• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.30 no.4 s.59
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• pp.815-829
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• 1997

This study was performed to assist the employer to establish the effective program for hearing conservation of noisy industry. The study subjects were health care managers of an industry and the study industries were devided into two groups(Group I, 37 industries; have the workers diagnosed as noise-induced hearing loss, Group II, 41 industries; not have the workers diagnosed as noise-induced hearing loss) and the question method carried out through the face to face interview. The contents of questionnaire for OSHA's hearing conservation program(HCP) consisted of seven components: 5 questions of monitoring of employee noise exposures(component 1), 6 questions of the institution of engineering, work practice, and administrative controls for excessive noise(component 2), 8 questions of the provision of each overexposed employee with an individually fitted hearing protector with an adequate noise reduction rating(component 3), 14 questions of employee training and education regarding noise hazards and protection measures(component 4), 9 questions of baseline and annual audiometry(component 5), 3 questions of procedures for preventing further occupational hearning loss by an employee whenever such an event has been identified(component 6), and 1 question of recording keeping(component 7), thus total numbers of questions was 46. The numbers of statistially significant difference(p<0.05) between two groups were 2(25.0%) among 8 questions of component 3, 10(71.4%) among 14 questions of component 4, 3(33.3%) among 8 questions of component 5, 2(6.7%) among 3 questions of component 6, and 17(37.0%) among total 46 questions of questionnaire. Above results showed that the level of HCP acceptance in group I was lower than in group II. Thus employer's understanding about HCP should be precede for the effective hearing conservation program of employee and the adequate hearing protector, training and education, baseline and annual audiometry, and procedures for preventing further occupational hearning loss for hearing conservation would be more emphasized.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.221-228
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• 2024

Background: Social interest is increasing due to frequent accidents caused by chemicals in the electronics industry. Objectives: The purpose of this study is to present a management plan by evaluating the exposure characteristics of dichloromethane (DCM), trichloromethane (TCM), and tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide (TMAH), which are high-risk substances to which people may be exposed in the electronics industry in South Korea. Methods: To investigate the handling companies and status of the hazardous chemicals DCM, TCM, and TMAH, the handling status of the three substances was classified based on electronics industry-related codes from the 2019 Work Environment Survey (Chemical Handling and Manufacturing) data with work environment measurement results for five years. Results: DCM, TCM, and TMAH are commonly used as cleaning agents in the electronics industry. For DCM, it was found that all work environment measurement results from 2018 to 2021 but not 2022 exceeded the exposure standard. Conclusions: Identifying the distribution channels of hazardous chemicals is an intervention point that can reduce exposure to hazardous chemicals. It requires management through tracking systems such as unique verification numbers at the import and manufacturing stages, and proper cultivation of and related support for handling chemicals by business managers.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.353-363
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• 2020

Objectives: Occupational diseases that occur due to or aggravated by work have commonly been recognized in the manufacturing industry, but there are now more incidences happening in the service industry due to changes in the industrial structure. Health workers are exposed to direct factors and various other causes of occupational disease at work, such as physical, chemical, biological, and psyco-social factors. This study aims to identify work-related diseases affecting health workers that are recognized as occupational diseases. Methods: The research is based on the data of workers whose diseases were accepted as work-related by the Industrial Accidents Compensation Insurance, and filed by the Korean Occupational Safety and Health Agency. Amongst the approved claims during 2011 to 2015, we focused on healthcare workers and health-related workers of the Korean Standard Classification of Occupations. Descriptive statistics were performed. Results: The number of health workers(HWs) with approved work-related disease was 1,707 over 5 years. The number of healthcare workers(HCWs) excluding caregivers was 370 (21.7%) and of health-related workers (HRWs) it was 736 (43.1%). Out of HWs who were approved for their illnesses, females were 80% of HCWs and 88% of HRWs. The most common occupational disease in HWs was musculoskeletal diseases, while that of nurses was infectious disease. Conclusions: HWs are exposed to various risks from their profession and are affected by occupational diseases. It is necessary to focus on this issue and provide preventive measures.

• The Korean Ginseng Research and Industry
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.27-29
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• 2008

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.364-369
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• 2015

Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) seeds are wellknown traditional oriental medicines that have long been used for the remedies of blood stasis and bone formation in east Asia. In this study, ethyl acetate (EtOAc) was used for extraction of the main chemical compounds from C. tinctorius seeds. Four major compounds were identified, acacetin, cosmosiin, N-feruloyl serotonin and N-(p-coumaroyl) serotonin. Each compound was evaluated for its inhibitory activity against the inflammatory process of macrophages. All compounds significantly inhibited production of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated nitric oxide (NO) and pro-inflammatory cytokines. The protein levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) were dramatically decreased by serotonins in a dose-dependent manner in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. These results suggest that serotonin derivatives from safflower seeds may reduce inflammation-related diseases.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.9
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• pp.1429-1432
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• 2015

To identify plant-derived cell signaling inhibitors with antifungal properties, a twocomponent screening system using both wild-type Cryptococcus neoformans and a calcineurin mutant was employed owing to their counter-regulatory actions on the Hog1 mitogenactivated protein kinase and calcineurin pathways. Of the 2,000 plant extracts evaluated, a single bioactive compound from M. obovata Thunb. was found to act specifically on the calcineurin pathway of C. neoformans. This compound was identified as magnoloside A, and had potent antifungal activities against various Cryptococcus strains with minimum inhibitory concentration values ranging from 1.0 to 4.0 μg/ml.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.58 no.3
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• pp.266-271
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• 2015

Recently many effort focused to understand the mechanical insights of melanogenesis to develop the agent for hyper-pigmentation. So this study was performed to investigate the depigmentation of Vitex rotundifolia. With B16F10 mouse melanoma cell, we have seen inhibition of the tyrosinase, MITF, TRP-1, TRP-2, and melanin synthesis, which eventually were dose dependently decreased by Vitex rotundifolia. Specially, Vitex rotundifolia decreased the protein levels of tyrosinase and TRP-1. In conclusion, Vitex rotundifolia showed the whitening activity in all the experiments mentioned above and we expect that it can be used for preventing melanin synthesis.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.383-388
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• 2013

This study was performed to determine the whitening effect of several solvent fractions of Diospyros kaki extracts. Fractions from ethanol extracts of D. kaki were prepared by a systematic fractionation procedure using hexane, ethyl acetate, butanol, and $H_2O$. The ethyl acetate fractions were used to evaluate the inhibitory effects on tyrosinase activity and melanin synthesis in B16F10 melanoma cells. Ethyl acetate fractions suppressed the expression of tyrosinase, TRP-1 and TRP-2 in B16F10 melanoma cells. These results showed that ethyl acetate fractions of D. kaki could be developed as a skin whitening material in cosmetics.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.610-615
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• 2010

Alcohol is the most widely psychoactive drug and has known in almost all civilization since ancient time. Recently increase consuming alcoholic beverages, alcohol is on of the major public health problems in the world. Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) play important roles in the metabolism of alcohols and aldehydes. The drink consists of medicinal herbs, Puerariae Radix, Phyllostachyos Folium, Citri Pericarpium, Polygonati Rhizoma, Rehmanniae Rhizoma (Vinegar), which have been widely used in oriental medicine. This study was designed to investigate effects of medicinal herbal drink (MHD) on alcohol metabolism in drunken SD rats subjects. In experiment, rats were treated to ethanol (EtOH, 3 g/kg, PO) at 60 min. after saline (CON) or MHD (1 ml/kg, PO) administration. The blood alcohol concentration (BAC), blood acetaldehyde concentration (BALC) activities of ADH, ALDH, AST and ALT were significantly decreased in MHD group than in control group as a time-dependent manner. And drinking water volume in MHD group with duplicate treatment, were significantly decreased than in CON group. These results suggested that MHD intake could give an influence upon the reduction in BAC and BALC may alleviate acute ethanol-induced hepatotoxicity by altering alcohol metabolic enzyme activities.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.29-43
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• 2013

Objectives : The aim of this study is reviewing the past legal definition and regulations, to provide basis for the future desirable direction of Korean herbal pharmaceutical industry and national herbal drug policies. Methods : We reviewed how concept of herbal medicinal preparation has been utilized and changed along with various national laws and regulations. And this study also reviewed problems related herbal medicinal preparation policies. Results : Since 1990s, especially inauguration of Korea Food & Drug Administration (KFDA) at 1998, the concept of crude drug preparation has constantly expanded and distorted the scope of herbal medicinal preparations. This resulted in decline of herbal medicinal preparation industry. Conclusions : It means policies related herbal medicinal preparation which was driven steadily during this decade have lost their consistency. Also, it restricted the various medical options which can guarantee people's health rights.