Systemic Effects of Molar and Incisor Biting on Walking Direction With and Without Visual Feedback.

Gait stability and walking direction control are conventionally attributed to coordination among somatosensory, visual, and vestibular systems. Recent evidence of functional interdependence between masticatory and neuromuscular systems indicates that the stomatognathic system is neurologically integrated with various body systems relevant to movement planning and execution. This study investigated the effects of unilateral molar biting and incisor biting on walking with and without visual feedback.

Wnt/β-catenin signaling stimulates the self-renewal of conjunctival stem cells and promotes corneal conjunctivalization.

Limbal stem cell deficiency causes conjunctivalization characterized by the covering of the corneal surface with conjunctival epithelium. However, the driving force for the encroachment of these conjunctival cells is unclear. Conjunctival stem cells are bipotent stem cells that can proliferate and differentiate into conjunctival epithelial cells and goblet cells to maintain regeneration of the conjunctival epithelium.

The association between ambient temperature and children's lung function in Baotou, China.

The objective of this study is to examine the association between ambient temperature and children's lung function in Baotou, China. We recruited 315 children (8-12 years) from Baotou, China in the spring of 2004, 2005, and 2006. They performed three successive forced expiratory measurements three times daily (morning, noon, and evening) for about 5 weeks.

Blood cadmium concentration of residents living near abandoned metal mines in Korea.

The purpose of this study was to investigate demographic and lifestyle variables and blood cadmium concentrations in residents living near abandoned metal mines in Korea. Blood cadmium concentrations were measured in 15,161 subjects living around abandoned metal mines (exposed group, n = 14,464) and compared with those living in designated control areas (control group, n = 697). A questionnaire was provided to all subjects to determine age, gender, mine working history, times of residence, smoking habits and dietary water type.

Blood levels of cadmium and lead in residents near abandoned metal mine areas in Korea.

We analyzed national data on blood lead levels (BLL) and blood cadmium levels (BCL) in residents living near 38 abandoned metal mining areas (n = 5,682, 18-96 years old) in Korea that were collected by the first Health Effect Surveillance for Residents in Abandoned Metal mines (HESRAM) from 2008 to 2011. The geometric mean BCL and BLL were 1.60 μg/L (95 % CI = 1.

Four cases of abnormal neuropsychological findings in children with high blood methylmercury concentrations.

Background: Methylmercury (MeHg) easily crosses the blood-brain barrier and accumulates in the brain. Accumulated MeHg will cause neurological symptoms. We report four pediatric cases of neuropsychological findings with high blood MeHg concentrations.

Association between Low-level Mercury Exposure and Neurobehavioral Functions in Korean Adults Living in a Coastal City.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the association between low-level mercury exposure and neurobehavioral functions in adults living in coastal regions of Korea.

Methods: We selected 172 adults aged 20-65 years living in a city in the coastal region of Korea. A sociodemographic survey was conducted, mercury levels in the blood, urine, and hair were measured, and the associations according to computerized neurobehavioral tests were determined using univariate analysis.

Levels of prenatal mercury exposure and their relationships to neonatal anthropometry in Wujiang City, China.

We determined the levels of prenatal Hg exposure in Wujiang City, located in the southeast of Taihu Lake in China's Jiangsu Province, and analyze the relationship between prenatal exposure to Hg and neonatal anthropometry, including birth weight, body length, and head circumference. From June 2009 to July 2010, a total of 213 mother-infant pairs were enrolled. The geometric means of Hg levels in maternal hair, fetal hair, placentas, and cord blood were 496.

A nanoscale conical polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) sub-wavelength structure with a high aspect ratio realized by a stamping method.

A high aspect ratio conical sub-wavelength structure (SWS) was designed by using rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) method and was realized on polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) film using a stamping technique. The silicon template containing a hexagonal array of conical holes with a period of 350 nm and an aspect ratio of 2.8 was fabricated by electron-beam (e-beam) lithography followed by a two-step etching process.

Effects of airborne metals on lung function in inner Mongolian schoolchildren.

Objectives: To evaluate the effects of particles and their components on lung function.

Methods: A panel study was conducted on 107 primary schoolchildren. The peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) for each subject was measured three times a day for 40 days continuously.

Global trends in mercury management.

The United Nations Environmental Program Governing Council has regulated mercury as a global pollutant since 2001 and has been preparing the mercury convention, which will have a strongly binding force through Global Mercury Assessment, Global Mercury Partnership Activities, and establishment of the Open-Ended Working Group on Mercury. The European Union maintains an inclusive strategy on risks and contamination of mercury, and has executed the Mercury Export Ban Act since December in 2010. The US Environmental Protection Agency established the Mercury Action Plan (1998) and the Mercury Roadmap (2006) and has proposed systematic mercury management methods to reduce the health risks posed by mercury exposure.

Simple fabrication of an antireflective hemispherical surface structure using a self-assembly method for the terahertz frequency range.

A hemispherical surface structure was fabricated on a sapphire substrate by utilizing a self-assembly and spin-coating process for a terahertz (THz) antireflection coating. The self-assembled glass spheres and spin-coated material led to a gradual change in the effective refractive index. The aspect ratio of the hemispherical surface structure was controlled easily by adjusting the thickness of the B-staged bisbenzocyclobutene used as a coating.

Broadband terahertz absorber realized by self-assembled multilayer glass spheres.

A broadband terahertz (THz) absorber consisting of multilayer glass spheres and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was realized. The multilayer glass spheres were deposited by repeating a self-assembly method used to form monolayer glass spheres and by the spin-coating of PDMS to fill the gaps between the glass spheres. The average reflection at the surface of the absorber was 0.

The relationship between the fish consumption and blood total/methyl-mercury concentration of costal area in Korea.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between fish consumption and blood THg/MeHg concentration in Korean adults by measuring MeHg concentration in blood directly. The study subjects consisted of 400 adults aged 20 or older from 30 subareas in Busan, Ulsan and Gyeongsangnam-do province in Korea from August to October, 2010. We tried to recruit the same number of male and female participants in different age groups (20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s) and allocated 13-16 subjects by district to represent Hg concentration in the research areas.

Analysis of methylmercury concentration in the blood of Koreans by using cold vapor atomic fluorescence spectrophotometry.

Background: Methylmercury is an organic form of mercury that is highly toxic to humans. Here, we present and establish a novel method to detect methylmercury concentrations in the blood of Koreans.

Methods: Methylmercury concentration was analyzed with an automated methylmercury analytic system (MERX, Brooks Rand Co.

A high-coverage nanoparticle monolayer for the fabrication of a subwavelength structure on InP substrates.

Subwavelength structures (SWSs) were fabricated on the Indium Phosphide (InP) substrate by utilizing the confined convective self-assembly (CCSA) method followed by reactive ion etching (RIE). The surface condition of the InP substrate was changed by depositing a 30-nm-thick SiO2 layer and subsequently treating the surface with O2 plasma to achieve better surface coverage. The surface coverage of nanoparticle monolayer reached 90% by using O2 plasma-treated SiO2/InP substrate among three kinds of starting substrates such as the bare InP, SiO2/InP and O2 plasma-treated SiO2/InP substrate.

Evaluation of factors associated with cadmium exposure and kidney function in the general population.

Cadmium (Cd) is a nonessential toxic metal which is widely distributed in the environment. The general population is exposed to low levels of Cd and the kidney is the organ most sensitive to Cd toxicity. This study was performed to simultaneously evaluate Cd exposure, kidney function, and oxidative stress biomarkers in the general population.

PM 2.5 collected in a residential area induced Th1-type inflammatory responses with oxidative stress in mice.

Epidemiologists have tried to establish an association between human health and exposure to particulate matter (PM). In addition, many researchers have investigated the adverse effects of PM as a trigger of cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases. It is known that a number of environmental contaminants are attached to PM and the toxicity of PM may depend on the sources.

Gene expression analysis of so called asian dust extracts in human acute myeloid leukemia cells.

As the frequency and the intensity of so called Asian dust (AD) events have increased, public concerns about the adverse health effects has spiked sharply over the last two decades. Despite the recent reports on the correlation between AD events and the risk for cardiovascular and respiratory disease, the nature of the toxicity and the degree of the risk are yet largely unknown. In the present study, we investigated the effects of the dichloromethane extract of AD (AD-X) and that of urban dust (NAD-X) collected during a non-AD period on gene expression in HL-60 cells using Illumina Sentrix HumanRef-8 Expression BeadChips.

Risk assessment of low-level cadmium and arsenic on the kidney.

Cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As) are widely distributed in the environment and are known human carcinogens. Several studies reported that chronic exposure to Cd and As produced renal injuries in humans. As one of the mechanisms, oxidative stress was suggested to play a role in the early process of Cd- and/or As-induced tubular damage in the kidney.