• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.85-94
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• 2012

The anti-obese, hypolipidemic and hepatoprotective effects of post-fermented green tea by Monascus pilosus was tested with mice fed with high-fat diet for 7 weeks. The body weight gain and feed efficiency ratio (FER) in normal control group (NC), CHA (2% non-fermented green tea powder supplemented high-fat diet group) and mCHA (2% green tea powder post-fermented by M. pilosus supplemented high fat diet group) groups were significantly lower than those of high fat diet control group (HC). Epididymal fat weight in mCHA and NC were significantly lower than HC. The hepatic lipid peroxide was dramatically higher in HC than that of NC and was significantly lower in CHA and mCHA. In addition, dehydrogenase type activity of xanthine oxidoreductase in HC was lower than that of NC, but significantly higher than CHA and mCHA. In histopathological findings, hepatic fat accumulation in HC was higher than that of NC, CHA and mCHA. Antiobese, hypolipidemic and antifatty liver effect of green tea powder post-fermented by M. pilosus was slightly higher than that of non-fermented green tea. In conclusion, the constituents of green tea fermented by M. pilosus has been proven to not only inhibit obesity and hyperlipidemia but also decrease the hepatic fat accumulation in high fat diet-induced obese mice.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.260-269
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• 2009

Hwabuk Dam has been under construction to reduce flood damage in Nakdong River watershed and to supply stable water for middle area of Gyeongbuk Province. Therefore, fish investigation in up and downstream of the dam was conducted from 2004 to 2008 in order to determine any negative effect on fish community due to dam construction and to use as fundamental data for conserving species diversity and maintaining stream health. According to data analysis on water quality, temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, suspended solids, and total E-coli had seasonal variation, but they did not significantly differ in sites. However, biological and chemical oxygen demand, chlorophyll-a, nitrogen, and phosphorus representing organic matter and nutrient concentration were higher in upper site and decreased to lower site so that they differed by site. Concentration of arsenic among the heavy metals was less than 0.05 mg $L^{-1}$, which is regulated for protection of human health in water quality standard, except for 0.092 mg $L^{-1}$ in June 2005. During the study period, the total number of fish caught from the 6 sites was 10,263 representing 7 families 19 species. Among them, dominant and subdominant species were Korean chub (Zacco koreanus, 62.5%) and Chinese minnow (Rhynchocypris oxycephalus, 10.6%) which inhabit mostly in mid and upper streams, Korea. Among the 19 species, Korean endemic species were 9 species (47.4%) including Korean slender gudgeon (Squalidus gracilis majimae), Korean dark sleeper (Odontobutis platycephala), and Korean shiner (Coreoleuciscus splendidus). There was several individuals of the $1^{st}$-class endangered species, Naktong nose loach (Koreocobitis nahtongensis), caught in 2005${\sim}$2007, and no introduced species of fish was found in entire sampling period. According to result of community analysis, dominance index decreased toward lower site, but diversity and richness indices increased toward lower site. The equation of length-weight relationship on the dominant species was TW=0.000003$(TL)^{3.2603}$. The parameter b in the equation was greater than 3.0 indicating good nutritional condition in the populations. Compared to populations of Korean chub in other streams, the population in Hwabuk Dam watershed had higher mean of condition factor by size indicating better growth rate. With fish fauna and multi-metric health assessment model in each sampling attempt, index of biotic integrity (IBI) was evaluated and it resulted mostly in good (26${\sim}$35) and excellent (36${\sim}$40) condition in all sites, and the mean of IBI was the highest in site 5. The results indicate that it is very important to study not only environmental impact assessment with fish composition but also stream health assessment in order to conserve healthy aquatic ecosystem.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.77-83
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• 2016

The measurement of total fresh weight of plants provides an essential indicator of crop growth for monitoring production. To measure fresh weight without damaging the vegetation, image-based methods have been developed, but they have limitations. In addition, the total plant fresh weight is difficult to measure directly in hydroponic cultivation systems because of the amount of nutrient solution. This study aimed to develop a real-time, precise method to measure the total fresh weight of Romaine lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. cv. Asia Heuk Romaine) with growth stage in a plant factory using a nutrient film technique. The total weight of the channel, amount of residual nutrient solution in the channel, and fresh shoot and root weights of the plants were measured every 7 days after transplanting. The initial weight of the channel during nutrient solution supply (Wi) and its weight change per second just after the nutrient solution supply stopped were also measured. When no more draining occurred, the final weight of the channel (Ws) and the amount of residual nutrient solution in the channel were measured. The time constant (${\tau}$) was calculated by considering the transient values of Wi and Ws. The relationship of Wi, Ws, ${\tau}$, and fresh weight was quantitatively analyzed. After the nutrient solution supply stopped, the change in the channel weight exponentially decreased. The nutrient solution in the channel slowly drained as the root weight in the channel increased. Large differences were observed between the actual fresh weight of the plant and the predicted value because the channel included residual nutrient solution. These differences were difficult to predict with growth stage but a model with the time constant showed the highest accuracy. The real-time fresh weight could be calculated from Wi, Ws, and ${\tau}$ with growth stage.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.5-15
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• 2011

Although iron is an essential mineral, excess iron intake during pregnancy may increase oxidative stress in tissues. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of iron overload during pregnancy on iron status and oxidative stress in maternal rats. Ten week-old female Sprague-Dawley rats were mated with male rats. Non-pregnant (control) and pregnant rats were fed diets containing normal Fe (35 mg/kg diet), high Fe (350 mg/kg diet), or excess Fe (1,050 mg/kg diet) during pregnancy. Rats were sacrificed on pregnancy day 19. No significant difference in weight gain, diet intake, or litter size was observed according to iron intake levels. Furthermore, serum iron, hemoglobin, and hematocrit were not different among the rats administered the three levels of Fe both in the control and pregnant groups. However, the iron levels were lower in pregnant rats than those in the control. The liver and spleen iron contents increased significantly in the excess Fe group. An increase in liver ferritin levels with increasing iron intake was observed. Protein carbonyl content, as a marker of oxidative stress, increased significantly in liver with increasing iron intake but not malondialdehyde. Glutathione peroxidase activity in the liver of pregnant rats fed excess iron decreased significantly. Bcl-2 protein expression in the liver declined remarkably with increasing maternal iron intake in pregnant rats. Taken together, iron overload during pregnancy had little effect on hematology. However, the deposits of iron in the liver and the decline in antioxidant enzyme activity implied increased oxidative stress in tissues of the excess Fe group. These results suggest that excess iron intake during pregnancy increases oxidative stress in maternal tissues and may also affect fetal tissues.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.35 no.7
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• pp.860-865
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• 2006

This study was performed to investigate the effect of ethanol and citric acid-treated anchovy, caseino-phosphopeptides (CPPs), calcium lactate, and calcium phosphate as dietary calcium supplements on calcium metabolism in rats for 5 weeks. Experimental animals were randomly assigned to five treatments with 15 heads of SD male rats (mean body wt. of 100 g) in each group. The experimental diets were as follows; dried large anchovy powder (C) as control, ethanol+citric acid group (EC), ethanol+citric acid+cpps group (ECC), calcium lactate group (CL) and calcium phosphate group (CP), which were formulated with commercial semi-purified Chow diet, while maintaining the same level of calcium in all diets (1%) groups. The weight gain of EC group was significantly higher than ECC, CL and CP groups (p<0.05), food efficiency (FER) was not different. In vitro and in vivo calcium absorption rates of ECC group treated with citric acid and CPPs were 20.4 and 28.4%, respectively, and the highest among the experimental groups (p<0.05). The blood glucose levels of CL group (105.7 mg/dL) was significantly higher than control group (98.5 mg/dL). In terms of serum lipids, total-cholesterol concentration of EC group (75.1 mg/dL) was significantly higher than CP group (65.6 mg/dL) and triglyceride concentration of CP group (33.5 mg/dL) was the lowest (p<0.05). ALP activity and 057 level were not different among experimental groups. The serum calcium concentration of control group (C) was the lowest among groups (p<0.05). The femur weight of CP group was the lowest (p<0.05) and the femur length of ECC group is the longest (P<0.05). The bone density of CP group $(0.1116\;g/cm^2)$ was the lowest while ECC group $(0.1149\;g/cm^2)$ was the highest, and the bone density was increased by added CPPs. These data demonstrated that ECC group significantly increased in vitro and in vivo calcium absorption rate, serum Ca level, and the length and bone density of femur.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.987-994
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• 2004

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of dietary seaweed in diabetic rats treated with streptozotocin (STZ) for 7 weeks. The rats (Sprague-Dawley male rats, 180∼200 g) were divided into 4 groups : normal rats fed control diet (C), diabetic rats fed control diet (CD), normal rats fed seaweed diet (M), and diabetic rats fed seaweed diet (MD). Diabetes was induced by single injection of streptozotocin (60 mg/kg, i.p.). Urinary levels of calcium and uric acid, and blood levels of hemoglobin, total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol were not significantly different among groups. But high density lipoprotein (HDL)- cholesterol of M and MD groups were higher than that of C and CD groups. Activity of hepatic microsomal G6Pase was significantly (p<0.05) lower in C and M groups than that of CD and MD groups. Hepatic glutathione S-transferase (GST) of M, CD and MD groups were significantly lower than C group (p<0.05), glutathione peroxidase (GPX) of C, M and MD groups were higher than CD group. In conclusion, dietary seaweed may improve blood lipid profiles and GSH-related enzymes in STZ-induced diabetic rats.

• Journal of agriculture & life science
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.105-115
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• 2012

The detailed proximate, fatty/amino acid, mineral composition, texture, color, chemical and taste compounds of six oysters (four kinds of cultured oysters and two kinds of wild oysters) in Korea were investigated. Length and weight of the shell removed cultured and wild oysters were 4.7~5.1 and 3.0~4.2 cm, and 5.9~9.1 and 2.6~5.5 g, respectively. The proximate compositions were not significantly different between cultured and wild oysters. Amino nitrogen and volatile basic nitrogen content of these ones were 232.8~258.2 and 160.5~213.9 mg/100 g, 9.5~12.0 and 7.8~9.5 mg/100 g, respectively. As a texture characteristic of muscle, shearing force were 95~114 and 105~132 g. Amounts of total amino acids of cultured and wild oysters were 9,004~10,198 and 8,165~8,942 mg/100 g, respectively. Major amino acids and inorganic ions were aspartic acid, glutamic acid, proline, alanine, leucine, phenylalanine, lysine, arginine and K, Na, Ca, Fe, S, P, Zn. Major fatty acids of these ones were 16:0, 18:0, 16:1n-9, 18:1n-9, 22:1n-9, 16:4n-3, 20:5n-3 and 22:6n-3, and there was little difference between the two groups. Amounts of free amino acids of cultured and wild oysters extracts were 1,444~1,620 and 1,017~1,277 mg/100 g, respectively, and major ones were taurine, glutamic acid, glycine, alanine, tryptophan, ornithine and lysine. There is a little difference in glycine, tryptophan, ornithine and arginine contents, but TMAO and TMA contents were low in amount, and were not significantly different between the two groups.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.273-278
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• 2019

The multi-layer insulating curtains used in the experiment was produced in six combinations using non-woven fabric containing aerogel and compared and analyzed by measuring heat flux and heat perfusion rates due to weight, thickness and temperature changes. Using silica aerogel, which have recently been noted as new material insulation, this study tries to produce a new combination of multi-layer insulating curtains that can complement the shortcomings of the multi-layer insulating curtains currently in use and maintain and improve its warmth, and analyze the thermal properties. The heat flux means the amount of heat passing per unit time per unit area, and the higher the value, the more heat passing through the multi-layer insulating curtain, and it can be judged that the heat retention is low. The weight and thickness of multi-layer insulation curtains were found to be highly correlated with thermal insulation. In particular, insulation curtains combined with aerogel meltblown non-woven fabric had relatively higher thermal insulation than insulation curtains with the same number of insulation materials. However, the aerogel meltblown non-woven fabric is weak in light resistance and durability, and there is a problem that the production process and aerogel are scattering. In order to solve this problems, the combination of expanded aerogel non-woven fabric and hollow fiber non-woven fabric, which are relatively simple manufacturing processes and excellent warmth, are suitable for use in real farms.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.12
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• pp.1507-1515
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• 2018

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is characterized by prostatic hypertrophy mainly in the elderly. Corni Fructus is reportedly effective in the prevention and treatment of various diseases, but its efficacy on BPH has not been previously studied. In the present study, we investigated whether or not a Corni Fructus water extract (CF) could prevent testosterone-induced prostatic hyperplasia in rats. To induce BPH, castrated rats were subcutaneously injected with testosterone propionate (TP). CF was administered daily by oral gavage, along with the TP injections, and finasteride, a selective inhibitor of $5{\alpha}$-reductase type 2, was used as a positive control. The results show that CF significantly reduces prostate weight and histopathologic changes while also decreasing levels of serum dihydrotestosterone, similar to the finasteride-treated group. CF also suppresses TP-induced $5{\alpha}$-reductase expression and concentration in prostate tissue and serum, respectively. Furthermore, CF markedly inhibited TP-induced expression of the androgen receptor (AR) and the steroid receptor coactivator 1, an AR coactivator, which was associated with a decrease in prostate-specific antigen levels in both serum and prostate tissue. In conclusion, the results of this study indicate that CF weakens BPH status by inactivation of $5{\alpha}$-reductase and AR.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.65 no.3
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• pp.197-202
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• 2021

In this study, activated clay treated with H₂SO₄ (20% by weight) and heat at 90 ℃ for 8 h for acid white soil was used as an adsorbent for the removal of PO₄^3--P in water. Prior to the adsorption experiment, the characteristics of activated clay was examined by X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry (XRF) and BET surface area analyser. The adsorption of PO₄^3--P on activated clay was steeply increased within 0.25 h and reached equilibrium at 4 h. At 5 mg/L of low PO₄^3--P concentration, roughly 98% of adsorption efficiency was accomplished by activated clay. The adsorption data of PO₄^3--P were introduced to the adsorption isotherm and kinetic models. It was seen that both Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms were applied well to describe the adsorption behavior of PO₄^3--P on activated clay. For adsorption PO₄^3--P on activated clay, the Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm coefficients, K_F and Q, were found to be 8.3 and 20.0 mg/g, respectively. The pseudo-second-order kinetics model was more suitable for adsorption of PO₄^3--P in water/activated clay system owing to the higher correlation coefficient R² and the more proximity value of the experimental value q_e,exp and the calculated value q_e,cal than the pseudo-first-order kinetics model. The results of study indicate that activated clay could be used as an efficient adsorbent for the removal of PO₄³-P from water.