• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.23 no.3 s.31
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• pp.324-337
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• 1990

To assess the effectiveness of the interventions in working environment and personal hygiene for the occupational exposure to the lead, 156 workers (116 exposed subjects and 40 controls) of a newly established battery factory were examined for their blood lead concentration (Pb-B) in every 3 months up to 18 months. Air lead concentration (Pb-A) of the workplaces was also checked for 3 times in 6 months interval from August 1987. Environmental intervention included the local exhaust ventilation and vacuum cleaning of the floor. Intervention of the personal hygiene included the daily change of clothes, compulsory shower after work and hand washing before meal, prohibition of cigarette smoking and food consumption at the work site and wearing mask. Mean Pb-B of the controls was $21.97{\pm}3.36{\mu}g/dl$ at the preemployment examination and slightly increased to $22.75{\pm}3.38{\mu}g/dl$ after 6 months. Mean Pb-B of the workers who were employed before the factory was in operation (Group A) was $20.49{\pm}3.84{\mu}g/dl$ on employment and it was increased to $23.90{\pm}5.30{\mu}g/dl$ after 3 months (p<0.01). Pb-B was increased to $28.84{\pm}5.76{\mu}g/dl$ 6 months after the employment which was 1 month after the initiation of intervention program. It did not increase thereafter and ranged between $26.83{\mu}g/dl\;and\;28.28{\mu}g/dl$ in the subsequent 4 tests. Mean Pb-B of the workers who were employed after the factory had been in operation but before the intervention program was initiated (Group B) was $16.58{\pm}4/53{\mu}g/dl$ before the exposure and it was increased to $28.82{\pm}5.66{\mu}g/dl$(P<0.01) in 3 months later (1 month after the intervention). The values of subsequent 4 tests remained between 26.46 and $28.54{\mu}g/dl$. Mean Pb-B of the workers who were employed after intervention program had been started (Group C) was $19.45{\pm}3.44{\mu}g/dl$ at the preemployment examination and gradually increased to $22.70{\pm}4.55{\mu}g/dl$ after 3 months(P<0.01), $23.68{\pm}4.18{\mu}g/dl$ after 6 months, and $24.42{\pm}3.60{\mu}g/dl$ after 9 months. Work stations were classified into 4 parts according to Pb-A. The Pb-A of part I, the highest areas, were $0.365mg/m^3$, and after the intervention the levels were decreased to $0.216mg/m^3\;and\;0.208mg/m^3$ in follow-up tests. The Pb-A of part II was decreased from $0.232mg/m^3\;to\;0.148mg/m^3,\;and\;0.120mg/m^3$ after the intervention. Pb-A of part III and W was tested only after intervention and the Pb-A of part III were $0.124mg/m^3$ in Jannuary 1988 and $0.081mg/m^3$ in August 1988. The Pb-A of part IV not stationed at one place but moving around, was $0.110mg/m^3$ in August 1988. There was no consistent relationship between Pb-B and Pb-A. Pb-B of the group A and B workers in the part of the highest Pb-A were lower than those of the workers in the parts of lower Pb-A. Pb-B of the workers in the part of the lowest Pb-A incerased more rapidly. Pb-B of group C workers was the highest in part I and the lowest in part IV. These findings suggest that Pb-B is more valid method than Pb-A for monitoring the health of lead workers and intervention in personal hygiene is more effective than environmental intervention.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.464-471
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• 2002

Author applied several engineering methodologies to classical ultrasonic nebulizer to cope with it's demerits. After several trials and errors, we got the several meaningful results. To evaluate the modified ultrasonic nebulizer for inhalation toxicology of cadmium, author used light-scattering photometer. This paper is the one part of inhalation exposure systems for inhalation toxicology study of cadmium. According to the testing conditions, source temperature 50℃ and inlet-duct band temperature 150℃, aerosol generation results for sodium chloride and cadmium chloride were as followings: Coefficients of variation(CV) of sodium chloride and cadmium chloride for repeated trials were 3.38 and 4.77 for 10g, 2.47 and 5.02 for 5g, and 4.70 and 2.98 for 2.5g. All the CVs were within 10% of acceptance variability. Count Per Minute(CPM) changes of NaCl and CdCl₂ for 5 repeated trials were similar. CPM ratios of CdCl₂/NaCl were 1.13 for 10g, 0.76 for 5g, and 1.06 for 2.5g. Relative aerosol generation of cadmium chloride to sodium chloride was the highest in 10g. Efficiency increases of 24.50% for 5g NaCl, 14.91 % for 2.5g NaCl, and 16.48% for 2.5g CdCl₂ with respect to theoretical efficiency were observed but 0.04% efficiency decrease was observed in 5g CdC₂. According to the modifications of source temperature(20, 50, 70℃) and inlet-duct band temperature(20, 50, 100, 150, 200℃), aerosol generation results for NaCl and CdCl₂ were as followings: CPM trends for each quantity excepting 10g NaCl in inlet-duct band temperature 200℃ were similar, and the highest CPM was observed in source temperature 70℃ to each inlet-duct band temperature. The highest CPMs to 10, 5, and 2.5g NaCl were observed in source temperature 70℃ and inlet-duct band temperature 20℃. Aerosol generation of cadmium chloride was increased with the higher source temperature, excepting inlet-duct band temperature 200℃. The highest CPMs for 10, 5, and 2.5g CdCl₂ were observed in source temperature 70℃ and inlet-duct band temperature 20℃, and this trend was similar to NaCl aerosol generation The highest CPMs for 10, 5, and 2.5g CdCl₂ were observed in source temperature 70℃ and inlet-duct band temperature 20℃, and this result was similar to NaCl aerosol generation. Observed efficiencies of 5 and 2.5g NaCl were similar to ifs theoretical efficiency but -3.08% efficiency decrease of 5g CdCl₂, 17.47% efficiency increase of 2.5g CdCl₂ were observed. CPM ratio of CdCl₂/NaCl of 10g was different to 5 and 2.5g, and 2.5g ratio was higher than 5g ratio. In conclusion, to get maximum aerosol generation for NaCl and CdCl₂ will be the conditions that set the appropriate inlet-duct band temperature for each materials and increase the source temperature. Sodium chloride can be used to evaluate the performance and predict the concentration for cadmium aerosol in aerosol generator and inhalation exposure system.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.786-794
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• 1999

Back ground : Arm span measurements provide a practical substitute for standing height to predict normal spirometric values in subjects unable to stand or those with a skeletal deformity such as kyphoscoliosis. The relationship between arm span and height has previously been reported as either a fixed ratio unaffected by age or as a regression equation in which the ratio varies as a function of age. The fixed ratio or regression equation is known to be specific for sex and race. Methods : We studied the relationship between standing height, arm span, and age in 381 Korean adult female subjects (ages 20 to 69 yrs) sampled in a general population. Results : The mean ratio for arm span to height is 1.004. Multiple linear analysis found arm span and age to be predictive of standing height (p=0.0001, $r^2$=0.76). We performed the analysis of the difference between the predicted height using either fixed ratio or regression equation and actual height. At the extremes of arm span and age, the ratio method either underestimated(at smaller arm span or younger age) or overestimated(at larger arm span or older age) as compared with actual height (p=0.0001). Conclusion : This results indicate that the estimated height using the fixed ratio method provides a less acceptable method of estimating height for the prediction of lung volumes in the Korean adult women when compared with the regression equations, especially at the extremes of stature or age.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.644-651
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• 2012

This study purports to measure the level of work friendship in dental clinic and examines the friendship's effect on the organizational effectiveness. Data were collected from workers who worked in dental clinic located in Seoul and Gyeonggi areas by self-administered questionnaires from early in October till lately in September, 2009 through direct interview and e-mail. Among 250 questionnaires, 240 responses were returned, and 17 copies with an inaccurate answer were excluded. Finally 223 responses were analyzed through SPSS program. The study revealed that the work friendship in dental clinic has enormous influence on job satisfaction, occupational commitment, intent to leave, stress etc. The results imply that the managers of the dental clinics need to create an organizational climate which emphasizes on a good relationship among members and have them take part in various committees or informal activities.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.591-599
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• 2009

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) play important roles in nervous system functions and are involved in a variety of diseases. We previously demonstrated that ginsenosides, the active ingredients of Panax ginseng, inhibit subsets of nAChR channel currents, but not ${\alpha}7$, expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes. Mutation of the highly conserved Leu247 to Thr247 in the transmembrane domain 2 (TM2) channel pore region of ${\alpha}7$ nAChR induces alterations in channel gating properties and converts ${\alpha}7$ nAChR antagonists into agonists. In the present study, we assessed how point mutations in the Leu247 residue leading to various amino acids affect 20(S)-ginsenoside $Rg_3$ ($Rg_3$) activity against the ${\alpha}7$ nAChR. Mutation of L247 to L247A, L247D, L247E, L247I, L247S, and L247T, but not L247K, rendered mutant receptors sensitive to $Rg_3$. We further characterized $Rg_3$ regulation of L247T receptors. We found that $Rg_3$ inhibition of mutant ${\alpha}7$ nAChR channel currents was reversible and concentration-dependent. $Rg_3$ inhibition was strongly voltage-dependent and noncompetitive manner. These results indicate that the interaction between $Rg_3$ and mutant receptors might differ from its interaction with the wild-type receptor. To identify differences in $Rg_3$ interactions between wild-type and L247T receptors, we utilized docked modeling. This modeling revealed that $Rg_3$ forms hydrogen bonds with amino acids, such as Ser240 of subunit I and Thr244 of subunit II and V at the channel pore, whereas $Rg_3$ localizes at the interface of the two wild-type receptor subunits. These results indicate that mutation of Leu247 to Thr247 induces conformational changes in the wild-type receptor and provides a binding pocket for $Rg_3$ at the channel pore.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2018

The purposes of this study were to examine the depression level of sales workers at a cosmetics company in South Korea and investigate the effects of emotional labor, job stress, and resilience on their depression symptoms. A structured questionnaire was distributed to 189 workers at the cosmetics company to assess their general characteristics, diseases diagnosed by the doctor, depression, emotional labor, job stress, and resilience. Univariate analysis and multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine connections among depression symptoms, emotional labor, job stress, and resilience. The findings show that the depression symptom rate of the cosmetics sales workers was 32.3%. The multiple logistic regression analysis results of the high risk group in depression symptoms show that depression had significant relations with resilience(OR : 3.84, CI : 1.68-8.77), diseases diagnosed by the doctor(OR : 3.82, CI : 1.73-8.47), emotional disharmony(OR : 2.51, CI : 1.06-5.96), and job demand(OR : 2.12, CI : 0.93-4.85). The low risk group of emotional labor was corrected in age, doctor's diagnosis, and job stress with the reference value to analyze connections with depression symptoms according to the degree of resilience. The analysis results show that depression symptoms increased by 2.35 times(CI : 0.73-7.53) when they had high emotional labor and good resilience, by 3.74 times(CI : 1.17-11.97) when they had low emotional labor and bad resilience, and by 10.39 times(CI : 3.34-32.28) when they had high emotional labor and bad resilience. These findings raise a need to run a program to increase resilience, reduce emotional disharmony through emotional labor management, and take health management measures to control physical illness and lower job stress so that cosmetics sales workers can manage their depression symptoms.