Analysis of Characteristics in Children and Adolescents with Poisoning at Emergency Department

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to analyze the features of poisoning in individuals aged 0-18 years to understand the characteristics of potential victims and eventually prevent poisoning. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed poisoned children and adolescents (0–18 years) who visited the emergency department of one tertiary hospital from January 2003 through December 2013. We collected data including their age, sex, reason for poisoning, components and dose of poison, results of treatment, and psychiatric diagnosis. RESULTS: During the study period, there were 436 cases of poisoning (male 47.2% (n=206); female 52.8% (n=230)). Subjects were classified into four groups (0–1 years, 2–5 years, 6–12 years, 13–18 years). The most common cause of poisoning in all age groups was accidental poisoning (72.9%), but intentional poisoning increased as age increased (p < 0.001). Moreover, females were more often subject to intentional poisoning than males (p < 0.001). The most common poisoning material was drugs (41.7%). Among intentional poisoning patients, 62.7% patients had consulted a psychiatrist, and their most common diagnosis was adjustment disorder (44.6%). CONCLUSION: The most common cause of poisoning in individuals aged 0–18 years was accidental poisoning, while intentional poisoning was most common among adolescents. Guardians should take care to prevent accidental poisoning, while psychiatric consultation and national moderation will be needed to prevent intentional poisoning.

The Utility of CRP Velocity for the Prognostication in Patients with Acute Pyelonephritis

PURPOSE: C-reactive protein (CRP) velocity is value of the CRP level divided by the time after fever start. The aim of this study was to attempt to determine the usefulness of CRP velocity to predict the severity of acute pyelonephritis (APN). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of patients who visited the emergency department (ED) and were diagnosed with APN for five years. The patients underwent computed tomography (CT) in the ED. The characteristics and laboratory findings compared with the CT group were classified from group I to group V as severity of APN. The patients were grouped according to mild and severe based on the CT groups for comparison of area under the curve. Patients who had fever within 24 hours were extracted and the same analysis was performed. RESULTS: A total of 199 patients were enrolled in our study. The CT groups were classified as follows: group 1 (N=24); group 2 (N=25); group 3 (N=80); group 4 (N=58); group 5 (N=12). Statistically significant differences in laboratory results including CRP, CRP velocity, age, and past history of hypertension were found between mild and severe group. The area under ROC curve of CRP and CRP velocity was 0.888 and 0.841 (p<0.05). For APN patients within 24 hours, AUROC of CRP and CRP velocity were 0.871 and 0.949 (p<0.05). However, AUROC comparison did not show statistically significant differences within CRP and CRP velocity (p=0.1410). CONCLUSION: In APN patients who had fever within 24 hours, CRP and CRP velocity had predictive value for severity of APN.

A Case Report of Spider Bite by Tarantula

A total of 631 species of spiders have been reported in Korea. However, there are no spiders with noxious venom such as Latrodectus sp. Because of this, to date, no serious medical problems due to spider bites have been reported in Korea, and only two cases of spider bite were officially reported. However, as the number of earning spiders from other countries is increased, the number of cases of spider bite has also shown a recent increase. A 17-year-old man presented with numbness of both extremities after being bitten by a spider which he had as a pet. The spider is called an Indian ornamental tree spider (Poecilotheria regalis sp.), one kind of tarantula species. Herein, we report on a case of a spider bite by a tarantula.

Sensory Axon Regeneration: A Review from an in vivo Imaging Perspective

Injured primary sensory axons fail to regenerate into the spinal cord, leading to chronic pain and permanent sensory loss. Re-entry is prevented at the dorsal root entry zone (DREZ), the CNS-PNS interface. Why axons stop or turn around at the DREZ has generally been attributed to growth-repellent molecules associated with astrocytes and oligodendrocytes/myelin. The available evidence challenges the contention that these inhibitory molecules are the critical determinant of regeneration failure. Recent imaging studies that directly monitored axons arriving at the DREZ in living animals raise the intriguing possibility that axons stop primarily because they are stabilized by forming presynaptic terminals on non-neuronal cells that are neither astrocytes nor oligodendrocytes. These observations revitalized the idea raised many years ago but virtually forgotten, that axons stop by forming synapses at the DREZ.