Earticle

Neuropeptide Y (NPY), a 36-amino acid polypeptide, is a member of the pancreatic polypeptide family, which consists of NPY, peptide YY (PYY) and pancreatic polypeptide (PP). The neuropeptide Y (NPY) receptors called Y receptors belongs to G-protein coupled that are involved in a variety of physiological functions such as appetite regulation, circadian rhythm and anxiety. Five receptor subtypes have been cloned in mammals (Y1, Y2, Y4, Y5, and Y6) of which four are functional. In this short review, information about the functional NYP receptors was analyzed. Sequence analyses were done between these receptors to identify the relationships between them. Phylogram was generated between these receptors to identify the close homologue between these receptors. Our sequence analyses found that Y1 and Y4 receptors are close than the other receptors. Further structure based analysis could be useful to identify subtype selective antagonists and dual antagonists targeting Y1 and Y4 receptors.

In 2015, the children unable to go to elementary school will reach up to ca. 72 million, mostly in developing countries. In addition, in 2008 it was shown that around 796 million, about 17% of adults all over the world, didn’t have basic abilities (reading, writing, calculating). It was supposed that two third of them were female. EFA(2011)󰡔グローバルモニタリングレポート 2011: 隠された危機 ―武力紛争と教育―󰡕UNESCO Publishing, pp.11-13 Without the basic abilities, people are unable to be stabilized and to get a job with sufficient pay. If this vicious cycle is not broken out, man cannot emerge from poverty. Therefore, in Official Development Assistance(ODA), basic education is important. The Impotance of basic education is also specified in the second goal of Millennium Development Goals(MDGs), and Education for All(EFA) of United National Educational, Scientiffic and Cultural Oraganization(UNESCO) is also in the same vein. Furthermore, the world bank contributes to the international efforts to improve poverty in developing countries and to develop a sustainable economic society, stating Fast Track Initiative(FTI). Although the ODA for basic education is important like this, the support of Korea for basic education is not sufficient. In 2011, only 9.6 percent of Korean ODA for education was for basic education. Unlike USA or UK, in which over 70% of the support for whole education section is for basic education, in Korea the allocation for basic education is very small. To improve the situation, the basic education section of Japanese ODA which is similar to Korean ODA in respect of enforcement system, policy framework, and ODA goals for basic education has to be analyzed with the comparison between them. Based on the current state and special features achieved with the analysis, the similarity and the difference in ODA for basic education between Korea and Japan have to be studied, and the deducted implication helpful to Korean ODA for basic education has to be discussed. While Korea and Japan have the similar enforcement system, policy framework, and ODA goals for basic education, Korea doesn’t have specific strategy or technology, which reflects the possibility that Korea has brought those of Japan without sufficient consideration. In that respect, Japanese diplomatic policy related to ‘Human Security’ is the essential subject to be considered. Based on the research result, suggestions to improve Korean ODA for basic education were drawn. Foreign assistance system has to become more efficient through the integration of the divided Korean ODA system to improve Korean ODA for basic education. In addition, the financial allocation for basic education needs to be expanded, and the assistance capability to provide both hardware and software, instead of supporting only hardware, has to be achieved. For that, an institutional strategy for evaluating overall Korean ODA has to be discussed at the level of national assembly.

2015年には世界中の約7,200万人の子供が小学校に通えなくなり、そのほとんどが発展途上国に集中している。また、2008年を基準として、世界の成人人口の約17％に相当する、約7億9,600万人は基礎能力(読み、書き、計算)さえなく、そのうち3分の2は女性であると推定されている。 EFA(2011)󰡔グローバルモニタリングレポート 2011: 隠された危機 ―武力紛争と教育―󰡕UNESCO Publishing, pp.11-13 基礎能力がなければ不安定で、収入が少ない仕事しかできないため、この悪循環を断切ることができなければ、貧困からは抜け出せない。 したがって、政府開発援助(ODA)における、基礎教育は重要である。基礎教育への支援の重要性は、ミレニアム開発目標(MDGs)の第二の目標にも直接明示されており、国連教育科学文化機関(UNESCO)が提唱する万人のための教育(EFA)もこれにつながっている。世界銀行も基礎教育開発議題(Fast Track Initiative、FTI)明らかにし、途上国の貧困緩和と持続可能な経済発展を支援する国際社会の努力を後押ししている。 このように、基礎教育ODAの重要性にもかかわらず、韓国の場合、基礎教育への支援が不十分なのが実情だ。2011年、韓国の教育ODAのうち、基礎教育ODAの規模は9.6％に過ぎない。米国や英国の全体の教育分野への支援のうち、基礎教育分野への支援が70％以上であるのに比べ、韓国は基礎教育支援にほとんど比重を置いていないことが分かる。 このような実情を改善するためには、韓国のODAの推進体制と政策の枠組み、基礎教育ODAの目的に似ている日本の基礎教育ODAと比較分析し、その現状と特徴を察し、韓国と日本の基礎教育ODAの類似点と相違点を分析して、韓国の基礎教育ODAに提示する示唆点を議論する必要があると思う。 韓国は日本のODA推進体制、政策の枠組み、基礎教育の目標に似ている一方で、これに関する具体的な戦略や技術がないが、これは韓国が日本のものを、十分に検討せず、そのまま使っていた可能性を示唆している。その中心には、日本の‘人間の安全保障(Human Security)’に対する外交政策的な内容も盛り込まれているだろう。 研究結果をもとに、韓国の基礎教育ODAの改善のための争点を明らかにした。韓国の基礎教育ODAの改善のためには分節化されている韓国のODAのシステムを統合し、対外援助システムを効率化しなければならない。また、基礎教育部門の財源の割合を増大させるだけでなく、単なるハードウェア中心から脱して、ソフトウェアも一緒に提供できる援助方法を考案する必要がある。そのためには韓国のODA全体を総合的に評価する国会レベルの制度的措置を講じなければならない。

Mushroom-derived polysaccharides, which are the primary bioactive constituents, are beneficial for human health. Polysaccharides have immuno-modulation, antitumor, and antioxidant properties. Additionally, they have antiviral properties and protect against chronic radiation stress. In this study, high yield water-soluble polysaccharides were obtained from Pleurotus djamor var. roseus basidiocarps. The crude polysaccharide (CP) was extracted sequentially by hot water and ethanol precipitation. The yield of the brown CPs was 5.6% dw. Diethylaminoethyl cellulose and Sepharose-6B column chromatography of CPs generated several fractions. Total glucan content was determined in all the fractions. The F1 fraction displayed the highest sugar content and was considered as a purified polysaccharide (PP). The total glucan and β-glucan content in the four fractions ranged between 76.85-2.95% and 75.08-1.46%, respectively. The yield of the PPs was 300 mg, and it was obtained as a white powder. The PPs were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thin-layer chromatography. The FTIR spectral details confirmed the presence of a xylopentose polysaccharide. The antioxidant activity of the PPs was evaluated using in vitro 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging assay and superoxide radical scavenging assay. The PPs showed strong DPPH free radical and superoxide anion radical scavenging activities in a dose-dependent manner. Purified PPs free of phenolics, protein, and carbohydrates were mainly responsible for the radical scavenging activity. The data suggest the potential of PPs as natural antioxidants.

We have identified an ALG3 homolog (CnALG3), coding for a dolichyl-phosphate-mannose dependent α-1,3-mannosyltransferase, in the human pathogenic yeast Cryptococcus neoformans. The CnALG3 gene encodes a protein of 447 amino acids, showing approximately 33% sequence identity to the homologs of other yeast. For functional analysis of CnALG3, we constructed a null mutant strain and analyzed the N-glycan structures by HPLC and exoglycosidase treatment. CnALG3 was shown to be responsible for the conversion of Man5GlcNAc2-Dol-PP to Man6GlcNAc2-Dol-PP, the earliest step to attach a mannose to the lipid-linked oligosaccharide in the ER. The Cnalg3Δ mutant strain displayed a moderate defect in capsule biosynthesis, and exhibited more increased sensitivity to oxidative and cell wall stresses compared to the wild-type. The C. neoformans phospholipase PLB1, which is a glycoprotein aiding fungal traversal across the blood-brain barrier, was shown to have truncated N-glycans in the alg3Δ, which showed more apparent decrease than in the och1Δ and mnn2Δ. Moreover, the Cnalg3Δ showed fully attenuated virulence in a mouse model of cryptococcosis, suggesting that the alteration of N-glycan assembly affect considerably pathogenicity of C. neoformans. However, the non-opsonic phagocytosis of Cnalg3Δ was shown to be comparable to that of Cncap59Δ during cryptococcal pathogenesis, indicating that the truncated N-linked glycans may not affect the early steps in interaction with macrophages.

Plant-derived peptones (PPs) have been utilized to improve cell growth and volumetric productivity in plant cell cultures. PPs contain amino acids, carbohydrates and minerals. Carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) sources have been known as major factors in plant cell cultures. Supplementation of chemically defined medium with PP was found to enhance cell growth and the production of human cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4-immunoglobulin (hCTLA4Ig) significantly in transgenic rice cell suspension cultures. Therefore, it was necessary to investigate the effects of C and N sources for the improvement of recombinant protein production. The concentrations of C and N sources used in this study were as follows: 0 (control), 1, 3, 5% (w/v) of sucrose and 10, 20, 30 g/L of PP. In case of adding 3% sucrose with 10 g/L of PP, maximum dry cell weight was 1.9-fold higher than that of control and the maximum level of hCTLA4Ig reached up to 64.8 mg/L. Whereas hCTLA4Ig was not produced in control cultures. In conclusion, it was found that the determination of optimal concentration ratio between C and N sources are important to improve cell growth and hCTLA4Ig production in transgenic rice cell cultures.

Security is concerned with the protection of assets from threats, where threats are categorised as the potential for abuse of protected assets. All categories of threats should be considered, but in the domain of security greater attention is given to those threats that are related to malicious or other human activities. ISO/IEC 15408 requires the TOE(Target of Evaluation) Security Environment section of a Protection Profile(PP) or Security Target(ST) to contain a list of threats about the TOE security environment or the intended usage of the TOE. This paper presents a specific physical threats should be considered in the smart card PP which developers of smart card PP must consider in Security Level 1st.

건축물의 복잡화, 대형화로 인해 합성수지를 건축 재료로써 많이 활용되고 있다. 이에 따라 합성수지가 원인이 되는 화재의 발생이 증가하고 있다. 합성수지 화재의 특성으로는 연기 등 연소생성물로 인한 인명 및 재산피해가 크다는 점이고, 이는 연기생성과 발생과 관계된다. 이에 본 연구는 국내 건축 및 소방관계법령과 연기측정방법에 대해 검토하고, 연기관련 3가지 시험기준(ISO 5660-1, ISO 12136, ASTM E 662)을 바탕으로 실험을 실시하였다. 실험에 대한 결과로 연기생성 관련 데이터에서는 PP 43.27 ㎡, PVC 32.83 ㎡, PMMA 12.33 ㎡ 순으로 나타났고, 연기발생 관련 데이터에서는 PVC 27.855 g, PP 9.599 g, PMMA 6.975 g 순으로 나타났다.

Due to the complexity and large size of buildings, plastic resin is widely used as a building material. Accordingly, the occurrence of fires caused by plastics is increasing. Due to the nature of plastic resin fires, the amount of damage to properties and human life caused by combustion products such as smoke are large, and these damages are related to smoke production and smoke generation. Therefore, this study reviews smoke measurement methods and laws on domestic buildings and fire services. Experiments were conducted based on three smoke-related test standards (ISO 5660-1, ISO 12136, ASTM E 662). The experiment results indicate a total smoke production and generation by PP, PVC, and PMMA of 43.27, 32.83, and 12.33 ㎡, and 27.855, 9.599, and 6.975 g, respectively.

목적 : 퇴행성 관절염은 염증성 사이토카인인 IL-$1\beta$에 의해 연골관절이 파괴되고 이로 인해 염증성 사이토카인이 더욱 증가하는 질환이다. 퇴행성 관절염을 치료하기 위해서는 연골 파괴를 가속화시키는 catabolic cytokines의 활성을 줄이고, 성장인자인 anabolic factor의 활성을 증가시는 연골 보호 작용이 있어야 한다. 본 연구에서는 독활 승마 처방(OAH19T)이 catabolic/anabolic 대사 조절에 어떤 영향을 미치는지와 그 신호 전달 기전에 대해 연구하였다. 또한 OAH19T를 구성하는 단미재 및 임상에서 사용되는 COX-2 inhibitor인 Celebrex(CEL)와 효능을 비교 실험하였다. 방법 : 배양된 세포에 IL-$1\beta$로 자극한 후 (1) glycosaminoglycan(GAG)의 분해 억제 정도, (2) OAH19T와 CEL에 대하여 MMP-1과 MMP-3의 유전자 발현 및 활성 억제, (3) Aggrecan 및 Aggrecanases의 유전자 발현 및 활성 억제, (4) OAH19T의 growth factor의 조절 능력, (5) MAPK pathway 등을 RT-PCR(reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction), ELISA(Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay), western blot, viability 측정을 통해 검증했다. 결과 : 사람 관절 세포에서 (1) 독활 승마 각각의 단미재, 임상에서 사용중인 셀레콕시브(CEL), 조인스보다 실험 약물(OAH19T)이 저농도에서 GAG 분해 억제 효과가 우수하였고, 부탄올로 분획한 OAH19B와는 동등한 효과를 보였다. (2) OAH19T는 IL-$1\beta$에 의하여 활성화된 MMP-1과 MMP-3의 발현을 모두 억제하였으나, CEL은 MMP-1의 발현은 억제하였으나 MMP-3의 발현은 억제하지 못하였다. (3) OAH19T는 IL-$1\beta$에 의하여 손상된 Aggrecan을 회복시켰으며 이는 활성화된 Aggrecanase-1과 Aggrecanase-2를 억제시킴으로써 나타난 결과이다. 그러나 CEL의 경우, 손상된 Aggrecan을 회복시키지 못하였다. (4) 배양된 세포는 IL-$1\beta$에 의하여 TGF-$\beta$II및 TGF-$\beta$ receptor II의 발현이 억제되었으나, OAH19T는 TGF-$\beta$II및 TGF-$\beta$ receptor II의 발현을 회복시켜 OAH19T가 anabolic한 조절능력이 있음을 시사한다. 그러나 CEL의 경우 growth factor에 대한 조절 능력이 없었다. (5) 대사 조절 작용에 대한 기전으로서 MAPK pathway에 대해서 연구한 결과 IL-$1\beta$에 의하여 유도된 pERK, pp38 kinase의 활성은 억제하였고, pJNK의 활성은 변하지 않았다. 또한 OAH19T는 연골 세포에 독성이 없었으며 IL-$1\beta$에 의해 유도된 세포 증식만을 억제시켰다. 이 결과로, OAH19T가 OA chondrocyte의 탈분화 및 세포 고사를 억제하여 연골보호 및 회복 효과가 있음을 알 수 있었다. 결론 : OAH19T는 이를 구성하는 단미재 및 CEL보다 연골보호 효과가 월등하였고, 이러한 연골보호 효과는 catabolic cytokines/growth factors의 균형으로 대사조절을 통해 연골세포의 탈분화 및 세포 고사를 억제하여 연골보호 및 회복 효과가 있음을 알 수 있었다.

Purpose We investigated the effect of chemoradiotherapy with PP2 and temozolomide (TMZ) on malignant glioma cells using clonogenic assays and in vivo brain tumor model. Materials and Methods The effect of PP2 on radiosensitivity of U251 and T98G cells was investigated using clonogenic assays. The expression of E-cadherin, matrix metalloproteinases 2 (MMP2), Ephrin type-A receptor 2 (EphA2), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was measured by Western blotting and an accumulation of !H2AX foci 6 hours after radiotherapy was measured after PP2 treatment. The effect of PP2 on migration, invasion, and vasculogenic mimicry formation (VMF) of U251 cells was evaluated. In an orthotopical brain tumor model with U251 cells, PP2 was injected intraperitoneally with or without oral TMZ before, during and after whole brain radiotherapy. Bioluminescence images were taken to visualize in vivo tumors and immunohistochemical staining of VEGF, CD31, EphA2, and hypoxia-inducible factor 1a was performed. Results PP2 increased radiosensitivity of U251 and T98G cells without decreasing survival of normal human astrocytes. Chemoradiotherapy with PP2 and TMZ resulted in increased accumulation of !H2AX foci. PP2 induced overexpression of E-cadherin and suppression of MMP2, VEGF, and EphA2. PP2 also compromised invasion, migration, and VMF of U251 cells. In brain tumors, chemoradiotherapy with PP2 and TMZ decreased tumor volume best, but not statistically significantly compared with chemoradiotherapy with TMZ. The expression of VEGF and CD31 was suppressed in PP2-treated tumors. Conclusion PP2 enhances radiosensitivity of malignant glioma cells and suppresses invasion and migration of U251 cells. Chemoradiotherapy with PP2 and TMZ resulted in non-significant tumor volume decrease.

Background: Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) appear to play an important role in the control and prevention of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection. The pp65 antigen is a structural protein, which has been defined as a potential target for effective immunity against HCMV infection. Incorporation of an 11 amino acid region of the HIV TAT protein transduction domain (Tat) into protein facilitates rapid, efficient entry into cells. Methods: To establish a strategy for the generation of HCMV-specific CTLs in vitro, recombinant truncated N- and C-terminal pp65 protein (pp65 N&C) and N- and C-terminal pp65 protein fused with Tat (Tat/pp65 N&C) was produced in E.coli system. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were stimulated with dendritic cells (DCs) pulsed with pp65 N&C or Tat/pp65 N&C protein and immune responses induced was examined using IFN-${\gamma}$ ELISPOT assay, cytotoxicity assay and tetramer staining. Results: DCs pulsed with Tat/pp65N&C protein could induce higher T-cell responses in vitro compared with pp65N&C. Moreover, the DCs pulsed with Tat/pp65 N&C could stimulate both of $CD8^+$ and $CD4^+$ T-cell responses. The T cells induced by DCs pulsed with Tat/pp65 N&C showed higher cytotoxicity than that of pp65-pulsed DCs against autologous lymphoblastoid B-cell line (LCL) expressing the HCMV-pp65 antigen. Conclusion: Our results suggest that DCs pulsed with Tat/pp65 N&C protein effectively induced pp65-specific CTL in vitro. Tat fusion recombinant protein may be useful for the development of adoptive T-cell immunotherapy and DC-based vaccines.

Potato peels (PP) contain several bioactive compounds. These compounds are known to provide human health benefits, including antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. In addition, these compounds could have effects on human enteric viruses that have not yet been reported. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the phenolic composition, antioxidant properties in the acidified ethanol extract (AEE) and water extract of PP, and the antiviral effects on the inhibition of Av-05 and MS2 bacteriophages, which were used as human enteric viral surrogates. The AEE showed the highest phenolic content and antioxidant activity. Chlorogenic and caffeic acids were the major phenolic acids. In vitro analysis indicated that PP had a strong antioxidant activity. A 3 h incubation with AEE at a concentration of 5 mg/ml was needed to reduce the PFU/ml (plaque-forming unit per unit volume) of Av-05 and MS2 by 2.8 and $3.9log_{10}$, respectively, in a dose-dependent manner. Our data suggest that PP has potential to be a source of natural antioxidants against enteric viruses.

For rapid and sensitive measurement of antiviral activities, application of a recombinant virus containing firefly luciferase gene was attempted. Recombinant human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) containing luciferase gene driven by HCMV late gene pp28 promoter (HCMV/pp28-luc) was used to test the antiviral activities of three known compounds and the result was compared with results from the conventional plaque assay for measuring the production of infectious viruses. When human fibroblast cells were infected with HCMV/pp28-luc, luciferase activity was observed at 2 days after infection and reached maximum at 6 days after infection, whereas the production of infectious virus was maximal at 4 days after infection. The antiviral activities of ganciclovir, acyclovir, and papaverine were measured in HFF cells infected with HCMV/PP28-luc and the luciferase activity was compared with the infectious virus titers. Luciferase activity decreased as the concentration of ganciclovir or papaverine increased, while there was a slight decrease in luciferase activity with acyclovir. The level of the decrease in Luciferase activity was comparable to the level of decrease in the production of infectious virus. Therefore, the antiviral assay using recombinant virus HCMV/pp28-luc resulted in sensitivity similar to the conventional plaque assay with a significant reduction in assay time.

Purpose: To investigate the effect of combined inhibition of protein kinase B (AKT) and SRC on the growth and metastatic potentialof human pancreatic cancer cells. Materials and Methods: AKT and SRC were inhibited using 10-DEBC and PP2, respectively. The expression of their messengerRNAs were down-regulated by specific small interfering RNA (siRNA). Changes in pancreatic cancer cell growth and metastaticpotential were determined using a cell viability assay and a xenotransplant model of pancreatic cancer, as well as cell migrationand invasion assays. Signal proteins were analyzed by Western blot. Results: The inhibitors 10-DEBC and PP2 suppressed cell proliferation in a dose-dependent fashion in pancreatic cancer celllines MIA PaCa-2 and PANC-1. The simultaneous inhibition of AKT and SRC at low concentrations resulted in a significant suppressionof cell proliferation. Knockdown of AKT2 and SRC using siRNAs also significantly decreased cell proliferation. In a pancreaticcancer model, combined treatment with 10-DEBC and PP2 also significantly suppressed the growth of pancreatic cancer. Application of 10-DEBC with PP2 significantly reduced the metastatic potential of pancreatic cancer cells by inhibiting migrationand invasion. The combined inhibition suppressed the phosphorylation of mTOR and ERK in pancreatic cancer cells. Conclusion: Combined targeting of AKT and SRC resulted in a synergistic efficacy against human pancreatic cancer growth andmetastasis.

It has long been known that Jahage(紫河車) extracts of Placenta hominis are effective for immunological and vascular diseases in human body and thus, was used a major constituent of traditional oriental medicines. From full-term human placenta, we have purified a new type anticoagulant protein, PP27, using different chromatographic techniques of a phenyl TSK gel 650M column, DEAE, HA and Mono-Q columns. PP27 showed single band on SDS-PAGE with a molecular mass (Mr) of 27 kDa under denaturing conditions and a calibrated Sepharose 4B column chromatography indicated a molecular mass of 23 kDa, indicating that the value is similar to those of other PP4 enzyme reported to date. Isoelectric point of PP27 was p15.2. The protein was found to inhibit the coagulation time in a concentration-dependent manner. PP27 was acted as a vascular anticoagulant of annexin type, inhibits the blood clotting process by binding of the essential lipids in a reaction which is dependent on $Ca2^+$ ions. In the presence of $Ca2^+$ ions, PP27 combines with platelet membranes neutralizing their procoagulant effect. Coagulation triggered by the addition of thromboplastin/ lipid- mixtures is extinguished by PP27.

Purpose: This study aims to examine the impact of gender inequality and human capital on Tunisia's economic growth, with a focus on understanding how disparities in gender participation and human capital investment affect economic outcomes. Design/methodology/approach: The s tudy analyzes time series data f rom 1995 to 2022 using the Auto Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) bounds test for cointegration to identify long-term relationships between variables. Unit root tests, including the Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) and Phillips-Perron (PP) tests, were used to determine the order of integration. An error correction model was then estimated to capture both short-term and long-term impacts, while Granger causality tests were employed to assess directional influences among variables. Findings: In the short term, male labor participation and gross capital formation have a positive impact on economic growth, while the Gender Inequality Index exhibits a significant negative effect on Tunisia's economic performance. In the long term, gross capital formation continues to positively influence economic growth; however, male labor participation exerts a negative impact, possibly due to diminishing marginal returns or structural inefficiencies in the labor market. Furthermore, the Granger causality test reveals a unidirectional relationship where economic growth drives government expenditure on education, and, in turn, government expenditure on education promotes female labor participation in Tunisia. Research limitations/implications: This study is limited to Tunisia and may not fully capture the nuances of gender inequality and human capital impacts in other contexts. Future research could expand the scope to include comparative analysis with other countries in the Arab region or beyond. Originality/value: This study contributes to the limited empirical research on the economic implications of gender inequality in Tunisia. By highlighting the role of human capital investment, particularly in education, and advocating for inclusive policies, the findings offer valuable insights for policymakers aiming to promote sustainable economic growth through gender equality and human capital development.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a common human pathogen that causes morbidity and mortality in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients. Early diagnosis of HCMV infection or reactivation, and setting threshold values for effective pre-emptive therapies, are required for appropriate HCMV disease prevention in HSCT recipients. We compared the HCMV infections detected by the two methods, LightCycler-based PCR (LC PCR) and in-house immediate early protein PCR (in-house IE PCR) with the results of a pp65 antigenemia assay as the reference. The sensitivity and specificity for the in-house IE PCR were 79.3% and 72.7%, respectively, and 82.9% and 40.7%, respectively, for the LC PCR. The correlation between the HCMV viral load and pp65 antigenemia in HSCT recipients was r=0.603 with in-house IE PCR and r=0.525 with LC PCR. The discordant results between methods and relatively low (r) values suggest that we need more study to set threshold values according to the using methods with clinical outcome.

This paper presents a transceiver module for human body communications whereby a spread signal with a group of 64 Walsh codes is directly transferred through a human body at a chip rate of 32 Mcps. Frequency selective digital transmission moves the signal spectrum over 5 MHz without continuous frequency modulation and increases the immunity to induced interference by the processing gain. A simple receiver structure with no additional analog circuitry for the transmitter has been developed and has a sensitivity of 250 ${\mu}V_{pp}$. The high sensitivity of the receiver makes it possible to communicate between mobile devices using a human body as the transmission medium. It enables half-duplex communication of 2 Mbps within an operating range of up to 170 cm between the ultra-mobile PCs held between fingertips of each hand with a packet error rate of lower than $10^{-6}$. The transceiver module consumes 59 mA with a 3.3 V power supply.

To investigate the functional role of KAI1/CD82, a metastasis suppressor for human prostate cancer, in the regulation of homotypic cel adhesion, we transfected KAI1 cDNA into DU 145 human pros-tate cancer cels and established stable transfec-tant clones with high KAI1/CD82 expression. The KAI1 transfectant cels exhibited significantly in-creased homotypic cell agregation in comparison of the KAI1 transfectants was further enhanced upon exposure to anti-CD82 antibody, suggesting that KAI1/CD82 may be involved in the intracellular signaling for the cel adhesion. Among several signal pathway inhibitors tested, PP1, an inhibitor of Src family kinases, significantly supressed ho-motypic aggregation of the KAI1 transfectant cels. Ligation of KAI1/CD82 with anti-CD82 antibody in-creased endogenous Src kinase activity of the KAI1 transfectant cels. When diferent types of src ex-KAI1-transfected DU 145 cels, kinase-negative mu-tant src transfectant cels exhibited much lower homotypic aggregation than the mock cells trans-fected with an empty vector. Moreover, homotypic aggregation of the mutant src transfectant cels was not enhanced by KAI1/CD82 ligation with anti- CD82 antibody. These results suggest that Src mediates the intracellular signaling pathway of KAI1/CD82 for the induction of homotypic adhe-sion of human prostate cancer cels.

The bio-complex "reaction pattern in vertebrate cells"(RiV) is mainly represented by characteristic exosome-like particles - probably as reaction products of cells to specific stress. The transcription factor NF-kappaB plays a central role in inflammation. We tested the hypothesis that RiV particle preparations (RiV-PP) reduce cellular adhesion molecule (CAM) expression (ICAM-1, VCAM-1, E-selectin) by the attenuation of NF-kappaB translocation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). After 4 hours, pre-incubation of HUVEC with RiV-PP before stimulation with TNF-alpha significantly reduced ICAM-1 (65.5${\pm}$10.3%) and VCAM-1 (71.1${\pm}$12.3%) mRNA expression compared to TNF-alpha-treated cells (100%, n=7). ICAM-1 surface expression was significantly albeit marginally reduced in RiV/TNF-alpha- treated cells (92.0${\pm}$5.6%, n=4). No significant effect was observed on VCAM-1 surface expression. In RiV/TNF-alpha-treated cells (n=4), NF-kappaB subunits p50 (85.7${\pm}$4.1%) and p65 (85.0${\pm}$1.8%) nuclear translocation was significantly reduced. RiV-PP may exert an anti-inflammatory effect in HUVEC by reducing CAM mRNA expression via attenuation of p50 and p65 translocation.

In most existing research, it is difficult to evaluate thermal comfort exactly because of reflecting individual ideal or psychological response by subjective questions. Physiological variable was selected in this study to evaluate objectively thermal comfort. MST was appeared very sensitively in indoor temperature and can express correctly thermal comfort of human body. The results of CSV are different each individual feeling sensation, so is difficult to evaluate detailedly thermal comfort unlike TSV. But the results of PP, AIx, ED, SEVR are greatly related to temperature change. So thermal comfort is evaluated more objectively by using PP, AIx, ED, SEVR on behalf of TSV, CSV. Human body was presented physiological feedback by temperature impetus and specially, tendency of heart rate agree with temperature change. Physiological reaction was showed sufficient possibility availing evaluation index of thermal comfort. In the future another one needs to review beside the selected physiological variable.