18 research outputs found

    The mediating effect of quality of life on alcohol consumption and the 10-year type 2 diabetes mellitus risk score in adult Korean men

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    Background: The rate of high-risk drinking, a major cause of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), is increasing among Korean men. This study descriptive survey whether quality of life (QoL) mediates the relationship between drinking and 10-year T2DM risk scores in adult Korean men. Methods: We further analyzed data from the 7th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 7th (KNHANES VII) from 2016 to 2018, selecting 4134 men aged 40–69 years who were not diagnosed with T2DM. The data were analyzed using complex sample regression; after analyzing the mediation. Results: In step 1 of the regression, the drinking rate significantly predicted QoL (β = 0.08, p < 0.001), and in step 2, the drinking rate significantly predicted the 10-year T2DM risk score (β = 0.08, p < 0.001). In step 3, the drinking rate (β = 0.08, p < 0.001) and QoL (β = –0.09, p < 0.001) were found to significantly predict the 10-year T2DM risk score, confirming that QoL partially mediates the 10-year T2DM risk score (z = –3.62, p < 0.001). QoL was found to mediate the relationship between the drinking rate and 10-year T2DM risk score. Conclusions: Sex-specific risk factors must be considered to reduce the incidence of T2DM, and measures to promote healthy drinking habits need to be implemented to reduce the incidence of T2DM in men. Furthermore, these findings highlight the need to develop and actively implement various practical intervention strategies to enhance QoL

    Application of Best Available Techniques to Remove Air and Water Pollutants from Textile Dyeing and Finishing in South Korea

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    The textile industry in South Korea is characterized by excessive water consumption, high concentrations of wastewater, hazardous chemicals, and high energy consumption. This study aimed to analyze Best Available Techniques Reference Documents (BREFs) based on best available techniques (BATs) and BAT-associated emission levels (BAT-AELs) and identify potential solutions for tackling environmental pressure from the South Korean textile industry. Therefore, the existing practices of the textile dyeing and finishing industry in South Korea were compared with those from the BREFs of the European Union. Many existing BATs in South Korea are related to reducing water consumption. There is also a strong focus on BATs for reducing wastewater discharge and achieving energy-saving during treatment rather than after treatment, which differs from other industries. Moreover, BAT-AELs were derived for chemical oxygen demand, suspended solids, and total nitrogen for treating non-biodegradable, highly polluted wastewater. Furthermore, BREFs related to atmospheric pollution included dust generated from the heated fabrics in the finishing process that contained cadmium and phenolic hydrogen chloride from dyes and raw materials in the fabrics. Notably, the European Union has not specified BAT-AELs for the textile industry, whereas South Korea has tailored BAT-AELs for toxic and hazardous chemicals. Thus, numerous green techniques to reduce emissions and energy consumption are being implemented in South Korea

    3D Animation using Visual Script Language

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    In animating virtual characters, it is necessary to provide an interface that allows users specify the characters&apos; motion with high-level concepts as well as low-level details. And it will be convenient to user if the system provides an animation agent that processes various tasks for animation. In this paper, we suggest an agent (HUman-MOtion Agent: HUMOA) that controls behaviors and actions of virtual characters automatically. The agent is structured with multi-level and is operated according to semantics of scenario that is composed of events and visual scripts. Visual script is the gesture with mouse that describes characters&apos; motion visually. The agent of multi-level structure has internal knowledge that is expressed as concepts and relations. So the agent can perform tasks of each level of abstraction automatically. A user can interact with virtual characters directly and intuitively using visual script language. And the agent of our system makes it easier to design animation sc..

    Application of Best Available Techniques to Remove Air and Water Pollutants from Textile Dyeing and Finishing in South Korea

    No full text
    The textile industry in South Korea is characterized by excessive water consumption, high concentrations of wastewater, hazardous chemicals, and high energy consumption. This study aimed to analyze Best Available Techniques Reference Documents (BREFs) based on best available techniques (BATs) and BAT-associated emission levels (BAT-AELs) and identify potential solutions for tackling environmental pressure from the South Korean textile industry. Therefore, the existing practices of the textile dyeing and finishing industry in South Korea were compared with those from the BREFs of the European Union. Many existing BATs in South Korea are related to reducing water consumption. There is also a strong focus on BATs for reducing wastewater discharge and achieving energy-saving during treatment rather than after treatment, which differs from other industries. Moreover, BAT-AELs were derived for chemical oxygen demand, suspended solids, and total nitrogen for treating non-biodegradable, highly polluted wastewater. Furthermore, BREFs related to atmospheric pollution included dust generated from the heated fabrics in the finishing process that contained cadmium and phenolic hydrogen chloride from dyes and raw materials in the fabrics. Notably, the European Union has not specified BAT-AELs for the textile industry, whereas South Korea has tailored BAT-AELs for toxic and hazardous chemicals. Thus, numerous green techniques to reduce emissions and energy consumption are being implemented in South Korea

    Effects of Green Lettuce Leaf Extract on Sleep Disturbance Control in Oxidative Stress-Induced Invertebrate and Vertebrate Models

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    This study investigated the effect of ethanol-extracted green lettuce leaf (GLE) on sleep behavior in physical stress-induced invertebrate and vertebrate models. In Drosophila melanogaster, the group that experienced vibration stress showed decreased sleep time compared to the no-vibration-stress control group, but the GLE treatment group recovered this lost sleep time. The GLE group also recovered the gene expression of downregulated superoxide dismutase induced by vibration stress conditions. According to electroencephalography analysis of rats, non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep significantly decreased with a decrease in sleep time for the group in which immobilization stress was induced. In the GLE group (120 mg/kg), the change in sleep pattern caused by stress was restored, and NREM sleep increased by 68.8%, improving overall sleep quality. In addition, GLE upregulated the expression levels of oxidation-related factors and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABAA) receptor. Quercetin-3-glucuronide (Q3G) was evaluated as a sleep-promoting active substance contained in GLE using the pentobarbital-induced sleep test and showed the effect of prolonged sleep time. Q3G inhibited [3H]-flumazenil binding in a concentration-dependent manner with GLE. Taken together, the results indicate that GLE effectively binds to the GABAA receptor to promote sleep, demonstrating the potential of Q3G as an active substance

    Quercetin-3-O-glucuronide in the Ethanol Extract of Lotus Leaf (Nelumbo nucifera) Enhances Sleep Quantity and Quality in a Rodent Model via a GABAergic Mechanism

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    Current pharmacological treatments for insomnia carry several and long-term side effects. Therefore, natural products without side effects are warranted. In this study, the sleep-promoting activity of the lotus leaf (Nelumbo nucifera) extract was assessed using ICR mice and Sprague Dawley rats. A pentobarbital-induced sleep test and electroencephalogram analysis were conducted to measure sleep latency time, duration, and sleep architecture. The action mechanism of the extract was evaluated through ligand binding experiments. A high dose (300 mg/kg) of the ethanolic lotus leaf extract significantly increased sleep duration compared to the normal group (p &lt; 0.01). Administration of low (150 mg/kg) and high doses (300 mg/kg) of the extract significantly increased sleep quality, especially the relative power of theta waves (p &lt; 0.05), compared to the normal group. Furthermore, caffeine and lotus leaf extract administration significantly recovered caffeine-induced sleep disruption (p &lt; 0.001), and the sleep quality was similar to that of the normal group. Additionally, ligand binding assay using [3H]-flumazenil revealed that quercetin-3-O-glucuronide contained in the lotus leaf extract (77.27 μg/mg of extract) enhanced sleep by binding to GABAA receptors. Collectively, these results indicated that the lotus leaf extract, particularly quercetin-3-O-glucuronide, exhibits sleep quantity- and quality-enhancing activity via the GABAergic pathway

    Effects of Sphingomyelin-Containing Milk Phospholipids on Skin Hydration in UVB-Exposed Hairless Mice

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    Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by ultraviolet (UV) exposure cause skin barrier dysfunction, which leads to dry skin. In this study, the skin moisturizing effect of sphingomyelin-containing milk phospholipids in UV-induced hairless mice was evaluated. Hairless mice were irradiated with UVB for eight weeks, and milk phospholipids (50, 100, and 150 mg/kg) were administered daily. Milk phospholipids suppressed UV-induced increase in erythema and skin thickness, decreased transepidermal water loss, and increased skin moisture. Milk phospholipids increased the expression of filaggrin, involucrin, and aquaporin3 (AQP3), which are skin moisture-related factors. Additionally, hyaluronic acid (HA) content in the skin tissue was maintained by regulating the expression of HA synthesis- and degradation-related enzymes. Milk phospholipids alleviated UV-induced decrease in the expression of the antioxidant enzymes superoxidase dismutase1 and 2, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase1. Moreover, ROS levels were reduced by regulating heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), an ROS regulator, through milk phospholipid-mediated activation of nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2 (Nrf2). Collectively, sphingomyelin-containing milk phospholipids contributed to moisturizing the skin by maintaining HA content and reducing ROS levels in UVB-irradiated hairless mice, thereby, minimizing damage to the skin barrier caused by photoaging

    GABA and l-theanine mixture decreases sleep latency and improves NREM sleep

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    Context: γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter and it is well established that activation of GABAA receptors favours sleep. l-Theanine, a naturally occurring amino acid first discovered in green tea, is a well-known anti-anxiety supplement with proven relaxation benefits. Objective: This study investigated the potential synergistic sleep enhancement effect of GABA/l-theanine mixture. Materials and methods: Pentobarbital-induced sleep test was applied to find proper concentration for sleep-promoting effect in ICR mice. Electroencephalogram (EEG) analysis was performed to investigate total sleeping time and sleep quality in normal SD rats and caffeine-induced awareness model. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was applied to investigate whether the sleep-promoting mechanism of GABA/l-theanine mixture involved transcriptional processes. Results: GABA/l-theanine mixture (100/20 mg/kg) showed a decrease in sleep latency (20.7 and 14.9%) and an increase in sleep duration (87.3 and 26.8%) compared to GABA or theanine alone. GABA/l-theanine mixture led to a significant increase in rapid eye movement (REM) (99.6%) and non-REM (NREM) (20.6%) compared to controls. The use of GABA/l-theanine mixture rather than GABA or l-theanine alone restored to normal levels sleep time and quality in the arousal animal model. The administration of GABA/l-theanine led to increased expression of GABA and the glutamate GluN1 receptor subunit. Conclusions: GABA/l-theanine mixture has a positive synergistic effect on sleep quality and duration as compared to the GABA or l-theanine alone. The increase in GABA receptor and GluN1 expression is attributed to the potential neuromodulatory properties of GABA/l-theanine combination, which seems to affect sleep behaviour
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