• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.594-602
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• 2021

The NLRP3 (nucleotide-binding domain, leucine-rich repeat family pyrin domain containing 3) inflammasome plays an important role in the initiation of inflammatory responses, through the recognition of pathogen-associated molecular patterns and tumor progression, including tumor growth and metastasis. In this study, we examined the effects of defective NLRP3 on the growth, migration, and invasiveness of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) SK-Hep1 cell. First, HCC SK-Hep1 cells were transfected with human NLRP3 targeting LentiCRISPRv2 vector using the CRISPR-Cas9 system, and NLRP3 deficiency was confirmed by RT-qPCR and western blotting. NLRP3 deficient SK-Hep1 cells showed delayed cell growth and decreased protein expression of PI3K, p-AKT, and pNF-κB when compared to NLRP3 complete SK-Hep1 cells. In addition, NLRP3 deficiency arrested the cell cycle at G1 phase through an increase in p21 and a reduction in CDK6. NLRP3 deficient SK-Hep1 cells also showed significantly delayed cell migration, invasion, and wound healing. The expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition signaling molecules, such as N-cadherin and MMP-9, was found to be dramatically decreased in NLRP3 deficient SK-Hep1 cells compared to NLRP3 complete SK-Hep1 cells.

• Bulletin of the Korean Mathematical Society
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• v.59 no.6
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• pp.1511-1522
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• 2022

Let H be a subgroup of $\mathbb{Z}^*_n$ (the multiplicative group of integers modulo n) and h₁, h₂, …, h_l distinct representatives of the cosets of H in $\mathbb{Z}^*_n$. We now define a polynomial J_n,H(x) to be $$J_{n,H}(x)=\prod^l_{j=1} \left( x-\sum_{h{\in}H} {\zeta}^{h_jh}_n\right)$$, where ${\zeta}_n=e^{\frac{2{\pi}i}{n}}$ is the nth primitive root of unity. Polynomials of such form generalize the nth cyclotomic polynomial $\Phi_n(x)={\prod}_{k{\in}\mathbb{Z}^*_n}(x-{\zeta}^k_n)$ as J_n,{1}(x) = Φ_n(x). While the nth cyclotomic polynomial Φ_n(x) is irreducible over ℚ, J_n,H(x) is not necessarily irreducible. In this paper, we determine the subgroups H for which J_n,H(x) is irreducible over ℚ.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.41-51
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• 2023

Objectives : Raphani Semen (Raphanus sativus L.) is known for the various beneficial effects in Korean medicine. This study aimed to investigate the effect of Raphani Semen extract (RSE) against arachidonic acid (AA)+iron-induced oxidative stress in cells. Methods : Ingredients, their target information, oxidative stress liver injury-related proteins was obtained from various network pharmacology databases and software. A hypergeometric test and enrichment analysis were conducted to evaluate associations between protein targets of RSE. The cell viability was assessed by MTT assay, and immunoblot analysis was used to confirm the molecular mechanisms. Results : A compound-target network of RSE was constructed, which consisted of 336 edges between 18 ingredients and 123 protein targets. PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, ErbB signaling pathway, HIF-1 signaling pathway, PPAR signaling pathway, and AMPK signaling pathway was significantly associated with protein targets of RSE. RSE protected HepG2 cells against AA+iron-induced oxidative stress as mediated with AMPK signaling. Conclusion : RSE was found to protect the cells against oxidative stress via the AMPK signaling pathway.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
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• 2022.10a
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• pp.216-216
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• 2022

The starch-branching enzymes (BEs) are responsible for synthesizing the amylopectin, which plays an important role in determining the structural and physical properties of starch granules. BE has two differently functioning isoforms (BEI and BEIIa/b) based on their difference in the chain-length pattern by the degree of polymerization (DP), which mainly contributes to the amylopectin chain length distribution in starch biosynthesis. In this study, we investigated functional haplotypes and evolutionary analyses of SBE1 in 374 rice accessions (320 Korean bred and 54 wild). The analyses were performed based on the classified subpopulations. Haplotype analysis generates a total of 8 haplotypes, of which only four haplotypes were functional carrying four functional SNPs in four different exons of SBE1 on chromosome 6. Nucleotide diversity analysis showed a highest pi-value in aromatic group (0.0029), while the lowest diversity value was in temperate japonica (0.0002), indicating the signal of this gene evolution origin. Different directional selections could be estimated by negative Tajima's D value of temperate japonica (-1.1285) and positive Tajima's D value of tropical japonica (0.9456), where the selective sweeps were undergone by both positive purifying and balancing selections. Phylogenetic analysis indicates a closer relationship of the wild with most of the cultivated subgroups indicating a common ancestor for SBE1 gene. FST-values indicate distant genetic relationships of temperate japonica from all other classified groups. PCA and population structure analysis show an admixed structure of wild and cultivated subpopulations in some proportions.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.319-328
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• 2024

Lysophosphatidic acid receptor 1 (LPA₁) plays a critical role in brain injury following a transient brain ischemic stroke. However, its role in permanent brain ischemic stroke remains unknown. To address this, we investigated whether LPA₁ could contribute to brain injury of mice challenged by permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAO). A selective LPA₁ antagonist (AM152) was used as a pharmacological tool for this investigation. When AM152 was given to pMCAO-challenged mice one hour after occlusion, pMCAO-induced brain damage such as brain infarction, functional neurological deficits, apoptosis, and blood-brain barrier disruption was significantly attenuated. Histological analyses demonstrated that AM152 administration attenuated microglial activation and proliferation in injured brain after pMCAO challenge. AM152 administration also attenuated abnormal neuroinflammatory responses by decreasing expression levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines while increasing expression levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines in the injured brain. As underlying effector pathways, NF-κB, MAPKs (ERK1/2, p38, and JNKs), and PI3K/Akt were found to be involved in LPA₁-dependent pathogenesis. Collectively, these results demonstrate that LPA₁ can contribute to brain injury by permanent ischemic stroke, along with relevant pathogenic events in an injured brain.

• International journal of advanced smart convergence
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.101-108
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• 2024

This paper addresses the implementation of an on-device AI-based metal detection system using a Magneto-Impedance Sensor. Performing calculations on the AI device itself is essential, especially for unmanned aerial vehicles such as drones, where communication capabilities may be limited. Consequently, a system capable of analyzing data directly on the device is required. We propose a lightweight gated recurrent unit (GRU) model that can be operated on a drone. Additionally, we have implemented a real-time detection system on a CPU embedded system. The signals obtained from the Magneto-Impedance Sensor are processed in real-time by a Raspberry Pi 4 Model B. During the experiment, the drone flew freely at an altitude ranging from 1 to 10 meters in an open area where metal objects were placed. A total of 20,000,000 sequences of experimental data were acquired, with the data split into training, validation, and test sets in an 8:1:1 ratio. The results of the experiment demonstrated an accuracy of 94.5% and an inference time of 9.8 milliseconds. This study indicates that the proposed system is potentially applicable to unmanned metal detection drones.

• Particle and aerosol research
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.79-94
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• 2024

Exposure to ambient particulate matter (PM) 2.5 can impair alveolar macrophages (AMs) functions and induce pathological conditions. This study explores the impact of PM2.5 exposure on AMs, focusing on gene expression changes and functional alterations. Murine AMs cell line MH-S were exposed to PM2.5 at a concentration of 100 ㎍/ml for durations of 3 and 48 hours. After 3 hours of exposure, genes involved in inflammatory and immune responses were activated, including TNF and B-cell receptor signaling pathways. In contrast, 48 hours of exposure significantly altered genes related to cell proliferation, apoptosis, and immune processes, with PI3K-Akt and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction pathways. PM2.5 initially triggers immune responses; however, prolonged exposure over 48 hours impairs AM functions risk of chronic inflammation and cancer. This research provides foundational data for therapeutic approaches related to PM2.5 exposure.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.1048-1060
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• 2008

Cirsii Japonici Herba(CJ) is a wild perennial herb found in many areas of Korea as well as China and Japan, which has been used to treat bleeding and inflammation. Silibinin is the main flavonoid extracted from milk thistle (Cirsii Japonici Herba). It exhibits potent antioxidant activity and anti-inflammatory effect. In this study, the effect of CJ and silibinin extract on lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation was investigated using MTS assay, RT-PCR, western blot, and nitric oxide detection on mouse BV2 microglial cell lines. In the present results, CJ and silibinin extract suppressed nitric oxide production by inhibiting the lipopolysaccharide-stimulated enhancement of COX-2 and iNOS gene expression in BV2 cells. Moreover, CJ and silibinin also repressed some lipopolysaccharide-induced signaling molecules. Importantly, catalase-induced COX-2 and iNOS expression needed activations of $NF-{\kappa}B$, PI3K/Akt, and MAPK, which were important for the transcriptional up-regulation of COX-2 and iNOS. CJ and silibinin interaction on BV2 cells down-regulated $NF-{\kappa}B$-dependent proinflammatory cytokine (IL-2,IL-6) expression. They are involved in the regulation of inflammatory responses. These data shows that CJ and silibinin exerts anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, probably by suppression of COX-2 and iNOS synthase expression in BV2 microglial cells.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.16 no.7
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• pp.939-945
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• 2003

Seventeen Chinese indigenous pig breeds and three introduced pig breeds had been carried out by means of vertical polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). According to the results, eight serum protein loci were highly polymorphic except Pi-2 and Cp. The polymorphism information content (PIC) of Hpx was the highest (0.5268), while that of Cp was the lowest (0.0257). The population genetic variation index showed that about 84% genetic variation existed in the population, and the rest of 16% distributed between the populations. The genetic variation of Yimeng black pig and Duroc were the highest and the lowest, respectively. The genetic variation of Chinese indigenous pig breeds was much more than that of exotic groups. Genetic distance results showed that Chinese indigenous pig breeds were classified into four groups with the three introduced pig breeds clustered into another group. The results also supported the geographic distribution of Chinese indigenous pig breeds in certain extent.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.425-433
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• 1983

Fatigue tests by axial loading (R=0.1) were carried out to investigate fatigue crack growth properties of small surface cracks in mild steel at room temperature, 250.deg. C and 400.deg. C, by using flat specimens with a small artificial pit. All the data of the fatigue crack growth rate obtained in the present tests are determined as a function of the stress intensity factor range, so that the applicability of liner fracture mechanics to the fatigue crack growth of surface cracks at elevated temperatures is investigated and discussed in comparison with the data of type 304 stainless steel at room temperature and elevated temperature. The obtained results are as follows: 1) Relations of both surface fatigue crack length and its depth to cycle ratio fall within a narrow scatter band in spite of different stress levels. 2) The .DELTA. .sigma. .root. .pi. a-da/dN relation of surface fatigue crack growth at room temperature is independent of the stress level and can be plotted as a straight line at log-log diagram, but the relation at 400.deg. C depends partly on the stress level. 3) Relations of the fatigue crack growth into depth d(2b)/dN and is stress intensity factor range .DELTA. $K_{I}$, accounted for the aspect ratio variation, fall within a narrow scatter band for wide range of the applied stress levels. And .DELTA. $K_{I}$E-d(2b)/dN relations of mild steel at different stress level coincide relatively well with the data of type 304 stainless steel. 4) The value of aspect ratio obtained by a beach mark method and a temper coloring method approaches about 0.9 in common with crack growth and it is independent of stress level and temperatures. 5) The equi-crack length curve is parallel to S-N$_{f}$ curve at elevated temperatures.s.s.s.