KORAD (Korea Radioactive Waste Agency, http://www.korad.or.kr) has stored slightly contaminated ascon (asphalt coated concrete mixture) that was introduced to Gyeongju repository about a decade ago waiting for a final disposal. It is believed to be mainly contaminated by radioisotope 137Cs due to impurities introduced from the outside during the ascon manufacturing process. We studied characteristics of the radioactive waste to see whether this material would be proper enough to be disposed in Gyeongju LILW repository or be other ways to reduce the disposal volume including self-disposal before its final disposal otherwise. KORAD looked into the properness of characteristics of ascon in terms of WAC (Waste Acceptance Criteria) documented by KORAD that includes general chemical and physical properties of asphalt, density, size of grains, content of organic material and possibility of existence of chelate materials that qualitatively limited to be disposed by the criteria. And other associated characteristics such as gas generation and bio degradation were also investigated. Based on the data obtained from the study, we proposed various plausible solutions in associated with operational and disposal safety and economic view points. This study will be used for KORAD’s decision on how to control and safely dispose the spent ascon within a reasonable time period. And also those experiences may be applied for other LILW issues that require treatment or conditioning of radioactive wastes in the future.

본 연구는 설문을 통해 ‘스마트 그린오피스(Smart Green Office)’에 대해 대중의 인식과 선호도를 알아보고, 활성화를 위한 기반을 마련하고자 수행하였다. 총 195명을 대상으로 설문조사를 진행하였으며, 실내식물에 대한 인식과 ‘스마트 그린오피스’의 인식 및 선호도에 대하여 조사하였다. 설문조사 결과, 설문에 참여한 대부분의 응답자들은 실내식물을 선호하며, 접근성과 필요성에 대해 긍정적으로 답변한 것으로 조사되었다. 응답자들이 실내식물을 통해 ‘공기 질 향상(52.0%)’ 및 ‘스트레스 해소(34.0%)’등 긍정적인 효과를 경험한 적이 있기 때문에 실내식물의 기능을 인지하고 필요성을 크게 인식하는 것으로 판단된다. ‘스마트 그린오피스’의 인지도에 대해 조사한 결과, 알거나 들어본 경험이 있는 사람은 15.4%로 적었으나 개념을 설명한 후, 필요성을 느끼고 설치를 원하는 응답자들 은 90% 이상으로 조사되었다. 응답자들은 ‘공기정화(83.6%)’ 기능 때문에 ‘스마트 그린오피스’ 도입 이 필요하다고 하였으며, 오피스 내 도입 시‘공기정화 식물(70.8%)’로 이루어진 벽면형태(41.0%)’를 선호하는 것으로 조사되었다. 또한, ‘비용 (45.6%)’과 ‘유지 관리(28.2%)’등의 문제가 ‘스마트 그린오피스’ 도입 시 고려하는 점으로 조사되었으며, 설치 시 비용은 ‘200만원 이하(56.4%)’와 ‘200~450 만원(38.5%)’을 선호하는 것으로 조사되었다. ‘스마트 그린오피스’의 인식 및 선호도와 더불어 비활성화에 대한 원인을 조사한 결과, ‘낮은 인지도’ 및 ‘스 마트 그린오피스’의 개념을 인지하지 못한 ‘불필요’가 각각 25.1%와 42.6%로 조사되었으며, ‘적극적인 마케팅 및 홍보 (46.2%)와 ‘실내식물에 대한 관심도 향상(38.0%)’이 이를 해결하기 위한 방법이라고 응답하였다. 따라서, ‘스마트 그린오피스’의 올바른 의미를 알리고, 공기정화 식물로 이루어진 벽면형태의 디자인 개발 및 모델 제시와 같이 ‘스마트 그린오피스’가 활성화될 수 있도록 홍보를 통한 다양한 정보 제공 등 여러 방안 모색이 필요할 것으로 판단된다.

The antioxidant and antitumor properties of natural products, often recognized in traditional medicine systems, represent therapeutic modalities to reduce or prevent uncontrolled oxidation processes which in turn potentially ameliorate or tumor based symptoms of chronic diseases. We have studied the antioxidant and antitumor effects of Amanita muscaria (A. muscaria) in vitro and examined whether the A. muscaria has synergistic effects on antioxidant and antitumor properties. Although A. muscaria induced a dose-dependent increase in antioxidant activity, the latter has a consistently higher antioxidant effect. In mouse monocytes, the lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) induced tumor necrosis- (TNF-) synthesis was significantly inhibited by A. muscaria in a dose dependent manner and synergistic effects were clearly demonstrated with the A. muscaria on TNF- inhibition. A. muscaria effect was also evident on inhibition of nuclear factor-kappa B activity, cyclooxygenase-II activity, and lipid peroxidation in mouse monocytes. This presented results may be a starting point for a comprehensive characterization of biological effects of A. muscaria.

Diets rich in flavonoid-containing foods are sometimes associated with cancer, neurodegenerative and cardiovascular disease prevention. β-glucan, one of the most important bioactive compounds in medicinal mushrooms, is used to boost the immune system, diabetes and cancer. In this study, we aimed to determine the content of two flavonoid compounds (naringenin and naringin) and β-glucan in Flammulina velutipes and Flammulina velutipe-gold strain. The naringenin, naringin, and β-glucan components from the Flammulina velutipes and Flammulina velutipe-gold strain were measured by the HPLC analysis. As a result, the contents of naringenin, naringin, and β-glucan were found to be much higher in Flammulina velutipe-gold strain than Flammulina velutipe. From the above results, we may suggest that Flammulina velutipe-gold strain might have useful as a material for functional food and pharmaceutics fir the pathological process of various human diseases.

Ganoderma lucidum has been reported to have various biological activities including antioxidant activity. The objective of this study was to compare the antioxidant effects between Ganoderma lucidum (GL) and antler-shaped fruiting body of Ganoderma lucidum (AGL). In vitro antioxidant activities were examined by 2,2-diphenyl-picrylhydrazyl hydrate (DPPH) and 1,2,2-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging activities of GL and AGL ethanol extracts. In the DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities of GL and AGL ethanol extracts, antioxidant activities of AGL extracts (IC50, 66.94 μg/ml and 131.23 μg/ml) was showed higher than GL extracts (IC50, 83.93 μg/ml and 164.54 μg/ml). Total polyphenol content and total flavonoid content (38.00 g GAE/kg extract and 11.58 g NE/kg extract) of AGL were found higher as compared to GL (34.23 g GAE/kg extract and 3.46 g NE/kg extract). In summary, the results of this study demonstrate that AGL extracts had higher antioxidant activities to GL.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether or not the antler-shaped fruiting body of Ganoderma lucidum (GL) has an anti-inflammatory effect on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)/interferon-γ (IFN-γ)-activated RAW 264.7 macrophage-like cells. To evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of GL, we examined the inflammatory mediators such as the production of nitric oxide (NO) and the expression of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), activator protein 1 (AP-1), inducible NO synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and interleukin-6 (IL-6). LPS/IFN-γ-induced cellular NO production was significantly decreased in GL-treated RAW 264.7 cells. Moreover, Western blotting analysis results demonstrated that reduced protein expression of MAPK families (such as extracellular signal-regulated kinase, c-Jun amino-terminal kinase, and p38 MAPK) and AP-1-targeting inflammatory enzymes (iNOS, COX-2, IL-1β, and IL-6). These results indicated that GL modulates the MAPK/AP-1 signal pathway in inflammatory process. In conclusion, the present study provides important evidence that GL can potentially be used to reduce LPS/IFN-γ-induced inflammatory response by inhibiting the MAPK/AP-1 signaling pathways.

This study was conducted to in vitro antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of EtOH extracts of Cordyceps militaris (CM). Antioxidant potential, total phenolic and flavonoid contents of CM EtOH extracts were determined by Folin-Ciocalteu method and the aluminum chloride colorimetric method, respectively. Antioxidant activity of CM extracts was measured by following some well-established methods for free radical scavenging such as 2,2-diphenyl-picrylhydrazyl hydrate and 1,2,2-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid). Moreover, Anti-inflammatory activity of CM extracts was determined by measuring the inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) production in lipopolysaccharide/interferon-γ-activated RAW264.7 macrophage-like cells. In addition, cytotoxicity of CM extracts against macrophages was determined by MTT assay. Our results showed that total phenolic content was 19.7 mg gallic acid/g extract. Total flavonoid content was 5.0 mg Naringin/g. Its antioxidant activity was assessed by IC50 value and the values are 338.8 μg/ml (DPPH radical scavenging), 35.4 μg/ml (ABTS radical scavenging). In addition, CM extracts attenuated NO production through the reduction of cellular inducible NO synthase protein expressions. Using MTT assay on indicate that CM extracts showed no toxicity. In conclusion, these results provide important evidence that CM extracts can potentially be used to antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent.

Naringenin and its glycoside naringin (naringenin-7-O-glycoside) belong to this series of flavonoids and were well-known strong antioxidant activity. This study was conducted to flavonoid constituents and antioxidant activity of Pleurotus ostreatus and Pleurotus cornucopiae. In order to determine active ingredient contents of Pleurotus ostreatus and Pleurotus cornucopiae, we were carried out total polyphenolic content (TPC) and flavonoid content (TFC) analyses. As a result, TPC (31.05 ± 0.03 g GAE/kg extract) and TFC (13.25 ± 1.24 g NE/kg extract) of Pleurotus cornucopiae were found significantly higher as compared to Pleurotus ostreatus. The IC50 values based on the DPPH (56.50 ± 0.73 μg/ml) and ABTS (86.53 ± 3.86 μg/ml) for Pleurotus cornucopiae were generally stronger showing potential antioxidant properties compared to Pleurotus ostreatus. In addition, naringin and naringenin content were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography analysis. A great amount of naringin and naringenin was found in Pleurotus cornucopiae. These results indicate that the Pleurotus cornucopiae can be used as an antioxidant therapeutic agent.

Hericium erinaceus (HE) is an edible mushroom to exhibit several biological activities, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammation and anti-cancer effects. This study focuses on the antioxidant potential of HE as extraction solvents. HE was extracted with ethanol (HEE) and water (HEW) in order to observe the change of the extraction amount of the active ingredient. Total polyphenol content (TPC) analyses were performed to decide the active ingredient contents of HEE and HEW. Moreover, 2,2-diphenyl-picrylhydrazyl hydrate (DPPH) and 1,2,2-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging activities were conducted to compare the antioxidant activities of HEE and HEW extracts. As a result, TPC (7.08 ± 0.08 g GAE/kg extract) of HEE was found significantly higher as compared to HEW (4.94 ± 0.02 g GAE/kg extract). The IC50 values based on the ABTS for HEE (471.47 ± 20.38 μg/ml) was generally stronger showing potential antioxidant properties compared to HEW (606.97 ± 1.04 μg/ml). On the other hand, DPPH radical scavenging activity showed no significant change in HEE and HEW extracts. These results demonstrated that ethanol extracts from HE could be useful as an antioxidative functional ingredients.

Acetylcholinesterase 1 (AmAChE1) has low catalytic activity and is abundantly expressed in both neuronal and non-neuronal tissues. In previous experiments, we observed that AmAChE1 is rarely expressed in summer while highly expressed in winter. Through additional experiments, the expression of AmAChE1 was suggested to be associated with brood rearing status. Under the assumption that abnormal suppression of brood rearing activity may result in stressful condition in honey bee social community, it was further suggested that AmAChE1 is likely involved in stress management particularly during winter. We hypothesized that the increased docility usually observed in overwintering bees is likely an outcome of stress management in colony, which is mediated by AmAChE1 expression. To verify this, worker bees expressing abundant AmAChE1 were collected in early winter and injected with Amace1 dsRNA to knockdown Amace1. Then, the behavioral activity of the bees was investigated using the EthoVison video tracking system. Honey bees injected with Amace1 dsRNA showed significantly increased motility, which was strongly correlated with the suppressed expression level of AmAChE1 in the abdomen. No apparent reduced expression of AmAChE1 in the head was observed perhaps due to the limited efficacy of RNA interference in the blood-brain-barrier. Our finding suggests that behavioral activity can be regulated, at least, by AmAChE1 expression level in non-neuronal tissue (i.e., fatbody) perhaps via metabolic alteration.

The aim of the present study was to investigate sex- and age-associated clinico-metabolic characteristics of urinary stone patients. A retrospective review was performed on data from 2,009 consecutive patients presenting with their first urinary stone episode between 2005 and 2013. Of the 2,009 patients, 1,426 (71.0%) satisfied the inclusion criteria and were enrolled in the study. Patients were grouped by age (<60, ≥60 years old) and sex. The medical history and 24 hr urinary chemistry results of each patient were obtained. The mean age of the 165 (11.6%) patients aged 60 or over was 65.5 ± 4.2 years. Body mass index was greater in elderly females than in younger females (p=0.031). After stratification by sex and age, lower urinary excretion of calcium and uric acid was a protective factor for both sexes among the elderly (p<0.05, each, respectively). Low urine pH was a common risk factor for both sexes among the elderly (p=0.013 in males, p=0.047 in females, respectively), whereas lower citrate excretion was a risk factor for only the elderly female group (p=0.004). With regard to urinary metabolic abnormalities, elderly females showed higher incidence of hypocitraturia compared to younger females (p=0.049). In conclusion, this study demonstrated the sex- and age-associated clinico-metabolic characteristics of urinary stone patients. Thus, it is important to tailor metabolic evaluation and medical prevention therapies for patient according to sex and gender characteristics.