• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.21
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• pp.9137-9142
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• 2014

Background: To explore the expression of DcR3 protein and its clinicopathological significance in bladder urothelial carcinomas (BUC). Materials and Methods: Immunohistochemistry was performed to detect the expression of DcR3, caspase-3, Bcl-2, VEGF, Ki-67, PCNA and P53 in 166 BUC and 56 normal bladder tissues. Western blotting was used to detect the expression of DcR3 in the supernatants of cultured BUC cells. Results: Overexpression of DcR3 was found in BUC tissues and cell lines, with significant elevation as compared to normal bladder tissues (p<0.0001). Higher DcR3 expression was related to the status of invasion, lymph node metastasis and recurrence. Furthermore, DcR3 expression was negatively correlated with caspase-3 and positively associated with Bcl-2, VEGF, Ki-67 labeling index (LI), PCNA LI and P53 (all p<0.0001), respectively. Conclusions: DcR3 may play a crucial role as an oncogene in tumorigenesis, deterioration and progress of BUC via influencing related pathways of apoptosis, proliferation and angiogenesis. The detection of DcR3 protein in the formalinfixed and paraffin-embedded samples could assist to predict in prognosis of BUC patients.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.59 no.6
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• pp.262-270
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• 2016

Purpose: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) leads to right ventricular failure (RVF) as well as an increase in pulmonary vascular resistance. Our purpose was to study the effect of sildenafil on right ventricular remodeling in a rat model of monocrotaline (MCT)-induced RVF. Methods: The rats were distributed randomly into 3 groups. The control (C) group, the monocrotaline (M) group (MCT 60 mg/kg) and the sildenafil (S) group (MCT 60 mg/kg+ sildenafil 30 mg/kg/day for 28 days). Masson Trichrome staining was used for heart tissues. Western blot analysis and immunohistochemical staining were performed. Results: The mean right ventricular pressure (RVP) was significantly lower in the S group at weeks 1, 2, and 4. The number of intra-acinar arteries and the medial wall thickness of the pulmonary arterioles significantly lessened in the S group at week 4. The collagen content also decreased in heart tissues in the S group at week 4. Protein expression levels of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2)-associated X, caspase-3, Bcl-2, interleukin (IL)-6, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), endothelin (ET)-1 and ET receptor A (ERA) in lung tissues greatly decreased in the S group at week 4 according to immunohistochemical staining. According to Western blotting, protein expression levels of troponin I, brain natriuretic peptide, caspase-3, Bcl-2, tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$, IL-6, MMP-2, eNOS, ET-1, and ERA in heart tissues greatly diminished in the S group at week 4. Conclusion: Sildenafil alleviated right ventricular hypertrophy and mean RVP. These data suggest that sildenafil improves right ventricular function.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.17
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• pp.7425-7432
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• 2014

Aim: To investigate the expression of protein kinase $CK2{\alpha}$ ($CK2{\alpha}$) in human thyroid disease and its relationship with thyroid cancer metastasis. Materials and Methods: Using immunohistochemistry we measured the expression of $CK2{\alpha}$ in 76 benign and malignant human thyroid cancer tissues, including 10 pairs of papillary carcinoma tissues with or without lymph node cancerous metastasis and similarly 10 pairs of lymph nodes. Results: The expression of $CK2{\alpha}$ was found to be higher in thyroid carcinoma cases (papillary carcinoma, follicular carcinoma, anaplastic carcinoma and medullary carcinoma) than in ones such as chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis, nodular goiter and adenoma. These findings were also confirmed by RT-PCR and Western blotting. More strikingly, elevated expression of $CK2{\alpha}$ in thyroid papillary carcinoma tissues was not only significantly associated with lymph node cancerous metastasis and clinical stage of thyroid cancers; but also correlated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and high tenascin C (TNC) expression. In addition, EMT and high TNC expression in thyroid carcinoma tissues was significantly associated with lymph node cancerous metastasis. Conclusions: Elevated expression of nuclear $CK2{\alpha}$ is a poor prognosis indicator in lymph node cancerous metastasis of human thyroid cancers.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.3-21
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• 1998

This study was to investigate the effects of Gibangganbang on the liver injury induced dimethylnitrosamine, CCl4, ethanol and partial hepatectomy. Hydroxyproline, hepatic fibrosis, hepatic inflammatory cell infiltration, fatty value, lipidoperoxide levels, glutathione levels, mitotic index, contents of protein in the serum and liver tissues were measured and observed. The results obtained were as follows. 1. The increasing level of hydroxyproline volume induced by dimethylnitrosamine in mice was decreased by the oral administration of Gibangganbang. 2. The degree of hitological fibrosis and hepatic inflammatory cell infiltration induced by $CCl_4$ was decreased by the oral administration of Gibangganbang. 3. The degree of fatty value and the increasing level of lipidoperoxide in liver tissues was decreased by the oral administration of Gibangganbang. 4. The level of glutathione in liver tissues was increasing by the oral administration of Gibangganbang. 5. The increasing level of microsomal lipidoperoxide in vitro assay was decreasing by the oral administration of Gibangganbang. 6. The increasing level of the mitotic index, weight of liver, contents of protein, RNA and DNA synthesis of the liver tissues after partial hepatectomy was activated by the oral administration of Gibangganbang. These results suggest that Gibangganbang not only inhibits liver cirrhotic change and ethanol-induced fatty change but also activates antioxidant enzymes and regeneration ability ocf liver.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.73-80
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• 2012

Purpose: The specific aim of this study is to unravel a DNA copy number alterations, and to search for novel genes that are associated with the development of Korean gastric cancer. Materials and Methods: We investigated a DNA copy number changes in 23 gastric adenocarcinomas by array-comparative genomic hybridization and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analyses. Besides, the expression of UQCRFS1, which shows amplification in array-CGH, was examined in 186 gastric cancer tissues by an immunohistochemistry, and in 9 gastric cancer cell lines, as well as 24 gastric cancer tissues by immunoblotting. Results: We found common gains at 48 different loci, and a common loss at 19 different loci. Amplification of UQCRFS1 gene at 19q12 was found in 5 (21.7%) of the 23 gastric cancers in an array-comparative genomic hybridization and DNA copy number were increased in 5 (20.0%) out of the 25 gastric cancer in quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. In immunohistochemistry, the overexpression of the protein was detected in 105 (56.5%) out of the 186 gastric cancer tissues. Statistically, there was no significant relationship between the overexpression of UQCRFS1 and clinicopathologic parameters (P>0.05). In parallel, the overexpression of UQCRFS1 protein was confirmed in 6 (66.7%) of the 9 gastric cancer cell lines, and 12 (50.0%) of the 24 gastric cancer tissues by immunoblotting. Conclusions: These results suggest that the overexpression of UQCRFS1 gene may contribute to the development and/or progression of gastric cancer, and further supported that mitochondrial change may serve as a potential cancer biomarker.

• Journal of Korean Medicine for Obesity Research
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2022

Objectives: To investigate the protective effect of hesperidin and hesperetin against oxidative stress in 2,2'-azobis (2-aminopropane) dihydrochloride (AAPH)-induced liver toxicity in rats. Methods: Hesperidin or hesperetin (200 mg/kg/day, respectively) was orally administered for 7 days once daily in rats. Subsequently, AAPH (50 mg/kg/day) was administered intraperitoneally. Lipid peroxidation, nitric oxide production, catalase activity, and protein expressions of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in the liver tissues were measured. Results: Administration of hesperidin and hesperetin significantly decreased serum aspartate transaminase and alanine transaminase levels in AAPH-induced oxidative stress liver tissues compared with control group. Lipid peroxidation and nitric oxide (NO) production were also significantly reduced by hesperidin and hesperetin in AAPH-induced oxidative stress liver tissues. In particular, lipid peroxidation levels of hesperetin-administered group significantly decreased to 5.02 nmole/mg protein in oxidative stress rats. Hesperidin and hesperetin significantly increased antioxidant activity, such as that of catalase. Furthermore, administration of hesperidin and hesperetin substantially down-regulated the expression of NF-κB and iNOS in liver tissues. Administration of hesperidin reduced NO levels and iNOS expression more than in the hesperetin-administered group. Conclusions: Administration of hesperidin and hesperetin led to a reduction in AAPH-induced liver toxicity by regulating oxidative stress.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.441-450
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• 2023

Objective: Serum amyloid A3 (SAA3), an acute phase response protein, plays important roles in opsonization, antimicrobial activity, chemotactic activity, and immunomodulation, but its expression, regulation, and function at the maternal-conceptus interface in pigs are not fully understood. Therefore, we determined the expression of SAA3 in the endometrium throughout the estrous cycle and at the maternal-conceptus interface during pregnancy. Methods: Endometrial tissues from pigs at various stages of the estrous cycle and pregnancy and with conceptuses derived from somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), conceptus tissues during early pregnancy, and chorioallantoic tissues during mid- to late pregnancy were obtained and the expression of SAA3 was analyzed. The effects of the steroid hormones, interleukin-1β (IL1B), and interferon-γ (IFNG) on the expression of SAA3 were determined in endometrial explant cultures. Results: SAA3 was expressed in the endometrium during the estrous cycle and pregnancy, with the highest level on day 12 of pregnancy. The expression of SAA3 in the endometrium was significantly higher on day 12 of pregnancy than during the estrous cycle. Early-stage conceptuses and chorioallantoic tissues during mid to late pregnancy also expressed SAA3. The expression of SAA3 was primarily localized to luminal epithelial cells in the endometrium. In endometrial explant cultures, the expression of SAA3 was induced by increasing doses of IL1B and IFNG. Furthermore, the expression of SAA3 decreased significantly in the endometria of pigs carrying conceptuses derived from SCNT on day 12 of pregnancy. Conclusion: These results suggest that the expression of SAA3 in the endometrium during the implantation period increases in response to conceptus-derived IL1B and IFNG. The failure of those appropriate interactions between the implanting conceptus and the endometrium leads to dysregulation of endometrial SAA3 expression, which could result in pregnancy failure. In addition, SAA3 could be a specific endometrial epithelial marker for conceptus implantation in pigs.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.48-52
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• 2023

Formaldehyde use is associated with serious health risks, which can affect medical personnel and technicians. Therefore, we investigated the efficacy of an alternative fixative, with respect to two types of formalin fixatives, by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining, periodic acid Schiff (PAS) staining, immunohistochemical (IHC) staining, and RNA extraction. For H&E staining, the circular nucleus was stained dark blue by the basic dye hematoxylin and the cytoplasm was stained red by the acid dye eosin in all three fixative samples. No difference was found in the Duksan General Science (DGS), Sigma-Aldrich, and Core-Fix fixative samples (Corebiotech) used to fix kidney tissue, after PAS staining. IHC staining showed that CD4 was significantly increased in the lippolysaccharide (LPS)-treated group compared to the control group (vehicle), confirming the changes in specific molecules. The quantity and quality of RNA from tissues fixed in the three types of fixatives were evaluated. The average concentration of RNA was 106 ng/µL and average purity at A 260/280 ratio was 1.7~2.0, regardless of fixative used. For quality of protein, glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) protein was confirmed by Western blotting. In conclusion, Core-Fix can be used as a fixative for pathological tissues, in histological and molecular diagnoses.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2005.04a
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• pp.408-411
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• 2005

The green fluorescent protein (GFP) from the jellyfish aequorea and its fluorescent homologs from Anthozoa corals have become invaluable tools for imaging of cells and tissues. In this study various fluorescent protein such as green fluorescent protein (GFP), yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) and red fluorescent protein (RFP) have been expressed in Escherichia coli. Growth of recombinant cells and production of fluorescent proteins were investigated in shake flasks. Some characteristics of fluorescent proteins was also studied.

• BMB Reports
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.542-547
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• 1998

The main function of adipocytes in various species is to store nutrient energy in the form of triglycerides, and this function may he closely related with hormonal signaling through the plasma membrane of adipocytes. Using SDS-PAGE, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, and a membrane biotinylation technique, we have identified a 55KDa protein (55K protein) from the plasma membrane fraction of adipocytes, with an isoelectric point (pI) of 8.1-8.3. However, this 55K protein was not observed with a two-dimensional gel electrophoresis carried out on plasma membrane fractions prepared from the liver, heart, and kidney tissues. An analysis of the 12 amino acids sequence at the N-terminal of the 55K protein showed that it has a similar sequence to that of bovine serum albumin.