Search

The study undertakes an examination of nutrition labelling system and offers a strategic framework for improvement of the system in Korean context. Thus this study includes a review of Korean current nutrition labelling system (NLS), development of a strategy or a further study for its revision of NLS, and a suggestion of revised nutrition labelling guidelines. Participants were 600 university students in Busan and were asked to fill in a questionnaire. The data collected were processed with the SPSS statistical program to produce its frequency, percentage, average, and standard deviation with One-Way Anova and Duncan Test. The findings are as follows: the levels of consumer's practical use and awareness of NLS are low, the levels of their trust and satisfaction and their necessity for NLS are low too. Consequently, the consumer's attitudes to NLS are not related to nutrition labelling method(? system).

Advanced glycation end products and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) have been implicated in the development of diabetic complications such as cataract. The diverse metabolic effects of protocatechualdehyde (PCA, 3, 4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde) include the inhibition of aldose reductase and oxidation, two processes that are involved in the development of complications in diabetic patients. Here, the potential therapeutic effects of PCA in the treatment of diabetic complications were studied by determining this compound's ability to inhibit the formation of advanced glycation end products-bovine serum albumin (BSA) and the expression of receptor for advanced glycation end products and TGF-beta1 in human lens epithelial cells cultured under diabetic conditions. In addition, the ability of PCA to suppress lens opacification in streptozotocin-diabetic rats was analyzed. PCA significantly reduced advanced glycation end products-BSA formation in vitro and was more effective than aminoguanidine. In human lens epithelial cells, PCA significantly inhibited the induction of receptor for advanced glycation end products protein and mRNA expression by the receptor for advanced glycation end products-specific ligand S100b. Moreover, PCA inhibited high glucose- or S100b-induced TGF-beta1 protein and mRNA expression as well as nuclear accumulation of phosphorylated Smad2/3. In streptozotocin-induced diabetic cataract in rats, oral administration of PCA (25 mg/kg body weight) for 8 weeks significantly ameliorated the development of lens opacity (cataract) with effect on glycemic control. These results suggest that PCA is of therapeutic interest with respect to the prevention of diabetic complications such as diabetic cataract.

Korean red ginseng has broad efficacious effects against hypertension, diabetes, nociception, and cancer, and it counteracts weakness. It has been reported that Korean red ginseng is able to normalize blood pressure, improve cholesterol and lower blood glucose levels. We have recently reported that Korean red ginseng extract (KRGE) significantly prevented rat carotid arterial thrombosis in vivo, and inhibited platelet aggregation ex vivo and in vitro in a dose-dependent manner. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of KRGE on blood circulation in human by measuring ex vivo platelet aggregation, plasma coagulation and serum lipid profiles in healthy volunteers. Subjects were randomly divided into three groups (placebo-group, KRGE-low dose group, KRGE-high dose group). Administration of KRGE to subjects significantly inhibited ADP-induced platelet aggregations both in KRGE-low dose group from to (p=0.0009), and in KRGE-high dose group from to (p=0.0039), respectively. Administration of KRGE to subjects also significantly inhibited collagen-induced platelet aggregations both in KRGE-low dose group from to (p=0.0916), and in KRGE-high dose group from to (p=0.0565), respectively. Whereas, KRGE has no significant effects on coagulation system, such as prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), and serum lipid profiles, such as total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride. KRGE also has no significant effects on hematological and serum biochemical profiles. These results suggest that KRGE has a potential to improve blood circulation through antiplatelet activity in human, and KRGE intake may be beneficial for the individuals with high risks of thrombotic and cardiovascular diseases.

The development of reagents with high affinity and specificity to the antigens of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is important for the early stage diagnosis of its infection. Aptamers are short, single-stranded oligonucleotides with the ability to specifically recognize target molecules with high affinity. Herein, we report the selection of RNA aptamers that bind to the core antigen of HCV. High affinity aptamers were isolated from a 10(15) random library of 60 mer RNAs using the SELEX procedure. Importantly, the selected aptamers specifically bound to the core antigen, but not to another HCV antigen, NS5, in a protein chip-based assay. Using these aptamers, we developed an aptamer-based biosensor for HCV diagnosis and detected the core antigen from HCV infected patients' sera with good specificity. This novel aptamer-based antigen detection sensor could be applied to the early diagnosis of HCV infection.

Magnolol, a natural product isolated from Magnolia officinalis, has various pharmacological effects, such inhibition of effect on inflammation and tumor metastasis, protection against cerebral ischaemic injury, and potent antioxidant activity. In this present study, we evaluated the inhibitory effects of magnolol on transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) and fibronectin expression induced by high concentrations of glucose or S100b (a specific receptor of advance glycation end products ligand) in human retinal pigment epithelial cells (human RPE cells). No effect on cell growth was found with magnolol (up to 20 microg/ml) using a colorimetric 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltertrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. High glucose (25 mM) or S100b (5 microg/ml) induced increases in expression of TGF-beta1 and fibronectin. The increases in TGF-beta1 and fibronectin expression with high glucose or S100b were prevented by magnolol in a dose-dependent manner. Also, magnolol inhibited extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/Akt activation. The present study demonstrates that high glucose- or S100b-induced TGF-beta1 and fibronectin expression, but this increased expression is inhibited by magnolol via the ERK/MAPK/Akt signaling pathway in human RPE cells.

We investigated the effect of KIOM-79, 80% ethanolic extract of a new herbal prescription, on non-obese type 2 diabetic Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rats. The rats were treated orally with KIOM-79 (500 mg/kg body weight) once a day for 13 weeks to examine the long-term effects on hyperglycemia and glomerular histology as well as biochemical and functional abnormalities in kidney. As the results, we found that KIOM-79 reduced hyperglycemia (p < 0.01), ameliorated insulin resistance (p < 0.001), urinary protein excretion (p < 0.01) and creatinine clearance (Ccr) (p < 0.001), and inhibited glomerular AGE formation (p < 0.001) in diabetic GK rats. We also found that KIOM-79 prevented the glomeruli enlargement, overexpression of type IV collagen (p < 0.001), PKC protein (p < 0.01), TGF-β mRNA (p < 0.05) and VEGF mRNA (p < 0.05). Thus, based on our finding, KIOM-79 could reduce the hyperglycemia, and prevent or retard the development of diabetic nephropathy.

The purpose of this study was to classify the financial strategies in elderly households. The data of 4,577 households with all ages and 1255 elderly households is from the Korean Labor and Income Panel Study(2000, 2003). The data were analyzed by various statistical methods such as frequency, mean-test, Duncan's multiple range test, k-mean cluster analysis and logistic regression. Findings were as follows; First, the classified household financial strategy types were Residual(44.3%), Financial Assets(24.0%), Informal Institutional(19.7%), Diversified Portfolio(7.6%), Real Estate(4.5%). Second, the criteria of classification of the financial strategies were relative, not absolute. Third, households(both elderly households and all households) that employed a diversified portfolio strategy had the greatest net wealth.

We investigated the effect of magnolol (5,5'-diallyl-2,2'-dihydroxybiphenyl), a marker compound isolated from the cortex of Magnolia officinalis, in non-obese type 2 diabetic Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rats. The rats were treated orally with magnolol (100 mg/kg body weight) once a day for 13 weeks. In magnolol-treated GK rats, fasting blood glucose and plasma insulin were significantly decreased, and the pancreatic islets also showed strong insulin antigen positivity. Urinary protein and creatinine clearance (Ccr) were significantly decreased. Pathological examination revealed the prevention of the glomeruli enlargement in magnolol-treated GK rats. The overproduction of renal sorbitol, advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs), type IV collagen, and TGF-beta1 mRNA were significantly reduced in magnolol-treated GK rats. Thus based on our findings, the use of magnolol could result in good blood glucose control and prevent or retard development of diabetic complications such as diabetic nephropathy.

Well known parametric estimators for multinomial choice (multinomial logit, nested logit, multinomial probit, mixed logit) have the disadvantage of dealing with nuisance parameters in the error term distribution: multinomial logit assumes them away, nested logit imposes priori restrictions on them, multinomial probit usually fails to converge with unrestricted error term covariances, and mixed logit needs to specify the mixing distribution. This paper shows that, under a multiple index assumption for the choice probabilities, certain restrictions on the multinomial choice regression parameters are identified with average derivatives of the choice probabilities, and that ratios of coefficients for alternative-variant regressors are identified by the corresponding ratios of the average derivatives. Using nonparametric average derivative estimators (ADE), we avoid the nuisance parameters in the error term distribution. Also, differently from the parametric estimators, ADE does not require any optimization, nor any analytic or numerical integration. A simulation study is conducted to compare the parametric estimators other than mixed logit with the ADE approach: the parametric estimators are particularly vulnerable to regression function misspecifications, whereas the parametric estimators perform better than the ADE approach and the differences among the parametric estimators are small when the regression functions are correctly specified. Also, an empirical illustration is provided.

Nine anthraquinones, aurantio-obtusin (1), chryso-obtusin (2), obtusin (3), chryso-obtusin-2-O-beta-D-glucoside (4), physcion (5), emodin (6), chrysophanol (7), obtusifolin (8), and obtusifolin-2-O-beta-D-glucoside (9), isolated from an EtOAc-soluble extract of the seeds of Cassia tora, were subjected to in vitro bioassays to evaluate their inhibitory activity against advanced glycation end products (AGEs) formation and rat lens aldose reductase (RLAR). Among the isolates, compounds 6 and 8 exhibited a significant inhibitory activity on AGEs formation with observed IC(50) values of 118 and 28.9 microM, respectively, in an AGEs-bovine serum albumin (BSA) assay by specific fluorescence. Furthermore, compounds 6 and 8 inhibited AGEs-BSA formation more effectively than aminoguanidine, an AGEs inhibitor, by indirect AGEs-ELISA. N(epsilon)-Carboxymethyllysine (CML)-BSA formation was also inhibited by compounds 6 and 8. Whereas compounds 1, 4, and 6 showed a significant inhibitory activity on RLAR with IC(50) values of 13.6, 8.8, and 15.9 microM, respectively.

Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin B subunit (LTB) strongly induces immune responses and can be used as an adjuvant for co-administered antigens. Synthetic LTB (sLTB) based on optimal codon usage by plants was introduced into lettuce cells (Lactuca sativa) by Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation methods. The sLTB gene was detected in the genomic DNA of transgenic lettuce leaf cells by PCR DNA amplification. Synthesis and assembly of the sLTB protein into oligomeric structures of pentameric size was observed in transgenic plant extracts using Western blot analysis. The binding of sLTB pentamers to intestinal epithelial cell membrane glycolipid receptors was confirmed by G(M1)-ganglioside enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (G(M1)-ELISA). Based on the results of ELISA, sLTB protein comprised approximately 1.0-2.0% of total soluble protein in transgenic lettuce leaf tissues. The synthesis and assembly of sLTB monomers into biologically active oligomers in transgenic lettuce leaf tissues demonstrates the feasibility of the use of edible plant-based vaccines consumed in the form of raw plant materials to induce mucosal immunity.

The use of microorganisms and their secreted molecules to prevent plant diseases is considered an attractive alternative and way to supplement synthetic fungicides for the management of plant diseases. Strain BS062 was selected based on its ability to inhibit the mycelial growth of Botrytis cinerea, a major causal fungus of postharvest root rot of ginseng and strawberry gray mold disease. Strain BS062 was found to be closely related to Streptomyces hygroscopicus (99% similarity) on the basis of 16S ribosomal DNA sequence analysis. Postharvest root rot of ginseng and strawberry gray mold disease caused by B. cinerea were controlled up to 73.9% and 58%, respectively, upon treatment with culture broth of Streptomyces sp. BS062. These results suggest that strain BS062 may be a potential agent for controlling ginseng postharvest root rot and strawberry gray mold disease.

Background: Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer is one of the most frequently used herbs in the world. The roots of Panax ginseng have been used as a traditional tonic and medicine for thousands of years in Korea and China. Today, ginseng root is used as a dietary supplement and complementary medicine and for adjuvant therapeutics worldwide. The efficacy of ginseng has been studied in a wide range of basic research and clinical studies. However, it has been reported that the results from clinical studies are conflicting, and they depend on the parameters of the protocol design including the conditions of the participants and the types of ginseng used such as red ginseng, white ginseng, fermented ginseng and cultured ginseng. Meanwhile, in addition to clinical efficacy, the safety of ginseng is a highly important matter for customers. With globally increasing demand for Panax ginseng as a dietary supplement or complementary medicine, it is necessary to provide information on its safe use to customers to improve their health conditions. Although the safety of Panax ginseng in pre-clinical studies is well known, the evaluation of safety in clinical studies has so far been insufficient. This systematic review was conducted to assess the safety of ginseng in randomized controlled clinical trials (RCT) over the last 10 years. We chose the last 10 years because many clinical trials have been conducted in the past 10 years, and it will help to understand the recent trends in RCTs of ginseng. Methods: Articles on ginseng studies were searched with keywords in MEDLINE and four other Korean online database sites. Studies with ginseng as a monopreparation were selected while studies with single administration, preparations combined with other herbs or drug combinations were excluded from the selected studies. Data from the selected studies meeting the criteria were extracted and reviewed in terms of study design, condition and number of participants, type of ginseng, dosage, duration, main results, adverse events and adverse reactions. Results: Forty-four studies met the selection criteria. These studies covered the efficacy of ginseng in areas such as cardiovascular function, glucose metabolism, sexual function, anti-oxidation, anti-fatigue and psychomotor function. Twenty-nine studies showed positive results while fifteen studies showed no effect. Sixteen studies reported adverse events while five studies had no adverse events. Twenty-three studies did not mention any adverse events. The main adverse events of ginseng reported were general symptoms such as hot flushes, insomnia and dyspepsia with no significant difference in frequency and symptoms between the ginseng and placebo groups. The symptoms were mild and temporary with no serious or severe adverse events. Conclusion: Panax ginseng showed a very safe profile in a limited number of RCTs with a small number of participants with various conditions ranging from healthy participants to patients with symptoms. However, to increase the usefulness and lower the health risk of Panax ginseng to customers, clinical trials on a larger scale and with a higher standard are necessary to define its efficacy and safety as a dietary supplement or complementary medicine.

To increase expression level of cholera toxin B subunit (CTB) in lettuce plants, synthetic CTB (sCTB) gene based on the optimized codon usage was fused with an endoplasmic reticulum retention signal, KDEL. The sCTB gene was introduced into a plant expression vector and transformed to lettuce plants using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation system. As a selection marker, a bialaphos resistance (bar) gene that encodes phosphinothricin acetyltransferase (PAT), conferring tolerance to the herbicide phosphinothricin (PPT), was used. PCR amplification of genomic DNA confirmed the presence of the sCTB gene in the transgenic lettuce plants. Expressions of mRNA and protein of sCTB were observed by Northern and Western blot analyses, respectively. The sCTB synthesized in the transgenic lettuce showed strong affinity for GM1-ganglioside suggesting that the sCTB conserved the antigenic sites for binding and proper folding of pentameric CTB structure. The expression level of CTB was relatively high, reaching total soluble protein (TSP) levels of 0.24% in transgenic lettuce.

A Gram-stain-positive, moderately halophilic bacterium, designated BH043T, was isolated from saltern soil of Gomso in Korea. Cells were motile rods, producing ellipsoidal endospores at a terminal position in swollen sporangia. Strain BH043T was strictly aerobic, grew at pH 6.0–10.0 (optimal growth at pH 7.5), at 10–55 °C (optimal growth at 30 °C) and at salinities of 1–20 % (w/v) NaCl, growing optimally with 7 % (w/v) NaCl. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that strain BH043T belongs to the family Bacillaceae and was most closely related to the type strains of the five recognized species of the genus Pontibacillus , showing sequence similarity to Pontibacillus yanchengensis Y32T (97.5 % similarity), Pontibacillus marinus BH030004T (97.4 %), Pontibacillus chungwhensis BH030062T (97.0 %), Pontibacillus litoralis JSM 072002T (96.4 %) and Pontibacillus halophilus JSM 076056T (96.2 %). The major cellular fatty acids of strain BH043T were iso-C15 : 0 and anteiso-C15 : 0. The genomic DNA G+C content was 42.5 mol%. The major isoprenoid quinone was MK-7 and meso-diaminopimelic acid was present in the cell-wall peptidoglycan as the diagnostic diamino acid. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylglycerol. DNA–DNA relatedness between strain BH043T and the type strains of other species of the genus Pontibacillus , P. yanchengensis CGMCC 1.10680T and P. marinus KCTC 3917T and P. chungwhensis KCTC 3890T, was 35, 24 and 18 %, respectively. On the basis of polyphasic analysis from this study, strain BH043T represents a novel species of the genus Pontibacillus for which the name Pontibacillus salicampi sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is BH043T ( = KACC 17607T = NBRC 109831T = NCAIM B.02529T).

Korean households` expenditures on the eating -out have been steadily increasing except for the foreign exchange crisis period. This paper aimed to examine the eating-out expenditures of salary and wage earners`s households by educational attainment of household head. We modeled the demand function of eating-out in terms of income and price, examining the responsiveness of eating-out demand to changes in income and price using econometric methods such as regression, rolling regression and impulse response. This paper showed that coefficients of income and price tended to decrease as the income rises in the long-run. Specifically, the higher the educational attainment of household head is, the smaller the coefficients of income and price we. The impulse response analysis also indicated that while price shocks decreased the demand for eating-out, income shocks tended to increase tile demand for eating-out in all the educational attainments. Furthermore income shocks were much greater and last longer than price shocks at all educational attainments of household heads.

Transgenic plants expressing recombinant proteins from pathogenic microorganisms provide an inexpensive edible vaccine for induction of local immunity. A neutralizing epitope of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) gene containing SEKDEL was expressed in potato using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation system. Putative transgenic plants were regenerated, and genomic PCR confirmed the presence of PEDV epitope gene in the potato plants. Based on the ELISA results, epitope of PEDV protein made up approximately 0.1% of the total soluble tuber protein.

A Bacillus sp. BS061 significantly reduced disease incidence of gray mold and powdery mildew. To identify the active principle, the culture filtrate was partitioned between butanol and water. The antifungal activity against B. cinerea was evident in the butanol-soluble portion, and active substances were identified as cyclic lipopeptides, iturin A series, by nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry (NMR) and mass analysis. Interestingly, antifungal activity against powdery mildew was observed in the water-soluble portion, suggesting that cyclic lipopeptides have no responsibility to suppress powdery mildew. This finding reveals that biocontrol agents of Bacillus origin suppress gray mold and powdery mildew through the secretion of different bioactive substances.

During the screening of antiviral substances having inhibitory effects on Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) infection on tobacco plants, we found a bacterial isolate KTB3, and identified it as Acinetobacter sp. which strongly inhibited the infection of TMV. When the culture filtrate from KTB3 was applied on the upper surface of the Xanthi-nc tobacco leaves at the same time, or 24 hours before TMV inoculation, almost complete inhibition was achieved. Likewise, 86% inhibition was achieved, when the culture filtrate was applied on the underside of the leaves. In field trials, transmission of TMV from diseased seedlings to healthy ones during transplanting work was reduced by 92%, when the culture filtrate was sprayed onto the tobacco seedlings, cv. NC82, 24 hours before transplanting. No toxic effect was observed on the tobacco plants. Antiviral substance from the culture filtrate was purified by ethanol precipitation, dialysis, DEAE-cellulose, and Sephadex G75 gel column chromatography. The partially purified active material which showed positive color reaction to sugar and protein inhibited TMV infection by 60% at 1μg/ml.

Chloroplast transformation systems offer unique advantages in biotechnology, including high level of foreign gene expression, maternal inheritance, and polycistronic expression. We studied chloroplast expression of LTK63 (change Ser → Lys at position 63 in the A subunit) which is the mutant of Escherichia coli heat-labile toxin. LTK63 is devoid of any toxic activity, but still retains its mucosal adjuvanticity. The LTK63 was cloned into chloroplast targeting vector and transformed to tobacco chloroplasts by particle bombardment. PCR and Southern blot analyses confirmed stable homologous recombination of the LTK63 gene into the chloroplast genome. The amount of LTK63 protein detected in tobacco chloroplasts was approximately 3.7% of the total soluble protein. The GM1-ganglioside binding assay confirmed that chloroplast-synthesized LTB of LTK63 binds to the intestinal membrane GM1-ganglioside receptor. Thus, the expression of LTK63 in chloroplasts provides a potential route toward the development of a plant-based edible vaccine for high expression system and environmentally friendly approach.

Direct gene transfer methods were established for cell suspension cultures of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum cv. Havana) using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation system. Agrobacterium strain LBA4404 containing a binary vector carrying the hGM-CSF gene was introduced into tobacco suspension cells. Cell culture cycle affected transformation efficiency. The cells at 5 days after subculture showed the highest response growing 9.7 transformed cells per plate. Genomic PCR and northern blot analysis demonstrated the integration into cell nuclear genome and the expression of hGM-CSF gene in transgenic tobacco suspension cells. The recombinant hGM-CSF was synthesized by the suspension culture of transgenic cells and secreted to the liquid medium at 150.4 µg 1−1 by day 5, which was detected by ELISA analysis. Cell lines that secreted the hGM-CSF protein into medium were obtained within 2 months. This is faster than previously published technique that necessitate plant regeneration. These results suggest that this method may be used to rapidly produce cell suspension cultures that synthesize useful proteins.

Transgenic chloroplasts have become attractive systems for heterologous gene expressions because of unique advantages. Here, we report a feasibility study for producing the nontoxic B subunit of Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin (LTB) via chloroplast transformation of tobacco. Stable site-specific integration of the LTB gene into chloroplast genome was confirmed by PCR and genomic Southern blot analysis in transformed plants. Immunoblot analysis indicated that plant-derived LTB protein was oligomeric, and dissociated after boiling. Pentameric LTB molecules were the dominant molecular species in LTB isolated from transgenic tobacco leaf tissues. The amount of LTB protein detected in transplastomic tobacco leaf was approximately 2.5% of the total soluble plant protein, approximately 250-fold higher than in plants generated via nuclear transformation. The GM1–ELISA binding assay indicated that chloroplast-synthesized LTB protein bound to GM1-ganglioside receptors. LTB protein with biochemical properties identical to native LTB protein in the chloroplast of edible plants opens the way for inexpensive, safe, and effective plant-based edible vaccines for humans and animals.

Differential behavior of mesangial cells derived from 12/15-lipoxygenase knockout mice relative to control mice.BackgroundThe 12/15-lipoxygenase (12/15-LO) enzyme has been implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy since lipoxygenase products induce cellular hypertrophy and extracellular matrix deposition in mesangial cells. In this study, in order to determine the potential in vivo functional role of 12/15-LO in kidney disease, we compared mouse mesangial cells (MMCs) derived from 12/15-LO knockout mice with those from genetic control wild-type mice.MethodsMMCs were isolated from wild-type and 12/15-LO knockout mice. Cellular growth, activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), transcription factors, superoxide levels, and fibronectin expression were compared in the two cell types.ResultsLevels of the 12/15-LO product and protein were lower in MMC from 12/15-LO knockout relative to wild-type. MMCs from 12/15-LO knockout mice grew slower than wild-type cells, and also showed lower rates of tritiated thymidine and leucine incorporation (21% and 15% of wild-type, respectively, P < 0.001). Levels of superoxide and the matrix protein fibronectin were also lower in 12/15-LO knockout mice cells. Serum and angiotensin II (Ang II)-stimulated activities of p38 or ERK1/2 MAPKs, and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-responsive element binding protein (CREB) transcription factor were lower in 12/15-LO knockout relative to wild-type cells. In addition, DNA binding and transcriptional activities of activated protein-1 (AP-1) and CREB were lower in 12/15-LO knockout cells. Furthermore, stable 12/15-LO overexpression in MMC led to reciprocal increase in p38 MAPK activation and fibronectin expression.ConclusionThe differential activation of oxidant stress, specific signaling pathways, transcription factors, and growth and matrix genes may lead to reduced growth and growth factor responses in 12/15-LO knockout versus wild-type MMCs. These results provide ex vivo functional evidence for the first time that 12/15-LO activation plays a key role in mesangial cell responses associated with renal diseases such as diabetic nephropathy.

An organophosphorus insecticide, chlorpyrifos and an arylnitrile fungicide, chlorothalonil commonly used far apple were subjected to a residual investigation under field conditions to ensure safety of terminal residues at harvest. After pesticides were applied at standard rate in apple tree fer 15 days for chlorpyrifos and 30 days far chlorothalonil, persistence of their residues in apple was investigated by several interval. At harvest, residual concentrations of chlorpyrifos and chlorothalonil in apple were 1.3 and 2.4mg/kg, respectively, and the residue levels were higher than MRL 1.0 mg/kg in Korea. As well fitted by the first-oder kinetics, biological half-lives of the pesticide residues in apple were 9.3 days for chlorpyrifos and 32.2 days for chlorothalonil. During the storage, half-lives of chlorpyrifos and chlorothalonil were 35.0 and 56.3days at room temperature, and 120.7 and 182.8 days at 412, respectively. Distribution of chlorpyrifos residue in flesh, fruit skin and stalk cavity of each apple corresponded to 0.1% 22.8% and 77.1%, respectively. In case of chlorothalonil, residue in flesh, fruit skin and stalk cavity was 4.4%, 10.4% and 85.2%, respectively.

The human granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (hGM-CSF) gene was introduced into tobacco plants. The cell suspension culture was established from leaf-derived calli of the transgenic tobacco plants in order to express and secrete a biologically active hGM-CSF. The recombinant hGM-CSF from the transgenic plant cell culture (prhGM-CSF) was identified as a yield of about 180 μg/L in the culture filtrate, as determined by ELISA. The addition of 0.5 g/L polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) to the plant cell culture medium both stabilized the secreted prhGM-CSF and increased the level of production approximately 1.5-fold to 270 μg/L. The biological activity of the prhGM-CSF was confirmed by measuring the proliferation of the hGM-CSF-dependent cell line, TF-1. Interestingly, the specific activity of the prhGM-CSF was estimated to be approximately 2.7 times higher than that of a commercially available preparation fromE. coli.

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) was transformed with Agrobacterium tumefacience LBA4404 containing human granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (hGM-CSF) gene to produce in cell suspension cultures. Cell suspension culture was established using callus from transgenic lettuce plant. Integration of hGM-CSF gene into plant chromosome was confirmed through genomic PCR and Southern blot analysis. In addition, Northern blot analysis indicated the expression of the introduced hGM-CSF gene in transformed lettuce. The recombinant hGM-CSF was expressed in transgenic cell cultures derived from transgenic plants as a yield of about 149.0 /L in culture filtrate, which was determined by ELISA. These results demonstrated that transformed lettuce cell suspension cultures could be used as a production system of therapeutic proteins such as hGM-CSF.

A complementary DNA encoding human granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (hGM-CSF) was cloned and introduced into tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum cv. Seokwang) using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Genomic PCR and Northern blot analysis demonstrated the integration of the construction into the plant nuclear genome and expression of the hGM-CSF in transgenic tomato. The cell suspension culture was established from leaf-derived calli of the transgenic tomato plants transformed with the hGM-CSF gene. Recombinant hGM-CSF was synthesized by the transgenic cell culture and secreted into the growth medium at 45 μg l−1 after 10 d' cultivation.

The lipoxygenase (LO) pathway of arachidonate metabolism and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) can mediate cellular growth and ANG II effects in vascular smooth muscle cells. However, their role in renal mesangial cells (MC) is not very clear. ANG II treatment of rat MC significantly increased 12-LO mRNA expression and formation of the 12-LO product 12( S)-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid [12( S)-HETE; P < 0.03]. ANG II-induced [3H]leucine incorporation was blocked by an LO inhibitor, cinnamyl-3,4-dihydroxy-α-cyanocinnamate ( P < 0.02). 12( S)-HETE and ANG II directly induced cellular hypertrophy and fibronectin (FN) expression ( P < 0.01) to a similar extent. ANG II and 12( S)-HETE led to activation of p38MAPKand its target transcription factor cAMP-responsive element-binding protein (CREB). ANG II- and 12( S)-HETE-induced CREB activation and [3H]leucine incorporation were blocked by the p38MAPKinhibitor SB-202190. A specific molecular inhibitor of rat 12-LO mRNA, namely, a novel ribozyme, could attenuate ANG II-induced FN mRNA. Thus p38MAPK-dependent CREB activation may mediate ANG II- and LO product-induced FN expression and cellular growth in rat MC. ANG II effects may be mediated by the LO pathway. These results suggest a novel interaction between LO and p38MAPKactivation in MC matrix synthesis associated with renal complications.

Lipid abnormalities and dysregulation of the plasminogen activator (PA)/plasmin system may be involved in the development of glomerulosclerosis. We investigated the effects of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) on PA inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), urokinase-type PA (uPA), and tissue-type PA (tPA) in relationship to protein kinase C (PKC) in cultured human mesangial cells (HMC). LDL (200 μg/ml) induced two peaks of PKC activation at hours 0.25 and 6, with translocation of PKC-α, -β1, and -δ from cytosol to the membrane. The second increase in PKC activity gradually decreased to the control value by hour 18. LDL downregulated 2.4-kb PAI-1, uPA, and tPA mRNA expression within 6 h of incubation with HMC. On the other hand, after 12–48 h, LDL-treated cells showed a significant increase in PAI-1, tPA, and uPA mRNA levels. LDL induced up to a twofold increase in PAI-1 antigen levels in the extracellular matrix of HMC after 24–48 h as well as increased PA inhibitory activity in the culture medium. Analysis of the adhesion plaques from cells incubated with LDL for 48 h by zymography showed increased intensity of lysis near molecular weights of ∼55,000 and 100,000. LDL slightly increased tPA release at hours 24 and 48 but did not increase PA activity in culture medium. The stimulatory effects of LDL on PAI-1, tPA, and uPA gene regulation in HMC were blocked by the inhibition of PKC using GF-109203X 12 h after treatment with LDL or downregulation of PKC using phorbol myristate acetate. In summary, LDL regulates PAI-1, uPA, and tPA in biphasic patterns in HMC, and the upregulation of PAI-1, uPA, and tPA after long-term LDL exposure seems to be mediated by a delayed PKC activation associated with an increased PA inhibitory activity. These results suggest that LDL, after prolonged incubations with HMC, causes a PA/inhibitor imbalance favoring accumulation of matrix.

Two pesticides commonly used for lettuce cultivation including chlorpyrifos and procymidone were subjected to a field residue trial to ensure safety of terminal residues in the harvest. After pesticides were applied at standard and double rates in a foliar spray, leaf persistence of their residues was investigated far 10 days prior to harvest. Even though far exceeded the tolerances, initial leaf residues were rapidly dissipated with time and remained only 0.47.2% of the residues in the harvest. As well fitted by the first-order kinetics, biological half-lives of the pesticide residues in lettuce leaves ranged 1.22.6 days. Slow dissipation of the residues in the harvest was observed during storage at room temperature and 4 for 7 days. Portions of dislodgeable residues which resided in detergent washings decreased as time elapsed. Patterns in dissipation and distribution of dislodgeable residues were not largely affected by the application rate of pesticides. It is concluded that timing of pesticide application, that is, pre-harvest interval would be the first factor to determine the terminal residue level in edible portions of lettuce.

Two peptaibol antibiotics, peptavirins A and B, which exhibited strong inhibitory effect against Tobacco mosaic vials (TMV) infection, were isolated from steam-cooked rice culture of Apiocrea sp.14T. The peptavirins were identified as new derivatives of chrysospermins, which are 19-mer and have been reported to be produced in a fungal isolate. The physicochemical properties of the peptavirins were mostly identical with chrysospermins A through D except for the UV absorption spectrum. The peptavirins inhibited the growths of the Grampositive bacteria tested, including the plant pathogenic bacterium, Corynebacterium lilium, and the fungus, Aspergillus niger. Peptavirin A was somewhat cytotoxic to cancer cell lines, especially K562 (leukemia) and UACC 62 (melanoma), whereas peptavirin B only exhibited slight cytotoxicity.

AIM: To determine if growth arrest-specific 6 (Gas6) plays an important role in the regulation of angiogenesis in human retinal microvascular endothelial cells (HRMECs) and in vessel development of zebrafish. METHODS: Proliferation, wound-healing cell migration, and tube formation were measured in HRMECs treated with recombinant human Gas6 (rhGas6). Sprague-Dawley rat aortas in Matrigels were treated with rhGas6, and microvessel sprouting emanating from arterial rings was analyzed. Transgenic zebrafish embryos (flk:GFP) were microinjected with rhGas6 at 50 hours post-fertilization (hpf), and ectopic sprouting of subintestinal vessels (SIVs) was observed under a confocal microscope. Morpholino oligonucleotides (MOs) were microinjected to knockdown gas6 in zebrafish embryos, and intersegmental vessel impairment was observed. The effect of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2) inhibitor on the migration of HRMECs and on vessel development in zebrafish embryos was tested. RESULTS: rhGas6 stimulated proliferation, migration, and tube formation in HRMECs in a dose-dependent manner. In rat aortas, rhGas6 induced vessel outgrowth, and the sprouting length was longer than that of controls. The rhGas6-microinjected zebrafish embryos had significantly increased vessel outgrowth in the SIVs. Recombinant human vascular endothelial growth factor (rhVEGF) served as a positive control. Knockdown of gas6 inhibited angiogenesis in the developing vessels of zebrafish. The ERK1/2 inhibitor inhibited HRMEC migration and intersegmental vessel formation in zebrafish embryos. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATIONS: These data suggest that Gas6 plays a pivotal role in proliferation, migration, and sprouting of angiogenic endothelial cells in the retina and in zebrafish embryos. Furthermore, Gas6 induced angiogenic processes are induced via phosphorylation of ERK1/2.

We report a unique case of skeletal metastasis with prominent soft tissue extension from a colon cancer in a 44-year-old male patient. Four years after the diagnosis of colon cancer, plain radiographic examinations revealed a prominent soft tissue mass associated with cortical destruction of the right femur. Palliative radiotherapy of the right femur was performed. After completing radiotherapy, massive remineralization was seen in the soft tissue component. With the assistance of pre- and post-radiotherapy computerized tomography images, obtained in the process of planning the radiotherapy, we reached the conclusion that in our case the pre-radiotherapy finding was an extreme case of eccentric expansion of the bony cortex due to the outgrowth of bony metastasis. Retrospectively, the initial prominent soft tissue mass associated with the cortical destruction seems to have been a protruding bone metastasis, extending from the medial aspect of the right femur. This peculiar feature with remineralization after radiotherapy should help explain the phenomenon of atypical bony metastasis from a radiological perspective.

The effects of an acidic polysaccharide isolated from the ethanol-insoluble and water-soluble fraction of Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer on immunomodulating activities were investigated. A high output nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) was shown in female BALB/c mice administered intraperitoneally with the acidic polysaccharide from ginseng. Newly synthesized iNOS protein was also observed in peritoneal macrophages cultured with interferon-gamma and the acidic polysaccharide. Spleen cells from acidic polysaccharide-treated mice did not proliferate in response to concanavalin A, but restored the responsiveness by the cotreatment of NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (NMMA) with concanavalin A. The treatment of mice with aminoguanidine, a specific iNOS inhibitor, alleviated the acidic polysaccharide-induced suppression of antibody response to sheep red blood cells. Present results suggest that the immunomodulating activities of the acidic polysaccharide were mediated by the production of nitric oxide.

During the search for natural antioxidants from basidiomycetes, a new styrylpyrone, baumin (1), was isolated from the cultivated medicinal fungus Phellinus baumii, together with known compounds, davallialactone (2), hispidin (3), hypholomine B (4), interfungin A (5), inoscavin A (6), and phelligridin D (7), which were previously isolated from the medicinal fungi Phellinusignarius, Phellinuslinteus, and Inonotus xeranticus. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic methods. These compounds exhibited antioxidant activity through Fenton reaction inhibition via iron chelation and free radical scavenging.

Man perceive and react around him through the five senses. Also man give rise to the human sensibility and maintain his emotion. This study doesn't limit working environment to VDT environment, but considers the universal working environment acquiring information by eyesight stimulation. In this respect, designed and made is experimental equipment such as an external light for veiling reflection, visual target suggesting system, and visual target considered luminance contrast level. And reading the visual target is selected as work after excerpting the editorials from daily newspapers in Korean and Chinese letter and making target for experimental condition. In case of forming an abnormal veiling reflection we consider the form; a vertical (25%, 50%, 75%)and a horizontal (25%, 50%, 75%). The results from the subjective evaluation are analyzed by SD (Semantic Differential) methodology of 5 point scale for visibility and nuisance when an abnormal veiling reflection forms on target. In addition, the results of the objective evaluation are suggested by measuring and analyzing EEG (Electroencephalogram) of bio-signal for visual sensitivity. The results of this study can apply to basic data which create a guideline of a visual operation. In particular, it can be designed as an illumination environment concerning an ergonomic factor on visual operations, mental stress such as a visual inspection operation, visual information search operation, etc. As a result, we can expect to reduce the visual nuisance and contribute to the improvement of the performance and the uplift of the competitive power.

Pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma (PXA) is a rare brain tumor and typically occurs in the superficial cerebral hemispheres of young subjects. We report a case of PXA in the cerebellum of a 3-month-old infant in view of its unusual location and age. The patient presented with a 1-month history of upward eyeball gazing difficulty. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of occurrence of this neoplasm in the cerebellum of an infant. We report the morphologic and immunophenotypical features, and literature review with regard to the clinicopathologic aspects of a case of unusual PXA.

A new free radical scavenger named inoscavin E was isolated from the fruiting bodies of Inonotus xeranticus. Its structure was determined as 2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-6-[(1E)-2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethenyl]-4H-furo[3,2-c]pyran-4-one on the basis of spectroscopic analysis. Inoscavin E exhibited significant scavenging activity against the superoxide radical anion and ABTS radical cation.

To evaluate the accuracy of MR arthrography in determining the thickness of articular cartilage of the humeral head and glenoid fossa.MR arthrography of the glenohumeral joint was performed in 17 cadaveric shoulders. Articular cartilage thickness was measured on the MR arthrographic images and corresponding anatomic sections.The correlation coefficients for MR arthrographic measurement versus anatomic measurement of the cartilage thickness were 0.7324 and 0.8757 for humeral head and glenoid fossa, respectively. With regard to the humeral head, there was a tendency to overestimate regions of thin cartilage and underestimate regions of thick cartilage. This tendency was not found in the assessment of glenoid cartilage. The mean of the absolute value of MR-anatomic differences was similar on the glenoid side (0.27 mm) and the humeral side (0.29 mm). The accuracy of measurement was significantly better on the glenoid side (Fisher's r-to-Z transformation: Z=5.21, P=0.000001).MR arthrography causes a moderate degree of error in the naked-eye measurement of the cartilage of the glenohumeral joint. The accuracy is higher on the glenoid side than on the humeral side.

Ginsenoside Rh1 or Rh2 differentiated B16 melanoma or F9 teratocarnoma to phenotypic normal melanocyte-like cells or parietal endoderm-like cells. Ginsenoside Rh3 and Rh4 were recently isolated from Panax ginseng, but their biochemical and pharmacological effects remain unidentified. The present study investigated whether the ginsenoside Rh group (G-Rh1, -Rh2, -Rh3 and -Rh4) having similar structures induce differentiation of HL-60 cells and whether protein kinase C (PKC) is involved in differentiation by ginsenoside. Differentiation was assessed by Wright-Giemsa stain and nitroblue tetrazolium reduction. G-Rh2 and G-Rh3 induced differentiation of HL-60 cells into morphologically and functionally granulocytes but G-Rh1 and G-Rh4 did not. G-Rh2 and G-Rh3 arrested the cell cycle at the G1/S phase, consistent with the ability to induce differentiation in a decreasing order of retinoic acid > G-Rh2 > G-Rh3. During differentiation by G-Rh2, Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent PKC activity was increased in both the cytosol and total cell extract and Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent phosphorylation of 38 and 200 kDa endogenous proteins increased, while phosphorylation of 60, 64, 66 and 97 kDa proteins was Ca2+/phospholipid-independent. When cytosolic PKC isoforms were analyzed by immunoblotting, no significant change was observed in the alpha level, however, the immunoreactive 60 kDa band of a similar mass to the PKC catalytic fragment appeared following treatment with G-Rh2. The beta isoform was gradually increased with prolonged treatment. The gamma isoform was not detected in the cytosol of untreated cells, whereas a small amount was detected 5 days after treatment. It is concluded that G-Rh2 and G-Rh3 can induce differentiation of HL-60 cells into granulocytes and modulation of PKC isoform levels may contribute to differentiation of HL-60 cells by G-Rh2.

We investigated the antiviral mechanisms of K-252a, a broad non-specific protein kinase inhibitor which was isolated from Nocardiopsis sp. and its derivative (KT5926), against vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) replication in BHK-21 cells. Although K-252a (5 microM) and KT5926 (15 microM) similarly suppressed the viral primary and secondary transcriptions and genomic RNA synthesis in vivo, the inhibitory mechanisms did not seem to be the same; phosphorylation of the viral NS protein was suppressed by K-252a, which might account for the decreased viral RNA synthesis caused by K-252a. On the other hand, KT5926, being known to preferentially inhibit myosin light chain kinase (MLCK), had little effect on NS protein phosphorylation. Cellular casein kinase II, which is believed to be involved in the phosphorylation of the N-terminal side (domain I) of NS protein, was not inhibited at all by KT5926 even at 15 microM under in vitro assay conditions, and was only weakly inhibited by K-252a at 1 to 10 microM. Neither inhibitor seemed to directly affect viral protein synthesis, but affected it indirectly as a secondary effect of reduced viral RNA synthesis. These results suggest that both the KT5926-sensitive and the KT5926-resistant but K-252a-sensitive functions are involved in the essential processes of viral RNA synthesis. The KT5926-sensitive function(s) might not be involved in the NS protein phosphorylation, but may participate in some other way in the process of virus replication. On the other hand, the KT5926-resistant, K-252a-sensitive function(s) are probably involved in NS protein phosphorylation. The possible nature of those functions is discussed.

A new 2-arylbenzofuran, puerariafuran (1), as well as three known compounds, coumestrol (2), daidzein (3), and genistein (4), were isolated from a MeOH extract of the roots of Pueraria lobata as active constituents, using an in vitro bioassay based on the inhibition of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) to monitor chromatographic fractionation. The structure of 1 was determined by spectroscopic data interpretation, particularly by extensive 1D and 2D NMR studies. All the isolates (1-4) were evaluated for the inhibitory activity on AGEs formation in vitro.

In difference in differences, a treatment is applied only to a qualified group at some time point. The qualification may be time-constant as in gender, or time-varying as in residential location. When the qualification is time-varying, there appear four groups: the newly qualified (in-movers), the already qualified (in-stayers), the newly disqualified (out-movers), and the already disqualified (out-stayers). A change in qualification may affect the response variable of interest even when the treatment effect is zero, which is an 'untreated moving effect'. Also, when the treatment effect is not zero, it may be different across the four groups. The conventional difference in differences fails to remove untreated moving effects and ignores the possible treatment effect heterogeneity across the groups. This paper shows how to account for untreated moving effects and proposes 'the effect on in-stayers' as the main effect of interest. Our proposal can be implemented with least squares estimator for panel models or with nonparametric methods. An empirical analysis is provided using Korean data for the effects of the basic elder pension on health-care expenditure.

Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (Ox-LDL) is present in the lesions of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), but the role of Ox-LDL in the disease process is not clear. Recent studies have shown that LDL stimulates the type IV collagen mRNA expression in cultured mesangial cells. Thus, we examined whether oxidative stress is responsible for the stimulation of LDL-induced collagen gene expression in cultured human mesangial cells (HMCs). When quiescent HMCs were exposed to serum-free media containing LDL for 48 hours, peroxidation of LDL was induced as shown by the increased production of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS). LDL stimulated the alpha 1 (I), alpha 1 (III), and alpha 1 (IV) mRNA expression in a dose-dependent manner. At a concentration of 200 micrograms/ml, LDL enhanced the levels of alpha 1 (I), alpha 1 (III), and alpha 1 (IV) mRNA by 3.7-, 3.8- and 3.2-fold, respectively, over the levels in the control cells. These transcripts were further increased 5.4-, 6.7-, and 5.9-fold, respectively, by the addition of 500 micrograms/ml of LDL. Cu(2+)-catalyzed Ox-LDL at a concentration of 200 micrograms/ml also stimulated the alpha 1 (I), alpha 1 (III), and alpha 1 (IV) mRNA expression 4.4-, 5.9-, and 2.8-fold, respectively, compared with the control cells. The addition of monoclonal antibody (mAb) OL-10, which recognizes the malondialdehyde (MDA)-modified peptide epitope, or vitamin E (50 microM) to cultured HMC exposed to LDL markedly inhibited the stimulation of collagen gene expression. When HMCs were incubated with MDA (200 microM), alpha 1 (I), alpha 1 (III), and alpha 1 (IV) mRNA levels increased by two- to threefold compared to control cells. Immunohistochemical staining utilizing mAb OL-10 demonstrated the presence of MDA-modified proteins in the cytoplasm of HMC exposed to either LDL or MDA. These results suggest that peroxidative products of LDL stimulate collagen gene expression possibly via modification of proteins, which are responsible for the expression of collagen genes in cultured HMCs. Given that, lipid peroxidation of LDL may be implicated in the development of glomerulosclerosis by facilitating excessive mesangial matrix generation.