• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• 제54권2호
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• pp.145-147
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• 2013

We present a case of acute hydrocephalus secondary to cervical spinal cord injury in a patient with diffuse ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL). A 75-year-old male patient visited the emergency department with tetraparesis and spinal shock. Imaging studies showed cervical spinal cord injury with hemorrhage and diffuse OPLL from C1 to C4. We performed decompressive laminectomy and occipitocervical fusion. Two days after surgery, his mental status had deteriorated to drowsiness with dilatation of the right pupil. Findings on brain computed tomography revealed acute hydrocephalus and subarachnoid hemorrhage in the cerebellomedullary cistern, therefore, extraventricular drainage was performed immediately. Acute hydrocephalus as a complication of cervical spine trauma is rare, however, it should be considered if the patient shows deterioration of neurologic symptoms.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• 제65권3호
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• pp.334-341
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• 2022

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the leading causes of death in the pediatric population in Korea. In addition, it can cause disability in children and adolescents, with physical and mental consequences. This causes a substantial burden on the health care system and occurs globally and not just in Korea. We searched and reviewed current data on the epidemiologic characteristics of pediatric TBI in Korea. Our review provides the recent epidemiological trend mainly focusing on incidence and mortality along with worldwide reported data. This review will be helpful to understand the global epidemiology of pediatric TBI and its differences between countries.

• 대한간호학회지
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• 제22권4호
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• pp.464-475
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• 1992

Head Injuries due to traffic accidents are now the leading cause of death and long term disability in males between 30-50 years. Many patients with head injuries experience mild dysfunction of cognition without major neurosurgical problems, and this may interfere with successful rehabilitation. However, not many studies have been done to investigate the cognitive functioning following mild head injuries. The purpose of this study was to obtain injured patient's dermographic data including medical, neuropsychological and social data, and to investigate the cause of injury and alcohol use at the time of injury. This study focused on the recovery of cognitive function in patients with head injuries and used the Mini Mental State Examination(MMSE) score and its correlation with dermographic and social data. Data on 77 patients with minor head injuries who were admitted to the department of Neurosurgery in 3 and I hospital in Dae Jun from September 1991 to February 1992 were analyzed. The findings of this study are as follows ; 1) Out of the 77 cases reviewed in this study, 62 were male, 15 were female. 2) A higher incidence of injury was observed between 7:00 PM and 12:00 PM. 3) The most common cause of head injury in traffic accidents was pedestrian accidents, and the next most frequent cause was motorcycle accidents. 4) Thirteen of the 77 cases in this study were under the influence of alcohol at the time of injury, and they were all male. 5) The MMSE scores one month after injury and at discharge were significantly lower in patients with head injuries that included skull fractures than in patients without skull fractures, suggesting lower cognitive function in patients with skull fractures. 6) The level of consciousness at admission and three days after admission measured by the GCS for drivers under the influence of alcohol was lower than for sober drivers. The MMSE score was also lower for drunken drivers. 7) The MMSE score one month after the injury had a reciprocal relationship with the age of the patient. 8) The MMSE score one month after the injury and at discharge were highly correlated with the duration of unconsciousness. 9) The MMSE score one month after injury and at discharge were highly correlated with the GCS scores at admission, three days after admission, and one week after admission.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• 제34권2호
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• pp.126-129
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• 2021

Fat embolism syndrome is a rare, but serious condition that occurs in patients with fractures of the long bones or who undergo orthopedic surgery. The main clinical features of fat embolism syndrome are an altered mental status, hypoxia, and petechial rash. Cerebral fat embolism is the most severe manifestation of fat embolism syndrome because it can lead to an altered mental status. The diagnosis of cerebral fat embolism is clinical, but brain magnetic resonance image (MRI) is helpful. There is usually an interval until symptoms, such as an altered mental status, develop after trauma. We report a case of cerebral fat embolism in which the patient's mental status deteriorated several hours after trauma and the initial findings were negative on diffusion-weighted MRI.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• 제29권3호
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• pp.114-121
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• 2018

Objective: Although suicide is a serious public health concern for adolescents, there is a lack of studies that explore its risk factors in the Republic of Korea. The present study aims to investigate risk factors associated with suicidal behaviors in Korean adolescents. Methods: Participants consisted of 2258 middle and high school students who completed a series of questionnaires regarding suicide ideation or attempts, non-suicidal self-injuries, depression, impulsivity, drinking behaviors, and negative life events, including peer bullying. Results: Among the participants, 8.3% of students reported suicide ideation, while 3.2% reported a history of a suicide attempt in the past 12 months. Depression, peer-victimization, internet-related delinquency, and positive attitudes toward suicide were associated with suicidal ideations and attempts. Adverse life events were also associated with suicide ideation, but not attempts, while not living with both parents and poor family relationships were associated with suicide attempts, but not ideations. Non-suicidal self-injuries were associated with both suicide ideations and attempts. Students with suicidal ideations and attempts can be differentiated depending on the presence of self-injury. Conclusion: In addition to depression or behavioral problems, non-suicidal self-injuries and lack of support from family may also play significant roles in suicide attempts in adolescents. To facilitate the prevention of suicide in adolescents, longitudinal studies should be followed to confirm the risk factors identified in this study.

• 한국의료질향상학회지
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• 제15권2호
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• pp.107-120
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• 2009

Background : To estimate fall incidence rate and associated factors in inpatients from a general hospital. Method : The data were collected from 104 fall incident reports developed by the patient safety committee in a general hospital in Seoul from 01 January 2007 to 31 December 2008. Information included general characteristics of patients, factors related to fall, types, places, circumstances and outcomes of fall. Result : The incidence rate of fall, which was 4.4 per 1,000 total discharged patients and 0.5 per 1,000 patient-days, was much lower than that of several hospitals in the United States. The difference may reflect the different incidence reporting system of each hospital. Fall-prone patients were, in general, $$\geq_-$$65 years of age, had an alert mental status, were ambulatory with some assistance, and were dependent on and ambulatory device. High incidence of falls was associated with patients with circulatory disease. The majority of fall events usually occurred in bed or at the bedside in the patient's room, and occurred more often during the night than during the day or evening. Risk factors of fall were use of drugs (antihypertensive or neuropsychiatric drugs) and environmental factors (e.g., overly high bed height, surrounding objects, inadequate fitness shoes and slippery floor). Physical injury occurred in 43.3% of fall events, which typically required diagnosis of injury and treatment such as suturing. Risk factors for repeated falls were use of a neuropsychiatric drug (odds ratio=13.9) and gait disturbance (odds ratio=91.2). Risk factors for fall-related injury were alert mental status (odds ratio=3.3 times more likely to fall than those who were drowsy or in a stupor) and general weakness(odds ratio=3.3 times more likely to fall than those who were not generally weak). Conclusion : Medical and nursing staff should be aware of the fall risk factors of hospitalized patients and should intensively pursue preventative strategies. Development of fall prevention education based on these results is recommended.

• Journal of Korean Medical Science
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• 제33권49호
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• pp.314.1-314.15
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• 2018

Background: Despite its growing significance, studies on the burden of disease associated with natural disasters from the perspective of public health were few. This study aimed at estimating the national burden of disease associated with typhoons and torrential rains in Korea. Methods: During the period of 2002-2012, 11 typhoons and five torrential rains were selected. Mortality and morbidities were defined as accentual death, injury and injury-related infection, and mental health. Their incidences were estimated from National Health Insurance Service. Case-crossover design was used to define the disaster-related excess mortality and morbidity. Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) were directly assessed from excess mortality and morbidity. Results: The burden of disease from typhoons increased with the intensity, with 107.7, 30.6, and 36.6 DALYs per 100,000 per event for strong, moderate, and weak typhoons, respectively. Burden of disease from torrential rains were 56.9, 52.8, and 26.4 DALYs per 100,000 per event for strong, moderate, and weak episodes, respectively. Mental disorders contributed more years lived with disability (YLDs) than did injuries in most cases, but the injury-induced YLDs associated with strong typhoon and torrential rain were higher than those of lower-intensity. The elderly was the most vulnerable to most types of disaster and storm intensities, and males younger than 65 years were more vulnerable to a strong torrential rain event. Conclusion: The intensity of torrential rain or typhoon was the strongest determinant of the burden of disease from natural disasters in Korea. Population vulnerable may vary depending on the nature and strength of the disasters.

• 재활간호학회지
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• 제20권1호
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• pp.33-41
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• 2017

Purpose: This study is a descriptive study to analyze the relationship between the cognitive function, body image and pain, and the influencing factors on the daily life performance of brain injured patients. Methods: The study subjects were 119 inpatients with brain injury who gave informed consent. The activities of daily living (ADLs), cognitive function, pain and body image were measured by Modified Barthel Index (K-MBI), K-MMSE (Mini-Mental State Examination), Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Semantic Differential Method (SDM), respectively. Results: ADLs was significantly associated with body image, cognitive function, and pain. Multiple regression analysis showed that paralysis, consciousness, cognitive function, and pain were significant factors influencing ADLs. Overall, approximately 48% of total variability in the ADLs could be explained by the 4 variables ($R^2=.477$, p<.001). Conclusion: To improve ADLs of brain injury patients, a deeper understanding of paralysis, consciousness, cognitive function, and pain of patients is required and active nursing invention should be conducted.

• 대한물리치료과학회지
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• 제10권2호
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• pp.246-257
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• 2003

Even though the automation of industrial machinery has dramatically increased, most industries still require human hands for the production of goods. Our hands are essential to our existence. For this reason, hand injuries caused by industrial accidents have become an important issue lately. Most hand injuries are external wounds and constitute 38.6% of disabling industrial accidents. This significant statistic cannot be ignored by rehabilitation programs. The rate of success in operations of finger and hand injuries has increased, but relatively less consideration has been given to physical therapy, rehabilitation, research, or systematic installment in terms of welfare, which would help the injured carry on the nominal life they lived before their injury. Therefore, it is necessary to study systematically all related aspects to provide patients with physical therapy, rehabilitation, and social welfare, in order to restore their social, professional, and economical capabilities. Physical considerations, functional usability, and cosmetic restoration, as well as the patients' mental state must be addressed. The results of the study shows several problems. Medical appliances, manpower, and the environment of the treatment rooms are very poor. The patients cannot receive treatment early enough nor enough treatment because of too many patients for too few physical therapists. Close cooperation between physical therapists and doctors, nurses, or related departments is lacking. Furthermore, it is irrational that industrial accident premiums for the exert; e treatment of hand injury patients are not itemized. Lack of recognition of the importance of specialty in hand injury therapists leads to the lack of professionalization of systematic hand injury treatment In order to solve these problems, the professonalism of physical therapy should be acknowledged and particular treatment courses should be available and/or required. Based on the understanding of the hand injury patients' needs, new theories of physical therapy should be developed and modem medical appliances and facilities should be available, in order to provide the patients with qualitative medical treatment, which then will facilitate the patients' recovery.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• 제15권4호
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• pp.199-207
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• 2003

신생아의 정상적인 발달을 저해하고 조기 사망의 주된 원인이 되고 있는 주산기 뇌손상에 관한 신경병리적 기전을 살펴보고자 하였다. 발달하고 있는 과정에서의 주산기 뇌손상은 주로 저산소성-허혈성 뇌손상과 출혈성 뇌손상에 의한 경우가 많다. 저산소성-허혈성 뇌손상과 관련하여 에너지 부전, 세포흥분독성, 미성숙 백질의 선택적 취약성을 고려해 볼 수 있다. 첫번째, 세포호흡에 관여하는 미토콘드리아의 손상과 관련하여 즉각적인 병리와 함께 지연된 양상의 손상을 보인다. 미토콘드리아의 호흡률이 감소하고 칼슘이온의 농도가 상승하여 세포 괴사 및 세포사멸 과정이 진행된다. 두번째, 흥분성 아미노산과 관련하여 미성숙한 뇌에는 NMDA 수용기-채널 복합체의 기능이 매우 풍부하고, phosphoinositide 가수분해가 높아서 흥분독성에 상당히 취약하다. 세 번째, 수초 형성에 중요한 역할을 하는 희돌기교세포가 주산기 뇌손상 특히, 저산소성-허혈성 손상에 취약하다. 희돌기교세포는 글루타메이트에 의한 자유유리기과 사이토카인 손상에 취약하다. 뇌출혈과 관련하여, 미성숙한 뇌는 뇌실 주위에 혈관층이 풍부하나 매우 약한 상태로 재관류 혹은 혈류의 증가로 인해 쉽게 파열된다. 특히 32주 이내인 경우 이러한 손상으로 인해 뇌실주위 백질연화증이 초래된다.