• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.38-43
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• 2006

We developed and evaluated a method of short-term acute toxicity testing based on the feeding behavior of Ceriodaphnia dubia. In prior toxicity tests, neonates of C. dubia were hatched and cultivated with the addition of yeast only for the preparation of the transparent daphnid's gut. Scenedesmus subspicatus was supplied as food after 1 to 6 h of exposure to toxicants. The effects of 1-h and 6-h exposure time on test sensitivity did not significantly differ. A comparison of the short-term l-h acute toxicity test developed in this study to the standard 48-h acute toxicity test using heavy metals, cyanide, and pentachlorophenol indicated that the 1-h test provided an acceptable sensitivity level in toxicity testing of C. dubia..

• Proceedings of the Korea Environmental Mutagen Society Conference
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• 2004.05a
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• pp.27-29
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• 2004

Drug transporters play an essential role in the absorption, distribution and elimination of clinical drugs, nutrients and toxicants. The importance of the transporters is exampled by therapeutic failure in cancer chemotherapy that is mainly caused by the overexpression of multidrug resistance (MDR)-related transporters. In addition, the transporters may involve in drug-drug interactions that lead to serious adverse drug responses and some transporters also contribute to inter-individual variation in drug responses. As an effort to understand the mechanism underlying the inter-individual variation of transporters activity, genetic and environmental factors influencing the expression or function of the transporters have extensively explored through last decade. Among them, genetic polymorphism of drug transporter encoding genes has generated much interest since the discovery of functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of MDR1 gene. Besides drug transporters, xenobiotic receptors also modulate drug disposition by regulating the transcription of drug metabolizing enzymes and drug transporters. Among many xenobiotic receptors, pregnane X receptor (PXR) and constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) are two most well characterized since these receptors show wide substrate specificities and regulate the expression of various enzymes involved in drug disposition. Recently, several functional genetic polymorphisms were reported in PXR coding gene. In the present study, genetic polymorphisms of two drug transporters, MDR1 and BCRP, and two xenobiotic receptors, PXR and CAR, were investigated in Korean population.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.10 no.1_2
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• pp.37-46
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• 1995

The purpose of this research is to estimate a safe environmental level of human exposure to thresholding-acting toxicants in drinking water and recommend the acceptable levels and management plans for maintaining good quality of drinking water' and protecting health hazard. This research has been funded as a national project for three years from 1992 to 1995. This study(the second year, 1993-1994) was conducted to monitor 39 species of noncarcinogenic chemicals such as volatile organic compounds(VOCs), polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbens(PAHs), pesticides and heavy metals of drinking water at some area in six cities of Korea, and evaluate health risk due to these chemicals through four main steps (hazard identification, exposure assessment, dose-response assessment and risk characterization) of risk assessment in drinking water. In hazard identification, 39 species of non-carcinogenic chemicals were identified by the US EPA classification system. In the step of exposure assessment, sampling of tap water from the public water supply system had been conducted from 1993 to 1994, and 39 chemicals were analyzed. Inclose-response assessment for non-carcinogens, reference doses(RfD) and lifetime health advisories(HAs) of lifetime acceptable levels were calculated. In risk characterization of detected chemicals, the hazard quotients of noncarcinogens were less than one except those of manganese and iron in D city.

• Environmental Mutagens and Carcinogens
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.53-58
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• 2006

Normally, environmental toxicants are classified as endocrine disruptors if they interfere with regulation of cellular function by endogeneous steroids through inhibition of receptor binding and/or transcriptional activation. So, many studies have been performed about agonist/antagonist of hormone receptor to study mechanisms of endocrine disruptors. If toxicants affect steroid biosynthesis and/or degradation and alter hormone homeostasis, these also are classified as endocrine disruptors. But there are not many studies of the mechanisms of endocrine disruptors on the basis of alteration of steroid biosynthesis and/or degradation. Isolation and culture of Leydig cells from testis is one of methods for the steroidogenesis screening assays to evaluate a substance for altering steroidogenesis. Leydig cells were harvested using the method described by Klinefelter with modifications. Leydig cells were purified by perfusion of testis and incubation ($34^{\circ}C$, 80cycles/minute, 20 minutes) with collagenase (0.25 mg/kg), centrifugal elutriation, percoll gradient centrifugation and BSA multidensity gradient centrifugation. To confirm if this method is one of appropriate tools to evaluate a substance for altering steroidogenesis, ketoconazole, positive control was administered to purified Leydig cells. Ketoconazole ($10^{-8}M$ and above) significantly reduced testosterone production in purified Leydig cells. From above results, we suggest that this method for steroidogenesis screening assay appears to be a appropriate tool to detect suspected compounds for altering steroidogenesis.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.157-161
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• 1998

The mechanism of active aldehyde-induced liver disease and the enzymatic basis of detoxification were investigated using normal rat liver cell, Ac2F. Aliphatic alcohols including l-decyl alcohol, l-nonanol, l-heptanol, l-hexanol, l-propanol and allyl alcohol exerted a dose- and time-de-pendent toxicity to Ac2F cells. The extent of their toxicities in buthionine sulfoximine (inhibitor of glutathione synthesis) pretreated cells was greater than in pargyline (inhibitor of aldehyde dehydrogenase, ALDH). On the other hand, the toxicity of these alcohols were not affected by 4-methylpyrazole (inhibitor of alcohol dehydrogenase, ADH). These results suggest that the contents of glutathione (GSH) seems to be very important in protecting the cells from toxicants such as aliphatic alcohols.

• Journal of applied mathematics & informatics
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.53-62
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• 1995

If one is to estimate environmemtal risk based on data or predict risk based on expert opinion the parameter environmental risk musk be defined precisely so that when data becomes available the numerical values of the estimates and/or prediction can be evaluated. Also the definitionmust be precise so that it may be successfully used in regulatory and litigation activities. The presentation is a develop-ment of a definition which lends to statistical analysis and to inference in addition lends to ease of engineering interpretation. Various impli-cations and useful extensions in measuring numerically for two or more dimensional mixed effects of several toxicants could be developed in further research.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.289-303
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• 1992

Investigation of the environmental impact of widespread pesticide use has revealed a virtue/vice relationship. Although many pesticides perform their function and disappear without harm to the environment, others persist beyond their useful purpose and cause direct of indirect hazard to man, domestic animals and wildlife. Concurrently, many pests have rapidly adjusted to chemical control practices through changes in behavior that avoid exposure to pesticides of throuth genetic selection for populations resistant to the toxicants. The prospect of losing control over insect herbivores and desease vectors and returning to the days of global hunger and disease is unthinkable. Fortunately, from basic studies of insect and plant biology many opportunities for the development of safe, selective and environmentally pacific strategies for insect pest management are being realized.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Toxicology Conference
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• 2002.05a
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• pp.111-111
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• 2002

Many cases of early onset autosomal dominant inherited forms of Alzheimer's disease (AD) are caused by mutation in the genes encoding presenilin-2 (PS-2) on chromosome 1. It is characterized by amyloid deposition and associated with loss of neuron. However, molecular mechanisms underlying the role of PS-2 mutation in the pathogenic AD are not known.(omitted)

• Toxicological Research
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.17-30
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• 1985

Mycotoxins are a group of toxicants giving a risk potential to human health in connection with the daily food intake. Food commodities once contaminated with mycotoxins can not be detoxified by any economic means and prevention was suggested as the only measure. In order to minimize the economic loss and health hazard posed by mycotoxins and toxicoses, systematic and toxicological studies on the subject should be undertaken. Most reports in Korea were concentrated on the mycological studies of relatively easy techniques and the confirmation or quantitation of mycotoxins was rarely done. Research topics to be undertaken in future may be exemplifid below: (1) Establishing assay methods for individual or multi-residue of mycotoxins (2) Monitoring of mycotoxins for suspicious food or feed samples in Korea (3) Epidemiological survey of mycotoxicoses (4) Etiological survey of disease outbreaks associated with mycotoxins (5) Accumulation of testing method and data on the toxicity of mycotoxins (6) Legal regulation to control mycotoxins and development of their detoxification / elimination methods

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.313-322
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• 2014

To investigate the effects of octylphenol and nonylphenol on the reproduction of the striped field mouse, the mice were subcutaneousely injected with 4-t-octylphenol 800 mg/kg (OP800), nonylphenol 900 mg/kg (NP900) or OP800 + NP900 (OPNP), respectively, in two times a week for 2 months. As the results, there were no differences between the control and the compound-treated groups in the body weight in both sexes, and the GSI (gonadosomatic index) and SVI (seminal vesicles index) in the adult males. But histological abnormalities of the reproductive organs in the mice seems to be related to the compound. This suggestion is supported by the facts that most mice treated with the compounds had only a small number of spermatozoa in the shrunken epididymal tubules. In addition, the shrunken reproductive organ in one mouse treated with the NP, suggests that the abnormalities in the wild striped field mice might be induced by the compound. Furthermore, it is indicated that the compounds must be toxicants to inhibit pregnancy, judging from the fact that all the mice treated with the compounds had failed to deliver.