CMV Gastric Ulcers Healed by Supportive Therapy / 대한소화기내시경학회지

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a potentially important pathogen in an immunocompromised host. CMV infection usually occurs in patients with severe immune deficiency, such as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, organ transplantation, malignant disease, or immunosuppressive therapy. CMV can cause ulcerations anywhere in the GI tract ranging from the esophagus to the rectum, but the colon is the most susceptible organ in the GI tract. CMV infection rarely occurs but generally causes an asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic acute illness in immunocompetent patients. Some patients with gastrointestinal CMV disease do not require antiviral treatment such as ganciclovir and frequently recover with supportive therapy. Although in immunocompetent patients, antiviral therapy may be needed based on age, chronic illness, or treatment response. We experienced a case of CMV-induced multiple gastric ulcers with severe epigastric pain in an immunocompetent patient who fully recovered with supportive therapy including a proton pump inhibitor.

Comparison of the Usefulness of Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis and Ribotyping in Epidemiological Study of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / 대한임상병리학회지

BACKGROUND: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one of the most frequent agents of hospital infections. The aim of this study was to evaluate the polymorphism of MRSA strains from our hospital by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and ribotyping, and to compare effectiveness of two methods for epidemiologic investigation. METHODS: A total of 40 MRSA isolates were studied. All strains were isolated from patients from October 1990 to May 1995: 13 isolates from NS ward, 9 from GS and OS ward, 11 from medical ward, and 7 from other medical centers. All strains were analyzed and classified by ribotyping and PFGE patterns. RESULTS: Eight different ribotypes (H1-H8) and ten ribotypes (E1-E10) were seen by HindIII and EcoRI digestion. The problem was that some isolates showed discordance between classifications by HindIII and EcoRI digestion and three isolates from other medical centers had same ribotypes with that of our hospital strains. PFGE analysis revealed 19 different types (A to S). The PFGE analysis showed ward specificity, 54% of isolates from NS ward and 54% of isolates from medical ward were PFGE types D and J respectively, and 33% of isolates from GS and OS ward was H type and 33% was G type. CONCLUSIONS: PFGE was a more effective epidemiological tool for the typing of MRSA strains but a combination with ribotyping could provide more detailed strain differentiation.

A Study of Working Environments and Workers Exposed to Chromium / 예방의학회지

For the purpose of providing the basic data for health management of workers who are exposed to chromium and for improving the quality of working environment, the authors evaluated blood and urinary level of chromium, the occupational history, AST, ALT, Hb, Hct, nasal specular examination on 287 workers who have been dealed chromium compounds in 56 manufacturing industries of five types, that is, 38 metal plating services(plating), 4 manufacture of other fabricated metal products (fabricated metal product), 5 manufacturing of dyestuff(dyestuff), 6 dressing and dyeing of leather (leather), 3 others (manufacture of pottery and ceramic household wares, motor vehicles, electronic valves and tubes and other electronic components) and also measured the level of chromium in air from February to october 1993. The results were as follows; 1. The utilized type of chromium compounds was the hexavalent state in plating, fabricated metal product, dyestuff leather and the trivalent state in other, and atmospheric chromium concentration as geometric mean was 0.0138m3(0.001~0.068 mg/m3) in plating, 0.0115 mg/m3(0.006~0.015 mg/m3) in fabricated metal product, 0.068 mg/m3 (0.002~0.019 mg/m3)in dyestuff, 0.0083 mg/m3(0.002~0.028 mg/m3) in leather, 0.0039 mg/m3(0.003~0.005 mg/m3) in other by the type of industry and it exceeded TLV-TWA (0.05 mg/m3) in five(13.6%) of plating services. 2. The geometric mean of chromium in blood was 1.54 microgram/dl(0.10~3.62 microgram/dl) in planting, 0.94 microgram/dl(0.27~2.82 microgram/dl) in fabricated metal product, 0.51 microgram/dl(0.10~3.25 microgram/dl) in dyestuff, 0.87 microgram/dl(0.15~8.00 microgram/dl) in leather 0.55 microgram/dl(0.20~2.28 microgram/dl) in other by the type of industry(P<0.001). 3. The geometric mean of chromiurn in urine was 14.47 microgram/l(6.90~28.00 microgram/l) in planting, 4.63 microgram/l(0.24~43.00 microgram/l) in fabricated metal product, 5.93 microgram/l(1.00~33.00 microgram/l) in dyestuff. 11.09 microgram/l(0.80~48.00 microgram/l) in leather, 12.41 microgram/l(10.10~41.00 microgram/l) in other by the type of industry(P<0.001). 4 As the result of nasal specular examination, twenty four cases(8.4%) of nasal septal perforation among 287 total subjects was observed, and there were 17(9.7%) cases in plating, 4 cases(14.3%) in dressing and dyeing of leather. In the comparison of chromium concentration in blood and urine between the perforated group and nonperforated group the perforated group showed a significantly higher value as 1.883+/-3.055 microgram/dl and 0.793+/-0.815 microgram/dl(P<0.001). 21.31+/-34.610 microgram/L and 9.304+/-11.079 microgram/L(P<0.001). 5. The mean concentration of chromium in blood, urine and the mean level of AST, ALT, Hb and Hct in exposure group were higher than those of control group(P<0.001).

Radiographic findings by the state of exposure to welding fumes andpulmonary function test in pneumoconiosis of shipyard welders / 대한산업의학회지

No abstract available.

A Survey on the Status of Noisy Working Environment in Manufacturing Industries / 예방의학회지

In order to prepare the fundamental data for the improvement of noisy working environments and the effective hearing conservation program on workers exposed to industrial noise, the authors surveyed the working processes and evaluated the noise levels on 56 manufacturing industries in Pusan area from April to July in 1985. The results were summarized as follows: 1. The noise level was the highest in shipbuilding and repairing(95.6 dBA), and followed by steel rolling(92.9 dBA), manufacture of motor vehicles(93.1 dBA), manufacure of fishing nets(92.9 dBA), manufacture of testiles(92.5 dBA), iron and steel foundries(89.3 dBA), manufacture of metal products(89.1 dBA), preserving and processing of marine foods(87.0 dBA), manufacture of rubber products(85.3 dBA), manufacture of plywood(84.9 dBA) and manufacture of paints(84.5 dBA). 2. Among fifty surveyed working processes, the noise level of twenty-one processes(42%) exceeded the threshold limit value for 8 hours per day. 3. As the allowable exposure times by governmental threshold limit values to industrial noise level(dBA), cocking of shipbuilding and repairing and plating(CGL) of steel rolling were the shortest(30 minutes), and followed by assembling(rivet) of manufacture of motor vehicles(1 hour) weaving of manufacture of textiles and shot, machine, pipe laying of shipbuilding and repairing(2 hours). 4. By the result of octave band analysis on noisy working processes in excess of 90 dBA, the sound level was the highest at 2,000 Hz or 4,000 Hz. 5. It was recognized that the measurement of overall sound pressure level was also effective as octave band analysis in evaluating the industrial noise.

A Study on the concentration of trace metal elements in whole blood of the women in reproductive ages in urban and rural area / 예방의학회지

To acquire the essential basic data to the establishment of control measure for the hazardous health effect that could be caused by harmful metals, the author measured the concentrations of trace metals in whole blood of women of 20-39 years old living in urban and rural area using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The summarized results were as follows; 1. The mean concentration of zinc in whole blood was 10.69+/-8.07 microgram/ml in rural area. The frequency distribution by zinc concentration level was nearly L-type and the cumulative frequency distribution was showed bimodal type in both area. 2. The mean iron concentration in whole blood was 323.09+/-87.15 microgram/ml and 322.07+/-104.74 microgram/ml in urban and rural area, respectively. The frequency distribution was similar to normal distribution type in both area, but the cumulative distribution was unimodal type in urban area and bimodal type in rural area. 3. The mean magnesium concentration was 41.08+/-19.58 microgram/ml and 40.28+/-16.82 microgram/ml in the area, respectively. The frequency distribution type had skewness to the right and the cumulative frequency distribution was unimodal type in both area. 4. The mean copper concentration was 1.417+/-0.761 microgram/ml and 1.375+/-0.743 microgram/ml in the area, respectively. The frequency distribution type had skewness to the right and the cumulative frequency distribution was bimodal type in both area. 5. The mean manganese concentration was 0.079+/-0.039 microgram/ml and 0.07+/-0.058 microgram/ml in the area, respectively. The frequency distribution type had skewness to the right in both area but slight irregular in rural area and the cumulative distribution was unimodal and bimodal type in urban and rural area, respectively. 6. The mean cadmium concentration in whole blood was 0.031+/-0.026 microgram/ml in urban and 0.028+/-0.023 microgram/ml in rural area. The frequency distribution type had skewness to the right and cumulative frequency distribution was bimodal type in both area.