• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.147-153
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• 2000

Cigarette smoking deals a harmful effect directly to smokers and even to non-smokers through environmental tobacco smoke. The major damaging component in cigarette smoke is nicotine which converts to various carcinogens. Among the carcinogenic metabolites, nitrosamine-4-(methylnitrosamino)-1- (3-pyridyl)-1- butanone (NNK) is responsible for many types of lung cancers. Recent studies report that activation of NNK is markedly inhibited in the presence of cotinine, a safer metabolite from nicotine. It is well known that tea extract have potentials to prevent cancers. This study aims to correlate green tea's potential for cancer prevention with an accelerated formation of cotinine. In the presence of tea extract, a nicotine to cotinine conversion was studied in established cell lines and xenopus oocytes. Among three lines of cell used, PLC/PRF5 and 293 cells showed a fast turnover from nicotine to cotinine while HepG2 cell line showed a marginal difference between groups treated and non-treated with tea extract. A microinjection procedure using Xenopus oocyte was utilized to probe for the effect of tea extract in accelerating nicotine conversion to cotinine. According to this procedure, tea extract's unusual potential for converting nicotine to cotinine is also substantiated. Overall, this present study indicated that tea extract have an unusual effect on conversion of nicotine to cotinine in cells.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.30 no.11
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• pp.990-998
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• 2020

This study was conducted to evaluate the hair-growth promotion effect in C57BL/6 mice of a new substance mixed with Allium cepa (red)-bioconversion extract and Angelica gigas Nakai. The ethanol extract of Allium cepa (red) was bioconverted through the use of the Bacillus subtilis KJ-3 (BS3) strain, which was named Red-BCQ. The quercetin content of Red-BCQ increased by about 7.4-fold after bioconversion. Angelica gigas Nakai extract (Agnex) contains a large amount of coumarins such as decursin (D) and decursinol angelate (DA). A 1 mg portion of Agnex contained 0.4146 mg of D and 0.3659 mg of DA. Minoxidil has been known to promote hair growth. In this study, the hair-growth promotion effects of Red-BCQ, Agnex, and a mixture of both Red-BCQ and Agnex were compared with 5% minoxidil. Twenty-five mice were divided into five experimental groups including saline (CON), 5% minoxidil (PCON), Red-BCQ (RA), Agnex (AG), and a Red-BCQ-Agnex mixture (RAG)-treated group. Samples were administered orally once a day at a fixed time for 4 weeks. Hair growth was monitored by photograph at 7, 14, 21, and 28 days. We also observed 5α-reductase, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (γ-GT), insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1, transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, antioxidant enzyme, and the hair follicles of the skin tissue. In all the results, the RAG-administered group showed greater antioxidative and hair-growth promotion effects than the other groups. These data suggest that RAG has potent stimulating activity on hair growth in C57BL/6 mice.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.34 no.9
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• pp.620-631
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• 2024

Bone marrow toxicity is a side effect of chemotherapy with anticancer drugs or the exposure to chemicals, such as benzene. When myelotoxicity occurs, the number of white blood cells decreases, which reduces immune functioning and increases the risk of infection or the development of tumors. Angelica gigas Nakai extract (AGNEX) and green coffee bean extract (GCBE) have many effects, such as anti-cancer and antioxidant effects, as well as effects on the immune functioning. In this experiment, the preventive effect of AGNEX and GCBE against benzene-induced bone marrow toxicity was confirmed in Sprague Dawley rats (SD rats) in vivo. Benzene (1 ml/kg mixed with corn oil 1:1) was intraperitoneally administered to SD rats (six weeks, N = 9/group) once a day, and AGNEX (12 mg/kg) and GCBE (6, 12, and 24 mg/kg) were administered orally daily for five weeks. To determine the preventive effect, AGNEX (12 mg/kg) and GCBE (6, 12, and 24 mg/kg) were administered orally before the administration of benzene. Consequently, AGNEX 12 mg/kg and GCBE 12 mg/kg were effective at reducing leukocytes and lymphocytes, specifically granulocyte. Additionally, the treatment also showed protective effects specifically on spleen and liver weight changes and spleen damage. Through this protective effect, AGNEX and GCBE were confirmed to prevent bone marrow toxicity by enhancing the functioning of the immune system.

• Journal of Navigation and Port Research
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.269-275
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• 2014

In this study, the adsorption efficiency of mixed heavy metals in aqueous solution was investigated using steel slag. Moreover, heavy-metal stabilization treatment of contaminated marine sediment was achieved using steel slag as stabilizing agents. Heavy metal adsorption was characterized using Freundlich and Langmuir equations. The equilibrium adsorption data were fitted well to the Langmuir model in steel slag. The adsorption uptake of heavy metals were higher in the order of $Pb^{2+}$ > $Cd^{2+}$ > $Cu^{2+}$ > $Zn^{2+}$ > $Ni^{2+}$. The steel slage was applied for a wet-curing duration of 150 days. From the sequential extraction results, the exchangeable, carbonate, and oxides fractions of Ni, Zn, Cu, Pb, and Cd in sediment decreased by 13.0%, 6.0%, 1.3%, 17.0%, and 50.0%, respectively.

• Food Engineering Progress
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.299-306
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• 2010

This study was performed to develop new functional red ginseng drinks with Astragali Radix and Opuntia humifusa. Optimum extraction conditions such as solvent property and temperature for Astragali Radix were determined by distilled water vs. ethanol (95%) ratio (0:100, 25:75, 50:50, 75:25) and 60 vs. $80^{\circ}C$. Water-soluble extracts at $80^{\circ}C$ showed higher antioxidant activities than fat-soluble extracts at $60^{\circ}C$. Viscosities of 1-2% (w/v) of Opuntia humifusa solution were similar to that of the 0.1% guar gum solution. Addtion of Astragali Radix (3% and 5%, w/v) and Opuntia humifusa (1.2%, w/v), especially, had effect on the changes of pH of the red ginseng solution(5%, w/v) during storage for 7 days. A significant difference during the storage was shown in total plate counts by addition of Opuntia humifusa (1.2%, w/v) and microorganisms were reduced by six log cycles. Significant antiproliferation effects of red ginseng (5%, w/v) solution with Astragali Radix (3% & 5%, w/v) and Opuntia humifusa (1.2%, w/v) on Colon26m-3.1 carcinoma (colorectal carcinoma) cell and U87-MG neuronale glioblastoma (brain carcinoma) cell were not observed.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.381-394
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• 2012

Recently, a variety of chemical and physical methods are employed to separate ionic materials from complex aqueous. Most of all, membrane pertraction using contactor has been considered as alternative recovery and separation system in field of chemical, petrochemical and medicines because heavy metals, hydrocarbon based materials in contaminants like wastewater can be recovered by pertraction system. Also, pertraction process has characteristics such as ease of operation, lower energy consumption and operational cost, higher selectivity. This work investigates some example of developed membrane and their performance for the application of pertraction process.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.341-345
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• 2007

This study was designed to investige the effects of Houttuynia cordata Thunb mixture extract on the lipid metabolism in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced liver damage of rats. LPS-treatment increased the levels of total-lipid, LDH (lactate, dehydrogenas), triglyceride (TG) and malondialdehyde (MDA). But Houttuynia cordata Thunb mixture extract (HM) pretreatment decreased the levels of total lipid, LDL-cholesterol, TG and MDA. Also LPS-treatment decreased total cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol, but HM-pretreatment increased both of them. These results demonstrated that HM-pretreatment had the preventive effects against the dyfunction of lipid metabolism in the LPS-induced liver damage of rats.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Surveying, Geodesy, Photogrammetry and Cartography
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.75-84
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• 1998

To achieve more accurate information from satellite image data, a research on a technique for mixed pixel ex-traction has been produced. The mixed pixels with only two land covers have been experimented. By analyzing canonical vector in canonical correlation classification, the mixed pixels have been classified. The ratio of the two canonical weighted values-the elements of canonical vector have been used as a threshold to discriminate mixed pixels. In case of the classification for the mixed pixels of bridge and water class in TM data before or after the 1st of September, the threshold for the optimal classification of the mixed pixels is 4.0. That is, if the ratio of the two canonical weighted values is less than 4.0, the pixel is a mixed pixel. Also, using the distribution of canonical weighted values, the constitution percentages of land covers within one mixed pixel can be approximately deducted. The accuracy of mixed pixel extraction for experimental area is 90％ and quite acceptable. Conclusively, a technique for mixed pixel extraction by canonical vector analysis is effective.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.12
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• pp.1436-1444
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• 2013

To improve the functionality of black garlic drinks, black garlic extract (5%) and five herb extracts (1%) were mixed in 70:30 (v/v) ratios as BHF1, and BHF2 was prepared using a 3X concentration of BHF1. After the black garlic and herb formulas (BHFs) were administered over the course of five weeks in rats by interval running training, the lipid profiles and the antioxidant enzyme activities were tested. The total phenolic content of the BHFs were significantly higher in BHF2 than they were in BHF1, and their antioxidant activities were dependent upon the total phenolic content. No significant difference was found in the total serum protein levels among the rats in the Ex-con group by interval running training and the rats in the BHFs-fed groups. However, the albumin level was significantly higher in the Ex-BHF2 to Ex-con group. AST and ALT activities significantly decreased in the BHFs-fed groups compared to the Ex-con group. In terms of changes in the serum lipid profiles, no significant difference was found between the specimens that underwent interval running training and those that did not undergo interval running training. Triglyceride levels, total cholesterol, LDL-C, and HTR levels in the serum were significantly decreased in the Ex-BHF2 to Ex-con group. No significant difference was found in the total lipid levels in the livers of the BHFs-fed groups and the Ex-con group. The triglyceride levels and total cholesterol levels in the Ex-BHF2 group were significantly lower compared to another group. Hepatic catalase activity was significantly increased in the Ex-BHF2 group, but SOD and GSH-px activities were significantly increased as the concentration of the BHF. The antioxidant enzyme activities by supplementation of BHFs increased; thus, three intakes of BHF each day could improve antioxidant status against different types of oxidative stress.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.407-416
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• 2012

In this study, we purified the extracts from the seeds and the roots of various plant species, including Q. acutissima, C. lanceolata, P. mirifica, P. bambusoides, and S. repens, and then investigated the effects of these extracts on cell growth and fat accumulation in adipocytes. We found that the extracts purified from Q. acutissima, C. lanceolata, P. mirifica, P. bambusoides, and S. repens more effectively increased the cell growth, as well as promoting the fat accumulation in adipocytes to a greater extent, than other extracts in vitro. Therefore, we made breast packs containing these effective extracts, and then investigated whether they were effective in enhancing the elasticity and volume of women's breasts. The measurements of breast elasticity and size revealed that the breast packs efficiently increased the elasticity and size of women's breasts. Furthermore, evaluation of the questionnaires related to usage of the breast packs indicated great satisfaction in terms of the lift, firmness, and elasticity of breasts. In conclusion, extracts purified from Q. acutissima, C. lanceolata, P. mirifica, P. bambusoides, and S. repens leading to cell growth and fat accumulation in adipocytes can effectively contribute to improving the elasticity and size of women's breasts.