• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• 제24권1호
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• pp.63-68
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• 2008

This study was performed to assess the potential use of ozone or UV radiation for the treatment of water contaminated with sulfamethoxazole (SMX), which is frequently used antibiotic in human and veterinary medicines, especially focusing on the kinetic study and effect of pH. In a study using ozone alone, kinetic study was performed to determine second-order rate constant ($k_{O3,SMX}$) for the reactions of SMX with ozone, which was found to be $1.9{\times}10^6M^{-1}s^{-1}$ at pH 7. The removal efficiencies of SMX by ozone were decreased with increase of pH due to rapid decomposition of ozone under the condition of various pH (2.5, 5.3, 7, 8, 10). In a UV irradiation study at 254 nm, a kinetic model for direct photolysis of SMX was developed with determination of quantum yield ($0.08mol\;Einstein^{-1}$) and molar extinction coefficient ($15,872M^{-1}cm^{-1}$) values under the condition of quantum shielding due to the presence of reaction by-products formed during photolysis. For effect of pH on photolysis of SMX, SMX in the anionic state ($S^-$, pH > 5.6), most prevalent form at environmentally relevant pH values, degraded more slowly than in the neutral state (SH, 1.85 < pH < 5.6) by UV radiation at 254 nm.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• 제43권1호
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• pp.33-41
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• 2022

Objectives: Drug-induced blockade of the human ether-à-go-go related gene (hERG) potassium ion channel causes acquired long QT syndrome, which is known to cause cardiac arrhythmias and be fatal. To establish safety evidence of herbal formulae, we evaluated the effects of 31 herbal formulae on hERG channel activity. Methods: The current through hERG channel was measured by changing the membrane voltage before and after treatment with 31 herbal formulae in HEK 293 cell overexpressing hERG channel using a whole-cell patch clamp system. The current-voltage curves and the activity curves were fitted, and the hERG activity and 50% inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) according to each herbal formula were calculated. Results: Chokyungjongok-tang, Oncheong-eum, and Cheongsangbangpung-tang strongly inhibited the hERG activity, with IC₅₀ values of 67.67, 141.2, and 296.3 ㎍/mL, respectively. Yeonkyopaedok-san, Eunkyo-san, Ukgan-san gajinphibanha, Daegunjoong-tang (except Oryzae gluten), Insamyangyoung-tang, Banhahubak-tang, SokyungHwalhyul-tang, Jodeung-san, Hyeonggaeyeongyo-tang, and Bangkeehwangkee-tang weakly inhibited hERG activity, with IC₅₀ values ranging from 400 to 1000 ㎍/mL. The other 18 herbal formulae showed very weak hERG activity inhibition of less than 50% at the highest concentration (1000 ㎍/mL). Conclusion: This study provided safety information on cardiotoxicity by cardiac arrhythmia risk assessment of herbal formulae, and is expected to be a reference data for predicting the safety and risk of herbal formulae.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• 제24권4호
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• pp.393-398
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• 1996

In order to develop a lactic acid bacterial powder which can be used as a probiotic for human and animal, a lactic acid bacteria which has high resistance against low pH and ox-gall, and shows a good growth inhibition against E. coli, was isolated from an animal intestine and characterized. The isolated strain was identified as Enterococcus faecium. It had more than 90% of survival at low pH for 2 hours and almost 100% of survival in the presence of 0.3% ox-gall. When co-cultured with E. coli in MRS broth, all of the E. coli cells were killed within 24 hours. The final powdered product of the isolated strain was manufactured after a freeze drying process using an industrial media, and then checked its stability. Its storage stability was 80% for 11 months at 18$\circ$C.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• 제15권1호
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• pp.39-46
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• 1982

Nitrate accumulated in vegetables can, via $NO_2$ during storage and after their ingestion, cause the formation of methemoglobin and many of which are carcinogenic in human body. Especially such vegetables with the highest consumption in Korea as chinese cabbage and raddish frequently showed that high contents of nitrate and nitrite could accumulate. Therefore, pH and the content of nitrate and nitrite of Korean pickles made of upper vegetables, viz, Baiechu Kimchi, Yulmookimchi and Kakdooki were estimated during storage at the conditions of $5^{\circ}C$ and $25^{\circ}C Storage at $25^{\circ}C$ generally led to the more rapidly than that at $5^{\circ}C$. But changes of nitrite level showed very low variation in all tested Kimchi.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• 제7권2호
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• pp.38-44
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• 2001

NAD(P)H:quinone reductase (QR), known as DT-diaphorase, is a kind of detoxifying phase II metabolic enzyme catalyzing hydroquinone formation by two electron reduction pathway from quinone type compounds, and thus facilitating excretion of quinoids from human body. With the usefulness of QR induction activity assay system for the modulation of toxicants, in the course of searching for cancer chemopreventive agents from natural products, the methanolic extracts of approximately two hundreds of oriental medicines were primarily evaluated using the induction potential of quinone reductase (QR) activity in cultured murine Hepa1c1c7 cells. As a result, several extracts including Hordeum vulgare, Momordica cochinchinensis, Strychnos ignatii, Houttuynia cordata, and Polygala japonica were found to significantly induce QR activity. In addition, the methylene chloride fraction of H. vulgare, one major dietary food source, showed potent induction of QR activity $(CD=6.4{\mu}g/ml)$. Further study for isolation of active principles from these lead extracts is warranted for the discovery of novel cancer chemopreventive agents.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제14권7호
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• pp.4229-4233
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• 2013

Abraxane (nab-paclitaxel) is a member of the group of nano chemotherapeutics. It is approved for metastatic breast cancer and non small cell lung cancer. Trials for several cancer types including gynecological cancers, head and neck, and prostatic cancer are being studied. In this study, the antiproliferative and apoptotic effect of abraxane was evaluated on HeLa cell line originated from human cervix carcinoma. Three different doses ($D_1$=10 nM, $D_2$=50 nM, $D_3$=100 nM) were administered to HeLa cells for 24, 48 and 72 h. The 50 nM dose of abraxane decreased DNA synthesis from 4.62-0.08%, mitosis from 3.36-1.89% and increased apoptosis from 10.6-30% at 72 h. Additionally, tripolar metaphase plates were seen in mitosis preparations. In this study, abraxane effected cell kinetic parameters significantly. This results are consistent with other studies in the literature.

• Journal of Life Science
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• 제11권1호
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• pp.57-64
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• 2001

The cDNA encoding human NeuAc ${\alpha}$2,3Gal$\beta$ 1,3GalNAc GalNac ${\alpha}$2,6-Sialyltransferase (hST6GalNac IV) was isolated by screening of human fetal liver cDNA library with a DNA probe generated from the cDNA sequence of mouse ST6Gal NAc IV (mkST6GalNAc IV). The cDNA sequence included an open reading frame coding for 302 amino acids, and comparative analysis of this cDNA with mST6GalNAc IV showed that each sequence of the predicted coding region contains 88% and 85% identifies in nucleotide and amino acid levels, respecively. The primary structure of this enzyme suggested a putative domain structure, like that in other glycosyltransferases, consisting of a short N-terminal cytoplamic domain, a transmembrane domain and a large C-terminal active domain. This enzyme expressed in COS-7 cells echibited transferase activity toward NeuAc ${\alpha}$2,3Gal$\beta$ 1,3GalNAc, fetuin and GM1b, although the activity toward the later is very low, no significant activity being detected toward Gal${\beta}$ 1,3Gal NAc or asialofetuin, the other glycoprotein substrates tested. The $^{14}$ C-sialylated residue of fetuin sialylated by this enzyem with CMP-[$^{14}$C]NeuAc was sensitive to treatment with ${\alpha}$2,8-specific sialidase of Vibrio cholerae but resistant to treatment with ${\alpha}$2,3-specific sialidase (NaNase I), and ${\alpha}$2,3- and ${\alpha}$2,8-specific sialidase of Newcastle disease virus. These results clearly indicated that the expressed enzyme is a type of GalNAc ${\alpha}$2,6-sialyltransferase like mST6GalNAc IV, which requires sialic acid residues linked to Gal${\beta}$1,3GalNAc-residues for its activity.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• 제4권2호
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• pp.73-78
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• 2012

Emotion recognition is an important technology in the filed of human-machine interface. To apply speech technology to emotion recognition, this study aims to establish a relationship between emotional groups and their corresponding voice characteristics by investigating various speech features. The speech features related to speech source and vocal tract filter are included. Experimental results show that statistically significant speech parameters for classifying the emotional groups are mainly related to speech sources such as jitter, shimmer, F0 (F0_min, F0_max, F0_mean, F0_std), harmonic parameters (H1, H2, HNR05, HNR15, HNR25, HNR35), and SPI.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제40권2호
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• pp.151-159
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• 2016

Background: Ginsenoside-Rg3, the pharmacologically active component of red ginseng, has been found to inhibit tumor growth, invasion, metastasis, and angiogenesis in various cancer models. Previously, we found that 20(R)-ginsenoside-Rg3 (Rg3) could inhibit angiogenesis. Since microRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to affect many biological processes, they might play an important role in ginsenoside-mediated angiomodulation. Methods: In this study, we examined the underlying mechanisms of Rg3-induced angiosuppression through modulating the miRNA expression. In the miRNA-expression profiling analysis, six miRNAs and three miRNAs were found to be up- or down-regulated in vascular-endothelial-growth-factor-induced human-umbilical-vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) after Rg3 treatment, respectively. Results: A computational prediction suggested that mature hsa-miR-520h (miR-520h) targets ephrin receptor (Eph) B2 and EphB4, and hence, affecting angiogenesis. The up-regulation of miR-520h after Rg3 treatment was validated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, while the protein expressions of EphB2 and EphB4 were found to decrease, respectively. The mimics and inhibitors of miR- 520h were transfected into HUVECs and injected into zebra-fish embryos. The results showed that overexpression of miR-520h could significantly suppress the EphB2 and EphB4 protein expression, proliferation, and tubulogenesis of HUVECs, and the subintestinal-vessel formation of the zebra fish. Conclusion: These results might provide further information on the mechanism of Rg3-induced angiosuppression and the involvement of miRNAs in angiogenesis.

• Journal of Life Science
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• 제21권1호
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• pp.119-126
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• 2011

There is a growing recognition of the significance of $H_2S$ as a biological signaling molecule involved in vascular and nervous system functions. In mammals, two enzymes in the transsulfuration pathway, cystathionine ${\beta}$-synthase (CBS) and cystathionine ${\gamma}$-lyase (CGL), are believed to be chiefly responsible for $H_2S$ biogenesis. Genetic inborn error of CGL leads to human genetic disease, cystathioninuria, by accumulating cystathionine in the body. This disease is secondarily associated with a wide range of diseases including diabetes insipidus and Down's syndrome. Although the human CGL (hCGL) overexpression is essential for the investigation of its function, structure, reaction specificity, substrate specificity, and protein-protein interactions, there is no clear report concerning optimum overexpression conditions. In this study, we report a detailed analysis of the overexpression conditions of the hCGL using a bacterial system. Maximum overexpression was obtained in conditions of low culture temperature after inducer addition, performing low aeration during overexpression, and using a low concentration inducer (0.1 mM, IPTG) for induction. Expressed hCGL was purified by His-tag affinity column chromatography and confirmed by Western blot using hCGL antibody and enzyme activity analysis. We also report that the His tag with TEV site attached protein exhibits 76% activity for ${\alpha}-{\gamma}$ elimination reaction with L-cystathionine and 88% for ${\alpha}-{\beta}$ elimination reaction with L-cysteine compared to those of wild type hCGL, respectively. His tag with TEV site attached protein also exhibits a 420 nm absorption maximum, which is attributed to the binding cofactor, pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP).