• Animal Bioscience
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.763-777
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• 2022

Objective: Excessive lipid accumulation in adipocytes results in prevalence of obesity and metabolic syndrome. Curcumin (CUR), a naturally phenolic active ingredient, has been shown to have lipid-lowering effects. However, its underlying mechanisms have remained largely unknown. Therefore, the study aims to determine the effect of CUR on cellular lipid accumulation in porcine subcutaneous preadipocytes (PSPA) and to clarify novel mechanisms. Methods: The PSPA were cultured and treated with or without CUR. Both cell counting Kit-8 and lactate dehydrogenase release assays were used to examine cytotoxicity. Intracellular lipid contents were measured by oil-red-o staining extraction and triglyceride quantification. Apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry and the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate-nick end labelling assay. Adipogenic and apoptosis genes were analyzed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blot. Results: The CUR dose-dependently reduced the proliferation and lipid accumulation of PSPA. Noncytotoxic doses of CUR (10 to 20 μM) significantly inhibited extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) phosphorylation and expression of adipogenic genes peroxisome proliferation-activity receptor-γ (PPAR-γ), CCAAT/enhancer binding protein-α, sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c, adipocyte protein-2, glucose transporter-4 as well as key lipogenic enzymes fatty acid synthase and acetyl-CoA carboxylase, while ERK1/2 activation significantly reversed CUR-reduced lipid accumulation by increasing PPAR-γ. Furthermore, compared with differentiation induced media treated cells, higher dose of CUR (30 μM) significantly decreased the expression of AKT and B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2), while increased the expression of BCL-2-associated X (BAX) and the BAX/BCL-2 expression ratio, suggesting triggered apoptosis by inactivating AKT and increasing BAX/BCL-2 ratio and Caspase-3 expression. Moreover, AKT activation significantly rescued CUR inhibiting lipid accumulation via repressing apoptosis. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that CUR is capable of suppressing differentiation by inhibiting ERK1/2-PPAR-γ signaling pathway and triggering apoptosis via decreasing AKT and subsequently increasing BAX/BCL-2 ratio and Caspase-3, suggesting that CUR provides an important method for the reduction of porcine body fat, as well as the prevention and treatment of human obesity.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.43-52
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• 2023

Objectives : The aim of this study was to evaluate the differences in the abdominal cavity between functional dyspepsia patients and healthy people using an algometer combined with an ultrasound device. Methods : A non-randomized, controlled, pilot trial was conducted. Thirty patients in the experimental group and fifteen participants in the control group were recruited. We collected demographical data, and measured abdominal circumference, height of the body cavity, subcutaneous fat thickness, visual analogue scale of dyspepsia symptoms in the experimental group, depth of algometer and pressure of algometer when pressure pain occurred, and the whole ultrasonic image from the beginning of pressurization to the time when pressure pain occurred. The measurements were carried out twice with the duration of 1 week. Generalized linear regression was conducted to adjust baseline characteristics. Results : A total of 45 participants (30 in experimental group, 15 in control group) were recruited and finished the trial. Females were recruited more in the experimental group than in the control group and it was statistically significant. The difference in thickness of abdominal cavity between a second before the pressure pain and at the time when pressure pain occurred was statistically significant on 1st visit, and other measurements were not statistically significant. From the results of the regression analysis, the difference between two groups was statistically significant in the differences in the thickness of stomach and up to abdominal aorta on 1st visit, and the thickness of stomach on 2nd visit, and other measurements were not statistically different. Conclusions : According to the results, there were not statistically significant differences in abdominal examination when pressure pain occurred between dyspepsia patients and healthy people. Further studies are warranted to assess the abdominal examination using devices including algometer and ultrasound devices, regarding the results of the present study.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.112 no.1
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• pp.93-104
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• 2023

Life expectancy is increasing due to the aging of the population, which is in turn exacerbating problems such as the prevalence of various geriatric diseases. This study was established to provide basic data for the expansion of forest healing activities for the elderly by systematically analyzing the literature on how such activities affect this age group. For the collection of studies, the Korean databases RISS, KISS, Korea Med, and Science On were used, while PubMed, Cochrane Central, MDPI, and Google Scholar were used to identify reports published elsewhere. To assess the quality of the methodology used in the collected studies, the risk of bias was analyzed using Cochrane's RoB2 and RoBANS. Among 1,856 reports initially identified, 21 were finally selected for analysis in this study, which were limited to research papers on forest healing activities for the elderly published between 2000 and January 2022. In this review, the subjects were those aged 60 or older, with a total of 750 participants, ranging from at least 7 to a maximum of 88 per study. The analysis showed that the most frequently performed tests in each category were on depression as a psychological indicator in 7 studies, MMSE(Mini Mental State Examination) as a cognitive indicator in 2 studies, on blood pressure as a physiological indicator in 4 studies, on melatonin as a biochemical indicator in 2 studies, and on body fat and muscle strength as physical indicators in 3 studies. Of the 21 studies, 19 used two or more test items, with psychological indicators being most commonly measured. For the future application of forest healing activities for the elderly, various forest healing programs to prevent cognitive function decline should be developed and distributed, and follow-up studies should be continuously presented to provide the basis for forest healing activities.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.389-397
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• 2001

Cocaine-amphetamine regulated transcript (CART), a satiety factor regulated by leptin, is associated with food intake and motor behavior. In knock out studies, Leu34Phe mutation of human CART gene resulted in obese phenotype but mice carrying a targeted deletion of the CART gene exhibited no dramatic increase of body weight on normal fat diet. To establish a new transgenic mouse model for determining the function of CART on feeding behavior in vivo, we constructed the fusion gene, CART gene under the control of neurofilament light chain promoter, which regulates gene expression at the stage of neuronal differentiation. Transgenic mice were generated by microinjection method and screened by PCR and Southern blot analyses. In these transgenic mice, overexpression of CART was detected by in situ hybridization in spinal cords and brains at 13.5 days post-coitum embryos. At six weeks of age, RT-PCR analysis showed that exogenous CART mRNA was expressed strongly in brains and spinal cords, but not much in other tissues. Our results suggest that these transgenic mice provide a new model to investigate the function of CART gene in neuronal network associated with feeding behavior.

• 한국체육학회지인문사회과학편
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.727-737
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• 2015

The study investigated the relationship between vitamin D status and lifestyle risk factors in office workers. A total of 515 office workers(336 men and 179 women) aged 30 years or older were voluntarily recruited from S-city. Along with serum vitamin D levels, lifestyle risk factors including obesity index, physical fitness, metabolic risk factors, lipids profile and sedentary behavior were measured using standardized protocols. Subjects were classified as deficiency (<20ng/mL), insufficiency (20-29ng/mL), and sufficiency (≥30ng/mL) based on serum vitamin D levels. Linear contrast analysis using one-way ANOVA showed significant linear decreases in mean body fat (p=.030) and sedentary behavior (p<.001) and significant linear increases in skeletal muscle (p=.037), cardiorespiratory fitness (p<.001) and HDL-C (p=.013) across incremental serum vitamin D levels. Compared with the low cardiorespiratory fitness group, the high cardiorespiratory fitness group had a significantly higher odds ratio (men OR=2.144, p=.042, women OR=1.971, p=.045) for having vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency even adjustment after age. Compared to the shortest sitting time group, the longest sitting time group had a significantly higher odds-ratio in a group of female office workers (OR=1.262, p=.043) for having vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency even adjustment after age. The current findings of the study showed that poor physical fitness and sedentary behavior were the risk factors of low serum vitamin D levels, implying the urgent need for a healthy lifestyle modification along with vitamin D supplementation.

• The Journal of the Society of Stroke on Korean Medicine
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.46-53
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• 2006

Objectives : The purposes of this study were to investigate that a blepharospasm means the presymptom of stroke based on the traditional hypothesis in the oriental medicine and to compare a blepharospasm with warning signs of stroke in the western medicine. Methods : In the time period Oct. 2005 to Oct. 2006, 409 patients with a first-ever stroke admitted in the department of Internal Medicine of Kyungwon University In-cheon Oriental Medical Hospital, Kyunghee University Oriental Medical Hospital, Dongguk Il-san Oriental Medical Hospital were included. Patients were hospitalized within 14 days after the onset of stroke. Stroke patients were interviewed by residents who studied standard operation procedures in Fundamental Study for Standardization and Objectification of Differentiation and Pattern Identification of Syndrome of Oriental Medicine for Stroke. A questionnaire was completed by a question-and-answer form between patients and residents after explanation details to patients and the agreement of patients. Results : Age, care of patients or grandson, diabetes mellitus, and smoking were higher among cerebral infarction group, while smoking was higher among hemorrhage group. Female, young age, hyperlipidemia, hypertension in the family history and fat body in waist-hip ratio were higher among patients undergoing the blepharospasm before stroke onset. And the incidence of blepharospasm was lower in patients who dislike the fast food. Finally, when we compared a blepharospasm with warning signs of stroke in the western medicine, the incidence of blepharospasm in this study were the most frequent. Conclusion : In this study, the incidence of blepharospasm in patients before stroke onset was more frequent than that of warning signs in the western medicine. But more data from prospective cohort studies should be collected to be accepted that the blepharospasm is the presymptom of stroke as like warning signs in the western medicine.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.157-165
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• 2007

This study was designed to evaluate the effects of fructose(F) or sucrose(S) and guar gum intake on carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in 15-week-old male Goto-Kakizaki(GK) rats. Fifty rats were randomly assigned to 5 groups which were different in carbohydrate(25% of carbohydrate) and fiber(5% w/w) sources. The carbohydrate(CHO) sources of each group were comstarch(control group, 100% of CHO), fructose with cellulose(F), fructose with guar gum(FG), sucrose with cellulose(S), and sucrose with guar gum(SG). Each group was fed exterimental diet for 4 weeks. We measured food intake, body weight gain, adipose tissues weight and organs weight. We conducted oral glucose tolerance test(OGTT) and measured plasma insulin concentration to examine carbohydrate metabolism. To evaluate lipid metabolism, we measured the lipid profile of plasma, liver and feces. Food intake and weight gain of FG or SG groups tended to be less than those of F or S groups. Perirenal and epididymal fat pad weights of SG group were significantly lower than those of S group and those of FG group tended to be lower than those of F group. In OGTT, blood glucose values of F or S groups were significantly higher than those of C group, and FG or SG groups tended to be lower than those of F or S groups during the experimental time. The area under the curve(AUC) of C group was significantly highest among the groups, AUC and plasma insulin concentration of FG or SG groups tended to be lower than those of F or S groups. Plasma and hepatic triglyceride (TG) of FG and SG groups were significantly lower than those of F and S groups, plasma and hepatic total lipid(TL) and total cholesterol(TC) of FG and SG groups tended to be lower than those of F and S groups. Fecal TL, TG and TC of FG or SG groups tended to be higher than those of F and S groups. In conclusion, intake of guar gum should improve carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in partial substitution of fructose or sucrose for cornstarch in GK rats.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.65 no.6
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• pp.1242-1253
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• 2023

The present study aimed to investigate the feasibility of using a diet low in lysine content as a means for increasing the intramuscular fat (IMF) content and pork muscle quality of finishing pigs. Thirty-two crossbred gilts and barrows weighing approximately 80 kg were fed either a low-lysine diet (0.60%; Low-lys) or a control diet (0.80% lysine; Med-lys) under a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. The animals were slaughtered at a 132-kg body weight (BW) on average, followed by physicochemical analyses and sensory evaluation on Longissimus lumborum (LL) and Semitendinosus (ST) muscles. The average daily gain (ADG) did not differ between the Med-lys and Low-lys groups. However, ADG exhibited a tendency of sex × diet interaction (p = 0.09), being greater for barrows vs. gilts on the Low-lys diet (p < 0.05), but not on the Med-lys diet. Backfat thickness adjusted for 132-kg BW also exhibited the interaction; it was greater for the Low-lys vs. Med-lys group within gilts but tended to be less for the former in barrows (p = 0.08). The IMF content was not influenced by the diet or sex in either LL or ST. The a^*, b^*, and Warner-Bratzler Shear Force values and fatty acid composition were influenced by the sex or diet in either or both of the muscles, but the treatment effects did not apparently influence the meat quality. Sensory scores for the flavor, juiciness, tenderness, umami, and palatability of cooked muscle were not influenced by the diet in either LL or ST. When the LL and ST data were pooled, scores for those sensory attributes were positively correlated with the IMF content, which was associated with overall greater IMF contents and greater sensory scores for ST vs. LL. Collectively, the Low-lysine diet seemingly elicited the intended lysine deficiency in gilts as indicated by the increased BFT due to the diet. However, the Low-lys diet was not effective for increasing the IMF deposition or eating quality of the pork muscle of finishing pigs slaughtered at high BW probably because its lysine content was not low enough to elicit either outcome.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.65 no.6
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• pp.1308-1322
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• 2023

Minerals is required small amounts among various nutrients, but it has a significant impact on sow longevity and reproduction performance. This study was carried out to see the beneficial effects of marine-derived Ca-Mg complex on the reproductive performance of sows during four-parity periods. Seventy-two gilts ([Yorkshire × Landrace] × Duroc), with an average body weight of 181 kg, were randomly allocated to three groups; CON (basal diet), 0.3LC (CON - MgO - 0.3% limestone + 0.4% Ca-Mg complex), and 0.7LC (CON - MgO - 0.7% limestone + 0.4% Ca-Mg complex). During parity 3 and 4, the expression level of SCD gene was lower in the umbilical cord of piglets born to 0.3LC and 0.7LC sows compared with the CON sows. During parity 2, 3 and 4, SLC2A2 and FABP4 gene expressions were higher in the umbilical cord of piglets born to 0.7LC sows and the placenta of sows from 0.3LC groups, respectively. Ca-Mg complex increased (p < 0.05) Ca and Mg concentrations in sows and their piglets' serum as well as in colostrum regardless of parities. The serum vitamin D concentration was higher (p < 0.05) in their first parity, whereas serum prolactin and estrogen concentrations were higher (p < 0.05) during the fourth and third parity, respectively. The growth hormone concentrations were higher (p < 0.05) in the piglets born to sows during the first and second parity. The fat and immunoglobulin A (IgA) concentrations in colostrum were higher (p < 0.05) during the third and fourth parity, respectively. A reduction (p < 0.05) in salivary cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine concentrations was observed in 0.3LC and 0.7LC sow groups compared with CON after farrowing regardless of parity, however before farrowing, a reduction in norepinephrine was observed. Before farrowing, the epinephrine and norepinephrine concentrations were higher (p < 0.05) during the first and second parity. After farrowing, the concentration of these hormones was higher during the second parity. Taken together, sows' parity and dietary Ca-Mg complex supplementation influenced serum metabolites, colostrum nutrients, stress hormones as well as the gene expressions related to lipid and glucose metabolism.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.589-605
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• 2023

Soy isoflavones are attracting attention from postmenopausal women because of their beneficial effects on menopausal symptoms. This study was investigated whether a combination of soy isoflavone genistein and swimming exercise (Gen+SE) would have a beneficial synergistic effect on obesity and improvement of liver function compared to the genistein only (Gen) and swimming exercise only (SE) in ovariectomized mice. Ovariectomized mice were randomly divided into control group (Con), Gen, SE, and Gen+SE, and were fed a high-fat diet for 8 weeks. As a result of examining the body weight, weight of white adipose tissue, lipid accumulation of liver, and serum ALT and AST levels, both Gen and SE decreased compared to Con, and Gen+SE decreased more than compared to Gen and SE. The expression of inflammatory cytokines MCP-1, IL-6 and TNF-𝛼 genes in liver decreased in both Gen and SE compared to Con, and were further decreased in Gen+SE compared to Gen and SE. But The expression of adiponectin showed opposite results. The expression of fatty acid oxidation related genes in liver increased in both Gen and SE compared to Con, and were more effectively than increased in Gen+SE compared to Gen and SE. Therefore this study suggests that the interaction between soy isoflavone and swimming exercise is very effective controlling obesity and recovering decreased liver function, and this is caused by promoting fatty acid oxidation in the liver in ovariectomized mice.