Purpose - This study aimed to investigate the correlation between the social activity of the elderly and recognition of family cohesion of the elderly who are exposed to the current aging society. In addition, the study has delved into the method of family cohesion improvement through the differences between groups based on the mediator effect of how the results have effects on the elderly’s self-control capabilities. Research design, data, and methodology - This study has targeted the elderly who are attending the elderly university among users in seven community centers located in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do area. The study has also conducted a survey by the format of a half-structured questionnaire. It is aiming to investigate the elderly’s family cohesion with children and their self-control capability, and understand their satisfaction of social activity to help successful elderly life. The study has suggested the following as mentioned. First, the study analyzed that the perceptual factor of family cohesion with children would be deducted based on advanced researches. Second, the influencing relationship would be analyzed through the relational analysis between the elderly’s family cohesion and social activity. Results - The family cohesion with children has a significant effect on psychological happiness and it showed the influencing relationship with improvement of the elderly’s self-control capability. Therefore, creating fellowship through meaningful conversation with children would be needed. In addition, various programs and consultant service would be offered to build healthy relationship between aged parents and their children. Through this, the elderly will be able to have not only better relationships with their family, but also increased psychological health and well-being as well. Conclusions - It is needed that not only supporting policies for children who take care of aged parents but also that the elderly who need long-term care could meet their children whenever they want through increased numbers of sanatoriums operated by cities and countries. In addition, the nation would offer financial and administrative support continuously so that people receive the benefits from sanatoriums located in the locality of children’s residence beyond the elderly’s residence. Moreover, social infra would be established as well.

Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs; also known as Asingle [As] spermatogonia in mice) divide to self-renew or to produce progenitor cells known as Apaired(Apr) spermatogonia in basal compartment of seminiferous tubules of mammalian testis. These characterized cells are the finally differentiated product of a developmental process referred to as “spermatogenesis.” In the development of SSCs it is critical to maintain a balance between self-renewal and differentiation. because an excess of either process will lead to infertility. these two processes are tightly controlled by intrinsic signals of SSCs and extrinsic signals from the microenvironment, known as the SSC niche. The SSC niche is formed by Sertoli cells, the only somatic cells found inside the seminiferous tubules. The WNT/β-catenin pathway is known to regulate Sertoli cell functions critical to their capacity to support spermatogenesis in the postnatal testis, but The mechanisms and factors of the pathway are not well known. We found a factor TLE3 (Transducin Like Enhancer Of Split 3). The transcriptional co-repressor TLE family is known to function as transcription co-repressors within the context of Wnt signaling by interacting with histone deacetylase HDAC2. We examined the expression level of TLE3 in various mouse tissues. As a result of RT-PCR, TLE3 showed significantly higher expression in testis than that in other tissues. Immunofluorescent analysis revealed that TLE3 and HDAC2 expression are differentially regulated in the mouse testis during postnatal development. In adult testis, TLE3 and HDAC2 were co-expressed in Sertoli cells. TLE3 and HDAC2 protein are also located in nucleus in mouse TM4 Sertoli cells. Taken together, TLE3 may play a role in regulating WNT/β-catenin pathway via interaction with HDAC2 in Sertoli cell. Futher studies are needed to look into factors that regulated by siTLE3 in Sertoli cell and interated with TLE3 in WNT/β-catenin pathway.

The Hippo signaling pathway is essential for regulating proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis in mammalian cells. Hippo signaling pathway exists in most body tissues and organs, where it controls the size of organs and tissues by keeping cell growth in check and promoting cell death as needed. It has been reported that the members of Hippo signaling pathway are highly expressed in mammalian ovaries and uteri. However, the regulatory mechanism of this pathway in the uterus during estrous cycle regulation remains unclear. Serine/Threonine Protein Kinase 4 (STK4, also known as MST1, a homolog of Hippo in Drosophila) is a major factor of Hippo signaling pathway. However STK4 in the mouse uterus has not yet been examined. The purpose of our study was to determine the expression of STK4 during the estrous cycle and regulation by estrogen in the mouse uterus. We found that STK4 was dynamically expressed in uterine endometrium during the estrous cycle. STK4 highly expressed at the estrus, diestrus, and were found to dramatically decrease as it progressed to the proestrus, metestrus stage of uterus during the estrous cycle. Expression of STK4 was dominant in glandular epithelial and luminal epithelial of proestrus, estrus, and diestrus stage, whereas in metestrus stage, expression of gene intensity was faint. Estrogen or estrogen receptor antagonist ICI 182,780 treatment, in ovariectomized mouse uterus, Expression of STK4 and its downstream genes were increased by estrogen. Our results show that the Hippo signaling pathway is estrogen-dependent in the mouse uterus. These informations will give us on sights to understand uterine dynamics during the estrous cycle.

2001년 11월 WTO가입 이후 중국은, 2013년에 상품무역 전체규모가 4조 1600억 달러에 달해 세계 1 위 무역대국으로 급부상하였다. 그런데 이러한 상품무역의 성장에 힘입어 중국은 최근에 들어서 자국 내 금융지주회사를 국제적 수준으로 발전시켜 세계적인 경쟁력 확보와 제고를 위해 전력을 다하고 있지만, 아직 중국의 금융지주회사제도는 국제금융정세와의 합치성에 일정한 문제점을 노출시키고 있 다. 해당 문제점으로는 첫째, 중국은 현재 자주적인 금융지주회사법을 입법·보유하고 있지 않아 그에 따른 부당한 내부거래의 위험성이 항상 존재한다. 둘째, 금산분리가 엄격하게 지켜지지 않아 각종 은행지주회사들 외에도 한국에서 법으로 금지된 산업자본이 주도하는 은행지주회사까지 빈번하게 출현하고 있다. 셋째, 중국은 금융지주회사 내 관련기관 및 업무의 성격에 따라 분산감독을 실시에 따른 많은 감독체제상의 문제점을 노출하고 있다. 그러나 분명 중국 내 금융지주회사를 전향적으로 다원화하고 이를 국제적 수준으로 발전시키는 것이 중국의 금융시장이 세계적 경쟁력 확보에 필수적이라고 할 수 있다. 따라서 중국은 현재 중국의 법제상 불명확한 금융지주회사의 법적 지위를 먼저 명확하게 해야할 필요가 있다. 이를 위하여 중국 은 주변 금융 선진 국가들의 금융지주회사에 관한 감독법규를 참고하고 이들의 경험을 토대로 중국 내 금융지주회사들이 국제기준과 정합성을 갖추도록 노력해야할 것으로 사려 된다.

밀착연접(tight junction, TJ)은 인접하는 표피 세포 사이를 서로 연결 및 접합하여 전해질과 수분의 이동을 조절할 뿐만 아니라 세포 내 신호를 전달하고 세포분열을 조절하는 등 다양한 기능을 갖고 있는 것으로 알려졌다. 또한 최근 연구에 따르면 TJ 관련 단백질들의 비정상적 발현은 암 발생 및 진행과 밀접한 관련이 있는 것으로 보고되었으며, TJ 구성 단백질의 발현 조절은 피부 장벽 강화 및 보습 조절과 연관된 것으로 알려졌다. 본 연구에서는 세포 장벽 조절을 통해 피부 보습 조절에 관여하는 새로운 화장품 소재를 발굴하기 위해 여러 가지 소재들에 대한 스크리닝을 수행하였다. 이 중 인공 감미료 소재로 널리 사용되는 스테비올 및 당 유도체(스 테비오사이드)의 미백 및 주름 개선 등의 효능에 대한 기존 보고에 따라, 이들에 의한 TJ 조절 메커니즘을 확인 하기 위해 다양한 세포 활성 기능 시험을 수행하였다. MTS (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3- carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium, inner salt)를 이용한 실험을 통하여 스테 비올은 human keratinocyte cell line인 HaCaT 세포에 250 μ M 까지 독성을 나타내지 않음을 확인하였다. Quantitative real-time PCR을 이용한 TJ 관련 단백질들의 mRNA 발현 변화를 통하여 스테비올에 의한 TJ 조절 기능을 확인하였다. 그 결과, 스테비올은 TJ 관련 단백질 중 특이적으로 claudin 8을 대조군 대비 30% 수준까지 감소시키는 것을 관찰하였다. 또한, 세포이동에 의한 영향을 관찰한 결과 스테비올 처리에 의해 세포이 동이 현저히 저해되는 것을 확인하였다. 마지막으로 세포 장벽의 투과성 변화를 관찰하기 위해 표피세포 피부저 항(transepithelial electric resistance, TEER) 분석 결과 스테비올에 의한 세포투과성(cell permeability) 또 한 증가되는 것을 관찰하였다. 이에 반해, 스테비올 유도체(스테비오사이드, 리바우디오사이드)에서는 1000 μ M까지 세포 독성이 거의 나타나지 않을 뿐만 아니라 claudin 8 발현 억제 및 세포이동 저해현상도 관찰되지 않았다. 스테비올은 HaCaT 세포의 세포 독성, claudin 8 발현 억제, 그리고 세포 이동의 저해효과를 보이는 반면 스테비올 당 유도체인 스테비오사이드, 리바우디오사이드는 세포 독성 및 세포이동에 영향이 없는 것으로 나타난 본 연구 결과들은 스테비올 당 유도체가 향후 화장품 원료로써 스테비올보다 적합한 소재임을 시사한다

자외선은 피부 노화를 가속화하여 피부 광노화를 유발하고, 일광 화상, 피부암 등을 유발한다. 자외선 차단제를 사용하더라도 일부 자외선에 의하여 피부 손상은 유발될 수 있기 때문에 자외선에 대한 피부 자체의 방어력을 올려주는 것이 필요하다. 최근, 식물에서 자외선 보호 기능을 하는 것으로 알려진 COP1이 사람의 피부 에서도 자외선에 대한 반응들을 조절한다고 새롭게 밝혀졌다. 본 연구에서는, COP1과 그의 결합 단백질 DET1 이 사람 피부의 각질형성세포에서 자외선에 대한 시그날 조절 물질인 c-Jun 단백질 양을 조절하는 것을 확인하 였다. 자외선에 노출 시 COP1과 DET1 발현이 감소하였고, 그 영향으로 c-Jun 단백질이 증가하였다. 반대로 COP1과 DET1을 발현하는 DNA를 transfection 시켜줄 경우 c-Jun 단백질 양이 감소하였다. 피부 각질형성 세포에서 COP1과 DET1의 발현을 조절할 수 있는 물질을 탐색한 결과, 초피나무 열매 추출물이 COP1과 DET1의 발현을 증가시켜 주었다. 초피나무 열매 추출물은 c-Jun 시그날에 의해서도 조절되는 MMP1이 자외 선에 의해 유도되는 것을 억제하였다. 뿐만 아니라, 초피나무 열매 추출물 PPAR-α 활성이 있어 장벽강화를 통한 피부 보호 효과가 있는데, 자외선에 의하여 염증 유발 물질인 IL-6와 IL-8의 발현이 증가하는 것도 억제 하였다. 사람의 팔에 자외선을 쪼여 준 경우에도 초피나무 열매 추출물이 홍반이 생기는 것을 억제하고 홍반에 의한 색소침착도 억제하였다. 종합적으로, 초피나무 열매 추출물은 다양한 메카니즘을 통하여 자외선으로부터 피부를 보호해 줄 것으로 기대된다.

Background : Achyranthes japonica Nakai (AJ) is a perennial herb with a wide distribution in East Asia including Korea, China, and Japan, and it is mainly used as a medicinal plant. In Korea, AJ has been widely used to control pain and improve symptoms in OA patients. AJ contains several important phytochemicals such as saponins, inokosterone, ecdysterone, and oleanolic acid bisdesmoside. Methods and Results : The aim of this work was to investigate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of fermented and ethanol extracts of Achyranthes japonica Nakai (AJ). The extracts showed strong reductive power and nitrite scavenging, hydroxyl radical scavenging, superoxide radical scavenging, and DNA damage prevention activities. Treatment of RAW 264.7 macrophages with AJ inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced NO secretion and iNOS expression without affecting cell viability. AJ also inhibited cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) expression, leading to the suppression of COX-2-derived prostaglandin E2 production. These inhibitory effects of AJ were accompanied by reduced production of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukins (IL)-1β, -6, and -10. Furthermore, AJ suppressed LPS-induced phosphorylation of extracellular signal regulated kinase, c-Jun N-terminal kinase, and p38. Moreover, AJ inhibited malondialdehyde production and myeloperoxidase activity in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Conclusion : The antioxidant activity of plants is closely related to their medicinal properties and is widely used as a parameter to determine the bioavailability of medicinal plants. The antioxidant and biological activities of AJ extracts might be due to the synergistic actions of multiple bioactive compounds. It can be concluded that AJ extracts are a potential source of biologically important drug candidates.

The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) pathway is a key signal transduction pathway involved in cell proliferation, migration, and apoptosis. In dairy cows, IGF family proteins and binding receptors, including their intracellular binding partners, regulate mammary gland development. IGFs and IGF receptor interactions in mammary glands influence the early stages of mammogenesis, i.e., mammary ductal genesis until puberty. The IGF pathway includes three major components, IGFs (such as IGF-I, IGF-II, and insulin), their specific receptors, and their high-affinity binding partners (IGF binding proteins [IGFBPs]; i.e., IGFBP1–6), including specific proteases for each IGFBP. Additionally, IGFs and IGFBP interactions are critical for the bioactivities of various intracellular mechanisms, including cell proliferation, migration, and apoptosis. Notably, the interactions between IGFs and IGFBPs in the IGF pathway have been difficult to characterize during specific stages of bovine mammary gland development. In this review, we aim to describe the role of the interaction between IGFs and IGFBPs in overall mammary gland development in dairy cows.

본 연구는 4종의 별의별간(SS) 음료의 간보호 소재로서 의 이용 가능성을 조사하고자 항산화능 평가, t-BHP 와 CCl4로 산화적 손상 및 급성 간독성 유도한in vitro, in vivo 모델을 활용하여 간보호능을 평가하였다. 실험결과, 별의별간 01~04는 50 μM vitamin C 와 유사한 항산화 효과를 나타내었다. HepG2 세포에 t-BHP로 산화 스트레스를 유도한 뒤 나타나는 세포독성에 대해 별의별간 01 및 04에서 농도 의존적인 세포 보호효과를 보였으며, ROS 생성 억제에서 별의별간 01, 03, 04에서 농도의존적인 억제를 나타내었다. 미나리가 혼합된 별의별간 04에 대한 급성 간손상in vivo 모델을 활용하여 간보호능 검증 결과, 별의별간 04는 CCl4로 증가된 혈중 ALT, AST의 유의적 감소, 간 조직중 증가된 MDA 함량 감소 및 감소된 GSH의 유의적 증가를 나타내었다. 또한, 혈청 및 간 조직에서 증가 된 중성지방과 콜레스테롤을 유의적으로 감소시켰다. 이러 한 결과를 종합하며, 별의별간 04는in vitro 및in vivo 모델 에서 산화적 손상에 대해 간보호 효과를 나타내었다

In this study, field experiment, odor simulator, and dispersion modeling were used to evaluate the odor impact from J sewage sludge treatment facility. The height and flow rate of exhaust stack at this facility were 22.3 m and 100 Nm3/min. The mean odor concentrations of the wet scrubber inlet and exhaust stack were 267±160 and 93±44 OU/m3, respectively. The odor removal efficiency of wet scrubber showed 65%. The odor simulator is used for the regulated standard calculation of the exhaust pipe(stack). Resulting odor emission rate(OER) by odor simulator was 2.4×106(24,000 OU/m3). The forecasting result by Screen3 modeling showed that odor exhaust concentration up to 30,000 OU/m3 was’t exceeded maximum allowable emission level on site boundary(15 OU/m3).

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to test The relationship between emotion and emotion regulation and performance in archery athletes. Methods: Archery athletes(N=302, male=137, female=165) completed measures of Sports Emotion Scale, Sport Emotion Regulation Scale, and Prize of themselves. Results: It was appeared that the sports performance among archery athletes was increased by positive emotions such as happy and pride, and emotion regulation such as related behavioral regulation. Conclusion: This results suggest that to increase the performance of archery athletes, a variety of programs to increase positive emotion and related emotion regulation need to be developed.

The study of horticultural activity program was conducted to community child center children to analyze the effects of the program on children’s emotional regulation ability and self-expression. The subjects of this study were 10 children (5 boys and 5 girls) sampled from H Community Child Center in K City. The horticultural activity program was executed twice a week and a total of 12 sessions during the period from July 4 to August 22, 2014. The results of this study were as follows. In the results of the emotional regulation ability test the mean score increased significantly from 57.0 before the horticultural activity to 63.0 after (P=0.005). In the results of the self-expression test the mean score increased significantly from 67.2 before the horticultural activity to 71.1 after (P=0.008), and among its sub-factors, the content element was changed significantly. The results of this study confirmed that horticultural activities for community child center children have a significantly positive effect on their emotional regulation ability and self-expression.

Autophagy means “self-eating” and it is a major catabolic pathway within cells. A basal level of autophagy is required for survival of cells or organisms, but prolonged activation of autophagy may have an adverse effect. In mammalian systems, autophagy is stimulated by nutrient starvation or deprivation of growth factors. Ovariectomy on day 4 of pregnancy in mice to deprive blastocysts of estrogen induces “dormancy” in blastocysts and delay the process of implantation until estrogen is given. Dormant blastocysts maintain a state of low metabolism in utero and survive for many days without initiating implantation under the unfavorable condition of estrogen deficiency. We tested the hypothesis if an autophagic response is operative in dormant blastocysts for prolonged survival in utero during the delayed implantation. We observed that autophagy is highly activated in dormant blastocysts. Interestingly, autophagic activation is more prominent in trophectoderm than in inner cell mass. Activation of blastocysts by estrogen supplementation induces formation of multivesicular bodies and exosomes in the trophectoderm. Dormant blastocysts with longer period of autophagic activation show compromised development after implantation. Thus, autophagy may be a critical cellular mechanism to provide energy source during extended survival of dormant blastocysts. However, prolonged activation of autophagy may compromise developmental outcome of blastocysts with irreparable cellular damage.

Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) has long been envisioned as a means for generating patient-specific stem cells to treat a range of age-related diseases. Until now, only three research groups have reported the successful derivation of SCNT-derived pluripotent stem cells (SCNT-PSCs). Our group has shown for the first time that human SCNT-PSCs can be successfully generated using dermal fibroblasts from 35 and 75 year-old males, and also recently established another SCNT-PSC from a patient with disease. However, despite cloning success in these groups, the derivation of stem cell lines from cloned human embryos has proven elusive. So, several approaches for the optimization of SCNT conditions, such as the use of protein phosphatase inhibitors, oocyte activation method and epigenetic regulation have been applied in order to overcome the obstacle. This study reveals mechanistic insights and establishes a promising method for improving human SCNT for regenerative medicine.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of non-coding RNAs approximately 21-nt in length which play important roles in regulating gene expression in plants. Although many miRNA studies have focused on a few model plants, miRNAs and their target genes remain largely unknown in hot pepper (Capsicum annuum), one of the most important crops cultivated worldwide. We here employed high-throughput small-RNA and degradome sequencing to comprehensively identify small-RNAs and their targets in pepper. From these, we identified several novel targets of miRNAs, including the major de novo methylation enzyme involved in RNA-directed DNA methylation in plants. Furthermore, we identified several highly abundant 22-nt miRNA families that target conserved domains in NB-LRRs and trigger the production of phased secondary siRNAs. We showed that transient co-expression of can-miR482 with Rpi-blb1, one of the potato NB-LRRs, resulted in the attenuation of the hypersenstive responses in Nicotiana benthamiana, suggesting that interaction between miR-482 family and disease resistance proteins is likely to serve as a conserved trigger for defense mechanism in Solanaceae. This work provides the first reliable draft of the pepper small RNA transcriptome that offers an expanded picture of miRNAs in relation to NB-LRR regulation, providing a basis for understanding the functional roles of miRNAs in disease resistance pepper.

Stomata are natural pores of plants and constitute the entry points for water during transpiration. However, they also facilitate the ingress of potentially harmful bacterial pathogens. The phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) plays a pivotal role in protecting plants against biotic stress, by regulating stomatal closure. In the present study, we investigated the mechanism whereby ABA influences plant defense responses to Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst) DC3000, which is a virulent bacterial pathogen of Arabidopsis, at the pre-invasive stage. We found that overexpression of two ABA receptors, namely, RCAR4/PYL10-OX and RCAR5/PYL11-OX (hereafter referred to as RCARs), resulted in ABA-hypersensitive phenotypes being exhibited during the seed germination and seedling growth stages. Sensitivity to ABA enhanced the resistance of RCAR4-OX and RCAR5-OX plants to Pst DC3000, through promoting stomatal closure leading to the development of resistance to this bacterial pathogen. Protein phosphatase HAB1 is an important component that is responsible for ABA signaling and which interacts with ABA receptors. We found that hab1 mutants exhibited enhanced resistance to Pst DC3000; moreover, similar to RCAR4-OX and RCAR5-OX plants, this enhanced resistance was correlated with stomatal closure. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that alteration of RCAR4- or RCAR5-HAB1 mediated ABA signaling influences resistance to bacterial pathogens via stomatal regulation.

As one of the most severe stress conditions, drought strongly affects the plant growth and productivity. OsPIL1, a gene encoding a rice Phytochrome Interacting Factor (PIF)-Like transcription factor, was found to be down-regulated under drought stress condition. OsPIL1 shows a diurnal expression pattern and known to be involved in regulation of plant height. However, the mechanisms of down-regulation of OsPIL1 expression under stress conditions are remained unclear. In this study, the expression of PIF4 and PIF5, the most homologous genes of OsPIL1 in Arabidopsis, was analyzed and the expression of these genes were found to be oscillated in circadian manner and down-regulated in response to drought and low temperature similar to that of OsPIL1. To identify the regions involved in the responses to drought, low temperature and diurnal cycle, the promoter analysis of PIF4 was performed using transgenic Arabidopsis. Further promoter analysis is ongoing to specify regulatory regions in more detail.

As one of the most severe stress conditions, drought strongly affects the plant growth and productivity. OsPIL1, a gene encoding a rice Phytochrome Interacting Factor (PIF)-Like transcription factor, was found to be down-regulated under drought stress condition. OsPIL1 shows a diurnal expression pattern and known to be involved in regulation of plant height. However, the mechanisms of down-regulation of OsPIL1 expression under stress conditions are remained unclear. In this study, the expression of PIF4 and PIF5, the most homologous genes of OsPIL1 in Arabidopsis, was analyzed and the expression of these genes were found to be oscillated in circadian manner and down-regulated in response to drought and low temperature similar to that of OsPIL1. To identify the regions involved in the responses to drought, low temperature and diurnal cycle, the promoter analysis of PIF4 was performed using transgenic Arabidopsis. Further promoter analysis is ongoing to specify regulatory regions in more detail.

The world population has been continuously increasing and has led to the growing demand for rice. It is therefore important to pay as much attention to the enhancement of grain yield as well as grain quality. Grain size is one of the major factors determining grain yield and quality. A large number of genes are known to be involved in regulation of grain size. However, the influence of their haplotype combination is still largely unknown. Of the previously characterized genes, we especially focused on the six genes (GS3, GS5, GS6, GW2, qSW5/GW5, and GW8/OsSPL16) to expand our understanding of regulation of grain size and to develop a regression equation model that can be used for molecular rice breeding. A total of 215 rice germplasms, which originated or developed from 28 rice-consuming countries, were used in this study. The genotyping analysis revealed that different alleles of the six genes were widely distributed in our germplasm collection and also showed significant associations with the differences in grain size. Interestingly, we found that the relatively small number of haplotype combinations preserved in diverse rice germplasms and showed significant associations with the differences in grain size. In addition, we also found that a single gene-specific allelic variation plays an important role in regulation of grain size in the presence of a certain type of haplotype combination. Based on these results, we developed a regression equation model for prediction of rice grain size. We expect that our model can be used for rice molecular breeding to develop new rice varieties having a grain size in a particular range.