• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• 제2권1호
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• pp.17-27
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• 2002

Obesity is a serious medical disorder because it can cause a myriad of health problems, such as heart disease, hypertension, and adult-onset diabetes. While conventional medical treatment for obesity has limitations, there is enormous public enthusiasm for complementary and alternative treatments of obesity. This article reviews currently commonly used complementary and alternative therapies for obesity, such as medicinal herbs, nutritional supplements and acupuncture. Beneficial effects and possible adverse effects associated with these treatment are discussed.

• 수면정신생리
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• 제1권2호
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• pp.188-192
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• 1994

The author reports a 32 years old female patient with late luteal phase dysphoric disorder who received evening bright light treatment for 7 consecutive days during the late luteal phase of menstrual cycle. After the treatment, beneficial clinical effects were observed. This result suggests that bright light can be an alternative treatment for LLPDD. However, the placebo effects should be ruled out completely. Further controlled studies with more patients will be needed.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• 제5권1호
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• pp.69-75
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• 1989

The mobility method of dynamically loaded journal bearings was applied to optimize the lubrication of the main journal bearing of the crank press. The effects of oil viscosity, temperature bearing clearance, length, the existence of the circumferential groove, peak press force, and crank rpm were examined. From the results of the minimum film thickness and the maximum film pressure, some of the factors could be optimized, and the degrees of the beneficial and detrimental effects of the others could be estimated.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제29권8호
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• pp.1173-1180
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• 2016

Though traditional seasonings are widely used in many dishes, however, no attention has been paid to the investigation of their effects on quality characteristics of food products. The present investigation was undertaken to study the effects of incorporating several traditional seasonings including doenjang (fermented soybean paste), gochu-jang (red pepper paste), fresh medium-hot, and hot peppers, and fresh garlic on the lipid oxidation, cholesterol content and sensory characteristics of fermented sausages. Six fermented sausage treatments (5 with 1% (w/w) each test seasoning and 1 without added test seasoning (control) were prepared. The addition of seasonings generally had beneficial effects on the improvement of fermented sausage's quality however the effects differed depending on the each type of seasonings added. Significant lower pH values were found in all fermented sausages made with the seasonings while, lower levels of lipid oxidation were found in the treatments with hot peppers and garlic as compared with the control (p<0.05). The treatment with seasonings did not cause color or texture defects in the products whereas the sausages made with gochu-jang had significantly higher Commission International de $l^{\prime}Eclairagea^{\ast}$ (redness) value in comparison with the control. Noticeably, incorporating doenjang, medium-hot peppers, hot peppers and garlic resulted in reduction of 26.50, 32.54, 47.04, and 48.54 mg cholesterol/100 g samples, respectively (p<0.05). Higher scores for the sensory traits such as aroma, taste, color and acceptability were also given for the sausages made with seasonings. The current work demonstrates that the test seasonings represent potentially natural ingredients to be used for producing healthier fermented sausages.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• 제37권2호
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• pp.110-114
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• 2010

Purpose: On this study, we investigated the effects of curcumin and adipose-derived stromal cells (ADSCs) in wound healing process, especially in the aspect of synergic effects when they were administrated simultaneously. Methods: Curcumin (40 mg/kg) and/or $1.0{\times}10^6$ ADSCs were applied to an $1.5{\times}1.5\;cm$-sized full thickness wound on the backs of male Lewis rats (n=5 in each group). In control group (n=5), saline was administrated instead of curcumin and ASCs. The wound size was followed by computer planimetry in 5, 7, and 14 days, and wounds were harvested for histological analysis in 7 and 14 days. Results: The dimensions of wounds of curcumin, ADSCs, and curcumin-ADSCs group significantly decreased in 5, 7, 14 days compared with those of control group (p<0.05), but there were no significant differences among three groups. The wound sizes were lowest in curcumin-ADSCs group compared with the other groups, but the differences were insignificant (p>0.05). There were infiltration of more epithelization and more precisely organization of extracellular matrix in curcumin, ADSCs, and curcumin-ADSCs group compared with those of control group. Conclustion: The results suggest that curcumin and ADSCs have beneficial effects in the acceleration of wound healing. Although the simultaneous application of curcmin and ADSCs also has beneficial effects on wound healing, there are no significant synergic effects.

• 고려인삼학회:학술대회논문집
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• 고려인삼학회 2002년도 학술대회지
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• pp.531-544
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• 2002

Ginseng is the best known and most popular herbal medicine used worldwide. Ameliorating effects of ginseng were observed on the models of scopolamine-induced, aged or hippocampal lesioned learning and memory deficits. Further beneficial effects of ginseng were observed on neuronal cell death associated with ischemia or glutamate toxicity. In spite of these beneficial effects of ginseng on the CNS, little scientific evidence shows at the cellular level. In the present study, we have employed cultures of rat hippocampal neurons and examined the direct modulation of ginseng on NMDA receptor-induced changes in $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ and -gated currents using fura-2-based digital imaging and perforated whole-cell patch-clamp techniques, respectively. We found that ginseng total saponins inhibited NMDA-induced but less effectively glutamate-induced increase in $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ Ginseng total saponins also modulated $Ca^{2+}$ transients evoked by depolarization with 50 mM KCI along with its own effects on $[Ca^{2+}]_i$. Among ginsenosides tested, ginsenoside $Rg_3$ was found to be the most potent component for ginseng actions on NMDA receptors. Furthermore, we examined the inhibitory effects ofbiotransformants of ginsenosides on NMDA receptor using purified stereoisomers of ginsenosides. 20(S)-ginsenoside $Rg_3$ and its metabolite, 20(S)-ginsenoside $Rh_3$, produced the strongest inhibition while 20(S)-ginsenoside $Rh_1$ and Compound K produced the moderate inhibition on NMDA-induced increase in $[Ca^{2+}]_i$. The data obtained suggest that the inhibition of NMDA receptors by ginseng, in particular by 20(S)-ginsenoside $Rg_3$ and its metabolite, 20(S)-ginsenoside $Rh_2$, could be one of mechanisms for ginsengmediated neuroprotective actions.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제25권4호
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• pp.281-296
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• 2021

The beneficial effects of hypoxic preconditioning are abolished in the diabetes. The present study was designed to investigate the protective effects and mechanisms of repeated episodes of whole body hypoxic preconditioning (WBHP) in db/db mice. The protective effects of preconditioning were explored on diabetes-induced vascular dysfunction, cognitive impairment and ischemia-reperfusion (IR)-induced increase in myocardial injury. Sixteen-week old db/db (diabetic) and C57BL/6 (non-diabetic) mice were employed. There was a significant impairment in cognitive function (Morris Water Maze test), endothelial function (acetylcholine-induced relaxation in aortic rings) and a significant increase in IR-induced heart injury (Langendorff apparatus) in db/db mice. WBHP stimulus was given by exposing mice to four alternate cycles of low (8%) and normal air O₂ for 10 min each. A single episode of WBHP failed to produce protection; however, two and three episodes of WBHP significantly produced beneficial effects on the heart, brain and blood vessels. There was a significant increase in the levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nitric oxide (NO) in response to 3 episodes of WBHP. Moreover, pretreatment with the BDNF receptor, TrkB antagonist (ANA-12) and NO synthase inhibitor (L-NAME) attenuated the protective effects imparted by three episodes of WBHP. These pharmacological agents abolished WBHP-induced restoration of p-GSK-3β/GSK-3β ratio and Nrf2 levels in IR-subjected hearts. It is concluded that repeated episodes of WHBP attenuate cognitive impairment, vascular dysfunction and enhancement in IR-induced myocardial injury in diabetic mice be due to increase in NO and BDNF levels that may eventually activate GSK-3β and Nrf2 signaling pathway to confer protection.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제32권2호
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• pp.224-230
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• 2024

Pinitol (3-O-Methyl-D-chiro-inositol) has been reported to possess insulin-like effects and is known as one of the anti-diabetic agents to improve muscle, liver, and endothelial cells. However, the beneficial effects of pinitol on the skin are not well known. Here, we investigated whether pinitol had effects on human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs), and human dermal equivalents (HDEs) irradiated with ultraviolet A (UVA), which causes various damages including photodamage in the skin. We observed that pinitol enhanced wound healing in UVA-damaged HDFs. We also found that pinitol significantly antagonized the UVA-induced up-regulation of matrix metalloproteinase 1 (MMP1), and the UVA-induced down-regulation of collagen type I and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 1 (TIMP1) in HDEs. Electron microscopy analysis also revealed that pinitol remarkably increased the number of collagen fibrils with regular banding patterns in the dermis of UVA-irradiated human skin equivalents. Pinitol significantly reversed the UVA-induced phosphorylation levels of ERK and JNK but not p38, suggesting that this regulation may be the mechanism underlying the pinitol-mediated effects on UVA-irradiated HDEs. We also observed that pinitol specifically increased Smad3 phosphorylation, which is representative of the TGF-β signaling pathway for collagen synthesis. These data suggest that pinitol exerts several beneficial effects on UVA-induced damaged skin and can be used as a therapeutic agent to improve skin-related diseases.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• 제2권1호
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• pp.13-16
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• 2008

Taurine supplementation has been shown to have an effect on lowering blood lipids in ovariectomized (OVX) rats. It therefore seemed desirable to find out whether the beneficial effect of taurine on OVX rats fed calcium-deficient diet could also be reproduced. Forty female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into two groups. One group was OVX and the other group received a sham operation (Sham). Each rat group was further divided into the control diet and the taurine supplemented (2.0g/100g diet) diet group. All rats were fed on calcium-deficient diet and deionized water ad libitum for 6 weeks. Plasma and liver lipids were determined by using commercial kits. LDL-cholesterol concentrations were estimated with the equation of Friedewald et al. (1972). There were no significant differences in body weight gain and food intake between the control and taurine group within Sham and OVX groups, but body weight gain, food intake, and food efficiency ratio was higher in the OVX group. Concentrations of plasma total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL-cholesterol were significantly lower in the taurine fed group of OVX rats fed Ca deficient diet, while HDL-cholesterol concentration was increased in the taurine fed group. Therefore, in this study, we examined whether taurine also prevented hypercholesterolemia induced by ovarian hormone deficiency in ovariectomized rats when they were fed a calcium-deficient diet. These results indicate that taurine may have some beneficial effects on hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia in OVX rats fed calcium-deficient diet.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제14권5호
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• pp.733-745
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• 2001

This review paper discusses the relevance and potential importance of food-feed systems in Asian agricultural systems, and in particular the role and contribution of legumes to these systems. A food-feed system is one that maintains, if not increases, the yield of food crops, sustains soil fertility, and provides dietary nutrients for animals. It involves a cropping pattern within which the feed crop has many beneficial effects without competing for land, soil nutrients and water with the food crops. The agricultural environment is described with reference to the priority agro-ecological zones and prevailing mixed farming systems in Asia. Within these systems, animal production is severely hampered by critical feed shortages which can however, be alleviated by the integration of suitable leguminous forages into the cropping systems. The review also focuses on the role and potential importance of leguminous forages in terms of biodiversity, their uses in farming systems, beneficial effects on animal performance, and draws attention to six case studies in different countries that clearly demonstrate many benefits of developing such food-feed systems. Considerable opportunities exist for widening the use of forage legumes in the development of systems with several complementary advantages (e.g. fenceline, cover crops, fodder banks, forage source and erosion control) to improve the development of sustainable crop-animal systems in Asia.