Long working hours may increase risk of coronary heart disease.

Objective: To evaluate the association between long working hours and risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) estimated by Framingham risk score (FRS) in Korean adults.

Methods: This study evaluated adult participants in Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey IV (2007-2009). After inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied, the final sample size for this study model was 8,350.

Urinary bisphenol A concentrations are associated with abnormal liver function in the elderly: a repeated panel study.

Background: Bisphenol A (4,40-isopropylidenediphenol, BPA) is known to adversely affect various organs. The liver is reported to be affected by BPA in animal studies. However, there are few studies in humans on the effects of BPA on the liver.

Effects of environmental cadmium exposure on liver function in adults.

Background: There is inconsistency regarding the effects of cadmium exposure on liver function between the positive results found in animal studies and the negative results highlighted in epidemiological studies. We investigated whether environmental cadmium exposure is associated with an elevation in serum liver enzyme activity in Korean adults.

Methods: This cross-sectional study evaluated adult participants without liver disease from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for 2008-2009.

Long working hours and cardiovascular disease: a meta-analysis of epidemiologic studies.

Objective: To conduct a meta-analysis from published studies to evaluate the relationship between long working hours and the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Methods: Among a total of 341 published studies found from publicly accessible databases, five cohort studies and six case-control studies were analyzed for the study.

Results: Statistically significant heterogeneity has been observed (P = 0.

Fifteen years after the Gozan-Dong glass fiber outbreak, Incheon in 1995.

Objectives: In 1995, an outbreak survey in Gozan-dong concluded that an association between fiberglass exposure in drinking water and cancer outbreak cannot be established. This study follows the subjects from a study in 1995 using a data linkage method to examine whether an association existed. The authors will address the potential benefits and methodological issues following outbreak surveys using data linkage, particularly when informed consent is absent.

Heart rate variability and urinary catecholamines from job stress in korean male manufacturing workers according to work seniority.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationships between job stress and indicators of autonomic nervous system activity in employees of the manufacturing industry. A total of 140 employees from a company that manufactures consumer goods (i.e.

Development of the Korean Academy of Medical Sciences Guideline for rating physical impairment.

Systematic and effective welfare for the disabled is possible when there are scientific and objective criteria demonstrating either presence or severity of the impairment. We need our own scientific criteria suitable for our culture and society, since the impairment is influenced by them. In 2007, we established the Developing Committee of Korean Academy of Medical Sciences (KAMS) Guideline for Impairment Rating under KAMS supervision.

Relationship between serum adipocytokine levels and metabolic syndrome in menopausal women.

Objective: Adipocytokines are bioactive substances derived from adipose tissues, especially visceral fat, and play a crucial role in the development of metabolic syndrome. The aims of this study were to estimate serum levels of adipocytokines (adiponectin, resistin and TNF-alpha) and to examine the associations between adipocytokine levels and metabolic syndrome in menopausal women.

Methods: We recruited 28 postmenopausal women with features of metabolic syndrome.

Determinants of urinary 1-hydroxypyrene glucuronide in South Korean children.

Objectives: This study was conducted to investigate the dominant sources of the urinary pyrene metabolite, 1-hydroxypyrene glucuronide (1-OHPG), in South Korean children.

Methods: Urine samples were collected from 102 non-smoking children (aged 10-14). Urinary 1-OHPG was assayed by synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy, following immuno-affinity purification using monoclonal antibody 8E11.

[Effects of long-term fluoride in drinking water on risks of hip fracture of the elderly: an ecologic study based on database of hospitalization episodes].

Objectives: Fluoridation of drinking water is known to decrease dental caries, particularly in children. However, the effects of fluoridated water on bone over several decades are still in controversy. To assess the risk of hip fracture related to water fluoridation, we evaluated the hip fracture-related hospitalizations of the elderly between a fluoridated city and non-fluoridated cities in Korea.

Total laparoscopic resection of primary large retroperitoneal teratoma resembling an ovarian tumor in an adult.

Whereas most teratomas occur in the ovaries and testes of adolescents, they can be found in midline structures such as sacrococcygeum (congenitally), anterior mediastinum, retroperitoneum, and the pineal gland. Primary retroperitoneal teratomas are extremely rare in adults. A 27-year-old woman was referred to our hospital because of an incidentally found pelvic mass, considered to be an ovarian tumor by ultrasonography.

GSTM1 and TNF-alpha gene polymorphisms and relations between blood lead and inflammatory markers in a non-occupational population.

Inflammation is known to be an important underlying condition in the development of a variety of diseases. To investigate whether blood lead induces inflammatory reactions in non-occupationally exposed adults and the effects of genetic susceptibility associated with GSTM1 and TNF-alpha gene polymorphisms on this inflammatory response, we measured blood lead levels in 300 healthy university students. Total serum TNF-alpha and IL-6 levels and WBC counts were determined to evaluate the inflammatory response.

Interactive effect of genetic polymorphism of glutathione S-transferase M1 and smoking on squamous cell lung cancer risk in Korea.

To evaluate the role of the genetic polymorphisms of CYP2E1, GSTM1 and GSTT1, and their interaction with smoking in lung cancer development in Korean males, a hospital-based case-control study was conducted. Histologically confirmed male lung cancer patients (n=171) and male patients with no present or previous history of systemic illness who visited the urology department (n=196) were recruited from Seoul National University Hospital, Korea (1998-1999). CYP2E1 genotypes were determined by PCR-RFLP using RsaI digestion and GSTM1 and T1 genotypes were determined by multiplex PCR.

[Curriculum of health promotion and disease prevention for the 21st century--the 5th revision of preventive medicine learning objectives--].

The preventive medicine learning objectives, first developed in 1977 and subsequently supplemented, underwent necessary revision of the contents for the fourth time to create the fifth revision. However, the required educational contents of health promotion and disease prevention have been changed by the new trends of medical education such as PBL and integrated curriculum, the rapid change of the health and medical environment and the globalization of medicine. The Korean Society of Preventive Medicine formed a task force, led by the Undergraduate Education Committee in 2003, which surveyed all the medical colleges to describe the state of preventive medicine education in Korea, analyzed the changing education demand according to the change of health environment and quantitatively measured the validity and usefulness of each learning objective in the previous curriculum.

[Public perceptions of the risk of Asian dust storms in Seoul and its metropolitan area].

Objectives: In spite of the recent increased concern for Asian dust storms, there are few studies concerning how dangerous the general public recognizes these dust storms to be. This study examined the public's perceptions of the risk of the Asian dust storms and also the source of the information concerning the risk.

Methods: A telephone interview survey using a standardized questionnaire was done for the adults living in Seoul and its metropolitan area from May 15th, 2003 to May 16th, 2003.

Effect of short-term fasting on urinary excretion of primary lipid peroxidation products and on markers of oxidative DNA damage in healthy women.

The goal of this study was to determine whether short-term fasting changes in urinary biomarkers related to oxidative stress: malondialdehyde (MDA), 8-isoprostaglandin F2alpha (8-isoPGF), 8-hydroxydeoxy-guanosine (8-OHdG) and 1,N6-ethenodeoxyadenosine (epsilondA) among female volunteers participating in the short-term fasting program in South Korea. The study subjects were 52 healthy women (mean age 28, range 15-48 years old) who provided urine samples both before and after the fasting program (average 7.2, range: 3-11 days).

Design issues in cross-sectional biomarkers studies: urinary biomarkers of PAH exposure and oxidative stress.

Cross-sectional biomarker studies can provide a snapshot of the frequency and characteristics of exposure/disease in a population at a particular point in time and, as a result, valuable insights for delineating the multi-step association between exposure and disease occurrence. Three major issues should be considered when designing biomarker studies: selection of appropriate biomarkers, the assay (laboratory validity), and the population validity of the selected biomarkers. Factors related to biomarker selection include biological relevance, specificity, sensitivity, biological half-life, stability, and so on.

Incidence of cancer in the vicinity of Korean AM radio transmitters.

Results of various studies have indicated a potential association between exposures to electrical and/or magnetic fields and risks of various cancers. The authors used a cross-sectional ecological study design to investigate such a potential association. In areas proximate to 42 amplitude modulated (AM) radio transmitters, 11 high-power study sites (i.

Effect of 'PC Game Room' use and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon exposure on plasma testosterone concentrations in young male Koreans.

Background: 'PC Game Rooms' were first popularized in Korea, although the concept is now becoming popular worldwide. PC Game Rooms provide users with high-performance PC connected to the high-speed internet, and access to computer games. However, PC Game Room users are exposed to various hazardous agents such as cigarette smoke in a confined environment, and thus it is likely that excessive PC Game Room use involves abnormal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) as well as being associated with disturbed sleep or circadian rhythm.

Dose-responsiveness of electrophysiologic change in a new model of acute carpal tunnel syndrome.

This study was done to determine the dose-responsiveness during the development of acute pressure-induced median neuropathy in rabbits and to develop a new animal model of acute carpal tunnel syndrome. Twenty-three rabbits were used. Carpal tunnel syndrome was induced by infusing a controlled saline solution into the carpal tunnel of rabbits using a 21-gauge needle under general anesthesia to elevate the carpal tunnel pressure.

Urinary PAH metabolites influenced by genetic polymorphisms of GSTM1 in male hospital incinerator workers.

Hospital waste incinerator workers are exposed to various pyrolysis products including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). We evaluated their exposure by assessing urinary 1-hydroxypyrene glucuronide (1-OHPG), as an internal dose of PAH exposure. The potential effect of genetic polymorphisms of GSTM1/T1 involved in PAH metabolisms was also investigated.

Multiple biomarkers study in painters in a shipyard in Korea.

Shipbuilding workers are exposed to a variety of genotoxic compounds including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). A limited number of studies have been conducted to evaluate biomarkers related to PAH exposure in painters in the shipyard industry. We examined this in 208 workers recruited from a shipyard located in South Korea.

The association of subjective stress, urinary catecholamine concentrations and PC game room use and musculoskeletal disorders of the upper limbs in young male Koreans.

The use of PCs can cause health problems, including musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) of the upper limbs. This study was performed to investigate whether using PCs in PC game rooms may induce MSDs of the upper limbs. 284 young male Koreans were included.