Purpose: Regarding workers’ health promotion and disease prevention, the law on the health management system has been enacted and implemented since 1961. However, regulations related to health managers do not meet recent demands for changes in fields such as industrial structure, occupational health problems, or the improvement of occupational health skills. This study aimed to suggest improvement strategies regarding the health management system in the workplace. Methods: We summarized past empirical or theoretical literature. Results: This study summarized the overview and history of the Korean occupational health management system, advanced foreign occupational health management system, and the effectiveness of the health management at workplace. Further, this study proposed various strategies to improve the occupational health management system in Korea. Method: We summarized past empirical or theoretical literature. Conclusion The effective operation of the health management system in the workplace would improve workers' health, in addition to enhancing national competitiveness through securing a healthy workforce.

Plasma carotenoid levels were compared among 64 healthy male subjects (control) and 38 patients of ischemic heart disease(IHD) and 20 ones of cerebral infarction(CI) all of whom were over 50years of age. Another 98 healthy male subjects aged 23 to 58 were selected to compare their plasma carotenoid levels by age groups, Levels of lutein, zeaxanthin and crpytoxanthin were lower in IHD(34+/-2, 13+/-1 and 62+/-7 microgram/dl)and CI(36+/-3, 12+/-2 and 41+/-6 microgram/dl)patient groups than in control group (84+/-5, 16+/-2 and 69+/-3 microgram/dl) while those of lycopene, alpha-and beta-carotene varied little among the three groups. The sum of the six carotenoid levels were levels were, therefore,highest(205+/-14 microgram/dl) in the control group followed by IHD(155+/-15 microgram/dl) and CI(128+/-17 microgram/dl) patient groups, Among the 98 healthy male subject for the age group study, levels of the three major carotenoids increased with age from the twenties to the fifities ; lutein, from 64+/-6 to 89+/-8 microgram/dl, cryptoxanthin, 57+/-8 to 73+/-4 microgram/dl and beta-carotene were more significantly correlated(r=0.30 to 0.61, p<0.01), whereas levels of lycopene and alpha-caroteme were significantly(r=0.21 - 0.23, p<0.05) correlated.
beta Carotene ; Cardiovascular Diseases* ; Carotenoids ; Cerebral Infarction ; Daegu* ; Heart ; Humans ; Lutein ; Male ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Plasma*

Dissociated horizontal deviation(DHD) is a rare type of dissociative strabismus. It dose not obey the Hering`s law of equal innervation and is expressed in associated with dissociated vertical deviation or asymmetrical nystagmus blockage syndrome. We observed 6 cases of DHD among the patients with refractive accommodative esotropia associated with amblyopia. The mean age of the patients was 3.6 years and the average refractive error was +5.35D in the dominant eyes and +6.29D in the amblyopic eyes. The average visual acuity was 0.38 with the dominant eyes and 0.17 with the amblyopic eyes. The average angle of deviation was 40.0delta with fixation in the dominant eyes and 24.3delta in the amblyopic eyes. The authors speculate that this difference of angle deviation was caused by the weaker accommodative convergence at the time of fixation by the amblyopic eye that appeared to have decreased accommodative amplitudes.
Amblyopia* ; Esotropia* ; Humans ; Jurisprudence ; Refractive Errors ; Strabismus ; Visual Acuity

The cystic mesothelioma is a very rare tumor which has a clinically and histologically benign nature. Here in reported is the case of a cystic mesothelioma presented as a palpable mass of the inguinal area in a 28-year-old male. Ultrasound showed a cystic tumor at the inguinal canal, and the other physical and laboratory examinations were within normal limits. Grossly, the tumor consisted of cysts containing clear serous fluid and focally solid areas. Microscopically, the tumor was encapsulated with fibrocollagenous wall, and the tumor cells were cuboidal or polygonal epithelial cells with single or multiple layers and had clear cytoplasm. Some areas showed thyroid follicle-like structures. The content of follicle-like structures showed eosinophilia in the H&E section, but positive in mucin stain. Neither cytologic atypia nor mitoses were present. Immunohistochemical staining revealed positive reaction for keratins of low molecular weight, while negative for the thyroglobulin and CEA. These findings suggested mesothelial in origin. We concluded that this tumor was primary rather than metastatic, because he had no evidence of a tumor in gastrointestinal, genitourinary tracts and scrotum.
Adult ; Cytoplasm ; Eosinophilia ; Epithelial Cells ; Humans ; Inguinal Canal ; Male ; Mesothelioma, Cystic* ; Mitosis ; Molecular Weight ; Mucins ; Scrotum ; Thyroglobulin ; Thyroid Gland ; Ultrasonography

This is a study to determine if there is a significant relationship between eye movement and alcohol intake at and below the legal limit of 0.05% blood alcohol concentration [BAC], and to identify the minimal BAC that causes significant change in eye movement. Twenty healthy males were orally given 0.57g/kg alcohol. After the alcohol intake, the BAC was measured at 10 minute intervals along with measurements of saccadic velocity, latency, and gain of pursuit movement of the eye. Linear regression analysis between BAC < or =0.05%and saccadic velocity and latency resulted in correlation coefficients of 0.258 and 0.306 respectively[p<0.005], while gain of pursuit movement had no relation to BAC.The latency at 0.05~0.06%BAC interval increased compared with the values before alcohol intake, with statistical significance [p<0.05 ]. Although there existed variations among subjects, a significant functional change of eye movement developed at 0.05%BAC, the legal limit of alcohol.Eye movement is thought to be a valuable indicator of CNS depression by alcohol and prolonged latency of saccadic eye movement by alcohol may be the explanation for increased risk of traffic accidents after alcohol intake.
Accidents, Traffic ; Depression ; Eye Movements* ; Humans ; Linear Models ; Male ; Saccades

This study was carried out with 343(161 male, 182 female) elementary school children to investigate the relationship between 5th and 6th grade males and females of living in Chuncheon city. The degrees of going without a meal and overeating showed high in breakfast and dinner respectively. Also most children responded that they eat more than usual when they are under stress. After having dinner, 52.8% of the children ate snacks. 64.7% of the children have unbalanced diets with the main reason being they don't like the peculiar smell that some foods have. Most children sleep 8 hours and go to school on foot, and 74.3% of the children enjoy indoor activities in their spare time. The regularity of exercise shows a low level of 39.1%. In weight control, 51.0% of the children take no interest in it. Thirty percent of the children get their nutrition knowledge from school and the order of average mark of their nutrition knowledge is poor(40.5%), fair(36.4%), and excellent(23.0%). Most children like sweet taste. It is prevalent that the children think instant food is not good for their health, and their preference for instant food is on a fair level. The most popular instant food is in the order of ddogbbokki, ice-cream, kimbap, fried chicken and pork cutlet.
Breakfast ; Chickens ; Child* ; Diet ; Female ; Food Habits* ; Foot ; Gangwon-do ; Humans ; Hyperphagia ; Male ; Meals ; Smell ; Snacks

BACKGOUND: Bacterial endotoxin or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is believed to mediate the tissue damage and shock observed in Gram-negative sepsis (GNS) by initiating a cascade of events, including activation of the coagulation, fibrinolytic and complement systems, and release of proinflammatory cytokines. However, the clinical pictures that result from GNS and endotoxin are quite different. The physiologic changes induced with LPS were investigated in this study. METHODS: Fifty two male Sprague-Dawley rats were injected intraperitoneally with Escherichia coli LPS. Blood samples and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid were obtained at baseline and at 2, 4, 8, 16, 24, and 48 hours after injection. Nitrate/nitrite levels were measured from plasma and BAL samples. Lipid peroxide (LPO) levels were measured from plasma. We measured also protein concentration and number of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNL) and macrophages from BAL samples. RESULTS: Administration of LPS caused significant increase in nitrate/nitrite concentrations of plasma and BAL fluid (p<0.01). ED50 of LPS was 1.76 mg/kg in plasma nitrate/nitrite assay. Plasma LPO levels were increased slightly after administration of LPS, but no statistical significance. Protein concentration was increased significantly (p<0.01) 4 hours after the administration of LPS. LPS induced increase of the number of PMNLs and macrophages of BAL samples significantly (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: LPS increased NO production and alveolar permeability in rats. Also, LPS increased the number of inflammatory cells in the lung.
Animals ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage ; Complement System Proteins ; Cytokines ; Escherichia coli ; Humans ; Lung ; Macrophages ; Male ; Neutrophils ; Nitric Oxide ; Permeability ; Pharmacology ; Plasma ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Sepsis ; Shock

PURPOSE: Chemotherapeutic agents are known to induce cell death in cancer cells by apoptotic mechanisms. This study was to investigate the influence of the differentiation on the apoptotic potential of chemotherapeutic agents. METHODS: Etoposide and cytosine arabinoside (Ara-C) were chosen as chemotherapeutic agents, and human promyelocytic leukemia cell line, HL-60, was used as target cells. RESULTS: Etoposide or Ara-C treated HL-60 cells showed cytoplasmic blebbing and nuclear condensation and fragmentation under fluorescence microscope when stained with acridine orange/ethidium bromide. In addition, the cellular DNA of HL-60 cells was found to cleave into internucleosomal fragments after treatment with chemotherapeutic agents. These findings were the characteristics of apoptosis and suggested the induction of apoptotic cell death of HL-60 cells by etoposide or Ara-C treatment. HL-60 cells are known to differentiate into myeloid or monocytic lineage by retinoic acid, phorbol 12-myristate acetate (PMA) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), and this differentiation itself can activate apoptosis program, so-called 'apoptosis by terminal differentiation'. The effect of terminal differentiation by PMA or DMSO on the apoptosis induced by etoposide or Ara-C was also investigated, utilizing qualitative and quantitative DNA fragmentation assay. HL-60 cells treated with PMA (100 nM) were adherent to culture dish and formed cellular processes. DMSO (1.25%) treated HL-60 cells instead recovered the ability to reduce nitroblue tetrazolium to blue-to-purple formazan, indicating its differentiation. After induction of differentiation by PMA or DMSO, differentiated HL-60 cells were treated with etoposide (10 muM) and Ara-C (50 muM) to compare its apoptotic potential with that of undifferentiated HL-60 cells. The ladder DNA induced by etoposide and Ara-C was decreased in differentiated HL-60 cells. On quantitative analysis of DNA fragmentation, PMA reduced DNA fragmentation induced by etoposide and Ara-C to 73% and 69%, respectively, and DMSO reduced it to 74% and 56%, respectively. In western blot analysis, the expression of Bcl-2, which is known to inhibit etoposide and Ara-C induced apoptosis, decreased significantly in HL-60 cells differentiated by PMA or DMSO. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the differentiation of HL-60 cells by PMA or DMSO prevents apoptosis by etoposide and Ara-C, but bcl-2 proto-oncogene may have only minor role in inhibiting apoptosis by chemotherapeutic agents in differentiated HL-60 cell.
Apoptosis* ; Blister ; Blotting, Western ; Cell Death ; Cell Line* ; Cytarabine ; Cytoplasm ; Dimethyl Sulfoxide ; DNA ; DNA Fragmentation ; Etoposide ; Fluorescence ; HL-60 Cells ; Humans* ; Leukemia ; Nitroblue Tetrazolium ; Proto-Oncogenes ; Tretinoin

BACKGROUND: Although post-anesthetic shivering may be a temporary phenomenon, it leads to detrimental effects such as increased oxygen consumption, hypoxemia, and difficulty in monitoring. Doxapram is a relatively new treatment for post-anesthetic shivering, but there have been few reports about its minimum effective dose. The purpose of this study was to find the minimum dose of doxapram which would show an antishivering effect. METHODS: Sixty patients who had developed post-anesthetic shivering were divided into six groups of ten patients each. The groups were divided into a control group, which received normal saline, and the doxapram groups, which received five different doses of doxapram (0.15, 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 mg/kg). The antishivering effect (2, 5, 10, 15 minutes after treatment), blood pressure, heart rate and temperature were compared among the groups. RESULTS: There was a significant difference in antishivering effect between the group which received normal saline and the groups which received doxapram; however, there was no significant difference within the groups which received doxapram. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the dose of doxapram required to achieve an antishivering effect is much less than that currently in use.
Anoxia ; Blood Pressure ; Doxapram* ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Oxygen Consumption ; Shivering*