• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.189-194
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• 2014

This study was conducted to evaluate microorganism contamination of food utensils and service facilities in school and to prevent hazards by food poisoning occurrence. As a result, the highest number of microorganism growth plate ($12.3{\pm}2.6$) was detected in total bacteria test plate, and also observed $10.3{\pm}3.9$ growth plates in Staphylococcus aureus test plate and $9.5{\pm}3.9$ growth plates in E. coli and coliform bacteria test plate. But we could detect to the lowest number of growth plates ($1.5{\pm}1.0$) in Vibrio test plate. We also assessed that floors were appeared to the highest microorganism contamination rate in food utensils and service facilities. Therefore, $4.5{\pm}0.6$ growth plates was detected in pre-operation floor and $4.3{\pm}1.0$ growth plates in floor. And high level of microorganism contamination also observed in tables as $3.3{\pm}1.0$ growth plates in cooking table and $3.0{\pm}0.0$ growth plates in dining table. The level of microorganism contamination of food utensils such as kitchen knife, cutting board, and food tray were lower than that in food service facilities. We analysed microorganism contamination according to purpose of use in kitchen knifes and cutting boards. The microorganism contamination rate in fish kitchen knife ($2.0{\pm}0.8$) and fish cutting board ($1.3{\pm}1.5$) were slightly higher than that of others purpose of use. As a result of microorganism identification, various strains of microorganism were contaminated in food service facilities and some strains could detected more than two times. Especially, Staphylococcus aureus was repeatedly identified in cooking table, trench, and kitchen knife. Bacillus cereus was identified in kitchen knife, and then Pseudomonas fluorescens and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were also detected in food utensils and service facilities as known to food spoilage microorganisms. Klebsiella pneumoniae was detected four times repeat, which widely distribute natural environment as normal bacterial flora but sometimes cause acute pneumonia. These results suggest that food utensils and service facilities are contaminated with not only major food poisoning microorganisms such as Staphylococcus aureus, but also food spoilage microorganisms. Taken together, strict personal hygiene control and efficient food service facilities management will be needed to enhance food safety in school feeding and to improve student health.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.63 no.6
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• pp.415-419
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• 2019

Fipronil is an insecticide that belongs to the N-phenylpytazole and has been used mainly for an insect pest control. However, it is known that acute poisoning of the human body causes various symptoms such as dizziness, muscle weakness, dyspnea, skin irritation, and increased heart rate. Lately, eggs containing fipronil have been distributed and toxic problems are spreading around the world. In this study, we tried to develop analytical methods to evaluate the exposure of fipronil and fipronil sulfone in animal serum samples. The differences according to mobile phase and the results of liquid - liquid extraction and solid phase extraction pretreatment method were compared. Distilled water (A) and acetonitrile (B) were selected for the mobile phase, and the pretreatment method was determined by solid phase extraction. As a result of the method validation, the intra-day / inter-day accuracies were 82.2~114.1% and the precisions were less than 20%. The detection limit was 0.027 ng/ml for fipronil and 0.087 ng/ml for fipronil sulfone. The linearity obtained was satisfying, with a coefficient of determination (r²) higher than 0.99. The concentrations in some animal sera were determined using the methods of analysis for fipronil and fipronil sulfone in animal sera developed in this study. Using the method developed in this study, it could be used as an analytical method for human bio-monitoring of fipronil and fipronil sulfone as well as animal serum.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.399-403
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• 2015

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a treatment for renal failure and acute poisoning, and uses the patient's peritoneum in the abdomen as a membrane across which fluids and dissolved substances are exchanged from the blood. In this study, we evaluated the therapeutic efficacy and complications of automated peritoneal dialyzer (APD) in dogs with renal failure. PD was performed in 10 dogs using a swan neck catheter (Neonatal, Coviden) and automatic APD. The efficacy for each dog was assessed by calculating urea reduction ratio (URR) and creatinine reduction ratio (CRR). Mean concentrations of pre-dialysis creatinine and blood urea (BUN) were $7.09{\pm}3.84$ and $145.8{\pm}48.5$, respectively. The mean number of peritoneal dialysis cycles applied was $6{\pm}1$ cycles. Peritoneal dialysis resulted in a significant decrease in BUN concentration in 7/10 dogs, while a significant decrease in creatinine concentration in 9/10 dogs. The mean of URR was higher than that of CRR ($0.39{\pm}0.16$ vs $0.38{\pm}0.13$). The mean CRR and URR per dialysis cycles were $0.064{\pm}0.023$ and $0.065{\pm}0.023$, respectively. Complications found in this study were catheter occlusion, subcutaneous dialysate leakage, septic peritonitis, hypoalbuminemia and overhydration. This study found PD using a swan neck catheter and APD machine showed acceptable efficacy for successful peritoneal dialysis in dogs. However, close monitoring is required to minimize the risk of complication.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.301-313
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• 2010

Objectives: The purpose of this research is to provide foundational data for reeducation concerning prehospital emergency care in order to improve the performance of emergency medical technicians (EMTs) working at 119 fire safety centers. Methods: Data were collected using a mail-in questionnaire developed by researchers from 288 subjects, who were EMTs working at 119 fire safety centers and local units in the Gwangju Metropolitan City and South Jeolla Province, from March 1, 2009 to April 31, 2009. Results: The mean score for EMTs' knowledge on drug intoxication was7.04 out of a total of 10 points. The mean score for EMT's attitude of emergency treatment performance on drug intoxication was 2.96 out of a total of 4 points. The level of EMT's knowledge is relatively high regarding prehospital care for drug intoxication. The EMT's attitude of performances demonstrated an understanding of the patients' conditions. However EMTs did not actively explain the prognosis and medical conditions for their patients. Conclusions: This research will contribute to making plans for reeducating emergency crew working at 119 fire centers so that can they have a more active attitude towards prehospital emergency medical care.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.229-235
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• 1986

Lithium salts are being used increasingly to treat patient with affective disorders, especially acute mania, or bipolar manic-depressive illness. For therapeutic effect the lithium content must be maintained at or above a particular level. Lithium poisoning due to overdosage may be seen occasionally, and its course is determined primarily by the rate of renal lithium elimination. A search is therefore indicated for procedures that could raise the lithium clearance. In a number of reports renal lithium excretion has been studied in relation to the excretion of water, sodium, potassium and hydrogen, but effects of sodium or water on the lithium excretion has not yet been clarified. Hence the present study was undertaken to investigate the effects of corticosteroid on the excretion of lithium ion. The female rat(Sprague-Dowley), weighing from 200 to 300g, was injected with 50mg/kg of lithium chloride intraperitoneally, and then injected with graded dosage of fludrocortisone and dexamethasone in each group. During the injected rats were incubated in metabolic cage, 24 hour urine of rats were collected. At 24 hours after injection, the rats were sacrificed with guillotin, the blood were collected. And then the concentratios of $Na^+$, $K^+$, $Li^+$ of collected urine and serum were checked by Flame photometer. The results are summarized as follows; 1. Fludrocortisone decreased the serum concentration of lithium and increased the urinary excretion of lithium. 2. In the group treated with low dose of dexamethasone(0.1mg/kg), the serum concentration of lithium was decreased and high dose of dexamethasone (1mg/kg) increased the urinary excretion of lithium. 3. Fludrocortisone increased the urinary $[Na^+]/[K^+]$ in serum and decreased $[Na^+]/[K^+]$ in urine, but opposite effects were occurred in dexamethasone. By above results, it may be concluded that corticosteroid increased the urinary excretion of lithium and decreased the serum concentration of lithium, but it seems to be there is no relationship between these effects of corticosteroid and of the renal $Na^+$ or $K^+$ transport.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.47-52
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• 2010

Green tobacco sickness (GTS) is known as an occupational disease among tobacco harvesters, and a form of acute nicotine intoxication by the absorption of nicotine through the skin from the wet green tobacco plant. On the assumption that GTS may occur by inhalation as well as absorption of nicotine, we measured the airborne nicotine concentration in tobacco field and the processing room of tobacco leaves. We measured the airborne nicotine concentrations in the tobacco field and processing room between 13 and 30 July 2008. All sampling and analyses of airborne nicotine were conducted according to the manual of analytic methods of NIOSH 2551, and we sampled 2 times at 11 points in the tobacco field by area sampling. The sampling in the processing room of tobacco leaves was conducted at 3 points, and earlymorning dew was collected from the tobacco by wringing the moisture into specimen bottles. The airborne nicotine concentration [geometric mean (geometric standard deviation)] in the tobacco field in the P.M. was higher [49.2 mg/$m^3$ (1.3)] than the A.M. concentration [43.4 mg/$m^3$ (1.4)]. Similarly, the nicotine concentration in the processing room of tobacco leaves was 224.4 mg/$m^3$ (1.2), and the concentration of nicotine in the dew was 64.7 mg/${\ell}$ (1.7). Based on our results, the airborne nicotine concentration in the tobacco field and the processing room of tobacco leaves were 100 and 400 times higher than the occupational recommended values (TLV-TWA of 0.5 mg/$m^3$), respectively. In the future, it is hoped that epidemiologic studies and environmental measurements will be conducted for GTS which occurs by inhalation of nicotine. If GTS is confirmed to occur by inhalation of nicotine, respiratory and dermal protective equipment must be distributed.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.27-32
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• 2014

Autophagy is one of the lysosomal degradation pathways to maintain cellular homeostasis. The damaged proteins or organelles are uptaken through extra- and intra-cellular stress, starvation and infected pathogens, subsequently, autophagosomes are fused with lysosomes to break down the molecules. Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium), intracellular bacteria, cause acute gastroenteritis and food poisoning. Given that autophagy induced by S. Typhimurium plays an important role in the cells to control the infection, we identify whether the induction of autophagy with rapamycin, chemical inducer of autophagy, before infection regulates S. Typhimurium infection. After treatment of rapamycin or 3-methyladenine (3-MA), autophagy inhibitor, RAW264.7 cells were infected with S. Typhimurium. Pretretment of rapamycin decreased the growth rate of S. Typhimurium in the cells; otherwise, pretreatment of 3-MA increased the growth rate of S. Typhimurium. The expression of autophagy-related genes was significantly increased in the S. Typhimurium-infected cells pretreated with rapamycin. To examine whether induced autophagy by rapamycin control the infection with increase the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO), antibacterial radical substrates were measured in infected cells followed by the treatment with either rapamycin or 3-MA. NO production increased in RAW264.7 cells; otherwise, ROS production remained unchanged during the infection. These findings suggest that inducing autophagy with rapamycin reveals antimicrobial activity as producing NO against S. Typhimurium infection in mouse macrophages.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.18-25
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• 2013

It may occur health hazards or death by suffocation or acute poisoning in case of oxygen deficiency in ambient or exposure to harmful gas. As a part of accident prevention, we studied the change of activity and lethal dose by changing the concentration of several hazardous gas with inhalation exposure chamber and laboratory animals. We investigated the lethality and motility change during either the 4 hrs whole body exposure to oxygen, nitrogen, toluene, $H_2S$, CO and 48 recovery. As results, it is estimated that 5% oxygen concentration as lethal concentration and 5.5% as $LC_{50}$ (rat, 4 hrs) with statistics for dose-response. The results of lethality in oxygen deficient condition (approximately 6%), the lethalities were 40%, 20% with 20 ppm $H_2S$, 600 ppm CO respectively, and was not increased the lethality with 8% CO. Thus, it was confirmed that the $H_2S$, CO had influence to lethal dose, while toluene had low fluence.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.411-418
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• 2004

Mercury, one of the most diffused and hazardous organ-specific environmental contaminants, exists in a wide variety of physical and chemical states. The murcury with the nature which evaporates easily can cause an acute or chronic mercury poisoning to workers at mercury-handling workplaces. Although many studies indicate that mercury induces a deleterious damage, little has been reported from the investigations of mercury effects at surrounding levels in living things. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the biological effects of mercury chloride and ionizing radiation. Prepubertal male F344 rats were administered mercury chloride in drinking water throughout the experimental period or were given wholebody irradiation with a dose of 6.5 Gy. The amount changed of body weight during the experimental period showed a 4.9% rise in the mercury-treated group and 14.4% decline in the irradiated group compared with the level of the control group. The results of hematological analysis (red blood cells, white blood cells, hemoglobin, and hematocrit) indicated the differential effects of mercury chloride and ionizing radiation. However the concentration of cortisol as assessed by radioimmunoassay increased in both of the groups. Relative expressions of mRNA related to mitochondrion-mediated apoptosis were investigated using semiquantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction on gonad and urinary organs of the experimental groups. While the expression of Bcl-2 mRNA exhibited different patterns depending on the organs or the experimental groups, both of the experimental groups showed a conspicuous expressions of Bax mRNA. In conclusion, the target organ of mercury chloride seems to be a urinary organ and the pattern of damage induced by mercury chloride differs from that by ionizing radiation.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.251-260
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• 2014

The number of farmers who have suffered from non-fatal acute pesticide poisoning has been reported to vary from 5.7% to 86.7% in South Korea since 1975. Absorption through the skin is the main route of exposure to pesticides for farmers who operate with them. Several in vitro tests using the skins of humans or animal and in vivo tests using laboratory animals are introduced for the assessment of human dermal absorption level of pesticides. The objective of this study is to evaluate and compare international guidelines and strategies of dermal absorption assessments and to propose unique approaches for applications into pesticide registration process in our situation. Until present in our situation, pesticide exposure level to operator is determined just using default value of 10 as for skin absorption ratio because of data shortage. Dermal absorption tests are requested to get exposure level of pesticides and to ultimately know the safety of pesticides for operators through the comparison with the value of AOEL. When the exposure level is higher than AOEL, the pesticide cannot be approved. We reviewed the skin absorption test guidelines recommended by OECD, EFSA and EPA. The EPA recommends assessment of skin absorption of pesticides for humans through the TPA which includes all the results of in vitro human and animal and animal in vivo skin absorption studies. OECD and EFSA, employ a tiered approach, which the requirement of further study depends on the results of the former stage study. OECD guidelines accept the analysis of pesticide level absorbed through skin without radioisotope when the recovery using the non-labeled method is within 80~120%. Various factors are reviewed in this study, including the origin of skin (gender, animal species and sites of skin), thickness, temperature and, etc., which can influence the integrity of results.