• Title/Summary/Keyword: Environmental physiology

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Effects of Hwangryun-Hae-Dok-tang on TNF-${alpha}$ and IL-4 Stimulated TARC, eotaxin, RANTES in the Human Bronchial Epithelial A549 Cells

  • Choi, Jong-Min;Kim, Hee-Taek
    • Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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    • v.20 no.6
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    • pp.1649-1653
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    • 2006
  • Allergic diseases are the result of Th2-dominated responses to single or multiple environmental allergens. Th2 cytokines regulate these mechanisms of allergic disease at many levels, including initiation, progression, and persistence. The effect of hwangryun-Hae-Dok-Tang (HRHDT) on tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) stimulated inflammation was investigated using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5- diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC), eotaxin, regulated on activation normal T cells expressed and secreted (RANTES) immunoassay on the human bronchial epithelial microglial cells. From the present study, the crude extract of Hwangryun-Hae-Dok-tang suppressed the TNF-${\alpha}$ and IL-4 stimulated TARC, eotaxin, and RANTES production in the human bronchial epithelial A549 cells. Based on the present results, Hwangryun-Hae-Dok-tang may be useful in the treatment asthmatic allergy by inhibiting TARC, eotaxin, and RANTES chemokines.

Effects of Acanthopanax Sessiliflorus $S_{EEM}$ Ethyl Alcohol Extract on the Cerebral Blood Flow and Mean Arterial Blood Pressure in Normal & Ischemic Rats (오갈피 에탄올 추출물이 뇌혈류 및 혈압에 미치는 효과)

  • Rho, Young-Ho;Jeon, Byung-Gwan;Jeong, Hyung-Woo
    • Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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    • v.20 no.4
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    • pp.882-886
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    • 2006
  • This study was designed to investigate the effects of Acanthopanax sessiliflorus 5.,M (ASS) on the regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and mean arterial blood pressure (BP) in normal rats and ischemic rats. Experimental groups of rCBF and BP in normal and ischemic rats as follows ; ALE was injected ASS leaves 45% ethyl alcohol extract, ASE was injected ASS stems 45% ethyl alcohol extract, ARE was injected ASS roots 45% ethyl alcohol extract. The results were as follows ; In normal rats, ALE and ARE significantly increased rCBF in a dose-dependent manner, but ASE significantly decreased rCBF and MABP in a dose-dependent manner, ALE increased MABP In ischemic rats, rCBF was significantly and staDly improved by ARE (10 mg/kg, i.p.) during the period of cerebral reperfusion, which was contrasted with the findings of rapid and marked increase in control group. From the above results, it was thought that all part of Acanthopanax sessiliflorus $S_{EEM}$ was effective for hemodynamics and especially ARE was more effective than other parts.

Mortality Attributable to Second Hand Smoking in Morocco: 2012 Results of a National Prevalence Based Study

  • Tachfouti, Nabil;Najdi, Adil;Lyoussi, Badiaa;Nejjari, Chakib
    • Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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    • v.17 no.6
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    • pp.2827-2832
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    • 2016
  • Purpose: To estimate the number of deaths attributable to second hand smoking (SHS) in Morocco in 2012. Materials and Methods: prevalence based study focusing on mortality from ischaemic heart disease (IHD) and lung cancer among non-smokers aged 35 and over. Prevalence of SHS among never smokers was gathered from a national cross sectional survey on tobacco and population attributable risk (PAR) was calculated by applying PARs to mortality. The analyses were stratified by sex, age and area of exposure. Results: Rates for exposure to SHS among men aged 35-64 years ranged from 20.0% at home to 57.4% at work. Among non-smoking Moroccans aged 35 and over, 233 (IC: 147 - 246) deaths were attributable to exposure to SHS; 156 (IC: 100 - 221) in women and 77 (IC: 44 -125) in men. A total of 173 (122 - 222) deaths were estimated to have been caused by exposure only at home, 34 (9 - 76) by exposure only at the work place and 26 (15 - 58) by exposure both at home and work places. Exposure to SHS could be responsible for 182 (128 - 237) deaths from IHD and 51 (19 - 109) from lung cancer. Conclusions: These data confirm that SHS needs urgent attention in Morocco.

Influence of clozapine on neurodevelopmental protein expression and behavioral patterns in animal model of psychiatric disorder induced by low-level of lead

  • Lee, Hwayoung;Lee, Minyoung;Kim, Hyung-Ki;Kim, Young Ock;Kwon, Jun-Tack;Kim, Hak-Jae
    • The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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    • v.23 no.6
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    • pp.467-474
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    • 2019
  • Exposure to lead during pregnancy is a risk factor for the development of psychiatric disorders in the offspring. In this study, we investigated whether exposure to low levels of lead acetate (0.2%) in drinking water during pregnancy and lactation causes behavioral impairment and affects the expression of proteins associated with neurodevelopment. Lead exposure altered several parameters in rat offspring compared with those unexposed in open-field, social interaction, and pre-pulse inhibition tests. These parameters were restored to normal levels after clozapine treatment. Western blot and immunohistochemical analyses of the hippocampus revealed that several neurodevelopmental proteins were downregulated in lead-exposed rats. The expression was normalized after clozapine treatment (5 mg/kg/day, postnatal day 35-56). These findings demonstrate that downregulation of several proteins in lead-exposed rats affected subsequent behavioral changes. Our results suggest that lead exposure in early life may induce psychiatric disorders and treatment with antipsychotics such as clozapine may reduce their incidence.

Trends in the effects of climate change on terrestrial ecosystems in the Republic of Korea

  • Choi, Sei-Woong;Kong, Woo-Seok;Hwang, Ga-Young;Koo, Kyung Ah
    • Journal of Ecology and Environment
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    • v.45 no.3
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    • pp.117-129
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    • 2021
  • In this review, we aimed to synthesize the current knowledge on the observed and projected effects of climate change on the ecosystems of Korea (i.e., the Republic of Korea (ROK) or South Korea), as well as the main causes of vulnerability and options for adaptation in these ecosystems based on a range of ecological and biogeographical data. To this end, we compiled a set of peer-reviewed papers published since 2014. We found that publication of climate-related studies on plants has decreased in the field of plant phenology and physiology, whereas such publication has rapidly increased in plant and animal community ecology, reflecting the range shifts and abundance change that are occurring under climate change. Plant phenology studies showed that climate change has increased growing seasons by advancing the timing of flowering and budburst while delaying the timing of leafing out. Community ecology studies indicated that the future ranges of cold-adapted plants and animals could shrink or shift toward northern and high-elevation areas, whereas the ranges of warm-adapted organisms could expand and/or shift toward the areas that the aforementioned cold-adapted biota previously occupied. This review provides useful information and new insights that will improve understanding of climate change effects on the ecosystems of Korea. Moreover, it will serve as a reference for policy-makers seeking to establish future sectoral adaptation options for protection against climate change.

Comparative Analysis of the Difference in the Midgut Microbiota between the Laboratory Reared and the Field-caught Populations of Spodoptera litura

  • Pandey, Neeti;Rajagopal, Raman
    • Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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    • v.47 no.3
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    • pp.423-433
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    • 2019
  • Midgut microbiota is known to play a fundamental role in the biology and physiology of the agricultural pest, Spodoptera litura. This study reports the difference in the larval midgut microbiota of field-caught and laboratory-reared populations of S. litura by performing 16S rDNA amplicon pyrosequencing. Field populations for the study were collected from castor crops, whereas laboratory-reared larvae were fed on a regular chickpea based diet. In total, 23 bacterial phylotypes were observed from both laboratory-reared and field-caught caterpillars. Fisher's exact test with Storey's FDR multiple test correction demonstrated that bacterial genus, Clostridium was significantly abundant (p < 0.05) in field-caught larvae of S. litura as compared to that in the laboratory-reared larvae. Similarly, bacterial genera, such as Bradyrhizobium, Burkholderia, and Fibrisoma were identified (p < 0.05) predominantly in the laboratory-reared population. The Bray-Curtis dissimilarity matrix depicted a value of 0.986, which exhibited the maximum deviation between the midgut microbiota of the laboratory-reared and field-caught populations. No significant yeast diversity was seen in the laboratory-reared caterpillars. However, two yeast strains, namely Candida rugosa and Cyberlindnera fabianii were identified by PCR amplification and molecular cloning of the internal transcribed space region in the field-caught caterpillars. These results emphasize the differential colonization of gut residents based on environmental factors and diet.

Genetic Diversity Evaluation of Thamnocalamus spathiflorus (Trin.) Munro Accessions through Morphological and Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) Markers

  • Tiwari, Chandrakant;Bakshi, Meena;Gupta, Dinesh
    • Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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    • v.35 no.2
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    • pp.90-101
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    • 2019
  • Biodiversity refers to the total number and variation among species of flora and fauna of an area. Due to tremendous biotic especially anthropogenic pressure these natural resources are being vanishing. In present study genetic diversity among accessions of Thamnocalamus spathiflorus was evaluated. A total of 51 vegetative characters and 42 primers (10-mer) were screened. Out of 42 screened primers, 28 polymorphic primers were selected for further analysis. A total of 263 bands were recorded as polymorphic whereas 48 bands were monomorphic. The resolving power (Rp) of 28 Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) primers ranged from 4.6 (OPE08) to 17.6 (OPA11). The polymorphic information content (PIC) value ranged from 0.21 (OPAH09) to 0.44 (OPG02). The result revealed high degree of genetic relatedness (56 to 80%). Cluster analysis revealed two major clusters both for morphology as well as RAPD. Unlike morphological characterization, the accession (D5) from Bahli, Rampur, Shimla (H.P.) was clustered separately from the others in RAPD cluster analysis. Accessions with closed locality grouped together through RAPD marker system however analogy was recorded for morphological traits. The study conducted reflects the utility of RAPD technique for species identification and phylogenetic studies in bamboo for conducting bamboo breeding program.

Immunosecurity: immunomodulants enhance immune responses in chickens

  • Yu, Keesun;Choi, Inhwan;Yun, Cheol-Heui
    • Animal Bioscience
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    • v.34 no.3_spc
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    • pp.321-337
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    • 2021
  • The global population has increased with swift urbanization in developing countries, and it is likely to result in a high demand for animal-derived protein-rich foods. Animal farming has been constantly affected by various stressful conditions, which can be categorized into physical, environmental, nutritional, and biological factors. Such conditions could be exacerbated by banning on the use of antibiotics as a growth promoter together with a pandemic situation including, but not limited to, African swine fever, avian influenza, and foot-and-mouth disease. To alleviate these pervasive tension, various immunomodulants have been suggested as alternatives for antibiotics. Various studies have investigated how stressors (i.e., imbalanced nutrition, dysbiosis, and disease) could negatively affect nutritional physiology in chickens. Importantly, the immune system is critical for host protective activity against pathogens, but at the same time excessive immune responses negatively affect its productivity. Yet, comprehensive review articles addressing the impact of such stress factors on the immune system of chickens are scarce. In this review, we categorize these stressors and their effects on the immune system of chickens and attempt to provide immunomodulants which can be a solution to the aforementioned problems facing the chicken industry.

Can Coffee Shops That Have Become the Red Ocean Win with ESG?

  • KWAK, Min-Kyu;CHA, Seong-Soo
    • Journal of Distribution Science
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    • v.20 no.3
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    • pp.83-93
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    • 2022
  • Purpose: This study aims to investigate the relationship between ESG activities (Environment, Social, Governance) of coffee shops and their brand image, purchase intention. Research design, data and methodology: To test the hypothesis, a survey was conducted for about one month from May to June, 2021, and a total of 311 people responded to the survey, and the responses from 311 copies were used for the analysis. Validity and reliability analysis were performed, and the relationship between latent variables was empirically analyzed using the structural equation modelling. Results: The results of the study are as follows. First, among the ESG activities of coffee shops, the environmental and social sectors had a significant positive (+) effect on the brand image, but the governance aspect showed no significant effect on the brand image. Second, it was found that the symbolic image and the empirical image had a significant positive (+) effect on the purchase intention, but the functional image did not have a significant effect on the purchase intention. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that as the number of coffee shops and the heated competition are increasing, it is possible to build a differentiated brand image through ESG activities rather than relying on the functions and services of competing products.

Light- and Relative Humidity-Regulated Hypersensitive Cell Death and Plant Immunity in Chinese Cabbage Leaves by a Non-adapted Bacteria Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria

  • Young Hee Lee;Yun-Hee Kim;Jeum Kyu Hong
    • The Plant Pathology Journal
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    • v.40 no.4
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    • pp.358-376
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    • 2024
  • Inoculation of Chinese cabbage leaves with high titer (107 cfu/ml) of the non-adapted bacteria Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria (Xcv) strain Bv5-4a.1 triggered rapid leaf tissue collapses and hypersensitive cell death (HCD) at 24 h. Electrolyte leakage and lipid peroxidation markedly increased in the Xcv-inoculated leaves. Defence-related gene expressions (BrPR1, BrPR4, BrChi1, BrGST1 and BrAPX1) were preferentially activated in the Xcv-inoculated leaves. The Xcv-triggered HCD was attenuated by continuous light but accelerated by a dark environment, and the prolonged high relative humidity also alleviated the HCD. Constant dark and increased relative humidity provided favorable conditions for the Xcv bacterial growth in the leaves. Pretreated fluridone (biosynthetic inhibitor of endogenous abscisic acid [ABA]) increased the HCD in the Xcv-inoculated leaves, but exogenous ABA attenuated the HCD. The pretreated ABA also reduced the Xcv bacterial growth in the leaves. These results highlight that the onset of HCD in Chinese cabbage leaves initiated by non-adapted pathogen Xcv Bv5-4a.1 and in planta bacterial growth was differently modulated by internal and external conditional changes.