• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.309-315
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• 2012

Objectives: Animal husbandry workers could be exposed to various work hazards including toxic gases, chemicals such as pesticides or organic dust. Immunological evaluation focusing on respiratory allergic hypersensitivity occurrence was under-taken for swine farm workers as a part of the study on immunologic status of dairy barn, swine confinement, and poultry farm workers. Materials and Methods: Peripheral bloods were collected from 25 workers at the year of 2001 and 12 workers at the year of 2012 from swine farms located at Gyeonggi province, Korea. Seven adults not involved with animal husbandry were recruited at the year of 2001 from the same residential area as the swine farm workers'. Level of plasma IgE and 20 respiratory allergen-specific IgE were evaluated using commercially available ELISA kit. Results: Plasma IgE level was approximately five-fold higher in the swine farm workers regardless of the sampling year than the control subjects. Plant allergens from outdoor environments such as golden rod, pigweed, Russian thistle, or ragweed were the major allergens with positive reaction(allergen specific IgE${\geq}$0.7 IU/mL) for the swine farm workers at 2001 year. Meanwhile, house dust mite(Dermatophagoides farinae, D. pteronyssinus) and cockroach, typical indoor allergens in Korea, were the major respiratory allergens for the swine farm workers at 2012 year. Conclusions: Overall, even though our results are primitive, the results suggest that immunological function of swine farm workers could be modulated toward type-2 reactivity.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.337-344
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• 2018

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a major type of hepatoma, is associated with high recurrence and mortality because of its uncontrolled metastatic feature. Silymarin is a polyphenolic flavonoid from Silybum marianun (milk thistle) and exhibits anti-carcinogenic activity through modulation of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in several cancer cells. In this study, the inhibitory mechanism of silymarin against migration and invasion was investigated in the Huh7 HCC cell line. Wound healing and in vitro invasion assays were conducted to examine the effects of silymarin on migration and invasion. Western blot analysis was also applied to evaluate the inhibitory effects of silymarin on the EMT-related genes and their upstream signaling molecules. Silymarin inhibited the migratory and invasive activities of Huh7 cells. In addition, silymarin attenuated the protein expression levels of vimentin and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 as well as their transcription factors, Snail, and nuclear factor $(NF)-{\kappa}B$, while the expression of E-cadherin was increased by the silymarin treatment. Among the upstream signaling molecules, the phosphorylation of Akt was inhibited by the silymarin treatment, which was confirmed by the selective inhibitor, LY294002. Consequently, silymarin inhibited the invasive and migratory activities in Huh7 cells through the modulation of EMT-related gene expression by the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, which may have potential as a chemopreventive agent against HCC metastasis.

• Asian Journal of Turfgrass Science
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.69-79
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• 2007

Incorporating herbicides application into a fertilization program has several benefits including saving time and reducing traffics on the lawn. Premixed products of fertilizers and herbicides are commonly known as Weed & Feed in the lawn-care industry. To compare Weed & Feed with separate applications of fertilizers and herbicides on a Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) lawn, a Weed & Feed 28-3-3, containing 0.64% 2,4-D, 0.31% MCPP, and 0.03% dicamba of active ingredients, was used in this study. The first application was in May, with the second in June or Sept. Herbicides in forms of 2,4-D (LV-4, 4EC), MCPP (4EC), and dicamba (Clarity, 4EC) were applied at rates equal to the amounts in Weed & Feed or at half of the rates. The dominant weed in both locations was common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale Weber.) in 2005 and 2004. A secondary weed was Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop.) in 2004 and broadleaf plantain (Plantago major L.) in 2005. When applied in May and June, fertilizer plus full rate of herbicides treatment achieved 112.3 and 83.7 days of acceptable turf quality in 2004 and 2005, respectively. During the same period, Weed & Feed resulted in 58.7 and 24.3 days of acceptable turf quality, respectively. Our study showed that Weed & Feed was generally as effective in weed control as the same amount of fertilizer plus half rates of herbicides sprayed although results may vary due to the timing of application. Fertilizer plus full rates of herbicides provided the same or better results of weed control than Weed & Feed.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.435-440
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• 2014

The number of Bemisia tabaci adults attracted to horseweed, thistle, red bean, cucumber, and tomato plants, as measured by the number stuck to yellow sticky traps, was investigated in a polyvinyl greenhouse for growing tomatoes using organic methods. The number was highest on cucumber plants in the early days of B. tabaci infestation, but was highest on horseweed overall. Of the eight species of beans tested, B. tabaci adults were most attracted to Ultari-Gangnang; however, beans were not effective trap plants for B. tabaci. Measurement of olfactory behavioral response using a four-choice olfactometer showed that B. tabaci adults preferred horseweed to cucumber, eggplant, or tomato. The developmental period of B. tabaci eggs and larvae was shorter at high temperature. At $30^{\circ}C$, the developmental period of eggs and larvae on horseweed were reduced approximately 0.5 and 1 day, respectively, compared to those on cucumber or tomato.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.285-294
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• 1994

Dried top and root extracts of seven different weed species, fresh top and root extracts, and various concentrations of extract (0, 5, 10 and 15%, W/V) and residue rate (0.0, 0.25. 0.5, 0.75 and 1.0%) of velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti Medic.) were used to study their allelopathic effects on alfalfa in the laboratory and greenhouse. Top and root aqueous extracts of common lambsquarter (Chenopodium album L.), giant foxtail (Setaria faberii Herrm), redroot pig-weed (Amaranthus retroflexus L), velvetleaf, large crabgrass (Digitaria sanguinalis L), canada thistle (Cirsium arvense L.) and prostrate knotweed (Polygonium aviculare L.) significantly inhibited germination, seedling length, weight, and vigor in alfalfa. Top growth extracts of weeds exhibited greater allelopathic effects than root extracts. Alfalfa test species, WL-320, responded significantly different to the various weed species extracts in terms of allelopathic effect. The regression slopes of various top extracts showed significant variation with respect to germination percentage. Velvetleaf (b=3.69) extracts were the most inhibitory, while large crabgrass (b=2.39) extracts had the least allelopathic effect on alfalfa. When compared the activity of fresh velvetleaf extract to that of dry velvetleaf extract, dry extract was more inhibitory to alfalfa germination and seedling growth. Germination, seedling length and weight of alfalfa were inversely proportional to the concentration of dried velvetleaf extracts. Seedling emergence and survival percentage was inhibited by velvetleaf residue mixture treatment. Also, more of the toxic effects were observed from the dried top extracts, as compared to extracts from fresh top and root. These results demonstrate the allelopathic activity of different weed species extracts and suggest that weeds may affect crop growth and development due to the inhibitory effects of allelochemicals present in weed tissue.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.22 no.8
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• pp.1120-1125
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• 2012

Cirsium pendulum plants were collected from Hongcheon, Pyeongchang, Wonju, Yangyang in Kangwondo, Gapyeong in Gyeongkido, and Choongju in Choongcheongbukdo. Cirsium setidens plants were collected from Taebaek in Kangwondo and Bonghwa in Kyeongsangbukdo. Genomic DNA was prepared from those plants and used for the amplification of 18S rDNA, ITS1, 5.8S rDNA, ITS2, and part of 28S rDNA. The PCR products were sequenced, and the sequence was deposited in the GenBank. The comparison of those sequences has revealed that the rDNA sequences are identical for all six C. pendulum plants, but that the ITS1 and ITS2 sequences contain variable nucleotides. The two C. setidens plants had different nucleotides in 18S rDNA, ITS1, and ITS2. The comparison of the DNA sequences of C. pendulum and C. setidens collected in this study with C. pendulum of Hokkaido in Japan and C. japonicum of Anhui in China indicated that the plants of those three species are clearly divided into three distinct groups. The silymarin content of the collected plants was analyzed and turned out to be quite high. Therefore, it has been found that both C. pendulum and C. setidens plants are producing large amounts of silymarin, which has been reported to have various medicinal effects.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.243-248
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• 2015

Cirsium chanroenicum, Cirsium nipponicum, and Cirsium schantarense plants were collected from Changwon, Ulleungdo, and Dooryoon Mountain, respectively. Cirsium japonicum plants were also collected from various locations in Korea. Genomic DNA was prepared from the collected plants and used for amplification of the 18S rDNA, ITS1, 5.8S rDNA, ITS2, and part of 28S rDNA. The ITS1 and ITS2 sequences of the PCR products and from other Cirsium plants reported previously were aligned and compared. Cirsium chanroenicum, Cirsium nipponicum, and Cirsium setidens formed distinct branches on the neighbor-joining tree. Cirsium japonicum and Cirsium pendulum appeared to be close to one another, but Cirsium pendulum plants were clearly clustered in an independent clade. Cirsium shantarense was clustered with the other Cirsium japonicum plants. The most important characteristic that distinguished these two species was the direction of the flowers. All Cirsium japonicum flowers point upward, but Cirsium shantarense flowers point downward. Other than this feature, these two species are almost indistinguishable morphologically. Cirsium chanroenicum is indistinguishable morphologically from Cirsium setidens, but it still formed a distinct group on the neighbor-joining tree based on ITS sequences, suggesting that this species is worth considering as an independent species. Silymarin production of the collected plants was analyzed and appeared to be quite high, indicating that the ability to synthesize silymarin is common to all Cirsium plants analyzed so far.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.15-26
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• 2009

Objectives: This paper is intended to illustrate and to discuss the organization and functioning of community resident groups (CRGs) in a community-based participatory health promotion program for healthy aging. Methods: CRGs were convened in 12 government-subsidized apartment communities for low-income seniors in Pennsylvania, U.S.A., to promote healthy aging. Researchers facilitated CRG meetings following a 6-step process of community empowerment and utilizing a social ecological model for assessment and planning. Almost 200 project-related documents were qualitatively analyzed using matrix analysis principles such as cross-classification of multiple dimensions to identify patterns in the data and matrix building for displaying such patterns. Results: CRGs were venues at which apartment building residents could interact, discuss health priorities, and become change agents in their building. CRG members' community health priorities were about their daily living, including building conditions, poor access to fresh food, and unhealthy resident relations. Specific patterns arose in analysis indicating that leadership withing the CRGs, consistency of meetings and participants' attendance, and ability to link health concerns to daily experience impacted the CRGs' capability to identify and accomplish their goals. Conclusion: Community health issues and solutions to those issues identified by CRGs were unique to community contexts and interests. Consistent participation by community members, a consistent pattern of group activities such as monthly meetings, and having established leadership to manage CRG activities were prominent characteristics of community group functioning.

• Korean Journal of Weed Science
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.121-130
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• 1995

Greenhouse and laboratory studies were conducted to investigate allelopathic potential of some weed species on alfalfa(Medicago sativa L.) germination and seedling growth. In the comparison between top(leaves+stems) and root extracts, top extract exhibited greater allelopathic effects on alfalfa germination than that of root. The various weed species extract differently responded to alfalfa test species, WL-320, in terms of allelopathic effect. Top and root aqueous extracts of lambsquarter(Chenopodium album L.), giant foxtail(Setaria faberii Herrm.), redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus L.), velvetleaf(Abutilon theophrasti Medic.), crabgrass(Digitaria sanguinalis L.), canada thistle(Cirsium arvense L.) and prostrate knotweed(Polygonium aviculare L.) significantly inhibited germination, seedling length, weight, vigor, and rate of germination of alfalfa. The regression slopes of various top extracts showed that velvetleaf(b=3.69) extracts were the most inhibitory, while large crabgrass(b=2.39) extracts had the least allelopathic effect on alfalfa germination. Germination, seedling length and weight of alfalfa were inversely proportional to the concentration of dried velvetleaf extracts. Also, more of the toxic effects were observed from the dried extracts compared to the fresh extracts. Residue of velvetleaf inhibited significantly alfalfa emergence and survival percentage compared to the control. The emergence and survival percentage of alfalfa were 44%, 57% at 1.0% residue treatment, respectively. When weed residues were mixed with silica sand with incubation time, velvetleaf residue most inhibited alfalfa growth. The degree of inhibition increased as incubation time increased. An incubation for 72h caused the greatest inhibition of alfalfa growth. These results demonstrate the different allelopathic activity of weed species extracts on alfalfa and suggest that weed may affect alfalfa growth and development through the inhibitory effects of allelochemicals present in weed tissue.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.209-216
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• 2019

Ultraviolet rays (UV) cause photoaging by inducing skin photodamages such as erythema and sunburn. Silymarin is a mixture of antioxidant polyphenols extracted from Silybum marianum fruit (S. m), which is known as milk thistle. It is known to protect skin tissues from UV treatment and antioxidant effects. In this study, we aimed to identify the photoprotective effects of S. m extract, which has silymarin in the epidermis layer of the skin. We found that the extract can function as a UV filter, so it can reduce DNA damage by UV treatment. Especially, we found that, in the stratum corneum, the extract can suppress the protein carbonylarion and DNA damages caused by suberythemal dose of UV treatment which does not induce erythema in the skin. UV treatment also increased protein carbonylation levels in the stratum corneum by oxidation, but it was prevented by applying the extract. The extract can absorb UV with minimal phototoxicity. Together, our study suggests that S. m extract can be used as a photo-protective ingredient to avoid photoaging of the skin.