• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.63-70
• /
• 2019

PURPOSE: While electrical stimulation (ES) is known to be a safe and flexible tool in rehabilitation therapy, it has had limited adoption in muscle regeneration. This study was performed to investigate whether ES can induce myogenic differentiation and to clarify the mechanism underlying the effects of ES on myogenic differentiation. METHODS: This study used rat L6 cell lines as myoblasts for myogenic differentiation. Electric stimulation was applied to the cells using a C-Pace EP culture pacer (IonOptix, Westwood, Ma, USA). The gene expressions of myogenic markers were examined using qPCR and immunochemistry. RESULTS: Our study showed that ES increased the thickness and length of myotubes during myogenic differentiation. It was found that ES increased the expression of myogenic markers, such as MyoD and Myogenin, and also activated the fusion of the myoblast cells. In addition, ES suppressed the expression of small GTPases, which can explain why ES promotes myogenic differentiation. CONCLUSION: We found that ES induced myogenic differentiation by suppressing small GTPases, inhibiting cell division. We suggest that ES-based therapies can contribute to the development of safe and efficient muscle regeneration.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
• /
• v.48 no.1
• /
• pp.44-53
• /
• 2021

The present work aims to study the induction of somatic embryogenesis in cork oak (Quercus suber L.) from immature zygotic embryos and young apical leaves obtained from 2-month-old seedlings through acorn germination on sterilized peat. The immature zygotic embryos were grown for 1 month on the mineral solution of MS in the presence of 4.52 µM 2,4-D and 30 g/L sucrose. They were then transferred to the same mineral solution with no added growth regulators. In the third subculture, yellow somatic embryos, characterized by two voluminous cotyledons, were differentiated from the radicle of the immature zygotic embryos. The induction of somatic embryogenesis in young leaves required a series of transfers on different culture media containing 30 g/L sucrose and 100 mg/L myo-inositol. Secondary or recurrent somatic embryogenesis occurred within the immature somatic embryo radicles after 1 month of culture on growth regulator-free medium containing WPM macronutrients, MS micronutrients, and vitamins.

• Biomedical Science Letters
• /
• v.29 no.1
• /
• pp.26-33
• /
• 2023

Ziziphus jujuba Mill. (ZJM), a traditional folk medicine and functional food in South Korea and China, has been reported to having pharmacological activities against anti-cancer, anti-oxidative, and anti-obesity. However, the effect of ZJM related to myoblast differentiation has not been known. In this study, we investigated the effects and mechanism of ZJM on myogenic differentiation of C2C12 cells. ZJM promotes myogenic differentiation and elevates the formation of multinucleated myotube compared to the control group. ZJM significantly increased the mRNA and protein expression of MyHC1, myogenin and MyoD in dose- and time-dependent manner. Interestingly, ZJM significantly inhibited the mRNA and protein expression of protein degradation markers, atrogin-1 and MuRF-1, in dose- and time-dependent manner. Taken together, our data suggest that ZJM is a potential functional candidate for muscle growth and strength by promoting myogenic differentiation.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
• /
• v.48 no.1
• /
• pp.12-19
• /
• 2024

Skeletal muscle (SM) is the largest organ of the body and is largely responsible for the metabolism required to maintain body functions. Furthermore, the maintenance of SM is dependent on the activation of muscle satellite (stem) cells (MSCs) and the subsequent proliferation and fusion of differentiating myoblasts into mature myofibers (myogenesis). Natural compounds are being used as therapeutic options to promote SM regeneration during aging, muscle atrophy, sarcopenia, cachexia, or obesity. In particular, ginseng-derived compounds have been utilized in these contexts, though ginsenoside Rg1 is mostly used for SM mass management. These compounds primarily function by activating the Akt/mTOR signaling pathway, upregulating myogenin and MyoD to induce muscle hypertrophy, downregulating atrophic factors (atrogin1, muscle ring-finger protein-1, myostatin, and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production), and suppressing the expressions of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in cachexia. Ginsenoside compounds are also used for obesity management, and their anti-obesity effects are attributed to peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) inhibition, AMPK activation, glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT4) translocation, and increased phosphorylations of insulin resistance (IR), insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1), and Akt. This review was undertaken to provide an overview of the use of ginseng-related compounds for the management of SM-related disorders.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetic Resonance Society
• /
• v.12 no.1
• /
• pp.14-25
• /
• 2008

To investigate the 3-bond connectivity of human brain metabolites by scalar coupling interaction through 2D-correlation spectroscopy (COSY) techniques using high field NMR spectroscopy. All NMR experiments were performed at 298K on Unity Inova 500 or 600 (Varian Inc.) equipped with a triple resonance probe head with z-shield gradient. Human brain metabolites were prepared with 10% $D_2O$. Two dimensional 2D COSY spectra were acquired with 4096 complex data points in $t_2$ and 128 or 256 increments in $t_1$ dimension. The spectral width was 9615.4 Hz and solvent suppression was achieved using presaturation using low power irradiation of the water resonance during 2s of relaxation delay. NMR data were processed using VNMRJ (Varian Instrument) software and all the chemical shifts were referenced to the methyl resonance of N-acetyl aspartate (NAA) peak at 2.0 ppm. Total 10 metabolites such as N-acetyl aspartate (NAA), creatine (Cr), choline (Cho), glutamine (Gln), glutamate (Glu), myo-inositol (Ins), lactate (Lac), taurine (Tau), ${\gamma}$-aminobutyricacid (GABA), alanine (Ala) were included for major target metabolites. Symmetrical 2D-COSY spectra were successfully acquired. Total 14 COSY cross peaks were observed even though there were parallel/orthogonal noisy peaks induced by water suppression. Except for Cr, all of human brain metabolites produced COSY cross peaks. The spectra of NAA methyl proton at 2.02 ppm and Glu methylene proton ($CH_2(3)$) at 2.11 ppm and Gln methylene proton ($CH_2(3)$) at 2.14 ppm were overlapped in the similar resonance frequency between 2.00 ppm and 2.15 ppm. The present study demonstrated that in vitro 2D-COSY represented the 3-bond connectivity of human brain metabolites by scalar coupling interaction. This study could aid in better understanding the interactions between human brain metabolites in vivo 2D-COSY study. Also it would be helpful to determine the molecular stereochemistry in vivo by using two-dimensional MR spectroscopy.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
• /
• v.36 no.5
• /
• pp.385-394
• /
• 2017

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate how to design effective virtual reality-based training (i.e., virtual training) in maritime safety and to present methods for enhancing interface fidelity by employing immersive interaction and 3D user interface (UI) design. Background: Emerging virtual reality technologies and hardware enable to provide immersive experiences to individuals. There is also a theory that the improvement of fidelity can improve the training efficiency. Such a sense of immersion can be utilized as an element for realizing effective training in the virtual space. Method: As an immersive interaction, we implemented gesture-based interaction using leap motion and Myo armband type sensors. Hand gestures captured from both sensors are used to interact with the virtual appliance in the scenario. The proposed 3D UI design is employed to visualize appropriate information for tasks in training. Results: A usability study to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method has been carried out. As a result, the usability test of satisfaction, intuitiveness of UI, ease of procedure learning, and equipment understanding showed that virtual training-based exercise was superior to existing training. These improvements were also independent of the type of input devices for virtual training. Conclusion: We have shown through experiments that the proposed interaction design results are more efficient interactions than the existing training method. The improvement of interface fidelity through intuitive and immediate feedback on the input device and the training information improve user satisfaction with the system, as well as training efficiency. Application: Design methods for an effective virtual training system can be applied to other areas by which trainees are required to do sophisticated job with their hands.

• Natural Product Sciences
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.76-81
• /
• 2015

Diospyros burmanica Kurz. is an evergreen deciduous tree distributed in Mandalay of Myanmar, which belongs to the family of Ebenaceae. In Myanmar, it has been used to treat diarrhea, diabetes, diabetes and also as lumbers. In this study, seven flavonoids (1 - 7), a phenolic compound (8), and five triterpenes (9 - 13) were isolated from the barks of D. burmanica and their chemical structures were elucidated. Isolates were identified to be (+)-catechin (1), (+)-catechin 3-O-$\alpha$-L-rhamnopyranoside (2), (+)-catechin 3-O-gallate (3), (-)-epicatechin (4), (-)-epicatechin 3-O-gallate (5), (+)-afzelechin 3-O-$\alpha$-L-rhamnopyranoside (6), (+)-2,3-trans-dihydrokaempferol 3-O-$\alpha$-L-rhamnopyranoside (7), methyl gallate (8), lupeol (9), methyl lup-20(29)-en-3-on-28-oate (10), $\beta$-amyrin (11), $\alpha$-amyrin (12), $3\beta$-hydroxy-D:B-friedo-olean-5-ene (13) through MS, ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR spectroscopic evidences.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Electromagnetic Engineering and Science
• /
• v.19 no.9
• /
• pp.978-984
• /
• 2008

In this paper, we propose a RFID metal tag antenna with a minimum by size of a metal surface to attach. This proposed tag antenna is a patch antenna which is able to stick on metal surface and designed for very slim structure ($119{\times}30{\times}1.6$ mm) antenna that is matched to a chip impedance. This has a loop coupling feeding and consists of a inner radiator and a outer radiator. The outer radiator activates the current to concentrate on the inner radiator regardless of metal size to attach. Also the tag antenna is designed by CST microwave tool and the performance is measured in the anechoic chamber. The optimum antenna has 3.77 % of the matching bandwidth($S_{11}<-10$ dB). The readable range of the tag antenna is about 2.9 m on metal(max. size $700{\times}700$ mm) and 5.5 m in free space according to the measurement results.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.27 no.8
• /
• pp.909-918
• /
• 2017

Ice plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L.) was fermented in brine in the form of mulkimchi (IPMB), and its contents of organic acid and cyclitols and biological activities were compared with those before fermentation. The pH of the IPMB continuously decreased until the sixth day of fermentation. The lactic acid yield was greatest on the fourth day. D-pinitol in ice plant mulkimchi solids (IPMS) decreased during fermentation. However, myo-inositol and D-chiro-inositol increased. The radical scavenging activities of ABTS and DPPH, in addition to the activity of FRAP, of the IPMS extract were generally higher after fermentation, with the activities highest on the fifth ($79.09{\pm}0.69%$), fourth ($87.55{\pm}1.21%$), and sixth ($78.72{\pm}0.99%$) days of fermentation, respectively, when treated with 1 mg/ml of the extract. As shown by a lipid/MA assay, antioxidant activity was generally higher after fermentation. The viability of BNL CL.2 cells damaged by t-BHP, $H_2O_2$, and ethanol was $14.19{\pm}0.98$, $13.80{\pm}2.25$, and $25.89{\pm}2.90%$, respectively. When treated with $200{\mu}g/ml$ of IPMS extract, the cell viability was $57.06{\pm}4.52%$ on the first day, and $66.06{\pm}1.36%$ on the fourth day, and $50.07{\pm}04.85%$ on the sixth day of fermentation. Hepatocyte protective effects did not increase significantly after fermentation. ${\alpha}-glucosidase$ inhibitory activity was quite high, with a range of $83.52{\pm}2.69$ to $92.79{\pm}2.16%$, and the activity increased gradually in all the groups over the fermentation period. There was no clear correlation between ${\alpha}-amylase$ inhibitory activity and fermentation.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.17 no.1 s.81
• /
• pp.6-11
• /
• 2007

[ $\beta$ ]-Fructofuranosidases, a family 32 of glycoside hydrolases (GH32), share three conserved domains including the W(L/M)(C/N)DP(Q/N), FRDPK, and ECP(D/G) motifs. The functional role of the conserved acidic residues within three domains of levan fructotransferase, one of the $\beta-fructofuranosidases$, from Microbacterium sp. AL-210 was studied by site-directed mutagenesis. Each mutant was overexpressed in E. coli BL21(DE3) and purified by using Hi-Trap chelating affinity chromatography and fast performance liquid chromatography. Substitution of Asp-63 by Ala, Asp-195 by Asn, and Glu-245 by Ala and Asp decreased the enzyme activity by approximately 100-fold compared to the wild-type enzyme. This result indicates that three acidic residues Asp-63, Asp-195, and Glu-245 play a major role in catalysis. Since the three acidic residues are present in a conserved position in inulinase, levanase, levanfructotransferase, and invertase, they are likely to have a common functional role as nucleophile, transition state stabilizer, and general acid in $\beta-fructofuranosidases$.