No abstract available.
Parathyroid Neoplasms*

Vigabatrin (VGB) is one of the most frequently prescribed new anti-epileptic drugs in the world since 1989. It has minimal side effects and fewer drug interactions with other anti-epileptic drugs. Recently, concern of the prevalence and pathophysiology of visual impairment with VGB has been increased since the reports of visual field constriction in patients treated with VGB. We report a 46-year-old man with a visual field defect who has been suffering from complex partial seizures for 29 years. Brain magnetic resonance image (MRI) and electroencephalogram (EEG) were non-specific. The frequency of seizures was about 5 times a month for the past 5 years. VGB, in a dose of 1500 mg/day, was prescribed as an add on drug in addition to carbamazepine. 19 months after VGB treatment, the patient complained of visual dimness especially in the lower half of the visual field. He expressed it as "waving". He had no metabolic derangement. Fundus examination, visual evoked potential, and electroretinogram showed normal findings. A visual field analysis showed a bilateral field defect in the lower half. A follow up visual field analysis, 6 months after the withdrawal of VGB, revealed a slight improvement of visual field defects which were noted without significant clinical improvement. This case implicates that visual field defects due to VGB may be partially reversible.
Brain ; Carbamazepine ; Constriction ; Drug Interactions ; Electroencephalography ; Evoked Potentials, Visual ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Seizures ; Vigabatrin* ; Vision Disorders ; Visual Fields*

OBJECTIVE: To explore the association of p53 codon 72 polymorphism with endometriosis. METHODS: Two hundred seventy-one women with surgically or histologically diagnosed edometriosis of stage I-IV, and 219 patients with no evidence of endometriosis by laparoscopy or laparotomy served as control. Allele frequencies and genotype distribution of p53 polymorphisms (arginine homozygosity, heterozygosity, and proline homozygosity) in affected women and controls were evaluated. RESULTS: The genotype distributions of p53 codon 72 polymorphisms did not differ significantly between endometriosis group and control group (p=0.086). However, the genotype distributions of p53 codon 72 polymorphisms differ significantly between stage I-II endometriosis group and control group (p=0.043). Proline homozygotes had higher risk for stage I-II endometriosis compared to arginine homozygotes (odds ratio=2.75, p=0.013). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that proline homozygote of p53 codon 72 polymorphism is associated with the risk of minimal or mild stage of endometriosis in the Korean population.
Arginine ; Codon* ; Endometriosis* ; Female ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; Homozygote ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Laparotomy ; Proline