Characteristics of Humidifier Use in Korean Pregnant Women: The Mothers and Children's Environmental Health (MOCEH) Study

OBJECTIVES: The current use of humidifier detergent and its harmful impact on humans has arisen as a societal environmental health issue. Therefore, in this study we aimed to explore the relationship between demo-socio characteristics and humidifier use, as well as the monthly usage changes in pregnant women; thus, we report the actual status of humidifier usage of Korea's pregnant population. METHODS: From a birth cohort of a Mothers and Children's Environmental Health (MOCEH) study, 1,144 pregnant women who responded through questionnaires including demo-socio characteristics, obstetric status and household environment including whether they use humidifier and frequency of use were included in this study. Statistical analyses were performed to explore the relationship between maternal characteristics and the relevance of the use of humidifiers was performed using a chi-square test, a t-test and univariate logistic regression analysis. The monthly usage rate was demonstrated in the graph. RESULTS: The humidifier usage rate in pregnant women was 28.2%. The average frequency of humidifier usage was 4.6 days per week, 7.3 hours per day. The usage rate was higher in the multipara group and the above the age of 34 age group than in the primipara and below the age of 34 groups. Seoul showed a higher usage rate than Cheonan and Ulsan and as the education level and income increased, the usage rate of humidifiers among pregnant women also increased. In the monthly trend of usage rate, the winter season showed the highest usage rate of over 45% and the lowest in late summer and beginning of fall with a value of 12% or less. CONCLUSIONS: During pregnancy, the mother's body is especially vulnerable to hazardous environmental exposure that not only affects the pregnant woman but also the fetus. Further research is still needed to elucidate the route and effect of environmental risk factors. Therefore, based on precautionary and preventive principles, special interest and caution in harmful environments are strongly needed not only at an individual level but also at a national level.

BTEX Exposure and its Health Effects in Pregnant Women Following the Hebei Spirit Oil Spill / 예방의학회지

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the health effects of exposure to BTEX (Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, m,p-Xylene, o-Xylene) in the Taean area after the Hebei Spirit oil spill. METHODS: We used a questionnaire survey to look for health effects among 80 pregnant women 2 to 3 months following the Hebei Spirit oil spill. Their BTEX exposures were estimated using the CALPUFF method. We then used a multiple logistic regression analysis to evaluate the effects of BTEX exposure on the women's health effets. RESULTS: Pregnant women who lived near the accident site reported more symptoms of eye irritation and headache than those who lived farther from the site. There was a trend of decreasing symptoms with an increase in distance from the spill site. Pregnant women exposed to higher ambient cumulative levels of Xylene were significantly more likely to report symptoms of the skin (OR 8.01 95% CI=1.74-36.76) in the first day after the accident and significantly more likely to report abdominal pain (OR 3.86 95% CI=1.02-14.59 for Ethylbenzene, OR 6.70 95% CI=1.82-24.62 for Xylene) during the 1st through 4th days following the accident. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that exposure to BTEX from an oil spill is correlated with an increased risk of health effects among pregnant women. This implies the need to take proper measures, including the development of a national policy for environmental health emergencies and a plan for studying the short- and long-term chronic health effects associated with such spills.

Nasal Patency Assessed by Acoustic Rhinometry after Endoscopic Sinus Surgery for Chronic Sinusitis

Nasal obstruction is one of the most frequent symptoms of chronic sinusitis. Since 1989, acoustic rhinometry has proven to be relatively accurate in evaluating the severity of nasal obstruction in a clinical setting. This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of acoustic rhinometry before and after endoscopic surgery in relieving nasal obstruction in patients with chronic sinusitis. Nasal airway patency was measured by acoustic rhinometry, preoperatively and postoperatively, in 48 patients with chronic sinusitis. Total volume (TV), distances and areas of the first and second notches, and areas at 3.3 cm (A(3.3)), 4.0 cm (A(4.0)) and 6.4 cm (A(6.4)) from nose pieces were measured. The patients were divided into 4 groups according to the duration of their postoperative follow-up period. Group 1 had a postoperative follow-up period less than 1 year ; group 2, between 1 and 2 years ; group 3, between 2 and 3 years ; group 4, between 3 and 4 years. There was a significant increase in TV, A(4.0), and A(6.4) postoperatively (p<0.05, paired t-test). Postoperative values including TV, A(4.0), and A(6.4) increased significantly in group 1, group 2, and group 3, but decreased in group 4 (p<0.05, ANOVA). However, there was no significant difference between groups in distances and areas of the first and second notches. These results suggest that endoscopic sinus surgery is effective in relieving nasal obstruction of patients with chronic sinusitis and that acoustic rhinometry may be a useful tool in objectifying symptomatic improvement in patients with nasal obstruction following endoscopic sinus surgery.

Olfactory Functional MRI Using Echo Planar Imaging Methods / 대한이비인후과학회지

BACKGROUND: Various olfactory tests have already been proposed in order to clinically assess the olfactory function, for example, UPSIT, T & T olfactometer, CCCRC test, GITU, IV olfaction test. At recent, electro-olfactogram(EOG), olfactorhinometry, olfactory evoked potential, contingent negative variation was tried as the objective olfactory test. OBJECTIVES: We use the functional imaging of MRI which affords the potential for exploring regional pathophysiologic change in living brain as an olfactory function test. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Functional MRI scans of the brain were performed on 5 healthy subjects and 3 patients with olfactory dysfunction. 2 of the patients were diagnosed Parkinson's disease and the other one had basal skull fracture. Then, all subjects were performed CCCRC test. RESULT: 6 of 8 subjects showed significant region of activation in olfactory bulb and tract. Additional region of activation were also observed in amygdala and parahippocampus. Average activation ratio was 3.42+/-2.37%. CONCLUSION: These studies indicate that functional MRI have many limitations but it may be used to evaluate olfactory dysfunction and predict prognosis.

Improvement of Olfactory Function according to Postoperative Period after Endoscopic Sinus Surgery / 대한이비인후과학회지

BACKGROUND: Rhinosinusitis is the most common cause of olfactory impairment and endoscopic sinus surgery(ESS) is considered as an effective method in the treatment of rhinosinusitis. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to determine the therapeutic effects of endoscopic sinus surgery in olfactory dysfunction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The subjects of this study were one hundred and eighteen chronic sinusitis patients who had undergone ESS at the department of otolaryngology of Ewha Womans University Hospital, from April 1992 to December 1995. The patients were evaluated subjectively by questionaire and among them, fifty three patients were randomized to receive quantitative butanol test. RESULTS: Twenty-eight(68.3%) of 41 patients with olfactory dysfunction had marked improvement postoperatively but the degree of improvement(postoperative threshold score-preoperative threshold score) decreased during the postoperative period. After postoperative 2 and 2-3 years, the degree of improvement significantly decreased to 2.5 and 1.0, respectively(p<0.005). CONCLUSION: Olfactory dysfunction in patients with chronic sinusitis can be improved significantly initially after ESS but the smell acuity decreases postoperative period, especially after posto-perative 2 years.