• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.95-104
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• 2012

Objectives: The goal of this study was to investigate the relationships between proximity to an industrial complex and blood lead levels and urinary cadmium levels. Methods: We conducted a questionnaire survey and analyzed blood lead and urinary cadmium levels using Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAs). Data was analyzed using logistic regression analysis. All statistical analyses were conducted with SAS software version 9.2. The distance between the residence and an industrial complex was calculated through a Geographical Information System (GIS). Results: A total of 967 residents living near a large petrochemical complex in Ulsan participated. The geometric mean levels of blood lead and urinary cadmium were $1.70{\mu}g/dl$ (male: $1.77{\mu}g/dl$, female: $1.67{\mu}g/dl$), and $0.72{\mu}g/g$ creatinine (male: $0.49{\mu}g/g$ cr. female: $0.89{\mu}g/g$ cr.), respectively. Blood lead and urinary cadmium levels both increased with age and were higher among smokers compared to never smokers. Both significantly showed a decreasing trend with rising income. Results from multiple logistic regression analysis showed that urinary cadmium levels for subjects aged less than 20 years old were negatively associated with distance from the industrial area to the residence. The results, however, indicated that the blood lead levels were positively associated with the distance. Conclusions: The results of this study support that proximity to an industrial complex is related to urinary cadmium values for children. A positive finding with blood lead can be explained by the ambiguity of lead exposure sources in the general environment.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.105-110
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• 2009

Yellow sand (or Asian dust) occurs mainly in spring in East Asia. Yellow sand from China and its surrounding regions transports air pollutants, such as aerosols, ozone, and heavy metals. The outdoor workers are frequently exposed to heavy metals during yellow sand phenomenon. This study was carried out to investigate the heavy metal levels in blood among 75 outdoor workers (exposed group) and 86 indoor workers (controled group) in Gyeonggi province from March 2008 to May 2009. Heavy metal levels in blood were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Mean blood lead levels in exposed group and controled group were $5.19{\pm}1.64{\mu}g/dL$, $4.24{\pm}1.34{\mu}g/dL$, respectively. Mean blood cadmium levels in exposed group and controled group were $1.28{\pm}0.89{\mu}g/dL$, $0.90{\pm}0.59{\mu}g/dL$, respectively. Lead and Cadmium levels in blood of exposed group were significantly higher than those of controled group. In the comparison of smoking status, lead and cadmium levels of smokers were significantly higher than those of non-smokers. In conclusion, the heavy metal levels of outdoor workers were significantly higher than those of indoor workers. And smoking was hazardous factor to elevate heavy metal levels in blood.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.535-543
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• 2019

Objectives: Internal exposure to certain heavy metals is thought to be associated with periodontitis. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the relationship between blood levels of heavy metals and periodontitis among the Korean population. Methods: Data from the 2012 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey was analyzed. A total of 1,968 adults aged 19 years or above were included. Logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the association between blood lead levels of lead, cadmium, and mercury, and periodontitis. Confounders such as sex, age, brushing frequency, smoking, etc. were adjusted. Results: Blood levels of lead, cadmium, and mercury showed a significant relationship with periodontitis in a crude model of logistic regression analysis. However, participants with the highest blood levels of cadmium showed higher risk of periodontitis, than those with lower blood levels of cadmium (OR: 1.73; 95% CI: 1.11-2.70) after adjusting for the confounders. Conclusions: High blood levels of cadmium may be associated with periodontitis among the Korean population.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.61 no.4
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• pp.121-128
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• 2018

Purpose: Obesity has been associated with higher total blood mercury levels, based on animal studies; however, studies that focus on children and adolescents are lacking. We aimed to assess the association between total blood mercury levels and the incidence of overweight and abdominal obesity in Korean adolescents. Methods: The study population comprised 1,567 adolescents (793 boys and 774 girls; aged 10-19 years), who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2010-2013. We analyzed total blood mercury levels according to obesity status in all participants. Results: The geometric mean of total blood mercury levels was $1.93{\mu}g/L$. Participants with overweight ($2.20{\mu}g/L$) and obesity ($2.17{\mu}g/L$) had higher levels than those with normal weight ($1.86{\mu}g/L$, P<0.0001). The prevalence of overweight significantly increased with elevation of the total blood mercury quartile in both sexes. Increased incidence of abdominal obesity corresponding to increased total blood mercury level was observed in boys. After adjusting for covariates, those in the highest total blood mercury quartile were found to be at higher risk of overweight/obesity than those in the lowest quartile in both sexes (odds ratio [95% confidence interval]: boys, 3.27 [1.66-6.41]; girls, 1.90 [1.03-3.49]). The association between total blood mercury quartile and abdominal obesity was significant after controlling for covariates in boys (2.35 [1.05-5.24]). Conclusion: Our results suggest an association between total blood mercury levels and overweight in Korean adolescents.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.310-317
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• 2013

To investigate the effects of coated liposome from Discorea rhizoma extract (DRE) in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced, we evaluated changes in body weight, fasting blood glucose, blood insulin and blood lipid concentrations in mice. Mice were divided into four groups: (DC), diabetic DRE at 10 mg/kg (DRE-1), diabetic DRE at 50 mg/kg (DRE-2), and diabetic DRE at 250 mg/kg (DRE-3). Mice had free access to water and diet (10 weeks). The DC group showed higher blood cholesterol than the DRE-1, DRE-2, DRE-3 groups. In glucose tolerance test, the DRE-1, DRE-2, and DRE-3 groups increased after 30 minutes in decremental glycemic response area under the curve. Fasting blood glucose levels in the DRE groups significantly decreased through 4 weeks. Plasma total cholesterol, triglyceride and LDL-cholesterol concentrations were also lower in the DRE groups. On the other hand, the DRE-1, DRE-2 and DRE-3 groups showed higher HDL-cholesterol and insulin levels than the DC group. Moreover, blood glucose and lipid levels significantly decreased in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice treated with DRE. These results indicate that DRE may reduce elevated blood glucose levels and serum lipid concentrations in hypoglycemic and diabetic mice, suggesting its usefulness as a functional food.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.66-71
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• 1997

To investigate the effect of several factors on serum lipids in maternal and infants umbilical cord blood, 111 cases of newborn infants and women delivered of a child who had delivered at hospital located in Chung-Ju city from Feb. 1, 1996 to Aug. 31, 1996 were studied. The gestational ages of cases were 37 to 42 weeks and the average maternal ages were 28.1$\pm$4.25 years old without any other medical or obstetric problems. No relationships between maternal consumption of coffee and maternal serum lipid levels were observed. However, serum total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels in infants'umbilical cord were significantly increased in proportion to increasing maternal consumption of coffee. The other factors such as alcohol drinking habits and residency affected maternal serum lipid levels and not serum lipid levels in infants' umbilical cord. Delivery frequency showed very little or no effects on serum lipid levels in both maternal blood and infant's umbilical cord blood. In conclusion, maternal consumption of coffee significantly correlated with increasement of serum lipid levels in infants'umbilical cord.

• Journal of Korean Critical Care Nursing
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.1-12
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• 2015

Purpose: The study sought to determine the state of blood glucose control, and the consequent clinical effects and variation in blood glucose level, of adult patients admitted to intensive care units following cardiothoracic surgery by comparing the blood glucose levels before and after the application of a blood glucose control protocol. Methods: The protocol was developed by modifying and supplementing the Yale protocol, and was first used in 2012. The resulting blood glucose data of an experimental group (n = 314), to which the blood glucose control protocol had been applied, and a control group (n = 347), whose blood glucose levels had been controlled according to physicians'prescriptions without the protocol, were collected through the medical records. Results: The target blood glucose ratio increased significantly in the experimental group, and the low blood glucose ratio decreased significantly in the experimental group. The two groups exhibited a significant difference (p < .001) in the degree of variation in the blood glucose levels. The duration of the use of a ventilator was significantly reduced in the experimental group (p < .001). Conclusion: It is expected that the protocol can be used for the safe and effective control of critically ill cardiothoracic surgery patients' blood glucose levels.

• Journal of Korean Medical Science
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• v.33 no.44
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• pp.278.1-278.12
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• 2018

Background: We evaluated the association of blood pressure (BP) with blood levels of cadmium, lead, and cadmium and lead together (cadmium + lead) in a representative sample of adolescents from Korea. Methods: We used 2010-2016 data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. This cross-sectional study enrolled adolescents aged at 10-18 years-old who completed a health examination survey and had blood measurements of lead and cadmium. The association of adjusted mean differences in diastolic and systolic BP with doubling of blood lead and cadmium were estimated by regression of BP against ${\log}_2$-transformed blood metals and their quartiles after covariate adjustment. Adjusted odds ratio for prehypertension were calculated for ${\log}_2$-transformed blood levels of lead and cadmium and their quartiles. Results: Our analysis of adolescents in Korea indicated that blood levels of lead and cadmium were not significantly associated with increased BP or risk of prehypertension. However, the cadmium + lead level was associated with prehypertension. Previous studies showed that blood levels of lead and cadmium were associated with increased BP and risk of hypertension in adult populations. We found no such association in Korean adolescents. Conclusion: We found that the cadmium + lead level was associated with prehypertension. The differences between adults and adolescents are because adolescents generally have lower levels of these blood metals or because adolescents only rarely have hypertension.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.65-71
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• 2004

Many studies have shown that Letinus edodes has some effect on reducing blood pressure and lipid levels of animals with high pressure and hyperlipidemia. The cost of Letinus edodes varies depending on when it is harvested, and yet there has been no data collected on the bio-functional effects of Letinus edodes harvested at different times. This study was conducted to investigate the supplementary effects of Letinus edodes harvested at different times on blood pressure and blood lipid levels of hypertensive rats. Three kinds of experimental diets - control (CO), early harvested Lentinus deodes (EL), and late harvested Lentinus edodes (LL) - were supplied to spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) for eight weeks. The diet intake, body weight, organ weight, and serum lipid levels were subsequently measured. No significant difference was observed in diet intake and in the respective weights of the body, liver, and epididymal fat pad among experimental groups. The levels of systolic and disastolic blood pressure were significantly lower in the LE and LL groups than those in the CO group; and the concentration of serum total cholesterol was also lower in the LE and LL groups than in the CO group. These results confirm that Lentinus edodes reduces blood pressure levels and serum total cholesterol concentration in spontaneously hypertensive rats. But the effects of Lentinus edodes did not differ significantly based on whether the Lentinus edodes was harvested early or late.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.322-328
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• 1999

In this study, it was tested whether the changes of catecholamines and its metabolites are related with the changes of blood pressure(BP) induced by different levels of lead exposure. Adult male SD rats were exposed to lead by giving drinking water containing 50(low doses), 200 and 1,000 ppm(high doses) of lead(as lead acetate) or sodium acetate(for control groups, supplying an identical amount of acetate) for 7 or 16 weeks. The systolic BP was measured in the unanesthetized state by the tail-cuff technique. Levels of catecholamines and its metabolites in urine were measured by HPLC-ECD. Rats receiving 200 and 1,000 ppm developed an elevation of systolic BP at 3 and 7 weeks compared with week 0, but blood pressure levels at 16 weeks returned to normal. For the 50 ppm lead treated group, systolic BP increased significantly at 7 weeks and 16 weeks. The concentrations of norepinephrine and VMA in the urine of lead exposed rats changed similarly to the changes of blood pressure, but blood viscosity levels in all lead treated rats increased continuously during all lead treatment periods. This result suggests that the changes of catecholamines and its metabolites in urine by lead intoxication may influence the changes of blood pressure.