This commentary presents the regulatory backgrounds and development of the national proficiency testing (PT) scheme on asbestos analysis in the Republic of Korea. Since 2009, under the amended Occupational Safety and Health Act, the survey of asbestos in buildings and clearance test of asbestos removal works have been mandated to be carried out by the laboratories designated by the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) in the Republic of Korea. To assess the performance of asbestos laboratories, a PT scheme on asbestos analysis was launched by the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) on behalf of the MOEL in 2007. Participating laboratories are evaluated once a year for fiber counting and bulk asbestos analysis by phase contrast microscopy and polarized light microscopy, respectively. Currently, the number of laboratory enrollments is > 200, and the percentage of passed laboratories is > 90. The current status and several significant changes in operation, sample preparations, and statistics of assigning the reference values of the KOSHA PT scheme on asbestos analysis are presented. Critical retrospect based on the experiences of operating the KOSHA PT scheme suggests considerations for developing a new national PT scheme for asbestos analysis.
Asbestos* ; Employment ; Korea* ; Microscopy, Phase-Contrast ; Microscopy, Polarization ; Occupational Health ; Reference Values ; Republic of Korea

BACKGROUND: Epidermal thickness is a useful quantitative histopathological parameter to predict different skin conditions. For accurate diagnosis, the reference values of normal skin histology are essential. Until now, little data regarding epidermal thickness in normal Korean skin have been available. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the thickness of the epidermis, stratum corneum, and cellular epidermis by skin biopsy and to compare their regional, age, and sex variations in Koreans. METHODS: A total of 119 normal human skin tissues from 117 subjects were included. Skin specimens were preserved in sections by formalin-paraffin techniques and measured by performing light microscopy and using a calibrated ruler. RESULTS: The mean thickness of the epidermis was 140.6±32.6 µm (mean±standard deviation). Significant regional variations of epidermal thickness were found (p<0.01): the leg was the region with the thickest epidermis in both males and females (153.3 µm and 183.4 µm, respectively), while the neck was the region with the thinnest epidermis (96.3 µm and 115.4 µm, respectively). However, epidermal thickness did not show any significant difference according to age (p>0.5) or sex (p>0.05, except for the thickness of the stratum corneum of the legs [p=0.007]). CONCLUSION: Regional variations of epidermal thickness were demonstrated. These variations were mostly independent of age or sex, which conflicts somewhat with previous studies. We present this research as a preliminary study, which may provide reference values for skin histopathology and epidermal thickness in normal Korean skin.
Biopsy ; Diagnosis ; Epidermis ; Female ; Humans ; Leg ; Male ; Microscopy ; Microscopy, Polarization ; Neck ; Reference Values* ; Skin

OBJECTIVE: Osteoarthritis is a disorder or group of disorders affecting synovial joint, characterized at the tissue level by degenerative, regenerative and reparative structural changes in cartilage, synovium and bone. The histopathological understanding of osteoarthritis would help to clear the pathogenesis and evaluate the activity and progression of the disease. We studied the histochemical distribution of collagen in the search for and accurate morphometric m~rker for osteoarthritic progression. METHODS: The immunohistochemical analysis by monoclonal antibodies to type I, II and III collagen, the Masson's trichrome stain and the Picrosirius stain and polarization microscopy were performed in 10 osteoarthritis cartilages and 1 normal control cartilage. RESULTS: 1)By the immunohistochemical analysis, type II collagen was diffusely expressed in both normal and osteoarthritis cartilage but the expression of type I and III collagen was only shown around chondrocytes in the osteoarthritis cartilage. 2) There was no difference in Masson's trichrome stain of the normal and osteoarthritis cartilage. 3) By the Picrosirius stain and polarization microscopy, there was less diffuse birefringence of collagen and increased perichondronal birefringence in the osteoarthritis cartilage in comparison to normal cartilage. CONCLUSIONS: The Picrosirius-polarization method may be considered one of the useful morphometriic methods for the progression of osteoarthrits.
Antibodies, Monoclonal ; Birefringence ; Cartilage* ; Chondrocytes ; Collagen Type II ; Collagen* ; Humans* ; Joints ; Microscopy, Polarization ; Osteoarthritis ; Synovial Membrane

OBJECTIVETo prepare the cubic phase gel containing capsaicin and characterize its properties.

METHODThe cubic phases gel composed of glycerol monoolein, capsaicin and water was made by self-emulsion technology. The characterization of cubic phase gel was carried out by cross-polarizing light microscopy (CPLM) and Small Angle X-Ray Scattering (SAXS). The capsaicin content was determined by HPLC analysis.

RESULTUnder CPLM, cubic phase gel showed dark background. SAXS scattering spectra showed the scattering peaks at 0.1096, 0.1334, 0.1557, 0.1883 A(-1) which was compatible with q1:q2:q3:q4 = mean square root of 2: mean square root of 3: mean square root of 4: mean square root of 6. It was well known that the scattering vector ratio was the characteristic of cubic phase and the internal structure was confirmed to be Pn3m (Q224). The linear range for capsaicin determination was 3.25 x 10(-4) - 2.08 x 10(-2) g x L(-1) (R2 = 1). The average recovery was 97.53% with RSD of 2.9% (n=9).

CONCLUSIONCPLM and SAXS technology are suitable to characterize the cubic phase gel The determination of the capsaicin content by HPLC is simple and reproducible.

The pathogenesis of the exfoliation syndrome is still unknown. To clarify the etiology of the exfoliation syndrome, we examined the iris taken from a patient with exfoliative glaucoma during cataract surgery using light microscope, polarization microscopy and electron microscopy. The amorphous substance around the iris pigment epithelium and stroma were stained purplish red in PAS staining and showed purplish red metachromasia in toluidine blue staining. In electromicroscopic examination, we observed that many fibrillar materials were deposited at basement membrane and partially detached basement membrane around the pigment epithelium of the iris. Therefore we concluded that the exfoliative materials in this syndrome is a sort of glycoprotein and originated from the abnormal synthesis and metabolism of the basement membrane in the eye.
Basement Membrane ; Cataract ; Epithelium ; Exfoliation Syndrome* ; Glaucoma ; Glycoproteins ; Humans ; Iris* ; Metabolism ; Microscopy, Electron ; Microscopy, Polarization ; Tolonium Chloride

In assisted reproductive techniques, the operator attempts to select morphologically best embryos to predict embryo viability. Development of polarized light microscope, which evaluates the oocytes' spindles according to birefringence of living cells, had been helpful in oocyte selection. The aim of this study is evaluating the relationship between meiotic spindles visualization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) outcomes in human oocytes. In this study, 264 oocytes from 24 patients with an average age of 30.5±7.5 years with infertility duration of 1 to 10 years were collected. The oocytes were randomly allocated to the control injection group (n=126) and the oocyte imaging group (spindle-aligned group) (n=138). In the spindle-aligned group, the meiotic spindle was identified by means of polarized light microscope to align the spindle at 6 or 12 o'clock. Then the spindle-aligned group was divided into three sub-groups based on spindle morphology: fine, average, and (poor). After ICSI, embryos were checked every 24 hours and scored; 72 hours later, high-grade embryos were transferred intravaginally to uterus. This study showed that the fertilization rate in the spindle-aligned group was higher than the control group (P<0.05). After cleavage, a positive correlation was observed between spindle morphology and embryo morphology. Among the sub-groups of spindle-aligned group, the embryos' morphology of the fine group was better than the other subgroups and embryos of the poor group had lower quality and more fragmentation. The results revealed that the selection of oocytes based on meiotic spindle imaging can significantly improve the rate of fertilization and embryo cleavage and certainly increase the rate of implantation.
Birefringence ; Embryonic Structures ; Fertilization ; Humans* ; Infertility ; Microscopy, Polarization ; Oocytes* ; Reproductive Techniques, Assisted ; Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic* ; Spindle Apparatus* ; Uterus

Imaging Ellipsometry is one of recently developed optical surface-sensitive methods for the investigation of various aspects of biomolecules adsorption on solid surfaces and biomolecules interactions. It has advantages of high sensitivity to layer-thickness, big area of view, high sampling speed, and high lateral resolution. Compared with other solid phase methods such as enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, immunofluorescence and radioimmunoassay, imaging ellipsometry has the advantage of not involving any labelling of reactants and it is a relatively inexpensive method and easy to handle. In this report, the mono-layers of IL-6 and IL-6 receptor were visualized as well as their interaction.
Diagnostic Imaging ; instrumentation ; methods ; Humans ; Interleukin-6 ; metabolism ; Microscopy, Polarization ; methods ; Receptors, Interleukin-6 ; metabolism ; Surface Properties

A 29-year-old woman complained of a painless, firm nodule with browunish patch on her left cheek for 5 months. She had had undergone a traffic accident 6 months before, and the normally healed wound on her cheek became reddish and infiltrated. A Skin biopsy specirinen obtained from her skin lesion showed a foreign body reaction with histiocytes and numerouse crystalline structures. These particle. were birefringent under polarized light microscopy. Scanning electron microscopy revealed numerous crystalline particles. Energy dispersive x-ray analysis of the crystal revealed a sharp peak representing silia.
Accidents, Traffic ; Adult ; Biopsy ; Cheek ; Crystallins ; Female ; Foreign-Body Reaction ; Granuloma* ; Histiocytes ; Humans ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ; Microscopy, Polarization ; Silicon Dioxide* ; Skin ; Wounds and Injuries

Amorphous drugs have higher solubility, better oral bioavailability and are easier to be absorbed than their crystalline counterparts. However, the amorphous drugs, with weak stability, are so easy to crystallize that they will lose the original advantages. Polarization microscope, scanning electron microscope, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffractomer and Raman spectroscopy were used to study the microcosmic crystallization mechanisms of amorphous indometacin and the performance of the drug crystals. The results showed that the growth rate of amorphous indometacin crystals at the free surface was markedly faster than that through the bulk, and that the crystal growth rate decreased observably after spraying an ultrathin melting gold (10 nm) at the free surface of the drug. These results indicated that the high growth rates of amorphous drugs crystals at the free surface were the key to their stability and that an ultrathin coating could be applied to enhance the stability of amorphous drugs.
Calorimetry, Differential Scanning ; Crystallization ; Gold ; chemistry ; Indomethacin ; chemistry ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ; Microscopy, Polarization ; Nanotechnology ; methods ; Particle Size ; Solubility ; Spectrum Analysis, Raman ; Surface Properties ; X-Ray Diffraction

Gout is the most common crystal-associated arthropathy. Gout is caused by deposition of monosodium urate crystals within the joints, and it is often associated with hyperuricemia. Acute gout involves the first metatarsophalangeal joint (podagra) in approximately 50% of cases and its peak incidence occurs in middle age. Although the clinical features can help with making the diagnosis of gout, many inflammatory diseases such as cellulitis, pseudogout and septic arthritis can mimic or coexist with it. The definitive diagnosis requires polarized light microscopy of the fluid aspirated from the involved joint and this shows needle-shaped, negative birefringent monosodium urate crystals. However, joint aspiration can be technically difficult, and none of the conventional imaging modalities for gout specifically identifies the chemical composition of uric acid. The advent of Dual-Energy CT (DECT) is a noninvasive method that has the potential to confirm gout and monitor the response to treatment. DECT scan can show monosodium urate deposition by using color coding. The authors performed DECT scans for detecting uric acid deposition and confirming the gout noninvasively.
Arthritis, Infectious ; Cellulitis ; Chondrocalcinosis ; Clinical Coding ; Gout ; Humans ; Hydrazines ; Hyperuricemia ; Incidence ; Joints ; Metatarsophalangeal Joint ; Microscopy, Polarization ; Middle Aged ; Organothiophosphorus Compounds ; Uric Acid