Using audiometric test data, noise exposed workers were followed up to assess the activities for hearing conservation from 1989 to 1992. The subjects of study were 71 workers who could be followed up at least two years during this follow-up period. In all subjects, increasing trend of hearing threshold levels (HTLs) was observed after three years of follow-up at all testing frequencies in audiometry and this increase was statistically significant at 8KHz(p<0.05). Also, HTLs increased significantly(p<0.05) in the workers who complained tinnitus(at 0.25, 8KHz), who ws below 90 dB (at 8KHz). Effectiveness of the activities for hearing conservation, assessed by sequential test-retest comparisons, was lower in the workers who complained tinnitus, who had past history of ear disease, and whose workplace noise level was below 90 dB. These findings suggest that the activities for hearing conservation at workplace may have been unsatisfactory until now and more stringent measures may be necessary, especially in the workers who complain tinnitus, who have past history of ear disease, and whose workplace noise level is below 90dB.
Audiometry ; Ear Diseases ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hearing* ; Noise ; Tinnitus

Colonic angiodysplasia is important because of the likelihood of lower gastrointestinal tract bleeding, either massively or chronically. A 66-year-old male patient visited our hospital because of hematochezia and lower abdominal discomfort. He underwent colonoscopy, which revealed 0.5 cm sized, cherry red colored, branching, ozzing vessel with fern-like margin on cecum. Although he received endoscopic injection therapy with hypertonic saline and oral estrogen-progesterone therapy, subsequent ileocecal resection was performed due to recurrent bleeding. Histology of the resected specimen showed irregularly dilated, distorted, thin-walled vessels in submucosa.
Aged ; Angiodysplasia* ; Cecum ; Colon* ; Colonoscopy ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage ; Hemorrhage* ; Humans ; Lower Gastrointestinal Tract ; Male ; Prunus

No abstract available.
Shoes*

BACKGROUND: In an effort t enhance long term patency of coronary bypass grafts, utilization of arterial conduits have been on an icrease. With the same objective, we have been using the right gastroepiploic artery (RGEA) in coronary artery bypass procedures since 1998. The current paper has been undertaken with the aim of assessing the apropriateness, problems, and short term results of using the RGEA as an arterial graft conduit by studying the postoperative clinical results of 100 patients than received coronary artery bypass grafting (CARG) with this artery. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Between May of 1998 and May of 1999, an analysis of the mortality, postoperative myocardial infarction, and the need for IABP insertion as a result of low cardiac output were made between 100 consecutive patients undergoing CABG with the RGEA. There was one postoperative death due to cerebral infarction. Postoperative complications/morbidity comprised myocardial infarction in 2, cerebral infarct in 3, reoperation due to bleeding in 1, mediastinitis in 1, and low cardiac output syndrome necessitating IABP in 3 patients. Complicatons related to harvesting of the arterial grafts were not experienced in any of the patients. CONCLUSION: The results of the current data show that utilization of the RGEA in CABG is not associated with increased mortality/morbidity and demonstrates satisfactory short term results suggesting the usefulnessof this conduit as an arterial graft.
Arteries ; Cardiac Output, Low ; Cerebral Infarction ; Coronary Artery Bypass* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Gastroepiploic Artery* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Mediastinitis ; Mortality ; Myocardial Infarction ; Reoperation ; Transplants

BACKGROUND: For the differential diagnosis between the various subtypes of muscular dystrophy, the analysis of the protein expression pattern from the biopsied skeletal muscle tissue is essential. Authors performed the immunohistochemical study (IHC) using sets of antibodies for the differentiation of subtypes of muscular dystrophy. METHODS: Antibodies against dystrophin C-terminal, dystrophin rod domain, dystrophin N-terminal, alpha-, beta-, gamma-sarcoglycans, laminin alpha2 chain, dysferlin, and beta-dystroglycan were used for the IHC study in 43 patients with muscular dystrophy. The reactivity against the specific antibodies was graded and the clinical findings were assessed. RESULTS: We found 15 cases of dystrophin deficiency and 7 cases of dysferlin deficiency. Those with dystrophin deficiency were clinically classified previously as follows, 11 cases with Duchenne's muscular dystrophy (DMD), two with congenital muscular dystrophy (CMD), one with Becker's muscular dystrophy (BMD), and a female patient with limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD). Those with dysferlin deficiency consisted of 4 cases with LGMD phenotype and 3 with distal myopathy. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study confirm the dystrophin immunostain is essential for the identification of dystrophinopathies among the various subtypes of muscular dystrophy. Also, the identification of 7 cases with dysferlin deficiency suggests dysferlinopathy is the common cause of muscular dystrophy in Korea.
Antibodies ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Distal Myopathies ; Dystroglycans ; Dystrophin ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Korea ; Laminin ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Muscular Dystrophies* ; Muscular Dystrophies, Limb-Girdle ; Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne ; Phenotype ; Sarcoglycans

No abstract available.
Adenoma, Pleomorphic ; Palate

In contrast to the child with a solitary juvenile polyp, generalized gastrointestinal juvenile polyposis have a much different clinical course. In generalized juvenile polyposis blood loss can be considerable and iron-deficiency anemia is a common observation. Although it is usually regarded as a benign condition, juvenile polyposis may predispose to cancer of the gastrointestinal tract. We experienced a case of nonfamilial generalized gastrointestinal juvenile polyposis with pancytopenia in a 15 year-old male patient who had hospitalized because of intermittent rectal bleeding with anemia for three years. Histological examination of polyps from affected patient revealed a spectrum of change from juvenile polyps, to juvenile polyps with adenomatous changes. Subtotal colectomy, rectal mucosectomy, and endorectal pull-through procedure were successfully performed. No complication has occured since the discharge. A brief review of related literatures is also presented.
Adolescent ; Anemia ; Anemia, Iron-Deficiency ; Child ; Colectomy ; Gastrointestinal Neoplasms ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Male ; Pancytopenia* ; Polyps

PURPOSE: Recently, the incidence of blast injury has been on the increase worldwide. The purpose of this study was to evaluate and analyze blast injuries in South Korea. METHODS: This was a retrospective multi-center study of blast injuries in three tertiary military centers. The medical records of patients with blast injuries from January 2003 to December 2007 were reviewed. The injury severity was evaluated according to the Injury Severity Score (ISS), the Revised Trauma Score (RTS), and the Trauma Score and the Injury Severity Score (TRISS). RESULTS: This study revealed epidemiological data of blast injury in the three tertiary military hospital. A total of 94 cases of blast injury had occurred. Various body regions were involved. The most frequently injured site was the upper extremity (52.1%). The mechanisms for the blast injuries were primary (41.5%), secondary (74.5%), tertiary (7.4%), and quaternary (29.8%). The mean injury-to-hospital arrival time was 3.2+/-1.7 hour. The rate of admission was 88.3%, and the rate of ICU admission was 32.5%. Thirty-six (36) cases required an emergency operation. Most were performed by an Orthopedist (55.6%), an Ophthalmologist (19.4%), or a general surgeon (13.9%). The mortality rate from blast injury was 4.3%. CONCLUSION: This was the first paper to present data on the type of injury, the site of injury, the cause of death, and the mortality from blast injury in South Korea. Chest injury, brain injury, tertiary injury mechanisms, ISS> or = 16, and a Maximal Abbreviated Injury Scale Score (ABI)> or =4 were significantly associated with death.
Abbreviated Injury Scale ; Blast Injuries ; Body Regions ; Bombs ; Brain Injuries ; Cause of Death ; Emergencies ; Hospitals, Military ; Humans ; Incidence ; Injury Severity Score ; Korea ; Medical Records ; Military Personnel ; Republic of Korea ; Retrospective Studies ; Thoracic Injuries ; Upper Extremity

This survey was performed to obtain the basic information for the prevention and management of occupational low back injury(LBI). The subjects of this survey were 952 workers(male, 892;female, 60) who had taken occupational LBI in some industries of Pusan area from January 1 to December 31, 1991. Observation period was 2.6 years from the beginning to the end of medical treatment. The obtained results were summarized as follows; 1. The proportion of LBI workers was 15.9% of the workers who had taken any occupational injuries and 0.32% of all workers in this surveyed area. 2. 8.0% of the workers had taken LBI on the 1st day of employment and 55.2% of the workers were within one year, 91.4% of the workers were within 10 years according to cumulative frequency distribution. 3. Handling of heavy objects was the most common cause of LBI(32.0%) and fall down(26.9%) and slip down(16.3%) were the next in order. 4. The most common causes of both lumbar sprain and HNP were handling of heavy objects and that of lumbar fracture was fall down. 5. The mean duration for medical treatment of LBI workers was 143 days. 6. The total direct compensation cost for LBI workers was 6,736 million Won and the proportion of medical, resting, disability compensation costs were 25.0%, 37.0%, 38.0% respectively. 7. The percentages of retreated workers and disabled workers were 11.9%(113 persons) and 22.9%(218 persons) of total LBI workers respectively.
Back Injuries* ; Busan* ; Compensation and Redress ; Employment ; Occupational Injuries ; Sprains and Strains

OBJECTIVE: To understand the difference of defecation physiology between postpartum and postoperative women. METHODS: Between July 1998 to April 1999, we performed defecogram and pudendal nerve motor latency to 31 women, who were 8 postoperative women, 9 post cesarean-section state women, and 14 normal vaginal delivery-state women. RESULTS: According to the defecogram results, only squeezing angles of the anorectal angle were significantly increased(96.0 vs 72.3, 74.9 degree) in normal vaginal delivery-state women compared to post cesarean-section state and postoperative women, but rest and evacuation angles were not. And to pudendal nerve latency, there were no statistically significant difference. CONCLUSION: We concluded that the pudendal plexus was damaged during labor, therefore its ability to control puborectalis muscle was damaged. So, the anorectal angles of squeezing of postpartum women were significantly increased, compared to those of post cesarean section women or postoperative women.
Cesarean Section ; Defecation* ; Female ; Humans ; Physiology* ; Postpartum Period* ; Pregnancy ; Pudendal Nerve*