• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.381-387
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• 1999

Purpose: The International Labor Organization (ILO) has established an international standard for chest X-ray diagnosis of pneumoconiosis since 1980. However, there is a need for improved diagnosis and staging in occupational disease. We evaluated Ga-67 citrate scintigraphy quantitatively and correlated the scintigraphic findings with pulmonary function tests and chest X-ray results. Materials and Methods: Twenty-five patients underwent whole body scintigraphy with additional chest and abdomen images 48 hrs after intravenous injection of 185 MBq of Ga-67 citrate. Ten normal controls were also studied. Regions of interest (ROI) were drawn on the posterior image to measure counts from the liver and lungs (Lung/Liver Ratio). Results: L/L ratio according to the stages of chest X-ray classification were as follows; stage 0 (normal, n=10): $0.3948{\pm}0.0692$, stage 1 (n=10): $0.5763{\pm}0.1537$, stage 2 (n=11), $0.6849{\pm}0.1459$, stage 3 (n=4) $0.9913{\pm}0.0712$. There was a significant correlation between the scintigraphic L/L ratio and the X-ray stage (r=0.618, p<0.05). However, no significant correlation between L/L ratio and pulmonary function tests were observed (p>0.05). Conclusion: Quantitative Ga-67 scintigraphy can be a useful method for staging of silicosis. However, it is not a method to assess pulmonary functional impairment.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.109-119
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• 1989

We measured fasting serum angiotensin -converting enzyme (SACE) in 100 healthy controls and 75 coal worker's pneumoconiosis (CWP) patients by a commercial kits($ACEcolor^{(R)}$, Fujirio Inc., Japan) and evaluated this manual method. The linear range extends to an activity of 80U/L. Precision on a commercial control serum (ACE control-$N^{(R)}$, Sigma Co.)with a mean value, of 9.47U/L yielded a within-run and between-run CVs are 5.6% (N=15) and 6.9% (N=14) respectively. SAVE in 75 CWP was $20.3{\pm}5.7U/L$ ($mean{\pm}s.d.$) ; higher than in healthy controls ($13.4{\pm}3.9U/L$, P<0.01). No correlation was found between SACE, sex, and age. The results suggest that the measurement of SACE and follow-up SACE in coal workers may be a useful diagnostic fools for CWP.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.306-313
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• 2007

The welding fume has been implicated as a causal agent in respiratory disease such as pneumoconiosis. The molecular mechanism by which welding fume induces toxicity in the lung is still unknown, but studies have focused on histological structure and indirect approach measuring the pulmonary damage markers. In the present study, gene expression profiles were analyzed in the lung of rats exposed by manual metal-arc stainless-steel (MMA-SS) welding fume for 30 days using Affymetrix GeneChip$^{(R)}$. Totally, 379 genes were identified as being either up- or down-regulated over 2-fold changes (P<0.01) in the lung of low- or high-dose group and were analyzed by using hierarchical clustering. We focused on genes involved in immune/inflammation responses were differentially regulated during lung injury induced by welding fume exposure. The information of these deregulated genes may contribute in elucidation of the inflammation mechanism during lung injury such as lung fibrosis.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.57 no.5
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• pp.476-479
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• 2004

Pulmonary siderosis is one kind of pneumoconiosis, occurs from chronic inhalation of iron or iron oxide. Inhaled iron dust is deposited in the intra-alveolar spaces, which leads to radiological changes and respiratory symptoms. It is diagnosed by iron exposure history, radiological changes, and the evidence of intra-alveolar iron deposit. We have experienced a case of pulmonary siderosis which was confirmed by bronchoalveolar lavage and transbronchial lung biopsy, so report it with a review of literature.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.72 no.2
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• pp.223-227
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• 2012

Pulmonary siderosis, or Welder's lung disease is an occupational lung disease caused by iron-inhalation. Diagnosis of pulmonary siderosis is based on occupational history of the patient, radiologic findings, and pathologic findings of iron-laden macrophages within lung tissue or broncho-alveolar lavage fluid. We observed a case of a 43 years-old welder diagnosed with pulmonary siderosis via thoracoscopic lung biopsy. Sputum culture along with pathology also identified a non-tuberculotic mycobacterial infection with a sputum culture and the pathologic findings. The patient was treated with anti-tubercular medication and cessation of iron-exposure. And his condition improved within a few months.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.21 no.1 s.23
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• pp.152-162
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• 1988

Benzene and toluene, which are widely used aromatic hydrocarbons in workplace, are recently proved to cause health hazards due to their toxic effects. This study investigated the influence of toluene on the urinary excretion of benzene metabolite by administering short term exposure limit(STEL) of these compounds(i.e., 13.8mg/kg of benzene and 108.8 mg/kg of toluene) intraperitoneally into Sprague-Dawley rats. After administration, urinary phenol concentration of rat was measured by gas chromatography for every three hours. Data were analyzed by non-parametric statistical methods using Kruskal-Wallis multi-sample test and Mann-Whitney U test. The following results were obtained : 1. Administration of STEL-benzene increased urinary phenol concentration in lats. 2. Urinary phenol concentration was increased logarithmically according to the dosage of benzene. 3. Excretion of phenol in urine was decreased when benzene and toluene were administered simultaneously compared with administering benzene alone. In summary, these results reveal that administration of STEL of toluene has antagonistic effect of urinary excretion of benzene metabolite in rats.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.153-165
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• 1997

This study investigated the current industrial hygiene status of China, a socialistic country, to explore the future direction of industrial hygiene of in Korea. In China, the industrial hygiene is called as labor hygiene, which includes industrial health and industrial hygiene. The main goal of labor hygiene is to protect the health of laborers, promote the productivity and ensure the development of industry and agriculture. Started since the foundation of People's Republic of China in 1949, the labor hygiene developed with the occupational disease science which belongs to clinical medicine, has grown today as an independent science. The labor hygiene has made a rapid progress, especially for the last 20 years. The scope of industrial hygiene was expanded from the prevention and treatment of silicosis to pneumoconiosis and o.ther occupational poisoning caused toxic substances. In addition, not only the prevention of industrial toxication but also the prevention of hazards of phisical causes were included in the scope of industrial hygiene. Based on activation of health centers, the organization for the prevention & treatment of occupational diseases was established at the city, county and state. The industrial hygiene monitoring is being carried out through clear division and partition system.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.55-61
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• 2004

Respiratory effects in full time welders include bronchitis, airway irritation, lung function changes, and lung fibrosis. Welder's pneumoconiosis has been generally determined to be benign and not associated with respiratory symptoms based on the absence of pulmonary function abnormalities in welders with marked radiographic abnormalities. Accordingly, to investigate pulmonary function changes during 60 days induced by welding-fume exposure, male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to manual metal arc-stainless steel (MMA-SS) welding fumes with concentrations of 64.8$\pm$0.9 mg/$m^3$ (low dose) and 107.8 $\pm$ 2.6 mg/$m^3$ (high dose) total suspended particulates for 2 hr/day, 5 days/week in an inhalation chamber for 60 days. Pulmonary function was measured every week with whole body plethysmograph compensated (WBP Comp, SFT38116, Buxco Electronics, Sharon, CT). The rats exposed to the high dose of welding fumes exhibited statistically significant (p<0.05~0.01) body weight decrease as compared to the control whereas cell number increase of the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) (total cell, macrophage, polymorphonuclear cell and lymphocyte) during the 60 days exposure period. And only tidal volume was significantly decreased in dosedependantly during 60 days of MMA-SS welding fume exposure. This pulmonary function change with inflammatory cell recruitment confirms the lung injury caused by the MMA-SS welding fume exposure.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.292-296
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• 1994

From March, 1985, to June, 1993, 244 patients with 345 episodes of spontaneous pneumothorax treated at Koryo General Hospital were reviewed. Most of the patients were male, and the ratio of male to female was 8:1. The average age of the patients with spontaneous pneumothorax was 32.8 years old. The site of pneumothorax was revealed left side in 53.3%, right side in 42.6%, and bilateral in 4.1%. The cause of pneumothorax were shown primary spontaneous pneumothorax in 73.4%, and secondary spontaneous pneumothorax in 26.6%. The underlying pathologic lesion in secondary spontaneous pneumothorax showed pulmonary tuberculosis in 56patients[86.1%], COPD in 4patients[6.2%], bronchial asthma in 2patients[3.1%], lung cancer in 2patients[3.1%], and pneumoconiosis in a patient[1.5%]. The usual clinical symptomes were dyspnea, chest pain and chest discomfort. Recurrence rate was as follow; 2nd episode 33.6%, 3rd episode in 26.8%, and above in 4th episode in 18.2%. All the patient of pneumothorax was treated as following; Closed thoracostomy tube drainage in 127patients, bullectomy in 88patients, lobectomy in 5patients, wedge resection in 2patients, conservative treatment with oxygen therapy in 21patients, and video assisted thoracoscopic bullectomy in a patient. The course of treatment of all of the patients were smooth and uneventful.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.71 no.5
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• pp.341-348
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• 2011

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate annual changes in pulmonary function in workers who were exposed to inorganic dust. Methods: The subjects were 2,922 male patients who had been diagnosed with pneumoconiosis more than twice during 6 years from 2005 to 2010. Results: Of the 2,922 cases, forced vital capacity (FVC) decreased by 54 mL in 1 year. In contrast, the annual change of forced expiratory volume in one second ($FEV_1$) decreased by 56 mL. Conclusion: This is the first study that has investigated the annual change in pulmonary function in workers exposed to inorganic dust. The results will help estimate the pulmonary condition of patients who are unable to perform a pulmonary function test due to age or a disorder.