Background: Compressor fishing is a strategy adopted by small-scale artisanal fishers of coastal communities in Panay, Western Visayas. The practice persists among subsistence Lampirong fisher-divers whose livelihood depends on seasonal fishing. Placuna placenta known locally as Lampirong, is valued for its shells, which are made into shell craft like the famous capiz window. Related studies which examined traditional diving practices and compressor fishing identified risk factors such as inappropriate dive training and use of unsuitable diving gears.
Objective: The study aimed to investigate the plight and health risks associated with common malpractices among Lampirong fisher-divers who utilize the compressor fishing strategy.
Methodology: In this ethnographic study, five (5) Lampirong fisher-divers narrated the health risks and managing practices that they have adapted to survive compressor fishing. Primary data from field observation and interviews with the fisher-divers as well as secondary data from related studies were utilized for comparison and analysis. Considering the health risks that compressor fishing poses to fisher-divers, this study attempted a reflexive position drawing from the principle of ecological public health.
Results: The health risks of compressor fishing are known to fisher-divers, thus, they have developed managing practices which include observance of certain clear-cut rules (the do's and don'ts) to ensure underwater survival. Improvised diving gears are worn but barely protect the Lampirong fisher-divers from decompression illness or sickness. Related studies validated these symptoms such as nose bleed, dull pain in the ears, blood dripping from the ears, headache, and physical fatigue from prolonged dives. They rationalized the practice of Lampirong compressor fishing as a means to bring food to the table for families in fishing communities.
Conclusion: While the Philippine law prohibits or regulates compressor fishing, there is still a need for a policy or program that will address the health risks caused by compressor fishing.

No abstract available.
Decompression Sickness* ; Decompression*

BACKGROUND: Recompression therapy is well established in the treatment of decompression sickness (DCS) including spinal type. However it was not confirm whether each United State Navy (USN) treatment tables had different therapeutic effect in spinal type of DCS. The purpose of this study is to find if the use of different tables results in a different outcome in spinal type of DCS. And we want to reconfirm an unsatisfactory cure rate of USN table 6. METHODS: We applied different USN treatment tables, 6, 6a and 6a1, to spinal type of DCS for 10 years. 68 patients with spinal type of DCS were treated with recompression therapy, 16 patients by table 6, 31 by 6a, and 21 by 6a1. We reviewed the outcome of motor power before and after each treatment. And we investigated age, diving experience, depth of dive, bottom time of dive, and onset of treatment before the treatment in each treatment group. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between each treatment group in age, diving experience, depth of dive, bottom time of dive, onset of treatment and the grade of motor power before the treatment. Marked motor power improvements were noticed in 59.6% (table 6; 18.7%, 6a; 74.2%, and 6a1; 81%). There were significant differences of motor power improvement between groups 6 and 6a (p=0.0057), 6 and 6a1 (p=0.0053) and 6a and 6a1 (p=0.0139). CONCLUSIONS: We think that table 6a1 should be used in spinal type of DCS. And table 6 is not useful in spinal type DCS.
Decompression Sickness* ; Decompression* ; Diving ; Humans ; Hyperbaric Oxygenation

Decompression sickness is a self contained underwater breath apparatus (SCUBA)-related injury with various symptoms and is considered an extreme emergency condition. This is a case of pulmonary involvement in decompression sickness in a 26-year-old SCUBA diver. Although pulmonary involvement in decompression sickness is a potentially severe condition that requires immediate treatment, this condition can be under- or misdiagnosed, and evaluation of this disease by imaging findings is not clearly understood. We experienced a case of pulmonary involvement in decompression sickness and herein present the chest computed tomography and simple radiograph findings associated with this condition.
Decompression ; Decompression Sickness ; Dyspnea ; Emergencies ; Thorax

The purpose of this experimental study was to determine appropriate magnitude of the Gable bends to produce maximum retraction of the anterior teeth. The Calorific Machine was used to illustrate the tooth movement in three dimension. The experimental teeth except the first premolar were embedded in the artificial alveolar bone part. In a series of experiments, the extraction space was closed using arch wires with bull loops into which the gable bends of 10degrees, 20degrees, 30degrees degrees were incorporated. The experiments were repeated three times for each degree of the gable bend. Before and after the space closure, radiographs were taken in the sagittal and occlusal directions using occlusal films. Analysis of variance and Scheffe post hoc test were used to determine significant differences among the three groups. The following results were obtained. 1. As magnitudes of the gable bends increased, more bodily anterior tooth movement was seen and the distance of retraction also increased. 2. As magnitudes of the gable bends increase, the amount of posterior tooth protraction decreased while intrusive and buccal movement increased. 3. The arch was coordinated by distal-in rotation of the canine and mesial-in rotation of the second premolar adjacent to the extraction space.
Bicuspid ; Decompression Sickness* ; Dentition* ; Tooth Movement* ; Tooth*

BACKGROUND: Scuba diving has become increasingly popular in Korea. Medical problems are common with dives, especially decompression sickness(DCS). This study was performed to obtain an useful information of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in DCS in Korea. METHOD: We reviewed the 62 cases of Korean divers, who were diagnosed as DCS and received recompression therapy according to U.S. Navy Standard Recompression Treatment Table at Ocean and Underwater Medical Research and Training Center of ROK Navy, for 6 years from Jan. 1993 to Nov. 1998. RESULT: 1) the mean no-decompression limit excess time between type I DCS group(72.7 min.) and type II DCS group(92.8min.) showed significant difference. 2) The rate of symptoms appeared on surfacing and within 10min. after surfacing of type I and type II DCS were 41.4%and 72.7% respectively. 3) The cure late of type I and type II were 75.9%and 42.4% respectively. In type II DCS group, the cure rate of the group within 12 hour-delayed recompression treatment and the group above 12 hour-delayed treatment were 64.3%and time 26.3% respectively, and in type I DCS group, 100% and 66.7% respectively. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that the education of safety, the strict observance of the standard decompression table, and the avoidance of excessive repeated diving are important for reducing the risk of diving related disease. And to offer proper management of DCS, there should be more multiplace hyperbaric oxygen chambers, the suitable transport system, and the specialist of diving medicine or hyperbaric medicine in Korea.
Decompression Sickness* ; Decompression* ; Diving ; Education ; Hyperbaric Oxygenation* ; Korea ; Oxygen ; Specialization

No abstract available.
Decompression Sickness* ; Decompression* ; Spinal Cord Injuries* ; Spinal Cord*

The petrous and cavernous parts of internal carotid artery (ICA) are obscure and are not readily accessible to observation/imaging. These parts have broad biological and medical interest because of their peculiar shape. Given the their clinical importance and the scarce data available based mostly on imaging, the present study was aimed at studying these parts of ICA by dissection. The study was carried out on 56 ICAs obtained from embalmed adult cadavers and 10 ICAs from five fetuses. The foetal ICAs were studied in situ. The morphometric analysis of the adult ICA was done after its removal from cranial cavity to gain an insight into the geometry of the vessel, i.e., length, various bends, and diameters at various locations. ICAs in fetuses ran a relatively straighter course taking gentle curves at three positions (two intrapetrous, one cavernous). Adult ICAs were more tortuous and exhibited greater variability in length and angulations. The length of respective portions of the ICA correlate negatively with the measure of angles. The angles in the petrous and cavernous parts were positively correlated to each other. The carotid siphon was positively, highly significantly correlated to other angles. Longer vessels are more tortuous with acute bends. An acute carotid siphon is an indication of more tortuous ICA. The findings of the present study have created a reference data of unsuspected adult population and has potential implications for studying cause/effect relationship of vessel geometry and hemodynamic factors.
Adult ; Cadaver ; Carotid Artery, Internal* ; Decompression Sickness ; Fetus ; Hemodynamics ; Humans

Adult ; Decompression Sickness ; Diving ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Occupational Diseases

Diving medicine is one of the branches of military medicine, and plays an important role in naval development. This review introduces the progress of researches on undersea and hyperbaric physiology and medicine in the past few years in China. The article describes our research achievement in conventional diving and its medical support, researches on saturation diving and its medical support, submarine escape and its medical support, effects of hyperbaric environments and fast buoyancy ascent on immunological and cardiological functions. Diving disorders (including decompression sickness and oxygen toxicity) are also introduced.
China ; Decompression Sickness ; Diving ; physiology ; Humans ; Military Medicine ; Submarine Medicine