BACKGROUND: Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) causes not only severe symptoms and hemodynamic changes, but may progress to chronic atrial fibrillation. Autonomic nervous system or atrial premature beat (APB) has been suggested to contribute to the spontaneous initiation of PAF, but the exact mechanism has been largely unknown. METHODS: One hundred and twenty nine episodes of PAF lasting longer than 5 sec were analyzed in 18 patients (M:F=11:?). Two minutes of normal sinus rhythm before the onset of PAF, and the initial one minute of PAF were printed and analyzed. RESULTS: Most of PAFs were initiated by APBs (38%) or rapid atrial tachycardias (AT, 59%). The frequency of APBs tended to increase immediately before PAF onset (p=0.08). The coupling intervals and coupling indices were not significantly different between PAF-producing APBs and benign APBs. More than half of PAF episodes were initiated by rapid ATs (rate, 357+/-50 bpm). After the onset, they accelerated over several seconds and then degenerated into AF. In some cases, transition from AF to atrial flutter and vice versa were observed. Heart rate, measured at 60-second intervals during 2 minutes before PAF onset, did not change significantly (p=0.44). CONCLUSION: Most of PAFs were initiated by APBs or rapid ATs. Heart rate did not change significantly but the frequency of APBs tended to increase immediately before PAF onset. Rapid ATs frequently accelerated and degenerated into AF. In this regard, Holter monitoring could be useful in identifying patients with PAF triggered by rapid ATs.
Atrial Fibrillation* ; Atrial Flutter ; Autonomic Nervous System ; Cardiac Complexes, Premature ; Electrocardiography, Ambulatory* ; Heart Rate ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Tachycardia

Erythromelalgia is a rare neurovascular pain syndrome characterized by a triad of redness, increased temperature, and burning pain primarily in the extremities. Erythromelalgia can present as a primary or secondary form, and secondary erythromelalgia associated with a myeloproliferative disease such as essential thrombocythemia often responds dramatically to aspirin therapy, as in the present case. Herein, we describe a typical case of a 48-year-old woman with secondary erythromelalgia linked to essential thrombocythemia in the unilateral hand. As this case demonstrates, detecting and visualizing the hyperthermal area through infrared thermography of an erythromelalgic patient can assist in diagnosing the patient, assessing the therapeutic results, and understanding the disease course of erythromelalgia.
Aspirin ; Burns ; Erythromelalgia ; Extremities ; Female ; Hand ; Humans ; Neuralgia ; Thermography ; Thrombocythemia, Essential

No abstract available.
Blood Flow Velocity*

No abstract available.
Paramyxoviridae Infections* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Reverse Transcription*

PURPOSE: To evaluate regional differences of 1H magnetic resonance(MR) spectral patterns in normal adulthuman brains. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 44 1H MR spectra in 25 volunteers aged 27-45 were obtained infive regions including the frontal lobe(10), parietal lobe(10), temporal lobe(5), basal ganglia(10) and thalamus(9). 1H MR spectroscopy(MRS) was performed using a PRESS sequence with a TR of 2000ms and a TE of 270msfrom a volume of cm on a 1.5T clinical MR unit. Relative metabolite ratios of NAA/Cho, NAA/Cr and CR/Cho in eachregion were measured and compared. RESULTS: A total of 44 reliable spectra were successfully obtained in allregions. NAA/Cho, NAA/Cr and Cr/Cho ratios varied considerably, ranging from 1.09 +/-0.2 to 2.46 +/-0.25, from1.72 +/-0.35 to 2.45 +/-0.25 and from 0.64 +/-0.1 to 1.01 +/-0.12, respectively. Significant regional difference sin metabolite ratios were observed; higher NAA/Cho and NAA/Cr ratios in the parietal lobe, lower NAA/Cho ratios inthe temporal lobe, and lower Cr/Cho ratios in the temporal lobe compared to those of other regions(p<0.05). Differences in metabolite ratios between the right and left frontal lobes, and between the right and left basalganglias were not significant. CONCLUSION: 1H MR spectra of the normal adult human brains using in vivo singlevoxel 1H MRS represented significant regional differences in metabolite ratios of NAA/Cho, NAA/Cr and Cr/Cho. Our1H MR spectroscopic results are a useful ueference for assessing the 1H MRS pattern of various intracranial diseases.
Adult* ; Brain* ; Frontal Lobe ; Humans ; Parietal Lobe ; Rabeprazole ; Temporal Lobe ; Volunteers

PURPOSE: To determine whether 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) is useful in differentiating idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD) from progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), based on metabolite ratios. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using a 1.5 T MR Unit, single voxel 1H MRS using STEAM with a TR of 2000ms and a TE of 135ms was performed in seven PD and eight PSP patients. Five age-matched volunteers(mean age, 63 years) andanother five younger healthy volunteers(mean age, 30 years) were studied as normal controls. The regions of interest were the putamen and pallidum, with a size of 2 X 2 X 2cm. After measuring the spectral intensities ofeach metabolite (N-acetylaspartate=NAA, choline=Cho, creatine=Cr and lactate), relative peak height ratios ofNAA/Cr, Cho/Cr and Naa/Cho, and lactate levels among four groups were compared. ESULTS: NAA/Cho and NAA/Crratios were statistically lower in the PSP group than the IPD group (1.21 +/-0.26 versus 1.45 +/-0.20, and 1.26 +/-.23 versus 1.38 +/-0.19, respectively : p<0.05). NAA/Cho and NAA/Cr ratios were significantly lower inage-matched controls than in younger normal controls (1.39 +/-0.21 versus 1.76 +/-0.15, and 1.36 +/-0.13 versus1.79 +/-0.17, respectively : p<0.05). However, NAA/Cho and NAA/Cr ratios between age-matched controls and IPD werenot significantly different (p>0.05). Cho/Cr ratios were not different among four groups. Lactate was not detectedin any patients. CONCLUSION: NAA/Cho and NAA/Cr ratios in the corpus striatum were significantly lower in the PSP group than in the age-matched control and IPD groups. These results suggest that loss of neuron cells in thecorpus striatum is more prominent in PSP than in IPD, and that NAA/Cho and NAA/Cr ratios may help in differential diagnosis of IPD and PSP.
Corpus Striatum ; Humans ; Lactic Acid ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy* ; Neurons ; Parkinson Disease* ; Putamen ; Steam ; Supranuclear Palsy, Progressive*

The microvasculature of the brain is also quite susceptible to ischemic insult, and substantial portions of the brain are not reperfused after restoration of the blood supply following overtime of critical ischemic periods. The purpose of this series of experiments was to determine the effects of ischemia on subsequential regional cerebral blood flow measurements and cortical electric activities following reperfusion after ischemia and also to define the proper time of vascular occlusion without irreversible neural damage. Cerebral ischemia was induced in cat by bilateral common carotid occlusions for periods of 10, 30, to 60 minutes, and the blood flow(rCBF) was measured by hydrogen clearance technique following ischemia, restoration of blood supply and electroencephalogram recovery could be predicted according to the rCBF. Forty adult cats weighing 2.7 to 4.0kg were used in this study. The animals were divided into 4 groups of 10 cats each : normal control, 10 min-clamped, 30 min-clamped, and 60 min-clamped groups. The results obtained were as follows : 1) The mean rCBF was 24.6+/-7.0ml/100g/min in control group. 2) Bilateral carotid occlusions resulted in a reduction of the rCBF (12.4+/-4.1ml/100g/min) to 50% of control flow on both hemispheres. 3) Sequential changes of the rCBF after reperfusion. (1) There was restored the rCBF(21.3+/-5.1ml/100g/min) to control flow in the 10 minutes-clamped group. (2) There was a 85% recovery of control flow in the 30 minutes-clamped group. (3) There was a only 25% recovery of control flow in the 60 minutes-clamped group. 4) A close correlation was found between cortical electrical activity and rCBF suggesting a threshold relationship. (1) The changes of cortical electric activity began to notice at rCBF less than 17.4+/-4.7ml/100g/min. (2) The changes of cortical electric activity noted at rCBF more than 10.2+/-2.3ml/100g/min. 5) There was no evidence of ischemic involvement at the cortex, white matter and basal ganglia in the 10 minutes clamped group, but demonstrated a dense wedge shaped infarct at the cortex and uncus herniation in the 60 minutes clamped group. The rCBF and cortical electric activity restorted to normal values in reperfusion within 10 minutes after occlusion of both common carotid arteries.
Adult ; Animals ; Basal Ganglia ; Brain ; Brain Ischemia ; Carotid Artery, Common* ; Cats* ; Electroencephalography ; Humans ; Hydrogen ; Ischemia ; Microvessels ; Reference Values ; Reperfusion*