OBJECTIVES: An era of deindustrialization has begun in Korea after the industrial development that occurred up until the 1990's. Post industrialization dictates the development of the service industry and information technology with the associated musculoskeletal disorders in such industries. The association between musculoskeletal symptoms and psychosocial factors has been investigated by several researchers. The aims of this study was to characterize the relationship between musculoskeletal symptoms and psychosocial factors including occupational stress and depressive symptoms, and to provide basic data to group health practices for the prevention of musculoskeletal symptoms in the service industry. METHODS: Musculoskeletal symptoms, depressive symptoms and occupational stress were surveyed in 311 female call center employees. The prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms, depressive symptoms and occupational stress scores were assessed. The odds ratio of the high risk occupational stress group into musculoskeletal symptom group was assessed in an effort to determine the associations between occupational stress and musculoskeletal symptoms. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of musculoskeletal and depressive symptoms was 53.7% and 20.6% respectively. The high risk occupational stress group of the total scores (p=0.049), physical environment (p=0.022), job demand (p=0.014) and interpersonal conflict (p=0.032) to musculoskeletal symptom were significant. The depression group was also significant (p=0.015). The adjusted odds ratio of the high risk stress group into the musculoskeletal symptom group inclusion was 1.687 (95% CI; 1.014~2.808) for the physical environment, and 1.948 (95% CI; 1.031-3.683) for depression. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the relationship between musculoskeletal symptom and the psychosocial factors was not significant. Only the physical environmental stress factor and depression showed marginal significance, which suggests the possibility of an increased risk of musculoskeletal symptoms. However, since the group in this study was a homogeneous occupational population, further study with a reference group will be needed.
Depression ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Odds Ratio ; Prevalence ; Psychology

Purpose: Acute appendicitis is the most common nonobstetric indication for surgical intervention during pregnancy. In the argument of the optimal surgical approach to acute appendicitis in pregnancy, laparoscopy seems to be won with a similar complication rate and shorter postoperative recovery than open. We aimed to compare perioperative outcomes of appendectomy in pregnant and nonpregnant women in the totally laparoscopic age. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 556 nonincidental appendectomies performed in women (aged 18–45 years) between January 2014 and December 2018. To reduce the confounding effects, we used propensity score considering the variables age, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status classification, and the operative finding; whether the appendicitis was simple or complicated. After propensity score matching, the outcomes of 15 pregnant women were compared with those of the 30 nonpregnant women. Results: All the operations were performed with laparoscopy. Most of the pregnant cases were in their first and second trimester. The postoperative morbidity rate was significantly higher in the pregnant group before propensity score matching; however, the significance disappeared after matching. Operative outcomes and the parameters related to the postoperative recovery were not different between the two groups. Two patients in their first trimester decided to terminate the pregnancy after appendectomy. One patient in her second trimester experienced preterm labor which was resolved spontaneously. There was no other obstetric adverse outcome. Conclusion In the laparoscopy age, appendectomy during pregnancy is safe and not associated with a significantly increased risk of postoperative complication.

Purpose: Acute appendicitis is the most common nonobstetric indication for surgical intervention during pregnancy. In the argument of the optimal surgical approach to acute appendicitis in pregnancy, laparoscopy seems to be won with a similar complication rate and shorter postoperative recovery than open. We aimed to compare perioperative outcomes of appendectomy in pregnant and nonpregnant women in the totally laparoscopic age. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 556 nonincidental appendectomies performed in women (aged 18–45 years) between January 2014 and December 2018. To reduce the confounding effects, we used propensity score considering the variables age, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status classification, and the operative finding; whether the appendicitis was simple or complicated. After propensity score matching, the outcomes of 15 pregnant women were compared with those of the 30 nonpregnant women. Results: All the operations were performed with laparoscopy. Most of the pregnant cases were in their first and second trimester. The postoperative morbidity rate was significantly higher in the pregnant group before propensity score matching; however, the significance disappeared after matching. Operative outcomes and the parameters related to the postoperative recovery were not different between the two groups. Two patients in their first trimester decided to terminate the pregnancy after appendectomy. One patient in her second trimester experienced preterm labor which was resolved spontaneously. There was no other obstetric adverse outcome. Conclusion In the laparoscopy age, appendectomy during pregnancy is safe and not associated with a significantly increased risk of postoperative complication.

Purpose: There are various opinions about the postoperative complications of the two methods for laparoscopic inguinal hernia surgery; totally extraperitoneal repair (TEP) and transabdominal preperitoneal repair (TAPP). The aim of this study was to compare the postoperative course after TAPP and TEP, focusing on immediate postoperative pain, incidence of postoperative urinary retention (POUR), and chronic pain. Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed a consecutive series of 344 inguinal hernia patients who were treated with laparoscopic surgery between November 2016 and December 2019 at a single tertiary referral center. Results: Patient demographics did not differ significantly between the groups. The operation time was significantly shorter in the TEP group than in the TAPP group (43.1 ± 14.9 minutes vs. 63.5 ± 16.5 minutes, p < 0.001). The postoperative pain scores were significantly lower in the TEP group than in the TAPP group immediately (3.6 ± 1.3 vs. 4.4 ± 1.1, p < 0.001) and 6 hours (1.5 ± 1.4 vs. 2.3 ± 1.8, p < 0.001) after the operation. The other complications did not differ significantly between the groups. Age was a significant risk factor for POUR (odds ratio [OR], 1.083; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.018–1.151; p = 0.011), and history of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) was a significant risk factor for chronic pain (OR, 5.363; 95% CI, 1.028–27.962; p = 0.046). Conclusion TEP and TAPP seem to be safe and effective for laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair and have similar postoperative outcomes. Age was a significant risk factor for POUR, and BPH history was a significant risk factor for chronic pain.