A 46-year-old man was found dead at the foot of a mountain, with a bloody knife aside of his neck. A horizontal throat cut wound with multiple vertebral incisions was observed, with damages of neck vessels and pharynx. There were also three stab wounds in the abdomen and a horizontal cut in the anterior side of left proximal arm. He had suffered from depression. Scene circumstances and autopsy findings pointed toward a suicidal etiology.
Abdomen ; Arm ; Autopsy ; Depression ; Foot ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Neck ; Pharynx ; Suicide ; Wounds, Stab

Background: Catecholamines consisting of epinephrine (EP), norepinephrine (NE), and dopamine (DA) are known as a class of chemical neurotransmitters and hormones essential for regulation of physiological processes including stress responses. Many researchers have tried to establish a relationship between postmortem catecholamine level and agony time or underlying cause of death. However, relevant studies have yielded debatable results.This study was performed to determine characteristics of catecholamine distribution in postmortem specimens with various influencing factors and to assess relationships of postmortem catecholamine levels with agony time and cause of death. Methods: A total of 114 autopsy cases were analyzed for catecholamine levels and EP/NE ratios in femoral blood, heart blood, and urine specimens. Postmortem catecholamine levels according to sex, age, medical treatments (cardiopulmonary resuscitation [CPR] and EP injection), postmortem interval (PMI), agonal period, manner of death, and cause of death were evaluated. Results: Close mutual relationships were noted among femoral and heart blood catecholamine levels. There was no correlation between blood and urine catecholamine levels. Catecholamine levels showed no significant differences according to sex, age, or manner of death. Heart EP and heart EP/NE ratio were significantly higher in the group with CPR. Femoral DA, heart EP, heart NE, heart DA, and urine DA were significantly increased in the group with EP injection. Urine NE and urine DA showed significant differences among PMI groups, with both increased over PMI. In correlation analysis, femoral DA and urine NE displayed weak correlations with PMI. Regarding agony time, femoral and heart DA were significantly increased in long agony group compared to those in the short agony group. With regard to the cause of death, multiple comparison analysis for major categories (natural death, injury, intoxication, asphyxia, drowning, and fire death) revealed a significant increase of femoral NE in asphyxia in comparison with injury. In subgroup analysis for the group without EP injection, femoral NE (P = 0.048), femoral DA (P = 0.039), and heart EP (P = 0.021) showed significant differences between PMI groups. Conclusion Results of this study have important implications for understanding postmortem catecholamine distribution and their mutual associations, influences of clinical and demographic factors, and relationships with agony time and cause of death in Korean population. Although comprehensive demonstration of catecholamine level as stress index was not possible in the present study, the assessment of postmortem catecholamine levels could be used as a supportive tool in classification of agonal status and differential diagnosis of the cause of death in particular cases. Further investigation is needed on this issue.

Objective: Impulsivity can be observed in individuals with or without mental illness. The discovery of neural correlates responsible for trait impulsivity can therefore help to understand the severity of psychiatric symptoms, personality characteristics and social adjustment. In this study, we aimed to identify the gray matter substrates of trait impulsivity in healthy individuals. Methods: Seventy-five healthy individuals were enrolled. At baseline, trait impulsivity was assessed using the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS) and all participants underwent T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging scan. Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) were also assessed. Mean cortical thickness (CT) and the local gyrification index (LGI) were calculated to perform whole-brain vertex-wise correlation analysis, which were performed to investigate the relationship between BIS scores and CT or LGI in each brain region. We also revealed the relationship between brain regions and psychological measurements. Results: Total BIS scores were significantly and negatively correlated with mean CT values in the left lateral occipital cortex (OC) and LGIs in the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). Correlation analyses revealed that the lateral OC’s mean CT values were negatively correlated with BAI scores and positively correlated with WHOQOL-BREF scores, while LGI in the IFG was positively correlated with CD-RISC scores. Conclusion Our study showed that trait impulsivity might be associated with the lateral OC and IFG in healthy individuals. Understanding the neural correlates of trait impulsivity could provide ways to expect high impulsivity, anxiety, and poor resilience in healthy adults.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to examine the drug adherence and treatment effect of the paliperidone long acting injection (LAI) in patients with schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders. METHODS: We reviewed the medical charts of patients who were prescribed paliperidone LAI from January 2010 to April 2014. Date of each injection, last observation, and first admission after use of the drug were obtained. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used for calculation of drug adherence. The dose of paliperidone LAI, concurrent oral antipsychotics, and anticholinergic agent was also obtained. Antipsychotics dose was calculated as olanzapine equivalent dose. RESULTS: The drug adherence of the paliperidone LAI on day 365 was 65%. The reasons for all cause discontinuation were follow-up loss, no effect, poor insight, rejection, extrapyramidal symptom, pain, etc. A total dose of 9.1 mg of oral antipsychotics was decreased, while the dose of anticholinergic agent was increased. CONCLUSION: The drug adherence of the paliperidone LAI was 65%, which was concordant with previous studies. The dose of concurrent oral antipsychotics was increased, while the dose of anticholinergic agent was decreased.
Antipsychotic Agents ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Medication Adherence ; Psychotic Disorders ; Schizophrenia ; Treatment Outcome ; Paliperidone Palmitate

Objectives: The optimal duration of maintenance treatment for patients with first-episode schizophrenia (FES) remains unclear. We examined the first antipsychotic treatment duration and its association with re-initiation of treatment using a nationwide claim database. Methods: Data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database in South Korea for 2007–2016 were used. Linear regression analysis and Cox proportional hazard models were used to evaluate the associations between the duration of the first antipsychotic treatment, time to re-initiation of treatment, and occurrence of treatment re-initiation. Results: Of 30,143 patients with FES, 80.4% (n=24,231) received <2 years of the first antipsychotic treatment. In patients who discontinued treatment (n=23,030), the rate of treatment re-initiation was 74.2% (n=17,086). As the duration of the first antipsychotic treatment increased, the time to re-initiation of treatment decreased (β=-0.146, p<0.001); however, the rate of treatment re-initiation was relatively constant (hazard ratio=1.001, p<0.001). Conclusion Long-term antipsychotic treatment was not significantly associated with the rate of treatment re-initiation but showed a negative association with the time to re-initiation of treatment. Further research is needed to better understand the optimal treatment duration for FES.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the mediating effects of cancer-related dysfunctional beliefs regarding sleep and intolerance of uncertainty on the effect of depression, insomnia, and anxiety on fear of progression (FoP). Methods: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of patients with cancer who visited the Sleep Clinic for cancer patients in Asan Medical Center for the first time between December 2021 and March 2022. Data collected included age, sex, types of cancer, staging, current treatment modalities, and history of surgical procedures. In addition, psychological symptoms were rated using the Insomnia Severity Scale (ISI), Patient Health Questionnaire–9 items (PHQ-9), State subcategory of the State and Trait of Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S), Short form of Fear of Progression Questionnaire, Cancer-related Dysfunctional Beliefs about Sleep scale (C-DBS), single item of pain and fatigue, Connor Davidson Resilience Scale 2-item (CD-RISC2), and Intolerance of Uncertainty–12 (IUS-12). The predictive variables for FoP were determined by linear regression analysis. Results: The FoP was significantly correlated with age (r=-0.289), ISI (r=0.178), PHQ-9 (r=0.703), STAI-S (r=0.377), fatigue (r=0.452), CD-RISC2 (r=-0.270), IUS-12 (r=0.585), and C-DBS (r=0.427, all p<0.01). A mediation analysis showed that intolerance of uncertainty and dysfunctional beliefs about sleep mediated the relationship of FoP with insomnia, depression, or anxiety. Conclusion Psychological support for intolerance of uncertainty and cancer-related dysfunctional beliefs about sleep in patients with cancer may be beneficial to reduce their FoP.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) secondary to near-drowning is rarely described and poorly understood. Only few cases of severe isolated AKI resulting from near-drowning exist in the literature. We report a case of near-drowning who developed to isolated AKI due to acute tubular necrosis (ATN) requiring dialysis. A 21-yr-old man who recovered from near-drowning in freshwater 3 days earlier was admitted to our hospital with anuria and elevated level of serum creatinine. He needed five sessions of hemodialysis and then renal function recovered spontaneously. Renal biopsy confirmed ATN. We review the existing literature on near-drowning-induced AKI and discuss the possible pathogenesis.
Acute Kidney Injury/*diagnosis/*etiology ; Anuria/etiology ; Creatinine/blood ; Humans ; Kidney Tubular Necrosis, Acute/etiology/pathology ; Male ; Near Drowning/*complications ; Renal Dialysis ; Young Adult

A 74-yr-old woman presented with fever and abdominal discomfort. She was in a septic condition caused by urinary tract infection. Her computed tomogram of the abdomen revealed features of hydronephrosis with ureteral stones in both kidneys. During percutaneous nephrostomies, right pyeloduodenal fistula (PDF) was diagnosed. Elective surgery was originally planned but the patient was in a poor condition to undergo surgery. Instead, 2 times endoscopic clipping and ligation by endoloop were applied with parenteral antibiotics for the fistula lesion. On admission day 30, she was discharged from the hospital after confirmation of no more contrast leakage on fistulography. We reviewed the literature and discuss the etiologies, clinical presentations, diagnosis, and treatment of PDF.
Aged ; Duodenal Diseases/complications/radiography/*surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Hydronephrosis/complications/radiography ; Intestinal Fistula/complications/radiography/*surgery ; Kidney/radiography/surgery ; Kidney Calculi/complications/radiography ; Kidney Diseases/complications/radiography/*surgery ; Ligation ; Urethral Obstruction/complications/radiography ; Urinary Fistula/complications/radiography/*surgery ; Urinary Tract Infections/complications/radiography

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Cardiovascular complications are commonly seen in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Recently, the prevalence of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) has increased, and the importance of LVDD has emerged in patients with CKD. The objectives of this study were to identify diagnostic criteria for LVDD related to ischemic heart disease (IHD) and evaluate the prognostic impact of diastolic dysfunction in patients with CKD. METHODS: A total of 71 patients with CKD who were evaluated between January 2005 and May 2010 were included in this study. These patients were evaluated by conventional echocardiography and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) for diastolic dysfunction. RESULTS: Diagnostic cutoff values for LVDD related to IHD were E/E' = 15.55 (sensitivity: 100%, specificity: 64.7%, p = 0.005) and E/A = 0.79 (sensitivity: 84.6%, specificity: 55.9%, p = 0.006). Group I consisted of 19 patients with an E/E' > 15.55 and E/A > 0.79. Group II consisted of the remaining patients. Factors contributing to LVDD were age, history of ischemic heart disease, anemia, and high low-density lipoprotein (LDL) level. Factors contributing to IHD were LVDD, smoking, high LDL level, and high parathyroid hormone (PTH) level. The disease-free survival for IHD was significantly lower in group I compared to group II (p = 0.001). However, there was no significant difference in overall survival between groups I and II (p = 0.177). CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that moderate LVDD (E/E' > 15.55 and E/A > 0.79) in patients with CKD is positively associated with IHD.
Anemia ; Disease-Free Survival ; Echocardiography ; Heart Failure, Diastolic ; Humans ; Lipoproteins ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Parathyroid Hormone ; Prevalence ; Renal Insufficiency ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic ; Smoke ; Smoking

A 56-year-old male with pulmonary tuberculosis was admitted to our hospital for evaluation of generalized edema. He began antituberculosis treatment with rifampin, isoniazid, ethambutol, and pyrazinamide. He experienced abnormal increments in weight and serum creatinine after 6 weeks. All serological findings, including anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA), were negative. Rifampin was stopped because it might have caused the increase in creatinine. Renal biopsy was consistent with pauci-immune crescentic glomerulonephritis (CrGN). His renal function was improved by high-dose steroid treatment. Rifampin-induced, ANCA-negative pauci-immune CrGN is very rare; most cases of rifampin-induced acute renal failure are due to acute tubulointerstitial nephritis. We present here a case of rifampin-induced CrGN and pulmonary tuberculosis successfully treated with high-dose steroids and antituberculosis medications, excluding rifampin.
Acute Kidney Injury ; Antibodies, Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic ; Biopsy ; Creatinine ; Edema ; Ethambutol ; Glomerulonephritis ; Humans ; Isoniazid ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nephritis, Interstitial ; Pyrazinamide ; Rifampin ; Steroids ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary