• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.67-76
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• 2019

For hospice palliative care that provides comprehensive and general care, it is necessary to use assessment tools to objectively list issues and detail care plans. The initial assessment is a process of establishing an overall direction of care by identifying the patient's symptoms, social and spiritual issues and palliative care needs on the admission day or within one day of admission. This process is also used to identify the patients' and families' awareness of the illness, prognosis, treatment options and if the Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) has been drafted. Consisting of 13 simple questions regarding the physical, mental, social, and spiritual domains, the Needs at the End-of-Life Screening Tool (NEST) is recommended as an initial assessment tool. Using specific assessment tools, a care plan is established for the issues identified in the initial assessment within three days of admission. A multidisciplinary assessment tool can be helpful in the physical domain. The psychosocial domain evaluates psychological distress, anxiety and depression. The social domain examines an ability to make decisions, understanding of the socioeconomic circumstance, family relationship, and death preparedness. A spiritual evaluation is also important, for which the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual WellBeing Scale (FACIT-Sp) or the Spiritual Health Inventory (SHI) can be used. The use of an assessment tool could not only contribute to pain mitigation a better quality of life for patients, but also provide systematic training for a multidisciplinary team; And the process itself could be a stepping stone for the better care provision.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.37-45
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• 2019

Portulaca oleracea L. (PL) has been used in traditional medicine herb for treatment of various diseases, such as diarrhea, dysentery, and skin inflammation. Previous studies have shown that the PL regulates the inflammation by inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Although PL might have improvement effects of intestinal function and bioactive effects, there are not enough studies to demonstrate. This study investigated the effects of KDC16-2 on the improvement of intestinal function and anti-inflammatory effects in vivo and in vitro. The improvement effect of intestinal function was measured fecal amount, water content and intestinal transit rate in KDC16-2 treated ICR mice. As results, compared with the control group, the KDC16-2 group showed a significant increase in wet fecal weight, dry fecal weight and fecal water content. The intestinal transit rate of KDC16-2 group was significantly increased. Based on the results, KDC16-2 is considered to have effects on improving intestinal function. The effect of anti-inflammatory demonstrated by using dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis mice. The mice were administered 3% DSS along with KDC16-2 (100, 300 mg/kg) for 14 days. DSS-induced colitis mice were significantly ameliorated in KDC16-2 treated group, including body weight loss, colon length shortening, tight junction protein of colon and histological colon injury. The levels of inflammatory mediators (IgG2a, IgA, C-reactive protein and Myeloperoxidase) and pro-inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-${\alpha}$, Interleukin (IL)-6) which are involved in inflammatory responses were increased in the DSS-treated group as compared to those in the control group, and the levels were significantly decreased in the KDC16-2 groups. In addition, we investigated the impact of KDC16-2 on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory responses in J774A.1 cells. KDC16-2 inhibited production of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and reactive oxygen species (ROS). These results suggested that the KDC16-2 could effectively alleviate the dysfunction of intestinal and inflammatory mediators. Thus, these KDC16-2 can be potentially used as health functional food of intestinal.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.524-529
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• 2019

Medicinal plants resources are becoming important assets since their usages have been expanded to the development of functional foods for human health, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries. However, their phylogenetic origins and names are different from each country and quite often they are mixed each other resulting in the confusion for consumers. Particularly when they are very similar based on their morphological characteristics and distributed, it is extremely difficult to differentiate their origins even by specialists. Therefore, identification of each plant species is important for standardizing herbal medicine. Thistle is a medicinal and perennial plant. Obtaining information about the genetic diversity of plant populations is highly important for conservation and germplasm utilization. Although thistle is an important medicinal plant species registered in South Korea, no molecular markers are currently available to distinguish from other similar species from different countries. In this study, we developed single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers derived from chloroplast genomic sequences to identify distinct Korean-specific thistle species via high resolution melting (HRM) curve analyses. We performed molecular authentication of four different kinds of thistle species from different regions using DNA sequences in the trnL-F and matK chloroplast intergenic region. The SNP markers developed in this study are useful for rapidly identifying specific thistle species from different country.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.126-135
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• 2019

Background: The ginseng ginsenosides, which have various physiological activities, are known to be more abundant in the leaves than in the roots, and the consumers' interest in ginseng sprout as a functional vegetable has been increasing. Methods and Results: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of growth period on growth properties, active ingredients and rheology of ginseng sprouts cultivated in a non-heated greenhouse equipped with a shade net for 60 days, starting from the end of May to the middle of July. The chlorophyll content of the leaves decreased, but their length and width increased with increasing cultivation days. In particular, growth increased significantly until 40 days, but only slightly after 50 days. The stem length did not increase greatly from the 20 th to the 30 th day of cultivation, but increased significantly from the 30 th to the 40 th day, and then further increased gradually. The weight of the leaves, stems, and roots increased slightly, but not change significantly. After 40 days of cultivation, the total ginsenoside content increased by 1.07 times in the leaves and decreased by 0.80 times in the roots with increasing cultivation days. The leaf contents of ginsenosides $Rg_1$, Re, $Rb_1$, Rc, $F_3$ and $F_4$ increased with increasing cultivation days. The rheological properties of ginseng sprout showed the greatest influence on stem hardening with increasing cultivation days. Conclusions: Therefore, based on the growth characteristics, active ingredients and physical properties, 40 days after sowing was considered to be an appropriate harvesting time for ginseng sprouts.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.141-146
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• 2019

Sparassis crispa is an edible mushroom that is distributed in Korea, Japan, Europe, and North America. It exerts various biological activities such as immunopotentiation, anti-diabetic, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory effects. Recently, we separated the health functional non-aqueous fraction from the chloroform extract of S. crispa (SCF4). In this study, we evaluated the antiangiogenic activity of SCF4 in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). SCF4 effectively inhibited vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-induced cell growth at concentrations ($5-25{\mu}g/mL$) showing no cytotoxic effects. SCF4 inhibited VEGF-induced invasiveness and tube formation ability, which are in vitro angiogenic features of HUVECs, in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, SCF4 markedly suppressed in vivo angiogenesis of chorioallantoic membrane from growing chick embryos without cytotoxicity. Furthermore, SCF4 downregulated the phosphorylation of VEGFR2, AKT, and ERK1/2, which are major angiogenic signal mediators. These results suggest that SCF4 inhibited angiogenesis by suppressing the VEGFR2 signaling pathways without cytotoxicity.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.20-28
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• 2021

Perfluorinated compounds(PFCs), an emerging environmental pollutant, are environmentally persistent and bioaccumulative organic compounds that possess a toxic impact on human health and ecosystems. PFCs are distributed widely in environment media including groundwater, surface water, soil and sediment. PFCs in contaminated solid can potentially leach into groundwater. Therefore, understanding PFCs partitioning between the aqueous phase and solid phase is important for the determination of their fate and transport in the environment. In this study, the sorption equilibrium batch and kinetic experiment of PFCs were carried out to estimated the sorption coefficient(K_d) and the fraction between aqueous-solid phase partition, respectively. Sorption branches of the PFDA(Perfluoro-n-decanoic acid), PFNA(Perfluoro-n-nonanoic acid), PFOA(Perfluoro-n-octanoic acid), PFOS(Perfluoro-1-octane sulfonic acid) and PFHxS(Perfluoro-1-hexane sulfonic acid) isotherms were nearly linear, and the estimated K_d was as follow: PFDA(1.50) > PFOS(1.49) > PFNA(0.81) > PFHxS(0.45) > PFOA(0.39). The sorption kinetics of PFDA, PFNA, PFOA, PFOS and PFHxS onto soil were described by a biexponential adsorption model, suggesting that a fast transport into the surface layer of soil, followed by two-step diffusion transport into the internal water and/or organic matter of soil. Shorter times(<20hr) were required to achieve equilibrium and fraction for adsorption on solid(F₁, F₂) increased with perfluorinated carbon chain length and sulfonate compounds in this study. Overall, our results suggested that not only the perfluorocarbon chain length, but also the terminal functional groups are important contributors to electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions between PFCs and soils, and organic matter in soils significantly affects adsorption maximum capacity than kinetic rate.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.99-107
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• 2020

Fibromyalgia is a disorder characterized by the core symptom of chronic widespread pain, along with fatigue, sleep disturbances, mood changes, and cognitive difficulties. The etiology of fibromyalgia involves a combination of biological factors, such as genetic vulnerability, alterations in pain processing and stress response system ; psychological factors, such as anxiety, depression, anger, and perceived stress ; environmental factors, such as infections, febrile diseases, and trauma. Central sensitization, which is amplified in the process of sensory stimulation, has been emphasized as a key etiological factor, as supported by enhanced wind-up, delayed aftersensation, decreased nociceptive flexion reflex threshold and functional imaging studies. Several guidelines recommend that a multimodal approach be used to treat fibromyalgia, including both pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments, tailored to each individual, and that clinicians should provide an intellectual framework through sufficient education and emphasis on the importance of self-management. The prevalence of mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and other psychiatric problems is 7-9 times higher in patients with fibromyalgia than in the general population ; moreover, the association between fibromyalgia and certain psychopathologies or sleep problems has also been suggested. Since psychiatric problems, with shared vulnerabilities and risk factors, interact with fibromyalgia bidirectionally and also affect the disease course, an integrated management approach is needed to determine the risk of comorbidities.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.116-128
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• 2021

Purpose: The extraction conditions for bioactive components from peanut shells, which is a byproduct of peanut processing, were optimized to enhance the total phenolic content (TPC, Y1), total flavonoid content (TFC, Y2), and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity (RSA, Y3). In addition, this study evaluated the anti-obesity effect of peanut shell extract. Methods: Optimization of ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) was performed using a response surface methodology. The independent variables applied for extraction were time (X1: 5.0-55.0), temperature (X2: 26.0-94.0), and ethanol concentration (X3: 0.0%-99.5%). Quadratic regression models were derived based on the results of 17 experimental sets, and an analysis of the variance was performed to verify its accuracy and precision of the regression equations. Results: When evaluating the effects of independent variables on responses using statistically-based optimization, the independent variable with the most significant effect on the TPC, TFC, and RSA was the ethanol concentration (p = 0.0008). The optimal extraction conditions to satisfy all three responses were 35.8 minutes, 82.7℃, and 96.0% ethanol. Under these conditions, the inhibitory activities of α-glucosidase and pancreatic lipase by the extract were 86.4% and 78.5%, respectively. Conclusion: In this study, UAE showed superior extraction efficiency compared to conventional hot-water extraction in the extraction of polyphenols and bioactive materials. In addition, α-glucosidase and pancreatic lipase inhibitory effects were identified, suggesting that peanut shells can be used as effective antioxidants and anti-obesity agents in functional foods and medicines.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.262-276
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• 2021

Purpose: Although, the rate of skipping breakfast among adolescents has increased in recent years, there has been an increase in the consumption of home meal replacement (HMR). This study examines the recognition and preference of rice-based Korean style HMR for breakfast among adolescents in located at Jeollabuk-do. Methods: Total of 550 middle- and high-school students of Jeollabuk-do enrolled in this study signing a consent of participation. After conducting a preliminary survey, the questionnaire employed was modified according to the purpose of this study, and the self-recording method was appliedto fill out the questionnaire. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 25. The 𝛘²-test was performed for categorical variables, whereas continuous variables were analyzed by the independent t-test. Results: Results of this study determined that 272 students (54.6%) belonged tobreakfasteating group and 226 (45.4%) were in the breakfast-skipping group. The reasons specified by both groups for eating HMR were 'convenient to cook', 'delicious', and 'time-saving'. The a result of analyzing perception of the importance of HMR by classifying as whether to eat or not to eat breakfast, revealed that compared to the breakfast-skipping group, the breakfast-eating group considered 'hygiene and cleanliness' as important factors (p < 0.001). Considering the gender, school, and breakfast consumption, the most preferred Korean HMR were 'triangular gimbap', 'gimbap', and 'rice balls'. Conclusion: Results of this study indicate, when considering adolescents, there is a necessary for continuous researches to develop convenient breakfast substitutes that are easily consumed. Moreover, we believe that it is essential to impart proper cooking education and recipe distribution of the menu.

• Journal of Apiculture
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.253-259
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• 2017

Propolis, natural antibacterial agent, which has been used traditional medicine across the globe, is resinous mixture to include abundant bioactive substances. In present study, we investigated antimicrobial activity according to quality characteristics of propolis collected from 9 different regions in Korea. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated by measuring growth inhibition zone using agar well diffusion method against Streptococcus mutans. Constituents analysis of propolis samples were measured through total phenolic contents, total flavonoid contents and quantitative analysis of major compound (pinocembrin) by ultra performance liquid chromatography. As a result, 9 different propolis (10mg/mL) and pinocembrin (1mg/mL) showed antimicrobial activity that has growth inhibition zone more than 11.9mm on S. mutans. The total flavonoid contents of 8 different propolis excluding Jeju island were in compliance with standard of health functional food in Korea and were found to affect antimicrobial activity on S. mutans when contained over 10mg/g. In addition, when content of pinocembrin in propolis was ranged from 12mg/g to 32mg/g, each propolis excluding Jeju island exhibited antimicrobial activity alike. These results indicate that pinocembrin plays a important role for antimicrobial activity of propolis collected from 8 different regions in Korea, and that it can be used as basic data for standardization of Korean propolis.