In order to investigate working conditions of underground coal mines, this work was undertaken to evaluate the respirable dust and the concentration of quartz in Taeback and Kangneung areas. The concentration of quartz was determined by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometry. The results were as follows; 1) The concentration of respirable dust of drilling and coal face in Taeback and Kangneung areas were as followed. 2) Distribution of respirable dust was well fitted to the long-normal distribution and geometric mean value was log(-1) 0.37+/-log(-1) 0.47 (2.34+/-2.95) mg/m3. 3) The difference of respirable dust concentrations in Taeback and Kangneung areas was not significant statistically (p>0.05). 4) The concentration of quartz of drilling and coal face in Taeback and Kangneung areas were as followed. 5) Distribution of quartz concentrations was well fitted to the log-normal distribution and geometric mean value was log(-1) 0.33+/-log(-1) 0.45 (2.14+/-2.82)%. 6) The difference of quartz concentrations in Taeback and Kangneung areas was not significant (p>0.05), but significant at drilling sites and coal faces (p<0.05).
Coal* ; Dust* ; Fourier Analysis ; Gangwon-do* ; Quartz* ; Spectrophotometry, Infrared

Human untreated costal cartilage was compared with lyophilized human costal cartilage which was treated with defatting solution for 48 hours and freeze drying for 72 hours (-70degree C, 10??bar) on the tendency of distortion. All cartilages, which were taken from six cadavers, were carved 5x5x30mm in size on principle of the balanced cross section. Their distortions were evaluated by two methods at intervals of one week, one month, three months, six months after experiment. At first, the degree of distortion was grossly graded with four steps: grade O; no distortion / grade I; minimal distortion / grade II; moderate distortion / grade III; severe distortion. Second method is measurement and quantification of distortion in the horizontal and vertical plane of cartilage.Untreated cartilage is shown to be an unsatisfactory material, with only three(12%) of the 25 cartilages being cosmetically acceptable(grade 0 and 1) after 6 months. In lyophilized cartilage, 18(94%) of the 19 cartilages were cosmetically acceptable(grade 0 and 1) at 6 months. This figure is highly significant(p<0.01). In another method, distortion in the horizontal(h) and vertical (v) planes of cartilage were measured, and mean values of ???? were calculated. In untreated group, the mean values of ???? were 0.82 at 1 week, 0.91 at 1 month, 1.13 at 3 months, and 1.31 at 6 months. In lyophilized group, the mean values were 0.27 at 1 week, 0.29 at 1 month, 0.40 at 3 months and 0.47 at 6 months. All values were statistically significant(p<0.01).
Cadaver ; Cartilage* ; Freeze Drying ; Humans

No abstract available.
Skull Base* ; Skull*

A Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometric method was described for the determination of quartz, mica(sericite) and feldspar(potassium feldspar) in respirable dust in Taebaek area. The results were as follows; 1) The concentration of minerals were determined from the intensity of absorption peak of quartz at 799 cm-1, sericite at 539 cm-1, and potassium feldspar at 648 cm-1 respectively. 2) The precision(C. V. %) for the quartz determination was 7.70+/-2.68 % from 10 to 200 microgram of quartz. 3) The precision for the sericite determination was 16.34+/-6.82 % from 30 to 500 microgram of serictite. 4) The precision for the potassium feldspar determination was 5.28+/-1.74 % from 30 to 500 microgram of potassium feldspar. 5) The concentration of respirable dust in Taebaek area was 4.90+/-3.29 mg/m3(0.4-93.7%), percent quartz was 1.80+/-4.14% (0.01-20.56%), percent sericite was 11.37+/-6.43% (0.00-29.69%), percent potassium feldspar was 8.15 % (n=7, 3.41-19.70%). 6) The difference of respirable coal dust, quartz, and sericite concentration in drilling, coal cutting, hauling and separating was significant respectively (p<0.05).
Absorption ; Coal ; Dust* ; Fourier Analysis* ; Minerals ; Potassium ; Quartz* ; Spectrophotometry, Infrared*

INTRODUTION: The gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptor is an important pharmacological target of alcohol. The phamacological characteristics of the receptor are largely determined by its subunit composition. Compared with all other alpha subtypes, the alpha6- containing receptors are more sensitive to GABA and less sensitive to benzodiazepines. The purpose of this study was to address a role for GABAAalpha6 receptor subunit gene in the development of alcohol dependence. The differential manifestation of alcohol withdrawal symptoms related to GABAAalpha6 polymorphism in patients treating with benzodiazepines was also examined. METHODS: Eighty-seven inpatients with alcohol dependence, and sixty healthy controls were evaluated using CIWA-Ar scale. Each patient was genotyped for GABAAalpha6 subunit. Association between GABAAalpha6 polymorphism and severity of withdrawal symptom were determined. RESULTS: No significant difference was found in GABAAalpha6 receptor genetic type and allelic distribution between the alcohol dependent and control subject. Tremor was more severe in CC than TT type. TT type had higher degree of anxiety, agitation and headache than CC type. The GABAAalpha6 C allele increased the average score of tremor significantly, and T allele increased that of agitation. CONCLUSION: The results suggested that GABAAalpha6 genetic polymorphism was not associated with alcohol dependence and with severity of alcohol withdrawal symptoms. But in benzodiazepine treated patients, GABAAalpha6 polymorphism and allelic type show the difference in severity of each withdrawal symptom. These differences of severity are partly responsible for the unique pharmacological properties associated with the GABAAalpha6 subunit.
Alcoholism ; Alleles ; Anxiety ; Benzodiazepines ; Dihydroergotamine ; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid ; Headache ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Receptors, GABA ; Substance Withdrawal Syndrome* ; Tremor

PURPOSE: This study was performed to investigate the epidemiology of enterovirus (EV) infections in children at a secondary hospital during recent 5 years. METHODS: We collected the cerebrospinal fluid, stool and throat swab samples from the pediatric patients with suspected EV infections in KEPCO Medical Center, Seoul, Korea from July 2006 to September 2010. EV detection and genotype identification were performed by RT-PCR at Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. RESULTS: A total of 386 samples were collected from 277 patients during study period. Ninety-eight patients (35.4%) were diagnosed with EV infections. The RT-PCR positive rate was the highest in throat swab samples (48.3%). The median age of patient was 4.7 years (range, 0.1-12.5 years). Aseptic meningitis (50, 51.0%) was the most common clinical manifestation; herpangina (22, 22.4%) and hand-foot-mouth disease (18, 18.4%). One hundred EVs were isolated from 98 patients and 20 genotypes of EV were identified; Echovirus 30 (28 cases, 28%), Enterovirus 71 (12 cases, 12%), Echovirus 25 (10 cases, 10%), Echovirus 9 (9 cases, 9%) and Coxsackievirus A6 (8 cases, 8%). Aseptic meningitis caused by Echovirus 30 was the most common manifestation in 2008. There was no complicated case caused by Enterovirus 71. CONCLUSION: This study showed the epidemiology of confirmed EV infection in children from 2006 to 2010. There is a need for continuous surveillance of EV infections and its clinical manifestations.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.) ; Child ; Echovirus 9 ; Enterovirus ; Enterovirus B, Human ; Enterovirus Infections ; Genotype ; Herpangina ; Humans ; Korea ; Meningitis, Aseptic ; Pharynx

PURPOSE: Atrial natriuretic peptide(ANP) is a hormone with strong vasodilating, diu-retic and natriuretic properties. The aim of this study was to clarify the interrelationship of ANP secretion and hemodynamic changes of patent ductus arteriosus(PDA) in healthy preterm and fullterm infants without clinical evidence of PDA. METHODS: Thirteen preterm infants and six full term infants who did not develop clinical evidence of PDA were studied at 6 hr, 12 hr, 24 hr, 3rd day and 4th day after birth, until their PDAs closed spontaneously. Plasma ANP concentrations and the hemodynamic changes of PDA were rneasured. RESULTS: The ANP concentrations of all infants increased from 34.1+/-10.9 pg/ml at 6 hr to 120.5+/-18.8 pg/ml at 12 hr, and declined thereafter gradually to 74.2+/-12.7 pg/ml at 4th day. The ANP concentrations, LA/Ao ratio and LAV decreased after ductal closure. The pulmonary flow velocity(PFV) of PDA correlated with ANP concentration in preterm infants(r=0.23, P<0.05). LA/Ao ratio correlated with ANP contration in all infants (r=0.28, P<0.05), especially in preterm infants(r=0.46, P<0.01 during 12 hr and 4th day after birth. LAV correlated with the ANP concentrations in preterm infants during 12 hr and 4th day after birth(r=0.34, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The changes of ANP concentrations are probably due to the changes of the left-to-right shunt of PDA with left atrial stretch. Reduction of the ANP concentrations may serve as an indicator of spontaneous closure of PDA. Therefore ANP measurement may be useful in deciding the need and the timing of medical and surgical managernent of newbom infants without clinical evidence of PDA.
Atrial Natriuretic Factor ; Ductus Arteriosus, Patent* ; Hemodynamics* ; Humans ; Infant* ; Infant, Low Birth Weight* ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Parturition ; Plasma*

Peripheral neuroepithelioma (PNE) of soft tissue is a malignant neuroectodermal tumor arising from peripheral (nonautonomic) nerve. It may occur in both children and adults, and are highly aggressive neoplasms that rapidly give rise to metastatic disease and death. We exprienced a case of peripheral neuroepithelioma of soft tissue in the upper arm in a 18-year-old female. Cytologic features revealed small round cells with scanty cytoplasm occurring both singly and in clusters. The clusters frequently tended to form Homer-Wright rosettes. The cells had a round to oval nucleus with fine chromatin and in- conspicuous nucleoli in a hemorrhagic background.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Arm ; Carcinoma, Transitional Cell ; Child* ; Chromatin ; Cytoplasm ; Female ; Humans ; Neuroectodermal Tumors ; Neuroectodermal Tumors, Primitive, Peripheral ; Urinary Bladder

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to investigate the correlation between 2-dimensional (2D) cephalometric measurement and 3-dimensional (3D) cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) measurement, and to evaluate the availability of 3D analysis for asymmetry patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of Twenty-seven patients were evaluated for facial asymmetry by photograph and cephalometric radiograph, and CBCT. The 14 measurements values were evaluated and those for 2D and 3D were compared. The patients were classified into two groups. Patients in group 1 were evaluated for symmetry in the middle 1/3 of the face and asymmetry in the lower 1/3 of the face, and those in group 2 for asymmetry of both the middle and lower 1/3 of the face. RESULTS: In group 1, significant differences were observed in nine values out of 14 values. Values included three from anteroposterior cephalometric radiograph measurement values (cant and both body height) and six from lateral cephalometric radiographs (both ramus length, both lateral ramal inclination, and both gonial angles). In group 2, comparison between 2D and 3D showed significant difference in 10 factors. Values included four from anteroposterior cephalometric radiograph measurement values (both maxillary height, both body height) and six from lateral cephalometric radiographs (both ramus length, both lateral ramal inclination, and both gonial angles). CONCLUSION: Information from 2D analysis was inaccurate in several measurements. Therefore, in asymmetry patients, 3D analysis is useful in diagnosis of asymmetry.
Cephalometry ; Cone-Beam Computed Tomography ; Facial Asymmetry ; Humans ; Malocclusion

The authors would like to delete the acknowledgement part.