• International Neurourology Journal
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.246-251
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• 2018

Purpose: To determine whether responses to serotonin are altered in bladder strips from cats diagnosed with a naturally occurring form of bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis termed feline interstitial cystitis (FIC). Methods: Full thickness bladder strips were isolated from aged matched healthy control cats and cats with clinically verified FIC. Bladder strips were mounted in an organ bath and connected to a tension transducer to record contractile activity. A serotonin dose response ($0.01-10{\mu}M$) was determined for each strip with the mucosa intact or denuded. Results: Bladder strips from control and FIC cats contracted in response to serotonin in a dose-dependent manner. The normalized force of serotonin-evoked contractions was significantly greater in bladder strips from cats with FIC (n=7) than from control cats (n=4). Removal of the mucosa significantly decreased serotonin-mediated responses in both control and FIC bladder preparations. Furthermore, the contractions in response to serotonin were abolished by $1{\mu}M$ atropine in both control and FIC bladder strips. Conclusions: The effect of serotonin on contractile force, but not sensitivity, was potentiated in bladder strips from cats with FIC, and was dependent upon the presence of the mucosa in control and FIC groups. As atropine inhibited these effects of serotonin, we hypothesize that, serotonin enhances acetylcholine release from the mucosa of FIC cat bladder strips, which could account for the increased force generated. In summary, FIC augments the responsiveness of bladder to serotonin, which may contribute to the symptoms associated with this chronic condition.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.141-146
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• 2019

Background: Oral cancer has a high incidence worldwide and has been closely associated with smoking, alcohol, and infection by the human papillomavirus. Metastasis is highly important for oral cancer survival. Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a bioactive lipid mediator that promotes various cellular processes, including cell survival, proliferation, metastasis, and invasion. Signal transducer and activator of transcription (STATs) are transcription factors that mediate gene expression. Among the seven types of STATs in mammals, STAT3 is involved in invasion and metastasis of numerous tumors. However, little is known about the role of STAT3 in oral tumor invasion. In the present study, we hypothesized that STAT3 mediates LPA-induced oral cancer invasion. Methods: Immunoblotting was performed to analyze LPA-induced STAT3 activation. 3-(4,5-Dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was performed to assess the survival rates of YD-10B cells. STAT3 levels in LPA-treated oral tumor cells were evaluated by performing in vitro invasion assay. Results: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate that LPA enhances STAT3 phosphorylation in oral cancer. In addition, treatment with WP1066, a selective inhibitor of STAT3, at a concentration that does not cause severe reduction in cell viability, significantly attenuated LPA-induced YD-10B cancer cell invasion. Conclusion: The results suggested that LPA induces oral tumor cells with greater invasive potential via STAT3 activation. Our findings provided important insights into the mechanisms underlying mouth neoplasms.

• Integrative Medicine Research
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.67-73
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• 2014

Background: The transcription factor signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (Stat3)is constitutively activated in many human cancers. It promotes tumor cell proliferation,inhibits apoptosis, induces angiogenesis and metastasis, and suppresses antitumor hostimmune responses. Therefore, Stat3 has emerged as a promising molecular target for cancertherapies. In this study, we evaluated the Stat3-suppressive activity of 38 herbal medicinestraditionally used in Korea.Methods: Medicinal herb extracts in 70% ethanol were screened for their ability to suppressStat3 in the A549 human lung cancer cell line. A Stat3-responsive reporter assay system wasused to detect intracellular Stat3 activity in extract-treated cells, and Western blot analyseswere performed to measure the expression profiles of Stat3-regulated proteins.Results: Fifty percent of the 38 extracts possessed at least mild Stat3-suppressive activities(i.e., activity less than 75% of the vehicle control). Ethanol extracts of Bupleurum falcatumL., Taraxacum officinale Weber, Solanum nigrum L., Ulmus macrocarpa Hance, Euonymus alatusSieb., Artemisia capillaris Thunb., and Saururus chinensis (Lour.) Baill inhibited up to 75% of thevehicle control Stat3 activity level. A549 cells treated with these extracts also had reducedBcl-xL, Survivin, c-Myc, and Mcl-1 expression.Conclusion: Many medicinal herbs traditionally used in Korea contain Stat3 activity-suppressing substances. Because of the therapeutic impact of Stat3 inhibition, these resultscould be useful when developing novel cancer therapeutics from medicinal herbs.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.642-647
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• 2018

Gas compressors are mostly driven by motors. It is important to measure the power of motors to evaluate their power efficiency, because the mechanical loads of gas compressors are always varied. In order to measure the power given to the driving motors, the torque should be measured. Manufacturers of compressors usually use the torque data to calculate the compressors qualities such as power consumption, efficiencies and failures. In general, measurements for the shaft torque of the compressors have been based upon contact types, strain gauges. In the cases of larger compressors, the contact type of strain gauges have several disadvantages such as large size and high cost. In this study, a relatively inexpensive and simple torque sensing technique that is not restricted to shaft diameter is introduced using visualization technique. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) has been adopted to complete non-contact torques measurements for rotating motors. In order to compare the performance of the newly constructed torque measurement technique, torque measurement by a transducer based on MEMS technology has been performed simultaneously during experiments.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.1-10
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• 2018

An experimental study was performed for the behavior of the burner flame which results from burning of the liquid hydrocarbon fuel atomized by an ultrasonic transducer. Configurations of the flame and combustion-field were caught by both high-speed camera and thermo-graphic camera, and those images were analyzed in detail through a image post-processing. As a result, the combustion-field grew and reaction-temperature rose due to the strengthening of combustion reaction with the increasing flow-rate of carrier-gas. In addition, a phenomenon of flame flickering was discussed through the comparative analysis of the variational behavior between the visible flame and IR (Infrared) flame-field. Also, the flickering frequency of the flame was confirmed through FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) analysis employing the flame area.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.47 no.8
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• pp.599-606
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• 2019

The pulse gun device is designed to identify the transverse pressure wave propagation/damping mechanism into the combustion flow field and in the combustion chamber according to the arrangement of multiple injectors. The manufactured pulse gun was tested to verify operability at the target combustion pressure and control of the pressure wave intensity. Gas nitrogen was used to pressurize the high-pressure tube and an OHP film of $100{\mu}m$ thickness was used for the diaphragm. To check the speed and intensity of the pressure waves, the dynamic and static pressure were measured using the pressure transducer. The performance test confirmed that the manufactured pulse gun can generate pressure waves with transverse characteristics that can be controled for strength depending on the supply pressure.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.311-317
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• 2019

Rotating devices are commonly installed in power plants and factories. This study proposes a self-powered sensor node that is powered by converting the vibration energy of a rotating device into electrical energy. The self-powered sensor consists of a piezoelectric harvester for self-power generation, a rectifier circuit to rectify the AC signal, a sensor unit for measuring the vibration frequency, and a circuit to control the light emitting diode (LED) lighting. The frequency of the vibration source was measured using a piezoelectric-cantilever-type vibration frequency sensor. A green LED was illuminated when the measured frequency was within the normal range. The power generated by the piezoelectric harvester was determined, and the LED operation was assessed in terms of the vibration frequency. The piezoelectric harvester was found to generate a power of 3.061 mW or greater at a vibration acceleration of 1.2 g ($1g=9.8m/s^2$) and vibration frequencies between 117 and 123 Hz. Notably, the power generated was 4.099 mW at 122 Hz. As such, our self-powered sensor node can be used as a module for monitoring rotating devices, because it can convert vibration energy into electrical energy when installed on rotating devices such as air compressors.

• BMB Reports
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• v.52 no.8
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• pp.508-513
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• 2019

In this study, the anti-inflammatory effects of ${\alpha}-lipoic$ acid (LA) and decursinol (Dec) hybrid compound LA-Dec were evaluated and compared with its prodrugs, LA and Dec. LA-Dec dose-dependently inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide (NO) generation in BV2 mouse microglial cells. On the other hand, no or mild inhibitory effect was shown by the Dec and LA, respectively. LA-Dec demonstrated dose-dependent protection from activation-induced cell death in BV2 cells. LA-Dec, but not LA or Dec individually, inhibited LPS-induced increased expressions of induced NO synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) proteins in a dose-dependent manner in both BV2 and mouse macrophage, RAW264.7 cells. Furthermore, LA-Dec inhibited LPS-induced expressions of iNOS, COX-2, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}$, and $interleukin-1{\beta}$ mRNA in BV2 cells, whereas the same concentration of LA or Dec was ineffective. Signaling studies demonstrated that LA-Dec inhibited LPS-activated signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 and protein kinase B activation, but not nuclear factor-kappa B or mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling. The data implicate LA-Dec hybrid compound as a potential therapeutic agent for inflammatory diseases of the peripheral and central nervous systems.

• BMB Reports
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.214-219
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• 2019

The role of tumor-proximal factors in tumor plasticity during chemoresistance and metastasis following chemotherapy is well studied. However, the role of endothelial cell (EC) derived paracrine factors in tumor plasticity, their effect on chemotherapeutic outcome, and the mechanism by which these paracrine factors modulate the tumor microenvironment are not well understood. In this study, we report a novel mechanism by which endothelial miR-125a and let-7e-mediated regulation of interleukin-6 (IL-6) signaling can manipulate vasculogenic mimicry (VM) formation of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. We found that endothelial IL-6 levels were significantly higher in response to cisplatin treatment, whereas levels of IL-6 upon cisplatin exposure remained unchanged in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. We additionally found an inverse correlation between IL-6 and miR-125a/let-7e expression levels in cisplatin treated ECs. Interestingly, IL-6, IL-6 receptor (IL-6R), and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) genes in the IL-6 pathway are closely regulated by miR-125a and let-7e, which directly target its 3' untranslated region. Functional analyses revealed that endothelial miR-125a and let-7e inhibit IL-6-induced adhesion of monocytes to ECs. Furthermore, conditioned medium from cisplatin treated ECs induced a significantly higher formation of VM in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells as compared to that from intact ECs; this effect of cisplatin treatment was abrogated by concurrent overexpression of miR-125a and let-7e. Overall, this study reveals a novel EC-tumor cell crosstalk mediated by the endothelial miR-125a/let-7e-IL-6 signaling axis, which might improve chemosensitivity and provide potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of cancer.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.467-475
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• 2019

A high-intensity ultrasound wave generates acoustic streaming and acoustic radiation forces when propagating through a medium. An acoustic radiation force generated in a three-dimensional space can produce a solid tactile sensation, delivering spatial information directly to the human skin. We placed 154 ultrasound transmit elements with a frequency of 40 kHz on a concave circular dish, and generated an acoustic radiation force at the focal point by transmitting the ultrasound wave. To feel the tactile sensation better, the transmit elements were excited by sine waves whose amplitude was modulated by a 60 Hz square wave. As an application of ultrasonic tactile sensing, a region where tactile sense is formed in the air is used as an indicator for the position of the hand. We confirmed the utility of ultrasonic tactile feedback by implementing a system that provides the number of fingers to a machine by receiving the shape of the hand at the focal point where the tactile sense is detected.