OBJECTIVES: Attention deficity hyperactive disorder is known to be a disease with a high genetic trait. Recently the relationship between alleles frequency distribution and ADHD has been actively researched. In Korea, the relationship between the genetic type and alleles for dopamine transporter gene has been studied in ADHD patients. METHODS: Thirty five patients diagnosed with ADHD according to the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria were selected for study. The diagnosis and clinical features were confirmed by korean version Child behavior check list, korean version Conner's parent rating scale, Attention deficit Diagnostic System, korean version Spielberger state-trait anxiety scale etc. For the control group, the parents of patients were chosen. Blood samples were taken from the 105 subjects. DNA was extracted from blood lymphocytes, PCR was performed for dopamine transporter gene. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: In comparing the ADHD transmitted group and the not transmitted group, significant difference was seen between the DAT1 genetic type and alleles distribution. As a result, it is viewed that there is relationship between ADHD and the dopamine transporter gene. Follow up studies with larger patient or pure subgroups are expected.
Alleles ; Anxiety ; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity ; Child ; Child Behavior ; Diagnosis ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; DNA ; Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins* ; Dopamine* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Korea ; Lymphocytes ; Parents* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction

Cardiac organoids have emerged as invaluable tools for assessing the impact of diverse substances on heart function.This report introduces guidelines for general requirements for manufacturing cardiac organoids and conducting cardiac organoid-based assays, encompassing protocols, analytical methodologies, and ethical considerations. In the quest to employ recently developed three-dimensional cardiac organoid models as substitutes for animal testing, it becomes imperative to establish robust criteria for evaluating organoid quality and conducting toxicity assessments. This guideline addresses this need, catering to regulatory requirements, and describes common standards for organoid quality and toxicity assessment methodologies, commensurate with current technological capabilities. While acknowledging the dynamic nature of technological progress and the potential for future comparative studies, this guideline serves as a foundational framework. It offers a comprehensive approach to standardized cardiac organoid testing, ensuring scientific rigor, reproducibility, and ethical integrity in investigations of cardiotoxicity, particularly through the utilization of human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiac organoids.

BACKGROUND: Nefopam has been known as an inhibitor of the reuptake of monoamines, and the noradrenergic and/or serotonergic system has been focused on as a mechanism of its analgesic action. Here we investigated the role of the spinal dopaminergic neurotransmission in the antinociceptive effect of nefopam administered intravenously or intrathecally. METHODS: The effects of intravenously and intrathecally administered nefopam were examined using the rat formalin test. Then we performed a microdialysis study to confirm the change of extracellular dopamine concentration in the spinal dorsal horn by nefopam. To determine whether the changes of dopamine level are associated with the nefopam analgesia, its mechanism was investigated pharmacologically via pretreatment with sulpiride, a dopaminergic D2 receptor antagonist. RESULTS: When nefopam was administered intravenously the flinching responses in phase I of the formalin test were decreased, but not those in phase II of the formalin test were decreased. Intrathecally injected nefopam reduced the flinching responses in both phases of the formalin test in a dose dependent manner. Microdialysis study revealed a significant increase of the level of dopamine in the spinal cord by intrathecally administered nefopam (about 3.8 fold the baseline value) but not by that administered intravenously. The analgesic effects of intrathecally injected nefopam were not affected by pretreatment with sulpiride, and neither were those of the intravenous nefopam. CONCLUSIONS: Both the intravenously and intrathecally administered nefopam effectively relieved inflammatory pain in rats. Nefopam may act as an inhibitor of dopamine reuptake when delivered into the spinal cord. However, the analgesic mechanism of nefopam may not involve the dopaminergic transmission at the spinal level.
Analgesia ; Animals ; Dopamine ; Microdialysis ; Nefopam* ; Pain Measurement ; Rats* ; Spinal Cord ; Spinal Cord Dorsal Horn ; Sulpiride ; Synaptic Transmission

BACKGROUND: Despite the physical disfigurement, bothersome symptoms and psychological problemsfrom the proliferative scarring process of keloids and hypertrophic scars, there is currently no consensus regarding the best management of these lesions. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the therapeutic efficacy and safety of intralesional corticosteroid injection combined with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and/or pulsed dye laser (PDL) in Koreans with keloids or hypertrophic scars. METHODS: Twenty-five patients with keloids and/or hypertrophic scars over 2 cm in size or who had more than 3 separated lesions were included in this study. Each scar was divided equally into 2 or more segments and these were treated with 1 of the following 3 different modalities: (1) intralesional injection of triamcinolone acetonide (TCA: 20 mg/ml weekly), (2) intralesional injection of TCA 0.1 ml (40 mg/ml) mixed with 5-FU 0.9 ml (50 mg/ml) weekly and (3) treatment #2 combined with PDL (585 nm, 5~7.5 J/cm2) at baseline and at the 3rd and 7th weeks. We estimated the change of the height, the erythema, the pliability, the pruritus, the pain/tenderness scores, the patient-self assessment and the complications. This study was an 8-week prospective study and the assessment of relapse was done at 4 and 12 weeks after the last treatment. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant improvement of the clinical signs and symptoms in all the treated groups. However, the 5-FU-treated groups had more sustained effects compared to the group that underwent TCA monotherapy with respect to flattening and pliability. Complications such as ulcerations, crusts and hyperpigmentation were more frequent in the 5-FU-treated groups. CONCLUSION: Although 5-FU may be preferable to TCA for improving the symptoms of keloids and hypertrophic scars, we believe it is prone to induce more complications in Koreans.
Cicatrix ; Cicatrix, Hypertrophic ; Consensus ; Erythema ; Fluorouracil ; Humans ; Hyperpigmentation ; Injections, Intralesional ; Keloid ; Lasers, Dye ; Pliability ; Prospective Studies ; Pruritus ; Recurrence ; Triamcinolone Acetonide ; Ulcer

Herpes zoster is characterized by multiple groups of vesicles on an erythematous base located within the distribution of a single spinal or cranial sensory ganglion. Classically, herpes zoster occurs in elderly patients, distributed unilaterally within one dermatomal area. The response to antiviral treatment is usually good, with rare recurrence. Herein we report 5 cases of atypical herpes zoster, which showed non-ordinary clinical features of the onset age, location and distribution, clinical course and treatment response. Moreover, since herpes zoster is a viral disorder in dermatologic clinics, different treatment protocols according to various underlying conditions are crucial. Therefore, we reviewed pertinent remedies under such uncommon circumstances.
Age of Onset ; Aged ; Clinical Protocols ; Ganglia, Sensory ; Herpes Zoster ; Hospital Distribution Systems ; Humans ; Recurrence

Herpes zoster is characterized by multiple groups of vesicles on an erythematous base located within the distribution of a single spinal or cranial sensory ganglion. Classically, herpes zoster occurs in elderly patients, distributed unilaterally within one dermatomal area. The response to antiviral treatment is usually good, with rare recurrence. Herein we report 5 cases of atypical herpes zoster, which showed non-ordinary clinical features of the onset age, location and distribution, clinical course and treatment response. Moreover, since herpes zoster is a viral disorder in dermatologic clinics, different treatment protocols according to various underlying conditions are crucial. Therefore, we reviewed pertinent remedies under such uncommon circumstances.
Age of Onset ; Aged ; Clinical Protocols ; Ganglia, Sensory ; Herpes Zoster ; Hospital Distribution Systems ; Humans ; Recurrence

PURPOSE: Little is known about the clinical features of advanced gastric cancer (AGC) combined with disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). The main objective of this study was to determine the clinical outcome of patients with AGC complicated by DIC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of 68 AGC patients diagnosed with DIC at four tertiary medical centers between January 1995 and June 2010. RESULTS: Sixty eight patients were included. The median age was 55 years (range, 25 to 78 years). Nineteen patients received chemotherapy, whereas 49 patients received only best supportive care (BSC). The median overall survival (OS) of the 68 patients was 16 days (95% confidence interval [CI], 11 to 21 days). Significantly prolonged OS was observed in the chemotherapy group, with a median survival of 61 days compared to 9 days in the BSC group (p<0.001, log-rank test). Age and previous chemotherapy were another significant factors that were associated with OS in univariate analysis. In multivariate analysis, age (> or =65 vs. <65; hazard ratio [HR], 0.38; 95% CI, 0.18 to 0.78; p<0.001), chemotherapy (BSC vs. chemotherapy; HR 0.31; 95% CI, 0.15 to 0.63; p<0.001), and previous chemotherapy (yes or no; HR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.25 to 0.98; p<0.045) were consistently independent prognostic factors that impacted OS. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that patients with AGC complicated by DIC had very poor OS, and suggested that chemotherapy might improve OS of these patients.
Dacarbazine ; Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation* ; Drug Therapy* ; Humans ; Multivariate Analysis ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms*

A pheochromocytoma is a catecholamine secreting tumor, which is often overlooked when cardiovascular complications, such as acute heart failure, myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, arrhythmias, and dilated cardiomyopathy, presented as the initial clinical manifestations. Failure to identify a pheochromocytoma in these situations may be fatal. We report the case of 32-year-old female, who presented with cardiogenic shock. Echocardiography revealed severe global hypokinesia of the dilated left ventricle, with the exception of the apex. Computed tomography of the aorta showed a well-enhanced left adrenal mass, 3.5cm in diameter. A 24 hour urine collection study for catecholamines and a 131I-metaiodobenzylguanidine(MIBG) scan were suggestive of the diagnosis of a single adrenal pheochromocytoma. The patient stabilized after shock management, and recovered with intensive medical treatment. Follow-up echocardiography revealed normalized cardiac function and chamber dimensions. Thereafter, the adrenal mass was successfully removed using laparaoscopic surgery, without complications
Adult ; Angina Pectoris ; Aorta ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Cardiomyopathy, Dilated ; Catecholamines ; Diagnosis ; Echocardiography ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart Failure ; Heart Ventricles ; Humans ; Hypokinesia ; Myocardial Infarction ; Pheochromocytoma* ; Shock ; Shock, Cardiogenic* ; Urine Specimen Collection

Osteomas are benign, slow-growing tumors that most frequently occur in the craniomaxillofacial region. These tumors are mostly asymptomatic and are generally found incidentally. A giant osteoma is generally considered to be greater than 30 mm in diameter or 110 g in weight. A 35-year-old female presented to us with complaints of a firm mass that showed continuous growth on the forehead following trauma. A hairline incision was made to expose the osteoma. Biopsy of the tumor confirmed a osteoma. There were no complications after surgery. Postoperative computed tomography revealed that the tumor was completely removed. Because a peripheral giant osteoma of the frontal bone with a history of trauma is a rare finding, thorough history-taking, physical examination, and preoperative imaging tests are needed for patients with a history of trauma to rule out a giant osteoma.
Adult ; Biopsy ; Female ; Forehead ; Frontal Bone* ; Humans ; Osteoma* ; Physical Examination

Osteomas are benign, slow-growing tumors that most frequently occur in the craniomaxillofacial region. These tumors are mostly asymptomatic and are generally found incidentally. A giant osteoma is generally considered to be greater than 30 mm in diameter or 110 g in weight. A 35-year-old female presented to us with complaints of a firm mass that showed continuous growth on the forehead following trauma. A hairline incision was made to expose the osteoma. Biopsy of the tumor confirmed a osteoma. There were no complications after surgery. Postoperative computed tomography revealed that the tumor was completely removed. Because a peripheral giant osteoma of the frontal bone with a history of trauma is a rare finding, thorough history-taking, physical examination, and preoperative imaging tests are needed for patients with a history of trauma to rule out a giant osteoma.
Adult ; Biopsy ; Female ; Forehead ; Frontal Bone* ; Humans ; Osteoma* ; Physical Examination