General information is summarized, that is necessary to introduce a scientific assessment of the human health and exposure issue concerning dioxin and dioxin-like compound. Scientific literatures were reviewed to assess the background exposures to the dioxin-like compounds for normal residents. Epidemiologic studies were also reviewed to assess malignant and nonmalignant effects of dioxins. In 1997, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified 2, 3, 7, 8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) as a human carcinogen, primarily based on occupational cohort studies. The US Environmental Protection Agency made the same decision in it's Draft Dioxin Reassessment. Epidemiologic evidences point to a generalized excess of all cancers, without any pronounced excess at specific sites. Reported non-cancer effects included a range of conditions affecting most systems. Among them, chloracne, elevation in gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT), and alterations in reproductive hormones are related to TCDD. Other adverse outcomes, such as lipid concentrations, diabetes, circulatory and heart diseases, immunologic disorders, neurobehavioral effects, and developmental outcomes require further study before their respective relationships to TCDD can be more definitively assessed.
Chloracne ; Cohort Studies ; Dioxins* ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Heart Diseases ; Humans* ; International Agencies ; Tetrachlorodibenzodioxin ; Transferases ; United States Environmental Protection Agency

To measure the mutagenic activity of micro-organic pollutants in drinking water, mutagenic test was conducted using Salmnella typhimurium TA 98 strain on the water sample taken from three water supply station and six tap water in Seoul in July and November 1987. The results were as follows : 1. The average amounts of organic matters in raw, treated, and tap water sampled in July were 0.38mg/l, 0.28mg/l, and 0.45mg/l, respectively, and sampled in November were 0.34mg/l, 0.24mg/l, and 0.22mg/l, respectively. The amount of organic matters of tap water sampled in November did not increase while that of tap water sampled in July increased compare to those of raw or treated water. 2. The amount of organic matters is the highest in neutral fraction compare to acidic and basic fractions. 3. In the five out of six tap water and raw water of Paldang and Kuui station sampled in July, the mutagenic ratios were greater than two (both direct and indirect mutagenicity). 4. In the three out six tap water and raw and treated water of Kuui station sampled in November, the mutagenic ratios were greater than two. 5. While mutagenic were low in acidic and basic fraction, they were high in neutral fraction. The samples which had high mutagenic activity in the total amount also showed high mutagenic activity in neutral fraction. 6. While mutagenic activity was decreased after the treatment of water, it was increased in tap water as the distance from the water supply station increases.
Drinking Water* ; Drinking* ; Seoul* ; Water ; Water Supply

No abstract available.
Dimethylformamide* ; Liver Diseases* ; Liver*

Adenomyotic cyst is very rare disease, their sizes are mostly lesser 5mm. The intrauterine adenomyotic cyst may arise from progressive expansion of cyst due to progressive menstrual bleeding. Authors experienced a case of large adenomyotic cyst within myometrium occuring in a l9-year-old woman, and who was accompanied with endometriosis. The cyst was about 3 x 3em sized, and had chocolate colored thick viscous contents, We experienced one case of adenomyotic cyst which was thought to be degenerated uterine myoma, so we report the case with a brief review of the concerned literatures.
Animals ; Cacao ; Endometriosis* ; Female ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Leiomyoma ; Mice ; Myometrium* ; Rare Diseases

No abstract available.

No abstract available.

We compared the pain produced during different phases of phacoemulsification cataract surgery using a scleral pocket incision under pinpoint anesthesia with that under intracameral anesthesia. This prospective study comprised each 100 cataract patients who had no complications influencing the degree of pain during surgery. Patients were asked about pain immediately after each phase and pain occurring during each phase was measured using 4 step verbal scale(from 0 to 4). In both anesthesia,conjunctival reposition was the most painful.Pinpoint injection was statistically significantly more painful than induction of intracameral anesthesia.The pain score during conjunctival reposition and at 1hr after surgery were significantly higher under intracameral anesthesia than under pinpoint, but during most of phases under both anesthesia,the pain score was relatively low. Intracameral anesthesia is easy,safety and dose not require additional ocular damage during induction of anesthesia,so if combined with topical anesthesia,it is very effective during cataract surgery using scleral pocket incision.
Anesthesia* ; Cataract* ; Humans ; Phacoemulsification ; Prospective Studies

No abstract available.

Airway problems are easiest to manage when they are anticipated. Difficult intubation might, however, occur in patients with no obvious signs or symptoms suggesting airway obstruction. We describe a case of difficult intubation where the laryngeal inlet was obscured by a large epiglottic cyst that was discovered during rapid-sequence induction of general anesthesia. A 3-year-old male weighing 15 kg was admitted for an emergency appendectomy. After preoxygenation, a rapid-sequence induction was carried out. Direct laryngoscopy (Macintosh 1 blade) revealed a large 2-cm cyst arising from the lingual surface of the epiglottis. The cyst completely obstructed the view of the epiglottis and larynx, and several attempts at endotracheal intubation were unsuccessful. Fortunately, the patient was mask ventilated without difficulty and oxygen saturation was 98 99%. After a second 10 mg dose of succinylcholine, intubation was attempted using the same laryngoscope blade and a styletted 4.5 mm endotracheal tube by another anesthesiologist as cricoid pressure was maintained. By using the tube to push the cyst upward, intubation of the trachea was performed after a brief view of the arytenoid cartilages. Anesthesia and the operation then proceeded uneventfully. Following an appendectomy, an ENT surgeon removed the cyst.
Airway Obstruction ; Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, General ; Appendectomy ; Arytenoid Cartilage ; Bays ; Child, Preschool ; Emergencies ; Epiglottis ; Humans ; Intubation ; Intubation, Intratracheal* ; Laryngoscopes ; Laryngoscopy ; Larynx ; Male ; Masks ; Oxygen ; Succinylcholine ; Trachea

OBJECTIVES: Infectious diseases are known to be affected by climate change. We investigated if the infectious diseases were related to meteorological factors in Korea. METHODS: Scrub typhus, hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), leptospirosis, malaria and Vibrio vulnificus sepsis among the National Notifiable Infectious Diseases were selected as the climate change-related infectious diseases. Temperature, relative humidity and precipitation were used as meteorological factors. The study period was from 2001 through 2008. We examined the seasonality of the diseases and those correlations with meteorological factors. We also analyzed the correlations between the incidences of the diseases during the outbreak periods and monthly meteorological factors in the hyper-endemic regions. RESULTS: All of the investigated diseases showed strong seasonality; malaria and V. vulnificus sepsis were prevalent in summer and scrub typhus, HFRS and leptospirosis were prevalent in the autumn. There were significant correlations between the monthly numbers of cases and all the meteorological factors for malaria and V. vulnificus sepsis, but there were no correlation for the other diseases. However, the incidence of scrub typhus in hyper-endemic region during the outbreak period was positively correlated with temperature and humidity during the summer. The incidences of HFRS and leptospirosis had positive correlations with precipitation in November and temperature and humidity in February, respectively. V. vulnificus sepsis showed positive correlations with precipitation in April/May/July. CONCLUSIONS: In Korea, the incidences of the infectious diseases were correlated with meteorological factors, and this implies that the incidences could be influenced by climate change.
Adult ; Aged ; Climate ; Female ; Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome/*epidemiology ; Humans ; Leptospirosis/*epidemiology ; Malaria/*epidemiology ; Male ; Meteorological Concepts ; Middle Aged ; Occupations ; Republic of Korea ; Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever/*epidemiology ; Seasons ; Vibrio Infections/*epidemiology