No abstract available.
Carbon Disulfide* ; Carbon* ; Korea*

The carpal tunnel syndromes is one of the most common peripheral nerve entrapment syndromes. The typical symptoms are pain, numbness and paresthesia in the median nerve territory of the hand. Recently, it is widely recognized that occupational factor is regarded as the important cause of the carpal tunnel syndrome. Clinical study is performed in the 42 female workers who is repetitively working at packing department in a rayon manufacturing factory from November 1991 till March 1992. The study included a questionnaire, physical examinations, and the neurophysiological test. The summary of the results obtained was as follows: 1. Among 42 packing workers, 9 workers(21.4%) were diagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome by electromyography. The affected side was bilateral in 4 workers(9.5%), right in 4 workers(9.5%), and left in one worker(2.4%). 2. Among 42 subjects, 28 workers(66.7%) complained the clinical symptoms related to carpal tunnel syndrome, 11 workers(26.2%) showed positive Phalen sign, and 7 workers(16.7%) showed positive Tinel sign. 3. Researchers regard electromyographic finding as the gold standard for diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome. The sensitivity and specificity of the clinical symptoms to diagnose the carpal tunnel syndrome were 0.89, 0.39 respectively. If the carpal tunnel syndrome is diagnosed by the combination of the positive findings of the symptoms and the physical examinations, either Tinel of Phalen sign, the sensitivity and specificity were 0.67 and 0.76 respectively. Considering above results, though this small number of worker is not adequate for epidemiologic conclusions, carpal tunnel syndrome seems to be an important occupational disorder among packing workers in a rayon manufacturing factory.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome* ; Diagnosis ; Electromyography ; Female ; Fibrinogen ; Hand ; Humans ; Hypesthesia ; Median Nerve ; Occupations ; Paresthesia ; Peripheral Nerves ; Physical Examination ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Sensitivity and Specificity

The disc internal disruption syndrome is not well known to us, but the following hypothesis is widely accepted in clinical practice. The disc internal disruption syndrome may develop intractable back pain with aggravated of pain, loss of spinal motion with any physical exercise, leg pain, loss of energy, marked weight loss, and profound depression. The patient with this syndrome will be found to have normal plain roentgenograms, myelograms, CT scans, results of blood examination and neurologic findings. For these reasons, this syndrome was frequently diagnosed by abnormal discographic findings. We had experience with two cases of disc internal disruption syndrome with clinical, roentgenographic and discographic evaluations. Thus we present these case with a brief review of the concerned literature.
Back Pain ; Depression ; Exercise ; Humans ; Leg ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Weight Loss

No abstract available.
Solvents*

Since the term “facet syndrome” was introduced by Ghormley in 1933, arthropathy of the lumbar facet joint has long been recognized as an important source of low back pain, even sciatic pain. And facet joint injection has been helpful in the diagnosis and therapy for this facet syndrome. However, considering the possible complications such as infection, neurologic deficit and difficulty in locating the symptpmatic joint, and placebo effect, we have frequently doubted about clinical application of these procedures. This study is a retrospective review of 18 patients who got lumber facet joint injection for low back and leg pain with various previous indication that are not response to convential therapy for 2 months or more for therapeutic purpose. The response to facet joint injection was analyzed according to the entire spectrum of symptoms, physical findings, and X-ray findings. 13 or 15 patients with back pain with thigh or groin pain aggrevated by extension/rotation of trunk had successful response but patients with leg pain below the knee joint or pathology in the other structures in the spine got poor response. Strict diagnostic criteria through scoring system, provocation test, relief test and analysis of patient's signs and symptoms is needed to get higher degree of predictability and effectiveness of facet joint injection.
Back Pain ; Diagnosis ; Groin ; Humans ; Joints ; Knee Joint ; Leg ; Low Back Pain ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Pathology ; Placebo Effect ; Retrospective Studies ; Spine ; Thigh ; Zygapophyseal Joint

No abstract available.

To observe the change in the status of stresses according to three different postural angulation of an intervertebral disc with or without nucleus pulposus, 6 specimens of a 3-dimensional photoelastic model of the spine were made of epoxy. The nucleus pulposus portion was replaced with silicon in three models, and the three were made without silicon. Through axial application of a vertical compressive load of 8 kg, the peculiar patterns of the isochromatic fringes were observed. Stresses on the intervertebral disc were analyzed according to three different postural angulations of the intervertebral disc with the nucleus pulposus and without the nucleus pulposus. The results of these study are as follow: 1. In an erect neutral posture with the nucleus pulposus, the stress concentration was much increased at the posterior portion rather than at the anterior portion. Also, the high stress was concentrated at the medial and central portion. In an erect neutral posture without the nucleus pulposus, the stress concentration was much increased at the anterior portion rather than at the posterior portion and the stress distribution seemed to be locally concentrated. 2. In a maximal flexed posture, the stress concentration was much increased at the posterior portion rather than at the anterior portion. Comparing the presence of the nucleus pulposus with the absence of the nucleus pulposus, the stress concentration was lower at the anterior portion in the presence of the nucleus pulposus than in the absence of the nucleus pulposus. However, the stress distribution at the posterior portion was nearly same in the two groups. According to the analysis of the stress distribution diagram, as a whole, the stress pattern around the disc was evenly distributed. 3. In a maximal extended posture, the higher concentration of the stress distribution at the anterior and medial portion rather than in the posterior and lateral portion was observed. The stress concentration was higher in the presence of the nucleus pulposus than in the absence of the nucleus pulposus. 4. Comparing the maximal flexed posture with the erect neutral posture, the stress concentration in the flexed posture was much decreased in the posterior portion rather than in the erect neutral posture, and an even distribution of the stress pattern in the flexed posture was observed. 5. In the presence of the nucleus pulposus, at the anterior and posterior portion, the stress concentration in the flexed posture was much decreased compared with the extended posture. In the absence of the nucleus pulposus, at the anterior and posterior portion, the stress concentration in the extended posture was much decreased compared with the flexed posture.
Intervertebral Disc* ; Posture ; Silicon ; Spine

Experimental osteoarthritis has been studied by various methods such as local compression of the joint, immobilization of the joint, relief of the contact and incision of the meniscus. The instability caused by the ligament injuries of the knee joints of the rabbits induced degenerative changes of the articular cartilages. After excision of the medial collateral ligament, medial meniscus and both cruciate ligament, the articular cartilages were observed serially after 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 weeks, grossly and microscopically. The results obtained are as follows; 1. Loss of transluscency and luster was observed even in the early group of the first week, and was followed by erosion and fissure on the articular cartilage in the groups of the third and later weeks grossly. 2. Microscopically, cluster formation of the chondrocytes on the articular cartilage was observed in the group of the first week and there was tendency of increase in its numbers and extents in the subsquent groups. Fibrillation and cleft formation was also observed in these groups. 3. Loss of metachromasia was observed in the groups of the second and subsquent weeks, but it was most prominant in the groups of the sixth and eighth weeks. 4. The tendancy of cluster formation was more prominent, compared with those of fibrillation or erosion.
Cartilage, Articular ; Chondrocytes ; Collateral Ligaments ; Immobilization ; Joints ; Knee Joint ; Knee ; Ligaments ; Menisci, Tibial ; Osteoarthritis ; Rabbits

No abstract available.
Oxidoreductases*

Epidermal keratinocytes are important sources of a wide variety of cytokines that include the endothelin-1 (ET-1). Glucocorticoids have been shown to inhibit the production of several cytokines. However, their effect on ET-1 synthesis by keratinocytes is still unknown. It has been reported that ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation stimulates both the synthesis and release of ET-1 and it was observed that ET-1 secretion by HaCat cells increased with increasing UVB exposure. In this study, the effects of glucocorticoid on ET-1 production were evaluated using cultured HaCat keratinocytes. The results showed that dexamethasone suppressed basal re-lease of ET-1. In addition, it strongly inhibited the UVB-mediated augmentation of ET-1 production. Furthermore, lincomycin slightly enhanced the inhibitory effect of dexamethasone on ET-1 synthesis.
Cytokines ; Dexamethasone* ; Endothelin-1 ; Glucocorticoids ; Keratinocytes* ; Lincomycin