Precensorship on Medical Advertisement

Medical advertisement had been prohibited for more than 50 years in Korea. On Oct 27, 2005 the Constitutional Court decided that complete ban of medical advertisement is against the Constitution so that medical advertisement should be permitted with some regulations. According to the decision, the Medical Advertisement Committee was established to precensor the medical advertisements. Doctors, medical institutions and medical corporations can advertise their careers, skills, and instruments after passing censorship of Medical Advertisement Committee. But passing censorship does not justify everything. The Medical Advertisement Committee considers whether the advertisements meet the minimal conditions of the regulatory laws. So the veracity of informations depends on advertiser's responsibility. If the information on advertisement is not scientifically true, the advertiser will be blamed for the falsity even though his advertisement had passed censorship. Also, Medical Advertisement Committee reviews advertisements in newspapers and magazines mainly, not on web pages. So the regulation of advertisements on web pages is carried out indirectly by consumer groups. The medical advertisement has just begun and the freedom of expression needs some trial and error.

Effects of Particulate Matters on A549 and RAW 264.7 Cells / 예방의학회지

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effects of particulate matter (PM), a marker of environmental pollution derived from combustion sources, on lung epithelial cells (A549) and macrophage (RAW 264.7). METHODS: The production of reactive radicals from lung cells, the lipid peroxidation of cell membrane, and the cytotoxicity of PM were measured using an in vitro model. The results were compared with a control group. RESULTS: The presence of PM significantly increased the production of reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species with time and in a dose dependent pattern and also increased the malondialdehyde concentration in lung epithelial cells. The cytotoxicity of PM was increased with increasing concentration of PM. CONCLUSIONS: It has been suggested that urban particulate matter causes an inflammatory reaction in lung tissue through the production of hydroxyl radicals, nitric oxides and numerous cytokines. The causal chemical determinant responsible for these biologic effects are not well understood, but the bioavailable metal in PM seems to determine the toxicity of inhaled PM.

Department of Questionnaire Measuring Quality of Life in Pneumoconioses / 결핵

BACKGROUND: Pneumoconiosis, like other chronic respiratory diseases, is essentially incurable and, for many, pregressive. While improved survival time is an important aim of treatment, there is growing recognition that for some people, improving the quality of life is more important than extending the length of life. Recently the measurement of the quality of life is used to assess the efficacy of therapeutic agents. METHODS: We interviewed 63 pnemoconiotics who were admitted to St. Mary's Hospital between April and August 1999, using COOP charts, Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire (CRQ), and a newly developed questionnaire concerning clinical and socioeconomic features of the pneumoconiotics - Pneumoconiotic Respiratory Questionnaire (PRQ). Also, ILO classification of the chest film, pulmonary function test, and arterial blood gas analysis of the patients were evaluated. Then we compared the scores between insurace assisted and non-insurance assisted patients, and between clinically stable and unstable patients. RESULRS: Domains of CRQ and PRQ showed a high internal consistency reliability (alpha =0.86-0.89, 0.77-0.81) except the dyspnea domain(alpha=0.63) of CRQ. The scores of CRQ and PRQ showed statistically significant correlations with the results of COOP charts, pulmonary function test and arterial blood gas analysis. The dyspnea domain and socia l activity domain of the PRQ showed significant difference between insurance assisted and non-insurance assisted patients, and between clinically stable and unstable patients. CONCLUSION: Korean translation of the Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire and the newly developed Pneumoconiotic Respiratory Questionnaire are reliable and valid method and are likely to be useful for the measuring of quality of life in patients with the chronic respiratory disease including pneumoconiosis.

Aplastic Anemia in a Petrochemical Plant Worker / 대한산업의학회지

Aplastic anemia is characterized by pancytopenia with hypocellular bone marrow. Fifty percent of the cases are idiopathic and the rest are caused by various agents including drugs, chemicals, radiation and viruses. It is difficult to link specific etiologic agents, especially chemicals to the development of aplastic anemia because multiple or unknown exposures may be involved in. Benzene, a common industrial chemical and a component of gasoline, may lead progressively to pancytopenia, aplastic anemia and leukemia when exposed. A petrochemical worker with aplastic anemia was referred to our hospital to evaluate a relationship between the job history and the disease. He worked in the petrochemical plant for .21 years and was exposed to low-level benzene. There was not any other etiologic agent except benzene and this is the case report of aplastic anemia which possibly due to benzene exposure.

An Unusual Form of Progressive Massive Fibrosis In Pneumoconiosis / 결핵

Pneumoconiosis, very popular to coal miners who are exposed to coal dusts dominantly, was introduced in the 19th century to describe lung diseases consequent to the inhalation of mineral dusts. Coal workers' pneumoconiosis(CWP) colloquially called "black lung" in the United States, is a distinct pathologic entity resulting from the tissue reaction to deposits of dust include the coal macule, which associated with focal emphysema constitutes the characteristic lesion of simple CWP and complicated CWP or progressive massive fibrosis(PMF). Coal mining are also associated with chronic bronchitis, chronic airflow limitation, and/or generalized emphysema. Progressive massive fibrosis lesions may imprint on and obliterate airways and vessels, and cavitation is not uncommon, being the consequence of ischemic necrosis or mycobacterial infections. We report a case which is unusual form of progressive massive fibrosis to be differentiated from lung carcinoma. It is a rapid growing PMF with ischemic necrosis. By the studies which are about risk of having progressive massive fibrosis, it is predicted to be 1.4%. And the other study shows that simple pneumoconiosis clearly predisposed to PMF, with five year attack rates of 13.9%, 12.5%, 4.4% and 0.2% among men with categories 3, 2, 1, and 0 respectively at the start of the risk periods.