OBJECTIVES The ototoxicity of occupational exposure to toluene plus noise was investigated in a longitudinal study in rotogravure printing and existing findings in the literature were evaluated. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study comprised four repeated examinations during 5 years and started with 333 male workers. Lifetime weighted average exposures (LWAE) to toluene and noise were determined fr...

Diamine oxidase was prepared from pea (Pisum sativum) seedlings by a new purification procedure involving two h.p.l.c. steps. We studied the optical and electrochemical properties of the homogeneous enzyme and also analysed the hydrolysed protein by several methods. The data presented here suggest that the carbonyl cofactor of diamine oxidase is firmly bound pyrroloquinoline quinone.

Investigations were conducted in a chamber to study the role of alfalfa plants in bioremediating toluene. Modeling and experimental results indicate that in situ bioremediation of toluene in the presence of plants is feasible and economical. This is primarily due to evapotranspiration which greatly enhances the vertical transport of dissolved contaminants from the saturated zone to the rhizosph...

Acute exposure to toluene was assessed in two experiments to determine the relationship between brain toluene concentration and changes in neurophysiological function. The concentration of toluene in brain tissue at the time of assessment was estimated using a physiologically based pharmacokinetic model. Brain neurophysiological function was measured using pattern-elicited visual evoked potenti...

The objectives of this study were to investigate the individual characteristics, lifestyle habits, exposure levels, and genetic diversity of xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes involved in toluene metabolism in Korean and foreign workers exposed to toluene at a manufacturing plant. This study was conducted to determine the effects of culture or ethnicity on toluene metabolism. The results showed th...

Pseudomonas mendocina KR1 grows on toluene as a sole carbon and energy source. A multicomponent oxygenase was partially purified from toluene-grown cells and separated into three protein components. The reconstituted enzyme system, in the presence of NADH and Fe2+, oxidized toluene to p-cresol as the first detectable product. Experiments with p-deutero-toluene led to the isolation of p-cresol w...

Polyimides having dendritic side chains were investigated. The terphenylene diamine monomer having a first-generation monodendron, 3,4,5-tris(n-dodecyloxy)-benzoate and the monomer having a second-generation monodendron, 3,4,5-tris[-3',4',5'-tri(n-dodecyloxy)benzyloxy]benzoate were successfully synthesized and the corresponding soluble dendritic polyimides were obtained by polycondensation with...

Coloring of hair can cause severe allergic contact dermatitis. The most frequently reported hair dye allergens are p-phenylenediamine (PPD) and toluene-2,5-diamine. We present a 20-year-old man who came to emergency room with head and face edema. His head and neck skin was diffusely erythematous, oozing with blisters and crusts. Some of the crusts on the back of his neck were pyodermic. Submand...

It has been clinically reported that toluene causes mental depression in humans. However, the detrimental effects of toluene exposure on brain function and the relation between features of mental depression and toluene exposure are poorly understood. This study evaluated depression-like behaviors in adult C57BL/6 mice after administration of toluene, and elucidated the effects of classical anti...