Blood and urine samples were taken from 447 welders exposed to manganese containing welding fumes and 127 office workers not exposed to welding fumes as a control. The air samples were analyzed by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer (Varian 30A, Australia), and blood and urine samples were analyzed by flameless atomic absorption spectrophotometer(Z-8100, Hibachi, Japan). Data were evaluated in accordance with type of industry, smoking habits, and work duration. The results obtained were as follows: 1. The limit of detection(LOD) levels of manganese in blood and urine were 0.11 microgram/100ml of and 0.14 microgram/l, respectively. Our results of manganese concentration were shown within +/-2 standard deviation which was the upper and lower warning limit (UWL or LWL) on quality control chart. 2. The airborne concentrations of manganese in welding workplaces were 0.067 mg/m3 showing differences by type of industry ; 0.017 mg/m3 in automobile assembly and manufacturing industries, 0.084 mg/m3 in steel heavy industries and 0.180 mg/m3 in shipyards. 3. The blood manganese concentrations showed differences by type of industry showing the highest values of 1.70 microgram/100m1 in shipyards, 1.24 microgram/100m1 in automobile assembly and manufacturing industries and 1.11 microgram/100ml in steel heavy industries. Urinary manganese concentration corrected by urinary creatinine concentrations was 0.34 microgram/g creatinine in automobile assembly and manufacturing industries, 0.43 microgram/g creatinine in steel heavy industries and 0.48 microgram/g creatinine in shipyards. There were no difference urinary manganese concentrations by type of industry. 4. The overall blood manganese concentration was 1.26 microgram/100ml, and urinary manganese concentration was 0.35 microgram/g creatinine in welders. In contrast to these values, blood and urinary manganese concentrations were lower in control group showing 0.73 microgram/100m1, and 0.28 microgram/g creatinine, respectively. 5. Smoking habits did not seem to affect on blood and urinary manganese concentrations both in welders and office workers. 6. Blood manganese concentrations were significantly higher in welder who had worked longer than 10 years than in welder who had worked less than 10 years. 7. The blood manganese concentrations were significantly correlated to airborne manganese concentrations(r=0.318, n=64), work duration(r=0.425, n=538), and cumulative exposure indices(CEI) (r=0.354, n=64).
Absorption ; Automobiles ; Creatinine ; Manganese* ; Metallurgy ; Quality Control ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Steel ; Welding*

No abstract available.
Stents* ; Ureter*

Neospora caninum is an important cause of abortion in cattle, and dogs are its only known definitive host. Its seroprevalence among domestic urban and rural dogs and feral raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides koreensis) in Korea was studied by indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) and by the neospora agglutination test (NAT), respectively. Antibodies to N. caninum were found in 8.3% of urban dogs and in 21.6% of dogs at dairy farms. Antibody titers ranged from 1: 50 to 1: 400. Antibodies to N. caninum were found in six (23%) of 26 raccoon dogs. However, the potential role of raccoon dogs as a source of horizontal transmission of bovine neosporosis needs further investigation. The results of this study suggest that there is a close relationship between N. caninum infection among dairy farm dogs and cattle in Korea. This study reports for the first time upon the seroprevalence of N. caninum infection in raccoon dogs in Korea.
Animals ; Animals, Domestic ; Animals, Wild ; Antibodies, Protozoan/*blood ; Carnivora/*parasitology ; Coccidiosis/epidemiology/*veterinary ; Dog Diseases/*epidemiology/parasitology ; Dogs ; Korea/epidemiology ; Neospora/*immunology ; Seroepidemiologic Studies

No abstract available.

OBJECTIVES: The authors present a retrospective analysis of 14 patients treated for spinal cord hemangioblastoma (SCH) between Dec. 1986 and Mar. 2000. This study was conducted to evaluate and compare the difference of the functional outcomes associated with the extent of surgical removal of SCH. METHODS: Eleven patients were male and three patients were female. Their mean age was 37.2 years that ranged from 19 to 62 years. Preoperative magnetic resonance(MR) imaging of the spine was performed in all cases, and preoperative angiography in eleven cases. They were followed from 15 months to 161 months(median follow-up period, 47 months), and we investigated the change of neurological symptoms and functional outcomes with radiological features, especially on MR imaging. RESULTS: Six patients were accompanied by von Hippel-Lindau disease, and three of them had multiple CNS tumors. Thirteen patients had intramedullary tumor, and the remaining one had extradural. Syringomyelia around the tumor was observed in ten cases. All patients underwent surgical removal, and gross total removal(GTR) was achieved in ten cases. Preoperative embolization was performed in four cases. In four patients who were treated with preoperative embolization, intraoperative loss of blood was minimal and GTR was possible. One patient developed a transient swallowing difficulty postoperatively without permanent postoperative neurological deficits. In three of four patients in whom GTR was not possible, their functional outcomes were worsened postoperatively. The functional status at discharge was improved in seven patients, stationary in four patients, and worse in three. At the last follow-up(15-161 months), one of four patients who had been stationary at discharge showed improvement but, the rest did not show any change. All patients who showed neurological improvement were patients with GTR, and the patients with GTR had significant better outcome than those without GTR(p=0.015). CONCLUSION: Surgical treatment, and especially, GTR is considered as treatment of choice for spinal cord hemangioblastoma. Preoperative embolization may prevent intraoperative bleeding and improve surgical outcome.
Angiography ; Deglutition ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemangioblastoma* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Cord* ; Spine ; Syringomyelia ; von Hippel-Lindau Disease

Stevens-Johnson syndrome is considered to be a severe type of erythema exsudativum multiforme. It is characterized by erythema with vesicobullous and eroded lesions of skin and mucous membranes. The importance in anesthetic management of Stevens-Johnson syndrome is preventing injury of the oropharyngeal and tracheal membrane at intubation because soft oral airways may cause bleeding and push tissue debris into the pharynx and larynx. In addition, anesthesiologist should take care of complications such as transitory atrial fibrillation, interstitial myocarditis, pericarditis, pneumothrax, acute renal insufficiency and conjunctivitis. A 5-year-old male, previously diagnosed with Stevens-Johnson syndrome and treated with a steroid, was noted as having dyspnea on rest, coughing, jaundice, and fever. Even after aggressive medical management for status asthmaticus during the preoperative period, dyspnea and expiratory wheezing did not improve. He underwent a resection of the gall bladder, lung and liver biopsy in spite of a great risk of perioperative pulmonary complications. After treatment with epinephrine, and aminophylline, the peak inspiratory pressure was 40 cmH2O with mild hypercarbia (PaCO2 45 50 mmHg). We report the anesthetic considerations for a case of Steven-Johnson syndrome with status asthmaticus.
Acute Kidney Injury ; Aminophylline ; Atrial Fibrillation ; Biopsy ; Child, Preschool ; Conjunctivitis ; Cough ; Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A1 ; Dyspnea ; Epinephrine ; Erythema ; Fever ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Intubation ; Jaundice ; Larynx ; Liver ; Lung ; Male ; Membranes ; Mucous Membrane ; Myocarditis ; Pericarditis ; Pharynx ; Preoperative Period ; Respiratory Sounds ; Skin ; Status Asthmaticus* ; Stevens-Johnson Syndrome* ; Urinary Bladder

BACKGROUND: The aim of this research was to find out the costs of diabetes, as research in a prospective cohort study looking into the development of diabetic complications followed by treatment intervention by a medical institution. The research compared the changes in medical costs by following-up on the treatment details of diagnosed diabetes for the last 10 years in a university hospital. METHODS: The research used data of outpatient, inpatient, pharmaceutical and total medical costs, from 1996 to 2005, of individual patients who were diagnosed with diabetic patients, to analyze the outpatient and inpatient total medical cost changes over the years. RESULTS: After antidiabetic drug, in the case of outpatient treatment, pharmaceutical costs increased on average by about 25,000 won a month for diabetic patients without complications and by 35,000 won for diabetic patients with microvascular complications. Outpatient medical costs were affected after drug treatment by as much of an increase as created by the pharmaceutical costs. The total medical costs, that is the sum of inpatient and outpatient costs, decreased by 30~40% compared to that before drug treatment. In the case of total medical cost, MI or ESRD cost 2~3 times more in pharmaceutical costs than before the development of complications. The total medical costs of diabetic patients with CVA, MI and ESRD complications increased in the first year after development of the complication, and this was followed by a decrease in the next year, showing a tendency to remain constant with no increase or decrease over subsequent years. This means that the total medical costs of patients with complications remain continuously large throughout the life of the diagnosed patient. CONCLUSION: For diabetic patients, pharmaceutical costs are the most important factor in determining outpatient medical costs.
Cohort Studies ; Diabetes Complications ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Outpatients ; Prospective Studies

OBJECTIVE: Peroxiredoxins (Prxs) play an important role in regulating cellular differentiation and proliferation in several types of mammalian cells. This report examined the expression of Prx isotype I in the rat ovary after hormone treatment. METHODS: Immature rats were injected with 10 IU of pregnant mare's serum gonadotropin (PMSG) to induce the growth of multiple preovulatory follicles and 10 IU of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) to induce ovulation. Immature rats were also treated with diethylstilbestrol (DES), an estrogen analogue, to induce the growth of multiple immature follicles. Northern blot analysis was performed to detect gene expression. Cell-type specific localization of Prx I mRNA were detected by in situ hybridization analysis. RESULTS: During follicle development, ovarian Prx I gene expression was detected in 3-day-old rats and had increased in 21-day-old rats. The levels of Prx I mRNA slightly declined one to two days following treatment with DES. A gradual increase in Prx I gene expression was observed in ovaries obtained from PMSG-treated immature rats. Furthermore, hCG treatment of PMSG-primed rats resulted in a gradual stimulation of Prx I mRNA levels by 24 hours (2.1-fold increase) following treatment, which remained high until 72 hours following treatment. In situ hybridization analysis revealed the expression of the Prx I gene in the granulosa cells of PMSG-primed ovaries and in the corpora lutea of ovaries stimulated with hCG for 72 hours. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate the gonadotropin and granulosa cell-specific stimulation of Prx I gene expression, suggesting its role as a local regulator of follicle development.
Animals ; Blotting, Northern ; Chorionic Gonadotropin ; Corpus Luteum ; Diethylstilbestrol ; Estrogens ; Female ; Gene Expression ; Gonadotropins ; Granulosa Cells ; In Situ Hybridization ; Ovarian Follicle ; Ovary ; Ovulation ; Peroxiredoxins ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; RNA, Messenger

No abstract available.
Coronary Vessels* ; Pulmonary Artery*

PURPOSE: To evaluate the color Doppler imaging patterns of hepatoma, hemangioma, and metastasis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study comprised 37 patients with liver mass lesions: 12 patients had hepatoma, 15 had hemangiomas and10 had metastatic liver cancers. All 37, who showed hepatic mass on gray scale ultrasonogrphy, were analyzed prospectively. Color mapping of tumors was performed for these patients, and the fastest or next fastest vessel was spectrally analysed to show blood pattern and to measure peak velocity. RESULTS: In all the 12 patients with hepatoma, spectral analysis revealed exteusive pulsating arterial blood flow within the tumor ; peak velocities were 7~65cm/sec(mean 34cm/sec). In ten hemangiomas(66%) color mapping revealed blood flow within the tumor and spectral analysis revealed this possibility in eight of the ten tumors. In none of these patients was a pulsating continous wave observed ; peak velocity was 5~21cm/sec(mean 12.8cm/sec). In no mestastatic tumors was blood flow observed. CONCLUSION: Color Doppler imaging is helpful in the differentiation of hepatoma, hemangioma, and metastatic tumor in the liver.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Hemangioma ; Humans ; Liver ; Liver Neoplasms ; Neoplasm Metastasis