This study explores the development, roles, and key initiatives of the Regional Environmental Health Centers in Korea, detailing their evolution through four distinct phases and their impact on environmental health policy and local governance. It chronicles the establishment and transformation of these centers from their inception in May 2007, through four developmental stages. Originally named Environmental Disease Research Centers, they were subsequently renamed Environmental Health Centers following legislative changes. The analysis includes the expansion in the number of centers, the transfer of responsibilities to local governments, and the launch of significant projects such as the Korean Children’s Environmental Health Study (Ko-CHENS ). During the initial phase (May 2007–February 2009), the 10 centers concentrated on research-driven activities, shifting from a media-centered to a receptor-centered approach. In the second phase, prompted by the enactment of the Environmental Health Act, six additional centers were established, broadening their scope to address national environmental health issues. The third phase introduced Ko-CHENS, a 20-year national cohort project designed to influence environmental health policy by integrating research findings into policy frameworks. The fourth phase marked a decentralization of authority, empowering local governments and redefining the centers' roles to focus on regional environmental health challenges. The Regional Environmental Health Centers have significantly evolved and now play a crucial role in addressing local environmental health issues and supporting local government policies. Their capacity to adapt and respond to region-specific challenges is essential for the effective implementation of environmental health policies, reflecting geographical, socioeconomic, and demographic differences.

This study explores the development, roles, and key initiatives of the Regional Environmental Health Centers in Korea, detailing their evolution through four distinct phases and their impact on environmental health policy and local governance. It chronicles the establishment and transformation of these centers from their inception in May 2007, through four developmental stages. Originally named Environmental Disease Research Centers, they were subsequently renamed Environmental Health Centers following legislative changes. The analysis includes the expansion in the number of centers, the transfer of responsibilities to local governments, and the launch of significant projects such as the Korean Children’s Environmental Health Study (Ko-CHENS ). During the initial phase (May 2007–February 2009), the 10 centers concentrated on research-driven activities, shifting from a media-centered to a receptor-centered approach. In the second phase, prompted by the enactment of the Environmental Health Act, six additional centers were established, broadening their scope to address national environmental health issues. The third phase introduced Ko-CHENS, a 20-year national cohort project designed to influence environmental health policy by integrating research findings into policy frameworks. The fourth phase marked a decentralization of authority, empowering local governments and redefining the centers' roles to focus on regional environmental health challenges. The Regional Environmental Health Centers have significantly evolved and now play a crucial role in addressing local environmental health issues and supporting local government policies. Their capacity to adapt and respond to region-specific challenges is essential for the effective implementation of environmental health policies, reflecting geographical, socioeconomic, and demographic differences.

This study explores the development, roles, and key initiatives of the Regional Environmental Health Centers in Korea, detailing their evolution through four distinct phases and their impact on environmental health policy and local governance. It chronicles the establishment and transformation of these centers from their inception in May 2007, through four developmental stages. Originally named Environmental Disease Research Centers, they were subsequently renamed Environmental Health Centers following legislative changes. The analysis includes the expansion in the number of centers, the transfer of responsibilities to local governments, and the launch of significant projects such as the Korean Children’s Environmental Health Study (Ko-CHENS ). During the initial phase (May 2007–February 2009), the 10 centers concentrated on research-driven activities, shifting from a media-centered to a receptor-centered approach. In the second phase, prompted by the enactment of the Environmental Health Act, six additional centers were established, broadening their scope to address national environmental health issues. The third phase introduced Ko-CHENS, a 20-year national cohort project designed to influence environmental health policy by integrating research findings into policy frameworks. The fourth phase marked a decentralization of authority, empowering local governments and redefining the centers' roles to focus on regional environmental health challenges. The Regional Environmental Health Centers have significantly evolved and now play a crucial role in addressing local environmental health issues and supporting local government policies. Their capacity to adapt and respond to region-specific challenges is essential for the effective implementation of environmental health policies, reflecting geographical, socioeconomic, and demographic differences.

This study explores the development, roles, and key initiatives of the Regional Environmental Health Centers in Korea, detailing their evolution through four distinct phases and their impact on environmental health policy and local governance. It chronicles the establishment and transformation of these centers from their inception in May 2007, through four developmental stages. Originally named Environmental Disease Research Centers, they were subsequently renamed Environmental Health Centers following legislative changes. The analysis includes the expansion in the number of centers, the transfer of responsibilities to local governments, and the launch of significant projects such as the Korean Children’s Environmental Health Study (Ko-CHENS ). During the initial phase (May 2007–February 2009), the 10 centers concentrated on research-driven activities, shifting from a media-centered to a receptor-centered approach. In the second phase, prompted by the enactment of the Environmental Health Act, six additional centers were established, broadening their scope to address national environmental health issues. The third phase introduced Ko-CHENS, a 20-year national cohort project designed to influence environmental health policy by integrating research findings into policy frameworks. The fourth phase marked a decentralization of authority, empowering local governments and redefining the centers' roles to focus on regional environmental health challenges. The Regional Environmental Health Centers have significantly evolved and now play a crucial role in addressing local environmental health issues and supporting local government policies. Their capacity to adapt and respond to region-specific challenges is essential for the effective implementation of environmental health policies, reflecting geographical, socioeconomic, and demographic differences.

This study explores the development, roles, and key initiatives of the Regional Environmental Health Centers in Korea, detailing their evolution through four distinct phases and their impact on environmental health policy and local governance. It chronicles the establishment and transformation of these centers from their inception in May 2007, through four developmental stages. Originally named Environmental Disease Research Centers, they were subsequently renamed Environmental Health Centers following legislative changes. The analysis includes the expansion in the number of centers, the transfer of responsibilities to local governments, and the launch of significant projects such as the Korean Children’s Environmental Health Study (Ko-CHENS ). During the initial phase (May 2007–February 2009), the 10 centers concentrated on research-driven activities, shifting from a media-centered to a receptor-centered approach. In the second phase, prompted by the enactment of the Environmental Health Act, six additional centers were established, broadening their scope to address national environmental health issues. The third phase introduced Ko-CHENS, a 20-year national cohort project designed to influence environmental health policy by integrating research findings into policy frameworks. The fourth phase marked a decentralization of authority, empowering local governments and redefining the centers' roles to focus on regional environmental health challenges. The Regional Environmental Health Centers have significantly evolved and now play a crucial role in addressing local environmental health issues and supporting local government policies. Their capacity to adapt and respond to region-specific challenges is essential for the effective implementation of environmental health policies, reflecting geographical, socioeconomic, and demographic differences.

Purpose: The use of two adjacent radiation beams to treat a lesion that is larger than the maximum field of a machine may lead to higher or lower dose distribution at the junction than expected. Therefore, evaluation of the junction dose is crucial for radiotherapy. Volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) can effectively protect surrounding normal tissues by implementing a complex dose distribution; therefore, two adjacent VMAT fields can effectively treat large lesions. However, VMAT can lead to significant errors in the junction dose between fields if setup errors occur due to its highly complex dose distributions. Methods: In this study, setup errors of ±1, ±3, and ±5 mm were assumed during radiotherapy for treating large lesions in the lower abdomen, and their effects on the treatment dose distribution and target coverage were analyzed using gamma pass rate (GP) and homogeneity index (HI). All studies were performed using a computational simulation method based on our radiation treatment planning software. Results: Consequently, when the setup error was more than ±3 mm, most GP values using a 3%/3-mm criterion decreased by <90%. GP was independent of the direction of the field gap (FG), whereas HI values were relatively more affected by negative values for FG. Conclusions Therefore, the size and direction of setup errors should be carefully managed when performing dual-isocentric VMATs for large targets.

Purpose: The use of two adjacent radiation beams to treat a lesion that is larger than the maximum field of a machine may lead to higher or lower dose distribution at the junction than expected. Therefore, evaluation of the junction dose is crucial for radiotherapy. Volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) can effectively protect surrounding normal tissues by implementing a complex dose distribution; therefore, two adjacent VMAT fields can effectively treat large lesions. However, VMAT can lead to significant errors in the junction dose between fields if setup errors occur due to its highly complex dose distributions. Methods: In this study, setup errors of ±1, ±3, and ±5 mm were assumed during radiotherapy for treating large lesions in the lower abdomen, and their effects on the treatment dose distribution and target coverage were analyzed using gamma pass rate (GP) and homogeneity index (HI). All studies were performed using a computational simulation method based on our radiation treatment planning software. Results: Consequently, when the setup error was more than ±3 mm, most GP values using a 3%/3-mm criterion decreased by <90%. GP was independent of the direction of the field gap (FG), whereas HI values were relatively more affected by negative values for FG. Conclusions Therefore, the size and direction of setup errors should be carefully managed when performing dual-isocentric VMATs for large targets.

Background: A healthcare system’s collapse due to a pandemic, such as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), can expose healthcare workers (HCWs) to various mental health problems. This study aimed to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the depression and anxiety of HCWs. Methods: A nationwide questionnaire-based survey was conducted on HCWs who worked in healthcare facilities and public health centers in Korea in December 2020. Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) were used to measure depression and anxiety. To investigate factors associated with depression and anxiety, stepwise multiple logistic regression analysis was performed. Results: A total of 1,425 participating HCWs were included. The mean depression score (PHQ-9) of HCWs before and after COVID-19 increased from 2.37 to 5.39, and the mean anxiety score (GAD-7) increased from 1.41 to 3.41. The proportion of HCWs with moderate to severe depression (PHQ-9 ≥ 10) increased from 3.8% before COVID-19 to 19.5% after COVID-19, whereas that of HCWs with moderate to severe anxiety (GAD-7 ≥ 10) increased from 2.0% to 10.1%. In our study, insomnia, chronic fatigue symptoms and physical symptoms after COVID-19, anxiety score (GAD-7) after COVID-19, living alone, and exhaustion were positively correlated with depression. Furthermore, post-traumatic stress symptoms, stress score (Global Assessment of Recent Stress), depression score (PHQ-9) after COVID-19, and exhaustion were positively correlated with anxiety. Conclusion In Korea, during the COVID-19 pandemic, HCWs commonly suffered from mental health problems, including depression and anxiety. Regularly checking the physical and mental health problems of HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic is crucial, and social support and strategy are needed to reduce the heavy workload and psychological distress of HCWs.

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic relapsing inflammatory skin disease.Although murine studies have demonstrated that type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) mediate type 2 skin inflammation, their role in skin fibrosis in AD remains unclear. This study investigated whether type 2 ILCs are involved in skin fibrosis using an AD-like murine model. Methods: C57BL/6 mice were treated epicutaneously with Aspergillus fumigatus (Af) for 5 consecutive days per week for 5 weeks to induce skin fibrosis. Mature lymphocyte deficient Rag1−/− mice were also used to investigate the role of type 2 ILCs in skin fibrosis. Results: The clinical score and transepidermal water loss (TEWL) were significantly higher in the AD group than in the control group. The AD group also showed significantly increased epidermal and dermal thicknesses and significantly higher numbers of eosinophils, neutrophils, mast cells, and lymphocytes in the lesional skin than the control group. The lesional skin of the AD group showed increased stain of collagen and significantly higher levels of collagen than the control group (10.4 ± 2.2 µg/mg vs. 1.6 ± 0.1 µg/mg, P < 0.05). The AD group showed significantly higher populations of type 2 ILCs in the lesional skin compared to the control group (0.08 ± 0.01% vs. 0.03 ± 0.01%, P < 0.05). These findings were also similar with the AD group of Rag1−/− mice compared to their control group. Depletion of type 2 ILCs with anti-CD90.2 monoclonal antibodies significantly improved clinical symptom score, TEWL, and infiltration of inflammatory cells, and significantly decreased levels of collagen were observed in the AD group of Rag1−/− mice (1.6 ± 0.0 μg/mg vs. 4.5 ± 0.3 μg/mg, P < 0.001). Conclusion In the Af-induced AD-like murine model, type 2 ILCs were elevated, with increased levels of collagen. Additionally, removal of type 2 ILCs resulted in decreased collagen levels and improved AD-like pathological findings. These findings suggest that type 2 ILCs play a role in the mechanism of skin fibrosis in AD.

Background and Objectives: The purpose of this study is to evaluate value of diagnostic tool for vocal cord palsy utilizing artificial intelligence without laryngoscopeMaterials and Method A dataset consisting of recordings from patients with unilateral vocal cord paralysis (n=54) as well as normal individuals (n=163). The dataset included prolonged pronunciations of the vowels /ah/, /u/, /i/, and vocal cord data from paralyzed patients. Various acoustic parameters such as Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients, jitter, shimmer, harmonics-to-noise ratio, and fundamental frequency statistics were analyzed. The classification of vocal cord paralysis encompassed paralysis status, paralysis degree, and paralysis location. The deep learning model employed the leave-one-out method, and the feature set with the highest performance was selected using the following methods. Results: Vocal Cord Paralysis Classifier: The classifier accurately distinguished normal voice from vocal cord paralysis, achieving an accuracy and F1 score of 1.0. Paralysis Location Classifier: The classifier accurately differentiated between median and paramedian vocal cord paralysis, achieving an accuracy and micro F1 score of 1.0. Breathiness Degree Classifier: The classifier achieved an accuracy of 0.795 and a mean absolute error of 0.2857 in distinguishing different degrees of breathiness. Conclusion Although the small sample size raises concerns of potential overfitting, this preliminary study highlights distinctive acoustic features in cases of unilateral vocal fold paralysis compared to those of normal individuals. These findings suggest the feasibility of determining the presence, degree, and location of paralysis through the utilization of acoustic parameters. Further research is warranted to validate and expand upon these results.