• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.11-21
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• 2020

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the association between pet ownership and asthma symptoms in Korean children. Methods: This study used data from the 8th Panel Study on Korean Children in 2015. For the final study, 1598 cases were used. Wheezing as an asthma symptom was self-reported as an outcome variable. Whether children had owned dogs or cats or not was used as an independent variable. Results: A total of 6.8% of children lived with dogs and 2.1% of children lived with cats in their homes. There were 4.0% of children who had asthma symptoms in the past year. When comparing 'children who had owned dogs for more than 12 months' with 'children who had not owned dogs', the adjusted odds ratio (OR) for 'asthma symptoms' were 1.20 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.10-1.30) among male children and 2.19 (95% CI, 1.94-2.46) among female children. When comparing 'children who had owned cats for more than 12 months' with 'children who had not owned cats', the adjusted ORs for 'asthma symptoms' were 38.94 (95% CI, 35.55-42.65) among male children and 5.32 (95% CI, 4.60-6.16) among female children. When comparing 'children who had owned both dogs and cats for more than 12 months' with 'children who had not owned at all', the adjusted OR for 'asthma symptoms' was 13.22 (95% CI, 11.93-14.65), and when comparing 'children who had owned cats only' with 'children who had not owned at all', the adjusted OR for 'asthma symptoms' was 9.25 (95% CI, 8.50-10.08). Conclusions: As a result, children's asthma symptoms were higher in the case of cats than with dogs, and in the case of cats, boys were more at risk than girls. In the analysis for the risk of asthma symptoms when a dog and a cat are raised at the same time, it was statistically confirmed that the children in the home were more at risk than with single animal ownership. The results of this study can be considered to be of great importance in policy-making and for the use of educational materials in the field of environmental health.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.413-419
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• 2011

This study was conducted to find out the cadmium (Cd) accumulation and tolerance of Iris pseudacorus and Acorus calamus as aquatic plants native to Korea for Cd removal in water. In the range of Cd concentration from $10{\mu}M$ to $130{\mu}M$, the Cd lethal dose 50 ($LD_{50}$) was $78.5{\mu}M$ in I. pseudacorus and $47.6{\mu}M$ in A. calamus. In I. pseudacorus, superoxide dismutase and peroxidase as antioxidants were relatively effective against oxidative stress caused by Cd, while catalase, superoxide dismutase, and polyphenolics were effective in A. calamus. The polyphenolics known as typical antioxidants were not detected in I. pseudacorus. In both species, the Cd accumulation in plants increased with the higher Cd concentration and the longer processing period. Also, the absorbed Cd was accumulated mainly in the roots. The amount of Cd accumulated in the shoot part was maximally $548.1mg{\cdot}kg^{-1}$ (82.1% to Cd accumulated in the root part) in I. pseudacorus and $121.4mg{\cdot}kg^{-1}$ (13.7%) in A. calamus, which implied that both species all were enough evaluated as Cd hyper-accumulators based on 0.01% or more Cd accumulation in the shoot. Especially I. pseudacorus showed outstanding ability to move well Cd into the shoots from the roots and high tolerance to Cd stress.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.11
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• pp.1200-1208
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• 2014

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of crude mucin and saponin from Dioscorea Rhizoma on acute gastric ulcers in rats. The gastric ulcer group (GU group) and mucin-applied group (DR-M group) exhibited serious bleeding of the mucous membrane of the stomach due to the ulcers, as well as blood congestion for three days. The saponin-applied group (DR-S group) exhibited less mucous membrane bleeding, and reddened and inflamed membranes recovered dramatically within 24 hours. After developing an acute pgastric ulcer, the tissues of the stomach, intestine, and liver in the control group and the DR-M group exhibited edema in the submucous membrane, as well as serious bleeding. However, the DR-S group recovered quickly from mucous membrane bleeding due to gastric ulcer. The DR-M group did not show any notable changes in serum formation or activity of antioxidant enzymes compared to the GU rats. Increased AST and ALT activities were detected from the first day with saponin application in the gastric ulcer rats. As the AST and ALT activities decreased, the gastric ulcers recovered with the increased activities of the antioxidant enzymes. Accordingly, this study suggest that mucin in Dioscorea Rhizomahas no effect on the recovery of damaged stomachs due to gastric ulcers, but saponin is mainly responsible for decreasing tissue damage by activating antioxidant enzymes.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.76-91
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• 2002

The lipid lowering and antioxidant effects of Gansoo(BL18), Pungji(GB20) and Eumnungcheun(SP9) acupuncture in rats fed high fat diet were analyzed in biochemical and molecular biological aspects. The results obtained from this study are as follows : 1. In the body weight reduction, all acupuncture groups showed a high reduction compared to those of control group and in acupuncture groups, Gansoo(BL18) and Pungji(GB20) acupuncture groups showed a high reduction. 2. The concentration of plasma triglyceride, total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol with acupuncture groups showed a little decrease and in acupuncture groups, Gansoo(BL18) and Pungji(GB20) groups showed a low values compared to those of other acupuncture groups. However, the tendency of HDL-cholesterol concentration showed no significant different. 3. The concentration of plasma ${\beta}-lipoprotein$ and free fatty acids showed a lowest values in the Gansoo(BL18) and Pungji(GB20) acupuncture groups and the glucose concentration showed to decrease in all treated acupuncture groups. 4. The concentration of liver total cholesterol and triglyceride in Gansoo(BL18) and Pungji(GB20) acupuncture groups showed a lower values than those of control group. 5. In all the acupuncture groups, the plasma glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase(GOT) activity showed a little decrease. In the glutamic pyruvate activity(GPT), Gansoo(BL18) and Pungji(GB20) acupuncture groups showed a lower values than those of control groups. However the values of eumneungcheun acupuncture only group showed no significant difference to those of control group. 6. The plasma and liver Thiobabituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) concentration in Gansoo(BL18) and Pungji(GB20) acupuncture groups were a lower than those of control group. However the values of eumneungcheun acupuncture group showed no significant difference to control group. 7. The superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in Gansoo(BL18) acupuncture group and Glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity in Gansoo(BL18) and Pungji(GB20) acupuncture groups showed a high values. The catalase (CAT) activity in all the acupuncture groups showed a higher values than those of control group. 8. In acupuncture groups, DNA expression of Apo-B and Apo-E showed a tendency to decrease, however DNA expression of leptin showed no significant difference in all treatment groups. DNA expression of $TNF-{\alpha}$ showed a increase in acupuncture groups. These results indicate that Gansoo(BL18) and Pungji(GB20) (especially Gansoo(BL18)) acupuncture affect the lipid metabolism and showed possibility of lowering adipose tissue mass and lipid peroxidation.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.23-34
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• 2020

Loneliness is an unpleasant experience due to the human need for social connection. Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, and intentions to nonhuman entities. The inverse process of anthropomorphism is dehumanization in which individuals treat humans like animals or objects. Two studies were conducted to investigate whether relationships exist among loneliness, anthropomorphism, and dehumanization. In Study 1, loneliness was measured via self-reports, and an anthropomorphism task was introduced to examine the extent to which subjective experiences of loneliness related to the tendency to describe nonhuman agents with humanlike characteristics. According to the results, lonelier participants attributed more humanlike capacities to computers and cats. Study 2 examined whether significant differences emerged in anthropomorphism and dehumanization between the experimental condition of loneliness and the control condition. After having been induced to the emotion of loneliness using an experimental writing task, the participants tended to perceive nonhuman agents to be more humanlike in the condition of loneliness than in the control condition. Moreover, there was a stronger tendency of dehumanization toward other humans in the condition of loneliness than in the control condition. There was also higher levels of negatively biased perceptions of neighborhood characteristics. This scenario implies that anthropomorphism is related to sociality motivation, which is the need for social connection through establishing bonds with nonhumans, and may result in the dehumanization and emotional experiences of other humans.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.309-322
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• 1992

In order to observe the antigenic localization in the tissues of Metngonimus yokogawai in growth stages, immunogoldlabeling method was applied to using serum of the cat which Infected with isolated metacercariae from Plecoglossus aztivelis. The sectioned worm tissues from each growth stages were embedded in Lowicryl HM 20 medium, stained with infected serum IgG and protein A gold complect (particle size: 12 nm) and observed by electron microscopy. In the worm tissues of all experimental groups, the geld particles were specifically concentrated on the tegumental synch- tium and cytoplasm of the tegumental cell as well as the secretory granules in the parenchymal tissue. In the 16th and 20th week grown worm tissues, the gold particles were specifically concentrated on the vesicles in the tegumental syncytium and cl·toplasm of the tegumental cell. The gold particles were specifically concentrated on the caecal epithelia of the 4th, 8th and 12th week growth groups but slightly concentrated on those of the 16th and 20th week.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.253-260
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• 1989

Metacercariae of the genus Stictodora encysted in the head tissue of Acanthogobius navimanus (the gobies) caught at Sachun-gun, Kyongnam Province, were identified to be Stictodora Zari Yamaguti, 1939 (Trematoda: Heterophyidae), a new parasite fauna in Korea. The metacercariae were 0.39∼,0.43 mm by 0.32∼0.35 mm in size, long elliptical, and with a thin and transparent cyst wall. Total 200 metacercariae were collected from 50 gobies. In order to obtain adult worms two kittens and a Puppy were infected each with 34∼100 metacercariae, and total 33 adults were recovered between the day 4 and day 8 post-infection. The S. sari adults measured 0.95∼1.18 mm long and 0.26∼0.32 mm wide and the eggs in uteri 0.028∼0.033 mm by 0.017∼0.020 mm. The most characteristic morphological feature of these flukes was the presence of a gonotyl and gonotyl spines arranged in two groups; densely crowded group of 30~40 spines and linearly-arranged one of 30∼40 spines, together of which made a comma(or reversed comma) shape along the lateral margin of the gonotyl. It has been proved by this study that 5. sari is distributed in southern coasts of Korea.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.673-677
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• 2017

The present study was performed to investigate the seroprevalence and risk factors for Dirofilaria immitis infection in cats from Liaoning province, northeastern China. From October 2014 to September 2016, sera of 651 cats, including 364 domestic cats and 287 feral cats (332 females and 319 males) were assessed. They were tested for the presence of D. immitis antigen using SNAP Heartworm RT test kit. In this population, the average prevalence was 4.5%. Age and rearing conditions (feral or domestic) were found to be associated with the prevalence of D. immitis. The prevalence was significantly higher in feral cats compared with domestic cats (8.4% vs 1.4%, P<0.01). There was no significant difference between males and females (4.7% vs 4.2%, P>0.05), but older cats (${\geq}3$ years old) showed a statistically higher prevalence compared with younger cats (<3 years old) in feral populations (16.8 vs 2.4%, P<0.01), while the difference between the age groups was not statistically significant in domestic cats (2.4% vs 0.51%, P>0.05), all these results suggest that outdoor exposure time may be one of the most important factors for D. immitis prevalence in cats. Results reveal that D. immitis are prevalence in domestic and feral cats in northeastern China, which indicates that appropriate preventive measures should be taken to decrease the incidence of feline heartworm disease in Liaoning province, northeastern China.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.693-697
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• 2010

This study, conducted with four leopard cats (Prionailurus bengalensis), used time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay (TR-FIA) to analyze estradiol and progesterone concentrations in fecal samples. We measured fecal samples taken during estrus period, diestrus period, pregnancy and non-pregnancy period. During estrus (February), the mean minimum estradiol concentration was $4.02{\pm}1.9$ng/g, and the mean maximum was $86.01{\pm}35.2$ng/g (dry fecal weight). During diestrus (November), the mean minimum estradiol concentration was $4.42{\pm}1.32$ng/g and mean maximum was $15.62{\pm}6.48$ng/g (dry fecal weight). Midgestation (April), the mean minimum progesterone concentration was $427{\pm}24.49$ng/g and the mean maximum was $1490{\pm}265.27$ng/g. During non-pregnancy (November), the mean minimum progesterone concentration was $71.25{\pm}29.61$ng/g and the mean maximum was $291.75{\pm}90.30$ng/g. These results suggest that steroid hormone analysis of feces using TR-FIA is a valid method for noninvasively determining ovarian activity associated with estrus and pregnancy in leopard cats. This study will contribute to building breeding management and reproductive plans for endangered species.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.362-366
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• 2009

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most often seen type of cardiomyopathy in cats. The cause is unknown but a genetic basis is thought to underlie some cases. Thromboembolism (TE) is a troubling complication in cats with myocardial disease. Two cats referred to Seoul National University Hospital for Animals with the paralysis of bilateral hindlimbs after vomiting. The cats were depressed and the bilateral hindlimbs were cyanotic, cool and painful. Heart murmur sounds were auscultated in both cases. Through radiographic and echocardiographic evaluation, HCM was diagnosed. TE at the distal aortic trifurcation was also visualized on abdominal ultrasonography. Both cats were expired and HCM and saddle thrombus were confirmed by postmortem examination in one cat.