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: There are contradictory reports concerning hypercapnia as a predictor of a better outcome in COPD. This study examined the clinical implications of hypercapnea in COPD patients (M:F = 59:19) who required mechanical ventilation. METHODS: The clinical parameters at the time of MICU admission, the total ventilation time, the APACHE II score and the pulmonary function testing were retrospectively analyzed between the survivors and nonsurvivors. RESULTS: Univariate analysis showed that compared with the nonsurvivors, the survivors had lower AaDO2 values (59.8+/-53.5 vs. 105.0+/-73.3 mmHg, p=0.000), higher PaCO2 values (64.9+/-16.0 vs. 48.9+/-17.8 mmHg, p=0.000), lower APACHE II scores (19.0+/-3.8 vs. 24.1+/-5.1, p=0.002), the more frequent application of initial noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (44.0 vs. 14.3%, p=0.008), and a lower combined rate of septic shock (4.0 vs. 39.3%, p=0.000). Multivariate analysis revealed that a lower PaCO2 (OR: 0.94, p=0.008), the presence of septic shock (OR: 10.16, p=0.011), a higher APACHE II score (OR: 1.22, p=0.040) and a longer ventilation time (OR: 1.002, p=0.041) were the risk factors for mortality. A lower PaCO2 was also verified as the predictor for mortality by multivariate analysis when excluding septic shock. CONCLUSIONS: Hypercapnia at admission is thought to be an independent predictor of better survival for the COPD patients who require mechanical ventilation.
*Treatment Outcome ; Survival Analysis ; Risk Factors ; Retrospective Studies ; Respiratory Insufficiency ; *Respiration, Artificial/methods ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/*mortality/therapy ; Prognosis ; Patient Admission ; Multivariate Analysis ; Male ; *Hypercapnia ; Humans ; Female ; Biological Markers ; Aged ; APACHE

BACKGROUND: Acute Respiratory failure which is developed after extubation in the weaning process from mechanical ventilation is an important cause of weaning failure. Once it was developed, endotracheal reintubation has been done for respiratory support. Noninvasive Positive Pressure Ventilation (NIPPV) has been used in the management of acute or chronic respiratory failure, as an alternative to endotracheal intubation, using via nasal or facial mask. In this study, we evaluated the usefulness of NIPPV as an alternative method of reintubation in paients who developed acute respiratory failure after extubation. METHOD: We retrospectively analyzed thirty one patients (eighteen males and thirteen females, mean ages 63+/-13.2 years) who were developed acute respiratory failure within forty eight hours after extubation, or were extubated unintentionally at medical intensive care unit(MICU) of Asan Medical Center. NIPPV was applied to the patients. Ventilatory mode of NIPPV, level of ventilatory support and inspiratory oxygen concentration were adjusted according to the patient condition and results of blood gas analysis by the attending doctors at MICU. NIPPV was completely weaned when the patients maintained stable clinical condition under 8 cmH2O of pressure support level. Weaning success was defined as maintenance of stable spontaneous breathing more than forty eight hours after discontinuation of NIPPV. Respiratory rate, heart rate, arterial blood gas analysis, level of pressure support, and level of PEEP were monitored just before extubation, at thirty minutes, six hours, twenty four hours after initiation of NIPPV. They were also measured at just before weaning from NIPPV in success group, and just before reintubation in failure group. RESULTS: 1) NIPPV was successfully applied to thirty-one patients of thirty-two trials and one patient could not tolerated NIPPV longer than thirty minutes. Endotracheal reintubation was successfully obviated in fourteen patients (45%) among them. 2) There was no difference in age, sex, APACHE III score on admission at MICU, duration of intubation, interval from extubation to initiation of NIPPV, baseline heart rate, respiratory rate, arterial blood gas, and PaO2/FiO2 between the success and the failure group. 3) Heart rate and respiration rate were significantly decreased with increase SaO2 after thirty minutes of NIPPV in both groups (p<0.05). Ho wever, in the patients of failure group, heart rate and respiratory rate were increased again with decrease in SaO2 leading to endotracheal reintubation. 4) The success rate of NIPPV treatment was significantly higher in the patients with COPD compared to other diseases (62% vs 39%) (p=0.007). 6) The causes of failure were deterioration of arterial blood gas without aggravation of underlying disease (n=9), aggravation of undelying disease (n=5), mask intolerance (n=2), and retained airway secretion (n=1). CONCLUSION: NIPPV would be a useful therapeutic alternative which can avoid reintubation in patient who developed acute respiratory failure after extubation.
APACHE ; Blood Gas Analysis ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Female ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Critical Care ; Intubation ; Intubation, Intratracheal ; Male ; Masks ; Oxygen ; Positive-Pressure Respiration* ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; Respiration ; Respiration, Artificial ; Respiratory Insufficiency* ; Respiratory Rate ; Retrospective Studies ; Weaning

BACKGROUND: Maggots are larva of Phaenicia Sericata, the Green Blowfly, and treatments with maggot have recently become widespread revealing their effectiveness in the treatment of chronic wounds, such as diabetic ulcers and pressure sores, by removing necrotic tissue selectively and avoiding damage of healthy tissue. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness and the adverse effects of maggot therapy in dermatology for the treatment of chronic wounds and rapid granulation tissue formation at postoperative defects before reconstruction. METHODS: Fourteen patients with various kinds of skin wounds were included and applied a biobag containing therapeutic maggots on their wounds. RESULTS: Four cases were included for treatment of acute and chronic skin wounds; 10 cases of surgical defects were included for reduction of the treatment period. Maggot therapy periods ranged from 4 to 17 days (mean: 8.3 days). Complete elimination of necrotic tissue was achieved in 7 cases (50%) and partial elimination was achieved in 7 cases (50%). There weren't any cases of incomplete elimination or no response. Eight cases (57.1%) were in the 'excellent' group which had shown rapid granulation tissue formation and 3 cases (21.4%) were in the 'good' group, which had shown relatively rapid granulation tissue formation. But, there were 3 cases (21.4%) which had shown no difference from the previous time. Acute complications such as pain and bleeding had occurred in a few cases after maggot therapy. CONCLUSION: We suggest that the maggot therapy is a useful and effective method to use in the field of dermatology.
Debridement ; Dermatology ; Granulation Tissue ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Larva ; Pressure Ulcer ; Skin ; Ulcer

The recurrence of late onset cutaneous melanoma is not a common phenomenon. Ultra-late recurrence, which is defined as recurrence more than 15 years after initial treatment, is especially rare. A patient presented with a 2-month history of firm subcutaneous tumors in his right axilla. He had been diagnosed with melanoma of his right thumb 22 years ago, treated with amputation of the right thumb and partial ipsilateral axillary node dissection; there had been no previous recurrences. The present biopsy of the right axilla revealed lymph nodes occupied by melanoma cells. Distant metastasis was revealed on PET-CT and included the lung, pancreas and abdominal lymph nodes. Three possible explanations were proposed: (i) ultra-late recurrence of primary melanoma; (ii) axillary metastases from primary malignant melanoma of internal organ(s); (iii) axillary metastases of another unknown primary cutaneous melanoma which had completely regressed. After careful consideration, we concluded the most probable diagnosis to be "ultra-late recurrence" and report this case with reviews of late and ultra-late recurrence of melanoma.
Biopsy ; Neoplasm Metastasis

We report the case of a patient with a chronic DeBakey type IIIb aneurysm who underwent thoracic endovascular aortic repair to seal the primary entry tear and stent-graft insertion to cover the re-entry tear at the renal artery. The procedure was performed in order to achieve complete thrombosis in the entire thoracoabdominal false lumen, leading to favorable aortic remodeling. Simultaneously, ethanol ablation and renal artery embolization were performed to treat a renal tumor suspicious of renal cell carcinoma. Radical nephrectomy then confirmed clear cell carcinoma. To the best of our knowledge, no other cases of this type have been reported in the Korean literature.
Aneurysm* ; Aorta* ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell* ; Endovascular Procedures ; Ethanol ; Humans ; Nephrectomy ; Renal Artery ; Thrombosis

BACKGROUND: Rapid-eye-movement-sleep-dependent obstructive sleep apnea (REM-OSA) is a sleep breathing abnormality in which apneas/hypopneas occur mainly during REM sleep periods. However, the clinical significance of REM-OSA compared to sleep-stage-non-dependent OSA (SND-OSA) has been controversial. This study evaluated differences in the clinical features, polysomnography (PSG) characteristics, and subjective symptoms between REM-OSA and SND-OSA. METHODS: In total, 136 consecutive patients with mild-to-moderate OSA were enrolled. REM-OSA was defined as a rapid eye movement (REM):non-REM apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) ratio of >2 and a total duration of REM sleep exceeding 30 minutes. We compared the demographic, clinical, and PSG characteristics, and subject symptoms between REM-OSA and SND-OSA. RESULTS: The REM-OSA group comprised 45 (33%) of the 136 subjects. The mean age and total AHI did not differ between the groups, but there was a significant female predominance (35.6% vs. 16.5%) in the REM-OSA group. In terms of PSG parameters, subjects with REM-OSA showed a lower percentage of light sleep and a lower AHI in a supine position despite spending more sleep time in that position. Subjective sleep complaints, depression, anxiety, and health-related quality of life did not differ between the two study groups. CONCLUSIONS: The female predominance and sleep architecture differed between REM-OSA and SND-OSA in this study. The AHI in subjects with SND-OSA was dependent on sleep position rather than sleep stage. Further study is needed to elucidate the pathomechanism and clinical significance of REM-OSA.
Adult* ; Anxiety ; Depression ; Female ; Humans ; Polysomnography ; Quality of Life ; Respiration ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive* ; Sleep Stages ; Sleep, REM ; Supine Position

Malignant lymphoma of the gastrointestinal tract is a rare lesion that comprises 1~4% of all the malignant neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract. The incidence of intestinal T-cell lymphoma is much lower than that of the B-cell type. Intestinal T-cell lymphoma can sometimes carry a very poor prognosis because these patients are often diagnosed at advanced stages. These patients mostly present with nonspecific symptoms such as weight loss, abdominal pain or diarrhea and more frequently with features of small bowel obstruction or perforation. We report here on a case of a malignant small intestinal T-cell lymphoma that presented with perforation. A 51-year-old female had emergency operation because of small bowel perforation and she was diagnosed withperipheral T-cell lymphoma on the post-operative pathologic report.
Abdominal Pain ; B-Lymphocytes ; Diarrhea ; Emergencies ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Humans ; Incidence ; Intestinal Perforation ; Lymphoma ; Lymphoma, T-Cell ; Lymphoma, T-Cell, Peripheral ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; T-Lymphocytes ; Weight Loss

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