• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
• /
• v.32 no.5
• /
• pp.457-468
• /
• 2016

Traffic-related air pollutants and particulates from diesel exhaust cause for increasing respiratory health problem. Recent epidemiologic studies have reported adverse effects of urban air pollution on various aspects of respiratory health. Bus or truck terminal workers have high probability of exposure to diesel exhaust particle than general office worker. This study was designed to evaluate the relationship between pulmonary function of people who working at the high-density area of diesel vehicles and pulmonary function of people who working at general office in Seoul. So, this study explored the effects on people with exposure to diesel traffic or exposure to diesel traffic, through the pulmonary function test (PFT). There were significant difference in Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) and Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second ($FEV_1$) between high-exposure group and control. High-exposure to diesel particle were increased risk of reduction in pulmonary function in this study. These results provide the necessity additional research that manage people who working at the high-density area of diesel vehicles.

• Journal of Korean Physical Therapy Science
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.1-7
• /
• 2012

Purpose : The purpose of present study was to investigate pulmonary function among smokers and non-smokers, and effect on respiratory muscle training in smoker. Methods : Twenty participants were allocated into smokers group(n = 10) and non-smokers group(n = 10). Pulmonary function was measured by spirometry(Pony FX, COSMED Inc., Italy). The smoker group was compared pulmonary function before and after respiratory muscle training. Results : The results were as follows; There was significant difference on PEF, FEV1/FVC%, FEF25~75%, MEF75% and MEF50% among smoker and non-smokers(p<.05). But, there was not significantly difference after intervention in smokers. Conclusion : The present study found that smoker decreased pulmonary function than non-smokers.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.29 no.2
• /
• pp.259-269
• /
• 2019

Objective: This study was conducted to prepare fundamental data and assess the relationship between level of exposure to airborne respirable dust, chest radiation findings, and the results of pulmonary function tests among workers in a cloth manufacturing factory. Methods: The number of total subjects was 144 (124 female and 20 male) workers in a cloth manufacturing factory in the city of Busan. This study measured the concentration of airborne respirable dust by gravimetric analysis and performed pulmonary function testing, and got chest radiation findings from December 1, 2016 to March 31, 2017. Collected data was analyzed using the IBM SPSS statistical package program (ver. 24.0). Results: The mean concentration of respirable dust was the highest in the cutting process. The effecting factors on $FEV_1/FVC$ were age, sex, and working process. The effecting factors on chest radiation findings were doing no exercise and concentration of respirable dust. Conclusions: Based on the above results, the authors consider there to be a need to secure sufficient working space and improve the engineering systems, for example the overall or local ventilation, in order to minimize the exposure to respirable dust. Health education and health promotion activities should also be improved in order to maintain optimal health status. The authors expect further studies to be performed on pulmonary function testing, chest radiation findings, and symptoms related to pulmonary function, including continuous observation, among workers in a cloth manufacturing factory.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.20 no.7
• /
• pp.236-241
• /
• 2019

Lumbar stabilization exercise is a popular exercise method in recent clinicians, as it strengthens muscles around the spine and abdominal muscles, but there is a lack of research on the effects of pulmonary function and respiratory pressure. So, this study examined whether abdominal bracing exercise, a typical lumbar stabilization exercise, was effective in pulmonary function and respiratory pressure. In this study, a total of 20's 40 subjects were recruited and randomly divided into an abdominal bracing exercise group(n=20) and control group(n=20). Abdominal exercise group underwent 25 minutes of exercise. Pulmonary function and respiratory pressure values were measured to analyze respiratory function. As a results of the experimental group, there were significant improvements in FVC, FEV1, PEF and MEP(p<.05) and there was a significant difference in the comparison between groups, except the MIP. These results suggest that abdominal bracing exercise can be presented as effective exercises to improve respiratory function.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
• /
• v.11 no.2
• /
• pp.221-230
• /
• 2023

Purpose : This study was performed to evaluate the effects of virtual reality combined robot assist gait training (VRG) on improvement of balance and respiratory function in chronic stroke patients. Methods : A single-blind, randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted with 35 chronic stroke patients. They were randomly allocated 2 groups; VRG group (n=18) and conservative treatment group (CG; n=17). The VRG group received 30 minutes robot assisted gait training combined virtual reality training, robot assisted gait training was conducted in parallel using a virtual reality device (2 sessions of 15 minutes in a 3D-recorded walking environment and 15 minutes in a downtown walking environment). In the conservative treatment group, neurodevelopmental therapy and exercise therapy were performed according to the function of stroke patients. Each group performed 30 minutes a day 3 times a week for 8 weeks. The primary outcome balance and respiratory function were measured by a balance measurement system (BioRescue, Marseille, France), Berg balance scale, functional reach test for balance, Spirometry (Cosmed Micro Quark, Cosmed, Italy) for respiratory function Forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV₁), and maximum expiratory volume (PEF) were measured according to the protocol. The measurement were performed before and after the 8 weeks intervention period. Results : Both groups demonstrated significant improvement of outcome in balance and respiratory function during intervention period. VRG revealed significant differences in balance and respiratory function as compared to the CG groups (p<.05). Our results showed that VRG was more effective on balance and respiratory function in patients with chronic stroke. Conclusion : Our findings indicate that VRG can improve balance and respiratory function, highlight the benefits of VRG. This study will be able to be used as an intervention data for recovering balance and respiratory function in chronic stroke patients.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
• /
• v.55 no.4
• /
• pp.276-283
• /
• 2023

The Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute is currently evaluating spirometry tests used for worker health examinations by applying the 2005 American Thoracic Society (ATS) and European Respiratory Society (ERS) spirometric test standardization guide and reviewing the application of the 2019 ATS/ERS guide. To compare results obtained using the new evaluation criteria with previous results and determine whether it is appropriate to apply them to Korean workers' health examinations, we reviewed spirometry results from 325 special health examination institutions. Although evaluation criteria such as extrapolation volume, correction error, and forced inspiratory vital capacity were applied more strictly, institutions had higher reliability scores. Primarily because the acceptability and repeatability of forced expiratory volume in 1 second and forced vital capacity were judged separately, and thus, deduction width was reduced. The study shows that adopting the new evaluation criteria would reduce the possible use of inappropriate data, increase tester and doctor understanding of result selection and interpretation, increase result reliability, and reduce the testing burden.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.40 no.4
• /
• pp.390-394
• /
• 1993

Background: Bronchiectasis is characterized by chronic sputum production and complications such as hemoptysis and repeated infections. Even though some patients are cured by surgical resection of bronchiectatic lesions, most bronchiectasis patients can not be treated surgically because of multiple site involvement, and they are treated by medical measures such as postura1 drainage and antibiotics when indicated. Recently there have been some reports that low-dose longterm erythromycin treatment is effective on bronchiectsis, and it is well known that low-dose longterm erythromycin treatment is the treatment of choice in diffuse panbronchiolitis which is characterized by chronic sputum production and dyspnea. To evaluate the efficacy of erythromycin, we tried erythromycin on twenty five stable bronchiectasis patients for more than six months. Methods: We tried erythromycin 250 mg b.i.d. for more than 6 months. We checked respiratory symptoms, chest PA, spirometry, and side effects before treatment and after 3 and 6 months of treatment. Results: 1) 32% of the patients showed marked improvement of symptoms and PFT. 32% showed slight improvement of symptoms with little change of PFT, and 36% showed no change of symptoms and signs. 2) Analysis of the patients showing marked improvement revealed that most of them had diffuse bronchiectasis and paranasal sinus involvement. Conclusion: These results suggest that low-dose longterm erythromycin treatment can be tried on diffuse bronchiectasis patients with sinus involvement. And further studies will be followed on the mechanism of erythromycin in bronchiectasis.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
• /
• v.17 no.4
• /
• pp.613-620
• /
• 2005

Tests of ventilatory function including pulmonary diffusing capacity were made in 18, the last period pregnant women and 20 non pregnant women. During the study was from May 22 to June 4, the subject of study refered 38 women (20 student and the staff of Physical Therapy at Masan college and 18 women who were examined at Masan OO obstetrics Hospital). All the studied subjects had no clinical abnormalities of the cardiorespiratory system. Mean FVC and FEV1.0 were significantly decreased in the last pregnant women compare with that of non pregnant women. All the Other Measurements were not differ from those of non pregnant women. The results of this study were as follows. l. Pregnancy was associated with decrease in mean FVC and FEVl.0, Which at the last period pregnant women were $2.70{\pm}0.58{\iota},\;2.31{\pm}0.53{\iota}$ below the non pregnant women mean $3.03{\pm}0.33,\;2.64{\pm}0.44{\iota}$ : Both changes were statistically significant.(P<0.05) 2. The mean VC, which at the last period pregnant women was $3.15{\pm}0.45{\iota}$ below the non pregnant women mean $3.28{\pm}0.33{\iota}$ and the mean IC $2.21{\pm}0.53{\iota}$ below the non pregnant women mean $2.22{\pm}0.54{\iota}$, but the difference were not statistically significant. 3. The mean ERV, IRV were not statistically significant between non pregnant women and pregnant women. 4. The mean TV were not statistically significant between non pregnant women and pregnant women. 5. The mean FEVl.0(G) were not statistically significant between non pregnant women and pregnant women.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.39 no.3
• /
• pp.219-227
• /
• 1992

Background: Acute and chronic airway inflammation are important in the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma. Corticosteroids have proved to be very effective in the management of asthma. Although the mechanism by which they produce this effect is still debated, suppression of the inflammatory response is thought to be the most likely. Although inhaled steroids are known to be safe and have less side effects than oral steroids, the extent which inhaled steroids have beneficial and the detrimental effects in the treatment of asthma has remained open to question. Budesonide is a recently developed corticosteroid for inhalation treatment with a strong local effect combined with rapid inactivation in the systemic circulation. We set out to look in more detail at the time course of change in bronchial reactivity, clinical symptoms and the effects on the adrenal function during 6 weeks of treatment with budesonide (800 ug per day). Methods: Clinical symptoms, pulmonary function test, histamine $PC_{20}$, serum ACTH and cortisol (8 AM and 4 PM) were measured in 23 allergic asthmatic patients before and after 6 weeks of treatment with budesonide. Results: 1) Pulmonary function test; PEFR, FEV1 and FVC after 6 weeks of treatment with budesonide were higher than those before treatment. 2) Clinical symptoms; Clinical symptoms were significantly improved after 3 weeks and 6 weeks of treatment with budesonide. 3) Histamine provocation; Histamine $PC_{20}$ after 6 weeks of treatment with budesonide was significantly higher than that before treatment. 4) Adrenal function; 6 weeks of budesonide therapy did not significantly affect the level of serum ACTH and cortisol. Conclusion: From these results, it is concluded that budesonide therapy improved the clinical symptoms, pulmonary function and bronchial hyperreactivity after 3 weeks of treatment and the improvement after 6 weeks of treatment was higher than that after 3 weeks of treatment. During 6 weeks of treatment with budesonide, the inhibitory effect on the adrenal function was not obvious.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.38 no.3
• /
• pp.255-261
• /
• 1991

Frequently patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease have lowered arterial oxygen saturation in daytime. During sleep, they are apt to experience additional hypoxemia. These episode of nocturnal hypoxemia are usually associated with periods of relative hypoventilation. Noctunal hypoxemia may be associated with cardiac arrhythmia and with acute increase in pulmonary arterial pressure and may be implicated in the development of chronic pulmonary hypertension and cor pulmonale. We selected 14 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 9 with emphysema dominant type and 5 with chronic bronchitis dominant type, to examine the frequency and severity of nocturnal hypoxemia and the effect of oxygen in prevention of nocturnal hypoxemia. The results were as follows; 1) On PFT, FVC, $FEV_1$, and $FEV_1$/FVC showed no significant difference between the emphysema dominant type (pink puffers, PP) and the chronic bronchitis dominant type (blue bloaters, BB). But DLCO/VA for the PP group was $45.7{\pm}15.1%$ which was significantly different from BB group, $82.4{\pm}5.6%$. 2) The daytime arterial oxygen saturation ($SaO_2$) and the lowest $SaO_2$, during sleep for the BB group were significantly lower than for the PP group. 3) The hypoxemic episodes during sleep were more frequent in BB group and the duration of hypoxemic episode was longer in BB group. 4) In both group studied, although there was a tendency for a lower L-$SaO_2$ (the lowest $SaO_2$, during sleep), an increase in hypoxemic episodes and duration as the daytime $SaO_2$, fell lower, the only parameter which showed significant correlation was daytime $SaO_2$, and the frequency of hypoxemic episodes in the PP group (r=-0.68, P<0.05). 5) In PP group, with oxygen supplementation, L-$SaO_2$, during sleep showed significant increase, and there was a tendency for the frequency of hypoxemic episodes and duration to fall but it was not significant. 6) In BB group, oxygen supplementation significantly increased the L-$SaO_2$ during sleep and also significantly decreased the frequency and duration of hypoxemic episode. From these results, we can see that oxygen supplementation during sleep can prevent the decrease in $SaO_2$ to some extent and that this effect of oxygen can be seen more prominently in the BB group.