PURPOSE: This study aims to test the validity and criteria-related reliability of the Korean version of the Copenhagen Psyco-social Questionnaire version II (COPSOQ-K) assessing the psychosocial working environment. METHODS: The COPSOQ-K was developed through forward-backward translation techniques, and revision based on feedback from focus groups. Survey data were collected from 311 office workers who worked in one workplace. An internal consistency reliability was estimated by Cronbach's alpha. The impacts of the COPSOQ-K scales on job satisfaction, self-rated health, stress, sleeping troubles, burnout, and sickness absence were analyzed with multiple regression model or multiple logistic regression model, adjusted age and gender using SAS version 9.3. The Pearson correlation coefficients between the COPSOQ-K scales and Korean job stress and its subdomain were identified. RESULTS: Cronbach's alpha of COPSOQ-K scales was adequate or good (0.66~0.87). The major COPSOQ-K scales predict job satisfaction, self-rated health, stress, sleeping troubles burnout, and sickness absence. The major COPSOQ-K scales were correlated with Korean job stress and its subdomain. CONCLUSION: The COPSOQ-K scales have satisfactory reliability and criteria-related validity. The COPSOQ-K scales will be useful for the future studies and practices associated with psychosocial working environment.
Focus Groups ; Job Satisfaction ; Logistic Models ; Phenothiazines ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Reproducibility of Results ; Weights and Measures

PURPOSE: This study aims to assess the effects of psychosocial work environment and self-efficacy on stress, depression, and burn-out among office workers. METHODS: Survey data were collected from 331 office workers who worked in one workplace from April 10 to 30, 2012. The impact of psychosocial work environment and self-efficacy on stress, depression, and burn-out was analyzed with hierarchical multiple regression using SAS version 9.3. RESULTS: Work-family conflicts and emotional demands were identified as main factors influencing mental health. Other work environment factors influencing mental health were role clarity for stress, possibilities for development, meaning-of work, social support-from supervisors and job insecurity for depression, and social community at work for burn-out. Self-efficacy was correlated with most psychosocial work environment and factor with independent influence on stress and depression. The final models including general characteristics, psychosocial work environment, and self-efficacy accounted for 34%, 44%, and 36% for stress, depression, and burn-out respectively. CONCLUSION: To promote mental health in office workers, there is a need to decrease work-family conflicts and emotional demands and to improve work organization and job contents, social support, and self-efficacy.
Depression ; Mental Health ; Social Work

No abstract available.
Cerebral Palsy* ; Child* ; Humans

No abstract available.
Animals ; Histamine* ; Hydroxyzine* ; Rats* ; Urinary Bladder*

No abstract available.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the association between respiratory virus infection and pneumococcal colonization in children. METHODS: From May 2009 to June 2010, nasopharyngeal (NP) aspirates were obtained from patients under 18 years old who visited Seoul National University Children's Hospital for respiratory symptoms. NP samples were used to detect respiratory viruses (influenza virus A and B, parainfluenza virus 1, 2 and 3, respiratory syncytial virus A and B, adenovirus, rhinovirus A/B, human metapneumovirus, human coronavirus 229E/NL63 and OC43/HKU1) by RT-PCR and pneumococcus by culture. RESULTS: Median age of the patients was 27 months old. A total of 1,367 NP aspirates were tested for respiratory viruses and pneumococcus. Pneumococcus was isolated from 228 (16.7%) of samples and respiratory viruses were detected from 731 (53.5%). Common viruses were rhinovirus (18.4%), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) A (10.6%), adenovirus (6.9%), influenza virus A (6.8%). Pneumococcal isolation rate was significantly higher in the cases of positive virus detection than negative detection [21.3% (156/731) vs. 11.3% (72/636), P<0.001]. For individual viruses, pneumococcal isolation rate was positively associated with detection of influenza virus A [24.7% (23/93) vs 16.1% (205/1274), P=0.001], RSV A [28.3% (41/145) vs 15.3% (187/1222), P=0.001], RSV B [31.3% (10/32) vs 16.3% (218/1335), P=0.042], rhinovirus A/B [22.6% (57/252) vs 15.3% (171/1115), P=0.010]. CONCLUSION: The study revealed that pneumococcal isolation from NP aspirates is related with respiratory virus detection. The result of this study could be used to investigate how respiratory viruses and pneumococcus cause clinical diseases.
Adenoviridae ; Child* ; Colon* ; Coronavirus ; Humans ; Metapneumovirus ; Orthomyxoviridae ; Paramyxoviridae Infections ; Respiratory Syncytial Viruses ; Rhinovirus ; Seoul ; Streptococcus pneumoniae

No abstract available.
Mucormycosis* ; Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime*

PURPOSE: Although androgens are the main steroids controlling the growth of prostate glands, estrogens are also important in the regulation of its growth. Prostate cancer cells, like other cancer cells, maintain high levels of polyamines. In LNCaP cells, apoptosis is induced by mifepristone. During the process of cell death, the regulation of ROS production, caspase-3 activation and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage were investigated in the presence of estrogen and polyamines to identify their possible roles. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The cell growth was assessed using the MTT assay, and the intracellular ROS production by the DCFH-DA assay. The p53 protein expression, activation of caspase-3 and PARP cleavage were checked by Western blotting, with specific antibodies to each. RESULTS: The growth and viability of the cells were significantly inhibited, in a dose- and time-dependent manners, by mifepristone (MIF) treatment. The production of ROS were dependent on the MIF dosage. The activation of caspase-3 and cleavage of PARP also increased with the duration of MIF treatment. The expression of p53 protein also increased with increases in the MIF incubation time. E2 severely inhibited the ROS production, caspase-3 activation and PARP cleavage. However, polyamines only inhibited the ROS production, without influencing the caspase-3 activation or PARP cleavage. CONCLUSION: In LNCaP cells, MIF induces apoptosis through ROS production. The expression of p53 protein, caspase-3 activation and PARP cleavage accompanied the process of apoptosis. The apoptotic processes were inhibited by E2, but polyamines only inhibited the ROS production, implying the multifunctional role of E2, in addition to its role as a free radical scavenger.
Androgens ; Antibodies ; Apoptosis* ; Blotting, Western ; Caspase 3 ; Cell Death ; Estrogens* ; Mifepristone ; Polyamines* ; Prostate* ; Prostatic Neoplasms* ; Steroids

No abstract available.
Brain* ; Encephalitis, Herpes Simplex* ; Herpes Simplex* ; Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime* ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon*