No abstract available.
Hearing* ; Humans ; Tinnitus*

No abstract available.
Hemangioblastoma* ; Spinal Cord*

No abstract available.
Audiometry*

Chronic granulomatous disease is characterized by recurrent life-threatening infections and the formation of granulomatous lesions caused by the failure of phagocytic oxidative microcidal activity that has resulted from a defect of the oxidase system. The fungal osteomyelitis of the spine in this disease is almost always caused by Aspergillus, and its treatment is not yet established although surgical management, antifungal agents, granulocyte transfusions or combination methods have been reported. We report a patient with aspergillosis who had a long-standing pulmonary lesion which subsequently spread to the adjacent thoracic wall and spine. After decompression and drainage by costotransversectomy, the severe pain was relieved but the kyphosis increased and a paraplegia developed slowly because of resistance to the antifungal therapy and the inability to perform a bone graft. The patient died 2 months after the operation because of pulmonary complications.
Antifungal Agents ; Aspergillosis* ; Aspergillus ; Decompression ; Drainage ; Glucose Oxidase ; Granulocytes ; Granulomatous Disease, Chronic* ; Humans ; Kyphosis ; Osteomyelitis ; Oxidoreductases ; Paraplegia ; Spine* ; Thoracic Wall ; Transplants

PURPOSE: To evaluate the possibility that human muscle derived stem cells (hMDSCs) can be differentiated into neurons in vitro. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Muscle derived stem cells were isolated from the hamstring muscles during the anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction by preplate technique. For the characterization of these cells, desmin staining, CD 34, Sca-1, CD 29 using the Flow cytometry were performed. In the experimental group, neuronal induction media was added to differentiate hMDSCs to neuronal cells. These cells were evaluated by neuronal markers such as neuron-specific enolase (NSE), neurofilament (NF), TrkA using immunocytochemistry. For the control group, no induction media was added. Statstical analyses were performed by use of Kruskal-Wallis H test and Student-Newman-Keuls test (P<0.01). RESULT: Desmin staining was positive in 92.3+/-6%. Flow cytometry was negative for CD 34 and Sca-1. However it was positive for CD 29. (69.4+/-10%). The immunocytochemical result revealed NSE, NF and TrkA positive with 63.2+/-2.3%, 59.2+/-2.5%, 55+/-2.4% respectively. However, these were negative in the control group. CONCLUSION: Our observations indicate that hMDSCs have the capacity to differentiate into neurons in a specialized culture media.
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction ; Culture Media ; Desmin ; Flow Cytometry ; Humans* ; Immunohistochemistry ; Muscles ; Neurons* ; Phosphopyruvate Hydratase ; Stem Cells*

Pseudomembranous colitis (PMC) was first described by Finney as postoperative diphtheritic enteritis in 1893 and was known to be associated with antibiotics by Reiner et al in 1952. Most cases of antibiotic-associated PMC are now associated with cytotoxigenic C. difficile. The association of PMC several antibiotics is well docamented; however, its association with clindamycin appeared to be most striking. We experienced a male patient who developed tarry stool, abdominal pain and diarrhea after having recieved clindamycin for two weeks. The PMC diagnosed by colonofiberscopy with biopsy and C. difficile was identified by tissue-culture study. The patient was treated by oral vancomycin and healed. Described here a case of PMC with some review of literature.
Abdominal Pain ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Biopsy ; Clindamycin ; Clostridium difficile* ; Clostridium* ; Diarrhea ; Enteritis ; Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous* ; Humans ; Male ; Strikes, Employee ; Vancomycin

BACKGROUND: Spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) type 8 (SCA8) is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder caused by the expansion of untranslated CTA/CTG triplet repeats on 13q21. The phenomenology of SCA8 is relatively varied when compared to the other types of SCAs and its spectrum is not well established. CASE REPORT: Two newly detected cases of SCA8 with the nonataxic phenotype and unusual clinical manifestations such as dopaminergic-treatment-responsive parkinsonism and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are described herein. Family A expressed good dopaminergic treatment-responsive parkinsonism as an initial manifestation and developed mild cerebellar ataxia with additional movements, including dystonic gait and unusual oscillatory movement of the trunk, during the disease course. The proband of family B presented as probable ALS with cerebellar atrophy on brain MRI, with a positive family history (a brother with typical cerebellar ataxia) and genetic confirmation for SCA8. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support that the non-ataxic phenotypes could be caused by a mutation of the SCA8 locus which might affect neurons other than the cerebellum.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis* ; Atrophy ; Brain ; Cerebellar Ataxia ; Cerebellum ; Gait ; Humans ; Neurodegenerative Diseases ; Neurons ; Parkinson Disease* ; Parkinsonian Disorders ; Phenotype* ; Siblings ; Spinocerebellar Ataxias ; Spinocerebellar Degenerations ; Trinucleotide Repeats

No abstract available.
Adolescent ; Ataxia Telangiectasia/*genetics ; Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated Proteins/*genetics ; Base Sequence ; Chromosome Inversion ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 14/genetics ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 7/genetics ; DNA Mutational Analysis ; Female ; Humans ; Karyotyping ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Mutation ; RNA Splicing ; Translocation, Genetic

BACKGROUND: During the past few decades, the prevalence of allergic disorders has increased worldwide. We attempted to reveal the sensitization rate of dust mite allergens, which is one of the most important allergens in Korea, and the prevalence of mite-sensitized asthma in healthy young women who had no history of allergic diseases. METHODS: We performed the skin prick test with two mites (Dermatophagoides farinae, Df; Dermatophagoides pteronnyssinus, Dp) in 24-26 years old 172 women who had no history of allergic diseases. We also performed the methacholine bronchial provocation test (MBPT) and the questionnaire survey of positive skin responders. RESULTS: The 55.2% of subjects showed positive skin responses to house dust mites. The positive rate to MBPT was 54.7% with average PC20 of 15.97+/-7.68 mg/ml and 48.4% had asthma symptoms in the questionnaire survey. Among the methacholine positive population, 6.3% had no asthma symptoms. The history of 3-week cough after upper airway infection was most important, but the most specific item was wheezing. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of dust mite-sensitive bronchial asthma in healthy young women is 26.7%, which is higher than that of previous studies.
Allergens ; Asthma* ; Bronchial Provocation Tests ; Cough ; Dust* ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Methacholine Chloride ; Mites ; Prevalence* ; Pyroglyphidae* ; Respiratory Sounds ; Skin ; Surveys and Questionnaires

No abstract available.
Animals ; Heart* ; Rats*