The Effect of Vitamin C for Mercury Excretion by Hair Mercury Analysis / 가정의학회지

BACKGROUND: Humans are exposed to mercury via many different routes and in different forms. Studies concerned with the exposure in the general population were done many times in the past. But, the treatment of mercury exposure and mercury intoxication is limited. Therefore, chelators such as birth anti lewistite, 2,3-dimercaptopropanol (BAL), dimercaptopropane-1-sulphonate (DMPS), and dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) were given to patients with acute symptoms resulting from the central nervous system due to confirmed mercury poisoning. In this paper, we reported the effects of oral Vitamin C on mercury excretion. METHODS: This study has been reviewed in the clinical findings of 213 patients aged 30-80 who visited Kosin University Gospel Hospital during 3 months from March to September 2007. We measured hair mercury levels at the initial visit and at 3-4 months after the oral vitamin C (4 g/day) treatment. RESULTS: The number of patients who had initial hair mercury level over 1.5 ppm were 57 patients among 213 patients, and 41 patients rechecked the hair mercury level. Twenty patients who had hair mercury level over 1.5 ppm were treated with oral vitamin C for 3 months and rechecked the hair mercury level and 21 patients without vitamin C treatment. The vitamin treatment group had a hair mercury level that was three times lower than the non-treated group. CONCLUSION: The vitamin C oral treatment significantly decreased the level of hair mercury.

An epidemiological study of Shigella sonnei infection in case of B girls' high school in busan, June 2000

BACKGROUND: The students who had traveled in Jeju island developed symptoms of diarrhea at a girls' high school in Busan, June 2000. The goals of this study are to investigate the pattern of shigellosis and to compare drug resistance to S. sonnei with recent studies by reference reports. METHODS: Through epidemiological investigation and stool test of new patients, 993 students were registered from Jun.12 to 17, 2000 in a girls' high school, Busan. 2nd grade students(N=355) who had traveled in Jeju island described a questionnaire of the source of infection. Clinical and bacteriological studies were carried out on 6 cases of patients with S. sonnei. RESULTS: Among total 993 students, 79 patients were considered to have diarrhea. But 54 patients of 2nd grade students developed symptoms of diarrhea(14.7%) and the analysis of associative symptoms showed that it contained abdominal pain(72.2%), headache(61.6%), tenesmus(57.4%). 43 students of 2nd grade students who had traveled in Jeju ate chinese foods. Of them, 40 students showed diarrhea(93.0%) confirmed shigellosis(6 students), probable shigellosis(34 students). S. sonnei was isolated from 6 patients(14.0%). The attack rate of diarrhea was 20.7 times more in the group eating chinese foods than in the group not eating chinese foods(p<0.001). After the 2nd grade students ate chinese foods in Jeju, diarrhea attack day distribution was first day(23.2%), second day(39.7%), and third day(16.3%). The result of drug resistance test to S. sonnei(ampicillin, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, tetracycline, sulfamethoxazole trimethoprim, and streptomycin) was 100%. CONCLUSION: The 2nd grade patients with shigellosis ate chinese foods in a restaurant, Jeju. The pattern of antibiotic resistance to S. sonnei was different from that of several previous cases of shigellosis in Busan.

The propensity to depression in Korean internet users

BACKGROUND: The goals of this study are to evaluate the propensity to depression in Korean internet users associated with internet using environment and attempt to aid proper management of internet users in the field of family practice. METHODS: A group of 1,674 subjects who replied to internet research were selected from March 26 to 28, 1999. Making use of CES-D-K for Korean internet users, we investigated the propensity to depression. At the same time, general characteristics, internet using environmental characteristics were investigated and their relationship was assssed. RESULTS: The CES-D-K score was 16.19. The CES-D-K score was significantly higher in females, in younger age and low education level group(P<0.001). There was no significance between CES-D-K score and region. In internet using environmental characteristics, the CES-D-K score was significantly higher in low velocity users, long internet using time per day group (P<0.001). There was no significance between CES-D-K score and internet using year. CONCLUSION: There was a significant correlation between internet using velocity, internet using time per day and the propensity to depression. Therefore, family physician should think about the correlation of the propensity to depression and internet using environment, if internet users have symptoms of depression.

Long term effects on oral progestogen (medroxyprogesterone acetate) on the bone mineral densities and the level of serum lipid metabolism during estrogen replacement therapy in postmenopausal women

BACKGROUND: In postmenopausal women, progestogen should be added to protect the endometrium from hyperplasia or carcinoma induced by the unopposed estrogen. However, the effects of progestogen on bone mineral densities and serum lipodproteins have not been precisely evaluated in Korean postmenopausal women. METHODS: To evaluate the effects of progestogen on bane mineral densities and serum lipoprotein in estrogen rephcement therapy, we canducted a 2-year trial of long conjugated equine estrogen(conjugated estrogen 0.625mg/day) with or without cyclic progestogen(MPA 5mg/day for 12 days) in 120 postmenopausal women. In all subjects, bone mineral density was measured in lumbar vertebra(L2-L4) and femur neck using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry(DEXA) and serum lipoprotein was measured from the beginning of the treatment, 12 manths, and 24 manths later, respectively. RESULTS: BMD of femur neck in both groups increased but not significantly compared to basal level at 12 months and/or 24 months of treatment. As for BMD of lumbar spine, it increased significantly in both groups. Both groups showed a significant decrease in the levels LDL cholesterol, but there was no statistical significance in serum triglycerids. Conjugated estrogen plus MPA group in constrast to conjugated estrogen only group showed a significant decrease in total cholesterol levels. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the addition of MPA of the daily of 5mg for 12 days cyclically in estrogen replacement treatment appear to be effective in postmenopausal women with protection on bone mineral density and maintenance of long-term favorable effects on serum lipoprotein.

The Type of Diseases in Elderly Patients

BACKGROUND: It is a recent trend that the birth and mortality rates has been decreased and average life span prolonged in proportion to the socioeconomic and scientific advances. The goal of this study is to suggest basic data for comprehensive and continuous management of elderly patients. METHODS: Based upon ICD-10 (International Classification of Disease), the author analysed the outpatient's diseases 19,367 and inpatient's diseases 6,783 beyond the age of 65 who visited outpatient department and were hospitalized to the Kosin University, Kosin Medical Center in Pusan from January to December in 1997 RESULTS: The ratio of elderly patient in outpatient was 4.5% and inpatient was 15.0%. The number of outpatient each disease group were disease of the circulatory system 5,367 (27.7%), neoplasms 4,007 (20.7%), disease of the digestive system 2,635 (13.6%), endocrine, nutritional and metabolic disease 1,798 (9.8%) in order. Frequent diseases in individual system of outpatient were followed; malignant neoplasms of digestive organs 2,642 (13.6%), hypertensive diseases 2,053 (10.6%), diseases of esophagus, stomach and duodenum 1,804 (9.3%), ischemic heart disease 1,101 (5.7%) in order. The number of inpatient each disease group were disease of the neoplasms 2,138 (31.5%), disease of circulatory system 1,191 (17.6%), disease of the digestive system 730 (10.8%), endocrine, nutritional and metabolic disease 489 (7.2%) in order. Frequent diseases in individual system of inpatient were followed; malignant neoplasms of digestive organs 956 (14.1%), malignant neoplasms of respiratory and intrathoracic organs 351 (5.2%), hypertensive diseases 348 (4.2%), diabetes mellitus 325 (4.1%) in older. CONCLUSION: This result indicate that the elderly patients abounded mostly with disease of circulatory, neoplasm, disease of the digestive system and endocrine, nutritional and metabolic disease.

Effect of Ginseng Extracts on Production of Vacuolating Toxin by Helicobacter pylori

This study was carried out to survey the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection and the incidence of vacuolating toxin producing H. pylori from the gastric biopsy specimens of patients with 178 gastritis, 57 gastric ulcer, 455 gastric cancer and 44 healthy person in Pusan, Korea. Further aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of ginseng extract, sofalcone, ginsenosides (F1, Rb3, Re, Rgl), sangwha, green, arrowroot, ginger, and jujube tea on the activity and production of vacuolating toxin by H. pylori in vitro. The isolation rates of H. pylori by culture method from gastric biopsy specimens were 34.1% in healthy person, 42.1% in gastritis, 36.8% in gastric ulcer, and 39.3% in gastric cancer. The isolation rates of vacuolating toxin producing H. pylori from gastric biopsy specimens were 80% in healthy person, 82.7% in gastritis, 81% in gastric ulcer, and 83.8% in gastric cancer. The growth of H. pylori was not influenced by the addition of 10 ug/ml or 100 ug/ml of Ginseng extract and 10 ug/ml of sofalcone in the medium, but the production of vaculating toxin of H. pylori was significantly inhibited by the addition of 100 ug/ml of Ginseng extract and sofalcone. The activity of vacuolating toxin in the culture supernatant of H. pylori was significantly diminished (1/2-1/16 compared to control) by the addition of 10 mg/ml of sangwha, green, arrowroot, and ginger tea, and 1 ug/ml of ginsenosides F1, Rb3, Re, and Rgl. These results suggest that the isolation rates of vacuolating toxin producing H. pylori were significantly higher than that of the foreign reports. Ginseng extract and sofalcone have direct inhibitory effect on the activity of vacuolating toxin production by H. pylori without considerable growth inhibition and sangwha, green, arrowroot, and ginger tea have direct inhibitory effect on the activity of vacuolating toxin of H. pylori.