Investigation of the status of rest facilities at industrial sites and awareness of relevant laws and regulations of South Korea.

South Korea has faced many social issues due to long working hours, lack of rest areas, and poor rest facility environments for cleaners, security guards, department store workers, etc. Discussions have been ongoing about mandating the installation of rest facilities. From August 18, 2022, Article 128-2 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, concerning the installation of rest facilities, was enforced. Consequently, employers in all industries are required to install rest facilities, and laws have been established to ensure these facilities meet certain standards. Accordingly, this study investigated the current status of rest facility installations and the awareness of the law's enactment in Korean industrial sites. The results, analyzed by gender, age, managerial status, industry, and size of the business, indicated that younger people were less satisfied with the rest facilities. Managers were more knowledgeable about the legal regulations than workers. In the service industry, compared to other industries, smaller businesses were less likely to have rest facilities and were less aware of the legal regulations. The results of this study are expected to be used as basic data to help establish the rest facility installation laws in Korea.

Noise exposure assessment of workers inspecting construction machinery vehicles in the Republic of Korea.

Previous studies have investigated the health hazards caused by exposure to the noise of heavy equipment used at construction sites. Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport operates a registration system for construction machinery, and regular safety inspections are mandatory. Although workers inspecting construction machinery vehicles are exposed to unwanted noise, no noise exposure assessment has been made regarding these workers in Korea. The time-weighted average (TWA) daily average noise exposure level among construction machinery inspectors at 18 inspection centers was 75.3 dB(A). Among the inspection steps, the exhaust gas inspection step was found to exhibit the highest noise exposure level, up to 100 dB(A). In Korea, if the noise level of a workplace exceeds 85 dB(A) as a TWA, workers are required to undergo special medical examinations. This study found that special medical examinations were required for two of the 18 target inspection centers (approximately 115 workers) as the 8-hour TWA noise level exceeded 85 dB(A). Therefore, regular noise exposure assessment and special medical examinations for noise are required to prevent inspectors from developing hearing disorders due to noise exposure.

Psychosocial Factors Associated with Smoking Cessation Attempts in Korean High School Students Who Engage in Intermittent and Light Smoking.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to identify psychosocial factors associated with smoking cessation attempts among Korean high school students who engage in intermittent and light smoking. METHODS: Cross-sectional secondary data derived from the 2018 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-Based Survey were analyzed within the framework of the biopsychosocial model. The sample comprised 829 high school students who reported current intermittent and light smoking, which was defined as cigarette smoking on 1~29 days in a 30-day period and no more than 10 cigarettes per day. Purposeful selection logistic regression analysis was performed. RESULTS: In total, 71.7% (n=586) of the respondents had tried to stop smoking during the past 12 months. The main result was that respondents who had viewed an anti-smoking advertisement in the past year significantly more smoking cessation attempts than those who had not (adjusted odds ratio=2.59; 95% confidence interval=1.45~4.62, p=.001). CONCLUSION: To encourage smoking cessation attempts among high school students who engage in intermittent and light smoking, healthcare providers, including school and community nurses, should develop effective interventions using anti-smoking advertisements tailored to adolescents' interests and developmental stage.

[Factors Associated with Pressure to Eat as a Feeding Practice among Mothers with Infants]. / 영아 어머니의 과도한 ìˆ˜ìœ ê´€ë ¨ 요인.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to identify factors-both infant-related and maternal-associated with pressure to eat as a feeding practice among mothers with infants. METHODS: This study used a cross-sectional design and included 163 mothers of infants aged 2~12 months. Of the 180 self-reported questionnaires that were distributed, 163 (91%) were included in the data analysis. Multiple regression analysis was used to identify the factors associated with pressure to eat as a feeding practice among the mothers. RESULTS: Infant's temperament (ß=-.17, p=.035), mother's body mass index (ß=-.16, p=.048), and concern about the infant being underweight (ß=.30, p=.001) were associated with pressure to eat as a feeding practice among mothers. The explanatory power of these variables in the predictive model was 19.2%. CONCLUSION: Educational programs should be developed for improving mother's awareness of cues from infants with difficult temperament. In addition, educational interventions regarding the correct evaluation of infant's weight are needed to relieve mother's concern about their infant's being underweight. These interventions might be helpful to reduce the prevalence of pressure to eat as a feeding practice among mothers with infants.

Associated Factors of Ischemic Heart Disease Identified Among Post-Menopausal Women.

OBJECTIVES: This study identifies associated factors of ischemic heart disease (IHD) among post-menopausal Korean women at the biomedical (age, family history of hypertension, dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes mellitus, or cerebro-cardiovascular disease, body mass index, and metabolic syndrome), biosocial (socioeconomic status and educational level), and psychosocial levels (stress, depression, smoking, binge alcohol consumption, and physical activity). METHODS: This study used a cross-sectional design with secondary data analysis of the 2013-2016 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Data from 3,636 women were analyzed by logistic regression analysis using a complex sample procedure. RESULTS: Of the biomedical factors, older age [odds ratio (OR): 2.99, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.87-4.80, p < 0.001], family history (OR: 2.29, 95% CI: 1.44-3.65, p = 0.001), and metabolic syndrome (OR: 1.93, 95% CI: 1.27-2.95, p = 0.002) were associated with IHD in post-menopausal women. Of the psychosocial factors, depression (OR: 2.56, 95% CI: 1.66-3.96, p < 0.001) and smoking (OR: 1.92, CI: 1.04-3.55, p = 0.038) were associated with IHD in post-menopausal women. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that healthcare providers need to consider the contributing adverse effects of older age, family history, metabolic syndrome, depression and smoking when evaluating risk factors for IHD in post-menopausal women.

A survey study of institutional review board thought processes in the United States and South Korea.

INTRODUCTION: In the last several decades, South Korea has rapidly adopted Western customs and practices. Yet, cultural differences between South Korea and the United States exist. The purpose of this study was to identify and characterize potential cultural differences in the Korean and US institutional review board (IRB) approach to certain topics. METHODS: A qualitative analysis of a 9-item survey, describing 4 research study case scenarios, sent to IRB members from the United States and South Korea. The case scenarios involved the following issues: (1) the need for consent for retrospective chart review when research subjects receive their care after the study is conceived; (2) child assent; (3) individual versus population benefit; and (4) exception from informed consent in emergency resuscitation research. The free-text responses were analyzed and abstracted for recurrent themes. RESULTS: Twenty-three of the 45 survey recipients completed the survey, for an overall response rate of 51%. The themes that emerged were as follows: (1) the importance of parental authority among Korean participants versus the importance of child autonomy and child assent among US participants; (2) the recognition of the rights of a proxy or surrogate who can represent an individual's values by all participants; and (3) the importance of the community, expressed by the Korean respondents, versus individualism, expressed by US respondents. CONCLUSION: Whereas US participants appear to emphasize the importance of the individual and the autonomy of a child, the Korean respondents stressed the importance of parental authority and benefiting the community, above and beyond that of the individual person. However, there was substantial overlap in the themes expressed by respondents from both countries.

P-glycoprotein inhibitory activity of two phenolic compounds, (-)-syringaresinol and tricin from Sasa borealis.

(-)-Syringaresinol and tricin, isolated from the AcOEt-soluble extract of the whole plants of Sasa borealis (Gramineae), showed inhibitory effects on the P-glycoprotein in adriamycin-resistant human breast cancer cells, MCF-7/ADR.

Cytotoxic constituents from the whole plant of Corydalis pallida.

Here we report the cytotoxic activity of three known compounds isolated for the first time from Corydalis pallida (Papaveraceae). An isoquinoline alkaloid, berberine, exhibited cytototoxic activity against two human cancer cell lines, HT-1080 (human fibrosarcoma) and SNU-638 (human stomach adenocarcinoma), with IC50 values of 3.2 and 3.4 microg/mL, respectively. N-trans-feruloyltyramine and N-trans-feruloylmethoxytyramine were also isolated from this plant but were inactive.

Cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitory phenylbutenoids from the rhizomes of Zingiber cassumunar.

Phenylbutenoids isolated previously from the CHCl3 extracts of the rhizomes of Zingiber cassumunar, were evaluated for their cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitory activity along with a new isolate, from the n-BuOH extracts of this plant. The COX-2 inhibitory assay was performed by measuring prostaglandin E2 production in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated mouse macrophage RAW 264.7 cells. Two phenylbutenoid dimers, and, exhibited considerable activity with IC50 values of 2.71 and 3.64 microM. Two phenylbutenoid monomers, and, showed moderate activity (IC50 14.97, 20.68 microM, respectively). The other three phenylbutenoids, were found to be inactive. Compound was elucidated as a new phenylbutenoid glycoside, namely, (E)-4-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)but-3-en-1-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside by spectral analysis including various 1D- and 2D-NMR experiments.

Di- and sesqui-terpenoids isolated from the pods of Sindora sumatrana and their potential to inhibit lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide production.

Activity-guided fractionation of the n-hexane and CHCl3-soluble fractions of Sindora sumatrana using a bioassay based on the inhibition of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide (NO) production by inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in murine macrophage RAW 264.7 cells led to the isolation of the known compound, (+)-7beta-acetoxy-15,16-epoxy-3,13(16),14-clerodatriene-18-oic acid (2) as an active constituent. In addition, a new trans-clerodane diterpenoid, (+)-2-oxokolavenic acid (1), together with six known compounds, (+)-3,13-clerodadiene-16,15-olide-18-oic acid (3), (+)-7beta-acetoxy-3,13-clerodadiene-16,15-olide-18-oic acid (4), (+)-7beta-acetoxy-16-hydroxy-3,13-clerodadiene-16,15-olide-18-oic acid (5), beta-caryophyllene oxide (6), clovane-2beta,9beta-diol (7), and caryolane-1,9beta-diol (8) were isolated and found to be inactive. The structure of compound 1 was determined using physical and spectroscopic methods such as 1D and 2D-NMR experiments. The known compounds 2-8 were identified by the spectroscopic data and by comparison with the published values. Of eight isolates (1-8), only compound 2 exhibited an iNOS inhibitory activity with IC50 value of 51.6 microM.