BACKGROUND: Shipbuilding involves intensive welding activities, and welders are exposed to a variety of metal fumes, including manganese, that may be associated with neurological impairments. This study aimed to characterize total and size-fractionated manganese exposure resulting from welding operations in shipbuilding work areas. METHODS: In this study, we characterized manganese-containing particulates with an emphasis on total mass (n = 86, closed-face 37-mm cassette samplers) and particle size-selective mass concentrations (n = 86, 8-stage cascade impactor samplers), particle size distributions, and a comparison of exposure levels determined using personal cassette and impactor samplers. RESULTS: Our results suggest that 67.4% of all samples were above the current American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists manganese threshold limit value of 100 μg/m3 as inhalable mass. Furthermore, most of the particles containing manganese in the welding process were of the size of respirable particulates, and 90.7% of all samples exceeded the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists threshold limit value of 20 μg/m3 for respirable manganese. CONCLUSION: The concentrations measured with the two sampler types (cassette: total mass; impactor: inhalable mass) were significantly correlated (r = 0.964, p < 0.001), but the total concentration obtained using cassette samplers was lower than the inhalable concentration of impactor samplers.
Humans ; Manganese* ; Particle Size ; Welding

Wrestlers has frequently injured on his ear by friction or hitting. If the ear injury like hematoma did not treat appropriately, it should be deform to disfigured outer shape. We analyzed the incidence and characteristics of ear deformity with elite wrestlers. We took the photo with elite 58 male wrestlers' ears. We surveyed the carrier of elite player, duration of training time, ear injury history, treatment history and satisfactory scale of his ear shape. The characteristics of ear shape were classified by Yotuyanagi classification. 44 wrestlers has deformity of his ear in elite wrestlers (76%, 44/58). Right side ear deformity is 50 cases, bilaterally involvement is one case. Microtia was 11 (24%), ear protrusion was 15 (33%) cases. Yotuyanagi type IB was 13 (29%) cases that deformity extending from helix to antihelix. Type IIA was 12 (27%) cases that deformity with a substantial change with good structural integrity in outline of the ear. Acute ear injury was treated with simple icing (33 cases, 56%), aspiration and compression (6 cases, 10%). 34 wrestlers (77%) dissatisfied his own ear shape. 10% of acute ear injuries treat appropriately in domestic elite male wrestlers. 76% of the wrestlers has an ear deformity and dissatisfaction.
Classification ; Congenital Abnormalities* ; Ear Deformities, Acquired ; Ear* ; Friction ; Hematoma* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Prevalence*

We found an error in our published article.

BACKGROUND: There is a clinical need for a simpler measurement of global cardiac function incorporating elements of both systole and diastole. Doppler time index is theoretically regarded as a sensitive index of global left ventricular perfomance and defined as the sum of isovolumetric contraction time (IVCT) and isovolumetric relaxation time (IVRT) divided by ejection time (ET). This study was designed to determine the clinical usefulness of the Doppler time index in patients with left ventricular diastolic dysfunction as well as systolic dysfunction. METHODS: The study population consisted of 23 patients with hypertension as a diastolic dysfunction group, 16 patients with low ejection fraction as a systolic dysfunction group and 31 subjects with normal LV function. The ejection fraction (EF) was measured using M-mode echocardiography. Doppler profiles such as IVCT, IVRT and ET were obtained from Doppler echocardiography. The Doppler time index [ (IVCT+RT)/ET] was calculated from each Doppler velocity profiles. RESULTS: IVRT, IVRT/ET and (IVCT+VRT)/ET were significantly increased in the diastolic dysfunction group (120.5+/-19.5 msec, 0.45+/-0.1, 0.64+/-0.2, respectively:p<0.001, p<0.001, p<0.001, respectively) compared with normal subjects (66.1+/-17.4 msec, 0.25+/-0.0, 0.41+/-0.1). IVCT and IVRT were significantly increased and ET was significantly shortened in systolic dysfunction group (75.4+/-25.7, 144.0+/-39.5 msec, 242.7+/-46.5 msec respectively:p<0.001, p<0.05, p<0.05, respectively) compared with diastolic dysfunction group (50.4+/-23.0 msec, 120.5+/-19.5 msec, 276.8+/-44.6 msec, respectively). IVCT/ET, IVRT/ET and (IVCT+IVRT)/ET also were increased in patients with systolic dysfunction group (0.32+/-0.1, 0.61+/-0.2, 0.93+/-0.2 respectively:p<0.01, p<0.01, p<0.001, res-pectively) compared with diastolic dysfunction group (0.19+/-0.1, 0.45+/-0.1, 0.64+/-0.2). Ejection fraction calculated by M-mode parameters was significantly correlated with (IVCT+IVRT)/ET (correlation coefficient - 0.605, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The Doppler time index was significantly difficient from normal subjects in patients with isolated LV diastolic dysfunction as well as in those with systolic dysfunction. Thus, this index can be used as a sensitive indicator of myocardial performance.
Diastole ; Echocardiography ; Echocardiography, Doppler ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Relaxation ; Systole ; Ventricular Dysfunction, Left

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: For the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), radiation therapy is a primary option. Because of distant metastasis and the high incidence of a locoregional failure following radiotherapy, the combined treatment modality with chemotherapy is applied, although resistance to chemotherapy makes chemotherapy less effective. The Cisplatin-based chemotherapy has been widely used in the field of nasopharyngeal cancer. The Cisplatin resistance is known to be caused by the multidrug resistance-associated protein (MRP), which is one of the drug-export pumps and the glutathione S-transferase (GST)-pi which catalyzes the conjugation of the GSH (glutathione) and the cisplatin. The aim of this study is to determine the predictive value of GST-pi and MRP upon the response to cisplatin in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: We analyzed tumor tissues from 49 cases of paraffin block specimens which were diagnosed with NPC and treated at Chonnam National University Hospital. The immunohistochemical study for the GST-pi and the MRP was performed with paraffin block specimens of nasopharyngeal cancers. RESULTS: In the GST-pi, the relationship between the early stage (64.3%) and the advanced stage (91.4%) was statistically significant (p=0.020). The expression of the GST-pi and the MRP had no relationship with the clinical factor, the response to chemotherpy and the survival rate. CONCLUSION: Because the expression of the GST-pi and the MRP in the nasopharyngeal carcinoma could not predict the response to chemotherapy. So the efforts to find the predictive value of the chemotherapy are needed.
Cisplatin ; Drug Therapy ; Glutathione Transferase ; Glutathione* ; Incidence ; Jeollanam-do ; Multidrug Resistance-Associated Proteins* ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Paraffin ; Radiotherapy ; Survival Rate

PURPOSE: This study was performed to evaluate the characteristics of rat mesenchymal stem cells (RMSCs) transduced with human ferritin gene and investigate in vitro MRI detectability of ferritin-transduced RMSCs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The RMSCs expressing both myc-tagged human ferritin heavy chain subunit (myc-FTH) and green fluorescence protein (GFP) were transduced with lentiviurs. Transduced cells were sorted by GFP expression using a fluorescence-activated cell sorter. Myc-FTH and GFP expression in transduced cells were detected by immunofluorescence staining. The cell proliferative ability and viability were assessed by MTT assay. The RMSC surface markers (CD29+/CD45-) were analyzed by flow cytometry. The intracellular iron amount was measured spectrophotometically and the presence of ferritin-iron accumulation was detected by Prussian blue staining. In vitro magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study of cell phantoms was done on 9.4 T MR scanner to evaluate the feasibility of imaging the ferritin-transduced RMSCs. RESULTS: The myc-FTH and GFP genes were stably transduced into RMSCs. No significant differences were observed in terms of biologic properties in transduced RMSCs compared with non-transduced RMSCs. Ferritin-transduced RMSCs exhibited increased iron accumulation ability and showed significantly lower T2 relaxation time than non-transduced RMSCs. CONCLUSION: Ferritin gene as MR reporter gene could be used for non-invasive tracking and visualization of therapeutic mesenchymal stem cells by MRI.
Animals ; Apoferritins ; Ferritins ; Ferrocyanides ; Flow Cytometry ; Fluorescence ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; Genes, Reporter ; Humans ; Iron ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; Rats ; Relaxation ; Track and Field

Animals ; Bone Regeneration ; Bone Substitutes ; Carbon ; Dogs ; Durapatite ; Heterografts ; Mouth ; Osteogenesis ; Transplants

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of present study was to determine the prevalence rate of tardive dyskinesia and to search for its risk factors in chronically institutionalized schizophrenic subjects. We also examined the relationship between tardive dyskinesia and both negative symptoms and cognitive impairments in the same subjects. METHODS: Subjects were 271 in-patients (174 males, 97 females) at Masan Dongsuh Hospital. They met DSM-IV criteria for schizophrenia and had been taking fixed doses of antipsychotics for at least 3 months. Tardive dyskinesia was assessed by Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS). Cases of tardive dyskinesia were ascertained by the criteria of Schooler and Kane (1982) and DSM-IV. The rating of psychopathology was acquired using Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and Schedule for the Deficit Syndrome (SDS) and the assessment of cognitive function using Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). RESULTS: The prevalence of tardive dyskinesia is 50.9% and the frequency of tardive dyskinesia was high est in male above the age of fifty. But there was no statistically significant relationship between the frequency of tardive dyskinesia and both the length of hospitalization and the daily dose of antipsychotics. The frequency order of abnormal movement in the patients with tardive dyskinesia was as follows: tongue, upper extremities, lips and perioral area. We couldn't find any significant difference in the total and subscale scores of BPRS between the groups with and without tardive dyskinesia. There were no differences in MMSE scores between the groups with and without tardive dyskinesia. CONCLUSION: This study gave us that the prevalence of tardive dyskinesia was high in chronically institutionalized schizophrenic inpatients and that age was the most significant risk factor of tardive dyskinesia. The relationship between tardive dyskinesia and both negative symptoms and cognitive impairment, however, was not revealed.
Antipsychotic Agents ; Appointments and Schedules ; Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Dyskinesias ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Lip ; Male ; Movement Disorders* ; Prevalence ; Psychopathology ; Risk Factors ; Schizophrenia ; Tongue ; Upper Extremity

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Our aims were to analyze the characteristics of parkinsonian features and to characterize changes in parkinsonian motor symptoms before and after the cerebrospinal fluid tap test (CSFTT) in idiopathic normal-pressure hydrocephalus (INPH) patients. METHODS: INPH subjects were selected in consecutive order from a prospectively enrolled INPH registry. Fifty-five INPH patients (37 males) having a positive response to the CSFTT constituted the final sample for analysis. The mean age was 73.7±4.7 years. The pre-tap mean Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale motor (UPDRS-III) score was 24.5±10.2. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the upper and lower body UPDRS-III scores (p=0.174). The parkinsonian signs were asymmetrical in 32 of 55 patients (58.2%). At baseline, the Timed Up and Go Test and 10-meter walking test scores were positively correlated with the total motor score, global bradykinesia score, global rigidity score, upper body score, lower body score, and postural instability/gait difficulties score of UPDRS-III. After the CSFTT, the total motor score, global bradykinesia score, upper body score, and lower body score of UPDRS-III significantly improved (p<0.01). There was a significant decrease in the number of patients with asymmetric parkinsonism (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In the differential diagnosis of elderly patients presenting with asymmetric and upper body parkinsonism, we need to consider a diagnosis of INPH. The association between gait function and parkinsonism severity suggests the involvement of similar circuits producing gait and parkinsonian symptoms in INPH.
Aged ; Cerebrospinal Fluid ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Gait ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus* ; Hydrocephalus, Normal Pressure ; Hypokinesia ; Parkinson Disease ; Parkinsonian Disorders* ; Prospective Studies ; Walking

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) of nasopharyngeal neoplasms is a rare disease with a relatively poor prognosis, because they tend to be diagnosed in the far advanced stage. Therefore, radiotherapy had been the treatment of choice. Angiogenesis is a crucial step in the tumor growth and progression. The authors attempted to investigate the prognostic value of the microvessel density in NPC. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: We analyzed tumor tissues from 57 cases of paraffin block specimens which had been diagnosed with NPC and treated at Chonnam National University Hospital. The anti-human von Willebrand factor antibody was used to determine the microvessel density (MVD). RESULTS: The MVD was 48.5 in the early stage (stage I and II) and 51.2 in the advanced stage (stage III and IV), which were not statistically significant (p=0.057). The MVD was 55.3 in type I, 54.4 in type II, and 41.8 in type III, and there were no statistical significance between these values (p=0.36). The MVD was not statistically significant between T and N stages (p=0.26, 0.42). There was no significance between the MVD and the survival rates (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: The results suggest that the MVD was not a prognostic significance in NPC.
Jeollanam-do ; Microvessels* ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; Paraffin ; Prognosis ; Radiotherapy ; Rare Diseases ; Survival Rate ; von Willebrand Factor