• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제43권2호
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• pp.242-251
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• 2019

Background: Korean Red Ginseng has been widely used in traditional oriental medicine for a prolonged period, and its pharmacological effects have been extensively investigated. In addition, Angelica gigas and deer antlers were also used as a tonic medicine with Korean Red Ginseng as the oriental herbal therapy. Methods: This study was conducted to evaluate the potential toxicological effect of KGC-HJ3, Korean Red Ginseng with angelica gigas and deer antlers, on reproductive and developmental functions including fertility, early embryonic development, maternal function, and embryo-fetal development. KGC-HJ3 was administered by oral gavage to Sprague-Dawley rats (22 animals per sex per group) at dose levels of 0 mg/kg (control), 500 mg/kg, 1000 mg/kg, and 2000 mg/kg to evaluate the potential toxicological effect on fertility and early embryonic development. In addition, KGC-HJ3 was also administered by oral gavage to mating-proven Sprague-Dawley rats (22 females per group) during the major organogenesis period at dose levels of 0 mg/kg (control), 500 mg/kg, 1000 mg/kg, and 2000 mg/kg to evaluate the potential toxicological effect on maternal function and embryo-fetal development. Results and conclusion: No test item-related changes in parameters for fertility, early embryonic development, maternal function, and embryo-fetal development were observed during the study period. On the basis of these results, it was concluded that KGC-HJ3 did not have toxicological potential on developmental and reproductive functions. Therefore, no observed adverse effect levels of KGC-HJ3 for fertility, early embryonic development, maternal function, and embryo-fetal development is considered to be at least 2000 mg/kg/day.

• Toxicological Research
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• 제13권1_2호
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• pp.103-110
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• 1997

This study was performed to investigate the effects of cadmium chloride on the acute and chronic toxicity on rats. Several toxic effects of cadmium has been shown following short-term and longterm pretreatment with cadmium and zinc. Four groups of rats (A, B, C, D), each consisting of 16 rats, were studied and each group was divided into four subgroups (1, 2, 3, 4), 4 rats for each subgroup. Rats were subcutaneously pretreated with $CdCl_2$ (0.5 mg/kg, A & C), and $ZnCl_2$ (13.0 mg/kg, B & D) during time periods of 1 weeks (group A & B) and 6 weeks (group C & D). At the end of the period, rats were challenged with $CdCl_2$ (3.0, 6.0 and 9.0 mg/kg, i.p.). After giving the challenge dose, cadmium and metallothionein(MT) concentrations were determined. The concentrations of cadmium were higher in the liver than the kidney irrelevantly to cadmium and zinc pretreatment and increased dose-dependently to the challenge dosage. The metallothioneins showed higher concentrations in the liver than the kidney following cadmium pretreatment and were higher in the long-term pretreatment groups than the short-term pretreatment groups in the liver and the kidney of rats. These data suggest that metallothioneins are induced preferentially in the liver by pretreatment of cadmium and then, formed in the form of Cd-MT, may play an important role in the nephrotoxicity.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제3권1호
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• pp.11-16
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• 2012

Lead poisoning is one of the earliest identified and most known occupational disease. Its acute effects have been recognized from antiquity when this condition principally afflicted manual workers and slaves, actually scarcely considered by the medicine of that time. The Industrial Revolution caused an epidemic of metal intoxication, urging scientists and physician of that period to study and identify specific symptoms and organ alterations related to chronic lead poisoning. During the 20th century, the acknowledgment of occupational and environmental toxicity of lead fostered public awareness and legislation to protect health. More recently, the identification of sub-clinical effects have greatly modified the concept of lead poisoning and the approaches of medicine towards this condition. Nowadays, lead poisoning is rarely seen in developed countries, but it still represents a major environmental problem in certain areas. Consequently, it may appear as a paradigm of "occupational and environmental disease," and the history of this condition seems to parallel the historical development of modern "Occupational and Environmental Health" as a more complete medical discipline.

• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제36권6호
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• pp.441-455
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• 2010

Researchers who work in science and engineering R&D laboratories are commonly exposed to a wide range of chemical, biological and physical hazards. They also may adopt ergonomically poor postures for long periods of time. These factors may increase the risk of adverse health outcomes in laboratory workers. Recently, there were several fatal accidents in the laboratories in universities and research institutes in Korea. Consequently, the 'Laboratory Safety Act' was enacted in 2006. However, there are concerns about the health risk associated with chronic exposures to hazards, as the management measures provided in this Act are very limited, focusing primarily on accident prevention and compensation for lab work-related accidents. In this article, the methods for assessing exposure to chemicals in laboratory environments are discussed. Also, epidemiological studies examining the association between laboratory exposure and health effects, including cancer and reproductive toxicity are extensively reviewed. Finally, the possible roles of environmental health professionals in this area are suggested, along with a list of critical research needs for properly assessing laboratory workers' exposure and risk.

• 대한한의학회지
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• 제16권1호통권29호
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• pp.227-249
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• 1995

Pursuant to the Medical Product Safety Administration Guidelines for safety assessment of Korean bee vonom for herb-acupuncture, rabbits were used for skin, eye balls, subcutaneous and muscle irritation test. The results were as follows; 1. The skin irritation test of bee venom for herb-acupuncture did not produce any irritation reactions, when the skin was covered with bee venom. 2. The eye irritation test produced moderate to severe stimulating reactions, once the eye mucous membrane was contacted with bee venom. 3. The subcutaneous and muscle irritation test of bee venom showed such local inflammatory reactions as death of cells, infiltration of inflamed cells, dropsical swelling, and congestion, once injected under the skin and in the muscle. As the results of the study on bee venom for herb-acupuncture indicate that severe reactions in such tests as eye balls, subcutancous and muscle irritation exist in the laboratory, more professional caution should be taken in clinical application of the therapy. In addition, further study on subacute, chronic toxicity and allergy reactions should be pursued.

• 환경정책연구
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• 제1권1호
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• pp.75-90
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• 2002

Methyl tertiary-butyl ether(MTBE) is used as an octane enhancer in gasoline. MTBE can enter the environment at any stage in the production, storage, and transport of undiluted MTBE or MTBE-blended gasoline. Although data on concentrations of MTBE in the environment are not available, modelling of fate of MTBE has provided predictions for concentrations of MTBE in the various media to which humans and other organisms may be exposed. Many individuals do not taste or smell MTBE at the $5{\mu}g/L$ level, and thus may be exposed to higher concentrations for a significant amount of time. MTBE exposure through inhalation is likely to be below health-threatening levels, except for occupational workers such as gasoline station attendants and auto mechanics. It should be stressed, however, that there are important data gaps in our understanding of the acute and chronic toxicity of MTBE. Little or no research concern including being conducted that directly addresses these issues. Rather than any immediate ban on MTBE, I recommend consideration of phasing out MTBE in USA and other countries. During the transition phase, a number of policies are suggested to reduce the risk of using MTBE. One of these policies is that the state should invest in a research program. Such research should, for example, examine effective alternatives for motor vehicle fuels, and detect concentrations of MTBE in ambient air, water, and other environmental media.

• Toxicological Research
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• 제17권
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• pp.83-88
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• 2001

Most reactive oxygen species (ROS) are free radicals and implicated in the development of a number of disease processes including artherosclerosis, neurodegenerative disorders, aging and cancer. ROS are byproducts of a number of in vivo metabolic processes and are formed deliberately as part of nor-mal inflammatory response. On the other hand, ROS are generated either as by products of oxygen reduction during xenobiotic metabolism or are liberated as the result of the futile redox cycling of the chemical agents including several chemical carcinogens. A better understanding of the mechanisms of free radical toxicity may yield valuable clue to risks associated with chemical exposures that leading to the development of chronic diseases including cancer. The molecular biology of ROS-mediated alterations in gene expression, signal transduction and carcinognesis is one of the important subjects in free radical toxicology. Epidemiological studies suggest that high intake of vegetables and fruits are associated with the low incidence of human cancer. Many phytopolyphenols such as tea polyphenols, curcumin, resveratrol, apigenin, genistein and other flavonoids have been shown to be cancer chemopreventive agents. Most of these compounds are strong antioxidant and ROS scavengers in vitro and effective inducers of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutatse, catalase and glutathione peroxidase in vivo. Several cellular transducers namely receptor tyrosine kinase, protein kinase C, MAPK, PI3K, c-jun, c-fos, c-myc, NFkB, IkB kinase, iNOS, COX-2, Bcl-2, Bax, etc have been shown to be actively modulated by phyto-polyphenols. Recent development in free radical toxicology have provided strong basis for understanding the action mechanisms of cancer chemoprevention.

• Toxicological Research
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• 제17권
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• pp.263-270
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• 2001

The carcinogenic potential of steviol, a metabolite of/ stevioside (a compound that is used as a sweetener for food and drink), was examined in hamsters of both sexes. Groups of 55 male and 55 female hamsters were given diets containing steviol at 0, 100 and 500 mg/kg diet for 22 months in males and 18 months in females. After 6, 12 and 22 months in males and 18 months in females. hamsters from each group were sacrificed for hematological and biochemical tests. Growth food utilization and consumption, general appearance and mortality were similar in treated and control groups. The mean life span of hamsters given steviol was not significantly different from that of the controls. No treatment-related changes were observed in hematological, urinary and biochemical values at any stage of the study. There was no significantly altered development of neoplastic or non-neoplastic lesions attributable to steviol treatment in any organ or tissue. The highest level oj steviol in the diet which still causes no effects in hamsters was 500 mg/kg diet, under the experimental conditions used.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• 제40권2호
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• pp.82-87
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• 2015

Methotrexate (MTX) is a chemotherapeutic agent that is used to treat a host of malignancies. But recently, MTX has also been used as a therapeutic agent for chronic inflammatory disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and systemic lupus erythematosus. However, MTX is an antimetabolite that affects rapidly dividing normal cells such as oral mucosal epithelial cells, gastrointestinal epithelial cells, and bone marrow cells-which explains why oral mucositis is often an initial manifestation of MTX toxicity. Because oral lesions are frequently initially presented in dental clinics, dentists should consider the possibility of adverse drug reactions in the differential diagnoses of oral lesions through a meticulous collection of patients' medical histories. In this report, we examine patients who suffered from oral ulcerative lesions upon diagnosis of MTX-induced oral mucositis. Then, we suggest approaches for the diagnosis and treatment of MTX-induced oral mucositis through a review of literature.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• 제35권1호
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• pp.1-15
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• 2017

Locoregional failure is the most frequent pattern of failure in locally advanced head and neck cancer patients and it leads to death in most of the patients. Second primary tumors occurring in the other head and neck region reach up to almost 40% of long-term survivors. Recommended and preferred retreatment option in operable patients is salvage surgical resection, reporting a 5-year overall survival of up to 40%. However, because of tumor location, extent, and underlying comorbidities, salvage surgery is often limited and compromised by incomplete resection. Reirradiation with or without combined chemotherapy is an appropriate option for unresectable recurrence. Reirradiation is carefully considered with a case-by-case basis. Reirradiation protocol enrollment is highly encouraged prior to committing patient to an aggressive therapy. Radiation doses greater than 60 Gy are usually recommended for successful salvage. Despite recent technical improvement in intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), the use of concurrent chemotherapy, and the emergence of molecularly targeted agents, careful patient selection remain as the most paramount factor in reirradiation. Tumors that recur or persist despite aggressive prior chemoradiation therapy imply the presence of chemoradio-resistant clonogens. Treatment protocols that combine novel targeted radiosensitizing agents with conformal high precision radiation are required to overcome the resistance while minimizing toxicity. Recent large number of data showed that IMRT may provide better locoregional control with acceptable acute or chronic morbidities. However, additional prospective studies are required before a definitive conclusion can be drawn on safety and effectiveness of IMRT.