Environment-wide association study of elevated liver enzymes: results from the Korean National Environmental Health Survey 2018-2022.

Background: Environmental exposure is characterized by low concentration, chronic, and complex exposure. Traditional epidemiological studies show limitations in reflecting these characteristics since they usually focus on a single or very limited number of exposure factors at a time. In this study, we adopted the methodology of environment-wide association study (EWAS) to figure out the association of human liver function with various environmentally hazardous substances.

Association between physical hazardous agent exposure and mental health in the Korean working population: the 5th Korean Working Conditions Survey.

Background: Mental health problems are emerging issues in occupational safety and health, whereas the findings on the relationship between physical hazards and mental health are not consistent. The aim of our study was to investigate the association between physical hazard exposure and mental health outcomes including depression and anxiety.

Methods: We included 48,476 participants from the fifth Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS) in this study.

Association of phthalates and early menarche in Korean adolescent girls from Korean National Environmental Health Survey (KoNEHS) 2015-2017.

Background: Phthalates are one of renowned endocrine-disrupting chemicals, although inconsistent results are present around their effect on onset of menarche. Our hypothesis is that pre-pubertal exposure to phthalates is associated with acceleration of menarche.

Methods: We analyzed a total of 236 middle school (7th to 9th grade) girls from Korean National Environmental Health Survey 20152017.

Effects of GABA(A) receptor blockade on regional cerebral blood flow and blood-brain barrier disruption in focal cerebral ischemia.

In cerebral ischemia, transmission by the inhibitory neurotransmitter, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is altered. This study was performed to determine whether blockade of GABA(A) receptor would affect regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability in a focal ischemic area of the brain. Rats were anesthetized with isoflurane and mechanically ventilated.