Since the book "Final Exit: The Practicalities of Self-Deliverance and Assisted Suicide for the Dying" was published in 1991, there has been a worldwide increase in the number of cases of suicidal asphyxiation using helium gas. However, no domestic reports have been published thus far. Recently, we encountered a case of asphyxial suicide by inhalation of helium from inside a plastic bag. Subsequently, we reviewed the records of the Scientific Crime Analysis System of National Police Agency of Korea. There were 17 cases of helium-associated asphyxial suicides between January 1, 2000 and June 30, 2012. The average age of the deceased was 30.6 years with a male to female ratio of approximately 5:1. Thirteen of 17 such deaths occurred in the victims'houses. In all cases, the method of death involved placing a plastic bag over the head with a hose attached to helium tanks. In 6 of 17 cases, the decedents had psychiatric disorders such as depression. As neither characteristic signs of death nor conventional methods for detecting helium gas exist, a thorough investigation of the death scene and the decedents'environment is extremely vital for confirming death due to helium asphyxiation.
Crime ; Depression ; Female ; Head ; Helium ; Humans ; Inhalation ; Korea ; Male ; Plastics ; Police ; Suicide ; Suicide, Assisted

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Hysterectomy* ; Lymph Node Excision* ; Lymph Nodes*

No abstract available.
Hysterectomy* ; Lymph Node Excision* ; Lymph Nodes*

No abstract available.
Animals ; Foot* ; Foot-and-Mouth Disease* ; Hand* ; Paralysis*

BACKGROUND: Blunted perception of dyspnea, which may be related to the increased mortality, has been demonstrated in patients with a history of near-fatal asthma and in the elderly. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the perception of dyspnea and the severity of asthma. METHOD: Baseline spirometry and Borg score change(A Borg score) during breathing through an inspiratory muscle trainer were measured in 27 consecutive asthma patients and 11 normal subjects. RESULTS: The baseline Borg score was negatively related to FEV1 A Borg score was significantly lower in asthmatics than in controls at high level of loads. A Borg score was lower in severe asthma than in mild asthma. A Borg score was positively related to the baseline FEV1. Seventy-five percent of severe asthma, 62.5% of moderate one, and 9.1% of mild one showed impaired dyspnea perception. Dyspnea perception was related to age(r, = -0.49, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Three quarters of patients with severe asthma showed impaired dyspnea perception to inspiratory resistive load. Dyspnea perception was related to asthma severity and age.
Aged ; Asthma ; Dyspnea* ; Humans ; Mortality ; Respiration ; Spirometry

Vascular leak syndrome(VLS) is characterized by endothelial damage, which causes extravasation of plasma proteins and fluid from capillaries into the extravascular space. It has been suggested that the increased vascular permeability is the result of an IL-2-induced suppression of endothelin-1 secretion by endothelial cells, an IL-2-induced activation of the complement cascade or TNF-alpha release from IL-2-activated T-cells. A 13-year-old male patient visited our hospital with abdominal pain. He was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia(T cell type) by bone marrow study on his 2 nd day in hospital. On the 3 rd day of induction chemotherapy(prednisone, L-asparaginase, vincristine, intrathecal methotrexate), pulmonary edema and pleural effusion, ascites and generalized edema developed and lasted for 53 days without responding to supportive care. The laboratoy finding was that TNF-alpha was increased without evidence of infection and hypoalbuminemia was noted. It was suggested that the patient's clinical feature was induced by VLS.
Abdominal Pain ; Adolescent ; Ascites ; Blood Proteins ; Bone Marrow ; Capillaries ; Capillary Permeability ; Complement System Proteins ; Edema ; Endothelial Cells ; Endothelin-1 ; Humans ; Hypoalbuminemia ; Induction Chemotherapy* ; Male ; Pleural Effusion ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma* ; Pulmonary Edema ; T-Lymphocytes ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; Vincristine

PURPOSE: We investigated whether myocardial SPECT had additional usefulness to clinical, functional or surgical indices for the preoperative evaluation of cardiac risks in noncardiac surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 118 patients (M: F=66:52, 62.7+/-10.5 years) were studied retrospectively. Eighteen underwent vascular surgeries and 100 nonvascular surgeries. Rest T1-201/stress Tc-99m-MIBI SPECT was performed before operation and cardiac events (hard event: cardiac death and myocardial infarction; soft event: ischemic ECG change, congestive heart failure and unstable angina) were surveyed through perioperative periods (14.6+/-5.6 days). Clinical risk indices, functional capacity, surgery procedures and SPECT findings were tested for their predictive values of perioperative cardiac events. RESULTS: Peri-operative cardiac events occurred in 25 patients (3 hard events and 22 soft events). Clinical risk indices, surgical procedure risks and SPECT findings but functional capacity were predictive of cardiac events. Reversible perfusion decrease was a better predictor than persistent decrease. Multivariate analysis sorted` out surgical procedure risk (p=0.0018) and SPECT findings (p=0.0001) as significant risk factors. SPECT could re-stratify perioperative cardiac risks in patients ranked with surgical procedures. CONCLUSION:: We conclude that myocardial SPECT provides additional predictive value to surgical type risks as well as clinical indexes or functional capacity for the prediction of preoperative cardiac events in noncardiac surgery.
Death ; Electrocardiography ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Multivariate Analysis ; Myocardial Infarction ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Perfusion ; Perioperative Period ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon*

No abstract available.
Child* ; Eosinophils* ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E* ; Skin Tests* ; Skin*

The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between insomnia severity, depression, anxiety, and anxiety sensitivity and to find out the explanatory variables that account for the insomnia severity among depression, anxiety, and anxiety sensitivity in general population. 95 mentally healthy volunteers who visit health promotion center of Kangbuk Samsung hospital for their regular medical examination were requested to complete Athens Insomnia Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and Anxiety Sensitivity Index. Association between total scores of Athens Insomnia scale and other variables (total scores of Beck Depression Inventory excluded item 16, total scores of State Anxiety, total scores of Trait Anxiety, and total scores of Anxiety Sensitivity Scale) was assessed individually with partial correlations adjusted by age and then together using multiple regression analysis. The total scores of Athens Insomnia Scale were significantly associated with total scores of Beck Depression Inventory excluded item 16(r = 0.541, p<0.001), total scores of Trait Anxiety(r = 0.642, p<0.001), total scores of State Anxiety(r = 0.267, p<0.05), and total scores of Anxiety Sensitivity Index(r = 0.312, p<0.01). Total scores of trait anxiety showed the highest correlation with the total scores of Athens Insomnia Scale and was the significant predictor to total scores of Athens Insomnia Scale among the other predictor variables (p<0.001). These results show that insomnia severity is positively correlated with depression, anxiety, and anxiety sensitivity. The correlation was strongest with trait anxiety. In addition, our results suggest that trait anxiety is associated with insomnia severity in general populations.
Anxiety* ; Depression* ; Health Promotion ; Healthy Volunteers ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders*