• Toxicological Research
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.241-248
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• 2019

Pesticide exposure may induce biochemical alterations including oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation. However, in the context of developmental origin of health and disease, putative trans-generational effect of exposure to pesticides are insufficiently studied. We therefore aimed to evaluate the biochemical effect of gestational exposure to four pesticides on female Wistar rats and their offspring at adult age. We studied 30 female nulliparous Wistar rats divided into 5 equal groups. Group 1 served as the control group and received distilled water while group 2, 3, 4 and 5 received orally pesticide 1 (imidacloprid), pesticide 2 (chlorpyrifos), pesticide 3 (imidacloprid + lambda cyhalothrin) and pesticide 4 (oxamyl) respectively once daily throughout gestation at a dose equivalent to 1/10 lethal dose 50. The mothers were followed up until one month post gestation. The offspring were followed up from birth until adult age (12 weeks). In all animals at each time point we evaluated malondialdehyde (MDA), oxidative stress and liver function enzymes. There was similar variation of total body weight in all the groups during and after gestation. However, Female Wistar rats of the exposed groups had significant alterations in liver SOD (-30.8% to +64.1%), catalase (-38.8% to -85.7%) and GSH (-29.2% to -86.5%) and; kidney catalase (> 100%), GSH (> 100%). Moreover, MDA, alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) levels were significantly higher in pesticide exposed rats compared to the control group. Similar alterations in antioxidant enzymes, MDA and liver function enzymes were observed in offspring of treated rats evidenced at weaning and persisting until adult age. Exposure to pesticides causes oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation in exposed female Wistar rats and their offspring. The persistence in offspring at adult age suggests transgenerational adverse effects.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.242-257
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• 2019

The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) stretches two kilometers north and south from the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) of South and North Korea. This area was established as a weapons-free buffer zone when an armistice agreement was signed in 1953. However, there have been several very high-tension military standoffss over the past 65 years. On the South Korean side, civilian access to the Civilian Control Line (CCL) and beyond to the north has been restricted, and natural heritage has been well maintained. Natural heritage is defined as living things, their habitat and non-living things of the ecosystem which deserve to be protected. Research shows that a variety of flora and fauna, their habitat, marshes and geographical structures are found across the DMZ region. Although the DMZ region has not been such a good place for habitat conservation, we can say that this area may be the best location for restoration in terms of its variety of ecosystems and considerable land size. Restoration of course depends on future plans and management policies. This area, including the DMZ and the well-protected north of the CCL, will be the best habitat for endangered species of wild fauna and flora if we classify the various habitat types and create a habitat map. In doing this project, we need to include the estuary of the Han River and the lagoon (brackish water lake) of the East Sea coast. In addition, we must establish long-term plans for conservation and sustainable use and do international scientific research across the DMZ region in collaboration with scientists of South and North Korea and international experts. Mutual cooperation between the two Koreas for investigation and conservation efforts is paramount.

• Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.57-63
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• 2019

This study was conducted to find out the effect that ${\kappa}-Carrageenan$ has on the properties of dog sperm when it was added to the cryoprotectant. Extender basically was contained 1.21 g Trizma base, 0.67 g citric acid, 0.4 g glucose, 0.03 g penicillin G, 0.05 g streptomycin sulfate. Extender1 was added with 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3%, and 0.5% carrageenan, while extender2 was supplemented with glycerol. After freezing-thawing, the motility, viability, acrosome integrity, apoptosis, and ROS (reactive oxygen specifications) of sperm were measured to analyze the effects of the supplementation of carrageenan. Total Motile (TM), Rapid Progressive Motile (RPM), Medium Progressive Motile (MPM), and Immotile were measured through the CASA system after thawing in 37 degree water. Extender with 0.2% ${\kappa}-carrageenan$ ($64.26{\pm}0.49$) was significantly higher than control ($40.24{\pm}8.27$) (p < 0.05). RPMs of extender with 0.1%, 0.2% ${\kappa}-carrageenan$ ($57.64{\pm}6.34$, $56.47{\pm}1.35$) were significantly higher than the other groups (p < 0.05). Acrosome integrity was measured by dyeing to PSA-FITC with an epifluorescence microscope. Normal acrosome ratio of extender with 0.5% ${\kappa}-carrageenan$ ($61{\pm}8.03$) was higher than the other groups (p < 0.05). Apoptosis was measured with a FACSCalibur flow cytometer using FITC (FITC Annexin V Apoptosis Detection Kit). Treated groups of ${\kappa}-carrageenan$ of 0.1% ($0.81{\pm}0.05$), 0.2% ($0.85{\pm}0.05$) were significantly higer (p < 0.05) than control. Modified SYBR/PI staining was used for determination of viability and DCF staining was used for evaluation of ROS. Viability and ROS were not significantly different from other groups. In conclusion, adding a certain concentration of carrageenan to the extender of cryopreservation, carrageenan contributes to the improvement of the sperm motility, acrosome integrity and prevention of apoptosis.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.45-51
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• 2019

This study is to investigate the effects of the physical activity and intake of improved food levels on male body compositions. Forty men were assigned to a percentage of body fat (PBF) group (20 men with physical exercise and food) and CONTROL group (20 men with exercise, food intake is free) for this six-month study. An aerobic capacity test to measure maximum oxygen consumption ($VO_2$ max) was performed to precisely determine the exercise intensities during the experimental conditions. After exercise and food control, the body weight of 20s with exercise and food (A) and only exercise (B) decreased about 2.3 kg and 0.4 kg after 6 months, respectively. If the p-values were 0.697(between baseline and 3 months), 0.535(between 3 months and 6 months), and 0.617(between baseline and 6 months), respectively, then 20s men had evidence of that a significant main effect does not exist amongst the observations of the outcome or within-weights. Their skeletal muscle mass (SMM) of both groups increased slightly through exercise. Although the decrease in total body weight of 30s was correlated with the increase in SMM, there was not shown significant. While total body water decreased in 20s, 40s, and 50s except 30s men, all other values did not shown significant differences. The physical activity and intake of improved food levels were contributed with lost a lot of weight, decrease of SMM and body fat.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.77-85
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• 2021

Hydroponic cultivation, in which crops are grown without soil and are unaffected by the weather, has many advantages over conventional soil cultivation. The crop's growth can be further accelerated by using nutrient solution in place of water. This study investigated the growth and physicochemical properties of hydroponic barley sprouts under various nutrient solution and artificial light treatments. The shoot, root, and total plant length increased over time, with the fastest growth occurring in the nutrient solution and light-emitting diode (LED) treatments. Fresh and dry plant weights were higher in the fluorescent lamp treatment than in the LED treatment. Barley sprout powder color differed slightly by treatment, with the Hunters L value ranging from 50.79 to 53.77; Hunters a value from -6.70 to -4.42; and Hunters b value from 13.35 to 14.76. The Hunters L and Hunters b values were highest in the LED treatment, whereas the Hunters a value was relatively highest in the fluorescent lamp treatment. The total phenol content was higher in the control than in the nutrient solution treatment; however, the total flavonoid content showed the opposite pattern to that of total phenol content, being highest in plants that were grown in nutrient solution. The Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) was higher in the control group than in the nutrient solution group. The ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) was higher in the fluorescent treatment group than in the LED treatment group. The total amino acid composition ranged from 106.82 to 122.63 mg/g dry powder, with the essential amino acid composition ranging from 47.01 to 56.19 mg/g, and non-essential amino acid composition from 67.86 to 77.66 mg/g. The most frequently detected compositional amino acid was aspartic acid, followed by glutamic acid, alanine, leucine, and valine.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.53 no.6
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• pp.570-582
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• 2020

Purpose: Obesity is a risk factor for various adult diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardio-cerebrovascular disease, and cancer. With an increasing obesity population worldwide, the prevention of obesity with natural components has emerged as an alternative health care strategy. Ramulus mori (Sangzhi, RM) is widely used as a traditional herbal medicine in East Asia. It contains various phytochemicals, including stilbenes and 2-arylbenzofurans. In this study, we compared the anti-obesity effects of RM extracts and its major stilbene components (mulberroside A [MSA] and oxyresveratrol [ORT]) in high fat diet (HFD)-fed obese mice. Methods: Five week-old, male C57BL/6J mice were grouped into 7 experimental groups: normal diet (ND), HFD, HFD + 1% RM water extracts (MW), HFD + 0.1% MSA, HFD + 1% RM ethanol extracts (ME), HFD + 0.1% ORT, and HFD + 1% Garcinia cambogia extracts (GC) as a positive control. All mice were fed experimental diet for 13 weeks. Results: Compared to the HFD group, total body weight and weekly body weight gain were significantly decreased in the ME, ORT, and GC groups. Glucose tolerance level was significantly decreased in all experimental groups, whereas plasma insulin level was decreased in MSA, ME, ORT and GC groups. Plasma glucose, triglyceride (TG), and total cholesterol levels were significantly decreased, whereas high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were increased in the MSA, ORT, and GC groups. Hepatic TG accumulation was also significantly decreased in the MSA, ME, ORT, and GC groups. Adipose tissue weight and size of adipocytes were significantly decreased in the MSA, ME and ORT groups, and were comparable to values obtained in the GC group. The levels of adiponectin and SREBP1c mRNA expressions were increased in the ORT and GC groups. Conclusion: These results indicate that ME, ORT and MSA exert significant anti-obesity effect, and have the potential to be developed as a weight control ingredient of functional foods.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.30 no.12
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• pp.1054-1062
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• 2020

This study was designed to investigate whether extracts from Oxya chinensis sinuosa Mistshenk (an edible insect considered a grasshopper) could inhibit the activity of carbohydrate digestive enzymes and alleviate postprandial hyperglycemia in diabetic mice. Oxya chinensis sinuosa Mistshenk was extracted with 80% ethanol (OEE) or water (OWE) and then concentrated. The carbohydrate digestive enzyme-inhibiting activity of the resulting extracts was evaluated by examining α-glucosidase and α-amylase. The IC50 values of OEE against α-glucosidase and α-amylase were 0.229 mg/ml and 0.106 mg/ml, respectively. This result indicated that OEE has stronger inhibitory effects than OWE and positive control. The blood glucose levels of the diabetic control mice increased after one meal. However, when OEE (300 mg/kg) was added to starch, this increase in postprandial blood glucose levels was significantly suppressed. The area under the curve also significantly decreased following the administration of OEE, which exhibited no cytotoxicity. These results indicate that OEE is more efficacious than OWE and may be used as a carbohydrate digestive enzyme inhibitor, delay carbohydrate digestion and glucose absorption, and thus alleviate postprandial hyperglycemia caused by dietary carbohydrates.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.275-283
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• 2020

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of the addition of enzymes and microorganisms to broiler feed on productivity, carcass characteristics, intestinal microflora, and feces odor. A total of one-hundred eighty 180 chicks (Ross 308) were randomly assigned to 5 treatments with 3 replications each having 12 birds per pen. The experimental group was divided into 0.1% EZ group (0.1% metallo-protease added to the feed), 0.2% EZ group (0.2% metallo-protease added to the feed), M group (2.0% Bacillus veleznesis CE 100 added to the feed), and MW group (2.0% Bacillus veleznesis CE 100 added to the feed and drinking water). In the results, final body weight, body weight gain, the feed conversion ratio, protein efficiency, and energy efficiency were not significantly different among all treatments in across all periods. Carcass weight, proventriculus, gizzard, heart, small intestine, cecum, and rectum weight were not significantly different among all of the treatments. However the liver weight was significantly higher in the 0.1% EZ group than in the control, M and MW groups (P< 0.05). E. coli was significantly lower in MW than in the control and M (P<0.05), and it was significantly higher in the M than 0.2% EZ and MW (P<0.05). H2S emissions in feces was not significantly different among all treatments, but NH3 emissions was were significantly higher in 0.1% EZ than in MW (P<0.05). In conclusion, the addition of 0.1% of metallo-protease was effective in the development of the liver of broilers.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.321-333
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• 2021

Purpose: Reflux esophagitis is a disease caused by the reflux of stomach contents and stomach acid etc. into the esophagus due to defect in the lower esophageal sphincter and is currently increasing worldwide. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of a mixture of Citrus Reticulata and Scutellariae Radix (CS) extract on acute reflux esophagitis in rats. Methods: Rats were divided into five groups for examination: normal group (Normal, n = 8), water-treated acute reflux esophagitis rats (Control, n = 8), tocopherol 30 mg/kg body weight-treated acute reflux esophagitis rats (Toco, n = 8), CS 100 mg/kg body weight-treated acute reflux esophagitis rats (CS100, n = 8), CS 200 mg/kg body weight-treated acute reflux esophagitis rats (CS200, n = 8). The experimental groups were administrated of each treatment compounds and after 90 min, acute reflux esophagitis was induced through surgery. Rats were sacrificed 5 h after surgery. We measured the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in serum and analyzed the expression of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, inflammatory, and tight junction-related proteins by western blot in the esophageal tissues. Results: CS administration significantly protected the esophageal mucosal damage due to reflux esophagitis, and the level of ROS in the serum was significantly reduced with CS administration as compared to Control. In addition, CS administration significantly suppressed mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK or MAP kinase) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) pathways and increased protein expressions of tight junction protein. Conclusion: These results suggest that the CS not only regulates the expression of inflammatory proteins by inhibiting oxidative stress, but also reduces damage to the esophageal mucosa by inhibiting the expression of tight junction proteins.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.100 no.2
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• pp.232-239
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• 2011

This study was performed to find out the persimmon vinegar as a functional drink on reducing blood lipids and enhancing exercise performance. For these, thirty two Sprague-Dawley male rats were divided into 4 groups; control (CONT), water placebo with high fat diet control (ACON), high fat diet with 2.5 times diluted persimmon vinegar ingestion (PV2.5), and high fat diet with 5.0 times diluted persimmon vinegar ingestion (PV5.0). Body weight was not different. Abdominal fat pads were statistically reduced in PV2.5 and PV5.0 compared to CONT and ACON. Blood glucose was not significant but TC, LDL-C and TG were lower in PV2.5 and PV5.0 than other groups, and HDL-C in PV2.5 was the highest among groups. Glycogen contents in the muscle and liver were higher in PV2.5 and PV5.0 compared to CONT and ACON. These results suggested that persimmon vinegar ingestion may inhibit the blood lipids increase and increase glycogen storage which possibly enhancing exercise performance. Therefore, persimmon vinegar has the possibility as the functional drink.