• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• 제37권2호
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• pp.81-93
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• 2011

Although pesticides have increased crop production and controlled disease, they have produced a number of adverse health effects. Pesticides have potential human toxicity and a variety of groups, such as farmers or industrial workers, as well as the general population, are exposed to pesticides. The purpose of this article, therefore, is to provide an overview of pesticide exposure and health through a literature review, focusing on exposure assessment, acute poisoning, chronic health effects, and future research needs. The exposure types and levels of pesticides vary by study subjects and need to be assessed by integrating several methods focused on the epidemiological purpose. Acute pesticide poisoning is a major public health problem in the world. Paraquat is the main causative pesticide for acute poisoning in Korea and should be banned in order to save several thousands of lives every year. Occupational pesticide exposure also causes numerous chronic diseases among farmers and industrial workers, including cancers, respiratory diseases, depression, retinal degeneration, diabetes, and abnormal menstrual cycle. However, controversy exists regarding the long-term effects of low-dose environmental pesticide exposure. The area of pesticide study is relatively new with broad study populations and it has received little academic and policy attention, particularly in Korea. More detailed studies investigating the risk of pesticide-related health effects and intervention efforts to reduce the problems are needed in Korea.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• 제24권2호
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• pp.80-87
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• 1998

To evaluate the effects on health by exposure to low dose organic solvents, the author analyzed the air concentration of mixed organic solvents (toluene, xylene, butylacetate) at worker's breathing zone during painting, some laboratory findings of blood (WBC, RBC, Hb, Hct, SGOT, SGPT, TC, TG, HDL-C, LDL-C, IgG, IgM, IgA and IgE) and urine (hippuric acid, urinary protein, urobilinogen), surveyed the subjective symptoms those were obtained from 35 male workers exposed to mixed organic solvents, and 25 male workers not exposed to organic solvents who worked in car repair workshops in Taejon area from December 1, 1995, to February 29, 1996. The results were as follows: 1. The mean concentration of urinary hippuric acid of car painting worker group (organic solvent exposure group) was 0.76$\pm$ 0.21 g/l, which is significantly higher than that of non-exposed group. 2. In hematologic findings, the values of RBC, TC, LDL-C, IgG and IgE in the exposure group were significantly lower than those of the nonexposed group, but SGOT and SGPT in the exposure group were significantly higher than those of the non-exposed group. 3. Urinary hippuric acid levels showed positively correlated with toluene, urobilinogen and HDL-C levels, but those were negatively correlated with RBC, LDL-C, IgM levels. 4. Rates of the subjective symptoms such as "dizziness", "appetite loss", "weight loss", "palpitation", "chest tightness", "sore throat and eye discomfort", "tingling sense and acrodynia", "illusion or hallucination" and "decreaased motor power" were significantly higher in the exposure group than those of the non-exposed group.

• The Korean Journal of Malacology
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• 제9권2호
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• pp.16-22
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• 1993

Contamination of heavy metals in water and sediments along Mangyeong Gang(river) has reached up to critical level The object of the study is to elucidate somed molluscs which inhabit along the river on respect to the modulatory role in reducing the pollution. For the purpose, molluscs which are common in numbers and biomass in the area were collected, and Cadmim(Cd) was subjected as a reference metal in the experiment. The corresponding species were; Cipango;aludina chinensis (muddy snail) and Scapharca subcrenata (seashell). As methods, sample species were kept in laboratory under the natural condition as possible. Soil were brought from the site of the collection, dried autoclaved and wetted with ordinary water. It wad utilized as media to maintain the collected species in vitro all the way of the experiment. CdCI$^{2}$ was mixe in the medium according to experimental design. On the result obtained in the study, it is summarized that molluscs which inhabit along Mangyeong Gang(river)consume heavy mital-containing matters, so far Cd is concerned in the study. The amout of Cd concentration in tissues of the benthic natured invertebrates were dose and time related, and MT-Cd was also similar trend. Thus, Cd may eventually combine with low molecular protein forming metalloprotein, then reduce the toxicity of the heavy metal.

• Journal of Korea Multimedia Society
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• 제22권9호
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• pp.1069-1079
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• 2019

In this study, we developed a $PM_{10}$ forecasting model using DNN and Membership Function, and improved the forecasting performance. The model predicts the $PM_{10}$ concentrations of the next 3 days in the Seoul area by using the weather and air quality observation data and forecast data. The best model(RM14)'s accuracy (82%, 76%, 69%) and false alarm rate(FAR:14%,33%,44%) are good. Probability of detection (POD: 79%, 50%, 53%), however, are not good performance. These are due to the lack of training data for high concentration $PM_{10}$ compared to low concentration. In addition, the model dose not reflect seasonal factors closely related to the generation of high concentration $PM_{10}$. To improve this, we propose Julian date membership function as inputs of the $PM_{10}$ forecasting model. The function express a given date in 12 factors to reflect seasonal characteristics closely related to high concentration $PM_{10}$. As a result, the accuracy (79%, 70%, 66%) and FAR (24%, 48%, 46%) are slightly reduced in performance, but the POD (79%, 75%, 71%) are up to 25% improved compared with those of the RM14 model. Hence, this shows that the proposed Julian forecast model is effective for high concentration $PM_{10}$ forecasts.

• Laboraroty Animal Research
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• 제33권3호
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• pp.244-250
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• 2017

${\alpha}$-Synuclein is abundantly expressed in neuronal tissue, plays an essential role in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders, and exerts a neuroprotective effect against oxidative stress. Cerebral ischemia causes severe neurological disorders and neuronal dysfunction. In this study, we examined ${\alpha}$-synuclein expression in middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO)-induced cerebral ischemic injury and neuronal cells damaged by glutamate treatment. MCAO surgical operation was performed on male Sprague-Dawley rats, and brain samples were isolated 24 hours after MCAO. We confirmed neurological behavior deficit, infarction area, and histopathological changes following MCAO injury. A proteomic approach and Western blot analysis demonstrated a decrease in ${\alpha}$-synuclein in the cerebral cortices after MCAO injury. Moreover, glutamate treatment induced neuronal cell death and decreased ${\alpha}$-synuclein expression in a hippocampal-derived cell line in a dose-dependent manner. It is known that ${\alpha}$-synuclein regulates neuronal survival, and low levels of ${\alpha}$-synuclein expression result in cytotoxicity. Thus, these results suggest that cerebral ischemic injury leads to a reduction in ${\alpha}$-synuclein and consequently causes serious brain damage.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제46권2호
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• pp.188-205
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• 2022

Panax ginseng is a medicinal plant is a material with various pharmacological activities and research suggests that it is particularly effective in representative metabolic diseases such as hyperglycemia, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. Therefore, in this study, systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to investigate the comprehensive effect of P. ginseng on metabolic parameters representing these metabolic diseases. A total of 23 papers were collected for inclusion in the study, from which 27 datasets were collected. The investigational products included P. ginseng and Korean Red ginseng. Across the included studies, the dose ranged from 200 mg to 8 g and the supplementation period lasted from four to 24 weeks. The study subjects varied from healthy adults to those with diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and/or hyperlipidemia. As a result of the analysis, the levels of glucose and insulin area under the curves, % body fat, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were significantly reduced in the P. ginseng group as compared with in the placebo group. In conclusion, P. ginseng supplementation may act as an adjuvant to prevent the development of metabolic diseases by improving markers related to blood glucose, blood pressure, and blood lipids.

• Journal of Radiopharmaceuticals and Molecular Probes
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• 제8권2호
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• pp.113-118
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• 2022

Gadolinium neutron capture therapy (Gd-NCT) is a precision radiation therapy that kills cancer cells using the neutron capture reaction that occurs when ¹⁵⁷Gd hits thermal neutrons. ¹⁵⁷Gd has the highest thermal neutron capture cross section of 254,000 barns among stable isotopes in the periodic table. Another stable isotope, ¹⁵⁵Gd, also has a high thermal neutron trapping area (~ 60,700 barns), so gadolinium that exists in nature can be used as a Gd-NCT drug. Gd-NCT is a mixed kinetic energy of low-energy and high-energy ionizing particles, which can be uniformly distributed throughout the tumor tissue, thereby solving the disadvantage of heterogeneous dose distribution in tumor tissue. The Gd complexes of small-sized molecule are widely used as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in clinical practice. Therefore, these compounds can be used not only for diagnosis but also therapy when considering the concept of Gd-NCT. This multifunctional trial can look forward to new medical advance into NCT clinical practices. In this review, we introduce gadolinium compounds suitable for Gd-NCT and describe the necessity of image guided Gd-NCT.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• 제18권1호
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• pp.52-56
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• 1985

For the fundamental studies of radiation breeding in edible marine algae, the biological effects on conchospores of Porphyra species by gamma-irradiation were examined. Two varieties, Keun-cham-gim (Porphyra tenera Kjell. form tamatsuensis Miura) and Saga No.5, were chosen for this study, and their conchospores after r-irradiation($5.0{\sim}20.0$ KR) were cultured for 50 days. The results obtained were summarized as follows. 1. Gamma-irradiation in less than the dose of 20KR did not affect germination of conchospores, and almost all spores grew into two cells germ in 24 hours after irradiation, but withering germs were gradually increased in number according to higher exposure within 5 days old culture. 2. High irradiation caused the induction of giant cells, abnormal useless growth of hold-fast, lumpish thalli and callus-like lumpy tissues. 3. The liberation of neutral spores from young germs and carpospores from mature thalli were observed on the frond exposed at $10{\sim}20$ KR irradiation. All spores were normal in division and its size. 4. The best irradiation effect on growth of Keun-cham-gim was observed at 10 KR dose, whose growth-rates were $140\%$ in wet weight and $108\%$ in mean frond area, but only $48\%$ was recorded in wet weight at 20 KR exposure. Saga No.5 were in contrast with Keun-cham-gim, and their most growth-rate was $400\%$ in wet weight ($258\%$ in frond area) at 10 KR irradiation and the worst was $20\%$ at the dose of 20 KR. 5. The withering phenomenon to death by treatment of gamma-ray presented substantial difference between two varieties. Survival rate compared with control in Keun-cham-gim was $70.7\%$ at 20 KR, but that in Saga No.5 recorded $47.0\%$ at same dose. 6. Synthesizing the results of high and low r-irradiation, it was suggested tat high r-irradiation in more than 5.0 KR inhibited conspicuously the growth of germs derived from conchospores, and about half of them withered at 15.0 KR dose or more.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology
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• 제22권2호
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• pp.241-252
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• 1992

The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes of morphology and structure of bone tissue in the irradiated mandibular bone in rats which were fed a low calcium diet. In order to carry out this experimant, 64 seven-week old Sprague-Dawley strain rats weighing about 150gms were selected and equally divided into one experimental group of 32 rats and one control group with the remainder. The experimental group and the control group were then subdivided into two groups when the rats reached ten-week old, 16 were assigned rats for each subdivided group, exposed to irradiation. The two irradiation groups received a single dose of 20 Gy in the jaws area only and irradiated with a cobalt-60 teletherapy unit. The rats in the control and experimental groups were serially terminated by fours on the 3rd, the 7th, the 14th, and the 21st day after irradiation. Following termination, both sides of the dead rats mandibular bodies were removed and fixed with 10% neutral formalin. One side of the mandibular body was radiographed with a soft X-ray apparatus. Thereafter, the obtained microradiographs were observed by a light microscope. The remaining side of the mandibular bone was further decalcified and embedded in paraffin as using the general method. The specimen sectioned and stained with hematoxylin and eosin, and Rabit Anti-Human Tumor Necrosis Factor-a, observed by a light microscope. The obtained results were as follows: 1. Microradiogram revealed that thinning of the cortex and a decrease in the trabecula of the interradicular bone and mandibular body were observed and noted from the start to finish throughout the experiment in the non-irradiated rats on the low calcium diet rather than in the non-irradiated rats on the normal diet. In microscopic observations, there were marked osteolytic changes in the center of the bone marrow. 2. Microradiogram revealed that thinning of the cortex and a decrease in the trabecula of interradicular bone and mandibular body were more marked after 7 days in the irradiated rats on the low calcium diet rather than in the non-irradiated rats on the low clacium diet. In microscopic observations, osteoblasts were decreased markedly after 7 days, and a few osteoclasts were observed. 3. Microradiogram revealed that thinning of the cortex and a decrease in trabecula of interradicular bone and the mandibular body were more marked from the strart to finish troughout the experiment in the irradiated rats on the low calcium diet rather than in the irradiated rats on the normal diet. In microscopic observations, there were no osteolytic changes noted in the irradiated rats on the normal diet. 4. In immunocytochemical findings, a few bone marrow cells including Tumor Necrosis Factor were observed in the irradiated rats on the normal diet, but was not observed in the rats on the low calcium diet.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• 제12권5호
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• pp.583-592
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• 2018

In this study, plans to apply 3D conformal radiotherapy, intensity modulated radiotherapy, and volumetric intensity modulated arc radiotherapy to esophageal cancer radiotherapy were compared. In particular, arc therapy was applied to reduce irradiated volume and spread of low-dose during intensity modulated radiation therapy and volumetric intensity modulated arc radiotherapy by limiting part of irradiated angle, in order to compare target doses and dose for surrounding normal tissues of the two methods and those of 3D conformal radiotherapy. No significant difference in target dose was found among the three methods. The 5 Gy volume(V5) of the lung showed 56.53% of conformal radiotherapy, 52.03% of intensity modulated radiotherapy, and 47.84% of volumetric modulated arc therapy(CRT-IMRT p=0.035, CRT-VMAT p<0.001, IMRT-VMAT p<0.001). The 10 Gy volume(V10) showed a significant difference in conformal radiotherapy 35.12%, intensity modulated radiotherapy 34.04%, and volumetric modulated arc radiotherapy 33.28%, showing significant difference in intensity modulated radiotherapy(p=0.018), volumetric modulated arc therapy(p=0.035), no significant difference in dose was found at 20 Gy volume. The mean dose and 20 Gy volume of the heart were not significantly different according to the treatment plan, but the 30 and 40 Gy volumes were 37.16% and 22.46% in the volumetric modulated arc radiotherapy, showing significant differences(p=0.028) in comparison with conformal radiotherapy. It is believed that, by limiting part of the irradiated angle during intensity modulated radiotherapy and volumetric intensity modulated arc radiotherapy, the irradiated volume and, thereby, the 5-10 Gy area and toxicity of the lung can be reduced while maintaining dose distribution of the target dose.