Objectives: Presenteeism is known to be a much more economically damaging social cost than disease rest while going to work despite physical pain. Since COVID-19, social discussions on the sickness benefit have been taking place as a countermeasure against presenteeism, and in particular, farmers and fishermen do not have an institutional mechanism for livelihood support when a disease other than work occurs. This study attempted to examine the relationship between agricultural, fishing, and forestry workers and presenteeism using the 6th Korean Work Conditions Survey. Methods: From October 2020 to January 2021, data from the 6th working conditions survey conducted on 17 cities and provinces in Korea were used, and a total of 34,981 people were studied. Control variables were gender, age, self-health assessment, education level, night work, shift work, monthly income, occupation, working hours per week, and employment status. Results: As a result of the analysis, farmers and fishermen showed the characteristics of the self-employed and the elderly, and as a result of the regression analysis, when farmers and fishermen analyzed the relationship with presenteeism tendency compared to other industry workers, farmers and fishermen increased by 23% compared to other industry groups. Conclusion This study is significant in that it has representation by utilizing the 6th working conditions survey and objectively suggests the need for a sickness benefit for farmers and fishermen who may be overlooked in the sickness benefit.

Objective: The objective of this nationwide, long-term follow-up study was to explore the connection between congestive heart failure (CHF) and ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) in Korea. Methods: Patient information was collected from the Health Screening cohort of the National Health Insurance Service. Individuals diagnosed with OPLL were identified using specific International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision codes (M48.8, M48.81, M48.82, and M48.83). A total of 1,289 OPLL patients and 6,445 controls were included in the study, selected through 1:5 age and sex matching. The data spanned from January 1, 2004 to July 31, 2015. To compute the incidence rate of CHF in each group, the Kaplan-Meier method was employed. Additionally, Cox proportional-hazards regression analysis was utilized to estimate the hazard ratio of CHF. Results: CHF was present in 19 patients (1.47%) in the OPLL group and 71 patients (1.10%) in the control group. After accounting for age and sex, the hazard ratio for CHF in the OPLL group was 3.164 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.867-5.360). When additionally considering income and underlying diseases, the hazard ratio for CHF within the OPLL group was 3.355 (95% CI, 1.977-5.694). All subgroups of OPLL patients exhibited an increased risk ratio for CHF across parameters such as sex, age, diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. Conclusion According to this nationwide longitudinal study, an elevated incidence rate of CHF was associated with OPLL.

Objectives: Presenteeism is known to be a much more economically damaging social cost than disease rest while going to work despite physical pain. Since COVID-19, social discussions on the sickness benefit have been taking place as a countermeasure against presenteeism, and in particular, farmers and fishermen do not have an institutional mechanism for livelihood support when a disease other than work occurs. This study attempted to examine the relationship between agricultural, fishing, and forestry workers and presenteeism using the 6th Korean Work Conditions Survey. Methods: From October 2020 to January 2021, data from the 6th working conditions survey conducted on 17 cities and provinces in Korea were used, and a total of 34,981 people were studied. Control variables were gender, age, self-health assessment, education level, night work, shift work, monthly income, occupation, working hours per week, and employment status. Results: As a result of the analysis, farmers and fishermen showed the characteristics of the self-employed and the elderly, and as a result of the regression analysis, when farmers and fishermen analyzed the relationship with presenteeism tendency compared to other industry workers, farmers and fishermen increased by 23% compared to other industry groups. Conclusion This study is significant in that it has representation by utilizing the 6th working conditions survey and objectively suggests the need for a sickness benefit for farmers and fishermen who may be overlooked in the sickness benefit.

Objectives: Presenteeism is known to be a much more economically damaging social cost than disease rest while going to work despite physical pain. Since COVID-19, social discussions on the sickness benefit have been taking place as a countermeasure against presenteeism, and in particular, farmers and fishermen do not have an institutional mechanism for livelihood support when a disease other than work occurs. This study attempted to examine the relationship between agricultural, fishing, and forestry workers and presenteeism using the 6th Korean Work Conditions Survey. Methods: From October 2020 to January 2021, data from the 6th working conditions survey conducted on 17 cities and provinces in Korea were used, and a total of 34,981 people were studied. Control variables were gender, age, self-health assessment, education level, night work, shift work, monthly income, occupation, working hours per week, and employment status. Results: As a result of the analysis, farmers and fishermen showed the characteristics of the self-employed and the elderly, and as a result of the regression analysis, when farmers and fishermen analyzed the relationship with presenteeism tendency compared to other industry workers, farmers and fishermen increased by 23% compared to other industry groups. Conclusion This study is significant in that it has representation by utilizing the 6th working conditions survey and objectively suggests the need for a sickness benefit for farmers and fishermen who may be overlooked in the sickness benefit.

Purpose: Firefighting duties range from field roles such as suppression, rescue, and emergency medical services (EMS) to various administrative tasks. Despite these differences, they face uniform fitness standards in Korea. This study seeks to define distinct fitness needs for each duty and provide data for customized standards. Methods: One hundred seventy-six Korean male firefighters participated, categorized into suppression (n=76), rescue (n=22), administrative (n=27), and EMS (n=51) roles. All underwent maximal oxygen consumption (VO2 max) tests for aerobic capacity, with body composition measured using bioelectrical impedance and height recorded with a stadiometer. Results: The VO2 max (mL/kg/min) among Korean male firefighters varied across different job duties: suppression (39.96±5.84), rescue (44.84±4.85), administration (40.27±7.01), and EMS (40.51±6.75). Rescue had the highest VO2 max, which was significantly higher (p=0.013). The body mass index (BMI, kg/m2 ) values were as follows: suppression (25.07±2.55), rescue (24.95±1.71), EMS (24.33±3.21), and administration (25.10±2.48). There was no statistically significant difference in BMI values (p=0.464). Conclusion This study evaluated the VO2 max and BMI of South Korean male firefighters according to their job duties. It found that 54.5% did not meet the recommended VO2 max standard of 42 mL/kg/min for their activities, and 77.5% had a BMI indicating overweight or higher. However, it is important to note that not every firefighting duty requires high fitness levels. The key is ensuring firefighters possess the fitness necessary for their specific roles to maintain safety and efficiency. The study aims to provide data for creating fitness management guidelines tailored to the diverse duties of firefighters.

Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is a useful tool that is widely used in the emergency and intensive care areas. In Korea, insurance coverage of ultrasound examination has been gradually expanding in accordance with measures to enhance Korean National Insurance Coverage since 2017 to 2021, and which will continue until 2021. Full coverage of health insurance for POCUS in the emergency and critical care areas was implemented in July 2019. The National Health Insurance Act classified POCUS as a single or multiple-targeted ultrasound examination (STU vs. MTU). STU scans are conducted of one organ at a time, while MTU includes scanning of multiple organs simultaneously to determine each clinical situation. POCUS can be performed even if a diagnostic ultrasound examination is conducted, based on the physician's decision. However, the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service plans to monitor the prescription status of whether the POCUS and diagnostic ultrasound examinations are prescribed simultaneously and repeatedly. Additionally, MTU is allowed only in cases of trauma, cardiac arrest, shock, chest pain, and dyspnea and should be performed by a qualified physician. Although physicians should scan all parts of the chest, heart, and abdomen when they prescribe MTU, they are not required to record all findings in the medical record. Therefore, appropriate prescription, application, and recording of POCUS are needed to enhance the quality of patient care and avoid unnecessary cut of medical budget spending. The present article provides background and clinical guidance for POCUS based on the implementation of full health insurance coverage for POCUS that began in July 2019 in Korea.
Abdomen ; Budgets ; Chest Pain ; Critical Care ; Dyspnea ; Emergencies ; Heart ; Heart Arrest ; Insurance Coverage ; Insurance ; Insurance, Health ; Korea ; Medical Records ; National Health Programs ; Patient Care ; Point-of-Care Systems ; Prescriptions ; Shock ; Thorax ; Ultrasonography

Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is a useful tool that is widely used in the emergency and intensive care areas. In Korea, insurance coverage of ultrasound examination has been gradually expanding in accordance with measures to enhance Korean National Insurance Coverage since 2017 to 2021, and which will continue until 2021. Full coverage of health insurance for POCUS in the emergency and critical care areas was implemented in July 2019. The National Health Insurance Act classified POCUS as a single or multiple-targeted ultrasound examination (STU vs. MTU). STU scans are conducted of one organ at a time, while MTU includes scanning of multiple organs simultaneously to determine each clinical situation. POCUS can be performed even if a diagnostic ultrasound examination is conducted, based on the physician's decision. However, the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service plans to monitor the prescription status of whether the POCUS and diagnostic ultrasound examinations are prescribed simultaneously and repeatedly. Additionally, MTU is allowed only in cases of trauma, cardiac arrest, shock, chest pain, and dyspnea and should be performed by a qualified physician. Although physicians should scan all parts of the chest, heart, and abdomen when they prescribe MTU, they are not required to record all findings in the medical record. Therefore, appropriate prescription, application, and recording of POCUS are needed to enhance the quality of patient care and avoid unnecessary cut of medical budget spending. The present article provides background and clinical guidance for POCUS based on the implementation of full health insurance coverage for POCUS that began in July 2019 in Korea.

Purpose: Targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) panels for solid tumors have been useful in clinical framework for accurate tumor diagnosis and identifying essential molecular aberrations. However, most cancer panels have been designed to address a wide spectrum of pan-cancer models, lacking integral prognostic markers that are highly specific to gliomas. Materials and Methods: To address such challenges, we have developed a glioma-specific NGS panel, termed “GliomaSCAN,” that is capable of capturing single nucleotide variations and insertion/deletion, copy number variation, and selected promoter mutations and structural variations that cover a subset of intron regions in 232 essential glioma-associated genes. We confirmed clinical concordance rate using pairwise comparison of the identified variants from whole exome sequencing (WES), immunohistochemical analysis, and fluorescence in situ hybridization. Results: Our panel demonstrated high sensitivity in detecting potential genomic variants that were present in the standard materials. To ensure the accuracy of our targeted sequencing panel, we compared our targeted panel to WES. The comparison results demonstrated a high correlation. Furthermore, we evaluated clinical utility of our panel in 46 glioma patients to assess the detection capacity of potential actionable mutations. Thirty-two patients harbored at least one recurrent somatic mutation in clinically actionable gene. Conclusion We have established a glioma-specific cancer panel. GliomaSCAN highly excelled in capturing somatic variations in terms of both sensitivity and specificity and provided potential clinical implication in facilitating genome-based clinical trials. Our results could provide conceptual advance towards improving the response of genomically guided molecularly targeted therapy in glioma patients.

Korean Society of Thyroid-Head and Neck Surgery appointed a Task Force to provide guidance on the implementation of a surgical treatment of oral cancer. MEDLINE databases were searched for articles on subjects related to “surgical management of oral cancer” published in English. Results were restricted to systematic reviews, randomized control trials/controlled clinical trials, and observational studies. The quality of evidence was rated with use RoBANS (Risk of Bias Assessment Tool for Nonrandomized Studies) and AMSTAR (A Measurement Tool to Assess the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews). Evidence-based recommendations for practice were ranked according to the American College of Physicians grading system. Additional directives are provided as expert opinions and Delphi questionnaire when insufficient evidence existed. The Committee developed 68 evidence-based recommendations in 34 categories intended to assist clinicians and patients and counselors, and health policy-makers. Proper surgical treatment selection for oral cancer, which is directed by patient- and subsite-specific factors, remains the greatest predictor of successful treatment outcomes. These guidelines are intended for use in conjunction with the individual patient's treatment goals.
Advisory Committees ; Bias (Epidemiology) ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Counseling ; Expert Testimony ; Humans ; Mouth Neoplasms ; Neck ; Republic of Korea

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), a causative agent of chronic gastritis and gastric cancer, has several virulent factors for own survival and progression toward gastric diseases in human stomach. Of those, H. pylori produces mainly urease (10~15% total protein weight) that neutralize the gastric acid for survival. Here, we identified the antigenic epitope of urease and then developed an ELISA using the antigen including the epitope of urease. We identified the antigenic epitope of urease that induces IgA antibodies in human using truncated mutants. Eight kinds of serially-truncated mutant of UreA and UreB were prepared and subjected to immunoblot using pooled sera of patients with gastric disorders. UreBEnd protein containing UreB epitope was produced and investigated its diagnostic value via ELISA in children. As a result, mutants having last 24 amino acid residues of UreB carboxyl terminus deleted did not show IgA-reactive band. The clones that contained the downstream of 448(th) amino acid in UreB showed IgA-reactive band. The serodiagnostic value of the UreBEnd recombinant protein including identified epitope was confirmed via IgA ELISA and shown to have 97% sensitivity and 100% specificity. These results demonstrated that carboxyl terminal region of UreB carries an antigenic epitope for IgA response in human. It may be useful for detecting H. pylori infection with improved test accuracy and minimum use of endoscopy.
Antibodies ; Child* ; Clone Cells ; Endoscopy ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Epitopes* ; Gastric Acid ; Gastritis ; Helicobacter pylori* ; Helicobacter* ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin A* ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Stomach ; Stomach Diseases ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Urea* ; Urease*