• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
• /
• v.34 no.6
• /
• pp.1129-1142
• /
• 2004

Purpose: This research was conducted to evaluate the effects of asystemic follow-up care program on health promotion and risk reduction in 64 high-risk infants(HRI) including premature infants and their mothers. Method: The intervention consisted of systemic NICU education, tele-counseling and 3 home visits in 6 months. The subjects were divided into either the intervention group or the control group receiving the conventional NICU education without the tele-counseling and home visiting. Infant health promotion was measured using physical assessment, types of health problems, reflexes, OPD visiting history, DDST, immunization, feeding assessment, Infant death rate, etc. Maternal self-esteem, postpartum depression and family function were measured using the maternal self-report inventory(MRI), EPDS, and family apgar score(Fapgar), retrospectively. Result: All premature infants in the intervention group were in the normal range of growth and development, and the regular vaccination schedule. The health problems in the intervention group were addressed early so not to develop into adverse effects. The follow-up program for 6 months showed beneficial effects on MRI, EPDS, and Fapgar. Conclusion: A systemic follow-up health care program is beneficial on health promotion and risk reduction in 64 HRI including premature infants and their mothers.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• v.38 no.1
• /
• pp.48-55
• /
• 2005

Chitosan, which is a biopolymer, composed of glucosamine units linked by $\beta$-1, 4 glycoside bonds, is rich in shells of crustacean such as crabs and shrimps. Consumption of chitosan has been rapidly increased as a functional food. We examined effects of chitosan on the damages caused by lead (Pb) exposure in rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 8 groups (n = 64), then fed diets containing 3% cellulose (control) or 3% chitosan, each with 4 different lead doses (0 mg/d, 20 mg/d, 50 mg/d, and 100 mg/d) for 4 wks. Lead doses were given 3 times per week by oral administration. Blood lead levels in rats increased depending on the administered doses of lead. Rats fed chitosan diets showed lower blood lead concentration than did their respective controls. Effect of chitosan on the blood lead was more beneficial in rats exposed to lower lead (20 mg/d) than in rats exposed to higher lead (50 mg/d and 100 mg/d). Histological changes in erythrocytes and liver were also examined. Chitosan tended to reduce numbers of basophilic stippling erythrocytes and improve the histological liver changes in rats given various lead doses. The preventive effects of chitosan on liver damages were stronger in rats with higher lead than those with lower lead. These results indicate that chitosan has beneficial effects on both blood toxicological responses and histological damages of erythrocytes and liver induced by the administration of various lead doses.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.15 no.2
• /
• pp.89-94
• /
• 2011

Fucoidan is a sulfated polysaccharide derived from brown algae that has been reported to perform multiple biological activities, including immunostimulation. In this study, we investigated whether fucoidan has beneficial effects on endotoxemia induced by LPS, a septic model in mice. The focus of this study was on survival rates and spleen function of the mice upon treatment. We found that fucoidan had prophylactic effects on the survival rate of mice with endotoxemia. Flow cytometric analysis using antibodies for subset-specific markers revealed that fucoidan profoundly reversed the depleted population of dendritic cells in mice with endotoxemia. According to Western blot analysis, the spleen cells of LPS/fucoidan-treated mice showed a higher expression of anti-apoptotic molecules compared to those of LPS-treated mice. Also, fucoidan-treated spleen cells were more responsive to mitogens. Taken together, these results demonstrate that fucoidan pre-treatment has beneficial effects on the survival rate and function of the spleen in mice with endotoxemia. This study may broaden the use of fucoidan in clinical fields, especially endotoxemia.

• Food Industry And Nutrition
• /
• v.16 no.2
• /
• pp.15-26
• /
• 2011

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
• /
• v.4 no.1
• /
• pp.66-71
• /
• 2008

Long term exposure of Jurkat cells to 2 ATA pressure resulted in the inhibition of cell growth. Under a 2 ATA pressure, the morphological changes in the cells were visualized by electron microscopy. The cells exhibited significant inhibitory responses after three passages. However, short-term exposure study was carried out, 2 ATA pressure may have beneficial effects. The Jurkat cells were exposed to $H_2O_2$ (25 and $50{\mu}M$) in order to induce DNA damage, and then incubated under at either normal pressure or 2 ATA for 1 or 2 hours in order to recover the DNA damage. The extent of DNA damage was determined via Comet assay. More recovery from DNA damage was observed at 2 ATA than at normal pressure. The activity of the DNA repair enzymes, DNA polymerase-$\beta$, was also evaluated at both normal pressure and 2 ATA. The activity of DNA polymerase-$\beta$ was observed to have increased significantly at the 2 ATA than at normal pressure. In conclusion, the effects of hyperbaric pressure from 1 ATA to 2 ATA on biochemical systems can be either beneficial or harmful. Long term exposure to hyperbaric pressure clearly inhibited cell proliferation and caused genotoxic effects, but short-term exposure to hyperbaric pressure proved to be beneficial in terms of bolstering the DNA repair system. The results of the present study have clinical therapeutic application, and might prove to be an useful tool in the study of genotoxicity in the future.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
• /
• v.24 no.1
• /
• pp.85-90
• /
• 2010

Several studies have demonstrated that ginseng-berry extract has several beneficial properties, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and vasodilation properties. Ginseng-berry extract has also been shown to have the great potential against skin aging. Its beneficial mechanism against skin aging, however, has not been examined in detail. Also, the effects of ginseng-berry extract on microcirculation and skin cellular responses have not been investigated. Inhibition of skin microcirculation is the primary cause of many adverse biological effects, which is responsible for the skin aging and darkening. We investigated the beneficial effects of ginseng-berry extract on blood circulation, transcutaneous oxygen pressure in vivo model and also on skin microcirculation, cellular response and skin brightening effect in clinical trial. We found that oral administration of ginseng-berry extract markedly increased blood flow rate and transcutaneous $O_2$ pressure, but decreased transcutaneous $CO_2$ pressure. Also, it improved skin tone on cheeks, as is skin brighteness. These results suggest that ginseng-berry extract is a potent candidate for the treatment of skin aging and brightening by improving skin microcirculation.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
• /
• v.11 no.4
• /
• pp.49-54
• /
• 2016

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of different frequencies (4Hz and 100Hz) of transcutaneous electrical nerve simulation (TENS) on pain relief using c-fos expression in the spinal cord of rat osteoarthritis to investigate the appropriate frequency for pain relief. METHODS: Total of 30 Sprague-Dawley rats was used and randomly divided 2 groups according TENS frequency and applicate the TENS during 3 period (3 days, 7 days, 10 days). The induction of osteoarthritis by 3mg monosodium iodoacetat was injected into the right knee joint of rats. Three days later, commercially available TENS unit was used for stimulation was set to 20minutes on 3, 7, 10 days after surgery. Western blot analysis system was used to detect immunoreactive proteins. The thickness of the bands were photographically measured by Scion Image. RESULTS: When investigating the c-fos expression of TENS on spinal cord in OA knee over 10 days, between-groups differences in c-fos expression reached a significant level by day 10. For within-groups comparisons, the c-fos expression decreased significantly across days in low- and high-frequency TENS groups. CONCLUSION: Whether at low- and high-frequency, the TENS as a therapy obtained beneficial effects of pain relief and TNES at high-frequency is more beneficial effects on the pain relief when TENS applied at injury site.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
• /
• v.58 no.1
• /
• pp.78-83
• /
• 2013

The excessive and indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers in the past has brought serious soil and other environmental problems so alternatives over this agrochemical are being searched. Our study focuses on the effects of expanded rice hull inoculated with selected beneficial microorganisms on growth (through agronomic characters), yield and yield components, and grain quality indices of rice. Results showed that favorable effects of different expanded rice hull preparations were not readily apparent at vegetative stage and only treatments with supplemental chemical fertilizer application were comparable with the conventional practice. Expanded rice hull combined with 50% rate of chemical fertilizer exhibited a significantly higher yield (6,471 kg $ha^{-1}$) over conventional practice (5,719 kg $ha^{-1}$). Good milling quality indices were observed in treatments having 50% chemical fertilizers plus alternatives from expanded rice hull. Finally, we demonstrated that chemical fertilizer rate can potentially be reduced into 50% if combined with expanded rice hull, and show even better output than chemical fertilizer alone.

• Journal of Marine Bioscience and Biotechnology
• /
• v.5 no.4
• /
• pp.1-7
• /
• 2011

Bone health is maintained by balance between bone resorption and bone formation, and bone homeostasis requires balanced interactions between osteoblasts and osteoclasts. Most of drugs and functional foods for bone health have been developed as bone resorption inhibitors, which maintain bone mass by inhibiting the function of osteoclasts. The recent studies have shown beneficial effects of marine natural products on bone health. Therefore, this review is aimed to study effects of marine-derived natural substances on osteoarthritis inhibition via attenuation of MMPs and osteoblastic differentiation via activation of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), osteoclacin (OC), bone morphogenic protein-2 (BMP-2) as an important factor for bone formation, and mineralization. The present review can provide new insights in the osteoblastic differentiation of marine natural products and possibility for their application in bone health supplement.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.31 no.6
• /
• pp.847-854
• /
• 2021

Platycodon grandiflorum (balloon flower) root (Platycodi radix, PR) is used as a health supplement owing to its beneficial bioactive properties. In the present study, the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and whitening effects of deglycosylated platycosides (saponins) from PR biotransformed by pectinase from Aspergillus aculeatus were investigated. The bioactivities of the platycosides improved when the number of sugar moieties attached to the aglycone platycosides was decreased. The deglycosylated saponins exhibited higher lipoxygenase inhibitory activities (anti-inflammatory activities) than the precursor platycosides and the anti-inflammatory compound baicalein. The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity of the pectinasetreated PR extract was higher than that of the non-treated PR extract. The trolox-equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) assay showed improved values as the saponins were hydrolyzed. The tyrosinase inhibitory activities (whitening effects) of deglycosylated platycosides were higher than those of the precursor platycosides. Furthermore, 3-O-β-ᴅ-glucopyranosyl platycosides showed higher anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and whitening activities than their precursor glycosylated platycosides. Therefore, 3-O-β-ᴅ-glucopyranosyl platycosides may improve the beneficial effects of nutritional supplements and cosmetic products.