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Chung Hun Wha Dam Tang (CHWDT), a traditional Korean herbal formula, has been used for hundreds of years for alleviating dizziness, phlegm, and inflammation. The inhibitory effects of CHWDT on obesity have been reported. However, the effects of CHWDT in atherosclerosis have not yet been explored. Therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate whether CHWDT could confer protection from oxidative stress and inflammation in a high fat diet (HFD)-induced atherosclerosis model. Atherosclerosis was induced by feeding ApoeE−/− mice with HFD for 6 weeks. To examine the in vivo effects of CHWDT on HFD-induced atherosclerosis, mice on HFD for 6 weeks were orally administrated with CHWDT (400 or 800 mg/kg) every other day for an additional 6 weeks and histological features of aorta were determined by Sudan IV and H&E staining. The mRNA levels of TNF-α, SOD1, SOD2, iNOS or eNOS were determined with RT-PCR analysis or western blot analysis for protein levels. ROS generation was measured by CM-2DCFDA or MitoSox staining using FACS analysis or confocal microscopy. CHWDT decreased the mRNA levels of TNF-α and increased the mRNA levels of SOD1, SOD2 and catalase in both aorta and liver tissues of atherosclerotic mice. CHWDT attenuated TNF-α and iNOS expression in RAW 264.7 cells, U937 cells and HUVECs, and restored eNOS expression in HUVECs. CHWDT decreased H2O2-induced cellular ROS generation in RAW 264.7 cells and U937 cells, and also decreased H2O2-induced mitochondrial ROS generation in RAW 264.7 cells. Furthermore, SOD1, SOD2 and catalase mRNA levels were increased by pre-treatment with CHWDT in H2O2 and LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells, as well as in LPS-treated U937 and HUVECs. CHWDT not only decreased LPS-induced NF-κB p65 phosphorylation but also inhibited the translocation of p65 from the cytosol to the nucleus in RAW 264.7 macrophages. These results suggest that CHWDT exerts inhibitory effects on atherosclerosis-induced oxidative stress and inflammation via the NF-κB pathway.

DIPAS (di-isopropylamino silane, H 3 Si[N(C 3 H 7 ) 2 ]) and O 2 plasma were employed, using plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD), to deposit silicon oxide to function as the gate dielectric at low temperature, i.e., below 200 °C. The superior amorphous SiO 2 thin films were deposited through the self-limiting reactions of atomic layer deposition with a deposition rate of 0.135 nm/cycle between 125 and 200 °C. PEALD-based SiO 2 thin layer films were applied to amorphous oxide thin film transistors constructed from amorphous In-Ga-Zn-O (IGZO) oxide layers, which functioned as channel layers in the bottom-gated thin film transistor (TFT) structure, with the aim of fabricating transparent electronics. The SiO 2 gate dielectric exhibited the highest TFT performance through the fabrication of heavily doped n-type Si substrates, with a saturation mobility of 16.42 cm 2 /V·s, threshold voltage of 2.95 V and large on/off current ratio of 3.69 × 10 8 . Ultimately, the highly doped Si was combined with the ALD-based SiO 2 gate dielectric layers, leading to a saturation mobility of 16.42 cm 2 /V·s, threshold voltage of 2.95 V, S-slope of 0.1944, and on/off current ratio of 3.69 × 10 8 . Semi-transparent and transparent TFTs were fabricated and provided saturation mobilities of 22.18 and 24.29 cm 2 /V·s, threshold voltages of 4.18 and 2.17 V, S-slopes of 0.1944 and 0.1945, and on/off current ratios of 9.63 × 10 8 and 1.03 × 10 7 , respectively.

In developing terahertz (THz) technologies that are more suitable for industrial applications, we have focused on research on continuous-wave (CW) THz technologies to develop small, low-cost, and multifunctional THz devices and systems. In the course of this research, we have developed several key devices such as widely tunable compact beating sources in the form of dual-mode lasers, THz emitters, including nano-electrode-photomixers and unitraveling carrier photodiode photomixers, and highly sensitive THz detectors, such as Schottky barrier diodes. In this paper, along with our recently obtained results that demonstrate the enhanced performance of these devices, we also present an example of a practical industrial application of our CW THz system: a nondestructive evaluation (NDE) system. The system described can be applied in the car manufacturing factory as an NDE technique to find process errors. Although further improvements to photonics-based THz technologies are necessary, we believe that efforts in this field will begin an era of THz technologies as a widely used industrial technique.

Here, we report thyroid transcription factor 1 (TTF-1) as an important transcription factor for the expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1). HO-1 is a well-known cytoprotective enzyme against inflammation. We observed that HO-1 co-expressed with TTF-1 in mouse hypothalamic cells. Results from luciferase and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays revealed that TTF-1 directly activated HO-1 transcription by binding to binding domains in the 5′-flanking region of the HO-1 gene. A proinflammatory cytokine, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), induced nuclear translocation of TTF-1 and increased binding affinity of TTF-1 to its binding sites on the HO-1 gene. HO-1 mRNA increased with TTF-1 overexpression but decreased with RNA interference of TTF-1 expression in rat astroglial C6 cells. Together with results showing involvement of TTF-1 in the TNF-α-induced increase in interleukin 1 beta and monocyte chemotactic protein 1 production, this study suggests that TTF-1 plays an important role in the mouse hypothalamus TNF-α-induced inflammatory response for regulating HO-1 gene expression.

We proposed a simple method, a thermally purified solution (TPS) process, to lower the fabrication temperature of solution-processed hafnium oxide (HfOx) gate insulator films. The TPS process is proceeded by transferring thermal energy to the HfOx precursor solution ‘BEFORE’ film formation. The TPS process could induce chemical reactions including pre-hydrolysis by thermal energy in the HfOx precursor solution. These chemical reactions reduce the required thermal energy for forming a solution-processed HfOx film and improve the film quality. As a result, the HfOx film fabricated via the TPS process has satisfactory dielectric characteristics: a breakdown electric field of ∼6 MV cm−1, a leakage current density of ∼10−9 A cm−2, and a dielectric constant of 10.23 at low temperatures, i.e., below 200 °C. Solution-processed indium oxide (In2O3) thin film transistors with a HfOx gate insulator fabricated via the TPS process exhibit a field effect mobility of 3.67 cm2 V−1 s−1, an on/off current ratio of 9.8 × 106, and a subthreshold swing of 0.18 V dec−1.

In this study, a structurally and materially designed thin-film encapsulation is proposed to guarantee the reliability of transparent, flexible displays by significantly improving their barrier properties, mechanical stability, and environmental reliability, all of which are essential for organic light-emitting diode (OLED) encapsulation. We fabricated a bioinspired, nacre-like ZnO/Al2O3/MgO laminate structure (ZAM) using atomic layer deposition for the microcrack toughening effect. The ZAM film was formed with intentional voids and defects through the formation of a quasi-perfect sublayer, rather than the simple fabrication of nanolaminate structures. The 240 nm thick ZAM-based multibarrier (ZAM-TFE) with a compressively strained organic layer demonstrated an optical transmittance of 91.35% in the visible range, an extremely low water vapor transmission rate of 2.06 × 10–6 g/m2/day, a mechanical stability enduring a strain close to 1%, and a residual stress close to 0, showing significant improvement of ...

We investigated the impact of protein kinase C (PKC) on cellular senescence. The PKC activity and expression of conventional PKC (cPKC) and atypical PKC (aPKC) isoforms decreased during replicative senescence in IMR-90 cells. Forced inhibition of cPKC or aPKC induced the activation of senescence markers, including senescence-associated β-galactosidase activity and reactive oxygen species (ROS)-p53-p21Cip1/WAF1 axis in HCT116 and HEK293 cells. PKC inhibition triggered the nuclear exportation of FoxO3a via stimulation of AKT-mediated phosphorylation of FoxO3a, and thereby decreased the transcription of FoxO3a target genes. Conversely, ectopic expression of the PKC isoforms led to stimulation of the nuclear import of FoxO3a and expression of the FoxO3a target genes. Ectopic FoxO3a expression attenuated ROS accumulation and senescent phenotypes induced by PKC inhibition. Therefore, this study suggests for the first time that downregulation of PKC induces senescence through the AKT-FoxO3a-ROS-p53-p21Cip1/WAF1 pathway in HCT116 and HEK293 cells.

With the increasing power demand of system-on-chip structures, an ultrathin body is increasingly important owing to its low power leakage; silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology is used to fabricate such ultrathin platforms. However, the contemporary SOI process and the wafer itself are complex and expensive. In this study, we developed an easy SOI fabrication process that can be implemented on any desired local area of a bulk silicon wafer using the commercially implemented reduced-pressure chemical vapor deposition technique. A local SOI was fabricated through the selective epitaxial growth of silicon, which can also be grown laterally on top of amorphous SiO2 patterned with a 1 μm-wide silicon seed zone and an etch stopper with dimensions of 20 × 100 μm. The local SOI, processed to a thickness of 100 nm or less by chemical mechanical polishing, exhibited a highly crystalline state, as confirmed by cross-sectional imaging and diffraction pattern analysis, surface roughness analysis, and wide-range epitaxy analysis. The local SOI exhibited a surface roughness of 0.237 nm and maintained a perfect (100) crystal plane, identical to that of the silicon wafer, under optimized process conditions. We successfully fabricated reconfigurable transistors on the present local SOI, which implies that contemporary silicon electronics can take advantage of SOI devices on its own platform.

The cardiotoxicity of various anticancer therapies, including radiotherapy, can lead to cardiovascular complications. These complications can range from damaging cardiac tissues within the irradiation field to increasing the long-term risks of developing heart failure, coronary artery disease, and myocardial infarction. We analyzed radiation-induced metabolites capable of mediating critical biological processes, such as inflammation, senescence, and apoptosis. Previously, by applying QTOF-MASS analysis to irradiated human fibroblasts, we identified that metabolite sets of lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) were increased in these cells. In this study, radiation-induced LPC accumulation in human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs) increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and senescence-associated-beta-galactosidase staining, in addition to decreasing their tube-forming ability. Knockdown of lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) with small interfering RNA (siRNA) inhibited the increased LPC production induced by radiation, and reduced the radiation-induced cell damage produced by ROS and oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL). Lp-PLA2 depletion abolished the induction of proinflammatory factors, such as interleukin 1β, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, matrix metalloproteinase 2, and matrix metalloproteinase 9, as well as adhesion molecules, such as intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) and E-selection. Likewise, we showed that Lp-PLA2 expression was upregulated in the vasculature of irradiated rat, resulting in increased LPC production and LDL oxidation. Our data demonstrate that radiation-induced LPC production is a potential risk factor for cardiotoxicity that is mediated by Lp-PLA2 activity, suggesting that LPC and Lp-PLA2 offer potential diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to cardiovascular damage during radiotherapy.

Previously we have reported that developmentally regulated GTP-binding protein 2 (DRG2) localizes on Rab5 endosomes and plays an important role in transferrin (Tfn) recycling. We here identified DRG2 as a key regulator of membrane tubule stability. At 30 min after Tfn treatment, DRG2 localized to membrane tubules which were enriched with phosphatidylinositol 4-monophosphate [PI(4)P] and did not contain Rab5. DRG2 interacted with Rac1 more strongly with GTP-bound Rac1 and tubular localization of DRG2 depended on Rac1 activity. DRG2 depletion led to destabilization of membrane tubules, while ectopic expression of DRG2 rescued the stability of the membrane tubules in DRG2-depleted cells. Our results reveal a novel mechanism for regulation of membrane tubule stability mediated by DRG2.

Background A virtual reality (VR) tour of the operating theatre before anaesthesia could provide a realistic experience for children. This study was designed to determine whether a preoperative VR tour could reduce preoperative anxiety in children. Methods Children scheduled for elective surgery under general anaesthesia were randomized into a control or VR group. The control group received conventional information regarding anaesthesia and surgery. The VR group watched a 4-min video showing Pororo, the famous little penguin, visiting the operating theatre and explaining what is in it. The main outcome was preoperative anxiety, assessed using the modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (m-YPAS) before entering the operating theatre. Secondary outcomes included induction compliance checklist (ICC) and procedural behaviour rating scale (PBRS) scores during anaesthesia. Results A total of 69 children were included in the analysis, 35 in the control group and 34 in the VR group. Demographic data and induction time were similar in the two groups. Children in the VR group had a significantly lower m-YPAS score than those in the control group (median 31·7 (i.q.r. 23·3–37·9) and 51·7 (28·3–63·3) respectively; P < 0·001). During anaesthesia, the VR group had lower ICC and PBRS scores than the control group. Conclusion This preoperative VR tour of the operating theatre was effective in alleviating preoperative anxiety and increasing compliance during induction of anaesthesia in children undergoing elective surgery. Registration number: UMIN000025232 (http://www.umin.ac.jp/ctr).

Amorphous In-Ga-Zn-O (a-IGZO) thin-film transistors (TFTs) fabricated by low-temperature processes on a flexible substrate can easily be degraded by mechanical deformation. Furthermore, lower performance in terms of the initial characteristics and reliability levels compared to those fabricated on glass substrates with relatively high heat treatments is inevitable. To solve these problems, a local electro-thermal annealing (ETA) method was applied to flexible a-IGZO TFTs processed at low temperature to enhance the inferior initial characteristics and reliability under a bending state. The enhancement of the characteristics and reliability by ETA can be attributed to the reduction of defects related to the oxygen through a localized Joule heat treatment with an extremely short duration (~1 ms). In addition, the effectiveness of ETA to recovery from bending stress even under harsh cyclic bending operation (strain condition of 0.833%) is verified.

Proposed herein is a new technique of activation for the backplane of low-temperature amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide thin-film transistors (a-IGZO TFTs) by applying a bias voltage to gate, sou...

To keep pace with the era of transparent and deformable electronics, electrode functions should be improved. In this paper, an innovative structure is suggested to overcome the trade-off between optical and electrical properties that commonly arises with transparent electrodes. The structure of double-stacked metal films showed high conductivity (

// Jeong-Hwan Park 1,* , Joo-Hyun Lee 1,* , Jeong-Woo Park 1 , Dong-Yun Kim 2 , Jeong-Hoon Hahm 3 , Hong Gil Nam 3,4 and Young-Seuk Bae 1,2 1 School of Life Sciences, BK21 Plus KNU Creative BioResearch Group, College of Natural Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Republic of Korea 2 School of Life Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Republic of Korea 3 Center for Plant Aging Research, Institute for Basic Science, Daegu, Republic of Korea 4 Department of New Biology, DGIST, Daegu, Republic of Korea * These authors have contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Young-Seuk Bae, email: // Keywords : C. elegans; protein kinase CK2; longevity; daf-16; Gerotarget Received : November 02, 2016 Accepted : March 27, 2017 Published : April 07, 2017 Abstract Studies show that a decrease in protein kinase CK2 (CK2) activity is associated with cellular senescence. However, the role of CK2 in organism aging is still poorly understood. Here, we investigated whether protein kinase CK2 (CK2) modulated longevity in Caenorhabditis elegans . CK2 activity decreased with advancing age in the worms. Knockdown of kin-10 (the ortholog of CK2β) led to a short lifespan phenotype and induced age-related biomarkers, including retardation of locomotion, decreased pharyngeal pumping rate, increased lipofuscin accumulation, and reduced resistance to heat and oxidative stress. The long lifespan of age-1 and akt-1 mutants was significantly suppressed by kin-10 RNAi, suggesting that CK2 acts downstream of AGE-1 and AKT-1. Kin-10 knockdown did not further shorten the short lifespan of daf-16 mutant worms but either decreased or increased the transcriptional activity of DAF-16 depending on the promoters of the target genes, indicating that CK2 is an upstream regulator of DAF-16 in C. elegans . Kin-10 knockdown increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the worms. Finally, the ROS scavenger N-acetyl-L-cysteine significantly counteracts the lifespan shortening and lipofuscin accumulation induced by kin-10 knockdown. Therefore, the present results suggest that age-dependent CK2 downregulation reduces longevity by associating with both ROS generation and the AGE-1-AKT-1-DAF-16 pathway in C. elegans .

// Mai-Tram Vo 1 , Seong Hee Choi 1 , Ji-Heon Lee 2 , Chung Hwan Hong 1 , Jong Soo Kim 2 , Unn Hwa Lee 1 , Hyung-Min Chung 2 , Byung Ju Lee 1 , Jeong Woo Park 1 and Wha Ja Cho 1 1 Department of Biological Sciences, University of Ulsan, Ulsan, 680-749, Korea 2 Department of Stem Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Konkuk University, Gwangjin-Gu, Seoul, 143-701, Korea Correspondence to: Jeong Woo Park, email: jwpark@ulsan.ac.kr Wha Ja Cho, email: wjcho26@ulsan.ac.kr Keywords: tristetraprolin, mitochondrial dynamics, α-Synuclein Received: December 14, 2016 Accepted: March 19, 2017 Published: March 30, 2017 ABSTRACT Mitochondrial dynamics play critical roles in maintaining mitochondrial functions. Here, we report a novel mechanism for regulation of mitochondrial dynamics mediated by tristetraprolin (TTP), an AU-rich element (ARE)-binding protein. Overexpression of TTP resulted in elongated mitochondria, down-regulation of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, reduced membrane potential, cytochrome c release, and increased apoptotic cell death in cancer cells. TTP overexpression inhibited the expression of α-Synuclein (α-Syn). TTP bound to the ARE within the mRNA 3'-untranslated regions (3′-UTRs) of α-Syn and enhanced the decay of α-Syn mRNA. Overexpression of α-Syn without the 3′-UTR restored TTP-induced defects in mitochondrial morphology, mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, membrane potential, and apoptotic cell death. Taken together, our data demonstrate that TTP acts as a regulator of mitochondrial dynamics through enhancing degradation of α-Syn mRNA in cancer cells. This finding will increase understanding of the molecular basis of mitochondrial dynamics.

Polymer-based thin film transistors (TFTs) with a modified bottom-contact structure and etched SiO2 layer were developed and investigated. An increase in the field-effect mobility in the developed TFTs compared to TFTs with a normal bottom-contact structure was ascertained. A bottom-contact structure and the photolithographic processing method were used to ensure that the developed TFTs were suitable for commercial applications. Increased mobility of the modified bottom-contact structure was attributed to direct contact of the Au electrode with the active polymer layer.

Highly transparent and low-resistive multilayered gate electrodes, MoO3/indium–tin oxide (ITO)/Ag/ZnS (MIAZ) playing as the high-work-function layer, the nonreactive interface layer, the lateral conduction layer, and the index-matching layer, respectively, have been investigated for the application to the transparent oxide thin-film transistors (TFTs). The transmittance of the optimized MIAZ electrode is 92.46% and the sheet resistance is $7.77~\Omega / \Box $ . The top gate InGaZnO TFT with this gate electrode shows the mobility of 11.57 cm2/( $\text {V}\cdot ~\text {s}$ ) and positive $V_{\text {th}}$ of 0.210 V compared with that with single ITO gate electrode of which $V_{\text {th}}$ is −0.086 V.

The energy level alignment change in single-molecule junctions during junction elongation was investigated by using multi-IV measurements with a scanning tunneling micro-scope break-junction technique. We used 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethylene molecule with Au electrodes, and observed a negative slope in the conductance trace during junction elongation. The trace was divided into three regions having high, middle, and low conductance in that order with increasing elongation. The values of the conductance and the thermopower obtained by multi-IV measurements with a temperature gradient were used to determine the energy level alignment changes of the molecule during junction elongation in each region, where the dominant orbital for transport is the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital. We found that the energy level alignment gets closer to the Au Fermi energy with decreasing conductance. These results thus provide quantitative information on energy level alignments in a metal-molecule interface during junction elongation and evolution.

Endothelial senescence is the main risk factor that contributes to vascular dysfunction and the progression of vascular disease. Carbon monoxide (CO) plays an important role in preventing vascular dysfunction and in maintaining vascular physiology or homeostasis. The application of exogenous CO has been shown to confer protection in several models of cardiovascular injury or disease, including hypertension, atherosclerosis, balloon-catheter injury, and graft rejection. However, the mechanism by which CO prevents endothelial senescence has been largely unexplored. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of CO on endothelial senescence and to investigate the possible mechanisms underlying this process. We measured the levels of senescence-associated-β-galactosidase activity, senescence-associated secretory phenotype, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and stress granule in human umbilical vein endothelial cells and the WI-38 human diploid fibroblast cell line. We found that 5-fluorouracil (5FU)-induced ROS generation was inhibited by CO-releasing molecules (CORM)-A1 treatment, and endothelial senescence induced by 5FU was attenuated by CORM-A1 treatment. The SIRT1 inhibitor EX527 reversed the inhibitory effect of CO on the 5FU-induced endothelial senescence. Furthermore, SIRT1 deficiency abolished the stress granule formation by CO. Our results suggest that CO alleviates the endothelial senescence induced by 5FU through SIRT1 activation and may hence have therapeutic potential for the treatment of vascular diseases.

The perinuclear stacks of the Golgi apparatus maintained by dynamic microtubules are essential for cell migration. Activation of Akt (protein kinase B, PKB) negatively regulates glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β)-mediated tau phosphorylation, which enhances tau binding to microtubules and microtubule stability. In this study, experiments were performed on developmentally regulated GTP-binding protein 2 (DRG2)-stably knockdown HeLa cells to determine whether knockdown of DRG2 in HeLa cells treated with epidermal growth factor (EGF) affects microtubule dynamics, perinuclear Golgi stacking, and cell migration. Here, we show that DRG2 plays a key role in regulating microtubule stability, perinuclear Golgi stack formation, and cell migration. DRG2 knockdown prolonged the EGF receptor (EGFR) localization in endosome, enhanced Akt activity and inhibitory phosphorylation of GSK3β. Tau, a target of GSK3β, was hypo-phosphorylated in DRG2-knockdown cells and showed greater association with microtubules, resulting in microtubule stabilization. DRG2-knockdown cells showed defects in microtubule growth and microtubule organizing centers (MTOC), Golgi fragmentation, and loss of directional cell migration. These results reveal a previously unappreciated role for DRG2 in the regulation of perinuclear Golgi stacking and cell migration via its effects on GSK3β phosphorylation, and microtubule stability.

Here, we report that Forkhead Box O1 (FOXO1) protein, a tumor suppressor, regulates expression of nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (Nampt) in human breast cancer MCF-7 cells. Nampt plays an important role in the regulation of cell growth, survival, DNA replication and repair, and angiogenesis in tumorigenesis. We revealed that FOXO1 directly inhibits Nampt expression via binding to FOXO1 binding domains in the 5′-flanking region of the nampt gene. Nampt expression was increased by insulin and downstream phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling, which was inhibited by FOXO1 overexpression. Accordingly, we showed that FOXO1 is also involved in insulin signaling-induced cell survival and proliferation in MCF-7 cells. These results suggest that FOXO1 plays an important role in human breast cancer cells by regulating nampt gene expression.

Cellular senescence is an irreversible form of cell cycle arrest. Senescent cells have a unique gene expression profile that is frequently accompanied by senescence-associated heterochromatic foci (SAHFs). Protein kinase CK2 (CK2) downregulation can induce trimethylation of histone H3 Lys 9 (H3K9me3) and SAHFs formation by activating SUV39h1. Here, we present evidence that the PI3K-AKT-mTOR-reactive oxygen species-p53 pathway is necessary for CK2 downregulation-mediated H3K9me3 and SAHFs formation. CK2 downregulation promotes SUV39h1 stability by inhibiting its proteasomal degradation in a p53-dependent manner. Moreover, the dephosphorylation status of Ser 392 on p53, a possible CK2 target site, enhances the nuclear import and subsequent stabilization of SUV39h1 by inhibiting the interactions between p53, MDM2, and SUV39h1. Furthermore, p21Cip1/WAF1 is required for CK2 downregulation-mediated H3K9me3, and dephosphorylation of Ser 392 on p53 is important for efficient transcription of p21Cip1/WAF. Taken together, these results suggest that CK2 downregulation induces dephosphorylation of Ser 392 on p53, which subsequently increases the stability of SUV39h1 and the expression of p21Cip1/WAF1, leading to H3K9me3 and SAHFs formation.

Malignant metastatic melanoma (MM) is the most lethal of all skin cancers, but detailed mechanisms for regulation of melanoma metastasis are not fully understood. Here, we demonstrated that developmentally regulated GTP-binding protein 2 (DRG2) is required for the growth of primary tumors and for metastasis. DRG2 expression was significantly increased in MM compared with primary melanoma (PM) and dysplastic nevi. A correlation between DRG2 expression and poor disease-specific survival in melanoma patients was also identified. Furthermore, inhibition of DRG2 suppressed the binding of Hypoxia-inducible factor 1α to the VEGF-A promoter region, expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A, and formation of endothelial cell tubes. In experimental mice, DRG2 depletion inhibited the growth of PM and lung metastases and increased survival. These results identify DRG2 as a critical regulator of VEGF-A expression and of growth of PMs and lung metastases.

Staphylococcus aureus, a Gram-positive pathogen, can cause severe inflammation in humans, leading to various life-threatening diseases. The lipoprotein is a major virulence factor in S. aureus-induced infectious diseases and is responsible for excessive inflammatory mediators such as nitric oxide (NO). Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) including butyrate, propionate, and acetate are microbial metabolites in the gut that are known to have anti-inflammatory effects in the host. In this study, we investigated the effects of SCFAs on S. aureus lipoprotein (Sa.LPP)-induced NO production in mouse macrophages. Butyrate and propionate, but not acetate, inhibited Sa.LPP-induced production of NO in RAW 264.7 cells and bone marrow-derived macrophages. Butyrate and propionate inhibited Sa.LPP-induced expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS). However, acetate did not show such effects under the same conditions. Furthermore, butyrate and propionate, but not acetate, inhibited Sa.LPP-induced activation of NF-κB, expression of IFN-β, and phosphorylation of STAT1, which are essential for inducing transcription of iNOS in macrophages. In addition, butyrate and propionate induced histone acetylation at lysine residues in the presence of Sa.LPP in RAW 264.7 cells. Moreover, Sa.LPP-induced NO production was decreased by histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors. Collectively, these results suggest that butyrate and propionate ameliorate the inflammatory responses caused by S. aureus through the inhibition of NF-κB, IFN-β/STAT1, and HDAC, resulting in attenuated NO production in macrophages.

Background In Korea, around the abandoned metal mines, heavy metals are being accumulating in the cultivated areas. Among exposed heavy metals, mercury is known to harm for cardiovascular system known to affect blood pressure. So, we studied the relationship between blood mercury level and hypertension in residents around abandoned metal mines. Methods From 2008 to 2011, we surveyed 7,055 residents in provinces affected by abandoned metal mines and collected data from 6 Hospitals. We conducted a personal questionnaire interview survey with residents on the basis of household questionnaires, sex, age, household income, smoking, and drinking items. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the association between blood mercury level and hypertension. Results We compared residents with low and high groups based on blood mercury level 5.8 μg/L, and higher group was significantly higher risk of hypertension than lower group (odds ratio [OR]: 1.277; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.135-1.436), also in adjusted model, higher group was significantly higher risk of hypertension than lower group (OR: 1.276; 95% CI: 1.117-1.457). Conclusions This study showed a significant correlation between mercury and hypertension in residents around abandoned metal mines. Therefore, we should continuously monitor people who are higher than the standard value and the hypertensive patients.

Tristetraprolin (TTP), an RNA-binding protein, controls the stability of RNA by capturing AU-rich elements on their target genes. It has recently been identified that TTP serves as an anti-inflammatory protein by guiding the unstable mRNAs of pro-inflammatory proteins in multiple cells. However, it has not yet been investigated whether TTP affects the inflammatory responses in the hypothalamus. Since hypothalamic inflammation is tightly coupled to the disturbance of energy homeostasis, we designed the current study to investigate whether TTP regulates hypothalamic inflammation and thereby affects energy metabolism by utilizing TTP-deficient mice. We observed that deficiency of TTP led to enhanced hypothalamic inflammation via stimulation of a variety of pro-inflammatory genes. In addition, microglial activation occurred in the hypothalamus, which was accompanied by an enhanced inflammatory response. In line with these molecular and cellular observations, we finally confirmed that deficiency of TTP results in elevated core body temperature and energy expenditure. Taken together, our findings unmask novel roles of hypothalamic TTP on energy metabolism, which is linked to inflammatory responses in hypothalamic microglial cells.

Summary This paper proposes a most probable point (MPP)-based dimension reduction method (DRM) using the Hessian matrix called HeDRM to improve accuracy of reliability analysis in existing MPP-based DRM methods. Conventional MPP-based DRMs contain two types of errors: (1) error due to eliminating cross-terms of a performance function by using the univariate DRM; (2) error because of dependency of an axis direction after a rotational transformation. The proposed method minimizes the aforementioned errors by utilizing the Hessian matrix of a performance function. By performing an orthogonal transformation using the eigenvectors of the Hessian matrix, the cross-term effect of the performance function is minimized and the axis direction that results in the most accurate calculation is obtained because the Gaussian quadrature points for numerical integration are arranged along the eigenvector directions. In this way, the error incurred by exiting MPP-based DRMs can be reduced that leads to more accurate probability of failure estimation. In addition, this paper proposes to allocate the Gaussian quadrature points using the magnitude of the eigenvalues of the Hessian matrix. This allocation makes it possible to predetermine the number of function evaluations required to estimate the probability of failure accurately and efficiently. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

In this study, we report a new hole-collecting interlayer (HCI) comprising NiO/Au/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) for poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM)-based polymer solar cells (PSCs). The insertion of a bilayer of NiO/Au between indium tin oxide (ITO) and PEDOT:PSS improves the photocurrent generation of the PSCs. The NiO layer provides an intermediate step energy level between ITO and PEDOT:PSS, leading to enhanced hole collection. The ultrathin Au induces a surface plasmon resonance effect, allowing more photons to be absorbed by the photoactive layer and improving the hole-collecting properties by planarizing and doping the NiO. The PSCs with the NiO/Au/PEDOT:PSS HCIs yield a power-conversion efficiency of 3.9 ± 0.2%, which is approximately 15% higher than that of PSCs with a PEDOT:PSS-only HCI, under a simulated air mass 1.5 global (G) 100 mW/cm2 illumination.

Developmentally regulated GTP-binding protein 2 (DRG2) plays an important role in cell growth. Here we explored the linkage between DRG2 and G2/M phase checkpoint function in cell cycle progression. We observed that knockdown of DRG2 in HeLa cells affected growth in a wound-healing assay, and tumorigenicity in nude mice xenografts. Flow cytometry assays and [(3)H] incorporation assays indicated that G2/M phase arrest was responsible for the decreased proliferation of these cells. Knockdown of DRG2 elicited down-regulation of the major mitotic promoting factor, the cyclin B1/Cdk1 complex, but up-regulation of the cell cycle arresting proteins, Wee1, Myt1, and p21. These findings identify a novel role of DRG2 in G2/M progression.

In this review, the multi-stacked active-layer (MSAL) structures for the solution-processed amorphous oxide semiconductor (AOS) thin-film transistors (TFTs) are summarized to improve their electric...

Endovascular coil embolization using a balloon- or stent-assisted technique for the treatment of wide-necked posterior communicating artery (PcomA) aneurysms is well established. However, complete aneurysm occlusion with preservation of the PcomA can be difficult in case of wide-neck aneurysms with a PcomA incorporation. We present two cases of stent-assisted coil embolization using a retrograde approach through the posterior circulation for wide-neck or branch-incorporated PcomA aneurysms. Retrograde stenting was successful without periprocedural complications. These aneurysms were completely occluded. The patency of the PcomA was maintained in all cases.

Aims To develop a model based on clinical and ultrasound parameters to predict the risk of cesarean delivery after labor induction in near-term twin gestations. Methods This retrospective cohort study included 189 consecutive women with twin gestations at ≥ 36.0 weeks scheduled for labor induction. The Bishop score and transvaginal ultrasonographic measurements of cervical length were obtained immediately before labor induction. Parameters studied included maternal age, height, weight, parity, gestational age, Bishop score, cervical length, epidural analgesia, method of conception, chorionicity and birth weight. Prostaglandin E2 (dinoprostone) and oxytocin were used for labor induction. Logistic regression analysis and receiver operating characteristic curve were used to generate a predictive model for cesarean delivery. Results Fifty (26.5%) of the 189 women had cesarean deliveries. According to logistic regression analysis, maternal height (P = 0.004), parity (P = 0.005) and cervical length (P = 0.016), but not Bishop score (P = 0.920), were identified as independent predictors of cesarean delivery. A risk score based on a model of these three parameters was calculated for each patient. The model was shown to have an adequate goodness of fit (P = 0.201) and the area under the curve was 0.722, indicating fairly good discrimination. Conclusions Maternal height, parity and cervical length were independent parameters for predicting the risk of cesarean delivery after labor induction in twin gestations. A predictive model using these parameters may provide useful information for deciding whether or not to induce labor.

Activation using the simultaneous UV-thermal (U-T) treatment of sputter-processed InGaZnO (IGZO) thin-film transistors (TFTs) is suggested. This treatment was performed to lower the activation temperature from 300°C (thermal activation alone) to 150°C as well as to improve the electrical characteristics and stability. Despite the low temperature, the U-T-treated devices showed superior electrical characteristics and stability compared to the devices that were only thermally activated (300°C): the mobility improved from 5.19 ± 1.8 to 16.20 ± 1.5 cm2/Vs, the on-off ratio increased from (5.58 ± 3.21) × 108 to (2.50 ± 2.23) × 109, and the threshold voltage shift (under positive bias stress for 1000 s) decreased from 7.1 to 2.2 V. These improvements are attributed to the following two contributions: (1) generation of reactive oxygen radical at a low temperature and (2) decomposition-rearrangement of the metal oxide (MO) bonds in the IGZO active layer. Contributions (1) and (2) effectively increased the...

Metformin, which is a drug commonly prescribed to treat type 2 diabetes, has anti-proliferative effects in cancer cells; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying this effect remain largely unknown. The aim is to investigate the role of tristetraprolin (TTP), an AU-rich element-binding protein, in anti-proliferative effects of metformin in cancer cells. p53 wild-type and p53 mutant breast cancer cells were treated with metformin, and expression of TTP and c-Myc was analyzed by semi-quantitative RT-PCR, Western blots, and promoter activity assay. Breast cancer cells were transfected with siRNA against TTP to inhibit TTP expression or c-Myc and, after metformin treatment, analyzed for cell proliferation by MTS assay. Metformin induces the expression of tristetraprolin (TTP) in breast cancer cells in a p53-independent manner. Importantly, inhibition of TTP abrogated the anti-proliferation effect of metformin. We observed that metformin decreased c-Myc levels, and ectopic expression of c-Myc blocked the effect of metformin on TTP expression and cell proliferation. Our data indicate that metformin induces TTP expression by reducing the expression of c-Myc, suggesting a new model whereby TTP acts as a mediator of metformin’s anti-proliferative activity in cancer cells.

Because hydraulic actuator has higher power and force density, it is normally used in heavy load manipulator robots and industrial equipment which require high torque. Also, the hydraulic actuator is applied to underwater robots that need high performance maneuver in underwater operations. The force control has benefits to those kind of robots to ensure compliance with user or environment. However, the hydraulic actuator is difficult to control forces due to the non-linearity characteristic of the hydraulic servo system. In this paper, we propose a force control method with compensation of force derivative and natural velocity feedback. We also describe a method of applying it to the real system. In order to evaluate the effect of the proposed control method, the simulations and experiments were performed.

Inhibition of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-inducing transcription factors Twist and Snail prevents tumor metastasis but enhances metastatic growth. Here, we report an unexpected role of a tumor suppressor tristetraprolin (TTP) in inhibiting Twist and Snail without enhancing cellular proliferation. TTP bound to the AU-rich element (ARE) within the mRNA 3'UTRs of Twist1 and Snail1, enhanced the decay of their mRNAs and inhibited the EMT of cancer cells. The ectopic expression of Twist1 or Snail1 without their 3'UTRs blocked the inhibitory effects of TTP on the EMT. We also observed that TTP overexpression suppressed the growth of cancer cells. Our data propose a new model whereby TTP down-regulates Twist1 and Snail1 and inhibits both the EMT and the proliferation of cancer cells.

The luminescent down-shifting (LDS) layer, which transforms incoming high energy solar photons to visible ones, promises augmentation of both photoelectric performance and aesthetic appeals of photovoltaic (PV) modules. For efficient, colored PVs with LDS layer, luminophores with high photoluminescence quantum yield (PL QY), small overlap between absorption and emission spectra, and proven photostability are prerequisites. Here, we demonstrate colorful, opaque PV modules with LDS layers of minimized photon sacrifice enabled by structurally-engineered, eco-friendly InP/ZnSexS1-x quantum dots (QDs). Specifically, composition-controlled, thick shells allow enhanced absorption in the UV region and improved PL QY of QDs. Additionally, the ligand-engineering guarantees the stability of LDS layers after the damp heat test. Benefited from QD-LDS layers, commercially available CIGS and c-Si PV modules are awarded with 40% EQE enhancement in the ultraviolet region and wide-ranging color tunability over the entire visible region by QD-LDS layers. Hence, this integrated approach for desirable luminophores will contribute to the realization of highly-efficient, aesthetically-appealing opaque PV modules.