• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.209-217
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• 1989

The present study examined the effects of dietary PUFA and vitamin E supplementation(2,000 I.U./Kg diet) on vitamin E levels of serum, liver and brain in chicks aged one week (younger chick) and four weeks(older chick). 1) Younger chicks showed more sensitive response to vitamin E supplementation in the diet than older chicks in their serum levels, but not in liver levels. 2) Chicks fed excess vitamin E showed significantly higher levels of vitamin E in both serum and liver than unsupplemented groups. 3) PUFA diet lowered serum and liver vitamin E levels especially for vitamin E supplemented groups except for older chick liver at 3 weeks of the experimental period. 4) Vitamin E levels of brain were relatively lower than those of serum and liver and showed little change according either to the dietary PUFA or to vitamin E supplementation.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.4
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• pp.23-28
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• 1963

Various species of the genus Capsicum contain in their fruits an intensively sharp and pungent substance, Capsaicin, which was first isolated in an almost pure state by Thresh. Containing the pungent principle, Capsicums are used extensively in food as a spice and in medicine as a rubefacient and carminative. Numerous methods have been proposed for the isolation, the chemical structure and the quantitative determination of Capsaicin. Modifying the several methods described before, the Capsaicin contents in various species of the genus Capsicum were determined as follows. (1) The isolation of pure Capsaicin was the essential first step for the determination of Capsaicin contents. Powdered cayenne pepper was extracted with acetone. By the method of ether alkali partition extraction slightly modified at this laboratory and by the recrystallization with light petroleum ether that was repeated ten times, the pure crystalline Capsaicin was obtained. Using this Capsaicin, the standard absorption curve was drawn with Beckman spectrophotometer model DU for the quantitative determination of Capsaicin. 92) The powdered sample was extracted in a Soxhlet extractor with ether-acetone solvent system(3:1) for 25 hours. Capsaicin in this ether-acetone extracts was efficiently separated in a pure state by paper partition chromatography using 58% methanol solution as developing agent. It was found that 58% methanol was one of the most valuable solvent to separate Capsaicin from impurities such as sterols, fatty acids, waxes and carotenoid pigments. (3) The colorimetric method modifying the Schulte-Kruger's method which consists of measuring the red color produced with diazobenzenesulphonic acid was used. Capsaicin in various species of the genus Capsicum was determined quantitatively with use of Beckman spectrophotometer model DU at $480\;m{\mu}$.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.1-4
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• 2011

Chemical investigations of the stony coral Alveopora japonica Eguchi (Poritidae) resulted in the isolation of four known compounds (1 - 4). The structures of 1 - 4 were identified as a sterol, ergosta-5,24(28)-dien-$3{\beta}$-ol (1), a mixture of monoacyl glycrols (2), eicosanoic acid and tetracosanoic acid, and two nucleosides, thymine (3) and 2'-deoxythymidine (4), respectively, on the basis of spectroscopic and physicochemical analyses including 1D- and 2D- NMR techniques as well as by comparison of their data with the published values. Compounds 1 - 4 were isolated from this species for the first time. Moreover, these compounds (1 - 4) were found in the genus Alveopora and the family Poritidae for the first time.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.28 no.7
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• pp.585-594
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• 1995

Attempts were made to determine the effects of 5-Korean wild vegetabel consumptions on blood glucose leveles and orgen-energy metabolisms in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. The 5-Korean wild vegetables were : Cassia tora L.(C.t), Lycium chinese Mill(L.c), Trichosanthes kirilowii Max(T.k), Polygonatum odoratum var. Pluriflorum Ohwi(P.o) and Arctium lappa L(A.l). Sixty male Spargue-Dawley rats(160-220g) were induced diabetes mellitus by streptozotocin injection into the tail vein and were devided into 6 groups : a diabetic control and 5-experimental groups. All groups of the rats were fed on a AIN-76 diet, and the 5-experimental groups were fed with each wild vegetable (10%) for four weeks. An increased tendency in body weight of all the groups was observed and the tendency was more significant in L.c, T.k. and P.o. groups. The organ weight of liver and kidney were higher in L.c. and A.l. groups and lower in T.k. group which has shown the improvement from diabetes. Plasma glucose levels were markedly decreased from the 1st week in C.t, T.k. and P.o. groups and the tendency has lasted throughout the four weeks experimental period. The consumption of P.o. has decreased plasma cholesterol level while any significant difference was not seen in plasma protein levels from all the experimental groups. The level of plasma triglyceride was decreased in P.o. group and the levels of plasma free fatty acids were also significantly lower in P.o. and T.k. groups. The liver protein levels were significantly higher in P.o. and T.k. groups and these two groups also showed the negative or relatively small amount of urinary glucose excretion. The experimental group of T.k. has revealed the decreased level of muscles protein and the increased level of muscle glycogen. The 5-Korean wild vegetables contained dietary fiber and 9-analyzed minerals comparable to the ordinary use vegetables.

• Proceedings of the Korean Environmental Health Society Conference
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• 2005.06a
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• pp.289-292
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• 2005

An imbalance between oxidants and antioxidants, in favor of oxidants leading to oxidative stress, is known to play an important role in the pathogenesis of various diseases. Isoprostanes are structurally stable isomers of the conventional enzymatically derived prostaglandins, which are produced in vivo primarily by a free radical catalyzed peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids. In asthmatics, disease severity can occur from environmental exposure to air pollution. Some surveys suggested that air pollutants, especially diesel-exhaust particulates, could trigger allergic sensitization and development of atopic diseases. Sick house syndrome (SHS) presents healthy damage owing to the indoor environment of a building. The aim of this study was to examine isoprostane as a parameter fur oxidative stress in environments related diseases such as sick house syndrome, atopy and asthma. We measured plasma and urinary levels of isoprostane from health volunteers, sick house syndrome, atopy and asthma patients. Plasma isoprostane concentrations in asthma and sick house syndrome group were significantly higher than in control. Urinary isoprostane levels were significantly higher in volunteers with sick house syndrome and asthma compared with health volunteers. These findings suggest that plasma and urinary isoprostane measurement may have useful clinical implications for investigating sick house syndrome and asthma. The interventions that decrease exposure to environmental reactive oxygen species might be beneficial in these diseases.

• Current Research on Agriculture and Life Sciences
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• v.7
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• pp.33-40
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• 1989

In order to elucidate the antifungal activity of prochloraz(imidazole) and triadimefon(triazole), the mycelia of the Valsa ceratosperma were treated with the compounds in vitro. Prochloraz applied to the target pathogen inhibited mycelial growth more than triadimefon. The concentration for the 50% inhibition of mycelial growth ($I_{50}$) was 1-5 ppm in treatment of prochloraz and 5-10 ppm in treatment of triadimefon. The mycelia of Valsa ceratosperma treated with low concentration of prochloraz and triadimefon were morphologically abnormal as observed with an optical microscope. Content of total lipid and fatty acids were not changed by the treatments of prochloraz and triadimefon, respectively, in liquid medium.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.357-363
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• 2011

In relieving local pains, ropivacaine has been widely used. In case of their application such as ointments and creams, it is difficult to expect their effects for a significant period of time, because they are easily removed by wetting, movement and contacting. Therefore, the new formulations that have suitable bioadhesion were needed to enhance local anesthetic effects. The effect of drug concentration and temperature on drug release was studied from the prepared 1.5% Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) (150MC) gels using synthetic cellulose membrane at $37{\pm}0.5^{\circ}C$. As the drug concentration and temperature increased, the drug release increased. A linear relationship was observed between the logarithm of the permeability coefficient and the reciprocal temperature. The activation energy of drug permeation was 3.16 kcal/mol for a 1.5% loading dose. To increase the skin permeation of ropivacaine from CMC gel, enhancers such as saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, pyrrolidones, propylene glycol derivatives, glycerides, and non-ionic surfactants were incorporated into the ropivacaine-CMC gels. Among the enhancers used, polyoxyethylene 2-oleyl ether showed the highest enhancing effects. For the efficacy study, the anesthetic action of the formulated ropivacaine gel containing an enhancer and vasoconstrictor was evaluated with the tail-flick analgesimeter. According to the rat tail-flick test, 1.5% drug gels containing polyoxyethylene 2-oleyl ether and tetrahydrozoline showed the best prolonged local analgesic effects. In conclusion, the enhanced local anesthetic gels containing penetration enhancer and vasoconstrictor could be developed using the bioadhesive polymer.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.231-237
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• 2016

Prolonged alcohol consumption causes alcoholic liver damage due to the generation of reactive oxygen species, the accumulation of fatty acids, and an increase in inflammatory cytokines in the liver. In this study, the protective effect of a fruit extract of Paeonia anomala (FEPA) against chronic alcohol-induced liver damage was evaluated in Sprague-Dawley rats fed an ethanol or a control Lieber-DeCarli diet for 5 weeks to induce alcoholic liver damage. FEPA (50, 25, and 10 mg/kg body weight/day) as well as the reference control silymarin (25 mg/kg body weight/day) were administered along with the ethanol diet. FEPA protected against increases in alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase in serum and attenuated alcohol-induced increases in triglycerides, tumor necrosis factor alpha, thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances, and cytochrome P450 2E1 enzyme activity in the liver compared with the group treated with ethanol only. Anti-oxidative defenses such as the total glutathione level and glutathione peroxidase activity were increased by FEPA treatment. These results suggest that FEPA exerts protective effects against chronic alcohol-induced liver damage by attenuating hepatosteatosis and pro-inflammatory cytokine production and enhancing anti-oxidative defense mechanisms in the liver.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.12
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• pp.1862-1867
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• 2006

A moderately halophilic, Gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium was isolated from the roots of Blutaparon portulacoides, a plant found in sandy soil parallel to the beach line in Restinga de Jurubatiba, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The strain, designated $M9^T$, was motile and strictly aerobic with rod-shaped cells. It grew in the absence of NaCl and up to 20% NaCl, and was able to hydrolyze casein and starch. Strain $M9^T$ had a cell-wall peptidoglycan based on L-Orn-D-Asp, the predominant menaquinone present was menaquinone-7 (MK-7), diaminopimelic acid was not found, and anteiso-$C_{15:0}$ and iso-$C_{15:0}$ were the major fatty acids. A phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain $M9^T$ belonged to the genus Halobacillus and exhibited 16S rRNA gene similarity levels of 97.8-99.4% with the type strains of the other nine Halobacillus species. The DNA-DNA relatedness of strain $M9^T$ with H. trueperi, the closest relative as regards 16S rRNA gene similarity, and H. locisalis was 21% and 18%, respectively. Therefore, on the basis of phenotypic, genotypic, and phylogenetic data, strain $M9^T$ (=ATCC BAA-$1217^T$, =CIP $108771^T$, =KCTC $3980^T$) should be placed in the genus Halobacillus as a member of a novel species, for which the name Halobacillus blutaparonensis sp. nov. is proposed.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.391-399
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• 2011

Free fatty acids (FFAs) are known to have bacteriocidal activity and are important components of the innate immune system. Many FFAs are naturally present in human and animal skin, breast milk, and in the bloodstream. Here, the therapeutic potential of FFAs against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is demonstrated in cultures and in mice. Among a series of FFAs, only oleic acid (OA) (C18:1, cis-9) can effectively eliminate Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) through cell wall disruption. Lauric acid (LA, C12:0) and palmitic acid (PA, C16:0) do not have this ability. OA can inhibit growth of a number of Gram-positive bacteria, including hospital and community-associated MRSA at a dose that did not show any toxicity to human sebocytes. The bacteriocidal activities of FFAs were also demonstrated in vivo through injection of OA into mouse skin lesions previously infected with a strain of MRSA. In conclusion, our results suggest a promising therapeutic approach against MRSA through boosting the bacteriocidal activities of native FFAs, which may have been co-evolved during the interactions between microbes and their hosts.