• BMB Reports
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.979-985
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• 2007

Induction of growth hormone (GH) by Glycyrrhizae Radix (GR), one of the most popular herbal medicine, and its major ingredients were studied in rat pituitary cells in vitro and in vivo assay. The MeOH extract and the n-hexane (HX) fraction of GR induced rat GH (rGH) release up to 1.89 times ($0.34{\pm}0.04 nM$) and 4.59 times ($0.83{\pm}0.03 nM$), compared to the basal level (p < 0.05). Among many ingredients isolated and purified from GR both glycyrrhetinic acid and glycyrrhizin induced significantly rGH release compared to the control (p < 0.05). After an intravenous injection of rat growth hormone releasing hormone (rGHRH) ($10{\mu}g$/kg) as positive control, in SD rats, $T_{max}$ of plasma rGH level was 10 min, $C_{max}$ was $3.84{\pm}0.01 nM$ (n = 3), and enhanced plasma rGH level returned to the baseline in 90 min. Both $AUC_{0-90}$ (area under the curve) of plasma rGH level after HX fraction and that after rGHRH administration were increased significantly from the basal level, respectively (p < 0.01). In conclusions, HX fraction is the most active fraction of MeOH extract of GR in rGH induction.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Surface Engineering Conference
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• 2017.05a
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• pp.158-158
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• 2017

Titanium and its alloys have been used in the field dental and orthopedic implants because of their excellent mechanical properties and biocompatibility. Despite these attractive properties, their passive films were somewhat bioinert in nature so that sufficient adhesion of bone cells to implant surface was delayed after surgical treatment. Recently, plasma electrolyte oxidation (PEO) of titanium metal has attracted a great deal of attention is a comparatively convenient and effective technique and good adhesion to substrates and it enhances wear and corrosion resistances and produces thick, hard, and strong oxide coatings. Silicon(Si), Zinc(Zn), and Manganese(Mn) have a beneficial effect on bone. Si in particular has been found to be essential for normal bone and cartilage growth and development. And, Zn has been shown to be responsible for variations in body weight, bone length and bone biomechanical properties. Also, Mn influences regulation of bone remodeling because its low content in body is connected with the rise of the concentration of calcium, phosphates and phosphatase out of cells. The objective of this work was research on bone-like apatite morphology on Si-Zn-Mn-hydroxyapatite coating on Ti-6Al-4V alloy by plasma electrolytic oxidation. Anodized alloys were prepared at 280V voltage in the solution containing Si, Zn, and Mn ions. The surface characteristics of PEO treated Ti-6Al-4V alloy were investigated using XRD, FE-SEM, and EDS.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.418-427
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• 2006

Ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs) are ligand-gated nonselective cation channels that mediate fast excitatory neurotransmission. Although homologues of the iGluRs have been identified in higher plants, their roles are largely unknown. In this work we isolated a full-length cDNA clone (RsGluR) encoding a putative glutamate receptor from small radish. An RsGluR:mGFP fusion protein was localized to the plasma membrane. In Arabidopsis thaliana overexpressing the fulllength cDNA, glutamate treatment triggered greater $Ca^{2+}$ influx in the root cells of transgenic seedlings than in those of the wild type. Transgenic plants exhibited multiple morphological changes such as necrosis at their tips and the margins of developing leaves, dwarf stature with multiple secondary inflorescences, and retarded growth, as previously observed in transgenic Arabidopsis overexpressing AtGluR3.2 [Kim et al. (2001)]. Microarray analysis showed that jasmonic acid (JA)-responsive genes including defensins and JA-biosynthetic genes were up-regulated. RsGluR overexpression also inhibited growth of a necrotic fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea possibly due to up-regulation of the defensins. Based on these results, we suggest that RsGluR is a glutamate-gated $Ca^{2+}$ channel located in the plasma membrane of higher plants and plays a direct or indirect role in defense against pathogen infection by triggering JA biosynthesis.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.561-570
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• 2012

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of an atmospheric pressure plasma (APP) jet on L. monocytogenes inactivation, quality characteristics, and genotoxicological safety of cooked egg white and yolk. APP treatment using He gas resulted in a 5 decimal reduction in the number of L. monocytogenes in cooked egg white, whereas that using $He+O_2$, $N_2$, and $N_2+O_2$ decreased the number further, and to undetectable levels. All treatments of cooked egg yolk resulted in undetectable levels of inoculated L. monocytogenes. There were no viable cells of total aerobic bacteria after APP treatment on day 0 while the control showed approximately 3-4 Log CFU/g. On day 7, the numbers of total aerobic bacteria had increased by approximately 3 log cycles in cooked egg white, but there were no viable cells in cooked egg yolk after 2 min of APP jet. APP treatment decreased the $L^*$-values of cooked egg white and yolk significantly on day 0. No significant sensory differences were found among the cooked egg white samples, whereas significant reductions in flavor, taste, and overall acceptability were found in cooked egg yolks treated with APP jets. SOS chromotest did not reveal the presence of genotoxic products following APP treatments of cooked egg white and yolk. Therefore, it can be concluded that APP jets can be used as a non-thermal means to enhance the safety and extend the shelf-life of cooked egg white and yolk.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.66-71
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• 2012

Cirsium japonicum var. ussuriense is often used in treatment of human disease such as hemorrhage, blood congestion and inflammation. This study was accomplished to evaluate the antioxidant properties of the leaf (CLE) and flower (CFE) extracts of C. japonicum var. ussuriense to protect normal human red blood cells (RBC) and plasma samples against oxidative damage in vitro. CLE and CFE were prepared by extracting with hot water. In red blood cells and plasma, oxidative hemolysis and lipid peroxidation induced by the aqueous peroxyl radical generator [2,2'-azobis (2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride, AAPH] were significantly suppressed by CLE or CFE in a dose-dependent manner at the same time. CLE and CFE also prevented the depletion of cytosolic antioxidant glutathione (GSH) in RBC. These results suggest that the leaves and flowers of C. japonicum var. ussuriense may have the antioxidant properties.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.25 no.7
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• pp.693-701
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• 1992

Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary bypass[CPB] has been associated with a wide variety of hematologic derangements, including a transient deformation and hemolysis of red blood cells[RBCs], which is supposed to be due to mechanical trauma and/or metabolic alterations. Since membrane integrity is, in part, maintained by energy requiring process, inadequate function of erythrocyte glycolytic pathway, which is inevitalble during CPB, may cause depletion of high energy phosphate pool and result in hemolysis. The authors performed an investigation to assess whether administration of Fructose-l, 6-diphsphate [FDP], which has been known to enhance intracellular glycolytic activities, could counteract erythrocyte hemolytic events caused by CPB. Sixty pateints with cyanotic congenital heart diseases, who underwent open heart surgery under CPB longer than 60 minutes, were randomly divided into two groups depending on whether use of FDP[Group FDP] or not[Group Control]. The age, sex, CPB time, preoperative hemoglobin level, disease entities were all similar[Table 1], and membrane type oxygenators were used in all patients. In Group, FDP, a dose of 250mg/kg body weight of FDP was administered by intravenous dripping every 12 hours from the morning of the operation to postoperative 48 hours, To demonstrate the degree and pattern of hemolysis of erythrocyte, reticulocyte count, indirect /direct bilirubin, haptoglobin, plasma hemoglobin, lactate dehydrogenase were measured every 12 hours from the time of cessation of CPB to 48 hours and RBC morphologic study, osmotic fragility test were done every 24 hours. All parameters revealed less hemolytic in group FDP [Fig. 1~5], though the differences between two groups were not significant, except plasma hemoglobin, lactate dehydrogenase changes. A pattern of sequential changes of plasma hemoglobin, lactate deh-ydrogenase showed the highest level at the time of CPB stop and abrupt decrease in following 24 hours in both groups, and statistically significant differences were demonstrated in group FDP at least for the first 12 hours postoperatively[p<0.05]. The authors conclude that they can expect the benificial effect of FDP on the maintenance of membrane stability of RBC probably by energy enhancement during the shock status of CPB, but FDP could not completely prevent the damaging effect on RBC by cardiopulmonary bypass

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.175-184
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• 2022

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impacts of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and conditioned medium (CM) derived from endometrial stromal cells on mouse preantral follicle culture in a two-dimensional system to produce competent mature oocytes for fertilization. Methods: In total, 240 preantral follicles were isolated from female mouse ovarian tissue and divided into four groups. The preantral follicles were isolated three times for each group and then cultured, respectively, in the presence of alpha minimum essential medium (control), PRP, CM, and PRP+CM. The in vitro growth, in vitro maturation, and cleavage percentage of the preantral follicles were investigated. Immunocytochemistry (IHC) was also conducted to monitor the meiotic progression of the oocytes. Additionally, the mRNA expression levels of the two folliculogenesis-related genes (Gdf9 and Bmp15) and two apoptosis-related genes (Bcl2 and Bax) were investigated using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results: In the PRP, CM, and PRP+CM groups, the preantral follicle maturation (evaluated by identifying polar bodies) were greater than the control group. The cleavage rate in the CM, and PRP+CM groups were also greater than the control group. IHC analysis demonstrated that in each treatment group, meiotic spindle was normal. In the PRP+CM group, the gene expression levels of Bmp15, Gdf9, and Bcl2 were greater than in the other groups. The Bax gene was more strongly expressed in the PRP and control groups than in the other groups. Conclusion: Overall, the present study suggests that the combination of CM and PRP can effectively increase the growth and cleavage rate of mouse preantral follicles in vitro.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.253-262
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• 2001

Ligand-receptor clustering event is the most important step in leukocyte adhesion and spreading on endothelial cells. Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) has been shown to enhance leukocyte adhesion, but the molecular event during the process of adhesion is unclear. To visualize the dynamics of ICAM-1 movement during adhesion, we have engineered stable Chinese hamster ovary cell lines expressing ICAM-1 fused to a green fluorescent protein (IC1_GFP/CHO) and examined them under the fluorescence microscopy. The transfection of IC1_GFP alone in these cells was sufficient to support the adhesion of K562 cells that express $\alpha$L$\beta$2 (LFA-1) integrin stimulated by CBR LFA-1/2 mAb. This phenomenon was mediated by ICAM-1-LFA-1 interactions, as an mAb that specifically inhibits ICAM-1-LFA-1 interaction (RRl/l) completely abolished the adhesion of LFA-1＊ cells to IC1_ GFP/CHO cells. We found that the characteristic of adhesion was followed almost immediately (~10 min) by the rapid accumulation of ICAM-1 on CHO cells at a tight interface between the two cells. Interestingly, ICI_GFP/CHO cells projected plasma membrane and encircled approximately half surface of LFA-1+ cells, as defined by confocal microscopy. This unusual phenomenon was also confirmed on HUVEC after adhesion of LFA-1＊ cells. Neither cytochalasin D nor 2,3-butanedione 2-monoxime an inhibitor of myosin light chain kinase blocked LFA-1-mediated ICAM-1 clustering, indicating that actin cytoskeleton and myosin-dependent contractility are not necessary for ICAM-1 clustering. Taken together, we suggest that leukocyte adhesion to endothelial cells induces specialized form of ICAM-1 clustering that is distinct from immunological synapse mediated by T cell interaction with antigen presenting cells.

• Hanyang Medical Reviews
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.10-16
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• 2013

Follicular helper T cells (Tfh) play a significant role in providing T cell help to B cells during the germinal center reaction, where somatic hypermutation, affinity maturation, isotype class switching, and the differentiation of memory B cells and long-lived plasma cells occur. Antigen-specific T cells with IL-6 and IL-21 upregulate CXCR5, which is required for the migration of T cells into B cell follicles, where these T cells mature into Tfh. The surface markers including PD-1, ICOS, and CD40L play a significant role in providing T cell help to B cells. The upregulation of transcription factor Bcl-6 induces the expression of CXCR5, which is an important factor for Tfh differentiation, by inhibiting the expression of other lineage-specific transcription factors such as T-bet, GATA3, and RORγt. Surprisingly, recent evidence suggests that CD4 T cells already committed to Th1, Th2, and Th17 cells obtain flexibility in their differentiation programs by downregulating T-bet, GATA3, and RORγt, upregulating Bcl-6 and thus convert into Tfh. Limiting the numbers of Tfh within germinal centers is important in the regulation of the autoantibody production that is central to autoimmune diseases. Recently, it was revealed that the germinal center reaction and the size of the Tfh population are also regulated by thymus-derived follicular regulatory T cells (Tfr) expressing CXCR5 and Foxp3. Dysregulation of Tfh appears to be a pathogenic cause of autoimmune disease suggesting that tight regulation of Tfh and germinal center reaction by Tfr is essential for maintaining immune tolerance. Therefore, the balance between Tfh and Tfr appears to be a critical peripheral tolerance mechanism that can inhibit autoimmune disorders.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.8-14
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• 2006

A 1 : 1 mixture of acriflavine (ACF; CAS 8063-24-9) and guanosine is currently being evaluated as a possible antitumor agent in preclinical studies. Guanosine is known to potentiate the anticancer activity of some compounds. However, the distributions of trypaflavine (TRF) or proflavine (PRF) have not been investigated in mammals. We, therefore, investigated the distribution of TRF and PRF after i.m. administration of the combination mixture (ACF and guanosine) at a dose of 30 mg/kg ACF in rats. to analyze TRF and PRF levels in biological samples, we used an HPLC-based method. The calibration curves for TRF and PRF in the samples were linear over the concenration range of $0.05{\sim}200\;{\mu}g/ml$. The intra- and inter-day assay accuracies of this method were within ${\pm}15\%$ of norminal values and the precision did not exceed $15\%$ of relative standard diviation. The lower limits of quantitation were 50 ng/ml for both TRF and PRF. The distribution of TRF or PRF was determined by 48 h after i.m. administration of the combination mixture at a dose of 30 mg/kg ACF. TRF and PRF were distributed as the following order; kidney>lung>liver>small intestine>muscle. Of the various tissues, TRF and PRF were mainly distributed to the kidney and lung. The concentrations of TRF or PRF in the tissues 24 h after i.m. administration decreased to undetectable levels. The concentrations of TRF or PRF in the blood cells were comparable to those for the plasma. However, the concentrations of TRF or PRF in the both plasma and blood cells 12 h after i.m. administration were not detected. The number of the platelets in the 1 ml of the blood was calculated to be $0.183{\times}10^8/ml$ of blood. The PRF concentration in platelets was higher than that of TRF at initial times after i.m. administration of the combination mixture. However, both the TRF and PRF concentrations in the plateles 24 h after i.m. administration of the combination mixture were below the quantifiable limit. In conclusion, the concentrations of TRF or PRF in the various tissues, plasma, blood cells, and plateles decreased to undetectable levels 24 h after i.m. administration of the combination mixture at a dose of 30 mg/kg ACF.