• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.522-529
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• 2014

Sea tangle (Laminaria japonica) is well known as having anti-diabetic and hypolipidemic effects in animals as well as in humans. In this study, we evaluated the effects of sea tangle-added patty on postprandial blood glucose and lipid profiles in borderline-hypercholesterolemic (cholesterol ${\geq}200$ mg/dL) adults. Eleven subjects voluntarily participated in the experiment, and each subject provided written consent. Experimental patty (E) was made by adding 2.25 g of sea tangle powder as a substitution to 1.125 g each of pork and chicken. In the first week, 200 g of Control patty (C) was provided to each subject, who had fasted more than 12 hours. In the second week, the same amount of E patty was supplied under the same conditions. Serum glucose levels increased significantly less at 30, 60, and 120 min after consumption of E patty compared to the levels at all time points after eating C patty. Thus, the change in the area under curve (${\Delta}AUC$) of serum glucose levels through 120 minutes was lower when consuming E patty compared to C patty. Although serum C-peptide concentrations were not significantly different at all time points between the two patties, the ${\Delta}AUC$ of serum C-peptide concentrations through 120 minutes was lower when consuming E patty compared to C patty. However, there were no differences in serum levels of triglyceride, total cholesterol, LDL-C, and HDL-C at 30, 60, 120, 180, and 240 min between the two patties. Further, each ${\Delta}AUC$ of these lipid levels through 240 minutes was not significantly different between the two patties. The results indicate that sea tangle-added patty may decrease postprandial plasma glucose concentrations and reduce insulin secretion, although it might not ameliorate serum lipid profiles in adults with borderline-hypercholesterolemia.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.289-298
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• 2009

Effects of Nattokinase fibrinol (NKF), defined as a fibrinolytic product, on fibrinolytic and atherogenetic markers were studied for healthy adults (20-31 years old), who is smoking more than 20 cigarettes per day. Subjects were divided into 29 for NKF group and 10 for placebo group in a short term study. They were given 2 tablets of NKF (4,000 unit) or placebo tablet and thereafter blood samples were collected at 0, 2, 4 hr prerid. For a 4-week long term study, 15 subjects for NFK group and 10 subjects for placebo group were supplemented one tablet of each NKF (2,000 unit) and placebo per day, respectively. Blood samples were collected at 0, 1, 2, 4 weeks later. The short-term experimental trial showed that NKF remarkably increased fibrinolytic activity at 2hr after consumption, which was maintained up to 4 hr, relative to that of placebo, while NKF reduced the euglobulin clot lysis time (ECLT) and retarded the activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), as compared to placebo group. NKF supplementation for 4 weeks elevated fibrinolytic activity, shortened ECLT and retarded aPTT. Furthermore, NKF supplementation increased anti-atherogenic index by decreasing triglyceride (TG) and elevating high-density lipiprotein (HDL)-cholesterol. These results indicate that NKF supplementation for short term or long term might have beneficial effects on preventing and treating cardiovascular disease by increasing fibrinolytic activity and improving atherogenic markers such as hyperlipidemia.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.391-401
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• 2008

Probiotics have emerged as a potential treatment modality for numerous gastrointestinal disorders, including IBD. However, few probiotics have undergone appropriate preclinical screening in vivo. Kefir is considered a probiotic, benefiting the host through its effects in the intestinal tract. Despite numerous studies examining the action of probiotics on the host organism, few have analyzed the effects on intestinal environment. We assessed the protective effect of kefir for three weeks before inducing colitis with 2% dextran sodium sulfate for five days. The DSS loads were similar in all DSS treatment group. The results of the experiment are as follows. Food intake and FER of experimental groups were not significantly different each other, but water consumption tended to be higher in all DSS treatment groups as compared with the normal control. And visual inspection of feces revealed mild diarrhea in rat given 2% DSS. The anti-inflammatory activity of kefir was determined by myeloperoxidase activity during the DSS treatment, and there was no significant difference in any group. The levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) as a colonic lipid peroxidation were significantly lower in the kefir intake groups than in rats treated with 2% DSS alone. The DNA % in tail and tail moment values as a DNA damage level of the blood lymphocytes in kefir intake groups tended to be lower than 2% DSS treatment alone, especially tail lengths were significantly diminished. According to the colonic histopathological assay, there were a severe inflammation of lamina propria and submucosa and mild edema in mucosa and sub mucosa in DSS alone treated group. We found a slight regenerative change in kefir treatment groups. In our experiments, this means that ulcerative colitis related to oxidative injury might be prevented by kefir as a probiotic. Further studies of the potential benefits of kefir as a probiotic in inflammatory condition are encouraged.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.38 no.9
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• pp.1153-1160
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• 2009

Monascus-fermented Korean red ginseng (MFRG), fermented by Monascus purpureus KCCM 12002, may be an ideal candidate for the hepatoprotectic, hypolipidemic and antioxidative activities. Effect of MFRG powder on these parameters in rats was investigated. Body weight gain, food intake, and water consumption were not significantly different among the groups. Total and relative weights of liver were significantly higher in MFRG group than that in other groups. The activities of AST and $\gamma$-GTP were highly lowered in MFRG group compared to control group. Contents of serum total lipid and triglyceride were significantly lowered in silymarin group and were significantly increased in MFRG group compared to control group, but tended to be lowered in RG group. Serum content of total cholesterol tended to be lowered in silymarin, RG, and MFRG groups compared to control group. HDL-cholesterol contents was only significantly increased in MFRG group compared to control group. At the same time, atherogenic index (AI) was also significantly lowered in silymarin, RG and MFRG groups compared to control group, and this effect was more pronounced in MFRG group. Content of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in the liver was significantly lowered in MFRG group and tended to lowered in silymarin and RG groups compared to control group. The hepatic glutathione concentration was significantly higher in silymarin and MFRG groups. Hepatic morphology in all experimental groups revealed clear-cut hepatic lobules with the uniform pattern of the polyhedral hepatocytes radiating towards the periphery from the central vein. These results suggested that MFRG may have anti-atherogenic index (AI) and antioxidative activity in normal dietary feeding rats.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.509-516
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• 2017

Perilla frutescens (L.) Britton var. sprouts (PFS) is a plant of the labiatae family. The purpose of this work was to assess the preventive effects of PFS ethanolic extracts (PFSEs) on cytokine-induced ${\beta}$-cell damage. Cytokines, which are released by the infiltration of inflammatory cells around the pancreatic islets, are involved in the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes mellitus. The combination of interleukin-$1{\beta}$ (IL-1), interferon-${\gamma}$ (IFN-${\gamma}$), and tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$) induced formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Accumulation of intracellular ROS led to ${\beta}$-cell dysfunction and apoptosis. PFSEs possess antioxidant activity and thus lead to downregulation of ROS generation. Cytokines decrease cell viability, stimulate the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and induce the production of nitric oxide (NO). PFSEs prevented cytokine-induced cell viability in a dose-dependent manner. Incubation with PFSE resulted in significant reduction in cytokine-induced NO production that correlated with reduced levels of the iNOS and COX-2 protein expression. Furthermore, PFSE significantly decreased the activation of nuclear factor ${\kappa}B$ (NF-${\kappa}B$) by inhibition of $I{\kappa}B{\alpha}$ phosphorylation in RINm5F cells. In summary, our results suggest that the protective effects of PFSE might serve to counteract cytokine-induced ${\beta}$-cell destruction. Findings indicate that consumption of Perilla frutescens (L.) Britton var. sprouts alleviates hyperglycemia-mediated oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory cytokine-induced ${\beta}$-cell damage and thus has beneficial anti-diabetic effects.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.27-34
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• 2008

This study investigated the anti-hypertensive effect of Phyllostachys pubescens culm extract (PCE) by examining its effects on renal angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition and blood pressure using the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) system. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were measured weekly for 8 weeks. Also, total antioxidant capacity and protein oxidation of tissues were examined by plasma Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity assay (TEAC) and hepatic protein carbonyl values, respectively. Twenty male SHR were randomly divided into four groups: PCE50, PCE100, and PCE500 (50, 100, and 500 mg of PCE per kilogram bodyweight daily, respectively), and control group. At week 2, the SBP in all PCE groups appeared to be significantly lower than the control (p<0.05), whereas the DBP were not different until week 4 (p<0.05). At week 8, SBP in the PCE500 was lower by 20% than the control. PCE groups considerably suppressed ACE dose-dependently compared with the control. Plasma TEAC and hepatic protein carbonyl values indicated increased antioxidative activity due to the PCE feed. No adverse effect was observed on the liver of SHR as there was no difference for the GOT and GPT values among the groups. Results of this study suggest that ACE inhibition may be one possible mechanism for the blood pressure lowering effect of PCE; thus, long term consumption of PCE may be beneficial in preventing high blood pressure along with the increased antioxidative status.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.82-91
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• 2021

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between antibiotic use and the antimicrobial resistance of gram-negative bacteria isolated from blood cultures in a pediatric population. Methods: From January 2014 to June 2018, the antibiotic resistance pattern of Acinetobacter baumannii, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa obtained from bacteremic patients aged ≤18 years hospitalized at Asan Medical Center Children's Hospital was analyzed and the parenteral antibiotic consumption data were retrieved. Results: During the study period, the blood culture was positive for K. pneumoniae (6.4%; 105/1,628), E. coli (5.6%; 91/1,628), P. aeruginosa (3.3%; 54/1,628), and A. baumannii (2.5%; 41/1,628), and the extended-spectrum antibiotic resistance rate of gram-negative bacteria was consistently high. The overall resistance rate of E. coli and K. pneumoniae to extendedspectrum cephalosporin was 49.3% and 54.4%, respectively. Carbapenem-resistant E. coli was first detected in 2014; its overall resistance rate to carbapenem was 5.3%. There was a linear correlation between the usage of 3rd generation cephalosporin and the resistance of A. baumannii (r²=0.96, P=0.004) and carbapenem usage and the resistance of K. pneumoniae (r²=0.79, P=0.045). Conclusions: A positive linear correlation was observed between antibiotic resistance and the corresponding antibiotic usage in 3rd generation cephalosporin resistant A. baumannii and carbapenem resistant K. pneumoniae. The judicious use of antibiotics in healthcare settings is important to minimize selection for extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) and carbapenem resistance in gram-negative bacteria.