• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.446-456
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• 2012

Actoprotectors are preparations that enhance body stability against physical loads without increasing oxygen consumption or heat production. Or, in short, actoprotectors are synthetic adaptogens with a significant capacity to improve physical performance. This paper explores the history of actoprotectors' development, their pharmacological properties, mechanism of action, and practical application to the improvement of mental and physical performance. A brief summary of the clinico-pharmacological characteristics of the main representatives of this class (bemitil and bromantane) is provided. Some other synthesized compounds, and even natural ones such as ginseng, also are regarded as potential actoprotectors, and these are treated herein as well. Actoprotectors, owing to their wide-ranging pharmacological activities, high efficiency and safety, can be applied under either normal or extreme conditions.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.222-228
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• 2020

Background: 20(S)-ginsenoside-Rg3 (C₄₂H₇₂O₁₃), a natural triterpenoid saponin, is extracted from red ginseng. The increasing use of 20(S)-ginsenoside Rg3 has raised product safety concerns. Methods: In acute toxicity, 20(S)-ginsenoside Rg3 was singly and orally administrated to Kunming mice and Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats at the maximum doses of 1600 mg/kg and 800 mg/kg, respectively. In the 26-week toxicity study, we used repeated oral administration of 20(S)-ginsenoside Rg3 in SD rats over 26 weeks at doses of 0, 20, 60, or 180 mg/kg. Moreover, a 4-week recovery period was scheduled to observe the persistence, delayed occurrence, and reversibility of toxic effects. Results: The result of acute toxicity shows that oral administration of 20(S)-ginsenoside Rg3 to mice and rats did not induce mortality or toxicity up to 1600 and 800 mg/kg, respectively. During a 26-week administration period and a 4-week withdrawal period (recovery period), there were no significant differences in clinical signs, body weight, food consumption, urinalysis parameters, biochemical and hematological values, or histopathological findings. Conclusion: The mean oral lethal dose (LD₅₀) of 20(S)-ginsenoside Rg3, in acute toxicity, is above 1600 mg/kg and 800 mg/kg in mice and rats, respectively. In a repeated-dose 26-week oral toxicity study, the no-observed-adverse-effect level for female and male SD rats was 180 mg/kg.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.80-93
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• 1986

The tail portion of dried 6-year old white ginseng was extracted and sugars and nitrogen compounds were also evaluated for chemical properties depending on varying conditions of extractions. The factors studied were extraction temperature in the range of 70-$100^{\circ}C$, ethanol concentration of 0-90% and the times of extractions which was taken 8 hours per each extraction in water at $80^{\circ}C$. For the effect of ethanol concentration in the extraction solvent, it was found that the amounts of free, reducing and total sugars and starch recovered in extract were almost linearly decreased along with the increase of concentration and the nonprotein nitrogen accounted over 84% of total nitrogen in extract. As ethanol concentration became increased, extractions of total nitrogen and water souluble nonprotein nitrogen were decreased especially in 90% ethanol. For the extraction temperature, all the sugar fractions with water and 70% ethanol except free sugar have tended to increase along with the temperature raised from 70 to $100^{\circ}C$ and it was found there is little changes of nitrogen compounds in the temperature range except a rapidly increase in water soulble protein at $100^{\circ}C$. For the times of extractions, showed that most of extractable compounds were extracted in 3 times of extractions with water at $80^{\circ}C$. It was shown that more than 95f) of sugars and 80% of nitrogen compounds were yielded with water extraction. Accordingly it was efficient to extract with water or 70% ethanol in 3 times in terms of !actor and energy consumption.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.192-198
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• 2018

Background: Ginseng has been used as an ergogenic agent, although evidence for its effectiveness is weak. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of a ginsenoside complex (UG0712) on changes in exercise performance. Methods: Sedentary individuals (n = 117) were randomly assigned into one of three groups: low-dose ginsenoside supplementation (100 mg/d, n = 39), high-dose ginsenoside supplementation (500 mg/d, n = 39), or a placebo group (500 mg/d, n = 39). All participants underwent a supervised 12-wk aerobic and resistance exercise training course. To assess the effects of supplementation on physical performance, maximal oxygen consumption ($VO_2max$), anaerobic threshold (AT), lactic acid, and muscle strength of the dominant knee were measured at baseline, every visit, and after the training program. Results: Both ginsenoside groups showed significant increases in $VO_2max$ and muscular strength during exercise training. There were no definite changes in AT and lactic acid levels over time. After exercise training, there were definite differences in the $VO_2max$ (28.64.9 to $33.7{\pm}4.9ml/kg/min$ in high-dose group vs. $30.4{\pm}6.7$ to $32.8{\pm}6.6ml/kg/min$ in placebo, p = 0.029) and AT ($19.3{\pm}4.2$ to $20.9{\pm}3.5ml/kg/min$ in high-dose group vs. $20.0{\pm}5.1$ to $20.0{\pm}4.9ml/kg/min$ in placebo, p = 0.038) between the high-dose ginsenoside and placebo groups. However, there was no difference in $VO_2max$ between the low-dose ginsenoside and placebo groups (p = 0.254). There were no differences in muscular strength during exercise training among the three groups. Conclusion: High-dose ginsenoside supplementation (UG0712) augmented the improvement of aerobic capacity by exercise training.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.154-159
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• 2004

In order to develop of health-oriented convenience foods for rice consumption, functional Misutkaru drink was made by adding several medicinal herbs extracts to fundamental Misutkaru based cereal powder(rice, barley and soybean). Fundamental Misutkaru drink was prepared with the ratio of cereal mixed rice(5g), barley(5g) and soybean(5g) on water (100 mL) and several medicinal herbs extracts. Liriopis Tuber(50%), Omija(15%), Ginseng(10%) and Jujube(25%) were mixed to fundamental Misutkaru as functional Misutkaru. And then it was extracted to added water of 10times during 36hrs at 75$^{\circ}C$. For instant Misutkaru drink of health-oriented convenience foods, mixture of them was made with fundamental Misutkaru drink(80%), extract of several medicinal herbs(20%), and it's sensory score was high. Autoclaved functional Misutkaru drink for long storage period was changed rheological type badly. Overall acceptability and storage period of nonautoclaved functional Misutkaru drink to added extract of several medicinal herbs was higher than fundamental Misutkaru drink.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.39 no.8
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• pp.748-755
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• 2006

The purpose of this study was to find out effects of treatment of ginsenoside Re, Rc and EGCG on mRNA expressions of leptin, hormone sensitive lipase (HSL) and resistin in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. The concentrations of EGCG were treated with $0.01{\times}10^{-7},\;0.1{\times}10^{-7},\;1{\times}10^{-7}\;and\;1{\times}10^{-6}\;or\;100{\mu}g/ml$ ginsenoside Re, Rc in culture cell for 13 days. mRNA expression of leptin wasn't expressed in preadipocyte but according to differentiation of adipocyte, the that of mRNA expression was decreased at gensenosids or EGCG treated cells compared with non treated adipocyte. Expression of HSL mRNA was increased in G-Re, G-Rc and EGCG treated cells compared with non treated cells. The resistin level was significantly decreased in adipocytes treated with G-Re, G-Rc and EGCG. These pattern was similar to leptin expression. These results support that treatment of gensenosides or EGCG in 3T3-L1 adipocyte resulted to affect of leptin and resistin as well as HSL mRNA levels, accordingly, levels of leptin and HSL will be acted by signalling body fat stores to the hypothalamus which in turn regulates food intake andenergy expenditure to maintain body weight homeostasis. And also regulation of resistin mRNA will prevent to diabetics attacked with obesity. In conclusion, we suggest that consumption of ginseng saponine or EGCG might prevent human diabetics or/and obesity.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.341-355
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• 2023

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The consumption of dietary supplements has shown an increase among young people in their 20s. We aimed to compare the use of dietary supplements and related factors between Chinese international and Korean college students living in South Korea. SUBJECTS/METHODS: We conducted online surveys of 400 Chinese international students and 452 Korean college students from January to February 2021. We analyzed the factors related to the use of dietary supplements by these students using multi-group structural equation modeling and logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Approximately 65% of the Chinese international students and 93% of the Korean college students consumed dietary supplements at least once in the year preceding the survey. The common types of dietary supplements consumed by both groups of students were vitamin and mineral supplements, Lactobacillus products, and red ginseng products. Structural equation modeling showed that perception of the consumption of dietary supplements by family and friends positively influenced attitude toward dietary supplements. This effect was higher for Korean college students than for Chinese international students (P < 0.01). Attitude toward dietary supplements positively influenced their use, and this effect was higher for Chinese international students than for Korean college students (P < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis showed that the use of dietary supplements by Chinese international students was significantly associated with age, self-reported health status, interest in health, perception of and attitude toward dietary supplements, and length of residence in South Korea. Among Korean college students, it was associated with exercise frequency and attitude toward dietary supplements. CONCLUSION: This study showed significant differences in the use of dietary supplements and related factors between Chinese international and Korean college students. Therefore, nutrition education programs on dietary supplements need to have differentiated content for each group. Such differences also suggest that the industry should consider the relevant characteristics of college students while developing and marketing dietary supplements.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
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• 2017.06a
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• pp.352-352
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• 2017

Recently, the South Korean government encourages the cultivation of upland crops in the paddy field to maintain an adequate level of rice production and then to balance the demand and supply of rice. This is mainly because the rice consumption per capita per year has continued to decline from 135 kg in 1979 to 61.9 kg in 2016, although the rice production was relatively stable. As a result, the rice overproduction became a big social problem. As a part of that, various upland crops such as soybean, maize, minor cereals and forage crops are planted in the paddy field 10 years ago. The cultivation of these crops may settle the problem of short supply and mass import of the crops to some extent. However, a systematic remote observation of upland crops in the paddy field is very scarce. This study investigated the cultivation status of upland crops and any changes of crop harvesting in the paddy field by using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Also, we analyzed the kind of upland crops and cultivation area in the paddy field by utilizing time series observation images. A fixed wing UAV is used for the investigation. This is because it is easy to use the flight operation and to control flight management software, and it can automatically cope with various emergency states such as a strong wind and battery discharge. The material of UAV is expanded polypropylene, which has an advantage of less equipment damage and risk during takeoff and landing. We acquired observed images in Buljeong-myeon, Goesan-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea by using fixed wing UAV in 2015 and 2016. The total investigated area reaches 6,045 ha, and among them the agricultural area was 1,377 ha. For the next step, we created an orthoimage from all images taken using Pix 4D mapper program. According to the results of image analyses in 2015, the paddy field covered total 577 ha (75.9%) with crop plant. The cultivation area of beans, ginseng, maize, tobacco and peach was 256 ha (36.6%), 63 ha (9.2%), 37 ha (5.4%), 31 ha (4.5%) and 27 ha (3.8), respectively. And in 2016, the total covered area was 586 ha (77.1%), and it was comprised of 253 ha (35.5%), 88 ha (12.3%), 29 ha (4.1%), 22 ha (3.1%) and 32 ha (4.5%) in the same order. In this study, we focused on identifying the paddy field which was converted to the cultivation of upland crops by using UAV. And, it has been indicated that the cultivation area of rice decreased from 141 ha in 2015 to 127 ha in 2016, although that of ginseng increased by 25 ha. As a result, it is expected that a lot of paddy field could be replaced by high-income crops such as ginseng and fruit tree (peach) instead of relative low-income rice. More specific and widespread research on the remote sensing in the paddy field needs to be done.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.872-877
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• 2008

This study was carried out to provide basic information related to improvement of flavor and consumption of cheonggukjang. Red ginseng cheonggukjang (RGC) and Rubus coreanum cheonggukjang (RCC) extracts were prepared, and their physicochemical characteristics were compared with either general cheonggukjang (GC) or non-fermented boiled soybean (BS). The moisture and crude fat contents were not significantly different among samples. RGC had the highest reducing sugar content and BS had the lowest. The free sugar content of RGC was higher than that of either GC or RCC, and the major free sugars present were glucose, fructose and sucrose. Seventeen free amino acids were detected in BS and cheonggukjang, and the content of free amino acids ranged from 1,233.8 to 2,599.6 mg/100 g. The greatest content of free amino acids was found in RGC. Color L, a and b values were highest in BS and lowest in RCC. The hardness and strength of RGC and RCC were lower than for GC.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.365-372
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• 2017

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Owing to health concerns related to the consumption of traditional snacks high in sugars and fats, much effort has been made to develop functional snacks with low calorie content. In this study, a new recipe for Korean rice cookie, dasik, was developed and its antioxidative, lipid-lowering, and anti-inflammatory effects and related mechanisms were elucidated. The effects were compared with those of traditional rice cake dasik (RCD), the lipid-lowering effect of which is greater than that of traditional western-style cookies. MATERIALS/METHODS: Ginseng-added brown rice dasik (GBRD) was prepared with brown rice flour, fructooligosaccharide, red ginseng extract, and propolis. Mice were grouped (n = 7 per group) into those fed a normal AIN-76 diet, a high-fat diet (HFD), and HFD supplemented with RCD or GBRD. Dasik in the HFD accounted for 7% of the total calories. The lipid, reactive oxygen species, and peroxynitrite levels, and degree of lipid peroxidation in the plasma or liver were determined. The expression levels of proteins involved in lipid metabolism and inflammation, and those of antioxidant enzymes were determined by western blot analysis. RESULTS: The plasma and hepatic total cholesterol concentrations in the GBRD group were significantly decreased via downregulation of sterol regulatory element-binding protein-2 and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (P < 0.05). The hepatic peroxynitrite level was significantly lower, whereas glutathione was higher, in the GBRD group than in the RCD group. Among the antioxidant enzymes, catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were significantly upregulated in the GBRD group (P < 0.05). In addition, nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-${\kappa}B$) expression in the GBRD group was significantly lower than that in the RCD group. CONCLUSIONS: GBRD decreases the plasma and hepatic cholesterol levels by downregulating cholesterol synthesis. This new dasik recipe also improves the antioxidative and anti-inflammatory status in HFD-fed mice via CAT and GPx upregulation and NF-${\kappa}B$ downregulation. These effects were significantly higher than those of RCD.