• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.201-210
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• 2017

Objectives : To report the patient suspected chronic arsenic intoxication after Korean medicine treatment. Methods : One patient with highly suspected chronic arsenic intoxication was selected. He was suspected to be chronic arsenic intoxication because symptoms and hair heavy metals test. Acupuncture was applied for twice a day and herbal medicine(Pyeonghyeol-eum) was administered in 28 days. Evaluation method applied to xeroderma, pruritus, psoriasis were overall dry skin score(ODS), visual analogue scale(VAS), pruritus grading system(PGS). Results : Pyeonghyeol-eum, acupuncture and the other Korean medicine treatments improved xeroderma, pruritis, psoriasis after 28 days of treatment. ODS decreased from 3 to 2. VAS of Pruritus decreased from 8 to 1. PGS decreased from 15 to 4. Adverse effects were not reported. Conclusions : This study shows that the Korean medicine treatment was effective in impoving symptoms of chronic arsenic intoxication. But the additional study will be conducted for revealing dermatitis caused by chronic arsenic intoxication.

• CELLMED
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.20.1-20.7
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• 2014

Ethanolic leaf extract of Bauhinia variegata has been tested for its possible antioxidant potentials against sodium arsenite induced toxicity in mice. Mice were randomized into two groups of five and fifty mice. Group I consisting of 5 mice without any treatment with food and water ad libitum which served as normal control. Group II mice were fed with sodium arsenite in drinking water at 100 ppm concentration for two monthsthen they were segregated into five groups which were treated differently. Group II a mice received only arsenic as sodium arsenite with drinking water, Group II b were fed chronically 1 : 20 alcohol to distilled water (vehicle), Group II c, d, e mice were orally fed 50 mg/kg, 150 mg/kg and 250 mg/kg of B. variegata leaf extract of once daily for 15 and 30 days respectively along with arsenic. Several toxicity marker enzymes such as gamma glutamyl transferase, lactate dehydrogenase, aspartate and alanine aminotransferase, acid and alkaline phosphatase, catalase and superoxide dismutase along with haematological variables such as glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, creatinine, bilirubin, haemoglobin and sugar in different groups of treated and control mice were studied. Results obtained from the in vivo experiment revealed that administration of sodium arsenite caused a significant increase in some enzymes while decrease in some. A similar trend was also observed with haematological variables. In contrast B. variegata treatment at 150 mg/kg favourably modulated these alterations and maintained the antioxidant status than other two doses i.e. 50 mg/kg and 250 mg/kg thereby making it a good candidate to be used as supportive palliating measures in arsenic induced toxicity.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.294-303
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• 2010

We determined arsenic, lead, mercury and cadmium concentrations in Chinese herbal medicines sold in the United States by medical use parts. 54 kinds of herbal products including 9 medical use parts (radix, rhizoma, cortex, pericarpium, fructus, lignum, semen, folium, and herba) were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry for arsenic, lead and cadmium, and using mercury analyzer for mercury. Arsenic (median concentration, 0.25 mg/g), mercury (0.20 mg/g), lead (3.78 mg/g) and cadmium (0.39 mg/g) were detected in 71%, 54%, 35%, and 18% of 143 herbal medicine samples, respectively. A total of 27% and 12% of 143 products analyzed contained mercury and cadmium above the regulatory standards. Herba and folium (leaves of herbal plants) were the most contaminated parts from metals, whereas pericarpium, lignum and semen (outer layers and seeds) were less contaminated. This study suggests that metal contamination is different by medical use parts. Our findings provide further evidence that efforts to protect people using traditional remedies from metal intoxication should be made to enforce the regulatory standards.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.311-314
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• 2023

Thallium poisoning is usually accidental. We present a case of a 51-year-old woman who was evaluated in June 2018 for myalgia, vertigo, asthenia, and abdominal pain. Physical examination revealed temporal-spatial disorientation, jaundice, and asterixis. The laboratory reported the following: bilirubin, 10.3 mg/dL; aspartate transaminase, 78 U/L; alanine transaminase, 194 U/L; albumin, 2.3 g/dL; prothrombin time, 40%; and platelet count, 60,000/mm³. Serology performed for hepatitis A, B, and C; Epstein-Barr virus; cytomegalovirus; and human immunodeficiency virus was negative, and a collagenogram was negative. Physical reevaluation revealed alopecia on the scalp, armpits, and eyebrows; macules on the face; plantar hyperkeratosis; and ulcers on the lower limbs. Tests for lead, arsenic, copper, and mercury were carried out, which were normal; however, elevated urinary thallium (540 ㎍/g; range, 0.4-10 ㎍/g) was observed. The patient was treated with D-penicillamine 1,000 mg/day and recovered her urinary thallium levels were within normal range at annual follow-up. Thallium poisoning is extremely rare and can be fatal in small doses. An adequate clinical approach can facilitate early diagnosis.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.257-267
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• 2012

Occupational neurotoxic diseases have become increasingly common in Taiwan due to industrialization. Over the past 40 years, Taiwan has transformed from an agricultural society to an industrial society. The most common neurotoxic diseases also changed from organophosphate poisoning to heavy metal intoxication, and then to organic solvent and semiconductor agent poisoning. The nervous system is particularly vulnerable to toxic agents because of its high metabolic rate. Neurological manifestations may be transient or permanent, and may range from cognitive dysfunction, cerebellar ataxia, Parkinsonism, sensorimotor neuropathy and autonomic dysfunction to neuromuscular junction disorders. This study attempts to provide a review of the major outbreaks of occupational neurotoxins from 1968 to 2012. A total of 16 occupational neurotoxins, including organophosphates, toxic gases, heavy metals, organic solvents, and other toxic chemicals, were reviewed. Peer-reviewed articles related to the electrophysiology, neuroimaging, treatment and long-term follow up of these neurotoxic diseases were also obtained. The heavy metals involved consisted of lead, manganese, organic tin, mercury, arsenic, and thallium. The organic solvents included n-hexane, toluene, mixed solvents and carbon disulfide. Toxic gases such as carbon monoxide, and hydrogen sulfide were also included, along with toxic chemicals including polychlorinated biphenyls, tetramethylammonium hydroxide, organophosphates, and dimethylamine borane. In addition we attempted to correlate these events to the timeline of industrial development in Taiwan. By researching this topic, the hope is that it may help other developing countries to improve industrial hygiene and promote occupational safety and health care during the process of industrialization.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.560-568
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• 2007

The aim of this study is to investigate the terminology of chemically unclear ‘heavy metals' which were expressed in the Korean secondary science textbook in terms of the definition, the type and the meaning. Initial results showed that six of ‘Chemistry I' textbooks among these texts defined a heavy metal with the density and described it as a metal which is hazardous and continuously accumulated in the human body. Specifically, cadmium, lead and mercury were presented as examples of the hazardous metal in all of the eight textbooks but non-metals such as arsenic and absolutely essential metals including chrome, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel and copper were also given in the texts. Most of the texts described the hazardousness and toxicity of the metal too simple to understand the mechanism of its intoxication despite considering all of the factors including its oxidation state, residual amount and reactivity with biomolecules of the human body. Such an ambiguous definition and explanation may excluded in the textbook because the chemically undefined chemical vocabulary leads students to cause an alternative conception of the heavy metal, which means that the metal could be identical with toxins.