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Partheno Embryo's research is known to play a very important role in identifying the development of embryonic cells or analyzing the genetic mechanisms of embryonic development, but the information on apoptosis formed during the early stage of development on Partheno Embryo is very little. Therefore, this study analyzed whether the embryonic cell death of unit embryos can be inhibited by adding Scriptaid, one of HDACi, which plays a role in demethylation of histone proteins as a method of regulating the cell cycle in the early embryo development of Partheno Embryo. As a result, the differentiation rate was higher in the group that added Scriptaid and FBS, but the cellular development was higher in the group that added pregnant serum to Scriptaid. As a result of analyzing the expression of the gene through IF and PCR, the group with the addition of gestational serum increased the expression of BCL2 and PCNA, which affects the anti-Casp3 action in cell survival. In addition, it is interpreted that treatment of Scriptaid for 16 hours, rather than 24 h treatment lowers the expression of Casp-3, a representative factor of apoptosis, and also increases embryonic development, thus affecting early embryo development. Therefore, it is concluded that the 16-hour treatment of Scriptaid and the use of gestational serum will inhibit cell death in the early embryonic development and increase the development rate of the embryo.

Although arctigenin (ARC) has been reported to have some pharmacological effects such as anti-inflammation, anti-cancer, and antioxidant, there have been no reports on the anti-obesity effect of ARC. The aim of this study is to investigate whether ARC has an anti-obesity effect and mediates the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway. We investigated the anti-adipogenic effect of ARC using 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes and human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hAMSCs). In high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice, whether ARC can inhibit weight gain was investigated. We found that ARC reduced weight gain, fat pad weight, and triglycerides in HFD-induced obese mice. ARC also inhibited the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein alpha (C/EBPα) in in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, ARC induced the AMPK activation resulting in down-modulation of adipogenesis-related factors including PPARγ, C/EBPα, fatty acid synthase, adipocyte fatty acid-binding protein, and lipoprotein lipase. This study demonstrates that ARC can reduce key adipogenic factors by activating the AMPK in vitro and in vivo and suggests a therapeutic implication of ARC for obesity treatment. J. Cell. Biochem. 117: 2067-2077, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Arctii Fructus is traditionally used in oriental pharmacies as an anti-inflammatory medicine. Although several studies have shown its anti-inflammatory effects, there have been no reports on its use in obesity related studies. In this study, the anti-obesity effect of Arctii Fructus was investigated in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice, and the effect was confirmed in white and primary cultured brown adipocytes. Arctii Fructus inhibited weight gain and reduced the mass of white adipose tissue in HFD-induced obese mice. Serum levels of triglyceride and LDL-cholesterol were reduced, and HDL-cholesterol was increased in the Arctii Fructus treated group. In 3T3-L1 cells, a water extract (WAF) and 70% EtOH extract (EtAF) of Arctii Fructus significantly inhibited adipogenesis and suppressed the expression of proliferator-activated receptor gamma and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein alpha. In particular, EtAF activated the phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase. On the other hand, uncoupling protein 1 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha, known as brown adipocytes specific genes, were increased in primary cultured brown adipocytes by WAF and EtAF. This study shows that Arctii Fructus prevents the development of obesity through the inhibition of white adipocyte differentiation and activation of brown adipocyte differentiation which suggests that Arctii Fructus could be an effective therapeutic for treating or preventing obesity.

Sasa quelpaertensis Nakai is a type of edible bamboo grass distributed on Jeju Island, Korea. S. quelpaertensis has been used as afolk medicine for treatment of a variety of ailments. It has been reported to present biological effects, including anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. In this study, we demonstrate that S. quelpaertensis Nakai extract (SNE) rescues immunocytes from gamma radiation-induced apoptosis and oxidative DNA damage. We examined the cytotoxicity, cell proliferation, DNA damage, apoptosis, and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in mice given SNE for 45 days in immune cells. To determine the splenocytes protection capability of SNE, gamma-ray was irradiated to the whole body of C57BL/6 mice. Our results suggest that SNE stimulated the proliferation of splenocytes without cytotoxic effects. In addition, SNE not only decreased DNA damage but also reduced apoptosis of splenocytes, and attenuated the production of ROS generation in hydrogen peroxide-induced splenocytes. Therefore, SNE can protect against gamma radiation-induced damage in mice.

In this study, we propose a practical approach for designing an automobile body in white using multiple materials. This approach includes design optimization to reduce the weight subject to bending and torsional stiffness constraints in a real application considering realistic limitations on the product development time. Whereas conventional bodies in white are at present composed of only steel, we reduce the weight by using steel and aluminium. Although there have been many studies related to body-in-white design, practical design processes have rarely considered the whole vehicle body owing to the difficulties in handling the large number of design variables. Therefore, the proposed design optimization strategy consists of two levels: on the first level, many design variables are screened for significance and, on the second level, the significant design variables are optimized. The screening drastically reduces the number of design variables, from 195 to 81, allowing efficient optimization on the second level. By using this approach, the weight of a reference body in white was reduced by 27.3% while satisfying all the design requirements.

In this study, we found that alpha-pinene (α-pinene) exhibits anti-inflammatory activity through the suppression of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) pathway in mouse peritoneal macrophages. α-Pinene is found in the oils of many coniferous trees and rosemary. We investigated the inhibitory effects of α-Pinene on inflammatory responses induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) using mouse peritoneal macrophages. α-Pinene significantly decreased the LPS-induced production of interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and nitric oxide (NO). α-Pinene also inhibited inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expressions in LPS-stimulated macrophages. Additionally, the activations of MAPKs and NF-κB were attenuated by means of α-pinene treatment. These results indicate that α-pinene has an anti-inflammatory effect and that it is a potential candidate as a new drug to treat various inflammatory diseases.

Although Arctii Fructus (AF) has been shown to have various pharmacological effects, there have been no studies concerning the inhibitory effects of AF on the metastatic properties of colorectal cancer (CRC). The aim of this study was to investigate whether AF could suppress CRC progression by inhibiting cell growth, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), migration, and the invasion ability of CRC cells. AF decreased proliferation of CRC cells by inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis via extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic pathways. Regarding metastatic properties, AF inhibited EMT by increasing the expression of the epithelial marker, E-cadherin, and decreasing the expression of the mesenchymal marker, N-cadherin, in CT26 cells. Moreover, AF decreased the migration and invasion of CT26 cells by inhibiting matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9 activity. We confirmed that the decreased invasion ability and MMP-9 activity by AF treatment involved AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation. Collectively, this study demonstrates that AF inhibits the proliferation and metastatic properties of CRC cells.

Eclipta prostrata (EP) and its compounds are known to have several pharmacological effects including anti-inflammatory effects. In the present study, we demonstrated that EP improves the dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis symptoms such as body weight loss, colon length shortening and disease activity index. In DSS-induced colitis tissue, EP controls the protein expressions of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and hypoxia inducible factor-1[Formula: see text] (HIF-1[Formula: see text]). In addition, the release of prostaglandin E2and vascular endothelial growth factor-A were significantly reduced by EP administration. EP also inhibited COX-2 and HIF-1[Formula: see text] expressions in the tumor necrosis factor-[Formula: see text] stimulated HT-29 cells. These inhibitory effects of EP occurred by reducing the phosphorylation of I[Formula: see text]B and the translocation of the nuclear factor-[Formula: see text]B (NF-[Formula: see text]B). Additionally, we found through HPLC analysis that wedelolactone, which is an inhibitor of NF-[Formula: see text]B transcription, was contained in water extract of EP. These results indicate that EP can improve colitis symptoms through the modulation of immune function in intestinal epithelial cells and suggests that EP has the potential therapeutic effect to intestinal inflammation.

Objective: The study of an in vitro embryosis is crucial in genetics for breed improvement and reproduction in livestock, identifying the causes of infertility, and stem cell application. Meanwhile, the problem of nucleic acid denaturation observed during embryo development is yet to be resolved. This study was set out to analyze the nucleic acid denaturation during the development of in vitro embryos. Materials and Methods: Using an in-vitro fertilization-embryo in porcine, the cell development and apoptosis were evaluated by adding rapamycin by concentration to the TCM-199 containing 10% FBS or 10% porcine follicle fluid (pFF). Real-time PCR, zymography, DNA fragment, Western blot, and immunofluorescence analysis were also carried out to determine the development rate of inner cell mass in the in-vitro fertilization-embryo. Results: The findings indicated that the addition of rapamycin to the 10% pFF group during in vitro maturation led to an increase in the rates of cleavage and blastocyst development and the expression of active matrix metallopeptidase (MMP-9), while nucleic acid denaturation was suppressed. In other words, the addition of rapamycin was found to increase the expression of MMP-2 in the inner cell mass and trophoblast, while it inhibited apoptosis. Conclusion: The addition of rapamycin influences the regulation of apoptosis and MMPs, and based on this, it is presumed to have a positive effect on blastocyst development. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2020; 7(4.000): 614-620]

In this study, we propose the method of optimally selecting material of front pillar (A-pillar) and package tray for minimizing weight while satisfying vehicle requirements on static stiffness and dynamic stiffness. First, we formulate a material selection optimization problem. Next, we establish the CAE procedure of evaluating static stiffness and dynamic stiffness. Then, to enhance the efficiency of design work, we integrate and automate the established CAE procedure using a commercial process integration and design optimization (PIDO) tool, PIAnO. For effective optimi-zation, we adopt the approach of metamodel based approximate optimization. As a sampling method, an orthogonal array (OA) is used for selecting sampling points. The response values are evaluated at the sampling points and then these response values are used to generate a metamodel of each response using the radial basis function regression (RBFr). Using the RBFr models, optimization is carried out an evolutionary algorithm that can handle discrete design variables. Material optimization result reveals that the weight is reduced by 49.8% while satisfying all the design constraints.

Animal cells have been widely and continuously studied due to their usefulness in biological researches and production of pharmacological agents as well as food additives. Nevertheless, there are several problems such as the existence of viruses which introduce the possibility of mammalian-infection. In this reason, recently, animal cells derived from marine organisms have emerged to overcome these problems by many researches. However, marine animal-derived cells have not yet been well developed. The banded hound shark occupies an important position in an evolutionary perspective and currently a few biological substances have been used for medicines or food additives such as shark squalene and cartilage extract. In this study, primary cells were cultivated from a banded hound shark nose containing many extracellular matrix (ECM) materials. After successful isolation of one type of primary nasal cell, we optimized culture conditions including coating materials, media composition, serum concentrations and pH. Additionally, these cells demonstrated proliferation ability in vitro, generating secretions of collagen and sulfated polysaccharides. The cultivated primary cells are useful in the study of cellular biology and may be used to create a variety of ECM-originated bioactive substances.

Saengmaeksan (SMS) is a Korean herbal prescription consisting of three different herbal drugs: Liriopis Tuber (tuber of Liriope platyphylla, Liliaceae), Ginseng Radix (root of Panax ginseng) and Schisandrae Fructus (fruit of Schisandra chinensis). SMS is commonly used in Korea to treat various diseases that involve the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. However, to date, the mechanism underlying the anti-inflammatory effects of SMS is not clearly understood. In this study, we attempt to determine the effects of SMS on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory responses in mouse peritoneal macrophages.Cell viability was measured by using a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, and nitric oxide (NO) levels were measured by using Griess reagent. The tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-6 levels secreted by the cells were measured using a modified enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Expression of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), respectively was investigated using a western blot analysis. A caspase colorimetric assay kit was used to assay enzymatic caspase-1 activity.The findings of this study showed that SMS reduced TNF-α and IL-6 production induced by LPS. During the inflammatory process, COX-2 and NO levels were increased in mouse peritoneal macrophages, but SMS decreased the enhanced levels of COX-2 and the production of NO. In addition, SMS suppressed the activation of NF-κB and receptor interacting protein-2/caspase-1.Our results provide novel insights into the pharmacological actions of SMS, a molecule that can potentially be exploited in the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

Ixeris dentata(ID) is an herbal medicine used in Asian countries to treat indigestion, pneumonia, hepatitis, contusions, and tumors; however, its effect on intestinal inflammation is unknown. Thus, we investigated the effect of ID in the dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) model of colitis in female BALB/c mice; animals were evaluated after seven days of DSS treatment. DSS-treated mice showed considerable clinical signs, including weight loss, reduced colon length, colonic epithelial injury, infiltration of inflammatory cells in the colon tissue, and upregulation of inflammatory mediators. However, administration of ID attenuated body weight loss, colon shortening, and the increase in disease activity index score. ID also significantly decreased the colonic mucosal injury and the number of infiltrating mast cells. Moreover, ID inhibited the expressions of cyclooxygenase-2 and hypoxia-inducible factor-1αin colon tissue. Taken together, the results provide experimental evidence that ID might be a useful therapy for patients with ulcerative colitis.

Background Quercetin is a major dietary flavonoid found in a various fruits, vegetables, and grains. Although the inhibitory effects of quercetin have previously been observed in several types of cancer cells, the anti-metastatic effect of quercetin on colorectal metastasis has not been determined. Purpose This study investigated whether quercetin exhibits inhibitory effect on colorectal lung metastasis. Study design The effects of quercetin on cell viability, mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) activation, migration, invasion, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and lung metastasis were investigated. Methods We investigated the effect of quercetin on metastatic colon cancer cells using WST assay, Annexin V assay, real-time RT-PCR, western blot analysis and gelatin zymography. The anti-metastatic effect of quercetin in vivo was confirmed in a colorectal lung metastasis model. Results Quercetin inhibited the cell viability of colon 26 (CT26) and colon 38 (MC38) cells and induced apoptosis through the MAPKs pathway in CT26 cells. Expression of EMT markers, such as E-, N-cadherin, β-catenin, and snail, were regulated by non-toxic concentrations of quercetin. Moreover, the migration and invasion abilities of CT26 cells were inhibited by quercetin through expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) regulation. Quercetin markedly decreased lung metastasis of CT26 cells in an experimental in vivo metastasis model. Conclusion In conclusion, this study demonstrates for the first time that quercetin can inhibit the survival and metastatic ability of CT26 cells, and it can subsequently suppress colorectal lung metastasis in the mouse model. These results indicate that quercetin may be a potent therapeutic agent for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer.

This study was performed in order to investigate the antiobese effects of the ethanolic extract of Veratri Nigri Rhizoma et Radix (VN), a herb with limited usage, due to its toxicology. An HPLC analysis identified jervine as a constituent of VN. By an Oil Red O assay and a Real-Time RT-PCR assay, VN showed higher antiadipogenic effects than jervine. In high-fat diet- (HFD-) induced obese C57BL/6J mice, VN administration suppressed body weight gain. The levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ), CCAAT-enhancer-binding protein alpha (C/EBPα), adipocyte fatty-acid-binding protein (aP2), adiponectin, resistin, and LIPIN1 were suppressed by VN, while SIRT1 was upregulated. Furthermore, VN activated phosphorylation of the liver kinase B1- (LKB1-) AMP-activated protein kinase alpha- (AMPKα-) acetyl CoA carboxylase (ACC) axis. Further investigation of cotreatment of VN with the AMPK agonist AICAR or AMPK inhibitor Compound C showed that VN can activate the phosphorylation of AMPKαin compensation to the inhibition of Compound C. In conclusion, VN shows antiobesity effects in HFD-induced obese C57BL/6J mice. In 3T3-L1 adipocytes, VN has antiadipogenic features, which is due to activating the LKB1-AMPKα-ACC axis. These results suggest that VN has a potential benefit in preventing obesity.

Skin is a barrier which protects injured tissues, and thus, skin regeneration is one of many important medical issues. Tissue engineering is an attractive approach to make artificial tissue or regenerate lost tissues. While constituting artificial tissues, cells must infiltrate through scaffolds, maintaining viability and proliferation. However, a three-dimensional tissue culture involves stressful environments due to several reasons such as mass or gas transport and high cell density. Once stressed, cells produce reactive oxygen species, resulting in alleviating cellular viability and activity. Spirulina is well known to have antioxidant molecules, which have been known to modulate oxidative stress to cells. Electrospun nanofiber has widely been used as a scaffold to mimic natural extracellular matrix. In this research, we assessed Spirulina extract-imbedded nanofiber as a scaffold for an artificial skin tissue. Spirulina extract was proven to positively affect viability and proliferation of mouse fibroblasts. In addition, fibroblasts infiltrated through Spirulina extract-imbedded electrospun nanofiber without cytotoxicity.

Metformin is an oral antidiabetic drug extensively used to treat the polycystic ovary syndrome in women. Metformin increases insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and has direct effects on ovarian steroidogenesis in humans. However, the molecular mechanisms of metformin' action on the ovary are not clear. To investigate the effects of this drug on the insulin-signaling pathway in porcine granulosa cells as an alternative model for human research, we examined the mRNA expressions of porcine insulin receptor (INSR), insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R), insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1), and the protein activity (activation and phosphorylation) of downstream targets including Raf, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MEK)1/2, extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK), phosphoinositide-dependent 1 kinase (PDK1), mammalian target of rapamycin (TOR), p70, and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) in a primary culture system consisting of porcine granulosa-lutein cells (pGLs) incubated with 10(-5)M metformin and/or 100ng/ml insulin for 24h in a serum-free medium. We also investigated the luciferase activity of transcription factors activator protein-1 (AP-1) and NF-κB. Metformin with insulin significantly increased mRNA expressions of INSR, IGF-1R, and IRS-1, while metformin alone had no significant effect. And metformin with insulin had the significant effect on the protein activity (activation and phosphorylation) of downstream targets of INSR signaling pathway. Metformin with insulin significantly elicited an induction of luciferase activity in the transfection of AP-1 and NF-κBreporter, while metformin alone did not. In conclusion, we examined the activity of metformin and insulin on pGLS in vitro and metformin enhanced the action of insulin on the intracellular signaling pathways. These results suggest that metformin could change the function of ovarian granulosa cells.

Phloroglucinol (PG) is a phenolic compound isolated from Ecklonia cava, a brown algae abundant on Jeju island, Korea. Previous reports have suggested that PG exerts antioxidative and cytoprotective effects against oxidative stress. In this study, we confirmed that PG protected against small intestinal damage caused by ionizing radiation, and we investigated its protective mechanism in detail. Regeneration of intestinal crypts in the PG-treated irradiated group was significantly promoted compared with that in irradiated controls. The expression level of proapoptotic molecules such as p53, Bax, and Bak in the small intestine was downregulated and that of antiapoptotic molecules such as Bcl-2 and Bcl-XS/L was augmented in the PG-treated group. On histological observation of the small intestine, PG inhibited the immunoreactivity of p53, Bax, and Bak and increased that of Bcl-2 and Bcl-XS/L. These results demonstrate the protective mechanisms of PG in mice against intestinal damage from ionizing radiation, providing the benefit of raising the apoptosis threshold of jejunal crypt cells.

Vehicle collisions frequently happen at a low speed. Insurance companies and the Research Council for Automobile Repairs both require reduction of repair costs and improvement in occupant safety in a low-speed crash. In order to reduce repair costs, an energy absorbing device such as the crash box is usually installed. The crash box is a thin-walled structure attached between the vehicle bumper structure and the side rail. The determination of the crash box geometry is quite important to absorb the impact energy, since the installation space of the crash box is not very large. In this research, a design procedure to determine the cross-sectional dimensions is proposed to enhance the energy absorption capability of the crash box. The proposed process has two steps. In the first step, the cross-sectional dimensions for the conceptual design are determined in two ways. One is a parameter study using discrete design with an orthogonal array. The cross-sectional dimensions of the crash box are selected among the available cross-sections, such as a circle or a polygon. The cross-sectional dimensions are determined by the analysis of the mean from the discrete design with an orthogonal array. The other is topology optimization, which is performed to determine the cross-section of the crash box to maximize the absorbed strain energy based on the Research Council for Automobile Repairs test conditions. The equivalent static loads method for non linear static response structural optimization is employed to solve the formulated topology optimization problems. The cross sections of the crash box are determined from the results of the conceptual design. In the second step, the detailed design processes are performed by using discrete design with an orthogonal array for the models that are selected in the first step. The detailed shapes of the new crash boxes are determined from the detailed design. The optimization problem for the crash box is formulated considering the geometric constraints of fitting into the given space for the crash box. Three new types of crash box are suggested, with detailed shapes from the proposed design procedure.

This paper deals with the vibration characteristics of a piezoelectric open-shell transducer which was made by dividing a cylindrical piezoelectric transducer longitudinally into two segments. Two-dimensional governing equations were derived by using the cylindrical membrane theory. Applying mechanical and electrical boundary conditions yielded a characteristic equation for the resonance frequencies of the piezoelectric open-shell transducer. The fundamental frequency and the electromechanical coupling factor were calculated and compared with the results of the finite element analysis and experiment. The fundamental mode shape obtained theoretically was compared with the result of the finite element analysis. The theoretical analysis was verified to provide the vibration characteristics of an open-shell transducer.

Chelidonic acid (CA), a constituent of Chelidonium majus L., has many pharmacological effects, including mild analgesic and antimicrobial effects. However, the effects of CA on intestinal inflammation and the molecular mechanisms responsible are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effects of CA against dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis (UC). Mice treated with DSS displayed obvious clinic signs, such as, body weight loss and a shortening of colon length, but the administration of CA attenuated both of these signs. Additionally, CA was found to regulate levels of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α in serum. In colonic tissues, prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) production levels and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and hypoxia induced factor-1α (HIF-1α) expression levels were increased by DSS, but CA attenuated increases in COX-2 and HIF-1α levels. These results provide novel insights into the pharmacological actions of CA and its potential use for the treatment of intestinal inflammation.

This paper deals with the generation and propagation of elastic waves on an empty pipe and on a water-filled pipe by open-shell transducers theoretically, numerically, and experimentally. The dispersion equations relating wave speed to frequency were derived by using the cylindrical shell theory. The theoretical analysis was verified by comparing the calculated dispersion curves with the frequencywavenumber spectrums obtained from the finite-element analysis and by comparing the calculated wave speeds with the results measured by using open-shell transducers as transmitters and receivers. The finite-element analysis revealed that the waves of only evennumbered wave modes were generated by the open-shell transducers symmetrically located along the circumference of the pipe and that the axisymmetric wave propagates faster than non-axisymmetric waves.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is characterized by detrimental immune reactivity in the gut, and the imbalance between proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory reactivity. The incidence and prevalence rates of IBD in Korea have been increasing rapidly during the past decades. In this study, we tried to find the new effect of fruits and branches of mulberry tree called Cheongilppong in Korea (belongs to Morus alba, Moraceae). The previous studies revealed mulberry fruits and branches had anti-oxidative effect and anti-inflammatory effect. In the present study, the fruits and branch of Cheongilppong inhibited the inflammatory responses on dextran sulfate sodium induced ulcerative colitis in mice and the production of nitrite oxide from lipopolysaccharide and interferon-gamma stimulated mouse peritoneal macrophages. These results may be relevant for future pharmacological or dietary interventions in patients with ulcerative colitis.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an inflammatory bowel disease, which is a chronic gastrointestinal disorder. Oldenlandia diffusa (OD) has been used as a traditional oriental medicine for inflammation. However, the regulatory effect and molecular mechanism of OD in intestinal inflammation are not yet understood. This study investigated the protective effect of OD in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis. Mice treated with DSS showed remarkable clinical signs, including weight loss, and reduced colon length. Administration of OD attenuated these signs and significantly suppressed levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β and expression of cyclooxygenase-2 in DSS-treated colon tissues. OD also reduced the activation of transcription nuclear factor-κB p65 in DSS-treated colon tissues. Hentriacontane, a constituent of OD, attenuated weight loss, colon shortening, and levels of IL-6 caused by DSS. Taken together, the results provide experimental evidence that OD might be a useful therapeutic medicine for patients with UC.

Unlike single-physics static structural problems, the topology optimization of piezoelectric systems involves three different material coefficient groups, such as the mechanical, electrical, and electromechanical coefficient groups, which correspondingly necessitate three values of penalty exponents. Earlier investigations have shown that stable convergence cannot be ensured if the exponents are selected arbitrarily or based simply on typical rules used for static structural problems. Here, stable convergence implies that the use of more materials can yield better system performance and a distinct void–solid distribution is favored over an intermediate material distribution during the optimization process. However, no rule for choosing the values of penalty exponents has yet been studied for piezoelectric systems and in fact, they have been chosen mainly by trial and error. In this work, two conditions that the three penalty exponents must satisfy for stable convergence are derived for one-dimensional problems and their effectiveness for two-dimensional problems is investigated. The first condition is an intrinsic condition ensuring better energy conversion efficiency between mechanical and electric energy for more piezoelectric material usage and the second one is an objective-dependent condition favoring a distinct void–solid distribution over an intermediate material distribution for the same amount of piezoelectric material used. In this study, we consider the design of piezoelectric actuators, sensors and energy harvesters that can be analyzed by static analysis. Several numerical examples are solved to check the validity of the proposed conditions.

Saengmaeksan (SMS) is a well known Korean traditional herbal prescription, which consists of 3 different herbs, Radix Ophiopogonis, Radix Ginseng, and Fructus Schisandrae. SMS has been commonly used in various disease including respiratory system and cardiovascular System in Korea. The objective of this study is to find out the improving effects of SMS against Dextran Sulfate Sodium (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis. SMS reduced clinical signs of DSS-induced colitis, including body weight loss, shorten colon length, and increased disease activity index. The results showed that SMS significantly inhibited the activation of nuclear factor- p65 in the colon tissues of DSS-treated mice. In addition, we observed that result showed that the levels of IL-6 in plasma were increased in DSS treated group compared to those of the normal group, but these increased levels were reduced by administration with SMS. Taken together, these findings suggest that SMS has improving effects on DSS-induced ulcerative colitis, which may explain its beneficial effect in the regulation of chronic intestinal inflammation.

Antioxidant property and hematopoietic repair capacity are important characteristics of radioprotective agents. Some studies have demonstrated that 1,2,3,4,6-penta-O-galloyl-beta-D-glucose (PGG), a molecule isolated from the waterlily, has antioxidant, hematopoietic repair, and anti-inflammatory activities. In this study, we try to determine whether PGG extracted from a lily, Nymphaea tetragona var. angusta, has radioprotective effects on splenocytes in vitro against (60)Co gamma-ray irradiation with absorption doses of 2 Gy and 4 Gy. Results show that PGG treatment dramatically enhances the proliferation of splenocytes compared with irradiated but untreated controls. In addition, PGG treatment before irradiation protects the splenocytes from lethal effects of irradiation and decreases DNA damages as identified by the alkaline comet assay. PGG-treated cells also show less radiation-induced apoptosis. These cells have lower concentrations of the pro-apoptotic protein p53 and more of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2. The results presented in this study suggest that PGG has a cytoprotective effect on immune cells exposed to normally damaging amount of radiation. Thus, PGG could be an effective, non-toxic radioprotective agent.

This paper presents a theoretical approach to calculate the resonant frequency of a thickness vibration mode in the radial direction for a 1-3 piezoelectric composite transducer of circular arch shape. For the composite transducer composed of a piezoelectric ceramic and a polymer, vibration parameters were derived according to the volume ratio of a ceramic, and a vibration characteristic equation was derived from the piezoelectric governing equations with adequate boundary conditions. The fundamental resonant frequencies were calculated numerically and verified by comparing them with those obtained from the finite element analysis and the experiment. The volume ratio and the thickness are more substantial than the curvature radius to determine the fundamental resonant characteristics, and the fundamental resonant frequency becomes higher for the larger volume ratio of the piezoelectric ceramic and for the smaller thickness.

A new genetic algorithm (GA) strategy called the multiscale multiresolution GA is proposed for expediting solution convergence by orders of magnitude. The motivation for this development was to apply GAs to a certain class of large optimization problems, which are otherwise nearly impossible to solve. For the algorithm, standard binary design variables are binary wavelet transformed to multiscale design variables. By working with the multiscale variables, evolution can proceed in multiresolution; converged solutions at a low resolution are reused as a part of individuals of the initial population for the next resolution evolution. It is shown that the best solution convergence can be achieved if three initial population groups having different fitness levels are mixed at the golden section ratio. An analogy between cell division and the proposed multiscale multiresolution strategy is made. The specific applications of the developed method are made in topology optimization problems.

This paper presents a theoretical approach to describe the characteristics of vibration transmission in the waveguide with varying cross-section. The waveguide considered in this paper has a tapered section in the middle of an axisymmetric stepped rod. The distributions of the vibration displacement and stress along the waveguide were derived and they were verified by comparing the theoretically-calculated results with those obtained by the finite-element analysis. The vibration magnification and the concentrated stress under forced vibration were calculated for this rod according to the taper length. The paper established a theoretical basement of designing waveguides for maximizing the vibration transmission under minimum stress concentration.

Although arctigenin (ARC) has been reported to have some pharmacological effects such as anti-inflammation, anti-cancer, and antioxidant, there have been no reports on the anti-obesity effect of ARC. The aim of this study is to investigate whether ARC has an anti-obesity effect and mediates the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway. We investigated the anti-adipogenic effect of ARC using 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes and human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hAMSCs). In high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice, whether ARC can inhibit weight gain was investigated. We found that ARC reduced weight gain, fat pad weight, and triglycerides in HFD-induced obese mice. ARC also inhibited the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein alpha (C/EBPα) in in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, ARC induced the AMPK activation resulting in down-modulation of adipogenesis-related factors including PPARγ, C/EBPα, fatty acid synthase, adipocyte fatty acid-binding protein, and lipoprotein lipase. This study demonstrates that ARC can reduce key adipogenic factors by activating the AMPK in vitro and in vivo and suggests a therapeutic implication of ARC for obesity treatment. J. Cell. Biochem. 117: 2067-2077, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

This paper presents an analytical approach to describe the variation in the vibration characteristics such as the natural frequency of a piezoelectric transducer under static pre-pressure. The transducer considered in this paper is a bolt-clamped Langevin-type transducer, which consists of a couple of piezoelectric discs, a couple of metal blocks for added mass effect, and a bolt to tighten them. A new analysis model for the transducer has been developed by taking into account the contact area between the piezoelectric ceramic disc and the metal block. The variation of the resonance frequency due to the pre-pressure has been calculated and compared with measured results reported earlier