• Laboraroty Animal Research
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.57-67
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• 2017

The inhibitory effects of Asparagus cochinchinensis against inflammatory response induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), substance P and phthalic anhydride (PA) treatment were recently reported for some cell lines and animal models. To evaluate the hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity of A. cochinchinensis toward the livers and kidneys of ICR mice, alterations in related markers including body weight, organ weight, urine composition, liver pathology and kidney pathology were analyzed in male and female ICR mice after oral administration of 150, 300 and 600 mg/kg body weight/day saponin-enriched extract of A. cochinchinensis (SEAC) for 14 days. The saponin, total flavonoid and total phenol levels were found to be 57.2, 88.5 and 102.1 mg/g in SEAC, respectively, and the scavenging activity of SEAC gradually increased in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, body and organ weight, clinical phenotypes, urine parameters and mice mortality did not differ between the vehicle and SEAC treated group. Furthermore, no significant alterations were measured in alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and the serum creatinine (Cr) in the SEAC treated group relative to the vehicle treated group. Moreover, the specific pathological features induced by most toxic compounds were not observed upon liver and kidney histological analysis. Overall, the results of the present study suggest that SEAC does not induce any specific toxicity in the livers and kidneys of male and female ICR mice at doses of 600 mg/kg body weight/day.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.251-258
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• 2019

Purpose: To assess the feasibility of the use of spin-echo echo-planar imaging (SE-EPI) magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) in livers of children and young adults. Materials and Methods: Patients (${\leq}20$ years old) who underwent 3T SE-EPI MRE were included retrospectively. Subjects were divided into three groups according to the purpose of the liver MRI: suspicion of fatty liver or focal fat deposition in the liver (FAT group), liver fibrosis after receiving a Kasai operation from biliary atresia (BA group), and hepatic iron deposition after receiving chemotherapy or transfusions (IRON group). Technical failure of MRE was defined when a stiffness map showed no pixel value with a confidence index higher than 95%, and the patients were divided as success and failure groups accordingly. Clinical findings including age, gender, weight, height, and body mass index and magnetic resonance imaging results including proton density fat fraction (PDFF), $T2^*$, and MRE values were assessed. Factors affecting failure of MRE were evaluated and the image quality in wave propagation image and stiffness map was evaluated using the appropriate scores. Results: Among total 240 patients (median 15 years, 211 patients in the FAT, 21 patients in the BA, and 8 patients in the IRON groups), technical failure was noted in six patients in the IRON group (6/8 patients, 75%), while there were no failures noted in the FAT and BA groups. These six patients had $T2^*$ values ranging from 0.9 to 3.8 ms. The image quality scores were not significantly different between the FAT and BA groups (P > 0.999), while the scores were significantly lower in the IRON group (P < 0.001). Conclusion: The 3T SE-EPI MRE in children and young adults had a high technical success rate. The technical failure was occurred in children with decreased $T2^*$ value (${\leq}3.8ms$) from iron deposition.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.342-351
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• 2006

This study was carried out to estimate the contents of heavy metals in big marine 17 kinds of fishes (n=89) which had been sold at wholesale market in Seoul from January to December in 2005. The contents of mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), chrome (Cr), copper (Cu) and arsenic (As) were measured by the mercury analyzer and atomic spectrophotometer (AAS) in the flesh, liver, and gill part. The values of heavy metals in fishes were as follows ($Mean{\pm}SD$, mg/kg). The average contents of heavy metals in the fishes were Hg $0.08{\pm}0.01mg/kg$, Pb $0.17{\pm}0.32mg/kg$, Cd $0.34{\pm}0.07mg/kg$, Cr $0.05{\pm}0.05mg/kg$, Cu $1.14{\pm}0.13mg/kg$, As $0.24{\pm}0.22mg/kg$. Of the heavy metals detected in 3 parts, liver was measured highly in the all heavy metals. Of the heavy metals detected in countries, Hg, Pb, and Cu were measured highly in New Zealand, Cd and As in Norway, Cr in Korea. The range of heavy metal contents in imported and domestic fishes are low level, except of mercury contents of imported Yellow porgy (n=2), compared with regulation value of anther nations and Korea. And the contents of heavy metal in the imported fishes are natural. By correlation coefficients between fish livers of all subjects, a significant correlation was found Hg (r=0.989, p<0.01), Pb (r=0.978, p<0.01), Cd (r=0.991, p<0.01), Cu (r=0.998, p<0.01), As (r=0.198, p<0.05) in fish livers and flesh.

• The Korean Journal of Zoology
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.50-56
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• 1969

The present investigation involves a comparative study of enzymatic activities in various animals. The levels of the liver protein of rat (22.0$\pm$0.01mg/ml and pigeon (22.0$\pm$ 0.16) are twice as high as that of crucian carp (13.0$\pm$ 0.09)(p < 0.01). Generally, the specific acitivity (3.77 $\pm$0.18 unit/mg) of rat glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT) is highest, pigeon intermediate (1.93 $\pm$0.01), and crucian carp lowest (0.71$\pm$0.07). On the other hand, the specific activity (8.23$\pm$0.09 unit/mg)of rat glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) is highest, pigeon intermediate (3.95$\pm$0.09), and crucian carp lowest (0.92$\pm$0.01) (p < 0.01). Ratios of GOT activity to GPT activity appear no remarkable difference from the levels of various animals. Specific activity of glutamic dehydrogenase(GDH) in pigeon tissue exceeds those of rat and crucian carp. In liver, rat GOT specific activity is greater than crucian carp and pigeon. On the other hand, pigeon GDH specific activity is greater than those of rat and crucian carp. This wouls seem to be in accord with protein metabolic intensity. The patterns for GDH isozyme were remarkably appeared in various animals. Glutamic dehydrogenase isozymes gave different electrophoretic mobilities in various animals. It is interesting that crucian carp, pigeon, and rat would show this difference, which may be indicative of an evolutional pattern. The fact that livers in various animals show quite different enzyme activities would suggest the existence of such a general phylogenetic relationship.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.1084-1098
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• 2023

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Previous research has shown maternal betaine supplementation alleviates fetal-derived hepatic steatosis. Therefore, this study examined the anti-inflammatory effect of maternal betaine intake in offspring mice and its mechanism. MATERIALS/METHODS: Female C57BL/6J mice and their offspring were randomly divided into 3 groups according to the treatment received during gestation and lactation: control diet (CD), fatty liver disease (FLD), and fatty liver disease + 1% betaine (FLD-BET). The FLD group was given a high-fat diet and streptozotocin (HFD + STZ), and the FLD-BET group was treated with HFD + STZ + 1% betaine. After weaning, the offspring mice were given a normal diet for 5 weeks and then dissected to measure the relevant indexes. RESULTS: Compared to the CD group, the offspring mice in the FLD group revealed obvious hepatic steatosis and increased serum levels of alanine aminotransferase, interleukin (IL)-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α; maternal betaine supplementation reversed these changes. The hepatic mRNA expression levels of IL-6, IL-18, and Caspase-1 were significantly higher in the FLD group than in the CD group. Maternal betaine supplementation reduced the expression of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-18, and apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing C-terminal caspase recruitment domain (ASC). Maternal betaine supplementation also reversed the increasing protein expressions of nitric oxide dioxygenase-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3), ASC, Caspase-1, IL-1β, and IL-18 in offspring mice exposed to HFD + STZ. Maternal betaine supplementation decreased the homocysteine (Hcy) and s-adenosine homocysteine (SAH) levels significantly in the livers. Furthermore, the hepatic Hcy concentrations showed significant inverse relationships with the mRNA expression of TNF-α, NLRP3, ASC, and IL-18. The hepatic SAH concentration was inversely associated with the IL-1β mRNA expression. CONCLUSIONS: The lipotropic and anti-inflammatory effect of maternal betaine supplementation may be associated with the inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome in the livers of the offspring mice.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.613-619
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• 2000

We investigated the expression profiles of rat fibrotic liver induced by bile duct ligation and scission (BDL/S) using the 3'-directed cDNA libraries. The possibility that the 3'-directed cDNA library represents the mRNA population faithfully was examined by northern blots. During the northern analysis based on fibrotic liver expression profile, we found for the first time that purine specific sodium nucleoside cotransporter (SPNT) was upregulated in BDL/S-induced fibrotic liver. To determine whether the accumulation of bile juice could affect the expression of SPNT mRNA or not, we examined the change of SPNT mRNA expression at 3, 14, 28 days after BDL/S operation. No change in SPNT expression was observed in rat liver at 3 days after surgery. In contrast, there were significant increases in SPNT expression at 14 and 28 days after surgery. We also examined whether chronic liver damage affected SPNT mRNA expression. SPNT mRNA level was significantly increased in BDL/S-induced fibrotic rat liver, whereas no significant change was obserbed in fibrotic livers chronically exposed to carbon tetrachloride or dimethylnitrosamine. From the above results, although further study might be needed, it was considered that the increment of SPNT mRNA in BDL/S liver morphological compatibility to human was remarkable.

• Nutritional Sciences
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.127-134
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• 2003

This study investigates the effects of a raw diet (RD) on blood glucose and lipid metabolism in non-diabetic (normal) and streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Male Sprague-Dawley vats were assigned to four groups (normal control, normal RD, diabetic control, and diabetic RD), for the four-week experimental period. The control groups were fed the AIN diet and the RD groups were fed a diet consisting only of raw materials. Weight gain was statistically lower in the RD group than the control. fasting plasma glucose was significantly lower in the diabetic RD group compared to the diabetic control group. The levels of triglycerides (TG), and of total cholesterol (TC) and LDL-cholesterol in the plasma, were lower in the RD groups than the control groups, but not significantly. There was a statistically significant decrease in the levels of TG and TC in the livers of the diabetic RD group, compared to the diabetic control group. The fecal levels of total lipids, TG, and TC were significantly higher in the RD groups, compared to the non-RD groups. It can be postulated that this raw diet may possess substantial hypoglycemic/hypolipidemic properties in diabetic rats.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.471-475
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• 1997

Livers isolated from 18 hours fasted rats were subjected to N$_{2}$ hypoxia (for 45 min) followed by reoxygenation (for 45 min). The perfusion medium used was Krebs-Henseleit bicarbonate buffer (KHBB, pH 7.4). Lactate and alanine were added as gluconeogenic and ureagenic substrates and Trolox C was also added to perfusate. Oxygen consumption, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alanine transaminase (ALT), total glutathione, oxidized glutathione, bile flow, glucose and urea were measured. After hypoxia oxygen consumption significantly dropped but Trolox C had no influence on this decrease. ALT and LDH were significantly increased by hypoxia/reoxygenation. This increase was markedly attenuated in the presence of Trolox C. The total glutathione and oxidized glutathione efflux increased following hypoxia, which were prevented by the treatment of Trolox C. Bile flow rate decreased following hypoxia/reoxygenation but did not continue to decrease in the reoxygenation phase by Trolox C. Following hypoxia/reoxygenation glucose and urea releases decreased. Trolox C had no influence on inhibition of glucose and urea production. These results suggest that Trolox C protected the liver cells against hypoxia/reoxygenation injury, yielding further evidence for a causative role of oxidative stress in this model.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Library and Information Science
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.19-33
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• 1997

The content systems of Shinjung Tongguk Yoji Sungnam(신증동국여지승람, A Korean Geography Published in Chosen Dynasty) consist of 26 items and the main subject comprises administration, military and geography, This book does not suggest a simple geography but a comprehensive bibliography as an administrative guide book of a nation or a military operation manual. In particular, this book is made much of as a more valuable material in elevating the quality of the geographic book since it contained a 'Cheyong(제영)' item and reinforced the fields of humanities which could not be found out in other geography. The verses of Cheyong are recorded in the documents in the Chungchong, Kyungsang and Chulla Provinces, and these recorded verses In the tree provinces are more than half of the whole country's. The objects of recitation in the these verses are related to such natural phenomena and historic relics as the mountains, the livers, the wails and the royal tombs.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.371-378
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• 2013

Serum and liver metabolites in rats fed red ginseng (RG) were analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The mass data were analyzed by partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) to discriminate between control and RG groups and identify metabolites contributing to this discrimination. The RG group was clearly separated from the control group on PLS-DA scores plot for serum samples, but not liver samples. The major metabolites contributing to the discrimination included lipid metabolites (lysophosphatidylcholine, acyl-carnitine, and sphingosine), isoleucine, nicotinamide, and corticosterone in the serum; the blood levels of all but isoleucine were reduced by RG administration. Not all metabolites were positively correlated with the health benefits of RG. However, the blood levels of lysophosphatidylcholine, which stimulate various diseases, and long-chain acylcarnitines and corticosterone, which activate the stress response, were reduced by RG, suggesting long-term RG might relieve stress and prevent physiological and biological problems.