MicroRNAs (miRNAs, miRs) are about 21-25 nucleotides in length and regulate mRNA translation by base pairing to partially complementary sites, predominantly in the 3’-untranslated region (3’-UTR) of the target mRNA. In this study, the expression profile of miRNAs was compared and analyzed for the establishment of miRNA-related odontoblast differentiation using MDPC-23 cells derived from mouse dental papilla cells. To determine the expression profile of miRNAs during the differentiation of MDPC-23 cells, we employed miRNA microarray analysis, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and Alizaline red-S staining. In the miRNA microarray analysis, 11 miRNAs were found to be up- or down-regulated more than 3-fold between day 0 (control) and day 5 of MDPC-23 cell differentiation among the 1,769 miRNAs examined. In qRT-PCR analysis, the expression levels of two of these molecules, miR-194 and miR-126, were increased and decreased in the control MDPC-23 cells compared with the MDPC-23 cells at day 5 of differentiation, respectively. Importantly, the overexpression of miR-194 significantly accelerated mineralization compared with the control cultures during the differentiation of MDPC-23 cells. These results suggest that the miR-194 augments MDPC-23 cell differentiation, and potently accelerates the mineralization process. Moreover, these in vitro results show that different miRNAs are deregulated during the differentiation of MDPC-23 cells, suggesting the involvement of these genes in the differentiation and mineralization of odontoblasts.

The nasal cavity encounters various irritants during inha¬lation such as dust and pathogens. To detect and remove these irritants, it has been postulated that the nasal mucosa epithelium has a specialized sensing system. The oral cavity, on the other hand, is known to have bitter taste receptors (T2Rs) that can detect harmful substances to prevent ingestion. Recently, solitary chemosensory cells expressing T2R subtypes have been found in the respiratory epithelium of rodents. In addition, T2Rs have been identified in the human airway epithelia. However, it is not clear which T2Rs are expressed in the human nasal mucosa epithelium and whether they mediate the removal of foreign materials through increased cilia movement. In our current study, we show that human T2R receptors indeed function also in the nasal mucosa epithelium. Our RT-PCR data indicate that the T2R subtypes (T2R3, T2R4, T2R5, T2R10, T2R13, T2R14, T2R39, T2R43, T2R44, T2R 45, T2R46, T2R47, T2R48, T2R49, and T2R50) are expressed in human nasal mucosa. Furthermore, we have found that T2R receptor activators such as bitter chemicals augments the ciliary beating frequency. Our results thus demonstrate that T2Rs are likely to function in the cleanup of inhaled dust and pathogens by increasing ciliary movement. This would suggest that T2Rs are feasible molecular targets for the development of novel treatment strategies for nasal infection and inflammation.

Tooth development involves bud, cap, bell and hard tissue formation stages, each of which is tightly controlled by regulatory molecules. The aim of this study was to identify genes that are differentially expressed during dental hard tissue differentiation. Sprague-Dawley rats at postnatal days 3, 6 and 9 were used in the analysis. Differential display RT-PCR (DD-PCR) was used to screen differentially expressed genes between the 2nd (root formation stage, during mineralization) and 3rd (cap stage, before minerali-zation) molar germs at postnatal day 9. The DNA detected in the 2nd molar germs showed homology to osteonectin only (GenBank accession no. NM_012656.1). The level of osteonectin mRNA expression was much higher in the 2nd molar germs than in the 3rd molar germs and was found to increase in a time-dependent manner from the early bell stage to the root formation stage in the 2nd molar germs. The pattern of osteonectin protein expression was consistent with these RT-PCR results. Osteonectin protein was found by immunofluorescent analysis to localize in odontoblasts and preodontoblasts rather than the dentin matrix itself. Further studies are needed to validate the involvement of osteonectin in mineralization and root formation.

The objective of this study was to assess the effect on post-thawed sperm motility, viability and acrosome integrity of boar semen frozen in the freezing extender with chicken or duck egg yolks. The Sperm rich fraction of ejaculates from three Duroc boars were collected by a glove-hand technique. Samples with more than 80% motile sperm were used for this experiment. Semen was diluted with freezing extender (LEY) containing 11% (v/v) lactose, 20% (v/v) hen egg yolk with 3.5% (v/v) glycerol, and 0.5% (v/v) Orvus Es Paste(OEP, Nova Chemical Sales Inc., Scituate, MA. USA) to yield a final sperm concentration of 5×108 cells/ml. Following complete dilution, semen samples were loaded in 0.5 ml French medium straws (IMV technologies, France) and transferred to programmable semen freezer (SY-LAB Gerate GmbH, Austria). For freezing the semen samples, each straw was cooled from 5℃ to — 5℃ at 6℃/min, auto-seeding at — 5℃ and held for 60sec, samples were then cooled from — 5 to — 80℃ at 40℃/min, and thereafter from — 80℃ to — 150℃ at 60℃/min. The yolks used were sourced from fresh chicken and duck eggs. To evaluate the post-thaw sperm quality, semen was thawed at 38℃ for 20 sec and sperm motility, viability and acrosome integrity were assessed. Motility was assessed for %motile cell characteristics using computer-assisted semen analysis (CASA; SAIS SI-100, Medical supply, Korea). The percentage of sperm viability was assessed using LIVE/DEAD® sperm viability kit (Molecular probes, Eugene, OR, USA). The acrosome integrity was assessed by FITC-PNA staining. Sperm quality in terms of motility, viability and acrosome integrity showed higher after freezing in medium containing duck yolk than chicken yolk. However, there was no significant difference in sperm quality for the different types of yolk(p>0.05). * The result of this study showed that there was no significant difference between the egg yolk types when considering the sperm motility, viability and acrosome integrity of boar semen frozen in the freezing extender with chicken or duck egg yolks.

Acteoside acts as an anti-oxidative activity and anti-apoptosis in the cells. But, it has been not studied on maturation and development of porcine oocytes. The aims of the present study were to examine the effects of acteoside on the morphological progress of meiosis, developmental competence, and ROS in porcine oocytes. Oocytes were matured in tissue culture medium-199, supplemented with acteoside at various concentrations: 0 (control), 10, 30 and 50 μM. The oocytes maturation rates of groups supplemented with acteoside were no significantly different (81.13, 85.96, 82.95 and 83.68%, respectively). Level of ROS was significantly decreased in acteoside treated group. Furthermore, the parthenogenetic blastocyst rate was significantly improved in 10 μM acteoside treated group compared with control group (44.83 vs. 27.75%). And we investigated effect of acteoside on the oocytes condition represented by cytoplasmic maturation by homogeneous distribution and formation of cytoplasmic organelles and regulation of apoptosis-related genes. In the results. during IVM, 10 μM acteoside treated oocytes showed that the mitochondria and lipid droplet were smaller and homogeneous distribution in cytoplasm compare with control oocytes. And reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RTPCR) of parthenogenetic blstocysts revealed that acteoside increased the anti-apoptotic genes (Mcl-1, Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL), whereas reduced the expression of pro-apoptotic genes (Bax and Bak). In conclusion, based on the results, the effect of acteoside on IVM was not attractive. However, in acteoside treated group, cytoplasmic maturation seemed to be improved with morphologically uniform distribution of cytoplasmic organelles. Furthermore, embryonic development in acteoside treated group was significantly highly increased than that of non-treated group. Our results represents that addition of acteoside to the IVM medium has a beneficial effect in physiology of porcine oocytes, providing a improved method for porcine oocytes in vitro. * This work was supported by a grant (Code# PJ008148) from BioGreen21 Program, Rural Development Administration, Republic of Korea.

The purpose of this study was to compare the muscle activity of the abdominal and lumbar multifidus during unilateral prone hip extension on the floor and on a round foam roll. Fifteen healthy participants were recruited. They were instructed to perform a unilateral hip extension on the floor and on a round foam roll in the prone position. Surface electromyography (EMG) signals were recorded from bilateral lumbar multifidus (LM), external oblique (EO), and internal oblique (IO) muscles. A paired t-test was used to compare muscle activity, with the level of significance set at =.05. The results showed that bilateral LM, EO, IO EMG activity during right-hip extension on a round foam roll was greater than that on the floor, and EMG activity of bilateral LM, right EO, and left IO during left-hip extension on a round foam roll was greater than that on the floor (p<.05). These findings suggest that the unilateral hip-extension exercise on a round foam roll can be used to activate the lumbar multifidus and abdominal oblique muscles and causes a different increasing pattern between the two lifting sides.

The present study evaluated the potential use of immunoglobulin prepared from egg yolk of chickens immunized with Escherichia coli K88 (IgY-Ec) in the control of E. coli K88 infection in RAW 264.7 murine macrophage. The binding activity of IgY-Ec against E. coli K88 surface protein was more specific and increased than control IgY. In infection assay of E. coli in macrophage, the specific IgY-Ec to E. coli K88 remarkably inhibited the phagocytic activity comparing to nonspecific IgY (p<0.001). In adherence assay, bacterial adhesion on macrophage cells was definitely reduced by preincubation of IgY-Ec compared with nonspecific IgY (p<0.05). These findings suggested that IgY-Ec have the protective effects against pathogens and IgY-based diets may have potential benefits for preventing or treating various infections in domestic animals.

This study was carried out to identify how a self-stretching exercise program affects pain for each body area, pain relief and job satisfaction for care workers. 20 of 40 care workers with musculoskeletal symptom were randomly selected and participated a self-stretching exercise program consisting of 15 motions. The intervention was done five times or more per weeks for 8 weeks and 1 session lasted within 15 minutes. 'Musculoskeletal symptom survey table' of the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency(KOSHA) and JDI(Job Descriptive Index) was used for pain on the musculoskeletal symptom and job satisfaction. Survey were done twice before and after the program. The result of this study showed that self-stretching exercise program group(SSPG) relieved from pain significantly in the shoulders(p<.01) and lumbar(p<.05), comparing to the non selfstretching exercise program group(NSPG). Although no significant difference on variations in the JDI appeared in SSPG, the significant reduction appeared from the colleague relationship and organization in NSPG(p<.05). SSPG showed the significant increase on variations in JDI from the job and organization comparing to NSPG. Especially, the improvement on satisfaction for the organization was shown(p<.05). Accordingly, the self-stretching exercise program for care workers can be said to positively affect the overall pain relief and increase on the JDI.

This study purposed to examine the effect of low power laser on pain response and axonal regeneration. In order to prepare peripheral nerve injury models, we crushed the sciatic nerve of Sprague-Dawley rats and treated them with low power laser for 21 days. The rats were divided into 4 groups: normal group(n=10); control group(n=10) without any treatment after the induction of sciatic nerve crush injury; experimental group I(n=10) treated with low power laser(0.21mJ/㎟) after the induction of sciatic nerve crush injury; and experimental group II(n=10) treated with low power laser(5.25mJ/㎟) after the induction of sciatic nerve crush injury. We measured spontaneous pain behavior(paw withdrawal latency test) and mechanical allodynia(von Frey filament test) for evaluating pain behavioral response, and measured the sciatic function index for evaluating the functional recovery of peripheral nerve before the induction of sciatic nerve crush injury and on day 1, 7, 14 and 21 after the induction. After the experiment was completed, changes in the H & E stain and toluidine blue stain were examined histopathologically, and changes in MAG(myelin associated glycoprotein) and c-fos were examined immunohistologically. According to the results of this study, when low power laser was applied to rat models with sciatic nerve crush injury for 21 days and the results were examined through pain behavior evaluation and neurobehavioral, histopathological and immunohistological analyses, low power laser was found to affect pain response and axonal regeneration in both experimental group I and experimental group II. Moreover, the effect on pain response and axonal regeneration was more positive in experimental group I to which output 0.21mJ/㎟ was applied than in experimental group II to which 5.25mJ/㎟ was applied.

This study examines the dietary, exercise, and other daily habits of Daegu residents and how these relate to the residents’ perception of their own health status, and comparatively analyzes the lifestyles and daily habits of those who perceive themselves to be healthy and those who do not. This research study used Inbody 230(Body composition analysis, Biospace, Korea) to make body and health measurements such as body composition and obesity index. Also, included in this study was a survey on the lifestyle patterns of the residents. The data from this survey was analyzed with SPSS. The results show that among the residents of Daegu, those who perceive themselves to be healthy have lower body fat and are less obese on average. With respect to dietary habits, those who believe themselves to be healthy have more regular dietary habits such as rarely skipping a meal than those who do not believe themselves to be healthy. In addition those who say they are healthy exercise more frequently and for a longer duration than those who say they are not healthy. As for daily habits, those who report they are healthy show greater satisfaction with life and suffer less from stress than those who report themselves to be unhealthy. This study demonstrates that in order to improve people’s health in Korea, good dietary, exercise and daily habits need to be emphasized. Additionally, health education and health awareness programs need to be established in each region. Follow-up studies should be conducted afterwards.

Experiments were conducted in order to assess the healing effect of bee venom (BV) cream on full-thickness skin wounds in rabbits. BV cream was compared with silver sulfadiazine (SS) as a topical medicament against a control on experimentally created full-thickness wounds. Two wounds measuring 2 × 2 cm were created bilaterally (four wounds/rabbit) on the dorsolateral aspect of the trunk of seven New Zealand white rabbits. Wound treatments were evenly distributed on four sites, using a Latin square design. The contact layer of wounds was treated with physiological saline (control), SS cream, and BV cream over a period of 28 days. Assessment of wound healing was based on scab hardness, wound exudates, wound area, unepithelialized granulation tissue, and histopathological findings. Topical application of BV and SS creams to wounds resulted in reduced inflammation, debridement of necrotic tissue, and promoted granulation and epithelialization. Wound healing was faster, with statistical significance in BV and SS treatments, compared to the control (P<0.05). Treatment with BV evoked an anti-inflammation effect in a rabbit model. BV cream produced a wound healing effect similar to that of commercially available SS cream. Anti-inflammation effect as a topical treatment with BV cream appears to be better than that with SS cream. These results suggest that topical application of BV cream may be an alternative treatment for full-thickness skin wounds.

장수명 핵분열생성물인 79Se와 99Tc는 자연수 중에서 용해도가 클 뿐더러 음이온으로 존재하여 방사성폐 기물 처분장에서 주요 관심핵종들로 고려되고 있다. 본 연구에서는 KURT 지하수의 다양한 pH와 산화-환 원 조건에서 셀레늄과 테크네튬의 Solubility Limiting Solid Phase (SLSP)로 알려진 FeSe2와 TcO2의 용해 도를 측정하였다. 또한, 지화학코드를 이용하여 실험과 유사조건에서 이들의 용해도와 주요 화학종을 계 산하였다. 실험 및 계산으로부터 pH 8∼9.5와 Eh=-0.3∼-0.4 V 조건에서 FeSe2의 용해도는 1x10-6 mol/L 이하이며, 주 용해 화학종은 HSe-로 판단된다. TcO2의 경우는 pH 6∼9.5와 Eh<-0.1 V 영역에서 용해도와 주 용해 화학종이 각각 5x10-8∼1x10-9 mol/L와 TcO(OH)2로 나타났지만, Eh=-0.35 V조건에서는 주 용해화학종이 pH가 10.5∼12와 12이상에서 각각 TcO(OH)3 -와 TcO4 -로 계산되었다.

Cytokines are known to function as regulatory molecules that can be produced by virtually every nucleated cell type in the body, including lymphocytes, monocytes/macrophages, epithelial cells, fibroblasts, and many others. Cytokines include lymphocyte-derived factors (lymphokines), monocyte-derived factors (monokines), hematopoietic factors (colony-stimulating factors), connective tissue/ growth factors, and chemotactic chemokines. Cytokines released in response to infection can affect tumor development in different ways. When exposed to infectious agents, cytokines are secreted by sentinel cells, such as macrophages and dendritic cells. These cytokines include interleukin 1 (IL-1) and tumor necrosis factor-α, as well as others, such as IL-6, IL-12, and IL-18. When released in sufficient quantities, these molecules can cause inflammation. Chronic inflammation is highly associated with tumor initiation, promotion, and progression. In this article, we review the roles and mechanisms of cytokines in tumor development.

Beauveria bassiana is one of universal insect pathogenic fungi that have been used for biocontrol agent against insect pests. This fungus has also been studied for medicinal use. To meet for commercial use, the artificial production of the fruit body of this fungus has been established by the Mushtech Co in Korea. This study was carried out to define the morphological features of the fruit body of B. bassiana developed through artificial cultivation. For the observation of mycelia growth, B. bassiana was cultured on the Sabouraud Dextrose agar plus Yeast Extract(SDAY), nut-supplemented medium, and Fe ion-supplemented SDAY at 25℃ for 15 days. The variation of colony color was observed between the different media. Strong pigmentation was observed on Fe ion-supplemented SDAY. To investigate morphological characteristics of fruit body, geminating ascospores and vegetative hyphae were observed though light microscopy and scanning microscope. During seven weeks of cultivation period, the development process of apical fertile part of stromata can be separated by the development stage of perithecia. To understand the developing process of fruit body at the transcript level, investigating process of distinct gene expression according to cultural condition and developmental stage was discussed.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of handicraft activities on hand promptness and grasp in the elderly. Subjects were comprised of 14 senior citizens between the ages of 70-85, with 7 subjects in the experiment group and 7 in the control group. Subjects in the experiment group practiced various handicrafts twice a day, while those in the control group did not participate in any special activity. The Jebsen Taylor Hand Function Test was used to evaluate the results, while a dynamometer and pinch gauge were used to measure hand promptness and grasp. The 7 senior citizens in the experiment group were able to increase their hand promptness and grasping skills. Conclusively, handicrafts can help improve hand promptness and grasp in the elderly. Furthermore, the development and improvement of such skills can have a positive influence on the daily lives of senior citizens. Such skills are expected to improve the overall neuro-function in the elderly population.

Successful pregnancy requires well-coordinated interactions between the maternal uterus and the developing embryo in pigs. In pigs, implantation begins around Day 12 of pregnancy. During this period, conceptus undergoes a dramatic morphological change and secretes various factors such as estrogens, interleukin-1 beta (IL1B), and interferons. Estrogens produced by conceptuses act as the signal for maternal recognition of pregnancy, and the mechanism of estrogen action is explained by the endocrine and exocrine theory. The uterine endometrium becomes receptive to the conceptus by changing cell adhesion molecules, polarizing epithelial cells and increasing secretory activity. Some changes of uterine activity are affected by the ovarian hormone, progesterone, but the presence of conceptus in the uterus also induces changes of endometrial functions, including most importantly maternal recognition of pregnancy. Many factors, such as hormones, cytokines, enzymes, extracellular matrix proteins, and transport proteins are reported to be present at the maternal-fetal interface and function in the establishment of pregnancy in pigs. However, understanding of the cellular and molecular events occurring in the endometrium is not complete. In recent studies we made some progress on understanding of expression and function of genes involved in maternal-fetal interaction for the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy in the uterine endometrium in pigs. Firstly, we found that lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) was present at the maternal-and fetal interface at the time of implantation and LPA receptor 3 was uniquely expressed in the endometrium during early pregnancy. Secondly, we observed that salivary lipocalin (SAL1), a lipid-binding protein, was uniquely expressed in the uterine endometrium at the time of embryo implantation, and its expression was regulated by IL1B. Furthermore, expression of IL1B receptors are regulated by estrogen and IL1B, and IL1B functions in expression of genes related to prostaglandin synthesis and transport. Thirdly, we found that calcium regulatory molecules TRPV6 and S100G were dynamically regulated in the uterine endometrium during pregnancy, suggesting that regulation of calcium ion concentration may important for the embryo implantation and the maintenance of pregnancy. Finally, we observed that an MHC class II molecule, SLA-DQ, is expressed in the uterine endometrium at the time of conceptus implantation and its expression is essential for successful pregnancy, indicating that appropriate maternal-fetal immune interaction is required for the maintenance of pregnancy. Further analysis of these molecules will provide insights into the cellular and molecular basis of maternal-and fetal interaction during pregnancy in pigs.

The leaf beetle, Chrysolina aurichalcea (Coleoptera: Chysomelidae), is a pest damaging plants of Compositae. In order to understand the genetic diversity and geographic variation we sequenced a portion of mitochondrial COI gene (658 bp) and complete nuclear internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) of the species collected from seven Korean localities. A total of 17 haplotypes (CACOI01 ~ CACOI17), with the maximum sequence divergence of 3.04% (20 bp) were obtained from COI gene sequence, whereas 16 sequence types (ITS2CA01 ~ ITS2CA16), with the maximum sequence divergence of 2.013% (9 bp) were obtained from ITS2, indicating substantially larger sequence divergence in COI gene sequence. Phylogenetically, the COI gene provided two haplotype groups with a high nodal support (≥ 87%), whereas ITS2 provided one sequence type group with a high nodal support (≥ 92%). The result of COI gene may suggest the presence of historical biogeographic barriers that bolster genetic subdivision in the species. Different grouping pattern between COI gene and ITS2 sequences were interpreted in terms of recent dispersal, reflected in the ITS2 sequence. Finally, finding of unique haplotypes and sequence types only from Beakryeng-Islet population was interpreted as an intact remnant of ancient polymorphism. As more samples are analyzed using further hyper-variable marker, further fruitful inference on the geographic contour of the species might be available.