• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.251-257
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• 2007

The Tumor necrosis factor-α, (TNF-α), is involved in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis and contributes to the degeneration of oligodendrocytes as well as neurons. Nicotine has been found to have immunosuppressive and inflammation-suppressing effects. Astrocytes, the major glial cells in the CNS, are capable of producing TNF-α at both the mRNA and protein levels in response to interleukin-1 (IL-1) or TNF-α. Nicotine has been shown to influence glial cell functions. To order to explore the role of astrocytes in the production of TNF-α, astrocytes were pretreated with nicotine and are stimulated with IL-1β to determine their effects on TNF-α production. The results are as follows. Cytotoxic effects of nicotine on human fetal astrocytes were noted above 10 μg/ml of nicotine. The effect of IL-1β on TNF-α mRNA expression in primary cultured human fetal astrocytes was maximal at 2 h after IL- 1β(100 pg/ml) treatment. Human fetal astrocytes were pretreated with 0.1, 1, and 10 μg/ml of nicotine and then stimulated with IL-1β (100 pg/ml) for 2 h. The inhibitory effect of nicotine on expressions of TNF-α mRNA in human fetal astrocytes with pretreated 0.1 μg/ml of nicotine is first noted at 8 hr, and the inhibitory effect is maximal at 12 h. The inhibitory effect at 1 μg/ml of nicotine is inhibited maximal at 24 h. Nicotine at 0.1, 1 and 10 μg/ml concentrations significantly inhibits IL-1β-induced NF-κB activation. Collectively, this study indicates that nicotine might inhibit the expression of TNF-α in activated human fetal astrocytes.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.189-195
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• 2015

In this study, we prepared epoxidized poly ethylene-ter-1-decene-ter-divinylbenzene (Epo-PEHV) as a reactive compatibilizer to prevent phase separation phenomenon which occurs upon blending polypropylene (PP) and ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH). Firstly, PEHV was prepared under high catalyst activity according to content of catalyst and cocatalyst. After then, we modified vinyl group of the terpolymer with epoxy group. We observed that the terpolymer was successfully epoxidized by 1H-NMR and FT-IR analysis. The Epo-PEHV was added by 2, 5, 10% in PP/EVOH blends. The morphologies and mechanical properties of PP/Epo-PEHV/EVOH blends were analyzed by SEM and UTM, respectively. Epo-PEHV enhanced the interfacial adhesion of PP and EVOH blends.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.193-203
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• 2000

Objectives : Hindered barrier function of vascular endothelium has been implicated in the initiation and progression of degenerative vascular diseases such as atherosclerosis. In this study, the effect of Sunghyangchungisan(SHCS) as a protectant against oxidant-induced destruction of endothelial barrier function was assessed. Methods : Toward this end, endothelial cells derived from the human umbilical vein were cultured as monolayers on permeable membrane filters. Endothelial permeability was monitored by measuring transendothelial electrical resistance and movement of low density lipoprotein (LDL) across the endothelial monolayer. Results : Along with increased movement of LDL, $H_2O_2$-induced increase in endothelial permeability was paralleled by a decrease in transendotheliaI electrical resistance. The effect of $H_2O_2$ was mimicked by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), a potent activator of proteinkinase C. Calphostin-C, a protein kinase C inhibitor, effectively blocked the increase in endothelial permeability induced by $H_2O_2$ or PMA, indicating that activation of protein kinase C is associated with the $H_2O_2-induced$ permeability change. SHCS effectively protected the endothelial monolayer against $H_2O_2-induced$ increase in permeability, whereas, it did not affect PMA-induced change. Forskolin, a potent activator of adenylyl cyclase, antagonized $H_2O_2$ to increase endothelial permeability. In addition, in ${H_2O_2}-treated$ cens, intracenular cAMP concentration was significantly decreased, indicating that impaired cAMP production as well as activation of proteinkinase C is a mechanism underlying ${H_2O_2}>-induced$$H_2O_2$ with regard to its effect on intracellular cAMP content. However, SHCS itself did not affect resting cAMP concentration in endothelial cells. Conclusions : These results suggest that SHCS might operate as an effective protectant against oxidant-induced destruction of endothelial barrier function. The mechanism does not appear to involve direct interaction with protein kinase C- or cAMP-associated signaling mechanism.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.110-122
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• 2024

This study investigated major constituents and anti-inflammatory effects of an ethanol extract of Platycodon grandiflorum leaves. Through HPLC analysis, chlorogenic acid and luteolin-7-O-glucoside were identified as predominant constituents in the ethanol extract. Their anti-inflammatory effects were evaluated using murine macrophage (RAW 264.7 cells) and human lung carcinoma cells (NCI-H292 & A549). The ethanol extract significantly (p<0.01) inhibited the production of nitrite, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in RAW 264.7 cells. Furthermore, the ethanol extract suppressed the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible NO synthase (iNOS) proteins in RAW 264.7 cells stimulated with LPS. In NCI-H292 and A549 cells, treatment with the ethanol extract significantly (p<0.05) decreased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and IL-8 induced by IL-1β. The phosphorylation of ERK rather than JNK in the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway was observed to be a more important mediator in the down-regulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines in NCI-H292 cells. These findings suggest that the ethanol extract of Platycodon grandiflorum leaves containing luteolin-7-O-glucoside exhibits promising anti-inflammatory properties.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.833-836
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• 2004

Effects of pickling soybeans in acidic solution on soybean isoflavone, and pH and color of immersing solution were investigated. Soybean cultivars, Seoritae and Seomoktae (black beans) and Myeongju-namul (yellow bean), were soaked in persimmon vinegar for 10 days at $20^{\circ}C$. Isoflavone content increased rapidly during pickling, reaching 51.8 (Seomoktae)-106.8% (Myeongju-namul). Increase of aglycone types, from 6.2-9.3% to 20.9-50.8%, was particularly noted, while glycosidic ones were less affected. Acidity of persimmon vinegar increased from 3.4 to 4.4 up to 4 days of soaking and decreased slowly thereafter. Color 'L' and 'b' values of persimmon vinegar decreased significantly, whereas 'a' value increased in black beans. All color values of yellow beans were less affected.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.891-894
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• 2014

This study is aimed to investigate the role of paired boxed gene 1 (PAX1) methylation analysis by methylation-sensitive high-resolution melting (MS-HRM) in the detection of high grade lesions in atypical squamous cells cannot exclude high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (ASC-H) and compared its performance with the Hybrid Capture 2 (HC2) human papillomavirus (HPV) test. In our study, 130 cases with a diagnosis of ASC-H from the cervical cytological screening by Thinprep cytologic test (TCT) technique were selected for triage. Their cervical scrapings were collected and evaluated by using PAX1 methylation analysis (MS-HRM) and high-risk HPV DNA test (HC2), followed by colposcopy and cervical biopsy. Chi-square test were used to test the differences of PAX1 methylation or HPV infection between groups. In the detection of CIN2+, the sensitivity, specificity, the PPV, NPV and the accuracy of PAX1 MS-HRM assay and high-risk HPV (HR-HPV) tests were respectively 80.6% vs 67.7%, 94.9% vs 54.5%, 83.3%, vs 31.8%, 94.0% vs 84.4%, and 91.5% vs 57.7%. The PAX1 MS-HRM assay proved superior to HR-HPV testing in the detection of high grade lesions (CIN2+) in ASC-H. This approach could screen out the majority of high grade lesion cases of ASC-H, and thus could reduce the referral rate to colposcopy.

• Korean Journal of Breeding Science
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.106-112
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• 2008

International conferences to block the spread of Avian bird flu occurred in Beijing, 2006 and others warned of the seriousness of the H5N1 strain. The meetings succeeded in generating billions of dollars from USA, EU and World Bank. Migratory birds seem to play a major role in the spread of the aggressive strain globally from Asia to Europe and Africa. Experiences of tolerance breeding of maize (Zea mays L.) for four decades against 20 biotic stresses suggest that the prime cause of the occurrence of H5N1 strain was due to the human beings' counter-efforts against nature. Excessive use of chemicals (spray and injection) in the commercial poultry farms had created high selection pressure on virus. The new strain had mutated for survival. Attempting to eliminate the virus by chemicals for 100% control is a dangerous way to control biotic stresses. This can create more aggressive strains. A solution would be to build up tolerability of the commercial animals against the virus. Improvement of poultry cage environments and respect for nature must be integrated. Potential foes must be watched.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.30-36
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• 2010

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of blueberry extract on cell death, ROS and gene expression patterns associated with the anti-cancer activity in human breast cancer MCF7 cells. To accomplish this, 20 mg/mL concentration of blueberry extract was added to the cell culture for 0, 6, 12, 24 or 48 h, after which the effects were evaluated by various analyses. MTT assay showed that the cellular activities decreased rapidly during the first 12 h of treatment. During this period, dual staining with Hoechst33322 and propidium iodide also produced a similar trend in which the dead or dying cells increased sharply. Furthermore, evaluation of BrdU incorporation as an index for cell proliferation revealed a marked decrease during the first 12 h of treatment, suggesting that anticancer activity involves the inhibition of cell proliferation and induces cell death. ROS also increased according to the duration of the treatment, indicating intracellular accumulation is associated with the cell death. RT-PCR analysis revealed significant decreases in anti-apoptotic (Bax) and increases in pro-apoptotic gene expressions (Bci-2, caspase- 3, and 9) (p<0.05). Taken these together, blueberry extract induces ROS accumulation in MCF7 cells, causing inhibition of cell proliferation and eventually leading to cell death. This cell death was associated with apoptotic gene expression in blueberry-treated cells for up to 24 h.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.12-15
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• 2003

The effect of chlorella addition on quality and shelf-life of soybean curd was investigated. The yield of chlorella soybean curd was the highest with 1.0% (w/w) chlorella addition. Hardness, gumminess, and chewiness of chlorella soybean curd increased, whereas Hunters color values decreased in proportion to amount of chlorella added. No significant differences were observed between the sensory properties of chlorella and ordinary soybean curds. Microbial counts of soybean curd stored in sterilized distilled water as tofu-immersion solution increased, whereas pH decreased during storage at $15^{\circ}C$. After 5 days storage, microbial counts of the soybean curds containing 0.5 and 1.O% chlorella were lower than that of the ordinary soybean curd. These results imply that chlorella is a useful additive to suppress the proliferation of aerobic microorganism in soybean curd at the optimal concentration of chlorella around 1%.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.808-818
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• 2004

This study was designed to elucidate the synergistic cytotoxic mechanisms of the cotreatment of Paljintanghabhwajeoghwan (Paljin) and As₂O₃ in human lung cancer cell line, H-460. The combination of Paljin and As₂O₃ synergistically augmented the cytotoxicity of Paljin and As₂O₃ in H-460 cells. The nature of cytotoxicity was revealed as apoptosis which characterized by chromatin condensation and fragmentation in DAPI staining. Mitochodrial membrane potential transition was observed in H-460 cells treated with Paljin and As₂O₃. The apoptotic cytotoxicity of Paljin and As₂O₃ was accompanied by the cleavage of PARP and ICAD. Of note, pro-apoptotic Bak protein was obviously increased. However, the expression of p53 was not affected by the cotreatment of Paljin and As₂O₃. In addition, the expression of DR5 was increased by the cotreatment of Paljin and AS203. This results suggest that the synergistic cytotoxicity of the cotreatment of Paljin and As₂O₃ might be caused by the changes of the expression levels of a lots proteins, such as PARP, ICAD, Bak, DR5, which play pivotal roles in survival or death of cells.