Prioritising Risk Factors for Prescription Drug Overdose among Older Adults in South Korea: A Multi-Method Study.

Older adults are vulnerable to drug overdose. We used a multi-method approach to prioritise risk factors for prescription drug overdose among older adults. The study was conducted in two stages.

Patients who leave the emergency department against medical advice.

Objective: Discharge against medical advice (DAMA) from the emergency department (ED) accounts for 0.1% to 2.7% of all ED discharges.

Pathophysiology of brain injuries in acute carbon monoxide poisoning: a novel hypothesis.

Acute carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning causes the neurologic symptoms and brain lesions during both acute and delayed phase. We propose that catecholamine crises in globus pallidus and deep white matter are the key pathophysiological factors causing acute and delayed brain injuries respectively. Increased sympathetic activities due to acute CO poisoning is followed by increases of catecholamine levels in synapses or nerve terminals in organs including the brain, especially, limbic system.

Implementation and results of a survey on safe community programs in Gangbuk-gu, Korea: focusing on participants at a local public health center.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the current status of and problems with the Safe Community Programs in Gangbuk-gu, one of the 25 districts of the capital city of Korea.

Methods: The study subjects were 396 individuals who were involved in Safe Community Programs between 2009 and 2011. We examined the effectiveness and willingness of respondents to participate as a safety leader of the Safe Community Program with a questionnaire.

Injuries associated with the 580 km university student grand voluntary road march: focus on foot injuries.

College student volunteers (n = 142) completed a 580 km road march for 21 consecutive days. Each volunteer carried a backpack that weighed 14.1 ± 1.

Roles of a hospital for community safety promotion.

It is not easy for any health professional to be aware of injury problems and safety issues within their own communities if their main responsibility is not in this field. Health professionals, however, can play an important role in all aspects of injury prevention and safety promotion. This includes not only medical or surgical treatment for the injured patients but also risk assessment, health education, community action, organisational development and advocacy for policy to promote safety at a multi-level in the society.

[Syndromic surveillances based on the emergency department].

Due to heightened concerns regarding possible bioterrorist attacks, the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention introduced syndromic surveillance systems, which have been run by emergency departments in hospitals throughout Korea since 2002. These systems are designed to identify illness clusters before diagnoses are confirmed and reported to public health agencies, to mobilize a rapid response, and thereby to reduce morbidity and mortality. The Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention performed drop-in syndromic surveillance successfully during the World Cup Football Games in 2002, the Universiad games in 2004, and the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in 2005.

Risk factors influencing the occurrence of injuries in koreans requiring hospitalization.

Purpose: This study focused on local communities and the factors influencing injuries requiring hospital admission that affect the quality of life for Koreans.

Materials And Methods: This study used data collected from 4,400 households during the 2001 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). A stratified multistage probability sampling method was applied and the final sample included 7,924 subjects over 20 years old who had completed the questionnaire regarding factors influencing injuries requiring hospital admission.

KR-31466, a benzopyranylindol analog, attenuates hypoxic injury through mitochondrial K(ATP) channel and protein kinase C activation in heart-derived H9c2 cells.

In the present study, we investigated whether a novel benzopyranylindol analogue, KR-31466 (KR466) (1-[(2S,3R,4S)-3,4-dihydro-2-dimethoxymethyl-3-hydroxy-2-methyl-6-nitro-2H-1-benzopyran-4-yl]-1H-indole-2-carboxylic acid ethyl ester) can attenuate hypoxic injury in heart-derived H9c2 cells and, if so, whether the protective effect of KR466 is mediated through mitochondrial ATP-sensitive potassium (mtK(ATP)) opening. The treatment of H9c2 cells with KR466 (3 - 30 microM) significantly reduced hypoxia-induced cell death in a concentration-dependent manner, as shown by lactate dehydrogenase release and propidium iodide-uptake. In addition, KR466 (10 microM) significantly reduced the increase in hypoxia-induced TUNEL-positive cells, suggesting its anti-apoptotic potential in H9c2 cells.