Maffuccis syndrome was first reported by Maffucci, an Italian, in 1881. It is manifested by unilateral multiple hemangiomas and enchondromas. It is congenital but is not hereditary. We encountered a case of this rare syndrome, with which bleeding tendency was combined. All who have multiple hemangioma on his unilateral side of the body should be checked with bone X-rays to rule out this syndrome. This syndrome is noted for transformation to malignant tumors. When there is pain or enlargenent of the tumor without any significant trauma, biopsy is in order. There can develop bleeding tendency due to microangiopathic coagulopathy which is associated with throm-bocytopenia and hypofibrinogenemia.
Biopsy ; Chondroma ; Hemangioma ; Hemorrhage

The abnormalities in Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal(HPA) axis are associated with many psychiatric symptoms including depression. We present a report of a 71 year old man who was admitted to the psychiatric department presenting symptoms of headache, avolition, loss of energy, psychomotor retardation, poor appetite, insomnia, anxiety resulting from adrenal insufficiency and hypopituitarism. Hypothyroidism and electrolyte disturbance were managed and headache, insomnia, anxiety, GI symptoms were improved. But he remained in anergic state. After discharge, he was readmitted to infection department with high fever and drowsy mentality. Adrenal insufficiency was recognized and he was treated with corticosteroid replacement therapy. Finally his diagnosis was made as panhypopituitarism and overall symptoms were resolved. In this case, we showed how the atypical symptoms resulting from hypopituitarism develop and progress. Hypothyroidism, adrenal insufficiency, and growth hormone deficiency resulting secondarily from panhypopituitarism were associated with various nonspecific symptoms such as loss of energy, fatigue, insomnia, weight loss, decreased appetite etc. In clinical situation, differential diagnosis with depression is needed when clinicians were met a patient with these nonspecific symptoms. It is important that laboratory tests and differential diagnosis with endocrine diseases should be conducted, especially in geriatric patients with nonspecific symptoms like anergia, fatigue, poor appetite and so on.
Adrenal Insufficiency ; Anxiety ; Appetite ; Axis ; Depression ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Endocrine System Diseases ; Fatigue ; Fever ; Growth Hormone ; Headache ; Humans ; Hypopituitarism ; Hypothyroidism ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders ; Weight Loss

OBJECTIVES: We investigated the prevalence and functional impairment of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) and premenstrual syndrome(PMS) in young women. METHODS: A total of 1063 female college students were recruited from two urban areas(Seoul and Suwon) of Korea. Questionnaires for sociodemographic data and risk factors of PMDD, attitude about menstruation, and the Premenstrual Symptoms Screening Tool(PSST) were applied. RESULTS: The prevalence of severe moderate to severe PMS and PMDD were 16.9% and 11.7%, respectively. There were differences in the alcohol and coffee consumption, severity of menstrual cramp, and family history of PMS among the moderate to severe PMS, PMDD, and no/mild PMS groups. Although some participants did not fulfill diagnostic criteria for PMDD, they showed significant functional impairment. Participants with negative attitude about menstruation reported premenstrual symptoms more frequently than those with positive or ambivalent attitude about menstruation. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that PMS and PMDD were prevalent and associated with functional impairment in young females. Some participants reported significant functional impairments although they did not meet the full DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for PMDD. Negative attitude about menstruation was associated with more premenstrual symptoms experiences.
Coffee ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Mass Screening ; Menstruation ; Muscle Cramp ; Premenstrual Syndrome ; Prevalence ; Questionnaires ; Risk Factors

Pfeiffer syndrome, an unusual type of acrocephalosyndactyly, is a complex of associated malformations, first described by Pfeiffer in 1964. In addition to the common head and face anomalies seen in other acrocephalosyndactylies, its characteristics are broad thumbs and big toes, minimal syndactyly and normal intelligence. It is inherited in autosomal dominant pattern and shows various clinical features. The author's case was a 7-year old boy, who had been managed since birth for bilateral congenital resistant clubfeet including cast correction for six months and two operations. At present he represents not only the common features described above but also some unique features, e.g. pectus excavatum, posterior dislocation of both elbows, mild genu valgum, metatarsus adductus and complex malalignment of carpal and tarsal bones. To our knowledge, there is no report on Pfeiffer syndrome in Korea. The authors report a case of Pfeiffer syndrome with review of literatures.
Acrocephalosyndactylia ; Dislocations ; Elbow ; Funnel Chest ; Genu Valgum ; Head ; Humans ; Intelligence ; Korea ; Male ; Metatarsus ; Parturition ; Syndactyly ; Tarsal Bones ; Thumb ; Toes

Experiences of 26 cases of electrical bone stimulation on normal adult rabbits was documented in this paper. The cathodic electrode was introduced longitudinally into the medullary cavity of the proximal tibia and the anodic electrode was introduced transversely in the distal femur of the same side. The contralateral tibia was used as the control, of which the Teflon coated Kirschner wire was introduced longitudinally into the medullary cavity. 10uA of direct current was passed continuously through the fixed wires between the proximal tibia and distal femur. At the second, fourth and sixth week, random bone scan with 99m-Tc was performed and the animals were sacrificed. The specimen X-rays of the tibia and femur were taken and the specimens were prepared for the microscopic study. The followings are obtained from this experimental study. 1. The rate of new bone formation is 69.2% in the stimulated group and 7.7% in the control group. There were also fibrosis and cartilage formation as well as the new bone formation. The fibrosis and cartrilage formation are observed only in the electrically stimulated side and their occurances are 69.2% and 11.1% respectively. So The new bone formation and fibrosis are definitely increased in the bones of the cathodic electrical stimulation than those of the control side. 2. The intramembraneous ossification is the predominent feature of this electrically stimulated new bone formation. 3. Bone and soft tissue necrosis was the main microscopic feature in the anode side. 4. Since new bone, fibrous tissue and sometimes new cartilage were observed in this study, it seems that the cathodic electrical stimulation is not specific for the new bone formation, but induce crude tissues such as bone, cartilage, fibrous tissue or vessels. Furthermore, it can be postulated that the 10uA electrical stimulation is only one of the best electrical environment for the formation of the crude tissues, especially for bone and fibrous tissue.
Adult ; Animals ; Cartilage ; Electric Stimulation ; Electrodes ; Femur ; Fibrosis ; Humans ; Necrosis ; Osteogenesis ; Polytetrafluoroethylene ; Rabbits ; Tibia

Objectives: Among adolescent development tasks, being independent of parents is an essential process for emotional and physical separation. There are many conflicts of separation and individuation between parents and adolescents; however, most clinicians explore the process of separation and individuation only from adolescents’ perspective. Whether simultaneously or sequentially, separation-individuation occurs between adolescents and parents, respectively. The authors have already introduced the theory of synchronized individuation in a clinical case to explain the concept of this intersubjective phenomena. This study also attempts to prove the synchronized individuation theory through the interaction of characters in a movie and a fairy tale. Methods: The authors present the basis for the theory of synchronized individuation of adolescence through the growing process of Mason Junior, the main character of the movie “Boyhood,” and from the process of the separation of a hen, Sprout, and an orphaned duckling in “The hen who dreamed she could fly.” Results: Synchronized individuation was developed and observed from Mason, the son’s perspective in “Boyhood,” and Sprout, the mother’s subjective perspective in the story of the hen. Conclusion Increasing conflict and mutual impact in the relationship between adolescents and parents, ambivalent feelings for separation, selective identification of each other, mutual respect through mutual recognition, and role changes in relationship position were confirmed. Sons and mothers were individualized with synchronization.

Objectives: Humans experience the process of separating-individuating themselves from an object via the conflict between dependence and independence within the self. The separation-individuation theory focuses on the psychological process of individualizing oneself. Although adolescents’ individuation from their parents is based on intrapsychic events, there is an increasing need for an intersubjective understanding of it. We applied intersubjectivity to adolescents and parents to interpret and find solutions for problems arising during their individuation process. Methods: This study retrospectively reviewed a case of a son and his father treated by the author. From the study subject, contents that represent adolescents and parents’ interaction and separation in the individualization process were extracted and analyzed, and their experiences shared in this process were reconstructed from the therapist’s perspective. Results: From the case involving an adolescent boy with conduct problems and his interactions with his father, the authors observed the phenomenon of intersubjectivity and proposed the concept of “synchronized individuation” between adolescents and parents. As adolescents rapidly grow and change, they experience various dynamic interactions with their parents. Through learning to tolerate the conflicts and ambivalent tension inherent in this individuation process, adolescents and their parents develop their new identity. Conclusion “Synchronized individuation” should be understood as complementary to, rather than exclusive from, the existing concept of the separation and individuation. It offers a new paradigm with which to understand adolescent-parent conflicts in the process of separation-individuation.

Objectives: Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is often comorbid with other psychiatric disorders in childhood. This study aimed to investigate comorbid psychiatric symptoms and associated factors in elementary school children with symptoms of ODD. Methods: The participants consisted of 205 mother-offspring pairs. Psychiatric symptoms were measured using the Diagnostic Predictive Scales and Korean Child Behavior Checklist. Psychiatric comorbid symptoms were compared between children with ODD symptom and those without ODD symptom. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the odds ratio of psychiatric symptom on ODD. Results: ODD group had a significant association with internalizing and externalizing problem (p=0.001, p<0.001, respectively). ODD group were more comorbid with anxiety disorder, depressive disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and conduct disorder. Among psychiatric disorder, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=18.620, p<0.001) and conduct disorder (AOR=9.529, p=0.014) were associated with ODD symptom. Conclusion These findings suggest that children with ODD symptom had significantly higher rates of comorbid psychiatric symptoms. And GAD and conduct disorder are related to ODD symptom.

Meditation is one of the psychological therapeutic techniques that can be applied to many conditions, including stress reduction. Meditation can be an alternative to overcoming the limitations of existing therapies, including medication. In particular, this can be helpful for children who have limitations in using medication due to brain development and limitations of psychotherapy, which is done mainly by language. Previous studies have shown that mindfulness meditation helped enhance attention, increase the coping ability, reduce stress, and reduce depression and anxiety in children and adolescents, but there is insufficient evidence to use it as a primary treatment. A larger number of well-controlled studies will be needed to obtain an evidence base for expanding clinical application.

Background: There is growing interest in adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) because many ADHD children have symptoms that last through adulthood, and adult ADHD has a high risk of comorbid mental disorders. This study examined the prevalence and comorbidities of adult ADHD, with a focus on depression and pathological internet use among Korean college students. Methods: This study included 1358 college students, who were asked to complete self-reporting questionnaires on their characteristics, ADHD symptoms, and related clinical factors. The study analyzed associations between ADHD and depression, anxiety, pathological internet use, and problematic alcohol use. Results: The prevalence rate of ADHD among college students was 5.7%. A significant association was determined between ADHD symptoms and school satisfaction, depression, anxiety, and pathological internet use. Multivariate analysis showed that ADHD symptoms in college students were significantly associated with depression and pathological internet use. Conclusion The prevalence of ADHD among college students was similar to that of children and adolescents. Moreover, the risk of depression and pathological internet use was high in the ADHD group. Early screening and intervention for ADHD and comorbidities will be required to prevent the negative consequences of the condition and help students adapt in the future.