• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.55-58
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• 2021

Ciguatera is the commonest syndrome of marine poisoning that is caused by the ingestion of ciguatoxins that accumulate in certain tropical and subtropical finfish. It is endemic throughout the subtropical and tropical regions of the Indo-Pacific and Caribbean and has been rarely reported in Korea. With the expansion of travel, tourism, and the import of fish from the tropics, ciguatera poisoning now affects a diverse population. We report a case of ciguatera in a 70-year-old woman, presenting with general paralysis and coma, which developed after consuming codfish and mackerel in Korea.

• ALGAE
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.317-325
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• 2011

Five benthic species of the genus Gambierdiscus (Dinophyceae) were observed for the first time in the coastal waters of Pakistan, Northern Indian Ocean. The morphology of the epiphytic, ciguatera-related toxic species G. toxicus, G. belizeanus, G. polynesiensis, G. australes and G. cf. yasumotoi are presented here, described by the Kofoid system of thecal plates Po, 3', 7", 6c, 8s, 5"', 1p, 2"" with differences in cell shape, cell size, plates, pores around the apical pore plate by using light and scanning electron microscopy. The occurrence of these potentially toxic dinoflagellate species in Pakistani coastal areas of Manora Channel and Balochistan during high temperatures of 28-$32^{\circ}C$ is cause of concern for human health impacts from ciguatera fish poisoning.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.65-71
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• 2012

Gambierdiscus toxicus, Adachi et. Fukuyo, is a benthic ciguatoxin-producing armored dinoflagellate, often attached to macroalgae. This organism is the primary causative agent of ciguatera fish poisoning which occurs in tropical and subtropical regions. However, regardless of the fact that the population of Gambierdiscus spp. has expanded to such temperate areas from sub-trophic and trophic areas, monitoring of G. toxicus has been lacking in the Korean coastal waters of temperate areas. This study was performed at the uninhabited Baekdo Islands off the southern coast of Korea and at Seopsom Island in the vicinity of Seogwipo, Jeju Province during April and May, 2011. Cell densities of Gambierdiscus spp. on macroalgae at Baekdo and Jeju Island ranged from zero to 56.4 cells $g^{-1}$. Maximum density was recorded on the brown alga Cladophora japonica at St. 3 of Jeju Island. In particular, the cell densities of Gambierdiscus spp. were influenced by the substrate characteristics of macroalgae. In the future, the continuous monitoring of toxic benthic dinoflagellate is necessary to predict and prevent ciguatera poisoning in Korean coastal waters.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Fisheries Technology Conference
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• 2001.05a
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• pp.108-109
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• 2001

수산물 중 어류에서 식품 위생상 문제가 되는 자연독에는 복어독과 ciguatera 독이있다. 복어의 독성에 관해서는 일본을 중심으로 많이 연구되어 왔으며, 그 중 Tani (1945)가 보고한 일본 연안산 복어류의 독성에 관한 연구 결과는 지금도 많은 식품위생 관련서적에서 인용되어 독성 판단의 기준이 되고 있다. 그러나 우리나라에서 조사된 복어류의 독성은 Tani(1945)의 보고와 일부 차이가 있는 것으로 보고되고 있다. (중략)

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.355-361
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• 2012

Genus of Gambierdiscus, Ostrepsis, Prorocentrum, Coolia and Amphidinium are epiphytic ciguatoxin-producing armored dinoflagellate, often attached on macroalgae. These organisms are the primary causative agent of ciguatera fish poisoning which occurs in tropical and subtropical regions. However, regardless of the fact that population of epiphytic dinoflagellates have expanded to such temperate areas from sub-trophic and trophic areas, monitoring of the epiphytic dinoflagellates was greatly lacked in coastal water of Korean Peninsula. This study was performed in the Korean Peninsula in November, 2011. Cell densities of Gambierdiscus spp. on macroalgae ranged from zero to 10 cells $g^{-1}$ and the maximum density was recorded at St.18 (Pohang guryongpo). The abundance of Ostreopsis spp. was highest on macro-algaes Chondrus ocellatus, Lomentaria catenata and Plocamium telfairiae (140 cells $g^{-1}$). The maximum abundance of Prorocentrum, Coolia and Amphidinium were 52, 3 and 1 cells $g^{-1}$, respectively. Of these, Prorocentrum lima was observed at most stations of East Sea. Therefore, our results suggest that the epiphytic armored dinoflagellates may have adapted to Korean coastal water of temperate areas (i.e., East Sea) and those abundances may be related to the macroalgal species.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.121-128
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• 2006

Maitotoxin (MTX) is known as one of the most potent marine toxins involved in Ciguatera poisoning, but intracellular signaling pathways caused by MTX was not fully understood. Thus, we have investigated whether intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) are involved in MTX-induced cellular responses in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. MTX induced a dose-dependent increase of intracellular [$Ca^{2+}$]. MTX stimulated the production of intracellular ROS in a dose- and time-dependent manner, which was suppressed by BAPTA-AM, an intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ chelator. Ionomycin also elevated the ROS production in a dose-dependent manner. MTX elevated transamidation activity in a time-dependent manner and the activation was largely inhibited by transfection of tissue transglutaminase siRNA. The activation of tissue transglutaminase and ERK1/2 by MTX was suppressed by BAPTA-AM or ROS scavengers. In addition, MTX-induced cell death was significantly delayed by BAPTA-AM or a ROS scavenger. These results suggest that [$Ca^{2+}$]-dependent generation of intracellular ROS, at least in part, play an important role in MTX-stimulated cellular responses, such as activation of tTGase, ERK phosphorylation, and induction of cell death, in human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.177-185
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• 2024

We developed a regional ocean climate model using dynamic downscaling in the Northwest Pacific Ocean to build a climate model for the Korean Peninsula. The past marine environment was reproduced through historical simulations, and the future marine environment in 2100 was predicted according to the shared socioeconomic pathways (SSP) climate change scenario. The future sea surface temperature of the Korean seas is predicted to rise about 1-4℃, and the increase in water temperature in the East Sea is expected to be the largest. The National Institute of Fisheries Science has monitored abnormal seawater temperatures such as high and low seawater temperatures in coastal and inland waters, and predicted that the number of high seawater temperature days in the East, West, South Sea, and the coast of Jeju Island will increase in the future. In addition, the occurrence of Ciguatera fish poison plankton around Jeju Island was projected to increase. This study is expected to provide accurate forecasting information for fishery issues. The aim of this study was to analyze future ocean environment changes around the Korean Peninsula using climate change SSP scenarios and predict fisheries issues through future projections of the regional ocean climate model.