• 한국환경과학회지
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• 제28권1호
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• pp.85-97
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• 2019

Meteorological factors and air pollutants are associated with respiratory diseases, and appropriate use of weather and air quality information is helpful in the management of patients with such diseases. This study was performed to investigate both the utilization of weather and air quality information by, and the needs of, patients with respiratory diseases. Questionnaires were administered to 112 patients with respiratory diseases, 60.7% of whom were female. The rates of bronchial asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among patients were 67.0% and 10.7%, respectively. The majority of subjects (90%) responded that prevention was important for respiratory disease management and indicated that they used weather and air quality information either every day or occasionally. However, respondents underestimated the importance of weather and air quality information for disease management and were unaware of some types of weather information. The subjects agreed that respiratory diseases were sensitive to weather and air quality. The most important weather-related factors were diurnal temperature range, minimum temperature, relative humidity, and wind, while those for air quality were particulate matter and Asian dust. Information was gleaned mainly from television programs in patients aged 60 years and older and from smartphone applications for those below 60 years of age. The subjects desired additional information on the management and prevention of respiratory diseases. This study identified problems regarding the utility of weather and air quality information currently available for patients with respiratory diseases, who indicated that they desired disease-related information, including information in the form of action plans, rather than simple health- and air quality-related information. This study highlights the necessity for notification services that can be used to easily obtain information, specifically regarding disease management.

• 한국환경과학회지
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• 제32권11호
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• pp.777-788
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• 2023

Potato common scab disease is caused by pathogens belonging to Streptomyces spp. and results in a serious yield loss worldwide. Despite decades of research aimed at disease management, a definitive control method remains undiscovered. This study aims to explore the correlation between the C/N ratio and urea application with potato common scab pathogen dynamics and disease severity. We applied sawdust with a high C/N ratio and urea into the soil prior to potato cropping, both in pot and field experiments. Disease severity assessments and quantification of the TxtB gene were conducted at the harvest stage. Furthermore, culture experiments were performed to assess the direct impact of urea on the pathogen. Our findings revealed that higher disease severity was correlated with a high C/N ratio application and pathogenic gene quantity. Urea exhibited a direct influence on S. scabiei activity, reducing the disease severity in pot experiments. However, the effects of urea application on disease suppression in the conductive field were inconclusive. Although the results of urea application experiments displayed inconsistencies between pot and field trials, urea worked as the control to suppress S. scabiei activity. Further investigations are needed under various field conditions to confirm these findings.

• 환경생물
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• 제37권4호
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• pp.474-482
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• 2019

자연수계 수산생물의 전염병 모니터링은 자연수계 및 양식 수산생물의 질병 관련성 및 상관관계 구명은 질병 발생 예방 및 확산 방지에 매우 중요한 역할을 한다. 2018년 해구 64개소에서 어류 39종 977마리 및 갑각류 14종 287마리를 선정하여 총 1,264마리에 대하여 병원체 감염 여부를 조사하였다. 어류는 법정전염병 2종(VHS, RSIVD) 및 비법정전염병 3종(MABVD, HRVD, LCD)을 분석하고 갑각류는 법정전염병 6종(WSD, IHHN, TS, IMN, YHD, WTD)을 분석하였다. 조사한 모든 시료에서 전염병이 검출되지 않았지만, 우리나라에서 조사한 자연수계 수산생물이 무병하여 청정국 또는 청정지위 선언에 중요한 정보를 제공할 것이다.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제76권5호
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• pp.226-232
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• 2014

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by airflow limitation and results from environmental factors and genetic factors. Although cigarette smoking is a major risk factor, other environmental exposures can influence COPD. The purpose of this study is to investigate the clinical characteristics of COPD according to the history of environmental exposure. Methods: The study population comprised of 347 subjects with COPD who were recruited from the pulmonary clinics of 14 hospitals within the Korean Obstructive Lung Disease Study Group. We classified environmental exposures according to history of living near factory, and direct exposure history to firewood or briquette. According to living environmental exposures, we compared the frequency of respiratory symptoms, pulmonary function, quality of life, exercise capacity, and computed tomography phenotypes. Results: Thirty-one subjects (8.9%) had history of living near factory, 271 (78.3%) had exposure history to briquette, and 184 (53.3%) had exposure history to firewood. Patients with history of living near a factory had a significantly longer duration of sputum, while patients with exposure to firewood tended to have lower forced expiratory volume in one second, and patients with exposure to briquette tended to have lower six minute walk distance. Conclusion: COPD subjects with the history of living near factory had more frequent respiratory symptoms such as sputum. Our data suggest that environmental exposure may influence clinical phenotype of COPD.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제46권9호
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• pp.558-572
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• 2023

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) will be the third leading cause of death worldwide by 2030. One of its components, emphysema, has been defined as a lung disease that irreversibly damages the lungs' alveoli. Treatment is currently unavailable for emphysema symptoms and complete cure of the disease. Hyaluronan (HA) and proteoglycan link protein 1 (HAPLN1), an HA-binding protein linking HA in the extracellular matrix to stabilize the proteoglycan structure, forms a bulky hydrogel-like aggregate. Studies on the biological role of the full-length HAPLN1, a simple structure-stabilizing protein, are limited. Here, we demonstrated for the first time that treating human alveolar epithelial type 2 cells with recombinant human HAPLN1 (rhHAPLN1) increased TGF-β receptor 1 (TGF-β RI) protein levels, but not TGF-β RII, in a CD44-dependent manner with concurrent enhancement of the phosphorylated Smad3 (p-Smad3), but not p-Smad2, upon TGF-β1 stimulation. Furthermore, rhHAPLN1 significantly increased sirtuins levels (i.e., SIRT1/2/6) without TGF-β1 and inhibited acetylated p300 levels that were increased by TGF-β1. rhHAPLN1 is crucial in regulating cellular senescence, including p53, p21, and p16, and inflammation markers such as p-NF-κB and Nrf2. Both senile emphysema mouse model induced via intraperitoneal rhHAPLN1 injections and porcine pancreatic elastase (PPE)-induced COPD mouse model generated via rhHAPLN1-containing aerosols inhalations showed a significantly potent efficacy in reducing alveolar spaces enlargement. Preclinical trials are underway to investigate the effects of inhaled rhHAPLN1-containing aerosols on several COPD animal models.

• 한국물환경학회지
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• 제28권2호
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• pp.305-312
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• 2012

Avian influenza (AI) and foot and mouth disease (FMD) are two main contagious pathogenic viruses causing massive mortality burial, as burial is a primary measure to quaranteen the causative viruse(s). Biosecurity is a set of preventive measures designed to reduce the risk of propagation of infectious diseases. Main objectives of this paper were to discuss the needs of biosecurity and develop protocol outlines for environmental management of burial sites. Pathological characteristics of contagious viruses should be considered during environmental management practices. Current practice prescribes to minimize the potential for on-farm pollution and the spread of infectious diseases, policy makers should understand robust knowledge regarding biosecurity to make informed decisions on future legislation.

• 환경영향평가
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• 제21권5호
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• pp.725-734
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• 2012

The outbreak of foot and mouth disease in November 2010 raised many social, economic and environmental issues and water contaminations by leachate from carcass disposal sites particularly emerged as a serious concern. In oder to efficiently handle these problems, a critical method is required to transport leachate to livestock manure and sewage treatment plants and purify it. This study aims to present the best applicable method to transport leachate from carcass disposal sites into livestock manure and sewage treatment facilities. We investigated the biological and chemical characteristics such as BOD, COD, SS, TN, TP and Total coliforms. Current conjugated treatments in livestock manure and sewage treatment plants was studied by surveying the operations of those facilities. The NIER-MASS(National Institute of Environmental Research - Mass Balance Evaluation System of Sewage Treatment Facilities) program was applied to present the best conjugated treatment method through estimating the maximum daily load to meet the water quality standards in effluent.

• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제48권3호
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• pp.138-150
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• 2022

Background: Epidemiology is a fundamental study of public health, including environmental health, since the features and causes of diseases discovered through epidemiology provide crucial information for developing successful disease prevention strategies. Objectives: This paper tried to define the role and function of epidemiologic research in the field of environmental health, summarize examples of epidemiological studies with regard to selected environmental health events in South Korea, and address important issues that should be considered when conducting epidemiological research in the future. Methods: Epidemiological studies of selected environmental health events were reviewed and summarized in terms of their contribution to environmental health in South Korea. Based on the information, important issues were suggested for future epidemiological studies in environmental health. Results: The role and function of epidemiologic research in the field of environmental health includes the systematic description of the health effects caused by environmental exposure, verification of the causal relationship between environmental exposure and health effects, and provision of background data for conducting prevention strategies and developing policies. A number of epidemiological studies have contributed to characterizing and assessing the environmental risks involved in a series of environmental health events in South Korea. Conclusions: Important issues for future epidemiological studies may include health effects from chronic low-level environmental exposure, application of analytical epidemiology to elucidate causal relationships, use of exposure/disease/susceptibility biomarkers, accurate reconstruction of past exposure status, cohort recruitment and long-term follow-up, and in-advance surveillance of diseases with environmental causes.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제16권1호
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• pp.58-63
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• 2006

모 조선수리업에 근무하는 1,086명 중 석면에 노출되는 작업공정에 10년 이상 근무한 근로자 118명을 대상으로 단면조사연구를 수행하였다. 연구대상자들에 대해 흥부방사선검사, 폐기능검사와 미국의 산업안전보건청 석면표준, 의학적 감시 프로그램(OSHA asbestos standard, medical surveillance program)에 따라 국내 실정에 맞게 일부 편집한 설문조사를 시행하였고 아울러 이들의 작업장에 대한 작업환경측정 자료도 분석하였다. 흉부방사선검사상 석면관련 폐질환 소견의 유병율은 118명의 근로자중 16명으로 $13.6\%$였다. 흉부방사선검사상 정상군에 비해 석면관련 폐질환 유소견군에서 유의한 요인들은 폐기능검사상 이상소견, 기침, 가래, 호흡기 질환의 과거력, 근무력이었다. 본 연구 결과를 통해 볼 때 폐기능검사 소견상 이상소견, 기침과 가래의 임상증상을 호소하거나 호흡기질환의 과거력, 20년 이상의 근무력이 있는 근로자에 대해서는 석면관련 폐질환의 엄격한 관리가 필요할 것으로 생각된다. 그리고, 본 연구에서 관련성 여부를 완전히 배제할 수 없었던 요인들에 대해서는 향후 광범위한 전향적 연구를 통하여 연관성을 규명하여 석면노출 사업장의 의학적 감시 프로그램에 적극 활용되기를 기대한다.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제58권6호
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• pp.609-617
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• 2020

Plasmodium vivax reemerged in 1993. It has been sustained for more than 25 years and become one of the important indigenous parasitic diseases in northern and western parts of the Republic of Korea near the demilitarized zone. In particular, relapse is a significant concern for the control of malaria, as short- and long-term incubation periods vary among those infected in Korea. In this study, the prevalence of asymptomatic carriers was examined among residents of high endemic areas of vivax malaria during nonseasonal transmission of mosquitoes. Blood samples from 3 endemic regions in northwestern Korea were evaluated by microscopic examination, rapid diagnostic testing, and nested PCR to identify asymptomatic patients carrying malaria parasites in the community. However, no positive malaria case among residents of endemic areas was detected. Additionally, serological analysis was carried out to measure antibodies against 3 antigenic recombinant proteins of P. vivax, merozoite surface protein 1-19, circumsporozoite surface protein-VK210, and liver-stage antigen (PvLSA-N), by the protein array method. Interestingly, seropositivity of sera between previous exposure and samples without exposure to malaria was significantly higher using the PvLSA-N antigen than the other antigens, suggesting that PvLSA-N can be used as a serological marker to analyze the degree of exposure for malaria transmission in endemic areas. This indicates a very low asymptomatic carrier prevalence during the nonmalaria season in the endemic areas of Korea.