent manner at 24h (r=0.9999, p<0.01). A sub-$G_1$ peak (apoptotic cells) of HeLa cells was detected after treatment and the apoptosis rate with the concentration and longer incubation time (r=1.0, p<0.01), while the percentage of cells in S phase and $G_2$/M phase decreased significantly. Immunocytochemistry assay showed that the expression of cyclin E and bcl-2 in the treated cells significantly decreased, while the expression of p27 and bax obviously increased, compared with the control group (p<0.05). The results of our research indicate that inotodiol isolated from Inonotus obliquus inhibited the proliferation of HeLa cells and induced apoptosis in vitro. The mechanisms may be related to promoting apoptosis through increasing the expression of bax and cutting bcl-2 and affecting the cell cycle by down-regulation the expression of cyclin E and up-regulation of p27. The results further indicate the potential value of inotodiol for treatment of human cervical cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.1043-1048
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• 2012

The COPS3 gene has stimulating effect on cell proliferation and progression of osteosarcomas and related cells. However, the features of COPS3 and its potential application as a therapeutic target in other cancers has not yet been studied. In this study, therefore, the effect of COPS3 silencing via COPS3 siRNA on lung cancer cell proliferation was examined. Expression levels of COPS3 gene in COPS3 siRNA infected cells and control siRNA infected cells were compared with real time PCR and Western blot analysis. Cell proliferation levels were comprehensively analyzed by MTT, BrdU incorporationy, and colony formation assays. For mechanistic assessment the effects of COPS3 silencing on cell cycle and apoptosis were analyzed using flow cytometry. Results showed that successful silencing of the COPS3 gene at both translational and transcriptional levels significantly reduced the proliferation and colony formation by lung cancer cells (p<0.01). Flow cytometry showed cell cycle arrest in the G0/G1 phase after COPS3 silencing, and more importantly, apoptosis was induced as a result of COPS3 knockdown, which negatively affected cell survival. Therefore, these results provide another piece of important evidence that the COPS3 gene expressed in lung cancer cells may play a critical role in stimulating proliferation. Down-regulation of COPS3 could significantly inhibit lung cancer cell growth, which was most likely mediated via induction of cell cycle arrest in G0/G1 phase and apoptosis.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.179-189
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• 2006

Ambient gas phase mercury concentrations including elemental mercury ($Hg^0$) were measured at the Potsdam, Stockton, and Sterling sites in NY from 2000 to 2003. Also, concentrations of ambient reactive gaseous mercury (RGM; $Hg^{2+}$) were measured at the Potsdam site during one year. The contribution of RGM($4.2{\pm}6.4pg/m^3$) was about $0.2{\sim}3%$ of the total gas phase mercury concentration measured (TGM: $1.84{\pm}1.24,\;1.83{\pm}0.32,\;3.02{\pm}2.14ng/m^3$ in Potsdam. Stockton, and Sterling, respectively) at the receptor sites. Potential Source Contribution Function (PSCF), a hybrid receptor modeling incorporating backward trajectories was performed to identify source areas of TGM. Using PSCF, southern New York, North Carolina, and eastern Massachusetts were identified as important source areas in the United States, while the copper smelters and waste incinerators located in eastern Quebec and Ontario were determined to be significant sources in Canada. The Atlantic Ocean was suggested to be a possible mercury source. PSCF incorporating back-dispersion and deposition was applied for RGM , as well as PSCF based on 2-days back-trajectories. Two different approaches yielded considerably different results, primarily due to the consideration of dispersion rather than deposition. Using back-trajectory based PSCF, eastern Ohio, southern New York, and southern Pennsylvania where large coal -fired power plants area located were identified as the large sources in US. Metallurgical industry located in eastern Quebec was resolved as well. From the result of back-dispersion and deposition based PSCF, Pennsylvania, mining facilities around Lake Superior, Toronto, Boston, MA, Quebec, and coal power plants in NY were identified to be the significant source areas for Potsdam site.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.631-637
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• 2013

Luteolin is a naturally occurring flavonoid present in many plants with diverse applications in pharmacology. Despite several studies elucidating its significant anti-cancer activity against various cancer cells, the mechanism of action in skin cancer is not well addressed. Hence, we investigated the effects of luteolin in HaCaT (human immortalized keratinocytes) and A375 (human melanoma) cells. The radical scavenging abilities of luteolin were determined spectrophotometrically, prior to a cytotoxic study (XTT assay). Inhibitory effects were assessed by colony formation assay. Further, the capability of luteolin to induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis were demonstrated by flow cytometry and cellular DNA fragmentation ELISA, respectively. The results revealed that luteolin possesses considerable cytotoxicity against both HaCaT and A375 cells with $IC_{50}$ values of 37.1 ${\mu}M$ and 115.1 ${\mu}M$, respectively. Luteolin also inhibited colony formation and induced apoptosis in a dose and time-dependent manner by disturbing cellular integrity as evident from morphological evaluation by Wright-Giemsa staining. Accumulation of cells in G2/M (0.83-8.14%) phase for HaCaT cells and G0/G1 (60.4-72.6%) phase for A375 cells after 24 h treatment indicated cell cycle arresting potential of this flavonoid. These data suggest that luteolin inhibits cell proliferation and promotes cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in skin cancer cells with possible involvement of programmed cell death, providing a substantial basis for it to be developed into a potent chemopreventive template for skin cancer.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.20 no.12
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• pp.555-562
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• 2019

This study was undertaken to develop a stable self-microemulsifying drug delivery system (SMEDDS) for trans-cinnamaldehyde, a known antibacterial and antifungal agent. A simultaneous analytical method was established for quantification of trans-cinnamaldehyde and its degradant, cinnamic acid. Various surfactants were applied to assess their effect on the aqueous solubility of trans-cinnamaldehyde, and pseudo-ternary phase diagrams were plotted. Of the various formulations tested, the liquid SMEDDS composed of trans-cinnamaldehyde (oil), Cremophor EL (surfactant) and Transcutol P (cosurfactant) at a volume ratio of 10/70/20, produced the smallest emulsion droplet size (around 23 nm). The stability test determined the superior stability of the trans-cinnamaldehyde SMEDDS with constant trans-cinnamaldehyde content and z-average diameter of emulsion, under accelerated and heat stressed condition. Thus, we believe that this novel trans-cinnamaldehyde SMEDDS formulation has the potential to be applied for the development of trans-cinnamaldehyde medicines in the pharmaceutical industry.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.369-376
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• 2018

The majority of construction projects, from the initiation phase to the project completion and operation phase, are influenced by various types of corruption. Iran, as a developing country, has been suffering from this issue in bidding, tendering procedure, contracts etc. Therefore, due to the importance of this issue, this study attempted to identify the causes of corruption and evaluate the most significant factors in the construction projects in Iran. To this aim, an intensive literature review was performed to investigate the various types of corruption and identify the potential factors causing corruption in construction projects. The questionnaire survey was designed, considering twelve forms of corruption, including 77 causes of corruption in construction projects in Iran. Out of 220 distributed questionnaires, 188 were returned by the participants. The valid collected data sets were analyzed and then Exploratory Factor Analysis was applied. It was discovered that "Inappropriate power-sharing," "Lack of obligation for human resources to properly use resources and abide by the rules and regulations" and "Lack of any monitoring of the government's performance" are the most significant factors. Findings from the study would be valuable for the construction projects authorities and academia in order to combat corruption in the construction projects.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.383-388
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• 1994

Chaotic analysis of EEG signal responding to auditory stimulus with various carrier frequency and constant triggering frequency is given in this paper. The EEG signal is obtained from the digital 12channel EEG system made in our laboratory. The carrier frequency is varied from 1 kHz to 3 kHz by 0.5 kHz step. Chaos analysis such as pseudo phase space portrait, Lyapunov exponent, and so on is done on the auditory stimulated evoked potential. This result is found to be quite consistent with the well known results from the psychological perception theory.

• Ocean Science Journal
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.79-89
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• 2005

Laboratory radiotracer experiments were conducted to determine assimilation efficiencies (AE) from ingested algal food and oxic sediment particles, uptake rates from the dissolved phase, and the efflux rates of Cd, Cr and Zn in the Asiatic clam Corbicula fluminea. Among three elements, AE from both algal and sediment food was greatest for Cd, followed by Zn and Cr. The AEs of tested elements from algal food (Phaeodactylum tricornutum) were consistently higher than those from sediments at a given salinity and temperature. The influence of salinity (0, 4 and 8 psu) and temperature (5, 13 and $21^{\circ}C$) on the metal AEs was not evident for most tested elements, except Cd AEs from sediment. The rate constant of metal uptake from the dissolved phase $(k_u)$ was greatest for Cd, followed by Zn and Cr in freshwater media. However, in saline water, the $(k_u)$ of Zn were greater than those of Cd. The influx rate of all tested metals increased with temperature. The efflux rate constant was greatest for Cr $(0.02\;d^{-1})$, followed by Zn $(0.010{\sim}0.017\;d^{-1})$ and $Cd\;(0.006\;d^{-1})$. The efflux rate constant for Zn in clam tissues depurated in 0 psu $(0.017\;d^{-1})$ was faster than that in 8 psu $(0.010\;d^{-1})$. Overall results showed that the variation of salinity and temperature in estuarine systems can considerably influence the metal bioaccumulation potential in the estuarine clam C. fluminea. The relatively high Cd accumulation capacity of C. fluminea characterized by the high AE, high dissolved influx rate and low efflux rate, suggested that this clam species can be used as an efficient biomonitor for the Cd contamination in freshwater and estuarine environments.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.223-230
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• 2011

An electrolytic oxidation process was applied to remove odorous compounds from non-point odor sources including wastewater pipelines and manholes. In this study, a distance between the anode and the cathode of the electrolytic process was varied as a system operating parameters, and its effects on odor removal efficiencies and reaction characteristics were investigated. Odor precursors such as sediment organic matters and reduced sulfur/nitrogen compounds were effectively oxidized in the electrolytic process, and a change in oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) indicated that an stringent anaerobic condition shifted to a mild anoxic condition rapidly. At an electrode distance of 1 cm and an applied voltage of 30 V, a system current was maintained at 1 A, and the current density was 23.1 $mA/cm^{2}$. Under the condition, the removal efficiency of hydrogen sulfide in gas phase was found to be 100%, and 93% of ammonium ion was removed from the liquid phase during the 120 minute operating period. Moreover, the sulfate ion (${SO_4}^{2-}$) concentration increased about three times from its initial value due to the active oxidation. As the specific power consumption (i.e., the energy input normalized by the effective volume) increased, the oxidation progressed rapidly, however, the oxidation rate was varied depending on target compounds. Consequently, a threshold power consumption for each odorous compound needs to be experimentally determined for an effective application of the electrolytic oxidation.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.37-42
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• 2009

Iron binding lactoferrin (Lf) is involved in the control of cell cycle progression. However, the molecular basis underlying the effects of Lf on cell cycle control, as well as its target genes, remains incompletely understood. In this study, we have demonstrated that a relatively low level of ironsaturated Lf, Lf($Fe^{3+}$), can stimulate S phase cell cycle entry, and requires Akt activation in MCF-7 cells. Lf($Fe^{3+}$) immediately induced Akt phosphorylation at Ser473, which subsequently induced the phosphorylation of two G1-checkpoint Cdk inhibitors, $p21^{Cip/WAF1}$ and $p27^{kip1}$. The Lf($Fe^{3+}$)-induced phosphorylation of Cdk inhibitors impaired their nuclear import behavior, thereby inducing cell cycle progression. However, the treatment of cells with a PI3K inhibitor, LY294002, almost completely blocked Lf($Fe^{3+}$)-stimulated cell cycle progression. LY294002 treatment abrogated Lf($Fe^{3+}$)-induced Akt activation, and prevented the cytoplasmic localization of $p27^{kip1}$. Higher levels of $p21^{Cip/WAF1}$ were also detected in the cytoplasmic sub-cellular compartment as a measure of cellular response to Lf($Fe^{3+}$). Consequently, the degree of phosphorylation of retinoblastoma protein was enhanced in response to Lf($Fe^{3+}$). Therefore, we conclude that Lf($Fe^{3+}$), as a potential antagonist of Cdk inhibitors, can facilitate the functions of E2F during progression to S phase via the Akt signaling pathway.