From 2020, Korean Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency has reset the withdrawal time (WT) for veterinary drugs typically used in livestock in preparation for the introduction of positive list system (PLS) program in 2024. This study was conducted to reset the MRL for tiamulin (TML) in broiler chickens as a part of PLS program introduction. Forty-eight healthy Ross broiler chickens were orally administered with TML at the concentration of 25 g/L (TML-1, n=24) and 50 g/L (TML-2, n=24) for 5 days through drinking water, respectively. After the drug treatment, tissue samples were collected from six broiler chickens at 1, 2, 3 and 5 days, respectively. According to the previously established analysis method, residual TML concentrations in poultry tissues were determined using LC-MS/MS. In TML-1, TML in all tissues was detected less than LOQ at 2 days after drug treatment. In TML-2, TML in liver and kidney was detected more than LOQ at 2 days after treatment. According to the European Medicines Agency’s guideline on determination of withdrawal periods, withdrawal periods of TML-1 and TML-2 in poultry tissues were established to 0 and 2 days, respectively. In conclusion, the estimated WT of TML in poultry tissues is shorter than the current WT recommendation of 5 days for TML in broiler chickens.

In this study, laser-induced graphene oxide (LIGO) was synthesized through a facile liquid-based process involving the introduction of deionized (DI) water onto polyimide (PI) film and subsequent direct laser irradiation using a CO2 laser (λ = 10.6 μm). The synthesized LIGO was then evaluated as a sensing material for monitoring changes in humidity levels. The synthesis conditions were optimized by precisely controlling the laser scribing speed, leading to the synthesis of LIGO with different structural characteristics and varying oxygen contents. The increased number of oxygen-containing functional groups contributed to the hydrophilic properties of LIGO, resulting in a superior humidity sensing capabilities compared with laser-induced graphene (LIG). The LIGO-based sensors outperformed LIG-based sensors, demonstrating approximately tenfold higher sensing responsivity when detecting changes at each humidity level, along with 1.25 to 1.75 times faster response/recovery times, making LIGO-based sensors more promising for humidity-monitoring applications. This study demonstrated laser ablation in a renewable and natural precursor as an eco-friendly and energy-efficient approach to directly synthesize LIGO with controllable oxidation levels.

Haemaphysalis longicornis는 사람과 동물에게 여러 심각한 병원체를 전달하는 주요 매개체로, 한반도에 널리 분포하고 있다. H. longicornis는 Rickettsia spp., Borrelia spp., Francisella spp., Coxiella spp., 그리고 중증열성혈소판 감소증후군 바이러스 (SFTS virus) 등을 매개하는 것으로 알려져 있다. 국내에 서식하는 H. longicornis의 미생물 군집과 관련된 연구는 많이 진행되지 않은 것으로 확인되었다. 이 연구는 한반도 내 다양한 지역에서 채집된 H. longicornis의 미생물군집 다양성을 지역별, 성장 단계 및 성별에 따라 분석하였다. 2019년 6월부터 7월까지 질병관리청 권역별기후변화매개체감시거점센터 16개 지역에서 채집한 H. longicornis의 16S rRNA 유전자 V3-V4 영역을 PCR로 증폭 후 Illumina MiSeq 플랫폼으로 시퀀싱하였다. Qiime2를 활용한 미생물 다양성 분석을 통해 총 46개의 샘플에서 1,754,418개의 non-chimeric reads를 얻었으며, 평균 126개 의 operating taxonmic unit (OTU) 을 식별하여 총 1,398개의 OTU를 확인하였다. 대부분의 지역에서 Coxiella spp.가 우점종으로 나타났으며, 특히 Coxiella endosymbiont는 가장 높은 우점도를 보이며, Coxiella burnetii와 계통 발생 학적으로 유사한 것으로 확인되었다. 이 연구를 통해 분석된 결과는 각 지역의 H. longicornis 미생물군집 데이터 베이스 구축에 활용되었으며, 이를 통해 지역별 미생물군집의 특이성을 식별할 수 있게 하였다. 이는 한반도의 H. longicornis에 의한 질병 전파 연구와 이를 통한 공중보건 개선에 기여할 것으로 기대된다.

Bangladeshi medicinal plants (BMP) have a history of traditional use in treating chronic inflammatory diseases, but a BMP bark’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects remain largely unexplored. This study assessed methanolic extracts’ antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties from the bark of 15 medicinal plant species native to Bangladesh. The methanol extracts of BMP bark were evaluated for their total antioxidant activity and ability to counteract inflammation induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in RAW 264.7 macrophages. Among the 15 bark extracts from BMP, Albizia odoratissima (A. odoratissima), Engelhardia spicata (E. spicata), and Shorea robusta (S. robusta) showed the highest total phenolic contents and total antioxidant capacity by effectively scavenging free radicals. In particular, these three bark extracts significantly reduced the mRNA expression of LPS-induced inflammatory cytokines and enzymes inducible by inflammation in macrophages. Also, the mRNA expression of NADPH oxidase 2 was significantly suppressed by the three bark extracts in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages. These results suggest that out of the 15 bark extracts obtained from medicinal plants in Bangladesh, the extracts from A. odoratissima, E. spicata, and S. robusta exhibit substantial total antioxidant capacity by efficiently scavenging free radicals and also inhibit LPS-induced inflammation in macrophages.

The effect of various physicochemical processes, such as seawater intrusion, on the performance of the engineered barrier should be closely analyzed to precisely assess the safety of high-level radioactive waste repository. In order to evaluate the impact of such processes on the performance of the engineered barrier, a thermal-hydrological-chemical model was developed by using COMSOL Multiphysics and PHREEQC. The coupling of two software was achieved through the application of a sequential non-iterative approach. Model verification was executed through a comparative analysis between the outcomes derived from the developed model and those obtained in prior investigations. Two data were in a good agreement, demonstrating the model is capable of simulating aqueous speciation, adsorption, precipitation, and dissolution. Using the developed model, the geochemical evolution of bentonite buffer under a general condition was simulated as a base case. The model domain consists of 0.5 m of bentonite and 49.5 m of granite. The uraninite (UO2) was assigned at the canister-bentonite interface as the potential source of uranium. Assuming the lifetime of canister as 1,000 years, the porewater mixing without uranium leakage was simulated for 1,000 years. After then, the uranium leakage through the dissolution of uraninite was initiated and simulated for additional 1,000 years. In the base case model, where the porewater mixing between the bentonite and granite was the only considered process, the gypsum tended to dissolve throughout the bentonite, while it precipitated in the vicinity of bentonite-granite boundary. However, the precipitation and dissolution of gypsum only showed a limited effect on the performance of the bentonite. Due to the low solubility of uraninite in the reduced environment, only infinitesimal amounts of uranium dissolved and transported through the bentonite. Additional cases considering various environmental processes, such as seawater or cement porewater intrusion, will be further investigated.

There are generally two kinds of spent filter; one is spent filter media for mainly gaseous purification such as HEPA filter, the other is spent filter cartridge for liquid purification such as CVCS BRS cartridge type filter. The spent filter cartridge from liquid purification system has been storing in special shielding space in auxiliary building in NPPs since the beginning of 2006 according to the long term storage strategy for decaying short lived radionuclide and gaining the time for selecting practical treatment technology before final packaging. The spent filter cartridges generated Kori-1 reactor vary in their sizes as in length from 913 mm to 290 mm and range in radiation level from several hundred mSv per hour to below mSv per hour . It is high time that the spent filter cartridge is treated and packaged because LILW repository in Wolsung area is operating and Kori-1 reactor is scheduled to decommission. The spent filter cartridge is one of the wet solid wastes required of solidification. It is difficult for the spent filter cartridge to solidify because of their shape, structure, physical and chemical characteristics in addition to having high radiation level. NSSC notice defines that solidification of wet solid wastes include that solid material such as spent filter is encapsulated with cement, etc. as a form of macro-encapsulation. The radioactive waste acceptance criteria describes that non-homogeneous waste having above 74,000 Bq/g such as spent filter, dry active waste should be encapsulated with qualified material. Homogeneous waste such as spent resin, sludge, concentrated waste (liquid waste evaporator bottoms), etc. should be solidified complied with requirements except that spent filter which is allowed to encapsulate. It is needed to guide to the practice of these two requirements for spent filter. The sampling and test method is different between homogeneous solidification waste form and spent filter cartridge encapsulation waste form. For example, how core sample can be taken and how void space can be measured among spent filter cartridge in encapsulation waste form. The technical evaluation report for spent filter cartridge polymer encapsulation by US NRC has been reviewed and the technical position of US NRC was identified. As a result of review, improvement fields of waste acceptance criteria for spent filters are pointed out, and the technical position of US NRC for spent filter cartridge solidification is summarized. The recommendation on improvement directions for spent filter cartridge encapsulation is suggested.

This study investigated changes of milk production in dairy cows intramuscularly injected with drugs containing dexamethasone (DXM). Three types of dexamethasone formulations (Bueunde® (DXM 0.5 mg/mL), Dexason INJ.® (DXM 1 mg/mL) and Dexolone-20 inj.® (DXM 1 mg/mL)) were intramuscularly injected into sixteen healthy dairy cows each. Bueunde® was intramuscularly injected into 8 dairy cows with 5 mg (BED-1) and 10 mg (BED-2) of DXM once a day for 3 consecutive days, respectively. Dexason INJ.® was intramuscularly administered once into dairy cows with 20 mg (DXS-1, n=8) and 40 mg (DXS-2, n=8) of DXM, respectively. Dexolone-20 inj.® was intramuscularly injected once into dairy cows with 20 mg (DXS-1, n=8) and 40 mg (DXS-2, n=8) of DXM, respectively. Milk production (MP) of BED-1 and BED-2 significantly decreased during the drug administration and up to 48-hour post-drug treatment. Compared with the MP before drug administration, the MP of DXS-1 and DXL-1 was meaningfully decreased by 36 and 24-hour post-drug administration, respectively, and that in both DXS-2 and DXL-2 significantly decreased until 48-hour post-drug treatment. In conclusion, it was confirmed that the MP temporarily decreased by 48 hours after administration of DXM to dairy cows.

Persistent left cranial vena cava (PLCVC) is a remnant vessel connected with the coronary sinus and draining into the right atrium. A 3-month-old intact male Bichon Frise was evaluated for the presence of a mechanical murmur auscultation in the local animal hospital. No significant clinical signs were present on physical examination except mechanical murmur. Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) was diagnosed in the imaging procedure. During the left thoracotomy, PLCVC was found. The vascular malformation made the surgical process difficult by hiding PDA from the left thoracotomy surgical view. PLCVC and the vagus nerve was carefully dissected and lifted to secure a clear surgical view of PDA. The ductus arteriosus was ligated. Computed tomography angiography (CTA) was performed postoperatively. On CTA, left brachiocephalic vein retaining connection with the coronary sinus draining into the right atrium was observed. CTA is highly recommended for dogs with PDA to provide better postoperative results.