Secondary oxalosis in the epididymis is a rare complication among patients who have undergone hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis. This case report presents secondary oxalosis confirmed via a clinicoradiological-pathologic process-in combination with clinical symptoms, ultrasonographic findings, cytologic findings in urine, and surgical pathological diagnosis.

BACKGROUND: Arsenic is known as an endocrine disruptor that people are exposed to through various sources such as drinking water and indigestion of marine products. Although some epidemiological and animal studies have reported a correlation between arsenic exposure and diabetes development, there are limited studies regarding the toxic effects of organic arsenic including arsenobetaine on the human body. Here, we analyzed the association between urine arsenobetaine and the homeostasis model assessment of β-cell function (HOMA-β), which is an index for predicting diabetes development and reflecting the function of pancreatic β-cells. METHODS: In the fourth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES), health and nutrition surveys and screening tests were performed. Of the total survey population, people with confirmed values for urine total arsenic and arsenobetaine were included, and known diabetic patients were excluded. A total 369 participants were finally included in the study. We collected surveys on health, height, body weight, body mass index, blood mercury level, fasting glucose level, and serum insulin level and calculated HOMA index. Owing to sexual discrepancy, we performed sexually stratified analysis. RESULTS: Urine total arsenic and total arsenic minus arsenobetaine was not associated with HOMA-IR and HOMA-β in univariate analysis or in sexually stratified analysis. However, urine arsenobetaine showed a statistically significant relationship with HOMA-β in univariate analysis, and only male participants showed a significant correlation in sexually stratified analysis. In the analysis adjusted for age, BMI, smoking, alcohol drinking, physical activity and blood mercury, the HOMA-β value in the group below the 25th percentile of arsenobetaine was significantly higher than the group between 50 and 75th percentile, while no difference was shown for HOMA-IR. In sexually stratified analysis, The value of HOMA-β was significantly higher in male participants with below the 25th percentile urine arsenobetaine than the group between 25 and 50th and between 50 and 75th, while no difference was shown for HOMA-IR. However, female participants did not demonstrate a relationship between HOMA–IR, HOMA-β and urine arsenobetaine. CONCLUSION: This study revealed the association between urine arsenobetaine and pancreatic β-cell function assessed by HOMA-β in the normal population (without diabetes), especially in males, despite adjusting for factors affecting pancreatic β-cell function and diabetes. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40557-017-0181-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Alcohol Drinking ; Animals ; Arsenic ; Body Height ; Body Weight ; Drinking Water ; Dyspepsia ; Fasting ; Female ; Glucose ; Homeostasis* ; Human Body ; Humans ; Insulin ; Korea* ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Motor Activity ; Nutrition Surveys* ; Smoke ; Smoking

The evaluation of peripheral nerve disorders has traditionally relied on clinical history, physical examination, and electrodiagnostic studies. The electrodiagnostic study is currently most popular procedure. The purpose of this study is to assess the significance of the changes of amplitude and area of compound muscle action potentials(CMAPs) in peripheral nerve injury. After compression of sciatic nerve in 65 Korean house rabbits, the amplitude and the area of CMAPs were compared to each other before and after compression injury. The correlation coefficients between the changes of the parameters, amplitude and area, were obtained at a scheduled interval, and the parameters were also assessed when the evidence of denervation and regeneration was seen. In addition, the relationship between the degree of abonormal spontaneous activities and each parameter was assessed. At preinjury state, there was a significantly high correlationship between two parameters. The correlation coefficients were 0.764 and 0.756 with distal and proximal stimulations respectively in abductor hallucis recordings, and 0.649 in gastrocnemius recording. At postinjury, there was more significant high correlationship between two parameters. The correlation coefficients were 0.955 and 0.962 with distal and proximal stimulations respectively in abductor hallucis recordings, and 0.930 in gastrocnemius recording. Nineteen cases showed denervation activities at postinjury 4th day. Of those cases, the amplitude was decreased earlier in 2 cases and the area in 3 cases at the same day. Of 10 cases regenerated, the amplitude was normalized earlier than the area in 2 cases. There was a significant decrement tendency in both amplitude and area with the degree of abnormal spontaneous activities. Therefore, both the amplitude and the area of CMAPs are good quantitative indices of peripheral neuropathy and useful parameters in long-term follow up study.
Action Potentials* ; Denervation ; Follow-Up Studies ; Peripheral Nerve Injuries* ; Peripheral Nerves* ; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases ; Physical Examination ; Rabbits ; Regeneration ; Sciatic Nerve

OBJECTIVE: We intended to evaluate the double standard status and to identify factors of determining double standard criteria in multinational corporations of Korea, and specifically those in the occupational health and safety area. METHODS: A postal questionnaire had been sent, between August 2002 and September 2002, to multinational corporations in Korea. A double standard company was defined as those who answered in more than one item as adopting a different standard among the five items regarding double standard identification. By comparing double standard companies with equivalent standard companies, determinants for double standards were then identified using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Of multinational corporations, 45.1% had adopted a double standard. Based on the question naire's scale level, the factor of 'characteristic and size of multinational corporation' was found to have the most potent impact on increasing double standard risk. On the variable level, factors of 'number of affiliated companies' and 'existence of an auditing system with the parent company' showed a strong negative impact on double standard risk. CONCLUSION: : Our study suggests that a distinctive approach is needed to manage the occupational safety and health for multinational corporations. This approach should be focused on the specific level of a corporation, not on a country level.
Humans ; Internationality ; Korea* ; Logistic Models ; Occupational Health ; Parents

Leprosy is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae and characterized by dermal and peripheral nerve lesions. The facial nerve is also frequently involved in leprosy. There are a few electrophysiologic studies on the facial nerve involvement in leprosy patients, but there is no electrophysiologic study on the facial nerve involvement in cured leprosy patitents. So we performed facial nerve conduction study and Blink reflex study in 19 cured leprosy patients who have been managed with Dapsone for a long time. Facial motor latencies were prolonged in 11 patients(57.9%).: 10 of 15 patients in lepromatous type; 1 of 4 patients in tuberculoid type. Prolonged latencies were shown in temporal branch, zygomatic branch, buccal branch, and mandibular branch in 9(47.4%), 6(31.6%), 5(26.3%), and 3(15.8%), respectively. Blink reflex study suggests combined facial nerve and trigeminal nerve lesion in 2 patients.
Blinking ; Communicable Diseases ; Dapsone ; Facial Nerve* ; Humans ; Leprosy* ; Mycobacterium leprae ; Peripheral Nerves ; Trigeminal Nerve

BACKGROUND: Using analysis of air samples from the workplace, we report on one case of pneumoconiosis in an individual who has been working in a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) spraying process for 28 years. CASE PRESENTATION: The patient was diagnosed with granulomatous lung disease caused by PTFE using computed tomography (CT), lung biopsy and electron microscopy. To assess the qualitative and quantitative exposure to PTFE in workplace, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were performed on air samples from the workplace. The presence of PTFE particles was confirmed, and the airborne concentration of PTFE was estimated to be 0.75 mg/m3. CONCLUSIONS: This case demonstrates that long-term exposure to PTFE spraying can cause granulomatous lung lesions such as pneumoconiosis; such lesions appear to be caused not by the degradation products of PTFE from high temperatures but by spraying the particles of PTFE. Along with air-sampling analysis, we suggest monitoring the concentration of airborne PTFE particles related to chronic lung disease.
Biopsy ; Humans ; Hygiene ; Lung ; Lung Diseases ; Microscopy, Electron ; Occupational Diseases ; Pneumoconiosis ; Polytetrafluoroethylene ; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared ; Spectrum Analysis