The leaves of Allium victorialis (AV) are known an edible perennial herb, which has been used in Korean traditional medicine. However, the beneficial pharmacological effects of AV extracts (AVE) on the antioxidant activity and atopic dermatitis (AD) have not been thoroughly examined. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate both antioxidant activity and anti-inflammatory effect of AVE on AD in vitro and in vivo. Antioxidant activity was evaluated by total polyphenol content and ferric reducing ability. AVE showed a level of polyphenol content and reducing power activity. The five-week-old BALB/c mice were used as an AD-like mouse model by treating them with 1-chloro-2, 4-dinitrobenzene (DNCB). Topical administration of AVE for 3 weeks to DNCB-treated mice significantly alleviated clinical skin lesion dermatitis severity and epidermal thickness. Histopathological analysis also demonstrated that AVE decreased eosinophil and mast cell infiltration into skin and ear tissue. These results suggest that topical application of AVE inhibits the development of AD-like skin lesion in mice by their antioxidant activity. Thus, AVE may be a potential therapeutic agent for AD.

Mihyangbyeo, a new japonica aromatic rice (Oryza sativa L.) was developed by National Honam Agricultural Experiment Station (NHAES), RDA in 1998. It was derived from the three-way cross among Seomjinbyeo of the disease resistance and high yielding lines,

Four different rice varieties, Sindongjinbyeo, Dongjin #1, Saegyehwabyeo, and Iksan 467, were transplanted under three different nitrogen levels and two different seedling numbers per hill to obtain basic information on panicle traits under different cultural conditions and to propose the ideal panicle structure in Japonica rice. Sindongjinbyeo and Iksan 467 were characterized by more primary rachis branches (PRBs) per panicle and more grains on PRB than other cultivars. The two varieties also had fewer secondary rachis branches (SRBs) per PRB and fewer grains on SRB per PRB. These characteristics, consequently, resulted in higher ripened grain rate, contrary to that of Dongjin #1 and Saegyehwabyeo. In the correlation coefficient analysis, PRB number per panicle and grain number on PRB per panicle were positively correlated with ripened grain rate, while SRB number per panicle, number of grains on SRB per panicle, SRB number per PRB, number of grains on SRB per PRB and grain number per panicle were negatively correlated with ripened grain rate. Therefore, the number of grains on PRB per panicle, SRB number per PRB and the number of grains on SRB per PRB were the appropriate criteria for determining and achieving higher ripened grain rate in rice. High ripened grain rate over 90% was obtainable with over 12.5 PRBs per panicle and 63 grains on PRB per panicle, and with under 1.7 SRBs per PRB, 5 grains on SRB per PRB, 130 grains per panicle, and 14 panicles per hill. The study recommended that for over 90% high ripened grain rate, the critical limiting factors should be under 2 SRBs per PRB, 6 grains per PRB, and 130 grains per panicle, irrespective of the PRB number per panicle and the number of grains on PRB.