• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.190-194
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• 2023

Purpose: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) refers to brain damage caused by external forces or trauma. TBIs can vary in severity and result from accidents, falls, sports injuries, assaults, or other forms of physical trauma. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is known have roles in various cognitive functions. We report on a patient with traumatic brain injury who showed prefrontal symptoms after injury of thalamocortical connections between mediodorsal nuclei (MD) of thalamus and PFC. Methods: A 54-year-old, male patient suffered a TBI as a result of a heavy object falling on his head. After onset of TBI, he showed typical symptoms of prefrontal lobe injury, including personality changes, memory impairment, and general cognition problem. The thalamocortical connections between MD and PFC (ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC), dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and obrbitofrontal cortex (OFC)) were reconstructed using diffusion tensor tractography. In terms of fractional anisotropy value, the right thalamocortical connections to the OFC were significantly lower than those of control subjects. Results: The value of mean diffusivity in the right thalamocortical connections to the DLPFC was significantly higher than that of control subjects. By contrast, both VLPFC and left OFC showed significant decrement in the tract volume of thalamocortical connections compared with that of control subjects. Conclusion: We reported on a patient who showed cognitive and neuropsychiatric impairment due to global injury of the thalamocoritcal connections between MD and PFC following TBI.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.71-79
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• 2018

Objective : Several earlier studies have reported similar symptoms in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) who have been repeatedly exposed to relevant media after disasters and trauma. This study aimed to examine the effects of indirect trauma experience through media rather than direct traumatic events on an individual's social life. Methods : Five hundred and fifty-four individuals participated in our online, self-reported questionnaire survey. All subjects were asked to complete a demographic questionnaire, Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, the Impact of Event Scale-Revised, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Korean version of Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test, Patient Health Questionnaire-15, Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised. Participants were assessed in regards to their experience of violent media exposure within the past three months. Results : Data from our study indicates that the group exposed to violent media had significantly higher perceived stress, physical symptoms, insomnia, and suicide ideation in comparison to the control group. Among the major symptoms of PTSD, the proportion of intrusion symptoms was relatively high in the media exposed group. Conclusion : This suggests that indirect trauma caused by media exposure could cause post-traumatic stress symptoms. The PTSD caused by indirect trauma may have slight differences from the PTSD caused by direct trauma. Therefore, it is necessary to understand, prevent, and control the adverse effects of media.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.53 no.5
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• pp.500-513
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• 2023

Purpose: Women are more vulnerable to post-traumatic stress (PTS) than men, causing several health problems. Nurses should understand and work with women who have experienced trauma and provide interventions to promote their physical, social, and mental health. Methods: This quasi-experimental pilot study used a one-group pre-test/post-test design. Data were collected from 14 women recruited between December 2019 and May 2020 from a self-sufficiency support center in South Korea for sexually-exploited women who had experienced trauma. The program consisted of six one-on-one intervention sessions per week for six weeks. Each session averaged 60~120 minutes. Participants were assessed at pre-test, post-test, and one-month follow-up. Changes in outcome variables over time were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank and Friedman tests. Results: The caring program for health promotion was divided into six sessions: understanding the self, sharing traumatic events and negative emotions, reframing the meaning of traumatic events, identifying thoughts and physical and emotional responses, developing health promotion activities, and maintaining a positive attitude during the process of change. As a result of the caring program, PTS (F = 36.33, p < .001), depression (F = 24.45, p < .001), health-promoting behaviors (F = 7.06, p = .004), and self-esteem (F = 19.74, p < .001) among the participants differed significantly at pre-test, post-test, and follow-up. Conclusion: This study provides foundational information for the implementation of a theory-driven program by nurses in clinical and community settings to provide comprehensive care for women who have experienced trauma.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.4-13
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• 2017

The seeds of addiction are typically sown years prior to the onset of addictive substance use or engagement in addictive behaviors, due to the priming of the reward pathway (RewP) by alterations in the mechanism of stress-signaling from the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) and related pathways. Excessive stress from a single-event and/or cumulative life experiences during childhood, such as those documented in the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study, is translated into neurobiological toxicity that alters the set-point of the HPA axis and limbic system homeostasis [suggested new term: regulation pathway (RegP)]. The resultant alteration of the RegP not only increases the risk for psychiatric and physical illness, but also that for early onset and chronic addictions by dysregulating the RewP. This paper reviews the interface of these symbiotic pathways that result in the phenotypic pathology of emotional dysregulation, cognitive impairment, and compulsive behaviors, as well as morbidity and shorter life expectancy when dysregulated by chronic stress.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.80-88
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• 2009

Disorder of Extreme Stress, Not Otherwise Specified (DESNOS) is the proposed diagnosis that meets the severe, complex, and prolonged psychological sequela of victims with chronic traumatization (e.g., family violence, incest, and childhood sexual or physical abuse). The hallmarks of DESNOS are a multiplicity of symptoms (e.g., somatization, dissociation, and depression), pathological changes in relationships, identity disturbances, and a propensity to experience repeated harm and injury at the hands of oneself and others. DESNOS can be directly assessed by Structured Interview of Disorder of Extreme Stress (SIDES) and Self- Report Inventory of Disorder of Extreme Stress (SIDES-SR). The treatment of DESNOS should be phaseoriented and involve movement back and forth among three basic stages : 1) stabilization ; 2) trauma processing ; 3) reintegration.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.53-62
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• 2020

Objectives : This study investigated lifetime experiences of trauma, treatment retention, and psychiatric symptoms among outpatients with panic disorder after initiation of pharmacotherapy. Our research hypothesis was that panic patients with childhood trauma would display more severe symptoms and less treatment retention compared to those without such history. Methods : A total of 135 first-visit outpatients with DSM-IV panic disorder were approached during the period from March 2012 to August 2016. Fifty-three patients (39%) either refused or returned incomplete questionnaires, leading to a final sample size of 82. Participants completed the Trauma History Screen, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, and the Abbreviated PTSD checklist. Results : The number of lifetime trauma was significantly correlated with treatment retention (rho=-0.269, p=0.015). Among subtypes of trauma, only childhood physical abuse was significantly correlated with treatment retention (rho=-0.298, p=0.007). Conclusions : Our results indicated that psychological trauma, particularly of an interpersonal nature from childhood, can affect pharmacotherapy treatment retention in panic disorder. This may be mediated by poor patient-doctor relationships originating from trust issues among childhood trauma survivors or lack of perceived improvement due to the more severe symptoms and unfavorable course experienced by those with childhood trauma. Further studies are needed to explore the reasons for poor treatment adherence in this population.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.283-286
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• 2012

A trauma surgeon is always concerned about child abuse when he or she meets injured children. Abused children will be neglected if trauma surgeons only concentrate on the injured site or physical dynamics. Lately, violence on children has increased in Korea. Therefore, in this study, we considered child abuse through a review of the literatures. An eleven-year-old boy visited the emergency room vomiting with abdominal distension. He had been kicked in the abdomen by his step-mother 10 days earlier. The computed tomography revealed a transected pancreas tail and neck with a large pesudocyst (Fig. 1) and laboratory findings showed an elevated amylase level of more than 6,500 IU/L. Because he complained of severe pain with rebound tenderness on the whole abdomen, he underwent an emergent laparotomy, a distal pancreatectomy of the tail portion with an anti-leakage procedure on the cut surface of the pancreas. However, he underwent a distal pancreatectomy again on the neck portion of the pancreas because of a continuing pseudocyst with severe pain that could not be controlled with conservative managements. After that, his symptoms were improved and he returned to his daily life.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.112-116
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• 2024

Uterine rupture is uncommon in small animals and can be caused by trauma, infection, dead fetus, or inappropriate obstetric techniques. A 4-year-old, intact female mixed-breed dog weighing 3 kg presented for elective ovariohysterectomy with a history of a motor vehicle accident two months previously. The patient showed no clinical signs of uterine abnormalities or evidence of pregnancy during physical examination. Clinical examinations, radiography, and ultrasonography revealed no significant findings. During ovariohysterectomy, a completely transected left uterine horn and dome-shaped ends were identified. The uterine layers were everted such that the endometrium could be seen outside the uterine horn. The dog recovered without post-operative complications and was discharged the following day. This report describes a rare case of an asymptomatic uterine rupture caused by trauma in a non-gravid dog.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.17
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• pp.7467-7472
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• 2015

Background: Breast cancer is known to be one of the most prevalent cancers among women in both developing and developed countries. The incidence of breast cancer in Pakistan has increased dramatically within the last few years and is the second country after Israel in Asia to have highest proportional cases of breast cancer. However, there are limited data for breast cancer available in the literature from Pakistan. Objectives: The study was conducted to bring to light the common clinical presentation of breast cancer and to evaluate the frequency of established risk factors in breast carcinoma patients and furthermore to compare the findings between premenopausal and postmenopausal women in Pakistan. Materials and Methods: A 6 months (from July 2012 to Dec 2012) cross sectional survey was conducted in Surgical and Oncology Units of Civil Hospital, Karachi. Data were collected though a well developed questionnaire from 105 female patients diagnosed with carcinoma of breast and analyzed using SPSS version 17. Institutional ethical approval was obtained prior to data collection. Results: Out of 105 patients, 43 were premenopausal and 62 were postmenopausal, 99 being married. Mean age at diagnosis was $47.8{\pm}12.4years$. A painless lump was the most frequent symptom, notived by 77.1%(n=81). Some 55.2% (n=58) patients had a lump in the right breast and 44.8%(n=47) in the left breast. In the majority of cases, the lump was present in upper outer quadrant 41.9% (n=44). Mean period of delay from appearance of symptoms to consulting a doctor was $5.13{\pm}4.8months$, from the shortest 1 month to the longest 36 months. Long delay (> 3 months) was the most frequent figure 41.9%. Considering overall risk factors most frequent were first pregnancy after 20 years of age (41%), physical breast trauma (28.6%), lack of breast feeding(21.9%), and early menarche <11 years (19%), followed by null parity (16.2%), consumption of high fat diet (15.2%), family history of breast cancer or any other cancer in first degree relatives (9.5% and 13.3%, respectively). Some of the less common factors were late menopause >54 years (8.6%), use of oral contraceptive pills (10.5%), use of hormone replacement therapy (4.7%),smoking (4.7%) and radiation (0.96%). Significant differences (p<0.005) were observed between pre and post menopausal women regarding history of physical breast trauma, practice of breast feeding and parity. Conclusions: A painless lump was the most frequent clinical presentation noted. Overall age at first child > 20 years, physical breast trauma, lack of breast feeding, early menarche <11 were the most frequent risk factors. Physical breast trauma, lower parity, a trend for less breast feeding had more significant associations with pre-menopausal than post-menopausal onset. Increase opportunity of disease prevention can be obtained through better understanding of clinical presentation and risk factors important in the etiology of breast cancer.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.5-15
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to identity the distribution of post-traumatic stress types and coping methods and to find the relationship between the post-traumatic stress types and the coping methods, for firefighters who experienced in Dea-Gu Subway Fire Disaster. The Subjects of this study were 126 firefighters who experienced Deagu Subway Disaster. Q questionnaire developed by Q-study and coping methods instrument based on that of Folkman & Lazaruswas revised and complemented by Kim Jung Hee was used. Data were analyzed by t-test, ANOVA using SPSS. The results of this study were as follows : 1. The distribution of post-traumatic stress types were 52.4% of Emotional arousal trauma, 34.1% of Trauma experience persistence and 13.5% of Physiological symptom experience. 2. The difference of post-traumatic stress types according to the general characteristics were significantly related to the physical injury(p = .010). 3. The minimum score of coping with post-traumatic stress types was 0.07, the maximum was 2.96 and the mean score was 1.27. 4. The coping methods according to the general characteristics were significantly different at active coping method according to educational level(p = .001), passive coping method according to educational level(p = .003) and passive coping method according to diagnosis(p = 0.20). 5. The mean score of active coping method according types were Emotional arousal trauma(1.505), trauma experience persistance(1.322) and Physiological symptom experience(1.276). The mean score of passive coping method related with types were Emotional arousal trauma(1.328), trauma experience persistance(1.254) and Physiological symptom experience(1.219).