Publications by authors named "Byunghyun Park"

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death worldwide. Platelet aggregation plays a key role in thrombosis, a major contributor to CVD. Previous animal studies suggest that Vitis labruscana Bailey leaf extract (HP-01) may have cardioprotective and antithrombotic effects.

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Key Points: p21-activated kinase 4 (PAK4) phosphorylates and inactivates GSH peroxidase 3 in the kidney after ischemia-reperfusion. Mice lacking PAK4 or treated with PAK4 proteolysis-targeting chimera were protected from kidney damage caused by ischemia-reperfusion injury. PAK4 expression in kidney tissues post-transplant inversely correlated with kidney function.

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Cannabidiol (CBD), a nonpsychoactive compound from Cannabis, has various bioactive functions in humans and animals. Evidence suggests that CBD promotes muscle injury recovery in athletes, but whether and how CBD improves endurance performance remains unclear. Here we investigated the effects of CBD treatment on exercise performance in mice and assessed whether this effect involves the gut microbiome.

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Sphingosylphosphorylcholine (SPC) is one of sphingomyelin-derived sphingolipids. SPC levels are increased in ascitic fluids of ovarian cancer patients and stratum corneum of atopic dermatitis (AD) patients. SPC has antitumor activity against several cancer cells by reducing proliferation and migration and increasing apoptosis .

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Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by joint swelling, pain, and bone remodeling. We previously reported that autotaxin (ATX) deficiency disrupts lipid rafts in macrophages. Lipid raft disruption results in the dysregulation of RANK signaling, which is crucial for osteoclastogenesis and the pathogenesis of RA.

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Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, with more than 800,000 deaths each year, and its 5-year survival rate is less than 12%. The role of the HN1 gene in HCC has remained elusive, despite its upregulation in various cancer types. In our investigation, we identified HN1's heightened expression in HCC tissues, which, upon overexpression, fosters cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, unveiling its role as an oncogene in HCC.

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Article Synopsis
  • * In diabetic animals and humans, PAK4 levels are notably higher in skeletal muscles. When PAK4 is removed from muscle tissues or inhibited in obese mice, insulin sensitivity improves, suggesting a link between PAK4 and insulin resistance.
  • * PAK4 is shown to worsen insulin resistance by interfering with AMPK activity; thus, targeting PAK4 in skeletal muscle could be a potential treatment for type 2 diabetes.
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Parathyroid hormone (PTH) serves dual roles in bone metabolism, exhibiting both anabolic and catabolic effects. The anabolic properties of PTH have been utilized in the treatment of osteoporosis with proven efficacy in preventing fractures. Despite these benefits, PTH can be administered therapeutically for up to 2 years, and its use in patients with underlying malignancies remains a subject of ongoing debate.

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Host cell proteins (HCPs) are process-related impurities in a therapeutic protein expressed using cell culture technology. This review presents biopharmaceutical industry trends in terms of both HCPs in the bioprocessing of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and the capabilities for HCP clearance by downstream unit operations. A comprehensive assessment of currently implemented and emerging technologies in the manufacturing processes with extensive references was performed.

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An aminophenol-linked naphthoquinone-based fluorometric and colorimetric chemosensor 2-chloro-3-((3-hydroxyphenyl) amino) naphthalene-1,4-dione (2CAN-Dione) was synthesized for selective detection of Sn ion in aqueous solution. The amine and conversion of carbonyl into carboxyl groups play a vital role in the sensing mechanism when Sn is added to 2CAN-Dione. Comprehensive characterization of the sensor was carried out using standard spectral and analytical approaches.

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  • Adipose tissue lipolysis, the breakdown of fat, is controlled by a signaling pathway involving cAMP and protein kinase A (PKA), which targets a protein called PAK4 for degradation.
  • Mice with higher levels of PAK4 in their fat tissue show reduced fat breakdown and increased obesity, while mice lacking PAK4 or treated with a PAK4 inhibitor lose weight and improve insulin sensitivity.
  • PAK4 interferes with lipolysis by phosphorylating and inhibiting the action of key proteins (FABP4 and HSL) involved in fat metabolism, with elevated PAK4 levels linked to obesity in humans, suggesting that targeting PAK4 could be a potential obesity treatment.
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  • This study explores how cannabidiol (CBD), a compound from the Cannabis plant, affects mast cell degranulation (a key process in allergic reactions) in both human and mouse cells.* -
  • Results showed that CBD effectively reduces mast cell degranulation when triggered by antigens, and it does this by working on specific signaling pathways without affecting the overall expression of receptors involved in allergic responses.* -
  • The findings suggest that CBD could be a promising treatment for conditions related to mast cell activation, such as allergies and anaphylaxis, since it also reduced allergic reactions in mice.*
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Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) interferes with the effective treatment of infections and increases the risk of microbial spread and infection-related illness and death. The synergistic activities of combinations of antimicrobial compounds offer satisfactory approaches to some extent. Structurally diverse naphthoquinones (NQs) including menadione (-CH group at C2) exhibit substantial antimicrobial activities against multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens.

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  • PPARα corepressor NCoR1 is crucial for regulating fatty acid β-oxidation and ketogenesis, but details of its regulation have been unclear.
  • The study identifies p21-activated kinase 4 (PAK4) as a kinase that phosphorylates NCoR1, enhancing its nuclear presence and interaction with PPARα, which diminishes PPARα's transcriptional activity.
  • Elevated PAK4 and phosphorylated NCoR1 levels were found in the livers of high fat diet-fed mice and patients with NAFLD and hepatocellular carcinoma; additionally, fasting reduces PAK4 protein levels, linking it to fatty acid metabolism regulation.
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Introduction: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a potentially disabling disease that damages the brain and spinal cord, inducing paralysis of the body. While MS has been known as a T-cell mediated disease, recent attention has been drawn to the involvement of B cells in its pathogenesis. Autoantibodies from B cells are closely related with the damage lesion of central nervous system and worse prognosis.

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Background: Silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1), a type III histone deacetylase, is involved in various cutaneous and systemic autoimmune diseases including systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriasis. However, little is known about the role of SIRT1 in the development of alopecia areata (AA).

Objectives: This study investigated whether SIRT1 regulates the hair follicle immune system and is involved in AA pathogenesis.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Adipose tissue inflammation is a key factor in obesity-related insulin resistance, where inflamed adipocytes release cytokines that attract immune cells.
  • - Sirtuin 6 (Sirt6) is crucial for regulating this inflammation but its levels drop in obese individuals and rise with weight loss; its deficiency can impact various immune cells and their roles in inflammation.
  • - The review discusses specific immune cell types involved in adipose tissue inflammation and highlights the need for more research on Sirt6's effects on insulin resistance and mechanisms of adipose tissue browning.
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Purpose: In our previous study, we showed that Lycium chinense Miller fruit extract (LFE) exerted hepatoprotective effects in mice. In the current study, we examined the effect of LFE on liver enzyme levels in subjects with mild hepatic dysfunction.

Methods: A total of 90 subjects, aged 19 to 70 years old, with abnormal alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels, were randomly placed into either an LFE (n = 45) treatment group or a placebo group (n = 45).

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Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) regulates cellular processes by deacetylating non-histone targets, including transcription factors and intracellular signalling mediators; thus, its abnormal activation is closely linked to the pathophysiology of several diseases. However, its function in infection is unclear. We found that SIRT1 contributes to autophagy activation via the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and PI3K/AKT signalling pathways, promoting anti- responses.

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  • This study explores how the extract from Jingzaojing leaves and shoots (JLSE), containing phenolic compounds, impacts muscle fiber type switching from fast-glycolytic to slow-oxidative fibers, which could help with heart and metabolic diseases.
  • Male mice were given JLSE or a placebo and trained on a treadmill for four weeks, resulting in those given JLSE displaying better stamina and mitochondrial function.
  • JLSE helped promote this muscle fiber shift by increasing the expression of a protein called sirtuin 6 and decreasing another called Sox6, leading to more mitochondria and improved exercise endurance.
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The purpose of this study was to examine whether , cultivated in a smart-farming system with LED lamps, could increase exercise capacity in mice. C57BL/6 male mice were orally administered vehicle or water extract (LTE), either 30 or 100 mg/kg, and were subjected to moderate intensity treadmill exercise for 4 weeks. Running distance markedly increased in the LTE group (100 mg/kg) by 80 ± 4% compared to the vehicle group, which was accompanied by a higher proportion of oxidative fibers (6 ± 6% vs.

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Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a chronic liver disease that results from multiple metabolic disorders. Considering the complexity of the pathogenesis, the identification of a factor mediating the multiple pathogenic phenotypes of NASH will be important for treatment. In this study, we found that CXXC5, a negative feedback regulator of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, was overexpressed with suppression of Wnt/β-catenin signaling and its target genes involved in hepatic metabolism in obese-NASH patients.

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