This study assessed the utility of netted melon ‘Top Earl’s’ and cantaloupe melon ‘Alex’ as functional fruits by analysing their moisture content, vitreous sugar, folic acid, citric acid, and beta-carotene levels. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to analyse the free sugar, folic acid, citric acid, and beta-carotene levels. The moisture content was not significantly different between ‘Top Earl’s’ and ‘Alex.’ The glucose, sucrose, and fructose contents were three, two, and one-and-a-half fold higher in ‘Alex’ than in ‘Top Earl’s.’ Moreover, citric acid was approximately three times higher in ‘Alex’ than that in Top Earl’s.’ However, the folic acid content was higher in ‘Top ‘Earl’s’ than ‘Alex,’ and the amount was 124 μg / 100 g FW and 112 μg / 100 g FW respectively. ‘Beta-carotene was undetectable in ‘Top Earl’s,’ whereas it was 1000 μg / 100 g FW in ‘Alex.’ β-carotene, a substance that is converted in the body into vitamin A and acts as an antioxidant, is an important component in healthy food. These results suggested that the cantaloupe melon ‘Alex’ has a higher free sugar content and functional ingredients, such as antioxidants, including citric acid and beta carotene, than the netted melon ‘Top Earl’s.’

Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) seeds have long been clinically used in Korea to promote bone formation and prevent osteoporosis. In addition, the safflower buds (SB) were found to have more useful functional ingredients than safflower seed. Thus, we investigated the preventive effects of SB diet in ovariectomized (OVX) rats. The rats were divided into five groups; sham operated group, OVX alone group, OVX plus 17β-estradiol (E2 10 ㎍/㎏, i.p.) and OVX plus SB diet feeding group (0.3% or 1%). Feeding of SB diet (0.3% or 3%) to OVX rats markedly increased trabecular formation in femur compared to OVX rats. Feeding of SB diet (0.3% or 3%) to OVX rats also decreased TRAP activity compared to OVX rats. These results suggest that SB diets have bone sparing effects by the decrease of osteoclast activity. We also observed that OVX rats fed with SB diet (0.3% or 3%) exhibited the decrease of calcium and phosphorus in serum compared to OVX-induced rats. Therefore, SB may be beneficial for the patients of osteoporosis, especially in postmenopausal women.

This study aimed to evaluate the role of D-dimer in terminal cancer patients. Among 343 incurable cancer patients, only 4 patients (2.8%) had normal D-dimer levels, and the majority (n=115, 81.0%) had levels >2.0 μg/mL. The survival time was significantly differed according to D-dimer levels with a median of 48 days when D-dimer levels were <2 μg/mL and 19 days when D-dimer levels were higher. D-dimer levels were negatively correlated with survival according to Spearman’s rank correlation analysis (coefficient -0.335, p<0.001). In terminal cancer patients, D-dimer concentrations did exhibit prog-nostic significance.