The rapid economic development of Korea since 1960 has also brought a rapid urbanization process, and recently many rural areas have begun to show actual depopulation, in which particularly the young, productive and high educated groups are leaving for cities. More than 70% of migrations go to large cities such as Seoul, Pusan and Taegu. Their main motives for migration are to seek a job in urban areas. The study showed following results; The rate of migration a year was 1% of total population. Regarding the age of migrators belong to between 10-39 years old, especially migrator aged 10-29 years as comprised 87%. The educational level of migrator was a little higher than that of the residents. Considering the sibling order of migrators, the traditional value system for first son seemed to change. Concerning the place of destination, more than 70% of migrators moved to large cities such as Seoul, Pusan and Taegu. The main motivation of migration was to seek a job in urban areas. The occupation at the place of destination were factory workers, employee at company, students, salesmen, farmers and public officials in that order.
Busan ; Daegu ; Economic Development ; Emigration and Immigration* ; Humans ; Korea ; Motivation ; Occupations ; Seoul ; Siblings ; Urbanization

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between shift work and work-related injuries in a representative sample of Korean workers. METHODS: We used data from the Korean Working Condition Survey of 2006. The participants were 7,075 Korean workers 15 to 64 years of age. Logistic regression was employed to estimate the relationship between shift work and work-related injury using the SAS version 9.2 program. RESULTS: Shift work was significantly related to work-related injuries compared to non-shift workers(OR 2.40, 95% CI=1.65~3.48). When personal and occupational risk factors were accounted for, shift work had a statistically meaningful relationship with work-related injuries compared to non-shift work(OR 1.79, 95% CI=1.20~2.66). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, shift workers appear to have a higher risk of work-related injuries compared to non-shift workers. Work-related injuries in shift workers could be attributed to circadian rhythm disorder and sleep problems. Suitable arrangements that ensure flexible working times are needed for shift workers. Further study will be needed to identify and mitigate work-related injuries among shift workers.
Chronobiology Disorders ; Dietary Sucrose ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Phenothiazines ; Risk Factors

OBJECTIVES: Mental health and work efficiency are adversely affected by exposure to physical and chemical hazards in the workplace. This study is the first large scale evaluation of the relationship between physical and chemical hazard exposure in the workplace in relation to the mental health of Korean workers. METHODS: A national survey of a random sample of workers (n=10,043) was conducted between June and September 2006 in Korea. Physical and chemical hazards in the workplace were considered if exposure occurred over more than a quarter of the time spent at work. Mental health problems were defined as work-related depression, anxiety or insomnia. We analyzed whether physical and chemical hazards were independent risk factors for work-related mental health problems by multiple logistic regression analysis after adjusting for age, gender, employment type, education, occupation, duty schedule, work hours, smoking, and alcohol consumption. RESULTS: The mean age of surveyed workers was 42 years and 58% were male. A total of 7.8% of workers had work-related mental health problems. Exposure to high temperature, mist, fumes, dust, chemicals, and radiation were associated with an increased risk of work-related mental health problems. CONCLUSIONS: This study reaffirmed that physical and chemical hazard exposure in the workplace significantly elevates the risk of work-related mental health problems.
Anxiety ; Appointments and Schedules ; Depression ; Dust ; Employment ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Mental Health ; Occupations ; Risk Factors ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Vibration

OBJECTIVE: Gamma Knife Surgery(GKS) for the management of pineal region tumors is challengeable strategy as direct access to this area is not easy. The experiences of pineal region tumor patients treated with GKS were analyzed to evaluate the effectiveness. METHODS: Seven patients with tumors in the pineal region were treated with GKS between September 1998 and May 2005. The histological diagnosis were pineal parenchymal tumor (2 patients), low-grade astrocytoma (2 patients), immature teratoma (1 patient), and choriocarninoma (1 patient). One patient was diagnosed as metastatic brain tumor based on histological diagnosis for primary site and brain imaging study. The median marginal dose was 15Gy (range; 11~20) at the 50% isodose line. The median target volume was 2.5cm3 (range; 0.8~12.5). The median clinical follow up period was 29 months (range; 13~93) and the median radiological follow up period was 18 months (range; 6~73). RESULTS: Tumor volume measured in follow-up images showed reduction in six patients, disappearance in one. No adverse effect due to GKS was found during the follow-up period . The performance status was preserved in all patients except one who died due to progression of primary cancer in spite of controlled metastatic brain lesion. CONCLUSION: Gamma Knife Surgery can be applied to pineal region tumors irrespective of their histology whenever surgery is not indicated.
Astrocytoma ; Brain ; Brain Neoplasms ; Diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Neuroimaging ; Pinealoma ; Radiosurgery ; Teratoma ; Tumor Burden

BACKGROUND: The term solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) is preferred over meningeal hemangiopericytoma (HPC), because NAB2-STAT6 gene fusion has been observed in both intracranial and extracranial HPCs. HPCs are now considered cellular variants of SFTs. METHODS: This study analyzes 19 patients with STAT6-confirmed SFTs, who were followed for over 11 years in a single institution. Ten patients (10/19, 56.2%) had extracranial metastases (metastatic group), while the remainder (9/19) did not (non-metastatic group). These two groups were compared clinicopathologically. RESULTS: In the metastatic group, the primary metastatic sites were the lungs (n = 6), bone (n = 4), and liver (n = 3). There was a mean lag time of 14.2 years between the diagnosis of the initial meningeal tumor to that of systemic metastasis. The median age at initial tumor onset was 37.1 years in the metastatic group and 52.5 in the non-metastatic group. The 10-year survival rates of the metastatic- and non-metastatic groups were 100% and 33%, respectively. The significant prognostic factors for poor outcomes on univariate analysis included advanced age (≥45 years) and large initial tumor size (≥5 cm). In contrast, the patients with higher tumor grade, high mitotic rate (≥5/10 high-power fields), high Ki-67 index (≥5%), and the presence of necrosis or CD34 positivity showed tendency of poor prognosis but these parameters were not statistically significant poor prognostic markers. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with SFTs, younger patients (<45 years) experienced longer survival times and paradoxically had more frequent extracranial metastases after long latent periods than did older patients. Therefore, young patients with SFTs require careful surveillance and follow-up for early detection of systemic metastases.
Central Nervous System ; Diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gene Fusion ; Hemangiopericytoma ; Humans ; Liver ; Lung ; Meningeal Neoplasms ; Necrosis ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Prognosis ; Solitary Fibrous Tumors* ; Survival Rate

Classic distal renal tubular acidosis(type 1 RTA) is a hypokalemic, hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis due to selective defect in distal acidification. Type 1 RTA may be associated with genetic(usually autosomal dominant) or autoimmune disease, drugs and toxin and various tubulointerstitial diseases. This case report describes a 27 year-old female patient with distal RTA, Sjogren' s syndrome and Graves' disease the first case. She had been suffered from muscle weakness and peripheral numbness and was found to have low serum potassium(1.6mEq/L). She was revealed to have 1) distal RTA by NaHCO3 loading test 2) Sjogren' s syndrome by Schirmer' s test and palate biopsy and 3) Graves' disease by exophthalmometry and autoantibody test, thyroid function test. This is the first case as far as I search that report the association of distal RTA, Sjogren' s syndrome, and Graves' disease caused by autoimmune mechanism.
Acidosis ; Acidosis, Renal Tubular* ; Adult ; Autoimmune Diseases ; Biopsy ; Female ; Graves Disease* ; Humans ; Hypesthesia ; Muscle Weakness ; Palate ; Thyroid Function Tests

No abstract available.
Adult* ; Humans ; Treatment Outcome*

Background: This study aims to elucidate clinical features, therapeutic strategies, and prognosis of pineal parenchymal tumors (PPT) by analyzing a 30-year dataset of a single institution. Methods: We reviewed data from 43 patients diagnosed with PPT at Seoul National UniversityHospital between 1990 and 2020. We performed survival analyses and assessed prognostic factors. Results: The cohort included 10 patients with pineocytoma (PC), 13 with pineal parenchymaltumor of intermediate differentiation (PPTID), and 20 with pineoblastoma (PB). Most patients presented with hydrocephalus at diagnosis. Most patients underwent an endoscopic third ventriculostomy and biopsy, with some undergoing additional resection after diagnosis confirmation. Radiotherapy was administered with a high prevalence of gamma knife radiosurgery for PC and PPTID, and craniospinal irradiation for PB. Chemotherapy was essential in the treatment of grade 3 PPTID and PB. The 5-year progression-free survival rates for PC, grade 2 PPTID, grade 3 PPTID, and PB were 100%, 83.3%, 0%, and 40%, respectively, and the 5-year overall survival rates were 100%, 100%, 40%, and 55%, respectively. High-grade tumor histology was associated with lower survival rates. Significant prognostic factors varied among tumor types, with World Health Organization (WHO) grade and leptomeningeal seeding (LMS) for PPTID, and the extent of resection and LMS for PB. Three patients experienced malignant transformations. Conclusion This study underscores the prognostic significance of WHO grades in PPT. It is nec-essary to provide specific treatment according to tumor grade. Grade 3 PPTID showed a poor prognosis. Potential LMS and malignant transformations necessitate aggressive multimodal treatment and close-interval screening.

BACKGROUND: Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) is an autosomal dominant syndrome caused by the NF2 tumor suppressor gene. However, the NF2 mutation characteristics in Korean patients are not sufficiently understood. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive mutational analysis in 7 Korean NF2 patients by performing direct sequencing and gene-dosage assessment. METHODS: We analyzed all exons and flanking regions of NF2 by direct sequencing and screened the deletions or duplications involving NF2 by multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification. RESULTS: Four novel NF2 mutations, including 2 splice-site mutations (c.364-1G>A and c.886-3C>G), 1 frameshift mutation (c.524delA), and 1 missense mutation (c.397T>C; p.Cys133Arg), were identified in our patients. No large deletion or duplication was identified in our series. Subsequently, we identified an abnormal splicing product by using reverse transcription-PCR and direct sequencing in 2 patients with a novel splice-site mutation. The missense mutation c.397T>C was predicted to have harmful effects on protein function. CONCLUSIONS: The detection rate of NF2 mutations in Korean patients (57%) is similar to those in other populations. Our results provided a greater insight into the mutational spectrum of the NF2 gene in Korean subjects.
3' Flanking Region/genetics ; 5' Flanking Region/genetics ; Adult ; Aged ; Amino Acid Sequence ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group/*genetics ; Child, Preschool ; Exons ; Female ; Frameshift Mutation ; *Genes, Neurofibromatosis 2 ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Molecular Sequence Data ; *Mutation ; Mutation, Missense ; Neurofibromatosis 2/diagnosis/*genetics ; RNA Splice Sites ; Republic of Korea ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Young Adult