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Characterization and Formation Mechanisms of Clogging Materials in Groundwater Wells, Mt. Geumjeong Area, Busan, Korea (부산 금정산 일대 지하수공내 공막힘 물질의 특징과 형성원인)

  • Choo, Chang-Oh;Hamm, Se-Yeong;Lee, Jeong-Hwan;Lee, Chung-Mo;Choo, Youn-Woo;Han, Suk-Jong;Kim, Moo-Jin;Cho, Heuy-Nam
    • The Journal of Engineering Geology
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    • v.22 no.1
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    • pp.67-81
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    • 2012
  • The physical, chemical, and biological properties of clogging materials formed within groundwater wells in the Mt. Geumjeong area, Busan, Korea, were characterized. The particle size distribution (PSD) of clogging materials was measured by a laser analyzer. XRD, SEM, and TEM analyses were performed to obtain mineralogical information on the clogging materials, with an emphasis on identifying and characterizing the mineral species. In most cases, PSD data exhibited an near log-normal distribution; however, variations in frequency distribution were found in some intervals (bi-or trimodal distributions), raising the possibility that particles originated from several sources or were formed at different times. XRD data revealed that the clogging materials were mainly amorphous ironhydroxides such as goethite, ferrihydrite, and lapidocrocite, with lesser amounts of Fe, Mn, and Zn metals and silicates such as quartz, feldspar, micas, and smectite. Reddish brown material was amorphous hydrous ferriciron (HFO), and dark red and dark black materials were Fe, Mn-hydroxides. Greyish white and pale brown materials consisted of silicates. SEM observations indicated that the clogging materials were mainly HFO associated with iron bacteria such as Gallionella and Leptothrix, with small amounts of rock fragments. In TEM analysis, disseminated iron particles were commonly observed in the cell and sheath of iron bacteria, indicating that iron was precipitated in close association with the metabolism of bacterial activity. Rock-forming minerals such as quartz, feldspar, and micas were primarily derived from soils or granite aquifers, which are widely distributed in the study area. The results indicate the importance of elucidating the formation mechanisms of clogging materials to ensure sustainable well capacity.

The Analysis of the Fish Assemblage Characteristics by Wetland Type (River and lake) of National Wetland Classification System of Wetlands in Gyeongsangnam-do (국가습지유형분류체계의 습지 유형 (하천형과 호수형)에 따른 경남지역 습지의 어류군집 특성 분석)

  • Kim, Jeong-Hui;Yoon, Ju-Duk;Im, Ran-Young;Kim, Gu-Yeon;Jo, Hyunbin
    • Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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    • v.51 no.2
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    • pp.149-159
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    • 2018
  • Twenty-nine wetlands (20 river type and 9 lake type wetlands) in Gyeongsangnam-do were investigated to understand the characteristics of fish assemblages by the wetland type and to suggest management strategies. As a result, $10.3{\pm}4.8$ species were collected from river type wetlands on average (${\pm}SD$) and $9.1{\pm}4.1$ species from lake type wetlands. Thus, there was no significant difference in the number of species between them (Mann-Whitney U test, P>0.05). However, the species that constitute the fish assemblage showed statistically significant differences between the two wetland types (PERMANOVA, Pseudo-F=2.9555, P=0.007). Furthermore, the species that contribute the most to each type of fish assemblage were Zacco koreanus (river type, 28.51%) and Lepomis macrochirus (lake type, 23.21%), respectively (SIMPER). The results of the NMDS analysis using the fish assemblage by place classified the species into three groups (river type, lake type, and others). The current wetland management is only focused on endangered species, but this study shows a difference in fish assemblage by wetland type. Therefore, a management system based information on endemic species, exotic species and major contribution species should be provided. Furthermore, the classification of some types of wetlands based on the present topography was found to be ambiguous, and wetland classification using living creatures can be used as a complementary method. This study has limitations because only two types of wetlands were analyzed. Therefore, a detailed management method that can represent every type of wetland should be prepared through the research of all types of wetlands in the future.

Development of an Automatic 3D Coregistration Technique of Brain PET and MR Images (뇌 PET과 MR 영상의 자동화된 3차원적 합성기법 개발)

  • Lee, Jae-Sung;Kwark, Cheol-Eun;Lee, Dong-Soo;Chung, June-Key;Lee, Myung-Chul;Park, Kwang-Suk
    • The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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    • v.32 no.5
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    • pp.414-424
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    • 1998
  • Purpose: Cross-modality coregistration of positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MR) could enhance the clinical information. In this study we propose a refined technique to improve the robustness of registration, and to implement more realistic visualization of the coregistered images. Materials and Methods: Using the sinogram of PET emission scan, we extracted the robust head boundary and used boundary-enhanced PET to coregister PET with MR. The pixels having 10% of maximum pixel value were considered as the boundary of sinogram. Boundary pixel values were exchanged with maximum value of sinogram. One hundred eighty boundary points were extracted at intervals of about 2 degree using simple threshold method from each slice of MR images. Best affined transformation between the two point sets was performed using least square fitting which should minimize the sum of Euclidean distance between the point sets. We reduced calculation time using pre-defined distance map. Finally we developed an automatic coregistration program using this boundary detection and surface matching technique. We designed a new weighted normalization technique to display the coregistered PET and MR images simultaneously. Results: Using our newly developed method, robust extraction of head boundary was possible and spatial registration was successfully performed. Mean displacement error was less than 2.0 mm. In visualization of coregistered images using weighted normalization method, structures shown in MR image could be realistically represented. Conclusion: Our refined technique could practically enhance the performance of automated three dimensional coregistration.

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Enhancement of Antioxidant Activities of Codonopsis lanceolata and Fermented Codonopsis lanceolata by Ultra High Pressure Extraction (초고압 추출 처리에 의한 더덕 및 발효더덕의 항산화 증진)

  • Park, Sung-Jin;Park, Dong-Sik;Lee, Su-Bock;He, Xin-Long;Ahn, Ju-Hee;Yoon, Won-Byung;Lee, Hyeon-Yong
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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    • v.39 no.12
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    • pp.1898-1902
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    • 2010
  • This study was designed to evaluate antioxidant activity of low-quality Codonopsis lanceolata treated by fermentation process followed by hydraulic high pressure extraction. C. lanceolata was subjected to 5,000 bar for 30 min at $25^{\circ}C$. The highest phenolics content was observed in the combined treatment of fermentation and high pressure extraction (35.11 mg/100 g), followed by high pressure extraction alone (14.78 mg/100 g) and conventional extraction (14.56 mg/100 g). The content of flavonoids followed the similar pattern as that of total phenolics, showing 280.86 mg/100 g of C. lanceolata treated by the combined fermentation with high pressure extraction whereas 193.05 mg/100 g of C. lanceolata treated by the conventional extraction. The DPPH scavenging activity was 69.32% at 0.6 mg/mL of C. lanceolata treated by the combined process, while the DPPH scavenging activities of C. lanceolata treated by high pressure extraction alone and the conventional extraction were 60.35% and 30.92%, respectively. The highest reducing power of C. lanceolata extract (1.0 mg/mL) was observed at the combined treatment (0.926), followed by high pressure extraction alone (0.881) and the conventional extraction (0.733). The combination of fermentation with high pressure extraction significantly increased the contents of phenolics and flavonoids and also enhanced the antioxidant activity. Therefore, the combined application of fermentation and high pressure extraction can be an alternative technique for the extraction of C. lanceolata. These results provide useful information for enhancing biological properties of low-quality C. lanceolata.

Age-related Changes in Luteinizing Hormone and Testosterone Levels in Korean Men (한국 남성의 혈중 Luteinizing Hormone과 Testosterone 수준의 연령-관련 변화)

  • Lee, Sung-Ho;Ahn, Ryun-Sup;Kwon, Hyuk-Bang
    • Development and Reproduction
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    • v.12 no.1
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    • pp.57-66
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    • 2008
  • Changes in luteinizing hormone (LH), serum testosterone (T), and salivary T levels with age were examined in Korean men. Serum was obtained from 167 Korean men of different ages ($20{\sim}69\;y$), and the serum LH and T levels were measured. Saliva samples were also obtained, and the salivary T level was determined. The LH levels did not change considerably until 40 y of age (20s, $2.5{\pm}1.0$; 30s, $2.7{\pm}1.5$; and 40s, $2.5{\pm}1.8\;mIU/mL$) but increased significantly around 50 y (50s, $3.7{\pm}1.8$ and 60s, $3.1{\pm}1.7\;mIU/mL$). Further, the serum T levels also did not change until 40 y of age (20s, $5.3{\pm}2.6$, 30s, $4.4{\pm}1.4$, 40s, $4.1{\pm}1.5\;ng/mL$) but decreased significantly at 50 y (50s, $3.4{\pm}1.5$; 60s, $2.6{\pm}0.8\;ng/mL$). The salivary T levels also showed small changes until the age of 40 y ($20s{\sim}40s$, $0.11{\pm}0.015\;ng/mL$) but decreased significantly at 50 y ($0.08{\pm}0.03\;ng/mL$). Thus, the relative ratio of salivary T to serum T levels did not change significantly in all the ages examined ($2.4{\pm}0.9%$). Linear regression analysis predicted that the LH levels increased 1.5%/y while the serum and salivary T levels decreased 1%/y and 0.8%/y, respectively. The serum T/LH ratio did not change considerably until the age of 40 y ($20s{\sim}40s$, $2.27{\pm}0.14$) but decreased significantly ($1.2{\pm}1.0$) at 50 y. Age-related changes in the salivary T/LH ratio were very similar to those in the serum T/LH ratio. These results demonstrated that LH and T levels in serum or saliva did not change considerably until 40 y of age; instead, in Korean men, from 50 y of age, the LH level increased, while the T level decreased. This suggests that primary testicular failure that occurred due to aging (approximately 50 y) and caused this phenomenon. The present study also shows that the salivary T level can be an indicator of the free T level in serum although the salivary T level correlates weakly with the total T level in serum (r=0.53). Thus, information regarding salivary T levels may be useful for studying the age-related changes occurring in male testicular physiology.

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The College Students' Attitude toward Terminal Care and Euthanasia (대학생들의 임종진료에 대한 태도 - 안락사를 중심으로 -)

  • Choi, Youn-Seon;Shin, Jong-Min;Lee, Young-Mee;Lee, Tai-Ho;Hong, Myung-Ho;Kim, Jun-Suk;Yeom, Chang-Hwan
    • Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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    • v.2 no.1
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    • pp.16-22
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    • 1999
  • Purpose : Today, people usually die in hospitals and institution-sterile and strange, and equipped with a complex range of technology capable of supporting and prolonging life, frequently only biological one, when a return to health and vitality is no longer possible. Consequently, 'dying with dignity' has become a slogan of opposition to useless and degrading prolongation of life when a patient's organ, though still minimally functional, can no longer support or permit the exercise of self-fulfilling personal control over life's events. Dying with dignity, however, means entirely different things to different people. This study is to investigate the college students' attitude on terminal care and passive euthanasia. Methods : During June 1997, 337 college students participated in this study by responding to the pre-made questionnaire. It deft with the attitude to passive euthanasia, hospice, the most suffering fear facing the death, the preferred place and person to be with if dying. Results : 63.2% of subjects agreed to passive euthanasia. Only 14.2.% of college students can explain the concept of hospice, exactly They got the information about hospice by TV(43%), book(33.5%), religious group(12%) in order. The preferred death place was home(76.6%) and hospital(11.9%) in order. The Most suffering fear facing the death were about unknown(41.5%), loosing colleague(13.6%), pain(11%), isolation(6.5%) in order. Conclusion : About two-thirds of college students agreed to passive euthanasia. But euthanasia is dangerous and unnecessary. We should vigorously promote programmes of education in hospice and palliative medicine and care.

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THE CURRENT STATUS OF BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING IN THE USA

  • Webster, John G.
    • Proceedings of the KOSOMBE Conference
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    • v.1992 no.05
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    • pp.27-47
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    • 1992
  • Engineers have developed new instruments that aid in diagnosis and therapy Ultrasonic imaging has provided a nondamaging method of imaging internal organs. A complex transducer emits ultrasonic waves at many angles and reconstructs a map of internal anatomy and also velocities of blood in vessels. Fast computed tomography permits reconstruction of the 3-dimensional anatomy and perfusion of the heart at 20-Hz rates. Positron emission tomography uses certain isotopes that produce positrons that react with electrons to simultaneously emit two gamma rays in opposite directions. It locates the region of origin by using a ring of discrete scintillation detectors, each in electronic coincidence with an opposing detector. In magnetic resonance imaging, the patient is placed in a very strong magnetic field. The precessing of the hydrogen atoms is perturbed by an interrogating field to yield two-dimensional images of soft tissue having exceptional clarity. As an alternative to radiology image processing, film archiving, and retrieval, picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) are being implemented. Images from computed radiography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), nuclear medicine, and ultrasound are digitized, transmitted, and stored in computers for retrieval at distributed work stations. In electrical impedance tomography, electrodes are placed around the thorax. 50-kHz current is injected between two electrodes and voltages are measured on all other electrodes. A computer processes the data to yield an image of the resistivity of a 2-dimensional slice of the thorax. During fetal monitoring, a corkscrew electrode is screwed into the fetal scalp to measure the fetal electrocardiogram. Correlations with uterine contractions yield information on the status of the fetus during delivery To measure cardiac output by thermodilution, cold saline is injected into the right atrium. A thermistor in the right pulmonary artery yields temperature measurements, from which we can calculate cardiac output. In impedance cardiography, we measure the changes in electrical impedance as the heart ejects blood into the arteries. Motion artifacts are large, so signal averaging is useful during monitoring. An intraarterial blood gas monitoring system permits monitoring in real time. Light is sent down optical fibers inserted into the radial artery, where it is absorbed by dyes, which reemit the light at a different wavelength. The emitted light travels up optical fibers where an external instrument determines O2, CO2, and pH. Therapeutic devices include the electrosurgical unit. A high-frequency electric arc is drawn between the knife and the tissue. The arc cuts and the heat coagulates, thus preventing blood loss. Hyperthermia has demonstrated antitumor effects in patients in whom all conventional modes of therapy have failed. Methods of raising tumor temperature include focused ultrasound, radio-frequency power through needles, or microwaves. When the heart stops pumping, we use the defibrillator to restore normal pumping. A brief, high-current pulse through the heart synchronizes all cardiac fibers to restore normal rhythm. When the cardiac rhythm is too slow, we implant the cardiac pacemaker. An electrode within the heart stimulates the cardiac muscle to contract at the normal rate. When the cardiac valves are narrowed or leak, we implant an artificial valve. Silicone rubber and Teflon are used for biocompatibility. Artificial hearts powered by pneumatic hoses have been implanted in humans. However, the quality of life gradually degrades, and death ensues. When kidney stones develop, lithotripsy is used. A spark creates a pressure wave, which is focused on the stone and fragments it. The pieces pass out normally. When kidneys fail, the blood is cleansed during hemodialysis. Urea passes through a porous membrane to a dialysate bath to lower its concentration in the blood. The blind are able to read by scanning the Optacon with their fingertips. A camera scans letters and converts them to an array of vibrating pins. The deaf are able to hear using a cochlear implant. A microphone detects sound and divides it into frequency bands. 22 electrodes within the cochlea stimulate the acoustic the acoustic nerve to provide sound patterns. For those who have lost muscle function in the limbs, researchers are implanting electrodes to stimulate the muscle. Sensors in the legs and arms feed back signals to a computer that coordinates the stimulators to provide limb motion. For those with high spinal cord injury, a puff and sip switch can control a computer and permit the disabled person operate the computer and communicate with the outside world.

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Investigation of lifespan related genes of the silkmoth, Bombyx mori L (누에나방 수명관련 특이발현 유전자 탐색)

  • Choi, Kwang-Ho;Goo, Tae-Won;Kim, Seong-Ryul;Kim, Sung-Wan;Kang, Seok-Woo;Kang, Pil-Don
    • Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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    • v.51 no.2
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    • pp.211-217
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    • 2013
  • In general, the mean silkmoth lifespan is around 8 days for female and 5 days for male. But, the duration of J037 strain's lifespan is remarkably long in both sexes. On the contrary, the Daizo(sdi) strain has a remarkably short lifetime. The differences in adult lifetime among various silkworm strains has been suggested that the adult lifetime may be genetically controlled. In this experiment, using J037 and Daizo strains we investigated genetic factors related to the adult lifetime of silkworm. We constructed the full-length cDNA library from the adult male of the J037 strain. A total of 2,688 clones were randomly selected, and we performed a differential display hybridization with cDNA probes generated from J037 and Daizo adult males. In conclusion, 193 clones were identified as differential expressed genes, and 154 unique genes were generated after the assembly of 193 clones. Of the 154 unique genes, the most abundant genes were cytochrome oxidase subunit-1 gene(9 times) and unknown(clone ID; 1-50) gene(5 times). The functional groups of these unique genes with matches in the AmiGo database were constructed according to their putative molecular functions. Among thirteen functional categories, the largest group was unclassified protein(24%). In addition, we analyzed the nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences of the most highly occurred gene(1-50, EF434397), which consisted of 240 amino acids. However, it is confirmed yet that these genes really have an affected on the silkworms longevity. Further studies on these molecules biological roles will give us well-fined information about mechanisms of insect aging and/or scenesence.

Identification of the Pig β-1,3-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase 1 (pB3GNT1) that is Involved in Poly-N-acetyllactosamine (poly-LacNAc) Synthesis (Poly-N-acetyllactosamine (poly-LacNAc) 합성에 관여하는 돼지 β-1,3-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase I (pB3GNT1) 유전자 동정)

  • Kim, Ji-Youn;Hwang, Hwan-Jin;Chung, Hak-Jae;Hochi, Shinichi;Park, Mi-Ryung;Byun, Sung June;Oh, Keon Bong;Yang, Hyeon;Kim, Kyung-Woon
    • Journal of Life Science
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    • v.28 no.4
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    • pp.389-397
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    • 2018
  • The structure of glycan residues attached to glycoproteins can influence the biological activity, stability, and safety of pharmaceutical proteins delivered from transgenic pig milk. The production of therapeutic glycoprotein in transgenic livestock animals is limited, as the glycosylation of mammary gland cells and the production of glycoproteins with the desired homogeneous glycoform remain a challenge. The ${\beta}$-1,3-N-acetylglucosaminylatransferase1 (B3GNT1) gene is an important enzyme that attaches N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) to galactose (Gal) residues for protein glycosylation; however, there is limited information about pig glycosyltransferases. Therefore, we cloned the pig B3GNT1 (pB3GNT1) and investigated its functional properties that could attach N-acetylglucosamine to galactose residue. Using several different primers, a partial pB3GNT1 mRNA sequence containing the full open reading frame (ORF) was isolated from liver tissue. The ORF of pB3GNT1 contained 1,248 nucleotides and encoded 415 amino acid residues. Organ-dependent expression of the pB3GNT1 gene was confirmed in various organs from adult and juvenile pigs. The pB3GNT1 mRNA expression level was high in the muscles of the heart and small intestine but was lower in the lungs. For functional characterization of pB3GNT1, we established a stable expression of the pB3GNT1 gene in the porcine kidney cell line (PK-15). As a result, it was suggested that the glycosylation pattern of pB3GNT1 expression in PK-15 cells did not affect the total sialic acid level but increased the poly N-acetyllactosamine level. The results of this study can be used to produce glycoproteins with improved properties and therapeutic potential for the generation of desired glycosylation using transgenic pigs as bioreactors.

A Study on the Health Effects of Pesticide Exposure among Farmers (농약살포 농민의 농약노출로 인한 건강피해에 관한 연구)

  • Lee, Kyoung-Mu;Min, Sun-Young;Chung, Moon-Ho
    • Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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    • v.25 no.2
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    • pp.245-263
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    • 2000
  • This study was conducted to provide the basic data about the health effects of pesticide exposure among farmers for agricultural health study. We analyzed 412 self-administered questionnaires collected from the male farmers who spray pesticides in Kyoung-ju area, Korea. Survey questions were about chronic symptoms, acute symptoms while pesticide spraying, pesticide intoxication accident, safety rules, protective equipments etc. The correlations among the variables related to pesticide exposure and the factors in acute pesticide poisoning and chronic symptoms of farmers were also analyzed. For chronic symptoms, the prevalence of 'tiredness and languor', 'lumbago', 'nocturia', 'shoulder pain', 'numbness', and, for acute symptoms while pesticide spraying, the experience rate of 'itching sense of skin', 'dizziness/headache', 'fatigue', 'eye glaring' were high compared with other symptoms. For 'experience of intoxication accident by pesticide in family', 7.1% of the subjects experienced the accident and the causes were pesticide spraying, food contamination by pesticide, suicide etc. Among safety rules, 'take a bath after spraying', 'change clothes after spraying' were kept relatively well, and, for protective equipments, hat, boots, mask, gloves, protective clothes(lower) were put on relatively well. The factors associated with acute pesticide poisoning were the extent of keeping safety rules, spraying time, orchard cultivation, agricultural area and spraying days per year etc. And the factors associated with chronic symptoms were acute symptoms while pesticide spraying, agricultural area, farming career, extent of keeping safety rules, extent of agricultural work and the pesticide exposure index etc. From these results, it is suggested that to reduce the health effects by pesticide exposure among farmers, the education to promote to keep safety rules and wear protective equipments, and information services should be recommended. And further studies on the long term health effects of pesticide exposure among farmers are required.

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