• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.469-477
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• 2013

This study investigated effect of extract containing quercetin-3-O-${\beta}$-D-glucuronopyranoside from Rumex Aquaticus Herba (ECQ) against chronic gastritis in rats. To produce chronic gastritis, the animals received a daily intra-gastric administration of 0.1 ml of 0.15% iodoacetamide (IA) solution for 7 days. Daily exposure of the gastric mucosa to IA induced both gastric lesions and significant reductions of body weight and food and water intake. These reductions recovered with treatment with ECQ for 7 days. ECQ significantly inhibited the elevation of the malondialdehyde levels and myeloperoxidase activity, which were used as indices of lipid peroxidation and neutrophil infiltration. ECQ recovered the level of glutathione, activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), and expression of SOD-2. The increased levels of total NO concentration and iNOS expression in the IA-induced chronic gastritis were significantly reduced by treatment with ECQ. These results suggest that the ECQ has a therapeutic effect on chronic gastritis in rats by inhibitory actions on neutrophil infiltration, lipid peroxidation and various steps of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.101 no.2
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• pp.236-243
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• 2012

The leaf growth and physiological characteristics of Forsythia saxatilis were investigated at six natural habitats under different light intensities in Bukhansan in order to figure out an appropriate growth environment for conservation and restoration of F. saxatilis that is Korean endemic plant designated as rare and endangered species. Relative light intensities (RLI) at six habitats showed from 10% to 78% of the full sun. Leaf length, leaf width, leaf area and dry leaf weight of population under highest relative light intensity (78%) were the highest. The ratio of dry leaf weight to leaf area increased with the increase of RLI. The content of photosynthetic pigments such as chlorophyll a, b and carotenoid were the highest at 78% of RLI, whereas the ratio of total chlorophyll to carotenoid content reduced according to the increase of RLI. Photosynthetic parameters, such as photosynthetic rate, also increased with the increase of RLI. The total nonstructural carbohydrate (TNC) was 1.5 times higher at 78% of RLI than that at 10% of RLI and the total soluble sugar (TSS) was the highest at 78% of RLI. In conclusion, leaf characteristics and physiological characteristics have high positive correlation with light intensity. Therefore, light condition should be primarily considered to improve growth and physiology characteristics of F. saxatilis under low light intensity.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
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• 2017.06a
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• pp.7-7
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• 2017

Unfavorable weather and soil conditions reduce rice yield and land and water productivity, aggravating existing encounters of poverty and food insecurity. These conditions are foreseen to worsen with climate change and with the unceasing irrational human practices that progressively debilitate productivity despite global appeals for more food. Our understanding of plant responses to abiotic stresses is advancing and is complex, involving numerous critical processes - each controlled by several genetic factors. Knowledge of the physiological and molecular mechanisms involved in signaling, response and adaptation, and in some cases the genes involved, is advancing. Moreover, the genetic diversity being unveiled within cultivated rice and its wild relatives is providing ample resources for trait and gene discovery, and this is being scouted for rice improvement using modern genomics and molecular tools. Development of stress tolerant varieties is now being fast-tracked through the use of DNA markers and advanced breeding strategies. Large numbers of drought, submergence and salt tolerant varieties were commercialized over recent years in South and Southeast Asia and more recently in Africa. These varieties are making significant changes in less favorable areas, transforming lives of smallholder farmers - progress considered incredulous in the past. The stress tolerant varieties are providing assurance to farmers to invest in better management of their crops and the ability to adjust their cropping systems for even higher productivity and more income, sparking changes analogous to that of the first green revolution, which previously benefited only favorable irrigated and rainfed areas. New breeding tools using markers for multiple stresses made it possible to develop more resilient, higher yielding varieties to replace the aging and obsolete varieties still dominating these areas. Varieties with multiple stress tolerances are now becoming available, providing even better security for farmers and lessening their production risks even in areas affected by complex and overlapping stresses. The progress made in these less favorable areas triggered numerous favorable changes at the national and regional levels in several countries in Asia, including adjusting breeding and dissemination strategies to accelerate outreach and enabling changes at higher policy levels, creating a positive environment for faster progress. Exploiting the potential of these less productive areas for food production is inevitable, to meet the escalating global needs for more food and sustained production systems, at times when national resources are shrinking while demand for food is mounting. However, the success in these areas requires concerted efforts to make use of existing genetic resources for crop improvement and establishing effective evaluation networks, seed production systems, and seed delivery systems to ensure faster outreach and transformation.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.203-210
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• 2013

This study was conducted to investigate the optimum storage temperature and the effect of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) on the postharvest physiology and quality of plumcot (Prunus salicina Lindle. ${\times}$ Prunus armeniaca L.) 'Harmony' fruits. plumcot fruits were stored at 0, 5, 10, and $20^{\circ}C$, respectively, with three different ripeness stages grouped by skin color development. Furthermore, we treated $1{\mu}L{\cdot}L^{-1}$ 1-MCP was treated at $10^{\circ}C$ for 17 hours and stored at $10^{\circ}C$ for 12 days to evaluate the effectiveness for better shelf-life. The results indicated that lower storage temperature than room temperature effectively reduced the respiration rate with delaying quality changes. While, the fruits showed worse fruit taste than the fruits stored at 10 and $20^{\circ}C$. Reversely, the fruits stored at $20^{\circ}C$ showed more respiration rate and ethylene production. 1-MCP treatment effectively reduced the skin red color development, ethylene production, $CO_2$ and softening of plumcot 'Harmony' fruits. Overall data indicated that the optimum harvest time and storage temperature could be 30-50% red color and near $10^{\circ}C$. Postharvest 1-MCP application at the level of $1.0{\mu}L{\cdot}L^{-1}$ could maintain fruit quality well in plumcot fruits.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.544-557
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• 2002

This study was performed to evaluate the quality of nutrient intakes of the hemodialysis patients (26 men and 23 women) according to the socioeconomic status by 3-day dietary recall in Daejeon city and Chungnam area, Korea. Mean age of the subjects was 50.7 yrs and BMI was 22.0 $\pm$ 0.4 kg/$m^2$. Education level was divided into two groups ($\leq$ 9 years： LE group, 9 years： HE group), and monthly family income level was divided into three groups (< 500,000 won: LI group, 500,000-1,499,999 won: MI group, $\geq$ 1,500,000 won : HI group). The data were analyzed by Student t-test and Oneway ANOVA using SPSS 9.0 version at p < 0.05 level. Intakes of energy, carbohydrates, cholesterol, potassium, thiamin and riboflavin were significantly higher in HE group than in LE group (p < 0.05). Intakes of all the nutrients except protein and phosphorus were less than Korean RDA, and INQs (Index of Nutritional Quality) of most nutrients were lower than 1.0 but cholesterol, phosphorus. thiamin and niacin being over 1.0 in HE group. MAR (Mean adequacy ratio) of all the nutrients (e.g., energy, protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin A, vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin and niacin) was significantly higher in HE group (0.61 $\pm$ 0.04) than in LE group (0.48 $\pm$ 0.03) at p = 0.036. Intakes of energy, protein (total, animal and plant), fat, cholesterol, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin A, thiamin and riboflavin were also significantly higher in HI group than in LI and MI group (p < 0.05). Daily intakes of most nutrients were less than Korean RDA except protein ed phosphorus in HI poop, and INQs of thiamin, niacin and phosphorus were higher than 1.0, while those of calcium, iron, vitamin A and riboflavin were lower than 1.0. MAR of energy and 9 nutrients was significantly higher in HI group (0.70 $\pm$ 0.04) than in LI group (0. 56 0.04) and MI poop (0.47 $\pm$ 0.03) at p = 0.000. In conclusion, quality of nutrient intakes, especially energy and protein, was significantly influenced by socioeconomic status such as education and monthly income (p < 0.05). This result suggests that it would be very helpful to develop nutritional education programs considering hemodialysis patients' education levels, and to improve public supports (e.g., medical insurance system, low-rate lease system of dialysis equipments, etc.) focusing on the patients' family income levels f3r their better nutrition and health.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.177-183
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• 2016

Sewage treatment using microorganisms is affected by multiple factors such as microbial properties, characteristics of sewage and operating conditions, and nanoparticles inflow may cause negative effects on sewage treatment system especially on the system stability and efficiency. It was studied to assess the toxic effects of nanoparticles on microorganism growth. The activated sludge in the sewage treatment plant of university was cultured in the optimized medium for each strain. Bacillus (gram-positive), Pseudomonas and E.coli (gram-negative) in the activated sludge were selected as target microorganisms, and ZnO and $TiO_2$ were chosen as nanoparticles. For same concentration of nanoparticles, average growth inhibition rate of Bacillus was 60% or more, while that of Pseudomonas was less than 10%. The toxicity of nanoparticles was shown to be higher for gram-positive bacteria than gram-negative bacteria because of their differences on structure of cell wall, components of cell wall protein, physiology of cells and metabolism. ZnO affected 3 times more negative on the growth of microorganisms as compared to $TiO_2$. It was assumed that, therefore, toxicity of ZnO was found to be greater than $TiO_2$.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.458-463
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• 2002

This present study was designed to screen medicinal plants for the treatment of brain diseases such as Parkinson's disease or Alzheimer's disease. The inhibitory activity of monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) was investigated in the water extracts of 56 species traditional medicines. Among the tested medicinal plants, E. lathyris, R. palmatum, F. rhynchonphylla, E. caryophyllata, E. pekinensis and H. syriacus were showed the strong inhibitory activity against MAO-B. Therefore, MAO-B inhibitory activity of 6 traditional medicine extracts in the different concentration (2.5, 6.5 and 12.5 ㎍/ml) was determined. The inhibitory effect of MAO-B was detected with dose dependently in 6 traditional plants extracts. E. caryophyllata and R. palmatum were showed the highest inhibitory activity, the MAO-B inhibitory activity at 2.5㎍ of herbal extract being 58% and 52%, respectively. The water extracts of 6 species were tested on antioxidant activity using radical scavenging effects against ABTS/sup +/. The water extracts of R. palmatum, E. caryphyllata, E. pekinensis and H. syriacus were showed strong antioxidant capacity at 20 ㎍ concentration. Among the 56 medicinal plants investigated, the water extracts of R. palmatum and E. caryphyllata were showed significant antioxidant capacity and MAO-B inhibiory activity. Therefore, R. palmatum and E. caryphyllata are expected to ameliorate the clinical symptoms in Parkinson's disease due to significant MAO-B inhibition and radical scavenging effect.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.1557-1562
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• 2005

A mechanism of hair cell damage caused by noise and ototoxic agents is mediated through generation of free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS). It is known that most of animals have defense systems to protect against ROS, and the cochlea of inner ear in animals also has ROS defense systems including several antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), glutathione reductase (GR), and glutathione (GSH), which efficiently detoxifying ROS generated under normal condition. Steamed roots of Rehmannia glutinosa have been traditionally used in Oriental medicine for the treatment of auditory disease such as tinnitus, vertigo, and hearing loss as well as inflammatory diseases, hectic fever, night sweat, and headache. In the present study, we showed that the ethanol extract from steamed roots of R. giutinosa (ESRG) increased the antioxidant enzymes such as SOD, CAT, GPX, and GR activities and GSH level in HEI-OC1 auditory cells. This extract itself did not show any significant cytotoxicity up to $50{\mu}g/ml$. Our results further support the view that ESRG is promising sources of potential antioxidants. Future studies will be aimed at investigating the effects of ESRG on the regulation of cellular mechanisms and isolating and identifying the substances responsible for the regulation of antioxidant enzyme system from the plant extracts.

• Korean Journal of Weed Science
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.237-245
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• 1998

The transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum cv. Xanthi) plants containing Bacillus subtilis protoporphyrinogen oxidase gene with cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter have recently been generated by using Agrobacterium-mediated gene transformation. The nontransgenic and the transgenic tobacco plants were compared with respect to responses to diphenyl ether herbicide oxyfluorfen and under various environmental conditions. Both cellular leakage and lipid peroxidation caused by oxyfluorfen were found to be less in the transgenic than in the nontransgenic plants. Growth responses of the transgenic plants under various temperature, light, and water conditions were almost the same as those of the nontransgenic plants, although the transgenic plants exhibited slightly more retarded growth under low light or saturated water condition. These results revealed that the transgenic tobacco plants containing B. subtilis protoporphyrinogen oxidase gene under cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter were relatively resistant to oxyfluorfen and exhibited normal growth pattern. Possible mechanism of resistance to oxyfluorfen in the transgenic plants is also discussed.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.548-555
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• 2017

Background: Korean Red Ginseng has been used for several decades to treat many diseases, enhancing both immunity and physical strength. Previous studies have documented the therapeutic effects of ginseng, including its anticancer, antiaging, and anti-inflammatory activities. These activities are mediated by ginsenosides present in the ginseng plant. Ginsenoside Rg3, an effective compound from red ginseng, has been shown to have antiplatelet activity in addition to its anticancer and anti-inflammatory activities. Platelets are important for both primary hemostasis and the repair of the vessels after injury; however, they also play a crucial role in the development of acute coronary diseases. We prepared ginsenoside Rg3-enriched red ginseng extract (Rg3-RGE) to examine its role in platelet physiology. Methods: To examine the effect of Rg3-RGE on platelet activation in vitro, platelet aggregation, granule secretion, intracellular calcium ($[Ca^{2+}]_i$) mobilization, flow cytometry, and immunoblot analysis were carried out using rat platelets. To examine the effect of Rg3-RGE on platelet activation in vivo, a collagen plus epinephrine-induced acute pulmonary thromboembolism mouse model was used. Results: We found that Rg3-RGE significantly inhibited collagen-induced platelet aggregation and $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ mobilization in a dose-dependent manner in addition to reducing ATP release from collagen-stimulated platelets. Furthermore, using immunoblot analysis, we found that Rg3-RGE markedly suppressed mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphorylation (i.e., extracellular stimuli-responsive kinase, Jun N-terminal kinase, p38) as well as the PI3K (phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase)/Akt pathway. Moreover, Rg3-RGE effectively reduced collagen plus epinephrine-induced mortality in mice. Conclusion: These data suggest that ginsenoside Rg3-RGE could be potentially be used as an antiplatelet therapeutic agent against platelet-mediated cardiovascular disorders.