• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.655-668
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• 2004

A taxonomic survey of the dinoflagellate family Dinophysiaceae Stein was conducted on 17 locations off the coast of Korea. A total of twelve species have been identified and described, of which eight species, Dinophysis dens Pavillart D. infundibulus Schiller, D. irregulare Lebour, D. lapidistrigiliformis Abe, D. mitra(Schutt) Abe vel Balech, D. parvula(Schutt) Jorgensen, D. rapa(Stein) Balech, Phalacroma sphaeroideum Schiller, are new records for Korea and six are potentially toxic.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.58-62
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• 2012

Carnitine (${\beta}$-hydroxy-${\gamma}$-trimethylaminobutyric acid) is involved in the transport of long-chain fatty acids into the mitochondrial matrix and the removal of potentially toxic acylcarnitine esters. Transient carnitine transport defect is a rare condition in newborns reported in 1/90,000 live births. In this paper, we describe a case of transient carnitine transport defect found in a premature baby who had prolonged cholestatic jaundice and poor weight gain, and who responded dramatically to oral carnitine supplementation.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.183-191
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• 2003

Nucleic acid therapies represent a direct genetic approach for cancer treatment. Such an approach takes advantage of mechanisms that activate genes known to confer a growth advantage to neoplastic cells. The ability to block the expression of these genes allows exploration of normal growth regulation. Progress in antisense technology has been rapid, and the traditional antisense inhibition of gene expression is now viewed on a genomic scale. This global view has led to a new vision in antisense technology, the elimination of nonspecific and undesirable side effects, and ultimately, the generation of more effective and less toxic nucleic acid medicines. Several antisense oligonucleotides are in clinical trials, are well tolerated, and are potentially active therapeutically. Antisense oligonucleotides are promising molecular medicines for treating human cancer in the near future.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.199-204
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• 2005

Background: ADP-ribosyl pyrophosphatases (ADPRase) has been known to catalyze the hydrolysis of ADP-ribose to ribose-5-phosphate and AMP. The role of ADPRase has been suggested to sanitize the cell by removing potentially toxic ADP-ribose. In this study, we examined the effect of nitric oxide on ADPRase activity in macrophages. Methods: ADPRase activity was measured in NO-inducing J774 cells. For in vitro experiments, recombinant human ADPRase was prepared in bacteria. Results: ADPRase activity was increased by the treatment of exogenous NO generating reagent, sodium nitroprusside (SNP), in J774 cells. The increased ADPRase activity was mediated by the post-translational modification, likely to cause cADP-ribosylation via nitrosylation of cysteine residue on the enzyme. The stimulation with endogeneous NO inducers, $TNF-{\alpha}/IFN-{\gamma}$, also increased ADPRase activity through NO synthesis. Futhermore, ADPRase activity may be mediated by the post-translational modification of ADPRase, ADP-ribosylation. Conclusion: These results indicate that NO synthesized by macrophage activation plays a critical role in the increase in ADPRase activity following ADP-ribose metabolism.

• CELLMED
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.3.1-3.4
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• 2016

Consumption of herbal products from the medicinal plants contaminated with heavy metals can cause serious consequences on human health. This is a major concern for traditional and herbal medicine. The present study was carried out to analyze and quantify the levels of six potentially toxic heavy metals namely arsenic, lead, cadmium, mercury, chromium and nickel in ten important Indian medicinal herbs. The air dried raw herbs were processed by microwave assisted wet digestion and analyzed by using atomic absorption spectrophotometer equipped with graphite tube atomizer. Except the chromium content in three plants, all the levels of six heavy metals analyzed were found to be quite below the permissible limits in all the ten raw medicinal herbs analyzed. The present work implies that, regular and systematic screening of raw medicinal herbs is necessary to check the levels of the heavy metal contaminants before using them for consumption or preparation of herbal formulations so that the possible contamination cannot cumulate up to the finished products.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 1998.11a
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• pp.82-87
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• 1998

Brine shrimp lethality test has become one of our routine tools in selecting plant materials for further chemical or bioactivity studies in our laboratory. Usually, once a potentially bioactive sample has been identified, it will then be subjected to more elaborate bioassay procedures. Out of more than 200 plant samples tested we found eight samples to be toxic towards brine shrimp larvae.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.937-944
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• 2010

Cu and Zn can be accumulated in plastic film house soils by long-term application of livestock manure or compost. The mobility and bioavailability of Cu and Zn accumulated in soils are strongly influenced by their chemical or geochemical species in soils. In order to assess the accumulation, mobility, and bioavailability of Cu and Zn in plastic film house soils, we determined their geochemical species using a sequential extraction, grouped into three pods: the total pool, the potentially mobil pool, and the mobil pool. Total contents of Cu and Zn, ranged from 14.9 to 53.1 mg $kg^{-1}$ for Cu and from 55.4 to 169 mg $kg^{-1}$ for Zn, lied by far below the soil contamination standards, but exhibited little accumulation compared with their geogenic concentrations. Mobile contents of Cu and Zn and their percentage of total contents were strongly affected by soil pH in addition to total contents and soil organic matter. Mobile contents of Cu, ranged from <0.01 to 1.71 mg $kg^{-1}$, showed their minimum between pH 5.0 and 6.0 and increased above pH 6.0 to 8.0. In contrast, mobile contents of Zn, varied from <0.01 to 12.4 mg $kg^{-1}$, showed their minimum above pH 7.0 and increased strongly with decreasing pH below 5.5~6.0. Potentially mobile and total contents of Cu and Zn rose with ascending soil organic matter. To assess ecological and toxic effects of Cu and Zn in soils, mobile and potentially mobile contents, as bioavailable and potentially bioavailable pools, should be considered more important than total contents.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.163-170
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• 2009

Several species of the genus Pseudo-nitzschia produce the neurotoxin domoic acid (DA) known to be responsible for amnesic shellfish poisoning. In spite of the potentially toxic effects on marine ecosystem, even the representative Pseudo-nitzschia species occurring in Korean coastal waters have not been clearly reported. Plankton samples from several outer coastal sites of Tongyeong were collected fortnightly from May to November 2008 and the presence of diatoms of the genus Pseudo-nitzschia was examined using light and scanning electron microscopy. Thirteen species were observed, including P. americana, P. brasiliana, P. caciantha, P. calliantha, P. cuspidata, P. delicatissima, P. micropora, P. multiseries, P. multistriata, P. pseudodelicatissima, P. pungens, P. subfraudulenta, and P. subpacifica. The number of Pseudo-nitzschia species observed were only four in May, which was minimum during this survey, and then gradually increased attaining maximum, twelve, in September. After September it began to decrease again and got to five in November. Of these, P. americana, P. brasiliana, P. caciantha, P. calliantha, P. micropora, and P, pseudodelicatissima are new records for the Korean coastal waters and P. calliantha, P. cuspidata, P. delicatissima, P multiseries, P. multistriata, and P. pungens have been reported as DA producers around the world, but the potential toxicity of these species was not ascertained in Tongyeong area.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.344-364
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• 2013

Background: Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are immune-complex-mediated hypersensitivity reactions that predominantly involve skin and mucous membranes. Despite the low incidence, both are considered medical emergencies as the mortality rate has been estimated at 30-50%. Although as many as half of cases are idiopathic, several drugs have been implicated as main cause of SJS/TEN. This review therefore aimed to identify drugs that were potentially associated with SJS/TEN and compare the relative risk of the medications. Method: A comprehensive search was performed using MEDLINE, EMBASE and 5 Korean databases. We defined study drugs as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), antibiotics, antiepileptics, and allopurinol. Only epidemiologic studies investigating associations between the above drugs and drug-induced SJS/TEN were included. Two reviewers independently selected and evaluated candidate papers and extracted odds ratios or incidence rates. Meta-analysis was performed only for drugs that were reported from 4 or more studies. Results: We found 8 case-control studies, 3 cohort studies and 1 RCT. The ranges of adjusted ORs were 0.6-34.0 for NSAIDs, 1.6-302.0 for antiepileptics, 0.3-10.0 for antibiotics and 1.0-187.0 for allopurinol. The drug with the highest incidence of SJS/TEN was carbamazepine (40 persons/1,000 DDD). Conclusion: Finally, the risk was highest in first 8 weeks after onset of treatment in all drugs.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.197-210
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• 2013

Several US veterans stationed in Korea have told the press that around 250 fifty-five gallon drums of herbicides, including Agent Orange, were buried at Camp Carroll in 1978. Joint Korean-US Agent Orange investigation and environmental and health studies were started in July 2011. Korean soldiers and military personnel who served in Vietnam during 1964-1973 or near the demilitarized zone in Korea during 1967-1970 were exposed to dioxincontaminated Agent Orange. The joint Korean-US Agent Orange investigation team found that herbicides, pesticides, solvents and other chemicals -not Agent Orange- were buried at Camp Carroll. However, there remains the possibility that Agent Orange was stored and buried at Camp Carroll or other military camps in Korea. Adverse health effects have not been clearly explained despite a number of health studies among veterans in Korea with potential Agent Orange exposure. Although the Korean government has been compensating veterans and military personnel with 18 presumptive-service-connected-diseases and their offspring with three diseases, there are many veterans, military personnel and civilians who require the government°Øs support. The environmental study on contaminated sites and health studies among veterans and civilians were initiated three or four decades after possible Agent Orange contamination and exposure. Several toxic chemicals, including dioxin-contaminated Agent Orange, could remain in the environment and could have hazardous effects on the health of exposed people for more than several decades. Further environmental investigations and health studies are needed to ensure public safety and health, and government support should be guaranteed for people potentially exposed to these toxic chemicals.