• 한국산업보건학회지
• /
• 제11권2호
• /
• pp.111-117
• /
• 2001

A cross-sectional study was performed to evaluate associations between lead biomarkers, lead-related symptoms, and ${\delta}$-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD) genotype among 598 lead workers and 144 control office workers in storage battery industries, secondary smelting and litharge making industries. Lead inhibits the second enzymes, ALAD, in the heme synthesis pathway. ALAD gene, which codes for one of three isozymic proteins (termed ALAD1-1, ALAD1-2, and ALAD2-2), seems to modify the toxicokinetics of lead. The result as follows; The percents of total workers whose genotype of ALAD1-1 and ALAD1-2 were 88.4% and 11.6%, respectively. The zinc protoporphyrin in blood (ZPP) and ${\delta}$-aminolevulinic acid in urine (ALAU) of lead workers with ALAD1-2 were significantly lower than those of lead workers with ALAD1-1, but there were no significant difference between two genotype for blood lead, age, and work duration. The proportion of ALAD1-2 genotype in control office workers was 13.2%. The proportions of ALAD1-2 genotype of lead workers were 14.0%(their mean air lead level below $0.024mg/m^3$), 10.4%($0.025-0.049mg/m^3$), 11.8%($0.050-0.099mg/m^3$), and 9.4%(above $0.100mg/m^3$), respectively. In the logistic analysis of 15 lead related symptoms, 'arthralgia'(S7) symptom of ALAD1-2 was significantly lower (OR=0.481; 95% CI=0.248-0.932) than that of ALAD1-1, but 'feeling of irritation'(S11) of ALAD1-2 was significantly higher(OR=1.636; 95% CI=1.035-2.586) than that of ALAD1-1 after controlling possible confounder (blood lead, work duration, smoking and drinking habit).

• 한국산업보건학회지
• /
• 제7권2호
• /
• pp.181-195
• /
• 1997

The purpose of this study was to investigate factors affecting the composition and concentrations of fumes generated from various types of welding processes. The results are as follows. 1. Iron(Fe), zinc(Zn) and manganese(Mn) were predominant in Welding fumes. The Fe content in total fumes was 25.5% in coated electrode and 28.2% in $CO_2$ are welding, and the Zn content was 4.5% and 9.1%, respectively, and the Mn was 3.6% and 7.8%, respectively. 2. It was found that the important factors determining composition and concentration of fumes were type of industries, type of welding processes, type and composition of electrodes, composition of base metals, confinement of workplaces or condition of ventilation, work intensity, coated metals such as lead and Zn in paint. 3. The Mn content in airborne fumes was highly correlated with that of electrode(r=0.77, p<0.01) and was about 4 times higher than that in electrodes or base metals. The results lindicate that Mn is well evaporated into air during welding. The higher vapor pressure of Mn may explain this phenomenon. 4. the airborne total fume concentrations were significantly different among types of industries(p<0.001). The airborne total fume concentration was higher in order of sleel-structure manufacturing($GM=15.1mg/m^3$), shipbuilding($GM=13.2mg/m^3$), automobile-component manufacturing ($GM=7.8mg/m^3$) and automobile assembling industry($GM=3.0mg/m^3$) 5. The airbone total fume concentration was 6 times higher in $CO_2$ welding than in coated electrode welding, and approximately 3 times higher in confined area than in open area, in steel-structure manufacturing industry. 6. The concentration of welding fume outside welding helmet was about 2 times higher than that inside it. It is recommened that air sampling be done inside helmet to evaulate worker's exposure accurately, for it has an outstanding effect on reducing worker exposure to fumes and other contaminants.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• /
• 제25권12호
• /
• pp.626-636
• /
• 2022

Shellfish are exoskeleton-bearing aquatic invertebrates that consume various organic and inorganic substances floating in seawater through filter feeding. Heavy metals are known as absorbed and accumulated in seawater. Some of the toxic heavy metals are highly accumulated in seawater, and exposure to them can cause a variety of risks to the human body. Since Koreans like to eat seafood, they are more likely to be exposed to contaminated seafood with heavy metals. In this study, nine types of heavy metals were analyzed on ten different shellfish species in the coastal area of South Korea. The risk assessment was also done on shellfish in which heavy metals were detected. Zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) were identified at an average of 56.7 mg/kg (6.70 to 466 mg/kg) and 13.2 mg/kg (0.064 to 143 mg/kg), respectively. Lead (Pb) average of 0.208 mg/kg (0.000750 to 1.02 mg/kg), cadmium (Cd) average of 0.454 mg/kg (0.0388 to 1.56 mg/kg) and mercury (Hg) average of 0.0266 mg/kg (0.00548 to 0.174 mg/kg) were identified. Additionally, arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), and silver (Ag) were also identified as average concentrations of 4.02 (0.460 to 15.0 mg/kg), 0.167 (< limit of quantification [LOQ] to 0.820 mg/kg), 0.281 (< LOQ to 1.46 mg/kg), and 0.158 mg/kg (< LOQ to 1.15 mg/kg). The result indicates that the monitoring results of heavy metals in most shellfish satisfied the Korean standard. However, Pb and Cd have exceeded some foreign standards, such as the United States and the EU. The permissible human exposure calculated using the heavy metal intake and detection amount was lower than the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives human safety standard, and the risk of heavy metals from shellfish consumption was at an acceptable level.

• 전기전자학회논문지
• /
• 제13권1호
• /
• pp.57-64
• /
• 2009

The optoelectrical characteristics of the ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) annealed in vacuum or oxygen condition from $200^{\circ}C$ to $600^{\circ}C$ were examined. Increased on-off ratio (or, the ratio of photocurrent to dark current) was observed when they were annealed at $300^{\circ}C$, $400^{\circ}C$ and $500^{\circ}C$ with the values enhanced about 4 orders compared to the as-prepared ZnO NPs in both annealing conditions, while the maximum efficiency was shown at the annealing temperature of $600^{\circ}C$ for the ZnO NPs annealed in vacuum with the value of 29.8 mA/W and at the temperature of $500^{\circ}C$ for those annealed in oxygen condition with the value of 40.3 mA/W. Photoresponse behavior of the ZnO NPs annealed in oxygen showed the sharp increase right after the ir exposure to the light followed by the slow decay and saturation during steady illumination, differing from the ZnO NPs annealed in vacuum which only exhibited the gradual increase. This difference occurred due to the curing effect of the oxygen vacancies. SEM images indicated no change in their morphologies with annealing, indicating the change in their internal structures by annealing, and most remarkably at $600^{\circ}C$. As for their photoluminescence(PL) spectra, the decrease of the deep-level(DL) emission was observed when they were annealed in oxygen at $400^{\circ}C$, and not at $200^{\circ}C$ and $600^{\circ}C$.

• 동의생리병리학회지
• /
• 제18권4호
• /
• pp.1071-1077
• /
• 2004

Mudanpi (Cortex Moutan Radicis; the root cortex of Paeonia suffruticosa Andrews) is an important Chinese crude drug used in many oriental prescriptions. 1,2,3,4,6-Penta-O-galloyl-beta-D-glucose (PGG), a major component of this crude drug, has been shown to possess potent antioxidant, anti-mutagenic and anti-proliferative effects. In this study, I examined whether PGG could protect Neuro 2A cells, a kind of neuronal cell lines, from oxidative damage through the induction of HO-1 expression and HO activity. Exposure of Neuro 2A cells to PGG (10-50μM) resulted in a concentration- and time-dependent induction of HO-1 mRNA, and protein expressions and heme oxygenase activity. PGG protected the cells from hydrogen peroxide-induced cell death. The protective effect of PGG on hydrogen peroxide-induced cell death was abrogated by zinc protoporphyrin IX (ZnPP IX), a HO inhibitor. These results indicate that PGG is a potent inducer of HO-1 and HO-1 induction is responsible for the PGG-mediated cytoprotection against oxidative damage.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• 제31권3호
• /
• pp.414-423
• /
• 1998

Metal fume fever has been known as an occupational disease is induced by intense inhalation of fresh metal fume with a particle size smaller than $0.5{\mu}m\;to\;1{\mu}m$. The fumes originate from heating metals beyond their boiling point, as happens, for example, in welding operations. Oxidation usually accompanies this process. In most cases, this syndrome is due to exposure to zinc oxide fumes; however, other metals like copper, magnesium, cadmium, manganese, and antimony are also reported to produce such reactions. Authors report a case of metal fume fever suspected to be associated with copper fume inhalation. The patient was a 42-year-old male and was a smoker. He conducted inert gas tungsten arc welding on copper-coated materials without safety precautions such as a protective mask and adequate ventilation. Immediately after work, he felt metallic taste in his mouth. A few hours after welding, he developed headache, chilling sensation, and chest discomfort. He also complained of myalgia, arthralgia, feverish sensation, thirst, and general weakness. Symptoms worsened after repeated copper welding on the next day and subsided gradually following two weeks. Laboratory examination showed a transient increase of neutrophil count, eosinophilia, elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and positive C-reactive proteinemia. Blood and urine copper level was also increased compared to his wife. Before this episode, he experienced above complaints several times after welding with copper materials but welding of other metals did not produce any symptoms. It was suggested that copper fume would have induced metal fume fever in this case. Further investigations are needed to clarify their pathogenic mechanisms.

• 한국산업보건학회지
• /
• 제23권2호
• /
• pp.65-74
• /
• 2013

Objectives: This study attempted to develop a method to measure ultra-trace lead concentrations in plasma using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry(ICP-MS) and to test whether plasma lead can be used as a biomarker for the biological monitoring of exposure to lead. Methods: Lead concentrations in 160 plasma samples of field workers and 42 plasma samples from the control group were measured by ICP-MS. Blood zinc protophorphyrin(ZPP) concentrations and urinary ${\delta}$-aminolevulinic acid${\delta}-ALA$) were measured for correlation analysis with plasma lead. Results: The mean lead level in the plasma of the workers exposed to lead at work were 786.1 ng/L. Plasma lead levels were not correlated with blood ZPP or urinary ${\delta}-ALA$ concentrations. Otherwise, plasma lead levels showed a good correlation coefficient of 0.400 with blood lead levels, and their correlation coefficient had a better value of 0.552 for the non-smoking and drinking group. In the general population group which was not exposed to lead in the workplace and was considered the control group, the mean concentration of plasma lead was 123.1 ng/L. The plasma lead levels for the general population group showed a good correlation coefficient of 0.520 with blood ZPP and urinary ${\delta}-ALA$ concentrations.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• 제22권11호
• /
• pp.1557-1567
• /
• 2012

Glutathione reductase (GR, E.C. 1.6.4.2) is an important enzyme that reduces glutathione disulfide (GSSG) to a sulfydryl form (GSH) in the presence of an NADPH-dependent system. This is a critical antioxidant mechanism. Owing to the significance of GR, this enzyme has been examined in a number of animals, plants, and microbes. We performed a study to evaluate the molecular properties of GR (OsGR) from rice (Oryza sativa). To determine whether heterologous expression of OsGR can reduce the deleterious effects of unfavorable abiotic conditions, we constructed a transgenic Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain expressing the GR gene cloned into the yeast expression vector p426GPD. OsGR expression was confirmed by a semiquantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (semiquantitative RT-PCR) assay, Western-blotting, and a test for enzyme activity. OsGR expression increased the ability of the yeast cells to adapt and recover from $H_2O_2$-induced oxidative stress and various stimuli including heat shock and exposure to menadione, heavy metals (iron, zinc, copper, and cadmium), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), ethanol, and sulfuric acid. However, augmented OsGR expression did not affect the yeast fermentation capacity owing to reduction of OsGR by multiple factors produced during the fermentation process. These results suggest that ectopic OsGR expression conferred acquired tolerance by improving cellular homeostasis and resistance against different stresses in the genetically modified yeast strain, but did not affect fermentation ability.

• 대한한의학회지
• /
• 제27권3호
• /
• pp.151-168
• /
• 2006

Objectives: To help the Oriental medicine clinical studies for the common cold treatment, this study analyzed the tendency of research into complementary medicine on the common cold recently published in PubMed. Methods: This study analyzed 26 research papers on complementary medicine on the common cold published in PubMed Over the past 10 years. It measured annually and for each country the number of papers published, the number of subjects, the period of research, the area of trial, the method of study, the objective of study, and intervention, respectively and intervention, the objective of study, and the result of trials overall. Results: There were research papers concerning treatment, prevention, safety of herbal medicine, inducement, and improvement of symptoms of the common cold in the study objective the most among them concerned treatment of the common cold. There were more positive results compared to negative results for treatment and prevention. The results for safety and symptom improvement were positive, while the results for the inducement were indeterminate. There were research papers about using food and medicine, acupuncture, hydrotherapy, and cold exposure in intervention the most among them were about using food and medicine. The food and medicine interventions were Echinacea preparations, vitamins, zinc preparations, Baptisia, Thuja, the root of North American ginseng, probiotic bacteria, troxerutin, garlic, Andrographis paniculata, and caffeine. The use of Echinacea preparations was the most frequent among them. Conclusions: Recent research results of complementary medicine on the common cold were more positive than negative.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제16권1호
• /
• pp.9-21
• /
• 2015

Cancer, a serious public health problem in worldwide, results from an excessive and uncontrolled proliferation of the body cells without obvious physiological demands of organs. The gastrointestinal tract, including the esophagus, stomach and intestine, is a unique organ system. It has the highest cancer incidence and cancer-related mortality in the body and is influenceed by both genetic and environmental factors. Among the various chemical elements recognized in the nature, some of them including zinc, iron, cobalt, and copper have essential roles in the various biochemical and physiological processes, but only at low levels and others such as cadmium, lead, mercury, arsenic, and nickel are considered as threats for human health especially with chronic exposure at high levels. Cadmium, an environment contaminant, cannot be destroyed in nature. Through impairment of vitamin D metabolism in the kidney it causes nephrotoxicity and subsequently bone metabolism impairment and fragility. The major mechanisms involved in cadmium carcinogenesis could be related to the suppression of gene expression, inhibition of DNA damage repair, inhibition of apoptosis, and induction of oxidative stress. In addition, cadmium may act through aberrant DNA methylation. Cadmium affects multiple cellular processes, including signal transduction pathways, cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. Down-regulation of methyltransferases enzymes and reduction of DNA methylation have been stated as epigenetic effects of cadmium. Furthermore, increasing intracellular free calcium ion levels induces neuronal apoptosis in addition to other deleterious influence on the stability of the genome.