• Nutrition Research and Practice
• /
• v.7 no.5
• /
• pp.366-372
• /
• 2013

The application of polyphenols has attracted great interest in the field of functional foods and nutraceuticals due to their potential health benefits in humans. However, the effectiveness of polyphenols depends on their bioactivity and bioavailability. In the present study, the bioactive component from green tea extract (GTE) was administrated orally (50 mg/kg body weight/day) as free or in a microencapsulated form with maltodextrin in rats fed a high fructose diet. High fructose diet induced features of metabolic syndrome including hypertriglyceridemia, hyperuricemia, increased serum total cholesterol, and retroperitoneal obesity. In addition, myocardial fibrosis was increased. In rats receiving high fructose diet, the lowering of blood triglycerides, total cholesterol, non esterified fatty acid (NEFA) and uric acid, as well as the reduction in final body weight and retroperitoneal fat weight associated with the administration of GTE, led to a reversal of the features of metabolic syndrome (P < 0.05). In particular, the administration of microencapsulated GTE decreased myocardial fibrosis and increased liver catalase activity consistent with a further alleviation of serum NEFA, and hyperuricemia compared to administration of GTE. Taken together, our results suggest that microencapsulation of the bioactive components of GTE might have a protective effect on cardiovasucular system by attenuating the adverse features of myocardial fibrosis, decreasing uric acid levels and increasing hepatic catalase activity effectively by protecting their bioactivities.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
• /
• v.28 no.6
• /
• pp.716-721
• /
• 2005

Fluoxetine is an anorexic agent known to reduce food intake and weight gain. However, the molecular mechanism by which fluoxetine induces anorexia has not been well-established. We examined mRNA expression levels of neuropeptide Y (NPY) and proopiomelanocortin (POMC) in the brain regions of rats using RT-PCR and in situ hybridization techniques after 2 weeks of administering fluoxetine daily. Fluoxetine persistently suppressed food intake and weight gain during the experimental period. The pair-fed group confirmed that the reduction in body weight in the fluoxetine treated rats resulted primarily from decreased food intake. RT-PCR analyses showed that mRNA expression levels of both NPY and POMC were markedly reduced by fluoxetine treatment in all parts of the brain examined, including the hypothalamus. POMC mRNA in situ signals were significantly decreased, NPY levels tended to increase in the arcuate nucleus (ARC) of fluoxetine treated rats (compared to the vehicle controls). In the pair-fed group, NPY mRNA levels did not change, but the POMC levels decreased (compared with the vehicle controls). These results reveal that the chronic administration of fluoxetine decreases expression levels in both NPY and POMC in the brain, and suggests that fluoxetine-induced anorexia may not be mediated by changes in the ARC expression of either NPY or POMC. It is possible that a fluoxetine raised level of 5-HT play an inhibitory role in the orectic action caused by a reduced expression of ARC POMC ($\alpha$-MSH).

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
• /
• 2017.06a
• /
• pp.39-39
• /
• 2017

In Asia, sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is a very important crop for starch production. Approximately 74.3% of the total sweet potato production quantity is produced in Asia (FAO, 2014) and China is the largest producer of sweet potato. Post-harvest management is particularly important because it is difficult to maintain the quality as well as quantity of sweet potatoes. Despite the importance of post-harvest management, researches on sweet potato have been focused on production-related study such as breeding of new variety, improved techniques of cultivation, so there is limited research on storage after harvest. Curing is a normal practice after sweet potato harvest to promote wound healing and extend postharvest storage life. In Korea, harvested sweet potatoes are usually cured for 4 to 7 days at $30-33^{\circ}C$ and 80-95% relative humidity within one week. Since the optimum storage temperature of sweet potato is regarded as $15-20^{\circ}C$, additional facilities and costs are required to raise the temperature for curing. However, the majority of small farmers do not have the capacity to provide additional facilities and costs. This study was initiated to suggest a new curing method to accelerate the wound healing by applying chemical oxidation to the wound surface of sweet potato. Oxidative stress is known to play an important role in the synthesis of secondary metabolites including lignin. In addition, chemical oxidation can be applied to prevent spoilage caused by microorganisms. Powerful gaseous oxidant with excellent penetration ability and superior sterilization effect was selected for this study. Lignification, weight loss, and spoilage rate of artificially wounded sweet potatoes were investigated after oxidant fumigation. There were clear differences in morphological analysis such as lignification pattern, lignin deposition color, and continuity of lignified cell layers between oxidant-fumigated sweet potatoes and control. These results show that gaseous oxidant can be used to supplement or replace the curing practice, to improve shelf-life as well as curing cost reduction.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
• /
• v.50 no.2
• /
• pp.67-72
• /
• 2005

Overwintering capacity, closely related to winter hardiness, of Chinese milk vetch planted with different sowing times and sowing practices was investigated to improve the incorporation into cropping system in Korea. The tolerance to low temperature was evaluated with $LT_50$ using leaf disc leaching method. Dry weight of CMV was reduced remarkably with delayed planting from Sep. 5 to Oct. 20. The differences in tolerance to freezing temperature were not conspicuous among CMV genotypes, however, the differences between genotype (collections at different regions) were due to the plant architecture, mainly to the leaf angle. The crouching genotype collected at central region of Korean peninsula, which showed excellent freezing tolerant, has planophile leaves. The feature of internal constituents of CMV genotypes did not show any noticeable differences with respect to the freezing tolerance which evaluated by leaf disc leaching experiment. To overcome the poor overwintering capacity, tolerant genotype should be developed by selection with considering the plant architecture. The reduction of CMV growth during overwintering period was ameliorated with furrow-sowing under late-sown condition, therefore, when the CMV is inevitably sown late after recommended time, the seeds should be sown on furrow to overcome the cold stress.

• Journal of Obesity & Metabolic Syndrome
• /
• v.27 no.4
• /
• pp.213-222
• /
• 2018

Bariatric surgery has evolved from a surgical measure for treating morbid obesity to an epochal remedy for treating metabolic syndrome as a whole, which is represented by type 2 diabetes mellitus. Numerous clinical trials have advocated bariatric or metabolic surgery over nonsurgical interventions because of markedly superior metabolic outcomes in morbidly obese patients who satisfy traditional criteria for bariatric surgery (body mass index [BMI] >$35kg/m^2$) and in less obese or simply overweight patients. Nevertheless, not all diabetes patients achieve the most desirable outcomes; i.e., diabetes remission after metabolic surgery. Thus, candidates for metabolic surgery should be carefully selected based on comprehensive preoperative assessments of the risk-benefit ratio. Predictors for diabetes remission after metabolic surgery may be classified into two groups based on mechanism of action. The first is indices for preserved pancreatic beta-cell function, including younger age, shorter duration of diabetes, and higher C-peptide level. The second is the potential for an insulin resistance reduction, including higher baseline BMI and visceral fat area. Several prediction models for diabetes remission have been suggested by merging these two to guide the joint decision-making process between clinicians and patients. Three such models, DiaRem, ABCD, and individualized metabolic surgery scores, provide an intuitive scoring system and have been validated in an independent external cohort and can be utilized in routine clinical practice. These prediction models need further validation in various ethnicities to ensure universal applicability.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
• /
• v.12 no.6
• /
• pp.815-825
• /
• 2007

The study was designed to investigate food waste management practices and to identify factors affecting food waste generation at school food services. A total of 202 dietitians employed at elementary schools participated in the survey. The mean food waste weight per school was 77.54 kg, forty percent of the schools generated food waste of $50{\sim}100kg$ every day and 53% generated plate waste less than 50 kg. Three quarters of the dietitians perceived plate waste as a major component of the food waste and vegetable dishes were a major source of the plate waste. Half of the dietitians used a food waste pick-up service for waste disposal, which was the most preferred waste disposal method. Approximately 90% of the dietitians conducted education on plate waste reduction for students but their perceptions on the effectiveness of the education was inconsistent. The contents were environmental issues (70.3%) and unbalanced food choice (56.7%). According to factor analysis based on performance score, solid waste management practices were grouped into 'information collecting and education', 'supervision of production process', 'cooperation with related groups', and 'control over production planning'. Practices appertaining to 'cooperation with related groups', 'information collecting and education' factor need to be improved. Dietitians should pay attention to 'recycle and reuse of left over' practice. Waste generation differed significantly by dietitians' ages and working experience. In order to reduce plate waste, more effective education materials and methods need to be developed and support from principals, teachers, and parents is necessary.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
• /
• v.8 no.4
• /
• pp.410-416
• /
• 2014

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The standard pattern of Brazilian food consumption is based on the combination of rice and beans served together in the main meals. This study assessed the effects of Brazilian-staple calorie-restricted (BS-diet) dietary advice, with brown rice and beans, on metabolic parameters, body composition, and food intake in overweight/obese subjects. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Twentyseven subjects were randomly assigned to a conventional-type calorie-restricted diet (CT-diet) (n = 13) or a BS-diet (n = 14). Glucose metabolism, lipid profile, anthropometric and body composition parameters, and food intake were measured before and after 16 weeks. Paired t-tests/Wilcoxon tests were used for comparison of differences from baseline and unpaired t-tests/Mann-Whitney tests were used for comparison of differences between the groups. RESULTS: After16 weeks, both groups showed reductions in weight and waist circumference (P < 0.02), and the BS-diet group showed a decrease in body fat (P = 0.0001), and significant improvement in glucose metabolism (fasting plasma glucose, glucose and insulin areas under the curve, Cederholm index, and HOMA2-$%{\beta}$) ($P{\leq}0.04$) and lipid profile (cholesterol, triacylglycerol, LDL-c, VLDL-c, and cholesterol/HDL-c ratio) ($P{\leq}0.05$). In addition, the BS-diet group showed significant improvement in HOMA2-$%{\beta}$, compared to the CT-diet group (P = 0.03). The BS-diet group also showed a significant reduction in energy, lipids, carbohydrate, and cholesterol intake ($P{\leq}0.04$) and an increase in fiber intake ($P{\leq}0.001$), while the CT-diet group showed a significant reduction in intake of energy, macronutrients, PUFA, and cholesterol ($P{\leq}0.002$). CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate the benefits of the BS-diet on metabolic parameters in obese subjects.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
• /
• v.42 no.6
• /
• pp.722-728
• /
• 1997

This experiment was conducted to establish the cultural practice for reduction of lodging by the effective water management under direct seeding on flooded paddy surface as treated by the drainage times using Dongjinbyeo at National Honam Agricultural Experiment Station during 1994-1995. As the increased midsummer drainage times, the field lodging were reduced by reduction of culm length and large amounts of root with favorable distribution in deep soil, indicating low canopy architecture could promote the light transmission in the plants and favorable root growth. The yield performance was high by increased drainage times which contributed to mainly percentage of ripened grain and 1, 000-grain weight. As a result, two to three times midsummer drainage as effective water management during plant growth was desirable.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
• /
• v.7 no.3
• /
• pp.207-215
• /
• 2013

The objective of this study was to investigate the associations between the prevalence of overweight and obesity and the degree of adherence to the Korean Dietary Action Guides for Children (KDAGC). In a cross-sectional study based on a child care center-based survey in Seoul, Korea, we collected parental-reported questionnaires (n = 2,038) on children's weight and height, frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption, and the quality of dietary and activity behaviors based on the 2009 KDAGC Adherence Index (KDAGCAI) which was developed as a composite measure of adherence to the KDAGC. Overweight and obesity were determined according to age- and sex-specific BMI percentile from the 2007 Korean national growth chart. Associations were assessed with generalized linear models and polytomous logistic regression models. Approximately 17.6% of Korean preschool children were classified as overweight or obese. Obese preschoolers had lower adherence to the KDAGCAI compared to those with lean/normal weight. Preschoolers with a high quality of dietary and activity behaviors had a 51% decreased odds ratio (OR) of being obese (highest vs. lowest tertile of KDAGCAI-score, 95% CI 0.31, 0.78; P = 0.001); the associations were more pronounced among those who were older (P = 0.048) and lived in lower income households (P = 0.014). A greater frequency of vegetable consumption, but not fruit, was associated with a borderline significant reduction in the prevalence of obesity. Our findings support the association between obesity prevention and high compliance with the Korean national dietary and activity guideline among preschool children.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
• /
• v.12 no.4
• /
• pp.5-32
• /
• 2009

Objectives: This study was performed to analyse single dose toxicity of pure melittin(Sweet Bee Venom-Sweet BV) extracted from the bee venom by utilizing protein isolation method of gel filtration. Methods: All experiments were conducted at Biotoxtech, a non-clinical studies authorized institution, under the regulations of Good Laboratory Practice (GLP). Six weeks old female Sprague-Dawley rats were chosen for the pilot study and determined 30㎎/㎏ which is 4285 times higher than the clinical application dosage as the high dosage, followed by 15 and 7.5㎎/㎏ as mid and lose dosage, respectively. Equal amount of excipient to the Sweet BV experiment groups was administered as the control group. Results: 1. No mortality was witnessed in all of the experiment groups. 2. Hyperemia and movement disorder were observed around the area of administration in all groups, and higher occurrence in the higher dosage groups. Hyperemia and movement disorder diminished with elapsed time. 3. For the weight measurement, male groups showed larger reduction in weight in accordance with higher dosage. Female groups didn't s how significant changes. 4. To verify abnormalities of organs and tissues, cerebellum, cerebrum, liver, lung, kidney, and spinal nerves were removed and conducted histological observation with H-E staining. No abnormalities were detected in any of organs and tissues. 5. One female rat in the 30㎎/㎏ group had amputated toe near the administered area and histopathological finding was hemorrhage with inflammation. This is presumed as a secondary infection after the administration of Sweet BV. Conclusion: Above findings suggest Sweet BV is relatively s safe treatment medium. Further studies on the subject should be conducted to yield more concrete evidences.