• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.244-253
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• 2010

The quality of marine sediments from the industrialized coastal areas of Korea (Ulsan Bay, Masan Bay, and artificial Lake Shihwa) was investigated using a bacterial bioluminescence toxicity test. Sediment toxicity results were compared with the levels of chemical contamination (trace metals, organic wastewater markers, acid volatile sulfides, total organic carbon). Effective concentration 50% (EC50) of sediments ranged from 0.014 to 1.126 mg/mL, which is comparable to or lower than values in contaminated lakes, rivers, and marine sediments of other countries. Sediment reference index (SRI) ranged from 13 to 1044, based on the EC50 of the negative control sample. Mean average SRI values in Masan Bay and Lake Shihwa were approximately 8 and 9 times as high as that in Ulsan Bay, indicating higher sediment toxicity and greater contamination in the two former regions. Sediment toxicity were strongly associated with the concentrations of some chemicals, suggesting that this test may be useful for determining potential chemical contamination in sediments.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.603-608
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• 2010

More than 8 millions of chemical have been used for human activities and lots of chemicals can not be degraded by microbial activities in this world. To show the biodegradability of a chemical, biodegradability index (B.I.) is suggested using aerobic biodegradability by $BOD_5$/COD, anaerobic biodegradability by methane potential (M.P.) and toxicity by the luminiscent bacteria. In this study, PVA (polyvinyl alcohol), HEC (hydroxy ethyl cellulose), 2,4,6-TCP (tri-chloro phenol) and 2,4-DCP (di-chloro phenol) are used for test chemicals. Though they show little toxicity, PAV and HEC have low B.I. because they are polymers having high molecular weight. That means that there are no bacteria that has enzyme to degrade polymer molecules. Also, anaerobic treatment is suggested better than aerobic treatment from B.I. 2,4,6-TCP and 2,4-DCP show high toxicity and have low B.I. Their low biodegradabilities seem to be originated from their toxicities. If B.I. is used in wastewater treatment, better treatment process can be suggested and finally it can lead our society to make more environment-friendly chemicals.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.7 no.1 s.12
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• pp.37-51
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• 2004

Objective : Recently scolopendrid aqua-acupuncture has been a good effect on pain control but it has not been known about clinical safety. The purpose of this study was to investigate acute toxicity of scolopendrid aqua-acupuncture. Method : In order to prove the clinical safety of scolopendrid aqua-acupuncture, We have observed a bacteriological examination and clinical pathology test after scolopendrid aqua-acupuncture treatment. Balb/c mice were injected intravenous with Scolopendrid aquaacupuncture treatment for $LD_{50}$ and acute toxicity test. We analyzed physical reaction(side effect)and clinical pathology test before and after Scolopendrid aqua-acupuncture treatment of mice and 20 patients suffering from pain, who admitted department of Acupunture and Moxibustion, College of Oriental Medicine, Won-Kwang University Kwangju hospital. Results : In the Blood agar plate and Nutrient agar plate, a bacteriological examination did not show a bacillus. In acute $LD_{50}$ toxicity test, there was no mortality thus unable to attain the value. Examining the toxic response in the acute toxicity test, there was no sign of toxication. In acute toxic test, running biochemical serum test couldn't yield any differences between the control and experiment groups. In the 20 patients treated with Scolopendrid aqua-acupuncture, hematologic test did not show remarkable change. In the 20 patients treated with Scolopendrid aqua-acupuncture, Liver function test(AST, ALT, ALP) showed a slight decrease on the contrary, and abnormal rate showed a decrease of 5.0% compared with previous study. Reanl function test(BUN, Cr) and abnormal rate showed a decrease of 5.0% compared with previous study. In the 20 patients treated with Scolopendrid aqua-acupuncture, Electrolyte were normal range before and after treatment. In the Urine analysis of 20 patients, Leukocyte, Protein, Glucose, Keton, Bilirubin, U-bilinogen were not detected before and after Scolopendrid aqua-acupuncture treatment, and the rest almost made no difference.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.135-150
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• 2016

Research Methods: This research analyzed the data on those aged 20 and older from the Report on Korean Medicine Usage Research, which was conducted in 2011. The definitions of toxicity were defined by the presence of toxicity listed in the survey. The questions used in analysis were sex, age, household income, health insurance, medical fees, satisfaction rates on treatments, as well as the types of diseases and the presence of toxicity from treatments. The analysis was done through frequency analysis using SAS 9.2 and Fisher's Exact Test. Results: Toxicity occurred in 2.1% patients out of the 3518 studied. The types of toxicity were skin problems, such as hives and pruritus (34.7%), gastrointestinal problems (20.8%), neurological diseases (4.2%), liver(1.4%), kidney toxicity(1.4%), and others (22.2%). There were no differences in toxicity by sex, age, household income and the types of health insurances. However, toxicity were positively correlated with the increase in standard of education (p=0.0124). In addition, as treatment costs increased (p<0.0001) and satisfaction rates decreased, toxicity increased (p<0.0001). Toxicity increased in patients with low back pain (p=0.0429), hwabyung (p=0.0392), lumbar sprain (p=0.0004), correction body type (p=0.0118), growth (p=0.0045), and from motor accidents (p=0.0448). In logistic regression analysis, Toxicity were positively correlated with medical fees, and cancer treatment and negatively correlated with satisfaction rate on treatments. Conclusion: The toxicity that occurred in outpatients who used Korean medical clinics mostly happened in skin, digestive organs, nerves, livers, and kidneys toxicity. The occurrences differed by the Educational lengths, expensive costs of treatments, low satisfaction rates of the treatments, and cancer.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.251-256
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• 2009

Cordyceps bassiana is a parasitic fungus and used as a Chinese traditional medicine. It has been called as DongChungHaCho(summer-plant, winter-worm) in China. Acute oral toxicity was examined in male and female ICR mice. Butanol fraction from Cordyceps bassiana(BuCb) was administered orally at a dose of 2,500 mg/kg, 5,000 mg/kg, 10,000 mg/kg. No death and abnormal clinical signs were observed throughout the administration period. The acute toxicity test on mouse did not show any oversign in net body weight gain, food and water consumptions, organ weights, gross pathological findings by different doses of BuCb. Also, biochemical examination revealed no evidence of specific toxicity. These findings show that BuCb has wide margin of safety on acute toxicity with single exposure.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.259-266
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• 2003

Although 'Cinnamon' has been widely used for the food and biophamacy in the world, it's toxicity was not screened completely. Major component of 'cinnamon' is CB-OH and CB-PH. CB-PH has been reported to have antimutagenic effect. To investigate the toxicity of 2-o-Benzoylcinnama-Idehyde (CB-PH), repeated dose (4 weeks) oral toxicity test performed in SD rats. Results of repeated dose oral toxicity tests for 4 weeks (CB-PH; 500, 1000, 2000 mg/kg/day) suggested that the CB-PH treated group showed no significant toxicological findings with body weights, organ weights, hematological and histopathological findings. Therefore, these data indicated that the maximum tolerated dose of CB-PH was 2000 mg above/kg/day in the rats.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.296-301
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to examine to observe single and four weeks repeated toxicity in mice of Bangpung-galgeun-tang (BGT). We investigated to ascertain safety and toxicity of BGT, we divided into single and four weeks repeated administration test. In single test, three groups were administrated different dosages and routes (2 g/kg/i.p., 4 g/kg/i.p. and 15 g/kg/p.o.) of BGT, and in four weeks repeated test, 0.8 g/kg BGT was administrated. Control groups were administrated with only saline according to on Korean Food and Drug Administration, respectively. We observed attentively motality, abnormal clinical sign, body weight change, organ weight, AST and ALT of mice after BGT administration. During toxicity experiment period, there was no difference in body weight change, organ weight, AST and ALT among different dose groups. Death were found 3 mice from day 2 to day 3 in single test i.p. group. (2 g/kg, 4 g/kg). Several individuals of single test i.p. group were observed that decreased locomotor activity, exophthalmos, bloodshot eyes, loss of eyesight and so on in early period after administration. But there was no difference in clinical signs among p.o. group. These results indicate that BGT have inhibition effects on allergy and suggest that no observable effect level of the test orally administration was considered to be more than 2 g/kg in mice under the conditions employed in this study.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.197-205
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• 2012

Despite of a long history of the sulfur on the disease healing effect, there were limited ways of applying sulfur to animal and human. We have developed the detoxified sulfur (non toxic sulfur) method to make it practical and mass production possible through laboring for many years. This study practiced scanning electron microscope (SEM), Energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS) and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) analysis to investigate the physicochemical aspect of detoxified sulfur. We also performed the oral toxicity experiment to mice, and anti-bacterial test of the detoxified sulfur. Based on the SEM, EDS and SIMS results, the united particles in the mass form with the similar component intensity with the raw sulfur were observed, and hydrogen sulfide ion (HS-) component which is regarded as a toxic matter, was decreased after detoxification. Indeed, toxicity test on the mice (10 males, 10 females) showed no clinical, histopathological changes with the 5 times amount (2,500 mg/kg) of the actual doses. However, the male-mice showed decreased in body weight by 23.6%, 24.3% in the 7th, 14th day, respectively, after detoxified sulfur. Moreover, the female-mice administered the detoxified sulfur showed decreased in body weight by 28.7% (P<0.05) than that in the control group on the 14th day. The result of antibacterial test on the detoxified sulfur showed antibacterial effect (27%) to inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus aureus. It is shown that detoxified sulfur can be used as feed additive and has an affect on the farm perfomance.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.536-539
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• 2013

In this study, mixed plant extracts including Phellodendro namurense and Eucommia ulmides Oliv were tested for antimicrobial activity and safety. Antimicrobial activity was measured by disc diffusion method using normal skin flora and opportunistic microbes such as Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans. As safety test, single dose oral toxicity test, single dose inhalation toxicity test and repeat dose inhalation toxicity test were done. From antimicrobial test, plant extracts showed significant antimicrobial activity Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, however, did not indicate any antibacterial effect on Escherichia coli. From 3 kinds of safety tests, toxicity of mixed plant extracts was not observed. From experimental results, mixed plant extracts including Phellodendro namurense and Eucommia ulmides Oliv showed good potential for natural antimicrobial agent.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.290-297
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• 2021

Leptolyngbya sp. KIOST-1 (LK1) is a newly isolated cyanobacterium that shows no obvious cytotoxicity and contains high protein content for both human and animal diets. However, only limited information is available on its toxic effects. The purpose of this study was to validate the safety of LK1 powder. Following Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) guidelines, a single-dose oral toxicity test in Sprague Dawley rats was performed. Genotoxicity was assessed using a bacterial reverse mutation test with Salmonella typhimurium (strains TA98, TA100, TA1535, and TA1537) and Escherichia coli WP2 uvrA, an in vitro mammalian chromosome aberration test using Chinese hamster lung cells, and an in vivo mammalian erythrocyte micronucleus test using Hsd:ICR (CD-1) SPF mouse bone marrow. After LK1 administration (2,500 mg/kg), there were no LK1-related body weight changes or necropsy findings. The reverse mutation test showed no increased reverse mutation upon exposure to 5,000 ㎍/plate of the LK1 powder, the maximum tested amount. The chromosome aberration test and micronucleus assay demonstrated no chromosomal abnormalities and genotoxicity, respectively, in the presence of the LK1 powder. The absence of physiological findings and genetic abnormalities suggests that LK1 powder is appropriate as a candidate biomass to be used as a safe food ingredient.