No abstract available.
Drainage* ; Prognosis*

To investigate the effectiveness of the interventions in working environment and personal hygiene for the occupational exposure to the lead, the blood zinc protoporphyrin(ZPP) concentrations of 131 workers ( 100 exposed subjects and 31 controls ) of a newly established battery factory were analyzed. They were measured in every 3 months up to 18 months. Air lead concentration (Pb-A) of the workplaces was also checked for 3 times in 6 months interval from August 1987. Environmental intervention included the local exhaust ventilation and vacuum cleaning of the floor. Intervention of the personal hygiene included the daily change of clothes, compulsory shower after work and hand washing before meal, prohibition of cigarette smoking and food consumption at the work site and wearing mask. Mean blood ZPP concentration of the controls was 16.45+/-4.83 microgram/dashliter at the preemployment examination and slightly increased to 17.77+/-5.59 microgram/dashliter after 6 months. Mean blood ZPP concentration of the exposed subjects who were employed before the factory was in operation (Group A) was 17.36+/-5.20 microgram/dashliter on employment and it was increased to 23.00+/-13.06 microgram/dashliter after 3 months. The blood ZPP concentration was increased to 27.25+/-6.40 microgram/dashliter on 6 months (p<0.01) after the employment which was 1 month after the initiation of intervention program. It did not increase thereafter and ranged between 25.48 microgram/dashliter and 26.61 microgram/dashliter in the subsequent 4 results. Mean blood ZPP concentration of the exposed subjects who were employed after the factory had been in operation but before the intervention program was initiated (Group B) was 14.34+/-6.10 microgram/dashliter on employment and it was increased to 28.97+/-7.14 microgram/dashliter (p<0.01) in 3 months later(1 month after the intervention). The values of subsequent 4 tests were maintained between 26.96 microgram/dashliter and 27.96 microgram/dashliter. Mean blood ZPP concentration of the exposed subjects who were employed after intervention program had been started (Group C) was 21.34+/-5.25 microgram/dashliter on employment and it was gradually increased to 23.37+/-3.86 microgram/dashliter (p<0.01) after 3 months, 23.93+/-3.64 microgram/dashliter after 6 months, 25.50+/-3.01 microgram/dashliter (p<0.01) after 9 months, and 25.50+/-3.10 microgram/dashliter after 12 months. Workplaces were classified into 4 parts according to Pb-A. The Pb-A of part I, the highest areas, were 0.365 microgram/m4, and after the intervention the levels were decreased to 0.216 microgram/m4 and 0.208 microgram/m4 in follow-up test. The Pb-A of part II which was resulted in lower value than part I was decreased from 0.232 microgram/m4 to 0.148 microgram/m4, and 0.120 microgram/m4 after the intervention. The Pb-A of part III was tested after the intervention and resulted in 0.124 microgram/m4 in January 1988 and 0.081 microgram/m4 in August 1988. The Pb-A of part IV was also tested after the intervention and resulted in 0.110 microgram/m4 in August 1988. There was no consistent relationship between Pb-A and blood ZPP concentration. The blood ZPP concentration of the group A and B workers in the part of the highest Pb-A were lower than those of the workers in the parts of lower Pb-A. The blood ZPP concentration of the workers in the part of the lowest Pb-A increased more rapidly. The blood ZPP concentration of the group C workers was the highest in part III. These findings suggest that the intervention in personal hygiene is more effective than environmental intervention, and it should be carried out from the first day of employment and to both the exposed subjects, blue color workers and the controls, white color workers.
Cohort Studies* ; Employment ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hand Disinfection ; Humans ; Hygiene ; Masks ; Meals ; Occupational Exposure ; Smoking ; Vacuum ; Ventilation ; Workplace ; Zinc*

Background: Herniation pits (HPs) have been considered to be an incidental finding, but recently femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) has been proposed as a possible cause of their formation. The findings on bone scans of HPs are variable in the literature: some showed increased uptake; the majority did not. We hypothesized that serial changes in image findings of HPs would explain the reason for the variable bone scan findings. Methods: Four patients (5 hips) were followed up for more than 7 years. All patients were women and regularly underwent bone scintigraphy after the diagnosis of breast cancer. Small lesions with increased uptake were first detected on bone scintigraphy at the age of 44 to 64 years. In all cases, the lesions were confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging and follow-up bone scintigrams were taken regularly. Four lesions were also evaluated by computed tomography. Changes in the size of the pits and the intensity of the increased uptake on bone scintigraphy were evaluated. Results: On the bone scintigrams, the lesions with increased uptake were detected in the femoral neck at 5–20 months after previous negative bone scintigraphy. There had been no events or symptoms associated with the newly detected increased uptake. On follow-up scans, the intensity of the uptake decreased gradually and the areas of increased uptake disappeared completely at 14–50 months after their first appearance. In 3 cases (2 patients), the pit size increased during follow-up. Conclusions The areas of increased uptake on bone scintigraphy gradually disappeared in all cases and the increase in pit size was frequent. There was no case in which signs or symptoms suggestive of FAI were noticed.

No abstract available.
Female ; Meigs Syndrome*

Mechanisms of ceramic liner fractures have not yet been fully elucidated. Impingement between a stem and ceramic liner is a proposed cause of ceramic liner fractures. We experienced a case of ceramic liner fracture caused by direct impingement between the stem shoulder and the ceramic liner. This type of impingement, unlike impingements with a stem neck, has not been previously reported. While we assume that certain characteristics of the stem contributed to the impingement, we report this case to note that caution may be needed when using certain stem designs.

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted in order to evaluate the association between the working hours of Korean employees and the metabolic syndrome and the effects of long working hours on metabolic syndrome based on the 5th Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2010-2012). METHODS: Based on the 5th Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2010-2012), 4,456 Korean employees without shift work, aged over 15, who work 30 hours or more per week were targeted in this study. The association between the general characteristics, including age, smoking, alcohol drinking, exercise, and the metabolic syndrome criteria defined by International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and weekly working hours were analyzed. In addition, the association between weekly working hours and the metabolic syndrome of the subjects stratified by gender was analyzed through multiple logistic regression analyses and generalized linear mixed model after adjusting the general characteristics. RESULTS: In the results of stratified analysis by gender, in male subjects, in comparison with the 30-39 weekly working hours group, there were no significant adjusted odds ratios to the other working hours groups. In female subjects, in comparison with the 30-39 weekly working hours group, there were no significant adjusted odds ratios to the other working hours groups. In addition, no trend associations were observed among weekly working hour groups in both stratified genders. CONCLUSION: No significant differences in prevalence of metabolic syndrome of the subjects stratified by gender were found according to weekly increasing working hours. However, due to some limitations of this study, further prospective studies may be necessary for verification.
Alcohol Drinking ; Female ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Nutrition Surveys* ; Obesity, Abdominal ; Odds Ratio ; Prevalence ; Prospective Studies ; Smoke ; Smoking

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether patterns of dysphagia were associated with the location of the brain lesion and clinical factors in subacute stroke patients. METHOD: One hundred and seventy-eight first-ever subacute stroke patients who underwent videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) from January 2006 to April 2012 were enrolled in the present study. Swallowing-related parameters were assessed by VFSS. The location of brain lesions were classified into the cortical, subcortical, and brain stem. The degree of cognitive impairment and the independency of activities of daily living were assessed by the Korean version of mini-mental status examination and Korean version of modified Barthel index (K-MBI). Aphasia and hemineglect were assessed by Korean version of Western aphasia battery and line bisection test. These data were collected via retrospective chart review. RESULTS: A reduced laryngeal elevation and prolonged pharyngeal delay time were associated with brain stem lesion. Other swallowing parameters were not associated with lesion topology. Pyriform sinus residue was associated with the presence of aphasia and low K-MBI scores. Prolonged pharyngeal delay time was associated with the patient's age, type of stroke and brain stem lesion. CONCLUSION: Pyriform sinus residue was associated with clinical factors such as aphasia and K-MBI scores rather than with the location of brain lesion. However, reduced laryngeal elevation and prolonged pharyngeal delay time were predominant in brain stem lesions.
Activities of Daily Living ; Aphasia ; Brain Stem ; Brain* ; Deglutition Disorders ; Deglutition* ; Humans ; Pyriform Sinus ; Retrospective Studies ; Stroke*

BACKGROUND: The cardiotoxicity of adriamycin limits its clinical usefulness as a powerful drug for solid tumors and malignant hematological disease. Although the exact mechanism by which it causes cardiac damage is not yet known, several reports have suggested apoptosis to be the principal process in adriamycin-induced cardiomyopathy, which exhibits DNA fragmentation, cytochrome C release, and caspase activation. However, no direct evidence has linked the critical involvement of caspase-3 in adriamycin-induced apoptosis. METHODS: To determine the requirements for the activation of caspase-3 in adriamycin-treated cardiac cells, we examined the effect of caspase inhibitor on the cell survival and apoptotic changes, using MTT assay, microscopy and Western blotting. RESULTS: Exposure of H9c2 cells to adriamycin resulted in time- and dose-dependent cell death and cleavage of pro-caspase-3 and the nuclear protein poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). However, neither the reduction of cell viability nor the characteristic morphological changes induced by adriamycin was prevented by pretreatment with the general caspase inhibitor z-VAD.FMK. In contrast, caspase inhibition effectively blocked the apoptosis induced by H2O2 in H9c2 cells, but was not essential for adriamycin-induced apoptosis in H9c2 cells. We also observed that p53 expression was increased by adriamycin, and this increase was not affected by the inhibition of caspase activity, suggesting a role for p53 in adriamycin-induced caspase-independent apoptosis in cardiac toxicity. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that adriamycin specifically activates an apoptotic pathway that is not dependent upon the activation of caspase.
Apoptosis* ; Blotting, Western ; Cardiomyopathies ; Caspase 3 ; Cell Death ; Cell Survival ; Cytochromes c ; DNA Fragmentation ; Doxorubicin* ; Hematologic Diseases ; Microscopy ; Myocytes, Cardiac* ; Nuclear Proteins

Two autopsy cases of asphyxia due to oxygen deficiency are reported. The first case is that a 38-year-old man died in a storehouse. Many pears were stored in a storehouse and the its atmosphere was strictly controlled. The second case is that a 42-year-old man died in the boiler room of a fishing ship. Much amount of Freon gas escaped due to a defect of the refrigerator in the boiler room. The victim entered the boiler room because he repaired the refrigerator. But, the victim died when he entered the boiler room immediately. In this article, the autopsy findings and the contents of the investigation of scene of two cases are described.
Adult ; Anoxia* ; Asphyxia* ; Atmosphere ; Autopsy* ; Chlorofluorocarbons ; Humans ; Oxygen* ; Pyrus ; Ships ; United Nations

OBJECTIVES: Shoulder subluxation is common complication after stroke. And it can result in delayed neurological recovery in hemiplegic stroke patients. The aim of this study is identifying the incidence and associating factors of shoulder subluxation in stroke patients. METHODS: Stroke patients from 1 rehabilitation center from January 2008 to January 2012 were enrolled in the present study. The basic demographic data were registered at the time of admission or transfer to rehabilitation center. To assess the shoulder subluxation, we have used fingers' breadth method and plain radiography. We diagnosed shoulder subluxation with vertical distance (VD) were more than 12.4cm on plain anteroposteior view. And then shoulder subluxation was analyzed with associated factors. RESULTS: Of 154 stroke patients, this retrospective study included 109 patients who met the inclusion criteria, 28 patients had shoulder subluxation. After univariated analysis, shoulder subluxation was significantly associated with motor power of shoulder and elbow, loss of proprioception, stroke duration and functional ability. Especially elbow extensor less than poor grade is mostly related to shoulder subluxation among the motor powers. Then multivariated analysis was carried out including all significant subjects, elbow extensor less than poor grade, loss of proprioception and stroke duration more than 6 months were related to shoulder subluxation. CONCLUSIONS: Post stroke shoulder subluxation was commonly observed, and the incidence was 25.6% in this study. Shoulder subluxation was correlated with muscle power of elbow(less than F grade), loss of proprioception and stroke duration more than 6 months.
Elbow ; Humans ; Incidence ; Proprioception ; Radiography ; Rehabilitation ; Rehabilitation Centers ; Retrospective Studies ; Shoulder* ; Stroke*