• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.13-21
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• 1996

Intracellular calcium concentration ($[Ca^{2+}]_i$) may play a crucial role in a variety of neuronal functions. Here we report that in primary culture of mouse cerebellar granule cells nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are expressed in a specific developmental stage and involved in the regulation of intracellular calcium homeostasis. Nicotine-mediated calcium responses were measured using $^{45}Ca^{2+}$ or fluorometrically using the calcium-sensitive fluorescent dye fura-2. Maximal uptake of $^{45}Ca^{2+}$ evoked by nicotine in mouse cerebellar granule cells were revealed $8{\sim}12$ days in culture. In contrast, nicotine did not alter the basal $^{45}Ca^{2+}$ uptake in cultured glial cells. In cerebellar granule cells nicotine-evoked $^{45}Ca^{2+}$ uptake was largely blocked by the NMDA receptor antagonists. Glutamate pyruvate transaminase (GPT). which removes endogenous glutamate, also prevented nicotine effects, implying the indirect involvement of glutamate in nicotine-mediated calcium responses. Fluorometric studies using fura-2 showed two phases of nicotine-evoked $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ rises: the initial rising phase and the later plateau phase. Interestingly, the NMDA receptor antagonists and GPT appeared to inhibit only the later plateau phase of nicotine-evoked $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ rises. The present results imply that nicotine mediated $^{45}Ca^{2+}$ uptake and $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ rises are attributed to the calcium fluxes through both nAchRs and NMDA receptors in a time-dependent manner. Consequently, nAChRs may play an important role in neuronal development by being expressed in a specific developmental stage and regulating the intracellular calcium homeostasis.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.26 no.1 s.41
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• pp.110-125
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• 1993

This study was designed to determine whether non-violent criminal and normal control on the basis of concentration of levels of trace mineral and toxic metal by analysis of human scalp hair. The subjects were selected 87 nonviolent criminal from a prison population and 120 normal control from periodic health checks for study. Hair samples were taken from the napes and Minnesota Multiple Personality Inventory (MMPI) was performed also. Five trace mineral (Zn, Cu, Mg, Fe, Na) and two toxic metal (lead, cadmium) contents were determined by an atomic absorption spectrometer. The contents of zinc and magnesium in hair of non-violent criminal were significantly lower than the control group (p<0.01). In the case of lead and cadimum, mean value of criminal group was significantly higher than control group. Significantly higher T-score of MMPI was seen in non-violent criminal group fur psychopathic deviate (Pd), paranoia scale (Pa), and Mania scale (Ma) than control group, but T-score of depression scale (D) was significantly higher in the control group. In the non-violent criminal group, the content of copper inversely proportion to T-score of Hs, D, Hy, Pd, Mf, Pa, Pt, Sc, Si except Ma, also Zinc inversely proportion to T-score of Hy, Mf, Pa, Pt. These results suggest that difference of some hair mineral contents exist between criminal and normal control group. Thus further studies are necessary to determine whether violent and nonviolent criminal group attributed biochemical imbalance with carefully constructed and controlled studies.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.60-65
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• 2008

Current soil remediation principles for toxic metals have some limitations even though they vary with different technologies. An alternative technology that transforms hazardous substances into nonhazardous ones would be environmentally beneficial. Objective of this research was to assess optimum conditions for Cr(VI) reduction in soils as influenced by ZVI(Zero-Valent Iron), organic matter and moisture content. The reduction ratio of Cr(VI) was increased from 37 to 40% as organic matter content increased from 1.07 to 1.75%. In addition, Cr(VI) concentration was reduced as soil moisture content increased, but the direct effect of soil moisture content on Cr(VI) reduction was less than 5% of the Cr(VI) reduction ratio. However, combined treatment of ZVI(5%), organic matter(1.75%) and soil moisture(30%) effectively reduced the initial Cr(VI) to over 95% within 5 days and nearly 100% after 30 days by increasing oxidation of ZVI and concurrent reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III). The overall results demonstrated that ZVI was effective in remediating Cr(VI) contaminated soils, and the efficiency was synergistic with the combined treatments of soil moisture and organic matter.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.8-15
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• 1995

The reliable measurement of metal in biological media in human body is one of critical indicators for the proper evaluation of its toxic effect on human health. Recently in Korea the necessity of quality assurance of measurement in occupational health and occupational hygiene fields brought out regulatory quality control program. Lead is often used as a standard metal for the program in both fields of occupational health and hygiene. During last 20 years lead poisoning was prevalent in Korea and still is one of main heavy metal poisoning and the capability of the measurement of blood lead is one of prerequisites for institute of specialized occupational health in Korea. Furthermore blood lead is most important indicator to evaluate lead burden of human exposure to lead and the reliable and accurate analysis is most needed whenever possible. To evaluate the extent of the interlaboratory differences of blood lead measurement in several well-known institute specialized in occupational health in Korea, authors prepared 68 blood samples from two storage battery industries and all samples were divided into samples with 2 ml. One set of 68 samples were analyzed by authors's laboratory(Soonchunhyang University Institute of Industrial Medicine: SIIM) and 40 samples of other set were analyzed by C University Institute of Industrial Medicine(CIIM) and the rest 28 samples of other set were analyzed by Japanese institute(K Occupational Health Center:KOHC). Authors also prepared test bovine samples which were obtained from Japanese Federation of Occupational Health Organization (JFOHO) for quality control. Authors selected 2 other well-known occupational health laboratories and one laboratory specialized for instrumental analysis. A total of 6 laboratories joined the interlaboratory comparison of blood lead measurement and the results obtained were as follows: 1. There was no significant difference in average blood lead between SIIM and CIIM in different group of blood lead concentration, and the relative standard deviation of two laboratories was less than 3.0%. On the other hand, there was also no significant difference of average blood lead between SIIM and KOHC with relative standard deviation of 6.84% as maximum. 2. Taking less than 15% difference of mean or less than 6 ug/dl difference in below 40 ug/dl in whole blood as a criteria of agreement of measurement between two laboratories, agreement rates were 87.5%(35/40) and 78.6%(22/28) between SIIM and CIIM, SIIM and KOHC respectively. 3. The correlation of blood lead between SIIM and CIIM was 0.975 (p=0.0001) and the regression equation was SIIM = 2.19 + 0.9243 ClIM, whereas the correlation between SUM and KOHC was O.965(p=0.0001) with the equation of SIIM = 1.91 + 0.9794 KOHC. 4. Taking the reference value as a dependent variable and each of 6 laboratories's measurement value as a independent variable, the determination coefficient($R^2$) of simple regression equations of blood lead measurement for bovine test samples were very high($R^2>0.99$), and the regression coefficient(${\beta}$) was between 0.972 and 1.15 which indicated fairly good agreement of measurement results.