최근 이온 교환 고분자 전해질 막을 활용한 고효율 에너지 전환 및 저장 장치에 대한 연구가 활발히 이루어지고 있다. 고분자 전해질 연료전지, 레독스 흐름전지 및 역전기투석 등 다양한 에너지 시스템에서 에너지 효율 향상을 위해 이온 교환 전해질 막의 양/음이온의 선택적 수송 거동이 중요시되고 있다. 본 총설은 각각의 고효율 전해질 전지 시스템에 따라 요 구되는 다양한 이온 교환막의 선택적 양/음이온 투과 거동의 한계점을 고찰하고, 한계를 극복하기 위한 다양한 구조의 고분 자 이온 교환 복합막의 장점 및 단점을 정리하였다. 고분자 가교법 및 다공성 지지체 복합막 이외에 다양한 구조의 신규다공 성 무기 나노입자를 유-무기 이온교환 복합막에 도입하는 시도가 이루어지고 있는 동시에, 이온 선택도 향상을 위한 다양한 형태의 표면 개질 방법이 개발되고 있으며, 이를 통해 이온 교환 복합막의 선택적 양/음이온 거동의 한계를 극복하는 전략을 제시하고 있다.

To investigate the photosynthesis and growth of Cymbidium ‘Red Fire’ grown under different nitrogen fertilization and night-interruption (NI) illumination, we exposed plants to 9-h short days (SDs), SDs + 3 - 7 μmol·m-2·s-1 NI (low-light intensity of NI, LNI), or SDs + 120 μmol·m-2·s-1 NI (high-light intensity of NI, HNI) illumination with nitrogen supplemented at 0, 100, 200, or 400 mg·L-1. Cymbidium photosynthesized under 3 – 7 μmol·m-2·s-1 NI regardless of nitrogen treatment, promoting growth. HNI treatments and nitrogen supplements at 100 mg·L-1 increased the leaf chlorophyll concentration. LNI increased net CO2 assimilation (An), transpiration, and stomatal conductance. HNI without supplemental nitrogen reduced midday An. However, HNI with supplemental nitrogen increased midday An. Supplemental nitrogen should be provided to Cymbidium when high-irradiance NI is used to promote growth.

A recent study reported that Pleurotus ostreatus has the potential to be used as a β-glucan-based cream for supportive complementary therapy of atopic dermatitis. KH054 is a new herbal prescription consisting of P. ostreatus and Panax ginseng. The effects of atopic dermatitis-induced materials on the expression of cytokine genes in human monocytes (THP-1, EoL- 1) have been examined. Some reports demonstrated that P. ginseng augments the activity of natural killer cells, which plays an important role in innate immunity against infection and tumor development. Monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1), interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-8 have important roles in mediating the infiltration of various cells into the skin of atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. The present study investigated whether KH054 on induced IL-6, IL-8, and MCP-1 secretion by house dust mite (Dermatophagoides pteronissinus) in THP-1 (human acute monocytic leukemia) and EoL-1(Human eosinophilic leukemia) cell. D. pteronissinus functions in the pathogenesis of allergic diseases, including atopic dermatitis and asthma. The inhibitory effect of KH054 on the induction of IL-6, IL-8, and MCP-1 secretion by D. pteronissinus extract in THP-1 and EoL-1 cells was examined. KH054 potently suppressed the elevated production of IL-6 and IL-8 induced by D. pteronissinus treatment in THP-1 and EoL-1 cells. Based on the present results, KH054 may be useful for developing functional foods to treat atopic dermatitis.

The aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (ARSs) are ancient house-keeping enzymes that catalyze the ligation of tRNAs to their cognate amino acids in the first step of protein synthesis. During the evolution of higher eukaryotes, cytoplasmic ARSs have undergone significant changes including the addition of new domains that are not part of the enzymatic core. These additional regions have been found to be associated with a broad range of biological functions beyond protein synthesis. The non-translational functions of ARSs appear to be regulated by their presence within a cytoplasmic multi-tRNA synthetase complex (MSC), which is assembled through the appended domains. We recently reported that the MSC member glutamylprolyl- tRNA synthetase (EPRS) promotes antiviral gene expression through its infection-specific phosphorylation and release from the MSC. Here, we conducted transcriptome analysis of influenza A virusinfected cells. We particularly focused on the analysis of chemokine-related gene expression, in combination with chemokine array analysis against virus infection. Moreover, the correlation between chemokine expression pattern and EPRS function in response to different stimuli was assessed. The results showed that viral infection increases interferon-response and pro-inflammatory chemokine expression. In contrast, the level of chemokine expression was suppressed in interferon-γ treated cells. Thus, these results further demonstrate the previously reported stimulus-specific EPRS functions in immune responses.

In a referendum held in 2016, Britain voted to leave the EU. Britain’s membership of the EU has been a difficult one. Unlike the other leading Member States of the EU, Britain did not seem to have a firm conviction that “ever-closer union” of the peoples of Europe is essential to the peace and liberty of Europe. In the wake of increased immigration and the recent refugee crisis, the British people chose to leave the EU in order to have their sovereignty and independence re-affirmed. It remains to be seen what will be the economic consequences of this largely political decision.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a representative inflammation-associated cancer and known to be the most frequent tumor. However, the preventive agents for hepatocarcinogenesis are unsatisfactorily identified. We investigated the protective effect of steamed and freeze-dried mature silkworm larval powder (SMSP) on diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced hepatotoxicity in mice and compared the effect of three silkworm varieties: white-jade, golden-silk, and light-green strains. The mice were fed with diet containing 0.1, 1, and 10 g/kg of three types of SMSP for two weeks while DEN (100 mg/kg, i.p.) was injected 18 h before the end of this experiment. Liver toxicity was determined as serum indicator, histopathological examination, and expression of inflammatory enzyme. Pretreatment with SMSP reduced necrotic and histopathological changes induced by DEN in the liver. The measurement of serum biochemical indicators showed that pretreatment with SMSP also decreased DEN-induced hepatotoxicity, the levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). In addition, SMSP inhibited the expressions of inflammatory enzymes, cyclooxygenase-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase. White-jade SMSP showed the most effective hepatoprotective results against hepatotoxicity among the three silkworm strains used in this study. SMSP may have a protective effect against acute liver injury by inhibiting necrosis and inflammatory response in DEN-treated mice.