This study was performed to evaluate the effects on hearing of video tape manufacturing workers exposed to organic solvents. The experimental groups included solvents exposed group 51 and unexposed group 57 workers. All workers was examined air and bone conduction sensitivity by pure tone audiometer. The mean age of solvents exposed group was 34.1 and nonexposed group was 35.8. The mean duration of solvents exposed group was 7.3years. High frequency hearing loss prevalence of both groups was 23.5% in the group exposed to organic solvents and 17.5% in nonexposed group. There is no statistical significants in the prevalence of high frequency hearing loss. According to comparison of mean auditory threshold value by frequencies, on the air conduction test, right was statistically significant in the 250, 500, 1000, 2000, 4000Hz, except 8000Hz. Left 250, 500, 1000Hz was statistically significant. On the bone conduction test, left250, both 500, 1000, 2000, 4000Hz, except right 250Hz, was statistically significant difference. Generally, auditory sensitivity threshold of the exposed group was higher than the nonexposed group.
Auditory Threshold ; Bone Conduction ; Hearing Loss ; Hearing* ; Prevalence ; Solvents*

Allergic contact dermatitis is an inflammatory condition associated with periorbital erythema, edema, and pruritus. The periorbital skin is relatively thin compared with the skin over other facial areas; therefore, it is vulnerable to allergen penetration and may show a variety of cutaneous manifestations. Recently, vision enhancement surgery is a widely performed procedure, and the prevalence of senile cataract and glaucoma is increasing. The prevalence of periocular allergic contact dermatitis is increasing secondary to the growing use of topical ophthalmic medications. Several studies in Korea have reported periocular allergic contact dermatitis secondary to the use of topical ophthalmic medications including latanoprost (Latano®), fluorometholone (Tolon®), polymyxin B (Terramycin®), atropine sulfate (Atropine®), neomycin sulfate (Cambison®), and befunolol hydrochloride (Bentos®), among others. However, ofloxacin (Effexin®)-induced allergic contact dermatitis has not been reported in the domestic and/or foreign literature. We report a case of periocular allergic contact dermatitis secondary to the use of ofloxacin ophthalmic ointment.
Atropine ; Cataract ; Dermatitis, Allergic Contact* ; Edema ; Erythema ; Fluorometholone ; Glaucoma ; Korea ; Neomycin ; Ofloxacin* ; Polymyxin B ; Prevalence ; Pruritus ; Skin

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Tuberculous meningitis is a common, occasionally fatal infectious disease of the central nervous system. We evaluated the diagnostic validity of weighted diagnostic index scores (WDIS), which have been suggested to aid in the diagnosis of adult patients with tuberculous meningitis, on the basis of simple clinical and laboratory findings. METHODS: The microbiological and clinical data of adult patients with either tuberculous or bacterial meningitis were reviewed retrospectively. Diagnostic validity and WDIS cut-off values were evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. RESULTS: A total of 77 cases were included: 47 with tuberculous meningitis and 30 with bacterial meningitis. For the diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of WDIS suggested by Thwaites (cut-off value of < or =4) were 100, 90, 94 and 100%, respectively. Based on ROC curve analysis (area under ROC curve=0.993), a cut-off value of < or =3 was most appropriate for the diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis. The sensitivity and specificity of WDIS with a cut-off value of < or =3 were 100 and 93.3%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated that WDIS are highly predictable and acceptable for the early diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis in Korea, based on our analysis of clinical and laboratory findings. A cut-off value of < or =3 showed the best diagnostic validity.
Adult ; Central Nervous System ; Communicable Diseases ; Early Diagnosis ; Humans ; Korea ; Meningitis, Bacterial ; Retrospective Studies ; ROC Curve ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tuberculosis, Meningeal

The pneumonia severity index (PSI) and CURB-65 are widely used tools for the prediction of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). This study was conducted to evaluate validation of severity scoring system including the PSI and CURB-65 scores of Korean CAP patients. In the prospective CAP cohort (participated in by 14 hospitals in Korea from January 2009 to September 2011), 883 patients aged over 18 yr were studied. The 30-day mortalities of all patients were calculated with their PSI index classes and CURB scores. The overall mortality rate was 4.5% (40/883). The mortality rates per CURB-65 score were as follows: score 0, 2.3% (6/260); score 1, 4.0% (12/300); score 2, 6.0% (13/216); score 3, 5.7% (5/88); score 4, 23.5% (4/17); and score 5, 0% (0/2). Mortality rate with PSI risk class were as follows: I, 2.3% (4/174); II, 2.7% (5/182); III, 2.3% (5/213); IV, 4.5% (11/245); and V, 21.7% (15/69). The subgroup mortality rate of Korean CAP patients varies based on the severity scores and CURB-65 is more valid for the lower scores, and PSI, for the higher scores. Thus, these variations must be considered when using PSI and CURB-65 for CAP in Korean patients.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Cohort Studies ; Community-Acquired Infections/*mortality ; Female ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pneumonia/*mortality ; Prospective Studies ; Republic of Korea ; *Severity of Illness Index ; Young Adult