• Title/Summary/Keyword: Health hazards

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Comparison of Gamma Irradiation and Sodium Hypochlorite Treatments to Inactivate Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms on Stainless Steel Surfaces

  • Kim, Jang-Ho;Jo, Cheo-Run;Rho, Yong-Taek;Lee, Chun-Bok;Byun, Myung-Woo
    • Food Science and Biotechnology
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    • v.16 no.2
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    • pp.315-319
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    • 2007
  • Biofilm formation on various surfaces is a well-known phenomenon and it has caused pollution problems, health and safety hazards, and substantial economic loss in many areas including the food industry. In the present study, Gamma irradiation at a dose of 2.0 kGy reduced the bacterial counts of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa suspensions by 6.7 and >6.5 log CFU/mL, respectively, and 30 ppm of sodium hypochlorite effectively reduced the counts of both bacterial suspensions to below the limit of detection ($<2\;log\;CFU/cm^2$). However, in bacterial biofilms attached to stainless steel, gamma irradiation at a dose of 10.0 kGy reduced the counts of S. aureus attached fur 1 hr and overnight by ${\geq}5.1\;and\;5.0\;log\;CFU/cm^2$, respectively. Gamma irradiation at a dose of 1.0 kGy reduced the counts of P. aeruginosa counts to below the limit of detection ($<2\;log\;CFU/cm^2$). On the contrary, S. aureus and P. aeruginosa cells attached to stainless steel chips were difficult to eliminate using sodium hypochlorite. Four hundred ppm of sodium hypochlorite reduced the counts of S. aureus and P. aeruginosa attached for 1 hr by 2.5 and $3.3\;log\;CFU/cm^2$, respectively.

Effects of the Application of Different Fertilizers on the Forage Productivity and Quality on Newly Reclaimed Hilly Soil III. Mutual balances of mineral nutrients in the soils & mixed forages, and the grass tetany hazard in a mixed grass-clover sward (신개간 산지토양에서 초지조성비 비종별 목초의 생산성 및 품질 비교 III. 토양 및 목초 중 무기양분의 상호균형과 Grass tetany 위험성)

  • 정연규;임요섭;조주식
    • Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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    • v.21 no.4
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    • pp.253-258
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    • 2001
  • This pot experiment was conducted to find out the forage productivity and quality in a grasslclover sward as affected by the application of three different fertilizers; double superphosphate(DS), fused Mg-phosphate (FP), and complex fertilizer(CF) on newly reclaimed hilly soil. This part was concerned with the mutual balances of mineral nutrients in the soils and mixed grass/clover sward in relation to grass tetany hazard. The results obtained are summarized as follows : 1. Concentration of exchangeable Mg and relative proportion of Mg to CEC in the soils before experiment were considerably below the critical level for good forage growth and prevention of grass tetany. It seems that these properties would be able to handicap by liming and NPK applications. 2. Comparing with the critical level for likelihood of tetany(Mg <0.2%, K >2.5%, and W(Ca+Mg) >2.2 in forages), mean concentration of Mg ranged from 0.14 in DS plot and 0.18 in FP plot to 0.24% in CF plot. Meanwhile, hazards of grass tetany in relation to the %K and ratio of K/(Ca+Mg) were not recognized. 3. Comparing with the optimum level of Carp(% ratio)=2.0 in forages for animal health, these ranged from 6.1 to 7.1. (Key words : Grass tetany, Fertilizer. Soil. Mineral nutrients)

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Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment for Campylobacter spp. on Ham in Korea

  • Lee, Jeeyeon;Ha, Jimyeong;Kim, Sejeong;Lee, Heeyoung;Lee, Soomin;Yoon, Yohan
    • Food Science of Animal Resources
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    • v.35 no.5
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    • pp.674-682
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    • 2015
  • The objective of this study was to evaluate the risk of illness from Campylobacter spp. on ham. To identify the hazards of Campylobacter spp. on ham, the general characteristics and microbial criteria for Campylobacter spp., and campylobacteriosis outbreaks were investigated. In the exposure assessment, the prevalence of Campylobacter spp. on ham was evaluated, and the probabilistic distributions for the temperature of ham surfaces in retail markets and home refrigerators were prepared. In addition, the raw data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHNES) 2012 were used to estimate the consumption amount and frequency of ham. In the hazard characterization, the Beta-Poisson model for Campylobacter spp. infection was used. For risk characterization, a simulation model was developed using the collected data, and the risk of Campylobacter spp. on ham was estimated with @RISK. The Campylobacter spp. cell counts on ham samples were below the detection limit (<0.70 Log CFU/g). The daily consumption of ham was 23.93 g per person, and the consumption frequency was 11.57%. The simulated mean value of the initial contamination level of Campylobacter spp. on ham was −3.95 Log CFU/g, and the mean value of ham for probable risk per person per day was 2.20×10−12. It is considered that the risk of foodborne illness for Campylobacter spp. was low. Furthermore, these results indicate that the microbial risk assessment of Campylobacter spp. in this study should be useful in providing scientific evidence to set up the criteria of Campylobacter spp..

A Summary of Radiation Accidents in Atomic Energy Activities of Korea (우리나라의 원자력 연구 개발에 수반된 방사선 사고)

  • 이현덕;하정우
    • Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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    • v.2 no.2
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    • pp.97-106
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    • 1970
  • Radiation accidents which occured in the A.E.R.I. during last ten years are described (table 1). It seemed to the authors that some of these accidents were considered to be hazardous to man body and associated installations. This report deals with the following four major accidents involving body contamination incidents that our health physicists have been experienced. 1. Over-exposures (up to 130 rem) to the total body due to the mismanipulation in the Cobalt-60 gamma irradiation facility. 2. Floor surface contamination (up to 13 mrad/hr) and its spread out due to the mishandling of radioiodine contained in the bottle. 3. Body surface contamination and 0.36 uCi radioactivity accumulated in the thyroid gland of a worker due to the inhalation of gaseous iodine-131. 4. A void capsule due to the leakage out of the radium therapeutic source (3mg\ulcorner) These accidents were treated by definitely prompt action to protect the workers and associated installations from any radiation hazards and every possible efforts were made to confine the spread of radioactive contamination as small area as possible by means of elaborate decontamination work and monitoring.

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Monitoring of Aflatoxin $B_1$ in Livestock Feeds Using ELISA and HPLC

  • Han Eun-Mee;Park Hee-Ra;Hu Soo-Jung;Kwon Ki-Sung;Lee Hyo-Min;Ha Mi-Sun;Kim Kyung-Mi;Ko Eun-Jung;Ha Sang-Do;Chun Hyang-Sook;Chung Duck-Hwa;Bae Dong-Ho
    • Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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    • v.16 no.4
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    • pp.643-646
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    • 2006
  • Because of potential health hazards of aflatoxins for humans, the present study was conducted to monitor aflatoxin $B_1\;(AFB_1)$ in livestock feeds. A total of 249 samples of feeds collected in Korea were analyzed by DC-ELISA for qualitative analysis of $AFB_1$. Then, 27 samples that were verified to contain $AFB_1$ by DC-ELISA were quantitated by HPLC/FLD. HPLC/FLD analysis revealed that only one sample collected from a farm contained 11 ppb of $AFB_1$, whereas the other samples collected from feed companies did not contain $AFB_1$. The presence of $AFB_1$ was further confirmed by LC/MS analysis. TLC analysis indicated that the result of the DC-ELISA was most likely due to possible contamination of other mycotoxins rather than $AFB_1$. In conclusion, HPLC/FLD analysis following DC-ELISA is necessary for rapid and accurate detection of $AFB_1$.

A Study on Safety Management System for Shipbuilding Industry (조선업 사업장의 안전관리 시스템 구축에 관한 연구)

  • Choi, Jeong-Woo;Yoo, Jin-Hwan;Kim, Hyun-Joon;Seo, Jae-Min;Kim, Seong-Bin;Yoon, Kee-Bong
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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    • v.23 no.6
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    • pp.14-20
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    • 2008
  • A large number of accidents have been occurred in the domestic shipbuilding industry. Its number of accidents is approximately twice than that of manufacturing industry and three times larger than that of whole industry in general. There are several reasons that make it hard to control the accidents. First, it is because the shipbuilding industry is composed of many subcontractors who may need improvement in safety education and safety management. Second, the shipyard environments are exposed to lots of hazards such as high elevation works, isolated workspaces, heavyweight and huge structures/components. Last, the shipbuilding industry has grown too rapidly in a short period. For that reason, the safety management standards and safety consciousness could not catch up the speed of its development. In this study, it is suggested to use a more efficient and easier way to conduct safety management using a web-based safety management system for the shipbuilding industry. This system is composed of four main parts, which is available for self-auditing with legal support. Those are checklists based safety and health evaluation, safety inspection, user shared accident database and user shared bulletin board. It is expected that this system can help us to reduce risks in the shipbuilding industry considerably.

MRI findings on lacunar infarction with no clinical symptoms (임상적 증상이 없는 열공성 뇌경색의 MRI 소견)

  • Kim, Ham-Gyum
    • Journal of radiological science and technology
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    • v.26 no.4
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    • pp.33-38
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    • 2003
  • The purpose of this study was to examine how lacunar infarction developed and what its characteristics were. As this disease had little noticeable clinical symptoms and is likely to draw less attention than other types of cerebrovascular diseases like panhemispheric infarction, it‘s difficult to make an early diagnosis of it or treat it successfully. The subjects in this study were 196 people who showed no clinical symptoms and took a MRI test. When the MRI test data were analyzed, signal intensity and the part where that disease was detected were primarily taken into account. As a result, it's found that 116 people had no lacunar infarction and 80 people suffered from that disease, including 13 with very mild lacunar infarction, 41 with mild lacunar infarction and 26 with lacunar infarction. However, very mild and mild lacunar infarction could not be viewed as clinically significant cases, and only 26 people, which accounted for 13 percent of the subjects, should be considered to be diagnosed with lacuanr infarction. The most common part where that disease was found was white matter and basal ganglia, regardless of gender. Accordingly, those who are exposed to health hazards such as hypertension or diabetes should take a MRI test to prevent cerebrovascular diseases that might be caused by those illnesses.

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Analysis of Pathogenic Microorganism's Contamination and Heavy Metals on Kimchi Cabbage by Cultivation Methods in Korea (재배농법에 따른 국내산 배추의 위해미생물 및 중금속 오염평가)

  • Oh, Soh-Young;Nam, Ki-Woong;Yoon, Deok-Hoon
    • Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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    • v.32 no.6
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    • pp.500-506
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    • 2017
  • Kimchi cabbage is one of the four major vegetable crops in Korea. The total annual production of kimchi cabbage, the main material of kimchi, was 20,559 tons in 2015. Kimchi cabbage is one of the majer crops produced by farmers which accounts for about 80% of the total leaf vegetable production in Korea. As the consumption of environmental-friendly agricultural products increases, food safety is one of the major public health concerns. We analyzed the biological hazards of kimchi cabbage produced by two types of cultivation methos such as organic farming and conventional farming using various culture media and microscopy. A total of 432 samples were analysed for presence of sanitary indicator microorganisms (aerobic plate count, coliform count, yeast & mold) and food-borne pathogens (Staphylococcus aureus, environmental Listeria, Bacillus cereus). The population of sanitary indicating microorganisms and food borne pathogens was under 5 Log CFU/g in all tested samples. The results of total microorganism numbers of leaf surface showed a positive correlation to those of soil samples. Additionally, we examined chemical factors such as pesticide residues and heavy metals in soil samples. All tested samples did not shown contamination levels higher than the standard limit.

Weight Loss as a Nonpharmacologic Strategy for Erosive Esophagitis: A 5-Year Follow-up Study

  • Bang, Ki Bae;Park, Jung Ho
    • Gut and Liver
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    • v.12 no.6
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    • pp.633-640
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    • 2018
  • Background/Aims: Obesity is a risk factor for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), with several studies demonstrating positive associations between body mass index (BMI) and GERD symptoms. However, little is known about the effect of BMI changes on erosive esophagitis (EE). In this study, we investigated whether BMI reduction could resolve EE. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed to assess the natural course of EE according to changes in BMI. Participants undergoing health check-ups from 2006 to 2012 were enrolled, and 1,126 subjects with EE were included. The degree of esophagitis was measured by upper endoscopy and serially checked over a 5-year follow-up. Logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards models were used to investigate the association between BMI reduction and EE resolution. Results: Substantial weight loss is associated with EE resolution. The adjusted odds ratio for EE resolution was 1.44 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09 to 1.92) among participants with a decrease in BMI compared to those with no decrease in BMI. The EE resolution rate was related to the degree of BMI reduction. The effect of weight loss on EE resolution was higher among subjects who lost more weight. Compared with subjects with no decrease in BMI, the hazard ratios for EE resolution were 1.09 (95% CI, 0.89 to 1.35), 1.31 (95% CI, 1.01 to 1.72) and 2.12 (95% CI, 1.44 to 3.12) in subjects with BMI reductions of ${\leq}1$, 1-2, and >$2kg/m^2$, respectively. Conclusions: EE resolution is associated with a decrease in BMI, and weight loss is potentially an effective GERD treatment.

Role of Organic Spices in the Preservation of Traditionally Fermented Kunun-zaki

  • Williana, N. Mokoshe;Babasola, A. Osopale;Cajethan, O. Ezeamagu;Fapohunda, Stephen O.
    • Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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    • v.49 no.2
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    • pp.192-200
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    • 2021
  • Kunun-zaki, produced by submerged fermentation of a combination of millet and sorghum, is a popular beverage in Northern Nigeria. Owing to the nature of the process involved in its production, kunun-zaki is highly susceptible to contamination by food spoilage microorganisms, leading to inconsistent quality and short shelf-life. In this study, we investigated various food spices, including cinnamon, garlic, and nutmeg, as potential preservatives that could be used to extend kunun-zaki shelf-life. Kunun-zaki varieties were fermented with each of these spices mentioned above and subjected to bacterial, nutritional, sensory, and quality maintenance assessments (using a twelve-member sensory panel to evaluate the organoleptic properties of kunun-zaki). Bacterial counts in the final products ranged between 105-7 CFU/ml. We identified two bacterial genera, Weissella and Enterococcus, based on partial 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Three amino acids, namely leucine, aspartate, and glutamate, were abundant in all kunun-zaki varieties, while the total essential amino acid content was above 39%, suggesting that kunun-zaki could potentially be considered as a protein-rich food source both for infants and adults. The kunun-zaki products were also rich in carbohydrates, crude proteins, ash, crude fiber, and fat, with contents estimated as 81-84, 8-11, 0.8-4.0, 2.9-3.58, and 5.1-6.3%, respectively. However, this nutritional content depreciated rapidly after 24 h of storage, except for kunun-zaki fermented with garlic, which its crude protein and fat content was maintained for up to 48 h. Our results revealed that organic spices increased the nutritional content of the kunun-zaki varieties and could be potentially be used as natural preservatives for enhancing the kunun-zaki shelf-life. However, garlic might be considered a better alternative based on our preliminary investigation. The presence of the isolated microorganisms in the analyzed kunun-zaki samples should be highlighted to raise awareness on the possible health hazards that could arise from poor handling and processing techniques.