Excess mortality related to high air temperature: Comparison of the periods including 1994 and 2018, the worst heat waves in the history of South Korea.

Climate change has caused extreme weather events, including frequent summer heat waves. We examined how the effects of high air temperatures on mortality have changed between the two study periods (1991-1995 and 2015-2019), including 1994 and 2018, the worst heat wave years in the meteorological history of South Korea. Temperature data from the Korea Meteorological Administration and mortality data from Statistics Korea were used in this study.

Spatial associations of daily PM concentration with cardiovascular and pulmonary morbidity in Korea.

Air pollution, particularly fine particulate matter less than 2.5 μm in diameter (PM), contributes to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and poses significant public health risks worldwide. This study evaluated the short-term effects of PM on hospital admissions for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, with additional analyses to identify vulnerable populations based on regional characteristics.

Cancer Incidence Among Residents Near Coal-Fired Power Plants Based on the Korean National Health Insurance System Data.

Background: Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, posing a significant threat to human health and life expectancy. Numerous existing studies explored the correlation between coal-fired power plants and cancer development. Currently, Chungcheongnam-do Province hosts 29 coal-fired power plants, constituting half of the total 58 plants across South Korea.

Association between urinary arsenic concentration and genetic polymorphisms in Korean adults.

Unlabelled: Arsenic (As) is a human carcinogen widely distributed in the environment. This study evaluated the association between the urinary As concentration and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in Korean adults to determine the genetic factors related to As concentration. The study included 496 participants for the genome-wide association study (GWAS) and 1483 participants for the candidate gene approach study.

Clinical Features and Risk Factors of Post-COVID-19 Condition in Korea.

Objectives: Numerous studies have explored the causes and spread of outbreaks, yet there is a lack of research on post-coronavirus disease 2019 condition (PCC) in Korea. The goal of this study was to identify the various types of PCC and associated factors in discharged patients and to provide directions for the ongoing health management of confirmed patients.

Methods: A telephone survey was conducted among 680 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients diagnosed between July 7, 2021 and August 26, 2021, in Dangjin, Chungnam, Korea.

Exposure to Hazardous Substances and Their Health Effects Among Residents Living Near Three Industrial Waste Incinerators in Korea.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate exposure to various hazardous substances emitted by incineration facilities and their likely effect on the health for residents of Bugi-myeon, Cheongju, Korea, which has three incineration facilities.

Methods: Heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and dioxin concentrations in the air and soil of exposed and control areas were measured. Moreover, the exposure levels to harmful substances and its effects on health were investigated in 1,124 exposed and 232 control adults.

Mediation of daily ambient ozone concentration on association between daily mean temperature and mortality in 7 metropolitan cities of Korea.

Background: Climate change is suspected to cause adverse health effects, and increased ozone concentration is one of the proposed pathways. We examined the mediation of ozone on the association between temperature and daily mortality and estimated excess mortality due to climate change.

Methods: Daily mean temperature, 8-hour maximum ozone concentration, and daily number of non-accidental deaths from 7 metropolitan cities in Korea (Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Incheon, Daejeon, Gwangju, and Ulsan) between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2019 were analyzed.

Impact of Radiofrequency Exposure From Mobile Phones on the Risk of Developing Brain Tumors in Korean and Japanese Adolescents: A MOBI-Kids Case-control Study.

Background: This study aimed to examine the association between risk of brain tumors and radiofrequency (RF) exposure from mobile phones among young people in Korea and Japan.

Methods: This case-control study of brain tumors in young people was conducted in Korea and Japan under the framework of the international MOBI-Kids study. We included 118 patients diagnosed with brain tumors between 2011 and 2015 and 236 matched appendicitis controls aged 10-24 years.

Effects of Environmental Cadmium Exposure on the Liver in Korean Adults: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Studies.

Cadmium (Cd) is a ubiquitous environmental pollutant with an exceptionally long biological half-life. The liver is a major organ for Cd metabolism, but the toxicity of Cd is unclear. This study sought to determine whether blood Cd (BCd) level (representing recent exposure [months] to Cd) was associated with liver function in Korean adults, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally.

Associations of cold exposure with hospital admission and mortality due to acute kidney injury: A nationwide time-series study in Korea.

Background: Emerging evidence supports an association between heat exposure and acute kidney injury (AKI). However, there is a paucity of studies on the association between cold exposure and AKI.

Objective: We aimed to investigate the associations of cold exposure with hospital admission and mortality due to AKI and to explore whether these associations were influenced by age and sex.

Associations between Dietary Intake and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Scores by Repeated Measurements in School-Age Children.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common psychiatric disorder in school-age children and adolescents. However, the reported associations between ADHD and single nutrient intake are inconsistent. The aim of the study was to investigate the relationships between dietary intake changes and the prevalence of ADHD over time with repeat measurements using data from the Children Health and Environment Research (CHEER).

Effect modification of consecutive high concentration days on the association between fine particulate matter and mortality: a multi-city study in Korea.

Objectives: Although there is substantial evidence for the short-term effect of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) on daily mortality, few epidemiological studies have explored the effect of prolonged continuous exposure to high concentrations of PM2.5.

Associations between cold spells and hospital admission and mortality due to diabetes: A nationwide multi-region time-series study in Korea.

Background: Climate change is predicted to increase the frequency, intensity, and duration of extreme cold events in the mid-latitudes. However, although diabetes is one of the most critical metabolic diseases due to its high and increasing prevalence worldwide, few studies have investigated the short-term association between cold exposure and diabetes-related outcomes.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between cold spells and their characteristics (intensity, duration, and seasonal timing) and hospital admission and mortality due to diabetes.

Cancer risk in the residents of a town near three industrial waste incinerators in Korea: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Three industrial waste incinerators (IWIs) were built in 1999, 2001, and 2010, within a 3 km radius of a town with a population of around 5000 in Korea. This study evaluated whether residents near these three IWIs had increased cancer incidence than those from other areas in Korea using regional health data.

Methods: Standardized incidence ratios (SIR) were calculated using the frequency of cancer cases in the National Cancer Registry of the exposed area (Buki-myeon), Chungcheongbuk-do (Chungbuk, state including Buki-myeon), and whole Korea from 1999 to 2017.

Association of indoor and outdoor short-term PM2.5 exposure with blood pressure among school children.

The association between particulate matter and children's increased blood pressure is inconsistent, and few studies have evaluated indoor exposure, accounting for time-activity. The present study aimed to examine the association between personal short-term exposure to PM and blood pressure in children. We conducted a panel study with up to three physical examinations during different seasons of 2018 (spring, summer, and fall) among 52 children.

Exposure Levels and Contributing Factors of Various Arsenic Species and Their Health Effects on Korean Adults.

Arsenic is a human carcinogen. Data on urinary arsenic species analyses of Koreans are limited. This study evaluated the arsenic exposure level, contributing factors, and health effects in Korean adults.

Pathogen-specific response of infectious gastroenteritis to ambient temperature: National surveillance data in the Republic of Korea, 2015-2019.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between ambient temperature and common viral and bacterial gastroenteritis in the Republic of Korea, which has a high-income and temperate climate, considering the different lagged effects of each causative pathogen.

Methods: We obtained the number of weekly reported cases of infectious gastroenteritis caused by norovirus, group A rotavirus, enteric adenovirus, Clostridium perfringens, non-typhoidal Salmonella, and Campylobacter between 2015 and 2019 from the Korean Infectious Diseases Sentinel Surveillance System. We obtained weather data from the Korea Meteorological Administration for the same period.

Associations Between Sleep-Disordered Breathing and Behavioral and Cognitive Functions in Children With and Without Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

Background: Sleep-related problems are highly prevalent comorbidities in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the associations between sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and behavioral and cognitive functions in children with and without ADHD.

Methods: A total of 341 children were included (ADHD group: 155, control group: 186; age: 6-10 years).

Mobile Phone Use and Time Trend of Brain Cancer Incidence Rate in Korea.

This study evaluated the time trends in mobile phone subscriber number by mobile network generation (G) and brain cancer incidence by type in Korea. We obtained data from the Information Technology Statistics of Korea (1984-2017) and Korea Central Cancer Registry (1999-2017). The average annual percent change was estimated using Joinpoint regression analysis.

Cancer cluster among small village residents near the fertilizer plant in Korea.

Objectives: In Jang-jeom, a small village in Hamra-myeon, Iksan-si, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea, residents raised concerns about a suspected cancer cluster that they attributed to a fertilizer plant near the village. We aimed to investigate whether the cancer incidence in the village was higher than that in the general Korean population when the factory was in operation (2001-2017) and whether living in the village was associated with a higher risk of cancer.

Methods: Using national population data and cancer registration data of South Korea, we estimated the standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) in the village to investigate whether more cancer cases occurred in the village compared to other regions.

Effects of El Niño/La Niña on the Number of Imported Shigellosis Cases in the Republic of Korea, 2004-2017.

Shigellosis is a major diarrheal disease in low- and middle-income countries. Although the incidence of such diseases in South and Southeast Asia has been associated with climate fluctuations linked to the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the impact of ENSO on shigellosis infections remains unknown. Data reported to being infected with shigellosis while traveling abroad from 2004 to 2017 were obtained from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Network analysis for the symptom of depression with Children's Depression Inventory in a large sample of school-aged children.

Background: Depressive disorders have various symptom presentations, which may have complex and dynamic interactions. This study aimed to investigate the network structures underlying the symptoms and to identify the central symptoms of depression in school-aged children.

Methods: Participants were a large community sample of elementary school children aged 6 to 12 years (N = 10,233).