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Duk-Hee Lee

Ewha Womans University · Medicine

About the Lab

Professor Duk-Hee Lee's research lab focuses on neurological and psychiatric disorders, with a strong emphasis on peripheral nerve injury, suicide prevention in elderly populations, and the repurposing of existing drugs for neuroregenerative and neuroprotective therapies. The lab investigates mechanisms of nerve repair, such as myelin regeneration and Schwann cell function, and evaluates pharmacological interventions like erythropoietin, dexamethasone, clemastine, and zolpidem in preclinical models. Additionally, the lab contributes to public health through epidemiological studies on substance use and suicide risk in South Korea, particularly among older adults.

peripheral nerve injurysuicide preventiondrug repurposingneuroregenerationelderly mental health

Research Overview

Papers
43
Total Citations
162
Papers (5y)
23
Primary Field
Medicine

Research Output Trend

Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.

Publications per year (5y)
23total
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
Citations per year (5y)
57total
20212022202320242025

Selected Papers

15
1
Article|30 citations·2020
Functional recovery with histomorphometric analysis of nerves and muscles after combination treatment with erythropoietin and dexamethasone in acute peripheral nerve injury
Jung Il Lee, Jeong Min Hur, Jooyoung You, Duk Hee Lee
SJR Q1PLoS ONEOA

Our results demonstrated that combination treatment with erythropoietin and dexamethasone accelerates functional recovery and reduces neurogenic muscle atrophy caused by PNI in mice, which may be attributed to the preservation of myelin and Schwann cell re-myelination. These findings may provide practical therapeutic options for patients with acute PNI.

NeurologyMedicine
2
Article|21 citations·2018
Validation and proposal for cut-off values of an abbreviated version of the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test using the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
Jae Hee Lee, Kyoung Ae Kong, Duk Hee Lee, Yoon Hee Choi, Koo Young Jung
SJR Q1Clinical and Experimental Emergency MedicineOA

OBJECTIVE: Several abbreviated versions of the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) have been developed and are widely used in clinical settings. In this study, we provide evidence supporting the use of abbreviated versions of AUDIT by comparing the utility of various abbreviated versions and determining cut-off values for the population of South Korea. METHODS: Data were obtained from the 4th to 6th Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. After calculating the whol

EpidemiologyMedicine
3
Article|20 citations·2018
Characteristics of Drugs Ingested for Suicide Attempts in the Elderly
Ji Yeon Lim, Duk Hee Lee
SJR Q2Journal of Korean Medical ScienceOA

BACKGROUND: Suicide is a significant public health problem worldwide. Suicide rates among elderly persons (≥ 65 years of age) are three times higher than those of younger people in Korea. The emergency department is an important entry of drug-related suicide attempt patients. In this study, we compared the frequency of drug types by age subgroup. Furthermore, we provide suggestions for preventing suicide attempts in the elderly. METHODS: We investigated 433 patients who were admitted to the emer

Clinical PsychologyPsychology
4
Article|19 citations·2021
Clemastine improves electrophysiologic and histomorphometric changes through promoting myelin repair in a murine model of compression neuropathy
Jung Il Lee, Jong Woong Park, Kyung Jun Lee, Duk Hee Lee
SJR Q1Scientific ReportsOA

Compression neuropathies are common and debilitating conditions that result in variable functional recovery after surgical decompression. Recent drug repurposing studies have verified that clemastine promotes functional recovery through enhancement of myelin repair in demyelinating disease. We investigated the utility of clemastine as a treatment for compression neuropathy using a validated murine model of compression neuropathy encircling the compression tube around the sciatic nerve. Mice rece

NeurologyMedicine
5
Article|11 citations·2018
Characteristics of Drugs Ingested for Suicide Attempts in the Elderly
임지연, 이덕희

Background: Suicide is a significant public health problem worldwide. Suicide rates among elderly persons (≥ 65 years of age) are three times higher than those of younger people in Korea. The emergency department is an important entry of drug-related suicide attempt patients. In this study, we compared the frequency of drug types by age subgroup. Furthermore, we provide suggestions for preventing suicide attempts in the elderly. Methods: We investigated 433 patients who were admitted to the emer

6
Article|10 citations·2020
Zolpidem as a high risk factor for elderly suicide in South Korea
Eun Kim, Jae Hee Lee, Duk Hee Lee
SJR Q1Archives of Suicide Research

Findings suggest that zolpidem has become the greatest risk factor for the elderly Koreans in suicide attempts. Further prevention efforts are needed to prevent suicide among the elderly.

Emergency MedicineMedicine
7
Article|8 citations·2022
Epidemiology and Clinical Characteristics of Older Patients Transferred from Long-Term-Care Hospitals (LTCHs) to Emergency Departments by a Comparison with Non-LTCHs in South Korea: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
Soon Young Yun, Ji Yeon Lim, Eun Kim, Jongseok Oh, Duk Hee Lee
SJR Q2International Journal of Environmental Research and Public HealthOA

The South Korean population is rapidly aging, and the number of older patients in long-term-care hospitals (LTCHs) continues to increase. This study aims to investigate the epidemiologic data, characteristics, and clinical outcomes of patients aged 65 years and older transferred from LTCHs to emergency departments (EDs). This is a retrospective study based on National Emergency Department Information System data from 2014 to 2019. Of the 6,209,695 older patients visiting EDs for disease treatmen

Emergency MedicineMedicine
8
Article|6 citations·2020
Study on death certificates and postmortem examination certificates written by Korean emergency physicians
Ji Yeon Lim, Kyung Moo Yang, Duk Hee Lee
SJR Q1Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and ImagingMedicine
9
Article|5 citations·2021
Clinical outcomes after mini-hook plate fixation for small avulsion fractures around the interphalangeal or metacarpophalangeal joints of the hand
Jung Il Lee, Ki Chul Park, Hyun Soo So, Duk Hee Lee
SJR Q1Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and ResearchOA

BACKGROUND: Mini-hook plate has been described for the treatment of various small avulsion fragments in the hand. This retrospective study aimed to evaluate clinical outcomes after mini-hook plate fixation in patients with an avulsion fracture around the interphalangeal or metacarpophalangeal joints of the hand. METHODS: Nineteen patients with avulsion fractures around the interphalangeal or metacarpophalangeal joints of the hand were included in this study. Seven patients had a mallet fracture,

SurgeryMedicine
10
Article|4 citations·2021
Patterns and clinical outcomes of injuries related to two-wheeled vehicles (bicycle and motorcycle) in the geriatric population: a nationwide analysis in South Korea (2016–2018)
Yoonhyung Choi, Duk Hee Lee, Jung Il Lee
SJR Q1BMC GeriatricsOA

BACKGROUND: South Korea has a rapidly ageing population. This study aimed to provide epidemiologic data and to identify the characteristics of the patterns and clinical outcomes of two-wheeled vehicle-related injuries (bicycle and motorcycle) in elderly riders. METHODS: This study retrospectively analyzed data from the National Emergency Department Information System from 2016 to 2018. Adult patients (≥ 20 years old) who were injured while using two-wheeled vehicles were included. Elderly patien

Safety, Risk, Reliability and QualityEngineering
11
Article|4 citations·2021
Comparison between normal and reverse orientation of graft in functional and histomorphological outcomes after autologous nerve grafting: An experimental study in the mouse model
Duk Hee Lee, Jooyoung You, Ji-Won Jung, Jong Woong Park, Jung Il Lee
SJR Q1Microsurgery

BACKGROUND: Autologous nerve grafting has been considered the gold standard for the treatment of irreparable nerve gaps. However, the choice of effective proximodistal orientation of autografts (normal or reversed) is controversial. Therefore, we compared functional and histological outcomes between normal and reversed orientations of autografts in a mouse sciatic nerve model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty C57BL/6J mice weighing 20-25 g were assigned to the donor, normally oriented autograft, an

Cellular and Molecular NeuroscienceNeuroscience
12
Article|4 citations·2023
Epidemiology and clinical characteristics of trauma in older patients transferred from long-term care hospitals to emergency departments: A nationwide retrospective study in South Korea
Yunhyung Choi, Duk Hee Lee, Jongseok Oh
SJR Q1Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics
Emergency MedicineMedicine
13
Article|3 citations·2022
Factors influencing the successful connection of deliberate self-injury patients to community-based mental health centers
Jung Il Lee, Eun Yi Kim, Hye Jin Kim, Duk Hee Lee
SJR Q1Asian Journal of Psychiatry
Clinical PsychologyPsychology
14
Article|3 citations·2021
Predictive factors for the medical hospitalisation of patients who visited the emergency department with suicide attempt
Hye Jin Kim, Duk Hee Lee
SJR Q1BMC PsychiatryOA

BACKGROUND: Suicide is a significant public health problem. Individuals are estimated to make up to 20 suicide attempts before suicide. The emergency department (ED) is the first location where individuals are brought after a suicide attempt. This study investigated the factors related to delays in the medical hospitalisation of patients who attempted suicide and aimed to provide criteria for hospitalisation decisions by physicians. METHODS: This study included patients who had deliberately self

Clinical PsychologyPsychology
15
Preprint|1 citations·2021
Predictive factors for the medical hospitalisation of patients who visited the emergency department with suicide attempt
Hye Jin Kim, Duk Hee Lee
Research SquareOA
Clinical PsychologyPsychology

Research Areas

Clinical PsychologyEmergency MedicineSurgeryRadiology, Nuclear Medicine and ImagingCellular and Molecular NeuroscienceNeurology

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