Publications by authors named "Jeong-Hwa Baek"

is a naturally occurring plant in East Asia belonging to the Thymelaeaceae family. While its biological properties have been explored, its potential role in wound healing remains largely unknown. This study investigated the effects of extracts on keratinocyte migration and the underlying mechanisms.

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It is believed that there may be a proportional relationship between the dose-rate and adverse effects of radiation for a given dose. However, we have previously shown that low dose-rate (LDR) radiation induces greater toxicity in the testes than that induced by high-dose rate (HDR) radiation, in contrast to results for the thymic lymphoma induction rate. Since cell/organ toxicity and cancer induction rates may not be directly comparable, we compared toxicities following LDR and HDR radiation between testis/spermatogenesis and bone marrow/hematopoiesis, similar organs/cells in terms of continuously producing progenitor cells.

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Biological dosimetry is crucial for estimating the doses from biological samples and guiding medical interventions for accidental radiation exposure. This study aimed to derive rapid and precise dose estimates using a dicentric chromosome assay. To address the challenges of manual scoring of dicentric chromosomes, we upgraded an automatic system aimed at enhancing the precision of dicentric chromosome detection while reducing the need for human intervention.

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Bone defects present significant challenges in clinical contexts, particularly among the elderly, and are often linked to altered innate immune responses; however, underlying mechanisms remain to be understood. This study investigates immune changes in early bone healing in aged mice, emphasizing the effects of zinc in modulating inflammatory processes. By exploring the role of zinc and NETosis in this process, we seek to develop novel therapeutic strategies that could improve bone repair in aging populations.

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This study identifies senescent osteocytes in the femur and tibia of young rodents and explores their role in bone remodeling. The proximity of osteoclasts to senescent osteocytes was observed, which is a new finding. Cultured osteocytes, sorted using a podoplanin antibody in FACS, exhibited osteocytic characteristics and increased senescence-related genes.

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Schizophyllan (SPG), a β-glucan from Schizophyllum commune, is recognized for its antioxidant, immunoregulatory, and anticancer activities. In this study, its effects on bone cells, particularly osteoclasts and osteoblasts, were examined. We demonstrated that SPG dose-dependently inhibited osteoclastogenesis and reduced gene expression associated with osteoclast differentiation.

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Objectives: To investigate molecular and clinical background of associations among oral health, muscle and bone metabolism, and frailty incidence in patients with fall and fracture history.

Materials And Methods: In total, 88 elderly participants (mean age 71.9 ± 5.

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Skeletal muscle and bone interact with each other in mechanical and biochemical ways. This study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanisms of interaction between muscle and bone by analyzing the transcriptional profiles of total RNA from the muscle tissue of females with distal radius fractures. A total of 30 female participants (mean age 71.

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The purpose of this study was to establish the dose-response curves for biological dosimetry of the Dong Nam Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences to monitor radiation exposure of local residents in the vicinity of the nuclear power plant. The blood samples of five healthy volunteers were irradiated with gamma ray, and each sample was divided equally for analysis of chromosomal aberrations by Giemsa staining and three-color fluorescence in situ hybridization painting of the triplet (chromosomes #1, #2, and #4). The results of chromosomal aberrations followed the Poisson distribution in all individual and averaged data which include inter-individual variation in radiation susceptibility.

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Article Synopsis
  • ucOCN plays a significant role in regulating inflammation and energy metabolism, showing an inverse relationship with chronic inflammatory diseases.
  • The study investigates ucOCN's effects on inflammation in myoblasts, revealing that it suppresses inflammatory cytokines like IL-1β and inhibits NF-κB activation in response to TNF-α.
  • Findings indicate that GPRC6A is not the receptor for ucOCN's anti-inflammatory effects, as its knockdown still results in decreased IL-1β expression, suggesting other membrane or cytoplasmic targets for ucOCN interactions.
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The adverse effects of radiation are proportional to the total dose and dose rate. We aimed to investigate the effects of radiation dose rate on different organs in mice. The mice were subjected to low dose rate (LDR, ~3.

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To improve the poor survival rate of lung cancer patients, we investigated the role of HDGF-related protein 3 (HRP-3) as a potential biomarker for lung cancer. The expression of endogenous HRP-3 in human lung cancer tissues and xenograft tumor models is indicative of its clinical relevance in lung cancer. Additionally, we demonstrated that HRP-3 directly binds to the E2F1 promoter on chromatin.

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Male infertility is a multifactorial condition. Unexplained male infertility is often caused by spermatogenesis dysfunction. Knockout of , an important regulator of cell proliferation and differentiation, produces male infertility phenotypes such as testicular immaturity and azoospermia with spermatogonia depletion and blood-testis barrier (BTB) dysfunction.

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Glioblastoma is frequently associated with TP53 mutation, which is linked to a worse prognosis and response to conventional treatments (chemoradiotherapy). Therefore, targeting TP53 is a promising strategy to overcome this poor therapeutic response. Tumor-treating fields (TTFields) are a recently approved treatment for newly diagnosed glioblastoma, which involves direct application of low-intensity, intermediate-frequency alternating electric fields to the tumor, thereby offering a local tumor-killing effect.

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The poor therapeutic efficacy of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is partly attributed to the acquisition of chemoresistance. To investigate the mechanism underlying this resistance, we examined the potential link between kinesin light chain 4 (KLC4), which we have previously reported to be associated with radioresistance in NSCLC, and sensitivity to chemotherapy in human lung cancer cell lines. KLC4 protein levels in lung cancer cells correlated with the degree of chemoresistance to cisplatin treatment.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study examined the safety and effectiveness of aPDT using Toluidine Blue O (TBO) and LED light on oral cells and compared it to traditional antibiotics for treating periodontitis-causing bacteria.
  • The aPDT significantly reduced harmful bacteria like P. gingivalis, F. nucleatum, and A. actinomycetemcomitans, with cytotoxic effects comparable to standard antiseptics but no harm to beneficial oral bacteria.
  • Results showed aPDT's bactericidal effectiveness was on par with a common antibiotic combination (amoxicillin + metronidazole), suggesting it could be a safe alternative for treating periodontitis without damaging healthy tissue
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Growth and differentiation factor 11 (GDF11) and myostatin (MSTN) are closely related transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) family members, but their biological functions are quite distinct. While MSTN has been widely shown to inhibit muscle growth, GDF11 regulates skeletal patterning and organ development during embryogenesis. Postnatal functions of GDF11, however, remain less clear and controversial.

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Bone regeneration has been a challenge for both researchers and clinicians. In the field of tissue engineering, much effort has been made to identify cell sources including stem cells. The present study aimed to induce trans-differentiation from adipocytes to osteoblasts using epigenetic modifiers; 5-aza-dC and/or trichostatin-A (TSA).

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Tumor-treating fields (TTFs) - a type of electromagnetic field-based therapy using low-intensity electrical fields - has recently been characterized as a potential anticancer therapy for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). However, the molecular mechanisms involved remain poorly understood. Our results show that the activation of autophagy contributes to the TTF-induced anti-GBM activity in vitro or in vivo and GBM patient stem cells or primary in vivo culture systems.

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Osteocalcin is an osteoblast-specific secreted protein that has been associated with endocrine roles in multiple aspects of energy metabolism. We examined whether undercarboxylated osteocalcin (ucOC) downregulates pancreatic lipase (PNLIP) expression in pancreatic acinar cells and then identified the downstream signaling pathway involved. We previously demonstrated that β adrenergic blockade attenuates body weight/fat mass gain in high-fat diet-fed mice and that this effect is associated with decreased PNLIP expression in pancreatic acinar cells.

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Growth and differentiation factor 11 (GDF11) is a transforming growth factor β family member that has been identified as the central player of anterior-posterior (A-P) axial skeletal patterning. Mice homozygous for Gdf11 deletion exhibit severe anterior homeotic transformations of the vertebrae and craniofacial defects. During early embryogenesis, Gdf11 is expressed predominantly in the primitive streak and tail bud regions, where new mesodermal cells arise.

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Current lung cancer treatments are far from satisfactory; thus, finding novel treatment targets is crucial. We recently identified procollagen-lysine, 2-oxoglutarate 5-dioxygenase 3 (PLOD3), which is involved in fibrosis and tissue remodeling as a radioresistance-related protein in lung cancer cells; however, its mechanism is unclear. In this study, we designed human PLOD3-specific short interfering (si)RNAs and tested their effects on tumor growth inhibition in vitro and in vivo.

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Glioblastoma, the most common primary brain tumor in adults, is an incurable malignancy with poor short-term survival and is typically treated with radiotherapy along with temozolomide. While the development of tumor-treating fields (TTFields), electric fields with alternating low and intermediate intensity has facilitated glioblastoma treatment, clinical outcomes of TTFields are reportedly inconsistent. However, combinatorial administration of chemotherapy with TTFields has proven effective for glioblastoma patients.

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Procollagen-lysine, 2-oxoglutarate 5-dioxygenase (PLOD3), a membrane-bound homodimeric enzyme, hydroxylates lysyl residues in collagen-like peptides; however, its role in lung cancer is unknown. This study aimed to investigate the role of PLOD3 as a pro-metastatic factor and to elucidate the underlying mechanism. First, we experimentally confirmed the release of PLOD3 in circulation in animal models, rendering it a potential serum biomarker for lung cancer in humans.

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Distal-less homeobox 5 (Dlx5) is a negative regulator of adipogenesis. Dlx5 expression is decreased by adipogenic stimuli, but the mechanisms of Dlx5 downregulation by adipogenic stimuli have not yet been determined. Here, we tested the impact of cAMP/PKA (protein kinase A) signaling induced by 3-isobutyl-1 methyl xanthine (IBMX), forskolin, and 8-CPT-cAMP on the expression of Dlx5 in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes.

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