• Title/Summary/Keyword: Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in Korea

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The Association of Blood Concentrations of Healvy Metals and Blood Pressure in Residents Living Near Janghang Copper Smelter in Korea (제련소 주변 지역 주민들의 혈중 중금속 농도와 혈압과의 관련성)

  • Eom, Sang-Yong;Yim, Dong-Hyuk;Moon, Sun-In;Ochirpurev, Bolormaa;Choi, Young-Sook;Park, Choong-Hee;Kim, Guen-Bae;Yu, Seung-Do;Choi, Byung-Sun;Park, Jung-Duck;Kim, Yong-Dae;Kim, Heon
    • Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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    • v.42 no.1
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    • pp.13-23
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    • 2017
  • Objectives: This study was conducted to evaluate a relationship between the blood concentrations of toxic metals and the blood pressure in people living near the copper smelter. Methods: The study included 570 adults living within 4km of the smelter. We compared systolic and diastolic blood pressure between tertiary groups for blood cadmium, mercury and lead levels, respectively. Multiple regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors affecting systolic and diastolic blood pressures. Results: In male subjects, there is a significant difference in the mean of systolic and diastolic blood pressure between tertiary groups of blood cadmium and mercury levels, but in women, there was no significant difference in the mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures in all tertiary groups of heavy metals. The results of multiple regression analysis showed that age, BMI, and cadmium concentration in men were risk factors for blood pressure. In women, age and BMI, drinking and smoking, and blood mercury were significantly influenced to blood pressure. Conclusions: Residents living near the Janghang smelter showed high concentrations of blood lead and cadmium, suggesting that they were exposed to high concentrations of heavy metals released from the smelter in the past. Such exposure may have caused some blood pressure increase. Especially, the concentration of cadmium in the case of men and the concentration of mercury in blood in the case of women were found to be significantly related to the increase of blood pressure. The local population should be advised to make efforts to reduce exposure to environmental contaminants, in order to minimize cardiovascular disease, and to pay close attention to any health problems possibly related to toxic metal exposure.

A Study on Heavy Metal Concentrations of Oxidized Hair Coloring Products in Korea Market (한국에서 유통 중인 산화형 염모제의 중금속 농도에 관한 연구)

  • Choi, Chae Man;Hong, Mi Sun;Lee, Yun Jung;Kim, Hwa Soon;Kim, Hyun Jung;Kim, Jung Hun;Chae, Young Zoo
    • Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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    • v.39 no.3
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    • pp.241-249
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    • 2013
  • This study was aimed to provide the fundamental data about oxidized hair color products. For this reason, we collected 125 oxidized hair color products, which were distributed in domestic market from January to October, 2012, and measured the heavy metal concentrations of lead, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, manganese, nickel, copper in the samples. Results were compared by domestic, foreign, henna, type and color. The average metal concentrations were as follows; 0.211 ${\mu}g/g$ for lead, 0.008 ${\mu}g/g$ for cadmium, 0.051 ${\mu}g/g$ for arsenic, 0.954 ${\mu}g/g$ for chromium, 6.250 ${\mu}g/g$ for manganese, 0.591 ${\mu}g/g$ for nickel and 0.544 ${\mu}g/g$ for copper. In case of lead and arsenic, the concentrations were much less than the regulated amount (20 ${\mu}g/g$ and 10 ${\mu}g/g$, respectively) suggested by MFDS (Ministry of Food and Drug Safety). In henna (p < 0.05), the concentrations were significantly higher than those of other domestic and foreign oxidized hair color products as follows; 1.264 ${\mu}g/g$ for lead, 0.267 ${\mu}g/g$ for arsenic, 0.025 ${\mu}g/g$ for cadmium, 4.055 ${\mu}g/g$ for chromium, 72.044 ${\mu}g/g$ for manganese, 3.076 ${\mu}g/g$ for nickel and 4.640 ${\mu}g/g$ for copper. Statistically, it showed that the heavy metal concentrations were quite different for the different types of hair color products. The cream and liquid type products had the highest average concentration in chromium (0.708 ${\mu}g/g$, 0.478 ${\mu}g/g$, respectively). On the other hand, powder type products showed the highest concentration in manganese (60.041 ${\mu}g/g$). In addition, the concentrations of heavy metals and the color of products are not quite correlated. It was shown that average concentrations of lead and chromium were higher for yellow, chromium for red and pink, manganese for brown and black, and nickel for green.

Laboratory Diagnosis of Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19) in Korea: Current Status, Limitation, and Challenges (국내 중증 급성 호흡기 증후군 코로나 바이러스의 검사실 내 진단: 현재, 한계점 그리고 직면한 과제)

  • Song, Gi Seon;Lee, You-Rim;Kim, Sungmin;Kim, Wontae;Choi, Jungwon;Yoo, Dahyeon;Yoo, Jungyoung;Jang, Kyung-Tae;Lee, Jaewang;Jun, Jin Hyun
    • Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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    • v.52 no.3
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    • pp.284-295
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    • 2020
  • In December 2019, the first coronavirus disease- 2019 (COVID-19) patient was reported in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. Since then, the number of patients who suffered severe acute respiratory syndrome caused by the novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2 or 2019-nCoV) has increased dramatically in Korea. This new variant virus induces pulmonary diseases, including cough, sore throat, rhinorrhea, dyspnea, and pneumonia. Because SARS-CoV-2 is an RNA virus, real-time reverse-transcriptase PCR has been used widely to diagnose COVID-19. As the Korea Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (KCDC) and Ministry of Food & Drug Safety (MFDS) approved emergency use authorization, clinical specimens collected from COVID-19 patients and even healthy people have been clinically diagnosed by laboratory medicine. Based on a literature search, this paper reviews the epidemiology, symptoms, molecular diagnostics approved by KCDC, a current diagnosis of COVID-19 in the laboratories, the difference between molecular and serological diagnosis, and guidelines for clinical specimens. In addition, the Korean guidelines of biosafety for clinical laboratory scientists are evaluated to prevent healthcare-associated infection. The author's experience and lessons as clinical laboratory scientists will provide valuable insights to protect the domestic and international health community in this COVID-19 pandemic around the world.

Analyze Technologies and Trends in Commercialized Radiology Artificial Intelligence Medical Device (상용화된 영상의학 인공지능 의료기기의 기술 및 동향 분석)

  • Chang-Hwa Han
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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    • v.17 no.6
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    • pp.881-887
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    • 2023
  • This study aims to analyze the development and current trends of AI-based medical imaging devices commercialized in South Korea. As of September 30, 2023, there were a total of 186 AI-based medical devices licensed, certified, and reported to the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, of which 138 were related to imaging. The study comprehensively examined the yearly approval trends, equipment types, application areas, and key functions from 2018 to 2023. The study found that the number of AI medical devices started from four products in 2018 and grew steadily until 2023, with a sharp increase after 2020. This can be attributed to the interaction between the advancement of AI technology and the increasing demand in the medical field. By equipment, AI medical devices were developed in the order of CT, X-ray, and MR, which reflects the characteristics and clinical importance of the images of each equipment. This study found that the development of AI medical devices for specific areas such as the thorax, cranial nerves, and musculoskeletal system is active, and the main functions are medical image analysis, detection and diagnosis assistance, and image transmission. These results suggest that AI's pattern recognition and data analysis capabilities are playing an important role in the medical imaging field. In addition, this study examined the number of Korean products that have received international certifications, particularly the US FDA and European CE. The results show that many products have been certified by both organizations, indicating that Korean AI medical devices are in line with international standards and are competitive in the global market. By analyzing the impact of AI technology on medical imaging and its potential for development, this study provides important implications for future research and development directions. However, challenges such as regulatory aspects, data quality and accessibility, and clinical validity are also pointed out, requiring continued research and improvement on these issues.