• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.8
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• pp.4169-4173
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• 2016

Background: Mesotheliomas are relatively rare tumors in Lebanon. The only previous study goes back to 14 years ago, when we published epidemiological characteristics of mesotheliomas in Lebanon, showing that the pleural location accounted for the vast majority of cases, with clear evidence of asbestos exposure from the Eternit factory of Chekka region. The objective of this current study was to estimate the incidence of mesothelioma in the past decade and to identify its epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic characteristics, making comparisons with our first study published in 2001. Materials and Methods: Between 2002 and 2014, patients diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma at Hotel-Dieu de France University Hospital were investigated. Epidemiological data focusing on asbestos exposure history were collected from medical records and interviews with the families. Results: A total of 26 patients were diagnosed with mesothelioma, 21 of which were successfully investigated. The mean age of these 21 patients is 62.5 (19-82). Only 3 (14.29%) are women. 18 (85.71%) were smokers. Among the 21 available mesotheliomas, 15 (71.4%) are pleural, while 5 (23.8%) are peritoneal and 1 (4.8%) pericardial. Only 60% of patients with pleural mesothelioma and 50% of those with an obvious exposure to asbestos lived and/or worked in Chekka region. The mean time of asbestos exposure in patients with mesothelioma is 24.5 (1-50) years and the mean latency is 37.4 (4-61) years. Of the 21 patients, 10 (47.6%) underwent surgery during their treatment, 16 (76.2%) received chemotherapy and 3 (14.3%) received best supportive care. Conclusions: Compared to the previous study (1991-2000), substantial changes in the epidemiology of mesothelioma in Lebanon were observed, such as an increase in peritoneal localizations and a lower correlation with Chekka region asbestos contamination.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.sup1
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• pp.37-42
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• 2016

Studies have shown that smoking is a learnt behavior, often initiated during adolescence. This paper aims to describe tobacco-related knowledge, attitude and associations among school adolescents aged 13-15 with exposure to anti-smoking information. Using data from the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) in Viet Nam, 2014, knowledge was measured through 4 questions about tobacco use, and attitude was assessed through 3 questions on personal, social and environmental aspects. Students giving most anti-tobacco responses to all questions were considered as having correct knowledge or appropriate attitude or both. Access to anti-smoking information was determined by exposure to any media messages on tobacco control during the past 30 days and teaching in school about the danger of tobacco use during the past 12 months. A substantial percentage of students thought that being near others who smoke might be harmful to them and smoking is harmful to health (89.4% and 89.6% respectively). However, only 46.4% reported that it is definitely difficult to quit smoking and 66.9% thought that smoking for only 1 or 2 years, once stopped, is harmful to health. Slightly more than half of the respondents reported appropriate attitude that young smokers have fewer friends than others and smoking makes them less attractive and less comfortable at social events. Noticing anti-smoking messages in the media together with having lessons in school about the dangers of tobacco substantially increased the likelihood of having correct knowledge, appropriate attitude and both. Despite relatively high awareness about smoking harms, effective educational communication is still highly needed to improve the level of comprehensive knowledge and an appropriate attitude regarding tobacco use.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.302-312
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• 2017

Objectives: In this study, an evaluation of the working environment of furnace workers was performed and the work-relatedness of the occupational diseases were examined Methods: In this study, two electric furnaces at a single casting business site producing manganese-based iron alloy were selected, and occupational exposures to hazardous substances were evaluated for furnace workers and furnace worker assistants. Results: As a result, total dust concentration were $0.407{\sim}3.001mg/m^3$ and respirable dust concentration were $0.196{\sim}0.584mg/m^3$. The highest concentration of crystalline silica was $0.079mg/m^3$ In the case of Masato and Sosuckwhoi crystalline silica, they contained 90.85% and 4.17% respectively. Manganese concentration was the highest at a $0.205mg/m^3$ maximum. The average of black carbon is $11.56{\mu}g/m^3$ and the maximum concentration is $604.23{\mu}g/m^3$. PAHs concentration was the highest at a $78.301{\mu}g/m^3$ of naphthalene. The concentration of carbon monoxide was 18.82 ppm(total average 3.89 ppm) during pouring, and the maximum is 131 ppm. The formaldehyde concentration was 0.003 to 0.007 ppm. Conclusions: It seems that conditions in the past were worse, since casting has recently been performed only twice per day for about 20 minutes, reducing the amount of pouring, and local exhaust systems have been installed one-by-one. In addition, it was judged that the past exposure levels were higher considering the points measured on the back-side due to the risk of damage to the individual samples. It was found that operators could be exposed to high concentrations of crystalline silica, and that they were also exposed to high concentrations of metal(fume) and carbon monoxide during pouring. Therefore, there is a risk that occupational diseases such as lung cancer and COPD may occur with long-term work in such a process.

• The Journal of Korean Academic Society of Nursing Education
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.175-185
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• 2021

Purpose: The aim of this study was to identify core keywords and topic groups in the 'Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and Breastfeeding' field of research for better understanding research trends in the past 20 years. Methods: This was a text-mining and topic modeling study composed of four steps: 1) collecting abstracts, 2) extracting and cleaning semantic morphemes, 3) building a co-occurrence matrix, and 4) analyzing network features and clustering topic groups. Results: A total of 635 papers published between 2001 and 2020 were found in databases (Web of Science, CINAHL, RISS, DBPIA, RISS, KISS). Among them, 3,639 words extracted from 366 articles selected according to the conditions were analyzed by text network analysis and topic modeling. The most important keywords were 'exposure', 'fetus', 'hypoglycemia', 'prevention' and 'program'. Six topic groups were identified through topic modeling. The main topics of the study were 'cardiovascular disease' and 'obesity'. Through the topic modeling analysis, six themes were derived: 'cardiovascular disease', 'obesity', 'complication prevention strategy', 'support of breastfeeding', 'educational program' and 'management of GDM'. Conclusion: This study showed that over the past 20 years many studies have been conducted on complications such as cardiovascular diseases and obesity related to gestational diabetes and breastfeeding. In order to prevent complications of gestational diabetes and promote breastfeeding, various nursing interventions, including gestational diabetes management and educational programs for GDM pregnancies, should be developed in nursing fields.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.36-44
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• 2021

Objectives: The study aims to examine the variation over roughly the past 10 years (from 2008 to 2018) in the estimated daily dietary Pb intake (Pb-D) based on the variations of daily intake amount and Pb content in respective food groups. The following factors were considered: (1) variation of estimated value of Pb-D, (2) Pb contents in each food group and (3) the most influential food group for dietary Pb intake. Methods: Estimated values of Pb-D were taken from food consumption by the food groups reported in the Korean National Health and Nutrition Survey and the Pb content of each food group as reported in 19 previous publications. Variation from 2008 to 2018 of Pb intake was calculated from daily intake amount and Pb content in each food group. Results: The survey showed that main Pb intake sources were the food groups 'meats and poultry' and 'fish and shellfish'. These food groups showed gradually increased Pb exposure from 2008 to 2018. Estimated daily Pb intake was 42.18 to 57.68 ㎍/day for men and 30.97 to 42.54 ㎍/day for women. Both men and women showed slightly increased dietary Pb intake from 2008 to 2018. The food groups 'meats and poultry' and 'fish and shellfish' proved the highest Pb intake food groups. Estimated Pb intake from 'meats and poultry' was 8.47 to 12.98 ㎍/day and that of 'fish and shellfish' was 5.63 to 10.10 ㎍/day. Conclusion: Over the past ten years, daily Pb intake has slightly increased in men and women. The food groups 'meats and poultry' and 'fish and shellfish' might be the main variation factors of Pb intake.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.72-81
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• 2015

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the exposure and risk assessment of residents near asbestos mines in Korea. Methods: To assess asbestos types and airborne concentrations, air monitoring was performed in the neighborhoods of Kwangcheon (KC) and Sinsuk (SS) mines, which were leading South Korean mines in the past. In addition, activity-based-sampling (ABS) of residents' particular activities were conducted in order to estimate the Excess Lifetime Cancer Risks (ELCRs) for the residents. Conclusions: The average concentration of airborne asbestos in KC was 0.0014 f/cc and 0.0015 f/cc by PCM and TEM, respectively. In SS it was equal at 0.0012 f/cc by PCM and TEM. No statistically significant difference was found in the average concentration of airborne asbestos between the two mines. The average asbestos concentration of ABS was 0.0048 f/cc (PCM) and 0.0042 f/cc (TEM) in KC, while it was 0.0137 f/cc (PCM) and 0.0125 f/cc (TEM) in SS. It was found that the average asbestos concentration of ABS in SS was statistically significantly higher than that of KC (p<0.01). The results of ELCRs by scenario in KC showed that the scenarios of bicycle, car, weed control, weed whacking, child playing in the dirt, and physical training fell within $1{\times}0^{-6}-1{\times}10^{-4}$, which is the acceptable range of ELCR. The scenarios of motorcycle, walker, digging, and field sweeping, however, exceeded the acceptable range. In SS, only the scenario of car fell within the acceptable range, while all of the other scenarios exceeded the acceptable range.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.382-391
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• 2009

The aim of the study was to assess the levels in typical central borough of phthalate exposure by monitoring children's facilities (19 kindergartens and 21 elementary schools) and households (17 old apartments and 22 new apartments) via sampling indoor floor dust. A vacuum cleaner specifically prepared for sampling dust was attached to a filter of a vacuum cleaner dust collecting container. During the sample preparation process, containers made of glass were used and analysis was performed using GC-MSD. The mean concentration of DEHP was $412{\mu}g/g$, DnBP was $24{\mu}g/g$, and BBzP was $10{\mu}g/g$ dust. The indoor characteristics including floor, wall materials, years after construction, water leakage history for the past three years, and ventilation were also examined to categorize phthalate esters from the dust samples. From the flooring and wallpaper materials of kindergartens and elementary schools, DEHP in the dust sample appeared at a statistically significant level (p<0.05) when PVC materials were present. DEHP in the indoor dust also increased significantly (p<0.01) during the construction period. The daily intake of DEHP measured from indoor dust was 0.08~$19.7{\mu}g/kg/day$ for children and 0.02~$1.1{\mu}g/kg/day$ for adults (women). The results clearly revealed that phthalate exposure is greater in children than in adults (women) due to the indoor dust.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2013.02a
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• pp.130-131
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• 2013

Nanostructured oxides are widely used in heterogeneous catalysis where their catalytic properties are closely associated with the size and morphology at nanometer level. The effect of particle size has been well decumented in the past two decades, but the shape of the nanoparticles has rarely been concerned. Here we illustrate that the redox and acidic-basic properties of oxides are largely dependent on their shapes by taking $Co_3O_4$, $Fe_2O_3$, $CeO_2$ and $La_2O_3$ nanorods as typical examples. The catalytic activities of these rod-shaped oxides are mainly governed by the nature of the exposed crystal planes. For instance, the predominant presence of {110} planes which are rich in active $Co^{3+}$ on $Co_3O_4$ nanorods led to a much higher activity for CO oxidation than the nanoparticles that mainly exposed the {111} planes. The simultaneous exposure of iron and oxygen ions on the surface of $Fe_2O_3$ nanorods have significantly enhanced the adsorption and activation of NO and thereby promoted the efficiency of DeNOx process. Moreover, the exposed surface planes of these rod-shaped oxides mediated the reaction performance of the integrated metal-oxide catalysts. Au/$CeO_2$ catalysts exhibited outstanding stability under water-gas shift conditions owing to the strong bonding of gold particle on the $CeO_2$ nanorods where the formed gold-ceria interface was resistant towards sintering. Cu nanoparticles dispersed on $La_2O_3$ nanorods efficiently catalyzed transfer dehydrogenation of primary aliphatic alcohols based on the uniue role of the exposed {110} planes on the support. Morphology control at nanometer level allows preferential exposure of the catalytically active sites, providing a new stragegy for the design of highly efficient nanostructured catalysts.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.2943-2948
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• 2012

Arsenic exposure is a serious health hazard worldwide. We have previously established that it may result in immune suppression by upregulating Th2 cytokines while downregulating Th1 cytokines and causing lymphocytic death. Treatment modalities for arsenic poisoning have mainly been restricted to the use of chelating agents in the past. Only recently have combination therapies using a chelating agent in conjunction with other compounds such as anti-oxidants, micronutrients and various plant products, been introduced. In the present study, we used T11TS, a novel immune potentiating glycopeptide alone and in combination with the sulfhydryl-containing chelator, mono-iso-amyl-dimarcaptosuccinic acid (MiADMSA) as a therapeutic regimen to combat arsenic toxicity in a mouse model. Results indicated that Th1 cytokines such as TNF-${\alpha}$, $IFN{\gamma}$, IL12 and the Th2 cytokines such as IL4, IL6, IL10 which were respectively downregulated and upregulated following arsenic induction were more efficiently restored to their near normal levels by T11TS alone in comparison with the combined regimen. Similar results were obtained with the apoptotic proteins studied, FasL, BAX, BCL2 and the caspases 3, 8 and 9, where again T11TS proved more potent than in combination with MiADMSA in preventing lymphocyte death. The results thus indicate that T11TS alone is more efficient in immune re-establishment after arsenic exposureas compared to combination therapy with T11TS+MiADMSA.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.28
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• pp.17.1-17.3
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• 2013

The fact that hazardous metals do not bio-degrade or bio-deteriorate translates to long-lasting environmental effects. In the context of evidently rapid global industrialization, this ought to warrant serious caution, particularly in developing countries. In the Republic of Fiji, a developing country in the South Pacific, several different environmental studies over the past 20 years have shown levels of lead, copper, zinc and iron in sediments of the Suva Harbor to be 6.2, 3.9, 3.3 and 2.1 times more than the accepted background reference levels, respectively. High levels of mercury have also been reported in lagoon shellfish. These data inevitably warrant thorough assessment of the waste practices of industries located upstream from the estuaries, but in addition, an exposure and health impact assessment has never been conducted. Relevant government departments are duty-bound, at least to the general public that reside in and consume seafood from the vicinities of the Suva Harbor, to investigate possible human effects of the elevated hazardous metal concentrations found consistently in 20 years of surface sediment analysis. Furthermore, pollution of the intermediate food web with hazardous metals should be investigated, regardless of whether human effects are eventually confirmed present or not.