• Journal of Korean Medicine for Obesity Research
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.15-24
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• 2011

Objectives Our purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between depression, stress, and obesity indexes. Methods This study was performed in 110 healthy overweight and obese(BMI${\geq}23\;kg/m^2$) women in Korea. Subjects underwent abdominal CT(computed tomography) scanning and were asked to complete Beck depression inventory(BDI), social readjustment rating scale(SRRS), and stress response inventory(SRI) questionnaires. Weight, body-mass index(BMI), waist circumference(WC), and waist-hip ratio(WHR) were evaluated. Subjects were given written consent and this study was performed under permission of institutional review board of KyunHee University Hospital at Gangdong. Results 1. BDI and SRI were significantly correlated with VFA(visceral fat area)(p<0.05). However, other obesity indexes were not significantly correlated with BDI and SRI(p>0.05). 2. SRRS was not significantly correlated with all obesity indexes(p>0.05). Conclusions This study suggests that depression and stress might be correlated with visceral fat, and this result would be helpful for planning a treatment schedule of obese patients with depression or stress in the clinic.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.571-582
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• 1994

Three livestock/crop demonstration-cum-training farms have been established on plots of half, one and two acres, typical of the "Kandyan Forest Garden System" Vegetables, bananas, pepper, coffee, coconut and fruit trees are widely spaced, for intercropping with grass, and have been surrounded with live fences that also provide fodder for livestock to increase the family income. Each unit is operated by a selected employee and his family under a monthly incentive scheme based upon the gross margin. On these farms the technical parameters in dairying are better than elsewhere in the Mid-Country. Economic performance over 1985-1992 showed that dairying contributed most to the total gross margin of the half, one and two acre units, i.e. 31, 63 and 69%, respectively. Next came crops (29%, 37% and 19%), poultry (22%, 0% and 9%), and goats (18%, 0% and 3%). In the three farms the cash income per Sri Lankan Rupee spent was 1.5, 4.6 and 2.1, respectively. The overall ratio was 3.2 for dairying, 1.1 for poultry, 4.5 for goats and 9.9 for crops. Actual family labour in the three farms was 548, 548 and 639 days, compared to the 270, 330 and 440 days anticipated in the initial feasibility study. The average incentive payments, which were 20% (half acre), 61% (one acre) and 133% (two acres) of the parastatal salary of the employee, were only insufficient for the extra labour applied in the half acre unit. Dairying and goats proved to be attractive cash earners with a domestic fuel were important benefits. Poultry did little to improve farm income.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.73-80
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• 2016

Colorectal cancer is a very prevalent diagnosed cancer. The current study was performed in order to examine the role of BRAE (Basella rubra aqueous extract) in regulating aberrant crypt foci (ACF) formation, cell proliferation and inhibition of apoptosis in a colon carcinogenesis model in male Wistar rats. Rats were randomly allocated into six groups. Group I served as control, and group II acted as a drug control administered BRAE (250mg/kg b.w.) orally for 30 weeks. Rats in group III-VI were given subcutaneous injections of DMH (25mg/kg b.w. weekly) for 15 weeks to initiate colon carcinogenesis. Those in group IV and VI were administered BRAE along with DMH injections. Rats in group V were administered with BRAE after cessation of DMH injection. After 30 weeks of experimental period colons were obtained from experimental groups and analyzed for ACF incidence, argyrophilic nucleolar organizing region-associated proteins (AgNOR) count, histopathological and immunohistochemical changes. Only in DMH exposed groups were ACF and AgNOR numbers increased. Administration of BRAE appreciably decreased the numbers of ACF and AgNOR in BRAE treated groups. Histopathological findings revealed a high level of dysplastic changes with decreased number of goblet cells found only in only DMH injected rats. Administration of BRAE in treated group rats reversed these changes. Expression markers for cell proliferation (PCNA and Ki67) were elevated in DMH treated rats, but reduced with BRAE treatement. This expression was reversed with apoptosis markers (p53 and Caspase-3). Thus the results results of the present study were found to be significant and confirmed the potential efficacy of BRAE against colon carcinogenesis.

• ALGAE
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.75-86
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• 2017

Polysaccharides of marine algae exhibit different structural characteristics and interesting biological functions. In this study, crude polysaccharides (CP) of eleven Sri Lankan marine algae obtained through hot water extraction and ethanol precipitation were investigated for DPPH, alkyl, and hydroxyl radical scavenging activities using electron spin resonance spectrometry and for intracellular reactive oxygen species scavenging activity in the Chang liver cell line. Characterization of CPs was done by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and by analysis of the monosaccharide composition. Time-dependent density functional theory quantum-chemical calculations at the RB3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level for constructed dimeric units of the corresponding polysaccharides were used to resolve the FTIR spectra. CPs from Chnoospora minima showed the highest DPPH and alkyl radical scavenging activities and higher intracellular reactive oxygen species scavenging effects for both AAPH and $H_2O_2$ induced ROS production in "Chang" cells. The major polysaccharide constituent in C. minima CP was identified as fucoidan and it displayed a higher sulfate content. The degree of sulfation of these polysaccharides suggests a positive correlation with the observed antioxidant properties.

• The Korean journal of internal medicine
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.338-346
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• 2024

Background/Aims: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) responder index (SRI)-4 response has been achieved with belimumab treatment in patients with moderate disease activity in cornerstone clinical trials and following studies. However, most studies involved patients treated with a mean prednisolone-equivalent dose of approximately 10 mg/d and focused on the steroid-sparing effect of belimumab. We aimed to identify the effect of belimumab in patients with mild-to-moderate SLE who were treated with low-dose or no corticosteroids. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the electronic medical records of patients treated with belimumab for at least 6 months between May 2021 and June 2022. The primary endpoint was SRI-4 response at 6 months. Results: Thirty-one patients were included (13 low dose- and 18 steroid non-users). The mean age was 39.2 ± 11.4 years, and 90.3% of patients were female. The baseline Safety of Estrogens in Lupus Erythematosus National Assessment-Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SELENA-SLEDAI) score was 6.0 (4.0-9.0). The primary endpoint was achieved in 32.3% (10/31) of patients. Significant improvements in anemia, C4 levels, and SELENA-SLEDAI score were observed during treatment. Univariate analysis showed that the baseline SELENA-SLEDAI and arthritis were significantly associated with SRI-4 response at 6 months, and only the SELENA-SLEDAI remained significant (p = 0.014) in multivariate analysis. Conclusions: This cohort study is the first to report the efficacy of belimumab after minimizing the effect of corticosteroids. Belimumab showed efficacy in improving the SELENA-SLEDAI score, anemia, and low C4 in patients who did not receive corticosteroids or received only low doses.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.117-131
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• 2020

The adsorption of N-[(E)-Pyridin-2-ylmethylidene] aniline, a Schiff base, on to mild steel surface in 1M HCl and 0.5 M H₂SO₄ solutions and the consequent corrosion protection were studied employing weight loss method, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and potentiodynamic polarization measurements. DFT calculations were performed to investigate its interaction with the metal surface at the atomic level to understand its inhibition mechanism. The adsorption process is well described by the Langmuir isotherm. The thermodynamic parameters indicated that the adsorption is spontaneous and the interaction of the inhibitor at the mild steel surface is mainly through physisorption. The R_a values obtained in AFM studies for the uninhibited and inhibited sample in HCl media respectively are 0.756 and 0.559 ㎛, and that in H₂SO₄ media are 0.411 and 0.406 ㎛. The lesser roughness values of the inhibited sample shows the adsorption of the molecules onto the mild surface. The inhibition efficiencies were found to improve with concentration of the inhibitor and the maximum efficiency was observed at 400ppm in all the investigation methods adopted. The inhibitor was found to exhibit a higher efficiency in HCl media (95.7%) than in H₂SO₄ (92.8%). The theoretical and experimental results are found to be in good agreement.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.1761-1769
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• 2018

Enzyme-assisted extraction is a cost-effective, safe, and efficient method to obtain bioactives from plant materials. During this study, 10 different marine algae from Sri Lanka were individually extracted by using five commercial food-grade carbohydrases. The enzymatic and water extracts of the seaweeds were analyzed for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. The highest DPPH, hydrogen peroxide ($H_2O_2$) and intracellular $H_2O_2$ scavenging abilities were observed from the Celluclast extract of Sargassum polycystum (CSp). CSp exerted protective effects against oxidative stress-induced cell death in hydrogen peroxide-induced Chang cells and in model zebrafish. The Celluclast extract of Chnoospora minima (CCm) showed the strongest anti-inflammatory activity against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced NO production in RAW 264.7 macrophages ($IC_{50}=44.47{\mu}g/mL$) and in model zebrafish. CCm inhibited the levels of iNOS, COX-2, $PGE_2$, and TNF-${\alpha}$ in LPS stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Hence, CSp and CCm could be utilized in developing functional ingredients for foods, and cosmeceuticals.

• Journal of Applied and Pure Mathematics
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• v.6 no.1_2
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• pp.55-69
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• 2024

Let a graph G = (V, E) be a (p, q) graph. Define $${\rho}=\{\array{{\frac{p}{2}} && p\;\text{is even} \\ {\frac{p-1}{2}} && p\;\text{is odd,}}$$ and M = {±1, ±2, … ± 𝜌} called the set of labels. Consider a mapping λ : V → M by assigning different labels in M to the different elements of V when p is even and different labels in M to p - 1 elements of V and repeating a label for the remaining one vertex when p is odd. The labeling as defined above is said to be a pair mean cordial labeling if for each edge uv of G, there exists a labeling $\frac{{\lambda}(u)+{\lambda}(v)}{2}$ if λ(u) + λ(v) is even and $\frac{{\lambda}(u)+{\lambda}(v)+1}{2}$ if λ(u) + λ(v) is odd such that ${\mid}\bar{\mathbb{s}}_{{\lambda}_1}-\bar{\mathbb{s}}_{{\lambda}^c_1}{\mid}\,{\leq}\,1$ where $\bar{\mathbb{s}}_{{\lambda}_1}$ and $\bar{\mathbb{s}}_{{\lambda}^c_1}$ respectively denote the number of edges labeled with 1 and the number of edges not labeled with 1. A graph G with a pair mean cordial labeling is called a pair mean cordial graph. In this paper, we investigate the pair mean cordial labeling behavior of some union of graphs.

• Journal of Applied and Pure Mathematics
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• v.4 no.3_4
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• pp.85-97
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• 2022

Let a graph G = (V, E) be a (p, q) graph. Define $${\rho}\;=\;\{\array{{\frac{p}{2}}&p\text{ is even}\\{\frac{p-1}{2}}\;&p\text{ is odd,}}$$ and M = {±1, ±2, ⋯ ± 𝜌} called the set of labels. Consider a mapping λ : V → M by assigning different labels in M to the different elements of V when p is even and different labels in M to p - 1 elements of V and repeating a label for the remaining one vertex when p is odd. The labeling as defined above is said to be a pair mean cordial labeling if for each edge uv of G, there exists a labeling $\frac{{\lambda}(u)+{\lambda}(v)}{2}$ if λ(u) + λ(v) is even and $\frac{{\lambda}(u)+{\lambda}(v)+1}{2}$ if λ(u) + λ(v) is odd such that ${\mid}\bar{\mathbb{S}}_{{\lambda}_1}-\bar{\mathbb{S}}_{{\lambda}^c_1}{\mid}{\leq}1$ where $\bar{\mathbb{S}}_{{\lambda}_1}$ and $\bar{\mathbb{S}}_{{\lambda}^c_1}$ respectively denote the number of edges labeled with 1 and the number of edges not labeled with 1. A graph G for which there exists a pair mean cordial labeling is called a pair mean cordial graph. In this paper, we investigate the pair mean cordial labeling of graphs which are obtained from path and cycle.

• Journal of Applied and Pure Mathematics
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• v.5 no.3_4
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• pp.237-253
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• 2023

Let a graph G = (V, E) be a (p, q) graph. Define $${\rho}=\{\array{{\frac{p}{2}} & \;\;p\text{ is even} \\ {\frac{p-1}{2}} & \;\;p\text{ is odd,}$$ and M = {±1, ±2, … ± ρ} called the set of labels. Consider a mapping λ : V → M by assigning different labels in M to the different elements of V when p is even and different labels in M to p - 1 elements of V and repeating a label for the remaining one vertex when p is odd. The labeling as defined above is said to be a pair mean cordial labeling if for each edge uv of G, there exists a labeling ${\frac{{\lambda}(u)+{\lambda}(v)}{2}}$ if λ(u) + λ(v) is even and ${\frac{{\lambda}(u)+{\lambda}(v)+1}{2}}$ if λ(u) + λ(v) is odd such that ${\mid}{\bar{{\mathbb{S}}}}_{\lambda}{_1}-{\bar{{\mathbb{S}}}}_{{\lambda}^c_1}{\mid}{\leq}1$ where ${\bar{{\mathbb{S}}}}_{\lambda}{_1}$ and ${\bar{{\mathbb{S}}}}_{{\lambda}^c_1}$ respectively denote the number of edges labeled with 1 and the number of edges not labeled with 1. A graph G for which there exists a pair mean cordial labeling is called a pair mean cordial graph. In this paper, we investigate the pair mean cordial labeling behavior of few graphs including the closed helm graph, web graph, jewel graph, sunflower graph, flower graph, tadpole graph, dumbbell graph, umbrella graph, butterfly graph, jelly fish, triangular book graph, quadrilateral book graph.