• BMB Reports
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• v.43 no.10
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• pp.643-648
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• 2010

Sir William Osler (1849-1919) recognized that "variability is the law of life, and as no two faces are the same, so no two bodies are alike, and no two individuals react alike and behave alike under the abnormal conditions we know as disease". Accordingly, the traditional methods of medicine are not always best for all patients. Over the last decade, the study of genomes and their derivatives (RNA, protein and metabolite) has rapidly advanced to the point that genomic research now serves as the basis for many medical decisions and public health initiatives. Genomic tools such as sequence variation, transcription and, more recently, personal genome sequencing enable the precise prediction and treatment of disease. At present, DNA-based risk assessment for common complex diseases, application of molecular signatures for cancer diagnosis and prognosis, genome-guided therapy, and dose selection of therapeutic drugs are the important issues in personalized medicine. In order to make personalized medicine effective, these genomic techniques must be standardized and integrated into health systems and clinical workflow. In addition, full application of personalized or genomic medicine requires dramatic changes in regulatory and reimbursement policies as well as legislative protection related to privacy. This review aims to provide a general overview of these topics in the field of personalized medicine.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.51-58
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• 2015

Ethanol has long been implicated in triggering apoptotic neurodegeneration. Alcohol also may indirectly harm the fetus by imparing the mother's physiology. We examined the effects of ethanol on immature brain of mice. Three-weeks-old female ICR strain mice daily intraperitoneally injected with ethanol at the concentration of 4 and 20% in saline for 0, 6, and 24 hours and 1 and 4 weeks. The mice were weighted and sacrificed, and the brains were ectomized for the present histological, immunohistochemical and TUNEL assays. Based on the histologic hematoxylin and eosin stain, immunohistochemical expression of glutamate receptor protein and neuronal cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) were evaluated. The cerebral cortex of the ethanol-treated group showed few typical symptoms of apoptosis such as chromosome condensation and disintegration of the cell bodies. TUNEL staining revealed DNA fragmentation in the 6 and 24 hours. This results demonstrated that acute ethanol administration causes neuronal cell death. I found that either glutamate receptor inhibition or activation could induce cerebellar degeneration as ethanol effect. Neuronal death also can be induced by excess activity of certain neurotransmitter, including glutamate. Neurons must establish cell-to-cell contact during growth and development in order to survive, migrate to their final destination, and develop appropriate connections with neighboring cell. Purkinje cell in cerebellar are especially vulnerable to the cell death and degeneration. After ethanol treatment in cerebellar, NCAM had decreased by 4 weeks. This result suggest that apoptosis seems to be involved in the slow elimination of neuron and cerebellar degeneration.

• BMB Reports
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.214-222
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• 2003

A lectin named AAL has been purified from the fruiting bodies of the edible mushroom Agrocybe aegerita. AAL consisted of two identical subunits of 15.8 kDa, its pI was about 3.8 determined by isoelectric focusing, and no carbohydrate was discerned. Being treated by pyrogultamate aminopeptidase, the blocked N-terminus of AAL was sequenced as QGVNIYNI. AAL agglutinated human and animal erythrocytes regardless of blood type or animal species. Its hemagglutinating activity was unaffected by acid or alkali treatment and demetalization or addition of divalent metals $Mg^{2+}$, $Ca^{2+}$ and $Zn^{2+}$. AAL was toxic to mice: its LD50 was 15.85 mg per kilogram body weight by intraperitoneal injection. In this study, two novel activities of AAL were proved. It showed inhibition activity to infection of tobacco mosaic virus on Nicotiana glutinosa. The result of IEF suggested that AAL attached to TMV particles. Mycelia differentiation promotion was the other interesting activity. AAL promoted the differentiation of fruit body primordia from the mycelia of Agrocybe aegerita and Auricularia polytricha. AAL antiserum was prepared and immunologically cross-reactived with several proteins from five other kinds of mushrooms. These results suggested that AAL probably was a representative of a large protein family, which plays important physiological roles in mushroom.

• ALGAE
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.379-390
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• 2016

When a multinucleate cell of Bryopsis plumosa was collapsed by a physical wounding, the extruded protoplasm aggregated into numerous protoplasmic masses in sea water. A polysaccharide envelope which initially covered the protoplasmic mass was peeled off when a cell membrane developed on the surface of protoplast in 12 h after the wounding. Transmission electron microscopy showed that the protoplasmic mass began to form a continuous cell membrane at 6 h after the wounding. The newly generated cell membrane repeated collapse and rebuilding process several times until cell wall developed on the surface. Golgi bodies with numerous vesicles accumulated at the peripheral region of the rebuilding cell at 24 h after the wounding when the cell wall began to develop. Several layers of cell wall with distinctive electron density developed within 48-72 h after the wounding. Proteome profile changed dramatically at each stage of cell rebuilding process. Most proteins, which were up-regulated during the early stage of cell rebuilding disappeared or reduced significantly by 24-48 h. About 70-80% of protein spots detected at 48 h after the wounding were newly appeared ones. The expression pattern of 29 representative proteins was analyzed and the internal amino acid sequences were obtained using mass spectrometry. Our results showed that a massive shift of gene expression occurs during the cell-rebuilding process of B. plumosa.

• Journal of Mushroom
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.77-81
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• 2014

Mushrooms are considered not only as food but also for source of physiologically beneficial medicines. The culinary-medicinal mushrooms may important role in the prevention of age-associated neurological dysfunctions, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Hericium erinaceus (H. erinaceus), is edible mushrooms, is a parasitic fungus that grows hanging off of logs and trees and well established candidate for brain and nerve health. H. erinaceus contains high amounts of antioxidants, beta-glucan, polysaccharides and a potent catalyst for brain tissue regeneration and helps to improve memory and cognitive functions. Its fruiting bodies and the fungal mycelia exhibit various pharmacological activities, including the enhancement of the immune system, antitumor, hypoglycemic and anti-aging properties. H. erinaceus stimulates the synthesis of Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) which is the primary protein nutrient responsible for enhancing and repairing neurological disorders. Especially hericenones and erinacines isolated from its fruitin body stimulate NGF, synthesis. This fungus is also utilized to regulate blood levels of glucose, triglycerides and cholesterol. H. erinaceus can be considered as useful therapeutic agents in the management and/or treatment of neurodegeneration diseases. However, this review focuses on in vitro, in vivo and clinical trials for neurodegerative disease.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.399-411
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• 1998

Thinness has become a symbol for beauty, acceptance and competence for women in our society, and pressure to diet because of this unrealistic standard is one factor reponsible for the increasing incidence of eating disorder. Three hundred fifty college women in the Chonbuk area were surveyed from May to June 1998, to investigate the relationship among body image, eating disorder, dietary intakes, self esteem and sex role identity. This study identified a subgroup of women who were relatively satisfied with their body weight and who did not diet. This group was compared with subgroups of women who were dissatisfied with their bodies and either were or were not restrained eaters. The dissatisfied/dieting women had the highest BMI, binge eating disorder and night eating syndrom, had significantly lower calorie, protein, iron, vitamin B$_1$, and vitamin B$_2$ intake compared with the satisfied/non-dieting women. The dissatisfied /dieting women, who had lower self-esteem compared with the satisfied/non-dieting women, but the frequency of sex role identity was similga among the groups of women. BMI and binge eating disorder were positively correlated(r=0.157, p＜.01), but BMI and self esteem were negatively correlated(r=-0.202, p＜0.01). Especially, binge eating disorder and self esteem were negatively correlated (r=-0.126, p＜0.05).

• BMB Reports
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.502-508
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• 2001

A cDNA, encoding the human growth hormone (hGH), was synthesized based on the known 191 amino acid sequence. Its codon usage was optimized for a high level expression in Escherichia coli. Unique restriction sites were incorporated throughout the gene to facilitate mutagenesis in further studies. To minimize an initiation translation problem, a 624-bp cassette that contained a ribosome binding site and a start codon were fused to the hGH-coding sequence that was flanked between the EcoRI and HindIII sites. The whole fragment was synthesized by an overlapped extension of eight long synthetic oligonucleotides. The four-short duplexes of DNA, which were first formed by annealing and filling-in with a Klenow fragment, were assembled to form a complete hGH gene. The hGH was cloned and expressed successfully using a pET17b plasmid that contained the T7 promoter. Recombinant hGH yielded as much as 20% of the total cellular proteins. However, the majority of the protein was in the form of insoluble inclusion bodies. N-terminal amino acid sequencing also showed that the hGH produced in E. coli contained formyl-methionine. This study provides a useful model for synthesis of the gene of interest and production of recombinant proteins in E. coli.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.736-752
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• 1995

Fine structural changes of germ cell during the gametogenesis of Korean rockfish, Sebastes schlegeli sampled in west coast of Korea were investigated from September 1993 to August 1994. In a layer of microvilli of oocyte with active yolk duplication, many pinocytotic vesicles containing protein granules regarded as yolk precursors were observed. The multivesicular bodies were formed by gathered mitochondria. They are participated in formation of the primary yolk globules homogeneously filled with high dense particles and enclosed within a limiting membrane. The precursors of yolk globule appeared to be formed by modification of mitochondria and they developed into the primary yolk globules with participation of large and dense pinocytotic vesicles. Yolk globules in mature oocyte were consisted of three components: the crystalline type main body, the superficial layer with dense and fine granules, and the limiting membrane. Steroid hormone secreting cells were recognized in the interstitial cells of growing testis. Numerous endoplasmic reticula and large mitochondria with well developed tubular cristae appeared in their cytoplasms. The axoneme in the tail flagellum of spermatozoon consisted of nine pairs of microtubules at the periphery and one pair at the center, and they were covered with doublet microtubules.

• BMB Reports
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.117-122
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• 1998

Changes of lipocortin 1 (LC1) in the brain induced by immobilization stress were investigated in rats. Rats were immobilized for 0,1,2,3,4, and 5 h, and the brain slices were immunostained with anti-human LC1 antibodl (anti-LC1). Immunoreactivity of LCI (iLC1) was most prominent in neuronal cell bodies and processes of hippocampal CA regions and dentate gyrus. At rest without stress, most of the LC1 in the neuron located in the cytoplasm with the nuclei exhibiting relatively scarce immunoreactivity. Immobilization stress changed this intracellular distribution of LC1 by increasing nuclear LC1. The change was apparent in 1 h and reached the peak by 3 h. However, by 5 h of immobilization, the distribution pattern returned to that of the resting state. This transient nuclear translocation of LC1 was most prominent in $CA_1$ pyramidal neurons, and was not observed in areas other than the hippocampus. Adrenalectomy abolished this transient translocation of LC1. The roles of hippocampal LC1 as a mediator of glucocorticoid feedback signal and/or as an intracellar stress signaling protein could be suggested.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.27 no.3 s.90
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• pp.187-190
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• 1999

A cDNA library was constructed using mRNA from the cells of 7-day-old cultures of Flammulina velutipes after induction of fruiting treatment. A cDNA clone, FVFD16 (Flammulina velutipes fruiting body differentiation), was selected by differential screening. The expression property of the FVFD16 gene was examined by Northern blot analysis. FVFD16 represents mRNA that is specifically expressed during differentiation of fruit bodies. The conspicuous accumulation of the FVFD16 mRNA was detected in 4-day-old and 1-day-old cultures. The nucleotide sequence of the FVFD16 gene was determined and the mRNA contained an open reading frame that encoded a putative protein of 128 amino acid residues (13.5 kDa).