• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제16권4호
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• pp.403-409
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• 2008

Eclipta prostrata grows abundantly in the tropical and the sub-tropical parts of the world including most part of the Korean Peninsula. The plant has been traditionally used for the treatment of a number of inflammatory diseases including hepatitis and enteritis but the nature of its immuno-modulating activity needs more studies. In this study, water-soluble sugar-containing fractions were purified from the herb and their effects on the culture of mouse splenocytes were examined. One of the fractions significantly suppressed apoptosis of the splenocytes in culture, which involves the gene expression regulation of a number of cytokines and cytokine receptors including MIP1-$\beta$. This study could explain an immunological activity of Eclipta prostrata and would lead to identify an immuno-active compound from the plant.

• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제35권4호
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• pp.239-248
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• 2009

The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Science in the United States concluded in its 2004 report that excessive indoor dampness is a public health hazard and that its prevention should be a public health goal. Water damage in buildings, such as leaks from roofs, walls, or windows, may increase indoor moisture levels. Excessive dampness may promote microbial proliferation in indoor environments, increase occupants' exposure to microbial agents, and eventually produce adverse health effects in building occupants. Epidemiological studies to demonstrate the causal association between exposure to indoor microbial agents and health effects require reliable exposure assessment tools. In this review, I discuss various sampling and analytical methods to assess human exposure to biological agents in indoor environments, their strengths and weaknesses, and recent trends in research and practice in the USA.

• 한국보건간호학회지
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• 제28권2호
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• pp.258-269
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• 2014

Purpose: This study was conducted in order to present the effects of case management of a home visiting health service for clients with hypertension. Method: One-group pretest-posttest design was used. The subjects were 280 clients who received case management among the first and second registered group. The data were eight-week-case management results from January to December, 2010. In order to evaluate the effect of the visiting nursing service, biological indexes(blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglyceride, high density lipoprotein, low density lipoprotein, BMI) and self-care abilities(knowledge/attitude of hypertension, management of medication, nutritional care, confidence of self care) were measured. Result: Biological indexes and self-care abilities were improved, except total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein. Conclusion: The case management of home visiting health service by public health centers is considered to be an effective nursing service. Therefore, greater effort is needed for better maintenance of case management, and more research is needed in order to examine a variety of biological indexes.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• 제60권3호
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• pp.207-211
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• 2017

It is introduced an outstanding book about an important topic in occupational and environmental sciences i.e., the opportunities and challenges that may be connected with increasing the use and distribution of rare earth elements. These chemically similar elements, comprising the lanthanides, scandium, and yttrium, are involved in a number of essential technological applications, and their effects raise a number of human health issues of relevance to the occupational and environmental sciences. The book that I introduced here, "Rare Earth Elements in Human and Environmental Health; At the Crossroads between Toxicity and Safety" edited by Giovanni Pagano (Pan Stanford Publishing Pte. Ltd., Temasek Boulevard, Singapore) represents a break from that situation. It is essential to increase our knowledge about the environmental fate and biological effects of these technologically important metals in order to prevent unforeseen long-term man-made consequences to human health. This book is likely to become an important resource for scientists, engineers, and decision makers who understand the need for sensible exploitation of this resource.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제14권4호
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• pp.347-357
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• 2023

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic turned biological hazards in the working environment into a global concern. This systematized review of published reviews aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the specific jobs and categories of workers exposed to biological hazards with the related prevention. Methods: We extracted reviews published in English and French in PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science. Two authors, working independently, subsequently screened the potentially relevant titles and abstracts recovered (step 1) and then examined relevant full texts (step 2). Disagreements were resolved by consensus. We built tables summarizing populations of exposed workers, types of hazards, types of outcomes (types of health issues, means of prevention), and routes of transmission. Results: Of 1426 studies initially identified, 79 studies by authors from every continent were selected, mostly published after 2010 (n = 63, 79.7%). About half of the reviews dealt with infectious hazards alone (n = 38, 48.1%). The industrial sectors identified involved healthcare alone (n = 16), laboratories (n = 10), agriculture (including the animal, vegetable, and grain sectors, n = 32), waste (n = 10), in addition of 11 studies without specific sectors. The results also highlighted a range of hazards (infectious and noninfectious agents, endotoxins, bioaerosols, organic dust, and emerging agents). Conclusion: This systematized overview allowed to list the populations of workers exposed to biological hazards and underlined how prevention measures in the healthcare and laboratory sectors were usually well defined and controlled, although this was not the case in the agriculture and waste sectors. Further studies are necessary to quantify these risks and implement prevention measures that can be applied in every country.

• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제46권5호
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• pp.513-524
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• 2020

Objective: The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the environmental and biological exposure of local residents who consumed arsenic-contaminated drinking water for less than one year. Methods: As a part of water quality inspections for small-scale water supply facilities, surveys were conducted of residents of two villages that exceeded the arsenic threshold for drinking water. The environmental impact survey consisted of surveys on water quality, soil, and crops in the surveyed area. Biological monitoring was performed by measuring the separation of arsenic species in urine and total arsenic in hair. Results: In the results of biological monitoring, the concentrations of AsIII and AsV were 0.08 and 0.16 ㎍/L, respectively. MMA and DMA were 0.87 and 36.19 ㎍/L. There was no statistically significant difference between the group who drank arsenic-removed groundwater or water from the small-scale supply facility and the group who drank tap water, purified water, or commercial bottled water. Some of the water samples exceeded the arsenic threshold for drinking water. There were no samples in the soil or rice that exceeded the acceptable threshold. Conclusion: In the case of short-term exposure to arsenic-contaminated drinking water for less than one year, there were no significant problems of concern from the evaluation of biological monitoring after arsenic was removed.

• 월간산업보건
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• 통권326호
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• pp.64-65
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• 2015

• 월간산업보건
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• 통권326호
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• pp.66-67
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• 2015

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• 제15권2호
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• pp.74-81
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• 2013

Purpose: This study was conducted to explore the health effects of exposure to oil-contaminated water in G village near the area of Daecheon beach on which air force had test fired. Methods: Eighty residents consented and were divided into three groups; 33 residents(drinking well water and still living there), 23 residents(drinking well water but do not live there any more), and 24 residents(did not drink well water but live there now: control group). Data were collected from August to September, 2010 from the survey questionnaires, general health examination, specific functional test, and biological marker tests. Results: Current residents showed higher levels of body mass index, blood pressure, and fasting blood glucose that are related to adult diseases. 64 participants received specific test for cancer. Only one person had esophageal cancer. Perchloroethylene was not found in the Urine Samples. Current residents showed a higher level of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine, an indicator of oxidative damage, and there was a statistically significant difference after correcting the confounding variables. Conclusion: We need education programs for managing the risk factors that are related to adult diseases in people who are now living in this village. We also need to expand further studies for investigating oxidative damage indicators.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• 제64권4호
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• pp.640-653
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• 2022

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is the most common mycotoxin contaminant of cereal-based food and animal feed. The toxicity of DON is very low compared to that of other toxins; however, the most prominent signs of DON exposure include inappetence and body weight loss, which causes considerable economic losses in the livestock industry. This review summarizes critical studies on biological DON mycotoxin mitigation strategies and the respective in vitro and in vivo intestinal effects. Focus areas include growth performance, gut health in terms of intestinal histomorphology, epithelial barrier functions, the intestinal immune system and microflora, and short-chain fatty acid production in the intestines. In addition, DON detoxification and modulation of these parameters, through biological supplements, are discussed. Biological detoxification of DON using microorganisms can attenuate DON toxicity by modulating gut microbiota and improving gut health with or without influencing the growth performance of pigs. However, the use of microorganisms as feed additives to livestock for mycotoxins detoxification needs more research before commercial use.