This study was designed to perform simultaneous determination of three reference compounds in Syzygium aromaticum (SA), gallic acid, ellagic acid, and eugenol, and to investigate the chemical antagonistic effect when combining Curcuma aromatica (CA) with SA, based on chromatographic analysis. The values of LODs and LOQs were 0.01–0.11 μg/mL and 0.03–0.36 μg/mL, respectively. The intraday and interday precisions were <3.0 of RSD values, and the recovery was in the range of 92.19–103.24%, with RSD values <3.0%. Repeatability and stability were 0.38–0.73% and 0.49–2.24%, respectively. Compared with the content of reference and relative peaks in SA and SA combined with CA (SAC), the amounts of gallic acid and eugenol were increased, while that of ellagic acid was decreased in SAC (compared with SA), and most of peak areas in SA were reduced in SAC. Regression analysis of the relative peak areas between SA and SAC showed r 2 values >0.87, indicating a linear relationship between SA and SAC. These results demonstrate that the components contained in CA could affect the extraction of components of SA mainly in a decreasing manner. The antagonistic effect of CA on SA was verified by chemical analysis.

Ojeok-san (OJS) is a traditional herbal formula consisting of 17 herbal medicines that has been used to treat various disorders. In this study, quantitative analytical methods were developed using high-performance liquid chromatography equipped with a photodiode array detector to determine 19 marker compounds in OJS preparations, which was then combined with chemometric analysis. The method developed was validated in terms of its precision and accuracy. The intra- and interday precision of the marker compounds were <3.0% of the relative standard deviation (RSD) and the recovery of the marker compounds was 92.74%–104.16% with RSD values <3.0%. The results of our quantitative analysis show that the quantities of the 19 marker compounds varied between a laboratory water extract and commercial OJS granules. The chemometric analysis used, principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA), also showed that the OJS water extract produced using a laboratory method clearly differed from the commercial OJS granules; therefore, an equalized production process is required for quality control of OJS preparations. Our results suggest that the HPLC analytical methods developed are suitable for the quantification and quality assessment of OJS preparations when combined with chemometric analysis involving PCA and HCA.

For older elementary school students, amicable peer relationships are important to meeting developmental challenges, such as socialization. Thus, in this study, the effectiveness of a school gardening program to promote positive social relationships among elementary school students was assessed. The participants in this study were fifth and sixth grade students from four elementary schools in Wonju, South Korea. The experimental and control groups consisted of 123 students each (total 246) from fifth and sixth grade classrooms. The gardening program included a range of activities, such as sowing seeds and harvesting produce, and was designed to improve peer status, peer relations, and sociality. The program was embedded in the school curriculum; sessions were 90 minutes per week for 10 weeks from 16 April through 25 June 2012. The results revealed the school gardening program brought about meaningful differences in both persistence of friendship (P = 0.04) and adaptability between friends (P = 0.03), which were subcategories of peer relationships, in the experimental group. There were also significant improvements in sociality (P < 0.001) and its various subcategories, especially in law-abiding (P < 0.001) and collaboration (P < 0.001). Finally, the peer status results showed that there was significantly a greater increase in the peer status after the school gardening program, but there was no significant change in the control group. In conclusion, the school gardening program for elementary school students had a positive influence on peer relationships, sociality, and peer status. Implementing a garden program in schools will effectively contribute to the improvement of social relationships among elementary school students.

Objectives : Yijin-tang has been used in the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome, gastritis, and gastric ulcer. In this study, a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was established for simultaneous analysis of six compounds, liquiritin, glycyrrhizin, hesperidin, 6-gingerol, homogentisic acid, and 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde in Yijin-tang, a traditional Korean herbal medicinal preparation. Methods : A Gemini C18 column was used for the separation of six constituents at 40℃. The mobile phase using gradient elution consist of two solvent systems, 1.0% acetic acid in water (A) and 1.0% acetic acid in acetonitrile (B). The flow-rate was 1.0 mL/min and injection volume was 10 μg. The detector was a photodiode array (PDA) detector set at 254 nm and 280 nm.

This study compared Ojeok-san (Wuji-san in Chinese) decoctions produced using different extraction methods for variable times. Decoctions were extracted in pressurized or non-pressurized conditions for 60, 120, and 180 mins. We investigated the Ojeok-san extract yield, the total soluble solid content, the hydrogen ion concentration (pH), and the reference compound content. The extract yield and the total soluble solid content were higher in decoctions produced by non-pressurized extraction; both were proportional to the extraction time. The pH tended to decrease as the extraction time was increased in decoctions produced using both methods. After 60 and 180 mins, the levels of albiflorin, paeoniflorin, nodakenin, naringin, and neohesperidin were significantly higher in decoctions extracted using the non-pressurized method compared with those extracted using the pressurized method. After 120 mins, only cinnamaldehyde was extracted in a greater amount in pressurized decoctions compared with non-pressurized decoctions. The levels of paeoniflorin, ferulic acid, nodakenin, naringin, hesperidin, neohesperidin, and glycyrrhizin increased with time in non-pressurized decoctions. This study showed that the use of pressurized and non-pressurized extraction methods for different times affected the composition of Ojeoksan (Wuji-san) decoctions.