BACKGROUND: Using the urinary bladder as a model, neurophysiological studies of visceral primary afferents supplying inflamed tissue have been studied. In this study we have examined the response of the hypogastric afferents supplying the urinary bladder of the cat to intra-arterially injected algesic chemicals after experimental inflammation. METHODS: Twenty units were recorded from the strands of hypogastric nerve. Once a unit was found, the conduction velocity was determined by extracellular recording of single fiber. When the response of the unit excited by mechanical stimuli was found, chemical stimuli were applied by intra-arterial injection of algesic chemicals (bradykinin, KCl). And then, irritant chemical, 3% mustard oil injected into the urinary bladder for the induction of an experimental inflammation. After removal of the irritant and with the empty bladder, the response of the afferent unit to chemical stimuli by intra-arterially injected bradykinin and KCl were studied again. RESULTS: All units were found to be A delta fibers and responded to both mechanical and chemical stimuli. After experimental inflammation, the basal tone and spontaneous contraction of the urinary bladder were increased and spontaneous nerve activity of the hypogastric afferents appeared. Bladder contraction and nerve activity to intra-arterially injected bradykinin decreased more than those of controls before inflammation. The ratio of nerve activity to the bladder contraction after experimental inflammation was increased. CONCLUSIONS: The hypogastric afferents were sensitized after inflammation, which showed increased nerve response to intra-arterially injected bradykinin comparing to the contraction response of the urinary bladder.
Animals ; Bradykinin ; Cats ; Cystitis* ; Inflammation ; Injections, Intra-Arterial ; Mustard Plant ; Sensory Receptor Cells* ; Urinary Bladder*

OBJECTIVES: Delirium of hospitalized patients is common and it is significantly associated with increased mortality rate. Misdiagnosis rates of delirium are reported in a range of 36.7 to 63% in clinical setting. We aimed to identify the clinical features and symptomatic characteristics associated with misdiagnosis of delirium. METHODS: Subjects were 256 inpatients who were referred for psychiatric consultation and diagnosed with delirium by a psychiatrist at a university hospital between January 1 and June 30, 2012. Clinical data were obtained with retrospective chart review. Patients were divided into misdiagnosed group and correct diagnosed group, after reviewing the reason which were described in the consultation request form. RESULTS: Sixty nine(27%) subjects of the 256 patients were referred for other reasons(mood, substance, anxiety, dementia etc.) than "delirium/confusion" by clinician(misdiagnosed group). In misdiagnosed group, use of antipsychotics was more common. There were no differences between the two groups in age, gender, and department of referring clinician. Fluctuation score of DRS-R-98 was higher in the correct diagnosed group. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the risk of misdiagnosis was higher when the patients have taken antipsychotics or less symptom fluctuation. Careful clinical attention is needed for diagnosis for delirium in these patients.
Antipsychotic Agents ; Anxiety ; Delirium* ; Dementia ; Diagnosis ; Diagnostic Errors ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Mortality ; Psychiatry ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVES: To investigate clinical and symptomatic differences among motoric subtypes of delirium. METHODS: A total of 256 patients referred to psychiatric consultation services for delirium due to general medical condition were assessed retrospectively. Motoric subtypes were determined according to Lipowski's criteria for hyperactive, hypoactive and mixed subtypes. All patients were evaluated according to Delirium Rating Scale-Revised-98(DRS-98-R) by trained psychiatrists to obtain symptomatic profiles of delirium. RESULTS: Hyperactive subtype were 50.8%(n=130), mixed 46.1%(n=118) and hypoactive 3.1%(n=8). Hyperactive patients were younger than mixed subtype(69.62±13.976 vs. 73.97±11.569, p=0.022) and received antipsychotics to manage symptoms of delirium more frequently(83.8% vs. 57.6%, p<0.001). Hyperactive patients had higher DRS-R-98 scores on both noncognitive(7.14±3.543 for hyperactive, 5.62±3.279 for mixed subtype) and cognitive subscales(10.00±3.574 for hyperactive, 6.38±2.875 for hypoactive, 7.43±3.771 for mixed subtype, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: We demonstrated that clinical and symptomatic profiles were different across motoric subtypes in delirium. Diagnostic and therapeutic approach should be made differently according to motoric subtypes of delirium and special attention is needed not to underestimate or delay treatment in specific motoric subtype of delirium.
Antipsychotic Agents ; Delirium* ; Humans ; Psychiatry ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to clarify the role of alcohol use disorders and acute alcohol consumption in suicide attempts by gender. METHODS: Data of 1,152 suicide attempters(487 males and 742 females) who had visited an emergency center was gathered. Suicide attempts were categorized into three groups according to alcohol use: an alcohol use disorder group(AUD), an acute alcohol use group(AAU), and a no-alcohol use group(NAU). The intent and lethality of suicide attempts were evaluated by Suicidal Intents Scale and Risk-Rescue Rating Scale. RESULTS: For Suicidal Intents Scale score, the male AUD group revealed a significantly lower mean score than the male AAU one. However, there were no statistically significant differences for female subjects across subgroups. With regard to the Risk-Rescue Rating Scale score, there were no significant differences for males, while the AUD group showed both the lowest highest rescue scores and lowest risk-rescue scores within female groups. CONCLUSIONS: AUD in females was more likely regarding impulsive suicide attempts with high rescue chances. Consuming alcohol might have different effect on suicide attempts by gender and our study shows that alcohol use is an important risk factor according to gender, particularly with regard to female suicide attempts.
Alcohol Drinking ; Emergencies ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Risk Factors ; Suicide

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to identify the differences of demographic and clinical characteristics between child-adolescents who received medical inpatient care and non-hospitalized adolescents after suicide attempts. METHODS: The study included 35 child-adolescents who were hospitalized (Admission group) and 114 child-adolescents who were not hospitalized (Non-Admission group) as a result of a suicide attempt from 2009 to 2015. We compared sociodemographic, clinical, and suicide attempt-related characteristics through a chi-square test and logistic regression analysis to evaluate the differences between the two groups. RESULTS: Child-adolescents of this study most commonly attempted suicide by poisoning, and for motivation of interpersonal problems. Admission group had significantly fewer attempts through injury by sharp objects (χ²=4.374, p=0.037) and attempted suicide with a higher chance of actually dying when compared to Risk-Rescue Rating Scale (t=1.981, p=0.049). In addition, Admission group had relatively common motivation for academic problems (χ²=12.082, p=0.001) and less motivation for interpersonal difficulties. (χ²=9.869, p=0.002) Psychiatric diagnosis at the time of visiting the emergency department showed higher rates of depression in the admission group than Non-Admission group (χ²=8.649, p=0.003). The results of logistic regression showed that depression affects hospitalization (OR=2.783, 95% CI 1.092–7.089, p=0.032). CONCLUSIONS: This study is meaningful in that it revealed the social and clinical characteristics of all child-adolescents who were hospitalized at a university hospital after attempting suicide. This study identified differences in motivation, methods, and psychiatric diagnosis of hospitalized adolescents and those who were not. Therefore, the results may help adolescent suicide attempters to get a discriminatory approach based on their admission.
Adolescent ; Adolescent, Hospitalized ; Child ; Depression ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Logistic Models ; Mental Disorders ; Motivation ; Poisoning ; Suicide ; Suicide, Attempted

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to clarify the role of acute alcohol use and alcohol use disorder in individuals exhibiting suicidal behaviors, including repetition of suicide attempt. METHODS: Data pertaining to 691 suicide attempters who had visited an emergency center and had been followed-up from 2010 to 2015 were gathered. Participants were categorized into following three groups according to alcohol use pattern at the time of the suicide attempt: 1) suicide attempters with neither alcohol use disorder nor acute alcohol consumption (NAU), 2) suicide attempters who had used alcohol during the suicide attempt but did not have alcohol use disorder (AAU), and 3) suicide attempters with alcohol use disorder (AUD). Group comparisons and multivariate Cox proportional models for suicidal behavior were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: AUD have been shown to have lower lethality of suicide attempt but higher risk of suicide reattempts in the future. Furthermore, positive relationships between suicide reattempts and AUD persisted throughout the longer period than other groups. CONCLUSION Suicide attempters with AUD should be considered a high-risk group for suicide reattempts in future, and this group should be followed-up for a longer period with specialized care program.

OBJECTIVE: We examined changes in general health status, the prevalence of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and the existence of pre-trauma contributing factors in an agricultural population following a massive flood. METHODS: Eighty-three of 160 residents of Garisan-ni, Inje-gun, Gangwon-do, were assessed using the Korean version of the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36-K) between April and June 2006, just prior to a massive flood. Among those initially assessed, 58 residents were available for follow-up 18 months after the flood. Participants completed the SF-36-K, Beck Depression Index (BDI), Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)-PTSD, and the Korean version of the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) to detect depression and PTSD. Trauma experiences were also assessed. Factors related to changes in health status were then analyzed. RESULTS: SF-36-K total scale scores decreased significantly, suggesting a significant reduction in health-related quality of life. The largest reductions were noted in physical and social functioning. Fifty-three percent of the subjects were at least mildly depressed, and 17% had severe depression. In addition, 22% had PTSD on both the IES-R and MMPI-PTSD. Factors that contributed to the deterioration of health status following the flood were the number of disaster events and existence of depression (as assessed by the BDI). CONCLUSION: The flood was found to lead to deterioration of health status and to provoke depression and PTSD among the agricultural population in the mountainous region. We suggest that the number of disaster event experiences and existence of depression contriuted to changes in health status after the flood.
Depression ; Disasters* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gangwon-do ; Health Surveys ; MMPI ; Prevalence ; Prospective Studies* ; Quality of Life ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic

Background/Aims: The recent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been associated with changes in the epidemiology of not only infectious diseases but also several non-infectious conditions. This study investigated changes in the recorded incidence of various rheumatic diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The number of patients for each disease from January 2016 to December 2020 was obtained from the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database. We compared the incidence of nine rheumatic diseases (seropositive rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus [SLE], idiopathic inflammatory myositis [IIM], ankylosing spondylitis [AS], systemic sclerosis, Sjögren’s syndrome, Behçet’s disease [BD], polymyalgia rheumatica, and gout) and hypertensive diseases to control for changes in healthcare utilisation before and after the COVID-19 outbreak. The disease incidence before and after the COVID-19 outbreak was compared using the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) and quasi- Poisson analyses. Results: Compared with the predicted incidence in 2020 using the ARIMA model, the monthly incidence of SLE, BD, AS, and gout temporarily significantly decreased, whereas other rheumatic diseases and hypertensive diseases were within the 95% confidence interval (CI) of the predicted values in the first half of 2020. In age- and sex-adjusted quasi-Poisson regression analysis, the annual incidences of IIM (rate ratio [RR], 0.473; 95% CI, 0.307 to 0.697), SLE (RR, 0.845; 95% CI, 0.798 to 0.895), and BD (RR, 0.850; 95% CI, 0.796 to 0.906) were significantly decreased compared with those in the previous 4 years. Conclusions The recorded annual incidence of some rheumatic diseases, including IIM, SLE, and BD, decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: Body weight gain and metabolic syndrome are frequent adverse side effects of atypical antipsychotics. However, ziprasidone has been reported to have less effect on body weight and other metabolic parameters of patients, such as blood glucose and cholesterol. In this study, changes in the body weight and metabolic parameters were compared between the treatment groups of ziprasidone and risperidone in the patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. METHODS: Patients shown acute exacerbation of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder diagnosed by DSM-IV diagnostic criteria were randomly assigned to ziprasidone 40-80 mg b.i.d. (N=56) or risperidone 1-4 mg b.i.d. (N=56) for 12 weeks. Body weight was measured before treatment and at 1st, 2nd, 4th, 6th, 12th week after treatment. The serum levels of glucose and cholesterol were checked before treatment and 12th week after treatment, and serum levels of prolactin before treatment and at 4th and 12th week after treatment. RESULTS: Less gain of body weight was shown in the patients treated with ziprasidone compared to those treated with risperidone. Mean body weight gain for 12 weeks were 0.8 kg and 3.5 kg in the ziprasidone and risperidone group, respectively. There was significant difference in weight gain between these two groups from 4th week. Serum prolactin elevation was higher in the risperidone group than in the ziprasidone group. However, there were no significant differences in the effects on the level of blood glucose and cholesterol between two treatment groups. CONCLUSION: This study shows that ziprasidone had less effect on body weight and prolactin compared to risperidone in the patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder in Korea. Although further studies are necessary to investigate the long-term effects, the less effect of ziprasidone on body weight and serum prolactin in schizophrenia and schizoaffective patients in Korea may help to enhance treatment compliance and lessen the cardiovascular risks.
Antipsychotic Agents ; Blood Glucose ; Body Weight* ; Cholesterol ; Compliance ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Glucose ; Humans ; Korea ; Prolactin ; Psychotic Disorders ; Risperidone* ; Schizophrenia* ; Weight Gain

Background: /Aim: New biomarkers are urgently needed to aid in the diagnosis of early stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We performed a meta-analysis on the diagnostic utility of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) levels in patients with hepatitis B virus-induced HCC. Methods: We retrieved relevant articles from PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library up to February 8, 2022. Two subgroups were defined; one subset of studies analyzed the ctDNA methylation status, and the other subset combined tumor markers and ctDNA assays. Pooled sensitivity (SEN), specificity (SPE), positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) were analyzed. Results: Nine articles including 2,161 participants were included. The overall SEN and SPE were 0.705 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.629-0.771) and 0.833 (95% CI, 0.769-0.882), respectively. The DOR, PLR, and NLR were 11.759 (95% CI, 7.982-17.322), 4.285 (95% CI, 3.098- 5.925), and 0.336 (0.301-0.366), respectively. The ctDNA assay subset exhibited an AUC of 0.835. The AUC of the combined tumor marker and ctDNA assay was 0.848, with an SEN of 0.761 (95% CI, 0.659-0.839) and an SPE of 0.828 (95% CI, 0.692-0.911). Conclusions Circulating tumor DNA has promising diagnostic potential for HCC. It can serve as an auxiliary tool for HCC screening and detection, especially when combined with tumor markers.