Nihon rinsho. Japanese journal of clinical medicine
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Congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS) is characterized by a failure of the automatic control of breathing during sleep, and is caused by the dominant PHOX2B mutation. PHOX2B encodes a highly conserved homeobox transcription factor with two short polyalanine tracts. ⋯ Molecular analysis can provide the definite diagnosis and clinically useful information. Model mouse experiments and MRI study of the patients will contribute to understanding the pathogenesis and development of new treatment strategy.
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"Indium lung" is a new occupational lung disease. The global demand for indium, the major material used in manufacturing flat-screen display panels, has skyrocketed since the 1990s (Japan comprises 85% of the worldwide demand). ⋯ Indium lung has been described as interstitial pneumonia, pneumothorax, emphysema, and PAP. In 2013, The Japan Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare issued an "Ordinance on the Prevention of Hazards Due to Specified Chemical Substances" requiring employers to provide regular health checks for employees and measurements of work environment concentrations of respirable indium dust.
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The radioactive materials spread by the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) accident in March, 2011 caused NPP workers to be exposed to radiation above ordinance limits. The number of workers exposed to radiation within ordinance limits is increasing. Decontamination began at many places in Fukushima, although new laws were enforced in the decontamination work, in the current situation, medical examinations for radiation are limited due to a shortage of doctors. In this paper, I introduce the ordinances on the prevention of ionizing radiation hazards and the revised points about radiation exposure doses of the NPP workers, as well as the new ordinance for decontamination.