• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.186-191
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• 2015

BACKGROUND: Carotenoids which are a major source of vitamin A are contributed to have great potential role in anti-carcinogenic effects and eyesight. Carotenoids which can not synthesize in human body are required for food supply. The objectives of this study are to investigate compositions and contents of pumpkin (Cucurbita spp.) germplasms based on their pulp color. METHODS AND RESULTS: Carotenoids were extracted with 0.2% ascorbic acid in ethanol and saponified with 80% potassium hydroxide. Insoluble compounds were extracted into hexane. A total of nine carotenoids (three xanthophylls and six carotenes) were identified from pumpkin germplasms using HPLC equipped with photodiode array detector (450 nm). Especially, lutein and ${\beta}$-carotenes were major compound in germplasms. Among isomers of ${\beta}$-carotene, all-trans-${\beta}$-carotene (16-27% of total carotenoids) was predominant compositions. The mean of total carotenoid contents was showed as brown (286.1 mg/100 g dw) > dark green (217.0) > orange (153.4) > primrose (85.8) > dark yellow (80.3). On the basis of carotenoid information, PLS-DA score plots showed different patterns by cluster in pumpkin germplasms. It was considered that these differences of phenotype were relative closely to genotype. CONCLUSION: This study indicated that dark color of pumpkin pulp was presented in high-level of biological pigments. It may contribute to develop potentially beneficial functional food ingredients.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.212-221
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• 1999

Tongue examination is the most unique and important diagnostic method of oriental medicine. It reveals patients condition and give some information about direction of therapy and background of disease as well as produces clue of duration of disease changing that grasps it from outside. The aims of this study show that results of tongue examination is related to somewhat special pattern. we study 27 patients(age of means: 63.01 years old, male: 14, female: 13) who come to Wonkwang University Oriental-Medicine Hospital at Chonju with diabetes mellitus or diabetes mellitus complications. Tongue colors of this study result in pale-red 8 cases, pale 6 cases, red 6 cases, crimson 5 cases, blue-green-purple 2 cases and tongue fur of this study result in white-fur 16 cases, yellow-fur 7 cases, black-fur 1 case, none-fur 3 cases. And the condition of tongue fur with grimy and thin result in thin-white-fur 12 cases, white-grimy-fur 4 cases, thin-yellow-fur 5 cases, grimy-yellow-fur 2 cases, black-fur 1 case. Means level of fasting glucose during 7 days was $223.24{\pm}32.l7mg/dl$ and postprandial 2hours was $286.37{\pm}24.54mg/dl$ There were no changes in tongue body and tongue color but changes occur in tongue fur with 9cases in this period. 5 cases of patient make a difference between FBS(fasting blood glucose) and postprandial blood glucose level more than l00mg/dl (2 cases of patient with thin-white-fur gradually turned to slight-yellow-fur. There were no changes in 2 cases of patient with crimson-none-fur and pale-white-fur. 1 case of patient with slimy-yellow-fur turned to black fur.) 11 cases of patient had lesser than $10\%$ hemoglobin $A_lC$ and tongue color of these patient were pale-red 5cases, pale 2 cases, red 2 cases, crimson 2 cases. 16 cases of patient had more than $10\%$ Hemoglobin $A_1C$ and tongue color of these patients were pale-red 3 cases, pale 4 cases, red 4 cases, crimson 3 cases, blue 2 cases. This result shows that quantity of Hemoglobin $A_1C$ make a somewhat role in tongue color. The above results show that tongue color, fur color, condition and change of fur in diabetes mellitus patients is various in pale-red, pale, crimson, none-fur. So it is difficult to give an exact diagnosis on pathology of diabetes mellitus only with tongue examination because there are a little matches between blood glucose level, prevalence-period, short-term blood glucose regulation and tongue and fur colors.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.229-239
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• 2021

Thamnaconus modestus, distributed in the Northwest Pacific, has high economic value and is used in various seafood. In this study, the morphological and genetic characteristics of T. modestus and T. septentrionalis were compared and analyzed. We observed the external and internal morphology of T. modestus, sketched skeletal elements, and analyzed phylogenetic evolutionary relationships using the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene on mitochondrial DNA compared to T. septentrionalis. The T. modestus observed in this study had blackish-brown patterns irregularly scattered on the gray-brown body, and the fins were blue-green. Genetic analysis results based on the COI sequences of T. modestus showed seven types of base sequence variation; however, the homology was more than 98.8%. In addition, as a result of comparison of the COI nucleotide sequences and phylogenetic analysis in Tetraodontiformes, two T. septentrionalis sequences (JN813099, MW485059) were similar to T. modestus with 99% homology, and the other two T. septentrionalis sequences (EF607583, KP267619) were similar to those of species belonging to another genus Thamnaconus with 95% homology with T. modestus. It was not easy to classify the species based on morphological characteristics, and phylogenetic analysis between T. modestus and T. septentrionalis confirmed the difference in classification. These results provide the external and internal morphology of T. modestus and will be used as important information for the taxonomic study of T. modestus and T. septentrionalis.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.11
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• pp.1321-1331
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• 2018

The aim of this study was to separate the photosensitizer that induces apoptosis of U937 and SK-HEP-1 cells from Nostoc commune. Dried N. commune was extracted with $CH_2Cl_2/MeOH$ (1:1) to separate the photosensitizer using various chromatographic techniques. The isolated compound was identified as pheophytin a ($C_{55}H_{74}N_4O_5$) with a molecular weight of 870. Its photodynamic activities were assessed under different irradiation conditions (light and non-light) at the same concentration range of $1.15-23.0{\mu}M$. The apoptosis inducing activity in U937 or SK-HEP-1 cells appeared only in the light. The mechanisms underlying the pheophytin a-mediated photodynamic inhibition of cancer cells were further investigated by examining cell morphology changes, cytotoxicity, caspase-3/7 activity, fluorescence staining, flow cytometry analysis, and DNA fragmentation in these two cell lines. The positive control and the light irradiation group showed typical apoptotic responses, including morphological changes, cytotoxicity, caspase activity, nucleus shrinkage owing to chromatin condensation, DNA laddering, and the presence of apoptotic bodies. Cytotoxicity markedly increased in a dose-dependent manner after a 12 hr exposure. Caspase-3/7 activity was higher in U937 cells than in SK-HEP-1 cells. Apoptosis induction therefore appeared to be both concentration- and light-dependent. In conclusion, pheophytin a, isolated from the blue green alga N. commune, had a photodynamic apoptosis-inducing effect on U937 and SK-HEP-1 cells. The findings reported here can be used as basic data for the development of next-generation photosensitizers from N. commune.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.116-126
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• 2021

Diesel particulate filter (DPF) is a typical application field of cordierite (Mg₂Al₄Si₅O₁₈) honeycomb. Green body for DPF honeycomb was extruded using slurry paste and sintered at the temperature range of 980~1450℃. Quantitative crystal phase analysis was carried out by using Rietveld refinement method for powder XRD data. In conjunction with the quantitative Rietveld analysis, SEM-EDS analysis was carried for the crystal phases (indialite, cordierite, cristobalite, alumina, spinel, mullite, pro-enstatite). After removing amorphous phase on the sintered surfaces by chemical etching method, the shape and composition of the crystal phases can be clearly identified by SEM-EDS method. By combining the Rietveld refinement method and SEM-EDS analysis, crystal phase evolution process in DPF cordierite ceramics could be clarified. In addition, the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the DPF honeycombs were measured and compared with the calculated CTEs based on the quantitative crystal phase analysis results.

• Journal of Mushroom
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.310-315
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• 2021

We investigated the effect of sodium chloride-associated abiotic stress on the development of Pleurotus ostreatus. We examined the growth characteristics of fruiting bodies, constituent amino acids, and fragrance pattern to determine the effect of culturing Pleurotus ostreatus on a sawdust substrate supplemented with sodium chloride in a dose-dependent manner. Pleurotus ostreatus fruiting bodies exhibited an increasing tendency towards augmented yields when grown in the presence of 0.5% sodium chloride as compared with that grown in the control group. However, increasing the supplementation of sodium chloride from 1.0 % to 2.0% resulted in significantly decreased yields of Pleurotus ostreatus fruiting bodies in these groups as compared with that in control groups. Further assessment revealed the presence of 14 types of amino acids in the fruiting bodies, including aspartate, threonine, serine, glycine, alanine, methionine, valine, isoleucine, leucine, phenylalanine, tyrosine, lysine, histidine, and arginine, at lower levels in all the sodium chloride-treated groups than in the control group; except for glutamic acid and proline. Similarly, fragrance pattern analysis of the Pleurotus ostreatus fruiting body by chromatography confirmed that the intensity of the substances presumed to be octane compounds, to which the unique flavor of mushrooms is attributed, was lower in all the sodium chloride-treated groups than in the control group.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.199-206
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• 2022

Postpartum diseases should be predicted to prevent productivity loss before calving especially in organic dairy farms. This study was aimed to investigate the incidence of postpartum metabolic diseases in an organic dairy farm in Korea, to confirm the association between diseases and prepartum blood biochemical parameters, and to evaluate the accuracy of these parameters with a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis for identifying vulnerable cows. Data were collected from 58 Holstein cows (16 primiparous and 42 multiparous) having calved for 2 years on an organic farm. During a transition period from 4 weeks prepartum to 4 weeks postpartum, blood biochemistry was performed through blood collection every 2 weeks with a physical examination. Thirty-one (53.4%) cows (9 primiparous and 22 multiparous) were diagnosed with at least one postpartum disease. Each incidence was 27.6% for subclinical ketosis, 22.4% for subclinical hypocalcemia, 12.1% for retained placenta, 10.3% for displaced abomasum and 5.2% for clinical ketosis. Between at least one disease and no disease, there were significant differences in the prepartum levels of parameters like body condition score (BCS), non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA), total bilirubin (T-bil), direct bilirubin (D-bil) and NEFA to total cholesterol (T-chol) ratio (p < 0.05). The ROC analysis of each of these prepartum parameters had the area under the curve (AUC) <0.7. However, the ROC analysis with logistic regression including all these parameters revealed a higher AUC (0.769), sensitivity (71.0%), and specificity (77.8%). The ROC analysis with logistic regression including the prepartum BCS, NEFA, T-bil, D-bil, and NEFA to T-chol ratio can be used to identify cows that are vulnerable to postpartum diseases with moderate accuracy.

• Journal of Mushroom
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.329-335
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• 2021

This experiment was conducted to investigate the changes in freshness parameters and determine the optimal UV-B irradiation conditions for each storage period for Heuktari, an oyster mushroom cultivar, grown under LED lightNo significant changes were observed in the CO₂ and O₂ content until day 12 of storage; however, after day 15, the CO₂/O₂ ratios were higher in the UV-treated groups than in the untreated groups. No color difference was observed between the UV-treated and untreated groups. In all UV-treated groups, hardness decreased over time; however, the group irradiated for 15 minutes showed higher hardness values than those of the untreated group. The UV-irradiated group showed higher ergosterol content than did the untreated group, and scanning electron microscopy revealed that mushroom cell wall destruction increased with increased UV treatment time. Overall, these findings confirmed that UV-B irradiation increased the ergosterol content of Heuktari but decreased its freshness and negatively impacted other storage characteristics.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.445-454
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• 2022

The aim of this study was to provide basic data for breeding new varieties of Angelica gigas Nakai by identifying the growth characteristics and useful components of its below- and above-ground parts. The basic varieties expressing dark purple (N79-A), light blue-pink (62-C), and white (NN115-C) flowers were identified and collected in the cultivation area, and their seeds were cultured for use as experimental materials. Qualitative growth characteristics of the above-ground parts were then examined. Purple coloration was evident throughout the entire plant body in the N79-A group, whereas the 62-C and NN115-C groups displayed yellow-green coloration. In terms of quantitative growth characteristics, the 62-C group displayed significantly lower above- and below-ground growth than the other two groups. Levels of nodakenin and decursinol-angelate were high in the NN115-C group (0.88 ± 0.13%) and N79-A group (2.56 ± 0.12%). However, the overall results were not statistically significant. The results could provide a foundation for breeding new varieties of Angelica gigas Nakai, which are used predominantly for medicinal purposes and have low bolting and high yield potential.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.682-697
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• 2023

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Tibetan tea is a kind of dark tea, due to the inherent complexity of natural products, the chemical composition and beneficial effects of Tibetan tea are not fully understood. The objective of this study was to unravel the composition of Tibetan tea using knowledge-guided multilayer network (KGMN) techniques and explore its potential antioxidant and hypolipidemic mechanisms in mice. MATERIALS/METHODS: The C57BL/6J mice were continuously gavaged with Tibetan tea extract (T group), green tea extract (G group) and ddH2O (H group) for 15 days. The activity of total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in mice was detected. Transcriptome sequencing technology was used to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the antioxidant and lipid-lowering effects of Tibetan tea in mice. Furthermore, the expression levels of liver antioxidant and lipid metabolism related genes in various groups were detected by the real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) method. RESULTS: The results showed that a total of 42 flavonoids are provisionally annotated in Tibetan tea using KGMN strategies. Tibetan tea significantly reduced body weight gain and increased T-AOC and SOD activities in mice compared with the H group. Based on the results of transcriptome and qPCR, it was confirmed that Tibetan tea could play a key role in antioxidant and lipid lowering by regulating oxidative stress and lipid metabolism related pathways such as insulin resistance, P53 signaling pathway, insulin signaling pathway, fatty acid elongation and fatty acid metabolism. CONCLUSIONS: This study was the first to use computational tools to deeply explore the composition of Tibetan tea and revealed its potential antioxidant and hypolipidemic mechanisms, and it provides new insights into the composition and bioactivity of Tibetan tea.