Potentillae Chinensis Herba 추출물의 항산화 효능 평가를 위해 DPPH 자유라디칼 소거 활성 과 ABTS 양이온 라디칼 활성 평가를 시행하였다. 세포 실험에서 항염증 평가를 위해 호흡기 점막 상피세 포 NCI,H292와 RAW264.7 세포 대상으로 항염증 효능을 평가하였다. 그 결과, DPPH 자유라디칼 소거 활성과 ABTS 양이온 라디칼 활성 모두 농도 의존적으로 항산화 활성이 증가하는 것으로 나타났다. 세포 MTT 분석 결과, 각 농도 100 μg/ml로 처리한 경우 NCI-H292 세포의 생존율이 70% 미만으로 감소하 였고, 이후 실험은 50 μg/ml로 진행하였다. 항염증 효능 평가에서는 NO생성, TNF-α, IL-1β, PGE2가 감소하였고, COX-2도 50 μg/ml에서 유의하게 감소하였다. Potentillae Chinensis Herba 추출물과 생물 전환 추출물의 뮤신 단백질 발현은 MUC5AC 발현이 유의하게 감소하는 것으로 관찰되었다. 이상의 결과 는 Potentillae Chinensis Herba의 호흡기 점액 단백질 발현을 도와 염증을 억제하는 기능성 소재로 활용하 는데 가치가 있음을 알 수 있다.

This study was conducted targeting 30 residents of Gwangyang industrial complex area from April to May 2017 to assess their level of exposure to VOCs and conduct a health risk assessment for individual exposure. The aim was to understand the difference in levels of indoor, outdoor and personal exposure to VOCs (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m-xylene, p-xylene, o-xylene) and a health risk assessment was conducted to determine whether there was any fatal cause from carcinogenic or non-carcinogenic elements from a respiratory disease patients. In the case of benzene in the air, the geometric levels of the group are indoor, outdoor and personal exposure; on the CTE, RME condition and Monte-Carlo analysis, all subjects were seen to exceed the carcinogenicity tolerance of 10−6 specified by the US EPA. In the case of toluene, ethylbenzene, m-xylene, p-xylene, o-xylene on the CTE, RME condition and Monte-Carlo analysis, the non-carcinogenic standard of 1 was not exceeded.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the concentration of airborne particulate matter and heavy metals in the houses of the respiratory tract disease patients and a control group of residents in the city of Gwangyang. The particulate matter was measured using a mini-volume air sampler and then weighed three times using a micro balance to calculate the weighted average value. The heavy metals in the particulate matter were extracted using a hot plate and analyzed using an inductively coupled plasma/mass spectrometer. The average concentration of particulate matter in the outdoor air (34.478 μm/m3) was higher than that in the indoor air (16.794 μm/m3), showing a statistically significant difference (p<0.001). The average concentration of copper, manganese and chromium in the indoor and outdoor air were higher in the houses of those in the study group than those of the control group. In addition, there was a generally high correlation between particulate matter in the outdoor air and heavy metals in the indoor and outdoor air concentration (p<0.05).

The lung and lymph node samples were collected from 786 pig farms associated with wasting and respiratory syndrome during 2005～2009. All samples were tested for the detection of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and the differentiation of its genotype using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). 643 farms (81.8%) of the pig farms examined were positive for PRRSV, of which 57.2% accounted for PRRSV type 1 and 70.2% accounted for PRRSV type 2. Furthermore, 37.5% of the farms positive for PRRSV, showed the coexistence of two genotypes. The results indicate that the PRRSV infections of single genotype or two genotypes are very common in Korean pig farms.

Absenteeism is an important index that is related not only to health but also to direct daily activities. It may lead to a student's poor educational performance and overall reduction in educational quality. Particularly, diseases causing school absenteeism are important for environmental health of children's study. However only a few studies regarding the effects of air pollution on school absenteeism due to respiratory disease have been reported. This study was performed to examine the effect of air pollution on absenteeism by respiratory disease, using school attendance reports from March 2002 to December 2004. In this study, we counted absenteeism numbers using school absenteeism data from the first to sixth grade and classified absenteeism into illness-related, non-illness-related and respiratory disease-related illness absences. To this end, we used air pollution data (CO, NO2, PM10, and SO2) and temperature and relative humidity data collected during the study period. Daily counts of absenteeism were analyzed by Generalized Additive Model after the adjustment of several factors such as seasonal variation, day of the week, and meteorological parameter confounders in a nonparametric approach. For each air pollutant, we analyzed illness-related absences, non-illness-related absences, and respiratory- illness related absences. Then, we considered both influenza and non-influenza related absenteeism type. In illness-related absences analysis, absenteeism risks increased to 1.05(1.02-1.08) for CO and 1.06 (1.02-1.10) for NO2 by each interquartile range change with adjustment for influenza. The risks for respiratory-related absences of CO and NO2 increased to 1.05(1.02-1.08) and 1.04(1.01-1.08), respectively by each interquartile range change with adjustment for influenza. However, in the analysis of non-illness-related absences, there were no significant risks for the effect of all air pollution. This result shows that air pollution can affect respiratory-related absences and provides a basis for developing environmental health policy against air pollution.

To analyze the effects of PM10 and PM2.5 on daily mortality cases, the relations of death counts from natural causes, respiratory diseases, and cardiovascular diseases with PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations were applied to the generalized additive model (GAM) in this study. From the coefficients of the GAM model, the excessive mortality risks due to an increase of 10 μg/m3 in daily mean PM10 and PM2.5 for each cause were calculated. The excessive risks of deaths from natural causes, respiratory diseases, and cardiovascular diseases were 0.64%, 1.69%, and 1.16%, respectively, owing to PM10 increase and 0.42%, 2.80%, and 0.91%, respectively, owing to PM2.5 increase. Our result showed that particulate matter posed a greater risk of death from respiratory diseases and is consistent with the cases in Europe and China. The regional distribution of excessive risk of death is 0.24%–0.81%, 0.34%–2.6%, and 0.62%–1.94% from natural causes, respiratory diseases, and cardiovascular diseases, respectively, owing to PM10 increase, and 0.14%–1.02%, 1.07%–3.92%, and 0.22%–1.73% from natural causes, respiratory diseases, and cardiovascular diseases, respectively, owing to PM2.5 increase. Our results represented a different aspect from the regional concentration distributions. Thus, we saw that the concentration distributions of air pollutants differ from the affected areas and identified the need for a policy to reduce damage rather than reduce concentrations.

Meteorological factors and air pollutants are associated with respiratory diseases, and appropriate use of weather and air quality information is helpful in the management of patients with such diseases. This study was performed to investigate both the utilization of weather and air quality information by, and the needs of, patients with respiratory diseases. Questionnaires were administered to 112 patients with respiratory diseases, 60.7% of whom were female. The rates of bronchial asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among patients were 67.0% and 10.7%, respectively. The majority of subjects (90%) responded that prevention was important for respiratory disease management and indicated that they used weather and air quality information either every day or occasionally. However, respondents underestimated the importance of weather and air quality information for disease management and were unaware of some types of weather information. The subjects agreed that respiratory diseases were sensitive to weather and air quality. The most important weather-related factors were diurnal temperature range, minimum temperature, relative humidity, and wind, while those for air quality were particulate matter and Asian dust. Information was gleaned mainly from television programs in patients aged 60 years and older and from smartphone applications for those below 60 years of age. The subjects desired additional information on the management and prevention of respiratory diseases. This study identified problems regarding the utility of weather and air quality information currently available for patients with respiratory diseases, who indicated that they desired disease-related information, including information in the form of action plans, rather than simple health- and air quality-related information. This study highlights the necessity for notification services that can be used to easily obtain information, specifically regarding disease management.

Background : Platycodon grandiflorum root(PGR) was one of the primary herbs used in a phlegm-relieving herb from the past. Purified platycoside compounds from the roots of PGR may exhibit neuroprotective, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-allergy, improved insulin resistance, and cholesterol-lowering properties. To evaluate preference and functionality of PGR extracts, PGR was fermented by several lactic acid bacteria. Lactic acid bacteria used were Leuc. mesenteroides N12-4 and N58-5, L. plantarum N76-10 and 56-12, L. brevis N70-9 and E3-8. Methods and Results : This study was performed in order to investigate the changes of platycosides, as well as the antimicrobial activities on bronchus diseases inducing bacteria(C. diphtheriae, K. pnneumoniae, S. aureus, S. pyogenes) of Platycodon grandiflorum root(PGR) fermented by using lactic acid bacteria(Leuc. mesenteroides N12-4, Leuc. mesenteroides N58-5, L. plantarum N76-10, L. plantarum N56-12, L. brevis N70-9, L. brevis E3-8). Growth of L. plantarum on PGR was the most active during lactic acid fermentation by some different strains. Total platycoside, platycoside E, platycodin A, polygalacin D2, polygalacin D and diapioplatycoside E contents of PGR fermented for 96 hours at 37℃ by Leuc. mesenteroides and L. plantarum were increased, while platycodin D and platycodin D3 were decreased. The antimicribial activity on PGR fermented by L. plantarum N56-12 exhibited a strong microbial proliferation in all four kinds of bronchus diseases inducing bacteria and was higher than non-fermented PGR extract. Conclusion : Thus, this results showed antimicrobial activities on bronchus diseases inducing bacteria and platycosides content of PGR by L. plantarum N56-12 were higher than non-fermented PGR extract.

최근 언론을 통하여 백두산 화산분화에 대한 위험성이 보고되고 있으며, 이에 대응하기 위하여 백두산 화산 대응 기술 사업단이 소방방재청의 지원으로 출범 하였다. 백두산 화산은 중국과 북한의 국경에 위치하여 한반도까지 약 500 km 떨어져 있지만 백두산 화산이 대규모로 분출하는 경우 화산재가 남하하여 대한민국에 영향을 미칠 수 있다. 화산재에 의한 피해의 예로 2010년 아이슬랜드 Eyjafjallajökull 화산 폭발 시 대기에 분산되 화산재로 인하여 대규모 항공 장애가 발생하여 천문학적인 피해가 있었다. 이러한 물질적 피해 외에 1980년 미국의 St. Helens 폭발 당시 화산재에 의하여 여러 건강 문제가 제기 되었다. 따라서 백두산 화산의 대규모 분화에 대한 대비 및 대처가 필요하다. 앞서 설명하였듯이, 백두산 화산의 대규모 분화에 대한 관심이 높아지고 있는 시점에서, 화산 분화로 발생되는 화산재가 인체 건강에 어떠한 피해를 발생시키는 가에 대한 객관적이고 과학적인 연구가 필요하다.본 연구에서는 화산재에 의하여 발생 가능한 호흡기 질환에 초점을 맞추어 연구를 수행하였다. 먼저 화산재와 호흡기 질환과의 관계를 기존 연구 자료를 분석하여 파악하고 이를 바탕으로 백두산 화산 폭발 시 사용 가능할 것으로 기대되는 관리 기준에 관한 연구를 수행하였다.