• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.152-160
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• 2006

Genotype of ALAD and VDR yields two alleles, respectively and it has been implicated in susceptibility to lead toxicity. Also genotype known to variety by race. To evaluate the genetic susceptibility of ALAD and VDR gene on health effect of lead exposure, this study was done with new workers who entered lead industries from 1992 to 2001. Among database of lead industries of Soonchunhyang University Institute of Industrial Medicine, only new workers were selected for this study. The total of eligible workers for this category was 3,540 workers including non lead exposed workers of same lead industries. Genotype of ALAD and VDR were measured from stored blood in specimen bank of Soonchunhyang University, blood lead and other relevant information were obtained from database of each workers which were gathered at their first year of employment. Among 3,540 new employed study subjects during period of 1992-2001, 3204 workers(90.5%) had ALAD genotype 1-1; whereas 336 workers(9.5%) had variant type of ALAD (1-2 or 2-2). Lead exposed workers, 9.8%(n=243) male and 8.1%(n=16) female were heterozygous for the ALAD allele. Also non lead exposed workers, 8.9%(n=67) male and 9.3%(n=10) female were heterozygous for the ALAD allele. For VDR genotype, 2,903 workers(89.7%) out of total tested 3,238 workers were belonged to type bb and 335 workers(10.3%) were type bB or BB. Lead exposed workers, 10.4%(n=235) male and 12.2%(n=24) female were heterozygous for the VDR allele. Also non lead exposed workers, 9.2%(n=64) male and 12.5%(n=12) female were heterozygous for the VDR allele. No significant differences were seen in mean blood lead levels by ALAD and VDR genotype, nor was significantly associated with blood lead except age in multiple regression analysis.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.62 no.1
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• pp.27-32
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• 2007

Background: This study evaluated the accuracy of smoking habit from the data obtained from the medical records of lung cancer patients against the data obtained form face-to-face interview questionnaires Methods: The smoking habits of 225 lung cancer patients were categorized into never smoked, ex-smoker and current smoker in face-to-face interview questionnaire and medical record taken at the time of admission for a diagnosis. The overall agreement between two sources was evaluated. The factors affecting the disagreement between two sources and the level of data omission of the smoking habits in medical records were analyzed suing multiple logistic regression. Results: The smoking habit between two sources showed moderate overall agreement(Kappa $({\kappa})=0.60$). The lowest agreement was observed in the ex-smokers(${\kappa}=0.49$). Multivariate analysis revealed an age of 65 or older to be a statistically significant factor associated with the increasing disagreement risk compared with those 64 or younger (OR 3.02; 95% CI 1.58-5.80). The omission rate of smoking habits in the medical records was 18.2%. Adenocarcinoma was shown to be a statistically significant factor of associated with an increasing omission rate compared with squamous cell carcinoma (OR 3.00; 95% CI 1.19-7.59). Conclusion: The smoking habits obtained from medical record moderately reflect their true behavior. However, the smoking habit data from medical record should be used with caution when being used in a clinical study or cohort study of lung cancer.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.25-29
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• 2015

Background: Shift work has been associated with occupational stress in health providers and in those working in some industrial companies. The association is not well established in the law enforcement workforce. Our objective was to examine the association between shift work and police work-related stress. Methods: The number of stressful events that occurred in the previous month and year was obtained using the Spielberger Police Stress Survey among 365 police officers aged 27-66 years. Work hours were derived from daily payroll records. A dominant shift (day, afternoon, or night) was defined for each participant as the shift with the largest percentage of total time a participant worked (starting time from 4:00 AM to 11:59 AM, from 12 PM to 7:59 PM, and from 8:00 PM to 3:59 AM for day, afternoon, and night shift, respectively) in the previous month or year. Analysis of variance and covariance were used to examine the number of total and subscale (administrative/professional pressure, physical/psychological danger, or organizational support) stressful events across the shift. Results: During the previous month and year, officers working the afternoon and night shifts reported more stressful events than day shift officers for total stress, administrative/professional pressure, and physical/psychological danger (p < 0.05). These differences were independent of age, sex, race/ethnicity, and police rank. The frequency of these stressful events did not differ significantly between officers working the afternoon and night shifts. Conclusion: Non-day shift workers may be exposed to more stressful events in this cohort. Interventions to reduce or manage police stress that are tailored by shift may be considered.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.33-40
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• 2020

Background: Exploratory study to investigate whether co-exposure to physical wrist stressors and chemicals is associated with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) in French male farmers and agricultural workers. Methods: Cross-sectional study of 711 men aged 30-65 years and working as either farmers or agricultural workers in 2009-2010 within a cohort covered by the French Agricultural Workers' and Farmers' Mutual Benefit Fund. CTS and exposure to physical wrist stressors and chemicals were assessed using a self-administered questionnaire. Associations between CTS and personal/medical factors, exposure to physical wrist stressors, exposure to chemicals, and co-exposure to physical wrist stressors and chemicals were studied using multivariate logistic regression models. Results: Forty-four men {5.6% [95% confidence interval (CI) 4.0-7.7]} reported that they had suffered from unilateral/bilateral CTS during the last 12 months. CTS was associated with age, current smoking [odds ratio (OR) = 2.1 (1.0-4.5)], and exposure to physical wrist stressors [OR = 2.6 (1.1-5.9)]. An association was found between CTS and co-exposure to physical wrist stressors and chemicals [OR = 3.3 (0.8-14.3), p = 0.044] in comparison with the no-exposure group. Conclusions: This exploratory study shows an association of CTS with exposure to biomechanical wrist stressors in male farmers and agricultural workers and suggests an association of CTS with co-exposure to physical wrist stressors and chemicals. Owing to the limitations of the study, this result must be confirmed by a prospective study with objective assessments of the outcome and exposure before drawing conclusions on the possible synergistic effects of mechanical stressors and chemicals on the impairment of the median nerve.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.549-559
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• 1994

Razor clam, Solen (Solen) strictus, was collected between May 1989 and July 1990 on a macrotidal flat, Inchon, Korea. The population sampled at just above mean sea level had a mean density of 126 individuals/$m^2$. Age was determined for 872 specimens by counting annuli, a series of closely-spaced concentric growth lines. According to the fatness index spawning seemed to have occurred once per year in June, and the first recruits for the 1989 year cohort population were found in July. Solen (Solen) strictus on the Chokchon tidal flat reached a shell length of 6.2 cm in four years. Mean growth in shell length can be described by the von Bertalanffy function, which yielded estimates of growth parameters equivalent to $L_{\infty}=81.865\;mm$ shell length and K=0.320 per year: $$L_{t}=81.865(1-e^{-0.320(t+0.487)})$$$$W_{t}=7.173(1-e^{-0.320(t+0.487)})^3$$

• The Journal of the Korean bone and joint tumor society
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.75-80
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• 2007

Purpose: To investigate the quality of training hospital based treatment, we evaluated the soft tissue sarcoma treatments afforded by general orthopedic surgeon rather than orthopedic oncologist. Materials and Methods: We reviewed the details of 25 patients with pathologically confirmed soft tissue sarcoma who registered in our hospital between July 1997 and 2006 September. We evaluated initial diagnoses, the surgical treatment (including adjuvant therapy) and the follow up method used and related these to the principles of soft tissue sarcoma treatment. Results: The study cohort comprised 16 men and 9 women of mean age of 50.2 years. A diagnostic biopsy was performed in 9(36%) cases before definitive surgical treatment. Wide excision was performed in 13(52%) cases. For the 12 cases in which the grade of sarcoma was estimated, adequate surgical treatment with adjuvant therapy was performed only in 4(33.3%) cases. In addition, an adequate follow up schedule was adopted in only 4(16%) of the 25 study subjects. Conclusion: Unexpectedly, many cases of soft tissue sarcoma were treated inadequately even in a training hospital. An intensive education program on the treatment of soft tissue sarcoma is necessary for all orthopedic surgeons.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.358-372
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• 2000

The purpose of this study was to describe the way of life (such as smoking habits, alcohol consumption, exercise, duration of sleep, eating habits etc.), physical. psychological and overall health complaints and to identify the relationship between the way of life and health complaints of the nursing students. Data was collected with the self-administered OMI( Okayama Medical Index Health Questionnaire, devised Cornell Medical Index) from 766 nursing students and was analyzed. For data analysis, descriptive statistics and an ANOVA with an SPSS/PC+ program were used. The results were as follows: 1. The mean age of subjects was 21.0557(2.7618) years old in their 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th year-classes of nursing departments and college students in 4 regions of Korea. 62.1% of subjects were of the proper body weight, 2.0% were overweight, and 28.3% were underweight. Most subjects did not have a past history of disease, but 1.8% of subjects had experienced a blood transfusion. 2. 28.3% of the subjects had averaged 7 hours of sleep, 98.5% were nonsmokers, 91.2% were nondrinkers, 74.7% of subjects had milk intake sometimes, 53.7% of the subjects had an average salt intake, 49.6% of the subjects usually had a green vegetable intake, 45.4% of the subjects sometimes had fatty food intake, 64.8% of the subjects had good taste, 29.5% of the subjects enjoyed physical exercise. 3. The highest percentages of 'yes' among physical. psychological and overall health complaints were observed in the question 'Do you have gastric pain?'(60.2%), 'Are you confused of disorderly?' (37.2%), 'Physical body was burdensome and fatigued.'(57.3%). 4. The total O.M.I. score ranged from 1 to 89 with an average of 22.91(SD=12.10). A statistically significant difference was observed for the physical. psychological complaints for alcohol consumption. and for the psychological complaints for salt and fatty food intake. These conclusions should provide grounds for future studies of strategies for health promoting lifestyle for nursing students and their health concerns. Further research is required to investigate the life environmental and psychological factors affecting the way of life for nursing students and their health status, to analyze the health behavior of nursing students related with their culture and consciousness. Also epidemiologic research methodology, such as prospective cohort study should be considered to explore the performing process of nursing student's health behavior related with the occurrence of diseases.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.42 no.9
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• pp.1387-1394
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• 2013

Allergies are one of the most common chronic diseases during childhood. While the prevalence of allergic disease in children is increasing dramatically, few studies have evaluated the risk and preventive factors related to this health condition, especially in South Korea. The purpose of this case-control study was to evaluate independent determinants of allergic disease, and to examine whether it is associated with growth and other health conditions in childhood. The current study included 209 cases and 311 age and sex-matched controls (fifth and sixth graders) residing in Daegu, South Korea. Environmental data was collected, including child and family histories of allergies, birth information, and reaction to weaning foods during infancy. In addition, current dietary habits (assessed by 2 day-24 hr food records), health conditions, and anthropometric data were obtained through questionnaires and student health check-ups at the school. Based on chi-square tests, cases had a significantly higher prevalence of having a disease at birth, an allergic reaction to weaning foods, frequent hospital visits, and frequent experiences of the common cold and digestive diseases. In addition, significantly more mothers had a higher education in the cases compared to controls. Based on multivariable conditional logistic regression analysis, factors significantly associated with greater odds for having allergies were parental (OR=21.42) and fraternal (OR=14.40) histories of allergies. The anthropometric measures showed that cases tended to be shorter in height and lighter in weight than the controls, but these differences were not statistically significant. These findings may indicate that current nutrient intakes may not be the only critical factor associated with delayed growth delay in the allergic group. A well-planned, large cohort study is warranted to confirm our findings in the future.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.258-264
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• 2018

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Diet quality scores or indices, based on dietary guidelines, are used to summarize dietary intake into a single numeric variable. The aim of this study was to examine the association between the modified diet quality index for Koreans (DQI-K) and mortality among Health Examinees-Gem (HEXA-G) study participants. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The DQI-K was modified from the original diet quality index. A total of 134,547 participants (45,207 men and 89,340 women) from the HEXA-G study (2004 and 2013) were included. The DQI-K is based on eight components: 1) daily protein intake, 2) percent of energy from fat, 3) percent of energy from saturated fat, 4) daily cholesterol intake, 5) daily whole-grain intake, 6) daily fruit intake, 7) daily vegetable intake, and 8) daily sodium intake. The association between all-cause mortality and the DQI-K was examined using Cox proportional hazard regression models. Hazard ratios and confidence intervals were estimated after adjusting for age, gender, income, smoking status, alcohol drinking, body mass index, and total energy intake. RESULTS: The total DQI-K score was calculated by summing the scores of the eight components (range 0-9). In the multivariable adjusted models, with good diet quality (score 0-4) as a reference, poor diet quality (score 5-9) was associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratios = 1.23, 95% confidence intervals = 1.06-1.43). Moreover, a one-unit increase in DQI-K score resulted in a 6% higher mortality risk. CONCLUSIONS: A poor diet quality DQI-K score was associated with an increased risk of mortality. The DQI-K in the present study may be used to assess the diet quality of Korean adults.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.227-235
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• 2017

Purpose: Crohn's disease (CD) can involve any site of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). However, the characteristics of upper GIT involvement in CD are unclear, especially in the Eastern pediatric population. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of upper GIT involvement and identify the clinical features of Korean children with CD. Methods: This was a retrospective multicenter cohort study that included 52 pediatric patients with CD who underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy and biopsy. The clinical symptoms and endoscopic and histologic features of the upper GIT were identified according to the presence or absence of upper gastrointestinal symptoms. Results: Among the 52 patients, upper GIT involvement was noted in 50.0% (26/52). The mean age at CD diagnosis was $14.1{\pm}2.1$ years. Gastric ulcer was the most common lesion (19.2%) found on upper GIT endoscopy, followed by duodenal ulcers (15.4%). Chronic inflammation was the most common histopathologic feature (75.0%), followed by gastric erosion (17.3%). Granuloma was found in 9.6% of patients. Helicobacter pylori infection was identified in 5.8% of patients. Endoscopic and histologic findings were not significantly different, but the mean values of erythrocyte sedimentation rate ($60.7{\pm}27.1$ vs. $43.0{\pm}27.6mm/h$, p=0.037) and C-reactive protein ($16.5{\pm}28.2$ vs. $6.62{\pm}13.4mg/dL$, p=0.014) were significantly different between patients with and without upper gastrointestinal CD symptoms. Conclusion: Upper GIT involvement was relatively common in pediatric patients with CD irrespective of upper gastrointestinal symptoms, and H. pylori infection was relatively uncommon. The results of this study should aid the establishment of regional guidelines for upper GIT examination.