• Journal of the Korean Society of Tobacco Science
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.67-73
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• 2002

In light of addressing consumer health concern, coping with anti-tobacco movement, and promoting new product, tobacco industry is actively pursuing to make a new generation of cigarettes with low tar and nicotine deliveries, and less harmful substances. Low tar and low nicotine cigarettes increases their market shares dramatically world wide, especially in KT&G, multinational tobacco companies, EU countries, even in China regulated by CNTC to set up yearly target to lower tar and nicotine deliveries. On the other hand, to design a new cigarette with reduced harmful substances begins to gain speed. The "modified Hoffmann list" publishes thirty plus substances in tobacco leaf and main smoke stream, which is the prime suspect causing health problems. Various ways and means are developed to reduce such components including new tobacco breeds, new curing method, tobacco leaf treatment before processing, selected filtration system, innovated casing system to reduce free radicals, as well as some non conventional cigarette products. In TSRC held this year, the main topic is related to reduce tobacco specific nitrosamines in tobacco leaf. The new generation of cigarette is in the horizon. It still needs a lot help to produce commercial products with satisfied taste and aroma characters. The flavor industry is not regulated by many governments demanding which ingredients might or might not be for tobacco use. However, most of the cigarette companies self impose a list of ingredients to guide flavor suppliers to design flavors. Unfortunately, the number of ingredients in those lists is getting shorter every year. It is understandable that the health is not the only reason. Some cigarette companies are playing safe to protect the company from potential lawsuit, while others are just copying from their competitors. Moreover, it is obvious that it needs more assistance from casings and flavors to design new generation of cigarettes with missing certain flavor components in tobacco leaf and main smoke stream. These flavor components are either non-existed or at lower level at new form of cured tobacco leaf or filtered in the main smoke stream along with reduced harmful substances. The use of carbon filters and other selected filtration system poses another tough task for flavor system design. Specific flavor components are missing from the smoke analysis data, which brings a notion of "carbon taste" and "dryness" of mouth feel. It is ever more demanded by cigarette industry to flavor suppliers to produce flavors as body enhancer, tobacco notes, salivating agents, harshness reducer, and various of aromatic notes provided they are safe to use. Another trend is that water based flavor or flavor with reduced ethanol as solvent is gaining popularity. It is preferred by some cigarette companies that the flavor is compounded with all natural ingredients or all ingredients should he GMO free. The new generation of cigarettes demands many ways of new thinking process. It is also vital for tobacco industry. It reflects the real needs for the consumers that the cigarette product should be safe to use as well as bearing the taste and aroma characters smokers always enjoyed. An effective tobacco flavor system is definitely a part of the equation. The global trend of tobacco industry is like trends of any other industries lead by consumer needs, benefited with new technology availability, affected by the global economy, and subjected for various rules and regulations. Anti-tobacco organizations and media exceptionally scrutinize cigarette, as a legal commercial product. Cigarette is probably the most studied commercial product for its composition, structure, deliveries, effects, as well as its new developmental trend. Therefore, any new trend of cigarette development would be within these boundaries. This paper is trying to point out what it would be like for tobacco industry in the next few yews and what concerns the tobacco industry. It focuses mostly on the efforts to produce safer cigarettes. It is such a vital task for the tobacco industry and its affiliate industries such as cigarette papers, filters, flavors, and other materials. The facts and knowledge presented in this paper might be well known for the public. Some of the comments and predictions are very much personal opinion for a further discussion.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.32-36
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• 2016

Purpose In nuclear medicine examination, $^{131}I$ is widely used in nuclear medicine examination such as diagnosis, treatment, and others of thyroid cancer and other diseases. $^{131}I$ conducts examination and treatment through emission of ${\gamma}$ ray and ${\beta}^-$ ray. Since $^{131}I$ (364 keV) contains more energy compared to $^{99m}Tc$ (140 keV) although it displays high integrated rate and enables quick discharge through kidney, the objective of this study lies in comparing the difference in exposure dose of $^{131}I$ before and after wearing apron when handling $^{131}I$ with focus on 3 elements of external exposure protection that are distance, time, and shield in order to reduce the exposure to technicians in comparison with $^{99m}Tc$ during the handling and administration process. When wearing apron (in general, Pb 0.5 mm), $^{99m}Tc$ presents shield of over 90% but shielding effect of $^{131}I$ is relatively low as it is of high energy and there may be even more exposure due to influence of scattered ray (secondary) and bremsstrahlung in case of high dose. However, there is no special report or guideline for low dose (74 MBq) high energy thus quantitative analysis on exposure dose of technicians will be conducted based on apron wearing during the handling of $^{131}I$. Materials and Methods With patients who visited Department of Nuclear Medicine of our hospital for low dose $^{131}I$ administration for thyroid cancer and diagnosis for 7 months from Jun 2014 to Dec 2014 as its subject, total 6 pieces of TLD was attached to interior and exterior of apron placed on thyroid, chest, and testicle from preparation to administration. Then, radiation exposure dose from $^{131}I$ examination to administration was measured. Total procedure time was set as within 5 min per person including 3 min of explanation, 1 min of distribution, and 1 min of administration. In regards to TLD location selection, chest at which exposure dose is generally measured and thyroid and testicle with high sensitivity were selected. For preparation, 74 MBq of $^{131}I$ shall be distributed with the use of $2m{\ell}$ syringe and then it shall be distributed after making it into dose of $2m{\ell}$ though dilution with normal saline. When distributing $^{131}I$ and administering it to the patient, $100m{\ell}$ of water shall be put into a cup, distributed $^{131}I$ shall be diluted, and then oral administration to patients shall be conducted with the distance of 1m from the patient. The process of withdrawing $2m{\ell}$ syringe and cup used for oral administration was conducted while wearing apron and TLD. Apron and TLD were stored at storage room without influence of radiation exposure and the exposure dose was measured with request to Seoul Radiology Services. Results With the result of monthly accumulated exposure dose of TLD worn inside and outside of apron placed on thyroid, chest, and testicle during low dose $^{131}I$ examination during the research period divided by number of people, statistics processing was conducted with Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test using SPSS Version. 12.0K. As a result, it was revealed that there was no significant difference since all of thyroid (p = 0.345), chest (p = 0.686), and testicle (p = 0.715) were presented to be p > 0.05. Also, when converting the change in total exposure dose during research period into percentage, it was revealed to be -23.5%, -8.3%, and 19.0% for thyroid, chest, and testicle respectively. Conclusion As a result of conducting Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test, it was revealed that there is no statistically significant difference (p > 0.05). Also, in case of calculating shielding rate with accumulate exposure dose during 7 months, it was revealed that there is irregular change in exposure dose for inside and outside of apron. Although the degree of change seems to be high when it is expressed in percentage, it cannot be considered a big change since the unit of accumulated exposure dose is in decimal points. Therefore, regardless of wearing apron during high energy low dose $^{131}I$ administration, placing certain distance and terminating the administration as soon as possible would be of great assistance in reducing the exposure dose. Although this study restricted $^{131}I$ administration time to be within 5 min per person and distance for oral administration to be 1m, there was a shortcoming to acquire accurate result as there was insufficient number of N for statistics and it could be processed only through non-parametric method. Also, exposure dose per person during lose dose $^{131}I$ administration was measured with accumulated exposure dose using TLD rather than through direct-reading exposure dose thus more accurate result could be acquired when measurement is conducted using electronic dosimeter and pocket dosimeter.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.33-37
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• 2010

Purpose: In the early stage of using PET/CT, it was used to damper revision but recently shows that CT with MDCT is commonly used and works well for an anatomical diagnosis. This hospital makes the accuracy and convenience more higher in the diagnosis and evaluate of coronary heart disease through concurrently running myocardial perfusion SPECT examination, myocardial PET examination with FDG, and CT coronary artery CT angiography(coronary CTA) used PET/CT with 64-slice. This report shows protocol and image based on results from about 400 coronary heart disease examinations since having 64 channels PET/CT in July 2007. Materials and Methods: An Equipment for this examination is 64-slice CT and Discovery VCT (DVCT) that is consisted of PET with BGO ($Bi_4Ge_3O_{12}$) scintillation crystal by GE health care. First myocardial perfusion SPECT with pharmacologic stress test to reduce waiting time of a patient and get a quick diagnosis and evaluation, and right after it, myocardial FDG PET examination and coronary CTA run without a break. One-stop evaluation protocol of ischemic heart disease is as follows. 1)Myocardial perfusion SPECT with pharmacologic stress: A patient is injected with $^{99m}Tc$-MIBI 10 mCi and does not have any fatty food for myocardial PET examination and drink natural water with ursodeoxcholic acid 100 mg and we get SPECT image in an hour. 2)Myocardial FDG PET: To reduce blood fatty content and to increase uptake of FDG, we used creative oral glucose load using insulin and Acipimox to according to blood acid content. A patient is injected with $^{18}F$-FDG 5 mCi for reduction of his radiation exposure and we get a gated image an hour later and get delay image when we need. 3) Coronary CTA: The most important point is to control heart rate and to get cooperation of patient's breath. In order to reduce a heart rate of him or her below 65 beats, let him or her take beta blocker 50 mg ~ 200 mg after a consultation with a doctor about it and have breath-practices then have the examination. Right before the examination, we spray isosorbide dinitrate 3 to 5 times to lower tension of bessel wall and to extension a blood wall of a patient. It makes to get better the shape of an anatomy. At filming, a patient is injected CT contrast with high pressure and have enough practices before the examination in order to have no problem. For reduction of his radiation exposure, we have to do ECG-triggered X-ray tube modulation exposure. Results: We evaluate coronary artery stenosis through coronary CTA and study correlation (culprit vessel check) of a decline between stenosis and perfusion from the myocardial perfusion SPECT with pharmacologic stress, coronary CTA, and can check viability of infarction or hibernating myocardium by FDG PET. Conclusion: The examination makes us to set up a direction of remedy (drug treatment, PCI, CABG) because we can estimate of effect from remedy, lesion site and severity. In addition, we have an advantage that it takes just 3 hours and one-stop in that all of process of examinations run in succession and at the same time. Therefore it shows that the method is useful in one stop evaluation of ischemic heart disease.