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.
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, Won Kim Understanding the effects of sex and sex differences on liver health and disease is crucial for individualized healthcare and informed decision-making for patients with liver disease. The impact of sex on liver disease varies according to its etiology. Women have a lower prevalence of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) than men. However, postmenopausal women face a higher risk of advanced liver fibrosis due to hormonal influences. Sex differences affect the pathogenesis of MASLD, which involves a complex process involving several factors such as hormones, obesity, and the gut microbiome. Furthermore, sex-related differences in the development of MASLDrelated hepatocellular carcinoma have been observed. The sex-specific characteristics of MASLD necessitate an individualized management approach based on scientific evidence. However, research in this area has been lacking. This article reviews the current understanding of sex differences in MASLD.
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, Eun Ja Kwon, Jeong Hye Kim, Kyuwon Kim, Jae Yong Lee, Hee Seung Hong, Seung Wook Hong, Jin Hwa Park, Sung Wook Hwang, Dong-Hoon Yang, Byong Duk Ye, Jeong-Sik Byeon, Seung-Jae Myung, Suk-Kyun Yang, Jeong Yun Park, Sang Hyoung Park It is important that inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients adhere to their prescribed medication regimens to avoid the repeat exacerbations, complications, or surgeries associated with this disorder. However, there are few studies on medication adherence in patients with IBD, especially in Asian populations. So, we analyzed the factors associated with medication adherence in Korean IBD patients.
Patients who had been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC) more than 6 months previously and receiving oral medications for IBD were enrolled. Medication adherence was measured using the Medical Adherence Reporting Scale (MARS-5), a self-reported medication adherence measurement tool.
Among 207 patients in the final study population, 125 (60.4%) had CD and 134 (64.7%) were men. The mean age was 39.63 years (SD, 13.16 years) and the mean disease duration was 10.09 years (SD, 6.33 years). The mean medication adherence score was 22.46 (SD, 2.86) out of 25, and 181 (87.4%) patients had score of 20 or higher. In multiple linear regression analysis, self-efficacy (β=0.341, P<0.001) and ≥3 dosing per day (β=-0.192 P=0.016) were revealed to be significant factors associated with medication adherence. Additionally, there was a positive correlation between self-efficacy and medication adherence (r=0.312, P<0.001). However, disease related knowledge, depression, and anxiety were not significantly associated with medication adherence.
To improve medication adherence among patients with IBD, a reduction in the
number of doses per day and an improved self-efficacy will be helpful.
, Jun Hyung Park, Da Hee Kim, Hyung Young Kim, Sang Hyun Kim, Won Do Park A 37-year-old male patient was admitted with generalized edema as the main symptom. A blood test confirmed hypoalbuminemia and hyperlipidemia, and a urine test confirmed severe albuminuria. A renal biopsy was conducted, which revealed a diagnosis of minimal change disease. Although the patient experienced complete remission of minimal change nephrotic syndrome after oral prednisolone and cyclophosphamide treatment, he is readmitted due to bilateral leg edema 5 years later since minimal change nephrotic syndrome was completely cured. The patient is diagnosed with IgA nephropathy. Although the exact mechanisms of IgA nephropathy in this patient remain unclear, this case represents an extremely rare development, and is separate from the remission of minimal change nephrotic syndrome.
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The purpose of this study is to investigate the dissociative levels and histories of reported abuse among women psychiatric outpatients.
The author observed the dissociative levels and histories of reported abuse of the 66 women outpatients who visited psychiatric clinics, and compare dissociative symptoms of women who reported the history of physical and sexual abuse and symptoms of the others who did not have such history.
Results are as follows :
1) 54.5% of the other 66 outpatients of psychiatric clinic reported the history of abuse, including 13.6%, 24.2% and 16.7% of them reporting sexual abuse, physical abuse and physical and sexual abuse respectively.
2) Scores on the DES of abuse group was 18.6±16.3 which was significantly higher than DES of the non-abuse group(7.09±7.10).
3) Scores on the DES was highest in sexual abuse group, followed by physical abuse group and then physical and sexual abuse group. The percentile of score on the DES above 25 which was considered the score of dissociative disorder 44.4% of sexual abuse group, 18.8% of physical abuse group, 18.2% of physical and sexual abuse group, and 3.3% of non-abuse group.
4) Scores on the DES was variable according to the age of first abuse. It was highest in 7-11 years old group, followed by 12-16years old group, and then above 16years old group.
Sexual and physical abuse, especially sexual abuse, appears to be responsible for dissociation, or at least to ve a precipitating factor of dissociative experience.
The purpose of this study is to investigate the psychological problems in patients with pruritus.
The author compared the anxiety, depression and hostility levels between 47 patients suffering from pruritus and 52 normal controls by means of STAI(State-Trait Anxiety Inventory), BDI(Beck Depression Inventory) and Hostility scales. The subject was the patients with pruritus who visited the dermatology outpatient clinic of Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital.
1) The anxiety scale was significantly higher in the female patients with pruritus than in the normal female controls(p<0.01), but there was no significant difference between the male patients and the male controls.
2) There was significant difference in depression scale between the female patients showed a tendency toward higher depression.
3) There was no significant difference in hostility scale between the pruritus patient group and the normal control group.
High levels of anxiety and depression in pruritus patients, especially female. So the author think it will be necessary to treat psychiatrically those patients with pruritus who seem to be suffering from sort of psychiatric symptoms which can be checked by self-report questionaires.
The purpose of this study is to investigate the psychiatric problems of rape victims.
The author observed the psychiatric symptoms of the 10 women patients who visited psychiatric clinics immediately after rape after trauma, and made a related survey of 61 other 61 female outpatients in order to compare psychiatric symptoms of those of them who reported the history of rape trauma and those of the others who did not have such history.
Results are given as follows :
1) The most frequent psychiatric diagnosis of the victims of rather recent day's rape was posttraumatic stress disorder(4/10), followed by depression(2/10) and Schizoaffective disorder(2/10). The most frequent perpetrator was unknown person(8/10).
2) 49.2% of the other 61 patients of psychiatric clinic reported the history of abuse, including 26.2% and 36.1% of them reporting sexual abuse and physical abuse, respectively.
3) Sexual dysfunction was reported in 58.3% of the rape victims, who generally showed a tendency toward the high level of anxiety, hostility and paranoid symptoms.
4) The high scored dissociation was observed in rape victims but not in non-abuse group.
The rape trauma appears to be responsible for some psychiatric symptoms, or at least to be a precipitating factor of psychiatric disorders. The author also confirmed that aftermath of the rape trauma can continue rather perennially, for years after trauma or even for life ling.
, Ki Bum Myung We report a case of multiple leiomyoma of the scrotum in a 44-year-old man.
Several pinhead sized erythematous papules developed on the scrotum 1 year ago and the number was gradually increased. The skin lesion was painless and did not show any difference due to temperature changes such as colorless and external stimuli.
Histologically, there was hyperplasia of bundles of smooth muscle fibers in the dermis. The smooth muscle fibers contained centrally located, thin, very long, blunt-edged, "eel-like" nuclei.
, Jeong Hee Hahm Periorbital hemanogiomas are commonly associated with ocular complications such as amblyopia or strabismus. So early treatment and regular ophthalmologic study are recommended.
We report a case of upper eyelid strawberry hemangioma in a 5-month-old infant. Thehemangioma was treated with intralesional corticosteroid injection, and so a marked involutionof the tumor resulted. There were no local or gystemic complications. So this therapeutic methodis considered to be sueful in the management of strawberry haemangioma.
, Hai Min Choi, Hong Il Kook We report a case of hyperkeratosis of the areola in 18-year-old woman. One year ago. verrucous thickening and dark brownish discoloration developed on the right areola. The patient showed no evidence of associated skin changes. either epidermal nevus or ichthyosis and had no history of estrogen therapy or pregnancy.
Histologic findings showed mild hyperkeratosis. papillomatosis. keratotic plug. elongation of rete ridge, and increased pigmentation in the basal cell layer.
, Ki Bum Myung, Hong Il Kook The psoriasis plaque test, as a clinical and non-artificial model, provides information on the antiproliferative effect of topical corticosteroids, and it makes possible to ealuate various preparations simultaneously at a given time. In this assay we compared the antiproliferative effects of six topical corticosteroids with occlusive dressing technique in fourteen psoriatic patients. The results are summerized as follows : 1) The psoriasis plaque test was an adequate method for evaluating antiproliferative effects of various corticosteroid preparations. 2) In contrast to prednisolone and triamcinolone acetonide, the effects of desoxymethasone, halcinonide, fluocinide, triamcinolone benetonide were evident, and the best of all was desoxymethasone. 3) No side effect developed during test period.
, Sun Seob Park, Eun Jeong Ko, Si Won Lee, Mihong Choi, Kiwon Kim Small cell lung cancer is primarily treated with chemotherapy. For patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), systemic chemotherapy is often challenging since renal excretion of chemotherapeutic agents might be decreased due to impaired renal function, leading to increased toxicity. No consensus is made so far regarding appropriate dosage and combination of chemotherapeutic agents for patients on hemodialysis. We report two cases of chemotherapy without significant toxicity in small cell lung cancer patients who were on hemodialysis for ESRD.
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