• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.42 no.8
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• pp.740-749
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• 2009

The objectives of this study was to determine whether a new physically modified cornstarch by ultra-fine- or nanoscale pulverizer to reduce particle size offers better bioactive function than native cornstarch in weanling Sprague-Dawley rats. Male weaning Sprague-Dawley rats were fed diets containing native cornstarch (NAC), ultra fine pulverized cornstarch (UFC) or nano-scale pulverized cornstarch (NSC) for 4 weeks. In vitro rate of starch hydrolysis, growth performance, organ weight, intestine length intestinal proliferation and the fermentation by Bifidobacterium of rat cecum were evaluated. The diet with reduced particle size (UFC or NSC) significantly increased body weight gain and organ weight. Feed efficiency was increased in NSC fed rats and was not affected in UFC fed rats. Intestinal proliferation was decreased in NSC group. Reduction of particle size also increased cecal short chain fatty acid concentration and the growth and acidifying activity of Bifidobacterium. It is concluded that a reduction of particle size of starch granules by physically modification may increase growing performance and gut function.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.481-487
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• 2013

Following breast cancer diagnosis, women often attempt to modify their lifestyles to improve their health and prevent recurrence. These behavioral changes typically involve diet and physical activity modification. The aim of this study was to determine association between healthy eating habits and physical activity with quality of life among Iranian breast cancer survivors. A total of 100 Iranian women, aged between 32 to 61 years were recruited to participate in this cross-sectional study. Eating practices were evaluated by a validated questionnaire modified from the Women's Healthy Eating and Living (WHEL) study. Physical activity was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). A standardized questionnaire by the European Organization of Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life and its breast cancer module (EORTC QLQ-C30/+BR-23) were applied to determine quality of life. Approximately 29% of the cancer survivors were categorized as having healthy eating practices, 34% had moderate eating practices and 37% had poor eating practices based on nutrition guidelines. The study found positive changes in the decreased intake of fast foods (90%), red meat (70%) and increased intake of fruits (85%) and vegetables (78%). Generally, breast cancer survivors with healthy eating practices had better global quality of life, social, emotional, cognitive and role functions. Results showed that only 12 women (12%) met the criteria for regular vigorous exercise, 22% had regular moderate-intensity exercise while the majority (65%) had low-intensity physical activity. Breast cancer survivors with higher level of physical activity had better emotional and cognitive functions. Healthy eating practices and physical activity can improve quality of life of cancer survivors. Health care professionals should promote good dietary habits and physical activity to improve survivor's health and quality of life.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.44 no.12
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• pp.1912-1917
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• 2015

Pancreatic lipase is a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of diet-induced obesity in humans. As part of our continuing search for novel bioactive compounds, the convenient enzymatic transformation of caffeic acid into neolignans as well as related oxidized-products enhanced pancreatic lipase inhibitory activity. Enzymatic transformation of caffeic acid (1) using polyphenol oxidase originating from Korean pear yielded four oxidized metabolites, which were identified by different spectroscopic techniques ($^1H$,$^{13}C$ NMR, DEP/T, $^1H-^1H$ COSY, HMBC, HMQC, and NOESY). The anti-obesity efficacy of caffeic acid reactant was tested by in vitro porcine pancreatic lipase assay. All tested samples showed dose-dependent pancreatic lipase inhibitory activities. Four oxidative products including phellinsin A (2), caffeicinic acid (3), isocaffeicinic acid (4), and 7,8-erythro-caffeicin (5) were isolated and identified. The major metabolites (2~5) were evaluated for their pancreatic lipase inhibitory activity, and oxidized-products (2~3) improved potency against pancreatic lipase when compared to original caffeic acid. This result suggested that the neolignans isolated from oxidative transformation of caffeic acid might be beneficial in the treatment of obesity and relevant diseases, and the convenient enzymatic transformation by polyphenol oxidase may be a valuable method for structural modification and enhancement of activity.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.19-30
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• 2008

Osteoporosis, a disease characterized by low bone mass and microarchitectural deterioration of bone tissue leading to enhanced bone fragility and fracture risk, is a major public health problem. The diagnostic methods for osteoporosis include simple radiography, bone scan, DXA (Dual energy X-ray Absortiometry) and biochemical markers of bone turnover. Optimal treatment and prevention of osteoporosis require modification of risk factors, particularly smoking cessation, adequate physical activity, and attention to diet, in addition to pharmacologic intervention. The estrogens and raloxifene both prevent bone loss in postmenopausal women, and the estrogens probably also decrease the risk of first fracture. There is good evidence that raloxifene prevents further fractures in postmenopausal women who already have had fractures and some evidence that estrogen does as well. Bisphosphonate prevents bone loss and reduces fractures in healthy and osteoporotic postmenopausal women and in osteoporotic men as well. Risedronate is more potent and has fewer side effects than alendronate and reduces the incidence of fractures in osteoporotic women. Calcitonin increases bone mineral density in early postmenopausal women and men with idiopathic osteoporosis, and also reduces the risk of new fractures in osteoporotic women. All of the agents discussed above prevent bone resorption, whereas teriparatide and strontium increase bone formation and are effective in the treatment of osteoporotic women and men. New avenues for targeting osteoporosis will emerge as our knowledge of the regulatory mechanisms of bone remodeling increases, although issues of tissue specificity may remain to be addressed.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.85-91
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• 2014

Deoxynivalenol (DON) and related trichothecene mycotoxins are extensively distributed in the cereal-based food and feed stuffs worldwide. Recent climate changes and global grain trade increased chance of exposure to more DON and related toxic metabolites in poorly managed production systems. Monitoring the biological and environmental exposures to the toxins are crucial in protecting human and animals from toxicities of the hazardous contaminants in food or feeds. Exposure biomarkers including urine DON itself are prone to shift to less harmful metabolites by intestinal microbiota and liver metabolic enzymes. De-epoxyfication of DON by gut microbes such as Eubacterium strain BBSH 797 and Eubacterium sp. DSM 11798 leads to more fecal secretion of DOM-1. By contrast, most of plant-derived DON-glucoside is also easily catabolized to free DON by gut microbes, which produces more burden to body. Phase 2 hepatic metabolism also contributes to the glucuronidation of DON, which can be useful urine biomarkers. However, chemical modification could be very typical depending on the anthropologic or genetic background, luminal bacteria, and hepatic metabolic enzyme susceptibility to the toxins in the diet. After toxin exposure, effect biomarkers are also important in estimating the linkage and mechanisms of foodborne diseases in human and animal population. Most prominent adverse effects are demonstrated in the DON-induced immunological and behavioral disorders. For instance, acutely elevated interleukin-8 from insulted gut exposed to dietaty DON is a dominant clinical biomarker in human and animals. Moreover, subchronic exposure to the toxins is associated with high levels of serum IgA, a biological mediator of IgA nephritis. In particular, anorexia monitoring using mouse models are recently developed to monitor the biological activities of DON-induced feed refusal. It is also mechanistically linked to alteration of serotoin and peptide YY, which are promising biomarkers of neurological disorders by the toxins. As animal-alternative biomonitoring, huamn enterocyte-based assay has been developed and more realistic gut mimetic models would be useful in monitoring the effect biomarkers in resposne to toxic contaminants in the future investigations.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.73-86
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• 2018

Purpose: The aim of this study was to design optimized food intake patterns that meet the nutritional recommendations with minimal changes from the current food intake patterns among Korean adults using linear programming. Methods: Data of a one day 24-hour dietary recall from the 2010 ~ 2014 Korea National Health and Nutrition Survey were used to quantify the food items that Korean adults usually consumed. These food items were categorized into seven groups and 24 subgroups. The mean intakes and intake distributions of the food groups and the food subgroups were calculated for eight age (19 ~ 29, 30 ~ 49, 50 ~ 64, and over 65 years old) and gender (male and female) groups. A linear programming model was constructed to minimize the difference between the optimized and mean intakes of the food subgroups while meeting the Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans (KDRIs) for energy and 13 nutrients, and not exceeding the typical quantities of each food subgroup consumed by the respective age and gender groups. Results: The optimized food intake patterns, which were a set of quantities of 24 food subgroups, were obtained mathematically for eight age and gender groups. Overall, major modifications of current diet were required to increase the intake of vegetables and milk/dairy products and decrease the Kimchi intake. The optimized intake of seasonings, including salt, was calculated to be 0 g for all the age and gender groups. Conclusion: The optimized food intake patterns designed using linear programming in this study lack feasibility because they suggest a seasoning consumption of 0 g. Modification of intake goal for sodium is needed to obtain optimized food intake patterns with improved feasibility.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.122-138
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• 2022

Objectives: This study was conducted to develop a Korean Medicine(KM) Clinical Practice Guidelines(CPG) of female infertility. We conducted this questionnaire survey to reflect the experiences of Korean Medicine doctors(KMD) and clinical field in Korea. Method: We sent a questionnaire survey to KMD belonging to the Association of Korean Medicine by e-mail. We received 665 responds, and analyzed the answers. Results: 51.2% of respondents knew the previously developed CPG of female infertility, and 18.3% actually used. 83.3% agreed about the necessity of CPG of female infertility, and 80.3% had practical use plan. 90.2% of respondents treated less than 5 infertility woman for a month. 22.7% of respondents treated 50% of patients with collaborative treatment of KM and Western medical treatments. The main age group of patients was '35~40 years'(54.7%), and the most common cause was unexplained infertility(61.7%). The most common pattern identification of female infertility patients was Kidney deficiency(55.4%). KMD used 'a combination of decoction of herbal medicine, acupuncture and moxibustion treatment' the most(43%), and 'a decoction of herbal medicine treatment alone' was next(35%). 84.2% conducted lifestyle modification education about diet, stress, exercise etc. Conclusion: We figured out Korean Medicine doctors' recognition about CPG of female infertility, preference of treatments, and also characteristics of patients visiting Korean Medical clinics to make a practical CPG reflecting clinical situation.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.354-365
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• 2023

Objective: This study aimed to assess the safety and effect on glucose level of Bojungikgi-tang in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods: To review patients' clinical characteristics and laboratory tests retrospectively, we investigated 15 hospitalized patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who took Bojungikgi-tang at Kyung Hee University Korean Medical Hospital for at least one day between January 2012 and December 2022. The blood glucose levels, including fasting blood sugar (FBS), 2-hour postprandial glucose (PP2) levels, and glycated hemoglobin level, were collected to determine the effect of the Bojungikgi-tang on blood sugar changes. Furthermore, to evaluate the safety of Bojungikgi-tang, hepatic function and renal function tests were implemented, including aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, γ-glutamyltransferase, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, and Modification of Diet in Renal Disease estimated glomerular filtration rate. Results: When Bojungikgi-tang and a standard treatment for diabetes were administered for patients with type 2 diabetes, it was confirmed that there were no statistically significant changes in FBS and PP2 levels in the analysis of each medication taken. There was no significant difference in the safety profile after taking Bojungikgi-tang. Conclusions: The combined administration of Bojungikgi-tang with standard hypoglycemic medication for patients with type 2 diabetes may not affect blood glucose levels and safety.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.2
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• pp.1-31
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• 1962

The purpose of this treatise is to prove the presence of cystine in silk fiber through wide sampling throughout all the sericultural processes of Bombyx mori.; also to show that disulfide cross linkages exist in the silk fiber. The conclusions reached were as follows: 1. Crystalline cystine was obtained from silk fibroin using Folin's Method. 2. Analytical data showing the cystine content of silk fiber and its related materials were obtained using Sullvan's Method as follows: Material Percent Cystine A. Mulberry leaf protein 0.175 B. Silkworm egg 0.33 C. Silkworm Body, matured, fat extracted, without silk gland 0.41 D. Silk gland, matured 1.23 E. Silkworm feces none F. Silkworm pupa, fat extracted 0.30 G. Silkworm moth, fat extracted 0.60 H. Raw Silk 0.22 I. Fibroin 0.175 J. Sericin 0.30 3. The presence of cystine in the silkworm was substantiated the existence of 0.175 % methionine in mulberry leaves and 0.12% methionine in the silk gland. 4. Part of the sulfhydryl compounds in the silk gland is believed to transfer to serine and methionine, with the former being secreted into the liquid silk finally as silk fiber and the latter used for nutritive purposes in the growing of silk gland tissue. 5. The cystine content is variable by mulberry species, silkworm species, sex, breeding process, and other culturing environments. 6. Hybrid silkworms require more nutritive amino acids for effective growth than the original parents, and secrete less of them as silk fiber. 7. From such an observation, the amino acid composition of silk fiber is believed to be fairly flexible. Cystine if included in the amorphous part of the fiber, especially in sericin. 8. The result from enriching the silkworm diet with pure cystine or wool cystine did not result in any advantage, therefore it is believed that the natural cystine and methionine contents in the mulberry leafaregoodenoughforsilkwormnutrition. 9. The disulfide cross linkage in silk fiber was verified by using the Harris Method. Contraction took place following the treatment of the fiber with various salts and acids. Comparisons were made with wool fiber. 10. During these experiments, the fibrious structure of silk fiber and the net-globular liquid form were photographed microscopically. It is believed that the globules of liquid silk are net-formed by the inter attraction of the OH ion of the globular peptide and the H ion of water as shown by the hair cracking behavior of the film. The net-globular protein precipitation from the mulberry protein solution showed that mulberry is a proper diet for the formation of fibrous protein in the silk fiber. 11. The significance of the presence of cystine in silk fiber as emphasized in this paper should result in modification of the general conception that cystine is absent from this fiber. NOTICE: A part of this treatise was presented at the annual Korea Sericultural Society meeting held in 1961.

• Journal of Dairy Science and Biotechnology
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.21-35
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• 2016

Recently, there has been a rapid increase in the sale and purchase of an array of organic products. In particular, organic milk has grown in popularity. This growth could lead to expensive, premium retail prices for various organic cow's milk products. In fact, most consumers believe that (1) dairy farming to produce organic milk is beneficial for human health and (2) organic milk products are made without the use of various antibiotics, synthetic chemicals, genetic modification, extra hormones, and so on. Several factors, including breed, diet, and stage of lactation, are known to influence the composition of milk. Therefore, this review (1) presents a research outline to compare organic and conventional milk and (2) provides a summary of individual elements that affect the composition of milk.