Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) is an active ingredient of beehive propolis with a structure similar to phenolic acid. The estrogenic effects of propolis were previously demonstrated through the activation of an estrogen receptor. To identify the estrogenic properties of propolis, CAPE was evaluated using in vitro and in vivo methods. CAPE showed selective binding affi nity to human estrogen receptor b (hERb) rather than hERa. CAPE also reduced ERa expression in MCF-7 and MDA 231 cells. In the yeast estrogen receptor transcription assay, CAPE produced the transcriptional activity of estrogen-responsive element with EC 50 values of 3.72 × 10 −6 M. CAPE did not increase the growth of MCF-7 estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer cells in doses ranging from 10 −7 to 10 −5 M. In order to understand how CAPE acts in animals, CAPE was tested by a uterotrophic bioassay. Treatment with CAPE (100, 500 mg/kg) did not increase the uterine weight relative to 3 mg/kg 17b-estradiol treatment. The results indicate that CAPE, which is a selective agonist to hERb, but does not show any estrogenic effect on estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer cells and in immature rat uterine tissue, is a potential selective estrogen receptor modulator.

The IjB kinase (IKK) complex is a central component in the classic activation of the nuclear factorjB (NF-jB) pathway. It has been reported to function in physiologic responses, including cell death and inflammation. We have shown that IKK is regulated by oxidative status after transient focal cerebral ischemia (tFCI) in mice. However, the mechanism by which oxidative stress influences IKKs after tFCI is largely unknown. Nuclear accumulation and phosphorylation of IKKa (pIKKa) were observed 1 h after 30 mins of tFCI in mice. In copper/zinc-superoxide dismutase knockout mice, levels of NF-jB-inducing kinase (NIK) (an upstream kinase of IKKa), pIKKa, and phosphorylation of histone H3 (pH3) on Ser10 were increased after tFCI and were higher than in wild-type mice. Immunohistochemistry showed nuclear accumulation and pIKKa in mouse brain endothelial cells after tFCI. Nuclear factor-jB-inducing kinase was increased, and it enhanced pH3 by inducing pIKKa after oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) in mouse brain endothelial cells. Both NIK and pH3 interactions with IKKa were confirmed by coimmunoprecipitation. Treatment with IKKa small interfering RNA significantly reduced cell death after OGD. These results suggest that augmentation of NIK, IKKa, and pH3 in response to oxidative stress is involved in cell death after cerebral ischemia (or stroke).

No abstract

This study was conducted to provide sustainable measures for conservation and management to protect valuable natural/ecological resources, offer differentiated quality assurance services for eco-tourism products, and explore measures for eco-tourism certification/designation systems. To achieve its goals, the study discussed domestic and overseas trends and literatures that concern eco-tourism certification/designation system and investigated case studies that were presently operational. A group of experts and a group of non-experts were surveyed separatedly to investigate the awareness of the national eco-tourism certification/designation system. The results from the investigation indicate that Europe, since the late 1990s to early 2000, has actively introduced a system that establishes and operates a dedicated institution, and European members have created a cooperation framework to formulate international partnerships and develop standardized assessment benchmarks to adhere to the goals of the system, the period for certification was designated from one year to five years, and renewals were granted based on periodic monitoring and reassessment. In Korea, from early 2000, the Ministry of Culture, Sorts and Tourism and other organizations have certified product quality

This study was conducted to establish ecotourism as an introduction to sustainability and international cooperation. As a plan to retain the original meaning of ecotourism, the introduction of a program to certify/designateecotourism is being vitalized in many countries around the world. In Korea as well, an agenda to the introduction of an "Ecotourism Designation System,"which aims to ensure the quality of ecotourism at a certain level, was submitted by the Ministry of Environment to the National Assembly in June 2011, and the promotion for a demonstration program is planned this year to introduce the system. Japan has been carrying out the certification systems Good Eco-tour, which certifies the sustainability of ecotourism providers and accommodations since 2006, respectively, and has been securing the sustainability of ecotourism by enactment in 2008, as the world's first law to promote ecotourism. And the second general conference of the first Global Partnership for Sustainable Tourism(GPST) was held in Korea in March 2012, particularly, there was an agreement that the promotion of Asia and the Pacific Area Network for sustainable tourism would center around Korea, and accordingly, it is expected that Korea's status as a core country for ecotourism in the Asia-Pacific Area will increase. While the demand for an approach to natural resources is rapidly increasing, we should be active in providing an institutional strategy such as a designation system to secure the sustainability of ecotourism and seeking a plan for cooperation and network vitalization in the Asia-Pacific Area where similar natural resources and cultures are shared.