• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.470-479
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• 2020

Objectives: The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused the death of 740,000 people around the world as of August 12, 2020. Foot-and-Mouth Disease, Avian Influenza, and African Swine Fever are serious livestock diseases. Government agencies in Korea have provided ingredient information and usage instructions for disinfectants used to counter those infectious diseases. The purpose of this study was to provide information on the chemical ingredients in disinfectant products used against COVID-19 and certain livestock diseases. Methods: We collected information from the Korean government. The Central Disaster Management Headquarters and Central Disease Control Headquarters provided information on disinfectant products used against COVID-19. The Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency of Korea provided information on efficacy-certified disinfectant products for use against selected livestock diseases. Health hazard and environmental hazard information on the ingredients in the disinfectants was collected from the Korea Occupational Safety & Health Agency's Material Safety Data Sheets, and toxicity value information was collected from United States Environmental Protection Agency's CompTox Chemicals Dashboard. Results: There were 76 COVID-19 disinfectant products in use, and the most common ingredients were benzalkonium chloride (51%), alkylbenzyl dimethyl ammonium (30%), and ethanol (3%). There were 216 livestock disease disinfectant products comprised of 89 acidic, 88 oxidic, 30 aldehydic, three alkaline, and six other products. Among the 49 active ingredients used in the disinfectants that were investigated, health and environmental hazard information was provided for many of them, but only 20 chemicals had official toxicological information. Conclusion: Since the disinfectants included numerous chemicals, an understanding of their chemical characteristics could be critical to prevent unintended human or environmental exposure.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.83-100
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• 2006

Antibiotics which produced by mushrooms discovered for last 40 years were described. Any antibiotic has not been used as infectious disease remudy but will be used as physiological active substance in near future. The antibiotic of mushrooms have not been published much in papers and do not have various finds of structures, compared to those of Streptomyces. Triple bond having compounds, terpenoid compounds aromatic compounds and some other compound have been known. These compounds are not dissolved well in water and mainly fat-soluble, except for cordycepin. Also, they are generally neutral, and some of them are acidic and almost none of them are basic compounds. However, acetylene and terpenoid compounds are the characteristic compounds of mushroom, and are not found in other microorganisms and plants. Especially, there are various terpenoid compounds in mushrooms. These metabolites of mushrooms were not used as antibiotic, but are interested as physiological active substance, such as enzyme inhibitor and immunomodulator. To promote studying on the antibiotics of mushroom, new screening methods must be developed, because strain belonged to the different genus produces different antibiotics, even though mushrooms belonged to the same genus and species. It is also known that mushrooms collected in different areas produce different antibiotics. Now, it is difficult to separate each pure compound from mushroom. It is important to find mushrooms which is impossible to cultivate artificially, or grow in the back land where is difficult to collect. Thousands of mushrooms grow on earth now, so that which species will be screened if not known. The biochemical and mycological study for usability of the metabolites of mushrooms is thought, as one of the important research areas, must be performed.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.136-139
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• 2024

Rhabdomyolysis is a syndrome that causes various complications due to the release of substances from muscle cells, often associated with preceding infectious diseases. We report the case of a 7-year-old Korean boy with recent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection, presenting with fever, chills, and generalized body aches, diagnosed as rhabdomyolysis. Additionally, we conducted a systematic review with the aim of delineating the disease spectrum, treatment, and outcomes. We identified seven reports that met the inclusion criteria. Among the cases, 5 had fever, with creatine kinase levels ranging from 3,717 and 274,664 IU/L. Two individuals received treatment in intensive care unit, 2 underwent renal replacement therapy, and 1 case has deceased. For children with coronavirus disease 2019 infection and muscle pain, a thorough examination of urine color and an assessment of muscle enzymes through blood tests can help diagnose and treat rhabdomyolysis, a condition that might otherwise be overlooked.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.20-35
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• 2021

Objectives: Waste treatment by incineration is gradually increasing as the emission of harmful substances has decreased owing to developments in incineration technology. However, residents living near incinerators continue to express anxiety regarding the effects on their health. Therefore, we attempted to summarize the health impact of incinerators by comprehensively reviewing the recently reported literature. Methods: Sixty-two epidemiological research papers related to incineration and health effects were selected from the Google Scholar database and analyzed (from between January 2001 and December 2019). Results: When compared to older incinerators, newer incinerators established after 2000 are considered relatively safe in terms of health effects. Nevertheless, there have been some studies that have linked them to various diseases, such as malignant tumors including soft tissue cancer and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, reproductive disorders, respiratory diseases, and more. In addition, incinerator workers and local residents are considered to be exposed to dioxins and some heavy metals from the incinerator. Since most studies included subjects exposed to older incinerators, it is difficult to apply these results to the health impact assessment of new incinerators. However, it is not appropriate to conclude that new incinerators made with state-of-the-art technology are safe, as chronic environmental diseases caused by hazardous substances tend to appear only after prolonged exposure. Conclusions: In terms of environmental health, it is necessary to continuously monitor the health effects of incinerators. Also, there is a need to develop a research methodology that can minimize various confounders in incineration-related epidemiological study.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.184-190
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• 2020

This study was performed to find antibacterial substances contained in Scutellariae Radix (SR) using a systems pharmacological analysis method and to establish an effective strategy for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases. Analysis of the main active ingredients of SR was performed using Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP) Database and Analysis Platform. 36 active compounds were screened by the parameter values of Drug-Likeness (DL), Oral Bioavailability (OB), and Caco-2 permeability (Caco-2), which were based on the drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion indicators. The UniProt database was used to obtain information on 159 genes associated with active compounds. The main active compounds with antibacterial effects were wogonin, β-sitosterol, baicalein, acacetin and oroxylin-A. Target proteins associated with the antibacterial action were chemokine ligand 2, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor, caspase-8,9 and mitogen-activated protein kinase 14. In the future, systems pharmacological analysis of traditional medicine will be able to make it easy to find the important mechanism of action of active substances present in natural medicines and to optimize the efficacy of medicinal effects for combinations of major ingredients to help treat certain diseases.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.390-397
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• 2023

Introduction: Biological risks are a major global problem in the workplace. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for a more comprehensive understanding of the biological risks at work. This study presents data on both communicable infectious biological agents and noncommunicable factors leading to death and disability for the year 2021. Methods: We followed the methodology established by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in their past global estimates on occupational accidents and work-related diseases. We used relevant ILO estimates for hazardous substances and related population attributable fractions derived from literature, which were then applied to World Health Organization mortality data. The communicable diseases included in the estimates were tuberculosis, pneumococcal diseases, malaria, diarrheal diseases, other infectious diseases, neglected tropical diseases, influenza associated respiratory diseases and COVID-19. Noncommunicable diseases and injuries considered were Chronic Obstructive Diseases (COPD) due to organic dusts, asthma, allergic reactions and risks related to animal contact. We estimated death attributable to biological risk at work and disability in terms of disability adjusted life years (DALYs). Results: We estimated that in 2022, 550,819 deaths were caused by biological risk factors, with 476,000 deaths attributed to communicable infectious diseases and 74,000 deaths caused by noncommunicable factors. Among these, there were 223,650 deaths attributed to COVID-19 at work. We calculated the rate of 584 DALYs per 100,000 workers, representing an 11% increase from the previous estimate of the global burden of work-related disabilities measured by DALYs. Conclusion: This is a first update since previous 2007 ILO estimates, which has now increased by 74% and covers most biological risks factors. However, it is important to note that there may be other diseases and deaths are missing from the data, which need to be included when new information becomes available. It is also worth mentioning that while deaths caused by major communicable diseases including COVID-19 are relatively rare within the working population, absences from work due to these diseases are likely to be very common within the active workforce.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.921-927
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• 2002

Inflammation is localized response to foreign substance such as bacteria or in some instance to internally produced substances and has relation with immunity system. The macrophages plays a role in the development of the Iymphohaemopoietic system before and after birth, as well as in the natural and acquired immune responses of adult to immunogens, including infectious agents. NO have been suggested to play an important role in endotoxin-mediated shock and imflammation. In this study, we investigated the effect of Omisodok-eum on the production of NO. The Omisodok-eum inhibited the secretion of NO in LPS-stimulated mouse peritoneal macrophages, without affecting cell viability. The protein level of inducible nitric oxide synlhase(iNOS) in peritoneal macrophages was also decreased by Omisodok-eum. These results suggest that Omisodok-eum suppresses the endotoxin-induced inflammatory responses through inhibiting the production of NO

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.9
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• pp.4953-4960
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• 2013

Primary liver cancer is one of the most common cancers at the global level, accounting for half of all cancers in some undeveloped countries. This disease tends to occur in livers damaged through alcohol abuse, or chronic infection with hepatitis B and C, on a background of cirrhosis. Various cancer-causing substances are associated with primary liver cancer, including certain pesticides and such chemicals as vinyl chloride and arsenic. The strong association between HBV infection and liver cancer is well documented in epidemiological studies. It is generally acknowledged that the virus is involved through long term chronic infection, frequently associated with cirrhosis, suggesting a nonspecific mechanism triggered by the immune response. Chronic inflammation of liver, continuous cell death, abnormal cell growth, would increase the occurrence rate of genetic alterations and risk of disease. However, the statistics indicated that only about one fifth of HBV carries would develop HCC in lifetime, suggesting that individual variation in genome would also influence the susceptibility of HCC. The goal of this review is to highlight present level of knowledge on the role of viral infection and genetic variation in the development of liver cancer.

• Food Science and Industry
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.244-263
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• 2022

Coronavirus, known as one of the causes of colds including mild upper respiratory tract disease in humans, has mutated into the infectious severe disease, COVID-19 through SARS and MERS. The mortality and symptoms of COVID-19 are related to the ability to regulate innate immunity, which acts as the first barrier against microorganisms and viruses. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for food that helps to strengthen immunity is rapidly increasing. Functional foods promote general health and alleviate the risk of disease symptoms by activating multiple biological functions. A recent, there is an interest in discovering functional substances that can induce enhancement of immunity and prevent viral infection as well as relieve disease symptoms. Therefore, this article focus to understand the concept of immune response and highlights the recent status of functional foods and research trends that can help prevent and treat viral infections by inducing the enhancement of immune function.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.7-24
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• 2020

Purpose: Emergency medical service (EMS) personnel are at high risk of spreading infection. In this study, we used the PRECEDE model to identify the knowledge, status, and barriers to infection control among Korean paramedics to provide basic infection control data. Methods: A total of 164 respondents were analyzed for the study. A questionnaire was administered and collected through an online self-response platform. Descriptive analysis, t-test, ANOVA, multiple regression, and logistic regression analyses were performed to determine infection control practices and associated factors using SAS 9.4. To identify the pathways and direct, indirect, total effects based on the PRECEDE model, we used AMOS 26.0. Results: Highly rated self-efficacy (OR 8.82, 95% CI: 3.23-24.09), awareness (OR 6.05, 95% CI: 2.06-17.72), and enabling factors (OR 3.23, 95% CI: 1.18-8.78) led to superior infection control. As a result of the structural model analysis, the highly rated enabling factors and awareness led to superior practice patterns. Conclusion: Practice is related to self-efficacy, awareness, and enabling factors; however, further research is needed to develop strategies for infection control. In particular, institutional arrangements are needed to improve the enabling factors. Improving infection control performance may lead to better infection control and enhanced protection of EMS personnel and patients against infection risks.