Biomedical subjects

E Kuner

Publications and source records attributed to E Kuner.

16 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1999

The concept of "sense of coherence" and the development of posttraumatic stress disorder in traffic accident victims.

According to the "sense of coherence" concept, those subjects who can give meaning to a traumatic event can comprehend what has happened and have a sense of manageability of the sequelae, are able to cope better with the traumatic event itself. In the present study, this concept was applied to traffic accident victims. Severely injured traffic accident victims were assessed a few days after the accident and at 6-month follow-up. At follow-up, patients filled in the 29-item version of the Sense of Coherence (SOC) self-rating scale. The results show that the SOC total score correlated negatively with the development of: (i) posttraumatic psychopathology; (ii) psychological disorders (i.e., posttraumatic stress disorder after the accident); and (iii) anxious cognitions. The personality trait of neuroticism correlated negatively and extraversion and frustration tolerance correlated positively with SOC total score. Previous hypotheses are supported by our findings.

Accidents, Traffic↗

PubMed1998

Prediction of posttraumatic stress disorder by immediate reactions to trauma: a prospective study in road traffic accident victims.

Road traffic accidents often cause serious physical and psychological sequelae. Specialists of various medical faculties are involved in the treatment of accident victims. Little is known about the factors which might predict psychiatric disorders, e.g. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after accidents and how psychological problems influence physical treatment. In a prospective study 179 unselected, consecutively admitted road traffic accident victims were assessed a few days after the accident for psychiatric diagnoses, severity of injury and psychopathology. All were inpatients and had to be treated for bone fractures. At 6-months follow-up assessment 152 (85%) of the patients were interviewed again. Of the patients, 18.4% fulfilled the criteria for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (DSM-III-R) within 6 months after the accident. Patients who developed PTSD were injured more severely and showed more symptoms of anxiety, depression and PTSD a few days after the accident than patients with no psychiatric diagnosis. Patients with PTSD stayed significantly longer in the hospital than the other patients. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the length of hospitalization was due mainly to a diversity of factors such as severity of injury, severity of accident, premorbid personality and psychopathology. Posttraumatic stress disorder is common after road traffic accidents. Patients with PTSD at follow-up can be identified by findings from early assessment. Untreated psychological sequelae such as PTSD cause longer hospitalization and therefore more costs than in non-PTSD patients.

Accidents, Traffic↗

PubMed1997

[Quantitative CT assessment of the proximal femur. Experimental studies on its correlation with breaking load in femoral neck fractures].

PURPOSE: In an experimental study, the correlation between the trabecular bone density of the different regions of the proximal femur and the fracture load in the setting of femoral neck fractures was examined. METHODS: The bone mineral density of 41 random proximal human femora was estimated by single-energy quantitative CT (SE-QCT). The trabecular bone density was measured at the greatest possible extracortical volume at midcapital, midneck and intertrochanteric level and in the 1 cm3 volumes of the centres of these regions in a standardised 10 mm thick slice in the middle of the femoral neck axis (in mg/ml Ca-hydroxyl apatite). The proximal femora were then isolated and mounted on a compression/bending device under two-legged stand conditions and loaded up to the point when a femoral neck fracture occurred. RESULTS: Statistical analysis revealed a linear correlation between the trabecular bone density and the fracture load for the greater regions, with the highest value in the maximal area of the head (coefficient factor r = 0.76). CONCLUSION: According to our data, the measurement of the trabecular bone by SE-QCT at the femoral head is a more confident adjunct than the neck or trochanteric area to predict a femoral neck fracture.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

[3-phase bone scintigraphy: perfusion and vitality of the femur head after media femoral neck fracture and osteosynthesis].

UNLABELLED: Perfusion and Vitality of the Femoral Head after Medial Neck Fracture and Osteosynthesis. AIMS: to analyse with regard to necrosis the perfusion and vitality of the femoral head after medial neck fracture and repair by placement of a dynamic hip screw. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-one patients were examined by scintigraphy immediately following operation as well as at 3 and 6 months postoperative for evaluation of dysfunctions of perfusion and mineralization. RESULTS: Complete perfusion and mineralization defects with a tendency for revascularization at 3 months will be normal at 6 months. Persisting dysfunctions at 3 and 6 months will progress to femoral head necrosis irrespective of the fracture staging. CONCLUSIONS: Three-phase skeletal scintigraphy is a highly sensitive, non-invasive method for evaluating perfusion and revascularization of the femoral head after femoral neck fracture and repair by means of a dynamic hip screw. When perfusion of the femoral head is observed one week after the trauma, femoral head necrosis will not arise. Immobilization is necessary after partial or complete perfusion and mineralization dysfunctions until the scintigraphic findings return to normal. The present results may serve as a recommendation for loading after fracture repair with a dynamic hip screw.

Adult↗

PubMed1984

A thin quartz cell suitable for vacuum ultraviolet absorption and circular dichroism measurements.

The design of a thin quartz cell suitable for absorption and circular dichroism measurements in the vacuum ultraviolet is described. Important features of the cell are (1) that it can be disassembled for cleaning and reproducibly reassembled with path lengths up to 0.3 mm, and (2) that strain in the windows from the compressed sample can be relieved by a sample overflow port. The latter feature allows the cell to be used for circular dichroism as well as absorption measurements.

Circular Dichroism↗

PubMed1973