The researcher intended to investigate the rate absenteeisms and other related statistics among the workers in a steel and iron industry with the criteria and the recommendation of the International Association on Occupational Health. With the well designed questionnaire and interview, 1,882 workers were surveyed from July the 24th to the 28th, 1978. The results were as follows ; The workers who experienced absence were 16.8% in July. The rate of frequency (spells) was as follow ; the frequency (spells) was 1.34, the duration was 2.29, the frequency (persons) was 101.06 and the lost time was 0.63, respectively. The main causes of sickness absence were general symptoms. such as fatigue (50.8%) and gastro-intestinal symptoms (13.8%). The frequency of sick was highly correlated to the frequency of drinking, the amount of smoking, the physical work-load and the amount of drinking, which was analysed by the stepwize multiple regression analysis. The multiple R due to the above mentioned four variables was 0.320 and the R square was 10.3%.
Drinking ; Fatigue ; Iron ; Occupational Health ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Steel

No abstract available.
Occupational Diseases*

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Korea*

This study was planned in order to investigate coal miners' recognition and attitude toward pneumoconiosis, and its relationship with related behavior for prevention of pneumoconiosis. Study object was coal miners in Kangneung area, sampled by multistage random proportional sampling, Sample size was 13% of total coal miners in Kangneung area. The results were divided into three parts: (1) descriptive results presented percent distribution, (2) reclassification of knowledge, experiences, and attitude by factor analysis, (3) prediction of health behavior for prevention of pneumoconiosis by discriminant analysis. Knowledge, experiences, and attitude toward pneumoconiosis were classified into nine factors. Knowledge about pneumoconiosis were broken down to two factors and attitude to four factors, and valence, perceived severity were classified into each one factor. According to demographic, socioeconomic characteristics, and factors of knowledge, experiences, attitude about pneumoconiosis, about 62% of behavior of wearing respiratory protector was correctly discriminated. And by the same methods, about 81% of behavior of hospital visit at respiratory symptoms; cough, sputum, chest pain etc. was discriminated correctly.
Chest Pain ; Coal* ; Cough ; Gangwon-do* ; Health Behavior ; Pneumoconiosis* ; Sample Size ; Sputum

OBJECTIVE: Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection is known as one of the frequent causes of exacerbation of bronchial asthma and it can also be a trigger for the initiation of asthma. However, little is known about the pathogenesis of respiratory M. pneumoniae infection. Furthermore, there is little data on human cytokine production and its involvement in the pathogenesis of M. pneumoniae infection. In order to investigate the immunopathogenesis of M. pneumoniae infection, we investigated the cytokine production in the bronchoalveolar lavage ( BAL ) fluid of patients with M. pneumoniae pneumonia and viral pneumonia, and compared the results with those of control subjects. SUBJECT AND METHOD: BAL was performed with fiberoptic bronchoscopy in patients with M. pneumoniae pneumonia( n=9 ), viral pneumonia( n=9 ), and control subjects( n=6 ) aged 3 years to 9 years. M. pneumoniae pneumonia was documented by polymerase chain reaction and serologic analysis. Four respiratory viruses ( adenovirus, influenza A, influenza B, parainfluenza ) were detected by culture method. Cell pellets and supernatants were separated by centrifugation and Interleukin( IL ) - 2, Interferon( IFN )-r, IL-4, and IL-5 levels were measured in concentrated BAL supernatants by ELISA. RESULTS: Analysis of cytokines revealed significantly increased production of IL-4 ( p< 0.0001 ) and IL-2 ( p< 0.0001 ), in patients with M. pneumoniae pneumonia and significantly increased production of IL-2 (p <0.0001) in patients with viral pneumonia compared with those of the control subjects. Ratio of IL-4/IFN-r was significantly increased in patients with M. pneumoniae pneumonia ( p< 0.005 ) but not in patients with viral pneumonia compared with that of the control subjects. CONCLUSION: IL-4 production and IL-4/IFN-r ratio were increased in the BAL fluid of patients with M. pneumoniae infection. These findings suggest that predominant Th2 immune response could play an important role in the pathogenesis of M. pneumoniae infection.
Adenoviridae ; Asthma ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid* ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage* ; Bronchoscopy ; Centrifugation ; Cytokines ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Influenza, Human ; Interleukin-2 ; Interleukin-4 ; Interleukin-5 ; Mycoplasma pneumoniae* ; Mycoplasma* ; Paramyxoviridae Infections ; Pneumonia* ; Pneumonia, Mycoplasma* ; Pneumonia, Viral ; Polymerase Chain Reaction

The concentrations of serum proteins fractions and their electrophoretical patterns were investigated in 135 patients with coal workers' pneumoconiosis who participated in confirmative examination for pneumoconiosis in December 1989. Their radiographical profusions were classified as 1/0 or more. Agarose film and phosphoric acid-sodium hydroxide buffer(pH 8.6) were used for electrophoresis. Concentration of each protein fractions and electrophoretical patterns seemed to be equivalent to reference values. Serum alpah1- and beta-globulin concentrations, however, were significantly different(p<0.50) among categories of small opacity profusions and showed the lowest level in the group of category 1. Albumin concentrations decreased and alpha2-globulin concentrations increased significantly(p<0.05) in the group of complicated with pulmonary tuberculosis. gamma-globulin concentrations were not varied by category of profusions nor by pulmonary tuberculosis complication.
Beta-Globulins ; Blood Proteins ; Coal* ; Electrophoresis ; gamma-Globulins ; Humans ; Pneumoconiosis* ; Reference Values ; Sepharose ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

OBJECTIVES: The psychophysiologic response pattern between healthy subjects and patients with generalized anxiety disorder, and the relationship among anxiety rating scales and those patterns in patients were examined. METHODS: Twenty-three patients with generalized anxiety disorder(AD) and 23 healthy subjects were evaluated by Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety(HRSA)and State- Trait Anxiety Inventory before baseline stressful tasks, Subjective Units of Distress were evaluated just before baseline period, immediately after stressful tasks, at the end of the entire procedure, and psychophysiologic measures, i.e., skin temperature(ST), electromyographic activity(EMG), heart rate(HR), electrodermal response(EDR) during baseline & rest and during two psychologically stressful tasks (mental arithmentic, TM; talk about a stressful event, TT) were also evaluated. RESULTS: 1) AD group showed significantly higher EMG level during rest after stressful tasks and higher HR level during all period except TM compared to control group. 2) AD group showed lower change in the startle response(SR) of ST, in the SR & the recovery response(RR) of EMG during TM, and in the RR of EDR immediately after TM than control group. AD group showed that the RR of EDR was significantly lower than the SR during stressful tasks. 3) We found that there was significantly negative correlation between state anxiety and the RR of EDR after TT in AD group. We also found that there were significantly positive correlations between HRSA score and the SRs of EDR during stressful tasks, and between state anxiety and the SR of EDR during TT. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that patients with generalized anxiety disorder show higher autonomic arousal than healthy subjects and decreased physiologic flexibility or reduced autonomic flexibility.
Anxiety Disorders* ; Anxiety* ; Arousal ; Heart ; Humans ; Korea* ; Life Change Events ; Pliability ; Skin ; Weights and Measures

PURPOSE: To compare the efficacy of Bimix solution (27.3 mg/ml papaverine and 0.9 mg/ml phentolamine) versus Trimix solution (18.8 mg/ml papaverine, 0.6 mg/ml phentolamine and 6.3ug/ml prostaglandin El) in terms of erectile response and complications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We comparatively analyzed the erectile response and the incidence of pain, prolonged erection (>4 hours), and corporal fibrosis of either medication in the 155 impotent patients who used Bimix solution for intracavernous pharmacotherapy (mean duration: 15 months) and thereafter used Trimix solution (mean 12 months). RESULTS: Erectile response to Trimix solution was significantly better than Bimix solution (p<0.01). The mean dose of Bimix solution was higher than Trimix solution (0.43 ml. vs. 0.34 ml, p<0.05). The severe pain enough for impediment to ntercourse occurred in 6.5% of the Trimix group, while no patient of the Bimix group experienced (p<0.01). The corporal fibrosis was noted in 8.4% of the Trimix group and 16.1% of the Bimix group. However, there was no significant difference between the two groups (p=0.08). The incidence of prolonged erection was significantly lower (p<0.05) in the Trimix group (2.6%) than in the Bimix group (12.3%). A total of 139 patients (89.7%) finally selected Trimix solution. CONCLUSIONS: The Trimix solution was more effective and safer than Bimix solution for the treatment of erectile dysfunction.
Drug Therapy ; Erectile Dysfunction* ; Fibrosis ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Papaverine ; Phentolamine

No abstract available.
Follow-Up Studies*