• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.306-312
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• 1993

To evaluate the meaning of anti-HCV detection in patients treated with IVIG, serum levels of aspartate aminotranstferase(AST), alanine aminotransterase(ALT), HCV Ab titer were measured after treatment with IVIG in 36 patients diagnised of Kawasaki disease or neonatal sepsis. Also polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the detection of HCV was done in 8 patients with persistent HCV Ab positivity at 3 months after IVIG treatment. The results were as follows 1) HCV Ab was positive in all 36 patients at 1 week after IVIG treatment, but in only 8 cases it was positive at 3 months after IVIG treatment. 2) AST, ALT were elevated in 9 cases at 1 week after IVIG treatment, but they were normalized in all cases at 3 months after IVIG treatment. 3) PCR for the detection of HCV was done in 8 patients with persistent HCV Ab positivity at 3 months after IVIG treatment, but HCV was not isolated in any cases. These results suggested that detection of anti-HCV was merely transitory phenominon of HCV Ab transmission, did not show any evidence of HCV infection due to HCV transmission.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.8
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• pp.3781-3789
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• 2012

Background: Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive tumors with a dismal prognosis. The membrane cytoskeletal crosslinker Ezrin participates in several functions including cell proliferation, adhesion, motility and survival. There is increasing evidence that Ezrin is overexpressed in vast majority of malignant tumors and regulates tumor progression. However, its roles in pancreatic cancer remain elusive. Methods: Three pairs of specific Ezrin siRNAs were designed and synthetized and screened to determine the most efficient one for construction of a hairpin RNA plasmid targeting Ezrin. After transfection into the Panc-1 pancreatic cancer cell line, real-time quantitative PCR and Western blotting were performed to examine the expression of mRNA and protein. The MTT method was applied to examine the proliferation and the drug sensibility to Gemcitabine. Flow cytometry was used to assess the cycle and apoptosis, while capacity for invasion was determined with transwell chambers. Furthermore, we detected phosphorylated-Erk1/2 protein and phosphorylated-Akt protein by Western blotting. Results: Real-time quantitative PCR and Western blotting revealed that Ezrin expression was notably down-regulated at both mRNA and protein levels by RNA interference (P< 0.01). Proliferation was inhibited and drug resistance to gemcitabine was improved (P< 0.05). Flow cytometry showed that the proportion of cells in the G1/G0 phase increased (P< 0.01), and in G2/M and S phases decreased (P< 0.05), with no apparent differences in apoptosis (P> 0.05). The capacity for invasion was markedly reduced (P< 0.01). In addition, down-regulating Ezrin expression had no effect on phosphorylated-Akt protein (P>0.05), but could decrease the level of phosphorylated-Erk1/2 protein (P< 0.05). Conclusions: RNA interference of Ezrin could inhibit its expression in the pancreatic cancer cells line Panc-1, leading to a potent suppression of malignant behavior in vitro. Assessment of potential as a target for pancreatic cancer treatment is clearly warranted.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.493-500
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• 2005

There is some evidence that soy isoflavone has beneficial effects on the concentration of blood lipids. In this study, we investigated habitual isoflavone intake levels and the relation among dietary isoflavone intake, blood pressure, and blood lipids of adult men (n = 149) and women (n = 205). Anthropometric measurements including blood pressure, dietary in-take assessment using 24-hour recall method, and biochemical assessment using blood were conducted. The average age, height, weight, and BMI were 54.7 years, 168.5 cm, 67.3 kg, and 24.5 $kg/m^2$ for men and 53.9 years, 153.8 cm, 59.2 kg, and 25.0 $kg/m^2$ for women, respectively. The mean daily intakes of total food and energy were 1219.1 g and 1740.9 kcal for men and 1071.3 g and 1432.6 kcal for women, respectively. The mean daily isoflavones (daidzein + genistein) intake of men and women were 20.0 mg and 14.2 mg, respectively. Blood pressure of the subjects was 128.3/75.5 mmHg for men and 124.1/73.7 mmHg for women. Serum lipids of men and women were 180.2 and 184.9 mg/dL for total cholesterol, 160.8 and 137.6 mg/dL for triglyceride, 41.5 and 44.7 mg/dL for HDL-cholesterol, 106.6 and 112.7 mg/dL for LDL-cholesterol, and 3.5 and 3.3 for atherogenic index, respectively. Serum triglyceride and atherogenic index of men were significantly higher than those of women. In men, isoflavone intake and the level of total serum cholesterol were negatively (p < 0.05) correlated, after adjusted age. In women, there were significant correlations between isoflavone intake and blood pressure (systolic and diastolic), after adjusted age (p < 0.05). Based on these results, we concluded that higher isoflavone intake seemed to be related to a better lipid profile in men and lower blood pressure in women. But more epidemiological studies and controlled clinical trials would help to confirm the optimal amount required for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.163-173
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• 2007

Jeungaektang (JAT) is the herbal formula, has the effect of moistening the dryness by activating lung Qi and by nourishing Yin, has being used for dryness syndromes. Generally the herbal formulae for moistening dryness are used for exogenous or endogenous dryness syndromes. JAT has been clinically used for the treatment of endogenous dryness syndromes. It is composed of Scrophulariae Radix. Rehmanniae Radix and Liriopis Tuber. Recent studies showed that JAT has a protective effect against $CCl_{4}-induced$ hepatotoxicity and anti-inflammatory effects against ear swelling of mouse induced by Crotonis Fructus. However, the effect of JAT on the immunological activity was rarely studied. Therefore, this study evaluated the effects of JAT the regulatory mechanism of nitric oxide (NO) and cytokines in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. After the treatment of JAT water extract, cell viability was measured by MTT assay, NO production was monitored by measuring the nitrite content in culture medium. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX -2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) were determined by immunoblot analysis, and levels of cytokine were analyzed by sandwich immunoassays. Results provided evidence that JAT inhibited the production of nitrite and nitrate ($0.1{\sim}1.0$ mg/ml), iNOS ($0.1{\sim}1.0$ mg/ml), $interleukin-1{\beta}$ ( $0.1{\sim}1.0$ mg/ml) and tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}$ ($0.1{\sim}1.0$ mg/ml) in RAW 264.7 cells activated with LPS. Furthermore, JAT inhibited the expression of COX-2 expression and production of prostagladin E2 ($0.1{\sim}1.0$ mg/ml). These findings suggest that JAT can produce anti-inflammatory effect, which may play a role in adjunctive therapy in Gram-negative bacterial infections.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.43 no.10
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• pp.1467-1476
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• 2014

Recent studies have shown that insufficient or deficient vitamin D status may be linked to increased risk of depressive conditions or depression. The aim of this study was to review all available evidence on vitamin D, depression, and any association between them. Cross-sectional, case-control, and cohort studies have reported contradictory results. Some have reported that low levels of vitamin D may be associated with higher risk of depression or depressive symptoms while others reported that vitamin D status may not be related to depression. Recent clinical trials examining the effects of vitamin D supplementation on depression have also showed discrepant results. However, meta-analysis study results are consistent regarding the beneficial effects of vitamin D. Several mechanisms that account for these beneficial effects of vitamin D on depression have been reported but remain largely speculative. Vitamin D deficiency is very common, and prevalence of depression is increasing in the Asian population, especially females. However, limited literature is available on this population. Considering research results of a potential inverse association between vitamin D level and prevalence of depression, it is important to advance our understanding of the role of vitamin D in depression and conduct well-designed prospective trials in the Asian population.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.8
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• pp.3757-3761
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• 2012

Objective: Crocin has been proposed as a promising candidate for cancer chemoprevention. The purpose of this investigation was to investigate the chemopreventive action and the possible mechanisms of crocin against human colon cancer cells in vitro. Methods: Cell proliferation was examined using MTT assay and the cell cycle distribution fractions were analyzed using fow cytometric analysis after propidium iodide staining. Apoptosis was detected using theTUNEL Apoptosis Detection Kit with laser scanning confocal microscope. DNA damage was assessed using the alkaline single-cell gel electrophoresis assay, while expression levels of p53, cdk2, cyclinA and P21 were examined by Western blot analysis. Results: Treatment of SW480 cells with crocetin (0.2, 0.4, 0.8 mmol/L) for 48 h signifcantly inhibited their proliferation in a concentration-dependent manner. Crocetin (0.8 mmol/L) signifcantly induced cell cycle arrest through p53-independent mechanisms accompanied by P21 induction. Crocetin (0.8 mmol/L) caused cytotoxicity in the SW480 cells by enhancing apoptosis and decreasing DNA repair capacity in a time-dependent manner. Conclusions: This report provides evidence that crocetin is a potential anticancer agent, which may be used as a chemotherapeutic drug.

• Korean Journal of Cognitive Science
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.599-618
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• 2016

The relationship between dependent personality traits and depression has been widely studied in the field of psychology. However, the existing evidence is mixed and often contradictory, obscuring the precise nature of this relationship. Given that the most common method of measuring the construct of dependency has been to administer self-report instruments, it is possible that implicit dependency, another parameter of dependency that is distinct from explicit dependency measured via self-report, is confounding these results. The current study aimed to clarify the relationship between dependency and depression by comparing the effect of implicit and explicit dependency. Implicit dependency was measured via the Single Category-Implicit Association Test (SC-IAT), a test of implicit personality that has shown to have good validity and reliability in previous studies. In addition, we examined the effect of gender on this relationship, given the potential role of gender stereotype that may make male participants show lower levels of dependency when measured through self-report (vs. SC-IAT). Results showed that implicit and explicit dependency indeed had separate and distinct relationships, and the relationships depends on participants' gender. Among female participants, increased explicit dependency predicted depression only when implicit dependency was also elevated. In contrast, explicit dependency predicted depression regardless of the level of implicit dependency in male participants. These findings suggest that implicit and explicit dependency may be separate parameters capturing different aspects of dependent personality traits, further supporting the need to consider the implicit aspect of personality in personality assessment research. Implications and limitations of the current findings and directions for future research are discussed.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.12
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• pp.1284-1290
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• 2014

Fatty acid transporter protein 1 (FATP1) is highly expressed in skeletal muscle and modulates fatty acid uptake and metabolism. However, the influence of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), a master regulator of skeletal muscle cells, on FATP1 in skeletal muscle cells has not been demonstrated. To investigate the effect of IGF-I on FATP1 and the expression of the IGFBP5 protein, differentiated C2C12 murine skeletal muscle cells were treated with 20 ng/ml of IGF-I at different time points. The results showed that IGF-I increased FATP1 and IGFBP5 protein expression in a time-dependent manner. To determine whether this induction of FATP1 by the IGF-I treatment was regulated pretranslationally, the mRNA level of FATP1 was measured by real-time quantitative PCR. The IGF-I treatment resulted in very rapid induction of the FATP1 mRNA transcript in C2C12 myotubes. FATP1 mRNA increased 169% and 132% after 24 and 48 h of the IGF-I treatment, respectively, and it returned to control levels after 72 h of the treatment, suggesting that the FATP1 gene is regulated pretranslationally by IGF-I in skeletal muscle cells. This is the first evidence that IGF-I can regulate the expression of FATP1. In conclusion, IGF-I induced rapid transcriptional modification of the FATP1 gene in C2C12 skeletal muscle cells and had modulating effects on fatty acid uptake proteins and oxidative proteins.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.58 no.3
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• pp.219-226
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• 2015

The anticancer activity of a methanolic extract from lemon leaves (MLL) was assessed in MCF-7-SC human breast cancer stem cells. MLL induced apoptosis in MCF-7-SC, as evidenced by increased apoptotic body formation, sub-G1 cell population, annexin V-positive cells, Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, as well as proteolytic activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3, and degradation of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) protein. Concomitantly, MLL induced the formation of acidic vesicular organelles, increased LC3-II accumulation, and reduced the activation of Akt, mTOR, and p70S6K, suggesting that MLL initiates an autophagic progression in MCF-7-SC via the Akt/mTOR pathway. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a critical step in the acquisition of the metastatic state, is an attractive target for therapeutic interventions directed against tumor metastasis. At low concentrations, MLL induced anti-metastatic effects on MCF-7-SC by inhibiting the EMT process. Exposure to MLL also led to an increase in the epithelial marker E-cadherin, but decreased protein levels of the mesenchymal markers Snail and Slug. Collectively, this study provides evidence that lemon leaves possess cytotoxicity and anti-metastatic properties. Therefore, MLL may prove to be beneficial as a medicinal plant for alternative novel anticancer drugs and nutraceutical products.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.121-126
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• 2020

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of drinking ion water on the performance, egg quality, and serum biochemical properties of laying hens in a high-temperature environment. A total of 180 laying hens with equal egg production rates were randomly divided into three treatments with five replicates. Treatments were applied from 24 to 27 weeks of age and included the supply of ion water (IW), tap water (TW), and cold water (CW). The results showed that the egg production rate, egg weight, and feed intake of hens were significantly (P<0.01) improved in the IW group compared with those in the TW group but did not differ from those in the CW group. Egg quality parameters such as albumen height, Haugh unit, and eggshell thickness were found to be higher in the IW than in the TW group (P<0.05); however, no significant differences were observed in comparison with the CW group. Serum Ca and P concentrations tended to increase (P<0.10) in the IW group, and serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and albumin levels were greater (P<0.05) in response to IW than those to TW. This study provides evidence that the supply of IW can relieve the high-temperature stress during the summer. In particular, because the improved effects of the IW were confirmed to be similar to those of CW, it shows potential as a method to manage the drinking water of hens in the summer season along with the supply of CW.