The paraoxonase (E. C. 3.1.1.2.) is a major enzyme to detoxicate the organophosphorus and carbamate which are the most widely used as the agricultural spraying insecticides. To investigate the distributions of plasma paraoxonase activity and the fators affecting the enzyme activity, the plasmas of 945 Korean rural population were analyzed with the modified Krisch's direct sphectro;hotometry method. Three indices of the enzyme activity-basal activity, stimulated activity (by NaCl), % stimulation -were obtained from the analysis. Three indicies suggested unimodal distributions, so we couldn't identify the low activity group; risk group to organophosphorus & carbamate insecticides poisoning. There is no significant relation between 3 activity and the stimulated activity have significant relationship and high coefficient of determination with the activities of their parents (r2=0.30, 0.24; p<0.05), but the % stimulation does not (r2=0.02; p<0.05). These results suggest that the activity of paraoxonase is determined mainly by the genetic factor.
Aryldialkylphosphatase* ; Humans ; Insecticides ; Parents ; Plasma ; Poisoning ; Rural Population

The mobile medical service has been operated for many years by a number of medical schools and hospitals as a most convenient means of medical service delivery to the people residing in such area where the geographical and socioeconomic conditions are not good enough to enjoy modern medical care. Despite of official appraisal showing off simply with numbers of outpatients treated and medical persons participated, however, as well recognized, the capability (in respect of budget, equipment and time) of those mobile medical teams is so limited that it often discourages the recipients as well as medical participants themselves. In the midst of rising need to secure medical service of good quality to all parts of the country, and of developing concept of primary health care system, authors evaluated the effectiveness of and problems associated with mobile medical service program through the community diagnosis of a village (Ope-Myun, Kwangju-gun) to obtain the information which may be helpful for future improvement. 1. Owing to the nationwide Sae-Maul movement powerfully practiced during last several years, living environment of farm villages generally and remarkably improved including houses, water supply and wastes disposal etc. Nevertheless, due to limitations in budget, time and lack of knowledge (probably the most important), these improvements tend to keep up appearances only and are far from the goal which may being practical benefit in promoting the health of the community. 2. As a result of intensive population policy led by the government since 1962, there has been considerable advances in understanding and the rate of practicing family planning through out the villages and yet, one should see many things, especially education, to be done. Fifty eight per cent of mothers have not received prenatal check and the care for most(72%) delivery was offered by laymen at home. 3. Approximately seven per cent of the population was reported to have chronic illness but since only a few(practically none) of the people has had physical check up by doctors, the actual prevalence of chronic diseases may reach many times of the reported. The same fact was observed also in prevalence of tuberculosis; the patients registered at local health center totaled 31 comprising only 0.51% while the numbers in two neighboring villages (designated as demonstration area of tuberculosis control and mass examination was done recently) was 3.5 and 4.0% respectively. Prevalence rate of all diseases and injuries experienced during one month(July, 1977) was 15.8%. Only one tenth of those patients received treatment by physicians and one fifth was not treated at all. The situation was worse as for the chronic patients; 84% of all cases either have never been treated or discontinued therapy, and the main reasons were known to be financial difficulty and ignorance or indifference. 4. Among the patients treated by our mobile clinic, one third was chronic cases and 45% of all patients, by the opinion of doctors attended, were those who may be treated by specially trained nurses or other paramedics (objects of primary care). Besides, 20% of the cases required professional managements of level beyond the mobile team's capability and in this sense one may conclude that the effectiveness(performance) of present mobile medical team is quite limited. According to above findings, the authors would like to suggest following for mobile medical service and overall medicare program for the people living in remote country side. 1. Establishment of primary health care system secured with effective communication and evacuation (between villages and local medical center) measures. 2. Nationwide enforcement of medical insurance system. 3. Simple outpatient care which now constitutes the main part of the most mobile medical services should largely be yielded up to primary health care unit of the village and the mobile team itself should be assigned on new and more urgent missions such as mass screening health examination of the villagers, health education with modern and effective audiovisual aids, professional training and consultant services for the primary health care organization.
Allied Health Personnel ; Ambulatory Care ; Audiovisual Aids ; Budgets ; Chronic Disease ; Consultants ; Diagnosis ; Education ; Family Planning Services ; Health Education ; Humans ; Insurance ; Mass Screening ; Medicare ; Missions and Missionaries ; Mobile Health Units ; Mothers ; Outpatients ; Prevalence ; Primary Health Care ; Public Policy ; Schools, Medical ; Tuberculosis ; Water Supply

No abstract available.
Calcium* ; Phototherapy*

No abstract available.
Electrocardiography* ; Hyperbaric Oxygenation*

No abstract available.
Developed Countries*

To investigate the effect of hyperoxia on EKG findings and to evaluate the applicability of EKG as noninvasive monitoring index of oxygen toxicity, 38 rabbits were continuously exposed to 6 different conditions-3 hyperbaric oxygenations (HBO-2.5, 3.5 and 5ATA, 100% O2), normobaric oxygenation (NBO, 100% O2), hyperbaric aeration (HBA-5ATA, 21% O2) and normobaric aeration (NBA, 21% O2)-for 120 minutes and their EKG and time to dyspnea and convulsion were recorded. Dyspnea and death were observed in exposure conditions of HBO-3.5 and HBO-5 (Positive rate of dyspnea; 10%, 100%, death; 10%, 25%, respectively) only, and convulsion in 4 oxygenation groups (NBO; 20%, HBO-2.5; 20%, HBO-3.5; 20%, HBO-5; 88%). Abnormal EKG findings included arrhythmia and ST-T changes and the incidences was increasing with doses(partial pressure of oxygen). In addition to EKG change, findings observed during exosure were dyspnea and convulsion in the order of appearence and when non specific ST-T change was accepted as positive (abnormal) finding, the frequency of abnormal EKG was statistically significant(p<0.01), but when it was excluded from positive results, the frequency of EKG change was not significant(p>0.05). These results suggest that the effect of hyperoxia on heart is myocardial ischemia and arrhythmia, that oxygenation more than 3.5ATA causes myocardial damage in 120 minutes exposure, and that EKG is valuable as monitoring index of oxygen toxicity.
Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Dyspnea ; Electrocardiography* ; Heart ; Hyperbaric Oxygenation ; Hyperoxia* ; Incidence ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Oxygen ; Rabbits* ; Seizures

No abstract available.
Carbon Monoxide* ; Carbon*

No abstract available.
Rubella* ; Vaccination*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this seroepidmiologic study was to examine the immunization and infection history of rubella, positivity of rubella specific antibody, seroconversion rate of two rubella vaccines and to develop an adequate immunization program of rubella. Research Methods : Subjects of the study were 2.071 students of 8 priamary schools in Gyenggi-Do. Questionnaire and blood sampling were done. Test method of Rubella specific antibody was ELISA (Abbott IMx autoanalyzer). The anayltic methods for the study were chi-square-test, t-test and ANOVA. RESULTS: The results of the study were as follows : (1)The number of subjects who had infection history of rubella were only 28 students(1.5%). (2)The immunization rate of rubella was the highest in 6 year-old group(65%), it decrease as subjects grow older. (3)The positivity of rubella antibody was 76. 6%, it is the highest in 6 year old group and the lowest in 7 year-old group and it increase again as subjects grow older. (4)Average antibody titer was 53.3 IU(SD 79.2), the trend of antibody titer by age was similar to that of positivity. (5)The seroconversion rates of both vaccines, vaccine A,vaccine B, were 99.5% and 99.6%, the ratio of increase of antibody titer after immunization was higer than 400. it means that both vaccines are very efficacious. CONCLUSION: Results of the study suggest that it is necessary to increase the coverage of rubella immunization, and further studies are necessary to get more information for rubella.
Child ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Immunization ; Immunization Programs ; Rubella* ; Seroepidemiologic Studies* ; Vaccines ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Epidemiologic investigation was conducted on January, 1993 in Seoul to identify the cause of an infant methemoglobinemia. Field investigation of the area of outbreak, survey of household and family members, analysis of ground water, and blood tests of involved family members were performed. Following results were obtained. On analyzing the quality of the ground water on patients's household high levels of nitrate was found indicating contamination of water as the cause of a methemoglobinemia outbreak. On analyzing the quality of the ground waters on seven other places within the neighborhood five were contaminated by nitrate in concentration that exceeded the permissible limit implying presence nearby source of contamination. Sources of contamination were thought to be originating from human waste in conventional bathroom facilities, chicken manure used in nearby orchards and plant fields or fertilizers. But the results of water analysis with presence of bacteria or E.coli, concentration of potassium, phosphate and the past history of diarrhea among family members, chicken manure suggested the most possible source of contamination. To evaluate the health status of members in the neighborhood past history was reviewed revealing no prior existence of patient with cyanosis and 65 people in the neighborhood had normal levels of methemoglobin concentration in their blood. Conclusively, the ground water on patient's household was contaminated with nitrate and despite provision of adequate water supply, family members of the patient along with distrust in the water supply system had used ground water as their source of drinking water resulting of methemoglobinemia. Many suburban area of Seoul and country side thought to be having similar problems concerning contaminated ground water supply and dormant outbreak of patients as a result of the drinking of the contaminated water. Epidemiologic investigation and water analysis of ground waters are advised.
Bacteria ; Chickens ; Cyanosis ; Diarrhea ; Drinking ; Drinking Water ; Family Characteristics ; Fertilizers ; Groundwater ; Hematologic Tests ; Humans ; Infant* ; Manure ; Methemoglobin ; Methemoglobinemia* ; Plants ; Potassium ; Residence Characteristics ; Seoul ; Water ; Water Supply