• Title/Summary/Keyword: population exposure

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The current status and control measures of BSE in the worldwide (국내, 외 광우병의 발생 현황과 대응 방안)

  • Yoo, Han-Sang
    • 한국환경농학회:학술대회논문집
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    • 2009.07a
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    • pp.273-282
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    • 2009
  • The transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) disease group are fatal neurodegenerative disorders affecting a wide range of hosts. The group includes kuru and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans, scrapie in sheep and goats and Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle. The exact nature of the infectious agent involved in the transmission of these diseases remains controversial. However, a central event in their pathogenesis is the accumulation in infected tissues of an abnormal form of a host-encoded protein, the prion protein (PrP). Whereas the normal cellular protein is fully sensitive to protease ($PrP^{sen}$), the disease-associated prion protein ($PrP^d$) is only partly degraded ($PrP^{res}$), its amino-terminal end being removed. BSE was first reported in the mid-80s in the UK. Ten years later, a new form of human prion disease, variant CJD (vCJD) developed in the wake of the BSE epidemic, and there is now strong scientific evidence that vCJD was initiated by the exposure of humans to BSE-infected tissues, thus indicating a zoonotic disease. However, the ban on the feeding of animal-derived proteins to ruminants, and the apparent lack of vertical transmission of BSE, have led to a decline in the incidence of the disease within cattle herd and therefore, an assumed decreased risk for human contacting vCJD. The origin of the original case(s) of BSE still remains an enigma even though three hypotheses have been raised. Hypotheses are i) sheep- or goat-derived scrapie-infected tissues included in meat and bone meal fed to cattle, ii) a previously undetected sporadic or genetic bovine TSE contaminating cattle feed or iii) originating from a human TSE through animal feed contaminated with human remains. A host cellular membrane protein ($PrP^C$), which is abundant in central nervous system tissue, appear to be conformationally altered in the diseased host into a prion protein ($PrP^{Sc}$). This $PrP^{Sc}$ is detergent insoluble and partially protease-resistant ($PrP^{res}$). The term $PrP^{res}$ is normally used to describe the protein detected after protease treatment, in techniques such as Western immunoblotting, and enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay using fresh/frozen tissue. Immunohistochemistry may performed with formalin-fixed tissues. Also, clinical signs of the BSE are one of the major diagnostic indicators. Recently, atypical forms (known as H- and L-type) of BSE have appeared in several European countries, Japan, Canada and the United States. An unusual case was also reported in a miniature zebu. The atypical BSE fall into two groups based on the relative molecular mass (Mm) of the unglycosylated $PrP^{res}$ band relative to that of classical BSE, one of the higher Mm (H-type) and the other lower (L-type). Both types have been detected worldwide as rare cases in older animals, at a low prevalence consistent with the possibility of sporadic forms of prion diseases in cattle. This raises the unwelcome possibility that vCJD could increase in the human population. Now, active surveillance program against BSE is going on in Korea. In regional veterinary service lab, ELISA is applied to screen the BSE in slaughter and confirmatory tests by Western immunoblotting and immunohistochemisty are carried out if there are positive or suspect in the screening test. Also, the ruminant feed ban is rigorously enforced. Removal of specified risk materials such as brain and spinal cord from cattle is mandatory process at slaughter to prevent the infected material from entering the human food chain.

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Factors Influencing the Preference for German farm Tourism: A Path Model Approach

  • Sidali, Katia Laura;Spiller, A.
    • Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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    • v.18 no.4
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    • pp.33-59
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    • 2008
  • This paper aims to analyse the preference for German farm tourism among the German population. For this reason, we conducted an empirical study in Germany during summer 2007 and we applieda structural equation model based on partial leasts quares(PLS) to analyse the data. In the following chapters we will introduce the literature review and our conceptual frame work. We will then outline the procedures we adopted and the results of the empirical analysis. In the final part so me conclusions will be presented and a discussion will follow in order to draw the future directions of our research. According to our hypotheses, the possibility that agri-tourism enters in the evoked set of an individual is higher: H1: The higher the information degree about it. H2: The lower the influence of the social stimuli. H3: The higher the physical exposure to it (experience). H4: The higher the wellness image of agri-tourism. H5: The higher the traditional image of agri-tourism. H6: The higher the exciting image of agri-tourism. H7: The higher the perceived value for money. Our further hypotheses affirm that the possibility that agri-tourism enters in the evoked set of an individual is higher: H8: The lower the perceived risk. H9: The higher the motive to enjoy a holiday in the nature. H10: The higher the motive to enjoy a sport holiday. H11: The lower the motive to have an organized holiday. H12: The lower the motive to have a holiday abroad. H13: The lower the motive of action and night life. H14: The higher the motive to spend a holiday with the family. H15: The lower the motive to spend a city holiday. Finally, our model has some socio-demographics data. As we mentioned before, German agri-tourism has traditionally been the travel destination of large-size families, with low-to-middle income. For that reason, our final hypothesises are the following: the possibility that agri-tourism enters in the evoked-set of an individual is higher: H16: The higher the number of family members. H17: The lower the family income. Since in this study we use a path model with a PLS approach, we are able to state some interrelations among the exogenous latent variables: H18: The motive of sport holiday has a positive influence towards nature motives. H19: The physical exposition to agri-tourism has a positive influence toward information. H20: The motive of family holiday has a negative influence toward the motive of action and night life. H21: Social stimuli have a positive influence towards individuals risk perceptions. H22: Social stimuli have negative influence towards experience. Data for this study were gathered via administrated questionnaires during the summer 2007 within the frame of an academic "marketing research" course. The corresponding t-values are assessed using the bootstrapping method with 500 re-samples. In our model 61% of the degree of appreciation of German agri-tourism (evoked set) is explained by five independent variables: value for money ($0.335^{{\ast}{\ast}{\ast}}$) (H7) experience ($0.267^{{\ast}{\ast}}$) (H3), exciting image ($0.204^{\ast}$) (H6) organisation ($-0.162^{\ast}$) (H11) and holiday abroad ($-0.156^{\ast}$) (H12). The variance explained ($R^2$) for the other endogenous variables are the following: nature 24.3%, information 14.1%, action holiday 13.8%, risk perception 5.8% and experience 2.4%. An overview can be inferred from table 5. The results also allow us to test each of the proposed hypotheses. With exception of organization and abroad, none of the others travel style factors (H9 to H15) seem to have any significant impact towards evoked set which leads to the rejection of the respective hypotheses. As expected, social stimuli have a significant influence on individuals' risk perception (H21 accepted), however neither the former nor the latter have a valuable impact on evoked set (rejection of H2 and H8). Besides, since the influence of social stimuli towards experience is not significant, also H22 has to be rejected. Experience influences information (H19 accepted) but the latter does not affect significantly the evoked set (H1 rejected). Both H4 as well as H5, referring respectively to the perceived images of German agri-tourism as a wellness destination and the traditional image of the German farm tourism have to be rejected. Finally, none of the demographic data included in the model explains significantly the variance of the factor evoked set. Therefore neither H16 nor H17 has been accepted. As far as the interrelation between sport and nature (H18) and family and action (H20) are concerned, the stated relationship among these variables has been statistically confirmed. Our path model based on partial least squares shows the factors influencing the preference for farm tourism in Germany. Among others value for money and experience are the most significant ones. Practical implications are discussed.

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In Vitro Intrinsic Radiosensitivity Of Human Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Primary Culture (인체 상피 세포암의 일차 배양을 이용한 방사선 민감도 측정)

  • Choi Eun Kyung;Yang Kwang Mo;Yi Byong Yong;Chang Hyesook;Kim Sang-Yoon;Nam Joo-Hyun;Yu Eunsil;Lee Inchul
    • Radiation Oncology Journal
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    • v.12 no.1
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    • pp.27-31
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    • 1994
  • There are a number of reports suggesting that there may be a correlation between the clinical response to radiotherapy in various tumors and the clonogenic survival of cell lines derived from these tumors following exposure to 2 Gy(SF2). Authors conducted this study to determine SF2 for cells in primary culture from surgical specimens. The tumor tissues with squamous cell carcinoma of uterine cervix and head and neck were obtained. The tumor tissues were disaggregated to single cells by incubating with collagenase type w for 2 hours with constant stirring. Single cell suspensions were inoculated in four 24-well plates precoated with cell adhesive matrix. After 24 hours of incubation at 37$ ^{\circ}C $, rows of four wells were then irradiated, consisting of control set and five other sets each receiving doses of 1,2,3,4, and 6 Gy. After incubation for a total of 13 days, the cultures were stained with crystal violet and survival at each dose was determined by quantitative image analysis system, To determine whether cell growth was of epithelial origin, immunocytochemical staining with a mixture of cytokeratin and epithelial monoclonal antibodies were performed on cell cultures. During the period of this study, we received 5 squamous cell carcinoma specimens of head and neck and 20 of uterine cervical carcinoma. Of these, 15 yielded enough cells for radiosensitivity testing. This resulted an overall success rate of 60$ \% $. The mean SF2 value for 15 tumours was 0.55$\pm$0.17 ranging from 0.20 to 0.79. These results indicate that there is a broad range of sensitivities to radiation in same histologic type. So with a large patient population, we plan to determine whether a different SF2 value is associated with tumours that are controlled with radiotherapy than those that are not.

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$H_2$ Receptor Antagonists and Gastric Cancer in the Elderly: A Nested Case-Control Study (노인 인구에서 $H_2$ Receptor Antagonist와 위암과의 관련성: 코호트 내 환자-대조군 연구)

  • Kim, Yoon-I;Heo, Dae-Seog;Lee, Seung-Mi;Youn, Kyoung-Eun;Koo, Hye-Won;Bae, Jong-Myon;Park, Byoung-Joo
    • Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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    • v.35 no.3
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    • pp.245-254
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    • 2002
  • Objective : To test if the intake of $H_2$ receptor antagonists ($H_2$-RAs) increases the risk of gastric cancer in the elderly. Methods : The source population for this study was drawn from the responders to a questionnaire survey administered to the Korea Elderly Pharmacoepidemiological Cohort (KEPEC), who were beneficiaries of the Korean Medical Insurance Corporation, were at least 65 years old, and residing in Busan in 1999. The information on $H_2$-RAs exposure was obtained from a drug prescription database compiled between inn. 1993 and Dec. 1994. The cases consisted of 76 gastric cancer patients, as confirmed from the KMIC claims data, the National Cancer Registry and the Busan Cancer Registry. The follow-up period was from Jan. 1993 to Dec. 1998. Cancer free controls were randomly selected by 1:4 individual matching, which took in to consideration the year of birth and gender. Information on confounders was collected by a mail questionnaire survey. The odds ratios, and their 95% confidence intervals, were calculated using a conditional logistic regression model. Results : After adjusting for a history of gastric ulcer symptoms, medication history, and body mass index, the adjusted OR (aOR) was 4.6 (95% CI=1.72-12.49). The odds ratio of long term use (more than 7 days) was 2.3 (95% CI=1.07-4.82). The odds ratio of short term use was 4.6 (95% CI=1.26-16.50). The odds ratio of parenteral use was 4.4 195% CI=1.16-17.05) and combination use between the oral and parenteral routes (aOR, 16.8; 95% CI=1.21-233.24) had the high risk of gastric cancer. The aOR of cimetidine was 1.7 (95% CI=1.04-2.95). The aOR of ranitidine was 2.0 (95% CI=1.21-3.40). The aOR of famotidine was 1.7 (95% CI=0.98-2.80). Conclusion : The intake of $H_2$-RAs might increase the risk of gastric cancer through achlorhydria in the elderly.

Managing Technological Risk and Risk Conflict : Public Debates on Health Risks of Mobile Phones EMF (기술위험 관리와 위험갈등 : 휴대전화 전자파의 인체유해성 논란)

  • Jung, Byung-Kul
    • Journal of Science and Technology Studies
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    • v.8 no.1
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    • pp.97-129
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    • 2008
  • We are living in the time of high probability of technological risk due to increased rate of technology development and diffusion of new technologies. Resolving uncertainties, the basic attribution of risk, by accumulating knowledge over the risk factors of certain technology is critical to management of technological risk. In many cases of technological risks, high uncertainty of knowledge is commonly mentioned reason for public controversies on risk management. However, the type of technological risk with low social agreement and low uncertainty of knowledge, the main reason for public controversy is absence of social agreement. Public debates on the risks of mobile phones electromagnetic fields(EMF) to human health comes under this category. The knowledge uncertainty on human health effect of mobile phones EMF has been lowered increasingly by accumulating enormous volume of knowledge though scientists have not reached a final conclusion whether it pose a risk to the physical and mental health of the general population or not. In contrast with civil organizations calling for precautionary approach based regulation, the mobile phone industry is cling to the position of no-regulation-needed by arguing no clear evidence to prove health risks of mobile phone EMF has found. In Korea, government set exposure standards based on a measurement called the 'specific absorption rate'(SAR) and require the mobile phone industry to open SAR information to the public by their own decision. From the view of pro-regulation side based on precautionary approach, technology risk managament of mobile phones EMF in Korea is highly limited and formalized one with limited measuring of SAR on head part only and problematic self-regulated opening of information about SAR to the public. As far as the government keeps having priority on protecting interest of mobile phone industry over precautionary regulation of mobile phones EMF, the disagreement between civil organizations and the government will not resolved. The risk of mobile phones EMF to human health have high probability of being underestimated in the rate and damage of risk than objectively estimated ones due to familiarity of mobile phone technology. And this can be the cause of destructive social dispute or devastating disaster. To prevent such disastrous results, technology risk management, which integrating the goals of safety with economic growth in public policy and designing and promoting risk communication, is required.

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Polymorphisms of GSTM1 and CYP1A1, and Susceptibility to Primary Lung Cancer in Korean Males (한국인 남성에서 GSTM1과 CYP1A1 유전자 다형성과 원발성폐암의 유전적 감수성)

  • Bae, Nack-Cheon;Lee, Su-Yeon;Chae, Po-Hee;Kang, Kyung-Hee;Kim, Kyung-Rock;Cha, Seung-Ick;Chae, Sang-Chul;Kim, Chang-Ho;Jung, Tae-Hoon;Park, Jae-Yong
    • Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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    • v.50 no.5
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    • pp.568-578
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    • 2001
  • Background : Lung cancer is frequently cited as an example of a disease caused solely by exposure to environmental carcinogens. However, there is a growing realization that the genetic constitution is also important in determining individual's susceptibility to lung cancer. This genetic susceptibility may result from functional polymorphims of the genes involved in carcinogen metabolism. In this study, the association between GSTM1 and CYP1A1 polymorphisms and the lung cancer risk in Korean males was investigated. Materials and Method : The study population consisted of 153 male lung cancer patients and 143 healthy male controls. The GSTM1 and CYP1A1 genotypes were determined by multiplex PCR and PCR-RFLP analysis. Result : There were no significant differences in the frequency of the GSTM1 null genotype between the cases and the controls. When the cases were categorized by their histologic type, the frequency of the GSTM1 null genotype in the small cell carcinoma group was higher than those of the controls(67.2% vs 55.9%), but the difference was not statistically significant(OR=1.772 ; 95% CI=0.723-4.340). The distribution of the CYP1A1 MspI genotypes among the cases were similar to those among the controls. When the cases were grouped by their histologic type, the ml/m1, ml/m2, m2/m2 genotypes frequencies among the small cell carcinomas(23.0%, 38.5%, and 38.5%, respectively) were significantly different from those of the controls(36.4%, 46.2%, and 7.4%, respectively, p<0.05). When the m1/m1 genotype was used as a reference, the ml/m2 and m2/m2 genotypes were associated with an increased risk for small cell lung cancer(ml/m2 genotype : OR=1.337, 95% CI=0.453-3.947 ; m2/m2 genotype : OR=3.374, 95% CI=1.092-10.421). Conclusion : These results suggest that the GSTM1 and CYP1A1 genotypes may be a genetic determinant of the risk for lung cancer, particlulary small cell carcinoma. Further investigation is needed to confirm these results.

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Assessment of Human Bioavailability Quotient for the Heavy Metal in Paddy Soils Below Part of the Closed Metalliferous Mine (폐금속광산 하류 논토양의 중금속에 대한 인체흡수도 평가)

  • Kim, Min-Kyeong;Hong, Sung-Chang;Kim, Myung-Hyun;Choi, Soon-Kun;Lee, Jong-Sik;So, Kyu-Ho;Jung, Goo-Bok
    • Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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    • v.34 no.3
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    • pp.161-167
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    • 2015
  • BACKGROUND: For the heavy metal cotamination sites, it is very important to estimate the human bioavailability quotients for heavy metals in paddy soils released from mine tailings, which is a major source of contamination in Korea, and to assess the human health risks of heavy metals. METHODS AND RESULTS: This experiment was carried out to investigate the human bioavailability quotient of the heavy metals in paddy soils below part of the closed metalliferous mine. For estimating the human bioavailability quotients for heavy metals, 30 paddy soils below part of the closed mine were collected, and analyzed for Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn, and As using simple bioavailability extraction test(SBET). The quantities of Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn and As extracted from paddy soils below part of the mine by using the SBET analysis were 28.1, 17.3, 34.1, 14.6 and 2.3% respectively. Specially, the maximum values of Cd, Pb and Zn were 73.3, 81.5 and 58.1% of human bioavailability quotient, respectively, and varied considerably among the sampling sites. The human bioavailability quotient of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn in soils near the closed mine showed significant positive correlation among soil pH value, O.M. and Ex. Ca. contents, while it correlated negatively between soil Ex. K and Ex. Mg contents in paddy soils. Also, its of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn in paddy soils showed significant positive correlation with 0.1M HCl extractable and total contents, while in soils, it correlated negatively with As content in soil near the closed mine. CONCLUSION: The results of the simple bioavailability extraction test (SBET) indicate that regular ingestion of soils by the local population could be closed a potential health threat due to long-term heavy metals exposure in these mine areas.

Presence of Leukemia-maintaining Cells in Differentiation-resistant Fraction of K562 Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (만성 골수성 백혈병 K562세포의 분화 내성 분획에서 백혈병 유지 세포의 동정)

  • Lee, Hong-Rae;Kim, Mi-Ju;Ha, Gahee;Kim, So-Jung;Kim, Sun-Hee;Kang, Chi-Dug
    • Journal of Life Science
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    • v.23 no.2
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    • pp.197-206
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    • 2013
  • The present study investigated whether leukemia-maintaining cells reside in a differentiation-resistant fraction using a megakaryocytic differentiation model of K562 cells. Treatment with phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) significantly inhibited the colony-forming efficiency of the K562 cells. At a PMA concentration of 1 nM or higher, colony was not formed, but approximately 40% of K562 cells still survived in soft agar. Approximately 70% of colony-forming cells that were isolated following the removal of PMA after exposure to the agent were differentiated after treatment with 10 nM PMA for 3 days. The differentiation rate of the colony-forming cells was gradually increased and reached about 90% 6 weeks after colony isolation, which was comparable to the level of a PMA-treated K562 control. Meanwhile, imatinib-resistant variants from the K562 cells, including K562/R1, K562/R2, and K562/R3 cells, did not show any colony-forming activity, and most imatinib-resistant variants were CD44 positive. After 4 months of culture in drug-free medium, the surface level of CD44 was decreased in comparison with primary imatinib-resistant variants, and a few colonies were formed from K562/R3 cells. In these cells, Bcr-Abl, which was lost in the imatinib-resistant variants, was re-expressed, and the original phenotypes of the K562 cells were partially recovered. These results suggest that leukemia-maintaining cells might reside in a differentiation-resistant population. Differentiation therapy to eliminate leukemia-maintaining cells could be a successful treatment for leukemia if the leukemia-maintaining cells were exposed to a differentiation inducer for a long time and at a high dose.

Risk Ranking Analysis for the City-Gas Pipelines in the Underground Laying Facilities (지하매설물 중 도시가스 지하배관에 대한 위험성 서열화 분석)

  • Ko, Jae-Sun;Kim, Hyo
    • Fire Science and Engineering
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    • v.18 no.1
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    • pp.54-66
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    • 2004
  • In this article, we are to suggest the hazard-assessing method for the underground pipelines, and find out the pipeline-maintenance schemes of high efficiency in cost. Three kinds of methods are applied in order to refer to the approaching methods of listing the hazards for the underground pipelines: the first is RBI(Risk Based Inspection), which firstly assess the effect of the neighboring population, the dimension, thickness of pipe, and working time. It enables us to estimate quantitatively the risk exposure. The second is the scoring system which is based on the environmental factors of the buried pipelines. Last we quantify the frequency of the releases using the present THOMAS' theory. In this work, as a result of assessing the hazard of it using SPC scheme, the hazard score related to how the gas pipelines erodes indicate the numbers from 30 to 70, which means that the assessing criteria define well the relative hazards of actual pipelines. Therefore. even if one pipeline region is relatively low score, it can have the high frequency of leakage due to its longer length. The acceptable limit of the release frequency of pipeline shows 2.50E-2 to 1.00E-l/yr, from which we must take the appropriate actions to have the consequence to be less than the acceptable region. The prediction of total frequency using regression analysis shows the limit operating time of pipeline is the range of 11 to 13 years, which is well consistent with that of the actual pipeline. Concludingly, the hazard-listing scheme suggested in this research will be very effectively applied to maintaining the underground pipelines.

A Comparative Study on the Chemical Characteristics and Antioxidant Effects of Sea Mustards Sourced from Different Areas in Taejongdae (태종대산 5종 돌미역의 화학성분 및 항산화활성 비교)

  • Kim, Hojun;Jayapala, HPS;Jo, Won Hee;Nam, Hyung Sik;Lim, Sun Young
    • Journal of Life Science
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    • v.31 no.6
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    • pp.559-567
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    • 2021
  • This study compared the nutritional characteristics and antioxidant effects of sea mustards sourced from five different areas (Barammaegi, Gultongmeori, Chanmulgae, Johongtaek, and Goraedeung) in Taejongdae, Youngdo, Busan. The contents of total flavonoids and phenols and fatty acid composition were measured. To evaluate their antioxidant effects, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assays were used. Acetone/methylene chloride (A+M) extracts from all the sea mustards contained higher amounts of total flavonoids and phenols than methanol (MeOH) extracts. Among the sea mustards obtained from the different areas, the total flavonoid and total phenolic content of the A+M extract of the sea mustard from Gultongmeori was 1.44±0.04 mg/g and 1.72±0.06 mg/g, respectively. In terms of the fatty acid composition, the Gultongmeori sea mustard had higher percentages of total n-6, total n-3, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) than the sea mustards from the other areas. The A+M extract of the sea mustard from Gultongmeori was more effective in terms of scavenging free radicals as compared with that of the other sea mustards, as assessed by the DPPH and ABTS assays (p<0.05). In a 120-minute reactive oxygen species (ROS) production assay, all the extracts tested decreased cellular ROS production induced by H2O2 compared to that produced by exposure to an extract-free control (p<0.05). The extracts from Barammaegi and Gultongmeori had a greater inhibitory effect on cellular ROS production. These results indicated that the antioxidant effects of sea mustards might be associated with a higher amount of flavonoids and phenols. This study suggests that food-processed products from sea mustard can be developed as functional foods for promoting health in the local population.