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In this study, the spatio-temporal characteristics of the minimum rest time for the safety of South Korean outdoor workers during hot summer months (June to August) are examined based on the hourly wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) across 27 weather stations in South Korea. The WBGT thresholds in the work-rest recommendation of the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA 2017) for the quantification of the minimum rest time are evaluated through a comparison of the given thresholds with the occurrences of occupational heat-related illness patients due to outdoor work during hot summer months in South Korea. The long-term (2009–2018) average of the hourly WBGT values during summer months shows that outdoor workers with a moderate workload are exposed to heat stress during approximately 30% of the entire daytime working hours (06:00–18:00). According to the WBGT thresholds modified from the KOSHA (2017) guidelines, the daily minimum rest time for a moderate workload noticeably increases up to 18% (11 min/h) in mid-summer (late July and early August). During mid-summer, the minimum rest time for a continuous moderate outdoor workload even increases up to 31% (18 min/h) between 12:00 and 13:00 and is regionally higher in the southwestern than in the southeastern regions of the Korean Peninsula. These results suggest that in summertime high-heat environments, a mandatory rest time must be provided according to appropriate heat management programs for the safety of workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyzed the effects of obesity on lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTSs) in Korean benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) patients. This is a multicenter, cross-sectional, prospective study conducted in four centers in Korea. A total of 602 men with LUTSs secondary to BPH were included. BPH/LUTSs cases were men aged >/= 40 years with international prostate symptom scores (IPSS) > or = 8 points. Height, weight and waist circumference were measured. Among the 602 patients, 156 patients had a waist circumference above 90 cm, representing central obesity, and 215 patients had a body mass index above 25 kg m(-2). Waist circumference was positively correlated with prostate volume (P = 0.034). Men with waist circumference > 90 cm experienced a 1.36-fold increased risk of severe LUTSs (95% CI 0.82-2.41) compared with men with waist circumference < or = 90 cm. Prostate volume was positively correlated with urgency and nocturia in men with central obesity. In this population of Korean men diagnosed with BPH, central obesity rather than overall obesity seems to be the more important predictor of LUTSs correlated with BPH.

Prostate cancer is now the eighth leading cause of cancer mortality among Korean males. We investigated the relationship between various nutrients in the diet and prostate cancer deaths. Nutrient intake data were obtained from the Korean Nutrition Survey between 1963 and 1995 and the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey since 1998. Prostate cancer mortality rates for these time periods were obtained from the National Statistics Office. The correlations between different nutrients in the diet and mortality were calculated using Spearman's rank correlation analysis with a lag period. Carbohydrates and grains showed significant negative correlations while protein, fat, iron, and riboflavin, and the food groups including fruits, seafood, seasonings and drinks, meat, eggs, fish, and milk showed significant positive correlations. In addition, the correlation results for age-specific rates virtually coincided with the crude rate correlations. However, we urge caution in interpreting these results because they could merely be a consequence of the changing patterns of food consumption and the recording of deaths in Korea.