• Toxicological Research
• /
• v.35 no.1
• /
• pp.13-24
• /
• 2019

Numerous ethnomedicinal uses have been attributed to different parts of Annona senegalensis (ASE), including its uses as food and food additives. The present study investigated toxicological and antioxidant effects of 28 days administration of ethanol extracts of ASE stem bark to Wistar strain albino rats. Acute toxicity test was done to determine lethal dose in Wistar rats while sub-acute toxicity test was conducted on rats divided into four groups (A - control, B - 50 mg/kg, C - 100 mg/kg, D - 150 mg/kg, respectively and treated for 28 days. Oxidative stress markers in liver and kidney as well as hepatic succinate dehydrogenase activity in the mitochondrial and post mitochondrial fractions (PMF) were evaluated. The $LD_{50}$ value of ASE was > 2,000 mg/kg. White blood cell counts gradually increased, but red blood cell counts and haematocrits level decreased significantly (p < 0.05) by about 50%. Liver enzymes in the serum and mitochondrial succinate dehydrogenase activity increased significantly (p < 0.05). Superoxide dismutase and catalase activities also increased in liver mitochondria and PMF while malondialdehyde (MDA) and reduced glutathione levels increased only in the PMF. Furthermore, only MDA levels increased significantly in the kidney after 28 days extract administration. Histopathological examination showed hepatic necrosis and no obvious signs of nephrotoxicity. Anona senegalensis is relatively safe, but prolonged ingestion could induce oxidative stress and impair ATP synthesis through the modulation of the activity of mitochondrial succinate dehydrogenase.

• Journal of Korean Medicine for Obesity Research
• /
• v.23 no.1
• /
• pp.28-41
• /
• 2023

Objectives: This study was aimed to evaluate the hemodynamic feasibility using pulse parameters as a way to establish safe dose guidelines for herbal prescription containing Ephedra herb (Ephedra intermedia Schrenk & C.A.Mey) on weight loss, and to provide a foundation for developing evidence-based guidelines for clinical use. Methods: Forty-two volunteers were recruited to participate in a study examining the changes in pulse wave characteristics following the ingestion of Gambi-hwan, a herbal prescription containing ephedra, over a period of 4 weeks, and pulse wave measurements were taken before and after the administration. Pulse wave parameters were measured in this study using a 3-dimensional radial pulse tonometry device (DMP-Lifeplus). In addition, questionnaire, blood pressure, temperature, and body composition were also measured as secondary measures. Results: Fifteen minutes after administration of Gambi-hwan, the non-adverse event group (non-AE) exhibited a statistically significant increase in several power and pressure-related parameters, including h1, h5, systolic area, pulse area, and pulse width, while the AE group showed a trend of decreasing stroke volume and increasing Radial Augmentation Index (RAI), w, and w/t. After 4 weeks of administration, both groups exhibited significant changes in pulse rate, w/t, RAI, t3/t, stroke volume (SV), and stroke volume Index (SVI). Notably, there are significant differences between AE group and non-AE group in w/t, SV, and SVI. Conclusions: These findings suggest that pulse parameters may be a useful way to establish safe dosing guidelines for weight loss herbal prescription containing ephedra. Further research is needed to confirm these results and to develop evidence-based guidelines for clinical use.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.3 no.2
• /
• pp.101-109
• /
• 1994

Chlorinated water in swimming pools contains chloroform at elevated levels compared to chlorinated drinking water Chloroform levels in four indoor swimming pools(swimming pools A, B and C in a city of Korea and swimming pool D in a city of New Jersey in the United States) were examined. The chloroform levels in the water of swimming pool C (city-managed) weve shown to be significantly(p=0.0001) different from those of private swimming pools A and B: the mean chloroform levels in the pools A, B, and C are 22.8, 17.8, and 31.1 $\mu\textrm{g}$/l, respectively. Furthermore, all of these chloroform levels are significantly(P=0.0001) different from those of New Jersey: chloroform concentration of the Korean pools ranged from 10.9 $\mu\textrm{g}$.l to 47.9 $\mu\textrm{g}$/l with a mean of 23.2 $\mu\textrm{g}$/l, while it ranged from 27 $\mu\textrm{g}$/l to 96$\mu\textrm{g}$/l with a mean of 64.4 $\mu\textrm{g}$/l in the New Jersey pool. The disinfection processes would cause part of this difference since the swimming pools in Korea applied both chlorination and ozonation method, while the swimming pool in New Jersey used chlorination method only. It was implied that swimming parameters inconsistently vary, resulting in fluctuation of and no constant accumulation of chloroform in the water with the change of time for the day. A regression analysis showed no relationships between sampling time and chloroform concentrations for the sampling day in the swimming pools of Korea. A F-test indicated no significant difference of chloroform concentrations in the morning and afternoon samples collected in the swimming pools. Ingestion dose was estimated to be 0.58$\mu\textrm{g}$ from an hour swimming in a city of Korea, taking into accounting an average of 23.2 $\mu\textrm{g}$/l in swimming pools in the city In extreme situation, the ingestion dose was estimated to be 12.0 $\mu\textrm{g}$ from an hour swimming in a city of Korea.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
• /
• v.39 no.1
• /
• pp.38-45
• /
• 2014

This paper describes the results of assessment of radiological dose resulting from operation of the Daedeok nuclear facilities including the HANARO research reactor, which has been performed to assure whether or not to comply with the regulation standards of the radioactive effluents releases. Based on the meteorological data and the radiation source term, the maximum individual doses were evaluated from 2010 to 2012. The atmospheric dispersion and the deposition factors of gaseous effluents were calculated using the XOQDOQ computer code. ENDOS-G and ENDOS-L code systems were also used for maximum individual dose calculation from gaseous and liquid effluents, respectively. The results were compared with the regulation standards for the radioactive effluents presented by the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC). The effective doses and the thyroid doses of the maximum individual were calculated at the maximum exposed point in the Daedeok site, and contributions of exposure pathways to the radiological doses resulting from gaseous and liquid radioactive effluents were evaluated at each facility of the Daedeok site. As a result, the maximum exposed age was analysed to be the child group, and the operation of HANARO research reactor had a major effect more than 90% on the individual doses. The main exposure pathways for gaseous radioactive effluent were from ingestion and inhalation. The effective doses and the thyroid doses were considerably influenced by tritium and iodine, respectively. The gaseous radioactive effluents contributed more than 90% on the total doses, whereas the contributions of the liquid radioactive effluents were relatively low. Consequently, the maximum individual dose due to radioactive effluents from the nuclear facilities within the Daedeok site were less than 3% of the regulation standard over 3 years; therefore, it can be concluded that radioactive effluents from the nuclear facilities were well managed, with the radiation-induced health detriment for residents around the site being negligible.

• Applied Microscopy
• /
• v.30 no.3
• /
• pp.285-293
• /
• 2000

The present study has been carried out to investigate the effect of fluoride toxicity on the morphology as well as inorganic chemical constituents of rat teeth. Rats were administered sodium fluoride at dose of 0 ppm, 100 ppm, 200 ppm and 300 ppm at the beginning of pregnancy. Animals were perfused intravascularly with glutaraldehyde and the incisors were removed. Changes in the protein composition of the secretory and maturation enamel were investigated using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS PAGE). And the enamel surface of incisors was examined under scanning electron microscope (SEM). Changes of protein quantities were found significantly in high levels fluoride administration for experimental groups compared with control. The SDS PAGE analysis demonstrated as follows In control group, secretory phase enamel protein, amelogenins, was detected more quantities than experimental group. The enamelin, presence in maturation phase enamel , showed more quantifies than control enamel with an increasing fluoride concentration in the drinking water. Also, the scanning electron micrographic data showed hypoplastic, tough, uneven, pitted and cracked enamel surfaces covered with granular deposits as a result of excessive intake of fluoride. From these results we conclude that high dose of fluoride administration leads to severe structural alterations on the enamel surface and these structural changes could be through defective mineralization.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.8-20
• /
• 1988

The annual individual and collective doses to the thyroids of four age-dependent groups due to the in-take of I-131 released from the Younggwang nuclear power plant NU-1 & 2, Korea, are estimated using the model presented in ICRP 29. Sensitivity and robustness of the model are analyzed. In case of 0.12% fuel defect during normal operation, the collective dose is founded to be 3.05${\times}10^{-3}$man-thyroid-Sv, which is higher than the value calculated by the GASPAR code, 2.3${\times}10^{-3}$man-thyroid-Sv. The maximal individual annual doses resulting from an acute release are higher than those calculated under the assumption of continuous release by $1.4{\sim}1.7$ times. The most important pathway to the infant is milk and, in contrast, that to child, teen and adult is ingestion of crops. The model used is the calculation appears to be influenced by the variables such as roubstness-index. The weighted committed dose equivalent obtained by the ICRP 29 model is slightly higher than that calculated by the three-compartment model.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
• /
• v.38 no.3
• /
• pp.138-142
• /
• 2013

This study was conducted to measure the uranium concentrations in urine of some members of the general public in Busan and Daejeon and to assess the annual committed effective doses from uranium analysis of daily excretion. As a result, the ranges of total uranium concentrations in the urine for the residents in Busan and Daejeon were found to be 0.556 - 1.53 $mBq\;L^{-1}$ and 2.18 - 4.55 $mBq\;L^{-1}$, respectively. It was noted that the uranium concentrations for the residents in Daejeon were observed to be higher than those for the residents in Busan. This result assumes that the uranium concentrations in the urines for the residents in Daejeon are probably related to the high uranium concentrations contained in the drinking water of Daejeon city. The bedrock of Daejeon, known as granitic rocks formed in the Jurassic period of the Mesozoic Era, contains high uranium contents. Also, results showed no significant correlation with age or sex. The ranges of annual committed effective doses from ingestion of uranium for the residents in Busan and Daejeon were calculated to be 0.472-1.41 ${\mu}Sv$ and 1.99-4.15 ${\mu}Sv$, respectively.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.30 no.1 s.56
• /
• pp.77-101
• /
• 1997

In September 1994, residents of Gozan-dong, Incheon City, made a petition to the government about their health problems which might be caused by previous glass fibre landfill nearby 'H' company. In february 1995, at regular academic meeting of occupational and environmental medicine, a research team of 'D' University presented that they had found glass fibres in groundwater of the area through their survey. They were suspicious of probable association between ingestion of groundwater contaminated with glass fibres and skin tumors among residents. A joint research team was formed and carried out the survey of environment concerning groundwater and its glass fibre existence, and health assessment of residents in the area and industrial workers of 'H' company during May to November, 1995. Analysis of groundwater flow system indicates that the flow lines from the glass fibre landfill pass through or terminate at the 6 houses around the landfill. This means that the groundwater of the 6 houses around the glass fibre landfill could be affected by some possible contaminants from the landfill, but the groundwater quality of the other houses was irrelevant to the landfill. The qualitative and qualitative analyses for glass fibres in 54 groundwater samples including those from the nearby 6 houses, were carried out using SEM equipped with EDS, resulting in no evidence for the presence of glass fibres in the waters. Major precipitates, formed in waters while boiling, were identified as calcium carbonates, in particulary, aragonites in needle form. The results of health assessments of 889 residents in Gozan-dong, participated in this study, showed statistically significant differences in past medical histories of skin tumor and respiratory disease between the exposed group (31 persons who inhabited in 6 houses around the landfill) and the control group, but no significant differences in past medical histories of other diseases, such as cancer mortality, current gastroscopic findings, current skin diseases and respiratory diseases, etc. Also, we could not prove any glass fibres in excised specimens of 9 skin tumors in both groups and there were no health problems possibly associated with glass fibres in employees of the 'H' company. After all, we could not authenticate the association, raised by prior investigators, between groundwater streams, assumedly contaminated with glass fibres or not, and specific disease morbidities or common disease/symptom prevalences. That is, we could not find any glass fibres in groundwater as the only exposure factor of this study hypothesis, and there were not enough certain evidences such as increasing disease prevalences, for examples, skin, respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases etc, possibly related to glass fibre exposure, in exposed group. As a matter of course, the conditions for confirming causal association, for example, strength of the association, consistency of the association, specificity of the association, temporality of the association and dose-response relationship etc, have not been satisfied. In conclusion, we were not able to certify the hypothesis that contamination of groundwater with glass fibres might cause any hazardous health effects in residents who used it for drinking.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
• /
• v.31 no.3
• /
• pp.199-205
• /
• 2014

Acidosis conditions either acute or chronic following ingestion of excessive amounts of readily fermented carbohydrate are great production problems for goat in Bangladesh. This study designed to investigate the prevalence of lactic acidosis and then response to different therapeutic agents. For this purpose, 1,128 goat were examined at outdoor District Veterinary Hospital, Faridpur, Bangladseh for treatment of which 40 goats were found positive for lactic acidosis showing 3.55% prevalence of disease. The highest occurrence found in female (4.64%) of over 3 years age (4.64%) in indigenous goat (2.7%). For therapeutic assessment the forty affected goats were divided into four groups A, B, C and D comprising of 10 animals each. Group A were given magnesium hydroxide 8% w/v at 1 g/kg body weight orally. In group B magnesium hydroxide 8% w/v at a dose as group A combination with 7.5% sodium bicarbonate at the rate of 0.9 ml/Kg body weight intravenously administered. Goat in group D were treated with mixture of ginger, nuxvomica, sodium carbonate, cobalt sulphate, dried ferrous sulphate and thiamin mononitrate at the rate of 1 g/kg body weight orally. Goat of group C treated with combination drugs of group A, B and D. The rectal temperature, pulse rate, respiration rate, was performed before and after treatment. It was found that the highest recovery in group C with an average period of $21{\pm}1.8$ hours. It was concluded that lactic acidosis is a common disease of goats and its severity can be effectively reduced by using combination drugs.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
• /
• v.6 no.1
• /
• pp.9-15
• /
• 2008

Purpose: Dichlorvos has been in widespread use as an organophosphate (OP) insecticide compound. The purpose of this study was to access the epidemiology and clinical features of dichlorvos in Korea. Methods: This was a 38 multi-center prospective study of dichlorvos poisoning using surveys, a structural reporting system and review of hospital records from August 2005 to July 2006. A total of 54 patients with acute dichlorvos poisoning on a national basis were enrolled. We analyzed the epidemiologic characteristics and clinical manifestations of dichlorvos poisoning. In addition, the clinical features of dichlorvos poisoning were compared with others OP compounds. Results: During the study period, compounds involving pure OP poisoning were dichlorvos (22.7%), methidathion (8.4%), and phosphamidon (6.7%). In acute dichlorvos poisoning, all ingestion routes were oral. Intentional poisoning involved 74.1% of cases. The common initial complaints involved gastrointestinal (64.8%), systemic (61.1%), central or peripheral nervous system (53.7%), and respiratory symptoms (50.0%). The median arrival time to hospital after dichlorvos poisoning was 2.6 hours and mean hospitalization duration was 7.1 days. 2-PAM was administered in 35 patients in mean doses of 6.3 g/day intravenously. Atropine was administered in 30 patients with a mean dose of 62.8 mg/day (maximal 240 mg/day). Overall mortality rate for dichlorvos poisonings were 14.8% (8/54). Immediate causes for death included sudden cardiac arrest or ventricular dysrhythmias (50%), multi-organ failure (25%), acute renal failure (12.5%), and unknown causes (12.5%). Conclusion: When compared to previous reports, dichlorvos poisoning displayed relatively moderate severity. The presence of a lower GCS score, altered mental status, serious dysrhythmias, systemic shock, acute renal failure, and respiratory complications upon presentation were associated with a more serious and fatal poisoning.