BACKGROUND: Traffic accident is a catastrophic event which induces severe stress to the victims. According to psychoneuroimmunolgic studies, the stress induced by traffic accident may affect emotion, neuroendocrine and immune systems. This study was designed to investigate what is the effect of the stress induced by traffic accident on the secretions of cortisol, IL-1alpha and IL-6 and the relationship with blood levels of glucose and lactic dehydrogenase in the traffic accident victims. METHODS: Thirty five traffic accident victims and eleven normal healthy control persons were included in this prospective, randomized study. Ten milliliters of blood were drawn at 1hr and after 12hr after trauma from the victims and normal control to evaluate the parameters. RESULTS: The level of cortisol was significantly different between traffic accident patients(115.181microgram/ml) and normal healthy control(39.10microgram/ml) after 12hrs (p<0.05). There were significant differences at the level of glucose(control: 139.7mg/ml;patient: 75.2mg/ml) and IL-6 (control: 1.01pg/ml; patient: 238.46pg/ml) between control and traffic accident patients at 1hr. CONCLUSION: This results suggested that the secretion of cortisol, IL-6, and the blood levels of glucose were markedly changed by the stress of traffic accident.
Accidents, Traffic* ; Cytokines* ; Glucose* ; Humans ; Hydrocortisone* ; Immune System ; Interleukin-6 ; Oxidoreductases ; Prospective Studies

No abstract available.
Animals ; Evoked Potentials* ; Evoked Potentials, Motor* ; Rats* ; Spinal Cord Injuries* ; Spinal Cord*

No abstract available.

BACKGROUND: To collect the data related to the prevention of death in pediatric patients in the emergency center, the authors made a clinical analysis of pediatric death patients who visited the emergency center of Wonkwang University Hospital. METHODS: The authors performed a retrospective analysis of 49 pediatric deaths under the age of 16 years, observed in the Wonkwang University Hospital emergency center from January 1st, 1995 to December 31th, 1996. RESULTS: 1) Among a total of 49 pediatric patients who died (24 patients in 1995 and 25 patients in 1996), 19 patients were dead on arrival and 30 were died after arrival. 2) The cause of death of all the patients of 1 to 5 years old was the accident, and that of the majority patients of less than 1 year was disease. 3) We observed the diurnal variation in pediatric death and the rate was higher between 12:00 to 6:00. P.M. 4) Iksan city was the most common place of residency of the patients(71.4%) 5) 36 patients (73.5%) died from traffic accidents and 29 of them were victims of pedestrian traffic accidents. 6) The most common cause of death in accidents was head injury(54%). CONCLUSION: The majority of the pediatric death patients observed in our emergency center was involved in pedestrian traffic accident, head injury, so we conclude that team approach with pediatric trauma specialist could decreased unwanted pediatric deaths.
Accidents, Traffic ; Cause of Death ; Child, Preschool ; Craniocerebral Trauma ; Emergencies* ; Head ; Humans ; Internship and Residency ; Jeollabuk-do ; Retrospective Studies ; Specialization

BACKGROUND: To collect the data related to the clinical analysis of suicidal attempters who visited the emergency center of WonKwang University Hospital. METHODS: The authors performed a retrospective analysis of 306 suicide attempters, observed in the WonKwang University Hospital Emergency Center from January 1st, 1998 to December 31th, 1998. RESULTS: 1) Factors related to increased occurrence were male(1.1:1), age of 2nd, 3rd & above 6th decade. 2) Poisoning was the most common method of suicidal attempt(90.8%). 3) The average observation time was 18.76+/-23.3 hour and average staying time in admitted patients were 40.4+/-32.3 hour. 4) Mortality rate was in male 23.1%(37/160) and in female 10.0%(15/146). 5) Among the suicidal attempters who admitted, 56 patients were admission(11.8%). 6) Consultant of neuropsychiatric department was only 10.5%(18/172), and most common underlying psychiatric disorder was depression(10/18). CONCLUSION: 1) To develope observation room decrease staying time in suicidal attempters. 2) All suicidal attempters were necessarily neuropsychiatric consultant and continuously follow-up.
Consultants ; Emergencies* ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Mortality ; Poisoning ; Retrospective Studies ; Suicide

No abstract available.
Craniocerebral Trauma* ; Head*

No abstract available.

BACKGROUND: It has been well known that cFos protein, one of the immediate-early gene proteins, was a cellular marker to characterize physiological or anatomical property of neural networks in mammalian brain. The purpose of this study was to evaluate quantitative change of cFos protein expression in rat brain nuclei concerned with regulation of blood pressure according to severity of hypotension and compare the spatial pattern of cFos between hemorrhagic hypotension and non-hemorrhagic hypotension elicited by vasodilatation. METHODS: The mean blood pressure (MBP) in the femoral artery was recorded by using pressure transducer and polygraph. Nitroprusside was injected into the femoral vein with constant flow rate by means of osmotic pump in which the dosage was 5microgram Per kg a minute. Immunohistochemical staining was Performed by using conventional ABC method to visualize cFos-like immunoreactive (cFLI) neurons in many brain nuclei and FLI cells were counted by image analyser. RESULTS: Mild hemorrhage group with MBP of 70-80 mmHg showed significant increase of cFLI expression in the paraventricular nuclei and supraoptic nuclei. In contrast, severe hemorrhage group with MBP of 50 mmHg increased significantly cFLI expression in the rostral ventrolateral medulla, periventricular thalamic nucleus, central gray matter, medial vestibular nuclei as well as the nuclei seen in mild hemorrhage group. Nitroprusside induced hypotension exhibited a similar spatial pattern of ctrl expression to severe hemorrhage group. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that severe reduction of blood pressure induces expression of cFLI neurons in the neural network systems that control vital organs.
Animals ; Blood Pressure ; Brain* ; Femoral Artery ; Femoral Vein ; Genes, Immediate-Early ; Hemorrhage ; Hypotension* ; Neurons ; Nitroprusside ; Rats* ; Transducers, Pressure ; Vasodilation ; Vestibular Nuclei

PURPOSE: To diagnose the coronary artery disease, it is necessary to have a thorough knowledge on coronary anatomy and normal variations. We performed a morphological study on normal variations of coronary artery in Korean adults. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 1012 cases of coronary angiography were analyzed with particular emphasis on the normal variation of three coronary arteries and their major branches, including origin of conus artery, sinus node artery and atrioventricular node artery and the variation in posterior descending artery and ramus medianus. RESULTS: We found right dominance in 895 cases(88.4%), left domainance in 44 cases(4.3%), and balanced dominance in 73 cases(7.2%). Conus artery branched from right coronary artery in 468 cases(47.6%) and originated in right coronary sinus close to the os of right coronary artery in 515 cases(52.4%). Sinus node artery originated from left circumflex artery in 551 cases(54.4%), from right coronary artery in 442 cases(43.7%), and from both coronary arteries in 19 cases(1.9%). Atrioventricular node artery originated from right coronary artery in 943 cases(93.4%), from left circumflex artery in 59 cases(5.8%), and two atriovenricular node arteries from both arteries in 8 cases(0.8%). Posterior descending artery had the normal pattern in 505 cases(58.6%) and some variation in 357 cases(41.4%). We found short left main coronary artery, less than 2--3 mm, making it hard to cannulate in 172 cases(17.0%). Ramus medianus was found in 165 cases(16.5%) with marginal distribution in 84 cases(8.4%), diagonal distribution in 80 cases(8.0%) and coursing interventricular sulcus as double left anterior descending artery in 1 case(0.1%). Left main coronary artery gave off 4 branches in 8 cases(0.8%). Myocardial bridging was found in only 3 cases(0.3%). CONCLUSION: This study could provide basic morphological data on anatomy and normal variations of coronary arteries in Korean adults.
Adult ; Arteries ; Atrioventricular Node ; Conus Snail ; Coronary Angiography* ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Sinus ; Coronary Vessels* ; Humans ; Myocardial Bridging

For evaluation of the response and toxicity of the combination chemotherapy, forty six patients with malignant ovarian tumors who had prior surgery were treated with combination chemotherapy from January 1985 to March 1991 at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kyung-pook National University Hospital. The results were as follows : 1. The responses were in complete 20 cases(43.5%), in partial 9 cases(19,6%), in stable 6 cases(13.0%), in progressive 11 cases(23.9%) among 46 patients. 2. By the response rates of various combination chemotherapy regimens, the response rate of CAP was 64%(16/25), CP 57.1%(8/14), VAC 100%(3/3), VBP 50%(1/2), FAM 0%(0/1), and Melphalan 100%(1/1) respectively. 3. As the chemotoxicities of combination chemotherapy, leukopenia 20 cases(46.5%), thrombocytopenia 2 cases(4.7%), anemia 20 cases(46.5%), nephrotoxity 6 cases(14.6%), hepatotoxicity 7 cases(18.4%) were observed.
Anemia ; Drug Therapy* ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Gynecology ; Humans ; Leukopenia ; Melphalan ; Obstetrics ; Thrombocytopenia