• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.280-292
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• 2016

Objectives: The objective of this study was to build COD regression models for the Han River and evaluate water quality. Methods: Water quality data sets for the dry season (as of January) during a four-year period (2012-2015) were collected from the database of the Han River automatic water quality monitoring stations. Statistical techniques, including combined genetic algorithm-multiple linear regression (GA-MLR) were used to build five-descriptor COD models. Multivariate statistical techniques such as principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA) are useful tools for extracting meaningful information. Results: The $r^2$ of the best COD models provided significant high values (> 0.8) between 2012 and 2015. Total organic carbon (TOC) was a surrogate indicator for COD (as COD/TOC) with high reliability ($r^2=0.63$ in 2012, $r^2=0.75$ for 2013, $r^2=0.79$ for 2014 and $r^2=0.85$ for 2015). The ratios of COD/TOC were calculated as 2.08 in 2012, 1.79 in 2013, 1.52 and 1.45 in 2015, indicating that biodegradability in the water body of the Han River was being sustained, thereby further improving water quality. The BOD/COD ratio supported these findings. The cluster analysis revealed higher annual levels of microorganisms and phosphorous at stations along the Hangang-Seoul and Hantangang areas. Nevertheless, the overall water quality over the last four years showed an observable trend toward continuous improvement. These findings also suggest that non-point pollution control strategies should consider the influence of upstreams and downstreams to protect water quality in the Han River. Conclusion: This data analysis procedure provided an efficient and comprehensive tool to interpret complex water quality data matrices. Results from a trend analysis provided much important information about sources and parameters for Han River water quality management.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.227-233
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• 2018

Objectives: Chronic diseases, including back pain, result in significant patient morbidity and societal burden. Overall improvement in physical fitness is recommended for prevention and treatment. Walking is a convenient modality for achieving initial gains. Our objective was to determine whether neighbourhood walkability, acting as a surrogate measure of physical fitness, was associated with the presence of chronic disease. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of prospectively collected data from a prior randomized cohort study of 227 patients referred for tertiary assessment of chronic back pain in Ottawa, ON, Canada. The Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) was calculated from patient-completed questionnaires and medical record review. Using patients' postal codes, neighbourhood walkability was determined using the Walk Score, which awards points based on the distance to the closest amenities, yielding a score from 0 to 100 (0-50: car-dependent; 50-100: walkable). Results: Based on the Walk Score, 134 patients lived in car-dependent neighborhoods and 93 lived in walkable neighborhoods. A multivariate logistic regression model, adjusted for age, gender, rural postal code, body mass index, smoking, median household income, percent employment, pain, and disability, demonstrated an adjusted odds ratio of 2.75 (95% confidence interval, 1.16 to 6.53) times higher prevalence for having a chronic disease for patients living in a car-dependent neighborhood. There was also a significant dose-related association (p=0.01; Mantel-Haenszel chi-square=6.4) between living in car-dependent neighbourhoods and more severe CCI scores. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that advocating for improved neighbourhood planning to permit greater walkability may help offset the burden of chronic disease.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.152-163
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• 2018

Objectives: In recent studies, increased AMH level has been suggested as objective surrogate marker for diagnosis PCOS, one of the major causes of oligomenorrhea. The purpose of this study is to report the clinical effect of Korean medicine treatment on oligomenorrhea patient with increased Anti-mullerian hormone level, who can be diagnosed who can be ruled out PCOS. Methods: A 27 year old woman with oligomenorrhea was enrolled in this study. We measured serum hormone levels and ruled out PCOS. The patient received Korean medicine treatment for 3 months, we assessed the result of treatment through observation of the menstrual cycle and follow-up measurements of serum hormone levels. Results: 1. The patient had menstrual cycle regularly. 2. Increased serum AMH level of the patient decreased from 12.16 ng/ml to 8.51 ng/ml. 3. The other serum hormone levels such as testosterone, LH/FSH ratio decreased Conclusion: This case shows that Korean medicine treatment could have a beneficial effect on menstrual cycle and decrease the increased serum hormone levels of ruled out PCOS patient.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.335-343
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• 2020

Objectives: The Korean Ministry of Environment has identified cases of people suspected of suffering lung disease potentially caused by polyhexamethylene guanidine (PHMG) used in humidifier disinfectants (HDs). Exposure assessment for the HDs was conducted using a questionnaire during face-to-face interview. The main purposes of this study were to develop a methodology to effectively classify levels of exposure to HDs based on a questionnaire. Methods: We first identified the overall participants' exposure characteristics by HD exposure levels; Second, we selected misclassified subjects and investigated characteristics of overestimated and underestimated subjects, focusing on exposure cases to PHMG-containing HDs. An inhalation reference concentration (RfC) for PHMG was produced on the basis of inhalation toxicity values. We made a cross-tabulation of the exposure classes (Exposure classes 1-to-4) by clinical classes based on the RfC. When the value of the exposure class minus the clinical class was 0 or 1, we assumed these were true values. When the value was ≥2 and ≤ -2, we assigned these cases to the overestimation group and underestimation group, respectively. Results: The overestimated group may have already recovered and responded excessively due to psychological anxiety or in order to receive compensation. On the other hand, relatively high mortality rates and surrogate responses for those under 10 years of age may have resulted in inaccurate exposure assessment for underestimated groups. For the characteristics of exposure, it was shown that for the underestimated group, the exposure was relatively weaker than the overestimated group, even though a high overall clinical rating was determined. Conclusions: This study may suggest ways to reduce bias and overcome the limitations of current HD exposure assessment.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.306-312
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• 2000

Background : Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are well known environmental pollutants. The measurement of PAH in ambient air is not commonly used, because it is quite difficult to perform and is unreliable. Using biomarkers of PAH can be an alternative approach to this problem. The PAH in ambient air is absorbed in particulate matter. Total suspended particulate(TSP) or particulate matter of less than $10{\mu}m$ in diameter (PM10) can be easily measured. Therefore, TSP or PM10 can be used as a surrogate measurements of ambient air PAH. Objectives : We investigated whether the urinary concentration of two biomarkers of PAH, 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) and 2-naphthol, could reflect the total suspended particulate in the general population. Methods : In order to exclude the effects of occupational exposure and smoking, first grade middle school students were included in this study. Four middle schools within a one kilometer boundary of ambient air monitoring stations were selected. Total suspended particulate was regarded as the marker of airborne PAH. Diet and smoking data were collected by self administered questionnaires, and spot urine samples were collected. Urinary 1-OHP and 2-naphthol were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography. Results : The correlation between urinary 1-OHP, 2-naphthol and passive smoking was not statistically significant. The correlation between urinary 1-OHP and TSP indices was not statistically significant. The correlations between urinary 2-naphthol and TSP of two lag days, one lag day, and zero lag days were statistically significant. The statistical significance of two lag days was the strongest (p=0.001), one lag day was the next (p=0.0275), and zero lag days was the weakest (p=0.0349). Conclusion : Our results imply that the urinary concentration of 2-naphthol can be applied as a PAH exposure marker for the general population with low PAH exposure.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.2393-2398
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• 2012

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the geometric accuracy of thoracic anatomic landmarks as target surrogates of intrapulmonary tumors for manual rigid registration during image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT). Methods: Kilovolt cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images acquired during IGRT for 29 lung cancer patients with 33 tumors, including 16 central and 17 peripheral lesions, were analyzed. We selected the "vertebrae", "carina", and "large bronchi" as the candidate surrogates for central targets, and the "vertebrae", "carina", and "ribs" as the candidate surrogates for peripheral lesions. Three to six pairs of small identifiable markers were noted in the tumors for the planning CT and Day 1 CBCT. The accuracy of the candidate surrogates was evaluated by comparing the distances of the corresponding markers after manual rigid matching based on the "tumor" and a particular surrogate. Differences between the surrogates were assessed using 1-way analysis of variance and post hoc least-significant-difference tests. Results: For central targets, the residual errors increased in the following ascending order: "tumor", "bronchi", "carina", and "vertebrae"; there was a significant difference between "tumor" and "vertebrae" (p = 0.010). For peripheral diseases, the residual errors increased in the following ascending order: "tumor", "rib", "vertebrae", and "carina"; There was a significant difference between "tumor" and "carina" (p = 0.005). Conclusions: The "bronchi" and "carina" are the optimal surrogates for central lung targets, while "rib" and "vertebrae" are the optimal surrogates for peripheral lung targets for manual matching of online and planned tumors.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.24
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• pp.10577-10583
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• 2015

Background: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), characterized by the lack of expression of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2, is typically associated with a poor prognosis. The majority of TNBCs show the expression of basal markers on gene expression profiling and most authors accept TNBC as basal-like (BL) breast cancer. However, a smaller fraction lacks a BL phenotype despite being TNBC. The literature is silent on non-basal-like (NBL) type of TNBC. The present study was aimed at defining behavioral differences between BL and NBL phenotypes. Objectives: i) Identify the TNBCs and categorize them into BL and NBL breast cancer. ii) Examine the behavioral differences between two subtypes. iii) Observe the pattern of treatment failure among TNBCs. Materials and Methods: All TNBC cases during January 2009-December 2010 were retrieved. The subjects fitting the inclusion criteria of study were differentiated into BL and NBL phenotypes using surrogate immunohistochemistry with three basal markers $34{\beta}E12$, c-Kit and EGFR as per the algorithm defined by Nielsen et al. The detailed data of subjects were collated from clinical records. The comparison of clinicopathological features between two subgroups was done using statistical analyses. The pattern of treatment failure along with its association with prognostic factors was assessed. Results: TNBC constituted 18% of breast cancer cases considered in the study. The BL and NBL subtypes accounted for 81% and 19% respectively of the TNBC group. No statistically significant association was seen between prognostic parameters and two phenotypes. Among patients with treatment failure, 19% were with BL and 15% were with NBL phenotype. The mean disease free survival (DFS) in groups BL and NBL was 30.0 and 37.9 months respectively, while mean overall survival (OS) was 31.93 and 38.5 months respectively. Treatment failure was significantly associated with stage (p=.023) among prognostic factors. Conclusions: Disease stage at presentation is an important prognostic factor influencing the treatment failure and survival among TNBCs. Increasing tumor size is related to lymph node positivity. BL tumors have a more aggressive clinical course than that of NBL as shown by shorter DFS and OS, despite having no statistically significant difference between prognostic parameters. New therapeutic alternatives should be explored for patients with this subtype of breast cancer.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.180-186
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• 2017

Objectives: The purposes of this study were to compare the surface resistance of cassettes according to the material, and to evaluate the wall deposition of carbon nanotubes(CNTs) by electrostatic loss in the inner wall of the cassette. Methods: Surface resistance was measured for three types of cassettes(25 mm polypropylene conductive cowl, 25 mm and 37 mm clear styrene cassettes) with a surface resistance meter. Also, electrostatic wall loss was measured at different weights of CNTs depending on the cassette. CNTs were laid on a weight dish with the cassette for five minutes to provide sufficient time to attach on the wall. Wipe sampling was performed to collect CNTs deposited on the wall and elemental carbon, known as a surrogate for CNTs, was analyzed. Results: The cassette with conductive materials(18% of black carbon) showed the lowest surface resistance($<1.21{\times}10^3{\Omega}$). Cassettes made from clear polystyrene showed the relatively highest surface resistance(25 mm: $10.02{\times}10^9{\Omega}$, 37 mm: $10.59{\times}10^9{\Omega}$). This means that particles are more likely to stick to the internal wall of styrene cassettes due to electrostatic electricity. This may lead to an underestimation of the airborne concentration of CNTs. The experiment showed that EC was not detected when using a 25 mm conductive cowl cassette, while EC was detected at the internal wall of 25 mm and 37 mm polystyrene cassettes. Conclusions: This study confirms that cassettes with a conductive cowl have low surface resistance and are more appropriate for CNT sampling. In addition, this finding could be applied for other types of particulate, especially regarding electrostatic charge and sampling.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.160-164
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• 2009

Objectives : The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between past smoking and the risk factors for metabolic syndrome. Methods : From January 2007 to December 2007, a total of 3,916 over thirty years old male health screen examinees were divided into the nonsmoking, smoking, ex-smoking groups. The diagnosis of metabolic syndrome was based on the criteria of the NCEP ATP III(Executive Summary of The Third Report of The National Cholesterol Education Program). Metabolic syndrome was defined as the presence of three or more of the following: a blood pressure $\geq$ 130/85 mmHg, a fasting glucose level $\geq$ 110 mg/dL, a HDL-C (High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol) level < 40 mg/dL, a triglyceride level $\geq$ 150 mg/dL and, a waist circumference men $\geq$ 102 cm, but a waist to hip ratio > 0.90 was used as a surrogate for the waist circumference. Results : After adjustment for age, alcohol consumption and, exercise in the smokers, for the ex-smokers compared with the nonsmokers, the odds ratio (OR) of a lower HDL cholesterol level (<40 mg/dL) was 1.29 (95% CI=1.03-1.61) in the smokers, the ORs of a higher triglyceride level were 1.35 (95% CI=1.09-1.66) in the ex-smokers and, 2.12 (95% CI=1.75-2.57) in the smokers, and the OR of a waist to hip ratio was 1.25 (95% CI=1.03-1.52) in the ex-smokers. When there were over three components of metabolic syndrome in the ex-smokers and smokers as compared with the nonsmokers, the odds ratio against the risk of metabolic syndrome were 2.39 (95% CI=1.00-6.63) and 2.37 (95% CI=1.02-6.46), respectively. Conclusions : The present study suggested that there is an association of smoking with metabolic syndrome in men.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.704-716
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• 2012

This paper provides a detailed account of pilot testing conducted at South Lake Tahoe (California), the Ddukdo (Seoul) water treatment plant (WTP) and the Bokjung (Seongnam) WTP between February, 2010, and February, 2012. The objectives were first, to characterize the reactions of ozone with hydrogen peroxide (Peroxone) for Han River water following sand filtration, second to determine empirical ozone and hydrogen peroxide doses to remove a taste-and-odor surrogate 2-methylisoborneol (MIB) using an advanced oxidation process (AOP) configuration and third, to determine the optimum dosing configuration to reduce residual ozone to a safe level at the exit of the process. The testing was performed in a real-time plant environment at both low- and high seasonal water temperatures. Experimental results including ozone decomposition rates were dependent on temperature and pH, consistent with data reported by other researchers. MIB in post-sand-filtration water was spiked to 40-50 ng/L, and in all cases, it was reduced to below the specified target level (7 ng/liter) and typically non-detect (ND). It was demonstrated that Peroxone could achieve both MIB removal and low effluent ozone residual at ozone+hydrogen peroxide doses less than those for ozone alone. An empirical predictive model, suitable for use by design engineers and operating personnel and for incorporation in plant control systems was developed. Due to a significant reduction in the ozone reaction/decomposition at low winter temperatures, results demonstrate the hydrogen peroxide can be "pre-conditioned" in order to increase initial reaction rates and achieve lower ozone residuals. Results also indicate the method, location and composition of hydrogen peroxide injection is critical to successful implementation of Peroxone without using excessive chemicals or degrading performance.