• Title/Summary/Keyword: bio-activities

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Bio-mechanical Analysis of the Grapevine Cluster Thinning Task using Working Chair

  • Lee, Kyung-Suk;Kim, Hyo-Cher;Chae, Hye-Seon;Kim, Kyung-Ran;Lim, Dae-Seop
    • Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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    • v.30 no.3
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    • pp.395-401
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    • 2011
  • Objective: This study examined the effects of working chair that was developed for farmers who work in grapevine's cluster thinning. Background: Agricultural work involves some of the nation's highest occupational risk exposures. Fruit cultivation has been recognized as one of the most hazardous crops in which to work. Grapevine cluster thinning task involve activities related to the main risk factors associated with upper limb work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Method: An experiment was designed to test the working chair. Six healthy male($25.8{\pm}4.9years$) were selected as the subjects for this study. Electromyography(EMG) was used to monitor the muscles activity, and Electro-goniometer was used to measure the ranges of motions of the elbow, trunk and knee. Subjective test was also carried out to examine discomfort body parts and their pain intensity. A grapevine's working space was built for the experiment and working chair was installed on it. In order to examine the muscle activity and range of motion, subjects used to the working chair for 30 minutes for each experimental condition. Another test without working chair was also performed for comparison. %MVC was used to quantify the level of muscle activity. Results: Decreases of muscle activity was found in all leg muscles and significant decrease of muscle activity was found in left Gastrocnemius. The range of motion of the trunk and knee also decreased when working chair used. Discomfort in lower back, thigh and shank region were reduced significantly. However, in upper limbs muscle activity tended to increase in working chair compared with conventional task. Conclusion: Improvement for cushion in seat back and pan required to reduce discomfort in buttocks. Application: Overall findings verified that the working chair might help to prevent upper limb and lower back MSDs based on the current study. These results can be practically used for work improvement for the grapevine growers to prevent MSDs.

A Public and Environmental Economic Analysis of Management Aspects and Institutional Management Framework of Marine Recreational Fisheries (해양낚시(해양유어)의 제도적 관리 타당성에 관한 공공경제학 및 환경경제학적 분석연구)

  • 이상고
    • The Journal of Fisheries Business Administration
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    • v.34 no.1
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    • pp.137-156
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    • 2003
  • Increasingly, leisure time is being used for outdoor recreational activities, and fishing is one of the principal forms of marine recreation. Marine recreational fishing is a popular activity in Korea and this activity has led to the development of a sector of substantial social and economic value. Also it is considered as one of the important outdoor leisure industries in Korea. With rising of income level and development of marine outdoor leisure industries, social, economic demand increase of marine recreational fishing are showing us new advance ability of marine aquatic bio-industry. However the recreational use of fish stocks has become an important consideration in the public and environmental economic analysis of management aspect of fishing, having grown considerably over recent years to reach a level in Korea where the fish stocks and coastal ecosystem has become a significant management problem. we are inevitably facing marine environmental deterioration and overfishing in marine recreational fishing. In this study, not only resources and environmental problems which are occurred by recreational fishers, but also illegal fishing behaviors and other problems such as market's failure are going to analyze basic management theories and methods of recreational fishing through mathematical principals and economic rents which maximize net social benefits. In view of the likelihood of marine recreational fishers adopting high rates of discount, the conservation of fish resources would appear to require continual public surveillance and control of the physical yield and condition of the fish stocks and the optimal use level. The institutional management of recreational fisheries is the way of escaping the collapse of recreational fisheries just like as the situation of management's failure of commercial fisheries worldwide. One of the effective management measure is a license system. In this system, optimal fee is paid by recreational fishers, which prevent them from overfishing, environmental problems to some extents and carry out the optimal number of outings. And money obtained by license fee should be spent for more improvement fishing culture and welfare for marine recreational fishing. Marine recreational fishing is to be promoted under sound conservation and management principles.

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Multitarget effects of Korean Red Ginseng in animal model of Parkinson's disease: antiapoptosis, antioxidant, antiinflammation, and maintenance of blood-brain barrier integrity

  • Choi, Jong Hee;Jang, Minhee;Nah, Seung-Yeol;Oh, Seikwan;Cho, Ik-Hyun
    • Journal of Ginseng Research
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    • v.42 no.3
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    • pp.379-388
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    • 2018
  • Background: Ginsenosides are the main ingredients of Korean Red Ginseng. They have extensively been studied for their beneficial value in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the multitarget effects of Korean Red Ginseng extract (KRGE) with various components are unclear. Methods: We investigated the multitarget activities of KRGE on neurological dysfunction and neurotoxicity in a 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced mouse model of PD. KRGE (37.5 mg/ kg/day, 75 mg/kg/day, or 150 mg/kg/day, per os (p.o.)) was given daily before or after MPTP intoxication. Results: Pretreatment with 150 mg/kg/day KRGE produced the greatest positive effect on motor dysfunction as assessed using rotarod, pole, and nesting tests, and on the survival rate. KRGE displayed a wide therapeutic time window. These effects were related to reductions in the loss of tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive dopaminergic neurons, apoptosis, microglial activation, and activation of inflammatory factors in the substantia nigra pars compacta and/or striatum after MPTP intoxication. In addition, pretreatment with KRGE activated the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 pathways and inhibited phosphorylation of the mitogen-activated protein kinases and nuclear factor-kappa B signaling pathways, as well as blocked the alteration of blood-brain barrier integrity. Conclusion: These results suggest that KRGE may effectively reduce MPTP-induced neurotoxicity with a wide therapeutic time window through multitarget effects including antiapoptosis, antiinflammation, antioxidant, and maintenance of blood-brain barrier integrity. KRGE has potential as a multitarget drug or functional food for safe preventive and therapeutic strategies for PD.

A Research Trend of Natural Product on Well-Being Industry (웰빙산업에서의 천연물 연구 동향)

  • Kim Ki Ho;Ko Kang Il;Kang En Jung;Yang En Kyung;Park Soo Nam
    • Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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    • v.30 no.3 s.47
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    • pp.329-343
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    • 2004
  • Recently, our society has prominently raised the desire to well-being life since not only our economical situations are better than before, but environmental pollution become serious. In well-being trends, the natural or nature-related products are also issued on their usages as bio-/raw materials for our living industries, such as cosmetics, household goods, and so on. Especially, various materials which comes from medicinal plants has been discovered their physiological properties and validated their functions. Thus, they have been subjected to several processes, including extraction, isolation and concentration, and popularly introduced to cosmetic industry. In these reasons, a variety of cosmetic Products using natural materials has been developed, which are focused on whitening, wrinkle improvement, and anti-aging. In this report, we present a brief review of the function and classification of natural products interested in until now, and introduce the natural materials for cosmetics having physiological activities on skin, including Fructan, Acrea extract, Portulaca extract, Licorce extract, Dandelion extract, Ulmus extract, SC-glucan, Arbutin, and Sophora extract.

Yeast Associated with the Ambrosia Beetle, Platypus koryoensis, the Pest of Oak Trees in Korea

  • Yun, Yeo Hong;Suh, Dong Yeon;Yoo, Hun Dal;Oh, Man Hwan;Kim, Seong Hwan
    • Mycobiology
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    • v.43 no.4
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    • pp.458-466
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    • 2015
  • Oak tree death caused by symbiosis of an ambrosia beetle, Platypus koryoensis, and an ophiostomatoid filamentous fungus, Raffaelea quercus-mongolicae, has been a nationwide problem in Korea since 2004. In this study, we surveyed the yeast species associated with P. koryoensis to better understand the diversity of fungal associates of the beetle pest. In 2009, a total of 195 yeast isolates were sampled from larvae and adult beetles (female and male) of P. koryoensis in Cheonan, Goyang, and Paju; 8 species were identified by based on their morphological, biochemical and molecular analyses. Meyerozyma guilliermondii and Candida kashinagacola were found to be the two dominant species. Among the 8 species, Candida homilentoma was a newly recorded yeast species in Korea, and thus, its mycological characteristics were described. The P. koryoensis symbiont R. quercusmongolicae did not show extracelluar CM-cellulase, xylanase and avicelase activity that are responsible for degradation of wood structure; however, C. kashinagacola and M. guilliermondii did show the three extracellular enzymatic activities. Extracelluar CM-cellulase activity was also found in Ambrosiozyma sp., C. homilentoma, C. kashinagacola, and Candida sp. Extracelluar pectinase activity was detected in Ambrosiozyma sp., C. homilentoma, Candida sp., and M. guilliermondii. All the 8 yeast species displayed compatible relationships with R. quercus-mongolicae when they were co-cultivated on yeast extract-malt extract plates. Overall, our results demonstrated that P. koryoensis carries the yeast species as a symbiotic fungal associate. This is first report of yeast diversity associated with P. koryoensis.

Preparation and Characterization of Electrospun Nanofibers Containing Natural Antimicrobials (천연 향균물질 함유 나노섬유의 제조 및 특성분석)

  • Kim, Young-Jin;Kim, Sang-Nam;Kwon, Oh-Kyoung;Park, Mi-Ran;Kang, Inn-Kyu;Lee, Se-Geun
    • Polymer(Korea)
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    • v.33 no.4
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    • pp.307-312
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    • 2009
  • The fabrication of PHBV nanofibers containing various plant polyphenols by electrospinning has been examined. It has been found that the average diameters of fibers increased by the adding of polyphenols. The resulting fibers exhibited a uniform diameter ranging from 340 to 450 nm. As the concentration of polyphenols increased, the diameter of fibers increased due to the hydrogen bonding interaction between the ester groups of PHBV and hydroxyl groups of polyphenols. The interaction between PHBV and polyphenols, which forms a complex together in solution, was verifed by UV measurement. ATR-FTIR analysis confirmed the existence of the hydrogen bonding interaction. The semicrystalline structure of the PHBV nanofiber was observed from XRD pattern. The crystallinity of PHBV nanofibers was increased by the adding of polyphenols. PHBV nanofibers containing polyphenols showed superior antimicrobial activities.

The Antioxidant and Anticancer Effects of Butterbur (Petasites japonicus) Extracts (머위(Petasites japonicus) 추출물의 항산화와 항암활성 효과)

  • Seo, Hun-Seok;Jeong, Bong-Hwan;Cho, Yong-Gu
    • Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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    • v.21 no.4
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    • pp.265-269
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    • 2008
  • The antioxidant activities of the extracts of butterbur (Petasites japonicus) derived from different extraction methods were investigated. SOD (superoxide dismutase)-like activity differed according to the extraction solvents, showing a greater antioxidant effect with ethanol solvent than that of water. Ethanol extracts of butterbur leaves showed higher SOD-like activity of 96.7% than those of water extracts. The contents of polyphenolic compounds were higher in water extracts than those in ethanol extracts. The highest content of polyphenolic compounds was 223mg/g dry weight for butterbur leaves. EDA of butterbur roots was 61.5% in the water extract and EDA in butterbur leaves was 34.9% in the ethanol extract. The anticancer effects with the extracts of butterbur were experimented by fractionations with different solvents. 41.9% of the growth of stomach cancer cells, SNU-719, were inhibited and also 72.7% of the growth of liver cancer cells, Hep3B, were inhibited by the butanol fractions of butterbur, while not affecting the growth of normal cell, DC 2.4.

Lifespan Extension of Fermented Zizyphus jujuba Fruits in Caenorhabditis elegans (붉은 덕다리버섯 발효 대조(大棗)의 예쁜꼬마선충 수명연장효과)

  • Ji, Byeong-Uk;Park, Sung-Min;Koo, Sungtae;Lim, Byungmook;Yu, Young-Beob
    • Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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    • v.31 no.4
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    • pp.218-224
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    • 2014
  • Objectives : Zizyphus jujuba fruits(ZJF), a traditional Korean medicine has various biological activities such as anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative and neuro-protective effects. However, it is still unclear whether ZJF has any biological effect on anti-aging. In this study, we examined the effect of ZJF on lifespan and thermal stress in C. elegans. Methods and Results : ZJF water extracts were fermented for 7 days(F7-ZJF) and 14 days(F14-ZJF) by Laetiporus sulphureus to increase secondary metabolites such as aglycone of flavonoids and terpenoids. In the lifespan assay, ZJF water extracts and fermented ZJF were treated on the agar medium plate with age synchronized egg stage of C. elegans. Treatment of F7-ZJF-$200{\mu}g/mL$ with OP-50 E. coli and F14-ZJF-$200{\mu}g/mL$ with OP-50 E. coli significantly increased life span of C. elegans(N2) at thermal stress condition of $25^{\circ}C$. Moreover mRNA levels of lifespan associated HSP 16.1, HSP 70, and HSF-1 were increased at thermal stress condition of $25^{\circ}C$. However, in the equilibration temperature of $20^{\circ}C$ after stress condition of $35^{\circ}C$ for 2 hr, F-14-ZJF-$200{\mu}g/mL$ treatment decreased the levels of heat shock protein in hsp16.2/GFP C. elegans. Conclusions : Our study indicates that prolong role of fermented-ZJF in C. elegans is mediated by control HSPs production.

Identification of the Antidepressant Vilazodone as an Inhibitor of Inositol Polyphosphate Multikinase by Structure-Based Drug Repositioning

  • Lee, Boah;Park, Seung Ju;Lee, Seulgi;Park, Seung Eun;Lee, Eunhye;Song, Ji-Joon;Byun, Youngjoo;Kim, Seyun
    • Molecules and Cells
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    • v.43 no.3
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    • pp.222-227
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    • 2020
  • Inositol polyphosphate multikinase (IPMK) is required for the biosynthesis of inositol phosphates (IPs) through the phosphorylation of multiple IP metabolites such as IP3 and IP4. The biological significance of IPMK's catalytic actions to regulate cellular signaling events such as growth and metabolism has been studied extensively. However, pharmacological reagents that inhibit IPMK have not yet been identified. We employed a structure-based virtual screening of publicly available U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs and chemicals that identified the antidepressant, vilazodone, as an IPMK inhibitor. Docking simulations and pharmacophore analyses showed that vilazodone has a higher affinity for the ATP-binding catalytic region of IPMK than ATP and we validated that vilazodone inhibits IPMK's IP kinase activities in vitro. The incubation of vilazodone with NIH3T3-L1 fibroblasts reduced cellular levels of IP5 and other highly phosphorylated IPs without influencing IP4 levels. We further found decreased Akt phosphorylation in vilazodone-treated HCT116 cancer cells. These data clearly indicate selective cellular actions of vilazodone against IPMK-dependent catalytic steps in IP metabolism and Akt activation. Collectively, our data demonstrate vilazodone as a method to inhibit cellular IPMK, providing a valuable pharmacological agent to study and target the biological and pathological processes governed by IPMK.

Antioxidant Activity and α-Glucosidase Inhibitory Effect of Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) Methanol Extracts by Heat Treatment Conditions (열처리에 따른 돼지감자 Methanol 추출물의 항산화 및 α-glucosidase 저해 효과)

  • Jeong, Hyeon-Ju;Kim, Ju-Sung;Sa, Yeo-Jin;Kim, Myeong-Ok;Yang, Jinfeng;Kim, Myong-Jo
    • Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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    • v.19 no.4
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    • pp.257-263
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    • 2011
  • This study investigated the changes of antioxidant activity and ${\alpha}$-glucosidase inhibitory effect of Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) 100% methanol extracts by various heat treatment. The contents of total phenolic and flavonoid compounds in methanol extract tended to increased gradually with the rise of temperature to 180$^{\circ}C$. The maximum yield of gallic acid (51.52 ${\pm}$ 2.17mg/g extract weight) and quercetin (13.39 ${\pm}$ 0.03mg/g extract weight) were obtained with extraction temperature of 180$^{\circ}C$ for 120min. In addition, the improving extraction efficiency resulted in the increased biological activities, such as electronic donation ability (EDA, 90.36${\pm}$ 0.57%), reducing power (Abs 1.14) and ${\alpha}$-glucosidase inhibitory effect (92.14 ${\pm}$ 1.14%). Overall, the results of this study indicate that the optimum conditions for the extraction process were an extraction temperature at 180$^{\circ}C$ for 120 min, and will provide the basis for future research on the improving extraction yield of phenolic and flavonoid compounds.