• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.165-175
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• 2011

This study investigates the effects of Psidium guajava L. leaf (Pg) extract, Lagerstroemia speciosa L. leaf (Ls) extract, and mixture A (Pg, Ls, Morus indica L. leaf, Pinus densiflora needles, Acanthopanax senticosus M. roots extract) on db/db mice. For four weeks, db/db mice were fed powdered extracts of Pg, Ls, and mixture A. Compared to the diabetic control, extracts of Pg, Ls and mixture A decreased body weight, glucose and insulin. The greatest decreases were caused by mixture A. These extracts decreased the levels of total cholesterol, triglyceride and free fatty acid compared to the diabetic control. The antihyperlipidemic effect of mixture A was the greatest. Mixture A also significantly decreased injuries of Langerhans' islets compared to the diabetic control. Mixture A showed a beneficial synergistic effect due to the supplementary pharmacological actions of the ingredients in contains, indicating that it improved hyperglycemia without the side effect of weight gain.

• Nano
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• v.13 no.12
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• pp.1850144.1-1850144.13
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• 2018

A nano-$MoS_2$/montmorillonite K-10 (K10) composite was prepared and characterized. The composite contains two types of 2H-$MoS_2$ nanoparticles. One is the hollow spherical $MoS_2$ with a size range of 75 nm, and the other is the spherical nano cluster of $MoS_2$ with a size range of 30 nm. The two kinds of nano-$MoS_2$ were formed via assembly of numerous $MoS_2$ nano-platelets with a size of ~10 nm. A tribological comparison was then made among nano-$MoS_2$/K10, K10, nano-$MoS_2$ and a mechanical mixture of K10 and nano-$MoS_2$. K10 reduced the wear but slightly increased the friction. Nano-$MoS_2$ remarkably reduced both friction and wear. The mechanical mixture demonstrated better wear resistance than nano-$MoS_2$, indicating a synergistic anti-wear effect of nano-$MoS_2$ and K10. The synergistic effect was reinforced using nano-$MoS_2$/K10 instead of the mechanical mixture. A part of the $MoS_2$ in the contact region always lubricated the friction pair, and the rest formed a tribofilm. K10 segregated the friction pair to alleviate the ablation wear but magnified the abrasive wear. S-$MoS_2$ protects K10 and they together function as both a lubricant and an isolating agent to reduce the ablation and abrasive wear.

• Medical Lasers
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.170-175
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• 2021

Background and Objectives Cisplatin is an important chemotherapy drug for the treatment of head and neck cancer. Interstitial laser treatment (ILT) has cosmetic utility and is very important for maintaining the function of the head and neck after cancer treatment. This study examined the synergistic effects of locally injected cisplatin-epigel and high fever induced by an interstitial potassium titanyl phosphate (KTP) laser treatment on a xenografted human Heinz squamous cell carcinoma. Materials and Methods SNU-1041 (107 cells/0.1 ml) cells were xenografted into the back of nude mice by subcutaneous injection. The ILT group (n = 10) was treated with a KTP laser (1 J/mm³) through a cylindrical diffuser tip inserted into the tumor, monitoring the temperature at 43-45℃. In the combined treatment group (n = 10), local hyperthermia was induced by intratumoral injection of 100-200 ㎍ of cisplatin into a collagen-based gel carrier (cisplatin-epigel), which was released slowly four hours before ILT. After four weeks of follow-up, the treated tumors were evaluated for tumor remission and volume change. Results Eight (80%) of the combined group showed complete tumor remission at the four-week follow-up, whereas only three (30%) of the ILT group showed remission (30%) (p < 0.01). Conclusion The current study has shown the synergistic effects of a local cisplatin injection and high fever from ILT on a xenografted human Heinz squamous cell carcinoma.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.351-359
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• 2022

The present study investigated the synergistic effects of carbon nanotube (CNT) and carbon black (CB) inclusions on the piezoresistive sensing behaviors of cementitious composites. Four different CNT and CB combinations were considered to form different conductive networks in the binder material composed of Portland cement and fly ash. The cement was substituted with fly ash at levels of 0 or 50% by the mass of binder. The specimens were cured up to 100 days to observe the variations of the electrical characteristics with hydration progress, and the piezoresistive sensing behaviors of the specimens were measured under cyclic loading tests. The fabricated specimens were additionally evaluated with flowability, resistivity and cyclic loading tests, and morphological analysis. The scanning electron microscopy and energy disperse X-ray spectroscopy test results indicated that CNT and CB inclusion induced synergistic formations of electrically conductive networks, which led to an improvement of piezoresistive sensing behaviors. Moreover, the incorporation of fly ash having Fe³⁺ components decreased the electrical resistivity, improving both the linearity of fractional changes in the electrical resistivity and reproducibility expressed as R² under cyclic loading conditions.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.58-64
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• 1990

This study was conducted to investigate the interaction effect of a new plant growth regulator brassinolide and auxins using several bioassay methods such as rice lamina inclination test, oat coleoptile segment growth test and radish hypocotyl elongation test. For rice lamina inclination test, the antagonistic response showed at low concentration combinations of homobrassinolide and auxins (IAA and 2,4-D), while the combinations of high concentration responsed mostly synergistic or additive effects, IAA was generally higher than 2,4-D for combination effect with homobrassinolide. For oat coleoptile segment growth test, the synergistic effect showed at IAA concentrations less than 0.1ppm while additive response exhibited above 0.3ppm regardless of homobrassinolide concentrations. In radish hypocotyl elongation test, the interaction response varied with cotyledon. The sections removed cotyledon showed mostly antagonistic effects, except for combination of homobrassinolide with IAA 3ppm. Interaction responses were Quite different from bioassay methods, particularly using experimental materials: antagonistic responses were usually shown at the section that attached growing point while these for sections that removed growing point were responded synergistic or additive effect due to unstable endogenous hormones.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.12
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• pp.1537-1546
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• 2022

Staphylococcus aureus is a cause of high mortality in humans and therefore it is necessary to prevent its transmission and reduce infections. Our goals in this research were to investigate the frequency of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) in Taif, Saudi Arabia, and assess the relationship between the phenotypic antimicrobial sensitivity patterns and the genes responsible for resistance. In addition, we examined the antimicrobial efficiency and application of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) against MRSA isolates. Seventy-two nasal swabs were taken from patients; MRSA was cultivated on Mannitol Salt Agar supplemented with methicillin, and 16S rRNA sequencing was conducted in addition to morphological and biochemical identification. Specific resistance genes such as ermAC, aacA-aphD, tetKM, vatABC and mecA were PCR-amplified and resistance plasmids were also investigated. The MRSA incidence was ~49 % among the 72 S. aureus isolates and all MRSA strains were resistant to oxacillin, penicillin, and cefoxitin. However, vancomycin, linezolid, teicoplanin, mupirocin, and rifampicin were effective against 100% of MRSA strains. About 61% of MRSA strains exhibited multidrug resistance and were resistant to 3-12 antimicrobial medications (MDR). Methicillin resistance gene mecA was presented in all MDR-MRSA strains. Most MDR-MRSA contained a plasmid of > 10 kb. To overcome bacterial resistance, AgNPs were applied and displayed high antimicrobial activity and synergistic effect with penicillin. Our findings may help establish programs to control bacterial spread in communities as AgNPs appeared to exert a synergistic effect with penicillin to control bacterial resistance.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2023.05a
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• pp.184-184
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• 2023

Globally, agriculture is one of the largest consumers and polluters of water resources, contributing to the unsustainable use of limited water resources. To reduce the resource use and environmental footprints associated with current and future food systems, researchers and policy makers have recommended the transition to sustainable and healthier diets and the reduction of food loss and waste along the food supply chain. However, there is limited information on the synergistic effects and trade-offs of adopting the two measures. In this study, we assessed the water-saving potential of the two measures in South Korea using environmentally extended input-output relying on the EXIOBASE database for the reference year 2020, along with scenario analysis to model the potential outcomes. Specifically, we analyzed scenarios where meat consumption was reduced by 30% and 50% and in combination with a 50% reduction in food waste at the consumption stage for each scenario. According to our findings, by considering individual measures of dietary change and food waste reduction, shifting to a diet with 30% and 50% less meat consumption could lead to reduction in water footprint by 6.9% and 7.5%, respectively, while 50% reduction in food waste at the consumption stage could save about 14% of water footprint. However, the synergistic effects of the two measures such as 30% less meat consumption and 50% food waste reduction, and 50% less meat consumption and 50% food waste reduction result to 20% and 24% reductions in water footprint, respectively. Moreover, our findings also showed that increasing food consumption with high environmental impacts could promote resources use inefficiency when waste occurs. Thus, policy strategies that address synergistic effects of both dietary change and food waste reduction should be strengthened to achieve sustainable food system. International and national policies can increase resource efficiency by utilizing all available reduction potentials while considering strategies interactions.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.133-144
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• 2023

Auranofin is a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved anti-arthritis medication that functions as a thioredoxin reductase inhibitor. Spermidine, a polyamine present in marine algae, can exert various physiological functions. Herein, we examined the synergistic anticancer activity of auranofin and spermidine in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Combined treatment with auranofin and spermidine suppressed cell viability more efficiently than either treatment alone in HCC Hep3B cells. The isobologram plotted by calculating the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) values of each drug indicated that the two drugs exhibited a synergistic effect. Based on the analysis of annexin V and cell cycle distribution, auranofin and spermidine markedly induced apoptosis in Hep3B cells. Moreover, auranofin and spermidine increased mitochondria-mediated apoptosis by promoting mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm) loss. Auranofin and spermidine significantly increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in Hep3B cells, and the blocking ROS suppressed apoptosis induced by spermidine and auranofin. In addition, auranofin and spermidine reduced the expression of phosphorylated phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K) and protein kinase B (Akt), and PI3K inhibitor accelerated auranofin- and spermidine-induced apoptosis. Using ROS scavenger and PI3K inhibitor, we revealed that ROS acts upstream of auranofin- and spermidine-induced apoptosis. Collectively, our study suggests that combination treatment with auranofin and spermidine could afford synergistic anticancer activity via ROS overproduction and reduced PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.17.1-17.9
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• 2021

Objectives: In recent in vitro study, it was reported that osteostatin (OST) has an odontogenic effect and synergistic effect with mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) in human dental pulp cells. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate whether OST has a synergistic effect with MTA on hard tissue formation in vivo. Materials and Methods: Thirty-two maxillary molars of Spraque-Dawley rats were used in this study. An occlusal cavity was prepared and the exposed pulps were randomly divided into 3 groups: group 1 (control; ProRoot MTA), group 2 (OST 100 μM + ProRoot MTA), group 3 (OST 10 mM + ProRoot MTA). Exposed pulps were capped with each material and cavities were restored with resin modified glass ionomer. The animals were sacrificed after 4 weeks. All harvested teeth were scanned with micro-computed tomography (CT). The samples were prepared and hard tissue formation was evaluated histologically. For immunohistochemical analysis, the specimens were sectioned and incubated with primary antibodies against dentin sialoprotein (DSP). Results: In the micro-CT analysis, it is revealed that OST with ProRoot MTA groups showed more mineralized bridge than the control (p < 0.05). In the H&E staining, it is showed that more quantity of the mineralized dentin bridge was formed in the OST with ProRoot MTA group compared to the control (p < 0.05). In all groups, DSP was expressed in newly formed reparative dentin area. Conclusions: OST can be a supplementary pulp capping material when used with MTA to make synergistic effect in hard tissue formation.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.15.1-15.16
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• 2022

Foreign molecules, including viruses and bacteria-derived toxins, can also induce airway inflammation. However, to the best of our knowledge, the roles of these molecules in the development of airway inflammation have not been fully elucidated. Herein, we investigated the precise role and synergistic effect of virus-mimicking double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) and staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) in macrophages and epithelial cells. To identify cytokine expression profiles, both the THP-1-derived macrophages and BEAS-2B epithelial cells were stimulated with dsRNA or SEB. A total of 21 cytokines were evaluated in the culture supernatants. We observed that stimulation with dsRNA induced cytokine production in both cell types. However, cytokine production was not induced in SEB-stimulated epithelial cells, compared to the macrophages. The synergistic effect of dsRNA and SEB was evaluated observing cytokine level and intracellular phospho-signaling. Fifteen different types were detected in high-dose dsRNA-stimulated epithelial cells, and 12 distinct types were detected in macrophages; those found in macrophages lacked interferon production compared to the epithelial cells. Notably, a synergistic effect of cytokine induction by co-stimulation of dsRNA and SEB was observed mainly in epithelial cells, via activation of most intracellular phosphor-signaling. However, macrophages only showed an accumulative effect. This study showed that the type and severity of cytokine productions from the epithelium or macrophages could be affected by different intensities and a combination of dsRNA and SEB. Further studies with this approach may improve our understanding of the development and exacerbation of airway inflammation and asthma.