• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.148-153
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• 2007

The chemical components of flesh persimmon flowers (petal and calyx), and the qualify of hot-water extracts (teas) prepared from powders of these flower parts, were investigated In flesh petal and calyx, the contents of moisture, crude protein, crude lipid, and carbohydrate were 84.8% 0.4% 0.3% and 13.7% respectively. The values were not significantly different when the two tissues were compared. In petal and calyx respectively, the crude ash values were 0.5% and 1.1% of flesh weights, the vitamin C content were 192.3mg% and 392.7ng%, the flavonoid levels were 98.4 mg% and 355.2mg% and the carotenoid content were 0.8mg% and 3.8mg%. Hot air and freeze drying methods applied to petals, prior to powder preparation, did not affect the levels of soluble solids or soluble annins. Extract from calyx had higher L values, higher ${-\alpha}$ values, more soluble tannins, greater 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhy-drazylradical-scavenging activities, me lower pH values, than did exracts from petal. Fructose and glucose were higher in petal extract than in calyx extract, but sucrose was higher in calyx extracts. Extract of freeze-dried powdered petals had significantly higher free sugar levels than did exracts from petals dried with hot air. The major organic acids in extracts were citric acid, oxalic acid, and malic acid. The levels of organic acids were inversely related to free sugar levels in all flower parts and after all drying methods tested. Sensory tests of aroma, taste and overall acceptability yielded scores above medium for all teas, regardless of the flower part powdered, or the drying method used. The results show that the petal and calyx of persimmon may be used to make tea and perhaps other foods.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.374-382
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• 2011

Aflatoxin ($AFB_1$) is a potent hepatotoxic and hepatocarcinogenic mycotoxin in humans. It is also well-known to be accumulated in animal tissues via various metabolic pathways. This study was conducted to determine the effects of vitamin C on the residual $AFB_1$ in rat sera that were treated with radiation and $AFB_1$. Six week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups: a control group, $AFB_1$-treated group, the group treated with $AFB_1$ and vitamin C, the group treated with X-ray and AFB1, and the group treated with X-ray and $AFB_1$ with vitamin C. On the first day of the experiment, only one dose of X-rays was exposed to the entire liver at 1,500 cGy. Next, vitamin C was injected at 10 mg/kg body weight via intraperitoneal injection, followed 1 hr later by the administration of 0.4 mg/kg of $AFB_1$ via intraperitoneal injection. These treatments were then administered every three days over a period of 15 days. On the 16th day of treatments, the animals were sacrificed. The contents of $AFB_1$ in rat sera were determined via indirect competitive ELISA and HPLC method. In the quantitative analysis of $AFB_1$ in rat sera via ELISA, $5.17{\pm}0.34$ ng/mL of $AFB_1$ was detected in the $AFB_1$-treated groups, but the amount more significantly decreased to $3.23{\pm}0.76$ ng/mL in the groups treated with $AFB_1$ and vitamin C (p<0.01) than in the $AFB_1$-treated groups. The $AFB_1$ contents of the rat sera of the groups treated with X-ray and $AFB_1$ did not significantly decreased with the administration of vitamin C. The $AFB_1$ content of the rat sera that was analyzed via HPLC showed a tendency similar to that of the content that was analyzed via ELISA. With regard to these data, vitamin C was very effective in reducing $AFB_1$ residue in rat sera.

• Anatomy & Biological Anthropology
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.133-142
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• 2018

3D histology is a imaging system for the 3D structural information of cells or tissues. The synchrotron radiation propagation phase contrast micro-CT has been used in 3D imaging methods. However, the simple phase contrast micro-CT did not give sufficient micro-structural information when the specimen contains soft elements, as is the case with many biomedical tissue samples. The purpose of this study is to develop a new technique to enhance the phase contrast effect for soft tissue imaging. Experiments were performed at the imaging beam lines of Pohang Accelerator Laboratory (PAL). The biomedical tissue samples under frozen state was mounted on a computer-controlled precision stage and rotated in $0.18^{\circ}$ increments through $180^{\circ}$. An X-ray shadow of a specimen was converted into a visual image on the surface of a CdWO4 scintillator that was magnified using a microscopic objective lens(X5 or X20) before being captured with a digital CCD camera. 3-dimensional volume images of the specimen were obtained by applying a filtered back-projection algorithm to the projection images using a software package OCTOPUS. Surface reconstruction and volume segmentation and rendering were performed were performed using Amira software. In this study, We found that synchrotron phase contrast imaging of frozen tissue samples has higher contrast power for soft tissue than that of non-frozen samples. In conclusion, synchrotron radiation propagation phase contrast cryo-microCT imaging offers a promising tool for non-destructive high resolution 3D histology.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.489-497
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• 2018

Purpose: Obesity is often associated with disturbances in the mineral metabolism. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of high-fat diet-induced obesity on tissue zinc concentrations and zinc transporter expressions in mice. Methods: C57BL/6J male mice were fed either a control diet (10% energy from fat, control group) or a high-fat diet (45% energy from fat, obese group) for 15 weeks. The zinc concentrations in the serum, stool, and various tissues were measured by inductively coupled plasma (ICP)-atomic emission spectrophotometry or ICP-mass spectrophotometry. The levels of zinc transporter mRNAs in the liver, duodenum, and pancreas were measured by real-time RT-PCR. The levels of serum adipokines, such as leptin and IL-6, were determined. Results: The total body weight, adipose tissue weight, and hepatic TG and cholesterol concentrations were significantly higher in the obese group, as compared to the control group. The obese group had significantly higher levels of serum leptin and pro-inflammatory IL-6 concentrations, and had significantly lower levels of serum alkaline phosphatase activity. The zinc concentrations of the liver, kidney, duodenum, and pancreas were all significantly lower in the obese group than in the control group. On the other hand, the fecal zinc concentrations were significantly higher in the obese group than in the control group. The serum zinc concentrations were not significantly different between the two groups. The ZnT1 mRNA levels of the liver and the pancreas were significantly higher in the obese group, as compared to the control group. Hepatic Zip10 mRNA was also increased in the obese group. Conclusion: Our study findings suggest that obesity increases fecal zinc excretion and lowers the tissue zinc concentrations, which may be associated with alterations in the zinc transporter expressions.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.31-37
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• 2019

A chicken clathrin-associated adaptor protein $3-{\delta}$ subunit 2 (AP3S2) is a subunit of AP3, which is involved in cargo protein trafficking to target membrane with clathrin-coated vesicles. AP3S2 may play a role in virus entry into host cells through clathrin-dependent endocytosis. AP3S2 is also known to participate in metabolic disease developments of progressions, such as liver fibrosis with hepatitis C virus infection and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Chicken AP3S2 (chAP3S2) gene was originally identified as one of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in chicken kidney which was fed with different calcium doses. This study aims to characterize the molecular characteristics, gene expression patterns, and transcriptional regulation of chAP3S2 in response to the stimulation of Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) to understand the involvement of chAP3S2 in metabolic disease in chicken. As a result, the structure prediction of chAP3S2 gene revealed that the gene is highly conserved among AP3S2 orthologs from other species. Evolutionarily, it was suggested that chAP3S2 is relatively closely related to zebrafish, and fairly far from mammal AP3S2. The transcriptional profile revealed that chAP3S2 gene was highly expressed in chicken lung and spleen tissues, and under the stimulation of poly (I:C), the chAP3S2 expression was down-regulated in DF-1 cells (P<0.05). However, the presence of the transcriptional inhibitors, BAY 11-7085 (Bay) as an inhibitor for nuclear factor ${\kappa}B$ ($NF{\kappa}B$) or Tanshinone IIA (Tan-II) as an inhibitor for activated protein 1 (AP-1), did not affect the expressional level of chAP3S2, suggesting that these transcription factors might be dispensable for TLR3 mediated repression. These results suggest that chAP3S2 gene may play a significant role against viral infection and be involved in TLR3 signaling pathway. Further study about the transcriptional regulation of chAP3S2 in TLR3 pathways and the mechanism of chAP3S2 upon virus entry shall be needed.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.144-157
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• 2009

Nondestructive methods to check the vitality of trees and to find out internal decay of old-giant trees include the use of electrical resistance, ultrasound transmission time, microdrilling, and infrared thermography etc. Among these, ultrasound transmission offers some advantages compared to others such as it is an entirely nondestructive detection method and it can be applied to very big trees. However, the ultrasound equipment is comparatively expensive and not broadly spread yet. On the other hand, Shigometer is versatile to be applied to check vitality of the tree and find out internal decay. Electrical conductivity of plant tissues is a very useful characteristics to determine the vitality and internal decay of trees. Electrical resistance of cambial area tells about the vitality of a tree and electrical resistance of heartwood reveals discoloration or decay of it. For determination of the vitality of the tree, the standard equation for calibration of measured electrical resistances should be developed by measuring and analyzing electrical resistance from at least 30-40 trees of the same species with that tree. All the factors, especially tree species, diameter of the stem, and temperature, which can altered the electrical resistance of trees, should be taken into consideration in the development of the equation. If the standard equation is developed for old-giant trees that we should conserve, it will be very useful. In addition, periodical and continued measuring of a certain tree will help to determine the condition of the tree by comparing the measurement with accumulated data of the tree. Measuring electrical resistance of wood might not require the standard equation. But it also needs to check electrical resistance of sound wood of the same tree species. If the stems that should be examined is thicker than 40cm, it is better to use the ultrasound measurement combined to Shigometer.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.379-392
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• 2019

The current study investigated the effect of Gabjubaekmok (Diospyros kaki) ethanolic extract (GEE) on $H_2O_2$-induced human neuroblastoma MC-IXC cells and amyloid beta $(A{\beta})_{1-42}$-induced ICR (Institute of Cancer Research) mice. GEE showed significant antioxidant activity that was evaluated based on ABTS, DPPH scavenging activity, and inhibition of malondialdehyde (MDA) and acetylcholinesterase activity. Further, GEE inhibited ROS production and increased cell viability in $H_2O_2$-induced MC-IXC cells. Administration of GEE ameliorated the cognitive dysfunction on $A{\beta}$-induced ICR mice as evaluated using Y-maze, passive avoidance, and Morris water maze tests. Results of ex vivo test using brain tissues showed that, GEE protected the cholinergic system and mitochondrial functions by increasing the levels of antioxidants such as ROS, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) against $A{\beta}$-induced cognitive dysfunction. Moreover, GEE decreasd the expression levels of apoptosis-related proteins such as $TNF-{\alpha}$, p-JNK, p-tau, BAX and caspase 3. While, expression levels of p-Akt and $p-GSK3{\beta}$ increased than $A{\beta}$ group. Finally, gallic acid was identified as the main compound of GEE using high performance liquid chromatography.

• The korean journal of orthodontics
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.124-136
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• 2019

Orthodontic treatment is more complicated when both soft and hard tissues must be considered because an impacted maxillary canine has important effects on function and esthetics. Compared with extraction of impacted maxillary canines, exposure followed by orthodontic traction can improve esthetics and better protect the patient's teeth and alveolar bone. Therefore, in order to achieve desirable tooth movement with minimal unexpected complications, a precise diagnosis is indispensable to establish an effective and efficient force system. In this report, we describe the case of a 31-year-old patient who had a labio-palatal horizontally impacted maxillary left canine with a severe occlusal alveolar bone defect and a missing maxillary left first premolar. Herein, with the aid of three-dimensional imaging, sequential traction was performed with a three-directional force device that finally achieved acceptable occlusion by bringing the horizontally impacted maxillary left canine into alignment. The maxillary left canine had normal gingival contours and was surrounded by a substantial amount of regenerated alveolar bone. The 1-year follow-up stability assessment demonstrated that the esthetic and functional outcomes were successful.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.9-17
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• 2019

As tumors develop, they encounter microenvironmental stress, such as hypoxia and glucose depletion, due to poor vascular function, thereby leading to necrosis, which is observed in solid tumors. Necrotic cells are known to release cellular cytoplasmic contents, such as high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), into the extracellular space. The release of HMGB1, a proinflammatory and tumor-promoting cytokine, plays an important role in promoting inflammation and metabolism during tumor development. Recently, HMGB1 was shown to induce the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and metastasis. However, the underlying mechanism of the HMGB1-induced EMT, invasion, and metastasis is unclear. In this study, we showed that noninvasive breast cancer cells MCF-7 formed tightly packed, rounded spheroids and that the cells in the inner regions of a multicellular tumor spheroid (MTS), an in vitro model of a solid tumor, led to necrosis due to an insufficient supply of O2 and glucose. In addition, after 7 d of MTS culture, the EMT was induced via the transcription factor Snail. We also showed that HMGB1 receptors, including RAGE, TLR2, and TLR4, were induced by MTS culture. RAGE, TLR2, and TLR4 shRNA inhibited MTS growth, supporting the idea that RAGE/TLR2/TLR4 play critical roles in MTS growth. They also prevented MTS culture-induced Snail expression, pointing to RAGE/TLR2/TLR4-dependent Snail expression. RAGE, TLR2, and TLR4 shRNA suppressed the MTS-induced EMT. In human cancer tissues, high levels of RAGE, TLR2, and TLR4 were detected. These findings demonstrated that the HMGB-RAGE/TLR2/TLR4-Snail axis played a crucial role in the growth of the MTS and MTS culture-induced EMT.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.32 no.7
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• pp.922-929
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• 2019

Objective: Mutations in low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR), which encodes a critical protein for cholesterol homeostasis and lipid metabolism in mammals, are involved in cardiometabolic diseases, such as familial hypercholesterolemia in pigs. Whereas microRNAs (miRNAs) can control LDLR regulation, their involvement in circulating cholesterol and lipid levels with respect to cardiometabolic diseases in pigs is unclear. We aimed to identify and analyze LDLR as a potential target gene of SSC-miR-20a. Methods: Bioinformatic analysis predicted that porcine LDLR is a target of SSC-miR-20a. Wild-type and mutant LDLR 3'-untranslated region (UTR) fragments were generated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and cloned into the pGL3-Control vector to construct pGL3 Control LDLR wild-3'-UTR and pGL3 Control LDLR mutant-3'-UTR recombinant plasmids, respectively. An miR-20a expression plasmid was constructed by inserting the porcine premiR-20a-coding sequence between the HindIII and BamHI sites in pMR-mCherry, and constructs were confirmed by sequencing. HEK293T cells were co-transfected with the miR-20a expression or pMR-mCherry control plasmids and constructs harboring the corresponding 3'-UTR, and relative luciferase activity was determined. The relative expression levels of miR-20a and LDLR mRNA and their correlation in terms of expression levels in porcine liver tissue were analyzed using reverse-transcription quantitative PCR. Results: Gel electrophoresis and sequencing showed that target gene fragments were successfully cloned, and the three recombinant vectors were successfully constructed. Compared to pMR-mCherry, the miR-20a expression vector significantly inhibited wild-type LDLR3'-UTR-driven (p<0.01), but not mutant LDLR-3'-UTR-driven (p>0.05), luciferase reporter activity. Further, miR-20a and LDLR were expressed at relatively high levels in porcine liver tissues. Pearson correlation analysis revealed that porcine liver miR-20a and LDLR levels were significantly negatively correlated (r = -0.656, p<0.05). Conclusion: LDLR is a potential target of miR-20a, which might directly bind the LDLR 3'-UTR to post-transcriptionally inhibit expression. These results have implications in understanding the pathogenesis and progression of porcine cardiovascular diseases.