• Journal of radiological science and technology
• /
• v.40 no.4
• /
• pp.633-638
• /
• 2017

The amount of radioactive waste has been rapidly increased with development of radiation treatment in medical field. Recently, it has been a common practice to use I-131 for thyroid cancer, F-18 for PET/CT and Tc-99m for diagnosis of nuclear medicine. All the wastes concerned have been disposed of by means of the self-disposal method, for example incineration, after storage enough to decay less than clearance level. IAEA proposed criteria for clearance level of waste which depends on the individual ($10{\mu}Sv/y$) and collective dose (1 man-Sv/y), and concentration of each nuclide (IAEA Safety Series No 111-P-1.1, 1992 and IAEA RS-G-1.7, 2004). In this study, specific radioactivity of radioactive waste contaminated with Re-186 was measured to confirm whether it meets the clearance level. Re-186 has long half life of 3.8 days relatively and emits beta and gamma radiation, therefore it can be applied in treatment and imaging purposes. The specific radioactivity of contaminated gloves weared by radiation workers was measured by MCA(Multi-channel Analyzer) which was calibrated by reference materials in accordance with the measuring procedure. As a result, comparison evaluation of decay storage period between the half-life which was calculated by attenuation curve based on real measurement and physical half-life was considered, and it is showed that the physical half-life is longer than induced half-life. Therefore, the storage period of radioactive waste for self-disposal may be curtailed in case of application of induced half-life. The result of this study will be proposed as ISO standard.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
• /
• v.42 no.1
• /
• pp.53-57
• /
• 2009

Heavy metal pollution may be one of the most serious challenges confront crop production and human health. Therefore, the selection of heavy metal tolerance cultivars which adapted to the contaminated fields will introduced a suitable solution for management this critical environmental risk. The objectives of this research is to assess human health risk using geochemical analyses and exposure assessment of heavy metals in rice cultivars. Risk for inhabitants in the closed mine area was comparatively assessed for As, Cd, Cu and Pb in 10 rice varieties as a major exposure pathway. The average daily dose (ADD) of each heavy metal was estimated by analyzing the exposure pathways to rice and soil. For the non-carcinogenic risk characterization, Hazard Quotient (HQ) and Hazard Index (HI) were calculated using toxicity indices provided by US-EPA IRIS. The different rice varieties revealed a wide range of HI values from 23.6 to 34.3, indicating that all rice varieties have a high potential toxic risk. The DA rice variety showed the lowest HI value while the TB rice variety the highest. The probabilities of cancer risk for As via rice consumption were varied with rice varieties ranging from 2.0E-03 to 3.5E-03 which exceeded the regulatory acceptable risk of 1 in 10,000 set by US-EPA. The DA rice variety also showed the lowest value while the TB rice variety gave the highest value. Our results indicate that risk assessment can be contribute to screen the pollution safe rice cultivars in paddy fields affected by the mining activity.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.75-103
• /
• 2020

There is a growing voice that medical information should be shared because it can prepare for genetic diseases or cancer by analyzing and utilizing medical information in big data or artificial intelligence to develop medical technology and improve patient care. The utilization and protection of patients' personal information are the same as two sides of the same coin. Medical institutions or medical personnel should take extra caution in handling personal information with high environmental distinct characteristics and sensitivity, which is different from general information processors. In general, the patient's personal information is processed by medical personnel or medical institutions through the processes of collection, creation, and destruction. Still, the use of terms related to personal information in the Medical Service Act is jumbled, or the scope of application is unclear, so it relies on the interpretation of precedents. For the medical personnel or the founder of the medical institution, in the case of infringement of Article 24(4), it cannot be regarded that it means only medical treatment information among personal information, whether or not it should be treated the same as the personal information under Article 23, because the sensitive information of patients is recorded, saved, and stored in electronic medical records. Although the prohibition of information leakage under Article 19 of the Medical Service Act has a revision; 'secret' that was learned in business was revised to 'information', but only the name was changed, and the benefit and protection of the law is the same as the 'secret' of the criminal law, such that the patient's right to self-determination of personal information is not protected. The Privacy Law and the Local Health Act consider the benefit and protection of the law in 'information learned in business' as the right to self-determination of personal information and stipulate the same penalties for personal information infringement such as leakage, forgery, alteration, and damage. The privacy regulations of the Medical Service Act require that the terms be adjusted uniformly because the jumbled use of terms can confuse information subjects, information processors, and shows certain limitations on the protection of personal information because the contents or scope of the regulations of the Medical Service Law for special corporations and the Privacy Law may cause confusion in interpretation. The patient's personal information is sensitive and must be safely protected in its use and processing. Personal information must be processed in accordance with the protection principle of Privacy Law, and the rights such as privacy, freedom, personal rights, and the right to self-determination of personal information of patients or guardians, the information subject, must be guaranteed.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.29 no.4
• /
• pp.484-491
• /
• 2019

Proanthocyanidins are naturally occurring polyphenolic compounds abundant in many vegetables, plant skins (rind/bark), seeds, flowers, fruits, and nuts. Numerous in vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated myriad effects potentially beneficial to human health, such as antioxidation, immunomodulation, DNA repair, and antitumor activity. Among immune cells, macrophages are crucial players in a variety of inflammatory responses to environmental conditions. However, it has been widely reported that macrophages cause chronic inflammation and are involved in a variety of diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and cancer. In this study, we report the suppressive effect of proanthocyanidins via the heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1)-related system, on the immune response of the LPS-stimulated mouse macrophage cell line RAW264.7. Increased HO-1 expression at mRNA and protein levels were found in proanthocyanidins-treated RAW264.7 cells. Further, proanthocyanidins enhanced nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 translocation into the nucleus. RAW264.7 cells were treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) with or without proanthocyanidins, and inflammatory mediator expression levels were assessed. Proanthocyanidins treatment resulted in the attenuation of nitric oxide production and inducible nitric oxide synthase expression in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. In addition, mRNA and protein expression of proinflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ and interleukin-6, was inhibited by proanthocyanidins treatment in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. These findings support proanthocyanidins as a promising anti-inflammatory agent.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.34 no.5
• /
• pp.339-355
• /
• 2024

The pulmonary system is a highly complex system that can only be understood by integrating its functional and structural aspects. Hence, in vivo animal models are generally used for pathological studies of pulmonary diseases and the evaluation of inhalation toxicity. However, to reduce the number of animals used in experimentation and with the consideration of animal welfare, alternative methods have been extensively developed. Notably, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) have agreed to prohibit animal testing after 2030. Therefore, the latest advances in biotechnology are revolutionizing the approach to developing in vitro inhalation models. For example, lung organ-on-a-chip (OoC) and organoid models have been intensively studied alongside advancements in three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting and microfluidic systems. These modeling systems can more precisely imitate the complex biological environment compared to traditional in vivo animal experiments. This review paper addresses multiple aspects of the recent in vitro modeling systems of lung OoC and organoids. It includes discussions on the use of endothelial cells, epithelial cells, and fibroblasts composed of lung alveoli generated from pluripotent stem cells or cancer cells. Moreover, it covers lung air-liquid interface (ALI) systems, transwell membrane materials, and in silico models using artificial intelligence (AI) for the establishment and evaluation of in vitro pulmonary systems.