• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.34-38
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• 2012

Titanium has good deformability, high hardness, high biocompatibility, excellent corrosion resistance and low density. Due to these attractive properties, it has been used in many industrial applications. Dense nanostructured Ti was sintered from mechanically activated Ti and $TiH_2$ powders by high frequency induction heating under pressure of 80 MPa. The advantage of this process is that it allows very quick densification to near theoretical density and inhibition of grain growth. $TiH_2$ powder was decomposed to Ti during sintering. The hardness of Ti increased and the average grain size of Ti decreased with increasing milling time. The average grain sizes of Ti samples sintered from Ti and $TiH_2$ powder milled for 5 hrs were about 26 nm, 44 nm, respectively. The hardness of Ti sintered from Ti and $TiH_2$ powder milled for 5 h was $504kg/mm^2$ and $567kg/mm^2$, respectively.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.450-455
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• 1997

The preparation of Bacillus coagulans is used as a therapeutics for human intestinal disorders. However, the bacterium in the preparation is very susceptible to rifampic in and fluoroquinolones. When the preparation is taken with rifampicin or fluoroquinolones, its therapeutic effect can not be expected. So B. coagulans RFR17 resistant to rifampicin was obtained by treating the parent B. coagulans with N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine. B. coagulans OFR17 was produced by serial passage of B. coagulans RFR17 on agar with 2-fold minimal inhibitory concentration of ofloxacin or ciprofloxacin. B. coagulans OFR17 was resistant to fluoroquinolones up to 16~64 fold higher than that for the original strain. B. coagulans OFR17 also exhibited identical characteristics with the parent strain when they were tested for lactic acid production and growth inhibition of E. coli MB4-01 and Shigella sonnei MB4-10411. From in vitro test, it was also identified that rifampicin and ofloxacin are not inactivated by certain factors of B. coagulans OFR17. Conclusively, B. coagulans OFR17 can be regarded as a promising strain which can be developed as the preparation for the treatment of the intestinal disorders of the tuberculosis patients under rifampicin and ofloxacin therapy.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.18.1-18.12
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• 2021

Background: We previously elucidated the protective mechanism of Korean red ginseng oil (RGO) against Brucella abortus infection, and our phytochemical analysis revealed that palmitic acid (PA) was an abundant component of RGO. Consequently, we investigated the contribution of PA against B. abortus. Objectives: We aimed to investigate the efficacy of PA against B. abortus infection using a murine cell line and a murine model. Methods: Cell viability, bactericidal, internalization, and intracellular replication, western blot, nitric oxide (NO), and superoxide (O₂^-) analyses and flow cytometry were performed to determine the effects of PA on the progression of B. abortus infection in macrophages. Flow cytometry for cytokine analysis of serum samples and bacterial counts from the spleens were performed to determine the effect of PA in a mouse model. Results: PA did not affect the growth of B. abortus. PA treatment in macrophages did not change B. abortus uptake but it did attenuate the intracellular survivability of B. abortus. Incubation of cells with PA resulted in a modest increase in sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) expression. Compared to control cells, reduced nitrite accumulation, augmented O₂^-, and enhanced pro-inflammatory cytokine production were observed in PA-treated B. abortus-infected cells. Mice orally treated with PA displayed a decreased serum interleukin-10 level and enhanced bacterial resistance. Conclusions: Our results suggest that PA participates in the control of B. abortus within murine macrophages, and the in vivo study results confirm its efficacy against the infection. However, further investigations are encouraged to completely characterize the mechanisms involved in the inhibition of B. abortus infection by fatty acids.

• Food Engineering Progress
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.352-359
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• 2009

Lactic acid bacteria was isolated for the production of probiotic animal feed supplemented with garlic and its antimicrobial properties were investigated. A total of 112 strains of lactic acid bacteria which grew on the medium containing garlic extract were isolated from kimchi, jeotgal, and jangachi. Among them 14 strains were tested for acidand bile salt-resistance as well as antimicrobial activities against animal pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella choleraesuis, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Shigella flexneri. Of these strains, a strain P'GW50-2 from pickled scallion with most desirable properties was selected and identified as Lactobacillus plantarum TJ-LP-002. Antimicrobial activity of L. plantarum TJ-LP-002 showed relatively wide range of inhibition spectrum against Gram negative bacteria such as Aeromicrobium hydrophila, E. coli, Pseudomonas, Salmonella, Shigella, and some Gram positive bacteria such as Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium perfringens, and Propionibacterium.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.193-200
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• 2019

Ceramide metabolism is known to be an essential etiology for various diseases, such as atopic dermatitis and Gaucher disease. Glucosylceramide synthase (GCS) is a key enzyme for the synthesis of glucosylceramide (GlcCer), which is a main ceramide metabolism pathway in mammalian cells. In this article, we developed a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method to determine GCS activity using synthetic non-natural sphingolipid C8-ceramide as a substrate. The reaction products, C8-GlcCer for GCS, could be separated on a C18 column by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Quantification was conducted using the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode to monitor the precursor-to-product ion transitions of m/z $588.6{\rightarrow}264.4$ for C8-GlcCer at positive ionization mode. The calibration curve was established over the range of 0.625-160 ng/mL, and the correlation coefficient was larger than 0.999. This method was successfully applied to detect GCS in the human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line (HepG2 cells) and mouse peripheral blood mononuclear cells. We also evaluated the inhibition degree of a known GCS inhibitor 1-phenyl-2-decanoylamino-3-morpholino-1-propanol (PDMP) on GCS enzymatic activity and proved that this method could be successfully applied to GCS inhibitor screening of preventive and therapeutic drugs for ceramide metabolism diseases, such as atopic dermatitis and Gaucher disease.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.45 no.7
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• pp.454-464
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• 2022

DJ-1 is one of the causative genes of early-onset familial Parkinson's disease (PD). As a result, DJ-1 influences the pathogenesis of sporadic PD. DJ-1 has various physiological functions that converge to control the levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). Based on genetic analyses that sought to investigate novel antioxidant DJ-1 downstream genes, pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) kinase (PDK) was demonstrated to increase survival rates and decrease dopaminergic (DA) neuron loss in DJ-1 mutant flies under oxidative stress. PDK phosphorylates and inhibits the PDH complex (PDC), subsequently downregulating glucose metabolism in the mitochondria, which is a major source of intracellular ROS. A loss-of-function mutation in PDK was not found to have a significant effect on fly development and reproduction, but severely ameliorated oxidative stress resistance. Thus, PDK plays a critical role in the protection against oxidative stress. Loss of PDH phosphatase (PDP), which dephosphorylates and activates PDH, was also shown to protect DJ-1 mutants from oxidative stress, ultimately supporting our findings. Further genetic analyses suggested that DJ-1 controls PDK expression through hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1), a transcriptional regulator of the adaptive response to hypoxia and oxidative stress. Furthermore, CPI-613, an inhibitor of PDH, protected DJ-1 null flies from oxidative stress, suggesting that the genetic and pharmacological inhibition of PDH may be a novel treatment strategy for PD associated with DJ-1 dysfunction.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.191-197
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• 2022

Ammonia nitrogen can be effectively recovered from livestock manure waste, etc. by using the gas permeable membrane technology. In this case, ammonia gas in the waste passes through the pores in one-side of membrane, impregnated in waste, and then reach the opposite side of the membrane. The permeated ammonia gas molecules are captured and recovered by acid (such as sulfuric acid) in the solution existing on the opposite side of the membrane. In order to improve ammonia nitrogen removals in the inlet part, high pH should be maintained in the feed waste including ammonia nitrogen to recover, which requires the cost of the chemical. To resolve this issue, previous studies tested various methods, for example, utilization of cheap calcium hydroxide or aeration together with inhibition of unwanted nitrification. The gas permeable membranes used for the recovery of ammonia nitrogen may be characterized, not only by proper heat and chemical resistance, but also by hydrophobicity, allowing selective ammonia gas permeation through the hydrophobic membrane pores. Future research should consider the relevant pilot or upscale processes using on-site wastes with various properties, and identify the optimal design/operation conditions as well as economic feasibility improvement plans.

• BMB Reports
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• v.55 no.12
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• pp.645-650
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• 2022

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-subtype gastric cancers have the worst prognosis due to their higher recurrence rate, higher probability of developing metastases and higher chemo-resistance compared to those of other molecular subtypes. Pharmacologically actionable somatic mutations are rarely found in EMT-subtype gastric cancers, limiting the utility of targeted therapies. Here, we conducted a high-throughput chemical screen using 37 gastric cancer cell lines and 48,467 synthetic small-molecule compounds. We identified YK-135, a small-molecule compound that showed higher cytotoxicity toward EMT-subtype gastric cancer cell lines than toward non-EMT-subtype gastric cancer cell lines. YK-135 exerts its cytotoxic effects by inhibiting mitochondrial complex I activity and inducing AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-mediated apoptosis. We found that the lower glycolytic capacity of the EMT-subtype gastric cancer cells confers synthetic lethality to the inhibition of mitochondrial complex I, possibly by failing to maintain energy homeostasis. Other well-known mitochondrial complex I inhibitors (e.g., rotenone and phenformin) mimic the efficacy of YK-135, supporting our results. These findings highlight mitochondrial complex I inhibitors as promising therapeutic agents for EMT-subtype gastric cancers and YK-135 as a novel chemical scaffold for further drug development.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2020.12a
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• pp.63-63
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• 2020

Rice stripe virus (RSV) disease is one of the major constraints in rice production, transmitted by the small brown planthopper (SBPH; Laodelphax striatellus). Upon RSV infection, plants develop typical symptoms, which include chlorosis and weakness of newly emerged leaves, white and yellow spots, stripe on leaves, and necrotic and wilting leaves, resulting in plant growth inhibition, oxidative damage that may culminate in programmed cell death (PCD) and plant death in severe epidemics. Although RSV-resistant quantitative trait loci (QTLs), Stv-a, Stv-b, and Stv-bi, were mapped using various resistant varieties, one RSV-resistant gene, OsSOT1, has been identified so far. In this study, we used the rice cultivar Zenith, known to carry Stv-b, to investigate novel RSV-genes through fine mapping. Therefore, we crossed Zenith (Donor parent, RSV resistant) with Ilpum (Recurrent parent, RSV susceptible) to fine-map using a BC₂F₂ population of 2100 plants. Chromosome segment introgression lines that were heterozygous at a different region were selected, two types of heterozygous lines showed an heterozygous genotype between Sid2 and Sid75 to Indel9 and RM6680. Interestingly, we identified qSTV11^Z region harboring Stv-b, covering about 171-kb region between the InDel markers Sid75 and Indel8. The localization of qSTV11^Z provides useful information that could be used for marker-assisted selection and determination of genetic resources in rice breeding.

• Journal of the Korean Recycled Construction Resources Institute
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.206-213
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• 2024

The present study concerns the inhibition of Calcium Nitrite Inhibitor(Ca(NO₂)₂) in mortar contaminated by chloride ions. Thus, the corrosion resistance and chloride transport were measured for the mortar containing calcium nitrite inhibitor. As a result, an increase in the dosage of calcium nitrite inhibitor resulted in an increase in the chloride threshold concentration for reinforcement corrosion, while the rate of chloride transport was accelerated. However, the calcium nitrite inhibitor could not guarantee the time to corrosion, due to the increased mobility of chlorides. To ensure the passivity of steel, the dosage of calcium nitrite inhibitor must exceed a certain dosage, ranging from 2.0~3.0 % by cement weight.