• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.87-94
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• 2016

Skin damage is mainly caused by environmental factors such as ultraviolet light, heat, and smoking. It is known that reactive oxygen species production is commonly involved in the pathogenesis of skin damage induced by these factors, causing skin aging. Pyrus pyrifolia Nakai continues to be a popular and highly consumed fruit in many countries with known beneficial effects including antitumor, antioxidative, and anti-inflammatory effects. However, there is no evidence of a therapeutic effect of Pyrus pyrifolia extract (PPE) against skin aging via inhibition of mitochondria-mediated apoptosis. In this study, we investigated PPE protective effect against photoaging induced by UVB ($50mJ/cm^2$) in HS68 human dermal fibroblasts. Lactate dehydrogenase assay showed that PPE significantly protected HS68 cells against UVB-induced damage in a dose-dependent manner. Other assays using DCF-DA demonstrated that PPE protected HS68 cells by regulating reactive oxygen species production. PPE also regulated mitochondrial dysfunction and mitochondrial membrane potential induced by UVB, and inhibited UVB-induced caspase-3 activity. These results indicate that PPE protects human dermal fibroblasts from UVB-induced damage by regulating the oxidative defense system.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.413-421
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• 2014

Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) is involved in the stress response and there is increasing evidence that stress influences skin disease such as hair loss. In cultured human hair follicles, CRF inhibits hair shaft elongation, induces premature regression and promotes the apoptosis of hair matrix keratinocytes. We investigated whether CRF influences the dermal papilla cells (DPC) that play pivotal roles in hair growth and cycling. Human DPCs were treated with CRF, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol, key stress hormones along the hypothalamic-pituitary -adrenal (HPA) axis for 1-24 h. Interestingly, CRF modulated the expression of cytokines related to hair growth (KGF, Wnt5a, $TGF{\beta}-2$, Nexin) and increased cAMP production in cultured DPCs. CRF receptors were down-regulated by negative feedback systems. Pretreatment of CRF receptor antagonists or protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitor prevented the CRF-induced modulation. Since the CRF induces proopiomelanocortin (POMC) expression through the cAMP/PKA pathway, we analyzed POMC mRNA. CRF stimulated POMC expression in cultured human DPCs, yet we were unable to detect ACTH levels by western blot. These results indicate that CRF operates within DPCs through CRF receptors along the classical CRF signaling pathway and CRF receptor antagonists could serve as potential therapeutic and cosmetic agents for stress-induced hair loss.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.61-67
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• 2009

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to investigate the applicability of poly-L-guluronic alginate (PGA) gel in vascular embolization with angiography simulation. Materials and Methods : To prepare a gel-forming PGA from no guluronate-rich Laminaria japonica, a new acid hydrolysis method was employed with a lower HCL concentration (0.03 M) and a shorter treatment time (5 min). The obtained PGAs were selected based on gel stability and viscosity. Glass aneurysm model was used to simulate gel embolization in vitro. Then, finally, the PGA was used to embolize the renal vascular system by using a rabbit model and angiography. Results : Glass aneurysm model was made to simulate gel embolization procedure. PGA solution was injected from pump through 2-way catheter. Subsequent injection of $CaCl_2$ successfully formed gels inside aneurysm model that conforming to its inner contour. In rabbit model, first, renal artery and aorta leading to the right kidney were ligated to block blood flow, then conventional contrast agent was injected through aorta to check the arterial patency to the left kidney. In sequential artery injection method, PGA and $CaCl_2$ were injected through renal artery sequentially via a single catheter. Re-injection of contrast agent after removing ligated aorta showed blood flow to the right kidney but no flow in the left kidney. This result demonstrated a complete blocking of blood flow due to gel formation in vascular bed of the left kidney. Conclusion : Instillation of calcium alginate into aneurysm model and arterial system in vivo produced an embolization that better fills and conforms to the contour of aneurysms or blocking vascular bed completely. Therefore, PGA was effective endovascular occlusion materials and provide an efficiency of vascular angiography.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.205-212
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• 2009

The response correction factor ( h) is a factor to convert the response of the chamber in solid phantom to the response in water. In RW3 solid phantom, the dependency of beam quality and depth for high energy X-rays are known characteristics, however the dependency of field size, SSD, and chamber type are unknown. In this work we have studied the unknown characteristics on the dependency of response correction factor. The farmer type chamber (FC65G) and small chamber (CC13) were used and two beam qualities of 6 and 15 MV were evaluated. The measured response correction factors at the depth of 5 cm and 10 cm were h = 1.015 and 1.021 for 6 MV X-rays, and h = 1.024 and 1.029 for 15 MV X-rays. In conclusion the response correction factor did not depend on the field size and SSD while depending on the beam quality and depth. In the chambers, there are small differences between the two chambers used in this study but we think additional study for more chambers should be required. The results in this study can be used for analyzing the measured values from ionization chamber dosimetry in RW3.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.143-148
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• 2016

The purpose of this study was examined the measurement error factor on AMARES of jMRUI method for magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) quantitative analysis by skilled and unskilled observer method and identified the reason of independent observers. The Point-resolved spectroscopy sequence was used to acquired magnetic resonance spectroscopy data of 10 weeks male Sprague-Dawley rat liver. The methylene protons ($(-CH_{2-})n$) of 1.3 ppm and water proton ($H_2O$) of 4.7 ppm ratio was calculated by LCModel software for using the reference data. The seven unskilled observers were calculated total lipid (methylene/water) using the jMRUI AMARES technique twice every 1 week, and we conducted interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) statistical analysis by SPSS software. The inter-observer reliability (ICC) of Cronbach's alpha value was less than 0.1. The average value of seven observer's total lipid ($0.096{\pm}0.038$) was 50% higher than LCModel reference value. The jMRUI AMARES analysis method is need to minimize the presence of the residual metabolite by identified metabolite MRS profile in order to obtain the same results as the LCModel.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.18-22
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• 2000

In previous reports we have shown that ginsenosides inhibit high threshold voltage-dependent $Ca^{2+}$ channels in neuronal cells. However, these studies did not show whether ginsenosides-induced inhibition of $Ca^{2+}$ currents discriminates among the various $Ca^{2+}$ channel subtypes, although it is known that there are at least five different $Ca^{2+}$ channel subtypes in neuronal cells. In this study we investigated the effect of ginsenosides on high threshold voltage-dependent $Ca^{2+}$ channel subtypes using their selective $Ca^{2+}$ channel blockers nimodipine (L-type), $\omega$-conotoxin GVIA (N-type), or $\omega$-agatoxin IVA (P-type) in bovine chromaffin cells. We could observe that ginsenosides inhibited high threshold voltage-dependent $Ca^{2+}$ currents in a dose-dependent manner. The $IC_{50}$/ was about 120 $\mu$g/ml. Nimodipine had no effect on ginsenosides response. However, the effect of ginsenosides on $Ca^{2+}$ currents was reduced by $\omega$-conotoxin GVIA, $\omega$-agatoxin IVA, and mixture of nimodipine, $\omega$-contoxin GVIA, and $\omega$-agatoxin IVA. These data suggest that ginsenosides are negatively coupled to three types of calcium channels in bovine chromaffin cell, including an $\omega$-conotoxin GVIA-sensitive (N-type) channel, an $\omega$-agatoxin IVA-sensitive (P-type) channel and nimodipine/$\omega$-conotoxin GVIA/$\omega$-agatoxin IVA-resistant (presumptive Q-type) channel.Q-type) channel.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.101-118
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• 2017

In an investigation of indigenous prokaryotic species in Korea, a total of 57 bacterial strains assigned to the classes Betaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria were isolated from diverse environments. Samples were collected from fresh water, natural caves, soil, paddy fields, lakes, sea water, jeotgal (fermented seafood), salt flats, soil from abandoned mines, plant roots, digestive organs of both Japanese crested ibis (Nipponia nippon) and Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus) and tidal flats. From the high 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity (>98.7%) and formation of robust phylogenetic clades with closely related species, it was determined that each strain belonged to an independent and predefined bacterial species within either the Betaproteobacteria or Gammaproteobacteria. There is no official report or publication that describes these 57 proteobacterial species in Korea. Overall, in the class Betaproteobacteria there were 16 species in 12 genera of 4 families in the order Burkholderiales and two species in two genera of one family in the order Neisseriales. Within the class Gammaproteobacteia, there were five species in four genera of four families in the order Alteromonadales, 12 species in 11 genera of one family in the order Enterobacteriales, four species in four genera of three families in the order Oceanospirillales, 11 species in four genera of two families in the order Pseudomonadales, two species in the order Vibrionales and five species in five genera of one family in the order Xanthomonadales. Gram reaction, colony and cell morphology, basic biochemical characteristics, isolation source and strain IDs are described in the species description section.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.469-476
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• 2009

In this study, biodegradable superporous hydrogels(SPHs) with fast swelling and superabsorbent properties were prepared using biodegradable crosslinkers and their physicochemical properties were characterized. A biodegradable crosslinker (PLA-PEG-PLA DA) was synthesized by a ring opening polymerization of D,L-lactide (LA) using hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) as a macroinitiator, followed by diacrylation of the end groups for the introduction of polymerizable vinyl groups. Various kinds of hydrogels with different chemical compositions were prepared and characterized in terms of swelling ratio, swelling kinetics, and biodegradation properties. The synthetic results were confirmed by $^1H$-NMR, FT-IR and GPC measurements, and the porous structures of the prepared SPHs and their porosities were identified by a scanning electron microscope and mercury porosimetry, respectively. The physicochemical properties of SPHs could be controlled by varying their chemical compositions and their cytotoxicity were found to be very low by MTT assay.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.105-111
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• 2017

Hyaluronic acid (HA) has been investigated for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications. This study was conducted to determine the distributions of HA nanoparticles (NPs; size 350-400 nm) and larger HA polymers in mice at intervals after application. $^{177}Lutetium$ (Lu)-labeled HA-NPs or HA polymers were intravenously injected (5 mg/kg) into male ICR mice, and radioactivity levels in blood and target organs were measured from 0.25 h to 28 days post-injection. In blood, the radioactivities of HA-NPs and HA polymer peaked at 0.5 h after injection but were remarkably decreased at 2 h; subsequently, they maintained a constant level until 6 days post-injection. HA-NPs and HA polymers were observed in the liver, spleen, lung, kidney, and heart (in ascending order) but were seldom observed in other organs. After 3 days, both the HA-NP and HA polymer levels showed similar steady decreases in lung, kidney, and heart. However, in liver and spleen, the HA-NP levels tended to decrease gradually after 1 day and both were very low after 14 days, whereas the HA polymer level accumulated for 28 days. The results indicate that HA-NPs, with their faster clearance pattern, may act as a better drug delivery system than HA polymers, especially in the liver and spleen.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.41
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• pp.47.1-47.10
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• 2019

Background: Hyaluronic acid (HA) has been applied as a primary biomaterial for temporary soft tissue augmentation and as a carrier for cells and the delivery of growth factors to promote tissue regeneration. Although HA derivatives are the most versatile soft tissue fillers on the market, they are resorbed early, within 3 to 12 months. To overcome their short duration, they can be combined with cells or growth factors. The purpose of this study was to investigate the stimulating effects of human fibroblasts and basic fibroblast growth factors (bFGF) on collagen synthesis during soft tissue augmentation by HA hydrogels and to compare these with the effects of a commercial HA derivative (Restylane^®). Methods: The hydrogel group included four conditions. The first condition consisted of hydrogel (H) alone as a negative control, and the other three conditions were bFGF-containing hydrogel (HB), human fibroblast-containing hydrogel (HF), and human fibroblast/bFGF-containing hydrogel (HBF). In the Restylane^® group (HGF), the hydrogel was replaced with Restylane^® (R, RB, RF, RBF). The gels were implanted subdermally into the back of each nude mouse at four separate sites. Twelve nude mice were used for the hydrogel (n = 6) and Restylane^® groups (n = 6). The specimens were harvested 8 weeks after implantation and assessed histomorphometrically, and collagen synthesis was evaluated by RT-PCR. Results: The hydrogel group showed good biocompatibility with the surrounding tissues and stimulated the formation of a fibrous matrix. HBF and HF showed significantly higher soft tissue synthesis compared to H (p < 0.05), and human collagen type I was well expressed in HB, HF, and HBF; HBF showed the strongest expression. The Restylane^® filler was surrounded by a fibrous capsule without any soft tissue infiltration from the neighboring tissue, and collagen synthesis within the Restylane^® filler could not be observed, even though no inflammatory reactions were observed. Conclusion: This study revealed that HA-based hydrogel alone or hydrogel combined with fibroblasts and/or bFGF can be effectively used for soft tissue augmentation.