No abstract available.
Arthroplasty* ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip*

OBJECTIVE: The accuracy of analytical results of blood and urine heavy metals came out to the main issue on occupational health from late eighties. The discrepancy of the results for same samples from different laboratories made the diagnosis for occupational diseases be unreliable. Therefore, a quality control program for analysis of samples taken from workplace had been introduced in Korea since 1992. This study aims to show the quality control program f'or analysis of blood and urine samples and its proficient rates from 1992 to 1999 and to know how they have been being used in occupational health. METHODS: The quality control program runs twice a year with mandatory items of blood lead and urine hippuvic acid and voluntary items of blood cadmium and manganese and urine mandellic acid and methyl hippuric acid. Participant laboratories are receiving three levels for each items and two out of three samples have to be qualified for being a proficient laboratory for the item. The acceptable range of blood lead and urine hippuric acid is +/-15% and that of the others is within 3 SD(standard deviation) from the reference values. RESULTS: The proficient rates of blood lead and urine hippuric acid was 89%, 90%, repectively, however those of the other voluntary items have been from 51% to 62%. The proficient rates of urine mercury and urine N-methylformamide(NMF), which are introduced since 1999, were very poor. Urine hippuric acid and blood lead were analyzed frequently for the purpose of biological monitoring conducting by special health examination organizations. Urine and blood manganese and urine metabolites of trichloroethylene, urine phenol, methylhippuric acid and cadmium were followed. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the quality control program for biological monitoring has dramatically improve the ability of analysing blood and urine samples and eventually contributes to diagnose occupational diseases and to prevent occupational poisoning. However, some biological monitoring data, such as urine manganese, mercury and NMF, have been still reported from laboratories that were not accepted as a proficient laboratory.
Cadmium ; Diagnosis ; Environmental Monitoring ; Korea ; Manganese ; Metals, Heavy ; Occupational Diseases ; Occupational Health ; Phenol ; Poisoning ; Quality Control ; Reference Values ; Trichloroethylene

Forty eight female Sprague-Dawley rats received a subcutaneous implant containing 12.5 mg estradiol ant the age of 3 weeks. Three rats were killed in 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 weeks and in every month during 2~12 months after implantation, and the breasts were examined by light microscope. In all rats, enlargement of terminal end buds was obseved in 1~2 weeks, maximum development of hyperplastic alveolar nodules in 3 weeks, and marked dilatation and secretion of alveoli or ducts in 1~12 months after implantation. Ductal epithelial hyperplasia was observed in 27 rats and carcinomas developed in 23 rats in 2~12 months after implantation. It was thought that the changes induced by estradiol are more similar to the human breast lesions, compared with changes induced by chemical carcinogens such as dimethylbenzanthracene(DMBA), because breast carcinomas developed in close relationship with ductal epithelial hyperplasia in both estradiol-treated rats and humans, but not in DMBA-treated rats.
Female ; Humans ; Rats ; Animals ; Carcinogens

BACKGROUND: Reciprocal ST-segment depression in precordial leads is a common finding in acute inferior myocardial infarction. The responsible mechanism and the significance of this finding, however, are still controversial. METHODS: Clinical characteristics, serial eletrocardiograms, angiographic findings of coronary artery and left ventricle were reviewed in 33 patients with acute inferior myocardial infarction. Reciprocal ST-segment depression was defined as ST-segment depression > or =1.0mm in two or more adjacent chest leads, I and aVL in patients with acute inferior myocardial infarction showing ST-segment elevation in II, III, aVF. Coronary angiography and left ventriculography were performed 15,2+/-16.9 hours after arrival. RESULTS: Eleven patients did not have reciprocal ST-segment depression(group A) and 22 patients had reciprocal ST-segment depression(group B). There was no significant difference in the demographic data of the patients except age and peak CK-MB, which were significantly higher in group B than group A. Left anterior descending coronary artery(LAD) stenosis was significantly more frequent in group B than group A(54.5% vs 18.2%, p<0.05). However the distribution of left ventricular regional wall motion abnormality and global ejection fraction showed no difference between two groups. In addition, there was no difference in in-hospital complications. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that reciprocal ST-segment depression in acute inferior myocardial infarction can be explained by anterior ischemia due to concomitant LAD stenosis in some cases, but its clinical significance is limited at least in terms of in-hospital complications.
Constriction, Pathologic ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Stenosis* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Depression* ; Heart Ventricles ; Humans ; Inferior Wall Myocardial Infarction* ; Ischemia ; Thorax

BACKGROUND: Trimetazidine(Vastinan(R)) is a new antianginal agent of different action mechanism specifically targeted at the metabolic cellular consequences of myocardial ischemia. The clinical efficacy of the Trimetazidine in angina pectoris is still to be defined. METHOD: To determine the antianginal effect of trimetazidine in the treatment of ischemic heart disease, 15 patients with stable angina(12 male, 3 female, mean age : 59.3 years) were studied. In 6 cases as a single agent and in 9 cases as an additive regimen to conventional antianginal medications. Trimetazidine(20mg 3 times daily) was given for 30 days or more to evaluate the clinical effect. Graded exercise tests were carried out before the trial of Trimetazidine and on the 30th day of the treatment period. RESULTS: 1) The number of episodes of anginal attacks decreased from 4.2+/-2.7 to 2.0+/-0.5 a week(p<0.05) after treatment with Trimetazidine. 2) Trimetazidine also significantly increased the duration of total exercise from 12.1+/-4.7 min to 14.5+/-3.3 min(p<0.05), and the time to 1mm ST segment depression from 7.7+/-5.9 min to 11.7+/-5.2 min(p<0.05) on treadmill exercise by modified Bruce protocol. 3) Total workload (METs) and rate pressure double product(heart rate x systolic blood pressure) slightly increased, but the differences were not significant statistically. 4) No serious clinical side effects were observed during the treatment. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the Trimetazidine is an effective and safe as an antianginal drug in the treatment of stable angina patients as a single agent and as an additive regimen when the patients are refractory to conventional drugs.
Angina Pectoris ; Angina, Stable* ; Depression ; Exercise Test ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Trimetazidine

Congenital atresia of left main coronary ostium is a rare congenital coronary anomaly. This anomaly was detected during elective coronary angiogram in a 40 year-old female patient with chest pain and exertional dyspnea. Treadmill exercise test demonstrated 2 mm upslope depression of ST segment at stage I and the test was terminated due to chest pain. Myocardial stress SPECT using 201 Tl-dipyridamole showed reversible perfusion defects at anterior, apex and lateral wall. It was impossible to select left coronary artery ostium and right coronary angiogram revealed 30% eccentric stenosis at proximal right coronary artery with grade 3 collateral flow to left anterior descending and circumflex arteries. Operative finding revealed totally occluded left coronary ostium with membrane-like, non-atheromatous tissue similar to aortic wall. The patient was successfully treated with coronary artery bypass grafts (CABG) using left internal mammary artery and great saphenous vein. She underwent follow-up coronary angiogram, which revealed patent grafts, at one year after CABG and no cardiovascular event was observed on 5-year clinical follow-up.
Adult ; Arteries ; Chest Pain ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Coronary Artery Bypass ; Coronary Vessels ; Depression ; Dyspnea ; Exercise Test ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Mammary Arteries ; Perfusion ; Saphenous Vein ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon ; Transplants

No abstract available.

BACKGROUND: Periungual warts are a therapeutic challenge. Many studies have revealed that intralesional interferon α-2b therapy and pulsed dye laser therapy have numerous advantages over other modalities of theratment. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine if combination therapy with intralesional interferon α-2b and pulsed dye laser might offer an effective treatment for periungual warts. METHODS: Thirty-three patients were randomly assigned to one of three study groups. In group A, the patients received both intralesional interferon α-2b treatment and pulsed dye laser(PDL) therapy (n=13). Group B patients were treated wit intralesional interferon α-2b alone (n=10) and group C was done with PDL therapy only (n=10). RESULTS: The clearance rate was 92.3% for the patients treated with the combination therapy of intralesional interferon α-2b treatment and pulsed dye laser (PDL) therapy. It was 50% for the patients with the intralesional interferon α-2b treatment alone, and 0% for the group with the PDL therpy only. No significant side effects were observed. At 6 months after cessation of the therapy, total 2 cases (one from group A and the other from group B) were recurred. CONCLUSION: The combination therapy with intralesional interferon α-2b treatment and pulsed dye laser therapy was highly effective for the treatment of recalcitrant periungual warts.
Humans ; Interferons* ; Lasers, Dye* ; Warts*

No abstract available.
Amino Acid Sequence* ; HIV* ; Phenotype*

Blue nevus is a benign melanocytic neoplasm and represents itself usually as a solitary blue or blue-black papule. It rarely occurs as multiple lesions grouped in a circumscribed area. How-ever, non-grouped disseminated blue nevi are exceedingly rare. We report a patient with acquired multiple blue nevi that was distributed over the entire body discretely and showed an increase in the number of the nevi without any causal factors.
Humans ; Nevus ; Nevus, Blue*