• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제46권1호
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• pp.78-87
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• 2020

Objectives: To identify the degree of physical burden, a determination was undertaken of dust collection efficiency, inhalation pressure, and CO₂ concentration related to health masks certified by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS). Methods: Twenty health masks were purchased on the market. Dust collection efficiency and inhalation pressure were determined in the same manner as in MFDS certification testing, respectively using TSI Model 8130 (TSI, U.S.) and ART Plus (Korea). CO₂ concentrations for 20 subjects using a CO₂ analyzer (G100, G150, Geotechnical Instrument Ltd., UK) were measured with a similar method as a total inward leakage test. In addition to CO₂ levels, dead space volumes in the masks was determined for predicting concentrations of CO₂ in inhalation air. Results: Most of the dust collection efficiencies found for the 20 masks were far higher than the standard. Four KF94s met KF99 and four KF80s even met KF94. Most inhalation pressures were also much lower than the standard, with many almost one-half of the standard. The mean and standard deviation of CO₂ concentration in the mask were 2.9±0.44%. Considering dead volume, the prediction for CO₂ concentration in the inhalation air was 4,395±1,266 ppm. Conclusions: For healthy men and women, the dust collection efficiency and inhalation pressure of health masks were not at a level that would affect their health. Although CO₂ levels in the inhalation air were predicted not to affect health, research on the physiological effects of health masks on Koreans is needed for more precise research.

• 한국대기환경학회지
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• 제14권4호
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• pp.343-360
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• 1998

In this study, comprehensive air quality monitoring was undertaken with a variety of objectives to collect data on the levels of various indoor and ambient air quality parameters in the urban areas of Seoul and Taegu. The sampling sites were comprised of six offices, six residences and six restaurants in each city. The ambient air adjacent to the indoor sites was also simultaneously sampled for the same constituents. The sampling was conducted in two phases: summer of 1994 and winter of 1994/95. A range of air quality parameters were measured simultaneously, which include RSP, CO, COB, NOB, a range of VOC, airborne microbials, temperature, and relative humidity. The indoor and ambient levels of the pollutants measured in this study varied widely between the three types of environments studied. Comparison of median values for the three groups revealed that restaurants had higher indoor levels of most pollutants than homes or offices. There was also a clear pattern of the indoor levels of target pollutants being higher than those outdoors, particularly in restaurants. Concentrations of CO and most of the VOC were found to be significantly higher in the commercial districts, indicating the influence of vehicle exhaust emissions. A very wide range of VOC levels was documented in this study. Although median indoorloutdoor ratios indicated a generally increasing level of VOC indoors when compared to those outdoors, no statistically significant differences were found between indoor and outdoor VOC levels in homes and offices, implying the importance of ambient air quality in determining the quality of indoor air for homes and offices in urban areas. In addition, there was a general pattern of increasing concentrations from summer to winter, and similarly from outdoor to indoor air for nearly all target compounds. The seasonal differences in median levels were very clearly seen for fuel combustion related pollutants such as RSP, CO and VOC, this being attributed to the effects of increased fuel consumption during the cold season and to meteorological factors.

• BMB Reports
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• 제32권1호
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• pp.1-5
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• 1999

In order to understand the biological role of calmodulin in plants, transgenic tobacco plants expressing a calmodulin mutant (VU-4 calmodulin, lys to ile-115) gene have been analyzed. SDS-PAGE and Western-blot analyses showed that the foreign calmodulin mutant is stably and highly expressed in the transgenic tobacco plants. The levels of $H_2O_2$were elevated approximately 2-fold in the transgenic plants. Furthermore, the transgenic tobacco plants have more than 6-fold higher levels of NADPH compared to control tobacco plants. The present findings, combined with previous data showing differences in the susceptibility of the transgenic tobacco seeds and normal tobacco seeds to fungal contamination (Oh and Yang, 1996), suggest that the expression of the calmodulin derivative gene in tobacco plants could increase resistance to infection by fungal pathogens.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• 제64권5호
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• pp.871-884
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• 2022

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of calcium (Ca) levels in weanling pigs (Landrace × Yorkshire × Duroc). In experiment 1, one hundred and eighty weanling pigs were randomly allotted to one of the three treatments. The treatments were low (Ca 0.60% in phase 1 and 0.50% in phase 2), standard (Ca 0.72% in phase 1 and 0.66% in phase 2), and high (Ca 0.84% in phase 1 and 0.72% in phase 2). In experiment 2, hundred and forty weanling pigs were randomly assigned to one of four treatments differing in Ca levels (high and low) and sources (CaCl₂ and CaCO₃) in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. There were 10 pigs per replicate in both experiments, with 6 replicates in each treatment, and they were conducted in two phases (phase 1, days 0-14; phase 2, days 15-28). In experiment 1, body weight (BW), average daily gain (ADG), and growth to feed ratio (G/F) increased as the Ca level decreased (p < 0.05). P digestibility was higher in the low-Ca diet group than in the high-Ca diet group (p <0.05). In experiment 2, the final BW, ADG, and G/F increased in the CaCl₂ diet group compared with the case in the CaCO₃ diet group (p < 0.05). The digestibility of crude protein (CP), Ca, and P was higher in the CaCl₂ diet group than in the CaCO₃ diet group (p < 0.05). Cl^- levels were higher in the CaCl₂ diet group than in the CaCO₃ diet group (p < 0.05). The bicarbonate (HCO_3-), base excess (BE), and electrolyte balance (EB) levels were lower in the CaCl₂ diet group than in the CaCO₃ diet group (p < 0.05). Hematocrit increased as the Ca level decreased (p < 0.05). The HCO_3- interacted with the Ca sources and thus, affected the Ca levels (p < 0.05). Bone ash, Ca, and P were downregulated in the low-Ca diet group compared with the case in the high-Ca diet group. Overall, the low dietary Ca supplementation led to greater growth performance. Furthermore, CaCl₂ appeared to be a better Ca source than CaCO₃ because of the greater digestibility of CP, Ca, and P, and improved EB.

• Toxicological Research
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• 제30권4호
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• pp.305-309
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• 2014

Recently, there has been an increase in the use of several nephrotoxicity biomarkers in preclinical experiments. In addition, it has been indicated that the result may have been influenced by secondary factors, such as sample storage condition or storage period. In this study, we have assessed the variation in urinary nephrotoxicity biomarkers as a result of urine storage conditions and storage period of the urine. Urine was sampled from specific pathogen-free Sprague-Dawley rats (19 weeks old), which were housed individually in hanged stainless steel wire mesh cages. Urine was stored at $20^{\circ}C$, at $4^{\circ}C$, or at $-70^{\circ}C$ after sampling. The levels of the biomarkers such as beta-2 microglobulin (B2M), cystatin-C (Cys-C), N-acetyl-${\beta}$-D-glucosaminidase (NAG), micro albumin (MA), micro protein (MP) were measured at 6, 24, 48 and 144 hr after sampling. The B2M level was significantly decreased at 6, 24, 48, and 144 hr compared to 0 hr at $-70^{\circ}C$ (p < 0.05, p < 0.01, p < 0.05, and p < 0.05, respectively) and 24 and 144 hr at $20^{\circ}C$ (p < 0.01, p < 0.01, respectively). The Cys-C level was significantly decreased at 144 hr compared to 0 hr at $4^{\circ}C$ (p < 0.01), at $20^{\circ}C$ (p < 0.05) and at $70^{\circ}C$ (p < 0.01). MP and MA levels were not different for 144 hr in all storage conditions. Taken together, B2M and Cys-C levels were modulated by storage temperature and period. For the enhancement of test accuracy, it is suggested that strict protocols be established for samples to minimize the effects of the storage conditions on the detected levels of biomarkers.

• 약학회지
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• 제36권3호
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• pp.278-284
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• 1992

This study was performed to investigate the effects of ginseng saponins on the cerebral energy metabolite's contents influenced by carbon monoxide(CO) intoxication. Each experimental group was divided young ($5{\sim}8$ weeks) and aged ($43{\sim}52$ weeks) rats, and they were exposed at 5,000 ppm CO (72%HbCO) for 30 min. One of the other groups was pretreated with ginseng saponins for 5 days before CO intoxication. The contents of cerebral energy metabolites in cerebral cortex, stratum and hypothalamus were measured. In cerebral cortex of both young and aged rats, the levels of ATP and creatine phosphate were significantly decreased, while those of lactate were significantly increased. There was no difference between the levels of cerebral energy metabolites of young and aged rats. Pretreatment of ginseng saponins before CO intoxication lowered decrease of the levels of cerebral energy metabolites and ATP levels were significantly recovered. On the other hands, contents of lactate in stratum and hypothalamus of young rats were significantly increased and the levels of ATP and creatine phosphate in stratum and hypothalamus were completely recovered at 2 weeks after CO intoxication. The results suggest that ginseng saponins have an ameliorating action against disturbance of the cerebral energy metabolites by CO intoxication.

• 생약학회지
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• 제41권1호
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• pp.31-37
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• 2010

The Salvia plebeia R. which is the biennial plant belonging to the Labiatae department, grows naturally in the Korea entire area. Presently, its extract (SPRE) is known to have an anti-inflammation and anti-allergy activity, but there are a few evidences about it. SPRE inhibits pro-inflammatory cytokine such as TNF-$\alpha$ and IL-6 as well as nitric oxide (NO) production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treated- macrophages. The co-administration of SPRE during OVA sensitization significantly reduced total IgE levels in mice. The mice who received SPRE co-administered with OVA showed a significant increase in serum OVA-specific IgG2a/b levels. Spleen-cell cultures harvested from OVA-sensitized mice showed a significant decrease in Th2 cytokine levels with a concomitant increase in Th1 cytokine levels only when SPRE co-administered with OVA. These results demonstrate that SPRE can control the LPS-induced inflammatory reaction and prevent antigen-induced Th2 immune responses in mice.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• 제25권5호
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• pp.422-431
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• 2022

Purpose: At the beginning of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic, physicians paid close attention to children with chronic diseases to prevent transmission or a severe course of infection. We aimed to measure the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibody levels in children with chronic gastrointestinal and liver diseases to analyze the risk factors for infection and its interaction with their primary disease. Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels in patients with gastrointestinal and liver diseases (n=141) and in healthy children (n=48) between January and February 2021. Results: During the pandemic, 10 patients (7%) and 1 child (2%) had confirmed COVID-19 infection (p=0.2). The SARS-CoV-2 antibody test was positive in 36 patients (25.5%) and 11 children (22.9%) (p=0.7). SARS-CoV-2 antibody positivity was found in 20.4%, 26.6%, 33.3%, and 33.3% of patients with chronic liver diseases, chronic gastrointestinal tract diseases, cystic fibrosis, and liver transplantation recipients, respectively (p>0.05, patients vs. healthy children). Risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 antibody positivity were COVID-19-related symptoms (47.2% vs. 14.2%, p=0.00004) and close contact with SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction-positive patients (69.4% vs. 9%, p<0.00001). The use, number, and type of immunosuppressants and primary diagnosis were not associated with SARS-CoV-2 antibody positivity. The frequency of disease activation/flare was not significant in patients with (8.3%) or without (14.2%) antibody positivity (p=0.35). Conclusion: SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in children with chronic gastrointestinal and liver diseases are similar to that in healthy children. Close follow-up is important to understand the long-term effects of past COVID-19 infection in these children.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제13권2호
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• pp.227-234
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• 2022

Background and Purpose: In 2021, lung cancer in school food workers was first recognized as an occupational cancer. The classification of the carcinogenicity of cooking fumes by International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) was based on Chinese epidemiological data. This study aimed to determine the hazard levels of school cooking fumes in Korea. Materials and Methods: Based on public school cafeterias in one area, 25 locations were selected for the survey according to the number per school type, ventilation states, and environmental pre-assessments of cafeterias. Two inside cooking areas using a heat source and one outside cooking area were selected as control measurement points. Measurements of CO, CO₂, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs), including benzene, formaldehyde, and particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5, PM1, respectively), were taken. The concentrations and patterns of each substance in the kitchens were compared with the outdoor air quality. Result: Known carcinogens, such as the concentrations of PAHs, formaldehyde, TVOC (benzene), and particulate matter in school cooking fumes, were all detected at similar or slightly higher levels than those found outside. Additionally, substances were detected at relatively low concentrations compared to the Chinese cooking fumes reported in the literature. However, the short-term exposure to high concentrations of CO (or composite exposure with CO₂) and PM2.5 in this study were shown. Conclusion: The school cooking fumes in South Korea was a relatively less harmful than Chinese cooking fumes, however short-term, high exposure of toxic substances can cause a critical health effect.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제19권1호
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• pp.52-58
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• 2011

The inhibitory effect of Chung-Jang-Hwan (C-mix) consisted of Geranium nepalense subsp. thunbergii, Saururus chinensis, and Rubus coreanus were investigated in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitic mice by microarray analysis. Treatment with Cmix improved colitic symptoms, including colon shortening and myeloperoxidase activity. Treatment with DSS alone upregulated the expression levels of inflammation-related genes, including IL-$1\beta$, IL-6, CCL2, CCL4, CCL5, CCL7, CCL8, CCL24, CXCL1, CXCL2, CXCL5, CXCL9 and CXCL10, and other colitis-related genes such as COX-2, PAP, MMP family, S100a8, S100a9 and DEFA1 in mice. However, treatment with C-mix inhibited the expression levels of inflammation-associated genes induced by DSS. The increased expression levels of COX-2 and IL-$1\beta$, representative inflammatory genes, were confirmed by a quantitative realtime polymerase chain reaction analysis. These results indicate that C-mix may ameliorate colitis by the inhibitory regulation of inflammation-associated genes.