Ben Cao Tu Jing is the earliest version of block-printed edition for herbals so far, with 933 medicinal paintings. In this paper, it analyzed the medicine paintings in the Fruit, Vegetable and Rice Sections of Ben Cao Tu Jing, as well as discussed the types of medicine paintings and relevant information when they were drawn. There are a total of 76 paintings in the fruits, vegetables and rice sections of Ben Cao Tu Jing, which can be divided into four types: broken branch paintings, ground paintings, rootless plant paintings and the whole plant with root paintings. The first three paintings were similar to the paintings of Tang and Song, and the paintings of the whole plant with root can be called the type of medicine paintings with Chinese characteristics created by Ben Cao Tu Jing. These four types of paintings had a profound impact on the later illustrations of medicinal materials, such as Lv Chan Yan Ben Cao, Jiu Huang Ben Cao, Ben Cao Pin Hui Jing Yao, Zhi Wen Ben Cao, Zhi Wu Ming Shi Tu Kao. The two types that had the greatest impact on later generations are the broken branch paintings and the whole plant with roots paintings, which had been inherited and developed in contemporary Chinese pharmacy books such as Zhong Yao Cai Pin Zhong Lun Shu and Zhong Hua Ben Cao. The paintings of the fruits, vegetables and rice sections are highly realistic and artistic, not only carrying the role of conveying medicinal knowledge, but also having unique aesthetic value. It can be inferred that the fruits, vegetables and rice sections had the participation of professional painters at least. In addition, through the highly consistent drawing styles of several sets of paintings, it is concluded that the paintings without place names were likely to be drawn uniformly by the editing team, and the local paintings may have been revised and improved by the editing team lately.
China ; Fruit ; Humans ; Medicine ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Oryza ; Paintings ; Vegetables

BACKGROUND: In the construction industry, maintaining health and safety of workers often challenging. Among the workers at construction sites, painters are at particular risk of respiratory diseases and neurotoxicity. However, in Korea there is weak enforcement of workers' health and safety practices in the construction industry in Korea. Poisonings frequently occur at (semi)closed construction sites. In this study, we report a case of acute organic solvent poisoning during construction site painting. CASE PRESENTATION: A 71-year-old man was found unconscious at a construction site and immediately transferred to the emergency room. The consciousness level was 'stupor state' and the body temperature was hypothermic, at 32 degrees (Celsius). There were no acute brain or cardiac lesions that would have accounted for the faintness. In addition, blood and urine tests did not indicate a cause of loss of consciousness. He had been painting epoxy to waterproof the basement floor before fainting. According to exposure simulation, the patient was overexposed to various organic solvents, such as approximately 316–624 ppm toluene during the work before fainting. Considering the ventilation status of the workplace and the status of no protection, it is considered that exposure through the respiratory tract was considerable. CONCLUSIONS: The patient in this case lost consciousness during the epoxy coating in a semi-enclosed space. It can be judged as a result of acute poisoning caused by organic solvent exposure and considered to be highly related to work environment.
Aged ; Body Temperature ; Brain ; Consciousness ; Construction Industry ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Humans ; Korea ; Occupational Diseases ; Paint ; Paintings ; Poisoning ; Respiratory System ; Solvents ; Syncope ; Toluene ; Unconsciousness ; Ventilation

BACKGROUND: Organic solvent-induced chronic toxic encephalopathy (CTE) is known as a non-progressive disorder that does not progress after diagnosis. The authors present a case those symptoms worsened after continued exposure to organic solvent after returning to work. Because such a case has not been reported in South Korea to the best of our knowledge, we intend to report this case along with literature review. CASE PRESENTATION: A 59-year-old man, who performed painting job at a large shipyard for 20 years, was receiving hospital treatment mainly for depression. During the inpatient treatment, severe cognitive impairment was identified, and he visited the occupational and environmental medicine outpatient clinic for assessing work relatedness. In 1984, at the age of 27, he began performing touch-up and spray painting as a shipyard painter. Before that he had not been exposure to any neurotoxic substances. In 2001, at the age of 44, after 15 years of exposure to mixed solvents including toluene, xylene and others, he was diagnosed with CTE International Solvent Workshop (ISW) type 2A. After 7 years of sick leave, he returned to work in 2006. And he repeated return-to-work and sick leave in the same job due to worsening of depressive symptoms. He had worked four times (2006–2010, 2011–2011, 2011–2011, 2016–2017) for a total of 5 years as a shipyard painter after first compensation. During the return-to-work period, the mean values of the mixed solvent index ranged from 0.57 to 2.15, and except for a one semiannual period, all mean values were above the standard value of 1. We excluded other diseases that can cause cognitive impairment like central nervous system diseases, brain injury, psychological diseases and metabolic diseases with physical examinations, laboratory tests, and brain image analysis. And finally, throughout neuropsychological tests, an overall deterioration in cognitive function was identified compared to 2002, and the deterioration types was similar to that often shown in the case of CTE; thus a diagnosis of CTE (ISW) type 3 was made. CONCLUSION: This case is showing that CTE can go on with continued exposure to mixed solvents. Appropriate “fitness to work” should be taken to prevent disease deterioration especially for the sick leave workers.
Ambulatory Care Facilities ; Brain ; Brain Injuries ; Central Nervous System Diseases ; Cognition ; Cognition Disorders ; Compensation and Redress ; Depression ; Diagnosis ; Education ; Environmental Medicine ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Korea ; Metabolic Diseases ; Middle Aged ; Neuropsychological Tests ; Neurotoxicity Syndromes ; Occupational Diseases ; Paint ; Paintings ; Physical Examination ; Return to Work ; Sick Leave ; Solvents ; Toluene ; Xylenes

BACKGROUND: The olfactory bulb is anatomically exposed and thus can be directly damaged by external stimulation. This can occur as an occupational injury owing to contact with organic solvents or other causes. We present cases of eight patients who sustained occupation-related exposure to potentially toxic substances and later presented with signs and symptoms of anosmia. We examined the occupational and medical characteristics of the patients and evaluated their work-relatedness. CASE PRESENTATION: Case 1: A 50-year-old man performed high-frequency heat treatments for approximately 11 years. He experienced decreased senses for olfaction and taste during the later years culminating in the diagnosis of anosmia after 3 years (high work-relatedness). Case 2: A 54-year-old man whose work involved exposure to various organic solvents, such as spray painting and application of paint and thinners for approximately 4 years, was subsequently diagnosed with anosmia based on rhinorrhea, headache, and loss of olfaction (high work-relatedness). Case 3: A 44-year-old-man who performed spray painting for approximately 17 years developed anosmia (high work-relatedness). Case 4: A 44-year-old man was involved in ship engine cleaning once a month, for approximately 7 h per cleaning session; he was diagnosed with anosmia based on loss of olfaction (low work-relatedness). Case 5: A 41-year-old man worked in ship building block construction for approximately 13 years; anosmia diagnosis was based on loss of olfaction (low work-relatedness). Case 6: A 47-year-old woman performed product inspection and labeling at a plant manufacturing automobile parts; anosmia diagnosis was based on decreased olfaction and taste (low work-relatedness). Case 7: A 50-year-old woman performed epoxy coating in a plant manufacturing automobile parts; anosmia diagnosis was based on diminishing olfaction (low work-relatedness). Case 8: A 57-year-old woman performed cleaning of the area where mobile phone parts were manufactured; anosmia diagnosis was based on diminishing olfaction (low work-relatedness). CONCLUSION: The study results confirmed work-relatedness when the subject was young, and the duration of exposure was long without any other cause of anosmia. Regarding compensation for occupational diseases, work-relatedness can be recognized as a relative concept.
Adult ; Automobiles ; Cell Phones ; Compensation and Redress ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Headache ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Occupational Diseases ; Occupational Injuries ; Olfaction Disorders ; Olfactory Bulb ; Paint ; Paintings ; Plants ; Ships ; Smell ; Solvents

Comprehensive consideration is necessary for setting guidelines to evaluate evidence of occupational cancer in painters due to work-related exposure to carcinogens in paint (a phenomenon termed herein as “work-relatedness”). The aim of the present research is to perform a comprehensive review and to suggest criteria for the provision of compensation for occupational neoplasm among painters in Korea. In order to perform a comprehensive review, this study assessed and evaluated scientific reports of carcinogenicities from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (IIAC), as well as reviewed the existing literature about occupational exposure among painters in Korea and the epidemiologic investigations of claimed cases of cancer among painters in Korea. The IARC declares that occupational exposures in commercial painting are classified as Group 1 carcinogens for lung cancer and bladder cancer among painters. The epidemiologic studies show consistent causal relationships between occupational exposure in painters and cancers such as lung cancer [meta relative risk: 1.34 (95% confidence intervals (CIs): 1.23-1.41)] and bladder cancer [meta relative risk: 1.24 (95% CIs: 1.16-1.33)]. In reviewing occupational cancer risks for commercial painters, the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (IIAC) confirms occupational cancer risks for lung and bladder cancer among commercial painters. According to the IIAC, however, the elevated cancer risks reported in existing literature are not doubled in either lung or bladder cancer in commercial painters relative to the risks of these cancers in the general population. Based on our review of existing Korean articles on the topic, painters are exposed to potential carcinogens including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), benzene, hexavalent chrome, crystalized silica, asbestos, and other agents, and relative levels are estimated within commercial painting processes. However, the cancer risks of occupational exposure to Group 1 carcinogens for lung and bladder cancer in painters per se are not fully assessed in existing Korean articles. Total work duration, potential carcinogens in paint, mixed exposure to paints across various industries such as construction and shipbuilding, exposure periods, latent periods, and other factors should be considered on an individual basis in investigating the work-relatedness of certain types of cancer in commercial painters.
Asbestos ; Benzene ; Carcinogens ; Compensation and Redress ; Epidemiologic Studies ; International Agencies ; Korea ; Lung ; Lung Neoplasms ; Occupational Exposure ; Occupations ; Paint ; Paintings ; Polycyclic Hydrocarbons, Aromatic ; Silicon Dioxide ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms

BACKGROUND: Labial melanotic macules (LMMs) are benign pigmented lesions that usually take the shape of flat asymmetrical macules with tan-brown to black color and variable size. Whereas the dermoscopic features of other pigmented skin lesions have been relatively well described, little is known about LMMs. OBJECTIVE: To describe the dermoscopic features and find typical and schematic dermoscopic patterns in LMMs. METHODS: A retrospective dermoscopic study was conducted on 80 lesions with histopathologically proved LMMs. RESULTS: We described and defined, for the first time to our knowledge, landscape painting patterns found in 65 of 80 melanotic lesions (81.3%), characterized by parallel lines or circle lines, overlapping vessels with background brown pigmentation. The background brown pigmentations were observed in 74 of 80 lesions (92.5%), the parallel lines in 62 (77.5%), the circle lines in 20 (25.0%), and overlapping vessels in 69 (86.3%). The structureless black pigmentations were only presented in 26 of 80 (32.5%). CONCLUSION: Dermoscopy can be useful for the clinical detection of LMMs, and “Landscape painting patterns” may represent a dermoscopic clue for the diagnosis of these lesions.
Dermoscopy ; Diagnosis ; Paint* ; Paintings* ; Pigmentation ; Retrospective Studies ; Skin

BACKGROUND: Construction painters have not been studied well in terms of their hazards exposure. The objective of this study was to evaluate the exposure levels of total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs) for painters in the construction industry. METHODS: Activity-specific personal air samplings were carried out in three waterproofing activities [polyurethane (PU), asphalt, and cement mortar] and three painting activities (epoxy, oil based, and water based) by using organic-vapor-monitor passive-sampling devices. Gas chromatograph with flame ionization detector could be used for identifying and quantifying individual organic chemicals. The levels of TVOCs, by summing up 15 targeted substances, were expressed in exposure-index (EI) values. RESULTS: As arithmetic means in the order of concentration levels, the EIs of TVOCs in waterproofing works were 10.77, 2.42, 1.78, 1.68, 0.47, 0.07, and none detected (ND) for indoor PU-primer task, outdoor PU-primer task, outdoor PU-resin task, indoor PU-resin task, asphalt-primer task, asphalt-adhesive task, and cement-mortar task, respectively. The highest EI for painting works was 5.61 for indoor epoxy-primer task, followed by indoor epoxy-resin task (2.03), outdoor oil-based-spray-paint task (1.65), outdoor water-based-paint task (0.66), and indoor oil-based-paint task (0.15). Assuming that the operations were carried out continuously for 8 hours without breaks and by using the arithmetic means of EIs for each of the 12 tasks in this study, 58.3% (7 out of 12) exceeded the exposure limit of 100% (EI > 1.0), while 8.3% (1 out of 12) was in 50-100% of exposure limit (0.5 > EI > 1.0), and 4 tasks out of 12 were located in less than 50% of the limit range (EI < 0.5). CONCLUSION: From this study, we recognized that construction painters are exposed to various solvents, including carcinogens and reproductive toxins, and the levels of TVOC concentration in many of the painting tasks exceeded the exposure limits. Construction workers need to be protected from chemical agents during their painting works by using personal protective devices and/or work practice measures. Additional studies should focus on the exposure assessment of other hazards for construction workers, in order to identify high-risk tasks and to improve hazardous work environments.
Carcinogens ; Construction Industry ; Flame Ionization ; Humans ; Organic Chemicals ; Paint ; Paintings ; Protective Devices ; Solvents* ; Volatile Organic Compounds ; Water

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to analyze effect size of the intervention studies for posttraumatic growth in patients with cancer. METHODS: A total of 871 studies published between 2000 and 2014 were identified by searching Ovid-Medline, CINAHL, PubMed, Scopus, PsycARTICLES, Cochrane library, RISS, and KISS. 15 studies were selected for inclusion in the meta-analysis. Data were analyzed using the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (CMA) Ver. 3 program and the effect sizes were shown using Hedges's g score. RESULTS: Intervention studies included 5 studies on Cognitive Behavioral Stress Management (CBSM), 4 studies for Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), 2 studies for couple-based intervention, and 1 study each for health coaching, building resilience, yoga and painting intervention. The overall controlled effect size was 0.335 (95% CI=0.231, 0.438), using a fixed effects model. The most effective intervention was the couple-based intervention (0.368, 95% CI=-0.146, 0.883), followed by MBSR (0.340, 95% CI=0.172, 0.508) and CBSM (0.314, 95% CI=0.139, 0.490). CONCLUSION: Cancer is one of the most significant traumatic events that affect patients' lives, a few cancer patients have been known to have posttraumatic growth. Therefore it is necessary to consider nursing interventions to increase posttraumatic growth for cancer patients such as couple-based intervention, MBSR and CBSM.
Humans ; Clinical Trial ; Nursing ; Paint ; Paintings ; Yoga

OBJECTIVES: OThis study aimed to explore the difference in emotional recognition of musical auditory stimulation and art-related visual stimulation between subjects with and without schizophrenia. METHODS: Twenty songs and 20 paintings that evoke sad or cheerful emotions were presented to 123 patients with schizophrenia and 224 non-schizophrenic people (control group). All subjects were asked to describe the emotions they felt during each auditory stimulation and each visual stimulation. To measure the emotional responses, the Emotional Empathy Scale was used. For members of the patient group, the levels of psychopathology and thought-related disorder were evaluated by using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale and the Formal Thought Disorder Rating Scale, respectively. RESULTS: The rate of correct answers to musical auditory stimulation in the schizophrenia patient group was significantly lower than that in the control group. In addition, the rate of correct answers to the art visual stimulation in the patient group was significantly lower than that in the control group. Moreover, the patient group showed lower emotional empathic ability than that shown by the control group. In the patient group, the correct answer rates to the musical and art stimulations were negatively correlated with the Formal Thought Disorder Rating Scale. CONCLUSION: Patients with schizophrenia have difficulty in achieving accurate emotional recognition of auditory and visual stimulations. This difficulty is associated with the lowered empathic ability and altered thinking disorder of patients with schizophrenia.
Acoustic Stimulation ; Empathy ; Humans ; Music ; Paint ; Paintings ; Photic Stimulation ; Psychopathology ; Schizophrenia* ; Thinking

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of art therapy to control fatigue in cancer patients during course of radiotherapy and its impact on quality of life (QoL). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty cancer patients receiving radiotherapy received weekly art therapy sessions using famous painting appreciation. Fatigue and QoL were assessed using the Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI) Scale and the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-F) at baseline before starting radiotherapy, every week for 4 weeks during radiotherapy, and at the end of radiotherapy. Mean changes of scores over time were analyzed using a generalized linear mixed model. RESULTS: Of the 50 patients, 34 (68%) participated in 4 sessions of art therapy. Generalized linear mixed models testing for the effect of time on mean score changes showed no significant changes in scores from baseline for the BFI and FACIT-F. The mean BFI score and FACIT-F total score changed from 3.1 to 2.7 and from 110.7 to 109.2, respectively. Art therapy based on the appreciation of famous paintings led to increases in self-esteem by increasing self-realization and forming social relationships. CONCLUSION: Fatigue and QoL in cancer patients with art therapy do not deteriorate during a period of radiotherapy. Despite the single-arm small number of participants and pilot design, this study provides a strong initial demonstration that art therapy of appreciation for famous painting is worthy of further study for fatigue and QoL improvement. Further, it can play an important role in routine practice in cancer patients during radiotherapy.
Art Therapy* ; Chronic Disease ; Fatigue* ; Humans ; Paint* ; Paintings* ; Quality of Life ; Radiotherapy*