No abstract available.

No abstract available.

To investigate the gender difference of early symptoms appearing before the onset of the psychotic symptoms in patients with first-episode schizophrenia, we reviewed the medical records of 63 patients (38 males, 25 females), who were hospitalized for first-episode schizophrenia. The frequency and duration of prodromal and psychotic symptoms, Clinical Global Impression scale scores, Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale scores at admission, and other clinical characteristics were recorded for all patients. Overall, the most common prodromal symptoms were attenuated positive symptoms (89%), followed by mood symptoms (86%). Negative symptoms were the most common in male patients (97.4%), whereas attenuated positive symptoms were the most common in female patients (84%). Male patients demonstrated more frequent negative, cognitive, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms than female patients did and also showed a tendency of having negative symptoms for the longer period. Correlational analysis showed a significant negative correlation between the duration of negative symptoms and GAF scores at admission in male patients. Our findings suggest that different patterns of prodromal symptoms between male and female begin before the onset of the psychosis. Further prospective studies should be needed.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Age of Onset ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Neuropsychological Tests ; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales ; Schizophrenia/diagnosis/*physiopathology ; Sex Factors ; Young Adult

Background: It is well known that the prevalence of obesity in Korea is increasing over time, however it is not known how the trends among occupational groups and sex differ in such increasing trends. This study was designed to provide recent trends of obesity among workers in Korea and to identify whether there were differences among occupational groups. Methods: We used data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, Phases I to VI (1998–2015), to analyze trends in the prevalence of obesity in adult Korean workers. Obesity was defined as a body mass index of 25 kg/m2 or higher. Occupations were classified into 3 groups: (a) nonmanual workers, (b) service/sales workers, and (c) manual workers. Results: During the period of the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Phases I to VI, the prevalence of obesity in male workers increased in all occupations (31.1% to 39.5% in manual workers, 32.3% to 38.2% in service/sales workers, and 25.3% to 39.7% in manual workers). However, female workers did not show any particular tendency toward obesity, except for a significant decrease in the prevalence rate in service/sales workers (30.8% to 23.9%, p for trend = 0.0048). Conclusion The trends of obesity prevalence by sex and occupation were different. For male manual workers, the prevalence rate increased steadily during the data period, while it decreased steadily in female sales/service workers.

After publication of the original article the authors found that the following affiliation was incorrect at the time of publication.

After publication of the original article the authors found that the affiliations were incorrect at the time of publication.

OBJECTIVE: Standardizing remission criteria is helpful for documenting patient remission states by setting appropriate treatment goals and comparing the efficacy of various therapies. We investigated the applicability of two remission criteria through a 1-year prospective observational study on patients with recent-onset schizophrenia. METHODS: Forty-nine patients were enrolled and assessed monthly using the BPRS, SAPS, SANS, and CGI. Criteria A included a BPRS total score of < or =36, a BPRS psychotic item score of < or =3, and a CGI-S score of < or =3. Criteria B included all of five global items in the SAPS and SANS of < or =2 (mild). Each remission criterion was required to be met for at least 2 consecutive months. RESULTS: The remission rates at study endpoint were 64.3 and 42.9%, respectively, when criteria A and B were applied. Within criteria A, the remission rate was 78.6% when only a BPRS total score criterion was applied, which then dropped to 75.0% when a BPRS psychotic item criterion was added. A 75% remission rate was noted when the CGI criterion was independently applied. Within criteria B, a 71.4% remission rate was observed using the SAPS criterion, which decreased to 42.9% when a SANS score criterion was added. No significant difference was detected in the time to remission and the duration of maintained remission when criteria A or B were applied. CONCLUSION: The SAPS and SANS scales are stricter for categorizing the remission state compared to the BPRS and CGI. Criteria based on the BPRS appear to be more representative of the remission state when a BPRS psychotic item criterion is added. In addition, CGI alone can be used for longterm follow-up evaluations of patients with schizophrenia.
Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Observational Study ; Prospective Studies ; Schizophrenia* ; Weights and Measures

As a solution about many problems of pharmacotherapy for Korean patients with major psychiatric disorders, Korean Medication Algorithm Project for Major Psychiatric Disorders (KMAP) was launched. Recently, a medication algorithm for schizophrenic patients was developed and distributed. This review article showed the designs, processes and methods for developing this algorithm. Also we compared the development of Korean algorithm for schizophrenics with other foreign representative algorithms or clinical practice guidelines. We hope that this review elicit the productive criticism about the rigour, the system of development and the objectivity of content. The limitations and problems of Korean algorithm are also discussed in this review.
Drug Therapy ; Hope ; Humans ; Schizophrenia

BACKGROUND: Business owners in the Republic of Korea must take part in the workers' general health examination. However, there have been few formal analyses of the uptake of this examination by employees. In the present study, we examined the rates of participation in medical examinations according to age group, health insurance type, and enterprise size, and then compared these results with those of the national general health screening. Furthermore, we determined the distribution of patients with abnormal results for diabetes and hypertension, and outlined the significance and history of domestic health examinations. METHODS: We started by comparing participation rates extracted from the among health examination data of the National Health Insurance Service from 2006–2013 by sex, age, insurance type, and enterprise size of workplace health insurance beneficiaries (i.e., those whose insurance is provided by their workplace). In addition, we analyzed the prevalence rates of abnormal results for hypertension and diabetes, and explored the history and significance of health examinations in the Republic of Korea. RESULTS: The overall participation rate in the primary health examination in 2006 was 56%, and this increased to 72% in 2013. However, the rates of the secondary screening did not increase much. Among workplace policyholders (i.e., those whose insurance is provided by their workplace), the participation rates of workers in enterprises with less than 50 employees were lower than were those in enterprises with 50 or more employees. Notably, the rates and odds ratios of patients with abnormal results for diabetes and hypertension were relatively high, particularly among those working in smaller enterprises. CONCLUSIONS: Although the workers' general health examination has been replaced with the national general health screening, it remains necessary to ensure uniform health management services among all workers in the Republic of Korea. This can, in turn, promote occupational health and improve working conditions throughout the Republic of Korea.
Clothing ; Commerce ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Insurance ; Insurance, Health ; Korea* ; Mass Screening ; National Health Programs ; Occupational Health ; Odds Ratio ; Prevalence ; Republic of Korea ; Retrospective Studies*

BACKGROUND: We examined the current status of specialized agencies for occupational health management (SAs) and their workforce. Furthermore, we aimed to clarify the current practice status of SA healthcare professionals and factors that influence their performance. METHODS: To examine the current SA workforce, we analyzed data from the 2014 Survey of Current Status of SA and their Workforce from the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL). Furthermore, we mailed out an original questionnaire to SA professionals to determine their current health management status and factors that affect their performance. Data from the respondents (N = 384) were analyzed. RESULTS: In 2014, the workforce performing health management in SAs comprised 232 physicians, 507 nurses, and 312 occupational hygienists, with no significant regional differences in the distribution of physicians and nurses. According to the findings of the questionnaire, the average daily number of worker consultations by physicians and nurses was 22.8, while the average time taken for health management ranged from 74.3 to 104.3 min, depending on the size of the firm. Most of the respondents (41.5%) answered that they were following-up on more than 80% of individuals with illnesses. Among health management tasks, performance scores of “consultations for general diseases” and “consultations for lifestyle habits” were relatively high, whereas health promotion activities at workplaces were relatively low. There was a significant correlation between the utilization of general and special health examination results and task performance. CONCLUSION: Among health management tasks, follow-up management of individuals with illnesses and consultations for disease/lifestyle habits were relatively well performed, whereas health promotion activities at workplaces were not performed well. Among factors that positively influenced SA performance at workplaces, only the utilization of health examination results had significant effects. Therefore, to accomplish health management goals and perform effective health management at workplaces, there is a need to establish a comprehensive system of occupational health service outsourcing integrating health examinations and health management services. Furthermore, the current task system, which focuses on follow-up management, should be expanded to incorporate preventive and health promotion functions—the fundamental functions of occupational health services (OHS).
Cross-Sectional Studies* ; Delivery of Health Care ; Employment ; Follow-Up Studies ; Health Promotion ; Life Style ; Occupational Health Services ; Occupational Health* ; Outsourced Services ; Postal Service ; Referral and Consultation ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Task Performance and Analysis ; Work Performance