• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.7
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• pp.4283-4287
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• 2013

Background: In this meta-analysis we review evidence suggesting that exposure to cadmium is a cause of breast cancer. Materials and Methods: We conducted Medline/PubMed and Scopus searches using selected MeSH keywords to identify papers published from January 1, 1980 through January 1, 2013. Data were merged and summary mean differences were estimated using either a random-effects model or a fixed-effects model. Results: There were 13 studies including 978 exposed cases and 1,279 controls. There was no statistically significant difference in the frequencies of breast cancer between cadmium-exposed and control groups, and the summary estimate of mean difference was 0.71 (95%CI: 0.33-1.08). However, stratification showed that there were statistically significant differences in the frequencies of breast cancer between cadmium-exposed and control groups among Asian compared with Caucasian population, and the summary estimates of mean difference were 1.45 (95%CI: 0.62-2.28) vs. 0.25 (95%CI: -0.09-0.6), respectively. There was a difference in the frequencies of breast cancer between cadmium-exposed and control groups in peripheral venous blood sampling methods, and the summary estimate of mean difference was 1.41 (95%CI: 0.46-2.37). Conclusions: Data indicate that the frequencies of breast cancer might be an indicator of early genetic effects for cadmium-exposed populations. However, our meta-analysis was performed on population-based studies; meta-analysis based on individual data might provide more precise and reliable results. Therefore, it is necessary to construct an international database on genetic damage among populations exposed to cadmium that may contain all raw data of studies examining genetic toxicity.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.99-108
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• 2016

The shuttle breeding of Korean winter wheat has been able to develop high-yielding and day-length-intensive varieties with a wide range of ecologic adoption. However, the phenology of winter wheat has been changed due to recent rises in the winter temperature of Toluca and increasing frequency of high temperatures. We defined two wheat groups (group II and III) with vernalization and evaluated the impact of cold exposure duration and heading ratio due to changes in sowing dates by measuring changes in cold exposure duration and corresponding heading states of each group. The wheat cultivars were sown on three dates in two years. The cold exposure requirement of wheat sown on 6 November 2013 was unfulfilled. The cold exposure requirement of wheat sown on 22 November and 6 December 2013 was fulfilled. However, in 2014, the cold exposure requirement of wheat sown on 5 and 20 November was fulfilled, but that of wheat sown on 5 December was unfulfilled. The differences for the two early November sowings were because winter temperature rises, which caused high temperatures in 2013, whereas early November 2014 saw normal temperatures for the area. The heading ratio of group II did not show a clear difference among the three sowing dates, while the heading ratio of group III was reduced by about half. This implies that the efficiency of shuttle breeding of group III will be high since it showed strong sensitivity to changes in sowing dates. We calculated future sowing dates of each group under near future climate scenarios; the future available sowing dates of group II were projected, but the dates of group III were never estimated in the temperature rise scenario in Toluca. Our findings suggest that change of sowing dates should be considered in the strategy for shuttle breeding of Korean winter wheat.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.253-262
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• 2003

The purposes of the study were (1) to analysis Korean traditional wedding costumes through families's wedding photographs from 1940 to 2000, and (2) to categorize bride and groom's costumes according to the wedding time by means of a time series analysis. (3) to find out functional relationship among changes in garment types, garment details, embellishments and colors. The study was a documentary research and data were collected from 390 family wedding photographs by a convenient sampling. The data were analyzed by qualitative and quantitative method and the statistic used were frequency, content analysis, and cross-tab analysis. The results were as follows; First, the garments of wedding couples were categorized into 5 period according to garment's characteristics. 1. The period between 1940～1959 : Korean traditional wedding costumes and western style wedding costumes were existed together in Korean wedding culture. 2. The period between 1960～early 1970's western wedding costumes were dominated. 3. The period of late 1970's : wedding couple's costumes became more formal and decorative. 4. The period of 1980's : introducing see-through materials for brides and tuxedo suit for grooms. 5. The period of 1990's : extravagance in shapes and exposure. Second, there were significant relationships among brides's dress types and neckline, glove length, embellishments and transparency of materials and among groom's garment types and necktie types, types and color of shirts, vests. Third, the time series analysis of bride and groom's outfit produced 5 schematic expressions of wedding outfits according to the period.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.461-469
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• 2014

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent pollutants in aquatic environments, often causing the decline or disappearance of wild populations. In this study, we used a random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) assay to evaluate the effects on the genomic DNA of olive flounder embryo and larval stages of exposure to Aroclor 1254 at concentrations of 1, 5, 10, 20, and $40{\mu}g/L$. We compared RAPD fingerprints of exposed and non-exposed samples. Polymorphisms were revealed as the presence and/or absence of DNA fragments between the two samples. A dose-dependent increase in the number of polymorphic bands was observed with Aroclor 1254 treatment. Also, RAPD profiles of animals exposed to Aroclor 1254 exhibited an increase in the frequency values (FV) compared to the control. A phenogram constructed using neighbor-joining method indicated that genomic template stability in developing embryo and larval stages was significantly affected at ${\geq}5{\mu}g/L$. This study suggested that DNA polymorphisms detected by RAPD analysis could be used as an investigative tool for environmental toxicology and as a useful biomarker in early life stages for the detection of potential genotoxicants.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.16
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• pp.6955-6960
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• 2014

Background: The cytokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN) assay is a standard cytogenetic tool employed to evaluate chromosomal damage subsequent to pesticide exposure. Objectives: To evaluate the pooled levels of total micronuclei (MN) and binucleated cells with micronuclei (MNC) in 1000 binucleated lymphocytes among population occupationally exposed to pesticides and further determine the more sensitive biomarker of CBMN. Materials and Methods: A meta-analysis on the pooled levels of MN and MNC in binucleated lymphocytes among occupationally pesticide-exposed populations was conducted using STATA 10.0 software and Review Manager 5.0.24 in this study. Results: We found significant differences in frequencies of MN and MNC in 1000 binucleated lymphocytes between pesticide-exposed groups and controls, and the summary estimates of weighted mean difference were 6.82 [95% confidence interval (95% CI): 4.86-8.78] and 5.08 (95% CI: 2.93-7.23), respectively. However, when we conducted sensitivity analyses further, only the MN remained statistically different, but not the MNC, the summary estimates of weight mean difference were 2.86 (95% CI: 2.51-3.21) and 0.50 (95% CI: -0.16-1.17), respectively. We also observed pesticide-exposed subjects had significantly higher MN frequencies than controls among smokers and nonsmokers, male and female populations, and American, Asian and European countries in stratified analyses. Conclusions: The frequency of MN in peripheral blood lymphocytes might be a more sensitive indicator of early genetic effects than MNC using the CBMN assay for occupationally pesticide-exposed populations.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.311-317
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• 2014

The Pressurized water reactor owners group (PWROG) developed and applied a risk-informed in-service inspection (RI-ISI) program, as an alternative to the existing ASME Section XI' sampling inspection method. The RI-ISI programs enhance overall safety by focusing inspections of piping at high safety significance (HSS) locations where failure mechanisms are likely to be present. Additionally, the RI-ISI program can reduce nondestructive evaluation (NDE) exams, man-rem exposure for inspectors, and inspection time, among other benefits. The RI-ISI method of in-service piping inspection was applied to 3 units (KSNPs: Korea standard nuclear power plants) and is being deployed to the other units. In this paper, the results of RI-ISI for a Framatome type (France CPI) nuclear power plant are presented. It was concluded that application of RI-ISI to the plant could enhance and maintain plant safety, as well as provide the benefits of greater reliability.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.24
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• pp.10937-10941
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• 2015

Pathogenesis of lung cancer is a complicated biological process including multiple genetic and epigenetic changes. Since cigarette smoking is confirmed as the most main risk factor of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the aim of this study was to determine whether tobacco exposure plays a role in gene methylation. Methylation of the RAR-${\beta}$ gene were detected using methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction in DNA from 167 newly diagnosed cases with NSCLC and corresponding 105 controls. A significant statistical association was found in the detection rate of the promoter methylation of RAR-${\beta}$ gene between NSCLC and controls ($x^2$=166.01; p<0.01), and hypermethylation of the RAR-${\beta}$ gene was significantly associated with smoking status (p=0.038, p<0.05). No relationship was found between RAR-${\beta}$ gene methylation and pathologic staging including clinical stage, cell type, gender and drinking (p>0.05), and the methylation of RAR-${\beta}$ gene rate of NSCLC was slightly higher in stages III+IV (80.0%) than in I+II (70.8%). Similar results were obtained for methylation of the RAR-${\beta}$ gene between squamous cell carcinoma (77.9%) and other cell type lung cancer (73.9%). These results showed that the frequency of methylation increased gradually with the development of clinical stage in smoking-associated lung cancer patients, and tobacco smoke may be play a potential role in RAR-${\beta}$ gene methylation in the early pathogenesis and process in lung cancer, particularly squamous cell carcinoma. Aberrant promoter methylation is considered to be a promising marker of previous carcinogen exposure and cancer risk.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.55-64
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• 2024

Objectives: This study investigated the prevalence and characteristics of comorbid conditions in patients exposed to ionizing radiation and those who were involved in the Soviet-Afghan war. Methods: This study analyzed the frequency and spectrum of morbidity and comorbidity in patients over a long-term period (30-35 years) following exposure to ionizing radiation at the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site or the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, and among participants of the Soviet-Afghan war. A cohort study, both prospective and retrospective, was conducted on 675 patients who underwent comprehensive examinations. Results: Numerical data were analyzed using the Statistica 6 program. The results are presented as the mean±standard deviation, median, and interquartile range (25-75th percentiles). The statistical significance of between-group differences was assessed using the Student t-test and Pearson chi-square test. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. We found a high prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension (55.0%) and cardiac ischemia (32.9%); these rates exceeded the average for this age group in the general population. Conclusions: The cumulative impact of causal occupational, environmental, and ultra-high stress factors in the combat zone in participants of the Soviet-Afghan war, along with common conventional factors, contributed to the formation of a specific comorbidity structure. This necessitates a rational approach to identifying early predictors of cardiovascular events and central nervous system disorders, as well as pathognomonic clinical symptoms in this patient cohort. It also underscores the importance of selecting suitable methods and strategies for implementing treatment and prevention measures.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.20 no.10
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• pp.1221-1232
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• 2011

We investigated the toxic effects of difenoconazole on the development in the African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis. To test the toxic effects, frog embryo teratogenesis assays using Xenopus were performed. Embryos were exposed to various concentrations of difenoconazole (0-30 ${\mu}M$). $LC_{100}$ for difenoconazole was 30 ${\mu}M$, and the $LC_{50}$ determined by probit analysis was 27.19 ${\mu}M$. Exposure to difenoconazole concentrations ${\geq}$5 ${\mu}M$ resulted in 10 different types of severe external malformation. Histological examinations revealed dysplasia of the eye, heart, liver, somatic muscle, and swelling of the pronephric ducts. The tissue-specific toxic effects were investigated with an animal cap assay. Blood cells were normally induced at a high frequency by mSCF and activin A. However, the induction of blood cells was strongly inhibited by the addition of difenoconazole. Electron micrographs of tested embryos showed the degeneration of somatic muscle and the shrinkage of microvilli on pronephric duct. The gene expression of cultivated animal cap explants was investigated by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). It revealed that the expression of the blood-specific marker(${\beta}$-globin II) and muscle-specific marker (XMA) were more strongly inhibited than the neural-specific marker(XEn2) by the addition of difenoconazole.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.19 no.8
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• pp.1001-1012
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• 2010

We investigated the toxic effects of tebuconazole on development in the African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis. To test the toxic effects, frog embryo teratogenesis assays using Xenopus were performed. Embryos were exposed to various concentrations of tebuconazole($0-100\;{\mu}M$). $LC_{100}$ for tebuconazole was $100\;{\mu}M$, and the $LC_{50}$ determined by probit analysis was $82.35\;{\mu}M$. The exposure to tebuconazole concentrations ${\geq}40\;{\mu}M$ resulted in 11 different types of severe external malformations including gut dysplasia. Histological examinations revealed various dysplasia in the eye, heart, liver, intestine, somatic muscle, and in the pronephric ducts. The tissue-specific toxic effects were investigated with an animal cap assay. Blood cells are generally induced at a high frequency by the combination of mSCF and activin A, however, the induction of blood cells was strongly inhibited by the addition of tebuconazole. Electron micrographs of tested embryos showed many of multivesicular bodies and dysplasia of photo-receptive cell, however, the somatic muscle degeneration was not severe. The gene expression of cultivated animal cap explants was investigated by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and revealed that expression of the blood-specific marker, $\beta$ globin II and muscle-specific marker, muscle actin were more strongly inhibited than the neural-specific marker, XEn2.