Three cases of lipomas associated with heavy talc deposits are reported in local inhabitants near a fiber glass factory. Pathologic and mineralogical analysis by polarizing microscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis and X-ray diffraction of mass were done. Simultaneously, we performed an epidemiological survey and a mineralogical study of disposed fiber glass from waste site and ground water. All tumors consisted of mature fat tissue containing an abundant birefringent talc fibers and particles under polarized light. The concentrations of the fibers were 494.7, 6.7 and 50.7 million fibers per gram of dry tissue. The fibers were needlelike with rectangular fractured ends, up to 17 micrometer in length and 0.5 micrometer in diameter. EDX and X-ray diffraction analysis of the fibers showed that 71 to 100% of the fibers were magnesium silicate, talc. We also identified magnesium silicate fibers in the fiber glass from the waste site and in the ground water which were similar to talc fibers in lipomas,. We concluded that fibrous talc, a component of fiberglass waste, might be associated with the development of lipomas via unknown exposure route.
Environmental Exposure ; Foreign Bodies ; Glass ; Groundwater ; Lipoma* ; Magnesium ; Microscopy ; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission ; Nerve Fibers, Myelinated ; Silicates ; Talc* ; X-Ray Diffraction

An outbreak of dermatosis occurred in a livestock fodder factory at Kyongju in May 1994. Authors conducted a questionnaire survey on 60 workers in the factory and a dermatologist examined their skin lesion. Authors also collected mites and identified them. The obtained results were summarized as follows; 1. Twentyeight cases of dermatosis were identified with attack rate of 46.7%. Attack rate was not different by department, age, sex, educational level and employment duration. Attack rate was 67.5% in productive worker and 5.0% in clerical workers (p<0.01) but was not significantly different between departments among productive workers (p>0.05). 2. Three cases among 28 dermatosis cases and one subject among 32 non-cases had a history of same dermatosis last year. Only one of dermatosis cases had a history of dermatosis among family members. History of other skin lesion and allergy was very rare in both cases and non-cases. 3. Skin lesions of the cases were rice-sized erythematous papules or vesicles with a central biting point. Onset date of dermatosis was between May 1 and June 10. Duration was from one day to more than 30 days. Skin lesion was most frequent at the back(75.0%). and also observed at the arms(64.3%). abdomen(60.7%), legs(57.1%), chest(32.1%) and neck (25.0%). Skin lesion was aggravated while workers are sweeping the floor(35.7%), working at the workplace(21.4%) and in bed at night(28. 6%). 4. Total l,637 mites were collected and identified into 3 suborder, 7 families and 17 species. Dermafophagoides farinae was most frequent Nnd most of the species identified were blood sucking mites. Authors concluded that the outbreak of dermatosis was brought about by mite-bites and grain beetle parasitizing Acarophenax tribolii was the most suspected species. Further studies to identify the specific species causing dermatosis and route of import are needed.
Beetles ; Edible Grain ; Employment ; Epidemiologic Studies* ; Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Korea ; Livestock ; Mites* ; Neck ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Skin ; Skin Diseases*

No abstract available.
Ovarian Neoplasms*

No abstract available.
Female ; Humans ; Manganese*

Eating ; Female ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Male ; Mandible ; Mandibular Fractures ; Respiration ; Tooth ; Violence

Contusions ; Facial Bones ; Facial Nerve ; Facial Nerve Injuries ; Facial Paralysis ; Humans ; Incidence ; Lacerations ; Orbit ; Salivary Glands ; Skin ; Soft Tissue Injuries ; Wounds and Injuries

Amipaque is a water soluble, non-ionic myelographic contrast media, and owing to its high diagnostic accuracy and safety, its use is gradually increasing. The authors studied the complications after Amipaque lumbermyelography in 61 patients with low back pain during the period from Jan. 1981 to Nov. 1981 in Chung Ang University Hospital. The results were as follows; 1. Total complication rate was 52%(32 of 61) and there was nosexual difference in its occurrence. 2. In total, no difference in complication rate was found between head-up positioned group with a degree of 30degrees (group I) after procedure and head-up positioned group with a degree of 70degrees (group II) but female patients had more complication rate in group I than in group II (75% vs 50%).Headache was more common in group I and nausea was more common in group II. 3. Headache was most common complicaiton (44%) and there was no sexual difference in its occurrence. 4. No significant difference in complication rate was found between patients proved to have HBP and patients to have not. 5. Complications were less common in patients with punctured level of L4-5 than in patients with L2-3 or L3-4 level puncture.
Contrast Media ; Female ; Headache ; Humans ; Low Back Pain ; Metrizamide ; Myelography ; Nausea ; Punctures ; Water

PURPOSE: With the development of stereotactic immobilization systems capable of reliable serial repositioning, fractionated stereotactic radiation therapy (FSRT) offers the potential for an improved treatment outcome by excellent dose delivery, and dose distribution characteristics with the favorable radiobiological properties of fractionated irradiation. We describe our initial experience using FSRT for the treatment of intracranial benign tumor. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between August 1995 and December 1996, 15 patients (7 males and 8 females aged 6-70 years) were treated with FSRT. The patients had the following diagnosis : pituitary adenoma (10) including one patient who previously had received radiotherapy, craniopharyngioma (2), acoustic neurinoma (1), meningioma (2). Using the Gill-Thomas-Cosman relocatable head frame and multiple non-coplanar therapy, the daily dose of 2Gy was irradiated at 90% to 100% isodose surface of the isocenter. The collimator sizes ranged from 26mm to 70mm. RESULTS: In all patients except one follow-up lost, disease was well- controlled. Acute complication was negligible and no patient experienced cranial nerve neuropathies and radiation necrosis. In overall patient setup with scalp measurements, reproducibility was found to have mean of 1.1+/-0.6mm from the baseline reading. CONCLUSION: Relocatable stereotactic system for FSRT is highly reproducible and comfortable. Although the follow-up period was relatively short, FSRT is considered to be a safe and effective radiation technique as the treatment of intracranial tumor. But the fractionation schedule (fraction size, overall treatment time and total dose) still remains to be solved by further clinical trials.
Adenoma ; Appointments and Schedules ; Cranial Nerves ; Craniopharyngioma ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Head ; Humans ; Immobilization ; Male ; Meningioma ; Necrosis ; Neuroma, Acoustic ; Pituitary Neoplasms ; Radiotherapy ; Scalp ; Treatment Outcome

No abstract available.
Prevalence* ; Ulsan*

To estimate the manganese (Mn, below) exposure of workers in the ferromanganese manufacture factory and to evaluate its health effects, airborne, blood and urine Mn concentration measurements, questionnaire and other neurologic examinations were performed on 80 Mn-handing productive male workers (exposed group), 47 non-Mn-handling productive male workers (internal control group) and 144 productive male workers in other factory (external control group). The results obtained were as follows; The highest airborne Mn fume concentration among the work process was found at charging (0.42 mg/m3), and ferromanganese crushing process (1.14 mg/m3) was the highest in Mn dust. However all of them were below threshold limit value. Mean Mn concentrations in blood and urine of crushing workers were higher than those of other part workers. Among all of them, workers whose urine Mn concentration were exceed normal reference level (10 microgram/l) were 31 (18.5%). There was statistically significant correlation between airborne and urine Mn concentration (r=0.60), and so between airborne and blood Mn concentration (r=0.49), while there was no statistically significant correlation between blood and urine Mn concentration. Mean Mn concentration in airborne (0.60 mg/m3), urine (6.92 microgram/l) and blood (3.16 microgram/dl) in exposed group were significantly higher than those of control groups (p<0.01). Clinical symptoms such as excessive sweating, hypoesthesia, libido change, anosmia, decreased visual acuity and difficulty in writing showed higher positive rate in exposed group. Positive rate of clinical signs such as eye blinking and masked face in exposed group was higher than external control group. However clinical and laboratory findings such as blood pressure, blood chemistry, grip strength in exposed group were not statistically different from those of control groups. The results suggested that further studies were followed to evaluate the workers whose blood Mn concentration were below normal reference level but urine Mn concentrations above normal reference level, and to establish the questionnaire and the diagnostic tools to detect the Mn poisoning workers early.
Blinking ; Blood Pressure ; Chemistry ; Dust ; Hand Strength ; Humans ; Hypesthesia ; Libido ; Male ; Manganese* ; Masks ; Neurologic Examination ; Olfaction Disorders ; Poisoning ; Questionnaires ; Sweat ; Sweating ; Visual Acuity ; Writing