Revised Subjects of the Current Korean Oriental Pharmacists' Licensing Examination

This study is designed to draw out new integrated subjects of the Korean Oriental Pharmacists' Licensing Examination (KOPLE). In 2004, for the revision of subjects, we have analyzed the curriculums of the Oriental Pharmacy department, the oriental pharmacist's (OP's) job description book, and the elementary items of KOPLE. We also examined the system of the Chinese Herb Pharmacists' Examination and other health personnel licensing examinations and studied the data of items and compared them with KOPLE. We heard the public opinion on the present KOPLE. We developed a subfield of 18 subjects, a middle category of 188 items, and a small category of 1,026 items. We proposed a new KOPLE that consists of three subjects: basic oriental pharmacy, applied oriental pharmacy, and laws and regulations

Whole Genome Analysis of the Red-Crowned Crane Provides Insight into Avian Longevity

The red-crowned crane (Grus japonensis) is an endangered, large-bodied crane native to East Asia. It is a traditional symbol of longevity and its long lifespan has been confirmed both in captivity and in the wild. Lifespan in birds is known to be positively correlated with body size and negatively correlated with metabolic rate, though the genetic mechanisms for the red-crowned crane's long lifespan have not previously been investigated. Using whole genome sequencing and comparative evolutionary analyses against the grey-crowned crane and other avian genomes, including the long-lived common ostrich, we identified red-crowned crane candidate genes with known associations with longevity. Among these are positively selected genes in metabolism and immunity pathways (NDUFA5, NDUFA8, NUDT12, SOD3, CTH, RPA1, PHAX, HNMT, HS2ST1, PPCDC, PSTK CD8B, GP9, IL-9R, and PTPRC). Our analyses provide genetic evidence for low metabolic rate and longevity, accompanied by possible convergent adaptation signatures among distantly related large and long-lived birds. Finally, we identified low genetic diversity in the red-crowned crane, consistent with its listing as an endangered species, and this genome should provide a useful genetic resource for future conservation studies of this rare and iconic species

Transduction of the MPG-tagged fusion protein into mammalian cells and oocytes depends on amiloride-sensitive endocytic pathway

BACKGROUND: MPG is a cell-permeable peptide with proven efficiency to deliver macromolecular cargoes into cells. In this work, we examined the efficacy of MPG as an N-terminal tag in a fusion protein to deliver a protein cargo and its mechanism of transduction. RESULTS: We examined transduction of MPG-EGFP fusion protein by live imaging, flow cytometry, along with combination of cell biological and pharmacological methods. We show that MPG-EGFP fusion proteins efficiently enter various mammalian cells within a few minutes and are co-localized with FM4-64, a general marker of endosomes. The transduction of MPG-EGFP occurs rapidly and is inhibited at a low temperature. The entry of MPG-EGFP is inhibited by amiloride, but cytochalasin D and methyl-β-cyclodextrin did not inhibit the entry, suggesting that macropinocytosis is not involved in the transduction. Overexpression of a mutant form of dynamin partially reduced the transduction of MPG-EGFP. The partial blockade of MPG-EGFP transduction by a dynamin mutant is abolished by the treatment of amiloride. MPG-EGFP transduction is also observed in the mammalian oocytes. CONCLUSION: The results show that the transduction of MPG fusion protein utilizes endocytic pathway(s) which is amiloride-sensitive and partially dynamin-dependent. Collectively, the MPG fusion protein could be further developed as a novel tool of "protein therapeutics", with potentials to be used in various cell systems including mammalian oocytes

Complete genome sequence of probiotic Lactobacillus johnsonii 7409N31 isolated from a healthy Hanwoo calf

Lactobacillus johnsonii 7409N31 was isolated from the feces of a healthy 11-day-old Hanwoo calf from a farm in Geochang-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea. The genome of the strain was completely sequenced using the PacBio RSII sequencing system, and it was confirmed that it was composed of one circular chromosome. The size of the entire genome was 2,198,442 bp, and it had 35.01 mol% guanine + cytosine (G + C) content and 2,222 protein-coding sequences, 24 rRNA, 3 ncRNA, and 112 tRNA genes. Strain 7409N31 possessed genes encoding enzymes involved in the hydrolysis of both fibrous and non-fibrous carbohydrates. These data provide a comprehensive theoretical understanding for developing industrial probiotic feed additives that improve nutrient digestibility

Solitary Fibrous Tumor Arising from Stomach: CT Findings

Solitary fibrous tumors are spindle-cell neoplasms that usually develop in the pleura and peritoneum, and rarely arise in the stomach. To our knowledge, there is only one case reporting a solitary fibrous tumor arising from stomach in the English literature. Here we report the case of a 26-year-old man with a large solitary fibrous tumor arising from the stomach which involved the submucosa and muscular layer and resembled a gastrointestinal stromal tumor in the stomach, based on what was seen during abdominal computed tomography. A solitary fibrous tumor arising from the stomach, although rare, could be considered as a diagnostic possibility for gastric submucosal tumors

TRAF6 Mediates IL-1β/LPS-Induced Suppression of TGF-β Signaling through Its Interaction with the Type III TGF-β Receptor

Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) is an important anti-inflammatory cytokine that modulates and resolves inflammatory responses. Recent studies have demonstrated that inflammation enhances neoplastic risk and potentiates tumor progression. In the evolution of cancer, pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β must overcome the anti-inflammatory effects of TGF-β to boost pro-inflammatory responses in epithelial cells. Here we show that IL-1β or Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) suppresses TGF-β-induced anti-inflammatory signaling in a NF-κB-independent manner. TRAF6, a key molecule in IL-1β signaling, mediates this suppressive effect through interaction with the type III TGF-β receptor (TβRIII), which is TGF-β-dependent and requires type I TGF-β receptor (TβRI) kinase activity. TβRI phosphorylates TβRIII at residue S829, which promotes the TRAF6/TβRIII interaction and consequent sequestration of TβRIII from the TβRII/TβRI complex. Our data indicate that IL-1β enhances the pro-inflammatory response by suppressing TGF-βsignaling through TRAF6-mediated sequestration of TβRIII, which may be an important contributor to the early stages of tumor progression

Equivalent Circuit-Based Open-Circuit Sensitivity Modelling of a Capacitive-Type MEMS Acoustic Sensor on Wafer Level

Equivalent circuit-based analytical open-circuit sensitivity modelling of a capacitive-type MEMS acoustic sensor for Internet of things (IoT) application is presented. It can not only evaluate simply the characteristic of the sensitivity on wafer level, but also improve the accuracy of the sensitivity due to including the fringing field between the diaphragm and each etching hole in the back-plate. The effective capacitor model is obtained by applying the approximately linearized electric-field method (ALEM), resulting in the equivalent circuit-based dynamic model. From the sensor with a 325 µm-radius diaphragm, the effective radius and the effective residual stress of the diaphragm were extracted to be 299 µm and +23.0 MPa, respectively. With the pull-in voltage of. 12.0 V and the pad capacitance of 0.23 pF; the open-circuit sensitivity was modelled to 11.3 mV/Pa at 1 kHz in the bias of 10 V

Wafer-Level-Based Open-Circuit Sensitivity Model from Theoretical ALEM and Empirical OSCM Parameters for a Capacitive MEMS Acoustic Sensor

We present a simple, accurate open-circuit sensitivity model based on both analytically calculated lumped and empirically extracted lumped-parameters that enables a capacitive acoustic sensor to be efficiently characterized in the frequency domain at the wafer level. Our mixed model is mainly composed of two key strategies: the approximately linearized electric-field method (ALEM) and the open- and short-calibration method (OSCM). Analytical ALEM can separate the intrinsic capacitance from the capacitance of the acoustic sensor itself, while empirical OSCM, on the basis of one additional test sample excluding the membrane, can extract the capacitance value of the active part from the entire sensor chip. FEM simulation verified the validity of the model within an error range of 2% in the unit cell. Dynamic open-circuit sensitivity is modelled from lumped parameters based on the equivalent electrical circuit, leading to a modelled resonance frequency under a bias condition. Thus, eliminating a complex read-out integrated circuit (ROIC) integration process, this mixed model not only simplifies the characterization process, but also improves the accuracy of the sensitivity because it considers the fringing field effect between the diaphragm and each etching hole in the back plate