Fish contain both the neurotoxin methyl mercury (MeHg) and nutrients important for brain development. The developing brain appears to be most sensitive to MeHg toxicity and mothers who consume fish during pregnancy expose their fetus prenatally. Although brain development is most dramatic during fetal life, it continues for years postnatally and additional exposure can occur when a mother breast feeds or the child consumes fish. This raises the possibility that MeHg might influence brain. We evaluated the relationship between fish consumption and mercury exposure levels in umbilical cord blood of the pregnant women of the city of Tongyeong city, Korea. A total of 159 pregnant women residing in the city of Tongyeong, Korea were recruited for the study between October 2010 and March 2011. Fish consumption was evaluated using food frequency questionnaires including detailed questions on fish consumption. We used ANOVA to estimated the particular relevance between the frequency of fish consumption and the umbilical cord blood mercury concentration, and other various factors. The average mean concentration of mercury levels in umbilical cord blood of pregnant women who participated in our study were 2.69 ± 2.50 ppb, ranging from 0.01 to 14.80 ppb. The mean concentration of umbilical cord blood mercury exposure was lower than the level recommended by WHO (5.0 ppb), but the mercury exposure level exceeded the WHO recommended in 17 (10.7%) cases of umbilical cord blood. Mercury levels in cord blood of pregnant women were 2.04 ± 2.00 ppb, ranging from 0 to 8.00 ppb in below 29 years old and 3.18 ± 2.74 ppb, ranging from 0.01 to 14.80 ppb in more 30 years old. In this study, there was a significant difference for the frequency of eating fish between the groups (p < 0.01). The level of the groups that ate fish 3 to more times per week (4.15 ± 4.02 ppb) was significant higher as compared with the level of other groups that ate fish 1 to times per week (2.63 ± 2.22 ppb) and none per week (1.06 ± 1.44 ppb), respectively. We found that the mercury concentration of umbilical cord blood associate with fish consumption and this was statistically significant and this fact revels that fish consumption is positively related to mercury levels in the umbilical cord blood. We need systematic and periodic research on the general population to prevent mercury poisoning, which can be cause by low-level mercury exposure from dietary intake such as chronic fish consumption

The purpose of this study was to measure the effects of attitude toward fish eating, Health involvement and convenience on the relationship between fish consumption and age. A total of 235 questionnaires were completed. Structural equation model was used to measure the causal relationships between constructs. Results of the study demonstrated that the structural equation analysis result for the data also indicated excellent model fit. The effects of age on involvement and convenience were statistically significant. The effects of age on attitude and consumption was not statistically significant. As expected, the involvement had a significant effect on attitude and consumption. The attitude and convenience had a significant effect on consumption. The effect of involvement on convenience was not statistically significant. Moreover, the attitude, involvement and convenience played a mediating role in the relationship between consumption and age. The involvement played a mediating role in the relationship between attitude and age. The involvement played no mediating role in the relationship between convenience and age. The attitude and convenience played no mediating role in the relationship between consumption and involvement.

Eco-physiological research and the control of Cochlodinium polykrikoides was carried out to elucidate eco-physiological characteristics of red tide organism through culture experiment depending on the condition of photon irradiance. Oxygen consumption of C. polykrikoides was high with a value of 1.12mg/L/hr in the dark compared with that of 0.13mg/L/hr at 100μEm-2s-1. DO values in a circular chamber with the lapse of time in seawater containing C. polykrikoides were declined in the dark period. DO values of seawater containing C. polykrikoides in the dark were declined from 7.01mg/L to 2.65mg/L in 30cm depth and from 7.01mg/L to 6.63mg/L in 5cm depth depending on the depth of circular culture vessel. Olive flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus and file fish, Stephanolepis cirrhifer exposed to Cochlodinium showed the separation of the lamella epithelium from gill filament, which disrupted the respiratory process at the gill level.