• Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
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• v.34
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• pp.34.1-34.13
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• 2022

Background: This study aimed to investigate the association between lead exposure and serum gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (γGT) levels as an oxidative stress marker in male steelworkers. Methods: Data were collected during the annual health examination of workers in 2020. A total of 1,654 steelworkers were selected, and the variables for adjustment included the workers' general characteristics, lifestyle, and occupational characteristics. The association between the blood lead level (BLL) and serum γGT level was investigated by multiple linear and logistic regression analyses. The BLL and serum γGT values that were transformed into natural logarithms were used in multiple linear regression analysis, and the tertile of BLL was used in logistic regression analysis. Results: The geometric mean of the participants' BLLs and serum γGT level was 1.36 ㎍/dL and 27.72 IU/L, respectively. Their BLLs differed depending on age, body mass index (BMI), smoking status, drinking status, shift work, and working period, while their serum γGT levels differed depending on age, BMI, smoking status, drinking status, physical activity, and working period. In multiple linear regression analysis, the difference in models 1, 2, and 3 was significant, obtaining 0.326, 0.176, and 0.172 (all: p < 0.001), respectively. In the multiple linear regression analysis stratified according to drinking status, BMI, and age, BLLs were positively associated with serum γGT levels. Regarding the logistic regression analysis, the odds ratio of the third BLL tertile in models 1, 2, and 3 (for having an elevated serum γGT level within the first tertile reference) was 2.74, 1.83, and 1.81, respectively. Conclusions: BLL was positively associated with serum γGT levels in male steelworkers even at low lead concentrations (< 5 ㎍/dL).

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.157-163
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• 2012

Objective: Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are multifunctional enzymes that play a crucial role in the detoxification of both the endogenous products of oxidative stress and exogenous carcinogens. Recent studies investigating the association between genetic polymorphisms in GSTs and the risk of adult brain tumors have reported conflicting results. The rationale of this pooled analysis was to determine whether the presence of a GST variant increases adult glioma susceptibility by combining data from multiple studies. Methods: In our meta-analysis, 12 studies were identified by a search of the MEDLINE, HIGHWIRE, SCIENCEDIRECT and EMBASE databases. Of those 12, 11 evaluated GSTM1, nine evaluated GSTT1 and seven evaluated GSTP1 Ile105Val. Between-study heterogeneity was assessed using ${\chi}^2$-based Q statistic and the $I^2$ statistic. Crude odds ratios (ORs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to estimate the association between GSTM1, GSTT1 and GSTP1 polymorphisms and the risk of adult gliomas. Results: The quantitative synthesis showed no significant evidence to indicate an association exists between the presence of a GSTM1, GSTT1 or GSTP1 Ile105Val haplotype polymorphism and the risk of adult gliomas (OR, 1.008, 1.246, 1.061 respectively; 95% CI, 0.901-1.129, 0.963-1.611, 0.653-1.724 respectively). Conclusions: Overall, this study did not suggest any strong relationship between GST variants or related enzyme polymorphisms and an increased risk of adult gliomas. Some caveats include absence of specific raw information on ethnic groups or smoking history on glioma cases in published articles; therefore, well-designed studies with a clear stratified analysis on potential confounding factors are needed to confirm these results.

• BMB Reports
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.650-660
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• 2005

Proteins accumulated in dry, stratified Arabidopsis seeds or young seedlings, totaled 1100 to 1300 depending on the time of sampling, were analyzed by using immobilized pH gradient 2-DE gel electrophoresis. The molecular identities of 437 polypeptides, encoded by 355 independent genes, were determined by MALDI-TOF or TOF-TOF mass spectrometry. In the sum, 293 were present at all stages and 95 were accumulated during the time of radicle protrusion while another 18 appeared in later stages. Further analysis showed that 226 of the identified polypeptides could be located in different metabolic pathways. Proteins involved in carbohydrate, energy and amino acid metabolism constituted to about 1/4, and those involved in metabolism of vitamins and cofactors constituted for about 3% of the total signal intensity in gels prepared from 72 h seedlings. Enzymes related to genetic information processing increased very quickly during early imbibition and reached highest level around 30 h of germination.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.787-798
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• 1998

This study is an analysis on how current elementary teachers think about nutrition education, how they are teaching it, and problems that have occurred. The main purpose of this analysis was to deal with future problems in nutrition education by analyzing the present situation . The survey was done on 544 currently working elementary school teachers. from the 9 education departments within Seoul, 2 schools were chosen from each department by stratified random sampling. The survey used a questionnaire that was passed out personally to teachers from September 1, 1997 to the 19th. The 544 usable questionnaires were analyzed by using the teachers had nutrition education training and the average score of nutrition knowledge was 13.30 $\pm$2.73 out of 20. Nutrition education was being taught as apart of other subjects in 87.9% of the schools, and mainly by lecture. Audio visuals aids were used by 53.7% of the teachers and the most common was the VTR. Nutrition education was taught as a part of physical education and 41.5% were using teacher guides to help them. 91.9% of the teachers supported the idea of nutrition education in elementary schools. Nutrition education was supported by 80. 0% of teachers to begin when children are in kindergarten, proving that early nutrition education is supported. The analysis showed that nutrition education should be taught by parents(29.4%) , teachers(29.2%), and nutritionists(25.9%) relating that family , education, and school lunch programs should tie in with each other. 96.7% of the teachers responded that they would teach nutrition education. However, 41.0% disagreed with having a separate course for nutrition education . Proper eating habits, nutrition and its diseases, and growth with nutrition were the main categories within nutrition education and the most effect method was thought to have audio visuals, guides for teachers , and to link the subject matter with school lunch programs. The teachers main responses to problems with children were that they are too much instant food, did not eat in a variety , and had no manners in eating. Ironically, the believed that malnutrition, fainting and growth stunt were not important nutrition problems.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.79-97
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• 2003

The purpose of this paper is to analyze a causal model determining social carrying capacity(SCC) in natural parks, to answer the research question: What is the mechanism for determining SCC in natural parks (NP)\ulcorner After reviewing the literature on SCC and recreation activities in Korean natural parks, we constructed a conceptual framework and formulated the hypothesis of this research. We obtained data through a questionnaire which surveyed 487 visitors at 6 of the 73 NP in Korea during 2001, based on a stratified sampling method. We analyzed the data using descriptive statistical methods, the mean difference test, Pearson's correlation analysis, and path analysis method. We found that 1) The direct effect of resources, activity space(AS), visitor's expectation(VE), encounter, crowding, damage of resources(DR), maintenance condition of resources and facility(MCRF) to SCC are 3.45, 3.62, 2.75, 2.72, 1.32, and 4.77 times more important than that of crowding, respectively, while the indirect effect of resources, AS, VE, encounter, and DR to SCC is 13.03, 11.19, 3.34, 1.3, 2.05, 1.10, 0.05 and 2.30 times more important then that of crowding, respectively, 2) Causal effects of resources, facility, AS, VE, number of visitors(NV), encounter, crowding, VM, DR, and MCRF to SCC turned out to have 0.3523, 0.3321, 0.1751, 0.1465, 0.0307, 0.0762, 0.0604, -0.0510, -0.1177 and 0.2165, respectively, and 3) The causal effect of activity base(AB) and activity atmosphere(AA) to SCC turned out to have 2.57 and 1.1 times higher than that of MCRF, respectively. The research results suggest that 1) this conceptual framework is highly useful for the development of substantive theory and methodology; 2) management issues of AA and MCRF turned out to have 0.81 times in SCC that of AB, i.e, SCC can be significantly improved from control of AA and MCRF; and 3) supply of excellent resources and convenient facilities is needed to increase social carrying capacity. It is recommended that more empirical studies be performed in the future according to the season, visitor characteristics, and AS by NP.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.15
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• pp.6685-6690
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• 2015

Background: Genetic studies have shown a possible relationship between the rs16969968 polymorphism in CHRNA5 and the risk of lung cancer. However, the results have been conflicting. Thus we rigorously conducted a meta-analysis to clarify any association. Materials and Methods: A total of 10 case-control studies involving 17,962 lung cancer cases and 77,216 control subjects were analysed. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to measure the strength of the association. Results: We found the CHRNA5 rs16969968 polymorphism to be associated with the risk of lung cancer (AA vs GG: OR=1.60, 95%CI=1.51-1.71). On stratified analysis by smoking status, a statistically significant increased risk was observed in the smoking group (AA vs GG: OR=1.80, 95%CI=1.61-2.01). However, this polymorphism was not associated with lung cancer risk in Asians (AA vs GG: OR=0.95, 95%CI=0.35-2.59), whereas it was linked to increased risk of lung cancer among Caucasians (AA vs GG: OR=1.65, 95%CI=1.55-1.76). Conclusions: Our meta-analysis provided statistical evidence for a strong association between rs16969968 polymorphism and the risk of lung cancer, especially in smokers and Caucasians. Application of this relationship may contribute to identification of individuals at high risk of lung cancer and indicate a chemoprevention target.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.12
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• pp.6343-6348
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• 2012

Objective: The NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) rs1800566 polymorphism, leading to proline-toserine amino-acid and enzyme activity changes, has been implicated in bladder cancer risk, but individually published studies showed inconsistent results. We therefore here conducted a meta-analysis to summarize the possible association. Methods: A systematic literature search up to August 27, 2012 was carried out in PubMed, EMBASE and Wanfang databases, and the references of retrieved articles were screened. Crude odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were analyzed for homozygote contrast (TT vs. CC), additive model (T vs. C), dominant model (TT+CT vs. CC), and recessive model (TT vs. CC+CT) to assess the association using fixed- or random-effect models. Results: We identified 12 case-control studies including 3,041 cases and 3,128 controls for the present meta-analysis. Significant association between NQO1 rs1800566 genetic polymorphism and risk of bladder cancer was observed in the additive model (OR = 1.15, 95% CI = 1.01-1.30, p = 0.030). Moreover, in the subgroup analysis stratified by ethnicity, significant associations were observed in Asians (OR = 1.26, 95% CI = 1.08-1.47, p = 0.003 for T vs. C; OR = 1.68, 95% CI = 1.21-2.32, p = 0.002 for TT vs. CC; OR = 1.50, 95% CI = 1.13-1.98, p = 0.005 for TT vs. CT+CC) but not in Caucasians. Conclusions: The results suggest that NQO1 rs1800566 genetic polymorphism may contribute to bladder cancer development, especially in Asians.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.10
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• pp.4435-4438
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• 2015

p21 is a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, which can arrest cell proliferation and serve as a tumor suppressor. Though many studies were published to assess the relationship between p21 rs1059234 polymorphism and various cancer risks, there was no definite conclusion on this association. To derive a more precise quantitative assessment of the relationship, a large scale meta-analysis of 5,963 cases and 8,405 controls from 16 eligible published case-control studies was performed. Our analysis suggested that rs1059234 was not associated with the integral cancer risk for both dominant model [(T/T+C/T) vs C/C, OR=1.00, 95% CI: 0.84-1.18] and recessive model [T/T vs (C/C+C/T), OR=1.03, 95% CI: 0.93-1.15)]. However, further stratified analysis showed rs1059234 was greatly associated with the risk of squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck (SCCHN). Thus, larger scale primary studies are still required to further evaluate the interaction of p21 rs1059234 polymorphism and cancer risk in specific cancer subtypes.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.2025-2029
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• 2012

Objective: Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) catalyzes the metabolism of folate and nucleotides needed for DNA synthesis and repair. Variations in MTHFR functions likely play roles in the etiology of lung cancer (LC). So far, several studies between MTHFR C677T polymorphism and LC provide controversial or inconclusive results. Methods: To better assess the purported relationship, we performed a meta-analysis of 14 publications. Eligible studies were identified by searching the Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science and Google Scholar databases. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated to assess the association. Results: Overall, no significant association was detected between the MTHFR C677T polymorphism and LC risk, the same as in race subgroup. However, in the stratified analysis by histological type, significantly increased non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) risk was indicated (T-allele vs. C-allele: OR = 1.11, 95%CI = 1.03-1.19; TT vs. CC: OR = 1.24, 95%CI = 1.09-1.41; TC vs. CC: OR = 1.11, 95%CI = 1.03-1.20 and TT+TC vs. CC: OR = 1.09, 95%CI = 1.03-1.15). At the same time, ever-smokers who carried T-allele (TT+TC) had a 10% decreased LC risk compared with CC genotype carriers. Conclusions: Our study provided evidence that the MTHFR 677T null genotype may increase NSCLC risk, however, it may protect ever-smokers against LC risk. Future studies with large sample sizes are warranted to further evaluate this association in more detail.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.1787-1791
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• 2012

Objective: The p53 tumor suppressor pathway plays an important role in gastric cancer (GC) development. Auto-regulatory feedback control of p53 expression is critical to maintaining proper tumor suppressor function. So far, several studies between p53 Arg72Pro polymorphism and GC have generated controversial and inconclusive results. Methods: To better assess the purported relationship, we performed a meta-analysis of 19 publications. Eligible studies were identified by searching the Pubmed database. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated to assess any link. Results: Overall, a significant association was detected between the p53 Arg72Pro polymorphism and GC risk (Pro-allele vs. Arg-allele: OR = 1.05, 95%CI = 1.01-1.08; Pro/Pro vs. Arg/Arg: OR = 1.13, 95%CI = 1.04-1.22). Moreover, on stratified analysis by race, significantly increased risk was found for Asian populations (Pro-allele vs. Arg-allele: OR = 1.06, 95%CI = 1.02-1.10; Pro/Pro vs. Arg/Arg: OR = 1.16, 95%CI = 1.07-1.26; Pro/Pro+Pro/Arg vs. Arg/Arg: OR = 1.58, 95%CI = 1.09-2.27). Conclusions: Our study provided evidence that the p53 72Pro allele may increase GC risk in Asians. Future studies with larger sample size are warranted to further confirm this association in more detail.