Effects of Chromium Exposure on the Level of Urinary 8-Hydroxydeoxyguanosine / 대한산업의학회지

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the possibility of utilizing DNA adduct as a carcinogenic biological marker for workers exposed to chromium, and the effect of chromium exposure on the formation of urinary 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine(8-OH-dG) was also evaluated. METHODS: The chromium concentrations of venous blood and urine were measured in 20 chromium exposed workers(exposure group) and in 11 chromium workers(control group) who were not exposed. The concentration of 8-OH-dG in their urine was determined using high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. RESULTS: The blood chromium concentration was significantly higher in the exposure group ( 0.46+/-0.18 microgram/100 ml) than in control group(0.27+/-0.15 microgram/100 ml), but the urinary chromium concentration was not significantly higher in the exposure group. The urinary 8-OH-dG was higher in the exposure group(1.71+/-1.82 micromol/mol creatinine) than that in the control group(0.45+/-0.46 micromol/mol creatinine) and was significantly correlated with the blood chromium concentration(r=0.49). Results of multiple regression analysis revealed that the level of urinary 8-OH-dG depended upon the level of the blood chromium conc entration ( r2= 0.21). CONCLUSIONS: Urinary 8-OH-dG was significantly related to chromium exposure and this finding suggests the possibility that urinary 8-OH-dG could be used as a biological index of chromium induced DNA damage.

Meta Analysis of Symptom Improvement through Eradication of Helicobacter pylori in Patients with Non-ulcer Dyspepsia / 예방의학회지

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to determine, by reviewing the literature, whether treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection in patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia affects symptoms. METHODS: We retrieved the literature using MEDLINE search, with nonulcer dyspepsia and Hericobacter pylori and treatment as key words, which were reported from 1984 to 1998, and manual literature search. The criteria for inclusion was as follows; 1) The paper should have confirmed nonulcer dyspepsia as case definition. 2) The paper should have performed a randomized, blind trial. 3) Confirmation of Helicobacter pylori eradication should be done 4 weeks after treatment. 4) studies with no information on measurement of symptoms after treatment were not accepted. The percentage of patients with symptom improvement after eradication therapy for Helicobacter pylori infection was calculated. Cumulative odds ratio was compared by fixed effect model and random effect model as sensitivity and funnel plot was used to evaluate publication bias. RESULTS: The overall effect size of symptom improvement was calculated by cumulative odds ratio. Cumulative odds ratio of random effect model was 4.16(95% CI: 1.55-11.19). Before integrating each effect sizes into common effect size, the homogeneity test was conducted and random effect model was selected(Cochran's Q=41.08 (d.f=10, p<0.001)). The heterogeneity across studies was evaluated and the different methodological aspects of studies led to differences between study results. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that the eradication of Helicobacter pylori in patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia results more symptom improvement. In studies that shows the opposite results there are methodological aspects explaining the heterogeneity.

An Epidemiologic Study on Death Caused by Cancer in Pusan / 예방의학회지

This study surveyed and measured the level and structure of cancer deaths and their trends over time for offering the fundamental data of the cancer prevention and control in Pusan city in the future. Authors conducted the study of descriptive epidemiology using materials derived from the computerized data of total 3,722 certified cancer deaths in Pusan city from January 1 to December 31, 1993 registered on the National Statistical Office, the Republic of Korea. The obtained results were as follows: 1. According to the total registered cases of deaths(16,331 cases) in Pusan city during 1993, cancer(3,722 cases) and cerebrovascular disease(2,718 cases) were the first and second cause of deaths as 23.1% and 16.9%, respectively. These pattern showed the change between cancer(14.7%) and cerebrovascular disease(18.5%) in order of frequency in comparison to 1982. Also, the total number of cancer deaths was increased in comparison to 1982. The rate of death certification by physicians was 87.1% of all registered deaths, which was increased to 6.8% in comparison to 1982(80.3%). 2. Crude death rate and cancer specific death rate was 4.06 per 1,000 populations and 93.8 per 100,000 populations(male:117.8, female:70.0), respectively. The former was similar to that of 1982, but the latter was increased to 1.6 times as that of 1982. 3. Age-adjusted cancer specific death rate by standardization with whole country population was 111.9(male:141.5, female:106.7) per 100,000 populations, higher than not age-adjusted cancer specific death rate(93.8), and the sex difference was statistically significant with male predominance(p<0.05). 4. Cancer specific death rate by age was generally increased with age and most of cancer deaths(male:91.8%, female:88.5%) occurred since 40 years old. 5. The major cancer(cancer specific death rate per 100,000 populations) in male was liver(30.6) followed by stomach(25.6), lung(21.9), and GB and EHBD(5.7), in female stomach(15.7), liver(9.9), lung(7.3), and uterus(6.9). The relative frequency of the leading three cancer among total cancer deaths marked 66.3% in male and 47.1% in female, and decreased in comparison to 1982(male:72.2%, female:54.5%). 6. The total ratio of male to female cancer specific death rate showed 1.68 to 1 with male predominance. And the ratio was above 2.0 in larynx, oral cavity & pharynx, esophagus, liver, lung, bladder cancer and the ratio was 1.0~1.9 in stomach, pancreas, gall bladder and EHBD, brain, rectum and anus cancer, leukemia, but the ratio was reversed in thyroid and colon cancer. In conclusion, cancer was the first cause of deaths. The proportion of lung cancer was increased, that of stomach & uterine cancer was decreased relatively, and liver cancer was constantly higher proportion. In the future, it is necessary to conduct the further investigations on the cancer risk factors considering areal specificity.

Olfactory Dysfunction in Chromium Exposed Workers / 예방의학회지

Chromium is one of the representative toxic substance by occupational exposure which damage the mucosa of respiratory tract including nasal septal perforation. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of chromium exposure on olfactory function and to obtain the fundamental information about chromium exposure. The authors performed olfactory function test, laboratory tests and questionnaire interview on the subject of three groups, that is, two exposed groups and one nonexposed group from May 1 to June 30, 1994. Exposed group 1 was 15 male workers without nasal septal perforation, exposed group 2 was 15 male workers with nasal septal perforation among 103 workers in 22 chromium plating factories, and nonexposed group was 15 male medical students. The gathered informations were histories of chromium exposure, habits of smoking and alcohol drinking, the concentrations of chromium in serum and urine, and asparate aminotransferase(AST), alanine aminotransferase(ALT), gamma-gluutamyl transferase,etc. Olfactory function was checked by T and T olfectometer using phenyl ethyl alcohol(material A), methyl cyclopentenolone(material B), iso-valeric acid(material C), gamma-undecalactone(material D), skatole(material E) and the results were expressed by detection threshold(DT) and recognition threshold(RT). There was a significant difference between exposed groups and nonexposed group in A, B, C, D, E substances by DT and in A, B, C, D substances by RT(p<0.01) The degree of olfactory dysfunction was highest in the exposed group 2 and lowest in the nonexposed group in all five substance by Dt and it was same in A B, D substance RT and the difference of RT and DT. As summary, olfactory dysfunction by chromium exposure was recognized and the degree of olfactory dysfunction was higher in the exposed group with nasal septal perforation. Therefore, it would be helpful to apply olfactory function test for the early detection of olfactory dysfunction, and this test would be considered as the basic tool within workers' compensation system.

Atmospheric toluene concentration and urinary hippuric acid concentration according to the time of shift / 대한산업의학회지

No abstract available.