BACKGROUND: To evaluate usefulness of cerebrospinal aspartate aminotransferase(AST) as a biologic marker for differentiation of Alzheimer's disease(AD) and Vascular dementia(VD) METHODS: A consecutive series of patients who met either the criteria of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association(NINCDSADRDA) for probable AD or National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and the Association Internationale pour la Recherche et l'Enseignement en Neurosciences(NINDS-AIREN) criteria for porbable VD were included in the study. Enzymatic determinations in cere brospinal fluid of aspartate aminotransferase in cerebrospinal fluid of aspartate aminotransferase and serologic analysis of apolipoprotein E were performed in 17 patients with AD and in 15 patients with VD. And we compared CSF AST of AD with that of VD. RESULTS: We found no difference of CSF AST concentration between patients with Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. Cerebrospinal AST activity also did not correlate with K-MMSE score, serum AST activity, Functional inde-pence measure(FIM) as a ADL(Activity of daily living), and presence of Apolipoprotein E4 allele in AD. Only serum AST of VD shows correlation with CSF AST. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that cerebrospinal AST concentration is not useful maker for differentiation between AD and VD.
Alleles ; Alzheimer Disease* ; Apolipoprotein E4 ; Apolipoproteins ; Aspartate Aminotransferases* ; Aspartic Acid* ; Biomarkers ; Cerebrospinal Fluid* ; Dementia, Vascular* ; Humans ; National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Authors studied on the Acaroid mite in the food, and the following results were obtained. 1) 6 species of Acaroid mite were found among twelve kinds different types of food. a. Tyrophagus dimidiatus, b. Glycyphagus destructor, c. Glycyphagus domesticus, d. Hoshikadania konoi, e. Acarus siro, f. Carphoglyphus lactis. 2) Acaroid mite were not found in the wheat flour and magalin among the twelve different kinds. 3) Acaroid mit were distributed at higher rate in the pollack(94%), cuttle fish(77%) and anchovy(50%).
Epidemiology* ; Flour ; Mites* ; Triticum

Reversible posterior leukonecephalopathy syndrome RPLS), a neurologie disorder associated with evidence of posterior cerebral edema on neuroimaging studies, has been described in both adults and children. Conditions predisposing to RPLS include malignant hypertension, renal dysfunction, toxemia of pregnancy, interferon therapy, and the use of immunosuppressive agents. When associated with acute hypertension, RPLS typically occurs concurrently with the fulminant clinical syndrome of hypertensive encephalopathy We describe occipital lobe seizures, in the setting of only moderate elevations of blood pressure, as the major clinical manifestation of RPLS.
Adult ; Blood Pressure ; Brain Edema ; Child ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Hypertension, Malignant ; Hypertensive Encephalopathy ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; Interferons ; Neuroimaging ; Occipital Lobe ; Posterior Leukoencephalopathy Syndrome* ; Pre-Eclampsia ; Seizures

An incidentally detected transposition of the inferior vena cava in patient with gall bladder carcinoma isreported with discussion of findings of CT scan and review of anomalies of the inferior vena cava. Since anomalousvena cava may simulate any other abnormality such as metastatic disease, it is very important to know anomaly ofthe vena vaca with understanding of its embryological back ground.
Humans ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Urinary Bladder ; Vena Cava, Inferior

No abstract available.
Coronary Artery Disease* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Dobutamine* ; Echocardiography, Stress* ; Humans ; Myocardium* ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon*

BACKGROUND: To compare the diagnostic usefulness of dobutamine stress echocardiography(DSE) and 99mTc-methoxyisobutyl isonitrile SPECT (MIBI SPECT), two studies were performed simultaneously. METHOD: Fifty-six consecutive patients undergoing coronary angiogram and MIBI SPECT for clinical indications without clincal evidence of myocardial infarction were studied prospectively. During the DSE, MIBI was injected at peak stress, and post-stress images of MIBI SPECT were required on hour later. Both echocardiographic and MIBI SPECT images were visually analysed in a blind fashion. RESULTS: On the basis of coronary angiographic findings, the sensitivites of the DSE and MIBI SPECT (n=36) were 89% and 86%, respectively. The specificities of those (n=20) were 90% and 85%, respectively. Among 33 patients without resting perfusion defect on MIBI SPECT, resting regional wall motion abnormalities on DSE were found in only one patient, whereas, resting perfusion defect on MIBI SPECT were found in 9 patients among 41 patients without resting regional wall motion abnormalities on DSE. Among 17 patients who had resting perfusion defects with partial reversibility on MIBI SPECT, resting wall motion abnormalities were present in 11 patients and five of them showed improvement in the regional wall motion during low dose dobutamine infusion. CONCLUSION: Both dobutamine stress echocardiography and MIBI SPECT are useful methods in the detection of the coronary artery disease, however, MIBI SPECT seems to overestimate the regional ischemic myocardium with contractile reserve that can hardly be evaluated with MIBI SPECT.
Coronary Artery Disease* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Dobutamine* ; Echocardiography ; Echocardiography, Stress* ; Humans ; Myocardial Infarction ; Myocardium* ; Perfusion ; Prospective Studies ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon*

In recent years, marked increase in incidence of congenital syphilis has occured throughout the world due tochanges in social norms and development of penicillin-resistant strains. Early diagnosis plays an important rolein congenital syphilis as the clinical manifestations may simulalte many other conditions in the paediatric agegroup. The authors analized 52 cases of congenital syphilis admitted tot he department of paediatrics, ChosumUniversity Hospital, clinically and radiologically. Among them, 18 cases were born in this hospital and 34 caseswere admitted from OPD, during the period of 8 years from Jan. 1975 to Dec. 1982. The reults obtained were asfollows; 1. In 28 of 34 cases (82%), the first clinical manifestations were below the age of 3 months. 2. Amongthe 52 cases, a male predominance was observed with a male to female ratio of 2:1. 3. The serologic test (VDRL) ofthe 52 studied cases showed reactive in 49 cases (94%), and that of syphilitic mothers except 6 cases, rective inall studied cases. 4. The major manifstations of the 52 cases were bone tenderness (12%) and swelling of thejoints(7%) inskeletal system, hepatosplenomegaly (79%) and skin lesions (73%) in extraskeletal one. 5. Theradiological skeletal changes were detected in 45 of 52 cases(87%), and the commonest findings were detected in 45of 52 cases (87%), and the commonest findings were metaphsitis(83%) and periostitis(81%). The most characteristictype of metaphysitis were transverse trophic line(74%) and zone of rarefaction (65%). 6. The comonest bones to beaffected were growing metaphyses of the long bones, particulary about the wrist and the knee. The order offreqeuncy were radius (80%), ulna(80%), tibia(77%), femur(69%) and hymerus(40%).
Early Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Knee ; Male ; Mothers ; Radius ; Serologic Tests ; Skin ; Social Norms ; Syphilis, Congenital ; Wrist

BACKGROUND: Depression is found more frequently in epileptic patients and tends to be more severe in those with temporal lobe epilepsy, than in patients with comparable chronic neurologic diseases or physical handicaps. The purposes of this study were to evaluate (1) the characteristics and frequency of depression in group of temporal lobe epileptic out-patients with hippocampal atrophy; (2) the relationship between depression and the laterality of hippocampal atrophy, and (3) the possible correlation between depression and the duration of epilepsy, sex, education, age, occupation, seizure frequency, and other seizure variables. METHODS: We included 40 temporal lobe epilepsy patients with unilateral hippocampal atrophy on MRI study. We used the Beck Depression Inventory to measure the level of depression. The results were compared with those of 50 normal controls. RESULTS: (1) Epilepsy patients with hippocampal atrophy indicated more severe depression than the normal controls. If we consider the cut-off score for depression as being more than 21 points of the Beck Depression Inventory score, then the frequency of depression in TLE with hippocampal atrophy would be 45% compared to the 14% in controls. (2) Occupation and seizure frequencies were factors related to severe depression. However, the age, age of onset, duration of illness, religion, education, and multi-drug therapy, were not related to the severity of depression. (3) Scores on the BDI questions representing mood symptoms were significantly higher in the left TLE group. However, the frequencies of those representing vegetative and somatic symptoms were not different between the two groups. Self-reproach symptoms increased equally in both temporal lobe epilepsy groups. (4) There were no clear associations between depressive disorders and the laterality of epileptic lesions in the TLE patients. CONCLUSIONS: We found no clear association between the affective disorders in epilepsy and the site of epileptic lesions.
Age of Onset ; Atrophy* ; Depression* ; Depressive Disorder ; Education ; Epilepsy ; Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe* ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Mood Disorders ; Occupations ; Outpatients ; Seizures ; Temporal Lobe*

Although obstruction of the carotid artery after head trauma or non-penetrating injuries of the neck had been well known, reports of occlusion of middle cerebral artery following closed head trauma are rare. Up to now Jacque, et al, have found only 22 cases of posttraumatic middle cerebral artery occlusion including their own one case in the world literatures since DeVeer and Browder reported the first case in 1942. We report a case of posttraumatic middle cerebral artery occlusion. The patient developed right hemiplegia, aphasia and mental confusion 2 days following closed head trauma. Left cerotid angiograms revealed complete occlusion of the horizontal portion of the left middle cerebral artery distal to the origin of the lenticulostriate branches. Previously reported cases are review and possible pathophysiological mechanisms discussed.
Aphasia ; Carotid Arteries ; Craniocerebral Trauma ; Head Injuries, Closed ; Hemiplegia ; Humans ; Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery* ; Middle Cerebral Artery* ; Neck

Epidemiological study on Acaroid mite in dust different sites were carried out and the following results were obtained. Tyrophagus dimidiatus, Chibidania tokyoensis and Ornithonyssus nagayoi were found in living room(46.2 %), bath room(36.7 %), garden(27.0 %), shopping-store(28.8 %) and ware-house (29.2 %) in the Pusan area. Dermanyssus gallinae and Rhizoglyphus echinopus were found mainly in class rooms of girl's high school(34.0 %) and class room of girl's middle school(40.0 %) as well as in primary school(13.2 %), but they are not found in class rooms of boys high school. Generally, the various mites were found in the living room(57.0 %), under the carpet(50 %), under the furniture(52.0 %), on the furniture(27.5 %), lavatory(35.7 %) and garden(23.8 %).
parasitology-arthropod-acarid-migte ; Tyrophagus dimidiatus ; Chibidania tokyoensis ; Ornithonyssus nagayoi ; Dermanyssus gallinae ; Rhizoglyphus echinopus