• Genomics & Informatics
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• 제8권1호
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• pp.41-49
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• 2010

Statins are competitive inhibitors of hydroxy-3-methyl glutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase and used most frequently to reduce plasma cholesterol levels and to decrease cardiovascular events. However, statins also have been reported to have undesirable side effects such as myotoxicity and hepatotoxicity associated with their intrinsic efficacy mechanisms. Clinical studies recurrently reported that statin therapy elevated the level of liver enzymes such as ALT and AST in patients suggesting possible liver toxicity due to statins. This observation has been drawn great attention since statins are the most prescribed drugs and statin-therapy was extended to a larger number of high-risk patients. Here we employed rat primary hepatocytes and microarray technique to understand underlying mechanism responsible for statin-induced liver toxicity on cell level. We isolated genes whose expressions were commonly modulated by statin treatments and examined their biological functions. It is of interest that those genes have function related to response to stress in particular immunity and defense in cells. Our study provided the basic information on cellular mechanism of statin-induced cytotoxicity and may serve for finding indicator genes of statin -induced toxicity in rat primary hepatocytes.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• 제16권1호
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• pp.1-5
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• 2013

To assess the feasibility of phlorotannins from Eisenia bicyclis as cancer chemopreventative agents, we tested whether they induced quinone reductase (QR) in Hepa1c1c7 cells. The ethyl acetate (EtOAc) soluble fraction obtained from E. bicyclis exhibited a QR induction activity in Hepa1c1c7 cells. Successive column chromatography of the active EtOAc fraction resulted in the isolation of four phlorotannins. Their structures were elucidated using one- and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic techniques and characterized as phloroglucinol (1), dioxinodehydroeckol (2), dieckol (3), and fucofuroeckol-A (4). Among these compounds, fucofuroeckol-A (4) showed moderate QR induction activity, and dioxinodehydroeckol (2) exhibited potent QR induction potency with $2.05{\pm}0.04$ fold induction at a concentration of $50{\mu}M$ compared to the dimethyl sulfoxide solvent-treated control cells. However, phloroglucinol (1) and dieckol (3) exerted no detectable QR induction activity in Hepa1c1c7 cells. These results suggest that dioxinodehydroeckol could serve as a useful cancer chemopreventive chemical.

• Toxicological Research
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• 제34권3호
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• pp.191-197
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• 2018

In 2015, a candidate for the second national reference standard (NRS) of Gloydius snake venom was produced to replace the first NRS of Gloydius snake venom. In the present study, the potencies of the candidate were determined by a collaborative study, and the qualification of the candidate was estimated. The potencies of the candidate were determined by measuring the murine lethal titers and lapine hemorrhagic titers of venom against the regional working reference standard (RWRS) for antivenom using the methods described in the previous report for the first NRS of Gloydius snake venom. Three Korean facilities contributed data from a total of 30 independent assays. Subsequently, two foreign national control research laboratories contributed to this collaborative study. The results were calculated using the Reed-Muench method for lethality and determined using a mixed-effects model for hemorrhage. The general common potencies of the lethal and hemorrhagic titers were obtained from the results of the 30 tests performed at three Korean facilities. The results are expressed in micrograms for 1 test dose (TD) with a 95% confidence interval as follows: a lethal titer of $90.13{\mu}g/TD$ (95% confidence interval = $87.39{\sim}92.86{\mu}g$) and a hemorrhagic titer of $10.80{\mu}g/TD$ (95% confidence interval = $10.46{\sim}11.14{\mu}g$). In addition, the candidate preparation showed good quality evaluation according to the results of the quality estimation of the candidate and is judged to be suitable to serve as the Korean NRS for snake venom. In conclusion, the second NRS of Gloydius snake venom was established in this study and will be used for national quality control, including a national lot release test of Korean antivenom products.

• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제43권1호
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• pp.42-54
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• 2017

Objectives: The present study was conducted to investigate farm work environments among farmers and examine the level of management of safety and health, and to subsequently produce study result to serve as foundational data for the development of guidelines on safety and health as part of the improvement of farming work environments among farmers raising Korean native cattle. Methods: The present study conducted a survey on farm work environments and the management of safety and health with 407 farmers engaged in Korean native cattle farming in selected regions in eight provinces. It also visited 10 farmers to verify the current status of farm work. Results: The survey results showed that 16.4% of the respondents experienced safety-related accidents due to farm work. The locations of the accidents were inside the cattle shed (71.4%) and facilities outside the cattle shed (19.6%). The types of accident showed collision with animals (35.7%), collision or contact with obstacles (27.1%), and musculoskeletal accidents due to heavy object handling (12.9%). The causes of the accidents were cattle (38.3%), cultivators and tractors (25.4%), facility tools in cattle sheds (9.0%), and slippery floors (6.0%). The damaged areas were hand (21.0%), spine (19.8%), lower limb (18.5%), and foot (17.3%). A self-diagnostic survey on respiratory diseases showed that 11.5% of the respondents experienced respiratory-related symptoms. The survey on safety and health during farm work showed that wearing personal protective equipment and response to emergency situations, which were needed to prevent safety-related accidents, were relatively low compared to the level of recognition of the need and awareness of safety issues. Furthermore, the field survey identified the current status of safety and health issues such as prevention management of collision accidents with cattle, how to handle heavy objects, and wearing of personal protective equipment. Conclusions: The present study identified safety-related accidents and problems in the management of safety and health among Korean native cattle farmers. In order to address the problem, it is necessary to not only provide guidelines on safety and health management which are appropriate to the characteristics of Korean native cattle farming work, but also to study the development of personal protective equipment.

• Journal of Community Nutrition
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• 제6권3호
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• pp.121-124
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• 2004

Objective : The paper aims to provide predictive coefficients via BIA for the assessment of body composition in children and adolescents to serve clinical as well as research purposes. Methods : Body composition via dual-energy x­ray absorptiometry (DXA) and bioelectric impedance as well as other anthropometric index were derived from meaurements on 1026 children and adolescents aged from 6 to 18 years from Beijing City. The best subset regression and principle component analysis were adopted to build the predictive coefficients with the logarithm of body composition via DXA as response variable. Results : Condition index ${\varphi}$ of fat-free mass multiple linear regression achieves 113.49 and 91.18 for males and females respectively, demonstrating severe multicollinearity among anthropometric indexes in children and adolescents. BIA predictive coefficients base on the best subset regression and principle component analysis boast a content predictive value for lean mass ($r^2$ = 0.9697 and 0.9664 for boys and girls respectively, p < 0.0001) and for Fat$\%$ ($r^2$ = 0.7705 and 0.6959 for boys and girls respectively, p < 0.0001). Conclusions : BIA method is applicable for the prediction of body composition for children and adolescents.

• 한국안전학회지
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• 제35권5호
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• pp.15-21
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• 2020

Quantitative risk assessment (QRA) is used as a legal or voluntary safety management tool for the hazardous material industry and the utilization of the method is gradually increasing. Therefore, a leak frequency analysis based on reliable generic data is a critical element in the evolution of QRA and safety technologies. The aim of this paper is to derive the leak frequency function that can be applied more flexibly in QRA based on OGP report with high reliability and global utilization. For the purpose, we first reviewed the data on the 16 equipments included in the OGP report and selected the predictors. And then we found good equations to fit the OGP data using non-linear regression analysis. The various expectation functions were applied to search for suitable parameter to serve as a meaningful reference in the future. The results of this analysis show that the best fitting parameter is found in the form of DNV function and connection function in natural logarithm. In conclusion, the average percentage error between the fitted and the original value is very small as 3 %, so the derived prediction function can be applicable in the quantitative frequency analysis. This study is to contribute to expand the applicability of QRA and advance safety engineering as providing the generic equations for practical leak frequency analysis.

• 한국재난정보학회 논문집
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• 제18권1호
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• pp.29-37
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• 2022

연구목적: 본 연구는 교통안전시설의 신뢰성 있는 정보제공과 운영관리를 위한 평가지표를 개발하는데 목적이 있다. 연구방법: 분석 방법은 현재 교통안전시설 운영관리 현황을 파악하여 평가지표를 선정하고 AHP 조사를 통해 각 지표의 중요도를 분석하였다. 연구결과: 종합 중요도 분석 결과, 정보 정확성과 전산체계 구축 수준에 대한 평가지표에서 우선순위가 가장 높은 것으로 나타났다. 반면, 서비스 관리부분에 해당하는 평가지표는 우선순위가 가장 낮은 것으로 분석되었다. 결론: 본 연구의 결과는 효율적인 교통안전시설 운영관리를 위해 각 기관별 관리 수준을 파악할 수 있는 척도가 될 것으로 보이며, 향후 자율주행 상용화를 고려하여 정확한 정보 제공을 위한 기반을 구축할 수 있을 것으로 판단된다.

• 한국안전학회지
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• 제38권4호
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• pp.32-38
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• 2023

Job stress factors are factors that induce biological, psychological, and behavioral responses in individuals when they encounter mental and physical stimuli in the workplace. According to occupational safety and health standards, employers are responsible for the health consequences of job stress when workers engage in activities that result in high levels of physical fatigue and mental stress. Such activities include long working hours, shift work (including night shifts), driving vehicles, and operating precision machinery. Therefore, precautionary measures should be implemented. Following the COVID-19 epidemic, the logistics industry in Korea has experienced rapid growth owing to the shift from offline to online platforms facilitated by advanced digital infrastructure. Consequently, this study conducted a survey to analyze job stress factors among delivery workers. The survey utilized a Korean job stress factor assessment tool comprising 43 items and analyzed job stress factors considering the work characteristics of the courier business field obtained from responses provided by 421 courier workers nationwide. The survey analysis revealed that the physical environment, job demands, and job autonomy exhibited higher stress indices among Korean workers. Furthermore, the younger the age, the higher the stress on job demands, whereas the higher the age, the higher the stress on relationship conflict, job instability, and workplace culture. In addition, daytime delivery work was associated with higher stress levels in job demands and job instability compared with nighttime delivery work. These findings can serve as foundational data for reducing and preventing job stress among courier workers, whose workload has increased owing to the growth of the logistics industry.

• 한국동물위생학회지
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• 제45권1호
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• pp.31-38
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• 2022

Swine influenza (SI) is an important respiratory disease in pigs and epidemic worldwide, which is caused by influenza A virus (IAV) belonging to the family of Orthomyxoviridae. As seen again in the 2009 swine-origin influenza A H1N1 pandemic, pigs are known to be susceptible to swine, avian, and human IAVs, and can serve as a 'mixing vessel' for the generation of novel IAV variants. To this end, the emergence of swine influenza viruses must be kept under close surveillance. Herein, we report the isolation and phylogenetic study of a swine IAV, A/swine/Korea/21810/2021 (sw21810, H3N2 subtype). BLASTN sequence analysis of 8 gene segments of the isolated virus revealed a high degree of nucleotide similarity (94.76 to 100%) to porcine strains circulating in Korea and the United States. Out of 8 genome segments, the HA gene was closely related to that of isolates from cluster I. Additionally, the NA gene of the isolate belonged to a Korean Swine H1N1 origin, and the PB2, PB1, NP and NS genes of the isolate were grouped into that of the Triple reassortant swine H3N2 origin virus. The PA and M genes of the isolate belonged to 2009 Pandemic H1N1 lineage. Human infection with mutants was most common through contact with infected pigs. Our results suggest the need for periodic close monitoring of this novel swine H3N2 influenza virus from a public health perspective.

• 한국가스학회지
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• 제27권4호
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• pp.1-11
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• 2023

OLED 소재 시장의 규모는 2019년 11억 달러에서 2023년 23억 달러로 연평균 19% 이상 지속적인 성장이 예상된다. OLED 소재 제조사에서 주로 사용하고 있는 설비 중 여과 설비는 사용 시 화재, 폭발, 누출 등의 사고들이 빈번히 발생하고 있어, 이에 대한 여과 설비사용 시의 위험성 개선이 요구된다. 해당 연구에서는 여과 설비사용에 따른 위험성을 도출하기 위해 주요공정 즉 조립 및 분해공정, 여과공정, wet cake 회수공정, 세척공정의 4가지로 나누어 사고사례조사, 사전인터뷰, 설문조사 등을 실시하여 유해 위험 요인을 도출하였다. 설문 결과의 분석은 SPSS 21을 이용하여 빈도분석, Pearson 카이제곱 검정 분석을 수행하여 분석된 결과를 활용하여 위험성 개선 방안들을 제시하였다. 이 연구가 OLED 시장 규모가 확대됨에 따라 발생할 수 있는 안전 및 위험 요인들을 다루는데 기초자료가 될 것으로 기대한다.