• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.61-72
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• 2009

Purpose : We evaluated the clinical features of Norovirus gastroenteritis compared with Rotavirus gastroenteritis in hospitalized children. Methods : We detected causative agents in 3,261 samples of children hospitalized with gastroenteritis symptoms at a single center of pediatrics between 2005 and 2006. Among 266 and 303 samples which tested positive for Norovirus and Rotavirus, we selected 73 and 182 samples of children with relatively pure gastroenteritis symptoms and retrospectively analyzed the corresponding medical records. Results : The male-to-female ratio of the Norovirus (+) and Rotavirus (+) groupswas 1.43:1 and 1.56:1 both groups were predominantly in males. The mean age of the Norovirus (+) and Rotavirus (+) groups was 36.7 and 24.4 months, respectively the children in the former group were older than the children in the latter group. The incidence in the Norovirus (+) group was more concentrated in the winter. The symptoms in the Norovirus (+), in decreasing order, included vomiting, diarrhea, and fever. The duration of vomiting, diarrhea, and fever was 2.1, 1.2, and 1.2 days. The maximum number of episodes of vomiting and diarrhea per day was 3.5 and 4.5, respectively. The severity score was 10.16. The symptoms inthe Rotavirus (+) group, in decreasing order, included diarrhea, vomiting, and fever. The duration of diarrhea, vomiting, and fever was 2.2, 4.3, and 2.2 days, respectively. The maximum number of episodes of vomiting and diarrhea per day was 3.3 and 6.5, respectively. The severity score was 11.9. The severity in the Norovirus (+) group was somewhat lower than the Rotavirus (+) group. The younger the child, the more severe the symptoms in the Norovirus (+) group. There was no difference between mono-and co-infection in severity and between the two groups regarding the hematologic findings. Conclusion : Based on the findings reported herein, additional studies about prophylaxis, as well as the epidemiology and clinical features of pediatric Norovirus gastroenteritis, are required.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.59-65
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• 1983

Screening data from preplacement and periodic examination in Gu Mi Industrial Estate from May, 1983 to June, 1983 provide an opportunity to evaluate the accuracy of self-reported height and weight. The data for men and women were analyzed separated for effects of age, marrital status, educational level, employment status, measured height, measured weight and relative weight (percent of ideal body weight). The mean percent discrepancy from self-reported and measured height was analysed by cross-tubulation, P. value for analysis of variance and multiple correlation analysis in men and women. It is clear from the data that self-reported height and weigt differ from the quantities in systemic ways. But the magnitude of misreporting is very small on average except for weight in women. Whereas height tend to be over-reported, weight is under-reported in women but over-reported in men. Weight was accuracte for age group 20-29 years in men and age group over 40 year in women and over-reporting of weight increased with age in men and under-reporting of weight decreased with age in women. Weight was accurate in 60-64kg group in men and under 50kg group in women and under-stating of weight increased with weight in men and women. Weight was the most accurate in 100-109 percent relative weight group in men and in 90-99 percent relative weight group in women and under-stating of weight increased with relative weight and over-stating decreased with relative weight and over-stating decreased with relative weight in men and women. Height was the most accurate for group of primary school and except group of primary school, accuracy of height increased with educational level in men and women. In height, the highest measured height groups (over than 175cm measured height in men and over than 165cm measured height in women) were the most accurate and of over-reporting of height decreased with measured height. Single variable regression analysis and ANOVAs showed age(P<0.003), measured weight(P<0.0001) relative weight(P<0.0001), educational level(P<0.0005) and employment status(P<0.0007) to be significantly related to ${\Delta}WT$ in women and measured height(P<0.0001), educational level(P<0.03) and marrital status (P<0.03) to be significantly related to ${\Delta}WT$ in men. The women were more sensitive about her body weight than height.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.130-134
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• 2006

Objectives : Oxidative DNA damage is a known risk factor of lung cancer. The glutathione peroxidase (GPX) antioxidant enzyme that reduces hydrogen peroxide and lipid peroxides plays a significant role in protecting cells from the oxidative stress induced by reactive oxygen species. The aim of this case-control study was to investigate effects of oxidative stress and genetic polymorphisms of the GPX1 genes and the interaction between them in the carcinogenesis of lung cancer. Methods : Two hundreds patients with lung cancer and 200 age- and sex-matched controls were enrolled in this study. Every subject was asked to complete a questionnaire concerning their smoking habits and their environmental exposure to PAHs. The genotypes of the GPX1 and 8-oxoguanine glycosylase 1 (hOGG1) genes were examined and the concentrations of urinary hydroxypyrene (1-OHP), 2-naphthol and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OH-dG) were measured. Results : Cigarette smoking was a significant risk factor for lung cancer. The levels of urinary 8-OH-dG were higher in the patients (p<0.001), whereas the urinary 1-OHP and 2-naphthol levels were higher in the controls. The GPX1 codon 198 polymorphism was associated with an increased risk of lung cancer. Individuals carrying the Pro/Leu or Leu/Leu genotype of GPX1 were at a higher risk for lung cancer (adjusted OR=2.29). In addition, these individuals were shown to have high urinary 8-OH-dG concentrations compared to the individuals with the GPX1 Pro/Pro genotype. On the other hand, the polymorphism of the hOGG1 gene did not affect the lung cancer risk and the oxidative DNA damage. Conclusions : These results lead to a conclusion that individuals with the GPX1 Pro/Leu or Leu/Leu genotype would be more susceptible to the lung cancer induced by oxidative stress than those individuals with the Pro/Pro genotype.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.30 no.3 s.58
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• pp.609-622
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• 1997

Nitrogen dioxide $(NO_2)$ has been regarded as one of the main elements among air pollutants, and we measured $NO_2$ levels of near gas range, kitchen, living room and outdoor on 489 apartments in Pusan area. $NO_2$ were sampled by using Palmes tubes (diffusion tube sampler) during August 16-25, 1995 (summer) and January 15-29, 1996 (winter), respectively. Authors wanted to know comparison of $NO_2$ levels in summer and winter, $NO_2$ levels categorized by variables, and variables affected to $NO_2$ levels. According to this study, we conducted to establish the degree of indoor-outdoor air pollution of urban apartments in Korea and methods to reduce indoor air pollution. The results of this study were summarized as follows: 1) Mean $NO_2$ levels of near gas range, kitchen, living room, and outdoor were $25.9{\pm}10.0ppb,\;23.3{\pm}8.0ppb,\;19.9{\pm}6.1ppb,\;and\;19.0{\pm}6.0ppb$ in summer, and $34.5{\pm}16.8ppb,\;28.2{\pm}13.4ppb,\;25.3{\pm}12.5ppb,\;21.8{\pm}9.8ppb$ in winter, respectively. 2) Mean $NO_2$ levels according to the floor levels were not significantly different in summer, and in winter, $NO_2$ levels were decreased as the floor levels were increasing, but those were increased above 16th floor. 3) Variables showing significant correlation(p<0.05) with $NO_2$ levels were as follows; Summer: floor level, family size, number of family during a meal, number using gas range during rice cooking per day, and natural ventilation. Winter: floor level, family size, number of person who have been respiratory disease in a house, number of family during a meal, total number of meals, and number using gas range during rice or side-dish cooking per day. 4) We suggest that the methods of reducing indoor $NO_2$ levels are ventilation during cooking, complete combustion, decreasing number and time of cooking, and substitution of fuels.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.26 no.2 s.42
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• pp.222-230
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• 1993

Industrial glues, known as 'Bonds' in Korea, contain many kinds of organic solvents, and glue sniffing of youths became one of the social problems in Korea. Mixed exposures to solvents by glue sniffing may induce chronic toxicities different from those by exposures to solvents of single component. To test effects of the glue sniffing on weight gain or central nervous system, two groups of 20 male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to air(control group) or vapors of the glues to narcotic status(exposed group), and weight check, tail flick test, hot plate test, rotarod treadmill test were done on the 14th,24th, 36th, 45th, 53rd, 86th, 102nd, 117th, 134th and 151st days after the first exposure. On the 188th day, their brains were excised and examined by a pathologist. Weight gain, controlled against time change, showed significant difference between the groups, but response times in tail flick test, hot plate tests, and rotarod treadmill test didn't. In pathological examination with blind method, no macroscopic or microscopic differences were found between the two groups. These results suggests that organic lesion in central nervous system may not ensue glue sniffing, but, before firm conclusion, more studies in various exposure conditions should be followed.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.26 no.2 s.42
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• pp.251-267
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• 1993

The relationship between lead related subject symptoms and lead exposure indices was studied in 435 male lead workers in thirteen lead using industries. 212 male office workers who were not exposed to lead occupationally were also studied as a control group. Fourteen lead related symptoms were selected. They were further subdivied into 4 sub-symptom groups such as 1) gastrointestinal, 2) neuromuscular and joint 3) constitutional, and 4) psychological symptoms. Symptom questionnaires were provided to the workers and filled up by themselves and reconfirmed by interviewer(doctor). The test used fer the evaluation of lead exposure were blood lead(PbB), zinc protoporphyrin in whole blood(ZPP), hemoglobin(Hb), hematocrit (Hct), delta-aminolevulinic acid in urine(DALA). The results obtained were as follows; 1. The higher prevalence rate in the sub-group of neuromuscular and joint symptoms was observed in occupationally lead exposed subjects than non-exposed subjects. Among the sub-groups, the most frequent symptom was 'numbness of finger, hands or feet', and the prevalence of the symptom of 'arthralgia', 'weakness of fingers, hands or feet' and 'myalgia' were higher in order. 2. While the symptom which showed the biggest difference of prevalence rate among the 14 symptoms between exposed and non-exposed subjects was 'numbness of fingers, hands or feet', the symptom which showed the highest prevalence rate was 'feeling tired generally' in exposed and non-exposed subjects, but no statistical difference of symptom prevalence were observed. 3. In total study population, PbB and ZPP had dose-response relationship with 4 symtoms of neuromuscular and joint symptoms ('numbness of finger, hands or feet', 'arthralgia', 'weakness of fingers, hands or feet' and 'myalgia') and one symptom of gastrointestinal group('intermittent pains in lower abdomen'). 4. In lead exposed workers, only neuromuscular and joint symptoms group showed dose-response relationship with PbB and ZPP, 5. In lead exposed workers, the prevalance rate of overall symptoms of lead workers with age below 39 years was higher than that of lead workers with age above 40. While neuromuscular and joint symptoms group had a dose-response relationship with PbB in former group, it had a dose-response relationship with ZPP in latter group. 6. Age adjusted odds ratios of symptoms of non-exposed with exposed and odds ratios of low exposed with high exposed workers showed the dose-response relationship of lead exposure with neuromuscular and joint symptoms group('numbness of fingers, hands or feet', 'arthralgia', 'weakness of fingers, hands or feet' and 'myalgia') and gastrointestinal symptoms group('intermittent pains in lower abdoman').

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.29 no.4 s.55
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• pp.765-783
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• 1996

This study surveyed and measured the level and structure of cancer deaths and their trends over time for offering the fundamental data of e cancer prevention and control in Pusan city in the future. Authors conducted the study of descriptive epidemiology using materials derived from the computerized data of total 3,722 certified cancer deaths in Pusan city from January 1 to December 31, 1993 registered on the National Statistical Once, the Republic of Korea. The obtained results were as follows: 1. According to the total registered cases of deaths(16,331 cases) in Pusan city during 1993, cancer(3,722 cases) and cerebrovascular disease(2,118 cases) were the first and second cause of deaths as 23.1% and 16.9%, respectively. These pattern showed the change between cancer (14.7%) and cerebrovascular disease(18.5%) in order of frequency in comparison to 1982. Also, the total number of cancer deaths was increased in comparison to 1982. The rate of death certification by physicians was 87.1% of all registered deaths, which was increased to 6.8% in comparison to 1982(80.3%). 2. Crude death rate and cancer specific death rate was 4.06 per 1,000 populations and 93.8 per 100,000 populations(male:117.8, female:70.0), respectively. The former was similar to that of 1982, but the latter was increased to 1.6 times as that of 1982. 3. Age-adjusted cancer specific death rate by standardization with whole country population was 111.9(male:141.5, female:106.7) per 100,000 populations, higher than not age-adjusted cancer specific death rate(93.8), and the sex difference was statistically significant with male predominance (p<0.05). 4. Cancer specific death rate by age was generally increased with age and most of cancer deaths(male:91.8%, female:88.5%) occurred since 40 years old. 5. The major cancer(cancer specific death rate per 100,000 populations) in male was liver(30.6) followed by stomach(25.6), lung(21.9), and GB and EHBD(5.7), in female stomach(15.7), liver(9.9), lung(7.3), and uterus(6.9). The relative frequency of the leading three cancer among total cancer deaths marked 66.3% in male and 47.l% in female, and decreased in comparison to 1982(male:72.2%, female:54.5%). 6. The total ratio of male to female cancer specific death rate showed 1.68 to 1 with male predominance. And the ratio was above 2.0 in larynx, oral cavity & pharynx, esophagus, liver, lung, bladder cancer and the ratio was $1.0\sim1.9$ in stomach, pancreas, gall bladder and EHBD, brain, rectum and anus cancer, leukemia, but the ratio was reversed in thyroid and colon cancer. In conclusion, cancer was the first cause of deaths. The proportion of lung cancer was increased, that of stomach & uterine cancer was decreased relatively, and liver cancer was constantly higher proportion. In the future, it is necessary to conduct the further investigations on the cancer risk factors considering areal specificity.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.3 s.83
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• pp.386-395
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• 2007

A total of 27 strains of Vibrio parahaemolyticus (18 strains isolated from Korea and 9 strains from Japan) were serotyped and examined for biochemical characteristics, antimicrobial susceptibility patterns, cytotoxicity assay, thermostable direct hemolysin (TDH) production and molecular epidemiology. Using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method and DNA probe hybridization method, the strains were tested for toxR, tdh, trh and ORF 8 genes. The V. parahaemolyticus isolated from patients were belonged to 8 different serotypes : O3:K6, O1:K38, O3:K57, O4:K9, O4:Kl2, O4:K68, O5:Kl5 and O6:K46. Urease-positive strain possessed the trh gene, and conversely, urease-negative strains lacked the gene, indicating that urease production by V. parahemolyticus strains strongly correlates with the possession of the trh gene. Most strains showed multiple resistant to more than three antibiotics and the antibiogram could be classified into 6 group (I to VI). All of the O3:K6 strains isolated in South Korea and Japan producted TDH at high levels. The TDH titers ranged between 256 and 2.048, and the average titer was 1009. To distinguish the new and increasingly common V. parahaemolyticus strains from clinical isolates, ORF 8 is a useful genetic marker. After Southern hybridization, the HindIII restriction fragment patterns of the tdh gene were grouped one type, respectively. One type showed two bands one of which was 4.3kb and the other was 11.5kb in size. Variation between the O3:K6 serotype are minor when compared to the differences seen with the non O3:K6 strains. The migration patterns of Not I -digested of the total DNA of the O3:K6 strains were similar, and only slight variations were observed between the serotypes. By contrast, the O3:K6 strains and non O3:K6 had markedly different profiles. In conclusion, Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) profile using appropriate primers was an effective epidemiological marker.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.300-308
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• 2011

Osteoporosis is a disease involving a decrease in bone mineral density and increased risk of fractures. Osteoblast and osteoclast activities are important for bone formation. The MC3T3-E1 osteoblastic cell line is a well-accepted model of osteogellsis in vitro. Hijikia fusiforme is a kind of edible brown seaweed that grows mainly in the Northwest Pacific region, including the countries of Korea, Japan and China, and it has been widely used as a medicinal and health food in Korea. In this study, by using osteoblasts, the effects of Hijikia fusiforme fractions on proliferation, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, collagen synthesis and mineralization of cells were investigated. Hijikia fusiforme were subjected to fractionation by using hexane, methanol, butanol and aqueous. Proliferation of the MC3T3-E1 osteoblastic cells that were treated with Hijikia fusiforme fractions increased by approximately 120%. Regarding effects of Hijikia fusiforme fractions on ALP activity, 1 ${\mu}g$/ml butanol fraction showed the highest activity. The synthesis of collagen increased significantly in response to treatment with Hijikia fusiforme fractions, with the exception of the hexane fraction. Moreover, mineralization in the MC3T3-E1 cells that were treated with 100 ${\mu}g$/ml butanol fraction increased by 281%. Also, when 100 ${\mu}g$/ml aqueous fraction was added, mineralization increased by 240%. These results indicate that Hijikia fusiforme fractions have anabolic effect on bone through the promotion of osteoblastic differentiation, suggesting that it could be used for the treatment of common metabolic bone diseases.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.282-289
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• 2013

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of Makgeolli and Makgeolli precipitate on hepatotoxity and the serum lipid content in rats. First, we investigated the effect of Makgeolli and ethanol on the progress of alcoholic fatty liver. The effect of Makgeolli precipitate on carbon tetrachloride ($CCl_4$)-induced hepatotoxicity in the rats was then studied. Indicators of the health status of the experimental period, the body weight gain in ethanol-treated group tended to be lower than those in the control and the Makgeolli-treated groups. The weight of the liver tissue decreased significantly following the administration of ethanol. However, this was not seen following the administration of Makgeolli. The activities of serum aspartate transaminase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT) were decreased in the Makgeolli group compared to the ethanol group. Serum cholesterol concentrations increased in the ethanol group, but decreased in the Makgeolli-treated group to an equal volume of the ethanol-treated group. The serum HDL-cholesterol content was significantly higher in the Makgeolli group than in the ethanol group. Analysis of the impact of the Makgeolli precipitate on toxicity induced by $CCl_4$ in the liver showed that the $CCl_4$ treatment significantly increased the activities of serum ALT and AST. However, the levels of cholesterol and triglyceride in serum were decreased. The $CCl_4$ treatment increased the activities of AST and ALT. However, the raw Makgeolli precipitate decreased their activities. Moreover, raw Makgeolli precipitate significantly reduced the $CCl_4$-induced elevation of serum lipids more than heated Makgeolli precipitate. These results suggest that raw Makgeolli precipitate may exert a protective effect against $CCl_4$-induced liver injury by preventing lipid peroxidation.