• Title/Summary/Keyword: water drinking

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Effects of Dietary Chitosan Supplementation with Chitosan Feeding Levels and Feeding Forms on Growth Performance and Carcass Characteristics of Thigh Muscular in Broiler (키토산의 급여량과 급여 방법에 따른 육계의 성장 및 닭 다리육의 품질에 미치는 영향)

  • Kim, Y.J.;Kim, B.K.
    • Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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    • v.36 no.1
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    • pp.29-37
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    • 2009
  • This study was conducted to determine the effects of dietary supplementation with chitosan feeding levels and feeding forms on the performance, proximate composition, pH, thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS), water holding capacity (WHC), shear force, meat color, and fatty acid of chicken thigh meat. Two hundred broilers (Arbor Acre Broiler, male) were randomly assigned to five groups and were fed for five weeks and slaughtered. Thigh muscle was evaluated in this experiment. The amounts of proximate composition, crude fat of control and T3 for the chitosan-treated groups were significantly higher as compared with T2 (P<0.05), but no significant effects were detected on moisture, crude protein, and crude ash. By comparison, pH was significantly increased when chitosan was included at 2% into diet or more than 1% into drinking water. TBARS was significantly lower at chitosan treated groups it was decreased with increasing chitosan level in the diets (P<0.05). Therefore, chitosan had the possibility to improve shelf life of chicken meat. Higher chitosan levels and feeding additive increased high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and reduced total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (P<0.05). $L^*$ and $a^*$ of chitosan treated group was higher than the control. As the dietary chitosan levels increase, the composition of palmitic acid and oleic acid levels was increased, however, those but the rates of linoleic acid and arachidonic acid were decreased. It is concluded that dietary chitosan has a positive effect on increasing HDL-C and oleic acid and decreasing total-C, LDL-C and TBARS values. Therefore, the treatment with the most significant effects in the current study was the high level of chitosan.

Effect of Korean Mistletoe Extract and Lectin on the Preneoplastic Hepatic Lesion and Apoptosis in Experimental Hepatocarcinogenesis (실험적 간암모델에서 한국산 겨우살이 추출물 및 렉틴 투여가 전암성 병변의 생성 및 Apoptosis에 미치는 영향)

  • 김미정;김정희;이미숙
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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    • v.31 no.5
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    • pp.782-787
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    • 2002
  • This study was done to investigate the effects of Korean mistletoe water extract and lectin on the apoptosis and preneoplastic lesion in chemically induced rat hepatocarcinogenesis. To attain the above objectives, weanling Sprague-Dawley male rats were fed modified AIN-76 diets containing 10% corn oil for 9 weeks. One week after feeding starts, rats were intraperitoneally injected twice with a dose of diethylnitrosamine (DEN, 50 mg/kg body weight (BW). Rats were provided with 0.05% phenobarbital (PB) in drinking water from one week after DEN treatment until the end of experiment. During the period of PB treatment, rats were injected with mistletoe extract (100 $\mu\textrm{g}$/kg BW) and lectin (10 $\mu\textrm{g}$/kg BW) twice a week. At the end of 9th week, rats were sacrificed and the formation of hepatic glutathione S-transferase placental form positive (GST-P$^{+}$) foci, apoptosis, DNA fragmentation and apoptosis related proteins were determined respectively. The formation of GST-P$^{+}$foci was significantly decreased by mistletoe extract or lectin treatment. Although there was no effect on apoptosis and DNA fragmentation in hepatic tissue by mistletoe extract or lectin treatment, caspase-9 and fas-L were increased. These results suggest that Korean mistletoe extract and lectin have a potential to inhibit hepatocarcinogenesis by increasing apoptosis.sis.

Effect of Green Tea on Tissue Distribution and Deposition of 14C-Benzo[a]pyrene in Rats (흰쥐에서 녹차의 섭취가 14C-Benzo[a]pyrene의 조직 분배 및 잔류에 미치는 영향)

  • Kim, Ju-Yeon;Noh, Sang-K.
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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    • v.40 no.6
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    • pp.818-823
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    • 2011
  • Recently, we showed that green tea extract (GTE) markedly lowers the intestinal absorption of $^{14}C$-benzo[a]pyrene ($^{14}C$-BaP) and enhances its secretion into the biliary route, suggesting a protective role for GTE against body burden. These findings indicate that green tea could be used as an effective dietary means against the toxicity of BaP. The present study, therefore, was designed to investigate if green tea intake could affect the tissue distribution and deposition of $^{14}C$-BaP in rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats had free access to a nutritionally adequate AIN-93G diet and deionized water. At ~340 g of weight, the rats were injected intraperitoneally with 27.4 kBq of [4-$^{14}C$]-BaP and 5.0 mg of BaP dissolved in $300\;{\mu}L$ of olive oil and then assigned randomly to the following two groups: one group (GTE) of rats was fed the AIN-93G diet with GTE via drinking water at approx. 4.7 mg of catechins/d, whereas the other was fed the same diet but without GTE (control). At 4 wk of dietary treatment with GTE, animals were euthanized and heart, liver, brain, spleen, kidney, retroperitoneal fat, testis, and epididymal fat were collected, weighed, and analyzed for tissue $^{14}C$-BaP. Both the control and GTE groups continuously gained weight throughout the study, but there was no significant difference between the groups. No significant differences were observed in the weights of heart, liver, brain, spleen, kidney, retroperitoneal fat, testis, and epididymal fat. However, the radioactivities of $^{14}C$-BaP, expressed in dpm/g, were significantly lower in the heart, liver, brain, spleen, and epididymal fat of rats receiving GTE as compared to their respective controls. These data indicate that green tea intake markedly lowers tissue accumulation of $^{14}C$-BaP. Taken together, these findings suggest that the decreased tissue levels of BaP by GTE intake may be associated with lowered intestinal absorption of BaP and its enhanced secretion into the bile.

HPLC-MS/MS Detection and Sonodegradation of Bisphenol A in Water (HPLC-MS/MS를 이용한 Bisphenol A 분석 및 초음파에 의한 분해 특성 조사)

  • Park, Jong-Sung;Yoon, Yeo-Min;Her, Nam-Guk
    • Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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    • v.32 no.6
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    • pp.639-648
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    • 2010
  • The optimal conditions for the analysis of BPA by HPLC-MS/MS was investigated and the ultrasound degradation capacity of the BPA, with the goal to establish the proper directions for analyzing infinitesimal quantities of BPA by HPLC-MS/MS was examined. The MDL and LOQ of BPA analyzed by HPLC-MS/MS were measured 0.13 nM and 1.3 nM respectively, its sensitivity about 620 and 32 times greater than HPLC-UV (MDL: 81.1 nM, LOQ: 811 nM) and FLD (MDL: 4.6 nM, LOQ: 46 nM). In other words, the new method enables the analysis of BPA with the accuracy up to one 1,180th of the amount specified in U.S. EPA guideline for drinking water. Degradation rate of BPA by ultrasound measured over 95% under 580 kHz and 1000 kHz frequency within 30 minutes of treatment, whereas the rate showed some decrease at 28 kHz frequency. At 580 kHz of ultrasound has proven to be the most effective among others at degradation rate and $k_1$ value, so we concluded that this frequency of ultrasound creates hospitable condition for the combined process of degradation by pyrolysis and oxidization. With the addition of 0.01 mM of $CCl_4$, BPA with the initial concentration of 1 ${\mu}M$ was degraded by more than 98% within 30 minutes, the $k_1$ value measured 5 minutes and 30 minutes into the experiment both showed increases by 1.4 and 1.1 times, respectively, compared with BPA without $CCl_4$. It is also found that the main degradation mechanism of BPA by ultrasound is oxidization process by OH radical, based on the fact that the addition of 10 mM of t-BuOH decreased the rate of BPA degradation by around 60%. However, 33% of BPA degradation rate obtained with the addition of t-BuOH implies further degradation done by pyrolysis or other sorts of radical beside OH radical.

Functional and morphological changes of the livers by 5-fluorouracil treatment on diethylnitrosamine-treated rat (발암제 (DEN) 투여 rat의 간암 진행상태의 기능학적 및 형태학적 변화와 항암제(5-FU) 처리효과 시험)

  • Kim Cheol-Ho;Cheon Sung-Hwa;Bhak Jong-Sik;Kim Nam-Cheol;Kang Chung-Boo
    • Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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    • v.29 no.3
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    • pp.347-364
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    • 2006
  • This study is concerned with assessment of diethylnitrosamine (DEN 0.01 %) induced liver cell carcinogenesis by measurement of changes preceding the development of neoplasms. Therefore, it was undertaken to investigate changes of liver-specific enzyme activities in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats by ad libitum feeding of DEN. And also. the changes of hepatic morphology in SD rats were detected by haematoxylineosin stain and immunohistochemistry (PCNA). 5- Fluorouracil (5- FU) is one of the most widely used anticancer agents for digestive cancers including hepatocellular carcinoma, and is known to affect the cell cycle and induce apoptosis of cancer cells. In the present study, SD rats were given drinking water containing 0.01% diethylnitrosamine (DEN) for 8 weeks. Minor behavioral change, brittleness of hair and decreased amount of water and diet intake were observed in rats 4 weeks after DEN administration. The body and liver weights were significantly (p < 0.05) decreased in rats 11 weeks after DEN administration. The liver weight ratio to body weight was rather stable and not significantly decreased in the all treatment groups. The liver specific enzyme activities (AST, ALT, ${\gamma}$-GTP) were significantly increased in all treatment groups compared to control group (p < 0.05). Variable size of liver tumor and hepatomegaly were observed in rats treated with DEN after 10 weeks. Numerous vacuoles were seen on the midzonal and or peripheral areas of hepatic lobules. The large and polymorphological hepatocytes with eosinophilic cytoplasm or densely basophilic mitotic nucleoli were seen. Several proliferative small round cells were seen on vacuolated and necrotic areas in peripheral hepatic lobules or portal areas. PCNA-positive cells were seen on the vacuolated portal areas and peripheral areas of hepatic lobules in the areas of small round cells. We examined functional and morphological changes of livers by 5 - FU treatments on DEN -treated rat. The DEN -treated rats compared to 5 - FU -treated rats after DEN treatment for 8 weeks. The serum total protein and triglyceride were significantly (p < 0.05) decreased, and the liver enzyme activities of AST and ALT were significantly(p < 0.05) increased. After 8 weeks, in the non-5-FU -treated group, the size of liver tumor were varied and hepatomegaly were observed, hepatocellular vacuolization, necrosis and steatosis were observed on the midzonal and peripheral areas of hepatic lobules. The large and polymorphological hepatocytes were seen, the interlobular connective tissues were proliferated. PCNA positive cells were seen in the portal areas and peripheral areas of hepatic lobules in the non-5-FU-treated group. In hepatocytes, condensation of nuclear chromatin and vacuolization were observed, shape of the nuclei were irregular, the degraded nuclei and organelles were observed. The livers of rats in the 5 - FU treatment group were seen grossly brilliant, red-brown color, and the vacuolated and degenerated regions, hyperplastic nodules were not nearly observed. In the electron microscope, the cytoplasm of the hepatocytes contained a large number of mitochondria, rough endoplasmic reticulum, developed organelles surrounding nuclei. The above findings suggest that 5 - FU will be effective as anti -liver tumor drug.

Lead Pollution and Lead Poisoning among Children in China

  • Zheng, Yuxin
    • Proceedings of the Korean Environmental Health Society Conference
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    • 2003.06a
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    • pp.24-25
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    • 2003
  • Lead is ubiquitous in the human environment as a result of industrialization. China's rapid industrialization and traffic growth have increased the potential for lead emissions. Lead poisoning in children is one of the most common public health problems today, and it is entirely preventable. Children are more vulnerable to lead pollution and lead in their bodies can affect their nervous, circulatory, and digestive systems. Children are exposed to lead from different sources (such as paint, gasoline, and solder) and through different pathways (such as air, food, water, dust, and soil). Although all children are exposed to some lead from food, air, dust, and soil, some children are exposed to high dose sources of lead. Significant sources of lead for China's children include industrial emissions (often close to housing and schools), leaded gasoline, and occupational exposure that occurs when parents wear lead-contaminated clothing home from work, burning of coal for home heat and cooking, contaminated food, and some traditional medicines. To assess the blood lead level in children in China, a large-scale study was conducted in 19 cities among 9 provinces during 1997 to 2000. There were 6502 children, aged 3-5 years, were recruited in the study The result indicates that the mean blood lead level was 8.83ug/dl 3-5 year old living in city area. The mean blood lead level of boys was higher than that of girls (9.1l ug/dl vs 8.73ug/dl). Almost 30 percent childrens blood lead level exceeded 10ug/dl. The average blood lead level was higher than that of in 1985 (8.83ug/dl vs 8.lug/dl). An epidemiological study was carried on the children living around the cottage industries recycling the lead from battery. Nine hundreds fifty nine children, aged 5-12 years, living in lead polluted villages where the lead smelters located near the residential area and 207 control children live in unpolluted area were recruited in the study. The lead levels in air, soil, drinking water and crops were measured. The blood lead and ZnPP level were tested for all subjects. The results show that the local environment was polluted. The lead levels both in the air and crops were much higher than that of in control area. In the polluted area, the average blood level was 49.6ug/dl (rang 19.5-89.3ug/dl). Whereas, in the unpolluted area, the average blood level was 12.4ug/dl (rang 4.6-24.8ug/dl). This study indicates that in some countryside area, some cottage industries induce seriously lead pollution and cause children health problem. For the introducing of unleaded gasoline in some large cities, such as Beijing and Shanghai, the blood lead level showed a declined trend since 1997. By 2000, the use of leaded gasoline in motor vehicles has been prohibited in China. The most recent data available show that levels of lead in blood among children in Shanghai decreased from 8.3ug/dl in 1997 to 7.6ug/dl in 1999. The prevalence rate of children lead poisoning (blood lead >10ug/dl) was also decreased from 37.8% to 24.8%. In children living in downtown area, the blood lead level reduced dramatically. To explore the relationship between gene polymorphisms and individual susceptibility of lead poisoning, a molecular epidemiological study was conducted among children living in lead polluted environment. The result showed that the subjects with ALAD2 allele has higher ZPP level, and the subjects with VDR B allele has larger head circumference than only with b allele. In the present study, we demonstrated that ALAD genotypes modify lead effects on heme metabolism and VDR gene variants influence the skull development in highly exposed children. The polymorphism of ALAD and VDR genes might be the molecular inherited factor modifying the susceptibility of lead poisoning. Recently, Chinese government pays more attention to lead pollution and lead poisoning in children problem. The leaded gasoline was prohibited used in motor vehicles since 2000. The government has decided to have a clampdown on the high-polluted lead smelters for recycling the lead from battery in countryside. It is hopeful that the risk of lead poisoning in children will be decreased in the further

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Literary Investigation and Traditional Food Cooking Methods for the Development of a Breakfast Food Substitutefood I (Analysis of Mieum, Misu, and Goeum During $1400's{\sim}1945's$) (아침대체 편의식 개발을 위한 전통음식의 조리방법과 문헌고찰 I(1400년대${\sim}$1945년대 고 조리서 속 미음과 미수, 고음류 분석))

  • Bok, Hye-Ja
    • Korean journal of food and cookery science
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    • v.23 no.6
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    • pp.987-1002
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    • 2007
  • This study examined Tthe cooking methods foroftraditional foods called such as Mieum, Misu, and Goeum from the from investigation of old cook books and ancient literatureis as follows. There We found were 7 types of Mieum that were cooked by mixing rice and cereals, while 3 types of Mieum were cooked by mixing cereals and herbal medicines to with thenuts. The Mieums that were cooked by mixing meat, fish, and shellfish, etc. to the herbal medicine ingredients like such as medical plants, etc were consisted of 8 types. Therefore, a total of 18 types of Mieum, Misu, and Goeum, etc were have been classified. Among the cooking methods of for Mieum, rice and grains were boiled for an extended longtime and filtered with a sieve to be used as the juicebroth. The Job's tears and millet, etc were mixed into water, or boiled after being made into a powder, soaked into water, and dried. The herbal medicine ingredients such as ginseng were boiled for an extended long time, and once the ingredients are were flown out cooked down, it the broth was filtered with asieve to be used the as a liquid extract. The meat, bone, and shellfish, etc were also boiled for a longn extended time, filtered with a sieve, and made into a juice broth to be used as a drinks from on occasion time to time. These drinks, called Mieum, Misu, and Goeum above, were healthy foods our ancestors used to enjoy for enjoyment drinking, and were also food for remedyies and sources of nutritionon. As Since the meal replacement foods to that replace meals that can be eaten right away while working and studying are needed, due to is required within the our busy schedules of in modern peoplesociety, thise literary investigation and the cooking methods for of Mieum, Misu, and Goeum, which that used to be are our traditional foods, can be are used as a basic research material for the development of convenient breakfast to meal replacements breakfast.

Growth Performance, Carcass Characteristics and Plasma Mineral Chemistry as Affected by Dietary Chloride and Chloride Salts Fed to Broiler Chickens Reared under Phase Feeding System

  • Mushtaq, M.M.H.;Pasha, T.N.;Akram, M.;Mushtaq, T.;Parvin, R.;Choi, H.C.;Hwangbo, J.;Kim, J.H.
    • Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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    • v.26 no.6
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    • pp.845-855
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    • 2013
  • Requirements of dietary chloride (dCl) and chloride salts were determined by using $4{\times}2$ factorial arrangement under four phase feeding program. Four levels (0.31, 0.45, 0.59 and 0.73%) and two sources ($NH_4Cl$ and $CaCl_2$) of the dCl were allocated to 1,472 chicks in eight dietary treatments in which each treatment was replicated four times with 46 birds per replicate. The four phase feeding program was comprised of four dietary phases: Prestarter (d 1 to 10), Starter (d 11 to 20), Grower (d 21 to 33) and Finisher (d 34 to 42); and diets were separately prepared for each phase. The cations, anions, pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), temperature, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS) and salinity were analyzed in drinking water and were not affected by dietary treatments. BW gain (BWG; $p{\leq}0.009$) and feed:gain (FG; $p{\leq}0.03$) were improved in $CaCl_2$ supplemented diets during d 1 to 10. The maximum response of BWG and FG was observed at 0.38% and 0.42% dCl, respectively, for d 34 to 42. However, the level of dCl for BWG during d 21 to 33 ($p{\leq}0.04$) and d 34 to 42 ($p{\leq}0.009$) was optimized at 0.60% and 0.42%, respectively. The level of dCl for optimized feed intake (FI; $p{\leq}0.006$), FG ($p{\leq}0.007$) and litter moisture (LM; $p{\leq}0.001$) was observed at 0.60%, 0.38% and 0.73%, respectively, for d 1 to 42. Water intake (DWI) was not affected by increasing dCl supplementation (p>0.05); however, the ratio between DWI and FI (DWI:FI) was found highest at 0.73% dCl during d 1 to 10 ($p{\leq}0.05$) and d 21 to 33 ($p{\leq}0.009$). Except for d 34 to 42 ($p{\leq}0.006$), the increasing level of dCl did not result in a significant difference in mortality during any phase. Blood pH and glucose, and breast and thigh weights (percentage of dressed weight) were improved while dressing percentage (DP) and gastrointestinal health were exacerbated with $NH_4Cl$ as compared to $CaCl_2$ supplemented diets ($p{\leq}0.001$). Higher plasma $Na^+$ and $HCO_3{^-}$ and lower $Cl^-$ and $Ca^{{+}{+}}$ were observed in $NH_4Cl$ supplemented diets ($p{\leq}0.001$). Increasing supplementation of dCl increased plasma $Cl^-$ ($p{\leq}0.04$; quadratically) and linearly reduced plasma $K^+$ ($p{\leq}0.001$), $Ca^{{+}{+}}$ ($p{\leq}0.003$), $HCO_3{^-}$ ($p{\leq}0.001$), and $Na^+$ ($p{\leq}0.001$; quadratically). Consequently, higher requirements of dietary chloride are suggested for feed intake; nevertheless, lower levels of dietary chloride are sufficient to support optimal BWG and FG with increasing age. The $NH_4Cl$ supplemented diets ameliorate breast and thigh meat yield along with overall energy balance (glucose).

A Study on The Content of Liver Protein, Nucleic Acids, and Guanine Deaminase Activity of Mouse During Acute Starvation (급성(急性) 기아(饑餓)마우스의 간단백질(肝蛋白質), 핵산(核酸) 및 Guanine Deaminase 활성(活性)에 관(關)한 연구(硏究))

  • Park, Seung-Hee;Kim, Seung-Won
    • Journal of Nutrition and Health
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    • v.1 no.2
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    • pp.107-115
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    • 1968
  • Number of aspects, not only nutritional but social as well as political involved in human starvation pose nowadays global problems. In order to help establish the minimum nutritional requirements in the daily life of a man and to free people as well from either undernourishment, malnutrition or even starvation many workers have devoted themselves so far on the research programs to know what and how number of metabolic events take place in animals in vivo. It is the purpose of the present paper to examine in effect to what extent both of the protein and nucleic acids (DNA & RNA) together with an enzyme, guanine deaminase, which converts guanine into xanthine and in turn ends up to uric acid as an end product, undergo changes, quantitatively during acute starvation, using the mouse as an experimental animal. The mouse was strictly inhibited from taking foods except drinking water ad libitum and was sacriflced 24, 48, and 72 hours following starvation thus acutely induced. The animals consisted of two experimental groups, one control and another starvation groups, each being consisted of 6-24 mice of whose body weights ranged in the vicinity of 10 g. The animals were sacriflced by a blow on the head, followed by immediate excision of their livers into ice-cold distilled water, washing adherent blood and other contaminant tissues. The liver was minced foramin, by an all-glass homogenizer immersing it in an ice-bath, followed by subsequent fractionatin of the homogenate (10% W/V in 0.25M sucrose solution made up with 0.05M phosphate buffer of pH 7.4). For the liver protein and guanine deaminase assay, the 10% homogenate was centrifuged at 600 x g for 10 minutes to eliminate the nuclear fraction; and for the estimation of DNA and RNA, the homogenate was prepared by the addition of 10% trichloroacetic acid in order to free the homogenate from the acid-soluble fraction, the remaining residue being delipidate by the addition of alcohol and dried in vacuo for later KOH (IN) hydrolysis. The changes in body and liver wegihts during acute starvation were checked gravimetrically. Protein contents in the liver were monitored by the method of Lowry et al; and guanine deaminase activities were followed by the assay of liberated ammonia from the substrate utilizing the Caraway's colorimetry. The extraction of both DNA and RNA was performed by the Schmidt-Thannhauser's method, which was followed by Marmur's method of purification for DNA and by Chargaff's method of purification for RNA. The determinations of both DNA and RNA were carried out by the diphenylamine reaction for the former and by the orcinol reaction for the latter. The following resume was the results of the present work. 1. It was observed that the body as well as liver weights fall abruptly during starvation, and that the loss of body weight showed no statistical correlation with the decreases in the content of liver protein. 2. The content of liver protein and activity of liver guanine deaminase activity as well decline dramatically, and the specific activities of the enzyme (activity/protein), however, decreased gradually as starvation proceeded. 3. Both of the nucleic acids, DNA and RNA, showed decrements in the liver of mouse during acute starvation; the latter, however, being more striking in the decline as compared to the former. 4. The decreases in the liver protein content as resulted from the acute starvation had no statistically significant correlation with the decrements of DNA in the same tissue, but had regressed with a significant statistical correlation with the fall of RNA in the tissue. 5. The decrease in the activity of guanine deaminase in the liver of mouse during acute starvation was functionally more proportional to the decrease in RNA than DNA, and moreover correlated with the changes in the content of the liver protein. 6. The possible mechanisms involved during in this acute starvation as bring the decreases in the contents of DNA, protein, and guanine deaminase were discussed briefly.

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The effects of selenium on fetal growth and development in CD-1 mice exposed with mercury for the gestation period (임신 중 수은을 섭취한 CD-1 마우스 태아의 성장발육과 기형발생에 미친 셀레늄의 효과)

  • Kim, Jin-suk;Lee, Sang-mok;Choi, Seok-wha;Lee, Won-chang
    • Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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    • v.34 no.2
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    • pp.361-368
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    • 1994
  • Teratogenic and embryotoxic effects of mercury have been reported, however, there is little information about possible antidotes against mercury exposure during gestation. In order to evaluate therapeutic effects of selenium as an antidote against mercury poisoning, pregnant CD-1 mice were exposed to methylmercury chloride(20ppm) through the drinking water with treatment of sodium selenite (1.0mg, 2.0mg or 3.0mg/kg b.w., subcutaneously) or BAL(5.0mg/kg b.w., subcutaneously) under the single or combination base as the therapeutic agents from day 6 to 15 of gestation. Fetal growth parameters such as body weight and crown-rump length in the mice exposed to mercury, were reduced as was placental weight compared to those in the control. Treatment of selenium(alone, combination with BAL) reduced the harmful effects induced by mercury on the fetal growth parameters even though no specific relationship between dose and therapeutic effect. The incidence of dead fetuses/resorptions and malformed fetuses(especially cleft palate) was also increased in the mercury only treated group. Selenium treatment demonostrated reduced the incidence of abnormal fetuses under the exposure of mercury. Relative maternal organ weights(liver, kidney, spleen) were increased significantly but relative brain weight was decreased as evidenced by decreased in the mercury treated mice compared to that in the control. A subtle indication of maternal mercury toxicity evidenced by changes of relative maternal organ weights, decreased water and feed consumption were also prevented efficiently by selenium treatment. The present study suggests that methylmercuric chloride is embrytoxic and teratogenic in CD-1 mice when exposured during organogenesis and that selenium administration may have therapeutic application for the treatment of mercury poisoning although more applicable study in human should be performed with caution in the future.

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