• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.11-17
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• 2015

Overconsumption of fructose results in dyslipidemia, hypertension, which have documented as a risk of cardiovascular diseases. This experimental study was designed to investigate the beneficial effects of Rubus coreanus Miq.(RCM) in high-fructose diet-induced metabolic syndrome. Animals were divided into three groups; Control group fed regular diet and tap water, fructose groups were fed the 65% high-fructose (HF) diet with/without RCM 100 mg/kg/day for 8 weeks, respectively. Chronic treatment with RCM significantly decreased body weight, fat weight and adipocyte size. Moreover, RCM significantly prevented the development of the metabolic disturbances such as hyperlipidemia and hypertension. RCM also led to increase in high density lipoprotein level in the HF group. In addition, RCM suppressed vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) expression and significantly recovered the levels of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) expression in aorta. These results demonstrates that RCM may be a beneficial therapeutic for metabolic syndrome through the improvement of hyperlipidemia, obesity, and hypertension.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.423-430
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• 2020

Telmisartan is an angiotensin-II receptor blocker and acts as a selective modulator of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ). Several studies have demonstrated that telmisartan ameliorates depression and memory dysfunction and reduces brain inflammation. We hypothesized that the beneficial effects of telmisartan on brain could be due to modulation of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) function. Here, we examined the effect of telmisartan on tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α)-induced expression of intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) which plays an important role in leukocyte transcytosis through the BBB. Telmisartan blocked TNF-α-induced ICAM-1 expression and leukocyte adhesion in U87MG human glioma cells but showed no effect on human brain microvascular endothelial cells. In U87MG cells, a PPAR antagonist, GW9662 did not block the effect of telmisartan on ICAM1 expression but rather potentiated. Moreover, GW9662 caused no change in TNF-α-induced ICAM-1 expression, suggesting no implication of PPARγ in the telmisartan effect. Further studies showed that telmisartan blocked TNF-α-induced activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), p38, and nuclear factorkappa B (NF-κB). In contrast, inhibitors of JNK, ERK1/2 and NF-κB but not p38, blocked ICAM-1 expression induced by TNF-α. Thus, our findings suggest that the beneficial effect of telmisartan is likely due to the reduction of astrocytic ICAM1 expression and leukocytes adhesion to astrocytes, and that this response was mediated by the inhibition of JNK/ERK1/2/NF-κB activation and in the PPAR-independent manner. In conclusion, this study enhances our understanding of the mechanism by which telmisartan exerts the beneficial brain function.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.19-35
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• 2021

Purpose : Recently, there has been a growing social interest in aging well. Consequently, wellness tourism has begun to attract attention. However, no studies on whether wellness tourism has any objective health benefits have been carried out yet. In this study, we assess the health benefits as well as the degree of improvement in health of a wellness tourism program. Methods : The study involved 30 adults over the age of 19 who live in the Gyeongsangnam-do region. Participants were evaluated on health indicator before and after participating in wellness tourism program. Participants took heart rate variability (HRV) test, and LFT, RFT, CBC, FBS HbA1C, and CRP test were conducted before and after the tour. Additionally, a survey was conducted before and after the program, and participant satisfaction was evaluated. Statistical differences in the tests conducted before and after the program were analyzed using a design t-test, a Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and McNemar's test. Results : The study showed that participants were very satisfied with and had significant health improvements after the wellness tourism program. The program was also found to be beneficial in improving participants' emotions as follows: BDI (p<.001), fatigue recovery (p=.006), stress relief (p=.003), improved quality of life (p<.05), and improved sleep quality (p<.001). Conclusion : Wellness tourism programs are specifically beneficial for improving participants' emotions (depression, anxiety), fatigue, stress levels, quality of life, and sleep. Therefore, they are beneficial to the overall health. Further research in the future by way of a follow-up study on the long-term effects on health after short-term interventions will provide more validation data.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.11-18
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• 2015

Objectives : Polygoni Multiflori Radix (Jeokhasuo in Korean) is a Oriental traditional herbs widely used in East Asian countries. Overconsumption of fructose results in hypertension, dyslipidemia, obesity and impaired glucose tolerance which have documented as a risk of cardiovascular diseases. This experimental study was designed to investigate the beneficial effects of an ethanol extract from Polygoni Multiflori Radix (PMR) in high-fructose (HF) diet-induced metabolic syndrome rat model. Methods : Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were divided into three groups; Control group, receiving regular diet and tap water, HF group, and HF + PMR group both receiving supplemented with 65% fructose (n=10), respectively. The HF + PMR group initially received HF diet with PMR (100 mg/kg/day) for 8 weeks. Results : PMR significantly prevented the metabolic disturbances such as hyperlipidemia, hypertension and impaired glucose tolerance. Chronic treatment with PMR significantly decreased body weight, fat weight and adipocyte size, suggesting a role of anti-obesity effect. PMR led to improve the hyperlipidemia through the increase in HDL cholesterol level as well as the decrease in triglyceride and LDL cholesterol level. In addition, PMR suppressed adhesion molecules and endothelin-1 (ET-1) expression in aorta resulting in the decrease of hypertension. In muscle tissue, PMR significantly recovered the HF-induced insulin resistance through increase of insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1), p-$AMPK{\alpha}1/2$, and p-Akt expression. PMR improved HF-induced metabolic disorders and its action was caused by energy metabolism-mediated insulin signaling activation. Conclusions : These results demonstrate that PMR may be a beneficial therapeutic for metabolic syndrome through the improvement of hyperlipidemia, obesity, insulin resistance and hypertension.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.5-13
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• 2008

This paper proposed an environmental standard far beneficial use of dredged materials currently considered as waste materials. In Korea, even though chemical analysis of sediments are carried out frequently, their analysis results were not interrelated with the effects of biological lives due to a shortage of data, which may result in difficulty to develope Korean standards for reusing dredged materials. For these, this paper first searched existing foreign standards, analyzed local contaminated sediment data, identified their main components of contaminations and then compared clean-up standards of sediments consisting of lower and higher level. From these analyses new environmental standards considering Korean domestic circumstances are proposed. It is judged that newly proposed standards are appropriate in terms of both Korean national sedimental environments and economical recycling aspects because environmental standard levels proposed are higher than background level of sediments in Korea and foreign country's standards, where many experiences and environmental monitoring works have been already performed.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.772-779
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• 2005

The objectives of this study were to examine problems with using F$_1$ data by simulation, association of marker loci and QTL from crosses of inbred parental lines and to enumerate the preliminary characterization of genetic superiority within inbred parental lines. In this study, the association between markers for QTL used as covariates and estimates of variance components due to effects of lines was investigated through computer simulation. The effects of size of population to develop inbred lines and initial frequencies and magnitudes of effects of QTL were also considered. Results show that estimates of variance components due to line effects are influenced by including marker information as covariates in the model for analysis. Estimates of line variance were increased by adding marker information into the analysis, because negative covariances between effects associated with the markers and the remaining effects associated with other loci existed. However, the fit of the model as indicated by the log likelihood improved by adding more markers as covariates into the analysis. Marker assisted selection will be beneficial when markers explain unexplained genetic difference during selection procedure. Markers can be used to identify QTLs affecting traits, and to select for favorable QTL alleles. To efficiently use genetic markers, location of markers at the genome must be identified. The estimates of variance due to effects of with and without marker information used as covariates in the analysis were investigated. The estimates of line variances were always increased when markers were included as covariates for the model because a negative covariance were existed.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.538-543
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• 2020

Cardiovascular diseases are a rapidly growing epidemic with high morbidity and mortality. There is an urgent need to develop nutraceutical-based therapy with minimum side effects to reduce cardiovascular risk. Panax ginseng occupies a prominent status in herbal medicine for its various therapeutic effects against inflammation, allergy, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and even cancer, with positive, beneficial, and restorative effects. The active components found in most P. ginseng varieties are known to include ginsenosides, polysaccharides, peptides, alkaloids, polyacetylene, and phenolic compounds, which are considered to be the main pharmacologically active constituents in ginseng. P. ginseng is an adaptogen. That is, it supports living organisms to maintain optimal homeostasis by exerting effects that counteract physiological changes caused by physical, chemical, or biological stressors. P. ginseng possesses immunomodulatory (including both immunostimulatory and immunosuppressive), neuromodulatory, and cardioprotective effects; suppresses anxiety; and balances vascular tone. P. ginseng has an antihypertensive effect that has been explained by its vasorelaxant action, and paradoxically, it is also known to increase blood pressure by vasoconstriction and help maintain cardiovascular health. Here, we discuss the potential adaptogenic effects of P. ginseng on the cardiovascular system and outline a future research perspective in this area.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.30 no.7
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• pp.529-536
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• 2021

The forest landscape has been considered to be one of the most beneficial factors, in regard to facilitating the therapeutic effects of the forest environment. The aim of this study was to review the preceding literary works on the correlation between forest landscape and its therapeutic effects and to ponder on key factors of forest landscape that promotes therapeutic results on people's psychological and physiological responses. Literature found in domestic research databases was analyzed and examined in accordance with the 'Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses(PRISMA)' process. Six papers out of 1,890 were selected as key literature to support the connection. The quality of forest landscape was found to be an integral environmental factor in determining the healing effects of forests. In particular, several factors, including forest types, aquatic elements within the forest landscape, forest-use density and aesthetic elements of forest landscape were found to be crucial for enhancing the therapeutic effects on people's wellbeing. Despite the limited sample groups in the analyzed literature, the results offered a significant insight in supporting the healing effects of forests. Further studies on this subject are required to provide more scientific data for verifying the quality of the therapeutic effects of forests.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers Conference
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• 2002.10b
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• pp.137-138
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• 2002

The benefits of using DLC coatings on steel in dry sliding are well known. The present study has investigated the effects of using the same materials but in a boundary lubricated environment. Tribological tests were performed using a load-scanning device and a lubricant with an extreme-pressure (EP) additive. XPS and grazing incidence XRD are used for chemical analysis. The chemical composition of the resulting tribofilm is correlated to different friction behaviors and contact loads, and indicates that high loads are beneficial for formation of low friction tribofilm.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.48
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• pp.24-30
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• 2003

Plant fats and oils contain phytosterols as naturally occurring constituents, which are present in pure or esterified form, or conjugated as glycosides. The predominant phytosterol is sitosterol and minor components are campesterol, stigmasterol, $\Delta^7$-avenasterol and brassicasterol. They play a key role in cell membrane function of plants as cholesterol in animals. Phytosterols have been known for many years for their properties for reducing blood cholesterol levels, as well as their other beneficial health effects for cancer preventive biological-active substances. The objective of this paper is to present a description of the recent advances in phytosterols for future research.