• Title/Summary/Keyword: Acute confusion

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Wernicke's encephalopathy in a child with high dose thiamine therapy

  • Park, So Won;Yi, Yoon Young;Han, Jung Woo;Kim, Heung Dong;Lee, Joon Soo;Kang, Hoon-Chul
    • Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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    • v.57 no.11
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    • pp.496-499
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    • 2014
  • Wernicke's encephalopathy is an acute neurological disorder characterized by mental confusion, oculomotor dysfunction, and ataxia. It has been reported in individuals with alcohol dependence, hyperemesis gravidarum, and prolonged parenteral nutrition without vitamin supplementation. Here we present the case of a 13-year-old male patient with neuroblastoma and a history of poor oral intake and nausea for 3 months. After admission, he showed gait disturbances, nystagmus, and excessive dizziness; his mental state, however, indicated he was alert, which did not fit the classical triad of Wernicke's encephalopathy. A diagnosis of Wernicke's encephalopathy was made only after brain magnetic resonance imaging and serum thiamine level analyses were performed. The patient's symptoms remained after 5 days of treatment with 100-mg thiamine once daily; thus, we increased the dosage to 500 mg 3 times daily, 1,500 mg per day. His symptoms then improved after 20 days of replacement therapy. This case report describes a pediatric patient who was promptly diagnosed with Wernicke's encephalopathy, despite only 2 suspicious symptoms, and who completely recovered after high doses of thiamine were given intravenously.

Apply AEGL for Short Time Exposure Using Regression Curve (회귀곡선을 이용한 단시간 노출에 대한 AEGL의 적용)

  • Lee, Hyunjin;Jeong, Taejun;Lee, Hyang-Jig;Jeong, Changmo;Ko, Jae-Wook
    • Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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    • v.21 no.5
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    • pp.77-82
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    • 2017
  • Thus, chemicals are managed under 9 related central government department and 16 relevant laws with program such as Process Safety Management and Offsite Consequence Analysis in korea. Guidelines for set the endpoint concentration for chemcals based on the ERPG-2 (Emergency Response Planning Guidelines-2) and AEGL-2 (Acute Exposure Guidelines Level-2). but ERPG and AEGL do not describe exposure for less than 10 minutes. because of this, each guidelines define criteria differently for short time less than 10 minutes exposure. This indefinite exposure criteria would give rise to a confusion in the chemical plants, and potentially lead to a critical decision making error when accidents happen. In an effort to apply guidelines with evenly-distributed initial time frame, AEGL concentrations within 10 minute exposure time were evaluated by examining statistical regression curves. The results were in good agreement with those from the Probit Function based on each AEGL grade to explain 3 different threshold levels of exposure effects. Resultant re-enforced guidelines for endpoint chemical concentrations are, therefore, to provide powerful tool to assess and manage the risk associated with any potential chemical accidents at an early stage.

The Surgical Results of Traumatic Subdural Hygroma Treated with Subduroperitoneal Shunt (경막하복강단락술을 이용한 외상성 경막하 수종치료의 수술적 결과)

  • Ju, Chang-Il;Kim, Seok-Won;Lee, Seung-Myoung;Shin, Ho
    • Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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    • v.37 no.6
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    • pp.436-442
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    • 2005
  • Objective: The detection rate of traumatic subdural hygroma(TSH) has increased after the development of computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. The treatment method and the mechanism of development of the TSH have been investigated, but they are still uncertain. This study is performed to evaluate the effectiveness of subduroperitoneal shunt in traumatic subdural hygroma. Methods: Five hundred thirty six patients were diagnosed as TSH from 1996 to 2002, among them, 55 patients were operated with subduroperitoneal shunt. We analyzed shunt effect on the basis of clinical indetails, including the patient's symptoms at the diagnosis, duration from diagnosis to operation, changes of GCS, hygroma types. We classified the TSH into five types (frontal, frontocoronal, coronal, parietal and cerebellar type) according to the location of the thickest portion of TSH. Results: The patients who have symptoms or signs related to frontal lobe compression (irritability, confusion) or increased intracranial pressure (headache, mental change), had symptomatic recovery rate above 80%. However, the patients who have focal neurological sign (hemiparesis, seizure and rigidity), showed recovery rate below 30%. The improvement rate was very low in the case of the slowly progressing TSH for over 6weeks. We experienced complications such as enlarged ventricle, chronic subdural hematoma, subdural empyema and acute SDH. Conclusion: Subduroperitoneal shunt appears to be effective in traumatic subdural hygroma when the patients who have symptoms or signs related to frontal lobe compression or increased ICP and progressing within 5weeks.

A Case of Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome during Cyclosporine Therapy in a Child with Steroid Resistant Nephrotic Syndrome (스테로이드 저항성 신증후군 환아에서 사이클로스포린 투여 중 발생한 후두엽 가역성 뇌병증 증후군 1례)

  • Jeong, Min-Hee;Lee, Joo-Hoon;Yum, Mi-Sun;Ko, Tae-Sung;Park, Young-Seo
    • Childhood Kidney Diseases
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    • v.11 no.1
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    • pp.92-99
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    • 2007
  • The posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome(PRES) is characterized clinically by a combination of acute or subacute confusion, lethargy, visual disturbance, and seizures. PRES has been described in various clinical settings, including severe hypertension, chemotherapy, eclampsia, and seizure. We report a case of a 7-year-old girl who had taken cyclosporine for steroid resistant nephrotic syndrome. Twenty one days after the cyclosporine therapy, she was admitted due to generalized tonic clonic seizure and headache. Her blood pressure was 170/90 mmHg. Magnetic resonance(MR) imaging showed necrotic/cystic lesions involving the bilateral parieto-occipital region. After discontinuation of cyclosporine, and control of blood pressure, she had no more seizure and headache. The follow-up MR examination which was performed 6 months later showed the decreased extent of the lesion.

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Actors' Challenging Journey to Self-discoveries in Building a Character (배우의 자아발견을 향한 여정과 인물구축을 위한 도전)

  • Kim, Jun-Sam;Kim, Hak-Min
    • The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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    • v.12 no.9
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    • pp.57-67
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    • 2012
  • There is much confusion with the relationship between character and actor. Under the pressure of 'becoming' a character, the actor tends to begin his work apart from his own senses, imagination and memory, and is most likely to fall into the trap of artificiality and clich$\acute{e}$. Like every other art, the actor has to begin honestly with himself who, in nature, has unfathomable possibilities. To be and live as a character, the actor has to experience. To experience, to react. To react, to see with all the senses. Like ours, each character's life goes on from reaction to reaction, reacting to the images from the imagination and the memory. "You are what you see." The actor is put into the extremely unfamiliar circumstances of drama, given only with his own senses, imagination and memory. Fear comes in. However, fear cannot stop the actor's challenging journey to self-discoveries. The actor does and acts, not because he is certain but because he is not. The actor challenges himself to go beyond the limit and uncertainty, so that he will finally come to know and truly understand human beings from the challenges of his own. In a nutshell, acting is a journey to the unknown and the unfamiliar in which the actor unceasingly discover new 'I's.