Association between working evening shifts and mental health among Korean employees: data from the 5th Korean Working Conditions Survey.

Background: Many studies have been conducted to investigate the harmful effect of shift work on physical and mental health. Although, by definition, "working evening shift" is included in the scope of shift work, most related studies conducted thus far have focused on working night shifts, overtime work, or different types of shift work, with little research effort dedicated to "working evening shifts." Therefore, to fill this research gap, we investigated the effect of working evening shifts on workers' mental health.

Relationship between long work hours and self-reported sleep disorders of non-shift daytime wage workers in South Korea: data from the 5th Korean Working Conditions Survey.

Background: Studies have investigated the relationship between long work hours and sleep disorders; however, they have focused on shift workers or specific workers who are at high risk of industrial accidents rather than wage workers in general. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of long work hours on sleep disorders among non-shift daytime wage workers.

Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of data from the 5th Korean Working Conditions Survey.

Effects of Exposure to Lead and Cadmium on Health of Inhabitants of Abandoned Metal Mine Area in Korea.

People living near abandoned mines are at increased risk of exposure to toxic metals. We surveyed 4500 inhabitants with the mean age of 68.5 years old (male: 1768, female: 2732) living near 104 abandoned metal mines from 2013 to 2017 (the 2nd phase health survey in Korea).

Awareness of occupational hazards and personal protective equipment use among dental hygienists.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the awareness of occupational hazards and personal protective equipment use among dental hygienists (DHs).

Methods: A total of 271 self-administered questionnaires were obtained from 280 DHs working at dental hospitals or clinics in Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do, Korea.

Results: The occupational hazards included work involving dust (94.

Emotional labor and job types of male firefighters in Daegu Metropolitan City.

Background: Research on the emotional labor of firefighters is actively being carried out, but studies that analyze emotional labor separately by job types, working departments, and other conditions of firefighters are insufficient. The purpose of this study is to investigate the difference in emotional labor level between departments and other conditions of firefighters.

Methods: A total of 287 Korean firefighters were included for analysis.

Diving patterns and decompression sickness among South Korean fishery divers.

Objectives: We aimed to report the characteristics of diving practice and the incidence of decompression sickness (DCS) among South Korean fishery divers.

Methods: We sent out questionnaires to 215 registered boat owners, and 196 of the fishery divers responded. The questionnaire was comprised of demographical characteristics, diving-related characteristics, and experiences with DCS.

Performance assessment on the Korean Computerized Neurobehavioral Test using a mobile device and a conventional computer: an experimental study.

Background: The Korean Computerized Neurobehavioral Test (KCNT) is a psychological assessment tool used as part of Workers' Special Health Examinations in Korea. Due to the spread of mobile technology, this study aimed to compare results of the KCNT administered on a tablet PC versus a desktop computer, and, therefore, assess the clinical applicability of mobile devices.

Methods: A total of 72 participants enrolled in this study.

The associations between blood mercury levels and shark meat intake among workers in Gyeongsangbuk-do.

Background: Shark meat is used as sacrificial food in Gyeongsangbuk-do, and is a major source of dietary mercury. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of shark meat intake or the ritual of on blood mercury levels within workers living in Gyeongsangbuk-do.

Methods: This study was conducted from September 2016 to October 2016 in two cities of Gyeongsangbuk-do.

Urinary arsenic species concentration in residents living near abandoned metal mines in South Korea.

Background: Arsenic is a carcinogenic heavy metal that has a species-dependent health effects and abandoned metal mines are a source of significant arsenic exposure. Therefore, the aims of this study were to analyze urinary arsenic species and their concentration in residents living near abandoned metal mines and to monitor the environmental health effects of abandoned metal mines in Korea.

Methods: This study was performed in 2014 to assess urinary arsenic excretion patterns of residents living near abandoned metal mines in South Korea.

Effects of computer familiarity and computer type on the performance of Korean computerized neurobehavioral test.

Background: It is thought that computer familiarity has increased significantly since 2004 as well as the use of computers. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of computer familiarity and types of keyboard and computer on the performance of the Korean computerized neurobehavioral test (KCNT), and to identify which parameters of KCNT were affected by aforementioned factors.

Methods: A total of 85 subjects were classified into three groups of computer familiarity by Korean typing speed.

The association between blood cadmium level, frequency and amount of gejang (marinated crab) intake.

Background: Gejang (marinated crab) is a favorite traditional food and a main source of crab intake among Koreans. The present study aimed to identify the possibility of cadmium inflow to the body through gejang; accordingly, the relationship between gejang intake frequency and amount, and blood cadmium concentrations was investigated.

Methods: Using data from the first Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in the sixth period in 2013, means and standard errors of blood cadmium concentrations in relation to gejang intake frequency and amount, as well as the monthly intake of gejang, were obtained from 1381 participants for whom data regarding blood cadmium concentration measurements was available.

Evaluation of mercury exposure level, clinical diagnosis and treatment for mercury intoxication.

Mercury occurs in various chemical forms, and it is different to health effects according to chemical forms. In consideration of the point, the evaluation of the mercury exposure to human distinguished from occupational and environmental exposure. With strict to manage occupational exposure in factory, it is declined mercury intoxication cases by metallic and inorganic mercury inhalation to occupational exposure.

Evaluation and management of lead exposure.

Lead, which is widely used in industry, is a common element found in low concentrations in the Earth's crust. Implementations to reduce environmental lead concentrations have resulted in a considerable reduction of lead levels in the environment (air) and a sustained reduction in the blood lead levels of the average citizen. However, people are still being exposed to lead through a variety of routes in everyday commodities.

Effect of exercise intensity on unfolded protein response in skeletal muscle of rat.

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, unfolded protein response (UPR), and mitochondrial biogenesis were assessed following varying intensities of exercise training. The animals were randomly assigned to receive either low- (LIT, n=7) or high intensity training (HIT, n=7), or were assigned to a control group (n=7). Over 5 weeks, the animals in the LIT were exercised on a treadmill with a 10° incline for 60 min at a speed of 20 m/min group, and in the HIT group at a speed of 34 m/min for 5 days a week.

A Case of Lead Poisoning due to a Mixture of Talisman Ash.

Background: Lead is a metal that has no biological function useful for the human body. In Korea, non-occupational exposure to lead has mostly occurred through taking oriental medicine. However, in this paper we report a case of lead poisoning caused by ingesting talisman material.

The Association between Shift Work and the Metabolic Syndrome in Female Workers.

Objective: This study aimed to determine identify any association between shift work and the metabolic syndrome by comparing the prevalence rates of the metabolic syndrome in shift work groups and daytime work groups for female workers.

Methods: Based on data from health examinations carried out from April to December of 2012, we selected as our subjects 254 female workers from the Daegu area Dyeing Industrial Complex. We diagnosed the metabolic syndrome using the examination results, and information about age, whether or not they did shift work, job type, smoking habits, drinking habits, exercise habits, and past medical history was collected through self-administered questionnaire surveys and face-to-face interviews.

The association between long working hours and the metabolic syndrome: evidences from the 5th Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of 2010 and 2012.

Objectives: This study was conducted in order to evaluate the association between the working hours of Korean employees and the metabolic syndrome and the effects of long working hours on metabolic syndrome based on the 5th Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2010-2012).

Methods: Based on the 5th Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2010-2012), 4,456 Korean employees without shift work, aged over 15, who work 30 hours or more per week were targeted in this study. The association between the general characteristics, including age, smoking, alcohol drinking, exercise, and the metabolic syndrome criteria defined by International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and weekly working hours were analyzed.

Evaluation of reliability of computerized neurobehavioral tests in Korean children.

Neurobehavioral tests are among the most efficient methods of identifying the adverse health effects of neurotoxicants. The reliability of neurobehavioral tests may be affected by racial or cultural backgrounds, but the widely used computerized neurobehavioral tests have been developed and standardized for Western children. It is thus necessary to assess the reliability of the existing computerized neurobehavioral tests for Korean children.

Health impact assessment of free immunization program in Jinju City, Korea.

Objectives: This study was conducted to assess the potential health impacts and improve the quality of the free immunization program in Jinju City by maximizing the predicted positive health gains and minimizing the negative health risks.

Methods: A steering committee was established in September 2010 to carry out the health impact assessment (HIA) and began the screening and scoping stages. In the appraisal stage, analysis of secondary data, a literature review, case studies, geographic information systems analysis, a questionnaire, and expert consultations were used.

Analysis of causes of injuries among children in Daegu, Korea.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the mechanisms and exact causes of injuries to children by analyzing the medical records of children who visited emergency medical centers.

Methods: We reviewed the medical records of 7,114 pediatric patients (aged below 15 years) who visited the emergency care center (ECC) of a Yeungnam university hospital in Daegu between January 2007 and December 2009.

Results: Among the pediatric patients who visited the ECC, 1,526 (27.

Assessment of community capacity building ability of health promotion workers in public health centers.

Objectives: This study was performed to assess the community capacity building ability of health promotion workers of public health centers and to identify influential factors to the ability.

Methods: The subjects were 43 public officers from 16 public health centers in Busan Metropolitan City. Questionnaire was developed based on 'Community Capacity Building Tool' of Public Health Agency of Canada which consists of 9 feathers.

Fucoidan inhibits UVB-induced MMP-1 promoter expression and down regulation of type I procollagen synthesis in human skin fibroblasts.

UVB reduces type I procollagen levels and increases matrix metalloproteinases-1 (MMP-1) levels in human skin and plays a major role in the process of photoaging. We previously reported that fucoidan inhibits UVB-induced MMP-1 expression at the protein and mRNA levels in human skin fibroblasts (HS68). Yet, the effects of fucoidan on UVB-induced MMP-1 promoter activity and type I procollagen have not been investigated.

Evaluation of reliability of traditional and computerized neurobehavioral tests.

Most Korean blue-collar workers are taking government-mandated medical screening periodically. The periodic neurobehavioral test provides a great chance to evaluate the functional change of the central nervous system. To utilize periodic neurobehavioral tests effectively, the reliability of currently used neurobehavioral tests needs to be evaluated.

Cross-cultural comparison of neurobehavioral performance in Asian workers.

Widely-used neurobehavioral tests have been developed and standardized on Western populations, but studies on subject factors for Asian populations have been very limited. For the effective application and interpretation of neurobehavioral tests in Asian populations, an evaluation of the effects of subject factors, including cultural background, is necessary. A cross-cultural study was conducted to evaluate the effects of cultural background and the interaction between cultural background and education on neurobehavioral tests in Asian populations.