• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.12-29
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• 2006

Background and Aims : Even though various strategies for cancer treatment have advanced with the remarkable development of genomic information and technology, it is far from giving relief to cancer patients. Recently there is accumulating evidence that the immune system is closely connected to anti-tumor defense mechanisms in a multistage process. This includes tumorigenesis, invasion, growth and metastasis. Cordyceps Militaris, a well-known oriental herbal medicine, is a parasitic fungus that has been used as an immune enhancing agent for a long period of time. However, little is known about the cancer-related immunomodulatory effects and anti-tumor activities. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effects of Cordyceps Militaris extract (CME) on immune modulating and anti-tumor activity. Materials and Methods : To elucidate the effects of CME on macrophage and natural killer (NK) cell activity, we analyzed nitric oxide (NO) production, NK cytotoxicity and gene expression of cytokines related with macrophages and NK cell activity. Results and Conclusions : CME activated and promoted macrophage production of NO. It also enhanced gene expression of IL-1 and iNOS in RAW 264.7 cells. CME promoted cytotoxicity of NK cells against YAC-1 cells and enhanced NK cell related gene expression such as IL-1, IL-2, IL-12, iNOS, IFN-${\gamma}$ and　TNF-${\alpha}$ in mice splenocytes. It also Promoted protein expression of IL-10, IL-12, IFN-${\gamma}$ and TNF-${\alpha}$ in mice splenocytes and inhibited lung tumor metastasis induced by CT-26 cell line compared with the control group. From these results, it could be concluded that CME is an effective herbal drug for modulating the immune system and anti-cancer treatment by promoting macrophage and NK cell activity.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.710-713
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• 2017

This study evaluates the ability of corn silk (Zea mays L.) extract to function as a natural anti-inflammatory and anti-atopic therapeutic agent. The anti-inflammatory effects of corn silk were evaluated by measuring the inhibitory activities of nitric oxide (NO) and production of tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$. Anti-atopic effects were assessed by measuring the repression of thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC). These results indicated that NICS-1 (corn silk ethanol extract) and NICS-3 (high maysin corn silk ethanol extract) functioned as anti-inflammatory agents by down-regulating LPS-induced NO and TNF-${\alpha}$. Additionally, two extracts showed weak repression of TARC expression levels in tumor necrosis factor TNF-${\alpha}$ plus IFN-${\gamma}$ induced HaCaT cells, respectively. These results suggest that corn silk extracts have anti-inflammatory and anti-atopic activities, and thus have the potential to reduce and alleviate the symptoms associated with atopic dermatitis.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.33 no.7
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• pp.1156-1166
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• 2020

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of compound organic acid calcium (COAC) on growth performance, hepatic antioxidant status and intestinal barrier of male broilers under high ambient temperature (32.7℃). Methods: Nine hundred healthy one-d-old Cobb-500 male broiler chicks were randomly assigned into three groups with six replicates of 50 birds each. A basal diet supplemented with 0% (control), 0.4% and 0.8% COAC, respectively were fed to birds for 6 weeks. All treatments were under high ambient indoor temperature of 32.7℃, and had a constant calcium and available phosphorus ratio. Results: The results showed that, compared with control, the average daily gain of broilers in 0.4% and 0.8% was significantly increased and the ratio of feed to gain in in 0.4% and 0.8% was significantly decreased at 1 to 21, 22 to 42 and 1 to 42 days of age (p<0.05). Compared with control, 0.8% COAC slightly decreased (p = 0.093) the content of malondialdehyde in liver at 42 days of age while 0.4% COAC significantly decreased (p<0.05) the activity of alkaline phosphatase. Furthermore, 0.4% COAC significantly enhanced the intestinal barrier function via increasing jejunal and ileal ocln transcription, promoting jejunal mucin 2 transcription at 42 days of age (p<0.05), and decreasing jejunal toll-like receptor 2 (TLR-2) and ileal TLR-15, inducible nitric oxide synthase compared with control group (p<0.05). Whereas, no significant differences on the transcription of interleukin-1β in jejunum and ileum were observed among three treatments (p>0.05). Overall, heat stress caused by high natural environment temperature may induce the damage to hepatic antioxidation and intestinal barrier. Conclusion: Dietary inclusion of COAC can improve the tolerance of broilers to thermal environment through the modification of antioxidative parameters in liver and the mRNA expression of genes in intestinal barrier, resulting in an optimal inclusion level of 0.4%.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.269-278
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• 2016

In order to improve air quality in the Seoul Metropolitan Area (SMA), the "Special Act on Seoul Metropolitan Air Quality Improvement" has been enforced since 2005. The strategy has resulted in some reduction of air pollution, but there has not been much research into the quantitative impact analysis of each separate preventive countermeasure. Therefore, we analyzed nitrogen oxide reduction resulting from implementation of the emission control plan for on-road mobile sources. The MM5-SMOKE-CMAQ model system was employed for air quality prediction. Reduced $NO_x$ emissions for SMA was 16,561 ton, 4.7% of reduction rate, in 2007. One countermeasure, tighter acceptable standards for manufacturing vehicles, dominated other countermeasures for effective $NO_x$ emission control. Large spatial differences in reduced emissions, those for Seoul being twice that of Incheon and Gyeonggi, showed greater $NO_x$ emission reduction impact in the heart of the metropolitan complex. The $NO_2$ concentration decreased by 0.60 ppb (2.0%), 0.18 ppb (1.5%), and 0.22 ppb (1.7%) in Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi, respectively. Concentration decreases in spring and winter were larger, 1.5~2.0 times, than summer and fall. However, the $NO_2$ reduction impact did not correspond directly to local $NO_x$ emission controls in the city area because of the natural flow and dispersion, both urban and downwind.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.39 no.7
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• pp.426-439
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• 2017

This review summarizes advantage and limitation in infrared spectroscopy and computational chemistry to understand rhizospheric interaction among organic acids, oxyanions and metal oxides. Since organic acids and metal oxides determine dynamics of oxyanions in the soil environment, knowledge of fundamental mechanisms is a prerequisite for understanding the interactions at soil-water interface. Attenuated total reflectance-fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) is a powerful tool to measure the interfacial reactions. However, the ATR-FTIR measurements are abstruse, because the optical characteristics for measurements are variable depending on the experimental setup. In addition, spectral overlapping is a primary obstacle to the analysis of the interfacial reaction; thus, it is essential to detect and to deconvolute bands for signal interpretation. In this review, we expained the fundamental principle for spectrum processing, and four band identification methods, such as derivative spectroscopy, two-dimension correlation spectroscopy, multivariate curve resolution, and computational chemistry with example of aqueous phosphate speciation. As a result, spectrum processing and computational chemistry improved interpretation and spectral deconvolution of overlapped spectra in relatively simple systems, but it was still unsatisfactory for the problems in more complexed system like nature. Nevertheless, we believed that our challenge would contribute practically to develop adequate analytical procedure, signal processing and protocols that could help to improve interpretation and to understand the interfacial interactions of oxyanions in natural systems.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.790-798
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• 2020

Background: Beneficial effects of Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) on polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) remains unclear. Methods: We examined whether pretreatment (daily from 2 hours before PCOS induction) with KRG extract in water (KRGE; 75 and 150 mg/kg/day, p.o.) could exert a favorable effect in a dehydroepian-drosterone (DHEA)-induced PCOS rat model. Results: Pretreatment with KRGE significantly inhibited the elevation of body and ovary weights, the increase in number and size of ovarian cysts, and the elevation of serum testosterone and estradiol levels induced by DHEA. Pretreatment with KRGE also inhibited macrophage infiltration and enhanced mRNA expression levels of chemokines [interleukin (IL)-8, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1), proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6), and inducible nitric oxide synthase in ovaries induced by DHEA. It also prevented the reduction in mRNA expression of growth factors (epidermal growth factor, transforming growth factor-beta (EGF, TGF-β)) related to inhibition of the nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cell pathway and stimulation of the nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2-related factor 2 pathway. Interestingly, KRGE or representative ginsenosides (Rb1, Rg1, and Rg3(s)) inhibited the activity of inflammatory enzymes cyclooxygenase-2 and iNOS, cytosolic p-IκB, and nuclear p-nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B in lipopolysaccharide-induced RAW264.7 cells, whereas they increased nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2-related factor 2 nuclear translocation. Conclusion: These results provide that KRGE could prevent DHEA-induced PCOS via antiinflammatory and antioxidant activities. Thus, KRGE may be used in preventive and therapeutic strategies for PCOS-like symptoms.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.223-229
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• 2007

The mechanism of hydrothermally synthesizing Na-A zeolite from siliceous mudstone at a $Na_2O/SiO_2$ ratio of 0.6, a $SiO_2/Al_2O_3$ 2.0 and a $H_2O/Na_2O$ 119 has been observed by IR, DTA, XRD and SEM. This mudstone is a tertiary periodic sedimentary rock and widely spreads around the Pohang area. In the early hydrothermal synthesis at $80^{\circ}C$ in an autoclave, sodium silicate and sodium aluminate were found to be preferentially reacted to generate Na-A type zeolite. Gibbsite and bayerite were also formed due to the presence of extra aluminum oxide in the feedstock. As reaction time in-creased up to 50 h, residual sodium aluminatewas reacted with siliceous mudstone, causing the Na-A zeolite crystal to grow and the hydroxylsodalite to generate. Therefore, in the $14{\sim}50\;h$ synthetic time, Na-A zeolite and hydroxylsodalite were formed. Also, if reaction time passed over 50 h, a part of the Na-A zeolite was finally redissolved and reacted with hydroxylsodalite to synthesize Na-P zeolite, generating porous surface of Na-A zeolite and disappearing hydroxylsodalite.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.153-160
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• 2013

The peel from seven types of citrus was extracted with 80% methanol, and their phenolic compound content, oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), inhibitory activities of nitric oxide (NO), and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production induced by LPS and t-BHP in LPS-activated RAW 264.7 cells were measured. Total phenolic content was high in Yungkyool, Cheonhyehyang, and Jinkyool (30.6, 30.2, and 28.2 mg GAE/g, respectively), while total flavonoid content was high in Yungkyool and Jinkyool (30.3 and 25.5 mg RE/g, respectively). ORAC was the highest at 1,076 mM TE/g in Yungkyool, followed by Cheonhyehyang (1,012), Jinkyool (984), and Hallabong (914). High inhibitory activity against NO production was shown in Cheonhyehyang, Yungkyool, and Jinkyool with $IC_{50}$ values of 215.3, 259.2, and 328.9 ${\mu}g/mL$, respectively. LPS-induced ROS production was inhibited by 16.4% and 12.8% in Hallabong and Jinkyool, while t-BHP-induced ROS production was inhibited by 28.7%, 26.1%, and 26.6% in Jinkyool, Hallabong, and Cheonhyehyang, respectively. Correlation coefficients between total phenolic, total flavonoid content, and ORAC were 0.884 and 0.855. Inhibitory activity against NO production showed higher correlation with total phenolic content than total flavonoid content. It was concluded that citrus peels had potent antioxidant activities and could be used as natural antioxidants in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.460-466
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• 2002

Titanium oxide film was deposited on the commercially pure titanium (cp-Ti) by thermal oxidation method for its medical application. The cp-Ti disks were cleaned and then heat-treated at the temperatures of 500, 550, 600, 650, and 700${\circ}C$, respectively, for 10 min in air or Ar. To test the ability of calcium phosphate formation, the specimens were immersed in the Eagle's minimum essential medium solution at 36.5${\circ}C$ for 15 days. The morphology and chemical composition of the surfaces before and after soaking were analyzed by using FE-SEM and EDS. The in-vitro formation of carbonated calcium phosphate on the thin films containing nano-sized $TiO_2$ crystals was identified.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.146-153
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• 2014

Gami-Sopungsan (GS) is one of the traditional korean remedy. We investigated the anti-inflammation and anti-atopic dermatitis (AD) effect of GS. No cytotoxicity of GS was observed in the range of $1{\sim}100{\mu}g/m{\ell}$ on Raw 264.7 cells. The Inflammatory response of Raw 264.7 cells were induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), followed by GS treatment at indicated concentrations (0, 1, 10 and $100{\mu}g/m{\ell}$). At $100{\mu}g/m{\ell}$ concentration, GS showed inhibitory effect on LPS-induced nitric oxide production by 20%. Production of IL-$1{\beta}$, IL-6 and TNF-${\alpha}$ was decreased by approximately 56%, 36% and 79%, respectively upon GS treatment at $100{\mu}g/m{\ell}$. 200 mg/kg of GS was orally administered to NC/Nga mice, where AD was induced by 1-chloro 2,4-dinitrobenzene. There were no significant difference between GS treated group and the control group on body weight and food intake changes during growth. The back skin of GS group showed decrease in erythema, pruritus, dry skin, edema, excoriation, erosion and lichenification level through naked eye observations. In addition, leukocyte infiltration and the thickness of epidermis were significantly decreased in the skin tissues (back and ear). The serum IgE levels were decreased by 28.8% in the GS treated group. The GS treated group showed remarkable inhibition of IL-4 (83%), IL-5 (95%), IL-6 (62%) and TNF-${\alpha}$ (84%) in serum, indicating that GS has similar or higher efficacy than those of the dexamethasone treated group. From the results above, we conclude that GS has significant anti-inflammation and anti-AD effects on Raw 264.7 cells and NC/Nga mice. The results should provide fundamental and valuable data for the research on natural products being developed against atopic dermatitis.