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 study subjects in this study are 295 workers who work on one electronics industry, and they were composed of 93 VDT and 202 non-VDT workers. This study was carried out to obtain the prevalence of subjective symptoms and to compare psychological symptom scores from SCL-90-R between VDT and non-VDT work groups. And to verify the relationship between VDT work related symptoms and psychological symptoms, the author compared scL-90-R T scores between symptom complaining and non-complaining groups. The results are summarized as follows: 1. Throughout the prevalence study of VDT work related symptoms according to VDT work state, the author could select the final 10 symptoms by sex; 'eye fatigue', 'foggy vision', 'neck discomfort or pain'. 'shoulder discomfort and pain', 'light headedness', 'dizziness', 'aene`, 'itching sensation on face', 'difficulty in concentration', 'memory disturbance' in males, and 'blurred vision`, 'foggy vision', 'neck discomfort or pain', 'shoulder discomfort and pain`, 'abdominal distention','indigestion', 'acne', 'pricking sensation on face', 'difficulty in concentration', 'memory disturbance` in females. 2. Throughout comparison of psychological symptom scores from SCL-90-R between VDT and non-VDT workers' except `interpersonal sensitivity` in female, Mean T score were higher in VDT workers, but not significantly different between the two groups. These results indicate that the relation between VDT work status and psychological symptoms are not strongly correlated. 3. Because of the nonspecific characteristics of VDT work related symptoms, from the 40 subjective symptoms, the author selected the final 10 symptoms by sex, especially correlated to VDT, and divided the study subjects into symptom complaining and non-complaining groups. The mean SCL-90-R T score between the two groups were compared. Except for the opthalmologic symptoms in females, the scores were significantly different between the two groups in all symptoms. And this indicates that the VDT work related symptoms strongly correlated with the present individual psychological conditions. 4. Due to understand that which of the 9 psychological symptom dimensions are strongly correlated with the subjective symptoms, the author excuted multiple logistic regression analysis, and the result were as follows; 'depression' and 'somatization', in male, and 'obsessive-compulsive' and 'somatization' in female.
Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Prevalence ; Sensation

Experiments, using CO intoxicated male Sprague-Dawley rats, were carried out (1) to see the change of the oxygen tree radical reaction according to partial pressure of oxygen, and (2) to assess the effectiveness of superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, malondialdehyde (MDA), and ethane as a parameter of the reaction. Ethane was measured in exhaled breath anti SOD activity and MDA In brain tissue. Experimental group consist of (1) Control group (=breathing with air[ambient air]), (2) HBO group (=exposed to hyperbaric oxygen(HBO, 3ATA, l00%] after all breath), (3) CO-Air group (=exposed to CO [3,970 ppm] after air breath followed by air breath), (4) CO-HBO group (=exposed to CO after air breath followed by HBO treatment), and (5) CO group (=exposed to CO after air breath, only for SOD activity & MDA measuring). Amount of ethane exhaled during 30 minutes of HBO treatment after GO exposure was significantly greater than those of all the other groups (p-value= .002) , suggesting more oxygen free radical reaction is taken place in CO intoxicated rats treated with higher partial pressure of oxygen. The long-term follow-up studies are required to differentiate the adverse effects of HBO treatment from the sequelae of CO poisoning itself, and to develop the preventive measures for the adverse effect of HBO treatment. And there was no significnat difference among the five groups in SOD activity and MDA measuring (p-value>.05). This result may be accounted for the rapid recovery of SOD activity and the metabolic degradation and excretion of MDA in a short time. In conclusion, measurement of ethane in exhaled breath is more effective than those of SOD activity and MDA as a parameter to assess the oxygen free radical reaction produced by HBO treatment for CO poisoned rats as a whole
Animals ; Brain ; Carbon Monoxide* ; Carbon* ; Ethane ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; Oxygen* ; Partial Pressure* ; Poisoning ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Superoxide Dismutase

The purpose of this study was to estimate mean pressure thresholds over several skeletal muscles, grip and pinch strengths in female telephone operators. Pressure thresholds on muscles of neck and shoulder were measured with a pressure algometer, and grip and pinch strength were measured with a Jamar dynamometer and a Jamar pinch gauge in 904 female telephone operators. The pressure threshold was highest in the supraspinatus and lowest in the cervical paraspinals. There was no statistically significant difference between right and left corresponding muscles. The mean grip strength was 22.29 kg in the right hand, 21.97 kg in the left hand. The mean tip pinch strength was 0.56 kg in the right, 0.51 kg in the left. The mean lateral pinch strength was 2.21 kg in the right, 2.12 kg in the left. The mean palmar pinch strength was 1.82 kg in the right, 1.66 kg in the left. There was no significant correlation between grip, pinch strength and age(p>0.05). There were positive correlations between height, weight and grip strength. There were positive correlations between exposure duration to visual display terminal and pinch strength.
Cumulative Trauma Disorders ; Female* ; Hand ; Hand Strength* ; Humans ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Muscles ; Neck ; Pinch Strength* ; Shoulder ; Telephone*

Sister-chromatic exchanges measured in the peripheral lymphocytes of 15 non-smoking medical students after exposure to formaldehyde during a 24-week anatomy class showed a small but significant (p=0.0468) increase when compared with samples obtained from the same individuals immediately before exposure. Mean frequencies of sister-chromatic exchange of cultured peripheral lymphocytes were 5.40+/-0.24 from the samples before exposure and 5.87+/-0.22 from the same samples after exposure. Breathing-zone air samples collected by formaldehyde monitoring kit with digital colorimeter (SKC) showed a mean concentration of 0.72+/-0.02 ppm formaldehyde.
Formaldehyde* ; Humans ; Lymphocytes* ; Students, Medical*