OBJECTIVES: The authors studied the effects of cigarette smoking on the cognitive function with topographic mapping of auditory event-related potential P300. METHODS: The subjects, 24 smokers and 14 nonsmokers, were assessed in the latencies and amplitudes of topographic auditory event-related potential P300 determined by Global Field Power Measurement. RESULTS: 1) There were significant differences of P300 latencies between smokers and controls artier smoking(ANOVAL F=10.45, P=0.0026). 2) There were no significant differences of P300 amplitude but a trend was present between smokers and nonsmokers after smoking(ANOVAL F=3.77, P=0.06). 3) There were no significant differences of difference between amplitude in maximal point and amplitude in minimal point but a trend was present between smokers and nonsmokers artier smoking(ANOVAL F=3.68, P=0.063). 4) There were no significant differences of maximal point in X-axis and in Y-axis, minimal point in X-axis and in Y-axis of P300 between smokers and nonsmokers artier smoking. CONCLUSIONS: These results support that auditory event-related potential P300 change by cigarrete smoking is indicative of enhanced cognitive function.
Evoked Potentials* ; Smoke ; Smoking* ; Tobacco Products*

Paraffin injection for augmentation of penis is usually attempted by untrained persons. Complications such as penile deformity, skin necrosis, erectile dysfunction, and foreign body sensation usually follow. Definite treatment for the patients with those complications includes complete removal of skin and subcutaneous tissue infiltrated by the paraffin and resurfacing with skin graft and local flap. It may not be possible to remove paraffinoma completely due to infiltrated corpus cavernosum and spongiosum. The remnant paraffinoma does not permit skin graft coverage. For the patients who had these problems, we tried techniques comprised of various scrotal flaps to produce reliable and stable coverage. The scrotal skin, which has high elasticity and good texture, seems to be a good material for denuded penis coverage, despite its hairy nature. Since March 1998, 21 patients with penile paraffinoma have been treated using the various scrotal flaps. All flaps survived and the reconstructed penis had immediate postoperative tactile sensibility. The results were successful with no other major complications.
Congenital Abnormalities ; Elasticity ; Erectile Dysfunction ; Foreign Bodies ; Humans ; Male ; Necrosis ; Paraffin ; Penis ; Sensation ; Skin ; Subcutaneous Tissue ; Transplants

PURPOSE: There has been no nationwide report pertaining to the epidemiology of aseptic meningitis, although a great numer of patients have been diagnosed of the illness. Therefore, we report an explosive outbreak of aseptic meningitis occured in a nationwide scale in 1993. METHODS: Aseptic meningitis epidemiology surveillence was performed retrospectively on the patients diagnosed of aseptic meinigitis from January 1993 to December 1993 at 60 hospitals (the third graded medical centers and comparable training hospitals) located in 9 districts. The data pertaining to the patients were obtained through the questionnaire answered by the pediatricians or pediatric houseofficers. Monthly and geographical distributions, age and sex distributions, clinical manifestations, laboratory data, complications, and the causative virus of aseptic meningitis were described. RESULTS: 1) The total number of cases reported in 1993 aseptic meningitis epidemiology surveillence was 5,090. Geographically the greatest number of patients was reported from Seoul (2,693), followed by Kyungnam (851), Chunbook (497), Kyungi (492), Chungnam (189), Kangwon (133), Kyungbook (127), Chunnam (82), and Cheju (26). 2) Monthly distribution revealed that the number of patients was increased from April to August and 95.4% (4,858 cases) of the totoal were diagnosed from May to July. The median dates for the diagnosis of aseptic meningitis in various districts were May 8 in Cheju, followed by Chunbook, Kyungnam, Chunnam, Kyungbook, Chungnam, Kyungi, Seoul in June and July 3 in Kangwon. 3) Average age of the study population was 4.7+/-2.9 years and male to female ratio 2.1:1. 4) Subjective symptoms consisted of headache, abdominal pain, poor appetite, irritability, etc, and physical findings fever, local neurological signs, etc in order of frequency. Duration of temperature elevation was 6.1+/-3.7 days in average and 22 cases had no temperature elevation at all. 5) Initial CSF findings revealed pressure of 132 66 mmH2O, leukocytes 594+/-890/mm3 with PMNL 25.6+/-24.7% and lymphocytes 72.3+/-26.1%, protein 47.0+/-37.6 mg/dl, and glucose 60.3+/-14.9 mg/dl. In 35.7% of the patients, CSF leukocytes were more than 500/mm3 and in 19.9% were greater than 1000/mm3. Thirty five patients did not have pleocytosis in the initial CSF examination. 6) The associated illnesses were pharyngotonsillitis (1,285 cases, 31.3%), pneumonia (104 cases, 2.7%), sinusitis (74 cases, 1.9%), etc. 7) While almost all the patients (99.0%) were reported to be improved without complications, 48 cases had complications with 7 encephalitis, 2 neurogenic bladder, 2 Guillian-Barr syndrome, 5 paralysis, and 32 unspecified. Six cases were reported to be deceased. 8) Virus was isolated from 25 out of 55 cases from Seoul and Kyungnam areas on whom virus isolation was tried, and all were echovirus 9. CONCLUSIONS: Aseptic meningitis outbreak in 1993 was nationwide, geographically begun in the southern part of the peninsula spreading rapidly northward, and seasonally occurred from April to August with the peak in June. The average age was 4.7+/-.9 years and male to female ratio 2.1:1. Clinical manifestations and laboratory findings of the study patients were comparable to the reported previoulsy. The causative virus for the nationwide aseptic meningitis outbreak in 1993 was echovirus 9.
Abdominal Pain ; Age Distribution ; Appetite ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Diagnosis ; Echovirus 9 ; Encephalitis ; Enterovirus ; Enterovirus B, Human ; Epidemiology* ; Female ; Fever ; Gangwon-do ; Glucose ; Gyeongsangnam-do ; Headache ; Humans ; Jeju-do ; Korea* ; Leukocytes ; Leukocytosis ; Lymphocytes ; Male ; Meningitis, Aseptic* ; Paralysis ; Pneumonia ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Retrospective Studies ; Seasons ; Seoul ; Sex Distribution ; Sinusitis ; Urinary Bladder, Neurogenic

Cis-3-O-p-hydroxycinnamoyl ursolic acid (HCUA), a triterpenoid compound, was purified from Elaeagnus oldhamii Maxim. This traditional medicinal plant has been used for treating rheumatoid arthritis and lung disorders as well as for its anti-inflammation and anticancer activities. This study aimed to investigate the anti-proliferative and apoptotic-inducing activities of HCUA in oral cancer cells. HCUA exhibited anti-proliferative activity in oral cancer cell lines (Ca9-22 and SAS cells), but not in normal oral fibroblasts. The inhibitory concentration of HCUA that resulted in 50% viability was 24.0 µM and 17.8 µM for Ca9-22 and SAS cells, respectively. Moreover, HCUA increased the number of cells in the sub-G1 arrest phase and apoptosis in a concentration-dependent manner in both oral cancer cell lines, but not in normal oral fibroblasts. Importantly, HCUA induced p53-mediated transcriptional regulation of pro-apoptotic proteins (Bax, Bak, Bim, Noxa, and PUMA), which are associated with mitochondrial apoptosis in oral cancer cells via the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential. HCUA triggered the production of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) that was ascertained to be involved in HCUA-induced apoptosis by the ROS inhibitors YCG063 and N-acetyl-L-cysteine. As a result, HCUA had potential antitumor activity to oral cancer cells through eliciting ROS-dependent and p53-mediated mitochondrial apoptosis. Overall, HCUA could be applicable for the development of anticancer agents against human oral cancer.
Acetylcysteine ; Antineoplastic Agents ; Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins ; Apoptosis* ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Cell Line ; Elaeagnaceae ; Fibroblasts ; Humans ; Lung ; Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial ; Mouth Neoplasms* ; Plants, Medicinal ; Reactive Oxygen Species