• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권9호
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• pp.3991-3995
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• 2015

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in Iranian women and fifth in men. The aims of this study were to investigate the relation of dietary factors and public health indicators to its development. Materials and Methods: The required information (2001-2006) about risk factors was obtained from the Non-Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre (NCDSC) of Iran. Risk factor data (RFD) from 89,404 individuals (15-64 years old) were gathered by questionnaire and laboratory examinations through a cross sectional study in all provinces by systematic clustering sampling method. CRC incidence segregated by age and gender was obtained from Cancer Registry Ministry of Health (CRMH) of Iran. First, correlation coefficients were used for data analysis and then multiple regression analysis was performed to control for confounding factors. Results: Colorectal cancer incidence showed a positive relationship with diabetes mellitus, hypertension, lacking or low physical activity, high education, high intake of dairy products, and non-consumption of vegetables and fruits. Conclusions: We concluded that many dietary factors and public health indicators have positive relationships with CRC and might therefore be targets of preliminary prevention. However, since this is an ecological study limited by potential ecological fallacy the results must be interpreted with caution.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제17권3호
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• pp.879-894
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• 2016

In micro-fluid systems, fluids are injected into extremely narrow polymer channels in small amounts such as micro-, nano-, or pico-liter scales. These channels themselves are embedded on tiny chips. Various specialized structures in the chips including pumps, valves, and channels allow the chips to accept different types of fluids to be entered the channel and along with flowing through the channels, exert their effects in the framework of different reactions. The chips are generally crystal, silicon, or elastomer in texture. These highly organized structures are equipped with discharging channels through which products as well as wastes of the reactions are secreted out. A particular advantage regarding the use of fluids in micro-scales over macro-scales lies in the fact that these fluids are much better processed in the chips when they applied as micro-scales. When the laboratory is miniaturized as a microchip and solutions are injected on a micro-scale, this combination makes a specialized construction referred to as "lab-on-chip". Taken together, micro-fluids are among the novel technologies which further than declining the costs; enhancing the test repeatability, sensitivity, accuracy, and speed; are emerged as widespread technology in laboratory diagnosis. They can be utilized for monitoring a wide spectrum of biological disorders including different types of cancers. When these microchips are used for cancer monitoring, circulatory tumor cells play a fundamental role.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제13권4호
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• pp.1365-1370
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• 2012

The high mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) protein and NALP3 inflammasome have been identified to play important roles in inflammation and cancer pathogenesis, but the relationships between the two and cancer remain unclear. The current study investigated the relationship between HMGB1 and the NALP3 inflammasome in THP-1 macrophages. HMGB1 was found unable to activate the NALP3 inflammasome and failed to induce the release of the IL-$1{\beta}$ and IL-18 in THP-1 macrophages. HMGB1 was also found significantly enhanced the activity of ATP to induce IL-$1{\beta}$ and IL-18 by the induction of increased expression of pro-IL-$1{\beta}$ and pro-IL-18. This process was dependent on activation of RAGE, MAPK p38 and NF-${\kappa}B$ signaling pathway. These results demonstrate that HMGB1 promotes the synthesis of pro-IL-$1{\beta}$ and pro-IL-18 in THP-1 macrophages by the activation of p38 MAPK and NF-${\kappa}B$ through RAGE. HMGB1 likely plays an important role in the first step of the release of the IL-$1{\beta}$ and IL-18, preparing for other cytokines to induce excessive release of IL-$1{\beta}$ and IL-18 which promote inflammation and cancer progression.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제11권2호
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• pp.193-198
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• 2020

Background: Medical laboratory workers are frequently exposed to a wide range of chemicals. This exposure can have adverse effects on their health. Furthermore, a knowledge lack of the chemical risk increases the likelihood of exposure. The chemical risk assessment reduces the risk of exposure to hazardous chemicals and therefore, guarantees health and safety of the workers. Method: The chemical risk assessment was conducted using a modified INRS method, according to the new CLP Regulation, of 11 unit laboratories in a Moroccan medical laboratory. Observation of each workstation and analysis of safety data sheets are key tools in this study. Results: A total of 144 substances and reagents that could affect the health of the analytical technicians were identified. Among these products, 17% are concerned by the low priority risk score, with 55% concerned by the average priority risk score and 28% concerned by the high priority risk score. This study also enabled to better identify the chemical agents that have restrictive occupational exposure limit value and controls were conducted to this effect. On the basis of the results obtained, several corrective and preventive measures have been proposed and implemented. Conclusion: Risk assessment is essential to ensure the health and safety of workers and to meet regulatory requirements. It enables to identify all the risky manipulations and to adopt appropriate preventive measures. However, it is not a one-time activity but it must be continuous in order to master the changes and thus ensure the best safety of all.

• 한국응급구조학회지
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• 제21권1호
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• pp.87-98
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• 2017

Purpose: This study investigated the use of infection management and the frequency of emergency equipment sterilization by emergency rescue crews to provide basic guidelines and suggestions for infection control. Methods: A self-reported questionnaire was completed by 160 emergency medical technician rescue crews in J area from May 7 to May 22 in 2015. The questionnaire consisted of 95 items, including the general characteristics of the subjects (8 items), the use of emergency equipment (33 items), the frequency of facility sterilization (33 items), infection control (12 items), vaccination (4 items), and the use of personal protective equipment (5 items). Results: In all, 97.3% of respondents were aware of the "Guidelines of Infection management for Rescue Operators' and 90.9% received training on infection control. A total of 72.7% and 47.3% of rescue centers were equipped with disinfection facilities and laundry rooms, respectively. The average frequency of sterilization was $3.17{\pm}0.75$, which significantly differed for teams with more clinical experience (p=.050) and teams with three members (p=.030). The average score for individual protective equipment supplies was $1.95{\pm}0.66$. Conclusion: For proper infection management of emergency equipment, our results suggest that the number of crew members should be increased for each ambulance, protective equipment and rescue products should be supplied, and the number of facilities for sterilization and laundry at rescue centers should be doubled.

• 대한의용생체공학회:의공학회지
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• 제43권5호
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• pp.319-330
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• 2022

In this study, the optimal driving frequency was derived through finite element analysis (FEA) to optimize the developed piezoelectric ultrasonic medical devices(PUMD) for bone surgery. The core of the PUMD is the piezoelectric ceramic (PZT), which is a vibrator that generates vibration energy. The piezoelectric ceramic shows the maximum current value with respect to the input voltage at the resonance frequency, which generates the maximum mechanical vibration. In the past, various studies have been conducted related to the analysis of PUMD, but most of the research so far has been limited to free vibration analysis. However, in order to derive the accurate resonant frequency, the initial stress generated by bolt tightening in the bolt-clamped Langevin type transducer (BLT) must be considered. In this study, after designing a PUMD, the driving performance according to the bolt tightening value was analyzed through FEA, and this was experimentally verified. First, the resonance mode and frequency response were confirmed through modal and harmonic analysis at 20-40 kHz, which is known as the optimal driving frequency band of PUMD for bone surgery. In addition, the design of the PUMD was confirmed by checking the mechanical behavior of the tip and the piezoelectric ceramic at the resonant frequency. Consequentially, the characteristic evaluation was performed, and it was confirmed that the resonant frequency result derived through the FEA was reasonable. Through this study, we presented a more rational FEA method than before for BLT transducers. We expect that this will shorten the time and cost of developing a PUMD, and will enable the development of more stable and high-quality products.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제33권9호
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• pp.1179-1188
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• 2023

Escherichia coli, particularly multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains, is a serious cause of healthcare-associated infections. Development of novel antimicrobial agents or restoration of drug efficiency is required to treat MDR bacteria, and the use of natural products to solve this problem is promising. We investigated the antimicrobial activity of dried green coffee (DGC) beans, coffee pulp (CP), and arabica leaf (AL) crude extracts against 28 isolated MDR E. coli strains and restoration of ampicillin (AMP) efficiency with a combination test. DGC, CP, and AL extracts were effective against all 28 strains, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 12.5-50 mg/ml and minimum bactericidal concentration of 25-100 mg/ml. The CP-AMP combination was more effective than CP or AMP alone, with a fractional inhibitory concentration index value of 0.01. In the combination, the MIC of CP was 0.2 mg/ml (compared to 25 mg/ml of CP alone) and that of AMP was 0.1 mg/ml (compared to 50 mg/ml of AMP alone), or a 125-fold and 500-fold reduction, respectively, against 13-drug resistant MDR E. coli strains. Time-kill kinetics showed that the bactericidal effect of the CP-AMP combination occurred within 3 h through disruption of membrane permeability and biofilm eradication, as verified by scanning electron microscopy. This is the first report indicating that CP-AMP combination therapy could be employed to treat MDR E. coli by repurposing AMP.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• 제37권2호
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• pp.91-106
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• 2024

The mechanisms of the chronic pain and depression comorbidity have gained significant attention in recent years. The complement system, widely involved in central nervous system diseases and mediating non-specific immune mechanisms in the body, remains incompletely understood in its involvement in the comorbidity mechanisms of chronic pain and depression. This review aims to consolidate the findings from recent studies on the complement system in chronic pain and depression, proposing that it may serve as a promising shared therapeutic target for both conditions. Complement proteins C1q, C3, C5, as well as their cleavage products C3a and C5a, along with the associated receptors C3aR, CR3, and C5aR, are believed to have significant implications in the comorbid mechanism. The primary potential mechanisms encompass the involvement of the complement cascade C1q/C3-CR3 in the activation of microglia and synaptic pruning in the amygdala and hippocampus, the role of complement cascade C3/C3a-C3aR in the interaction between astrocytes and microglia, leading to synaptic pruning, and the C3a-C3aR axis and C5a-C5aR axis to trigger inflammation within the central nervous system. We focus on studies on the role of the complement system in the comorbid mechanisms of chronic pain and depression.

• 한국환경성돌연변이발암원학회지
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• 제22권4호
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• pp.255-258
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• 2002

In order to determine the safety of chemicals and pharmaceutical products, various methods can be used to evaluate the toxicity. In this study the genotoxic effect of the widely used industrial chemical, cadmium chloride, was assessed using the micronucleus test in peripheral blood of mice. The presence of micronucleated reticulocytes by microscopic observation following acridine orange staining indicated a potential genotoxic effect. The genotoxicity of intraperitoneally (i.p.) administered cadmium chloride (0.5, 1, 2 mg/kg) appeared to be dose dependent, with the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) found to be 2 mg/kg. Compared to the negative control (saline), cadmium chloride (2 mg/kg) exhibited statistically significant genotoxic potential (P<0.05) but was found to be less than the positive control of mitomycin C (0.5 mg/kg) and was not statistically significant compared to historical negative controls (P>0.05).

• 보험의학회지
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• 제32권1호
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• pp.21-27
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• 2013

In case of neoplasm claims, it is important to make a decision of differentiating malignant and benign. In Korean insurance market, there are many insurance products that cover cancer. In the insurance claims adjustment, differentiation between malignant and benign is according to histologic findings. However there are many neoplasms of bad clinical course in spite of benign histopathologic classification. In this article; astrocytoma, thymoma, gastrointestinal stromal tumor, colonic intramucosal carcinoma, gastric high grade adenoma/dysplasia, carcinoid tumor, MALT lymphoma, revision of Korean Classification of Disease-6th edition, and bladder tumors are reviewed in terms of differentiation between malignant and benign in the insurance claims. It may be helpful for claims staff to review important neoplasms in terms of differentiation between malignant and benign.