• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.280-295
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• 2021

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the characteristics of patients according to their nutritional status as assessed by five nutritional screening tools: Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA), NUTRISCORE, Nutritional Risk Index (NRI), Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI), and Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) and to compare the agreement, sensitivity, and specificity of these tools. Methods: A total of 952 gastric cancer patients who underwent gastrectomy and chemotherapy from January 2009 to December 2012 at the Samsung Medical Center were included. We categorized patients into malnourished and normal according to the five nutritional screening tools 1 month after surgery and compared their characteristics. We also calculated the Spearman partial correlation, Cohen's Kappa coefficient, the area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity of each pair of screening tools. Results: We observed 86.24% malnutrition based on the PG-SGA and 85.82% based on the NUTRISCORE among gastric cancer patients in our study. When we applied NRI or CONUT, however, the malnutrition levels were less than 30%. Patients with malnutrition as assessed by the PG-SGA, NUTRISCORE, or NRI had lower intakes of energy and protein compared to normal patients. When NRI, PNI, or CONUT were used to identify malnutrition, lower levels of albumin, hemoglobin, total lymphocyte count, total cholesterol, and longer postoperative hospital stays were observed among patients with malnutrition compared to those without malnutrition. We found relatively high agreement between PG-SGA and NUTRISCORE; sensitivity was 90.86% and AUC was 0.78. When we compared NRI and PNI, sensitivity was 99.64% and AUC was 0.97. AUC ranged from 0.50 to 0.67 for comparisons between CONUT and each of the other nutritional screening tools. Conclusions: Our study suggests that PG-SGA and NRI have a relatively high agreement with the NUTRISCORE and PNI, respectively. Further cohort studies are needed to examine whether the nutritional status assessed by PG-SGA, NUTRISCORE, NRI, PNI, and CONUT predicts the gastric cancer prognosis.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.7
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• pp.933-941
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• 2021

Ginsenoside Rg4 is a rare ginsenoside that is naturally found in ginseng, and exhibits a wide range of biological activities including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in several cell types. The purpose of this study was to use an in vivo model of hair follicle (HF)-mimic based on a human dermal papilla (DP) spheroid system prepared by three-dimensional (3D) culture and to investigate the effect of Rg4 on the hair-inductive properties of DP cells. Treatment of the DP spheroids with Rg4 (20 to 50 ㎍/ml) significantly increased the viability and size of the DP spheres in a dose-dependent manner. Rg4 also increased the mRNA and protein expression of DP signature genes that are related to hair growth including ALP, BMP2, and VCAN in the DP spheres. Analysis of the signaling molecules and luciferase reporter assays further revealed that Rg4 induces the activation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT and the inhibitory phosphorylation of GSK3β, which activates the WNT/β-catenin signaling pathway. These results correlated with not only the increased nuclear translocation of β-catenin following the treatment of the DP spheres with Rg4 but also the significant elevation of mRNA expression of the downstream target genes of the WNT/β-catenin pathway including WNT5A, β-catenin, and LEF1. In conclusion, these results demonstrated that ginsenoside Rg4 promotes the hair-inductive properties of DP cells by activating the AKT/GSK3β/β-catenin signaling pathway in DP spheres, suggesting that Rg4 could be a potential natural therapy for hair growth.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.435-447
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• 2021

Purpose: Body adiposity is negatively correlated with hepatic iron status, and Korean pine nut oil (PNO) has been reported to reduce adiposity. Therefore, we aimed to study the effects of PNO on adiposity, hepatic mineral status, and the expression of genes and proteins involved in iron absorption. Methods: Five-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were fed a control diet containing 10% kcal from PNO (PC) or soybean oil (SBO; SC), or a high-fat diet (HFD) containing 35% kcal from lard and 10% kcal from PNO (PHFD) or SBO (SHFD). Hepatic iron, copper, and zinc content; and expression of genes and proteins related to iron absorption were measured. Results: HFD-fed mice had a higher white fat mass (2-fold; p < 0.001), lower hepatic iron content (25% lower; p < 0.001), and lower hepatic Hamp (p = 0.028) and duodenal Dcytb mRNA levels (p = 0.037) compared to the control diet-fed mice. Hepatic iron status was negatively correlated with body weight (r = -0.607, p < 0.001) and white fat mass (r = -0.745, p < 0.001). Although the PHFD group gained less body weight (18% less; p < 0.05) and white fat mass (18% less; p < 0.05) than the SHFD group, the hepatic iron status impaired by the HFD feeding did not improve. The expression of hepatic and duodenal ferroportin protein was not affected by the fat amount or the oil type. PNO-fed mice had significantly lower Slc11a2 (p = 0.022) and Slc40a1 expression (p = 0.027) compared to SBO-fed mice. However, the PC group had a higher Heph expression than the SC group (p < 0.05). The hepatic copper and zinc content did not differ between the four diet groups, but hepatic copper content adjusted by body weight was significantly lower in the HFD-fed mice compared to the control diet-fed mice. Conclusion: HFD-induced obesity decreased hepatic iron storage by affecting the regulation of genes related to iron absorption; however, the 18% less white fat mass in the PHFD group was not enough to improve the iron status compared to the SHFD group. The hepatic copper and zinc status was not altered by the fat amount or the oil type.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.74-84
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• 2021

Objective: Feed additives that modify rumen fermentation can be used to prevent metabolic disturbances such as acidosis and optimize beef cattle production. The study evaluated the effects of liquid and powdered forms of polyclonal antibody preparation (PAP) against Streptococcus bovis and Fusobacterium necrophorum on rumen fermentation parameters in ruminally cannulated non-lactating dairy cows that were adapted or unadapted to a high concentrate diet. Methods: A double 3×3 Latin square design was used with three PAP treatments (control, powdered, and liquid PAP) and two adaptation protocols (adapted, unadapted; applied to the square). Adapted animals were transitioned for 2 weeks from an all-forage to an 80% concentrate diet, while unadapted animals were switched abruptly. Results: Interactions between sampling time and adaptation were observed; 12 h after feeding, the adapted group had lower ruminal pH and greater total short chain fatty acid concentrations than the unadapted group, while the opposite was observed after 24 h. Acetate:propionate ratio, molar proportion of butyrate and ammonia nitrogen concentration were generally greater in adapted than unadapted cattle up to 36 h after feeding. Adaptation promoted 3.5 times the number of Entodinium protozoa but copy numbers of Streptococcus bovis and Fibrobacter succinogens genes in rumen fluid were not affected. However, neither liquid nor powdered forms of PAP altered rumen acidosis variables in adapted or unadapted animals. Conclusion: Adaptation of cattle to highly fermentable carbohydrate diets promoted a more stable ruminal environment, but PAP was not effective in this study in which no animal experienced acute or sub-acute rumen acidosis.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.93-101
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• 2021

Objective: Temperature could influence protein and amino acid deposition as well as gut microbiota profile and composition. However, the specific effects of ambient temperature on amino acids deposition and gut microbiota composition remain insufficiently understood. Methods: A total of 300 one-day-old Avian broilers were randomly divided into three groups and reared at high, medium, and low temperature (HT, MT, and LT), respectively. Breast muscle and fecal samples were collected for amino acid composition analysis and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. Results: Our data showed that compared to the MT group, there was a decrease of muscle leucine and tyrosine (p<0.05), as well as an increase of methionine in the HT group (p<0.05) and a decrease of serine in the LT group. Examination of microbiota shift revealed that at genus level, the relative abundance of Turicibacter and Parabacteroides was increased in the HT group (p<0.05) and that the relative abundances of Pandoraea, Achromobacter, Prevotella, Brevundimonas, and Stenotrophomonas in the LT group were higher than those in the MT group (p<0.05). In addition, there were substantial correlations between microbes and amino acids. In the HT group. Turicibacter was negatively correlated with aspartic acid and tyrosine, whereas Parabacteroides was positively correlated with methionine (p<0.05). In the LT group, there were multiple positive correlations between Achromobacter and arginine, isoleucine or tyrosine; between Prevotella and cysteine or phenylalanine; between Brevundimonas and cysteine; and between Stenotrophomonas and cysteine as well as a negative correlation between Stenotrophomonas and serine. Conclusion: Our findings demonstrated that amino acid content of breast muscle and intestinal microbiota profile was affected by different ambient temperatures. Under heat exposure, augmented abundance of Parabacteroides was correlated with elevated methionine. Low temperature treatment may affect muscle tyrosine content through the regulation of Achromobacter.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.77-83
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• 2021

Rye (Secale cereal L.) is the most tolerant to abiotic stress including low temperature, drought, and unfavorable soil conditions among the winter cereals. Rye is the rapid growth of early spring results from increasing areas for the use of the forage and green manure in the middle part of Korea. "Jungmo2509", a rye cultivar was developed by the National Institute of Crop Science (NICS), RDA in 2014. It was developed from a cross between "Olhomil", a self-compatible cultivar, and "Synthetic II", a self-incompatible line. "Jungmo2509" is an erect plant type and of a middle size, with a green leaf color, a yellowish-white colored culm, and a yellowish brown-colored, small-size grain. The heading date of "Jungmo2509" was April 23, which was 5 days later than that of "Gogu", respectively. But "Jungmo2509" showed greater resistance to lodging compared to that of the check cultivar, with similar to winter hardiness, wet injury, and disease resistance. "Jungmo2509" was a higher to than "Gogu" in terms of protein content (9.4% and 8.0%, respectively), total digestible nutrients (TDN) (55.7% and 55%, respectively). The seed productivity of "Jungmo2509" was approximately 2.08 ton 10a-1, which was 11% lower than that of the check. Almost all rye cultivars are out-crossing due to genes controlling incompatibility, but "Jungmo2509" is higher seed fertility (56%) than that of Gogu (0%). it has self-compatible genes. "Jungmo2509" is erect in plant type and resistance for lodging. Therefore, "Jungmo2509" can produce uniform seeds for processed grains of human consumption and utilize them as parents for breeding the rye hybrids with high forage yields.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.8
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• pp.1290-1302
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• 2021

Objective: Follicle selection is an important process in chicken egg laying. Among several small yellow (SY) follicles, the one exhibiting the highest expression of follicle stimulation hormone receptor (FSHR) will be selected to become a hierarchal follicle. The role of lncRNA, miRNA and other non-coding RNA in chicken follicle selection is unclear. Methods: In this study, the whole transcriptome sequencing of SY follicles with different expression levels of FSHR in Jining Bairi hens was performed, and the expression of 30 randomly selected mRNAs, lncRNAs and miRNAs was validated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Preliminary studies and bioinformatics analysis were performed on the selected mRNA, lncRNA, miRNA and their target genes. The effect of identified gene was examined in the granulosa cells of chicken follicles. Results: Integrated transcriptomic analysis on chicken SY follicles differing in FSHR expression revealed 467 differentially expressed mRNA genes, 134 differentially expressed lncRNA genes and 34 differentially expressed miRNA genes, and sosondowah ankyrin repeat domain family member A (SOWAHA) was the common target gene of three miRNAs and one lncRNA. SOWAHA was mainly expressed in small white (SW) and SY follicles and was affected by follicle stimulation hormone (FSH) treatment in the granulosa cells. Knockdown of SOWAHA inhibited the expression of Wnt family member 4 (Wnt4) and steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) in the granulosa cells of prehierarchal follicles, while stimulated Wnt4 in hierarchal follicles. Overexpression of SOWAHA increased the expression of Wnt4 in the granulosa cells of prehierarchal follicles, decreased that of StAR and cytochrome P450 family 11 subfamily A member 1 in the granulosa cells of hierarchal follicles and inhibited the proliferation of granulosa cells. Conclusion: Integrated analysis of chicken SY follicle transcriptomes identified SOWAHA as a network gene that is affected by FSH in granulosa cells of ovarian follicles. SOWAHA affected the expression of genes involved in chicken follicle selection and inhibited the proliferation of granulosa cells, suggesting an inhibitory role in chicken follicle selection.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.30 no.8
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• pp.659-671
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• 2021

The physicochemical properties of soil and the yield and quality of rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. Sailmi) were assessed using Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam. cv. Kowinearly)-rice double cropping systems in the paddy fields at Goseong and Miryang in southern Korea. The average temperatures during the ripening period were approximately 1 ℃ higher than the optimal temperature for rice ripening and the sunshine duration was reduced by frequent rainfall. Consequently, it was slightly below the optimal conditions required for rice ripening. In the soil at Goseong, winter Italian ryegrass cropping increased the pH, electrical conductivity, and the contents of organic matter, total nitrogen (T-N), available P₂O₅, K, Ca, and Mg than winter fallowing. Particularly, the contents of T-N and available P₂O₅increased significantly. In the soil at Miryang, Italian ryegrass slightly increased the electrical conductivity and the T-N, Mg, and Na contents. Therefore, winter Italian ryegrass cropping improved the physicochemical properties of paddy soils; however, Italian ryegrass-rice double cropping slightly reduced the culm length at both Goseong and Miryang, without markedly changing the panicle length or number compared to fallow-rice cropping. Furthermore, at Goseong, Italian ryegrass-rice double cropping slightly decreased the spikelet number and milled rice yield, and increased the ripened grain rate; however, at Miryang, contrasting results were observed. In addition, fallow-rice cropping revealed no differences in the head rice or opaque rice rates. The protein content was slightly increased in Italian ryegrass-rice double cropping, without significant changes in the amylose content or Toyo value, compared to that in fallow-rice cropping. The peak and breakdown viscosities were slightly decreased. These results indicate that winter Italian ryegrass cropping might alter rice taste but may not exhibit remarkable negative effects on rice cultivation. Therefore, Italian ryegrass-rice double cropping system is recommended for paddy fields in southern Korea. Nevertheless, to increase the rice yield and quality, fertilization standards for rice cropping that consider the changes in the T-N and organic matter contents in paddy fields caused by winter Italian ryegrass cropping need to be established.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.66 no.4
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• pp.403-410
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• 2021

The present study investigated the quality characteristics of Perilla frutescens Britt. seed compounds according to the cultivar and sowing dates. In the present experiment, five Perilla cultivars, namely 'Dayu', 'Deulsaem', 'Deulhyang', 'Baekjin', 'Sodam', were planted on three different dates, including May 30, June 20, and July 10. The contents of key compounds and phenols varied depending on the cultivar and sowing date. With the delayed sowing time, the days to flowering and maturity of the culitvar decreased, while the seed weight and hardness increased. Crude protein content increased but crude lipid content decreased with the delay in the sowing time. However, there was no interaction of different sowing dates with the fatty acid content, which remained stable compared with the other values. Overall, the total polyphenol content was higher in Perilla seeds sown on May 30.

• Food Science and Industry
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.154-165
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• 2022

Humans have been breeding the mulberry silkworm for the long period of time to obtain silk fabric and nutrient-rich pupae. Currently, silkworm larvae, pupae, and silk-Fibroin hydrolysates are registered as food raw materials, while silkworm feces and Bombyx batryticatus are registered as Korean traditional medicines. Among sericulture products, individually recognized health functional food ingredients include silk-protein acid-hydrolysates for immunity enhancement, Fibroin-hydrolysates for memory improvement, and freeze-dried 5^th instar and 3^rd-day-silkworm powder for lowering-blood sugar. Recently, HongJam produced by steaming and freeze-drying mature silkworms were reported to have various health-promoting effects such as preventing the onset of Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, enhancing gastro-intestinal functions, improving skin-whitening and hair growth, and extending healthspan. By consuming silkworm products with various health-promoting effects, it is possible to increase the healthspan of human beings, thereby reducing personal and national medical expenses, resulting in increasing the individual's happiness.