• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.264-268
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• 2017

South Korea has the highest reported suicide rate among all countries belonging to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Nitrogen is a colorless, odorless and nontoxic gas. Nitrogen gas has, however, been recently used as a method of attempted suicide, its nontoxity notwithstanding. We herein report on an unusual case involving a 30-year-old male who presented with symptoms after a suicide attempt by nitrogen inhalation. Diffusion-weighted imaging of his brain was showed curvilinear high signal intensity in the bilateral frontal and right occipital cortices, with subtle low apparent diffusion coefficient value. In addition, T2-weighted images and fluid attenuated inversion recovery images revealed subtle high signal intensity in the bilateral frontal cortices, basal ganglia and occipital cortices with contrast enhancement.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.436-441
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• 1993

Human lung injury caused by the inhalation of nitrogen dioxide($NO_2$) has been reported in occupational situations other than agriculture, including arc welding, production of nitric acid or explosives, and blasting operations. Nitrogen dioxide reacts with the water in the respiratory tract to form nitric acid. The nitrates and nitrites formed from dissociation of nitric acid cause extensive local and systemic tissue damage. We present two cases of acute lung injury due to accidental inhalation of $NO_2$ gas in occupational situtions with a review of the literature.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.321-325
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• 2020

Atmospheric environmental problems have a major impact on human health and lifestyle. In humans, inhalation of nitrogen oxides causes respiratory diseases, such as bronchitis. In this paper, thermal analysis of a gas sensor was carried out to design and fabricate a wearable nylon-yarn gas sensor for the detection of NO_x gas. In the thermal analysis method, the thermal diffusion process was analyzed while operating the sensors at 40 and 60℃ to secure a temperature range that does not cause thermal runaway due to temperature in the operating environment. Thermal diffusion analysis was performed using the COMSOL software. The thermal analysis results could be useful for analyzing gas adsorption and desorption, as well as the design of gas sensors. The thermal energy diffusion rate increased slightly from 10.05 to 10.1 K/mm as the sensor temperature increased from 40 to 60℃. It was concluded that the sensor could be operated in this temperature range without thermal breakdown.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.105-116
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• 1996

Rendering the brain ischemic would evoke the cerebral ischemic reflex which is characterized by an arterial pressor response, apnea and bradycardia. Since the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) is known to play a key role in the maintenance of normal cardiopulmonary activity, during the cerebral ischemic reflex some cardiac related cells should be excited and respiration related cells inhibited. In this context, the responses of RVLM neurons to systemie and focal hypoxia were analyzed in the present study. Twenty-five adult cats of either sex were anesthetized with ${\alpha}-chloralose$ and the single neuronal activities were identified from RVLM area. For the induction of focal hypoxia in the recording site, sodium cyanide was applied iontophoretically and for systemic hypoxia the animal was ventilated with nitrogen gas for a twenty-second period. Cellular activities were analyzed in terms of their discharge pattern and responses to the hypoxia by using post-stimulus time and single-pass time histograms. Of eighteen cardiac related cells recorded from the RVLM area, twelve cells were excited by iontophoresed sodium cyanide and of twenty-five respiration related cells, fourteen cells were excited by iontophoresed sodium cyanide. Remaining cells were either inhibited or unaffected. Eight of fifteen cells tested with iontophoresed sodium lactate were excited and remaining seven cells were inhibited. Systemic hypoxia induced by nitrogen gas inhalation elevated the arterial blood pressure, but excited, inhibited or unaffected the single neuronal activities. Some cells showed initial excitation followed by inhibition during the systemic hypoxia. Bilateral vagotomy resulted in a decrease of arterial pressor response to the systemic hypoxia, and a slight decrease in the rhythmicity related to cardiac and/or respiratory rhythms. The single neuronal responses to either systemic or focal hypoxia were not affected qualitatively by vagotomy. From the above results, it was concluded that the majority of the cardiac- and respiration- related neurons in the rostral ventrolateral medulla be excited by hypoxia, not through the mediation of peripheral chemoreceptors, and along with the remaining inhibited cells, all these cells be involved in the mediation of cerebral ischemic reflex.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.671-678
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• 1997

The objective was to evaluate method of feeding (free access or intubation), method of slaughter (carbon dioxide gas or barbiturate) and digesta flushing medium (distilled water or physiological saline), in the development of an ileal amino acid digestibility assay for 4 week-old broiler chickens. Three diets were used (commercial (C), semi-synthetic meat-and bone meal (MBM) or wheat (W)). For the coarser C and W diets but not for the MBM diet, feeding method had a significant effect on concentrations of chromium (Cr), nitrogen (N), acid detergent fibre (ADF) and neutral detergent fibre (NDF) in the crop contents at a set time after a meal. There appeared to be a selection of food particles under free-access feeding. For birds receiving the wheat diet there was an effect (p < 0.05) of sampling time after feeding on the concentrations of Cr, N, ADF and NDF/Cr in the crop contents. Flushing ileal digesta with distilled water or saline led to similar apparent ileal N digestibility coefficients. Birds given the MBM diet, and killed by inhalation of $CO_2$, had significantly (p < 0.05) lower apparent ileal N digestibility coefficients (73 versus 80%) than those killed by barbiturate overdose.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.40-44
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• 2005

Nitrogen dioxide ($NO_2$), which produced during the process of silage, metal etching, explosives, rocket fuels, welding, and by-product of burning of fossil fuels, is one of major components of air pollutant. Accidental exposure of high level of $NO_2$ produces cough, dyspnea, pulmonary edema which may be delayed $4\~12$ hours and, in $2\~6$weeks, bronchiolitis obliterans. We experienced a case of acute pulmonary injuny induced by industrial exposure to high level of $NO_2$ during repair of $NO_2$ pipeline in a refinery. A 55-year-old man experienced nausea and severe dyspnea in 6 hours after $NO_2$ inhalation. Initial blood gas examination revealed severe hypoxemia accompanying increased alveolar-arterial O2 difference. Radiological examination showed diffuse ground glass opacities in both lung fields. Clinical symptoms and laboratory findings, including radiological study and pulmonary function test were improved with conservative treatment using inhaled oxygen and bronchodilator. and there was no evidence of bronchial fibrosis and bronchiolitis obliterance in chest high resolution computed tomography performed 6 weeks after exposure. Here, we report a case of $NO_2$ induced acute pulmonary injuny with a brief review of the relevant literature.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.18-25
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• 2013

It may occur health hazards or death by suffocation or acute poisoning in case of oxygen deficiency in ambient or exposure to harmful gas. As a part of accident prevention, we studied the change of activity and lethal dose by changing the concentration of several hazardous gas with inhalation exposure chamber and laboratory animals. We investigated the lethality and motility change during either the 4 hrs whole body exposure to oxygen, nitrogen, toluene, $H_2S$, CO and 48 recovery. As results, it is estimated that 5% oxygen concentration as lethal concentration and 5.5% as $LC_{50}$ (rat, 4 hrs) with statistics for dose-response. The results of lethality in oxygen deficient condition (approximately 6%), the lethalities were 40%, 20% with 20 ppm $H_2S$, 600 ppm CO respectively, and was not increased the lethality with 8% CO. Thus, it was confirmed that the $H_2S$, CO had influence to lethal dose, while toluene had low fluence.

• Proceedings of the KOR-BRONCHOESO Conference
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• 1972.03a
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• pp.6-7
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• 1972

The air pollutants can be classified into the irritant gas and the asphixation gas, and the irritant gas is closely related to the otorhinolaryngological diseases. The common irritant gases are nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, hydrogen carbon compounds, and the potent and irritating PAN (peroxy acyl nitrate) which is secondarily liberated from photosynthesis. Those gases adhers to the mucous membrane to result in ulceration and secondary infection due to their potent oxidizing power. 1. Sulfur dioxide gas Sulfur dioxide gas has the typical characteristics of the air pollutants. Because of its high solubility it gets easily absorbed in the respiratory tract, when the symptoms and signs by irritation become manifested initially and later the resistance in the respiratory tract brings central about pulmonary edema and respiratory paralysis of origin. Chronic exposure to the gas leads to rhinitis, pharyngitis, laryngitis, and olfactory or gustatory disturbances. 2. Carbon monoxide Toxicity of carbon monoxide is due to its deprivation of the oxygen carrying capacity of the hemoglobin. The degree of the carbon monoxide intoxication varies according to its concentration and the duration of inhalation. It starts with headache, vertigo, nausea, vomiting and tinnitus, which can progress to respiratory difficulty, muscular laxity, syncope, and coma leading to death. 3. Nitrogen dioxide Nitrogen dioxide causes respiratory disturbances by formation of methemoglobin. In acute poisoning, it can cause pulmonary congestion, pulmonary edema, bronchitis, and pneumonia due to its strong irritation on the eyes and the nose. In chronic poisoning, it causes chronic pulmonary fibrosis and pulmonary edema. 4. Ozone It has offending irritating odor, and causes dryness of na sopharyngolaryngeal mucosa, headache and depressed pulmonary function which may eventually lead to pulmonary congestion or edema. 5. Smog The most outstanding incident of the smog occurred in London from December 5 through 8, 1952, because of which the mortality of the respiratory diseases increased fourfold. The smog was thought to be due to the smoke produced by incomplete combustion and its byproduct the sulfur oxides, and the dust was thought to play the secondary role. In new sense, hazardous is the photochemical smog which is produced by combination of light energy and the hydrocarbons and oxidant in the air. The Yonsei University Institute for Environmental :pollution Research launched a project to determine the relationship between the pollution and the medical, ophthalmological and rhinopharyngological disorders. The students (469) of the "S" Technical School in the most heavily polluted area in Pusan (Uham Dong district) were compared with those (345) of "K" High School in the less polluted area. The investigated group had those with subjective symptoms twice as much as the control group, 22.6% (106) in investigated group and 11.3% (39) in the control group. Among those symptomatic students of the investigated group. There were 29 with respiratory symptoms (29%), 22 with eye symptoms (21%), 50 with stuffy nose and rhinorrhea (47%), and 5 with sore thorat (5%), which revealed that more than half the students (52%) had subjective symptoms of the rhinopharyngological aspects. Physical examination revealed that the investigated group had more number of students with signs than those of the control group by 10%, 180 (38.4%) versus 99 (28.8%). Among the preceding 180 students of the investigated group, there were 8 with eye diseases (44%), 1 with respiratory disease (0.6%), 97 with rhinitis (54%), and 74 with pharyngotonsillitis (41%) which means that 95% of them had rharygoical diseases. The preceding data revealed that the otolaryngological diseases are conspicuously outnumbered in the heavily polluted area, and that there must be very close relationship between the air pollution and the otolaryngological diseases, and the anti-pollution measure is urgently needed.