• Analyses & Alternatives
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.63-87
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• 2020

This article not only theoretically explores the necessity and effect of constructive minilateralism and subregionalism in Northeast Asia, but also delves into a series of practical solutions from viewpoint of seeking common ground while reserving differences in this region. The main contents are as follows: First, the various obstacles that hinder the formation of regionalism, subregionalism and minilateralism in the Northeast Asia are discussed. That is to say, geopolitical realism, My Country First ideology, exclusive nationalism in the socio-historical context, and North Korea's latest provocations, etc. Second, this article explores the philosophy and basic principles of realizing Northeast Asia regionalism and minilateralism. Third, in the 21st century, Northeast Asia becomes the center of the world. It examines the core points, controversial focus and platform for building sub regionalism in the region. Finally, based on the institutional platform such as minilateralism and sub regionalism, the various ideas and practical plans of cross-border cooperation among major countries in Northeast Asia were discussed. Because there are a lot of obstacles, so first of all it is more appropriate to promote economic or functional minilateralism or sub regionalism than multilateral cooperation. In order to promote the formation of regionalism and minilateralism in Northeast Asia, the issues to be considered are as follows: First, for the sake of leading regional solidarity and minilateral economic cooperation, it is advisable for China, as a regional economic power, to implement a stable and responsible diplomacy. Secondly, regional solidarity based on credible politics and security should be promoted for a long time beyond the level of economic cooperation. Third, the primary prerequisite for the realization of Northeast Asian regionalism is that in the process of denuclearization of North Korea, the stability and peace mechanism of the Korean Peninsula should be established. Fourth, with the continued hegemonic competition between the United States and China in Northeast Asia, under the circumstance that countries in the region are pushed into so-called "East Asian Paradox", it is profoundly important for them to consider transition from the hostile relationship as the "Thucydides trap" to the order of "coexistence" in which competition and cooperation run side by side, and the two countries should explore a conversion plan for the foreign policy line. This mutual cooperation and peaceful coexistence of the US-China relationship will create a friendly atmosphere for the formation of regionalism in Northeast Asia. In the future, the cooperation of minilateralism in Northeast Asia will break the existing conflict between the maritime forces and the continental forces in order to promote peace. And along with the philosophy that "peace is economy", recent policies of common prosperity as the framework, such as China's "Belt and Road Initiative", North Korea's "Special Zone and Development Zone Policy", Russia's "New Eastern Policy", Japan's participation in the Belt and Road Initiative and South Korea's The "Korean Peninsula New Economy Map" are organically linked and it should promote the so-called "networked regionalism".

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.225-234
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• 2022

The purpose of this study was to confirm the skin whitening and UV absorption effects of bioconverted Beta vulagaris (BBE) using Lactiplantibacillus plantarum SM4, and the effects were evaluated by measuring total polyphenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), radical elimination activity (RSA), and tyrosinase activity inhibition (TAI). TPC and TFC of BBE were 25.0 mg GAE/g DM and 8.05 mg QE/g DM, which were 1.3 and 1.1 times higher than hot-water extract (HWE) respectively. RSA, an indicator of antioxidant activity, and TAI, an indicator of skin-whitening effect, were 36.8%, and 68.6%, respectively, 1.1 and 1.2 times higher than that of HWE. UVA and UVB absorption of BBE were 21.4 and 87.6%, which was 1.4 and 1.7 times higher than that of HWE respectively. When main substances of BBE were analyzed using LC-MS/MS, kaempferol and isorhamnetin, a type of polyphenols known to have high antioxidant and skin-whitening effects, were identified. As a results, BBE is expected to be used as a functional cosmetic material as it has excellent antioxidant, skin whitening, and UV absorption properties.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.97-103
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• 2021

Perilla frutescens (P. frutescens) is an important herb used for many purposes such as medicinal, aromatic, and functional food in Asian countries and has beneficial effects such as antioxidant activity, anti-inflammation activity, anti-depression activity, and anxiolytic activity. However, there have been no studies on the protective effect of P. frutescens extract (PFE) on amnesia in vivo. The present study aimed to investigate whether PFE protects memory deficit using a scopolamine-induced mice model and elucidate the underlying mechanisms involved. The protective effect of PFE against scopolamine-induced memory deficits was investigated using Y-maze, passive avoidance, and Morris water maze tests. Furthermore, the potential mechanisms of PFE in improving memory capabilities related to the cholinergic system and antioxidant activity were examined. PFE significantly increased spontaneous alternation in the Y-maze test, step-through latency in the passive avoidance test, and swimming time in the target quadrant in the probe test when compared to the scopolamine-treated group. Likewise, PFE significantly decreased escapes latency in the Morris water maze test. PFE could not regulate cholinergic function in acetylcholine level and acetylcholine esterase activity. However, PFE increased DPPH radical scavenging activity dose-dependently and total polyphenol content was 127.7±1.2 ㎍ GAE/mg. The results showed that the PFE could be a preventive and/or therapeutic candidate for memory and cognitive dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.218-229
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• 2021

Recently, as consumers' interest and importance in health care have significantly increased, they prefer natural and organic foods that do not use chemical pesticides. Since sprout vegetables effectively promote health and prevent diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease, the consumption of sprout vegetables, a highly functional and safe food, has been increased significantly. This study aimed to investigate the effect of light on the growth and bioactive compounds of seven different sprout vegetables. After sowing the seeds of various sprout vegetables (kale, Chinese kale, broccoli, red cabbage, alfalfa, red radish, and radish), the sprouts were cultivated under light conditions (20℃, RGB 6:1:3, 130 μmol·m^-2·s^-1, 12 hours photoperiod) and dark condition for 7 days. Sprouts samples were taken at 1-day intervals from 4 to 7 days after treatment. The fresh weight, dry weight, plant height, total phenol content, and antioxidant capacity were measured. Brassica species (kale, Chinese kale, broccoli, red cabbage) and Medicago species (alfalfa) had significantly higher fresh weight values under dark conditions, while the content of bioactive compounds was increased considerably under light conditions. In contrast, the fresh weight of Raphanus genus (red radish, radish) significantly increased under the light condition, but the antioxidant phenolic compounds were significantly higher under the dark state. A negative correlation was observed between the growth and secondary metabolites in various sprout vegetables. This study confirmed the effect of light and dark conditions on different sprout vegetables' growth and nutritional value and emphasizes the importance of harvest time in producing high-quality sprout vegetables.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.303-312
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• 2022

In this study, Cyperus rotundus (C. rotundus) was fractionated into ethyl acetate to identify α-cyperone, a representative indicator, and its ethyl acetate fraction were evaluated to confirm the possibilityas a functional cosmetic ingredient. As a result of HPLC analysis, it was confirmed that the content of α-cyperone was 5.243%. In order to verify the inflammatory relief effect of the ethyl acetate fraction from C. rotundus (EAFC) and α-cyperone, it was confirmed that nitric oxide (NO) production inhibitory ability in RAW 264.7 macrophages induced an inflammatory reaction with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Real-time qPCR analysis confirmed inhibition of mRNA expression level of inflammatory factors, IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, COX-2 and iNOS. As a results of conducting a clinical study using a simple cosmetic formulation containing EAFC, it was confirmed that the skin irritation stimulated by sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) was calming and relieving itching. Through these results, it is believed that the C. rotundus can be used as a natural cosmetic ingredient that has the effect of inhibiting inflammation and relieving itching.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.237-246
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• 2022

Owing to their high bioproductivity and unique physical environment, estuarine wetlands are gaining importance in national biodiversity management and habitat conservation. With regard to conservation and management of estuarine wetlands, this study analyzed the ecological characteristics of Gahwacheon Estuarine Wetland, an open estuary with various habitat types. Data from vegetation and biotic surveys have shown that 12 plant communities of five physiognomic vegetation types, including lentic herbaceous vegetation, halophytic herbaceous vegetation, and chasmophytic herbaceous vegetation. Due to the discharge of Namgang Dam and the effect of the tide, vegetation are distributed along the narrow waterside area. In terms of biodiversity, a total of 715 species, including 12 endangered wildlife species, were identified. Species diversity was relatively high in sections I and III where various riverbed structures and microhabitats were distributed. Due to the effect of the brackish water area following the inflow of seawater, endangered wildlife of various functional groups were also found to be distributed, indicating the high conservation value of that area. The collection of ecological information of the Gahwacheon Estuarine Wetland can be used as a framework for establishing the basis for conservation and management of the estuarine ecosystem and support policy establishment.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.29-42
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• 2023

Objective: Pigs, an ideal biomedical model for human diseases, suffer from about 50% early embryonic and fetal death, a major cause of fertility loss worldwide. However, identifying the causal variant remains a huge challenge. This study aimed to detect single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and candidate genes for the number of mummified (NM) piglets using the imputed whole-genome sequence (WGS) and validate the potential candidate genes. Methods: The imputed WGS was introduced from genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) using a multi-breed reference population. We performed genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for NM piglets at birth from a Landrace pig populatiGWAS peak located on SSC11: 0.10 to 7.11 Mbp (Top SNP, SSC11:1,889,658 bp; p = 9.98E-13) was identified in cyclin dependent kinase on. A total of 300 Landrace pigs were genotyped by GBS. The whole-genome variants were imputed, and 4,252,858 SNPs were obtained. Various molecular experiments were conducted to determine how the genes affected NM in pigs. Results: A strong GWAS peak located on SSC11: 0.10 to 7.11 Mbp (Top SNP, SSC11:1,889,658 bp; p = 9.98E-13) was identified in cyclin dependent kinase 8 (CDK8) gene, which plays a crucial role in embryonic retardation and lethality. Based on the molecular experiments, we found that Y-box binding protein 1 (YBX1) was a crucial transcription factor for CDK8, which mediated the effect of CDK8 in the proliferation of porcine ovarian granulosa cells via transforming growth factor beta/small mother against decapentaplegic signaling pathway, and, as a consequence, affected embryo quality, indicating that this pathway may be contributing to mummified fetal in pigs. Conclusion: A powerful imputation-based association study was performed to identify genes associated with NM in pigs. CDK8 was suggested as a functional gene for the proliferation of porcine ovarian granulosa cells, but further studies are required to determine causative mutations and the effect of loci on NM in pigs.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.241-248
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• 2022

Objective : The purpose of this trial is to observe the preliminary effects of Salvia plebeia (SP) extract on quality of life in patients with solid cancer. Methods : This is a prospective, open-label, single-arm, and single-dose clinical trial. Twenty participants who have been diagnosed with solid cancer between the ages of 20 and 65 will be included. All participants will be administered SP granules for 12 weeks. Data will be collected at 4, 8, and 12 weeks after enrollment. The primary outcome is quality of life, using the Korean version of the Functional Assessment Cancer Therapy-General questionnaire. Secondary outcomes include tumor markers in blood tests for each cancer type, soluble programmed death-ligand 1, the percentage of natural killer cells among lymphocytes, ratio of T-helper and T-suppressor cells, ratio of total T, T-helper, T-suppressor, and B cells in lymphocytes, level of C-reactive protein, and tumor size via radiology examination. Safety will be assessed by clinical laboratory tests and monitoring of adverse events. Discussion : This study aims to observe the effects of an oral administration of SP preparations in patients with solid cancer on changes in quality of life and an improvement in immune function. It is expected to provide objective evidence of the effect and safety of SP for patients with solid cancer. Trial registration: KCT0007315 (Clinical Research Information Service)

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.1-7
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• 2018

Objectives : This study was conducted to evaluate the antioxidant activity and inhibitory activity of pancreatic lipase in vitro using natural products sangju dungsi, chungdo bansi, kabju baekmok three kind of young persimmon fruit extracts and to develop a high - functional anti - obesity substance with reduced body fat. Methods : The antioxidative effect of the three kind of young persimmon fruit extracts was determined by hot water extraction, 30% EtOH extraction and 70% EtOH extraction. The antioxidant activities were evaluated through radical scavenging assays using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) radicals. Furthermore, we examined total phenol and flavonoids contents. And the pancreatic lipase inhibition was measured by selecting the sangju dungsi extract with antioxidant effect. Results : The yield of water, 30% and 70% EtOH extract from young persimmon fruit was sangju dungsi (water 8.3%, 30% EtOH 18.1%, 70% EtOH 16.9%), chungdo bansi (water 16.2%, 30% EtOH 16.1%, 70% EtOH 11.6%), kabju baekmok (water 16%, 30% EtOH 16.8%, 70% EtOH 11.5%). The sangju dungsi 30% EtOH extract eminent DPPH ($IC_{50}$, $19.25{\pm}2.94{\mu}g/m{\ell}$) and ABTS ($IC_{50}$, $19.94{\pm}4.07{\mu}g/m{\ell}$) radical scavenging activity, and total phenol $52.37{\pm}0.78mg/g$ and flavonoid $7.97{\pm}0.13mg/g$ contents were also excellent. It also showed excellent pancreatic lipase inhibition efficacy. Conclusion : The extracts from the three kind of young persimmon fruit extracts showed excellent antioxidant activity. sangju dungsi 30% EtOH extract may be a new anti-obesity material by reducing fat absorption through the inhibition of pancreatic lipase.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.59-67
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• 2018

Objective : Plantago asiatica L. has been used for many years in Korea, China, and Japan for the treatment of many diseases such as anti-inflammatory, anti-asthma and diuretic. But the anti-obesity effect of Plantaginis asiaticae Folium has not been studied yet. Thus, this study aimed to demonstrate the anti-obesity efficacy of Plantaginis asiaticae Folium water extract (PAF) in high fat diet-induced obesity animal model. Method : Male, five-weeks old C57BL/6 mice were divided into 5 groups; ND (normal diet + 0.9% saline), HFD (high-fat diet + 0.9% saline), PC (high-fat diet + Garcinia cambogia 500 mg/kg), PAF 100, 300 (high-fat diet + PAF 100, 300 mg/kg. Treatments were performed daily for 6 weeks per os. We evaluated the changes of body weight, white adipose tissues weight, hepatic and fecal lipids level, pancreatic lipase activity and lipid profiles in plasma. Result : Body weights, adipose tissue weights and FER were significantly lower in mice fed the high-fat diet with PAF treatment than in mice fed the high-fat diet alone. In plasma, TG, TC, LDL-C, ATS and ALT levels significantly decreased in PAF groups compared with HFD group. Also, hepatic triglyceride (TG) levels decreased and fecal TG increased in PAF groups compared to HFD group. In addition, the activity of pancreatic lipase was decreased in the PAF groups compared to that of HFD group. Conclusion: These results suggest PAF extract is effective in preventing and improvement obesity, so it might be a potential and safe material for anti-obesity agent of weight control or functional supplements.