Background: The Korean Occupational Stress Scale (KOSS) was developed in 2004. During this time, industrial structures have evolved, and societal awareness of occupational stress has changed. This study aims to develop and validate a revised version of the Korean Occupational Stress Scale (KOSS®19), tailored for workers, reflecting these changes. Methods: The KOSS®19 was developed based on the 26-item KOSS–short form (SF) through a review by eight experts. A survey was conducted including 359 service industry workers, comprising the KOSS®19, Burnout, and Depression scales. The KOSS®19 subscales were restructured, and their reliability and validity were evaluated. Results: The KOSS®19 composed of eight subscales: hazardous physical environment (2 items), high job demand (3 items), insufficient job control (2 items), low social support (2 items), job insecurity (2 items), organizational injustice (4 items), lack of reward (2 items), and work-life imbalance (2 items). The reliability and validity of the KOSS®19 were found to be satisfactory. Conclusions The KOSS®19 is a suitable tool for assessing occupational stress, effectively replacing the original KOSS and KOSS-SF.

Background: Emotional labor refers to the management of emotions and expressions to meet the emotional requirements of a job role. This study aimed to develop a revised version of the Korean Emotional Labor Scale (KELS®11), based on the first edition (KELS-24) introduced in 2014, and to provide practical applications and guidelines for its use in the Korean workplace through a validation process. Methods: The revised version of KELS®11 was derived from the 24-item KELS, following a review process involving eight experts. To validate the scale’s reliability and validity, a self-administered survey was conducted among 359 service industry workers using KELS®11, burnout, and depression scales. KELS®11 was reclassified, and its reliability and validity were evaluated. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was conducted to establish sex-specific cutoff values (normal vs. high-risk groups). Results: KELS®11 was designed to account for individual, organizational, and cultural contexts. It consists of four subscales and 11 items: “emotional regulation” (2 items), “emotional dissonance” (3 items), “organizational monitoring” (2 items), and “organizational protective system for emotional labor” (4 items). KELS®11 demonstrated good validity (content validity ratio: 0.84; item convergence/discriminant validity success rates: 100%; correlation with burnout: r = 0.185–0.436, p < 0.01; correlation with depression: r = 0.128–0.339, p < 0.05) and reliability (Cronbach’s alpha: 0.597–0.795). Additionally, sex-specific reference values were established to determine risk groups based on the intensity of emotional labor exposure. Conclusions KELS®11 is a validated and reliable measurement tool designed to assess the intensity and magnitude of emotional labor in the workplace. The revised tool reflects critical considerations in the development of emotional labor measurement scales.

Background: Workplace violence refers to any act or threat of physical violence, verbal abuse, harassment, intimidation, bullying, mobbing, or other aggressive and disruptive behaviors that occur at work. This study aims to develop and validate a revision of the Korean Workplace Violence Scale (KWVS®13), based on the first edition of the Korean Workplace Violence Scale (KWVS-24), and to provide practical applications and guidelines for the Korean workplace environment. Methods: The revised KWVS®13 was developed by restructuring the 24-item KWVS through a review process involving eight experts. To validate the reliability and validity of KWVS®13, a self-administered survey comprising KWVS®13, burnout, and depression scales was conducted among 359 service industry workers. KWVS®13 was reclassified, and its reliability and validity were assessed. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to establish sex-specific cutoff values (normal vs. risk) of the scale. Results: KWVS®13 consists of 13 items across four subscales: “psychological and sexual violence from customers” (4 items), “psychological and sexual violence from supervisors or coworkers” (4 items), “physical assault from customers, supervisors, or coworkers” (2 items), and “organizational protective system for workplace violence” (3 items). We found that KWVS®13 shows relatively good validity (content validity ratio for content validity: 0.888; success rate of item convergent and discriminant validity: 100%, and significant correlation coefficient with burnout (r = 0.115–0.83, p < 0.05) and depression (r = 0.098–0.348, p < 0.05) with the exception of Organizational Violence Protection System for Workplace Violence) and reliability (Cronbach’s alpha: 0.827–0.860). The reference values for determining risk groups according to the intensity of exposure to workplace violence are presented separately by sex. Conclusions KWVS®13 is a robust and useful measurement tool to objectively and quantitatively assess the intensity and magnitude of workplace violence. It incorporates important considerations for workplace violence assessment and provides a reliable framework for evaluating workplace violence in various professional settings.

BACKGROUND: A1chieve(R) was a noninterventional study evaluating the clinical safety and efficacy of biphasic insulin aspart 30, insulin detemir, and insulin aspart. METHODS: Korean type 2 diabetes patients who have not been treated with the study insulin or have started it within 4 weeks before enrollment were eligible for the study. The patient selection and the choice of regimen were at the discretion of the physician. The safety and efficacy information was collected from the subjects at baseline, week 12, and week 24. The number of serious adverse drug reactions (SADRs) was the primary endpoint. The changes of clinical diabetic markers at week 12 and/or at week 24 compared to baseline were the secondary endpoints. RESULTS: Out of 4,058 exposed patients, 3,003 completed the study. During the study period, three SADRs were reported in three patients (0.1%). No major hypoglycemic episodes were observed and the rate of minor hypoglycemic episodes marginally decreased during 24 weeks (from 2.77 to 2.42 events per patient-year). The overall quality of life score improved (from 66.7+/-15.9 to 72.5+/-13.5) while the mean body weight was slightly increased (0.6+/-3.0 kg). The 24-week reductions in glycated hemoglobin, fasting plasma glucose and postprandial plasma glucose were 1.6%+/-2.2%, 2.5+/-4.7 mmol/L, and 4.0+/-6.4 mmol/L, respectively. CONCLUSION: The studied regimens showed improvements in glycemic control with low incidence of SADRs, including no incidence of major hypoglycemic episodes in Korean patients with type 2 diabetes.
Biphasic Insulins ; Body Weight ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Drug Toxicity ; Fasting ; Glucose ; Hemoglobins ; Humans ; Incidence ; Insulin ; Insulin Aspart ; Insulin, Isophane ; Insulin, Long-Acting ; Patient Selection ; Plasma ; Quality of Life ; Republic of Korea ; Treatment Outcome ; Insulin Detemir

BACKGROUND: Depletion of nutritional reserves and significant weight loss can lead to an increased risk of morbidity, reduced chemotherapy response, and shorter survival in patients with cancer. Numerous methodologies are used for the assessment of nutritional status. However, it remains unclear which of these tools is the most appropriate in the setting of cancer chemotherapy. The PINI (prognostic inflammatory nutritional index) is a simple scoring system that has been used to evaluate nutritional status and prognosis in critically ill patients. The aim of this study was designed to investigate the relationship between nutritional status after the palliative chemotherapy and prognosis in advanced metastatic cancer. METHODS: This study included 130 patients with ECOG PS (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status) 1~3 in advanced metastatic cancer following the palliative chemotherapy. ECOG PS, body mass index, alpha 1-acid glycoprotein, C-reactive protein, albumin, prealbumin, transferrin, protein, lactate dehydrogenase, PINI ratio, and survival time were evaluated. RESULTS: In 130 patients, the median age was 57 years. The ECOG PS was 1 68 patients, 2 43, 3 19. The mean value of PINI was PS 1 16.0+/-47.8, PS 2 55.6+/-106.9, PS 3 106.3+/-141.6. The mean survival was PS 1 144.0+/-71.8, PS 2 68.9+/-41.2, PS 3 32.0+/-6.9 days. In the PS 3 group, the mean values of alpha 1-acid glycoprotein, C-reactive protein, and lactate dehydrogenase were significantly higher than in the PS 1 group. In the PS 3 group, the mean values of albumin, prealbumin, and transferrin were significantly lower than in the PS 1 group. The survival time was correlated with the ECOG PS (r=-0.602, p<0.001,), PINI (r=-0.318, p<0.001,), alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (r=-0.265, p=0.002), C-reactive protein (r=-0.345, p<0.001), albumin (r=0.324, p<0.001), prealbumin (r=0.260, p=0.003) and transferrin (r=0.277, p=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The PINI may be a useful scoring system for the assessment of nutritional status and prognosis in advanced metastatic cancer following palliative chemotherapy, but the ECOG PS is most strong correlation with the survival time.
Body Mass Index ; C-Reactive Protein ; Critical Illness ; Drug Therapy ; Humans ; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase ; Nutrition Assessment ; Nutritional Status* ; Orosomucoid ; Prealbumin ; Prognosis* ; Transferrin ; Weight Loss

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the elastic memory process in cold worked stainless steel wire and the effect of heat treatment on it. 0.018 inch round and 0.019 X 0.025 inch rectangular wire (ORMCO stainless wire) were used in this study. Each wire type had 4 groups: non-heat treatment group, furnace heat treatment group, electric current heat treatment group, and bending after heat treatment group. Each group was consisted of 10 specimens. With the Jig, each wire was bent into v-shape uniformly, and width of two free ends of each v-shaped wire was measured by caliper (to the point of 0.1mm correctly) at time interval of off-jig, after heat treatment, 1, 2, 3. 4 hours, I, 2, 3,4, 5, 6 days, 1, 2, 3, 4 weeks after. The results were as follows: 1. In non-heat treatment group and bending after heat treatment group, elastic memory process was occured 60% within 1 hour, and more than 90% within 1 week. 2. In furnace and electric current heat treatment group, almost all elastic memory process was occured during heat treatment, and then specimen was stabilized dimensionally. 3. Magnitude of deformation by elastic memory was greater in heat treatment group than non heat treatment group and bending after heat treatment group. 4. There was no remarkable difference in deformation pattern between 0.018 inch round wire and 0.019 x 0.025 inch rectangular wire.
Hot Temperature* ; Memory* ; Stainless Steel*