• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.341-346
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• 2008

The effects of the ethanol extracts from Gynostemma pentaphyllum (GP extracts) on body weights, grip strengths, endurances and catecholamine levels after electric footshock (EF) stress in mice and rats were investigated. The animals were treated with GP extracts (50 mg/kg/day, p.o.) for 21 days before exposure to EF (duration and interval 10 sec for 3 min, 2 mA) once a day. The increases in body weights were delayed by 13.1% of the control levels by EF-induced stress in mice, which were recovered to 24.1% of the control levels in GP extract-treated groups. The grip strengths were significantly decreased by EF stress in mice and the EF-stressed groups treated with GP extracts increased grip strengths to 115.2% compared to control levels. The endurance times by forced swimming, which reduced significantly by EF stress, were also maintained similar to control levels by GP extracts in rats. In addition, the levels of norepinephrine and epinephrine in serum and brain, and dopamine in brain were significantly increased to 17.5-95.0% of the control levels after exposure of EF stress in mice. However, EF stressinduced increases in norepinephrine and epinephrine in serum were reduced to 17.1-17.3% of the control levels by treatments of GP extracts, and those in dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine in brain were also reduced to 5.0-19.5%. These results suggest that GP extracts showed the protective effects on EF stress-induced physiological functions and can be developed as the promising anti-stress agents.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.28-34
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• 2014

Rhei Rhizoma (RR) and Moutan cortex (MC) have been reported to have anti-inflammatory effects. However, little is known about the effects of RR and MC on endothelial inflammation and insulin resistance (IR). This study aims to investigate whether the water extracts of RR and MC could exert protection against palmitic acid (PA)-induced inflammation and IR in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). HUVECs were pretreated for 6 h with RR or MC, and then exposed to PA for 24 h. The levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$) were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay kits. Western blot analysis was performed for activation of nuclear factor-${\kappa}B$ (NF-${\kappa}B$) and insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1). In HUVECs stimulated with PA, both RR and MC significantly inhibited the production of TNF-${\alpha}$ and IL-6 and the activation of NF-${\kappa}B$. At the same concentrations, the inhibitory effects of RR were more potent than those of MC. PA reduced insulin-induced phosphorylation of IRS-1, which was reversed by RR and MC. The results suggest that RR and MC are effective in inhibiting PA-associated endothelial inflammation and ameliorating IR by beneficial regulation of NF-${\kappa}B$ and IRS-1 activation.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.225-232
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• 2013

Delayed gastrointestinal (GI) motility is frequent adverse effect associated with chemotherapy, and induced by serotonin releases from enterochromaffin cells. Ijintang-gamibang (IJG) is a digestive polyherbal formula has been traditionally used in Korea and consisted of 8 types of medicinal herbs. This study was conducted to determine whether or not IJG aqueous extracts can prevent delayed GI motility induced by the antineoplastic drug cisplatin chronically administered, once per week for five consecutive weeks (2 mg/kg). 200, 100 and 50 mg/kg of IJG extracts were orally administered, once a day for 14 days from fourth cisplatin treatment, and the changes in body weight gain, fecal parameters, gastrointestinal transit ratio and histopathology were observed. In addition, pylorus gastrin and serotonin contents were also measured with immunohistochemical observations of enterochromaffin cells contains gastrin and serotonin, as compared with ondansetron, a serotonin 5-HT3 receptor antagonist, 1 mg/kg. Cisplatin treatment related body weight decreases, delayed GI motility, decreases of fecal water contents were significantly and dose-dependently inhibited by oral treatment of IJG extracts, and they also inhibited the pylorus gastrin and serotonin changes induced by cisplatin treatment. The overall effects of IJG 100 mg/kg were similar to that of ondansetron 1 mg/kg. The present results supported that IJG aqueous extracts have favorable ameliorating effect on the delayed GI motility induced by chemotheraphy, modulated the GI enterochromaffin cells, serotonin and gastrin-producing cells with antioxidant effects. This effect of IJG may help improve accompanying gastrointestinal symptoms by chemotherapy.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.47-55
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• 2004

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate alexithymia, depressive symptoms, and stress response of patients with alcohol dependence. The results were taken as a basic data of ameliorating the quality of life. Methods: 94 patients with alcohol dependence completed stress response inventory, Korea depression scale, and toronto alexithymia scale successfully. Results: 55% of variance of alexithymia of patients with alcohol dependence were explained by the stress response and depressive symptoms and score of ADS, and the stress response had the most explanatory power. Conclusions: The alexithymia of patients with alcohol dependence may be influenced by depressive symptoms, education, frequency of drinking, and stress response. The specialists were identifying symptoms of depression and optimizing the management, therefore increasing the compliance and quality of life of patients with alcohol dependence.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.107-114
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• 2014

Oral exposure of humans by excess amounts of arsenic may cause disturbances of the reproductive system. In the present study, such exposure was modelled in rats, with the support of sperm principal parameters and histopathological observations. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups where the group I was served as a normal control, group II was received sodium meta-arsenite as arsenic (10 mg/kg b.w/day) and a combination of sodium meta-arsenite and sodium selenite (3 mg/kg b.w/day) in group III. After 6 weeks, there was no significant change in testis weight and in total motility of all the three experimental groups, whereas, rapid moving spermatozoa, moderately moving spermatozoa and slow moving spermatozoa were significantly decreased in arsenic treated rats as compared to control rats. The other sperm principal parameters like progressiveness, average path velocity, straightness linear velocity (VSL), curvilinear velocity (VCL), straightness, linearity sperm head elongation ratio, area, linearity amplitude of lateral head department (ALH) and beat cross frequency (BCF) were found to be reduced in arsenic intoxicated rats. These results are not correlated with the histological studies. On oral administration of selenium ameliorated the adverse effects of arsenic as compared to arsenic alone treated rats. Our findings clearly demonstrate that administration of selenium could prevent some of the deleterious effects of arsenic in the testis.

• Korean System Dynamics Review
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.51-81
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• 2015

The main purpose of this study is to seek better approach which explains reciprocal causality associated with factors causing social conflict and improving social integration respectively. Throughout this study, there are several important implications how social conflict can be solved in South Korea. In particular, government and policy makers in political sector should create an environment of social integration through political reforms by switching from vertical structure to horizontal structure and by encouraging ordinary people to actively participate in the policy-making processes and political activities. In economic sector, government and stakeholder associated with a certain economic issue should induce a change in the economic environment for social integration, focusing on distribution of wealth and employment stability. In social and cultural sectors, it is necessary to solve social and cultural problems (e.g., generation gap and conflict between the young and the old, multi-ethnic families, and lack of communication) by exploring better ways to establish an altruism and to interact with each other. In psychological sectors, PsyCap(Positive Psychological Capital) will help ordinary people to crate positive thinking and lead to social integration. For instance, political leaders having PsyCap are able to communicate with the people and can help the people to build positive main influencing on social integration. Finally, the improvement of the system is required because the improvement of insufficient system is the basis for reasonable and equitable social integration.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.83-94
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• 2017

This study aimed to provide important information on vocational education and employment policy for the disabled by analyzing the relationship between disabled wage workers' occupational ability and job quality. For this purpose, the relationship between job competence and employment quality was theoretically examined and empirically analyzed based on human capital theory, screening theory, and job competition theory. The empirical analysis used data on 975 disabled wage workers with the use of the data of the 8th Panel Survey of Employment for the Disabled(2015). As a result of the empirical study, it was found that the occupational ability of the disabled workers is an important factor in determining Wage, job status, job satisfaction, which constitute the quality of employment. This result indicates that job quality can be improved by ameliorating disabled people's occupational ability. Accordingly, this study proposed that there might be a need to extend customized education and educational facilities for improving disabled people's occupational ability.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.706-713
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• 2003

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of dietary FERMKIT, a commercial toxin binder consisting of probiotic-fermented natural product containing chitin, chitosan and chitosan oligosaccharides ($FERMKITO^{(R)}$, EASY-BIO SYSTEM, Inc., Korea), in binding aflatoxin (AF) and zearalenone (ZEN) and ameliorating their mycotoxicity in meat type ducks. FERMKIT was supplemented to AF contaminated diets (at 120 ppb) at either 0.3 or 0.6% in experiment 1 and to ZEN contaminated diets (at 150 ppb) at 0.6% in experiment 2. In experiment 1 body weight gains were reduced by 37% and mortality was increased by 18% in ducks fed diet contaminated with AF at 120 ppb compared to ducks fed control diet (<10 ppb AF) for the 4-wk experimental period. However, dietary FERMKIT supplementation effectively alleviated overall toxicity induced by AF. The significant treatment-related changes in feather growth, web-toe hemorrhage, leg deformity, liver paleness, organ weights, hematological values and serum biochemical values, as compared to the control, were observed. The FERMKIT supplementation significantly diminished the adverse effects of AF and restored all the parameters measured back (<0.05) toward the control values. These findings indicated that FERMKIT, when added at the levels of 0.3 or 0.6% in the 120 ppb AF diets, could modulate the toxicity of AF with percentage sorption capacity of 52.70% at the level 0.3% and 79.85% at the level 0.6% of the diets (experiment 1). In experiment 2, FERMKIT, when added at 0.6% to the 150 ppb ZEN diets for the 4-wk experimental period, diminished the toxicity as shown by body weight gain, weights of testicles, oviducts, Bursa of Fabricius and cloaca eversion score as compared with the controls (<10 ppb ZEN) and 150 ppb ZEN diet with no added FERMKIT. The findings indicated that FERMKIT could be protective against the effects of ZEN in young growing ducks with percentage sorption capacity of 67.11% as evaluated from toxicity index parameter measured when added at 0.6% of the diets containing 150 ppb ZEN.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.708-715
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• 1998

Chronic abuse of alcohol can lead to the development of folate deficiency due to inadequate folate intaike, excessive urinary excretion and from effects of ethanol on folate absorption and metabolism . To investigate the effects of alcohol and folate intake on folate metabolism, the rates were raised for 4 and 10 weeks on experimental diets containing 0, 2 8mg folate/kg diet, and were administered 50% ethanol(1.8$m\ell$/kg body weight) three times a week intragastrically. Plasma and tissue folate concentrations were found to be significantly influenced by dietary folate level. In animals fed on folate-deficient diet, concentrations of folate in the plasma, liver and kidney were decreased by 60-89% compared to those on folate-adequate diet, and ther values were further decreased with experimental period. Folate supplementation increased plasma and tissue folate levels significantly by 16-78% compared to those on folate-adequate diet, and the folate levels in the plasma and liver were affected most by the supplementation. Alcohol administration did not seem to influence folate status in the body significantly when animals were raised on folate-deficient diet. However, when rats were fed folate-adequate or folate-supplemented diet, alcohol was shown to decrease plasma and tissue folate concentrations. Among the animals receiving alcohol, folate concentrations in the plasma and tissues were significantly higher when animals fed folate-supplemented diet compared to folate adequate diet. Alcohol seems to exert differential effects on urinary foalte excretion by experimental period it increased urinary folate in the 4-week period, but lowered foalte excretion in the urine when the experimental period was extended to 10 weeks. Alcohol did not seem to influence folate excretion in the feces. These results indicate that folate supplementation might be beneficial in ameliorating the inadequate folate status that might occur with chronic alcoholism.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.17 no.8
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• pp.1168-1176
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• 2004

Intensive animal industries create large volumes of nutrient rich effluent, which, if untreated, has the potential for substantial environmental degradation. Aquatic plants in aerobic lagoon systems have the potential to achieve inexpensive and efficient remediation of effluent, and to recover valuable nutrients that would otherwise be lost. Members of the family Lemnaceae (duckweeds) are widely used in lagoon systems, but despite their widespread use in the cleansing of sewage, only limited research has been conducted into their growth in highly eutrophic media, and little has been done to systematically distinguish between different types of media. This study examined the growth characteristics of duckweed in abattoir effluent, and explored possible ways of ameliorating the inhibitory factors to growth on this medium. A series of pot trials was conducted to test the tolerance of duckweed to abattoir effluent partially remediated by a sojourn in anaerobic fermentation ponds, both in its unmodified form, and after the addition of acid to manipulate pH, and the addition of bentonite. Unmodified abattoir effluent was highly toxic to duckweed, although duckweed remained viable and grew sub optimally in media with total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) concentrations of up to 100 mg/l. Duckweed also grew vigorously in effluent diluted 1:4 v/v, containing 56 mg TAN/L and also modified by addition of acid to decrease pH to 7 and by adding bentonite (0.5%).