• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.244-253
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• 2022

Background: The indiscriminate use of pesticides in Nigeria may have harmful effects on reproductive health of farmers. Objectives: This study assessed the awareness of reproductive health, serum follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone, estradiol, progesterone and sperm characteristics of male farmers occupationally exposed to pesticides. Methods: Eighty four male farmers were recruited for the study. Structured questionnaire was used to obtain the socio-demographic data. Blood and semen samples were collected from the subjects in the morning for hormonal assays and semen analysis using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method and SQAV sperm quality analyzer. Data were analyzed using chi square, Student's-t-test, and Regression analysis. Results: Serum FSH (p<0.01), LH (p<0.005) and Estradiol (p<0.001) were significantly higher while prolactin (p<0.02) and testosterone (p<0.001) were significantly lower among pesticides exposed farmers than nonexposed subjects. Some 34/84 (40.5%) of the pesticides exposed farmers had serum testosterone levels below the lower limit of the reference range. Those with low testosterone levels (p<0.001), also had FSH (p<0.05), LH (p<0.001) and Estradiol (p<0.002) significantly lower than those with normal testosterone levels. The sperm count among pesticides exposed farmers; total motility and percentage morphology were significantly lower than non-pesticides exposed subjects. Some 14/84 (16.7%) of the pesticides exposed farmers had sperm count below 15 million/mL (oligozoospermia). More than 70% of the farmers were not aware of the reproductive health risks associated with pesticides and only 23.8% of the farmers were using protective devices. Conclusions: Deliberate efforts to improve awareness, knowledge, personal hygiene, and interventions necessary to lessen both pesticides exposure and health risks by adopting safe practices are suggested.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.202-212
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• 2021

Objectives: The reproductive health of female workers has been extensively investigated in South Korea and other countries worldwide. However, few studies have discussed the reproductive health of male workers. In this study, we reviewed the recent literature that reports on the effects of occupational exposure on the reproductive health of male workers and the health of their children. Methods: In May 2020 we used the PubMed search engine to search the literature over the last 10 years and chose case-control, cohort, and cross-sectional studies and reviews. We selected epidemiological studies that investigated the association between pre-pregnant occupational exposure and the reproductive health of male workers and the health of their children. We excluded case reports, non-epidemiological studies (animal experiments, cellular-level experiments, and similar articles), and studies that described postnatal occupational exposure. Results: We eventually selected 23 studies. The studies that included exclusively male workers reported that those employed in the agricultural sector or those exposed to pesticides showed lower blood levels of reproductive hormones and a high risk of lympho-hematopoietic system cancer in their children. Male workers exposed to complex organic solvents and organic compounds showed a high risk of poor semen quality, increased time to pregnancy, decreased blood levels of reproductive hormones, and a high risk of lympho-hematopoietic system cancer in their children. Male workers employed in occupations that involved significant social contact, or in the leather and livestock industries, and in occupations with high levels of exposure to lead and organic solvents showed a high risk of malignancies, including lympho-hematopoietic system cancer, neuroblastoma, and central nervous system tumors in their children. Studies that investigated both male and female workers reported that children of male smelters showed a high risk of premature birth, and children of male workers exposed to metals showed a high risk of hypospadias and cryptorchidism. Children of male welders and workers employed in the glass, ceramic, and tile industries showed a high risk of premature birth. Conclusion: The findings of this study will serve as basic data for further research on male workers' reproductive health and provide a scientific basis for the development of strategies to protect the reproductive health of males employed in high-risk occupations. Moreover, the results of this study may provide guidelines to improve the understanding of and knowledge on male workers' reproductive health.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.109-117
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• 2008

Application of biomarkers for assessing marine environmental health risk is a relatively new field. According to the National Research Council and the World Health Organization, biomarkers can be divided into three classes: biomarkers of exposure, biomarkers of effect, and biomarkers of susceptibility. In order to assess exposure to or effect of the environmental pollutants on marine ecosystem, the following set of biomarkers can be examined: detoxification, oxidative stress, biotransformation products, stress responses, apoptosis, physiological metabolisms, neuromuscular responses, reproductions, steroid hormones, antioxidants, genetic modifications. Since early 1990s, several biomarker research groups have developed health indices of marine organisms to be used for assessing the state of the marine environment. Biomarker indices can be used to interpret data obtained from monitoring biological effects. In this review, we will summarize Health assessment Index, Biomarker Index, Bioeffect Assessment Index and Generalized Linear Model. Measurements of biomarker responses and development of biomarker index in marine organisms from contaminated sites offer great a lot of information, which can be used in environmental monitoring programs, designed for various aspects of ecosystem risk assessment.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.330-336
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• 2005

Objectives : The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of bisphenol A (BPA), an estrogen-like environmental endocrine disrupter, on the placental function and reproduction in rats. The mRNA levels of the placental prolactin-growth hormone(PRL-GH) gene family, placental trophoblast cell frequency and reproductive data were analyzed. Methods : The pregnancies of F344 Fisher rats ($160g{\pm}20g$) were detected by the presence of the copulatory plug or sperm in the vaginal smear, which marked Day 0 of pregnancy. Pregnant rats were divided into three groups. The control group was intraperitoneally injected with a sesame oil vehicle. The two remaining groups were injected with 50 or 500 mg/kg B.W/day of BPA, resuspended in sesame oil, on either days 7 to 11 or 16 to 20 of pregnancy, with the rats sacrificed on either day 11 or 20, respectively. The mRNA levels of PRL-GH and Pit-1a and b isotype genes were analyzed by Northern blot hybridization and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The hormone concentrations were analyzed by radioimmunoassay, and the frequency of the placental trophoblast cells observed by a histochemical study. Reproductive data, such as the placental weight and litter size, were surveyed on day 20. The fetal weight was surveyed for 4 weeks after birth. A statistical analysis was carried out using the SAS program (version 8.1). Results : The mRNA levels of the PRL-GH gene family, such as placental lactogen I, Iv and II, prolactin like protein A, C and Cv, and decidual prolactin-related protein were significantly reduced due to BPA exposure. The mRNA levels of the Pit-1a and b isotype genes, which induce the expression of the PRL-GH gene family in the rat placenta, were also reduced due to BPA exposure. The PL-Iv and PL-II concentrations were reduced in the BPA exposed group. During the middle to last stage of pregnancy (Days 11-20), a high dose of BPA exposure reduced the frequency of spongiotrophoblast cells, which are responsible for the secretion of the PRL-GH hormones. Reproductive data, such as the placental and fetal weights and the litter size, were reduced, but that of the pregnancy period was extended in the BPA exposed compared to the control group. Conclusions : BPA disrupts the placental functions in rats, which leads to reproductive disorders.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.1037-1042
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• 2012

An auxin-producing bacteria (2SJ8-02) was isolated from waste mushroom bed of Agaricus bisporus in Buyeo-Gun, Chungnam. The strain 2SJ8-02 was classified as a novel strain of Pantoea rwandensis based on a chemotaxanomic and phylogeneticanalyses. The isolate was confirmed to produce indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), one of auxin hormones, by TLC and HPLC analyses. The maximum concentration of IAA, $122mg\;L^{-1}$ was detected from the culture in R2A broth containing 0.1% tryptophan for 24 h at $35^{\circ}C$. The molecular weight of the main peak obtained by LC-mass analysis was 175 corresponding to that of IAA. To investigate the growth-promoting effects to the crops, the culture broth of Pantoea rwandensis 2SJ8-02 was infected to water cultures and seed pots of mung bean. In consequence, the adventitious root induction and root growth of mung bean were two times higher than those of the control.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.9
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• pp.1467-1475
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• 2015

The use of microbial extracts containing plant hormones is a promising technique to improve crop growth. Little is known about the effect of bacterial cell-free extracts on plant growth promotion. This study, based on phytohormonal analyses, aimed at exploring the potential mechanisms by which Enterococcus faecium LKE12 enhances plant growth in oriental melon. A bacterial strain, LKE12, was isolated from soil, and further identified as E. faecium by 16S rDNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. The plant growth-promoting ability of an LKE12 bacterial culture was tested in a gibberellin (GA)-deficient rice dwarf mutant (waito-C) and a normal GA biosynthesis rice cultivar (Hwayongbyeo). E. faecium LKE12 significantly improved the length and biomass of rice shoots in both normal and dwarf cultivars through the secretion of an array of gibberellins (GA₁, GA₃, GA₇, GA₈, GA₉, GA₁₂, GA₁₉, GA₂₀, GA₂₄, and GA₅₃), as well as indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study indicating that E. faecium can produce GAs. Increases in shoot and root lengths, plant fresh weight, and chlorophyll content promoted by E. faecium LKE12 and its cell-free extract inoculated in oriental melon plants revealed a favorable interaction of E. faecium LKE12 with plants. Higher plant growth rates and nutrient contents of magnesium, calcium, sodium, iron, manganese, silicon, zinc, and nitrogen were found in cell-free extract-treated plants than in control plants. The results of the current study suggest that E. faecium LKE12 promotes plant growth by producing GAs and IAA; interestingly, the exogenous application of its cell-free culture extract can be a potential strategy to accelerate plant growth.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.313-318
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• 2007

Monitoring for the quality of coastal water is necessary to improve its biological resources and to maintain healthy environments. We measured the concentrations of phenols, nine polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), tributyltin (TBT) in surface water at 5 stations and the concentrations of mercury (Hg), chromium (Cr (VI)), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) in surface water of 10 stations in Tongyeong marine ranching ground of Korea in August, 2003. The concentrations of analytes were determined as follows: phenols: 1.6$\sim$2.8 ppb, PCBs: not detected (ND), Hg: <0.1 ppb, Cr (VI): 0.01$\sim$5.32 ppb, Cd: ND$\sim$0.41 ppb and Pb: 0.43$\sim$2.60 ppb. These concentrations satisfied the standards of human health protection in coastal water by Ministry of Environment, Republic of Korea as follows: phenols; 5 ppb, PCBs: 0.5 ppb, Hg: 0.5 ppb, Cr (VI): 50 ppb, Cd: 10 ppb and Pb: 50 ppb. TBT was not listed in the standards. The concentrations of Sn in TBT analyzed in sea water of Tongyeong marine ranching ground were in the range of ND$\sim$0.0273 ppb which are similar with the values of 8$\sim$35 ng Sn $L^{-1}$ (0.008$\sim$0.035 ppb) in Chinhae Bay studied by Shim et al.. Therefore, the quality of sea water in Tongyeong marine ranching ground was safe enough to protect human health.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.25-53
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• 2022

In this study, trends in research methods and topics of seabird and marine fish migration were examined. Based on the framework of existing animal migration studies, future research directions were proposed in relation to the migration of seabirds and fish. In terms of research methodology, with the development of science and technology, tracking techniques using radio telemetry, acoustic telemetry, RFID (radio-frequency identification), satellite tracking, and geolocators are widely used to study seabird and fish migration. Research is also conducted indirectly through a population survey and the analysis of substances in the body. Research contents are largely classified into extrinsic factors that affect migration(such as environmental variables and interspecific competition), intrinsic factors such as hormones, anthropogenic activities including fishery and offshore wind farm, and the effect of global climate change. In future studies, physiological factors that influence or cause migration and dispersal should be identified concerning intrinsic factors. For the analysis of migration ability, it is necessary to study effects of changes in the magnetic field on the migration ability of seabirds and fish, interspecific differences in spatiotemporal migration ability, and factors that influence the migration success rate. Regarding extrinsic factors, research studies on effects of anthropogenic disturbances such as fishery and offshore wind farm and global climate change on the migration and dispersal patterns of marine animals are needed. Finally, integrated studies on the migration of seabirds and fish directly or indirectly affecting each other in various ecological aspects are required.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.183-190
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• 2008

PFOS (Perfluorooctane sulfonate) and PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic acid) are environmental hormones which belong to potential future persistent organic pollutants (POPs), and it is easy to exposure to human because they are used in a wide variety of consumer products. We studied exposure route and the relativity through determining and monitoring of PFOS and PFOA in Korean plasma of metropolis, small town, rural area and industrial area. And we monitored the concentration of PFOS and PFOA regarding the gender and age. The older age is, the higher concentration of PFOS is. The mean concentration of PFOS and PFOA in men (4.74 ng/mL, 2.20 ng/mL) was higher than that in women (3.53 ng/mL, 1.17 ng/mL). In the comparison of residential areas, the mean concentration of PFOS and PFOA was the lowest in metropolitan plasma (2.47 ng/mL, 0.79 ng/mL) whereas it was the highest in the industrial area (6.57 ng/mL, 2.19 ng/mL).

• Journal of Korean Medical classics
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.85-98
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• 2013

Subject : The application of eight extra Meridians theory to birth physiology of Korean Medicine. Objective : This study suggests physiological theories in child birth in Korean Medicine. Method : First, the application of eight extra Meridians and extraordinary organs theories to physiology, pathology, pregnancy, postnatal period of women were examined based on major publications and theories of some historical characters. This work provided clues for application of eight extra Meridians theory to birth physiology. Second, the progressing birth physiology of modern medicine based on the importance of the brain function was examined, with which the application of eight extra Meridians and extraordinary organs theories to the birth process showed close relationship. Conclusion : The following conclusions could be drawn. In traditional publications of Korean Medicine, the contents explaining birth physiology with eight extra Meridians theory were scarce, mainly due to the doctor's perception of birth as part of the natural female physiology along with menstruation and pregnancy. However, the contents explaining menstruation, pregnancy, postnatal physiology and pathology through eight extra Meridians theory could be found in classical texts such as Neijing, Jebyeong-wonhuron, Imjeunginameuian. Therefore, it is reasonable to apply the eight extra Meridians theory to the birth process as well. Modern medicine's understanding that pituitary and hypothalamus hormones are in play on womb in the birth process, such as Oxytocin, is in continuous progress. Moreover, the environmental condition that has been traditionally known ideal to the birth process in both the East and West-dark, warm, quiet and secluded-is being confirmed in modern research. The application of eight extra Meridians theory to birth physiology can help to explain these modern information, and thus make them more acceptable.