• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.18 no.8
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• pp.1135-1140
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• 2005

Dogs are a very good indicator of the pollution load on the environment. They share people's environment and are exposed to the action of the same pollutants. This study was to estimate the heavy metal contents in dog hairs in domestic districts, and to assess effects of age, sex, feed habits, living area, breeding environment and smoking habit of owner. The mean concentrations of heavy metals in 204 samples were 0.09${\pm}$0.10 ${\mu}g$/g, 0.21${\pm}$0.09 ${\mu}g$/g, 0.82${\pm}$0.09 ${\mu}g$/g and 0.48${\pm}$0.07 ${\mu}g$/g (Cadmium (Cd), Mercury (Hg), Lead (Pb) and Chromium (Cr)) in dog hairs, respectively. Concentrations of Pb, Cd, Hg and Cr in dog hairs in Yeongnam including Ulsan and Seoul, were higher than in Chungchong and Honam, and concentrations of Pb were significantly different (p<0.01). Concentrations of Cd, Hg, Pb and Cr in dog hairs increased with age (p<0.05). Only dogs fed commercial pet foods had significantly higher Cd and Cr concentrations in hairs than dogs fed dog feed and human diet (p<0.01 in Cd and p<0.05 in Cr). Cr concentrations of dog hairsfrom dogs kept on cement floors were the highest of the other environments (p<0.01). Heavy metal concentrations of dogs owned by smokers, were higher than dogs of non-smokers, but there were no significant differences.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.99-108
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• 2012

Recent research has identified that self-reported voice problems are a risk indicator for voice disorders. However, previous studies concerning the general population did not take into account the influence of gender on self-reported voice problems. The purpose of the present cross-sectional study was to determine the gender differences in risk factors of self-reported voice problems in the Korean adult population using national survey data. This study utilized data from the Korea National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey 2008. Subjects inclued 3,622 people (1,508 male and 2,114 female) aged 19 years and older living in the community. Data were analyzed using t-test, one-way ANOVA, and multiple logistic regression. The prevalence of self-reported voice problems was 5.9% in males, and 8.1% in females Females had higher incidents of self-reported voice problems than males. Adjusting for covariates, in males, age (OR=2.47, 95% CI: 1.07-5.70), pain and discomfort during the last two weeks (OR=3.64, 95% CI: 2.20-6.01) were independently associated with self-reported voice problems (p<0.05). In women, age (OR=1.96, 95% CI: 1.18-3.26), education (OR=2.09, 95% CI: 1.06-4.12), smoking (OR=2.70, 95% CI: 1.48-4.93), thyroid disorders (OR=2.58, 95% CI: 1.47-4.53), pain and discomfort during the last two weeks (OR=1.75, 95% CI: 1.21-2.54) were independently associated with self-reported voice problem (p<0.05). Self-reported voice problems related risk factors differed according to gender. These findings suggest that there needs to be different program strategies that reflect gender differences in self-reported voice problems.

• Proceedings of the Korea Society of Environmental Toocicology Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.91-93
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• 2003

It has been estimated that the equivalent of approximately $US 50 billion has been spent on research on the behavior and fate of pesticides in the environment since Rachel Carson published “Silent Spring” in 1962. Much of the resulting knowledge has been summarized explicitly in computer algorithms in a variety of empirical, deterministic, and probabilistic simulation models. These models describe and predict the transport, degradation and resultant concentrations of pesticides in various compartments of the environment during and after application. In many cases the known errors of model predictions are large. For this reason they are typically designed to be “conservative”, i.e., err on the side of over-prediction of concentrations in order to err on the side of safety. These predictions are then compared with toxicity data, from tests of the pesticide on a series of standard representative biota, including terrestrial and aquatic indicator species and higher animals (e.g., wildlife and humans). The models' predictions are good enough in some cases to provide screening of those compounds which are very unlikely to do harm, and to indicate those compounds which must be investigated further. If further investigation is indicated a more detailed (and therefore more complicated) model may be employed to give a better estimate, or field experiments may be required. A model may be used to explore “what if” questions leading to possible alternative pesticide usage patterns which give lower potential environmental concentrations and allowable exposures. We are currently at a maturing stage in this research where the knowledge base of pesticide behavior in the environmental is growing more slowly than in the past. However, innovative uses are being made of the explosion in available computer technology to use models to take ever more advantage of the knowledge we have. In this presentation, current developments in the state of the art as practiced in North America and Europe will be presented. Specifically, we will look at the efforts of the ‘Focus’ consortium in the European Union, and the ‘EMWG’ consortium in North America. These groups have been innovative in developing a process and mechanisms for discussion amongst academic, agriculture, industry and regulatory scientists, for consensus adoption of research advances into risk management methodology.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.195-199
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• 2008

Objectives : Malondialdehyde (MDA), a lipid peroxidation by-product, has been widely used as an indicator of oxidative stress. Urinary 2-naphthol, a urinary PAH metabolite, is used as a marker of ambient particulate exposure and is associated with lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. However, the stability and intra-individual variation associated with urinary MDA and 2-naphthol have not been thoroughly addressed. The objective of this study was to assess the stability and intra-individual variation associated with urinary MDA and 2-naphthol. Methods : Urine samples were collected from 10 healthy volunteers (mean age 34, range $27{\sim}42$ years old). Each sample was divided into three aliquots and stored under three different conditions. The levels of urinary MDA and 2-naphthol were analyzed 1) just after sampling, 2) after storage at room temperature ($21^{\circ}C$) for 16 hours, and 3) after storage in a $-20^{\circ}C$ freezer for 16 hours. In addition, an epidemiological study was conducted in 44 Chinese subjects over a period of 3 weeks. The urinary MDA and 2-naphthol were measured by HPLC three times. Results : There was no difference in the levels of urinary MDA and 2-naphthol between the triplicate measurements (n=10, p=0.84 and p=0.83, respectively). The intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) for urinary MDA and 2-naphthol were 0.74 and 0.42, respectively. However, the levels of PM2.5 in the air were well correlated with the levels of both MDA and 2-naphthol in the epidemiological study. Conclusions : These results suggest that urinary MDA and 2-naphthol remain stable under variable storage conditions, even at room temperature for 16 hours, and indicate that these markers can be used in epidemiological studies involving various sample storage conditions. The intra-CC of urinary 2-naphthol and MDA were acceptable for application to epidemiological studies.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.75-84
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• 2016

Probiotics that are able to provide beneficial effects on animal health have become important ingredients of dog foods. This study was conducted to characterize the probiotic potentials of two strains, Lactobacillus reuteri BCLR-42 and Lactobacillus plantarum BCLP-51, that were derived from feces of healthy dogs and evaluated based on tolerance to low pH and bile acid, antimicrobial activities, enzyme profiles, sensitivity to antibiotics, and innate immune enhancing potentials. Both strains showed survival of more than 90% at pH 3 and 0.2% bile acid and exhibited broad antimicrobial activities against indicator bacteria. Moreover, both strains showed high sensitivity to antibiotics, except vancomycin, metronidazole, and gentamicin. The alkaline phosphatase was negligible (score 0), whereas they showed strong beta galactosidase activity (score range 5 or 3, respectively). The phagocytosis and oxidative burst activities of canine granulocytes were significantly enhanced in response to both strains. These results show that both strains have the capability to act as probiotics and the potential for application as ingredients in dog foods.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.58 no.1
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• pp.106-112
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• 2020

Analyzing vitamin D levels is important for monitoring health conditions because vitamin D deficiency is associated with various diseases such as rickets, osteomalacia, cardiovascular disorders and some cancers. However, vitamin D concentration in the blood is very low with optimal level of 75 nmol/L, making quantitative analysis difficult. The objective of this study was to develop a highly sensitive analysis method for vitamin D using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), which has been used as an indicator of vitamin D metabolites in human biofluids was chemically derivatized using a secosteroid signal enhancing tag (SecoSET) with powerful dienophile and permanent positive charge. The SecoSET-derivatized 25(OH)D provided good linearity (R² > 0.99) and sensitivity (limit of quantitation: 11.3 fmol). Chemical derivatization of deuterated 25-hydroxyvitamin D₃ (d₆-25(OH)D3) with SecoSET enabled absolute quantitative analysis using MALDI-MS. The highly sensitive method could be successfully applied into monitoring of quantitative changes of bioactive vitamin D metabolites after treatment with ketoconazole to inhibit 1α-hydroxylase reaction related to vitamin D metabolism in human breast cancer cells. Taken together, we developed a MALDI-MS-based platform that could quantitatively analyze vitamin D metabolites from cell products, blood and other biofluids. This platform may be applied to monitor various diseases associated with vitamin D deficiency such as rickets, osteomalacia and breast cancer.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.11-24
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• 2015

This study investigated the general status of tube feeding for intensive care unit (ICU) inpatients and evaluated the consequent nutritional status of patients. This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of a general hospital located in Daegu metropolitan city. The subjects of this study were 80 adult patients who had been admitted to the ICU of a hospital, received fed tube feeding, and then been discharged. The differences in nutrition screening indicators, including percentage ideal body weight (PIBW), serum albumin, hemoglobin, total lymphocyte count, and total cholesterol, before and after tube feeding according to body mass index (BMI) or nutrient feeding levels were investigated. The ratios of actually provided amounts to calorie and protein requirements of patients were $72.8{\pm}15.8%$ and $72.6{\pm}19.8%$, respectively. The change in PIBW before and after tube feeding was significantly different among the BMI groups (P<0.01). The change in hemoglobin concentration before and after tube feeding was also significantly different among the BMI groups (P<0.01). When subjects were divided into three groups (<60%, 60~79%, ${\geq}80%$) according to the ratio of actually provided calories to required calories, there was no significant difference in nutrition screening indicators before and after tube feeding. When the subjects were divided into three groups (<60%, 60~79%, ${\geq}80%$) according to the ratio of actually provided protein to required protein, serum albumin concentration showed a significant difference among the groups before and after tube feeding (P<0.05). Therefore, an intensive nutrition intervention program would be needed for the nutritional improvement of ICU inpatients receiving tube feeding.

• Korean Journal of Optics and Photonics
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.16-21
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• 2017

A systematic understanding of the effects of high-intensity flash sources on the human eye is strongly needed, not only for proper use of the sources, but for human eye health. In this study, the exposure-limit distance (ELD), indicating the minimal safe distance in case of seeing by chance a high-intensity flash, is proposed. The optical procedures to determine the ELD of a high-intensity flash are clarified, and the dependence of ELD on its parameters such as luminous intensity, duration, and radius of a flash are thoroughly investigated. From this investigation it is obvious that, while being weakly dependent on duration, the ELD is nearly proportional to the luminous intensity and the radius of a flash. The proposed ELD as an intuitive safety-indicating parameter is more useful and intuitive than the other characteristic parameters of a high-intensity flash. The ELD is expected to be an essential parameter as a safety indicator, to characterize the performance of a high-intensity flash and to promote the safety of the human eye.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.156-172
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• 2010

Purpose: In Oriental medicine, menstruation is a significant index of women's health. Especially high school girls often have various menstrual problems. We think that students who have menstrual problem have some symptoms in relation to an etiological cause. So we had carried out this study to investigate association of DSOM scores and an abnormality of menstruation in oriental medicine. Methods: First we have 2137 high school girls answer to menstrual questionnaire that we made and DSOM, next investigated the pathogenic factor of DSOM which effect dysmenorrhea and menorrhagia using regression model. Logistic regression analysis indicate as follows. Results: 1. In comparison with dysmenorrhea, Qi depression(氣滯), blood stasis(血瘀), dampness (濕), phlegm(痰) is associated positively and liver(肝) negatively. The sensitivity is 64.3%, and the specificity is 75.1%. 2. In comparison with menorrhagia, Blood deficiency(血虛), Qi depression(氣滯), blood stasis(血瘀) is associated positively and liver(肝) negatively. The sensitivity is 53.9%, and the specificity is 76.1%. Conclusion: In this study, that has been carried out to organize the diagnosis of dysmenorrhea and menorrhagia in Oriental medicine, we can see that the disease factors of them were correlated with our Medical theory.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.598-602
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• 2008

The Daecheong Reservoir is the largest multi-purpose reservoir in the Keum River basin. This water supply is subject to some of the most serious taste and odor (T&O) problems in the region. The intensity of T&O events increased due to eutrophication during the 1990s. In this study, the temporal occurrence of T&O in raw water from the main Daecheong Reservoir and its regulating reservoir was compared using both an instrumental method (CLSA+GC/MS) and threshold odor number (TON) test from April to December 2006. In addition, biofilms on the submerged macrophytes and rocks were analyzed for two typical T&O causing compounds, Geosmin and 2-MIB. The maximum concentration of Geosmin in the main reservoir was almost two times higher than that in the regulating reservoir. Interestingly, 2-MIB was only detected in water samples from the main reservoir. In the case of T&O causing compounds present in the biofilm on the submerged macrophytes and rocks, the regulating reservoir had lower concentrations compared to those of the main reservoir. It was found that both Geosmin and 2-MIB were detected from the biofilms much earlier than from the water samples. This result suggests that the occurrence of T&O compounds in the biofilms could be used as an early warning indicator of an imminent T&O outbreak in the water body.