• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.352-356
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• 2007

The present study was investigated the anti-oxidative effects of aloe vera ingestion on brain and kidney in aged rats by monitoring several oxidative-related parameters. Male specific pathogen-free Fischer 344 rats were randomly divided into four groups of five rat each: Group A was fed test chow without aloe supplementation; Group B was fed a diet containing a 1% freeze-dried aloe filet; Group C was fed a diet containing a 1% charcoal-processed, freeze-dried aloe filet; and Group D was fed a diet containing a charcoal-processed, freeze-dried, whole leaf aloe in drinking water. Analyses of tissues were done at 4 months and 16 months of age. Results showed that a long-term intake of aloe, regardless of the preparation used, enhanced antioxidant defenses against lipid peroxidation, as indicated by reduced phosphatidylcholine hydroperoxide levels in both brain and kidney. The additional benefit of aloe intake on the anti-oxidative action was evidenced by enhanced superoxide dismutase and catalase activity in all aloe-ingested groups. Another beneficial effect of aloe shown in this study, although not an anti-oxidative parameter, was its cholesterol-lowering effect as detected in brain and kidney with significant decreases at age16 months of aloe-fed rats. Based on these findings, we conclude that a long-term dietary aloe supplementation modulated the anti-oxidative defense systems and cholesterol level.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics Engineers of Korea SC
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.41-46
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• 2009

This research measures EEG signals which are generating on head skin and extracts brain concentration level related with brain activity. We develop concentration wireless transmission system for controlling hardware by using this signal. Two channels are used for measuring EEG signal on front head and Biopac system with MP100 and EEG100C was used for measuring EEG signal, amplifying and filtering the signal. LabView 8.5 was also used for FFT transformation, frequency and spectrum analysis of the measured EEG signals. As a result, SMR wave, Mid-Bata wave, $\Theta$ wave classified. We extracted the concentration index by adapting concentration extraction algorithm. This concentration uldex was transferred into logo automobile device by wireless module and applied for BCI application.

• Progress in Superconductivity
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2011

Measurement of magnetic signals generated from electric activity of myocardium provides useful information for the functional diagnosis of heart diseases. Key technical component of the magnetocardiography (MCG) technology is SQUID. To measure MCG signals with high signal-to-noise ratio, sensitive SQUID magnetic field sensors are needed. Present magnetic field sensors based on Nb SQUIDs have field sensitivity good enough to measure most of MCG signals. However, for accurate measurement of fine signal pattern or detection of local atrial fibrillation signals, we may need higher field sensitivity. In addition to field sensitivity, economic aspect of the SQUID system is also important. To simplify the SQUID readout electronics, the output voltage or flux-to-voltage transfer of SQUID should be large enough so that direct measurement of SQUID output can be done using room-temperature preamplifiers. Double relaxation oscillation SQUID (DROS), having about 10 times larger flux-to-voltage transfers than those of DC-SQUIDs, was shown to be a good choice to make the electronics compact. For effective cancellation of external noise inside a thin economic shielded room, first-order axial gradiometer with high balance, simple structure and long-baseline is needed. We developed a technology to make the axial gradiometer compact using direct bonding of superconductive wires between pickup coil and input coil. Conventional insert has mechanical support to hold the gradiometer array, and the dewar neck has equal diameter with the dewar bottom. Boiling of the liquid He can generate mechanical vibrations in the gradiometer array due to mechanical connection structure. Elimination of the mechanical support, and direct mounting of the gradiometer array into the dewar bottom can reduce the dewar neck diameter, resulting in the reduction of liquid He consumption.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.564-569
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• 2000

This study was designed to investigate the effect of silkworm (Bombyx mori L.) powder on lipofuscin, acetylcholine (ACh) and its related enzyme activities in brain of rats. Sprague-Dawley (SD) male rats ($160{\pm}10g$) were fed basic diet (control group), and experimental diets (SWP-200 and SWP-400 groups) added 200 and 400 mg/kg BW/day for 6 weeks. In case of liver membranes, lipofuscin (LF) levels resulted in a slight decreases (4.6% and 11.5%, respectively) in SWP-200 and SWP-400 groups compared with control group. But in case of barin as the most sensitive organ, LF levels were remarkably inhibited about 16.7% and 20.0% in SWP-200 and SWP-400 groups compared with control group. There were no significant differences in acetylcholine (ACh) syntheses as a very important neurotransmitter, and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activities as a synthesis enzyme of ACh, and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activities as a hydrolysis enzyme, which were concerned in transmission of neuron through synapses in brain of SWP-200 and SWP-400 groups compared with control group. Monoamine oxidase-B (MAO-B) activities were significantly inhibited (about 10.2%) in brain of SWP-400 groups compared with control group. These results suggest that inhibiting effects of LF accumulation and MAO-B activity of silkworm powder (SWP) may play a pivotal role in attenuating a various age-related changes for improvement of brain function.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.243-246
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• 2008

Bla g 2 is a cockroach allergen of great importance, This study was conducted to identify IgE-binding epitope(s) of Bla g 2 using the recombinant protein technique, Approximately 50% of tested sera showed IgE reactivity to Pichia-expressed Bla g 2 (PrBla g 2) and E. coli-expressed Bla g 2 (ErBla g 2), Only 5,3% of serum samples showed stronger reactivity to PrBla g 2 than ErBla g 2, indicating that serum was reactive to conformational or carbohydrate epitopes. The full-length and 5 peptide fragments of Bla g 2 were produced in E. coli. All fragments showed IgE-binding activity to the cockroach-allergy patients' sera. Specifically, peptide fragments of amino acid residue 1-75 and 146-225 appeared to be important for IgE-binding. The information about the IgE-binding epitope of Bla g 2 can aid in the diagnosis and treatment for cockroach allergies.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.530-539
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• 2019

Brain aging is an inevitable process characterized by structural and functional changes and is a major risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases. Most brain aging studies are focused on neurons and less on astrocytes which are the most abundant cells in the brain known to be in charge of various functions including the maintenance of brain physical formation, ion homeostasis, and secretion of various extracellular matrix proteins. Altered mitochondrial dynamics, defective mitophagy or mitochondrial damages are causative factors of mitochondrial dysfunction, which is linked to age-related disorders. Etoposide is an anti-cancer reagent which can induce DNA stress and cellular senescence of cancer cell lines. In this study, we investigated whether etoposide induces senescence and functional alterations in cultured rat astrocytes. Senescence-associated ${\beta}$-galactosidase (SA-${\beta}$-gal) activity was used as a cellular senescence marker. The results indicated that etoposide-treated astrocytes showed cellular senescence phenotypes including increased SA-${\beta}$-gal-positive cells number, increased nuclear size and increased senescence-associated secretory phenotypes (SASP) such as IL-6. We also observed a decreased expression of cell cycle markers, including PhosphoHistone H3/Histone H3 and CDK2, and dysregulation of cellular functions based on wound-healing, neuronal protection, and phagocytosis assays. Finally, mitochondrial dysfunction was noted through the determination of mitochondrial membrane potential using tetramethylrhodamine methyl ester (TMRM) and the measurement of mitochondrial oxygen consumption rate (OCR). These data suggest that etoposide can induce cellular senescence and mitochondrial dysfunction in astrocytes which may have implications in brain aging and neurodegenerative conditions.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.45 no.11
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• pp.855-867
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• 2022

For proper function of proteins, their subcellular localization needs to be monitored and regulated in response to the changes in cellular demands. In this regard, dysregulation in the nucleocytoplasmic transport (NCT) of proteins is closely associated with the pathogenesis of various neurodegenerative diseases. However, it remains unclear whether there exists an intrinsic regulatory pathway(s) that controls NCT of proteins either in a commonly shared manner or in a target-selectively different manner. To dissect between these possibilities, in the current study, we investigated the molecular mechanism regulating NCT of truncated ataxin-3 (ATXN3) proteins of which genetic mutation leads to a type of polyglutamine (polyQ) diseases, in comparison with that of TDP-43. In Drosophila dendritic arborization (da) neurons, we observed dynamic changes in the subcellular localization of truncated ATXN3 proteins between the nucleus and the cytosol during development. Moreover, ectopic neuronal toxicity was induced by truncated ATXN3 proteins upon their nuclear accumulation. Consistent with a previous study showing intracellular calcium-dependent NCT of TDP-43, NCT of ATXN3 was also regulated by intracellular calcium level and involves Importin α3 (Imp α3). Interestingly, NCT of ATXN3, but not TDP-43, was primarily mediated by CBP. We further showed that acetyltransferase activity of CBP is important for NCT of ATXN3, which may acetylate Imp α3 to regulate NCT of ATXN3. These findings demonstrate that CBP-dependent acetylation of Imp α3 is crucial for intracellular calcium-dependent NCT of ATXN3 proteins, different from that of TDP-43, in Drosophila neurons.

• The Korean Journal of Zoology
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.142-147
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• 1991

Angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) activity has been characterized in the rice eel, Monopterus albus. Peak activity of ACE in plasma from the rice eel was shown at around pH 10, which was more alkaline compared to that of mammals. Chloride requirements for the optimal ACE activity were different from species to spedes. ACE inhibitors, EDTA, teprotide (SQ 20, 881), and captopril (SQ 14, 225) showed dose-dependent inhibitions of ACE activity in plasma from the rice eel as well as mammals. ACE activity in the rice eel was increased by CoCI2, and the enzyme activity was more unstable at high temperature as compared to mammals The highest activity of ACE among the various tissues in the rice eel was found in the brain.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.181-185
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• 2013

Aluminum nanoparticles (Al-NPs) are one of the most widely used nanomaterial in cosmetics and medical materials. For this reason, Al-NP exposure is very likely to occur via inhalation in the environment and the workplace. Nevertheless, little is known about the mechanism of Al-NP neurotoxicity via inhalation exposure. In this study, we investigated the effect AL-NPs on the brain. Rats were exposed to Al-NPs by nasal instillation at 1 mg/kg body weight (low exposure group), 20 mg/kg body weight (moderate exposure group), and 40 mg/kg body weight (high exposure group), for a total of 3 times, with a 24-hr interval after each exposure. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) analysis indicated that the presence of aluminum was increased in a dose-dependent manner in the olfactory bulb (OFB) and the brain. In microarray analysis, the regulation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) activity (GO: 0043405), including Ptprc, P2rx7, Map2k4, Trib3, Trib1, and Fgd4 was significantly over-expressed in the treated mice than in the controls (p = 0.0027). Moreover, Al-NPs induced the activation of ERK1 and p38 MAPK protein expression in the brain, but did not alter the protein expression of JNK, when compared to the control. These data demonstrate that the nasal exposure of Al-NPs can permeate the brain via the olfactory bulb and modulate the gene and protein expression of MAPK and its activity.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.58-64
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• 2007

The previous study reported the biological effect of magnetic field exerted by acting on endocrine and anti-oxidant system. The present study aims to study whether ELF-MF (extremely low frequency magnetic field) affects the physiological endocrine systems such as thyroid and whether ELF-MF affects the defense system against oxidative stress when it alters the function of thyroid. Finally, we correlate the effects of MF on oxidative stress, and adrenal and thyroid with an environmental stress factor. We exposed sham or MF to rats for 5 or 25 days. After the exposure, we determined pain sensitivity, level of TSH, $T_3$ and free $T_4$ in plasma. We also assayed in whole brain, lipid peroxidation, the activity of enzymatic anti-oxidant defense including superoxide dismutase(SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and non enzymatic defense such as reduced or oxidized glutathione contents. MF induced the hypersensitivity to thermal stimuli with the reduction of latency. $T_3$ and $T_4$ levels were also increased by the exposure of MF. In addition, we observed the rise of MDA level in rat brain by MF although the MF did not change superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activity. The effect of MF on both reduced and oxidized glutathione results in decrease in reduced or oxidized glutathione in whole brain. In every experiment, there was no significant difference in MF influence between short term (5 days) and long term (25 days) exposure. Taken together, MF exposure affects the thyroid hormonal control in brain. The elevated thyroid hormone acts on brain, leading to hyper-utilization of oxygen. This phenomenon may be correlated with oxidative stress resulting from MF exposure. In conclusion, we suggest that MF exposure may be an environmental stress by exerting oxidative stress.