Internal Medicine
Online ISSN : 1349-7235
Print ISSN : 0918-2918
ISSN-L : 0918-2918
48 巻, 2 号
選択された号の論文の7件中1~7を表示しています
ORIGINAL ARTICLES
  • Cemil Kavalci, Polat Durukan, Mehmet Ozer, Yunsur Cevik, Güls&uum ...
    2009 年 48 巻 2 号 p. 85-88
    発行日: 2009年
    公開日: 2009/01/15
    ジャーナル オープンアクセス
    Objective Organophosphate compounds are possibly the most widely-used insecticides worldwide. Organophosphate compounds cause poisoning, inhibiting acetylcholinesterase at the cholinergic synapses. Civilian casualties resulted from a terrorist attack with sarin in a Tokyo subway. Recent terrorist activities have also raised concerns that organophosphate or nerve agents may be used as a weapon of terror or mass destruction.
    Methods In this study, an extraordinary type of mass poisoning was evaluated. Especially by focusing on the way of poisoning, the demographic features and clinical findings of patients were analyzed.
    Results After eating a wheat bagel, 13 patients with organophosphate poisoning were admitted to our emergency department. Seven were males and 6 were females. The mean age of the patients was 26 ± 13.9. The mean serum acetylcholinesterase level was 2945.1±2648.9 U/L. Nine patients who had supportive treatment and who were given atropine and pralidoxime were hospitalized approximately 6.8±6.5 days. All of the patients recovered after the treatment and no deaths occurred.
    Conclusion If organophosphate poisoning is not diagnosed and treated in time, it may be fatal. When cases of food poisoning are admitted to the hospital, attention must be taken especially if it is a mass poisoning.
  • Naoto Taira, Satoshi Kamei, Akihiko Morita, Masaki Ishihara, Kenji Mik ...
    2009 年 48 巻 2 号 p. 89-94
    発行日: 2009年
    公開日: 2009/01/15
    ジャーナル オープンアクセス
    Objective Herpes simplex virus encephalitis (HSVE) patients occasionally follow a prolonged course despite standard antiviral treatment. The purpose of this study was to analyze clinical variables to identify predictors of a prolonged course.
    Methods A series of 23 HSVE patients treated with acyclovir (ACV) during the acute stage were selected and divided into 2 groups: the non-prolonged group (n = 15), with improvement within 2 weeks after initial ACV treatment; and the prolonged group (n = 8), without improvement within 2 weeks. Differences in clinical variables, including age, duration from onset to initial ACV treatment, Glasgow coma scale (GCS) score, corticosteroid administration, detection of abnormal lesions on initial cranial computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging, detection of periodic lateralized epileptiform discharges on electroencephalogram, and clinical outcome, were compared between the groups.
    Results There were significant differences in GCS score, clinical outcome, and detection of lesions on CT between the non-prolonged and prolonged groups [p = 0.021, p = 0.041 (Mann-Whitney's U test), respectively, and p = 0.027 (Fisher's exact test)]. Four of the eight patients with a prolonged course had a poor outcome despite treatment with additional drugs.
    Conclusion A lower GCS and a higher rate of lesions on CT were identified as predictors of a prolonged course for HSVE. These predictors are in accordance with the conventional predictors of poor outcome for HSVE. This study suggests that the initial ACV treatment was insufficient for HSVE patients with these predictors at the acute stage. The initial treatment may need to be modified for such patients.
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