• 한국대기환경학회지
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• 제14권2호
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• pp.81-94
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• 1998

Six complex terrain dispersion models recommended by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency were investigated using a hypothetical case in which a plume approaches complex terrain. The six models considered were Valley, CTSCREEN, COMPLEX 1, SHORTZ, RTDM, and CTDMPLUS, the latter four being closely studied. Highest concentrations were predicted for 48 receptors and plume behaviors were compared for stable and unstable meteorological conditions. Under stable conditions, ground-level concentrations were determined by the height of the plume centerline above the terrain. The concentrations estimated by SHORTZ and COMPLEX I were higher than those estimated by CTSCREEN, with CTDMPLUS predicting the lowest concentrations. In particular, the height of the lift midpoint, as well as the co.nterline of the plume, are important in the model calculation of CTDMPLUS. Under unstable conditions, the vertical dispersion plays a key role in determining ground -level concentrations. For this case, concentrations predicted by CTDMPLUS were the 'highest, whereas those predicted by SHORTZ were the lowest. Concentration distributions predicted by CTDMPLUS are quite similar to typical Gaussian distributions even on complex terrain, except for a slight shift of the plume centerline due to the of(tract of the geostrophic wind. In addition,24-hour average concentrations were estimated for comparison with results from the Valley model. Among the four models studied closely, CTDMPLUS predicted the lowest 24-hour average concentrations, but the concentrations estimated by Valley were lower than those estimated by CTDMPLUS.

• 한국발생생물학회지:발생과생식
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• 제8권2호
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• pp.69-75
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• 2004

1930년대 이후부터 소위 여성호르몬이라 지칭되는 에스트로겐이 남성 생식에 유해함이 잘 알려져 왔다. 그러나 에스트로겐 수용체를 녹아웃한 형질전환생쥐(estrogen receptor knockout, ERKO)를 사용한 연구들에 의해 에스트로겐이 남성 생식에서 주용한 역할을 담당함이 밝혀졌다. 본 논문의 목적은 정자를 포함한 설치류 수컷 생식기관에서 에스트로겐 수용체의 분포, 발현 및 기능에 대한 근간의 연구들을 요약하고, 아울러 녹아웃 생쥐 모델과 그 표현형에 대한 정보를 제공함에 있다.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제45권7호
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• pp.435-443
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• 2022

In response to environmental changes, signaling pathways rewire gene expression programs through transcription factors. Epigenetic modification of the transcribed RNA can be another layer of gene expression regulation. N⁶-adenosine methylation (m⁶A) is one of the most common modifications on mRNA. It is a reversible chemical mark catalyzed by the enzymes that deposit and remove methyl groups. m⁶A recruits effector proteins that determine the fate of mRNAs through changes in splicing, cellular localization, stability, and translation efficiency. Emerging evidence shows that key signal transduction pathways including TGFβ (transforming growth factor-β), ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase), and mTORC1 (mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1) regulate downstream gene expression through m⁶A processing. Conversely, m⁶A can modulate the activity of signal transduction networks via m⁶A modification of signaling pathway genes or by acting as a ligand for receptors. In this review, we discuss the current understanding of the crosstalk between m⁶A and signaling pathways and its implication for biological systems.

• Toxicological Research
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• 제34권3호
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• pp.231-239
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• 2018

Bisphenol A, an everywhere chemical, is applied as a plasticizer in polycarbonate plastics, which often used in our everyday products and in epoxy resins as protective coatings and linings for food and beverage cans for decades. Human exposure to BPA may lead to adverse effects by interfering with oestrogen receptors. Our present study was conducted to investigate the protective effects of selenium (Se) and vitamin E (Vit E) on BPA-induced damage in the liver of male rats. Animals were randomly divided into four groups: the first group received olive oil and served as control. The second group received both (Se + Vit E) (0.5 mg/kg diet; 100 mg/kg of diet). The third one treated orally by (10 mg/kg b.w.) of BPA. The last group received (Se + Vit E) (0.5 mg/kg diet; 100 mg/kg of diet) concomitantly with (10 mg/kg b.w.) BPA. Exposure to BPA for three weeks engendered a hepatic disorder. An increased AST and ALT enzymatic activity was noticed in BPA-treated group as compared to other groups. Furthermore, a change in glucose, cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C, albumin, and bilirubin level was remarkable. Moreover, exposure to BPA increased malondialdehyde levels while reduced gluthatione content was decreased in the liver homogenate. A decrease in glutathione peroxidase, glutathione s-transferase and catalase activities was observed in the same group. Administration of selenium and vitamin E through the diet in BPA treated rats ameliorated the biochemical parameters cited above. In addition, an improvement in activities of liver enzymes was recorded. The histological findings confirmed the biochemical results. The model of this study that we employed characterized the relationships between BPA-induced hepatotoxicity and its alleviation by natural antioxidants like selenium and vitamin E.

• 환경영향평가
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• 제20권4호
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• pp.497-507
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• 2011

This research studied human health risk assessment of benzene from industrial complexes of Chungcheong Province (Seosan industrial complex) and Jeonla Province (Iksan industrial complex and Yeosoo industrial complex). The residents near the industrial complexes areas can be often exposed to volatile organic compounds (e.g., benzene, toluene, xylenes) through a number of exposure pathways, including inhalation of the organic pollutant via various environmental matrices (air, water and soil), contaminated water, and soil intake. Benzene is well known to be a common carcinogenic and toxic compound that is produced from industrial and oil refinery complexes. In this study, a number of samples from water, air, and soil were taken from the residential settings and public school zones located near the industrial complex sites. Based on the carcinogenic risk assessment, the risk estimates were slightly above $10{\times}10^{-6}$ at all three industrial sites. According to deterministic risk assessment, inhalation was the most important route. The distribution of benzene in the environment would be dependent on vapor pressure, and the physical property influencing the extent of the potential risks. Non-carcinogenic risk assessment of benzene shows that the values of Hazard Index(HI) were much lower than 1.0 at all industrial complexes. Therefore, benzene was not a cause of concern in terms of non-carcinogenic risk posed to the residents near the sites. When compared to probabilistic risk assessment, the CTE(central tendency exposure) cancer risk values of deterministic risk assessment were close to the mean values predicted by the probabilistic risk assessment. The RME(reasonable maximum exposure) values fell within the range of 95% to 99.9% estimated by the probabilistic risk assessment. Since the values of carcinogenic risk assessment were higher than $10{\times}10^{-6}$, further detailed monitoring and refined risk assessment for benzene may be warranted to estimate more reliable and potential inhalation risks to receptors near the industrial complexes.

• 한국지하수토양환경학회지:지하수토양환경
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• 제16권1호
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• pp.42-50
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• 2011

Potential risk of heavy metals to various receptors including humans depends on the bioavailability of the heavy metals in soil. In this study, the heavy metal extraction methods using 0.1N HCl and aqua regia were compared with the Tessier's sequential extraction method to assess whether these two methods can be used to determine the plant-available heavy metal concentrations. The contamination characteristics of copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and arsenic (As) found in soils collected from 75 sites around the closed Janghang smelter were analyzed by extracting heavy metals using 0.1 N HCl, aqua regia, and the Tessier's sequential extraction method. The portion of metals bioavailable to plants is considered as the sum of the fraction 1 (exchangeable) and the fraction 2 (carbonates binding) of the Tessier's 5-step sequential extraction method, which were determined to be 3.1 ${\pm}$ 3.82, 0.6 ${\pm}$ 0.15, 20.6 ${\pm}$ 18.78, and 7.0 ${\pm}$ 6.48 mg/kg for Cu, Cd, Pb, and As, respectively, in this study. When the extraction using aqua regia and the Tessier's extraction method were compared, the extracted Cu and Pb concentrations did not show significant differences, whereas the extracted Cd and As concentrations showed significant differences. These results indicate that the portion of Cd and As in the fraction 5 of the Tessier's sequential extraction can not be extracted using aqua regia. Using aqua regia, which is the official test method, higher concentrations of Cu, Cd, Pb and As were extracted than the sum of the fraction 1 and 2. The results show that only 9, 40, 39 and 10% of Cu, Cd, Pb and As using aqua regia can be uptaken by plants (i.e., plant-available). Using 0.1N HCl, the portion of Cd equivalent to about 66% the fraction 1 could be extracted, while, with Pb, the portion of the fraction 1 and about 90% of the fraction 2 could be extracted. With As, the portion equivalent to the fraction 1, 2 and 79% of the fraction 3 was extracted, while with Cu, the portion equivalent to the fraction 1, 2, 3 and 20% of the fraction 4 was extracted using 0.1N HCl.

• Toxicological Research
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• 제21권2호
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• pp.161-165
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• 2005

Bisphenol A (SPA), a environmental endocrine disruptor, is considered to bind to estrogen receptors and to regulate the expressions of estrogen responsive genes. This study was to evaluate the effect of SPA administration on body weight, sex ratio and litter size on 18 days in prenatal periods, the effect of reproductive organ weight and blood hematological values on 24 days postpartum in pregnant mice. The female mice was administrated to low doses of SPA (0, 0.05, 0.5 and 5.0 mg/kg B.W.) by intraperitoneal injection in gestation days $0\~15$ with 5 times at 3 days interval. The maternal body weight, litter size and sex ratios were similar to in all experimental groups, but body weights of male and female offspring was significantly lower in 5.0mg SPA group when compared to any other groups (P<0.05). No treatment-related effects on body weight, ovary weight and blood hematological values were observed in dams on 24 days after delivery. The uterine weight in 5.0mg SPA group was slightly higher than those of any other groups, but not significantly difference. The histological evaluation of ovary in dam mice on 24 days after dilivery was not difference in all experimental groups, but the endometriosis of uterus in dam mice were significantly increased in 0.5mg SPA group when compared to control group. These results indicates that low concentration of SPA should not be considered as a selective reproductive toxicant.

• Toxicological Research
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• 제20권3호
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• pp.205-211
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• 2004

Concern that some chemicals in our environment may affect human health by disrupt-ing normal endocrine function has prompted a research on interactions of environmental contaminants with steroid hormone receptor. Toxaphene and chlordane are among the 12 persistent organic pollutants identified by the United Nations Environment Programme as requiring urgent attention. We compared the estrogenic activity of two organochlorine pesticides, toxaphene and chlordane, at estrogen receptor a (ER$\alpha$) and estrogen receptor $\beta$ (ER$\beta$). Human hepatoma cells (HepG2) were transiently transfected with rat ER$\alpha$ or ER$\beta$ plus an estrogen-responsive complement C3-luciferase (C3-Luc) reporter gene. After transfection, cells were treated with various concentrations of toxaphene and chlordane to investigate agonism or antagonism of these chemicals. Both toxaphene and chlordane were potent agonists in HepG2 cells for ER$\alpha$. In contrast, these chemicals had a minimal agonist activity with ER$\beta$ and almost abolished 17$\beta$-estradiol-induced ER$\beta$-mediated activity. Therefore, toxaphene and chlordane behaved as an ER$\alpha$ agonist and an ER$\beta$ antagonist with estrogen-responsive reporter plasmid C3-Luc, and exposure to these organochlorine pesticides could have a crictical effect on normal endocrine function.

• 한국환경독성학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국환경독성학회 2003년도 추계국제학술대회
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• pp.179-179
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• 2003

Exposure of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) causes a variety of biological and toxicology effects, most of which are mediated by aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). The ligand-bound AhR as a heterodimer with AhR nuclear translocator (ARNT) binds to its specific DNA recognition site, the dioxin-responsive element (DRE), and it results in increased transcription of CYP1A1 gene. Retinoic acid (RA) regulates the transcription of various genes for several essential functions through binding to two classes of nuclear receptors, the retinoic acid receptor (RAR) and retinoid X receptor (RXR). Constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) also regulates the transcription of gene. In this study, we have examined how RAR, RXR and CAR regulated CYP1A1 in rainbow trout hepatoma cell (RTH 149) using luciferase reporter gene assay system. We did transient transfection with CYP1A1 luciferase reporter gene and treated with TCDD, all-trans RA, 9-cis RA and phenobarbital. Treatment of all-trans RA, 9-cis RA or phenobarbital decreased the TCDD induced transcription of CYP1A1. When we did transient cotransfection with CYP1A1 luciferase reporter gene and RXR, as increase of RXR concentration, the TCDD induced transcription of CYP1A1 was decreased. Transfection with CAR also decreased the TCDD induced transcription of CYP1A1 in RTH 149 cells.

• KSBB Journal
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• 제22권6호
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• pp.378-386
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• 2007

바이오센싱 디바이스는 본질적으로 생체인식소재와 신호전달장치로 구성된 집적화, 소형화된 분석시스템으로 많은 장점을 가지고 있다. 고민감도, 선택도, 단순성, 다성분 측정능력, 즉시측정능력 뿐 아니라 매우 작고, 고가의 장치가 필요없는 장점이 있다. 바이오센싱 디바이스의 개발을 위해서는 두 가지의 핵심요소기술이 필요하다. 이것은 생체인식소재모듈의 제작 (리셉터 개발 및 고정화기법)과 신호발생기술을 포함한 신호전달장치의 개발이다. 효소, DNA/RNA, 단백질, 세포 등의 다양한 생체인식소재가 바이오센싱 디바이스 제작을 위해 이용되어져 왔고, 신호전달시스템도 전기화학적, 광학적, mass sensitive transducer를 중심으로 매우 활발히 연구되어져 왔다. 본 고에서는 최근 개발된 바이오센싱디바이스에 대해 다루고, 향후 전망에 대해 논하고자 한다.