Biomedical subjects

J Ger

Publications and source records attributed to J Ger.

21 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed1993

[Chloroform-induced hepatic injury: a case report].

Chemical hepatic injury is not rare in Taiwan. We here report such an injury induced by chloroform. A previously healthy 26-year-old married woman was admitted under the impression of acute chemical hepatitis in December, 1991. Two weeks before, she had used chloroform as glue to unite two pieces of plastic pencil sharpener at home. Nasty odor was sensed while working. After series of hepatitis workup, liver echo, site visit, survey of coworkers and gas chromatography for the "glue", the diagnosis of chloroform-induced hepatic injury was confirmed. This case found that neither employer nor employee was aware of the toxicity of chloroform. No ventilation system or personal respiratory protection equipment was provided. Preemployment training and Material Safety Data Sheet were obviously insufficient, also. The diagnostic criteria of chemical hepatic injury were therefore proposed to alert medical professionals, industrial hygienist, safety personnel and factory inspectors, not to prompt an early diagnosis but also hopefully to prevent the occurrence of occupational liver diseases.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Children poisoning in Taiwan.

Poisoning is a well known cause of morbidity and mortality in children. In Taiwan, little information has been published regarding the status of pediatric poisoning exposures. To provide more information on pediatric poisoning exposures for the purpose of poison prevention, a retrospective study was designed and conducted to analyse the data of National Poison Centre (NPC), Taiwan. All telephone inquiries concerning poisoning exposures in those under 19 years of age, received by NPC-Taiwan from July 1985 through December 1993, were included in this study. The age, sex, reason for exposure, route of exposure, substances involved and clinical outcome of those telephone calls were then analyzed. A total of 5,812 inquiries concerning poisoning exposures in children were recorded. Male exposures were more prevalent than females (59%) Vs. 41%) Accidental exposures accounted for 77.7% of the cases and most were exposed by the oral route. Substances most frequently ingested were household products, benzodiazepines and pesticides. The data revealed a mortality rate of 1.4%. Accidental poisoning exposures from household products and drugs remain a significant problem for those younger than 6 years of age. Further education of parents and care takers and the employment of child-resistant containers are needed to prevent cases of pediatric poisoning. Reduction of amphetamine abuse in adolescents is also of major concern and deserves more attention.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Human behavioral assessment in neurotoxicology: producing appropriate test performance with written and shaping instructions.

Neurotoxic effects are of such breadth and complexity that functional biomarkers (behavioral tests) that integrate many areas of the nervous system predominate in human neurotoxicology research. The increasing distribution of chemical and other manufacturing throughout the world, particularly in developing nations, suggests the acute need to develop biomarkers for chemical exposures and effects that can be employed internationally. A language-free method for training performance on behavioral tests is described, which holds promise for international research that circumvents the vagaries of translation. Four behavioral tests were administered to 74-114 adult US subjects. Procedures, collectively termed shaping, produced effective performance on three tests [Symbol Digit, Vigilant Attention Test (VAT), Digit Span Forward and Backward], and produced appropriate but unacceptably slow performance in initial testing on the Simple Reaction Time test. Effective performance on the Symbol-Digit test also was produced by shaping instruction, without assistance from examiners, in small groups of residents of Taipei (Taiwan) and US children between the ages of 5 and 16.

Adolescent↗