• Proceedings of the Safety Management and Science Conference
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• 2008.11a
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• pp.303-316
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• 2008

For the past 25 years, Korean semiconductor has experienced enormous growth to be the highest production country in the world. Semiconductor industry is very time sensitive and driven by technology and process, and requires 24-hour full operation. The environment includes many different types of equipment, utilities, different gases and toxic chemicals as well as high voltage electricity. We have performed a survey with 3-shift engineers and workers in one line. The content of the questionnaire was about the correlation between fatigue and performance shaping factor (work type and work ability), and as a result we were able to deduce the correlation, p-value and the pattern of scatter plot. The shape of the model was made of 4 blocks for fatigue, 5 blocks for work type and 5 blocks for work ability, i. e. 14 blocks in total. As a conclusion to this findings, there was a correlation between fatigue and work type and work ability specifically in semiconductor industry, and we need some effort to reduce this.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.28-37
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• 2022

Treatment options for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are currently limited; therefore, there has been significant interest in applying mesenchymal stem/stromal cell (MSC)-based therapy to treat CKD. However, MSCs harvested from CKD patients tend to show diminished viability and proliferation due to sustained exposure to uremic toxins in the CKD environment, which limits their utility for cell therapy. The application of melatonin has been demonstrated to improve the therapeutic efficacy of MSCs derived from and engrafted to tissues in patients suffering from CKD, although the underlying biological mechanism has not been elucidated. In this study, we observed overexpression of hexokinase-2 (HK2) in serum samples of CKD patients and MSCs harvested from an adenine-fed CKD mouse model (CKD-mMSCs). HK2 upregulation led to increased production levels of methylglyoxal (MG), a toxic metabolic intermediate of abnormal glycolytic processes. The overabundance of HK2 and MG was associated with impaired mitochondrial function and low cell proliferation in CKD-mMSCs. Melatonin treatment inhibited the increases in HK2 and MG levels, and further improved mitochondrial function, glycolytic metabolism, and cell proliferation. Our findings suggest that identifying and characterizing metabolic regulators such as HK2 in CKD may improve the efficacy of MSCs for treating CKD and other kidney disorders.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.67 no.2
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• pp.89-98
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• 2023

The cell membrane, also known as the biological membrane, surrounds every living cell. The main components of cell membranes are lipids and therefore called as lipid membranes. These membranes are mainly made up of a two-dimensional lipid bilayer along with integral and peripheral proteins. The complex nature of lipid membranes makes it difficult to study and hence artificial lipid membranes are prepared which mimic the original lipid membranes. These artificial lipid membranes are prepared from phospholipid vesicles (liposomes). The liposomes are formed when self-forming phospholipid bilayer comes in contact with water. Liposomes can be unilamellar or multilamellar vesicles which comprises of phospholipids that can be produced naturally or synthetically. The phospholipids are non-toxic, biodegradable and are readily produced on a large scale. These liposomes are mostly used in the drug delivery systems. This paper offers comprehensive literature with insights on developing basic understanding of lipid membranes from its structure, organization, and phase behavior to its potential use in biomedical applications. The progress in the field of artificial membrane models considering methods of preparation of liposomes for mimicking lipid membranes, interactions between the lipid membranes, and characterizing techniques such as UV-visible, FTIR, Calorimetry and X-ray diffraction are explained in a concise manner.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.192-205
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• 2023

Objectives: Previous studies have evaluated the association between mercury exposure and obesity but have yielded mixed conclusions. The aim of this study was to systematically review and summarize scientific evidence regarding the association between mercury exposure and obesity in the human population. Methods: We conducted a systematic search of PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Science Direct for articles related to mercury exposure and obesity. Meta-analyses of the highest and lowest categories of mercury levels were evaluated using a random effects model. Begg's test was used to detect publication bias. Results: A total of 9 articles were included. The pooled random effects odds ratio (OR) for mercury exposure and obesity of all 9 studies was 1.66 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.16-2.38). This positive association was evident in adults (OR: 1.61, 95% CI: 1.02-2.54) and among studies with Asian populations (OR: 2.00, 95% CI: 1.53-2.59), but not among those with North America/African populations (OR: 0.90, 95% CI: 0.50-1.65). Conclusions: The present meta-analysis identified a positive association between mercury exposure and obesity. These findings suggest that toxic environmental metals such as mercury may be an important risk factor for obesity along with dietary habits and lifestyles.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.41-50
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• 2024

Presence of hazardous dyes in water cause considerable risks to the human health and environment due to their potential toxicity and ecological disruptions. Therefore, in the present research, to suggest an alternative method for the retention of toxic Azocarmine G (ACG) dye from aqueous media, natural and H₂SO₄-modified acacia sawdust were performed for the first time as low-cost and efficient adsorbents. Based on batch experiments, it was determined that the best conditions for the developed dye retention process were an initial pH of 2.0 and an equilibrium time of 240 min. Analysis of the data using both pseudo-first order and pseudo-second order kinetic models showed that the retention of ACG onto the adsorbents predominantly occurred through chemical adsorption. Langmuir, Freundlich, and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm models were employed to provide insights into the interaction between the adsorbate and adsorbent and the mechanism of the adsorption process. Maximum monolayer adsorption capacities of natural and H₂SO₄-modified acacia sawdust were determined as 28.01 and 64.90 mg g^-1, respectively by Langmuir isotherm model. Results of the study clearly indicated that the modification of acacia sawdust with H₂SO₄ leads to a substantial increase in the adsorption performance of anionic dyes.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.10 no.8
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• pp.1155-1160
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• 1999

The screening methodology modeling, dispersion modeling procedures for continuous and instantaneous releases of the gas phase flow from the storage tank and pressure relief valve were considered. This study was performed to develop the screening methodology for prediction and control of hazardous/toxic gas releases by estimating the 1-hr average maximum ground-level concentration of $Cl_2$ gas vs. downwind distance by incorporating source term model including the general/physical properties of released material and release mode of the $Cl_2$ storage tank of the chemical plant facilities, dispersion model, and meteorological/topographical data into the TSCREEN model. As the results of the study, it was found that dispersion modes of the dense gas were affected by the state of the released material, the released conditions, physical-chemical properties of released material, and the released modes (continuous and instantaneous releases), and especially largely affected by initial (depressurized) density of the released material and release emission rate as well as the wind velocity. Especially, this study was considered to release hazardous material as meteorological data. It was thought that this screening methodology can be useful as a preliminary guideline for application of the refined analysis model by developing the generic sliding scale methodology for various senarios selected.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.55-68
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• 2008

Background: Microglia produces a barrage of factors (IL-l, TNF-$\alpha$, NO, superoxide) that are toxic to neurons and playa major role in the cellular immune response associated with the pathology of Alzheimer's disease(AD). OJaJiHwangEumJa(OJJHEJ) has been usually used for the treatment of senile disorders. For enhancing efficacy and convenience, the change of the drug delivery device of oriental herbal medicine is required. Objective: This experiment was designed to investigate the effect of the OJJHEJ hot water extract & ultra-fine powder on proinflammatory cytokine of microglia and memory deficit model. Method: The effects of the OJJHEJ hot water extract on production of IL-1$\beta$, IL-6, TNF-$\alpha$, in BV2 microglial cell line treated by lipopolysacchaide(LPS) were investigated. The effects of the OJJHEJ hot water extract & ultra-fine powder on the behavior of the memory deficit mice induced by scopolamine and AChE in serum of the memory deficit mice induced by scopolamine were investigated. Results: 1. The OJJHEJ hot water extract suppressed the production of IL-1$\beta$, IL-6, TNF-$\alpha$ in BV2 microglial cell line and the production of IL-6 was suppressed significantly. 2. The OJJHEJ hot water extract & ultra-fine powder decreased AChE significantly in the serum of the memory deficit mice induced by scopolamine. 3. The OJJHEJ hot water extract & ultra-fine powder groups showed significantly inhibitory effect on the scopolamine-induced impairment of memory in the experiment of Morris water maze. Conclusions: This experiment shows that the OJJHEJ hot water extract & ultra-fine powder might be effective for the prevention and treatment of memory impairment diseases. Investigation into the clinical use of the OJJHEJ hot water extract & ultra-fine powder for Alzheimer's disease is suggested for future research.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.295-311
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• 1994

A comprehensive in-situ tests are performed to define the hydrogeologic and hydrodispersive characteristics such as hydraulic conductivities, longitudinal dispersivity, and average linear velocities as well as conducting flow-net analysis at the study area. The results show that the study area is very heterogeneous so that hydraulic conductivities range from $6.45{\times}10^{-7}$ to $1.15{\times}10^{-5}m/s$ with average linear velocities of 0.34~0.62m/day. Whole groundwater in upper-most aquifer is discharging into the sea with specific discharge rate of $7.2{\times}10^{-3}$ to $1.3{\times}10^{-2}m/day$. The longitudinal dispersivity of the aquifer is estimated about 4.8m through In-situ injection phase test. The area is highly vulnerable to potential contaminant sources due to it's high value of DRASTIC index ranging from 139 to 155 and also under water table condition with very shallow groundwater level. To delineate contaminant plumes of toxic NaOH and carcinogenic benzene when these substances are assumed to be leaked through existing TSDF at the study area by unexpected accidents or spill, Aquifer Simulation Model (ASM) including Flow and Transport Model is used. Te simulated results reveal that the size of NaOH plume after 5 years continuous leak is about $250{\times}100m$ and benzene after 10 years, $490{\times}100m$. When the groundwater is abstracted about 50 days, which is maximum continuously sustained no-precipitation period during 30 years, with pumping rate of $100m^3/day$, THWELL program shows that the groundwater is adversly affected by sea water intrusion.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.22 no.1 s.56
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• pp.27-36
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• 2007

Cyanides and dichlorophenols were important pollutants in industrial effluents of steel, petroleum, plastics, pesticides, synthetic dye and/or fiber manufacturing. The toxic effects of cyanide and 3, 5-dichlorophenol in the unary and binary solutions to Vibrio fischeri were determined using the newly developed $N-tox^{(R)}$ bioassay system. This bioassay system relies upon the attenuation of light intensity emitted by Vibrio fischeri exposed to various pollutants including metals and organic compounds. Most of studies dealing with toxicity of pollutants concerned single chemical species, while the organisms were typically exposed to pollutant mixtures. The present study showed that the toxicity of some binary combinations of cyanide and 3, 5-dichlorophenol significantly was lower than the predicted toxicity from the addicted model. This antagonistic interaction was well explained by chemical interaction model presented in this study.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.35-43
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• 1997

Cis-dichlorodiammine platin${\mu}M$II (Cisplatin), an effective chemotherapeutic agent, induces acute renal failure by unknown mechanisms. To investigate direct toxic effects of cisplatin on the renal proximal tubular transport system, LLC-$PK_1$ cell line was selected as a cell model and the sugar transport activity was evaluated during a course of cisplatin treatment. Cells grown to confluence were treated with cisplatin for 60 min, washed, and then incubated for up to 5 days. At appropriate intervals, cells were tested for sugar transport activity using ${\alpha}-methyl-D-[^{14}C]glucopyranoside$ (AMG) as a model substrate. In cells treated with 100 ${\mu}M$ cisplatin, the AMG uptake was progressively impaired after 3 days. The viability of cells was not substantially changed with cisplatin of less than 100 ${\mu}M$, but it decreased markedly with 150 and 200 ${\mu}M$. In cisplatin-treated cells, the $Na^+$ -dependent AMG uptake was drastically inhibited with no change in the $Na^+$ -independent uptake. Kinetic analysis indicated that Vmax was suppressed, but Km was not altered. The $Na^+$ -dependent phlorizin binding was also decreased in cisplatin-treated cells. However, the AMG efflux from preloaded cells was not apparently retarded by cisplatin treatment. These data indicate that the cisplatin treatment impairs $Na^+$ -hexose cotransporters in LLC-$PK_1$ cells and suggest strongly that defects in transporter function at the luminal plasma membrane of the proximal tubular cells constitute an important pathogenic mechanism of cisplatin nephrotoxicity.