• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
• /
• v.21 no.1 s.52
• /
• pp.57-69
• /
• 2006

Lately human exposure to fine particles smaller than $2.5{\mu}m$ in aerodynamic diameter ($PM_{2.5}$) has become a great concern in Korea due to their possible cause of elevated mortality, lung function decrements, and more frequent hospital admissions for asthma. This study was conducted to investigate seasonal variations of human exposure to residential $PM_{2.5}$ and particle-associated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Ten homes in Chuncheon, Korea were visited for continuous 72 hour sampling of $PM_{2.5}$ in the living rooms using a MiniVol Portable Sampler from December 22, 2002 to November 3, 2003. During the same period, outdoor $PM_{2.5}$ samples were collected on the top of the Natural Sciences Building of Kangwon National University which is located in the middle of the ten households. Samples were analyzed for $PM_{2.5}$ mass concentrations and six selected PAHs. In two smoking homes, the highest $PM_{2.5}$ concentrations were measured ranging from 51.1 to 69.7 {\mu}g/m^3$ on average in all seasons, indicating smoking is a very important contributor to the elevation of indoor particle concentrations. Seasonal comparison showed that indoor particle concentrations were higher than outdoor ones except winter. Total PAH concentrations in smoking homes were highest in winter among the seasons primarily due to low ventilation rate, followed by the outdoor site and nonsmoking homes. BaP toxic equivalents (TEQs) were calculated for five PAHs. The TEQ for smoking homes in winter was highest followed by the outdoor site in winter. It is concluded that smoking and ventilation rate are two important contributors to the elevation of indoor $PM_{2.5}$ and PAH concentrations.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• v.32 no.1
• /
• pp.13-22
• /
• 2015

Objectives : Alcohol-related liver disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The present study was undertaken to determine whether Ganoderma lucidum pharmacopuncture(GLP) could protect against chronic liver injury induced by ethanol intoxication in rats. Methods : Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 4 groups: normal, control, normal saline pharmacopuncture(NP), and GLP, with 8 animals in each. Each group, except normal, received ethanol orally. The NP and GLP groups were treated daily with NP and GLP respectively. The control group was not treated. All rats except the normal group were intoxicated for 4 weeks by oral administration of EtOH(6 g/kg BW). Two acupuncture points were used: Qimen($LR_{14}$) and Taechung($LR_3$). Body weight, histopathological analysis, liver function, activities of antioxidant enzymes, and immunohistochemistry were assessed. Results : GLP reduced the histological changes due to chronic liver injury induced by EtOH and significantly reduced the increase in the alanine aminotransferase(ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase(AST) enzymes. It significantly reversed the superoxide dismutase(SOD) and the catalase activities(CAT). It also significantly decreased BAX and increased Bcl-2 immunoreactivity expression. Conclusions : This study showed the protective efficacy of GLP against EtOH-induced chronic liver injury in SD rats by modulating ethanol metabolizing enzymes activity, attenuating oxidative stress, and inhibiting mitochondrial damage-mediated apoptosis.

• Korean Journal of Bronchoesophagology
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.15-20
• /
• 2005

Background : It is well-known that esophageal perforation (EP) is difficult in diagnosis and has high mortality rate despite proper management. There are disputes in regarding the reatment in cases of delayed diagnosis although in the early diagnosed cases, operation is recommended without arguments. Methods: From April, 2001 to December, 2004, nine patients who were diagnosed as EP in our hospital were analyzed retrospectively about the causes, the interval between the cause and the treatment, and operation methods. Results: There were 8 male and one female with men age of 49.3 years (range: 25-67 years). The causes of EP included perforations following operations of corvical spine in three cases, spontaneous perforation(Boehaave syndrome) in two cases, foreign bodies in two cases, operation of esophageal diverticulum in one case and blunt trauma bytraffic accident in one case. Mean interval between the first treatments and the causes was 11.6 days (range: 2-30 days). The sites of perforation were upper third of esophagus in three cases, middle third in three cases and lower third in three cases. All except two cervical cases presented as mediastinitis or empyema at the time of diagnosis. Primary repair and irrigation had been performed in 7 cases but five cases out of them required more than two procedures. Conclusions : More than one procedure wasrequired in the treatment of EP because of contaminations and infections which had been spread at the time of initial manifestatios, howeverprimary closure and massive irrigation is the best method in order to preserve esophagus unless the remaining esophagus is extensively damaged.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.18 no.4
• /
• pp.692-699
• /
• 1985

Fifty cases of Open Heart Surgery due to congenital and acquired heart disease were done using the cardiopulmonary bypass in the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular surgery, Chosun University Hospital from November, 1980 to June, 1985. 1. The age of the congenital heart disease was from 7 to 29 years, the mean age was 14.5 years. In the acquired heart disease, the age was from 14 to 48 years, and the mean age was 22.3 years. The ratio of male to female was about 1.8:1. 2. The number of congenital cyanotic heart disease were 7 patients, congenital acyanotic heart disease were 17 patients and acquired valvular heart disease were 26 patients. All of the acquired heart disease was one or more valve disease. 3. Preoperative symptoms of the congenital heart disease were exertional dyspnea [cyanotic 100%, acyanotic 70.6%] and palpitation [cyanotic 28.6%, acyanotic 76.1%], and the acquired heart diseases were exertional dyspnea [92.3%], palpitation [34.1 %], and chest discomfort [30.8%]. 4. The method of the myocardial protection during the cardiopulmonary bypass were mild or moderate hypothermia, intermittent coronary perfusion of the cardioplegic solution, topical myocardial hypothermia with 4oC Hartmann`s solution. 5. In the cases of the valve replacement, postoperative oral anticoagulant therapy was started at oral intake of food using the warfarin and persantin, and the prothrombin time was maintained 30-50% of control value during 3-6 months for tissue valve replacement and permanently for metal valve replacement. 6. The postoperative complications were appeared in 24 cases and the complications were wound infection, occipital alopecia, hemorrhage etc. 7. The mortality after open heart surgery was 8 percents and the cause of death was low cardiac output syndrome, right heart failure, DIC, and Left ventricle rupture.

• ALGAE
• /
• v.35 no.1
• /
• pp.61-78
• /
• 2020

Species belonging to the dinoflagellate genus Prorocentrum are known to cause red tides or harmful algal blooms. To understand the dynamics of a Prorocentrum sp., its growth and mortality due to predation need to be assessed. However, there are only a few Prorocentrum spp. for which heterotrophic protist predators have been reported. We explored feeding by the common heterotrophic dinoflagellates Gyrodinium dominans, Oxyrrhis marina, Pfiesteria piscicida, Oblea rotunda, and Polykrikos kofoidii and the naked ciliate Strombidinopsis sp. (approx. 90 ㎛ cell length) on the planktonic species Prorocentrum triestinum, P. cordatum, P. donghaiense, P. rhathymum, and P. micans as well as the benthic species P. lima and P. hoffmannianum. All heterotrophic protists tested were able to feed on the planktonic prey species. However, O. marina and O. rotunda did not feed on P. lima and P. hoffmannianum, while G. dominans, P. kofoidii, and Strombidinopsis sp. did. The growth and ingestion rates of G. dominans and P. kofoidii on one of the seven Prorocentrum spp. were significantly different from those on other prey species. G. dominans showed the top three highest growth rates when it fed on P. triestinum, P. cordatum, and P. donghaiense, however, P. kofoidii had negative growth rates when fed on these three prey species. In contrast, P. kofoidii had a positive growth rate only when fed on P. hoffmannianum. This differential feeding on Prorocentrum spp. between G. dominans and P. kofoidii may provide different ecological niches and reduce competition between these two common heterotrophic protist predators.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• v.43 no.2
• /
• pp.90-96
• /
• 2008

Objective: Delayed ischemic deficit or cerebral infarction is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). The purpose of this study is to reassess the prognostic impact of intraoperative elements, including factors related to surgery and anesthesia, on the development of cerebral infarction in patients with ruptured cerebral aneurysms. Methods: Variables related to surgery and anesthesia as well as predetermined factors were all evaluated via a retrospective study on 398 consecutive patients who underwent early microsurgery for ruptured cerebral aneurysms in the last 7 years. Patients were dichotomized as following; good clinical grade (Hunt-Hess grade I to III) and poor clinical grade (IV and V). The end-point events were cerebral infarctions and the clinical outcomes were measured at postoperative 6 months. Results: The occurrence of cerebral infarction was eminent when there was an intraoperative rupture, prolonged temporary clipping and retraction time, intraoperative hypotension, or decreased $O_2$ saturation, but there was no statistical significance between the two different clinical groups. Besides the Fisher Grade, multiple logistic regression analyses showed that temporary clipping time, hypotension, and low $O_2$ saturation had odds ratios of 1.574, 3.016, and 1.528, respectively. Cerebral infarction and outcome had a meaningful correlation (${\gamma}$=0.147, p=0.038). Conclusion: This study results indicate that early surgery for poor grade SAH patients carries a significant risk of ongoing ischemic complication due to the brain's vulnerability or accompanying cardio-pulmonary dysfunction. Thus, these patients should be approached very cautiously to overcome any anticipated intraoperative threat by concerted efforts with neuro-anesthesiologist in point to point manner.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
• /
• v.9 no.5
• /
• pp.503-510
• /
• 2015

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Increased serum homocysteine (Hcy) levels have been reported to be related to the occurrence of cardio- and cerebrovascular diseases. High serum Hcy levels are also related to the development of secondary stroke and all-cause mortality. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of high serum homocysteine level and relating factors, and the change over the 10 month period post-stroke. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Consecutive stroke patients who were admitted to the Asan Medical Center were enrolled. Ten months after the onset of stroke, an interview with a structured questionnaire was performed and blood samples were obtained for the biochemical parameters. Nutritional status was determined using the mini nutritional assessment (MNA) score and dietary nutrient intakes were also obtained using a 24 hour recall method. RESULTS: Out of 203 patients, 84% were malnourished or at risk of malnutrition, and 26% had high homocysteine levels at 10 months post-stroke. Using logistic regression, the factors related with high homocysteine levels at 10 months post-stroke included heavy alcohol consumption (P = 0.020), low MNA scores (P = 0.026), low serum vitamin $B_{12}$ (P = 0.021) and low serum folate levels (P = 0.003). Of the 156 patients who had normal homocysteine levels at admission, 36 patients developed hyperhomocysteinemia 10 months post-stroke, which was related to heavy alcohol consumption (P = 0.013). Persistent hyperhomocysteinemia, observed in 22 patients (11%), was related to male sex (P = 0.031), old age (P = 0.042), low vitamin $B_6$ intake (P = 0.029), and heavy alcohol consumption (P = 0.013). CONCLUSION: Hyperhomocysteinemia is common in post-stroke, and is related to malnutrition, heavy alcohol drinking and low serum level of folate and vitamin $B_{12}$. Strategies to prevent or manage high homocysteine levels should consider these factors.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
• /
• v.8 no.2
• /
• pp.113-121
• /
• 2010

Purpose: Drug-induced non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema has been reported on in a drug case series. For most of the agents that cause pulmonary edema, the pathogenic mechanisms that are responsible for the pulmonary edema remain unknown. We report here on the cases of suspected drug-induced pulmonary edema and we analyze the clinical characteristics. Methods: We reviewed the medical records of 1,345 patients who had drug adverse effects and drug poisoning from January 2005 to July 2010, and 480 of these patients were admitted to the EM Department. Among them, 17 patients developed abnormal chest radiological findings and they were analyzed for any clinical characteristics, the initial symptoms, securing the airway and the clinical results. Results: Seventeen patients out of 480 (3.54%) developed drug-induced abnormal chest radiographic pulmonary edema; they displayed initial symptoms that included mental change (41.2%), dyspnea (17.6%), vomiting (11.8%), etc, and some displayed no symptoms at all (11.8%). Only 3 patients out of the 11 who died or had severe pulmonary edema were able to obtain an advanced airway prior to their arrival to the EM Department. Clinical recovery was generally rapid and this was mostly completed within 6 hours. The mortality rate was 11.8% (2 of 17 patients), and the causative drugs were found to be propofol (35.3%, 6 of 17 patients), multiple drugs (41.2% or 7 out of 17) and one patient each with ephedrine, ethylene glycol, doxylamine and an unknown drug, respectively. Conclusion: Drug-induced pulmonary edema and deaths are not uncommon, and recovery is typically rapid with few long-term sequelae when drug administration is discontinued. Oxygen therapy and securing the airway must be performed during transportation for patients with pulmonary edema.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
• /
• v.38 no.4
• /
• pp.344-349
• /
• 2021

Background: Cancer patients have been disproportionally affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, with high rates of severe outcomes and mortality. Fever is the most common symptom in COVID-19 patients. During the COVID-19 pandemic, physicians may have difficulty in determining the cause of fever (COVID-19, another infection, or cancer fever) in cancer patients. Furthermore, there are no specific guidelines for managing cancer patients with fever during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, this study evaluated the clinical characteristics and outcomes of cancer patients with fever during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This study retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 328 cancer patients with COVID-19 symptoms (fever) admitted to five hospitals in Daegu, Korea from January to October 2020. We obtained data on demographics, clinical manifestations, laboratory test results, chest computed tomography images, cancer history, cancer treatment, and outcomes of all enrolled patients from electronic medical records. Results: The most common COVID-19-like symptoms were fever (n=256, 78%). Among 256 patients with fever, only three (1.2%) were diagnosed with COVID-19. Most patients (253, 98.8%) with fever were not diagnosed with COVID-19. The most common solid malignancies were lung cancer (65, 19.8%) and hepatobiliary cancer (61, 18.6%). Twenty patients with fever experienced a delay in receiving cancer treatment. Eighteen patients discontinued active cancer treatment because of fever. Major events during the treatment delay period included death (2.7%), cancer progression (1.5%), and major organ dysfunction (2.7%). Conclusion: Considering that only 0.9% of patients tested for COVID-19 were positive, screening for COVID-19 in cancer patients with fever should be based on the physician's clinical decision, and patients might not be routinely tested.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• v.64 no.6
• /
• pp.957-965
• /
• 2021

Objective : Rapid increase in intracranial pressure (ICP) can result in hypertension, bradycardia and apnea, referred to as the Cushing phenomenon. During decompressive craniectomy (DC), rapid ICP decreases can cause changes in mean atrial blood pressure (mABP) and heart rate (HR), which may be an indicator of intact autoregulation and vasomotor reflex. Methods : A total of 82 patients who underwent DC due to traumatic brain injury (42 cases), hypertensive intracerebral hematoma (19 cases), or major infarction (21 cases) were included in this prospective study. Simultaneous ICP, mABP, and HR changes were monitored in one minute intervals during, prior to and 5-10 minutes following the DC. Results : After DC, the ICP decreased from 38.1±16.3 mmHg to 9.5±14.2 mmHg (p<0.001) and the mABP decreased from 86.4±14.5 mmHg to 72.5±11.4 mmHg (p<0.001). Conversly, overall HR was no significantly changed in HR, which was 100.1±19.7 rate/min prior to DC and 99.7±18.2 rate/min (p=0.848) after DC. Notably when the HR increased after DC, it correlated with a favorable outcome (p<0.001), however mortality was increased (p=0.032) when the HR decreased or remained unchanged. Conclusion : In this study, ICP was decreased in all patients after DC. Changes in HR were an indicator of preserved autoregulation and vasomotor reflex. The clinical outcome was improved in patients with increased HR after DC.