• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.159-168
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• 2004

Background : In recent years, numerous human tumor specific antigens such as melanoma antigen gene(MAGE) that is recognized by autologous cytotoxic T lymphocytes have been identified. MAGE is expressed in many human malignancies in various organs, such as lung, breast, stomach, esophagus and leukemia. Therefore MAGE has been studied widely for tumor diagnosis and immunotherapy. But, so far there were no clinical studies evaluating the role of MAGE in pleural effusion. We investigated the expression of MAGE in the patients with exudative pleural effusion for it's diagnostic utility and the results were compared with those of cytologic examinations. Methods : Diagnostic thoracentesis was performed in 44 consecutive patients with exudative pleural effusion during 6 months. We examined the expression of MAGE and cytology with the obtained pleural effusion. Expression of MAGE was interpreted by means of a commercial kit using RT-PCR method. Enrolled patients were divided into two groups such as malignant and benign and we analyzed its' sensitivity and specificity. Results : There were no significant differences between two groups in age, sex, white blood cell counts in pleural fluid, pleural fluid/serum protein ratio and pleural fluid/serum LDH ratio. The sensitivity and specificity of MAGE were 72.2% and 96.2% respectively and the positive predictive value and negative predictive value of MAGE were also 92.9% and 83.3% respectively. The sensitivity and negative predictive value of cytologic examinations were 66.7% and 81.3% respectively. There were no significant differences between sensitivities of MAGE and cytologic examinations but false positive result of MAGE was found in 1 case of tuberculous pleurisy. Conclusion : MAGE is a sensitive and specific marker for the differential diagnosis between benign and malignant effusion in patients with exudative pleural effusion. And MAGE would provide the equal sensitivity compared with that of cytologic examination in patients with malignant pleural effusion if 5mL of the pleural fluid is examined.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.660-668
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• 1995

Background: It is said that tuberculous pleuritis responds well to anti-tuberculous drug in general, so no further aggressive therapeutic management is unnecesarry except in case of diagnostic thoracentesis. But in clinical practice, we often see some patients who need later decortication due to dyspnea caused by pleural loculation or thickening despite several months of anti-tuberculous drug therapy. Therefore, we want to know the clinical difference between a group who received decortication due to complication of tuberculous pleuritis despite of anti-tuberculous drug and a group who improved after 9 months of anti-tuberculous drug only. Methods: We reviewed 20 tuberculous pleuritis patients(group 1) who underwent decortication due to dyspnea caused by pleural loculation or severe pleural thickening despite of anti-tuberculous drug therapy for 9 or more months, and 20 other tuberculous pleuritis patients(group 2) who improved by anti-tuberculous drug only and had similar degrees of initial pleural effusion and similar age, sex distribution. Then we compared between the two groups the duration of symptoms before anti-tuberculous drug treatment and pleural fluid biochemistry like glucose, LDH, protein and pleural fluid cell count and WBC differential count, and we also wanted to know whether there was any difference in preoperative PFT value and postoperative PFT value in the patients who underwent decortication, and obtained following results. Results: 1) Group 1 patients had lower glucose level{$63.3{\pm}30.8$(mg/dl)} than that of the group 2{$98.5{\pm}34.2$(mg/dl), p<0.05}, and higher LDH level{$776.3{\pm}266.0$(IU/L)} than the group 2 patients{$376.3{\pm}123.1$(IU/L), p<0.05}, and also longer duration of symptom before treatment{$2.0{\pm}1.7$(month)} than the group 2{$1.1{\pm}1.2$(month), p<0.05}, respectively. 2) In group 1, FVC changed from preoperative $2.55{\pm}0.80$(L) to postoperative $2.99{\pm}0.78$(L)(p<0.05), and FEV1 changed from preoperative $2.19{\pm}0.70$(L/sec) to postoperative $2.50{\pm}0.69$(L/sec)(p<0.05). 3) There was no difference in pleural fluid protein level($5.05{\pm}1.01$(gm/dL) and $5.15{\pm}0.77$(gm/dl), p>0.05) and WBC differential count between group 1 and group 2. Conclusion: It is probable that in tuberculous pleuritis there is a risk of complication in the case of showing relatively low pleural fluid glucose or high LDH level, or in the case of having long duraton of symptom before treatment. We thought prospective study should be performed to confirm this.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.383-393
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• 1974

The importance of the health care for the miners not only concerns the productivity of the enterprises but also as a fundamental human right, it has to be secured and protected by the society and the government. The Korean coal miners began to find their works at overseas since 1963 when the Korean government selected and dispatched its miners to West Germany. As years go by, the demand and the supply of the coal miners, the program of the coal miners health care became the important tasks to be solved and the further studies and research were necessary to support these tasks achievement. The writers made a statistical analysis on health status of the 1,559 Korean applicants applying for the coal miners in West Germany during the year of 1972 and 1973 by the using of the data of physical examination which were directed by the Korea Overseas Development Cooperation. The standard of physical examination which was applied for coal miners applying the jobs in West Germany was authorized by the Government Office of Labor in 1967. The results are as following; 1. The applicants were from the various provinces throughout Korea; Gang Weon 50.2%, Jeon-Nam 16.8%, Chung-Nam 13.7%, Gyeong-Nam 10.5%, City of Seoul 5.4%, and others 3.7%. 2. The ages of the applicants were from 20 to 44. The age group of 25-29(36.3%) and of 30-34(55.2%) together occupied the 91.5 per cent of the total applicants. 3. Among the 1,559 applicants 52.1 per cent passed the physical examinations. The tendency were shown that as the age increased, the passing rate decreased, and the married applicnts had lower passing rates compared to the unmarried applicants. 4. The height of the applicants averaged $168.4{\pm}4.74(cm)$ and the weight averaged $61.3{\pm}5.65(kg)$. 5. The average vision of the left eye of the applicants was $0.92{\pm}0.23$ and the right eye was $0.91{\pm}0.30$. 6. The mean value of the systolic blood pressure of the applicants was $145{\pm}13(mmHg)$ and the diastolic blood pressure was $85{\pm}8(mmHg)$. 7. Fifteen hundred and fifty-nine applicants were taken chest X-ray and 17.2 per cent were found abonrmal. For each 1,000 applicants, 46 Pulmonary calcification and fibrosis, 45 chronic bronchitis, 27 pleural thickening and adhesion, 20 pulmonary tuburculosis, 11 anomalies of the rib, 10 pulmonary infiltration and 21 others diseases were found. 8. Lumber X-ray examination showed that 23.9 per cent (372 applicants) were found abnormal. For each 1,000 applicants, 77 osteoarthritis, 56 lumbarization, 15 fracture of vertebrae, 15 spondyloarthritis, 14 deformity of vertebrae, 13 spina bifida, 12 sacralization, 12 spondylolysis, and 5 others diseases were found. 9. In total, 47.9 per cent of 1,559 applicants failed the physical examinations, and the main causes for the failure were shown to be 7.1% of anomalies of spine, 6.3% of osteoarthritis, 4.7% of pulmonary calcification and fibrosis, 4.6% of chronic brochitis, 3.6% of hypertension (only), 3.4% of fracture of vertebrae. 3.1% of underweight(under 57.0kg), 2.0% of spondyloarthritis, 2.0% oe pulmonary tuberculosis, 1.7% of pleurisy, 1.0% of spina bifida, 1.5% of syphilis, 1.5% of color blindess, and 1.0% of underheight(under 160.0cm).