• Title/Summary/Keyword: Laboratories

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A study on the development of analytical methods for undesignated food additives in Korean foods (국내 미지정 식품첨가물의 식품 중 분석법 개발에 관한 고찰)

  • Lee, Se-Jeong;Kwon, Min-Seop;Han, Xionggao;Men, Xiao;Choi, Sun-Il;Lee, Ok-Hwan
    • Food Science and Industry
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    • v.55 no.1
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    • pp.23-32
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    • 2022
  • Processed foods using food additives designated as the other countries but not yet in Korea can be mixed and distributed among imported foods in Korea. Accordingly, it is necessary to develop an analysis method of undesignated food additives in order to continuously monitor. This paper introduced a study on the development and validation of analytical methods conducted in academia. The development of analytical methods was conducted using the analytical methods presented in previous studies. We first exhibited that simultaneous analysis of 12 food dyes was easy to reproduce, but the second introduced analytical method of emulsifiers cannot be utilized analysis using expensive equipment not provided in general laboratories, and it is difficult to reproduce due to the old publications. Therefore related national institutions, research and industry-academia circles need to constantly conduct research on the development of analytical methods for undesignated food additives.

Evaluation of Water Quality Change by Membrane Damage to Pretreatment Process on SDI in Wastewater Reuse (하수재이용에서 전처리 막 손상에 의한 수질변화가 SDI에 미치는 영향평가)

  • Lee, Min Soo;Seo, Dongjoo;Lee, Yong-Soo;Chung, Kun Yong
    • Membrane Journal
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    • v.32 no.4
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    • pp.253-263
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    • 2022
  • This study suggests a guideline for designing unit process of wastewater reuse in terms of a maintenance of the process based on critical parameters to draw a high quality performance of RO unit. Defining the parameters was done by applying membrane integrity test (MIT) in pretreatment process utilizing lab-scale MF. SDI is utilized for judging whether permeate is suitable to RO unit. However, result said TOC concentration matching with particle count analysis is better for judging the permeate condition. When membrane test pressure (Ptest) was measured to derive log removal value in PDT, virgin state of membrane fiber was used to measure dynamic contact angle utilizing surface tension of the membrane fiber. Actually, foulant affects to the state of membrane surface, and it decreases the Ptest value along with time elapsed. Consequently, LRVDIT is also affected by Ptest value. Thus, sensitivity of direct integrity test descends with result of Ptest value change, so Ptest value should be considered not the virgin state of the membrane but its current state. Overall, this study focuses on defining design parameters suitable to MF pretreatment for RO process in wastewater reuse by assessing its impact. Therefore, utilities can acknowledge that the membrane surface condition must be considered when users conduct the direct integrity test so that Ptest and other relative parameter used to calculate LRVDIT are adequately measured.

A Standardized Pathology Report for Gastric Cancer: 2nd Edition

  • Young Soo Park;Myeong-Cherl Kook;Baek-hui Kim;Hye Seung Lee;Dong-Wook Kang;Mi-Jin Gu;Ok Ran Shin;Younghee Choi;Wonae Lee;Hyunki Kim;In Hye Song;Kyoung-Mee Kim;Hee Sung Kim;Guhyun Kang;Do Youn Park;So-Young Jin;Joon Mee Kim;Yoon Jung Choi;Hee Kyung Chang;Soomin Ahn;Mee Soo Chang;Song-Hee Han;Yoonjin Kwak;An Na Seo;Sung Hak Lee;Mee-Yon Cho;The Gastrointestinal Pathology Study Group of the Korean Society of Pathologists
    • Journal of Gastric Cancer
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    • v.23 no.1
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    • pp.107-145
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    • 2023
  • The first edition of 'A Standardized Pathology Report for Gastric Cancer' was initiated by the Gastrointestinal Pathology Study Group of the Korean Society of Pathologists and published 17 years ago. Since then, significant advances have been made in the pathologic diagnosis, molecular genetics, and management of gastric cancer (GC). To reflect those changes, a committee for publishing a second edition of the report was formed within the Gastrointestinal Pathology Study Group of the Korean Society of Pathologists. This second edition consists of two parts: standard data elements and conditional data elements. The standard data elements contain the basic pathologic findings and items necessary to predict the prognosis of GC patients, and they are adequate for routine surgical pathology service. Other diagnostic and prognostic factors relevant to adjuvant therapy, including molecular biomarkers, are classified as conditional data elements to allow each pathologist to selectively choose items appropriate to the environment in their institution. We trust that the standardized pathology report will be helpful for GC diagnosis and facilitate large-scale multidisciplinary collaborative studies.

Current Status of Ophthalmic Optometry Laboratory Personnel in Korea, Japan, and the United States (한국, 일본, 미국 안과검사인력의 현황)

  • Okhwan, Jeon;Junbeom, Park;Dae Jin, Kim;Dae Eun, Kim;Cheol, Moon;Bon-Kyeong, Koo
    • Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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    • v.54 no.4
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    • pp.285-292
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    • 2022
  • The education and training system, the ISCO (International Standard Classification of Occupations), and the legal systems of Japan and the United States consider all ophthalmic optometry laboratory personnel as ophthalmologists. They encompass optometrists, orthoptists, optometric technicians, and ophthalmic medical technicians. Data retrieved from the KOSIS (Korean Statistical Information Service) revealed that the number of opticians associated with the department of ophthalmology in 2022 could be appraised by classifying their medical institutions; contrarily, the number of clinical laboratory technologists could not be assessed. However, the current research investigated a general tertiary hospital and determined that clinical laboratory technologists outnumber opticians. Classification in Korea is based on ophthalmic optometry laboratory personnel, ISCO, ISCED (International Standard Classification of Education), the medical service act, the act on medical service technologists, and the higher education act. These results cannot be compared to the optometrists evaluated in the United States. Ophthalmology is a suitable profession for optometric technologists and technicians who perform under the instructions of ophthalmologists and optometrists. The field of eye healthcare would be benefitted by assigning the management based on their qualification according to the requirement of the job title, such as 'Clinical Optometry Technologist' to be given to clinical laboratory technologists and opticians who work in the ophthalmic optometry laboratories after obtaining a private qualification endowed by the Korean Ophthalmological Society and the Korean Optometry Society.

Phytochemical, Antidiabetic, Antioxidant, Antibacterial, Acute and Sub-Chronic Toxicity of Moroccan Arbutus unedo Leaves

  • Latifa Doudach;Hanae Naceiri Mrabti;Samiah Hamad Al-Mijalli;Mohamed Reda Kachmar;Kaoutar Benrahou;Hamza Assaggaf;Ahmed Qasem;Emad Mohamed Abdallah;Bodour Saeed Rajab;Khouloud Harraqui;Mouna Mekkaoui;Abdelhakim Bouyahya;Moulay El Abbes Faouzi
    • Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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    • v.26 no.1
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    • pp.27-37
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    • 2023
  • Objectives: Moroccan Arbutus unedo is an essential medicinal plant; however, little is known about the biological properties of its leaves mentioned in Moroccan traditional medicine. Methods: Various standard experiments were performed to evaluate the phytochemical, antidiabetic, antioxidant, antibacterial, and acute and sub-chronic toxicity characteristics of A. unedo leaves. Results: Phytochemical screening led to the identification of several phytochemical classes, including tannins, flavonoids, terpenoids, and anthraquinones, with high concentrations of polyphenols (31.83 ± 0.29 mg GAEs/g extract) and flavonoids (16.66 ± 1.47 mg REs/g extract). Further, the mineral analysis revealed high levels of calcium and potassium. A. unedo extract demonstrated significant antioxidant and anti-diabetic activities by inhibiting α-amylase (1.350 ± 0.32 g/mL) and α-glucosidase (0.099 ± 1.21 g/mL) compared to the reference drug Acarbose. Also, the methanolic extract of the plant exhibited significantly higher antibacterial activity than the aqueous extract. Precisely, three of the four examined bacterial strains exhibited substantial susceptibility to the methanolic extract . Minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC)/minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values indicated that A. unedo harbor abundant bactericidal compounds. For toxicological studies, mice were administered with A. unedo aqueous extract at single doses of 2,000 and 5,000 mg/kg. They did not exhibit significant abnormal behavior, toxic symptoms, or death during the 14-day acute toxicity test and the 90-day sub-chronic toxicity test periods. The general behavior, body weight, and hematological and biochemical status of the rats were assessed, revealing no toxicological symptoms or clinically significant changes in biological markers observed in the mice models, except hypoglycemia, after 90 days of daily dose administration. Conclusion: The study highlighted several biological advantages of A. unedo leaves without toxic effects in short-term application. Our findings suggest that conducting more comprehensive and extensive in vivo investigations is of utmost importance to identify molecules that can be formulated into pharmaceuticals in the future.

Update on the Taxonomy of Clinically Important Anaerobic Bacteria (임상적으로 중요한 무산소성 세균의 분류 업데이트)

  • Myungsook, Kim
    • Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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    • v.54 no.4
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    • pp.239-248
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    • 2022
  • The taxonomy of bacteria in the field of clinical microbiology is in a state of constant flux. A large-scale revamping of the classification and nomenclature of anaerobic bacteria has taken place over the past few decades, mainly due to advances in molecular techniques such as 16S rRNA and whole genome sequencing (WGS). New genera and species have been added, and existing genera and species have been reclassified or renamed. A major role of the clinical microbiological laboratories (CMLs) is the accurate identification (ID) and appropriate antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) for clinically important bacteria, and rapid reporting and communication of the same to the clinician. Taxonomic changes in anaerobic bacteria could potentially affect the choice of appropriate antimicrobial agents and the antimicrobial breakpoints to use. Furthermore, current taxonomy is important to prevent treatment failures of emerging pathogenic anaerobes with antimicrobial resistance. Therefore, CMLs should periodically update themselves on the changes in the taxonomy of anaerobic bacteria and suitably inform clinicians of these changes for optimum patient care. This article presents an update on the taxonomy of clinically important anaerobic bacteria, together with the previous names or synonyms. This taxonomy update can help guide antimicrobial therapy for anaerobic bacterial infections and prevent treatment failure and can be a useful tool for both CMLs and clinicians.

Preparation and Properties of EPDM/Thermoplastic Polyurethane Scrap Blends (EPDM/열가소성 폴리우레탄 스크랩 블렌드의 제조 및 물성)

  • Lee, Young-Hee;Kang, Bo-Kyung;Yoo, Hye-Jin;Kim, Jung-Soo;Jung, Young-Jin;Lee, Dong-Jin;Kim, Han-Do
    • Clean Technology
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    • v.15 no.3
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    • pp.172-179
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    • 2009
  • The thermoplastic polyurethane waste (TPU-S) with good tensile properties, hardness, NBS abrasion resistance, specific gravity and low wet coefficient of kinetic friction was melt-blended with ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber (EPDM) with high wet slip resistance and low mechanical properties to form EPDM/TPU-S blend films, and their composition-property relationship was investigated to find the optimum composition for shoe outsole material. The properties except the wet slip resistance increased with increasing TPU-S contents in the blend. All the properties except elongation at break, specific gravity and the wet coefficient of kinetic friction in the range of $0{\sim}65\;wt%$ of TPU-S did not attain the values predicted by the simple additive rule. The optimum weight ratio of EPDM/TPU-S for the application to the typical shoe outsole material was found to be 30/70.

Comparison of acoustics performance measurement and evaluation standard of office space and office acoustics criteria of European countries (사무공간의 음향성능 측정, 평가 방법의 표준화와 유럽 국가들의 음향성능 기준 비교)

  • Jeong-Ho Jeong
    • The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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    • v.42 no.2
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    • pp.133-142
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    • 2023
  • The office environment is changing according to work types, Information Technology (IT) advancements, and the Coronavirus disease (COVID)-19 situation. In order for office space users to perform their tasks comfortably and efficiently, it is necessary to secure individual privacy as well as easy communication among members. In Korea, the demand for improving the acoustic performance of office spaces is also increasing, but the related performance criteria and guidelines have not been established. In this study, standardization of office space acoustic performance measurement and evaluation methods and European countries' acoustic performance criteria were compared and reviewed. It is proposed to comprehensively review international standardization trends and acoustic performance standards in each country and to establish and utilize criteria for evaluating the acoustic performance and satisfaction of office spaces in Korea through our survey. Considering the international standardization direction and compatibility with communication and Public Address (PA) systems, it is appropriate to establish criteria using the speech transmission index or Speech Transmission Index (STI) application index. This criterion will be highly utilizable and compatible. In addition, since the office furniture industry is interested in improving the acoustic performance of office space, it is necessary to establish a labelling system for speech level reduction of office furniture.

A Case Study of Applying Mixture Experimental Design to Enhance Flame Retardancy of Wood-Plastic Composites (합성목재의 난연성 확보를 위한 혼합물 실험계획 사례)

  • Seo, Ho-Jin;Kwon, Minseo;Lee, Gun-Myung;Ju, Hyejin;Byun, Jai-Hyun
    • Journal of Korean Society for Quality Management
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    • v.50 no.1
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    • pp.169-181
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    • 2022
  • Purpose: This paper addresses a case study of developing a flame retardant wood-plastic composites (WPC) by adding tannic acid to the existing synthetic wood. The optimal mixing ratios of six components are explored to minimize the burning time using two mixture designs. Methods: In the preliminary experiment, six components are considered to find important components and their ranges. Seven D-optimal mixture design points are generated. Two points are removed for the balance of plastic components to be maintained, and the remaining five points are augmented with two basic compositions. Four components are selected to be considered in the main experiment. In the main experiment, pellets are extruded at the eight mixture design points. In-house testing of burning time is executed three times. Specimens made of pellets from two promising flame retardant compositions are sent to the accredited laboratories and tested. Results: The test results are as follows: 1) The best composition (Wood flour, Tannic acid, PE, Lubricant) = (25, 41, 10, 2) (wt%) shows the burning time of 1 second, which is 9-fold improvement compared to the the burning time of 9 seconds from the existing composition (58, 0, 10, 2) (wt%). 2) The second best composition (41, 25, 10, 2) (wt%) results in the burning time of 2 seconds. This composition is inferior to the best composition in terms of the flame retardancy, but more economical since it needs less tannic acid which is 100-fold expensive than the wood flour. Conclusion: Flame retardant compositions are found by adding tannic acid to the existing WPC employing optimal mixture designs. This case study will be helpful to practitioners who try to develop new products with additional physical properties with as small number of experimental trials as possible. Future research direction includes exploring conditions which satisfy both performance level and cost limitation simultaneously.

Serological evidence of Anaplasma spp., Borrelia burgdorferi and Ehrlichia canis in dogs from the Republic of Korea by rapid diagnostic test kits

  • Miranda, Evelyn Alejandra;Han, Sun-Woo;Rim, Ji-Min;Cho, Yoon-Kyoung;Choi, Kyoung-Seong;Chae, Joon-Seok
    • Journal of Veterinary Science
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    • v.23 no.2
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    • pp.20.1-20.8
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    • 2022
  • Background: Emergent and re-emergent canine tick-borne infections are attracting increasing attention worldwide. The rise in pet ownership and the close relationship between dogs and their owners are the most concerning factors because dogs may act as competent reservoirs for human tick-transmitted infectious agents. Objectives: This study contributes to the epidemiological surveillance of canine tick-transmitted infections with zoonotic risk in the Republic of Korea (ROK) by investigating the seroprevalence of the pathogens, Anaplasma spp., Borrelia burgdorferi, and Ehrlichia canis. Methods: Four hundred and thirty whole blood samples from domestic dogs were collected in seven metropolitan cities and nine provinces in the ROK and tested using SensPERT Ab test kits (VetAll Laboratories®) to detect seroreactive animals. Results: The seroprevalence rates identified were 9.8% (42/430) for Anaplasma spp., 2.8% (12/430) for B. burgdorferi, and 1.4% (6/430) for E. canis. The risk factors evaluated in this study that could be associated with the development of a humoral immune response, such as sex, age, and history of tick exposure, were similar. There was only one exception for dogs seroreactive to Anaplasma spp., where the risk factor "tick exposure" was statistically significant (p = 0.047). Conclusions: This serological survey exhibited the widespread presence of Anaplasma spp., B. burgdorferi, and E. canis throughout the ROK. Hence, dogs may play a key role as the sentinel animals of multiple zoonotic infectious agents in the country.