• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.26-33
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• 2020

Purpose: Agent Orange (AO) is a herbicide and defoliant used by the United States and its military allies during the Vietnam War. Pneumonia is a common cause of death among Vietnam veterans in our hospital. There have been no previous studies researching any association between AO exposure and the prognosis for pneumonia. The primary objective of this study was to investigate associations between AO exposure and 30-day mortality due to pneumonia. The secondary objective was to examine the clinical factors associated with therapeutic outcomes in veterans with pneumonia, and to assess the prevalence of combined diseases in AO-exposed veterans. Methods: This study retrospectively included veteran patients diagnosed with pneumonia in the emergency department and hospitalized between February 2014 and March 2018. The enrolled patients were grouped according to their defoliant exposure history, and the clinical information of defoliant-exposed and non-defoliant-exposed groups were compared. Patients were divided according to 30-day mortality, and significant factors influencing mortality were evaluated by using univariate analysis and multivariate analysis. The final multivariate model revealed the effect of AO exposure on therapeutic outcomes of pneumonia. Results: A total of 1006 patients were analyzed. Of these, 276 patients had a history of AO exposure, whereas 730 patients had not been exposed. Factors positively associated with 30-day mortality were malignancy, respiratory rate, blood urea nitrogen, and albumin which was negatively associated with mortality. Conclusion: Exposure to defoliant is not associated with 30-day mortality in patients with pneumonia. However, veterans with defoliant exposure are associated with a high prevalence of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, cerebrovascular accident, malignancy, and chronic kidney disease.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.38-43
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• 2021

Purpose: We investigated the association between defoliant exposure and survival to discharge after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Methods: This is a retrospective case-control study based on the cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) registry. The electronic medical records of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest victims from 6/9/2008 to 12/31/2016 were analyzed statistically. The case patients group had a history of defoliant exposure while the control group did not. Among the 401 victims studied, a total of 110 patients were male out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients. Baseline characteristics and the parameters involved in cardiac arrest were analyzed and compared between the two groups after propensity score matching. The primary outcome was survival to discharge, and secondary outcomes were sustained return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and survival to admission. Results: After propensity score matching a total of 50 patients (case=25, control=25) were analyzed. Primary outcome (survival to discharge) was not significantly different between case and control groups [(OR, 1.759; 95% C.I., 0.491-6.309) and (OR, 1.842; 95% C.I., 0.515-6.593), respectively]. In the subgroup analysis, there were also no significant differences between the control group and subgroups in primary and secondary outcomes according to defoliant exposure severity. Conclusion: There is no statistically significant association between defoliant exposure and survival of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

• Journal of Plant Biology
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.113-119
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• 1988

The effects of the defoliant and desiccant dimethipin(2,3-dihydro-5,6-dimethyl-1,4-dithiin-1,1,4,4-tetraoxide) on the passive permeability and osmotic ground value of onion(Allium cepa L.) epidermal cells were investigated by plasmometric method. The osmotic ground value and the water permeability of onion epidermal cells were decreased by 9.8% and 41.2%, respectively, and the passive permeabilities of nonelectrolytesurea, methylurea, ethylurea and malonamide-were also decreased by the range of 15.7%∼57.8% after treatment with 10-3M dimethipin. After treatment with 10-4M dimethipin, the osimotic ground value and the solute permeability of onion epidermal cells were also decreased by 3.7% and 24.5%∼48.8%, respectively, but the water permeability of onion epidermal cells was increased by 8.3%. It was suggested that dimethipin treatment modified the cell membrane of onion epidermis.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.20 no.11
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• pp.368-377
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• 2020

In this paper, the transmission and the phases of the memories in the novels dealing with Vietnam War have been studied. As a research method, Aleida Assmann's memory theory which plays a role in culturoloy theory is utilized. This study shows firstly that the others' voices excluded from the official memories of Vietnam War have emerged. Vietnam War novels released after 1990s actively reflecting the others' voices transmitted fresh the cultural memories. As the stories of civilian massacre, defoliant victims, and children of mixed bloods, Lai Daihan excluded from the official memories have emerged as a main them in the Vietnam War novels, they have become resistant memories. Existence and Formality, a Vietnam War novel by Bang Hyeonsuk brings up how to remember Vietnam War. His another novel, Time to Eat Lobster shows that without the fundamental retrospect and introspection of Vietnam War, Korea can't help but have the identity of America. Secondly, this paper shows that the tragedy of Vietnam War remains as a trauma that human bodies remember. White War by Ahn Jeonghyo shows that the memory moves back to the past in the process of struggle. In the novel, Slow Bullet by Lee Daehwan the phases of demage from defoliants lead to the family's tragedy. The Red Ao Dai by O Hyeonmi shows how a Korean-Vietnamese overcomes negation of his father and win his identity. In A Sad Song in Saigon shows that a mixed blood, Sairang who suffered from the confusion of his identity and his story fell down to a romance novel because of the weakness of narrative.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.157-170
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• 2014

Objectives: Agent Orange TCDD has been related to serious diseases among Korean veterans who were exposed to it. Decades after the end of the war, however, its effects are still being debated. The object of this study was to examine various unmet needs raised among Agent Orange exposed veterans and their families and to find grounds of a new welfare policy for providing alternative legislation. Methods: Literatures concerning Agent Orange, TCDD, the associated diseases, compensation for veterans and Supreme Court sentencing were searched using PubMed, ProQuest, press news and relevant homepages. Results: Agent Orange exposed veterans are eligible for various benefits from the government, including disability compensation for diseases associated with exposure. The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs has classified certain diseases into two categories, Agent Orange sequela diseases and sequela suspect diseases and has provided differential benefits based on separated laws. Big differences exist in benefits to veterans and their families between the two laws. The absence of definite standards to classify the Agent Orange associated diseases was confirmed by recent Supreme Court sentencing which ruled in favor of US manufacturers. Conclusion: It appears that the evidence for cause and effect of Agent Orange related diseases would never be perfect. The results suggest a need to change welfare principles from presumptive or indefinite disease basis to exposure experiences combined with integrated disability evaluation. We propose to extend eligibility by enacting a new law for Agent Orange exposed Korean veterans.

• Korean Journal of Cleft Lip And Palate
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.23-30
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• 2008

From 2001 year, our department has been participated medical charity for cleft lip and palate patients with Japanese team, on general hospital of Quang Nam Province in Tamky, Vietnam. Also we started medical service with student volunteer in Hue University Hospital, sisterhood relationship with Chonbuk National University, from 2006. The central area of Vietnam is a hard fought-field during the Vietnam war, many chemical weapons (defoliant etc.) were used during war. As the mountain region lose currency, this area was still retarded. We would like to introduce the medical charity service of our department and the classification of operated patients and performed operation.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2002

Pest control is required for protecting the food supply and for controlling disease vectors. Unfortunately, there is no perfectly safe form of pest control. Pesticides are commonly used for pest control. Pesticides are defined under the US Federal Insecticide Fungicide and Rodenticide Act(FIFRA) as any substance or mixture of substances intended to prevent, destroy, repel, or mitigate pests, and any substance or mixture of substances intended for use as a plant regulator, defoliant, or dessicant(40 CFR Part 152). Currently in the United States, there are 890 active ingredients registered as pesticides. Approximately one billion pounds of active ingredient are used in the US per year. Unlike most chemicals(anti-neoplastic and anti-micobial medications are the principal exceptions), pesticides are specifically designed to kill and cause harm. Because society allows these chemicals to be disseminated into the environment, it is important to monitor the health effects associated with these releases. This represents an important justification for establishing and maintaining surveillance systems for acute pesticide-related illness and injury. A comprehensive, national surveillance system for acute pesticide-related illness and injury does not currently exist in the US. Although the United States has several surveillance systems for this condition, none provide a complete understanding of the problem of acute pesticide-related illness and injury. The Toxic Exposure Surveillance System(TESS) and Bureau of Labor Statisitics(BLS) are useful for assessing magnitude and trends. The state-based surveillance systems are more useful for timely identification of outbreaks and emerging problems. Efforts are underway to increase the number of states that conduct surveillance, and to broaden the use of the standardized case definition to facilitate aggregation of data across states. Through such efforts, a comprehensive, national surveillance system may be attainable.