• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.62-70
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• 2015

Background: Animal skin provides an ideal medium for the propagation of microorganisms and it is used like raw material in the tannery and footware industry. The aim of this study was to evaluate and identify the microbial load in oropharyngeal mucosa of tannery employees. Methods: The health risk was estimated based on the identification of microorganisms found in the oropharyngeal mucosa samples. The study was conducted in a tanners group and a control group. Samples were taken from oropharyngeal mucosa and inoculated on plates with selective medium. In the samples, bacteria were identified by 16S ribosomal DNA analysis and the yeasts through a presumptive method. In addition, the sensitivity of these microorganisms to antibiotics/antifungals was evaluated. Results: The identified bacteria belonged to the families Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonadaceae, Neisseriaceae, Alcaligenaceae, Moraxellaceae, and Xanthomonadaceae, of which some species are considered as pathogenic or opportunistic microorganisms; these bacteria were not present in the control group. Forty-two percent of bacteria identified in the tanners group are correlated with respiratory diseases. Yeasts were also identified, including the following species: Candida glabrata, Candida tropicalis, Candida albicans, and Candida krusei. Regarding the sensitivity test of bacteria identified in the tanners group, 90% showed sensitivity to piperacillin/tazobactam, 87% showed sensitivity to ticarcillin/clavulanic acid, 74% showed sensitivity to ampicillin/sulbactam, and 58% showed sensitivity to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid. Conclusion: Several of the bacteria and yeast identified in the oropharyngeal mucosa of tanners have been correlated with infections in humans and have already been reported as airborne microorganisms in this working environment, representing a health risk for workers.

• Korean Journal of Bronchoesophagology
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.72-75
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• 2004

Pemphigus vulgaris is a rin, chronic intraepidermal bullous disease with potentially fatal outcome. Oral lesions precede skin lesions in at least $70\%$ of cases, and in cutaneous disease, concomitant oral lesions are encountered in $90\%$ of patients. This disorder involve the skin and mucous membranes, especially the oral and pharyngeal mucosa, but may also involve the nasal, oropharyngeal, laryngeal and esophageal mucosa. Oral lesions are initially vesicobullous but rapidly rupture, leaving a painful erosion that shows little tendency to heal. Pemphigus vulgaris affecting the oral mucosa is still diagnosed only after considerable delay, because oral ulceration in common, and clinicians believed the lesions to be caused by more common conditions such as recurrent aphthous stomatitis rather than a rare disorder such as pemphigus vulgaris. The definitive diagnosis of pemphigus vulgaris should be undertaken as early as possible, so that treatment can be started at an earl·y stage. Because of the presence of nonspecific oral ulcer, high degree of suspicion is often required to ultimately make the diagnosis of pemphigus vulgaris and then we report a case of pemphigus vulgaris with a literature review.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.41-46
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• 2003

Background and Objectives: Surgical ablation of tumors in the oral cavity and the oropharynx results in a three dimensional defect because of the needs to resect the adjacent area for the surgical margin. Although a variety of techniques are available, radial forearm free flap has been known as an effective method for this defect, which offers a thin, pliable, and relatively hairless skin and a long vascular pedicle. We report the clinical results of our 54 consecutive radial forearm free flaps used for oral cavity and oropharynx cancers. Materials and Methods: We reviewed the medical records of patients who were offered intraoral reconstruction with a radial forearm free flap after ablative surgery for oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers from August 1994 to February 2003 and analyzed surgical methods, flap survival rate, complication, and functional results. Among these, 20 cases were examined with modified barium swallow to evaluate postoperative swallowing function and other 8 cases with articulation and resonance test for speech. We examined recovery of sensation with two-point discrimination test in 15 cases who were offered sensate flaps. Results: The primary sites were as follows : mobile tongue (18), tonsil (17), floor of mouth (4), base of tongue (2), soft palate (2), retromolar trigone (3), buccal mucosa (1), oro-hypopharynx (6), and lower lip (1). The paddles of flaps were tailored in multilobed designs from oval shape to tetralobed design and in variable size according to the defects after ablation. This procedures resulted in satisfactory flap success rate (96.3%) and showed good swallowing function and social speech. Eight of 15 cases (53.3%) who had offered sensate flap showed recovery of sensation between 1 and 6 postoperative months (average 2.6 month). Conclusion: The reconstruction with radial forearm free flap might be an excellent method for the maximal functional results after ablative surgery of oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers that results in multidimensional defect.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.8
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• pp.3333-3338
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• 2015

Background: This study was conducted to analyze positron emission tomography (PET) / computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) performance with oropharyngeal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (ONHL).Materials and Methods: The complete image data of 30 ONHL cases were analyzed, all patients were performed PET / CT and MRI examination before the treatment, with the time interval of these two inspections not exceeding 14 days. The distribution, morphology, MRI signal characteristics, enhancement feature, standardized uptake value (SUV) max value and lymph node metastasis way of the lesions were analyzed. Results: Among the 30 cases, 23 cases were derived from the B-cell (76.7%), 5 cases were derived from the peripheral T cells (16.7%) and 2 cases were derived from the NK/T cells (6.7%). 19 cases exhibited the palatine tonsil involvement (63.3%). As for the lesion appearance, 10 cases appeared as mass, 8 cases were the diffused type and 12 cases were the mixed type. 25 cases exhibited the SUVmax value of PET / CT primary lesions as 11 or more (83.3%). MRI showed that all patients exhibited various degrees of parapharyngeal side-compressed narrowing, but MRI still exhibited the high-signal fat, and the oropharyngeal mucosa was intact. 25 cases were associated with the neck lymph node metastasis, among who 22 cases had no necrosis in the metastatic lymph nodes, while the rest 3 cases exhibited the central necrosis in the metastatic lymph nodes. Conclusions: PET / CT and MRI have important value in diagnosing and determining the lesion extent of ONHL.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.82 no.5
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• pp.1334-1340
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• 2021

Amyloidosis has been reported to be associated with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Amyloidosis and lymphoma can be related in two ways: lymphoma-associated systemic amyloidosis and peritumoral amyloidosis with lymphoma. We report a rare case of peritumoral amyloidosis in a patient with head and neck mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma. On CT, the oropharyngeal mass showed an irregularly shaped soft-tissue density with multifocal amorphous calcifications and heterogeneous enhancement. On MRI, the mass showed heterogeneous low signal intensity on both T1- and T2-weighted images. On contrast-enhanced MR images, the mass showed good enhancement with several inner non-enhancing foci. Concurrent pathologies, such as peritumoral amyloidosis, should be considered when calcifications are noted in patients with pre-treatment lymphoma.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.81-85
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• 2011

The uvulopalatal flap (UPF) technique is a modification of uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) for the surgical treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. In the UPF technique, an uvulopalatal flap is fabricated and sutured to the residual mucosa of the soft palate to expand the antero-posterior dimensions of the oropharyngeal inlet. In the extended uvulopalatal flap (EUPF) technique, an incision at the tonsillar fossa is added to the classical UPF technique followed by the removal of mucosa and submucosal adipose tissue for additional expansion of the lateral dimension. The EUPF technique is more conservative and reversible than UPPP. Therefore, complications, such as velopharyngeal insufficiency, dysphagia, dryness, nasopharyngeal stenosis and postoperative pain, are reduced. In the following case report, the patient was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea and treated with the EUPF technique. The patient's total respiratory disturbance events per hour (RDI) was decreased to 15.4, the $O_2$ saturation during the sleep was increased, and the excessive daytime sleepiness had disappeared after the surgery without complications. The authors report this case with a review of the relevant literature.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.57 no.8
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• pp.357-362
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• 2014

Purpose: The incidence of Kawasaki disease (KD) is rare in young infants (less than 3 months of age), who present with only a few symptoms that fulfill the clinical diagnostic criteria. The diagnosis for KD can therefore be delayed, leading to a high risk of cardiac complications. We examined the clinical characteristics and measured the serum levels of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels of these patients for assessing its value in the early detection of KD. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the data of young infants diagnosed with KD from 2004 to 2012. The control group included 20 hospitalized febrile patients. Laboratory data, including NT-proBNP were obtained for each patient in both groups. Results: Incomplete KD was observed in 21/24 patients (87.5%). The mean fever duration on admission was $1.36{\pm}1.0$ days in the KD group. Common symptoms included erythema at the site of Bacille Calmette-Guerin inoculation (70.8%), skin rash (50.0%), changes of oropharyngeal mucosa (29.1%), and cervical lymphadenopathy (20.8%). The mean number of major diagnostic criteria fulfilled was $2.8{\pm}1.4$. Five KD patients (20.8%) had only one symptom matching these criteria. The incidence of coronary artery complications was 12.5%. The mean serum NT-proBNP level in the acute phase, in the KD and control groups, were $4,159{\pm}3,714pg/mL$ and $957{\pm}902pg/mL$, respectively, which decreased significantly in the convalescent phase. Conclusion: Incomplete KD was observed in 87.5% patients. Serum NT- proBNP might be a valuable biomarker for the early detection of KD in febrile infants aged <3 months.

• Speech Sciences
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.23-37
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• 2001

The primary sound produced by the vibration of vocal folds reaches the velopharyngeal isthmus and is directed both nasally and orally. The proportions of the each component is determined by the anatomical and functional status of the soft palate. The oral sounds composed of oral vowels and consonants according to the status of vocal tract, tongue, palate and lips. The nasal sounds composed of nasal consonants and nasal vowels, and further modified according to the status of the nasal airway, so anatomical abnormalities in the nasal cavity will influence nasal sound. The measurement of nasal sounds of speech has relied on the subjective scoring by listeners. The nasal sounds are described with nasality and nasalization. Generally, nasality has been assessed perceptually in the effect of maxillofacial procedures for cleft palate, sleep apnea, snoring and nasal disorders. The nasalization is considered as an acoustic phenomenon. Snoring and sleep apnea is a typical disorders due to abundant velopharynx. The sleep apnea has been known as a cessation of breathing for at least 10 seconds during sleep. Several medical and surgical methods for treating sleep apnea have been attempted. The uvulopalatopharyngoplasty(UPPP) involves removal of 1.0 to 3.0 cm of soft palate tissue with removal of redundant oropharyngeal mucosa and lateral tissue from the anterior and sometimes posterior faucial pillars. This procedure results in a shortened soft palate and a possible risk following this surgery may be velopharyngeal malfunctioning due to the shortened palate. Few researchers have systematically studied the effects of this surgery as it relates to speech production. Some changes in the voice quality such as resonance (nasality), articulation, and phonation have been reported. In view of the conflicting reports discussed, there remains some uncertainty about the speech status in patients following the snoring and sleep apnea surgery. The study was conducted in two phases: 1) acoustic analysis of oral and nasal sounds, and 2) evaluation of nasality.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.2225-2229
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• 2014

Background: Carcinoma of the tongue is the most common intra-oral malignancy in Western countries. Incidence and mortality rates have increased in recent years, and survival has not improved. This study aimed to determine etiologic factors for tongue cancer with age-sex matched case-control data. Materials and Methods: 47 patients with carcinoma of the tongue referred to our oral medicine clinic between years 2005-2006 were analyzed and compared with control group data. The medical records, including family history of cancer, dental trauma, and history of abuse of alcohol and tobacco products was recorded for all subjects. Chi square comparison tests and linear regression analysis were performed using the SPSS program for statistics. Results: Patient and randomly selected control groups each consisted of 30 male and 17 female subjects with mean ages 53.2 (${\pm}12.6$) and 52.6 (${\pm}11.5$) years respectively. Smoking and alcohol abuse proportions were significantly higher in the patient group (p=0.0001, p<0.0001 respectively). Chronic mechanical trauma was observed in 44.7% of the patients and 17.0% of the control group (p=0.004). Similarly, family history of cancer of any type (for the first degree relatives) was found to be more common in the patient group (p=0.009). On regression analysis, alcohol abuse, family history of cancer, smoking, chronic mechanical traumas appeared as significant etiologic factors (p=0.0001). Conclusions: We believe that field cancerization may become evident in oral and oropharyngeal mucosa with multiple steps of molecular changes starting from the first sign of dysplasia with chronic exposure to etiological factors. Chronic trauma cases need particular attention to search for very early signs of cancer.