Urinary Mercury Levels Among Workers in E-waste Shops in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, Thailand / 예방의학회지

OBJECTIVES: To determine urinary mercury levels in e-waste workers in Southern Thailand and the airborne mercury levels in the e-waste shops where they worked, to describe the associations between urinary and airborne mercury levels, and to evaluate the prevalence of mercury exposure-related health effects among e-waste workers. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted by interviewing 79 workers in 25 e-waste shops who lived in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, Thailand. Information on general and occupational characteristics, personal protective equipment use, and personal hygiene was collected by questionnaire. Urine samples were collected to determine mercury levels using a cold-vapor atomic absorption spectrometer mercury analyzer. RESULTS: The e-waste workers’ urinary mercury levels were 11.60±5.23 μg/g creatinine (range, 2.00 to 26.00 μg/g creatinine) and the mean airborne mercury levels were 17.00±0.50 μg/m3 (range, 3.00 to 29.00 μg/m3). The urinary and airborne mercury levels were significantly correlated (r=0.552, p < 0.001). The prevalence of self-reported symptoms was 46.8% for insomnia, 36.7% for muscle atrophy, 24.1% for weakness, and 20.3% for headaches. CONCLUSIONS: Personal hygiene was found to be an important protective factor, and should therefore be stressed in educational programs. Employers should implement engineering measures to reduce urinary mercury levels and the prevalence of associated health symptoms among e-waste workers.

Asymptomatic Blastocystis-infected Persons as Potential Carriers of Disease in Thailand.

Aim: Blastocystis spp. is currently classified as a gastrointestinal protozoan parasite and has become quite a controversial organism. This study was aimed to obtain information about the prevalence of Blastocystis infection among an otherwise healthy, asymptomatic Thai population. Study Design: Retrospective study. Place and Duration of Study: The study areas were the Border Patrol-police station (Subdivision 12), Sa Kaeo Province; the Home for Mentally Handicapped Childcare, Ban Rajawadee, in Nonthaburi Province; Silpakorn University, Nakhon Pathom Province and the Intercity Motorway Division, Department of Highways, Bangkok. The study was carried during 2010-2013. Methodology: Fecal examination was performed by direct simple smear test on 3,940 out of 6,537 Thais of different genders, ages, occupations, and residential locations who joined the annual health check-up program serviced by the Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University. Results: It was found that 1.0% (40/3,940) presented with Blastocystis infection was asymptomatic of clinical symptoms at a male to female ratio of 2.3:1.0. Blastocystis infection was predominantly found in the age group 41-50 years (47.5%, 19/40). Border Patrol-policemen (Subdivision 12), who resided and worked in rural areas of Sa Kaeo Province near the border between Thailand and Cambodia had significantly higher prevalence of Blastocystis infection (2.8%) than the staff of the Intercity Motorway Division, Department of Highways, in urban Bangkok (0.1%). Other occupations located in suburban areas, such as workers at the Home for Mentally Handicapped Childcare, Ban Rajawadee, in Nonthaburi Province, who worked closely with mentally handicapped children, and officials and lecturers at Silpakorn University, Nakhon Pathom Province, also had significantly higher prevalence rates than Intercity Motorway Division staff in urban Bangkok, with prevalence rates of 4.20% and 2.55%, respectively. Food handlers and cooks who prepared and sold food in Silpakorn University had similar prevalence rates of Blastocystis infection as Intercity Motorway Division staff. Conclusion: This study revealed that Blastocystis infected patients probably did not show obviously clinical symptoms in asymptomatic carriers, who can spread infections to others and environments.

Prevalence of Primary Glomerulonephritis: A Single Center Analysis / 대한신장학회지

PURPOSE: To evaluate the exact prevalence of primary glomerular diseases in Korea. METHODS: We analyzed a retrospective cohort of biopsy proven 1,100 patients with primary glomerular disease in OO Hospital from April 1990 to March 2010. RESULTS: Pathologic diagnosises of 1,100 cases were as follows: IgA nephropathy (IgAN), 557 cases (50.6%), was the most common followed by 200 cases (18.1%) of minor glomerular abnormalities (MGA), 168 cases (15.2%) of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), 93 cases (8.0%) of membranous nephropathy (MN), 31 cases (2.8%) of membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis type I (MPGN), 17 cases (1.5%) of focal glomerulonephritis and 7 cases (0.6%) of diffuse mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis (DMGN) in order. In idiopathic nephrotic syndrome, the most common pathologic diagnosis was minimal change nephrotic syndrome (MCNS) (40.2%), followed by FSGS (27.5%), MN (24.2%), MPGN (8.1%) and DMGN (0.5%). When the incidence rates between 1990-1992 and 2008-2010 were compared, IgAN and FSGS increased from 34.7, 12.5 to 47.8%, 30.4%, but MCNS (from 33.3 to 6.5 %) decreased significantly. CONCLUSION: IgAN was the most common primary glomerulonephritis. During the past 20 years, the prevalence of IgAN and FSGS were increased, while MCNS and MN were decreased.