What is Ethnomusicology in Korea: An Evaluation of its Current Status

I am an ethnomusicologist trained at UCLA, an institution which has well-established ethnomusicological program in USA. Since I finished the Ph.D. degree program there 1986, I have been teaching as a faculty member of Department of Composition, Keimyung University. There have I been teaching Western music courses such as music history, aesthetics of music, music theory and so on. After the first few years of teaching, I can't help but raising the question what is ethnomusicology in Korea?1 My academic training as an ethnomusicologist has never been put to use in my university teaching. Only the knowledge of Western art music was useful. I was very fortunate to have an academic background in both musicological and ethnomusicological branches enough to survive such an environment. 나는 우수한 종족음악학 프로그램을 갖고 있는 미국의 대학인 UCLA에서 훈련 받은 종족음악학자이다. 나는 1986년에 거기서 박사학위를 받은 이후부터 줄곧 계명대학교 작곡과의 교수로서 학생들을 가르쳐오고 있다. 여기서 나는 음악사, 음악미학, 음악이론 등 서양음악과 관련된 강의를 하고 있다. 처음 몇 해 동안 그러한 종류의 강의를 하면서 나는 한국의 종족음악학이란 무엇인가라는 의문을 가지지 않을 수 없었다. 종족음악학자로서 미국에서 받은 학문적 훈련은 한국의 대학에서 가르치는 데 많이 쓰여지지 않았고, 서양 예술음악에 관한 지식만이 쓸모 있었던 것이다. 다행스럽게도 나는 이런 환경에서 적응할 수 있도록 음악학과 종족음악학 양쪽분야에서 의학문적 배경을 가지고 있었다

Targeting Strategies for Multifunctional Nanoparticles in Cancer Imaging and Therapy

Nanomaterials offer new opportunities for cancer diagnosis and treatment. Multifunctional nanoparticles harboring various functions including targeting, imaging, therapy, and etc have been intensively studied aiming to overcome limitations associated with conventional cancer diagnosis and therapy. Of various nanoparticles, magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles with superparamagnetic property have shown potential as multifunctional nanoparticles for clinical translation because they have been used asmagnetic resonance imaging (MRI) constrast agents in clinic and their features could be easily tailored by including targeting moieties, fluorescence dyes, or therapeutic agents. This review summarizes targeting strategies for construction of multifunctional nanoparticles including magnetic nanoparticles-based theranostic systems, and the various surface engineering strategies of nanoparticles for in vivo applications

The Equilibrium of Tumor Suppression: DUBs As Active Regulators of PTEN

PTEN is among the most commonly lost or mutated tumor suppressor genes in human cancer. PTEN, a bona fide lipid phosphatase that antagonizes the highly oncogenic PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway, is considered a major dose-dependent tumor suppressor. Although PTEN function can be compromised by genetic mutations in inherited syndromes and cancers, posttranslational modifications of PTEN may also play key roles in the dynamic regulation of its function. Notably, deregulated ubiquitination and deubiquitination lead to detrimental impacts on PTEN levels and subcellular partitioning, promoting tumorigenesis. While PTEN can be targeted by HECT-type E3 ubiquitin ligases for nuclear import and proteasomal degradation, studies have shown that several deubiquitinating enzymes, including HAUSP/USP7, USP10, USP11, USP13, OTUD3 and Ataxin-3, can remove ubiquitin from ubiquitinated PTEN in cancer-specific contexts and thus reverse ubiquitination-mediated PTEN regulation. Researchers continue to reveal the precise molecular mechanisms by which cancer-specific deubiquitinases of PTEN regulate its roles in the pathobiology of cancer, and new methods of pharmacologically for modulating PTEN deubiquitinases are critical areas of investigation for cancer treatment and prevention. Here, we assess the mechanisms and functions of deubiquitination as a recently appreciated mode of PTEN regulation and review the link between deubiquitinases and PTEN reactivation and its implications for therapeutic strategies

Comparing the Postoperative Complications, Hospitalization Days and Treatment Expenses Depending on the Administration of Postoperative Prophylactic Antibiotics to Hysterectomy

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to compare postoperative complications, hospitalization days and treatment expenses to postoperative prophylactic antibiotics administrated to hysterectomy or not. METHODS: A retrospective survey study was performed with 128 cases in which elective hysterectomy had undergone. They were divided into two groups by identifying whether postoperative prophylactic antibiotics was administered for hysterectomy: a) one group who received postoperative prophylactic antibiotics and; b) those who did not. Data were collected using the electric medical record at a hospital and analyzed by SPSS 23.0 for χ2 test, t-test and ANCOVA. RESULTS: Postoperative complications including wound infection (p=1.000), pneumonia (p=.496), hematoma (p=.530), and pneumoperitoneum (p=.496) showed no significant differences between two groups. Hospitalization days for the prophylactic antibioticsadministrated group were significantly longer than the non-administered for prophylactic antibiotics (p=.004). The treatment expenses of the prophylactic antibiotics-administrated group were significantly higher than those of the non-administered prophylactic antibiotics (F=4.31, p=.040). CONCLUSION: These results can be provided for the evidence of administrating postoperative prophylactic antibiotics to hysterectomy. Additionally, it can contribute to decreasing the medication errors caused by infrequently administrating postoperative prophylactic antibiotics as well as to lessening likelihood of infection of intravenous injection site

Meta-analysis of Complementary and Alternative Intervention on Menstrual Distress

PURPOSE: This study was to analyze the effect size of complementary and alternative intervention studies in reference to dysmenorrhea and menstrual distress. METHODS: In order to conduct a meta-analysis, a total of 393 studies were retrieved from the database. Twenty-eight studies that were published from March 2001 to February 2011 were selected. RESULTS: Intervention studies included seven studies on aromatherapy, five on auriculotherapy, three on each Koryo-Sooji-Chim and moxibustion, two on each heat therapy and magnetic therapy and six on other therapy. The effect size of the intervention studies on dysmenorrhea and menstrual distress was greater than 0.48 for Koryo-Sooji-Chim, moxibustion, aromatherapy, auriculotherapy and other therapy. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that drug free therapy can reduce the levels of menstrual distress, despite the small number of intervention studies and randomized controlled trials

Novel involvement of leukotriene B4 receptor 2 through ERK activation by PP2A down-regulation in leukotriene B4-induced keratin phosphorylation and reorganization of pancreatic cancer cells

AbstractPerinuclear reorganization via phosphorylation of specific serine residues in keratin is involved in the deformability of metastatic cancer cells. The level of leukotriene B4 is high in pancreatic cancers. However, the roles of LTB4 and its cognate receptors in keratin reorganization of pancreatic cancers are not known. LTB4 dose-dependently induced phosphorylation and reorganization of Keratin 8 (K8) and these processes were reversed by LY255283 (BLT2 antagonist). BLT2 agonists such as Comp A and 15(S)-HETE also induced phosphorylation of serine 431 in K8. Moreover, Comp A-induced K8 phosphorylation and reorganization were blocked by LY255283. Gene silencing of BLT2 suppressed Comp A-induced K8 phosphorylation and reorganization in PANC-1 cells. Over-expression of BLT2 promoted K8 phosphorylation. Comp A promoted the migration of PANC-1 cells in a dose-dependent manner, and LY255283 blocked Comp A-induced migration, respectively. PD98059 (ERK inhibitor) suppressed Comp A-induced phosphorylation of serine 431 and reorganization of K8. Gene silencing of BLT2 suppressed the expression of pERK, and over-expression of BLT2 increased the expression of pERK even without Comp A. Comp A induced the expression of active ERK (pERK) and BLT2. These inductions were blocked by PD98059. Comp A decreased PP2A expression and hindered the binding of PP2A to the K8, leading to the activation of ERK. PD98059 suppressed the Comp A-induced migration of PANC-1 cells and BLT2 over-expression-induced migration of PANC-1 cells. Overall, these results suggest that BLT2 is involved in LTB4‐induced phosphorylation and reorganization through ERK activation by PP2A downregulation, leading to increased migration of PANC‐1 cells

Increased interleukin-17 production via a phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt and nuclear factor κB-dependent pathway in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Inflammatory mediators have been recognized as being important in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Interleukin (IL)-17 is an important regulator of immune and inflammatory responses, including the induction of proinflammatory cytokines and osteoclastic bone resorption. Evidence for the expression and proinflammatory activity of IL-17 has been demonstrated in RA synovium and in animal models of RA. Although some cytokines (IL-15 and IL-23) have been reported to regulate IL-17 production, the intracellular signaling pathways that regulate IL-17 production remain unknown. In the present study, we investigated the role of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway in the regulation of IL-17 production in RA. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from patients with RA (n = 24) were separated, then stimulated with various agents including anti-CD3, anti-CD28, phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and several inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. IL-17 levels were determined by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction. The production of IL-17 was significantly increased in cells treated with anti-CD3 antibody with or without anti-CD28 and PHA (P < 0.05). Among tested cytokines and chemokines, IL-15, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and IL-6 upregulated IL-17 production (P < 0.05), whereas tumor necrosis factor-α, IL-1β, IL-18 or transforming growth factor-β did not. IL-17 was also detected in the PBMC of patients with osteoarthritis, but their expression levels were much lower than those of RA PBMC. Anti-CD3 antibody activated the PI3K/Akt pathway; activation of this pathway resulted in a pronounced augmentation of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) DNA-binding activity. IL-17 production by activated RA PBMC is completely or partly blocked in the presence of the NF-κB inhibitor pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate and the PI3K/Akt inhibitor wortmannin and LY294002, respectively. However, inhibition of activator protein-1 and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 did not affect IL-17 production. These results suggest that signal transduction pathways dependent on PI3K/Akt and NF-κB are involved in the overproduction of the key inflammatory cytokine IL-17 in RA

Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Insulin Biosynthesis: A Review

Insulin resistance and pancreatic beta cell dysfunction are major contributors to the pathogenesis of diabetes. Various conditions play a role in the pathogenesis of pancreatic beta cell dysfunction and are correlated with endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Pancreatic beta cells are susceptible to ER stress. Many studies have shown that increased ER stress induces pancreatic beta cell dysfunction and diabetes mellitus using genetic models of ER stress and by various stimuli. There are many reports indicating that ER stress plays an important role in the impairment of insulin biosynthesis, suggesting that reduction of ER stress could be a therapeutic target for diabetes. In this paper, we reviewed the relationship between ER stress and diabetes and how ER stress controls insulin biosynthesis