• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.73-82
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• 2024

Objectives: The unsafe use of pesticides in agriculture represents a major hazard to human health. This study was conducted to investigate the association between pesticide exposure and health symptoms among chili farmers in northeast Thailand. Methods: This cross-sectional analytic study included 141 chili farmers in Sakon Nakhon Province, in northeast Thailand. Data regarding health symptoms were gathered using a self-report questionnaire. A medical technician tested blood cholinesterase activity using an erythrocyte method, and an occupational medicine specialist at Ramathibodi Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand reviewed the results. Associations between personal characteristics, pesticide exposure factors, and health symptoms were analyzed using multiple logistic regression. Results: Of the 141 chili farmers studied, 66.7% experienced pesticide poisoning, as indicated by below-normal cholinesterase levels. Fatigue was the most frequently reported symptom associated with pesticide exposure, affecting 37.6% of participants. This was followed by nausea and vomiting (31.9%), dizziness (14.9%), and dry throat (14.9%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that several factors were significantly associated with adverse symptoms: amount of work experience, volume of pesticides used, use of chemical pesticides, use of leaking containers during spraying, direct pesticide exposure while working, contact with pesticide-soaked clothing, consumption of food and drinks in the fields, and blood cholinesterase level indicating risk. Conclusions: This study suggests potential health risks for chili farmers stemming from exposure to and contamination by pesticides used in agricultural practices. To mitigate these risks, it is essential to supply personal protective equipment and to implement educational programs aimed at improving protective behaviors among farmers.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.195-203
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• 2023

Exposure to environmental chemicals, including endocrine-disrupting chemicals, during the gestational period can have profound adverse effects on several organs in offspring. Bisphenol A (BPA) can infiltrate the human body through food and drinks, and its metabolites can cross both the placental and the blood-brain barriers. In this study, we investigate the effect of gestational exposure to BPA on epigenetic, biochemical, and histological modifications in the uterine tissues of F1 adult offspring rats. Pregnant rats were exposed to BPA from gestational day 8-15, and changes in global DNA methylation in uterine tissues obtained from adult offspring born to the exposed mothers were analyzed. Global DNA methylation analysis revealed that gestational exposure to BPA resulted in DNA hypomethylation in the uterus. Progesterone receptor (PR) protein expression in uterine tissues was monitored using western blot analysis, which revealed that the PR protein content was considerably higher in all BPA-exposed groups than in the control. Immunohistochemical examination for the PR revealed that intense PR-positive cells were more frequently observed in the BPA-exposed group than in the control group. To date, the evidence that the upregulation of PRs observed in the present study was caused by the non-methylation of specific PR promoter regions is lacking. Conclusively, these results indicate that exposure to BPA during gestation induces epigenetic alterations in the uteri of adult female offspring. We speculate that the global DNA hypomethylation and upregulation of the PR observed simultaneously in this study might be associated with the uterus.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.261-274
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• 2024

Purpose: Recently, high-protein diets have become highly popular, and the market for protein products has steadily increased in Korea together with the development of various types of such products. However, there is limited information on the consumption of protein supplements (PS) or protein-fortified foods (PF). Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the use of PS/PF among young adults in Jeju. Methods: A total of 350 adults (140 men and 210 women) aged 19-39 years voluntarily participated in this study from June 2022 to May 2023. PS/PF use was measured using a questionnaire. Dietary intake was assessed using a 24-hour dietary recall. Results: Approximately 31.4% of the participants (n = 110) had consumed PS/PF for more than 2 weeks during the past year and 71.8% of them (n = 79) were still consuming these products (PS/PF consumers). The PS/PF consumers tended to be male and physically active (p < 0.05 for all). The most frequent reason for PS/PF use was muscle gain (59.5%), followed by protein supplementation (19.0%) and body fat loss (13.9%), and the most frequent type of PS/PF consumed was powders (70.6%), followed by drinks (17.7%) and bars (8.8%). The PS/PF consumers tended to consume a high-protein low-carbohydrate diet compared to the non-consumers. The prevalence of consuming dietary protein less than the estimated average requirement (EAR) was significantly lower in PS/PF consumers (13.9%) compared to non-consumers (25.4%; p = 0.0316). Conclusion: These findings indicate that the necessity of protein supplementation should be determined based on the current dietary protein intake and individual requirements. The study also provides the basic information for establishing guidelines for appropriate protein intake.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.11-22
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• 2024

Purpose: This research delves into the various factors that influence the performance of restaurant businesses on social commerce platforms in Bangkok, Thailand. The study considers both internal and external factors, including but not limited to business characteristics and location. Moreover, this research also analyzes the effects of employing multiple social commerce platforms on business efficiency and explores the underlying reasons for such effects. Research design, data, and methodology: Restaurants can be classified into different price ranges: low, medium, and high. To further investigate, we employed natural language processing AI to analyze online reviews and evaluate algorithm performance using machine learning techniques. We aimed to develop a model to gauge customer satisfaction with restaurants across different price categories effectively. Results: According to the research findings, several factors significantly impact restaurant groups in the low and mid-price ranges. Among these factors are population density and the number of seats at the restaurant. On the other hand, in the mid-and high-price ranges, the price levels of the food and drinks offered by the restaurant play a crucial role in determining customer satisfaction. Furthermore, the correlation between different social commerce platforms can significantly affect the business performance of high-price range restaurant groups. Finally, the level of online review sentiment has been found to influence customer decision-making across all restaurant types significantly. Conclusions: The study emphasizes that restaurants' characteristics based on their price level differ significantly, and social commerce platforms have the potential to affect one another. It is worth noting that the sentiment expressed in online reviews has a more significant impact on customer decision-making than any other factor, regardless of the type of restaurant in question.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.537-544
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• 2013

This study was performed to establish method of simultaneous determination of fructose, glucose, and sucrose in honey and commercial vitamin drinks by GC and GC/MS. Optimum chromatographic separation of trimethylsilyl-oxime (TMSO) derivatives by GC was achieved on a DB-5 column. Calibration curves for fructose, glucose and sucrose TMSO derivatives by GC were linear in the range of 50-5000 ${\mu}g/mL$, and their $r^2$ values were 0.9999, The limit of detection and limit of quantification of fructose, glucose, and sucrose were 0.68, 0.47, and 0.53 ${\mu}g/mL$, respectively, and 2.27, 1.58, and 1.77 ${\mu}g/mL$, respectively. Average recoveries of fructose, glucose, and sucrose were 100.5, 101.0, and 99.7%, respectively. When the method was applied to 12 honey samples, the average concentrations of fructose, glucose and sucrose were $42.58{\pm}1.97%$, $27.74{\pm}1.16%$, and $0.79{\pm}0.52%$, respectively. The F/G ratio was $1.53{\pm}0.07$. For fructose and glucose contents, results from the GC analysis were similar to those from the HPLC analysis, but the sucrose content was different for each analysis method. We suggest that the GC method is more suitable than other official analytical methods for simultaneous determination of fructose, glucose, and sucrose in honey.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Traditional Landscape Architecture
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.10-25
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• 2015

The purpose of this research is to investigate the reality behind Jeongjo's enjoyment of the palace garden. If I were to summarize the results of this research, they are as follows: First, The 'Sanghwajoeoyeon(賞花釣魚宴)' has the differentiation which decided and regularized the rules and the regulations with the annual meetings for the Kyujanggak(奎章閣). Jeongjo had held the events five times. Second, The 'Seshimdae(洗心臺) Excursion' is based on the tragic personal history of Jeongjo. There were four events. Third, Jeongjo had enjoyed the 'viewing of the waterfall(觀瀑)' of the Okryucheon(玉流川) where a lot of the water overflows right after it rains. This is worth the special mention with regard to the point that it is a temporary landscape and not an usual landscape. Fourth, As an event for the military officers, the 'Seoljungryonghohwe(雪中龍虎會)' was held seven times. This event had been held in the middle of the winter. And each of the attendees skewered a pheasant and roasted and ate it. Also, it emphasized the sovereign and the subjects being the partners of the joys and the sorrows by giving the alcoholic drinks and the music. Fifth, Jeongjo had consoled the hard work by the civilian subjects either by holding the brazier feast(煖爐會) in the winter or by granting the alcoholic drinks and the foods according to the historical facts of the brazier feasts. Sixth, Jeongjo was good at archery and enjoyed it. During the period of his reign, Jeongjo held twice Yeonsarye(燕射禮). Seventh, Jeongjo soothed his desire to get out of the busy everyday life at the royal palace garden. While appreciating the natural landscape of the backyard, he was awakened of the meaning of the Book of Changes(周易) in which all the things had been created and changed. Eighth, At the royal palace garden, Jeongjo actively prepared the place for enjoyment by the sovereign and the subjects together. It is judged that this is because, in order to materialize his political ideals, the support by all the subjects who had been close was needed. The limitation of this research is the fact that the research had been proceeded with limited to the translations, among the many old writings related to Jeongjo. With the accumulation of the excavations of the new thoughts and of the results of the translations, the researches that are deeper will be needed.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.173-178
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• 2007

Children may respond differently to the caffeine from adults because they have different physiologic makeup and are functionally immature in terms of hepatic and renal function; this leads to the slower clearance of caffeine in early life. Therefore, children are often assumed to be more susceptible to caffeine effects. Alarge number of food supplements may interfere with these processes, and therefore caffeine exposure may have more serious consequences for children than for adults, irrespective of sensitivity. However, there has never been a national dietary survey on caffeine intakes in children. The purpose of our study was to identify caffeine intakes and beverage sources of caffeine in a representative sample of children in Busan, Korea. Caffeine intakes were based only on beverages included in the Continuing Surveys of Food Intakes by individuals. The caffeine content of the beverages ranged from 2.8 to 65.2mg/100ml for cola, soft drinks, and teas. Caffeine was not completely absent from caffeine-free colas, juice, and milk. In this study, cola-type beverages were an important dietary source of caffeine in the children. Daily caffeine intake for children was estimated to range from 12.5 to 250 mg/day. In general, the acceptable daily intake (ADI) of caffeine should cover the entire population including children. Therefore, special considerations should be needed regarding the consumption of soft drinks containing caffeine to children below the 12 years of age.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.219-227
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• 2009

The antifatigue and endurance promoting properties of two Korean medicinal herb extracts and molasses with various mineral components were studied by evaluating forced-swimming capacity and biochemical parameters in ICR mice. The treatment groups were orally administered mineral beverages which were contained 6% sugar with the mixture of Maesil (Prunus mume fruit) extracts, Omija (Schisandra chinensis fruit) extracts and molasses for 4 weeks. The exercised forced-swimming tests were conducted after 28 days of beverage supplementation. The swimming times to exhaustion were longer 1.5${\sim}$2 times in group 6 and group 10 than control goup (Control: 93.2${\pm}$10.4 sec; Beverage 6; 190.8${\pm}$25.6 sec, Beverage 10; 173.6${\pm}$21.8 sec; p<0.05). Moreover, the activity of hexokinase (Control: 5.23${\pm}$0.38 ${\mu}mol$l/g tissue; Beverage 6: 5.99${\pm}$0.18 ${\mu}mol$/g tissue, Beverage 10: 6.13${\pm}$0.25 ${\mu}mol$/g tissue, p<0.05) and citrate synthase (control: 42.9${\pm}$1.87 ${\mu}mol$/g tissue; Beverage 6: 56.8${\pm}$3.98 ${\mu}mol$/g tissue, Beverage 10; 59.5${\pm}$3.09 ${\mu}mol$/g tissue, p<0.05) were also significantly higher than those of control group. Even if the treatment groups had long swimming than control group, there is no significant difference in the glycogen contents of gastrocnemus muscle or liver between the control group and each treatment group. This demonstrated an improvement in endurance. These results suggest that reported herbal beverage is very effective to combat fatigue, improve endurance and increase overall physical activity.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.124-128
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• 2000

This study was designed to investigate the effects of sea tangle(Laminaria japonica) extract (Dasi-Ex group: dry base $4.0{\%}$) and fucoidan-added (Fuco-I, II, III group: fucoidan of $1.0{\%}, 2.0{\%}, 3.0{\%}$ added to Dasi-EX) drinks on lipid metabolism of stressed mice. ICR male mice ($20 {\pm} 2 g$) were fed experimental diets and given free through water bottle filled with these beverages instead of water for 18 days including sociopsychological stress of 4 days. Dasi-Ex and Fuco-I, II, III groups resulted in slight decreases $3{\$}$ in body weight gain and $6{\~}12{\%}$ in feed and gross efficiencies compared with control groups. Serum protein contents were slightly increased $1{\~}5{\%}$ by administrations of these beverages compared with control group, reflecting inhibitory effect of sociopsychological stress by increase of protein levels. Significant differences in serum cholesterol contents of Dasi-Ex and Fuco-I groups could not be obtained, but Fuco-II and III groups resulted in marked decreases ($13{\~}17{\%}$) in serum cholesterol contents compared with control group. LDL-cholesterol contents resulted in marked decreases ($about 20 and 25{\%}$, respectively) in Fuco-II and III groups, whereas HDL-cholesterol content was significantly increases ($about 16{\%}$) in Fuco-III group compared with control group. Fuco-I, II and III groups resulted in a marked decreases ($15{\%}, 20{\%} and 40{\%}$, respectively) in atherogenic index (AI) compared with control group. Significant differences in serum lipid peroxide (LPO) contents of Dasi-Ex and Fuco-I groups could not be obtained, but Fuco-II and III groups resulted in a significant decrease about $10{\%}$ in serum LPO contents compared with control group. These results suggested that fucoidan drinks added sea tangle could significantly inhibited chronic degenerative diseases by improvement of effective lipid metabolism or fucoidan component.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.343-352
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• 2003

This study was conducted to investigate the actual state of use and necessity of Korean traditional Pyebaeck foods using questionnaire. The subjects of this study consisted of 621 housewives in Daegu area. The results were summarized as follows: The most often used foods of Pyebaeck refreshments included alcoholic drinks(80.0%), Bamgoim(73.8%), Daechugoim(73.4%). The refreshments were most often purchased from caterers(39.6%), and mainly used for marriages of their brothers and sisters(33.3%). The standard number of foods prepared was 7 to 10(42.2%). The most used container for Pyebaeck refreshments is bamboo basket(30.6%). 62.0% of the respondents needed Pyebaeck refreshments and the reason for refreshment preparation was mainly “because it is a Korean tradition”(82.3%) and the reason why most respondents do not think the Pyebaeck refreshments are necessary was “it's troublesome and complicated”(41.1%). The refreshments most frequently included were alcoholic drinks(63.7%) and Daechugoim(47.0%). Most of the respondents(84.9%) said that the Pyebaeck refreshments should be improved and 48.0% said the improvement method should consider the traditional tastes, flavors and arrangements fit to modem sense. Although following the traditions of Pyebaeck refreshments itself is difficult, the concept of Pyebaeck refreshments can develop into a modern concept with new meaning if we improve and adjust it in a way fit to modem lifestyles.