Sodium azide (NaN3) is a white to colorless, crystalline powder that is highly water soluble, tasteless, and odorless. It is used mainly as a preservative in aqueous laboratory reagents and biologic fluids and also as an automobile airbag gas generant. Although it has caused deaths for decades, the toxic properties and effects of sodium azide in humans remains unknown. A 31-year-old comatose female was transported to the emergency department with an empty bottle labeled sodium azide. She developed cardiac arrest 15 minutes after arrival and expired in spite of 30 minutes of resuscitative effort. Subsequently, resuscitation team members incidentally suffered from sodium azide's exposure and developed eye discomfort, skin rashes parasthesias, pruritus, sore throat, and headache.
Adult ; Air Bags ; Automobiles ; Coma ; Crystallins ; Eating ; Emergencies ; Exanthema ; Eye ; Female ; Headache ; Heart Arrest ; Humans ; Indicators and Reagents ; Pharyngitis ; Pruritus ; Resuscitation ; Sodium ; Sodium Azide

PURPOSE: Recently, through international marriage, immigrant women have rapidly increased throughout Korea. This study was performed to identify health beliefs and practices related to breast cancer screening in immigrant women in Korea. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was carried out between March and July 2012, and study population included immigrant females from six other Asian countries (Cambodia, China, Japan, Mongolia, Vietnam, and the Philippines). We surveyed 197 women and categorized them into four groups according to home countries. The questionnaire consisted of 55 items, including demographic and socioeconomic factors, breast cancer-related knowledge regarding risk factors and symptoms, beliefs and attitudes towards health and breast cancer, perceived susceptibility, barriers, and benefits of screening. RESULTS: Japanese participants were significantly older and had resided in Korea for more years than other country-of-origin groups (all p<0.001), and showed higher screening rates without statistical significance (p=0.392). In multivariate analysis, country of origin showed a significant correlation with knowledge (p=0.001), positive beliefs (p=0.002), and perceived benefits (p=0.025) of breast cancer screening. The group with the lowest household income showed a significantly lower score of perceived benefits (p=0.022). Through analysis to identify factors affecting participation in screening mammography, we found that education level (p=0.009), occupation status (p=0.006), and Korean language fluency (p=0.002) were independent predictors for screening behavior. CONCLUSION: This study identified conditions related to breast cancer screening knowledge, perception, and behavior of immigrant women in Korea. The results reflect the need for increased social aids to remove barriers to medical services and more educational programs to facilitate higher rates of screening.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Breast ; Breast Neoplasms* ; China ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Education ; Emigrants and Immigrants* ; Family Characteristics ; Female ; Health Behavior ; Humans ; Japan ; Korea ; Mammography ; Marriage ; Mass Screening* ; Mongolia ; Multivariate Analysis ; Occupations ; Risk Factors ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Vietnam ; Surveys and Questionnaires

This study was conducted to determine the nutritional characteristics of horsemeat and bone meal in comparison with those of beef and pork presented by Dietary Reference Intakes For Koreans. Longissimus muscle and large metacarpal bone samples were collected from 20 fattened Jeju horses. Muscle samples were subjected to proximate analysis, assays for fatty acid profile and minerals, and bone samples to mineral assays. Horsemeat had similar levels of protein (21.1 vs 21.0 or 21.1%) and lower levels of fat (6.0 vs 14.1 or 16.1%) compared with beef or pork, respectively. Horsemeat had much higher levels of palmitoleic (8.2 vs 4.4 or 3.3%) and alpha-linolenic (1.4 vs 0.1 or 0.6%) acids than beef or pork, respectively. Linoleic acid was much higher in horsemeat (11.1%) and pork (10.1%) than in beef (1.6%). PUFA:SFA and n-6:n-3 ratios in horsemeat were 0.29 and 10.2, respectively. There were no big differences in mineral contents between horsemeat, beef and pork. For daily recommended mineral intakes of male adults (Dietary Reference Intakes For Koreans), phosphorus, sodium, potassium, iron, zinc and copper can be provided up to 24, 2.5, 6.7, 21, 26 and 40%, respectively, by 100 g raw horsemeat, but calcium and manganese levels are negligible. Horse cannon bone had much higher mineral contents especially in calcium (10,193 mg/100 g), phosphorus (5,874 mg/100 g) and copper (0.79 mg/100 g). Thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and retinol contents were 0.20, 0.21, 1.65 mg/100 g and 30 microgram/100 g, respectively. But ascorbic acid and beta-carotene were not detected. Our data demonstrated that higher levels of palmitoleic and alpha-linolenic acid in horsemeat than in beef and pork may be beneficial for human health. Horsemeat and bone meal are a good source of some minerals and vitamins.
Adult ; alpha-Linolenic Acid ; Ascorbic Acid ; beta Carotene ; Calcium ; Copper ; Horses ; Humans ; Iron ; Linoleic Acid ; Male ; Manganese ; Meals ; Minerals ; Niacin ; Phosphorus ; Potassium ; Recommended Dietary Allowances ; Riboflavin ; Sodium ; Vitamin A ; Vitamins ; Zinc

Primary breast lymphoma (PBL) is a rare disease, particularly in males. Diffuse large B cell lymphoma is the most common PBL, while follicular lymphoma is less common. Furthermore, primary follicular lymphoma of a male breast is rarely reported. We report a male patient with primary follicular lymphoma of the breast and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A 46-year-old man was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis secondary to chronic hepatitis B infection. Ten years later, he underwent segmentectomy of the liver due to HCC. Another 5 months later, he presented with a painless mass in the right chest wall. The mass was diagnosed as follicular lymphoma of the breast. The stage was IEA and he did not receive adjuvant therapy. Although only a few cases have been reported, lymphoma should be considered as a possible cause of breast mass, even in male patients.
Breast* ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; Humans ; Liver ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Lymphoma ; Lymphoma, B-Cell ; Lymphoma, Follicular* ; Male* ; Mastectomy, Segmental ; Middle Aged ; Rare Diseases ; Thoracic Wall

Primary breast lymphoma (PBL) is a rare disease, particularly in males. Diffuse large B cell lymphoma is the most common PBL, while follicular lymphoma is less common. Furthermore, primary follicular lymphoma of a male breast is rarely reported. We report a male patient with primary follicular lymphoma of the breast and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A 46-year-old man was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis secondary to chronic hepatitis B infection. Ten years later, he underwent segmentectomy of the liver due to HCC. Another 5 months later, he presented with a painless mass in the right chest wall. The mass was diagnosed as follicular lymphoma of the breast. The stage was IEA and he did not receive adjuvant therapy. Although only a few cases have been reported, lymphoma should be considered as a possible cause of breast mass, even in male patients.
Breast* ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; Humans ; Liver ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Lymphoma ; Lymphoma, B-Cell ; Lymphoma, Follicular* ; Male* ; Mastectomy, Segmental ; Middle Aged ; Rare Diseases ; Thoracic Wall

PURPOSE: Primary breast lymphoma is a very rare disease, accounting for 0.4-0.5% of all breast malignancies. Due to the rarity, there are only limited reports of this disease in Korean women. In this reason, we report the experience of a single institution in Korea with primary breast lymphoma (PBL). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 9 patients with PBL and evaluated the clinicopathologic characteristics and treatment outcomes. RESULTS: All nine patients were female and had diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBL). The median age at diagnosis was 47.9 years and the median tumor size was 3.8 cm in diameter. The most common symptom was a painless palpable mass. Five patients were classified as stage IEA and four patients were IIEA according to the Ann Arbor staging system. Four patients underwent excisional biopsy and one patient underwent a lumpectomy with sentinel lymph node biopsy due to uncertain histology of the preoperative core needle biopsy. Nine patients received anthracycline containing combined chemotherapy; among them, five patients were treated with a rituximab containing regimen. Four patients received radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy. A complete response was achieved in eight patients. During the 44 months of the median follow-up period, three cases of relapse occurred, and among them, two patients died due to disease progression. CONCLUSION: Most PBLs are B-cell origin, with DLBL being the most common histologic type. A combined treatment modality has been known to have positive effects on prognosis, and surgery should be limited to a diagnostic purpose.
Accounting ; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived ; B-Lymphocytes ; Biopsy ; Biopsy, Large-Core Needle ; Breast ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Korea ; Lymphoma ; Lymphoma, B-Cell ; Mastectomy, Segmental ; Medical Records ; Nitriles ; Prognosis ; Pyrethrins ; Rare Diseases ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Rituximab ; Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy ; Treatment Outcome

Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation is an environmental factor that causes skin aging, and is also a major factor leading to cumulative alterations of skin structure, function and appearance. To investigate the effects of Selenium (Sel) on UV-induced skin aging, hairless mice were treated for 4 weeks with UV irradiation and topical application of Sel. Then, the effects of Sel were measured in the skin of these mice via histological analysis and Western blotting. According to the results of wrinkle formation analysis, the topical application of Sel induced a reduction in wrinkling formation in the damaged skin of the UV-irradiated mice. Additionally, our histological analysis demonstrated that the skin thickness in the Sel-treated group was less than in the UV-irradiated group. Furthermore, in an effort to investigate the mechanisms underlying the effects of Sel, the expression levels of matrix-metalloproteinase (MMP) and MAPK protein were assessed in both groups. The application of Sel induced a reduction in MMP-1 expression levels to the levels observed in the non-irradiated group. However, the expression level of MMP-9 was increased slightly in the Sel application group as compared with the vehicle application group. Additionally, the levels of ERK phosphorylation were increased by the application of Sel, but the levels of JNK and p38 were not altered by Sel treatment. These results suggest the possibility that Sel should be considered as a skin aging-protective and therapeutic drug candidate, which functions via the regulation of MMP expression levels.
Animals ; Blotting, Western ; Mice ; Mice, Hairless ; Phosphorylation ; Selenium ; Skin ; Skin Aging

Altered expression of neurotrophic factors as well as neuroinflammation is commonly associated with Major depressive disorder (MDD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). To investigate whether or not reserpine-induced MDD affects the expression of AD-related proteins, the expression of gamma-secretase components and substrate were measured in brains of ICR mice following reserpine treatment for 15 days. In active avoidance test, total response time and peak slightly increased in the 2 mg/kg reserpine (RSP2)-treated group compared to vehicle-treated group (P<0.05). Expression and phosphorylation of MKP-1, which is a key factor in MDD pathology, were both higher in the RSP2-treated group than the vehicle- and 1 mg/kg reserpine (RSP1)-treated groups (P<0.02). Furthermore, full-length expression of amyloid precursor protein (APP) was enhanced in the RSP1 and RSP2-treated groups compared to the vehicle-treated group, whereas expression of gamma-secretase components decreased (P<0.03). Among the three components of the gamma-secretase complex, nicastrin protein underwent the largest decrease in expression, as detected by Western blotting (P<0.03). Therefore, the data presented here provide additional evidence about the pathological correlation between MDD and AD.
Alzheimer Disease ; Amyloid ; Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases ; Animals ; Blotting, Western ; Brain ; Depressive Disorder, Major ; Membrane Glycoproteins ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Models, Animal ; Nerve Growth Factors ; Phosphorylation ; Proteins ; Reaction Time ; Reserpine

PURPOSE: Primary aldosteronism (PA) is characterized by hypertension (HTN), hypokalemia, suppressed plasma renin activity, and inappropriate aldosterone secretion. The purpose of this study was to analyze postoperative results on blood pressure (BP), and to determine the factors associated with resolution of HTN after adrenalectomy for PA. METHODS: One hundred eight patients (66 females and 42 males) with a mean age of 46 years underwent adrenalectomy for PA between January 1, 1996 and September 30, 2009. Their clinical characteristics and biochemical parameters were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: All patients had HTN preoperatively and 20 patients (18.1%) had uncontrolled HTN. Hypokalemia was evident in 89.1% of patients, cardiovascular events in 4.5% and cerebrovascular events in 8.2%. There was a significant decrease in both systolic BP and diastolic BP postoperatively, as compared with that before operation. Median systolic BP decreased from 150 mmHg to 125 mmHg at the last follow-up (P<0.01), and median diastolic BP decreased from 93.5 mmHg to 81.5 mmHg (P<0.01). Sixty two (57.4%) patients were cured of HTN and did not require any hypertensive agent, and 38 (35.1%) patients had an improvement in BP control, whereas 9 (8.3%) patients had no change in BP. Univariate analysis showed that duration of HTN and more than two HTN treatment agents were independent factors predicting sustained hypertension after surgery. CONCLUSION: The duration of HTN and the severity of HTN are factors influencing persistence of HTN after operation for a PA.
Adrenalectomy* ; Adrenocortical Adenoma ; Aldosterone ; Blood Pressure ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hyperaldosteronism* ; Hypertension ; Hypokalemia ; Plasma ; Renin ; Retrospective Studies

PURPOSE: We compared clinical characteristics between pheochromocytoma and abdominal paragangliomas and identified predictive factors of malignancy. METHODS: Between November, 1995 and January, 2011, we retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 145 patients with pheochromocytoma and abdominal paraganglioma at Samsung Medical Center. We compared two tumors (pheochromocytoma vs abdominal paraganglioma) about a potential of hypersecretion of cathecholamines and identified predictive factors of malignancy by analysis of clinical characteristics, biochemical markers, tumor features. Their postoperative results were also evaluated. RESULTS: This study included 103 (71%) pheochromocytomas and 42 (29%) abdominal paragangliomas. Eighty-six percent were benign and 14% were malignant. Patients with paraganglioma were more predominantly men and exhibited a higher malignancy rate (P<0.01) than pheochromocytoma patients. Most (95%) pheochromocytoma was hyperfunctional, but abdominal paraganglioma were hyperfunctional in 74%. There were no significant differences in biochemical markers between the pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma groupd. When compared with benign tumor, malignant tumors were significantly related with higher mean PASS (P<0.01) and higher 24-hour urinary VMA (P=0.02), but not with larger tumor size. CONCLUSION: It is not easy to distinguish malignant from benign tumors by clinical characteristics and pathologic features in the management of pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma. We should keep in mind that abdominal paraganglioma can be also hyperfunctional in many pheochromocytoma patients and has a higher risk of malignancy.
Adrenal Glands ; Biomarkers ; Humans ; Male ; Medical Records ; Paraganglioma* ; Pheochromocytoma* ; Retrospective Studies