Colonoscopic Screening and Risk of All-Cause and Colorectal Cancer Mortality in Young and Older Individuals / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

Purpose@#The incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer (CRC) and associated mortality have been increasing. However, the potential benefits of CRC screening are largely unknown in young individuals. We aimed to evaluate the effect of CRC screening with colonoscopy on all-cause and CRC mortality among young (aged < 45 years) and older (aged ≥ 45 years) individuals. @*Materials and Methods@#This cohort study included 528,046 Korean adults free of cancer at baseline who underwent a comprehensive health examination. The colonoscopic screening group was defined as those who reported undergoing colonoscopy for CRC screening. Mortality follow-up until December 31, 2019 was ascertained based on nationwide death certificate data from the Korea National Statistical Office. @*Results@#Colonoscopic screening was associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality in both young and older individuals. Multivariable-adjusted time-dependent hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) for all-cause mortality comparing ever- to never-screening were 0.86 (0.75-0.99) for young individuals and 0.71 (0.65-0.78) for older individuals. Colonoscopic screenings were also associated with a reduced risk of CRC mortality without significant interaction by age, although this association was significant only among participants aged ≥ 45 years, with corresponding time-dependent hazard ratios of 0.47 (0.15-1.44) for young individuals and 0.52 (0.31-0.87) for those aged ≥ 45 years. @*Conclusion@#Colonoscopic CRC screening decreased all-cause mortality among both young and older individuals, while significantly decreased CRC mortality was observed only in those aged ≥ 45 years. Screening initiation at an earlier age warrants more rigorous confirmatory studies.

Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms and Related Factors in Firefighters of a Firestation / 대한산업의학회지

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the factors related with posttraumatic symptoms and to estimate the prevalence of posttraumatic disorder of urban male firefighters. METHODS: From a study sample comprising 260 male firefighters from one fire station, the responses from 146 who had experienced one or more traumatic events, responded to the 'Impact of Event Scale-Revised Korean version' (IES-R-K) and didn't show any evidence of depression were analyzed. We surveyed the firefighters using a self-administered questionnaire including general characteristics, job-related characteristics, IES-R-K, and a 'Firefighters and paramedics' incident stressor'. RESULTS: The mean value of IES-R-K in this study was 11.3 and it was higher in the married firefighters than in the unmarried firefighters (p=0.005) and in the 24-hr shift workers than in the ordinary day shift workers (p=0.032). The frequency of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) of the firefighters in this study using IES-R-K was 13.7%, with a cutoff point of 24/25. The overall number of experiences of 25 traumatic events was larger in emergency medical personnel and rescue workers than in other work functions (p=0.000). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of PTSD symptoms in firefighters was estimated to 13.7% using IES-RK and was higher than the prevalence of PTSD in the general population. A program to manage the mental health and provide early detection for mental illness for firefighters is needed.

The Prevalence of Playing-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders of Music College Freshmen Playing String Instruments / 대한산업의학회지

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of playing-related musculoskeletal disorders (PRMDs) of some music college freshmen majoring in string instruments. METHODS: The study subjects were 199 freshmen majoring in strings at three colleges in Seoul and surrounds. The symptom prevalence and related factors of PRMDs were surveyed with a self-administered questionnaire. The Southampton Protocol was used to diagnose PRMDs. RESULTS: The freshmen had played for 9 years and 7 months on average. The symptom prevalence of PRMDs according to the modified-NIOSH surveillance criteria was 73.4%. The shoulder was the most prevalent symptom complaint site. The prevalence of PRMDs by the Southampton Protocol was 54.3% and myofascial pain syndrome was the most common. The instrument (violin or viola vs. cello or bass), regular breaks, self perceived evaluation of playing posture and regular computer use had a significant association with the symptom prevalence of PRMDs in univariate logistic regression analysis (p<0.05). The instrument, regular breaks and regular computer use were significant variables affecting the symptom prevalence of PRMDs in multivariate logistic regression analysis (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that music college freshmen playing strings are a high risk group for musculoskeletal disorders. Therefore, the prevention of PRMDs requires the establishment of an ergonomic playing-environment, and the education of comfortable posture and stretching program such as musical warming up and physical stretching. It is especially important to form an effective treatment and rehabilitation system based on earlier diagnosis for musicians who are suffering from the PRMDs.