No abstract available.
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Humans ; Nuclear Weapons* ; Survivors*

The Philippine Journal of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgerypreviously co published two guest editorials, on “Reducing the Risks of Nuclear War— the Role of Health Professionals”¹and “Time to Treat the Climate and Nature Crisis as One Indivisible Global Health Emergency”²that addressed dual potentially catastrophic concerns that both place us “on the brink.”³

By co-publishing these guest editorials, the Philippine Journal of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery joined the call for “health professional associations to inform their members worldwide about the threat to human survival and to join with the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) to support efforts to reduce the near-term risks of nuclear war.”¹As enumerated in the editorial,¹we urged three immediate steps that should be taken by nuclear-armed states and their allies: 1) adopt a no first use policy;⁴2) take their nuclear weapons off hair-trigger alert; and 3) urge all states involved in current conflicts to pledge publicly and unequivocally that they will not use nuclear weapons in these conflicts.It is alarming that noprogress has been made on these measures.

Thus, on our 44th Anniversary, we join over 150 scholarly scientific journals worldwide in co-publishing another Guest Editorial on “Ending Nuclear Weapons, Before They End Us.”⁵We call on the World Health Assembly (WHA) to vote this May on re establishing a mandate for the World Health Organization (WHO) to address the consequences of nuclear weapons and war,6and urge health professionals and their associations (including otolaryngologists – head and neck surgeons, all surgeons and physicians, and the Philippine Society of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Philippine College of Surgeons, Philippine College of Physicians,
Philippine Academy of Family Physicians, Philippine Pediatric Society, Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecologic Society, Philippine Society of Anesthesiology, Philippine College of Radiology, Philippine Society of Pathologists, other specialty and subspecialty societies, and the Philippine Medical Association) to urge the Philippine Government to support such a mandate and support the new United Nations (UN) comprehensive study on the effects of nuclear war.⁷

war ; armed conflicts ; Nuclear Energy ; Atomic Energy ; Radiation ; Nuclear Weapons

war ; Armed Conflicts ; Nuclear Energy ; Atomic Energy ; Radiation ; Nuclear Weapons

A case of Lichen planus in 41 year old with predisposing emotional factor is reported here and reviewed therapeutic experiences and reveiwed of literatures. This patient who has been suffering from pruritic, dull erythematous maculo-papular eruptions of trunk and extremites which was preoccupied with imagination as if she were exposed sequela to atomic bomb explosion in Japan, World War II, is presented.
Adult ; Explosions ; Fibrinogen ; Humans ; Imagination ; Japan ; Lichen Planus* ; Lichens* ; Nuclear Weapons ; World War II

Public health emergencies caused by infectious diseases are the greatest threat to mankind in the 21st century, and pose an even more significant threat than nuclear weapons. The first step in preparing for and responding to such public health emergencies is to conduct thorough surveillance and rapid epidemiological investigations. Especially in the case of public health emergencies, most information is not smoothly transmitted. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the emergency and to collect data quickly and efficiently by defining the minimum necessary data and information. In addition, these data should be analyzed and interpreted promptly, and countermeasures and strategies should be developed and utilized in preparedness and response activities. Epidemiological investigations should also be carried out promptly in accordance with the emergency situation, and in particular, if the infection source is not known, maximal measures should be taken to prevent epidemiologists from becoming infected. In order to carry out surveillance and epidemiological investigations effectively in the future in the event of a public health emergency, continuous efforts should be made to nurture professional manpower, international cooperation, and use of the latest information technology.
Communicable Diseases* ; Disease Outbreaks ; Emergencies* ; Epidemiology ; International Cooperation ; Nuclear Weapons ; Public Health*

While the use of radioactive materials around the world offers a wide range of benefits in medicine, industry and research, radiation accidents also occur in world-wide. The objective of this article is to provide useful information about radiation accidents to the medical personnel. For this, I attempted to document the circumstances leading to the accident and the subsequent medical treatment and health consequences of the victims. Radiation accidents described in this article are Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident, nuclear weapon accident in bikini atoll, major industrial accidents (Ir-192 Peruvian accident, Ir-192 internal contamination accident in Korea, Tokaimura accident in Japan) and Cs-137 contamination accident in Brazil. After reviewing major radiation accidents, I summarized the lessons to be learned from these accidents and presented the helpful institutes that can offer useful helps when radiation accident occurs.
Academies and Institutes ; Accidents, Occupational ; Brazil ; Korea ; Nuclear Power Plants ; Radioactive Hazard Release* ; Weapons

In this article, we will examine the theory and practice of encounters between oral history and narrative medicine in view of storytelling. Man is a storytelling animal. Our experience is understood, reconstructed and transmitted as a story and we can find the meaning of life through a story. Oral history is a specific practice and method of research. It refers to the process of recording interviews with people who have something to say, transcribing the record and interpretating the written text to conduct the study of the past. Therefore story is a basic tool of oral history. There has been also growing interest regarding the narrative features of medicine. Especially the illness narrative is one of the most powerful tools in this context. An illness narrative is a patient's story about his illness, including the meaning of the illness in his life. Illness as a specific event of life can only be understood through a story of patient. How can we combine oral history and narrative medicine altogether? We propose two subjects, one is 'healing' and the other is 'the social'. The goal of medicine is healing of suffered people. It is well known that storytelling has a healing effect. Conducting oral history is not only 'recovery history' but also is helping people to have a well organized memory and integrate that into his whole life story. The use of oral history as a means of empowerment should be extended referring the healing effect of medicine. On the other hand, modern medicine has a tendency to reduce the problem of health and illness as an individual one. However story of illness can reveal the dominance of modern biomedicine in the contemporary and have political implications. Oral history deals with memory. Personal memory can only be understood in the context of social and cultural backgrounds. Collective memory is necessary in building community history. Medicine should learn from oral history's social dimensions. In this context, life of KIM Hyeongyul who was activist for second generation Korean Atomic Bomb Victims will be a good example of encounters between oral history and narrative medicine.
Animals ; Hand ; History, Modern 1601- ; Humans ; Memory ; Narration ; Nuclear Weapons ; Power (Psychology)

The management of nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) terrorism events is critical to reducing morbidity and mortality in the next decade; however, initial patient care considerations and protective actions for staff are unfamiliar to most front-line clinicians. High explosive events (bomb and blast) remain the most common type of terrorism and are easy to detect. Conversely, some types of terrorist attacks are more likely to be unsuspected or covert. This paper explains the current threat of terrorism and describes clues for detection that an event has occurred. Specific criteria that should lead to a high suspicion for terrorism are illustrated. The manuscript outlines initial actions and clinical priorities for management and treatment of patients exposed to nuclear/radiological, biological, chemical and combined agents (for example an explosion involving a chemical agent). Examples of terrorist events include: a nuclear explosion, an aerosolised release of anthrax (biological), dissemination of sarin in a subway (chemical), and the detonation of a radiologic dispersion device or "dirty bomb" (combined explosive and radiological). Basic principles of decontamination include potential risks to healthcare providers from secondary exposure and contamination. Unique issues may hinder clinical actions. These include coordination with law enforcement for a crime scene, public health entities for surveillance and monitoring, hazardous materials teams for decontamination, and the media for risk communications. Finally, the importance of personal preparedness is discussed.
Biological Warfare Agents ; Chemical Warfare Agents ; Civil Defense ; Nuclear Weapons ; Terrorism

Low dose radiation has been defined as doses in the range under 100 mSv of low linear energy transfer (low-LET) radiation. There are two sources of ionizing radiation: natural and artificial radiation. Medical radiation exposure is the most common artificial radiation exposure. The frequency and volume of medical radiation exposure has markedly increased because of recent developments in medical technology. Radiation protection is now a concern due to the increasing use of computed tomography (CT) scans and diagnostic X-rays. This article introduced several models and hypotheses regarding the possible carcinogenic risks associated with low-LET radiation. Although opinions vary on the health effects of low level radiation exposure, current studies of medical radiation rely on exposure information collected prospectively, including cohort studies such as atomic bomb survivor studies. Although there are differences in perspective, the majority of studies have supported 'linear-no-threshold model without threshold' between low-LET radiation and the incidence of cancer risk. There is a need for further studies on medical radiation exposure including CT and positron emission tomography in order to understand the health effects of low-LET radiation, including the cancer incidence.
Cohort Studies ; Humans ; Incidence ; Linear Energy Transfer ; Nuclear Weapons ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Prospective Studies ; Radiation Protection ; Survivors