This review examines the challenges associated with occupational disease surveillance in Korea, particularly emphasizing the limitations of current data sources such as the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance (IACI) statistics and special health examinations. The IACI system undercounts cases due to its emphasis on severe diseases and restrictions on approvals. Special health examinations, although they cover a broad workforce, are constrained by their annual scheduling, which leads to missed acute illnesses and subclinical conditions. The paper also explores the history of occupational disease surveillance in Korea, highlighting the fragmented and disease-specific approach of earlier systems. The authors introduce the newly established Korea Occupational Disease Surveillance Center (KODSC), a comprehensive nationwide system designed to gather, analyze, and interpret data on occupational diseases through a network of regional centers. By incorporating hospital-based surveillance and focusing on acute poisonings and other sentinel events, the KODSC aims to overcome the limitations of previous systems and promote collaboration with various agencies. Although it is still in the early stages of implementation, the KODSC demonstrates potential for improving data accuracy and contributing valuable insights for public health policy.

This review examines the challenges associated with occupational disease surveillance in Korea, particularly emphasizing the limitations of current data sources such as the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance (IACI) statistics and special health examinations. The IACI system undercounts cases due to its emphasis on severe diseases and restrictions on approvals. Special health examinations, although they cover a broad workforce, are constrained by their annual scheduling, which leads to missed acute illnesses and subclinical conditions. The paper also explores the history of occupational disease surveillance in Korea, highlighting the fragmented and disease-specific approach of earlier systems. The authors introduce the newly established Korea Occupational Disease Surveillance Center (KODSC), a comprehensive nationwide system designed to gather, analyze, and interpret data on occupational diseases through a network of regional centers. By incorporating hospital-based surveillance and focusing on acute poisonings and other sentinel events, the KODSC aims to overcome the limitations of previous systems and promote collaboration with various agencies. Although it is still in the early stages of implementation, the KODSC demonstrates potential for improving data accuracy and contributing valuable insights for public health policy.

This review examines the challenges associated with occupational disease surveillance in Korea, particularly emphasizing the limitations of current data sources such as the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance (IACI) statistics and special health examinations. The IACI system undercounts cases due to its emphasis on severe diseases and restrictions on approvals. Special health examinations, although they cover a broad workforce, are constrained by their annual scheduling, which leads to missed acute illnesses and subclinical conditions. The paper also explores the history of occupational disease surveillance in Korea, highlighting the fragmented and disease-specific approach of earlier systems. The authors introduce the newly established Korea Occupational Disease Surveillance Center (KODSC), a comprehensive nationwide system designed to gather, analyze, and interpret data on occupational diseases through a network of regional centers. By incorporating hospital-based surveillance and focusing on acute poisonings and other sentinel events, the KODSC aims to overcome the limitations of previous systems and promote collaboration with various agencies. Although it is still in the early stages of implementation, the KODSC demonstrates potential for improving data accuracy and contributing valuable insights for public health policy.

This review examines the challenges associated with occupational disease surveillance in Korea, particularly emphasizing the limitations of current data sources such as the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance (IACI) statistics and special health examinations. The IACI system undercounts cases due to its emphasis on severe diseases and restrictions on approvals. Special health examinations, although they cover a broad workforce, are constrained by their annual scheduling, which leads to missed acute illnesses and subclinical conditions. The paper also explores the history of occupational disease surveillance in Korea, highlighting the fragmented and disease-specific approach of earlier systems. The authors introduce the newly established Korea Occupational Disease Surveillance Center (KODSC), a comprehensive nationwide system designed to gather, analyze, and interpret data on occupational diseases through a network of regional centers. By incorporating hospital-based surveillance and focusing on acute poisonings and other sentinel events, the KODSC aims to overcome the limitations of previous systems and promote collaboration with various agencies. Although it is still in the early stages of implementation, the KODSC demonstrates potential for improving data accuracy and contributing valuable insights for public health policy.

This review examines the challenges associated with occupational disease surveillance in Korea, particularly emphasizing the limitations of current data sources such as the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance (IACI) statistics and special health examinations. The IACI system undercounts cases due to its emphasis on severe diseases and restrictions on approvals. Special health examinations, although they cover a broad workforce, are constrained by their annual scheduling, which leads to missed acute illnesses and subclinical conditions. The paper also explores the history of occupational disease surveillance in Korea, highlighting the fragmented and disease-specific approach of earlier systems. The authors introduce the newly established Korea Occupational Disease Surveillance Center (KODSC), a comprehensive nationwide system designed to gather, analyze, and interpret data on occupational diseases through a network of regional centers. By incorporating hospital-based surveillance and focusing on acute poisonings and other sentinel events, the KODSC aims to overcome the limitations of previous systems and promote collaboration with various agencies. Although it is still in the early stages of implementation, the KODSC demonstrates potential for improving data accuracy and contributing valuable insights for public health policy.

Some of the challenges in intensive care, anesthesia, and emergency medicine would be airway management in an actively vomiting patient or a bloody airway. We experienced a patient with an excessively full stomach (at least 3 L) due to gastric outlet obstruction, although he was scheduled for elective surgery. Despite such circumstances, we successfully intubated him using the suctionassisted laryngoscopy assisted decontamination technique with the patient in a head-down tilt position during massive regurgitation while avoiding resultant pulmonary aspiration.

Some of the challenges in intensive care, anesthesia, and emergency medicine would be airway management in an actively vomiting patient or a bloody airway. We experienced a patient with an excessively full stomach (at least 3 L) due to gastric outlet obstruction, although he was scheduled for elective surgery. Despite such circumstances, we successfully intubated him using the suctionassisted laryngoscopy assisted decontamination technique with the patient in a head-down tilt position during massive regurgitation while avoiding resultant pulmonary aspiration.

BACKGROUND: Using analysis of air samples from the workplace, we report on one case of pneumoconiosis in an individual who has been working in a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) spraying process for 28 years. CASE PRESENTATION: The patient was diagnosed with granulomatous lung disease caused by PTFE using computed tomography (CT), lung biopsy and electron microscopy. To assess the qualitative and quantitative exposure to PTFE in workplace, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were performed on air samples from the workplace. The presence of PTFE particles was confirmed, and the airborne concentration of PTFE was estimated to be 0.75 mg/m3. CONCLUSIONS: This case demonstrates that long-term exposure to PTFE spraying can cause granulomatous lung lesions such as pneumoconiosis; such lesions appear to be caused not by the degradation products of PTFE from high temperatures but by spraying the particles of PTFE. Along with air-sampling analysis, we suggest monitoring the concentration of airborne PTFE particles related to chronic lung disease.
Biopsy ; Humans ; Hygiene ; Lung ; Lung Diseases ; Microscopy, Electron ; Occupational Diseases ; Pneumoconiosis ; Polytetrafluoroethylene ; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared ; Spectrum Analysis

Recent advances have shown the direct reprogramming of mouse and human fibroblasts into induced neural stem cells (iNSCs) without passing through an intermediate pluripotent state. Thus, direct reprogramming strategy possibly provides a safe and homogeneous cellular platform. However, the applications of iNSCs for regenerative medicine are limited by the restricted availability of cell sources. Human umbilical cord blood (hUCB) cells hold great potential in that immunotyped hUCB units can be immediately obtained from public banks. Moreover, hUCB samples do not require invasive procedures during collection or an extensive culture period prior to reprogramming. We recently reported that somatic cells can be directly converted into iNSCs with high efficiency and a short turnaround time. Here, we describe the detailed method for the generation of iNSCs derived from hUCB (hUCB iNSCs) using the lineage-specific transcription factors SOX2 and HMGA2. The protocol for deriving iNSC-like colonies takes 1~2 weeks and establishment of homogenous hUCB iNSCs takes additional 2 weeks. Established hUCB iNSCs are clonally expandable and multipotent producing neurons and glia. Our study provides an accessible method for generating hUCB iNSCs, contributing development of in vitro neuropathological model systems.
Animals ; Fetal Blood* ; Fibroblasts ; Humans* ; In Vitro Techniques ; Methods ; Mice ; Neural Stem Cells* ; Neuroglia ; Neurons ; Regenerative Medicine ; Transcription Factors ; Umbilical Cord*