A comprehensive list of occupational diseases among farmers is crucial for both compensation and prevention efforts. In Korea, most farmers are self-employed, and some occupational diseases are compensated through farmer safety insurance. However, it is not harmonized with industrial accident compensation insurance and does not adequately reflect the true burden of occupational diseases among farmers. To address this gap, the authors compiled a list of occupational diseases tailored to Korean farmers by reviewing the International Labor Organization’s list of occupational diseases, the Korean Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance List, the occupational disease lists of other countries, and relevant literature on farmers’ work-related diseases.

Purpose: Lidocaine, a type of local anesthetic, is used widely to suppress pain during intra-articular injections, but many studies have suggested that lidocaine is toxic to the articular cartilage. This study examined the biological changes that occur when chondrocytes are exposed to lidocaine to determine the protective effect of human placenta hydrolysate (HPH) on chondrocytes. Materials and Methods: SW1353 cells, human-derived chondrocytes, were treated with lidocaine and HPH to confirm the changes in cell viability, production of reactive oxygen species, and MMP13 and BNIP3 gene expression levels. In addition, the radical scavenging ability of HPH was evaluated using an ABTS assay. Results: After treating the cells with the test substance for 72 hours, the cell viability increased by up to 28% in the HPH/lidocaine-treated group compared to the lidocaine-treated group. The level of reactive oxygen species, which was increased by lidocaine, was lower in the group treated with HPH/lidocaine. In addition, the expression levels of the MMP13 gene, which damages cartilage tissue, and the BNIP3 gene, which is involved in mitophagy, were also 21% and 69% lower, respectively, in the HPH/lidocaine-treated group than in the lidocainetreated group. Conclusion HPH may alleviate the side effects of an intra-articular injection of lidocaine by suppressing cell death, suppressing free radicals, and alleviating intracellular mitochondrial damage.

The aim of this study was to translate the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) into Korean and to evaluate its reliability and validity for use with Korean-speaking patients with fibromyalgia (FM). After translating the FIQ into Korean, we administered it to 55 patients with FM (28 patients filled out the questionnaire again 7 days later) together with a Korean version of the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) and the Symptom Checklist-90-Revision (SCL-90-R). The tender-point count (TPC) was calculated from tender points identified by thumb palpation. In addition to sociodemographic characteristics, the severity of relevant current clinical symptoms, e.g., pain intensity, fatigue, and morning stiffness, were assessed by 10-cm visual analog scales (VAS). The test-retest reliability was between 0.466 and 0.780 (total 0.778). Cronbach's alpha was 0.800 for FIQ1 (the first assessment) and 0.857 for FIQ2 (the second assessment), indicating acceptable levels of internal consistency for both assessments. Significant correlations were obtained between the FIQ items, the HAQ, the severity of clinical symptoms, and the subscales of the SCL-90-R. In conclusion, the Korean version of the FIQ is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring health status and physical functioning in Korean patients with FM.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Fibromyalgia/*diagnosis/physiopathology ; Humans ; Korea ; Middle Aged ; Questionnaires/*standards