Experience of a Disaster Medical Assistant Team activation in the fire disaster at Jecheon sports complex building: limitation and importance of rescue

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to report on the progress of the fire at Jecheon sports complex and to assess the adequacy of Disaster Medical Assistant Team (DMAT)'s activities in response to the fire disaster. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review based on camera recordings and medical records that were recorded at the disaster site for assessment of activities. We cooperated with firefighters, police officers, local hospital medical staffs and public health personnel in Jecheon in order to classify patients in the disaster field and to understand the patients' progress. RESULTS: At 15:53, the first request for emergency rescue came to the 119 general emergency call center, and a request for DMAT activation came at 16:28. DMAT arrived at the site at 17:04 and remained active until the following day at 00:43. The total number of casualties was 60, including 27 minimal (Green) patients, 29 expectant (Black) patients, three delayed (Yellow) patients, and one immediate (Red) patient. There were 32 patients who received on-site care by DMAT. Two patients were transferred from a local hospital to Wonju Severance Christian Hospital for hyperbaric oxygen therapy. CONCLUSION: Twenty-nine victims were found in the sports complex building, and there were 31 mildly to moderately injured patients in this fire disaster. The main cause of death was thought to be smoke suffocation. Although DMAT was activated relatively quickly, it was not able to provide effective activity due to the late rescue and difficulty with fire suppression.

Single Ventilation during Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Results in Better Neurological Outcomes in a Porcine Model of Cardiac Arrest

PURPOSE: Recent basic life support (BLS) guidelines recommend a 30:2 compression-to-ventilation ratio (CV2) or chest compression-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CC); however, there are inevitable risks of interruption of high-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in CV2 and hypoxemia in CC. In this study, we compared the short-term outcomes among CC, CV2, and 30:1 CV ratio (CV1). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In total, 42 pigs were randomly assigned to CC, CV1, or CV2 groups. After induction of ventricular fibrillation (VF), we observed pigs for 2 minutes without any intervention. Thereafter, BLS was started according to the assigned method and performed for 8 minutes. Defibrillation was performed after BLS and repeated every 2 minutes, followed by rhythm analysis. Advanced cardiac life support, including continuous chest compression with ventilation every 6 seconds and intravenous injection of 1 mg epinephrine every 4 minutes, was performed until the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) or 22 minutes after VF induction. Hemodynamic parameters and arterial blood gas profiles were compared among groups. ROSC, 24-hour survival, and neurologic outcomes were evaluated at 24 hours. RESULTS: The hemodynamic parameters during CPR did not differ among the study groups. Partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood and arterial oxygen saturation were lowest in the CC group, compared to those in the other groups, during the BLS period (p=0.002 and p < 0.001, respectively). The CV1 groups showed a significantly higher rate of favorable neurologic outcome (swine CPC 1 or 2) than the other groups (p=0.044). CONCLUSION: CPR with CV1 could promote better neurologic outcome than CV2 and CC.

A case of septic pulmonary embolism due to pyelonephritis / 대한내과학회지

A septic pulmonary embolism (SPE) is a rare disease originating from septic thrombi from a primary site of infection. Pyelonephritis is a rare cause of inferior vena cava (IVC) thrombosis and SPE. We experienced a case of SPE associated with pyelonephritis, a perirenal abscess, and renal vein and IVC thrombosis in a patient with diabetes mellitus. Prompt antimicrobial therapy led to a successful outcome, with complete resolution of the thrombi. We report a case of SPE due to pyelonephritis with a review of the literature.

Inhibitory mechanism on NF-kB transactivation by dexamethasone in pulmonary epithelial cells / 결핵

Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) functions as a suppressor of inflammation by inhibiting the expression of many cytokine gene activated by NF-κB. The goal of this study is to investigate the mechanism by which GR repress NF-κB activation in lung epithelial cells. We used A549 and BEAS-2B lung epithelial cell lines. Using IgGκ-NF-κB luciferase reporter gene construct, we found that dexamethasone significantly suppressed TNF-α-induced NF-κB activation and the overexpression of GR showed dose-dependent reduction of TNF-α-induced NF-κB activity in both cell lines. However, DNA binding of NF-κB induced by TNF-α in electromobility shift assay was not inhibited by dexamethasone. Super shift assay with anti-p65 antibody demonstrated the existence of p65 in NF-κB complex induced by TNF-α Western blot showed that IκBα degradation induced by TNF-α was not affected by dexamethasone and IκBκ was not induced by dexamethasone, neither. To evaluate p65 specific transactivation, we adopted co-transfection study of Ga14-p65TA1 or TA2 fusion protein expression system together with 5xGa14-luciferase vector. Co-transfection of GR with Ga14-p65TA1 or TA2 repressed luciferase activity profoundly to the level of 10-20% of p65TA1- or TA2-induced transcriptional activity. And this transrepressional effect was abolished by co-transfection of CBP or SRC-1 expression vectors. These results suggest that Gr-mediated transrepression of NF-κB in lung epithelial cells is through competing for binding to limiting amount of transcriptional coactivators, CBP or SRC-1.

A Case fo Hypertrophic Lichen Planus / 대한피부과학회지

A case of hypertrophic lichen planus was reported and the literature reviewed. A 69-year-old widowed woman displayed generaIized discrete, multiple, round, various sized, flat-topped, hypertrophied papules and nodules on the abdomen, trunk and four extrimies for 42 years. An electron microscopic finding revealed widespread breakdown and thickening of the basal lamina at the dermo-epidermal junction and a degenerating change of the desmosomes. No particular intran uclear particles or bodies were discovered. We suggest that emotional factors and autoimmune mechanism might be the cause of the eruption in this case.

A Study of Sole Prints in Normal Korean People / 대한피부과학회지

Sole prints were analyzed from one thousand normal volunteers (500 males and 500 females) to establish dermatoglyphics of Korean people, and the following resuIts were obtained: The triradius P was present in 49.1% of the right soles and 40.6% of the lefts, or 44.9% of the entire series. The fibular radiant of triradius P was directed into the fourth interdigital intervals in 54.9% of the soles, and the next common terrninations were in the digital triradius c 15.3%, the third interdigital interval, 12. 5% and distal portion of the fibular border, 9.4%. In right soles the tendeney was for the radiant to extent farther tibialward than in lefts, where the inverse tendency was reflected in sharp rise in the number of endings on the fibular borders and decrease of endings tibialward. The distal radiant of triradius P terminated in the first interdigital interval, 46.5%, the interdigital triradius a, 32. 5%, and the second interdigital interval,. 20.5%, and rarely the distal radiant fused with digital triradius, 0.6% Of the alignments of ridges of the soles, 72.7;. of the soles exhibited transvcrsely coursing ridges in the mid-region, and the remainder were slight fibuloproximal slants,Grade 2) 18.2%, and slight fibulodistal slants (Grade 4) 8, 7%. There was a tendency of right soles to favor the fibulo-proximal slant, and of lefts, the fibulo-distal sIant. In the calcar region 44.1% of the soles presented a slight fibulo-distal slant, and the next cmmon direction was transverse, 37.4% Right soles tended more to the transverse alignment, while lefts displayed a ... (continue)