No abstract available.
Humans ; Infant, Newborn* ; Tetralogy of Fallot*

No abstract available.
Coronary Vessels*

OBJECTIVES: This study is conducted to estimate the cost paid by the public suffering from disease possibly caused by chemical and to examine the effect on public health. METHODS: Cost-benefit analysis is an important factor in analysis and decision-making and is an important policy decision tool in many countries. Cost-of-illness (COI), a kind of scale-based analysis method, estimates the potential value lost as a result of illness as a monetary unit and calculates the cost in terms of direct, indirect and psychological costs. This study estimates direct medical costs, transportation fees for hospitalization and outpatient treatment, and nursing fees through a number of patients suffering from disease caused by chemicals in order to analyze COI, taking into account the cost of productivity loss as an indirect cost. RESULTS: The total yearly cost of the diseases studied in 2012 is calculated as 77 million Korean won (KRW) per person. The direct and indirect costs being 52 million KRW and 23 million KRW, respectively. Within the total cost of illness, mental and behavioral disability costs amounted to 16 million KRW, relevant blood immunological parameters costs were 7.4 million KRW, and disease of the nervous system costs were 6.7 million KRW. CONCLUSIONS: This study reports on a survey conducted by experts regarding diseases possibly caused by chemicals and estimates the cost for the general public. The results can be used to formulate a basic report for a social-economic evaluation of the permitted use of chemicals and limits of usage.
Cost of Illness ; Cost-Benefit Analysis ; Efficiency ; Fees and Charges ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Nervous System ; Nursing ; Outpatients ; Public Health ; Transportation

Circadian clocks regulate behavioral, physiological and biochemical processes in a day/night cycle. Circadian oscillators have an essential role in the coordination of physiological processes with the cyclic changes in the physical environment. Such mammalian circadian clocks composed of the positive components (BMAL1 and CLOCK) and the negative components (CRY and PERIOD (PER)) are regulated by a negative transcriptional feedback loop in which PER is rate-limiting for feedback inhibition. In addition, posttranslational modification of these components is critical for setting or resetting the circadian oscillation. Circadian regulation of metabolism is mediated through reciprocal signaling between the clock and metabolic regulatory networks. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in the brain and peripheral tissue is a crucial cellular energy sensor that has a role in metabolic control. AMPK-mediated phosphorylation of CRY and Casein kinases I regulates the negative feedback control of circadian clock by proteolytic degradation. AMPK can also modulate the circadian rhythms through nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-dependent regulation of silent information regulator 1. Growing evidence elucidates the AMPK-mediated controls of circadian clock in metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes. In this review, we summarize the current comprehension of AMPK-mediated regulation of the circadian rhythms. This will provide insight into understanding how their components regulate the metabolism.
AMP-Activated Protein Kinases/*metabolism ; Animals ; Casein Kinase I/metabolism ; *Circadian Clocks ; Cryptochromes/metabolism ; Humans ; *Metabolism ; Sirtuins/metabolism

The purpose of this study was to examine dental complications and to evaluate the effects of initial treatment age, treatment modalities, and treatment duration on the disorder after radiation and chemotherapy in pediatric cancer patients.For 93 children with clinical and radiographic data, the number of teeth, the morphology of teeth, the shape of the roots, and development status of the dentition were evaluated.Dental development disorders were found in 61.3% of the children. The mostly found abnormality was root deformity with the prevalence of 31.2%. In children submitted to the therapy before the age of 6, the number of missing teeth (p = 0.029) and microdontia (p = 0.003) were greater compared to the children who started to receive the treatment after the age of 6. The combination of radiation and chemotherapy showed significantly greater incidences of missing teeth (p = 0.030), microdontia (p = 0.046), and root deformity (p = 0.009) when compared with the sole application of chemotherapy. When the children were submitted to anticancer therapy for 18 months or longer duration, greater number of missing teeth (p = 0.032), microdontia (p = 0.011), root deformity (p = 0.025), and total number of teeth affected (p = 0.036) were observed compared with duration less than 18 months.The number of dental abnormalities increased when the children were treated at earlier ages, with combination of radiation and chemotherapy, and for longer period of time.
Child ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Dentition ; Drug Therapy ; Humans ; Incidence ; Prevalence ; Tooth

Microplastics are environmental pollutants that prevail in the oceans, remote islands, and polar regions. Exposure to microplastics presents a major emerging threat to the ecosystems due to their potential adverse effects. Herein, we reviewed the literature to provide an up-to-date synopsis of the current understanding of the sources, compositions, and adverse effects of microplastics in humans and the environment. Most studies on microplastics have focused on developing standardized methods for monitoring the occurrence, distribution, and movement of microplastics in the environment, as well as developing microplastic substitutes; however, although humans are exposed to microplastics via various routes, research on the adverse effects of microplastics in humans remains limited. Little is known about the impact of microplastics on human health and the toxic effects that may vary depending on the type, size, shape, and concentration of microplastics. Therefore, more research is needed to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms of microplastic toxicity and related pathologies.

This study was performed to examine the effects of various macromolecules in in vitro growth (IVG) media on the growth, maturation, and parthenogenesis (PA) of pig oocytes derived from small antral follicles (SAF). Immature oocytes were cultured for two days in IVG medium supplemented with 10% (v/v) fetal bovine serum (FBS), 10% (v/v) pig follicular fluid (PFF), 0.4% (w/v) bovine serum albumin (BSA), or 0.1% (w/v) polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and then maintained for 44 h for maturation. After IVG, the mean diameters of the SAF treated with FBS, PVA, and no IVG-MAF (113.0–114.8 µm) were significantly larger than that of no IVG-SAF (111.8 µm). The proportion of metaphase II oocytes was higher in PFF (73.6%) than in BSA (43.5%) and PVA (53.7%) but similar to that in the FBS treatment (61.5%). FBS and PFF increased cumulus expansion significantly compared to PVA and BSA while the intraoocyte glutathione content was not influenced by the macromolecules. Blastocyst formation of PA oocytes treated with FBS (51.8%), PFF (50.4%), and PVA (45.2%) was significantly higher than that of the BSA-treated oocytes (20.6%). These results show that the PFF and FBS treatments during IVG improved the growth, maturation, and embryonic development of SAF.

This study was performed to examine the effects of various macromolecules in in vitro growth (IVG) media on the growth, maturation, and parthenogenesis (PA) of pig oocytes derived from small antral follicles (SAF). Immature oocytes were cultured for two days in IVG medium supplemented with 10% (v/v) fetal bovine serum (FBS), 10% (v/v) pig follicular fluid (PFF), 0.4% (w/v) bovine serum albumin (BSA), or 0.1% (w/v) polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and then maintained for 44 h for maturation. After IVG, the mean diameters of the SAF treated with FBS, PVA, and no IVG-MAF (113.0–114.8 µm) were significantly larger than that of no IVG-SAF (111.8 µm). The proportion of metaphase II oocytes was higher in PFF (73.6%) than in BSA (43.5%) and PVA (53.7%) but similar to that in the FBS treatment (61.5%). FBS and PFF increased cumulus expansion significantly compared to PVA and BSA while the intraoocyte glutathione content was not influenced by the macromolecules. Blastocyst formation of PA oocytes treated with FBS (51.8%), PFF (50.4%), and PVA (45.2%) was significantly higher than that of the BSA-treated oocytes (20.6%). These results show that the PFF and FBS treatments during IVG improved the growth, maturation, and embryonic development of SAF.
Blastocyst ; Embryonic Development ; Female ; Follicular Fluid ; Glutathione ; In Vitro Techniques ; Metaphase ; Oocytes ; Parthenogenesis ; Polyvinyl Alcohol ; Pregnancy ; Serum Albumin, Bovine

Background: Compared to medium containing 108 mM sodium chloride (NaCl), in vitromaturation (IVM) using a simple medium with reduced (61.6 mM) NaCl increases the cytoplasmic maturation and embryonic development of pig oocytes. Objectives: This study determines the effect of a complex medium containing reduced NaCl on the IVM and embryonic development of pig oocytes. Methods: Pig oocytes were matured in Minimum Essential Medium Eagle-alpha modification (αMEM) supplemented with 61.6 (61αMEM) or 108 (108αMEM) mM NaCl, and containing polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) (αMEMP) or pig follicular fluid (PFF) (αMEMF). Medium-199 (M199) served as the control for conventional IVM. Cumulus cell expansion, nuclear maturation, intra-oocyte glutathione (GSH) contents, size of perivitelline space (PVS), and embryonic development after parthenogenesis (PA) and somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) were evaluated after IVM. Results: Regardless of PVA or PFF supplementation, oocytes matured in 61αMEM showed increased intra-oocyte GSH contents and width of PVS (p < 0.05), as well as increased blastocyst formation (p < 0.05) after PA and SCNT, as compared to oocytes matured in 108αMEMP and M199. Under conditions of PFF-enriched αMEM, SCNT oocytes matured in 61αMEMF showed higher blastocyst formation (p < 0.05), compared to maturation in 108αMEMF and M199, whereas PA cultured oocytes showed no significant difference. Conclusions IVM in αMEM supplemented with reduced NaCl (61.6 mM) enhances the embryonic developmental competence subsequent to PA and SCNT, which attributes toward improved oocyte maturation.

OBJECTIVES: To protect public health from risk, the Minister of Environment in Korea legislated an act concerning the registration and evaluation of chemical substances. In this study, we estimated the value of a statistical life (VSL) of carcinogenic chemicals to evaluate the socioeconomic analysis in Korea. METHODS: The estimation of the health benefit can be calculated through an individual's VSL and willingness to pay (WTP). To estimate the VSL and WTP, we used a contingent valuation method through a web-based survey. RESULTS: The survey is conducted with 1434 people living in Seoul and six large cities. An analysis of the survey is essential to review the distribution of the characteristics of the target population. The statistically significant variables affecting the WTP are location, age, household income, quality of life. Through the review of data, we secured statistical validity. The WTP was estimated as 41205 Korean won (KRW)/person, and the estimated VSL appeared as 796 million KRW/person. CONCLUSIONS: There is a case in which the amount of statistical life value is estimated in connection with domestic environmental policy, fine dust, etc. However, there are no cases of evaluation for chemical. The utilization of this result is possible for conducting other study with chemicals.
Dust ; Environmental Policy ; Family Characteristics ; Health Services Needs and Demand ; Insurance Benefits ; Korea* ; Public Health ; Quality of Life ; Seoul