Green Chemistry at the present in Korea

OBJECTIVES: Despite the great contribution made by chemical substances to the development of modern civilization, their indiscriminate use has caused various kinds of damage to the global environment and human beings. Accordingly, the major developed countries and international society have tried to ensure the safe use of chemicals and a reduction in the use of hazardous chemicals through the establishment of the United Nations Environment Programme and various international agreements. In this reason, we tried to introduce about Green Chemistry progress at the present in worldwide and Korea. METHODS: We checked and analyzed relative journals, reports using keyword as like Green Chemistry, alternative chemicals, eco-friendly etc. and major country's government homepage search. RESULTS: Green Chemistry theory, which argues for the reduction or removal of harmfulness in chemicals throughout their entire life-cycle, has been spreading, and major developed countries, such as the US and Denmark, have developed and operate programs to provide reliable chemical information to help replace hazardous chemicals. Korea has also been conducting studies as like eco-innovation project. Through this project the "Alternative Chemical Search program," has been developed, distributed, and operated since 2011 to provide reliable information to small and medium-sized businesses that have difficulties collecting information to ensure conformity to international regulations. The program provides information that includes the regulations of major countries and Korea, information on 340 alternative chemicals, 70 application cases, and 1:1 consulting. CONCLUSIONS: The Alternative Chemical Search program is expected to contribute to the establishment of response systems for regulation of Korean small and medium-sized businesses, and it also will be used to provide basic data for Korean hazardous chemical regulation, together with the Act on the Registration and Evaluation, etc. of Chemical Substances and the Chemical Control act, making it possible to establish an infrastructure for Green Chemistry in Korea and to increase national competitiveness.

Green Chemistry at the present in Korea

OBJECTIVES: Despite the great contribution made by chemical substances to the development of modern civilization, their indiscriminate use has caused various kinds of damage to the global environment and human beings. Accordingly, the major developed countries and international society have tried to ensure the safe use of chemicals and a reduction in the use of hazardous chemicals through the establishment of the United Nations Environment Programme and various international agreements. In this reason, we tried to introduce about Green Chemistry progress at the present in worldwide and Korea. METHODS: We checked and analyzed relative journals, reports using keyword as like Green Chemistry, alternative chemicals, eco-friendly etc. and major country's government homepage search. RESULTS: Green Chemistry theory, which argues for the reduction or removal of harmfulness in chemicals throughout their entire life-cycle, has been spreading, and major developed countries, such as the US and Denmark, have developed and operate programs to provide reliable chemical information to help replace hazardous chemicals. Korea has also been conducting studies as like eco-innovation project. Through this project the "Alternative Chemical Search program," has been developed, distributed, and operated since 2011 to provide reliable information to small and medium-sized businesses that have difficulties collecting information to ensure conformity to international regulations. The program provides information that includes the regulations of major countries and Korea, information on 340 alternative chemicals, 70 application cases, and 1:1 consulting. CONCLUSIONS: The Alternative Chemical Search program is expected to contribute to the establishment of response systems for regulation of Korean small and medium-sized businesses, and it also will be used to provide basic data for Korean hazardous chemical regulation, together with the Act on the Registration and Evaluation, etc. of Chemical Substances and the Chemical Control act, making it possible to establish an infrastructure for Green Chemistry in Korea and to increase national competitiveness.

Differentially expressed proteins in the liver of Gulo-/- mice following treatments with Helicobacter pylori and diethylnitrosamine / 동물의과학연구지

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is an essential nutrient of most living tissues. We established a strain of Gulo-/- mice with known deficiency, in which vitamin C intake can be controlled by diet, like humans, and investigated the differentially expressed proteins following treatments with Helicobacter pylori and diethylnitrosamine (DENA) in the liver of Gulo-/- mice using a proteomic approach. Expression of p53, 14-3-3epsilon and 14-3-3delta in Gulo-/- mice liver tissue was analyzed by immunohistochemistry. 2-DE maps constructed from Gulo-/- mice liver and differentially expressed proteins in liver tissue were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF/MS). In Gulo-/- mice after H. Pylori infection, followed by treatment with DENA, no differences in p53, 14-3-3epsilon and 14-3-3delta were observed by immunohistochemistry. Proteome analyses using MALDI-TOF/MS resulted in successful identification of 12 proteins (nine proteins were up-regulated and three were down-regulated). Specifically, peroxiredoxin-6 and Alpha-1-antitrypsin 1-4 were up-regulated in liver after H. Pylori infection followed by treatment with DENA. These results indicated that oral supplementation with vitamin C led to rescue of Gulo-/- mice from vitamin deficiency, and protected the liver from H.pylori infection and/or DENA effect, and vitamin C also protected the liver against oxidative stress.

Use of Color Doppler and Sensitivity of Different Sites of Examination in Diagnosing Pneumothorax

PURPOSE: Thoracic ultrasonography (US) is an emerging tool for diagnosing pneumothorax (PTX), and the possible application of color Doppler to ultrasonography is another new development. The aim of this study is to analyze the possible contribution of color Doppler to thoracic US and to the estimation of pneumothorax volume. METHODS: Patients who were admitted to emergency department underwent chest X-ray and thoracic US with color Doppler. They were also evaluated by computed tomography, if needed, US was performed at four chest sites by emergency medicine faculty and resident, and concordance between color Doppler and lung sliding was analyzed. The number of sites with abnormal findings was correlated with the volume of PTX at each sites. Statistical analysis was performed with Pearson correlation. RESULTS: Sixty-three of 151 PTX cases were included in our study. The sensitivity of US was for PTX detection was 92.1% (58 of 63), and the concordance between color Doppler and lung sliding was 99.4%. The number of sites per patient with abnormal findings increased with the average volume of the PTX. The average PTX volume in the 5 cases with normal findings was 7.0%, which is a smallsized PTX. CONCLUSION: The use of color Doppler is not more accurate than lung sliding, but it may helpful in diagnosing PTX. The volume of a PTX is proportional to a patient's number of sites with abnormal US findings.

Prognostic Factors and Adequacy of Empirical Antibiotic Therapy for Patients with Bloodstream Infection in the Emergency Department

PURPOSE: To characterize the prognostic factors and evaluate the inadequate empirical antibiotic therapy for patients with bloodstream infection. METHODS: We reviewed retrospectively the medical records of all adult patients with bloodstream infections detected from November 1, 2002, to June 30, 2003. Clinical and microbiological characteristics were recorded, and the adequacy of empirical antimicrobial therapy was determined in each case. A multiple logistic regression analysis with SPSS 11.5 was used to determine the prognostic factors for mortality related to bloodstream infections. RESULTS: Escherichia coliand Klebsiella spp. were the most commonly isolated organisms, and the main sources were the intra-abdominal (40.4%), the urinary tract (28.7%), and pneumonia (36.8%). Approximately 19.1% of the patients died. Statistical analysis of independent risk factors showed that mortality was significantly related to inadequate empirical antibiotic therapy (OR 34.72, p=0.019), renal insufficiency (OR 10.54, p=0.011), the rapidity of fatal diseases (OR 4.77, p=0.018), and the severity of sepsis (OR 3.58, p=0.031). Patients with inadequate empirical antibiotic therapy had a 50% survival rate. The main reason for the administration of an inadequate antibiotic therapy was the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and/or fungal infections. CONCLUSION: Better understanding of the correlation between mortality and prognostic factors may improve the outcome for patients with bloodstream infections. Inadequate antibiotic therapy is the most important influence on the outcome for such patients. Our data suggest that clinical efforts aimed at reducing the occurrence of inadequate antibiotic therapy could improve the outcomes for bacteremic patients.

Epidemiology of Varicella in Korea Based on Pediatrician's Office Practice

PURPOSE: Although varicella outbreakes have frequently occured, the epidemiology of varicella in Korea has not well been delineated. Furthermore without enough investigation with regard to safety and efficacy of varicella vaccine in Korean population, the vaccine has begun to be used in healthy children. Therefore the authors analized the clinical features of patients diagnosed of varicella to aid in understanding the epidemiology of varicella in Korea, and also compared the difference depending on varicella vaccination status. METHODS: The study population consisted of 1154 otherwise healthy patients diagnosed of varicella by six private pediatricians (5 in Seoul and 1 in Incheon) from March 1994 to February 1996. The information pertaining to clinical features of varicella was obtained through questionnaires answered by pediatricians. RESULTS: 1) Among the total 1154 patients, sex ratio was 1.2:1 with male predominance. The average age was 4.1+/-2.5 years old with the range of 1 month to 15 years of age. One thousand and thirty patients (89.2%) were younger than 6 years old and 126 patients (10.9%) were younger than 1 year old. 2) Occurrence of varicella was reported every month during the study period and peak in June, July, and November to January. 3) Two hundreds and eight-four patients (24.6%) had a history of previous varicella vaccination. 4) Four hundreds and fifty-five patients (53.3%) had a history of exposure to patients with varicella and the mean incubation period was 13.7+/-4.1 days with no difference according to varicella vaccination status. 5) Prodromal symptoms were reported from 615 patients (53.3%) with temperature elevation being most frequent. Except for temperature elevation, occurrence of all other prodromal symptoms was not different between unvaccinated and vaccinated patients. 6) Duration of new rash development was 3.9+/-1.3 days with the range of 1 to 9 days and longer in unvaccinated patients (4.1+/-1.2 days) compared to vaccinated patients (3.1+/-1.1 days). Atypical rash was observed in 144 patients (12.5%) and more frequently among unvaccinated patients. 7) Sixty-eight patients suffered from complications which were skin infection (49), conjunctivitis (20), neurologic complication (1), and pneumonia (1), with no difference between unvaccinated and vaccinated patients. CONCLUSIONS: The current study is reporting, for the first time, the epidemiologic features of varicella in Korea. Bedsides, the result of the study, illustrating that 1/4 of the patients reported to have varicella were vaccinated with varicella vaccine, indicates the necessity of the investigation for the safety and efficacy of the vaccine in Korean population.

Clinical Trials of Lactose Free Soyprotein Formula for Infantile Diarrhea

We studied 60 hospitalized sick infants with diarrhea to determine the efficacy of lactose free, soy-milk formula(Isomil) on the recovery of diarrhea. 60 sick infants were divided into two groups; Group 1 is consisted of 30 infants who were given Isomil, Group 2 is also consisted of 30 infants who were given 1/2 milk formula during the recovery stage, respectively. There was no difference between the two groups in admission weight, age, duration of diarrhea, number of stools per day, degree of dehydration and serum Na concentration. Initial management of the dirrhea was by means of intravenous fluid therapy and approprate period of fasting to allow intestinal rest. At 2nd day or 3rd day, the patient was given at random lactose free formula or 1/2 milk formula when we started to observe the frequency and consistency of stool. In Group 1, 23 successes and 7 failures. In Group 2, 13 successes and 17 failures. This represented a significant success rate in group I (p<0.025). The data suggest that during the recovery phase of gastroenteritis in young infants, a lactose free, soy-protein formula(Isomil) has definite adventages than 1/2 milk formula.

An Electrophoretic Study of Serum and Cerebrospinal Fluid Proteins in Newborn Infants

There are many diseases that have a characteristic protein electrophoretic patterns of serum and cerebrospinal fluid. The protein electrophoretic study of serum and cerebrospinal fluid has been used clinically for the diagnosis of such diseases. There are very few studies and references on this subject to available in Korea. Therefore authors studied the protein electrophoretic patterns of serum and cerebrospinal fluid in 20 cases of full term infants and 20 cases of premature infants by using the cellulose acetate method delivered in Hanyang University Hospital during the period of 6 months from March 1980 to August 1980. The results obtained were as follows: 1. In electrophoretic pattern of cerebrospinalfluid protein, there was a prealbumin zone which was the rapidly migrating fraction of albumin and it was specific to cerebrospinal fluid. 2. Serum total proteins in full term infants were 5. 9+/-0. 7 gm/dl, and the percentage composition of proteins were albumin 55.2+/-6.5%, a1-globulin 3.2+/-0.7%, a2-globulin 7.2+/-1.4%, b-globulin 15.1?.1% and r-globulin 19.4+/-4. 8%. 3. Serum total proteins in premature infants were 5. 6+/-.1.0gm/dl, and the percentage cornposition of proteins were albumin 56.0+/-4.1%, a1 -globulin 3. 5+/-0.5%, a2-globulin 7.9+/-0.8%, b-globulin 16.7+/-5.3%, and r-globulin 15.9+/-4.8%. 4. CSF total proteins in full term infants were 104.0+/-21.3mg/dl, and the percentage composition of proteins were prealbumin 2.2+/-1.1%, albumin 67.4+/-6.3%, a1-globulin 3.9+/-1.1 a2 -globulin 4.9+/-2.8%, b-globulin 12.5+/-1.2%, and r-globulin 9.0+/-3.6%. 5. CSF total proteins in premature infants were 151.1+/-65.2mg/dl, and the percentage composition of proteins were prealbumin 2.2+/-0.5%, albumin 71.9+/-0.8%, a1-globulin 3.1+/-1.0%, a1-globulin 4.7+/-1.9%, B-globulin 9.4+/-2.4%, and r-globulin 8.5+/-2.1%. 6. CSF to serum proteins ratio and CSF to serum albumin ratio x 1,000 were 1/57 and 22.1+/-6.4 in full term infants, and 1/37 and 35.5+/-10.3 in premature infants, respectively.

A Case of Meningomyelocele Combined with Arnold-Chiari Malformation

No abstract available.

The Clinical Observation of Miliary Tuberculosis in Children

We made a clinical observation of 63 cases with miliary tuberculosis at the pediatric department of Hanyang University Hospital in Seoul, Korea, during the period from January, 1973 to September, 1979. The result were as folowing: 1. The incidence of miliary tubeculosis in children was 0.57%(63 cases/11,040) of total admission cases. The incidence was increased for the last 2 years, that is 0.54% in 1978 and 0.96% in 1979 respectively. 2. The highest incidence by age was noticed as 79.4% in the group under the age of 3 years with the 1 case of 2 months old. 3. The seasonal prevalence were winter and spring showing incidence of 63% 4. The source of infection was found in 49.2% of all cases, and majority (58.1%) of the infection was caused by their parents. 5. Only 9.5% of cases had received BCG innoculation. 6. The chief compalints on admission were revealed in the order of fever (71.4%), coughing (66.7%), vomiting (49.2%), irritability (25.4%), etc. 7. The principal clinical features on admission were marked emaciation (46.0%), abnormal neurologic sign (46.0%), hepatosplenobegaly (34.9%) in order. 8. The tuberculin skin test with 5TU PPD was noticed positive reaction in 54%. 9. The causative organism was isolated in 42.3% of all 26 observed cases. 10. Hematologic findings revealed mild degree of anemia (63.9%), leukocytosis (75.5%), increased ESR (63.4%). 11. Miliary density on X-ray were disappeared within 4 months following treatment in 73.9% of all 23 observed cases. 12. The complications or combined diseases were tuberculous meningitis (41 cases), cervical lymphadenopathy (10 cases) and tuberculous peritonitis (4 cases), etc. 13. The mortality rate was 14.3% (9 cases/63).

A Case of Acute Renal Railure After Surgical Extirpation of Solitary Kidney

The authors experienced a case of acute renal failure following nephrectomy of soliary kidney in a 9 month old girl. Her chief complaints on admission were total anuria for 10 days and gastrointestinal bleeding for 7 days. On physical examination, she were noticed drowsy mental state, generalized edema and pale appearance. Laboratory date and management;Hb 3.4mg%,BUN 150mg%,she was performed peritoneal?dialysis and blood transfusion immediately. During the treatment her general condition and laboratory findings were much improved. The absence of both kidneys were confirmed by Isotope renogram and C.T. scanning. Brief review of related literatures were presented.

Congenital Intestinal Obstruction Combinde with Microcolon: 5 cases

The authors experienced 5 cases of congenital intestinal obstruction combined with microcolon. We had studied on this rare case, and reviewed the literature and references.

A Case Report of Congenital Nephrotic Syndrome

The authors experienced a case of congenital nephrotic syndrom, who was 25 days old male infant. We had noted and made diagnosis according to the clinical feature sand laboratory findings such as: (1)Generaliged edema (2)Hypoalbuminemia (3)Hypercholesterolemia (4)Massive proteinuria We had studied on this rare case, and reviewed the literature and referencdes.

The Clinical Observation of Congenital Syphilis

We made a clinical obserration of 84 cases of congenital syphilis at the pediatric department of Hanyang University Hospital in Seoul, Korea during the preiod from July, 1972 to June, 1978. The results were as following: 1. The incidence of congenital syphilis in the newborn infants delivered at the nursery was 0.47% among fullterm babies (28cases/6,056 born alive) and 2,31% among premature babies(8 cases/346 born alive) during the above mentioned period. 2. The incidence of congenital syphilis was 0.42% among all patients of pediatric ward(37cases/8,711) and 0.02% among all out patients of pediatric department (11cases/52,832)during the same above mentioned period. 3. Male to female sex ratio was about 2.2:1. 4. In the newborn nursery, 33.3%(20 of total 36 Pts) were under 2,500gm of birth weight and 20.5%(16 of total 36Pts) were under 37 wks of gestational periods. 5. 73%(35 of total 48Pts)of congenital syphilis in th OPD and ward of pediatric department had the onset of the first clinical feature within one month after birth. 6. The principal clinical features of congenital syphilis observed from the O.P.D. and ward of pediatric dept. were hepatosplenomegaly 62%(52 cases), skin manifestations 60.7%(51 cases), jaundice 31%(26 cases) and nasal stuffness and /or rhinitis 28.6%(24 cases) inorder. 7. In the examination of peripheral blood, anemia was shown in 70%, leukocytosis in 45% and leukemoid reactions in 10% of them. 8. Syphilitic bone changes in the bone X-ray films were detected in 35.7% of all 28 observed cases. 9. The complications or combined diseases were pneumonia (10 cases), sepsis (9 cases), tetanus (2 cases), meningitis (1 case), respiratory distress syndrome( 1 case) and congenital heart anomaly(1 case). 10. The mortality rate was 12% (10 cases/84)