• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.153-159
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• 2007

Usually equal noise exposure is considered to cause symmetrical hearing loss, but some screening audiometries of employees who were exposed to noise showed asymmetry. Therefore, this study was carried out to evaluate the distribution of asymmetrical hearing loss and the difference of air conduction level between left and right ear at the different frequencies (500, 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, 4,000, 6,000 Hz). Study subjects were 326 male employees who had participated in the noise-specific health examination from May to October, 2002. They were evaluated by otoscopic examination, pure tone audiometry and tympanometry. In all frequencies, hearing threshold level of left ear was worse than right ear. The mean interaural threshold differences between two ears were 0.83 dB at 500 Hz, 1.18 dB at 2,000 Hz, 2.29 dB at 3,000 Hz, 2.18 dB at 4,000 Hz, and statistically significant (p<0.05). The hearing loss of left ear was greater than right ear in occupationally noise-exposed workers. It is believed that left ear was more susceptible to noise damage than right ear

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.54-60
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• 2008

Dyslipidemia is the multiple lipid metabolic disorders which is one of the high risk factors for the atherosclerotic diseases. It increases the morbidity and mortality and therefore, must be treated with antilipidemic agents. HMG-Co A reductase inhibitors (statins), one of many antidyslipidemic agents, have shown to be significant improvement from the various cholesterol levels. Especially, data from many comparative trials suggest that rosuvastatin is more effective than atorvastatin among many other statins. The aims of this study were to evaluate the efficacy and safety between rosuvastatin and atorvastatin in the treatment of Korean patients with dyslipidemia. Currently the Korean Society of Lipidology and Atherosclerosis based on the Korean health screening data suggests that Korean patients with dyslipidemia should be treated by the target cholesterol levels according to the Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines of the US National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP-ATP III). We reviewed retrospectively all medical histories of the total 392 dyslipidemic patients with atorvastatin or rosuvastatin from June 1st, 2004 to August 31st, 2006 in Chungbuk National University Medical Center. Patients were classified as total 4 groups by the NCEP-ATP III Guidelines. The numbers of enrolled patients were each 5 mg atorvastatin (n=34), 10 mg atorvastatin (n=148), 5 mg rosuvastatin (n=94) and 10 mg rosuvastatin (n=82). In comparison between groups, rosuvastatin groups in the lowering LDL-C had better efficacies, and the results were each 22% (5 mg atorvastatin), 33.3% (10 mg atorvastatin), 35% (5 mg rosuvastatin) and 41.3% (10 mg rosuvastatin) with the dose relationship (P=0.000). Rosuvastatin groups also have shown to be more significantly reducing Total Cholesterol levels compared to atorvastatin groups with the no dose relationship (P=0.000). In the lowering of non-HDL cholesteroles, rosuvastatin groups showed significantly better efficacies than atorvastatin with the dose-relationship (P=0.000). Each medication groups did not demonstrate the differences in the changing of HDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels (P=0.096, 0.309, respectively). In conclusion, rosuvastatin was better efficacious than atrovastatin in reducing LDL-C Total Chol, and Tg. Therefore, rosuvastatin is a good antilipidemic agents for Korean patients with dyslipidemia and it can use to minimize the morbidity and mortality related to the cardiovascular diseases in Korean.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.374-381
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• 2017

The LAP (lipid accumulation product) index is an indicator of excessive fat accumulation in combination with the fasting triglyceride concentration and waist circumference. This study examined the relationship between the LAP index and ALT (alanine aminotransferase) level and the effect of the LAP index on the ALT level. Cross-sectional studies were conducted on healthy adult males without a history of liver disease. From January 2015 to June 2017, 13,854 adults between 20 and 70 years of age, who underwent health screening at a general hospital in Gyeonggi-do, were enrolled in this study. The LAP index was calculated as [waist circumference (cm)-65]${\times}$[triglyceride (mmol/L)] for males. Serum ALT abnormalities were set at 40 IU/L or more in males. All subjects underwent measurements of the anthropometric indicators and physiological examinations. A significant increase in ALT with increasing LAP quintiles was observed (p<0.001). The LAP index correlated with ALT (r=0.238, p<0.001). Insulin (r=0.449, p<0.001) and HDL-cholesterol (r=-0.369, p<0.001) were strongly correlated with LAP. In addition, the LAP index is a factor affecting the ALT level (p<0.001). As the LAP index increased, the risk of an elevated ALT was higher (p<0.001). In conclusion, the LAP index was a predictor of an ALT elevation in Korean men.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.65-73
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• 1988

T-2 toxin is one of mycotoxins produced by fungi such as Fusarium spp. and possesses a potent cytotoxicity to eukaryotic cell. The contamination of mycotoxins in cereals and feedstuffs is one of the great concerns in health authorities. Therefore, the development of the specific, sensitive and simplified analysis method for T -2 toxin is required. During more than ten years, several chemical and biological analysis methods were proposed and applied for the detection and quantification of T-2 toxin. TLC, GLC-FID and GC-MS are widely employed, but these methods required numerous clean-up procedures before analysis, and the detection limit for T-2 toxin is more than 10 ppb. Biological analysis methods with dermal tissues and cultured cells are not specific to T-2 toxin, since T-2 toxin and other related derivatives possess a similar toxicological activity although their relative activity is different each otber. Based on tbe specific reaction between antibody and antigen, the authors tried to introduce the immunochemical methods for determination of T-2 toxin. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method using monoclonal antibody for T-2 toxin was applied to analyse T-2 toxin. The detection limit of T-2 toxin by ELISA method was 0.1 ppb. The correlation between ELISA and GC-MS method on these samples was very high. ELISA method developed for the detection and quantification of T -2 toxin in this paper possesses simplicity, high sensitivity and specific for T-2 toxin. Furthermore, the ELISA method with T-2 toxin monoclonal antibody was an excellent tool for the screening of Fusarium spp. which was suspected to produce T-2 toxin.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.24 no.1 s.33
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• pp.93-97
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• 1991

The time honoured tuning fork at present widely available for examining vibration sensation is brought about the problem of great interobserver variation. To resolve t his problem, author developed a divice using electric magnet that stimulates constantly tuning fork. The perception time of vibration from tunung fork by this device was tested on the index finger of dominant hand of twenty eight subjects. It was 12.44 seconds on average and ranged from 9.47 to 17.25. Coefficient of variation of it was 16.89 percent. Correlation coefficient between test and retest after 30 minutes was 0.957(p<0.01). This device is portable. Test procedure in non-invasive, non-aversive and simple, can be performed within one minute, and does not require the skilled technician. It is felt that this device testing vibration perception time is suitable as screening tool for early detection of occupational peripheral neuropathy.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.22 no.1 s.25
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• pp.153-161
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• 1989

Authors studied on the prevalence of 94 cases of pneumoconiosis who were found out through the screening test on 1,062 workers engaged in welding process at 36 shipyard in Pusan area from March 1st, 1986 to November 30th, 1986. The result were as follows; 1. Dust concentration was measured $4.49{\pm}0.54mg/m^3$ in the small scale shipyard while it was $6.25{\pm}1.08mg/m^3$ in the large one. 2. The prevalence of welder's lung was 8.9% (male:8.5%, female:12.0%) and this is consist of 4.9% suspected pneumoconiosis and 4.0% pneumoconiosis more than category 1/0. 3. The prevalence was significantly increased according to the duration of dust exposure(p<0.05), and it showed the increasing tendency by the age group. 4. The prevalence was significantly higher in the large scale shipyard than is the small scale one(p<0.01). 5. The type and shape of opacities were 71.4% of p type and 28.6% of q type, however no pneumoconiosis with r type observed in this study. 6. The main subjective symptoms were the sputum(29.8%), coughing(25.5%), shortness of breath(20.2%), fatique(6.4%), and chest pain(5.3%). In other hand, 57.4% of pneumoconiosis were asymptomatic. 7. The prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis was radiologically 1.7% in all subjects including 5.3% in pneumoconiosis and 1.3% in no pneumoconiosis(p<0.01).

• Toxicological Research
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.81-87
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• 2016

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is produced by Aspergillus flavus growing in feedstuffs. Early detection of maize contamination by aflatoxigenic fungi is advantageous since aflatoxins exert adverse health effects. In this study, we report the development of an optimized conventional PCR for AFB1 detection and a rapid, sensitive and simple screening Real-time PCR (qPCR) with SYBR Green and two pairs of primers targeting the aflR genes which involved aflatoxin biosynthesis. AFB1 contaminated maize samples were divided into three groups by the toxin concentration. Genomic DNA was extracted from those samples. The target genes for A. flavus were tested by conventional PCR and the PCR products were analyzed by electrophoresis. A conventional PCR was carried out as nested PCR to verify the gene amplicon sizes. PCR-RFLP patterns, obtained with Hinc II and Pvu II enzyme analysis showed the differences to distinguish aflatoxin-producing fungi. However, they are not quantitative and need a separation of the products on gel and their visualization under UV light. On the other hand, qPCR facilitates the monitoring of the reaction as it progresses. It does not require post-PCR handling, which reduces the risk of cross-contamination and handling errors. It results in a much faster throughout. We found that the optimal primer annealing temperature was $65^{\circ}C$. The optimized template and primer concentration were $1.5{\mu}L\;(50ng/{\mu}L)$ and $3{\mu}L\;(10{\mu}M/{\mu}L)$ respectively. SYBR Green qPCR of four genes demonstrated amplification curves and melting peaks for tub1, afIM, afIR, and afID genes are at $88.0^{\circ}C$, $87.5^{\circ}C$, $83.5^{\circ}C$, and $89.5^{\circ}C$ respectively. Consequently, it was found that the four primers had elevated annealing temperatures, nevertheless it is desirable since it enhances the DNA binding specificity of the dye. New qPCR protocol could be employed for the determination of aflatoxin content in feedstuff samples.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.367-375
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• 2013

Kalopanax pictus has pharmacologically anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect and is known to respond to treatment of backache, knee pain and etc. In this study, we investigated the effects on gastric lesions of Kalopanax pictus both from Korea (KPK) and China (KPC) compared with their related origin, Znthoxylum ailanthoide both from Korea (ZAK) and China (ZAC), and Korean Bombax malabaricum (BMK). In preliminary screening, KPK and KPC shown effective inhibition of HCI EtOH-induced gastritis in rats. To elucidate their protective effects on gastric lesions, we assessed inhibition of H. pylori colonization, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl(DPPH) radical scavenging activities, reducing power test, and inhibition of lipid peroxidation. KPK was the most effective from antioxidant assays. KPK also shown the inhibition of indomethacin-induced gastric ulcer in rats. Gastric secretion in rats, KPK reduced the secretion of gastric juice and total acidity and raised pH. Therefore, it is possible that KPK can be developed as health functional food and natural medicine. In addition, it can contribute to the standardization with objectivity and reliability for KPK through the criteria establishment of the precise origin of medicine, the prevention of indiscriminate distribution of imitation, and the rising rate of dependence on imports of medicinal herbs, and mixing prevention of low-quality goods.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.325-333
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• 2016

Background: Ginseng extracts are known to have angiogenic effects. However, to date, only limited information is available on the molecular mechanism underlying the angiogenic effects and the main components of ginseng that exert these effects. Human umbilical-vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) are used as an in vitro model for screening therapeutic agents that promote angiogenesis and wound healing. We recently isolated gintonin, a novel ginseng-derived lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) receptor ligand, from ginseng. LPA plays a key role in angiogenesis and wound healing. Methods: In the present study, we investigated the in vitro effects of gintonin on proliferation, migration, and tube formation of HUVECs, which express endogenous LPA1/3 receptors. Results: Gintonin stimulated proliferation and migration of HUVECs. The LPA1/3 receptor antagonist, Ki16425, short interfering RNA against LPA1 or LPA3 receptor, and the Rho kinase inhibitor, Y-27632, significantly decreased the gintonin-induced proliferation, migration, and tube formation of HUVECs, which indicates the involvement of LPA receptors and Rho kinase activation. Further, gintonin increased the release of vascular endothelial growth factors from HUVECs. The cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor NS-398, nuclear factor kappa B inhibitor BAY11-7085, and c-Jun N-terminal kinase inhibitor SP600125 blocked the gintonin-induced migration, which shows the involvement of cyclooxygenase-2, nuclear factor kappa B, and c-Jun N-terminal kinase signaling. Conclusion: The gintonin-mediated proliferation, migration, and vascular-endothelial-growth-factor release in HUVECs via LPA-receptor activation may be one of in vitro mechanisms underlying ginsenginduced angiogenic and wound-healing effects.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.94-105
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• 2004

The biochemical components of Namcheondlggae, Miryangdlkkae 25, Boradlggae and Ipdlkkae 1 were measured. The samples were extracted with hot water, 60% acetone or 80% ethanol for screening physiological activity. The crude protein content (4.36%) was found in the Miryangdlkkae 25 and calcium content (497.5 mg%) was found in the Namcheondlggae among the tested 4 perilla loaves. Fructose was 30.86 mg% in the Namcheondlggae and free amino acids at all perilla leaves was detected seventeen. In Boradlggae, glutamic acid and alanine were 25.37 and 11.91 mg%. Totally nine non-volatile organic acids were also detected and the contents of malic acid and glutaric acid were 28.34 and 14.57 mg% in Boradlggae. The Miryangdlkkae 25 had the highest vitamin C amount which was 113.24 mg%. Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition activity of 60% acetone extract of Miryangdlkkae 25 was 39.20% when added as addition of 200 ppm level and xanthine oxidase inhibition activity of 80% ethanol extract of Boradlggae was 46.71%. Electron denoting activity of 60% acetone extract from Namcheohndlggae was the strongest inhibition activity as 98.19% when 200 ppm level of the sample extracts were added.