• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.2961-2966
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• 2012

Extremely low frequency electro magnetic fields (EMFs) have been classified as possibly carcinogenic to humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. An increased number of chromosomal alterations in peripheral lymphocytes are correlated with elevated incidence of cancer. The aim of the present study was to assess occupationally induced chromosomal damage in EMF workers exposed to low levels of radiation. We used conventional metaphase chromosome aberration (CA) analysis and the micronucleus (MN) assay as biological indicators of non ionizing radiation exposure. In the present study totally 70 subjects were selected including 50 exposed and 20 controls. Informed written consent was obtained from all participants and the study was performed in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and the approval of the local ethical committee. A higher degree of CA and MN was observed in exposed subjects compared to controls, the frequency of CA being significantly enhanced with long years of exposure (P<0.05). Moreover increase in CA and MN with age was noted in both exposed subjects and controls, but was significantly greater in the former. The results of this study demonstrated that a significant induction of cytogenetic damage in peripheral lymphocytes of workers occupationally exposed to EMFs in electric transformer and distribution stations. In conclusion, our findings suggest that EMFs possess genotoxic capability, as measured by CA and MN assays; CA analysis appeared more sensitive than other cytogenetic end-points. It can be concluded that chronic occupational exposure to EMFs may lead to an increased risk of genetic damage among electrical workers.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.265-271
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• 2014

Interleukin-7 (IL-7) is a potent anti-apoptotic cytokine that enhances immune effector cell functions and is essential for lymphocyte survival. While it known to induce differentiation and proliferation in some haematological malignancies, including certain types of leukaemias and lymphomas, little is known about its role in solid tumours, including breast cancer. In the current study, we investigated whether IL-7 could enhance the in vivo antitumor activity of tumor-reactive $CD8^+$ T cells with induction of IFN-${\gamma}$ in a murine breast cancer model. Human IL-7 cDNA was constructed into the eukaryotic expression plasmid pcDNA3.1, and then the recombinational pcDNA3.1-IL-7 was intratumorally injected in the TM40D BALB/C mouse graft model. Serum and intracellular IFN-${\gamma}$ levels were measured by ELISA and flow cytometry, respectively. $CD8^+$ T cell-mediated cytotoxicity was analyzed using the MTT method. Our results showed that IL-7 administration significantly inhibited tumor growth from day 15 after direct intratumoral injection of pcDNA3.1-IL-7. The anti-tumor effect correlated with a marked increase in the level of IFN-${\gamma}$ and breast cancer cells-specific CTL cytotoxicity. In vitro cytotoxicity assays showed that IL-7-treatment could augment cytolytic activity of $CD8^+$ T cells from tumor bearing mice, while anti-IFN-${\gamma}$ blocked the function of $CD8^+$ T cells, suggesting that IFN-${\gamma}$ mediated the cytolytic activity of $CD8^+$ T cells. Furthermore, in vivo neutralization of $CD8^+$ T lymphocytes by CD8 antibodies reversed the antitumor benefit of IL-7. Thus, we demonstrated that IL-7 exerts anti-tumor activity mainly through activating $CD8^+$ T cells and stimulating them to secrete IFN-${\gamma}$ in a murine breast tumor model. Based on these results, our study points to a potential novel way to treat breast cancer and may have important implications for clinical immunotherapy.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.146-152
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• 2011

In the course of a study in relation to the production of taste, and functional enhancements in root crop chips, which were prepared by soaking dried yam slices in fruit juices, we investigated the physiological characteristics and biological activities of 8 different commercially available juices including; apple, omija (fruit of Maximowiczia typica), grape, wild grape, orange, tomato, red ginseng and black garlic juice. The average water contents, pH, brix and acidity of the juices used were $85.59{\pm}5.80%$, $3.90{\pm}0.64$, $12.19{\pm}4.70%$, and $0.49{\pm}0.19%$, respectively. The polyphenol content of black garlic and grape juice were 1.50 and 1.21 mg/ml, respectively, and those were higher than the average content (0.57 mg/mL) of the juices. Evaluation of anticoagulation activity showed that only omija juice has a strong thrombin inhibition, which is comparable to that of aspirin (1.5 mg/mL). Omija, grape and orange juice all exhibited antibacterial activity, but no antifungal activity. The 8 different juices, and in particular grape and black garlic juice, showed strong antioxidant activity in DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activity assays, with wild grape juice demonstrating potent nitrite scavenging activity. These results suggest that omija, grape and black garlic juice can be used as soaking solutions to produce taste, and other functional enhancements, for root crop chips.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.433-441
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• 2013

In this study, the anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-melanogenic activities of Endlicheria anomala (Nees) Mez methanol extract (EAME) were evaluated by use of in vitro assays and cell culture model systems. The results revealed that EAME scavenges various radicals such as 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl hydrogen peroxide induced reactive oxygen species, and lipopolysaccharide induced nitric oxide. Furthermore, EAME induced the expression of anti-oxidative enzymes such as heme oxygenase 1, thioredoxin reductase 1, NAD(P)H dehydrogenase 1, and their upstream transcription factor, nuclear factor-E2-related factor 2. Moreover, EAME inhibited in vitro DOPA oxidation and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine induced melanogenesis in B16F10 cells. Its anti-melanogenic activity will have originated from the inhibition of tyrosinase enzyme activity and melanogenesis related protein expression. Taken together, these results provide the important new insight that E. anomala possesses various biological activities such as anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anti-melanogenic. Therefore, it might be utilized as a promising material in the fields of nutraceuticals and cosmetics.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.90-96
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• 2008

In order to meet the stringent requirement of sludge disposal and to find ecological alternative, aerobic digestion coupled with alkaline pretreatment was studied. The treated sludge was tested for the potential of liquid fertilizer. In the aerobic digestion, it was obvious that the performance of digester B(fed with the sludge pretreated by NaOH) was better than that of digester A(fed with raw sludge) in terms of COD and SS removal. SS and VSS removal rates in digester B were 66% and 69%, respectively. At 5 days, TSS removal rate reached 47% in the digester B, which was 71% of final TSS removal rate. It revealed that the pretreatment process can shorten the retention time of aerobic digestion. 94.1% of TCOD in the raw sludge was reduced by alkaline pretreatment and aerobic digestion. Final SCOD was in the range of 220$\sim$230 mg/L implying the sludge was stabilized. Nitrification and pH drop were observed in the aerobic digestion. Final nitrate concentrations in digester A and B were 445.4 and 223.1 mg/L and final pH in digester B was 3.0. Biological assays reported that leaf size of cucumber seedling increased with nitrate concentration and sludge to soil ratio. The sludge treated by alkaline and aerobic digestion promoted the growth of seedling leaf and stem remarkably compared to raw sludge. In contrast, the aerobically digested sludge without pretreatment improved leaf growth and inhibited stem growth.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.585-590
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• 2016

In this study, the antioxidant and tyrosinase inhibitory activities of aqueous ethanolic extract from the immature fruits of Malus pumila cv. Fuji were evaluated. The antioxidant capacities of the extract was investigated employing radical scavenging assays using DPPH and $ABTS^+$ radicals. The skin-whitening effect of M. pumila cv. Fuji extract was tested using mushroom tyrosinase assay. In addition, the total phenolic content was measured by a spectrophotometric analysis. All tested samples showed a dose-dependent radical scavenging and tyrosinase inhibitory activities. Among the tested samples, the ethyl acetate (EtOAc)-soluble portion from the immature fruits of M. pumila cv. Fuji was showed the significant DPPH and $ABTS^+$ radicals scavenging activities. Also, the tyrosinase inhibitory activity of the ethyl acetate (EtOAc)-soluble portion from immature apples was higher than other solvent-soluble portion. These results suggest that unripe fruits of M. pumila cv. Fuji could be considered as a new valuable source of natural antioxidant and skin-whitening agents. Systematic investigation of immature fruits of Malus pumila cv. Fuji will be performed for the further development of its biological properties.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.38 no.7
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• pp.643-650
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• 2015

The use of conditioned medium from mesenchymal stem cells may be a feasible approach for regeneration of bone defects through secretion of various components of mesenchymal stem cells such as cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors. Mesenchymal stem cells secrete and accumulate multiple factors in conditioned medium under specific physiological conditions. In this study, we investigated whether the conditioned medium collected under hypoxic condition could effectively influence bone regeneration through enhanced migration and adhesion of endogenous mesenchymal stem cells. Cell migration and adhesion abilities were increased through overexpression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 in hypoxic conditioned medium treated group. Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 was upregulated by microRNA-221 in mesenchymal stem cells because microRNAs are key regulators of various biological functions via gene expression. To investigate the effects in vivo, evaluation of bone regeneration by computed tomography and histological assays revealed that osteogenesis was enhanced in the hypoxic conditioned medium group relative to the other groups. These results suggest that behavioral changes of endogenous mesenchymal stem cells through microRNA-221 targeted-intercellular adhesion molecule-1 expression under hypoxic conditions may be a potential treatment for patients with bone defects.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.17
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• pp.7229-7234
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• 2014

Trichoderma spp. are known as a rich source of secondary metabolites with biological activity belonging to a variety of classes of chemical compounds. These fungi also are well known for their ability to produce a wide range of antibiotic substances and to parasitize other fungi. In search for new substances, which might act as anticancer agents, the overall objective of this study was to investigate the cytotoxic effects of Trichoderma harzianum and Trichoderma asperellum cultural filtrates against human cervical and breast cancer cell lines (HeLa and MCF-7 cells respectively). To achieve this objective, cells were exposed to 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 mg/ml of both T. harzianum cultural filtrate (ThCF) and T. asperellum cultural filtrate (TaCF) for 24h, then the cell viability and the cytotoxic responses were assessed by using trypan blue and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2yl)-2,5-biphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assays. Morphological changes in cells were investigated by phase contrast inverted microscopy. The results showed that ThCF and TaCF significantly reduce the cell viability, have cytotoxic effects and alter the cellular morphology of HeLa and MCF-7 cells in a concentration dependent manner. A concentration of 80 and 100mg/ml of ThCF resulted in a sharp decline in the cell viability percent of HeLa and MCF-7 respectively (25.2%, 26.5%) which was recorded by trypan blue assay. The half-maximal inhibitory concentrations ($IC_{50}$) of ThCF and TaCF in HeLa and MCF-7 were recorded as 16.6, 12.0, 19.6 and 0.70mg/ml respectively by MTT assay. These results revealed that ThCF and TaCF have a substantial ability to reduce the viability and proliferation of human cervical and breast cancer cells.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.1589-1595
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• 2014

Objective: Forkhead box C2 (FOXC2) is a member of the winged helix/forkhead box (Fox) family of transcription factors. It has been suggested to regulate tumor vasculature, growth, invasion and metastasis, although it has not been studied in cervical cancer. Here, we analyzed FOXC2 expression in cervical tissues corresponding to different stages of cervical cancer development and examined its correlation with clinicopathological characteristics. In addition, we examined the effects of targeting FOXC2 on the biological behavior of human cervical cancer cells. Methods: The expression of FOXC2 in normal human cervix, CIN I-III and cervical cancer was examined by immunohistochemistry and compared among the three groups and between cervical cancers with different pathological subtypes. Endogenous expression of FOXC2 was transiently knocked down in human Hela and SiHa cervical cells by siRNA, and cell viability and migration were examined by scratch and CCK8 assays, respectively. Results: In normal cervical tissue the frequency of positive staining was 25% (10/40 cases), with a staining intensity (PI) of $0.297{\pm}0.520$, in CIN was 65% (26/40cases), with a PI of $3.00{\pm}3.29$, and in cancer was 91.8% (68/74 cases), with a PI of $5.568 {\pm}3.449$. The frequency was 100% in adenocarcinoma (5/5 cases) and 91.3% in SCCs (63/69 cases). The FOXC2 positive expression rate was 88.5% in patients with cervical SCC stage I and 100% in stage II, showing significant differences compared with normal cervix and CIN. With age, pathologic differentiation degree and tumor size, FOXC2 expression showed no significant variation. On transient transfection of Hela and SiHa cells, FOXC2-siRNA inhibition rates were 76.2% and 75.7%; CCK8 results showed reduced proliferation and relative migration (in Hela cells from $64.5{\pm}3.16$ to $49.5{\pm}9.24$ and in SiHa cells from $60.1{\pm}3.05$ to $44.3{\pm}3.98$) (P < 0.05). Conclusion: FOXC2 gene expression increases with malignancy, especially with blood vessel hyperplasia and invasion degree. Targeted silencing was associated with reduced cell proliferation as well as invasion potential.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.41-51
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• 2018

Since fire blight disease on apple and pear was produced in Korea in 2015, there were no registered chemicals to control against this disease. Instead, several antibacterial chemicals that were registered for other bacterial diseases such as soft rot and bacterial spot have been authorized by Rural Development Administration (RDA). However, these chemicals are not tested efficacy for fire blight disease except damage by those treatments on apple and pear in Korea. Thus, we evaluated efficiency using in vitro and in planta assays of antibacterial chemicals such as antibiotics and copper compounds including kasugamycin, oxytetracycline, oxolinic acid and streptomycin, and copper hydroxide, copper sulfate, oxine copper and tribasic copper sulfate, respectively. We also tested two kinds of biological agents. As expected, significant antibacterial effect was observed in vitro test of both antibiotics and copper-based chemicals. In planta test based on disease severity including ooze and water-soaked formation on immature pears, bacterial populations on blooms, and blight lesion formation in artificially inoculated shoots, kasugamycin, oxytetracycline and streptomycin have been shown the most efficiency among tested antibiotics. Four copper-based chemicals tested in this study, control effects are little bit lower than agricultural antibiotics but they seem to be available to use in terms of winter season. Biocontrol agents were also shown possibility to treat in eco-friendly farms. In addition, there are no antibiotic resistance genes in Korean isolates against antibiotics, which were selected for suppression of fire blight in this study.