PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate clinical, CT and MRI findings of intracranial ganglioglioma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All patient were between 9 and 30 years old, and were men. Four patients with pathologically proved gangliogliomas were included in this study. CT and MR images were assessed retrospectively for location, type, density, signal intensity and contrast enhancement pattern of tumors. RESULTS: All patients suffered from epileptic seizure of long history. The tumors were located in temporal lobe(3 cases) and frontal lobe(1 case). The type of tumor were solid (2 cases) and cystic(2 cases). On the CT scan, the cystic lesions were hypodense and the solid lesions were isodense to normal brain parenchyme. Calcification within lesion was noted in 3 cases. On the MR imaging, cystic lesions reveal high signal intensity on T2-weighted image(T2WI) and low signal intensity on Tl-weighted image(T1WI). One of the solid lesions showed iso-signal intensity on T1WI and high signal intensity on T2WI. Another revealed high signal intensity on both T1WI and T2WI. The signal intensity of the calcifications(3 case) was variable. Two cases showed signal void, one case revealed high signal intensity on T1WI and low signal intensity on T2WI. In three patients, the lesions enhanced after intravenous administration of Gd-DTPA. CONCLUSION: Ganglioglioma should be considered in the differential diagnosis when the children or young male with epilepy have a cystic mass with calcification or ill- defined solid mass, especially in temporal lobe on CT or MRI.
Administration, Intravenous ; Adult ; Brain ; Child ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Epilepsy ; Gadolinium DTPA ; Ganglioglioma* ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Temporal Lobe ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate clinical, CT and MRI findings of intracranial ganglioglioma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All patient were between 9 and 30 years old, and were men. Four patients with pathologically proved gangliogliomas were included in this study. CT and MR images were assessed retrospectively for location, type, density, signal intensity and contrast enhancement pattern of tumors. RESULTS: All patients suffered from epileptic seizure of long history. The tumors were located in temporal lobe(3 cases) and frontal lobe(1 case). The type of tumor were solid (2 cases) and cystic(2 cases). On the CT scan, the cystic lesions were hypodense and the solid lesions were isodense to normal brain parenchyme. Calcification within lesion was noted in 3 cases. On the MR imaging, cystic lesions reveal high signal intensity on T2-weighted image(T2WI) and low signal intensity on Tl-weighted image(T1WI). One of the solid lesions showed iso-signal intensity on T1WI and high signal intensity on T2WI. Another revealed high signal intensity on both T1WI and T2WI. The signal intensity of the calcifications(3 case) was variable. Two cases showed signal void, one case revealed high signal intensity on T1WI and low signal intensity on T2WI. In three patients, the lesions enhanced after intravenous administration of Gd-DTPA. CONCLUSION: Ganglioglioma should be considered in the differential diagnosis when the children or young male with epilepy have a cystic mass with calcification or ill- defined solid mass, especially in temporal lobe on CT or MRI.
Administration, Intravenous ; Adult ; Brain ; Child ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Epilepsy ; Gadolinium DTPA ; Ganglioglioma* ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Temporal Lobe ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

No abstract available.
Adult* ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging*

No abstract available.

Advanced techniques of nasal endoscopy made it possible to approach the optic nerve, pituitary gland, and anterior skull base transnasally. Epidural or brain abscess caused by ascending infection through the defect of the fovea ethmoidalis can be drained with reduced morbidity by endoscopic sinus surgery. Recently we have experienced a brain abscess that was managed by endoscopic transnasal drainage successfully.
Brain Abscess* ; Brain* ; Drainage* ; Endoscopy ; Optic Nerve ; Pituitary Gland ; Skull Base

BACKGROUND: It was reported that patients who have left ventricular hypertrophy have higher D allele frequency of angiotensin I-converting enzyme gene polymorphism, especially in Caucasian normotensive men. We studied to know whether genetic polymorphism of angiotensin I-converting enzyme gene is associated with the development of left ventricular hypertrophy in Korean people whose genotype frequency is quite different from that of Caucasians. METHODS: Total 156 patients were included in this study. Presence of hypertension was checked with the criteria that hypertensives are one whose blood pressures were all above 140/90 at least 3 times spanning 2 months or one who had been diagnosed as hypertension and on his medication. Left ventricular mass index(LVMI) was calculated using electrocardiogram by Rautaharju equation, and left ventricular hypertrophy(LVH) was defined as LVMI was above 131g/m2 in male or above 110g/m2 in female. Genomic DNA was extracted from the mononuclear cell of each subjects and PCR was performed using new primers for the region of intron 16 and exon 17. RESULTS: Genotype frequencies of D/D genotype and D allele were 0.200 and 0.413 respectively in group with LVH(n=40), 0.103 and 0.392 respectively in group without LVH(n=116). There was no significant difference with each other group. However, when only the normotensives were included in this analysis, frequency of D/D genotype is significantly higher in group with LVH(0.231, n=26) than in group without LVH(0.076, n=79)(Fisher's exact test,p<0.05). There was no significant difference in genotype frequency between the normotensives(n=105) and the hypertensives(n=51). CONCLUSIONS: In Korean people, D allele of polymorphism of angiotensin I-converting enzyme gene is also associated with development of left ventricular hypertrophy in the normotensives and is not associated with essential hypertension.
Alleles ; Angiotensins* ; DNA ; Electrocardiography ; Exons ; Female ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular* ; Introns ; Male ; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Genetic

BACKGROUND: It was reported that patients who have left ventricular hypertrophy have higher D allele frequency of angiotensin I-converting enzyme gene polymorphism, especially in Caucasian normotensive men. We studied to know whether genetic polymorphism of angiotensin I-converting enzyme gene is associated with the development of left ventricular hypertrophy in Korean people whose genotype frequency is quite different from that of Caucasians. METHODS: Total 156 patients were included in this study. Presence of hypertension was checked with the criteria that hypertensives are one whose blood pressures were all above 140/90 at least 3 times spanning 2 months or one who had been diagnosed as hypertension and on his medication. Left ventricular mass index(LVMI) was calculated using electrocardiogram by Rautaharju equation, and left ventricular hypertrophy(LVH) was defined as LVMI was above 131g/m2 in male or above 110g/m2 in female. Genomic DNA was extracted from the mononuclear cell of each subjects and PCR was performed using new primers for the region of intron 16 and exon 17. RESULTS: Genotype frequencies of D/D genotype and D allele were 0.200 and 0.413 respectively in group with LVH(n=40), 0.103 and 0.392 respectively in group without LVH(n=116). There was no significant difference with each other group. However, when only the normotensives were included in this analysis, frequency of D/D genotype is significantly higher in group with LVH(0.231, n=26) than in group without LVH(0.076, n=79)(Fisher's exact test,p<0.05). There was no significant difference in genotype frequency between the normotensives(n=105) and the hypertensives(n=51). CONCLUSIONS: In Korean people, D allele of polymorphism of angiotensin I-converting enzyme gene is also associated with development of left ventricular hypertrophy in the normotensives and is not associated with essential hypertension.
Alleles ; Angiotensins* ; DNA ; Electrocardiography ; Exons ; Female ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular* ; Introns ; Male ; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Genetic

Epistaxis is a common otolaryngologic emergency. Posterior epitaxis is more frequent in the elderly and associates with hypertension and arteriosclerosis. This is apt to be more vigorous in volume, is more difficult to identify the active bleeding point, and is more troublesome to contol. A number of different treatments are used to control the posterior epistaxis. Some of these are deep anterior packing, posterior packing, nasal balloon tamponade, arterial ligation, arterial embolization and posterior endoscopic cautery. Recently we directly photocoagulated the bleeding points in 7 cases of posterior epistaxis using endoscope and KTP/532 laser. The epistaxis was controlled in all cases without any significant complication.
Aged ; Arteriosclerosis ; Balloon Occlusion ; Cautery ; Emergencies ; Endoscopes ; Epistaxis* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Ligation ; Light Coagulation*

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Focally enhanced gastritis (FEG) has been suggested as a specific diagnostic marker for patients with Crohn's disease (CD). However, the usefulness of FEG for distinguishing CD from ulcerative colitis (UC) is uncertain and the incidence or prevalence of FEG for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients in Korea has not been defined yet. In this study, we investigated the frequency of FEG and other gastric histological abnormalities in Korean patients with CD and UC. METHODS: We evaluated 37 patients with known CD, 43 patients with UC and 41 non-IBD control group; all underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy followed by biopsy from the antrum and the body. The pathology of the gastric biopsy specimens and the presence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) were evaluated. FEG was characterized by a focal perifoveolar or periglandular inflammatory cell infiltrates. RESULTS: H. pylori positive gastritis was found in 10 of 37 (27.0%) of CD patients, in 16 of 43 (37.2%) of UC patients, and in 22 of 41 (53.7%) of non-IBD control group (p=0.054). In H. pylori-negative patients, FEG was found in 8 of 27 patients (29.6%) of CD patients, 6 of 27 (22.2%) patients with UC, and 2 of 9 (10.5%) of non-IBD control group (p=0.324). CONCLUSIONS: In H. pylori-negative patients, there was no statistically significant difference in the occurrence of FEG among CD, UC and control groups in Korea.
Adult ; Colitis, Ulcerative/*diagnosis/etiology/pathology ; Crohn Disease/*diagnosis/etiology/pathology ; Female ; Gastritis/epidemiology/*pathology ; Gastroscopy ; Humans ; Korea/epidemiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Upper Gastrointestinal Tract/pathology

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (EMF) on signal pathway in plasma membrane of cultured cells (RAW 264.7 cells and RBL 2H3 cells), by measuring the activity of phospholipase A2 (PLA2), phospholipase C (PLC) and phospholipase D (PLD). The cells were exposed to the EMF (60 Hz, 0.1 or 1 mT) for 4 or 16 h. The basal and 0.5 microM melittin-induced arachidonic acid release was not affected by EMF in both cells. In cell-free PLA2 assay, we failed to observe the change of cPLA2 and sPLA2 activity. Also both PLC and PLD activities did not show any change in the two cell lines exposed to EMF. This study suggests that the exposure condition of EMF (60 Hz, 0.1 or 1 mT) which is 2.4 fold higher than the limit of occupational exposure does not induce phospholipases-associated signal pathway in RAW 264.7 cells and RBL 2H3 cells.
Arachidonic Acid ; Cell Line ; Cell Membrane ; Cells, Cultured ; Electromagnetic Fields ; Magnets ; Occupational Exposure ; Phospholipase D ; Phospholipases ; Phospholipases A2 ; Pyridoxal ; Signal Transduction ; Type C Phospholipases