• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.168-172
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• 2004

In India, Gymnema sylvestre due to the unique property of the plant to antagonize the sweet taste is known as 'Gur-mar'. It has several ethnomedicinal values as various tribals/traditional communities and rural peoples of India find diverse medicinal uses viz. antidiabetic, stomachic, diuretic, and is useful in cough and throat troubles. Besides, it has strong effect on reducing blood sugar. The present communication deals with the detailed pharmacognostical evaluation of the aerial parts of G. sylvestre collected from three places of the country-Varanasi (U.P), Panchmarhi (M.P), Salem (Tami Nadu) and commercial sample procured from local market. The botanical and physico-chemical parameters of all the samples were quite similar though little variations were observed in foaming index, alcohol and water soluble extractives of local sample. The microscopic characteristics of the drug are horse shoe shaped petiole with 3 amphicribal vascular bundles, sieve tubes well developed; anomocytic stomata only on the abaxial surface of the leaf, the fan shaped amphicribal vascular bundle, presence of intraxylary phloem. The TLC fingerprint profile of all the samples was more or less similar only the quantity of some of the compounds varied.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.23 no.8
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• pp.1049-1056
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• 2010

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary glutamine (Gln) on the productive performance and egg quality of laying hens. A total of four hundred Lingnan Yellow laying hens aged 34 weeks were randomly assigned into four groups (100 laying hens/group), and fed, respectively, with diets supplemented with 0% (control group), 0.2%, 0.4%, and 0.8% Gln during the 6-week feeding period. The results were as follows. First, the productivity of laying hens fed with 0.8% Gln in diet was significantly increased (p<0.05); however, the egg quality (egg weight, yolk weight, shell weight, egg shape index, shell thickness, shell density, shell breaking strength, yolk color, yolk index, and Haugh unit) was not affected compared with that of the control group (p>0.05). Second, luteinizing hormone (LH) (p<0.01), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) (p<0.01), triiodothyronine ($T_3$), and tetraiodothyronine ($T_4$) contents (p<0.05) in blood of laying hens fed with 0.8% Gln in diets were also significantly improved, and greater improvement in the duodenum and oviduct structure was observed in that treatment group. This study indicated for the first time that diets with 0.8% Gln were able to increase the productive performance of laying hens through stimulating hormone secretion and better development of both the duodenum and oviduct structure in laying hens.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.118-125
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• 2001

Recently, biochemical analysis using hemoglobin adduct is frequently performed to evaluate the exposure to chemical carcinogens. However, data on the effect of co-exposure with other chemicals on hemoglobin adduct formation are seldom provided. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of pretreatment of ethanol(EtOH) and phenobarbital(PB), which are known to affect metabolism of xenobiotics, on the formation of hemoglobin adducts in the rats(Sprague-Dawley) administered benzidine(BZ). The experimental rats were divided into control, EtOH, and P8 groups. Rats were pretreated with EtOH or PB 24 hours before the oral administration of BZ. Blood sampling was taken before the administration of the chemicals and 0.5, 3, 6, 9, 12, 24, 48, 72, 96, and 144 hours after the administration of the BZ in 5 rats each. The blood was separated into hemoglobin and plasma immediately after taking the blood samples, and the adducts were undergone basic hydrolysis to convert them into aromatic amines. Hydrolyzed BZ, monoacetylbenzidine (MABZ), and 4-aminobiphenyl(4ABP) were separated by reversed-phase liquid chromatography without derivatization, and quantitative analyses of them were performed by a highperformance liquid chromatograph equipped with electrochemical detector. The quantitative amount of the metabolites was expressed by hemoglobin binding index(HBI), BZ-, MABZ-, and 4ABP-HBI of EtOH and PB groups were increased more than those of control group. These results are attributable to the fact that EtOH and PB induced N-hydroxylation related to the hemoglobin adduct formation. The ratio of N-acetylation (viz, MABZ-HBI/BZ-HBI) showed no significant difference between EtOH group and control group. It means that EtOH increased N-hydroxylation and N-acetylation in a similar degree. The N-acetylation ratio of PB group was relatively lower than control group because the PB increased N-hydroxylation induction. The N-acetylation ratios of all groups were higher than 1 during the entire experimental period. This result suggests that the effects of EtOH or PB need to be considered in the biochemical monitoring for the assessment of intermittent exposure of benzidine.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.24 no.7
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• pp.647-659
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• 2023

Objective: The study was conducted to investigate the effect of correct occlusion of the left atrial appendage (LAA) on intracardiac blood flow and thrombus formation in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) using four-dimensional (4D) flow magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and three-dimensional (3D)-printed phantoms. Materials and Methods: Three life-sized 3D-printed left atrium (LA) phantoms, including a pre-occlusion (i.e., before the occlusion procedure) model and correctly and incorrectly occluded post-procedural models, were constructed based on cardiac computed tomography images from an 86-year-old male with long-standing persistent AF. A custom-made closed-loop flow circuit was set up, and pulsatile simulated pulmonary venous flow was delivered by a pump. 4D flow MRI was performed using a 3T scanner, and the images were analyzed using MATLAB-based software (R2020b; Mathworks). Flow metrics associated with blood stasis and thrombogenicity, such as the volume of stasis defined by the velocity threshold ($\left|\vec{V}\right|$ < 3 cm/s), surface-and-time-averaged wall shear stress (WSS), and endothelial cell activation potential (ECAP), were analyzed and compared among the three LA phantom models. Results: Different spatial distributions, orientations, and magnitudes of LA flow were directly visualized within the three LA phantoms using 4D flow MRI. The time-averaged volume and its ratio to the corresponding entire volume of LA flow stasis were consistently reduced in the correctly occluded model (70.82 mL and 39.0%, respectively), followed by the incorrectly occluded (73.17 mL and 39.0%, respectively) and pre-occlusion (79.11 mL and 39.7%, respectively) models. The surfaceand-time-averaged WSS and ECAP were also lowest in the correctly occluded model (0.048 Pa and 4.004 Pa^-1, respectively), followed by the incorrectly occluded (0.059 Pa and 4.792 Pa^-1, respectively) and pre-occlusion (0.072 Pa and 5.861 Pa^-1, respectively) models. Conclusion: These findings suggest that a correctly occluded LAA leads to the greatest reduction in LA flow stasis and thrombogenicity, presenting a tentative procedural goal to maximize clinical benefits in patients with AF.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.591-607
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• 2013

The objectives of the study were to evaluate the aquatic environment of an urban stream using various ecological parameters of biological biomarkers, physical habitat quality and chemical water quality and to develop a "Multimetric Eco-Model" ($M_m$-E Model) for the ecosystem evaluations. For the applications of the $M_m$-E model, three zones including the control zone ($C_Z$) of headwaters, transition zone ($T_Z$) of mid-stream and the impacted zone ($I_Z$) of downstream were designated and analyzed the seasonal variations of the model values. The biomarkers of DNA, based on the comet assay approach of single-cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE), were analyzed using the blood samples of Zacco platypus as a target species, and the parameters were used tail moment, tail DNA(%) and tail length (${\mu}m$) in the bioassay. The damages of DNA were evident in the impacted zone, but not in the control zone. The condition factor ($C_F$) as key indicators of the population evaluation indicator was analyzed along with the weight-length relation and individual abnormality. The four metrics of Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index (QHEI) were added for the evaluations of physical habitat. In addition, the parameters of chemical water quality were used as eutrophic indicators of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and conductivity. Overall, our results suggested that attributes of biomarkers and bioindicators in the impacted zone ($I_Z$) had sensitive response largely to the chemical stress (eutrophic indicators) and also partially to physical habitat quality, compared to the those in the control zone.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.131-140
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• 2022

Objectives This study aimed to investigate whether the concurrent use of conventional and herbal medications affects liver and kidney function, by examining blood test data. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the electronic medical records of 590 inpatients with musculoskeletal diseases between 2013 and 2017. We investigated cases of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) according to the Roussel Uclaf Causality Assessment Method criteria and cases of drug-induced kidney injury (DIKI) based on the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes definition. Results One case (0.17%) of DILI and one case (0.17%) of DIKI were identified. Significant improvements in serum laboratory data were observed after the concurrent use of both types of medications (p<0.05). The kappa coefficients ranged from 0.26 to 0.72, indicating that the values after the concurrent use of conventional and herbal medications showed a fair similarity to the baseline values of the patients. The linear regression test showed that female sex and high body mass index (BMI) were risk factors for an increase in the serum blood levels of liver function parameters. Conclusions The concurrent use of conventional and herbal medications for musculoskeletal disorders is relatively safe; however, clinicians should exercise caution when prescribing these medications to female patients and patients with a high BMI because of their potential effect on hepatic function.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.42-56
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• 2005

Hyperlipidemia is one of the risk factors for coronary artery disease. Despite of epidemiological evidence that tea consumption is associated with the reduced risk of coronary heart disease, experimental studies designed to show that drinking tea affects blood lipid concentration or oxidative stress have been unsuccessful. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether functional tea (three servings/day) supplement with medical nutrition therapy (MNT) lead to a beneficial outcomes in mildly hyperlipidemic adults. From February to October, 2003, the 43 hyperlipidemic (23 men, 20 women) subjects (total cholesterol$\geq$200 mg/dL or triglyceride$\geq$150 mg/dL) admitted to K Medical Center were studied. Subjects were randomly divided into 3 groups; placebo tea (PT), half dose of functional tea (HFT), full dose of functional tea (FFT). During 12 weeks of study period, the subjects were given placebo or functional tea daily with MNT. Anthropometric measurements, blood chemical analysis including lipid levels, total superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) levels, and dietary assessment were carried out at the beginning and end of experiment. The effects of functional tea were compared with the placebo in randomized clinical trial study. The placebo was prepared to match with the functional tea in color and taste. After the 12 weeks of MNT, the subjects had regular and balanced meal pattern. Consumption of foods high in cholesterol and saturated fat, salty foods, fried foods, and instant foods decreased significantly in all three groups (p<0.05). Intake of energy and cholesterol also decreased (p<0.05). Drinking three servings per day (390 mL/day) of functional tea significantly reduced the levels of blood triglyceride (HFT, 42.5%; FFT, 29.4%), total cholesterol (HFT, 8.5%; FFT, 13.7%), and atherogenic index (HFT, 14.6%; FFT, 21.7%). Whereas no changes were found in the LDL-, HDL-cholesterollevels, and LDL/HDL ratio. Plasma homocysteine (Hcy) concentration decreased significantly (p<0.05) in functional tea groups (HFT, 14.9%; FFT, 14.1%). SOD increased significantly (p<0.05) in HFT (8.3%). GSH-Px increased significantly (p<0.05) in FFT (12.8%). In conclusion, the MNT improved the dietary habits, in addition, functional tea supplement decreased blood lipid levels and Hcy, and increased SOD and GSH-Px levels. These results indicate that functional tea consumption may decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease via improving blood lipid levels and antioxidant status.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.33 no.7
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• pp.1139-1146
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• 2004

The purpose of this study was to investigate the possibility of Meles meles oil as an functional resource. To assess the effects of Meles meles oil in 25 non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (DM) persons, we examined changes of fat intake level, hematological and chemical variables, serum DM indices and lipid contents during the Meles meles oil supplementation. Polyunsaturated fatty acid and $\omega$3 fatty acid intake were significantly increased by Meles meles oil intakes. The levels of LDL-cholesterol and triglyceride were significantly decreased while HDL-cholesterol was significantly increased. Iron status improved during Meles meles oil intakes. These results show that modest dose of Meles meles oil supplementation can decrease serum triglyceride, cholesterol level without any changes in blood glucose level in NIDDM patients. These results indicated that Meles meles oil diet is effective therapeutic regimen for the control of metabolic derangements in diabetes mellitus. Also, these results imply that Meles meles oil can be used as possible food resources and functional food materials. However, large amounts of Meles meles oil should be used cautiously in NIDDM patients.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.251-264
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• 2003

This study was conducted to make on-site survey on the output pattern and utilization situation of 19 by-products selected, to evaluate their nutritional characteristics, to find out a reliable index with which digestion of by-products can be predicted on the basis of chemical compositions analyzed and to diagnose the risk of using book values in the absence of the actual values analyzed for diet formulation. Production and utilization situations of by-products were quite various. Nutritionally, fruit processing by-products such as apple pomace (AP), pear pomace (PP), grape pomace (GP), and persimmon peel (PSP), and bakery by-products (BB) were classified as energy feeds. Soybean curd meal (SCM), animal by- products such as blood (BD), feather meal (FM) and poultry by-products (PB), and activated milk processing sludge (AMS) were classified as protein feeds. Soy hulls (SH), spent mushroom compost (SMC), barley malt hulls (BMH), waste paper (WP) and broiler litter (BL) were classified as roughage. Rumen contents (RC) and restaurant food waste (FW) were nutritionally analogous to complete diets for cattle and swine, respectively. Compared to soybean meal (SBM), BD and FM contained high (P<0.05) levels of amino acids and barley malt sprouts (BMS), AMS and FW contained low (P<0.05) levels of amino acids. Enzymatic (pepsin) digestibilities of proteinaceous feeds ranged between 99 and 66%. In vitro DM digestibility was high (P<0.05) in the order of FW, BB, AP, SH, PP, PSP, BMH, BMS, SCM, GP, RC, PB, BL, WP, SMC, AMS, FM and BD. In vitro DM digestibility had the highest correlation (r=0.68) with nonfibrous carbohydrate among chemical components. Differences between analyzed values of chemical components and book values were considerable. Caution is required in using book values when large amount of by-products are used in diets.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.59-68
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• 2006

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation of activated charcoal (AC) mixed with wood vinegar on performance and egg quality in laying hens. A total of one hundred ninety two, 56-wk-old Lohmann brown laying hens were divided into four groups, consisting four replicates of 12 birds each and fed one of the four experimental diets containing AC 0%, AC 0.5%, AC 1%, AC 2% for 5 wks. The blood profiles and contents of total lipid and cholesterol, fatty acid profiles in egg yolk were determined. There were no significant differences in laying performance, feed intake and vitelline membrane strength among the treatments. The eggshell breaking strength and Haugh unit were significantly increased in 2% AC group compared to the other groups (P<0.05). Egg yolk index in 2% AC group was significantly higher (P<0.05) than those of the control and 0.5% AC group and yolk color was significantly improved by the dietary AC (P<0.05). The levels of serum total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and enzyme activities were not influenced by feeding AC. Total lipid of egg yolk in 1 % and 2% AC groups was significantly decreased (P<0.05) compared to that of the control, although there was no significant difference in yolk cholesterol. In conclusion, the addition of activated charcoal with wood vinegar in layer diet resulted in improving egg quality by means of enhancing eggshell breaking strength, Haugh unit, yolk index and yolk color.