Mental COP: Mental Health Cohort Of Police officers in Korea.

PURPOSE: This cohort study addresses the need for comprehensive and longitudinal research on police officers' mental health, focusing on the relationship between occupational factors, individual characteristics and mental health status or suicidality. The Mental COP (Mental health Cohort Of Police officers in Korea) research provides important insights by tracking new police officers over time, contributing to evidence-based interventions and policies to improve their overall mental health and working conditions. PARTICIPANTS: Mental Cop is a prospective open cohort study designed for new police officers for police recruitment, expected to graduate after 8 months of education at the Central Police Academy. To date, 6752 individuals have completed the baseline survey and are enrolled in the cohort. FINDING TO DATE: The study data in Mental COP covered a wide range of issues for first responders, including personal factors, various mental health problems, occupational factors and measured biomarkers of allostatic load, including Heart Rate Variability. The main findings indicate a lower prevalence of mental health problems among those selected as new police officers compared with the general population with notable gender differences. Therefore, closer monitoring of women is required. Furthermore, the study revealed cohort-based differences in mental health, highlighting increased risk related to occupational factors (field training) and the management of vulnerable groups. FUTURE PLANS: Another wave of Mental COP is scheduled for December 2023, with plans for future cohort expansion. Additionally, it will establish a more comprehensive and systematic scientific framework for future investigations by integrating broader medical examinations and National Health Insurance Service Data.

Mortality of Suicide and Cerebro-Cardiovascular Diseases by Occupation in Korea, 1997-2020.

Although studies on occupational mortality have been conducted in Korea, the results for occupations with high mortality around 2010 are inconsistent. This study aimed to examine occupational mortality from overwork-related suicide and cerebro-cardiovascular diseases (CCVD) from 1997 to 2020. We used microdata of the Causes of Death Statistics (CDS) and Economically Active Population Survey (EAPS) to obtain indirect standardized mortality ratio (SMR) and standardized proportional mortality ratio (PMR) of suicide (X60-X84) and CCVD deaths (I20-I25 and I60-I69) by gender and eight occupational categories. The trend of SMR of suicide and CCVD by occupation was similar within individual genders. The SMR of managers (MNG) was the highest for men and women in 2012-2017 and 2008-2020, respectively, whereas the SMR of professionals and related workers (PRF) was consistently low. Despite the similar socioeconomic status of MNG and PRF, we suggest that their mortality should be analyzed separately in Korea. SMR of suicide and CCVD in female MNG were consistently highest, although the PMR was low. Female MNG may have been more directly affected by the economic crisis. There is a need for work-related stress management, early intervention, and prevention policies in occupations vulnerable to mortality.

Comparison of Work-Related Stress in Cluster of Workers' Suicides in Korea: Analysis of Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance, 2010-2017.

BACKGROUND: There is limited research on the heterogeneity of worker suicides. We compared differences in workers' suicides by clustering suicide deaths. METHODS: From 2010 to 2017, 353 suicide deaths were claimed in the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance; variables were coded using a standardized methodology. A two-step cluster analysis classified the clusters based on demographic and employment conditions. Details of the suicide, clinical variables, personal stresses, and work-related stresses were compared using the chi-square test and one-way analysis of variance. RESULTS: We identified five clusters and they differed particularly in work-related stress. "Responsibility-burdened type" experienced excessive responsibility as managers; "role-changed type" experienced a sudden and unpredictable role change as clerks or sales workers; "risk-exposed type" experienced physical risk factors at work (working alone, outdoors, and in shifts) as machine operating and assembling workers, or craft and related trades workers; "job-insecurity type" experienced unstable employment (irregular, nonpermanent) as elementary or service workers; "workplace-violence type" was mainly unmarried women who lived alone, and experienced interpersonal conflict and violence as professionals and related workers. There were no differences between clusters in clinical variables (except problem drinking) and personal stresses. CONCLUSION: Interventions to alleviate work-related stress in worker clusters are needed to prevent suicide in workers.

Occupation, work-related stress, and personal characteristics among suicide deaths with occupation-related compensation claims in Korea.

OBJECTIVES: This study compared differences in age-standardized suicide mortality rates, personal characteristics (demographics, employment conditions, and details of suicide), and work-related stress by gender and occupation among workers who had committed suicide in Korea. METHODS: Data comprised 413 suicide death claims lodged with the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance (IACI) from 2010 to 2018, which were coded. We calculated age-standardized suicide mortality rates by gender and occupation. The chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, and t-test were conducted to examine gender differences. Frequency and percentage distribution by gender and occupation were calculated using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Regardless of gender, age-standardized suicide mortality rate was highest among "Managers." Women who died by suicide were significantly younger and more likely to be unmarried, live alone, and have fewer years of continuous employment than men. "Managers," "Professionals and Related Workers," and "Clerks" experienced similar work-related stresses, including "Difficult work to achieve," "Fail to achieve allocation workload," and "Change of job contents or workload." "Skilled Agricultural, Forestry and Fishery Workers," "Craft and Related Trades Workers," and "Equipment, Machine Operating and Assembling Workers" had higher work-related stress related to "Severe disease/injury" or "Causing a serious accident" compared with other workers. CONCLUSIONS: Work-related stress related to suicide deaths differed by gender and occupation. The gender gap of labor market participation in Korea may affect gender differences in terms of demographics and employment conditions among workers who died by suicide. Our study suggests that gender- and occupation-specific strategies and policies to reduce work-related stress can prevent suicide among workers.

Post-translational Succinylation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Enoyl-CoA Hydratase EchA19 Slows Catalytic Hydration of Cholesterol Catabolite 3-Oxo-chol-4,22-diene-24-oyl-CoA.

Cholesterol is a major carbon source for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) during infection, and cholesterol utilization plays a significant role in persistence and virulence within host macrophages. Elucidating the mechanism by which cholesterol is degraded may permit the identification of new therapeutic targets. Here, we characterized EchA19 (Rv3516), an enoyl-CoA hydratase involved in cholesterol side-chain catabolism. Steady-state kinetics assays demonstrated that EchA19 preferentially hydrates cholesterol enoyl-CoA metabolite 3-oxo-chol-4,22-diene-24-oyl-CoA, an intermediate of side-chain ß-oxidation. In addition, succinyl-CoA, a downstream catabolite of propionyl-CoA that forms during cholesterol degradation, covalently modifies targeted mycobacterial proteins, including EchA19. Inspection of a 1.9 Å resolution X-ray crystallography structure of Mtb EchA19 suggests that succinylation of Lys132 and Lys139 may perturb enzymatic activity by modifying the entrance to the substrate binding site. Treatment of EchA19 with succinyl-CoA revealed that these two residues are hotspots for succinylation. Replacement of these specific lysine residues with negatively charged glutamate reduced the rate of catalytic hydration of 3-oxo-chol-4,22-diene-24-oyl-CoA by EchA19, as does succinylation of EchA19. Our findings suggest that succinylation is a negative feedback regulator of cholesterol metabolism, thereby adding another layer of complexity to Mtb physiology in the host. These regulatory pathways are potential noncatabolic targets for antimicrobial drugs.