• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.151-159
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• 2019

Pruritus (itching) is classically defined as an unpleasant cutaneous sensation that leads to scratching behavior. Although the scientific criteria of classification for pruritic diseases are not clear, it can be divided as acute or chronic by duration of symptoms. In this study, we investigated whether skin injury caused by chemical (contact hypersensitivity, CHS) or physical (skin-scratching stimulation, SSS) stimuli causes initial pruritus and analyzed gene expression profiles systemically to determine how changes in skin gene expression in the affected area are related to itching. In both CHS and SSS, we ranked the Gene Ontology Biological Process terms that are generally associated with changes. The factors associated with upregulation were keratinization, inflammatory response and neutrophil chemotaxis. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway shows the difference of immune system, cell growth and death, signaling molecules and interactions, and signal transduction pathways. Il1a, Il1b and Il22 were upregulated in the CHS, and Tnf, Tnfrsf1b, Il1b, Il1r1 and Il6 were upregulated in the SSS. Trpc1 channel genes were observed in representative itching-related candidate genes. By comparing and analyzing RNA-sequencing data obtained from the skin tissue of each animal model in these characteristic stages, it is possible to find useful diagnostic markers for the treatment of itching, to diagnose itching causes and to apply customized treatment.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.21 no.7
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• pp.83-92
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• 2021

The goal of this paper is to explore the relationship between visual and auditive meanings of the film "The Imitation Game"(2013) which is directed by Morten Tyldum, and with music composed by Alexandre Desplat. The author accepted Zwikowski's idea of analyzing how film music and visual information created a chemical and meaningful signal for the audience. Lawrence Zbikowski has used Conceptual Integration Networks (CIN), devised by Golles Fauconnier and Mark Turner, to analyze latent meanings which was produced by the association of visual and auditive meanings. Therefore, The author applied the CIN analyzing methodology to the research combination of music and imagery in "The Imitaion Game." Desplat, the composer, has used aeolian instead of tonality to represent the main character. The aeolian melodic line was changed to create a similar atmosphere of imagery and narratives. The irregular time and minor chord was associated with unstable emotion and familiar intervals, while the major chord was associated with stable feelings. Desplat also applied instrumental diversity and extreme changes of dynamic to create positive or negative cognition. The author, therefore, found how the meanings of auditive materials and visual information combined and emphasized encoded messages in the film.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.616-630
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• 2023

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Indole-3-propionic acid (IPA) is a tryptophan-derived microbial metabolite that has been associated with protective effects against inflammatory and metabolic diseases. However, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the effects of IPA under physiological conditions and at the intestinal level. MATERIALS/METHODS: Human intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cells were treated for 2, 24, and/or 72 h with IPA or its precursors - indole, tryptophan, and propionate - at 1, 10, 100, 250, or 500 μM to assess cell viability, integrity, differentiation, and proliferation. RESULTS: IPA induced cell proliferation and this effect was associated with a higher expression of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 (ERK2) and a lower expression of c-Jun. Although indole and propionate also induced cell proliferation, this involved ERK2 and c-Jun independent mechanisms. On the other hand, both tryptophan and propionate increased cell integrity and reduced the expression of claudin-1, whereas propionate decreased cell differentiation. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, these findings suggested that IPA and its precursors distinctly contribute to the proliferation, differentiation, and barrier function properties of human intestinal epithelial cells. Moreover, the pro-proliferative effect of IPA in intestinal epithelial cells was not explained by its precursors and is rather related to its whole chemical structure. Maintaining IPA at physiological levels, e.g., through IPA-producing commensal bacteria, may be important to preserve the integrity of the intestinal barrier and play an integral role in maintaining metabolic homeostasis.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.33.1-33.19
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• 2021

IL-1β plays critical roles in the priming and effector phases of immune responses such as the differentiation, commitment, and memory formation of T cells. In this context, several reports have suggested that the IL-1β signal is crucial for CTL-mediated immune responses to viral infections and tumors. However, little is known regarding whether IL-1β acts directly on CD8⁺ T cells and what the molecular mechanisms underlying expression of IL-1 receptors (IL-1Rs) on CD8⁺ T cells and features of IL-1R⁺ CD8⁺ T cells are. Here, we provide evidence that the expression of IL-1R type I (IL-1RI), the functional receptor of IL-1β, is preferentially induced by IL-21 on TCR-stimulated CD8⁺ T cells. Further, IL-1β enhances the effector function of CD8⁺ T cells expressing IL-21-induced IL-1RI by increasing cytokine production and release of cytotoxic granules containing granzyme B. The IL-21-IL-1RI-IL-1β axis is involved in an augmented effector function through regulation of transcription factors BATF, Blimp-1, and IRF4. Moreover, this axis confers a unique effector function to CD8⁺ T cells compared to conventional type 1 cytotoxic T cells differentiated with IL-12. Chemical inhibitor and immunoprecipitation assay demonstrated that IL-21 induces a unique pattern of STAT activation with the formation of both STAT1:STAT3 and STAT3:STAT5 heterodimers, which are critical for the induction of IL-1RI on TCR-stimulated CD8⁺ T cells. Taken together, we propose that induction of a novel subset of IL-1RI-expressing CD8⁺ T cells by IL-21 may be beneficial to the protective immune response against viral infections and is therefore important to consider for vaccine design.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.64-72
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• 2002

Purpose : To introduce and demonstrate the advantages of the new hybrid two-dimensional (2D) proton spectroscopic imaging (SI) over the single voxel spectroscopy (SVS) and conventional 2D SI in the clinical application of spectroscopy for pediatric cerebral disease. Materials and Methods : Eighty-one hybrid 2D proton spectroscopic imaging was performed in 79 children (36 normal infants and children, 10 with hypoxic-ischemic injury, 20 with toxic-metabolic encephalopathy, seven with brain tumor, three with meningoencephalitis, one with neurofibromatosis, one with Sturge-Weber syndrome and one with lissencephaly) ranging in age from the third day of life to 15 years. In adult volunteers (n=5), all three techniques including hybrid 2D proton SI, SVS using PRESS sequence, and conventional 2D proton SI were performed. Both hybrid 2D proton SI and SVS using PRESS sequence were performed in clinical cases (n=). All measurements were performed with a 1.5-T scanner using standard head quadrature coil. The 16$\times$16 phase encoding steps were set on variable field of view (FOV) depending on the size of the brain. The hybrid volume of interest inside FOV was set as $75{\times}75{\times}15{\;}\textrm{mm}^3$ or smaller to get rid of unwanted fat signal. Point-resolved spectroscopy (TR/TE=1,500 msec/135 or 270msec) was employed with standard chemical shift selective saturation (CHESSI pulses for water suppression. The acquisition time and spectral quality of hybrid 2D proton SI were compared with those of SVS and conventional 2D proton SI. Results : The hybrid 2D proton SI was successfully conducted upon all patients.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.163-175
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• 1995

Metal free phthalocyanine($H_2Pc$) partially doped with iodine, $H_2Pc(I)x$, has been made to improve photosensitizing efficiency of ZnO/$H_2Pc$. The content of iodine dopant level(x) for $H_2Pc(I)x$ upon $H_2Pc$ polymorphs was characterized as ${\chi}-H_2Pc(I)_{0.92}$ and ${\beta}-H_2Pc(I)_{0.96}$ by elemental analysis. Characterization of iodine-oxidized $H_2Pc$ were investigated by TGA (thermogravimetric analysis), UV-Vis, FT-IR, Raman and ESR (electron spin resonance) spectrum, and the adsorption properties of $H_2Pc(I)x$ on ZnO were characterized by means of Raman and ESR studies. TGA for $H_2Pc(I)x$ showed a complete loss of iodine at approximately 265$^{\circ}C$ and the Raman spectrum of $H_2Pc(I)x$ and ZnO/$H_2Pc(I)x$ at 514.5 nm showed characteristic $I_3^-$ patterns in the frequency region 90∼550 $cm^{-1}$. ZnO/$H_2Pc(I)x$ exhibited a very intense and narrow ESR signal at $g=2.0025{\pm}0.0005$ compared to $H_2Pc$/ZnO. Iodine doped ZnO/$H_2Pc(I)x$ showed a better photosensitivity compared to iodine undoped ZnO/$H_2Pc$. That is, the surface photovoltage of ${\chi}-H_2Pc(I)_{0.92}$/ZnO was approximately 31 times greater than that of ZnO/${\chi}-H_2Pc$ and ZnO/${\beta}-H_2Pc(I)_{0.96}$ was 5 times more efficient than ZnO/${\beta}-H_2Pc$ at 670 nm. And the dependence of photosensitizing effect upon $H_2Pc$ polymorphs was exhibited that the surface photovoltage of ZnO/${\chi}-H_2Pc(I)_{0.92}$ was approximately 5 times greater than ZnO/${\beta}-H_2Pc(I)_{0.96}$ at 670 nm. Therefore Iodine doping of H_2Pc$ resulted in increase in photoconductivity of $H_2Pc$ and photovoltaic effect of ZnO/$H_2Pc$ in the visible region.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.301-312
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• 2011

The study on the atomic structure of iron-bearing silicate glasses has significant geological implications for both diverse igneous processes on Earth surface and ultra-low velocity zones at the core-mantle boundary. Here, we report experimental results on the effect of iron content on the atomic structure in iron-bearing alkali silicate glasses ($Na_2O-Fe_2O_3-SiO_2$ glasses, up to 16.07 wt% $Fe_2O_3$) using $^{29}Si$ and $^{17}O$ solid-state NMR spectroscopy. $^{29}Si$ spin-lattice ($T_1$) relaxation time for the glasses decreases with increasing iron content due to an enhanced interaction between nuclear spin and unpaired electron in iron. $^{29}Si$ MAS NMR spectra for the glasses show a decrease in signal intensity and an increase in peak width with increasing iron content. However, the heterogeneous peak broa-dening in $^{29}Si$ MAS NMR spectra suggests the heterogeneous distribution of $Q^n$ species around iron in iron-bearing silicate glasses. While nonbridging oxygen ($Na-O-Si$) and bridging oxygen (Si-O-Si) peaks are partially resolved in $^{17}O$ MAS NMR spectrum for iron-free silicate glass, it is difficult to distinguish the oxygen clusters in iron-bearing silicate glass. The Lorentzian peak shape for $^{29}Si$ and $^{17}O$ MAS NMR spectra may reflect life-time broadening due to spin-electron interaction. These results demonstrate that solid-state NMR can be an effective probe of the detailed structure in iron-bearing silicate glasses.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.57-61
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• 2003

The purpose of this study is to compare both 1.5T and 4.7T in Praietal White matter material Phantom using the same methodology at both field strengths. Data at both field strengths are compared in terms of $T_2$ relaxation times, line widths and SNRs MR imaging and $^1H$ MR spectroscopy were performed on GE 1.5T SIGNA system and Broker Biospec 4.7T/30 MRI/MRS system. After phantom axial scan $^1H$ MRS was obtained from T2 weighted image by 3-dimensional localization technique(PRESS : Point RE solved spectroscopy Sequence) this phantom is composed of an aqueous solution 36.7 mmol/L of NAA, 25.0 mmol/L of Cr, 6.3 mmol/L of choline chloride, 30.0 mmol/L or Glu, and 22.5 mmol/L of MI(adjusted to a pH of 7,15 in a phosphate buffet). Data processed using software developed inhouse. At 1.5T, T2 relaxation times for Cho, Cr, and NAA were $0.41{\pm}0.07,\;0.26{\pm}0.04,\;0.46{\pm}0.07$ while at 4.7T they were $0.17{\pm}0.03,\;0.14{\pm}0.05,\;0.20{\pm}0.03$ respectively. At 1.5T, line widths for water, Cho, Cr and NAA were $2.9{\pm}0.7,\;1.6{\pm}0.7,\;1.7{\pm}0.8,\;2.2{\pm}0.02Hz$ while at 4.7T they were $5.2{\pm}1.1,\;4.6{\pm}1.9,\;4.01{\pm}1.8,\;4.8{\pm}1.9Hz$ respectively. It can be seen that $T_2$ relaxation times were significantly shorter at 4.7 compared to 1.5T and that the line widths were also broader. The average SNRs for NAA for subjects at short and long TEs were $23.5{\pm}11.3$ at TE=20 msec ; $15.4{\pm}7.7$ at TE=272 msec at 1.5T and $40{\pm}8.3$ and $17{\pm}3.5$ respectively at 4.7T higher field strength is superior because of improved sensitivity and chemical shift dispersion. However these improvements are partially offset by increased line widths and decrease $T_2$ relaxation times, which act to reduce both sensitivity and resolution. In our experiments with the equipment available to us, 4.7T proton spectra at short TEs exhibit moderately improved sensitivity compared to 1.5T.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.58 no.3
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• pp.301-307
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• 2013

This study was evaluated high end research grade Near Infrared Reflectance Spectrophotometer (NIRS) to field grade multiple Near Infrared Reflectance Spectrophotometer (NIRS) for rapid analysis at fresh rice leaf at sight with 238 samples of fresh rice leaf during year 2012, collected Jeollabuk-do for evaluate accuracy and precision between instruments. Firstly collected and build database high end research grade NIRS using with 400 nm ~ 2500 nm during from year 2003 to year 2009, seven years collected fresh rice leaf database then trim and fit to field grade NIRS with 1200 nm ~ 2400 nm then build and create calibration, transfer calibration with special transfer algorithm. The result between instruments was 0.005% differences, rapidly analysis for chemical constituents, Total nitrogen in fresh rice leaf within 5 minutes at sight and the result equivalent with laboratory data. Nevertheless last during more than 8 years collected samples for build calibration was organic samples that make differentiate by local or yearly bases etc. This strongly suggest population evaluation technique needed and constantly update calibration and maintenance calibration to proper handling database accumulation and spread out by knowledgable control laboratory analysis and reflect calibration update such as powerful control center needed for long lasting usage of fresh rice leaf analysis with NIRS at sight. Especially the agriculture products such as rice will continuously changes that made easily find out the changes and update routinely, if not near future NIRS was worthless due to those changes. Many research related NIRS was shortly study not long term study that made not well using NIRS, so the system needed check simple and instantly using with local language supported signal methods global distance (GD) and neighbour distance (ND) algorithm. Finally the multiple popular field grades instruments should be the same results not only between research grade instruments but also between multiple field grade instruments that needed easily transfer calibration and maintenance between instruments via internet networking techniques.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.10-17
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• 2016

Enzyme immunoassay to analyze specific binding activity of antibody to antigen uses horseradish peroxidase (HRP) or alkaline phosphatase (AP). Chemical methods are usually used for coupling of these enzymes to antibody, which is complicated and random cross-linking process. As results, it causes decreases or loss of functional activity of either antibody or enzyme. In addition, most enzyme assays use secondary antibody to detect antigen binding activity of primary antibody. Enzymes coupled to secondary antibody provide a binding signal by substrate-based color development, suggesting secondary antibody is required in enzyme immunoassay. Additional incubation time for binding of secondary antibody should also be necessary. More importantly, non-specific binding activity caused by secondary antibody should also be eliminated. In this study, we cloned AP isolated from Escherichia coli (E. coli) chromosome by PCR and fused to) hAY4 single-chain variable domain fragment (ScFv) specific to death receptor (DR4) which is a receptor for tumor necrosis factor ${\alpha}$ related apoptosis induced ligand (TRAIL). hAY4 ScFv-AP expressed in E. coli showed 73.8 kDa as a monomer in SDS-PAGE. However, this fusion protein shown in size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) exhibited 147.6 kDa as a dimer confirming that natural dimerization of AP by non-covalent association induced ScFv-AP dimerization. In several immunoassay such as ELISA, Western blot and immunocytochemistry, it showed antigen binding activity by color development of substrates catalyzed by AP directly fused to primary hAY4 ScFv without secondary antibody. In summary, hAY4 ScFv-AP fusion protein was successfully purified as a soluble dimeric form in E. coli and showed antigen binding activity in several immunoassays without addition of secondary antibody which sometimes causes time-consuming, expensive and non-specific false binding.