• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.47 no.5
• /
• pp.253-257
• /
• 2014

Arsenic is a ubiquitous, naturally occurring metalloid that may be a significant risk factor for cancer after exposure to contaminated drinking water, cigarettes, foods, industry, occupational environment, and air. Among the various routes of arsenic exposure, drinking water is the largest source of arsenic poisoning worldwide. Arsenic exposure from ingested foods usually comes from food crops grown in arsenic-contaminated soil and/or irrigated with arsenic-contaminated water. According to a recent World Health Organization report, arsenic from contaminated water can be quickly and easily absorbed and depending on its metabolic form, may adversely affect human health. Recently, the US Food and Drug Administration regulations for metals found in cosmetics to protect consumers against contaminations deemed deleterious to health; some cosmetics were found to contain a variety of chemicals including heavy metals, which are sometimes used as preservatives. Moreover, developing countries tend to have a growing number of industrial factories that unfortunately, harm the environment, especially in cities where industrial and vehicle emissions, as well as household activities, cause serious air pollution. Air is also an important source of arsenic exposure in areas with industrial activity. The presence of arsenic in airborne particulate matter is considered a risk for certain diseases. Taken together, various potential pathways of arsenic exposure seem to affect humans adversely, and future efforts to reduce arsenic exposure caused by environmental factors should be made.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
• /
• v.12 no.3
• /
• pp.600-608
• /
• 2001

Accidents are the fourth-leading causal factor of death among the elderly, and fall is a major type of accident (53.17%). Many cases of falls in the elderly result in delayed discovery and loss of quality of life. As the number of the elderly grows, falls will be a more important health problem. Most previous research on falls investigated prevalence. mortality, and the related factors. There are many studies proving the effect of rhythmic movements. But few researches considered linking risk factors of fall with rhythmic movements. Purpose: We want to show the changes after performing rhythmic movement program, in risk factors of falls and mobility such as flexibility, balance, muscle power and persistency in the elderly, in order to provide basic information needed for the development of fall injury prevention program for the elderly. Method: The design of this study is quasi-experimental, the equivalent control group, pretest-posttest. The subjects consist of 124 people who lived in Do-Bong-Qu. Seoul, agreed to participate in this study, and were able to follow this rhythmic movement program. About 93 % of them are from 65 to 84 years (Mean${\pm}$sd: $73.7{\pm}5.7$): 64% are female. The rhythmic movement program was designed. and performed by two community health nurses working in the Do-Bong-Gu Public Health Center, regularly twice a week from May, 4 to December, 17. in 10 senior citizens' community centers. Risk factors of fall were measured with RAFS- II (Risk Assessment for Falls Scale II) by asking about each item: mobility was measured by observing their specific movements asked by investigators. Results: 1. After performing the program during 7 months, risk factors score of falls were decreased significantly (paired-t = 4.77. p<0.01). 2. After performing the program during 7 months, flexibility (paired-t = 2.26. p=0.03) and mobility were improved (paired-t = 4.98. p<0.01). but muscle power and persistency did not change (paired-t = 0.33. p=0.74). Overall, mobility affecting the occurrence of falls was improved significantly (paired-t = 5.15. p<0.01). Conclusions: A regular rhythmic movement program can be helpful in preventing falls in the elderly. Further. we can develop a fall injury prevention program using rhythmic movement.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.14 no.11
• /
• pp.6519-6522
• /
• 2013

Background: Genetic polymorphisms of TP63 have been suggested to influence susceptibility to lung adenocarcinoma development in East Asian populations. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between common polymorphisms in the TP63 gene and the risk of lung adenocarcinoma, as well as interactions of the polymorphisms with environmental risk factors in Chinese non-smoking females. Methods: A case-control study of 260 cases and 318 controls was conducted. Data concerning demographic and risk factors were obtained for each subject. The genetic polymorphisms were determined by Taqman real-time PCR and statistical analyses were performed using SPSS software. Results: For 10937405, carriers of the CT genotype or at least one T allele (CT/TT) had lower risks of lung adenocarcinoma compared with the homozygous wild CC genotype in Chinese nonsmoking females (adjusted ORs were 0.68 and 0.69, 95%CIs were 0.48-0.97 and 0.50-0.97, P values were 0.033 and 0.030, respectively). Allele comparison showed that the T allele of rs10937405 was associated with a decreased risk of lung adenocarcinoma with an OR of 0.78 (95%CI=0.60-1.01, P=0.059). Our results showed that exposure to cooking oil fumes was associated with increased risk of lung adenocarcinoma in Chinese nonsmoking females (adjusted OR=1.58, 95%CI=1.11-2.25, P=0.011). However, we did not observe a significant interaction of cooking oil fumes and TP63 polymorphisms. Conclusion: TP63 polymorphism might be a genetic susceptibility factor for lung adenocarcinoma in Chinese non-smoking females, but no significant interaction was found with cooking oil fume exposure.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.16 no.10
• /
• pp.4383-4386
• /
• 2015

Background: The C1561T variant of the glutamate carboxypeptidase II (GCPII) gene is critical for natural methylfolylpolyglutamte (methylfolate) absorption, and has been associated with perturbations in folate metabolism and disease susceptibility. However, little is known on C1561T-GCPII as a risk factor for colorectal cancer. Therefore, this study examined whether C1561T-GCPII influences folate metabolism and adenomatous polyp occurrence. Materials and Methods: 164 controls and 38 adenomatous polyp cases were analysed to determine blood folate and plasma homocysteine (Hcy) level, dietary intake of natural methylfolate, synthetic pteroylglutamic acid (PteGlu), vitamin C and C1561T-GCPII genotype. Results: In controls and cases, 7.3 and 18.4 percent of subjects respectively, were found to have the CT genotype, increasing the risk for adenomatous polyp occurrence 2.86 times (95% CI:1.37-8.0, p=0.035). Total dietary folate, methylfolate and PteGlu intake and the level of erythrocyte folate and plasma Hcy did not predict the occurrence of an adenomatous polyp. However, dietary natural vitamin C intake was associated with adenomatous polyp risk within C1561T-GCPII CT genotype subjects (p=0.037). Conclusions: The findings suggest that C1561T-GCPII variation may be associated with risk for adenomatous polyp, and vitamin C may modify risk by interacting with the variant gene, its expression product and/or folate substrates.

• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
• /
• v.8 no.2
• /
• pp.68-74
• /
• 2007

It has been recognized that safety management is activated during the construction phase to prevent accidents and fatalities of workers. However, It is revealed that about 15% of fatal death accidents is caused by the lack of management of planning and design phases. There is a crucial need of assessing safety risk during building design phase. This paper is aimed to develop a safety risk assessment checklist that can be used during building design phase, utilizing the concept of Design for Safety. In doing so, a broad literature survey on safety management of building Process, various safety risk assessment toolboxes being utilized in the HSE and the BAA of UK. The proposed checklist contains the followings: 1) classification structure for safety design on space, element, and trade work 2) hazard risk factor, probability and degree of intensity of accident occurrence, and 3) safety assessment criteria. It is expected that the checklist would be an effective tool of preventing and minimizing fatal accidents of building construction projects.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Computer Information Conference
• /
• 2021.07a
• /
• pp.333-335
• /
• 2021

Gallbladder polyps (GBPs) may be a cause of gallbladder cancer. The known risk factors for GBPs are male gender, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and dyslipidemia. Especially, male gender has been known that it strongly affects on the prevalence of GBPs. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate risk factors affecting the prevalence of GBPs among adults on Jeju Island according to genders. We examined 5,574 subjects who visited a single health-screening center in Jeju between January 2015 and December 2019. Univariate and multiple logistic regression analysis were performed to identify risk factors affecting the prevalence of GBPs. The prevalence of GBPs were 8.9% in male subjects and 8.1% in female subjects, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that ≥60 year age (odds ratio [OR] 0.659; P=0.027) and aspartate aminotransferase >32 IU/L (OR 0.658; P=0.009) in male subjects and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol ≥60 mg/dL (OR 0.514; P=0.013) in female subjects were independent factors affecting the prevalence of GBPs. The prevalence of GBPs in men (8.9%) is comparable to that in women (8.1%) on Jeju Island. Age <60 years and the high level of aspartate aminotransferase in men and the greater level of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol in women were independent risk factors of GBPs on Jeju Island.

• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
• /
• v.32 no.1
• /
• pp.22-29
• /
• 2020

In this study, we suggested indirect evidence of whether Sasang constitution(SC) could be a risk factor for Post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD) among soldiers who participated in Vietnam war. The number of 199 subjects joined this study. We surveyed SC with KS-15 and PTSD with Korean Version of Impact of Event Scale-Revised questionnaires. A Chi-square test and a one-way ANOVA were performed according to SC type, and multiple logistic regression was used to produce odds ratios(ORs). Significant p was .05. The number(rate) of Taeeumin(TE), Soeumin(SE), and Soyangin(SY) types were 131(65.8%), 33(16.6%), and 35(17.6%) respectively. The score of PTSD in SE type(8.78±8.61) was significantly higher than those of SY(4.00±6.5) and TE types(3.65±6.78)(p=.001, SE>TE, SY, Scheffe). SE type was associated with increased PTSD prevalence compared with TE [OR 4.338; 95% CI 1.525-12.335, p<.01], and it was still associated with increased PTSD prevalence [OR 10.658; 95% CI 1.296-87.661, p<.05] after adjusting for age and weight. This study suggests that SC, particularly the SE type, might be significantly associated with PTSD and could be considered as a risk factor for PTSD.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.19
• /
• pp.8311-8317
• /
• 2014

Background: Evidence supporting an association between the 8q24 rs4242382-A polymorphism and prostate cancer (PCa) risk has been reported in North American and Europe populations, though data from Asian populations remain limited. We therefore investigated this association by clinical detection in China, and meta-analysis in Asian, Caucasian and African-American populations. Materials and Methods: Blood samples and clinical information were collected from ethnically Chinese men from Northern China with histologically-confirmed PCa (n=335) and from age-matched normal controls (n=347). The 8q24 (rs4242382) gene polymorphism was genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-high-resolution melting analysis. We initially analyzed the associations between the risk allele and PCa and clinical covariates. A meta-analysis was then performed using genotyping data from a total of 1,793 PCa cases and 1,864 controls from our study and previously published studies in American and European populations, to determine the association between PCa and risk genotype. Results: The incidence of the risk allele was higher in PCa cases than controls (0.222 vs 0.140, $P=7.3{\times}10^{-5}$), suggesting that the 8q24 rs4242382-A polymorphism was associated with PCa risk in Chinese men. The genotypes in subjects were in accordance with a dominant genetic model (ORadj=2.03, 95%CI: 1.42-2.91, $Padj=1.1{\times}10^{-4}$). Presence of the risk allele rs4242382-A at 8q24 was also associated with clinical covariates including age at diagnosis ${\geq}65$ years, prostate specific antigen >10 ng/ml, Gleason score <8, tumor stage and aggressive PCa, compared with the non-risk genotype ($P=4.6{\times}10^{-5}-3.0{\times}10^{-2}$). Meta-analysis confirmed the association between 8q24 rs4242382-A polymorphism and PCa risk (OR=1.62, 95%CI: 1.39-1.88, $P=1.0{\times}10^{-5}$) across Asian, Caucasian and African American populations. Conclusions: The replicated data suggest that the 8q24 rs4242382-A variation might be associated with increased PCa susceptibility in Asian, Caucasian and African American populations. These results imply that this polymorphism may be a useful risk biomarker for PCa in multi-ethnic populations.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.3 no.1
• /
• pp.52-57
• /
• 2012

Objectives: Lifting heavy weights involves the Valsalva manoeuvre, which leads to intraocular pressure spikes. We used data from a case-control study to further investigate the hypothesis that occupational lifting is a risk factor for retinal detachment. Methods: The study population included 48 cases (patients operated for retinal detachment) and 84 controls (outpatients attending an eye clinic). The odds ratios (OR) of idiopathic retinal detachment were estimated with a logistic regression model (adjusted for age, sex and body mass index). Three indexes were used to examine exposure to lifting; 1) maximum load lifted, 2) average weekly lifting, 3) lifelong cumulative lifting. Results: For all indexes, the most exposed subjects showed an increased risk of retinal detachment compared with the unexposed (index 1: OR 3.57, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.21-10.48; index 2: OR 3.24, 95% CI 1.32-7.97; index 3: OR 2.23, 95% CI 1.27-8.74) and dose-response relationships were apparent. Conclusion: These results reinforce the hypothesis that heavy occupational lifting may be a relevant risk factor for retinal detachment.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.14 no.7
• /
• pp.4335-4338
• /
• 2013

Background: This study aimed to determine the association between betel quid chewing and the occurrence of upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) cancers. Methods: A cohort of 17,388 subjects, recruited and interviewed over the 1990-2001 period, in Khon Kaen, Thailand, was followed up until 2011. The data were linked to the Khon Kaen Population-Based Cancer Registry. Results: The prevalence of betel quid chewing was 15.9%, with a female predominance (97.7%); the mean age of chewers was 57.7 years (SD 6.6). The overall incidence of UADT cancers from the cohort was 14.7 per 100,000 person-years, whereas the incidence among the chewers was 45.7. Betel nut chewing was the only major risk factor for UADT cancers in this population (HR=5.26, 95%CI=2.51-11.0), while weak associations were found for tobacco smoking and alcohol (HR=1.16, 95%CI=0.45-3.01 and 1.47, 95%CI=0.72-3.03 respectively). Conclusions: We found betel quid chewing to be a main risk factor for UADT cancers, resulting in a higher incidence in females. However, further study is required to explore the potential risk factors among non-chewers, non-smokers, and non-drinkers.