Heavy metal exposure and its effects on APOC3, CFAI, and ZA2G.

Despite increasing heavy metal pollution, traditional epidemiology often fails to link exposure to health outcomes. This study used multi-omics to investigate associations between heavy metal exposure and health. Blood and urine samples from 294 participants in heavy metal-exposed and control areas were analyzed, revealing key biomarkers.

Introduction to the forensic research via omics markers in environmental health vulnerable areas (FROM) study.

This research group (forensic research via omics markers in environmental health vulnerable areas: FROM) aimed to develop biomarkers for exposure to environmental hazards and diseases, assess environmental diseases, and apply and verify these biomarkers in environmentally vulnerable areas. Environmentally vulnerable areas-including refineries, abandoned metal mines, coal-fired power plants, waste incinerators, cement factories, and areas with high exposure to particulate matter-along with control areas, were selected for epidemiological investigations. A total of 1,157 adults, who had resided in these areas for over 10 years, were recruited between June 2021 and September 2023.

Associations between plasma metabolites and heavy metal exposure in residents of environmentally polluted areas.

Heavy metals are commonly released into the environment through industrial processes such as mining and refining. The rapid industrialization that occurred in South Korea during the 1960s and 1970s contributed significantly to the economy of the country; however, the associated mining and refining led to considerable environmental pollution, and although mining is now in decline in South Korea, the detrimental effects on residents inhabiting the surrounding areas remain. The bioaccumulation of toxic heavy metals leads to metabolic alterations in human homeostasis, with disruptions in this balance leading to various health issues.

Uncovering the health implications of abandoned mines through protein profiling of local residents.

Residents in areas with abandoned mines risk significant exposure to abundant heavy metals in the environment. However, current clinical indicators cannot fully reflect the health changes associated with abandoned mine exposure. The aim of this study was to identify biological changes in the residents of abandoned mine areas via proteomic analysis of their blood.

Cadmium-associated protein changes in residents of contaminated areas: Abandoned mine and smelter.

Cadmium (Cd), a serious environmental contaminant, is associated with adverse health effects. However, the specific changes that the human body experiences in response to exposure to varying concentrations of cadmium remain unknown. The high levels of heavy metal contamination, especially Cd, in abandoned mines and smelter sites make them ideal locations to investigate the physiological manifestations of Cd exposure.

Relationship between bisphenol A, bisphenol S, and bisphenol F and serum uric acid concentrations among school-aged children.

Background: Hyperuricemia has a suspected relationship with hypertension, metabolic syndrome, kidney disease, and cardiovascular disease. Endocrine disruptors may affect uric acid metabolism; however, few epidemiologic studies have been performed in children regarding newly developed bisphenol A (BPA) substitutes. We evaluated the associations between BPA, bisphenol S (BPS), and bisphenol F (BPF) exposure and serum uric acid concentrations in 6-year-old Korean children.

Identification of Monoallelically Expressed Genes Associated with Economic Traits in Hanwoo (Korean Native Cattle).

Hanwoo, an indigenous Korean cattle breed, has been genetically improved by selecting superior sires called Korean-proven bulls. However, cows still contribute half of the genetic stock of their offspring, and allelic-specific expressed genes have potential, as selective targets of cows, to enhance genetic gain. The aim of this study is to identify genes that have MAEs based on both the genome and transcriptome and to estimate their effects on breeding values (BVs) for economically important traits in Hanwoo.

The current status of studies of human exposure assessment of microplastics and their health effects: a rapid systematic review.

This rapid systematic review aims to summarize studies of human exposure to microplastics (MPs) and their health effects. For the systematic literature review, we separately searched for review articles and original articles published from 2000 to 2019 in the PubMed, NDSL, KMBASE, and Cochrane databases. A total of 276 review articles and 475 original articles were independently evaluated and eligibility of each article was assessed by two researchers.

Trends in the Prevalence of Childhood Asthma in Seoul Metropolitan City, Korea: The Seoul Atopy ∙ Asthma-friendly School Project.

Objectives: The project Seoul Atopy ∙ Asthma-friendly School investigated the current status of childhood asthma to enable formulation of a preventative policy. We evaluated the current prevalence of childhood asthma in Seoul and its trends and related factors.

Methods: The project was conducted annually from 2011 to 2016 and involved around 35 000 children aged 1-13 years.

Accuracy of Imputation of Microsatellite Markers from BovineSNP50 and BovineHD BeadChip in Hanwoo Population of Korea.

Until now microsatellite (MS) have been a popular choice of markers for parentage verification. Recently many countries have moved or are in process of moving from MS markers to single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers for parentage testing. FAO-ISAG has also come up with a panel of 200 SNPs to replace the use of MS markers in parentage verification.

Artificial selection increased body weight but induced increase of runs of homozygosity in Hanwoo cattle.

Artificial selection has been demonstrated to have a rapid and significant effect on the phenotype and genome of an organism. However, most previous studies on artificial selection have focused solely on genomic sequences modified by artificial selection or genomic sequences associated with a specific trait. In this study, we generated whole genome sequencing data of 126 cattle under artificial selection, and 24,973,862 single nucleotide variants to investigate the relationship among artificial selection, genomic sequences and trait.

Fish consumption, mercury exposure, and the risk of cholesterol profiles: findings from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2010-2011.

In this study, the associations between mercury (Hg) exposure and cholesterol profiles were analyzed, and increased Hg levels and cholesterol profiles according to the amount of fish consumption were evaluated. Data on levels of blood Hg, the frequency of fish consumption, total blood cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglyceride (TG) in 3951 adults were obtained from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2010-2011 database. To compare the distribution for each log-transformed indicator, Student's t-test and analysis of variance were carried out, and the groups were classified according to the frequency of fish consumption through linear regression analysis; the association between Hg level and cholesterol profiles in each group was analyzed.

Identification of the acclimation genes in transcriptomic responses to heat stress of White Pekin duck.

White Pekin duck is an important meat resource in the livestock industries. However, the temperature increase due to global warming has become a serious environmental factor in duck production, because of hyperthermia. Therefore, identifying the gene regulations and understanding the molecular mechanism for adaptation to the warmer environment will provide insightful information on the acclimation system of ducks.

A follow-up study of the association between mobile phone use and symptoms of ill health.

The duration and frequency of mobile phone calls, and their relationship with various health effects, have been investigated in our previous cross-sectional study. This 2-year period follow-up study aimed to assess the changes in these variables of same subjects. The study population comprised 532 non-patient adult subjects sampled from the Korean Genome Epidemiology Study.

A cross-sectional study of the association between mobile phone use and symptoms of ill health.

Objectives: This study analyzed the associations between mobile phone call frequency and duration with non-specific symptoms.

Methods: This study was conducted with a population group including 532 non-patient adults established by the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study. The pattern of phone call using a mobile phone was investigated through face-to-face interview.

Evolutionary Analyses of Hanwoo (Korean Cattle)-Specific Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms and Genes Using Whole-Genome Resequencing Data of a Hanwoo Population.

Advances in next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have enabled population-level studies for many animals to unravel the relationships between genotypic differences and traits of specific populations. The objective of this study was to perform evolutionary analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in genes of Korean native cattle Hanwoo in comparison to SNP data from four other cattle breeds (Jersey, Simmental, Angus, and Holstein) and four related species (pig, horse, human, and mouse) obtained from public databases through NGS-based resequencing. We analyzed population structures and differentiation levels for the five cattle breeds and estimated species-specific SNPs with their origins and phylogenetic relationships among species.

Design of anti-BVDV drug based on common chemical features, their interaction, and scaffolds of TLR8 agonists.

In the absence of an experimental bTLR8 structure, recent studies have called attention to the fact that bTLR8 can also be activated by hTLR7/hTLR8 agonist, such as antiviral imidazoquinoline derivatives of resiquimod (R848) and imiquimod (R837) as well as some guanine nucleotide analogs with a scaffold structure related to the nucleic acids of ssRNA virus. In particular, the known small agonists (namely CL075, CL097 and R848) have been targeted to determine distinguishable deciding factors in complex with dimeric bTLR8-ECDs in comparison to ligand-induced activated hTLR8-ECDs. According to basic knowledge, the deciding eligibility criteria can be subsequently applied in our bTLR8 model to characterize the 3D-arrangement of chemical features (pharmacophore) and to investigate the distinct restrictions affecting species-specificity on dual TLR7/TLR8 small agonists suggested in previous works.

Analysis of extended haplotype in Korean cattle (Hanwoo) population.

Korean cattle (Hanwoo) are categorized into three breeds based on color: brown, brindle, and black. Among these breeds, brown Hanwoo has been subjected to intensive selection to improve meat traits. To identify genetic traces driven by recent selection in brown Hanwoo, we scanned the genomes of brown and brindle Hanwoo using a bovine SNP chip.

Genomic Footprints in Selected and Unselected Beef Cattle Breeds in Korea.

Korean Hanwoo cattle have been subjected to intensive artificial selection over the past four decades to improve meat production traits. Another three cattle varieties very closely related to Hanwoo reside in Korea (Jeju Black and Brindle) and in China (Yanbian). These breeds have not been part of a breeding scheme to improve production traits.