To control the spread of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in cattle through contaminated animal feedstuffs, screening of feed products is essential. We designed five pairs of primers to identify specifically raw and heat-treated tissue from cattle, sheep, goat, deer, and ruminants in general. A forward common primer was designed based on a conserved DNA sequence in the mitochondrial 12S rRNA-tRNA(val)-16S rRNA gene, and reverse primers were designed to hybridize with a species-specific DNA sequence for each species considered. All primers were developed to create a specific PCR product small enough (less than 200 bp) to be suitable for heat-treated material. To evaluate the effect of heat treatment, a severe sterilization condition (133 degrees C at 300 kPa for 20 min) was chosen. Species-specific amplicons were obtained from all types of heat-treated meat meals. Analysis of laboratory-contaminated vegetable meals revealed that the detection limit of the assay was 0.05% for each species analyzed. This PCR-based analysis can be used as a routine method for detecting banned animal-derived ingredients in raw and heat-treated feedstuffs.

Background: The objective of this study was to investigate Korean people's awareness about impact of the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident in Japan and radioactive contamination caused by it. Materials and Methods: The respondents of the survey were 600 adults who resided in the Seoul metropolitan area. Results and discussion:The survey results show that the majority of respondents were concerned about impact of radiation leakage that might have an effect on our environment. They were worried about radioactive contamination of foodstuffs, particularly fishery products and preferred to acquire information through TV(49.8%) or the Internet(31.3%). Meanwhile, respondents mentioned that the information on the Fukushima nuclear accident and radioactive contamination had not been sufficient and they didn't know well about the follow-up measures of the government on the accident. Most respondents answered that information on radioactive contamination levels and safety of foods and environment was most needed. Conclusion:The results of this study could be useful to enhance awareness on radioactivity and improve risk communication on nuclear power plant accidents.

Background: Roller shoes (Heelys), which have one or more removable wheels embedded in each sole, allow the wearer to walk, run, or roll by shifting their weight to their heels. Objectives: The aim of this study was to analyze pediatric roller shoe injuries in Korea. Methods: Injury cases associated with roller shoes were collected from the consumer injury surveillance system of the Korea customer agency and analyzed. Results: Questionnaire survey was conducted among 300 elementary school pupils. One hundred pediatric roller shoe wearers (RSWs) were assessed regarding whether they wore protective equipment. Among the 29 injury cases, 24 were safety accidents, and most of them were caused by falls while rolling. Hand and wrist injuries were the most common (25.0%), followed by injuries to the face, arm, and leg. Contusion was the most common type of injury (39.1%), followed by laceration and fractures. Among the 300 children surveyed, 23.0% had roller shoes. The minority of children (27.5%) reported using roller shoes alone. Most of the RSWs answered that they had the experience of rolling in multiuse facilities. The most frequently visited multiuse facilities were department stores (72.5%), followed by shopping malls, and food courts or cafes. Over half of RSWs answered that they had experienced rolling in danger zones for safety accident, and 47.8% reported experiencing accidents. About two-thirds of RSWs answered that they did not remove the wheel while walking. Most of RSWs (82.6%) indicated that they didn't wear protective equipment. Among the 100 children wearing roller shoes, 99 did not wear any kind of protective device; only one child wore a helmet, elbow protector, and knee protector. Conclusions: RSWs are recommended to wear protective equipment and to be accompanied by parents. Inside commercial facilities, signs prohibiting the wearing of roller shoes should be affixed.