• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.75-87
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• 1999

We reported that acupuncture on $LI_4$ effected thermal change on $LI_4$ and ST25 area, And this study was performed on 100 healthy students to observe the effects of acupuncture at Hap-kok ($LI_4$) according to the meridian and qi-xue(氣血) phenomenon of oriental medicine's theory, The results was 1. In healthy man, mean skin temperatures of $LI_4$, ST25, CV12 areas(Control) were decreased, 2. In left $LI_4$ acupuncture group, the temperature of abdominal skin and $LI_4$ area had the tendency of increase, both right and left $LI_4$ acupuncture group, the temperature of abdominal skin and $LI_4$ area had not significant tendency. 3. In the research of thermal difference which eliminate a special region temperature, in the control group, the thermal changes had not significant tendency, in the left $LI_4$ acupuncture group and both right and left $LI_4$ acupuncture group, the thermal changes had tendency to be increased, 4. In the deviation analysis which mean of each group is excluded, in the control group, it turned out that deviation is regular for 10 minutes; in the left $LI_4$ acupuncture group and both right and left $LI_4$ acupuncture group, it turned out that deviation is more larger than the control group for 10 minutes. The above results indicates that Digital Thermography is a useful method to observe effects and changes by acupuncture stimulation on objective evaluation of phenomenon for the meridian system. Thus, acupuncture on $LI_4$ affects to thermal changes of the abdominal skin and $LI_4$ area, but exact examination of thermal changes on abdominal skin will have to be done.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.87-94
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• 1991

In the late summer of 1990 and 1991, mass mortality occured among cage-cultured grouper, Epinephelus septemfasciatus in south cost of Korea. The moribund fish didn't feed and became pale or dark chestnut colour and irregularly swimmed due to the loss of equilibrium, finally the diseased fish fell down side away on the bottom or the surface of cage showing the bent of body and died. The diseased fish showed the extensive hemorrahge in brain, the swelling of spleen and bile duct as the specific syptoms of internal organs. So the gill, skin and other organs of the diseased fish were examined for the presence of pathogenic parasites and bacteria. The parasitic Trichodina sp. were detected only from the gill lamella of the diseased fish, but these parasites seemed to be not a direct causative agents that induced the gross mortality of the cultured grouper. because these parasites were also observed in normal grouper, yellowtail, red seabream and rock bream co-cultured with the diseased grouper in same or near cages. In the viral examination, although isolation of the causative agent by the use of estabilshed cell Lines, RTG-2 and CHSE-214, was not succeed, the normal grouper inoculated intramuscularly with the filtered homogenate of the organs of the diseased fish showed the same external and internal signs with the naturally infected grouper. They died within a week. By using the naturally and the artificially infected fishes, electron microscopic observation revealed numerous hexagonal or polygonal particles in the cytoplasm of liver cells. Based on the these results, we suggest that the mass mortality of the cultured grouper would be occurred by the infection of a viral agent.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.456-464
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• 2010

Recently, heavy metals contamination of the agricultural soil and crops surrounding mining areas has been identified as one of the most serious environmental problems in South Korea. The Ministry of the Environment in Korea conducted a Preliminary National Environmental Health Survey (PNEHS) in abandoned metal mines in 2007. The priority for a subsequent detailed examination was ranked from the results of PNEHS. The studied mine which was ranked as being of the highest priority is located in the midwestern part of Korea and was operated from 1911 to 1985. In this study, the contamination levels of the heavy metals in the abandoned metal mine were investigated. From the results, the average daily dose (ADD), target hazard quotient (THQ) and target cancer risk of the heavy metals were evaluated. The concentration of arsenic (As) in all of the tailings from the mine was higher than its countermeasure standard of Korea. In particular, the highest concentration of As, 330 mg/kg, was up to 15 times higher than its countermeasure standard. The average concentration of As in agricultural soils was higher than the warning standard of Korea, and higher than its countermeasure standard at six sites. The average concentrations of the analyzed heavy metals in agricultural soil were below the warning standard, but concentrations of cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) at 4 sites were higher than its warning standard. The average concentration of As in surface water exceeded the warning standard of Korea. The value of the THQ of As for the tailings was higher than the health protection standard 1. The value of THQ of As for the farmlands was lower than the standard, while the hazard index (HI) of As was higher than the standard. The value of target cancer risk (TCR) of As, $6.44{\times}10^{-4}$, were higher than the health protection standard of a lifetime risk for TCR at $1{\times}10^{-6}$. This suggests that the residents around the metal mines are exposed to As pollution with a carcinogenic risk.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.27-35
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• 2003

No currently available methods to monitor pathogenic protozoa, Cryptosporidium and Giardia in environmental water come close to acceptable sensitivity, specificity and reproducibility, and so it has to be accompanied by thorough quality control and performance evaluation to credibly predict the distribution of them. We collected surface water samples from the Han River and spiked our prepared (oo)cysts, determined Matrix Spike recoveries using USEPA Method 1623 and considered what factors influence MS recovery and validity. As a result, average 46% of spiked oocysts and 60% of spike cysts were recovered, but repetitive sampling and statistical approach seemed to be necessary to determine the environmental pollution level of two protozoa as their variation coefficients was so much as 35oio and 26%. And MS recoveries with two acid dissociations during immunomagnetic separation were improved more 10% than that with one dissociations and the use of spiked suspension enumerated by flow cytometry instead of manual preparation enhanced the validity and reliability in spiking tests. Because fluorescence characteristics of (oo)cysts stained on well slides with FITC-labeled monoclonal antibodies and DAPI was not always same, well Elides from spiked field samples were helpful to evaluate the performance of staining. We found many (oo)cyst-like objects with typical fluorescence, not (co)cysts, from the Han River water samples, and then it was concluded that nuclei staining by DAPI (4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole) and examination by Differential Interference Contrast Microscope should be critical for valid identification.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Groundwater Environment
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.199-211
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• 1997

As a part of study on geological disposal of radioactive waste, hydrogeochemical characteristics of deep granitic groundwater in Korea were investigated through the construction of a large geochemical dataset of natural water, the examination on the behaviour of dissolved constituents, and the consideration of phase stability based on thermodynamic approach. In granitic region, the contents of total dissolved solids increase progressively from surface waters to deep groundwaters, which indicates the presence of more concentrated waters at depth due to water-rock interaction. The chemical composition of groundwater evolves from initial $Ca^{2＋}$－(C $l^{－}$＋S $O_4$$^{2-}$) or $Ca^{2＋}$-HC $O_3$$^{－}$ type to final N $a^{＋}$-HC $O_3$$^{－}$ or N $a^{＋}$－(C $l^{－}$＋S $O_4$$^{2-}$) type, via $Ca^{2＋}$-HC $O_3$$^{－}$ type. Three main mechanisms seem to control the chemical composition of groundwater in the granitic region; 1) congruent dissolution of calcite at shallower depth, 2) calcite precipitation and incongruent dissolution of plagioclase at deeper depth, and 3) kaolinite-smectite or/and kaolinite-illite reaction at equilibrium at deeper depth. The behaviour of dissolved major cations (C $a^{2＋}$, $K^{＋}$, $Mg^{2＋}$, M $a^{＋}$) and silica is likely to be controlled by these reactions.

• Current Optics and Photonics
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.31-43
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• 2020

The feasibility of the application of terahertz electromagnetic waves in the diagnosis of prostate cancer was examined. Four samples of incomplete cancerous prostatic paraffin-embedded tissues were examined using terahertz spectral imaging (TPI) system and the results obtained by comparing the absorption coefficient and refractive index of prostate tumor, normal prostate tissue and smooth muscle from one of the paraffin tissue masses examined were reported. Three hundred and sixty cases of absorption coefficients from one of the paraffin tissues examined were used as raw data to classify these three tissues using the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Least Squares Support Vector Machine (LS-SVM). An excellent classification with an accuracy of 92.22% in the prediction set was achieved. Using the distribution information of THz reflection signal intensity from sample surface and absorption coefficient of the sample, an attempt was made to use the TPI system to identify the boundaries of the different tissues involved (prostate tumors, normal and smooth muscles). The location of three identified regions in the terahertz images (frequency domain slice absorption coefficient imaging, 1.2 THz) were compared with those obtained from the histopathologic examination. The tissue tumor region had a distinctively visible color and could well be distinguished from other tissue regions in terahertz images. Results indicate that a THz spectroscopy imaging system can be efficiently used in conjunction with the proposed advanced computer-based mathematical analysis method to identify tumor regions in the paraffin tissue mass of prostate cancer.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.407-425
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• 1998

We have studied the clinical application of burning acupuncture by examining 18recent-published papers in the journal 'ZHONGGUO ZHENJIU(中國鍼灸)' for the bibliographical study and clinical study and have given medical treatment of burning acupuncture on 21 Patients who suffered 'the body chill symptoms(冷症)' at the oriental hospital of Won-Kwang University, Kwang-Ju. As a result, we have come to some conclusions as below. 1. The diseases for which the modern borning acupuncture is efficacious are widely extended to various kinds of field such as surgery, internal medicine, gynecology, ophthalmology, otolaryngology. etc. as well as numbness, meridian muscle disease(經筋病) mentioned in 'Neijing(內徑)' . 2. The effects of burning acupuncture therapy are wen zhuang yang qi(溫壯陽氣), sheng ji lian chuang(生肌斂瘡), san han chu shi(散寒除濕), qu fens zhi yang(祛風止痒), qu yu chu fu pai nong(祛瘀除腐排膿), san jie xiao zhong(散結消腫), zhi tong huan ji chu ma mu(止痛緩急除麻木), qing re xie hue jie du(淸熱瀉火解毒). 3. The recently reported diseases for which burning acupuncture is good are internal and external humeral epicondylitis, atheroma, menorrhalgia, thecal cyst, tragomaschalia, pruritus, traumatic onychophemia, gout of feet, prostatomegaly, aacne, supprative infection of body surface, snapping finger, backache, numbness, pyocyst etc. 4. The subjective symptoms of 'the body chill symptoms(冷症)' were, most of all, feeling cold accompanied by pain(16 case), while just 4 cases were feeling cold only. 5. In the related diseases of the body chill symptoms(冷症), feeling pain like arthralgia was the most case, and then dysmenorrhea, menorralgia, depression, anemia in order. 6. In the D.I.T.I before and after burning acupuncture treatment, 6 patients had shown 'excellent' effects and 8 patients had turned out 'good', while 7 patients had become'fair'. 7. In the degree of patient-satisfaction, 5 patients announced 'excellence' and 6 patients expressed 'good', 4 expressed 'fair', while the other 6 showed no change. 8. In the correlation of D.I.T.I and patient-satisfaction, the better the result of clinical treatment was, the more satisfied the patient was, however, in the case 'fair', we saw the degree of patient-satisfaction was relatively low, so we could admit the judging significance of D.I.T.I.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.429-433
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• 2013

Objectives: To explore the correlation between multi-slice spiral CT (MSCT) perfusion parameters and the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) as well as matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) in breast cancer. Methods: Forty five breast cancer patients and 16 patients with benign breast tumor, both confirmed by pathology examination, were enrolled. All underwent MSCT perfusion imaging to obtain perfusion maps and data for parameters including blood flow (BF), blood volume (BV) and permeability surface (PS). Cancer patients did not receive treatment prior to surgery. The expression of VEGF and MMP-2 were examined with both immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. Results: The levels of VEGF and MMP-2 by immunohistochemistry were significantly higher in the breast cancer group (P < 0.01) than the benign tumor group. Relative OD values from Western blotting were also higher in cancer cases (P < 0.05). Similarly, the mean MSCT perfusion parameters (BF, BV, PS) were significantly higher in the breast cancer group (P < 0.01), BF and BV positively correlating with VEGF expression (r = 0.878 and 0.809 respectively, P < 0.01); PS and VEGF and MMP-2 expression were also positively correlated (r= 0.860, 0.786 respectively, P < 0.01). Conclusion: There is a correlation between breast cancer MSCT perfusion parameters and VEGF andMMP-2 expression, which might be useful for detection of breast lesions, qualitative diagnosis of breast cancer, and evaluation of breast cancer treatment.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Groundwater Environment
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.51-58
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• 1994

Electrical soundings and mappings were conducted to elucidate the geoelectrical structures of the local area of Cheju Island. The areas of the electrical surveys are coastal areas of Cheju Island, Gwagji, Sinpung-Sincheon. Generally, the geoelectrical structures of these areas are closely related with hydrogeological structures and it is very important to elucidate the geoelectrical structures for the water supply problems. Even though the results of electrical surveys in coastal areas of Cheju Island differ from place to place, there exists a general tendency of resistivity decrease with depth and the zone in the vicinity of mean sea level has low resistivity value. Also, there is good correlation between the low resistivity zone and the ground water distribution in the survey areas. A careful examination of the results of this study enabled resistivities of the rocks in Cheju Island to be divided in some categories. The resistivities of rocks unsaturated with ground water are greater than about 1000 ohm-m. The rocks saturated with fresh water have the resistivity value of about few hundreds ohm-m. Last, the rocks saturated with saline and/or brackish water have the resistivity value of about few tens ohm-m. The subsurface resistivity distribution of Cheju Island seems to be strongly dependent on the hydraulic characteristics of the rocks, and the amount and the salinity of the ground water in the rocks rather than the surface geology of the area.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.167-175
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• 2017

Objectives: Children may be more exposed to certain environmental contaminants because they react with greater sensitivity and have different food intakes and breathing rate per unit of body weight compared to adults. The aim of this study was to determine general exposure factors such as skin surface area, period and frequency of exposure, and others among Korean children aged ${\leq}18$ years old. This study was carried out as the first of its kind in Korea. Methods: We developed 23 recommended exposure factors for Korean children aged 0 to 18 years by reclassifying raw data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and the National Statistical Information Service, as well as through investigation by experiments in the absence of related data. Results: Reflecting the activity patterns of about 9,000 children, the daily inhalation rates for long-term exposure ranged from $9.49m^3/day$ for children from birth to <2 years to $14.98m^3/day$ for children aged 16 to <18 years. The research found that Korean children spent an average of 22.21 hours indoors, 0.67 hours outdoors, and 1.12 hours in-transit every day. Young children (${\leq}2$ years old) spent approximately 34 more minutes outdoors on weekends than they did on weekdays. Conclusion: Various physiological variables in the human body reflect characteristics of children that can directly influence risk exposure. Therefore, the identification of general exposure factors based on Korean children is required for appropriate risk assessment.