• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.88-97
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• 2014

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of microbiological contamination of kitchen utensils and environments of food service operations at university located in Seoul, Korea. Methods: We collected swab samples from the surfaces of knives, chopping boards, floors, and drains, as well as drinking water and airborne bacteria samples from 20 food service operations. Three bacterial indicators and five food poisoning bacteria were measured quantitatively and qualitatively, respectively. We used selective culture media and the PCR assay targeting 16S rRNA gene for the microbiological analysis. Results: We detected bacterial indicators on knives or chopping boards in eight different food service operations and, three food service operations (I, M, and O) showed more than 3 log colony forming units $(CFU)/100cm^2$ on their knives, significantly higher than the others. The levels of bacterial indicators on the floors and drains in the cooking areas were much higher than those on the cooking utensils. S. aureus was detected on 10 floors and 8 drains. Culturable bacteria were identified in 5 drinking water samples, and food service operation B ($431.1CFU/m^3$) and C ($551.2CFU/m^3$) showed more than $400CFU/m^3$ of total airborne bacteria. Conclusions: These results suggest that some of food service operations in this study may require additional investigation to secure the microbial safety of cooking environments. In addition, further actions including hygiene education for employees and proper guidelines to maintain clean cooking environments should be prepared.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.48-54
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• 2009

Purpose: There are few studies evaluating the usefulness of dedicated high-resolution scintimammography and no studies using delayed washout with this dedicated high resolution scintimammography for the evaluation of breast lesions. We underwent this study to evaluate the clinical usefulness of Tc-99m MIBI in evaluating patients with palpable breast lesions using dedicated high-resolution scintimammography. Materials and Methods: This study included 19 patients with 23 palpable breast lesions who underwent mammography. Tc-99m MIBI was taken to further characterize these lesions. Scintimammography images were acquired with standard craniocaudal and mediolateral oblique views and delayed images were additionally taken. Final conclusions were based on histopathology, either by biopsy or mastectomy results. Results: Eighteen lesions were malignant and five were benign. Mammography was indeterminate for thirteen lesions, nine of those were malignant. Mammography also categorized one lesion as benign in a dense breast, but scintimammography and pathology results showed malignancy. Of the five benign lesions, two were visible on scintimammography, but delayed images showed washout. Conclusion: Based on our preliminary results, dedicated high resolution scintimammography seems to be very useful in characterizing palpable lesions that were indeterminate or negative on mammography.

• BMB Reports
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.379-384
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• 1999

Taxol, a natural product with significant anti-tumor activity, stabilizes microtubules and arrests cells in the G2/M phase of the cell cycle. It has been reported that taxol has additional effects on the cell such as an increase in tyrosine phosphorylation of proteins and activation of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase. This phosphorylated kinase translocates into the nucleus and phosphorylates its substrate c-jun, c-fos, ATF2, and ATF3. The MAP kinase family is comprised of key regulatory proteins that control the cellular response to both proliferation and stress signals. First examination was cytotoxicity and apoptosis-induced concentration with paclitaxel in HeLa cell. A half-maximal inhibition of cell proliferation ($IC_{50}$) occurred at 13 nM paclitaxel. When DNA fragmentation was analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis, a nucleosomal ladder became evident 24 h after a taxol (50 nM) addition to the cells. In addition, an apoptotic body was detected by electron microscopy. Taxol-treated cells were arrested at the S phase at 10 nM. Treatment of 50 nM taxol activated the extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK1), and a fraction of the activated MAP kinases entered the nucleus. It was also discovered that nucleus substrates c-jun was phosphorylated and activated in the cell. The activated ERK1 could subsequently translocate into the nucleus and phosphorylate its substrate c-jun as well. This study suggests that taxol-induced apoptosis might be related with signal transduction via MAP kinases.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.386-392
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• 2009

This study was undertaken to compare the performance of three dust samplers for collecting cotton dust fibers. For this study, three dust samplers including Vertical Elutriator (VE), Total Dust Method (TDM) using 37 mm cassette, and the Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) sampler were selected. A total of 6 cotton mills and 4 towel factories were investigated. When measured by VE, the GM for cotton dust was 0.19 $mg/m^3$ which was less than the current occupational exposure limit (OEL) 0.2 $mg/m^3$. But when measured by TDM and IOM at the same locations, the GMs were 0.37 and 0.63 $mg/m^3$, respectively. In Korea, most industrial hygienists have used the TDM for cotton dust measurements and the results were compared with either the TLV for cotton dust or the PNOC (particulates not otherwise classified) of 10 $mg/m^3$ for making decisions. The results of this study clearly showed that past cotton dust measurements and decisions made with such results were not correct. It needs to be noticed the related contents by using VE if it applies to the exposure limit, 0.2 $mg/m^3$, and needs to be revised the exposure limit by IOM. Also, if TDM is used, it requires to be studied and suggested to the new OEL.

• Journal of environmental and Sanitary engineering
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.1-8
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• 2009

This study was conducted at a Terminal, a Parking Lot, an Underground shopping center, a Funeral hall and a Hospital waiting room of Cheon An area in August 2008 to examine the concentration level of HCHO(formaldehyde). The concentration level of the remodeled sites were $39.4\;{\pm}\;12.0\;{\mu}g/m^3$ in the terminal, $32.7\;{\pm}\;7.3\;{\mu}g/m^3$ in the parking, and $97.8\;{\pm}\;29.4\;{\mu}g/m^3$ in the underground shopping center. The underground shopping center had the highest level and followed by the terminal and the parking. On the contrary, the site remodeling had the level of $17.7\;{\pm}\;12.4\;{\mu}g/m^3$ in the funeral hall and $17.9\;{\pm}\;0.6\;{\mu}g/m^3$ in the hospital waiting room. The funeral hall had highest level than that of the hospital waiting room. Both the remodeled sites and the not remodeled site had concentration level of HCHO below the standard level, but it was higher in the remodeled sites. There were no relations among the HCHO, the temperature and the humidity in facilities of Cheon An area.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.249-262
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• 2012

The purpose of this study is to investigate the determinants of intent to use the medical-application(M-APP) of smart phone of nurses working at the nursing department of two university hospitals in Korea. The independent variables used in the study are performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating condition, attitude toward using technology, self efficacy, anxiety, ability to use a smart phone easily and socio-demographic characteristics. The sample used in the study consisted of 378 nurses selected from two university hospitals located in Seoul and Wonju, Korea. Data were collected with self-administered questionnaires and analyzed using multiple regression analysis. The results of this study revealed 5 independent variables of attitude toward using technology, self efficacy, anxiety, ability of using APP and interest in smart phone have the significant effect on the intent to use the M-APP. The results imply that the hospital administrators and nursing managers should try to give more chances to learn the skills of using M-APP, provide sufficient resources and establish the stable hospital information system in order for their employees to use the M-APP more easily at their working places.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.28 no.10
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• pp.1170-1176
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• 2005

2-Methyl-2-(2-methylpropenyl)-2,3-dihydronaphthoquinone[2,3-b]furan-4,9-dione (N FD-37) is a synthetic furonaphthoquinone compound. In this study, we determined that NFD-37 could inhibit the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced production of inflammatory mediators in macrophages RAW 264.7. This compound inhibited LPS-induced nitric oxide (NO) or prostaglandin (PG) $E_{2}$ production in dose-dependent manners, with $IC_{50}$ values of 7.2 ${\mu}M$ and 5.3 ${\mu}m$, respectively. As the positive controls, pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (30 ${\mu}M$) exhibited a $57{\%}$ inhibition of NO production, and NS-398 ($1{\mu}M$) manifested a $48{\%}$ inhibition of $PGE_2$ production. The inhibitory effects of NFD-37 on NO and $PGE_2$ production were determined to occur in conjunction with the suppression of inducible NO synthase or cyclooxygenase-2 expression. NFD-37 also inhibited the production of LPS-inducible tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$, interleukin (IL)-$1{\beta}$ and IL-6, at $IC_{50}$ values of 4.8-8.9 ${\mu}M$. We also determined the anti-inflammatory efficacy of NFD-37 using carrageenin-induced paw edema in experimental mice.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.105-115
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• 2017

Background: The goal of this study is to develop a general population job-exposure matrix (GPJEM) on asbestos to estimate occupational asbestos exposure levels in the Republic of Korea. Methods: Three Korean domestic quantitative exposure datasets collected from 1984 to 2008 were used to build the GPJEM. Exposure groups in collected data were reclassified based on the current Korean Standard Industrial Classification ($9^{th}$ edition) and the Korean Standard Classification of Occupations code ($6^{th}$ edition) that is in accordance to international standards. All of the exposure levels were expressed by weighted arithmetic mean (WAM) and minimum and maximum concentrations. Results: Based on the established GPJEM, the 112 exposure groups could be reclassified into 86 industries and 74 occupations. In the 1980s, the highest exposure levels were estimated in "knitting and weaving machine operators" with a WAM concentration of 7.48 fibers/mL (f/mL); in the 1990s, "plastic products production machine operators" with 5.12 f/mL, and in the 2000s "detergents production machine operators" handling talc containing asbestos with 2.45 f/mL. Of the 112 exposure groups, 44 groups had higher WAM concentrations than the Korean occupational exposure limit of 0.1 f/mL. Conclusion: The newly constructed GPJEM which is generated from actual domestic quantitative exposure data could be useful in evaluating historical exposure levels to asbestos and could contribute to improved prediction of asbestos-related diseases among Koreans.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.355-363
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• 2005

We studied the concentrations of $PM_{10}$ and heavy metal in the incinerators around Dong-hae from December 2003 to April 2004. The seasonal mean of $PM_{10}$ concentration was less than the value of environmental standard, the lowest ($36.59mg/m^3$) in spring and the highest ($78.54mg/m^3$) in fall. The measured seasonal heavy metals were Fe $503,44ng/m^3$, Mg $410.85ng/m^3$, Na $134.14ng/m^3$, Zn $24.58ng/m^3$ in spring and Na $315.29ng/m^3$, Mg $48.36ng/m^3$, Fe $44.78ng/m^3$, Zn $23.34ng/m^3$ in summer and Na $88.53ng/m^3$, Fe $33.80ng/m^3$, Zn $20,43ng/m^3$, Pb $6.16ng/m^3$ in fall and Na $4603.72ng/m^3$, Fe $575,26ng/m^3$, Al $411.01ng/m^3$, Cr $203.51ng/m^3$ in winter. The relationship between measured metals concentrations showed that Na and Fe were associated with natural sources such as soil. Pb, Cr and Zn were strongly related to urban anthropogenic sources such as fuel combustion.

• Communications for Statistical Applications and Methods
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.271-290
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• 2017

We study a bivariate response regression model with arbitrary marginal distributions and joint distributions using Frank and Clayton's families of copulas. The proposed model is used for fitting dependent bivariate data with explanatory variables using the log-odd log-logistic Weibull distribution. We consider likelihood inferential procedures based on constrained parameters. For different parameter settings and sample sizes, various simulation studies are performed and compared to the performance of the bivariate odd-log-logistic-Weibull regression model. Sensitivity analysis methods (such as local and total influence) are investigated under three perturbation schemes. The methodology is illustrated in a study to assess changes on schoolchildren's oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in a follow-up exam after three years and to evaluate the impact of caries incidence on the OHRQoL of adolescents.