Neurotoxicity in the workplace may occur with exposure to scores of chemicals. Although large acute outbreaks of the occupational neurological disease are rare, the incidence of occupational neurotoxicity in its subtler aspects is unknown. A working knowledge of both the major occupational neurotoxic solvents and the tools used by clinical neurologists and neurotoxicologists to evaluate neurotoxicity in working population is a necessity for the occupational physician. To investigate the effects of carbon disulfide(CS2) on the peripheral nerve system using the nervous conduction study, 105 male workers working in the spinning room of a viscose rayon factory were examined and compared with a sex and age matched, unexposed 105 male controls using t-test analysis. 72.4% of CS2-exposed workers complained of neurological symptoms, and the abnormal cases in nerve conduction study were 48.6%. The abnormal cases of nerve conduction study increased in number according as the age and duration of exposure increased. In this study, asymptomatic workers were confirmed to have subclinical neuropathy by nerve conduction study. Also as there were abnormal cases even in its duration of exposure below 4 years, nerve conduction study turned out to be ways of discovering of early peripheral neuropathy. In nerve conduction study, the amplitude, velocity, F-wave latency and H-reflex of the motor and sensory nerves in both upper and lower extremities were significant different between CS2-exposed workers and the controls. From the pathological viewpoint, both segmental and axonal degenerations were assumed in this study.
Axons ; Carbon Disulfide* ; Carbon* ; Disease Outbreaks ; H-Reflex ; Humans ; Incidence ; Lower Extremity ; Male ; Neural Conduction ; Peripheral Nerves ; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases* ; Solvents

In 20 patients with psoriasis, 27 early psoriatic lesions of 1-2mm size (16 papules with scale and 11 maculopapules without scale) and 15 clinically uninvolved skin at distance of 2-4em from the nearest psoriatic lesion were histologically examined in an attempt to obtain information on the mechanism which initiates the development of the skin changes. (countinued..)
Humans ; Psoriasis ; Skin

We report two cases of hyperlipoproteinernia(HLP) with various cutaneous xanthomas. Case 1 was a 12-year-old girl, who had tuberous, tendinous, and plane cutaneous xanthomas and corneal arcus of the left eye. Case 2 was a 40-year-old man, who had tuberous, eruptive, and plane cutaneous xanthomas. Serum lipid and lipoprotein analysis reveoled patterns of Type IIa HLP in case 1 and, of Type IIb HLP, in case 2. They have been treated with diet control and hypolipidemic drugs and are under our continuing medical supervision.
Adult ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperlipoproteinemia Type II/diagnosis* ; Hyperlipoproteinemia Type II/drug therapy* ; Hypolipidemic Agents/therapeutic use* ; Lipoproteins ; Man ; Xanthomatosis/diagnosis ; Xanthomatosis/drug therapy

We report a case of bowenoid papulosis of the vulva in a 37-year-old woman. Bowenoid papulosis represents a new phenomenon which shows clinical characteristics quite different from classical Bowen's disease and histologic features of squamous cell carcinoma in situ. The patient had several brown-black flat papular lesions on the both sides of the vulva. The lesions were 2 to 9 mm in diameter, somewhat verrucoid and sharply demarcated. On history, these lesions developed from previous several grouped vesicular eruptions which were suspected to the lesions of herpes simplex. Although clinically the lesions appeared benigh, histologic examination showed. changes of squamous cell carcinoma in situ. The lesions were removed with electrodesiccation & curettage and are under observation. It is considered that bowenoid papuIosis should be ruled out by histologic examination in cases of unusual papular lesions of the genitalia in young people and that additional case studies with long-term folIow-up will be needed.
Adult ; Bowen's Disease ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Curettage ; Female ; Genitalia ; Herpes Simplex ; Humans ; Vulva

The author reviewed eighteen congenitally dislocated hips in Kyung Hee University Hospital during the three and a half year period (rom September, 1973 to March, 1977. The following observations were made. 1. The average age of the patients at the first visit was 17.9 months. 2. All 16 patients were female. 3. There were 2 bilateral dislocations and 14 unilateral dislocations. 4. Left side was dislocated in 12 hips snd right side in 6 hips. 5. Limping was the chief complaint in 12(75%) of the patients. 6. Arthrogram gave valuable information as to make correct diagnosis and treatment. 7. Twelve hips were successfully treated by closed methods and 6 hips required operative treatment. 8. Following reduction, cast immobilization was continued for an average of 5 months in the conservative series. 9. In the conservative series, the acetabular index decreased from 33.4 degree before treatment to 28.1 degree immediately after removal of cast. 10. The results were good or excellent in all except for 2 cases of avascular necrosis and 1 case of redislocation.
Acetabulum ; Diagnosis ; Dislocations ; Female ; Hip ; Humans ; Immobilization ; Necrosis

No abstract available.
Bronchiolitis Obliterans* ; Bronchiolitis* ; Cryptogenic Organizing Pneumonia*

BACKGROUND: Exercise testing is a standard noninvasive method used in the evaluation and management of patients with suspected coronary artery disease. However, patients with lower limb impairment are unable to undergo a standard bicycle or treadmill test. Alternative methods of exercise testing are needed for patients with vascular, orthopedic or neurologic conditions who cannot perform leg exercise. This study was aimed to determine the diagnostic accuracy of arm exercise thallium-201 SPECT for evaluating chest pain in patients unable to perform leg exercise. METHOD: Twenty-five anginal patients performed arm ergometry testing in conjunction with thallium-201 SPECT. Thereafter all underwent coronary angiography. RESULT: Significant coronary artery disease (> or =50% stenosis) in at least one vessel was present in 22 (88%) of the 25 patients. The sensitivity of thallium-201 SPECT for detecting coronary artery disease was 91%, which was significantly higher than the 32% sensitivity found with the electrocardiographic response alone (p <0.001). Thallium-201 SPECT yielded a sensitivity of 88, 86 and 100% for one, two, and three vessel diseases, respectively, and an 84% sensitivity and 81% specificity for detecting individual vessel stenosis. CONCLUSION: Arm exercise thallium-201 SPECT is useful for detecting coronary artery disease in patients unable to perform leg exercise. In addition, it provides an information regarding exercise tolerance. Therefore, this test appears to be reliable and useful and should be considered in the detection of coronary artery disease in nonambulatory patients.
Angina Pectoris ; Arm* ; Chest Pain ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Electrocardiography ; Exercise Test ; Exercise Tolerance ; Humans ; Leg ; Lower Extremity ; Orthopedics ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon*

The effects of hind-limb immobilization by skeletal fixation of bilateral ankle and knee joints. for sither one or five weeks on glycogen concentrations, glycogen resynthetic activities and insulin responses to glucose uptake of hind-limb muscles were studied on male Splague-Dawley rats. There were significant drops in muscle wet weight to body weight ratio of immobilized soleus and plataris. In the group immobilized for one week, the ratios of sleous and plantaris were decreased by 11% and 38% respectively; and in the group immobilized for five weeks, the ratios were decreased by 42% in both muscles equally. The glycogen concentration and glycogen resynthetic activities of soleus and plantaris muscles in immobilized rats were decreased significantly in the one week group. However, in the five week group, these values were increased significantly compared to the values of those muscles of the one week group. The increased values of the five week group did not exceed those of the control group. The glucose uptake rate of the soleus muscle of the hind-limbs immobilized for one week and for five weeks were studied in vitro. The basal glucose uptake rate of the muscle of the control group was 8.4 ± 0.77Mol/gm/20min. The values of basal rate and insulin responses to the glucose uptake rates in the doses of physiological and supramaximal on the soleus muscles immobilized for one week was significantly decreased, but after immobilization for five weeks, these values were not significantly different statistically those from of the control group statistically.
Animals ; Ankle ; Body Weight ; Extremities ; Fracture Fixation ; Glucose ; Glycogen ; Humans ; Immobilization ; In Vitro Techniques ; Insulin ; Knee Joint ; Male ; Metabolism ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Muscles ; Rats

BACKGROUND: Rifampicin(RFP) is a key component of the antituberculous short-course chemotherapy and the RFP resistance is a marker of multi-drug resistant(MDR) tuberculosis. RpoB gene encodes the beta-subunit of RNA polymerase of M. tuberculosis which is the target of RFP. And rpoB gene mutations are the cause of RFP resistance of M. tuberculosis. Although several reports showed that PCR-SSCP would be a rapid diagnostic method for identifying the REP resistance, there were few reports performed using direct, dinical specimens. So we performed PCR-SSCP analysis of rpoB gene of M. tuberculosis in direct, clinical specimens. METHODS: 75 clinical specimens were collected from patients at Asan Medical Center from June to August 1996. After PCR of IS 6110 fragments, 43 both AFB smear-positive and IS 6110 fragment PCR-positive specimens were evaluated. The RFP susceptibility test was referred to the referral laboratory of the Korean Tuberculosis Institute. DNA was extracted by bead beater method. And heminested PCR was done using 0.1ul(1uCi) [alpha-32P]-dCTP. SSCP analysis was done using non-denaturating MDE gel electrophoresis. RESULTS: The results of PCR of IS 6110 fragments of M. tuberculosis were positive in 55(73%) cases of 75 AFB smear-positive clinical specimens. Of the 55 specimens, RFP susceptibility was confirmed in only 43 specimens. Of the 43 AFB smear-positive and IS6110 fragment-positive specimens, 29 were RFP susceptible and 14 were RFP resistant. All the RFP susceptible 29 strains showed the same mobility compared with that of RFP sensitive H37Rv in SSCP analysis of ropB gene. And all the other RFP resistant 13 strains showed the different mobility. In other words they showed 100% identical results between PCR-SSCP analysis and traditional susceptibility test. CONCLUISON: The PCR-SSCP analysis of rpoB gene in direct clinical specimens could be used as a rapid diagnostic method for detecting RFP resistant M. tuberculosis.
Chungcheongnam-do ; DNA ; DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases ; Drug Resistance, Multiple ; Drug Therapy ; Electrophoresis ; Humans ; Mycobacterium ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational ; Referral and Consultation ; Rifampin* ; Tuberculosis*

We report a case of a 20-year-old woman who presented with fever, dry cough and pulmonary consolidation at the left upper lobe on chest radiograph. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy revealed obstruction of the left upper lobar bronchus with exophytic mass and multiple nodular protruding lesions at the left main bronchus. Endobronchial actinomycosis was confirmed by demonstration of sulfur granule through the bronchoscopic biopsy of nodular lesion. Intravenous administration of penicillin G followed by oral tetracycline therapy for 5 months resulted in complete recovery of symptoms which had been present for 3 months prior to therapy. Infiltrative consolidation on the chest X-ray disappeared and all the lesions shown by bronchoscopy were nearly normalized after 6 months only to remain small nodular remnants at the left main bronchus. Endobronchial actinomycosis should be included in the differential diagnosis of endobronchial mass.
Actinomycosis* ; Administration, Intravenous ; Biopsy ; Bronchi ; Bronchoscopy ; Cough ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Fever ; Humans ; Penicillin G ; Radiography, Thoracic ; Sulfur ; Tetracycline ; Thorax ; Young Adult