BACKGROUND: The infection rate of syphilis in married couples has been reported by a few investigators during the 1940s. However, studies on recent trends of that particular aspect of syphilis in married couples have not yet been done. OBJECTIVE: We therefore studied the infectivity of T. pallidum and recent trends of conjugal syphilis by observing the spouses of patients with untreated syphilis. METHODS: Couples married for more than 1 year who visited Yonsei Medical Center from 1983 to 1990 for syphilis were entered into this study. We observed the infection rate among spouses of 224 index patients (defined as, between husband and wife, the one who was the first to be diagnosed to have syphilis) who were not treated for syphilis. Syphilis was diagnosed on the basis of physical examination, history of extramarital sexual contacts, and the results of VDRL, TPHA, FTA-ABS, and 19S(IgM)-FTA tests. RESULTS: Fifty-six wives(48%) of 117 male index patients and 50 husbands (47%) of 107 female index patients had been infected at the time of examination. Among the 224 couples, 106(47%) were both infected and in 118(53%), only either husbands(27%) or wives(26%) were infected. Two spouses(50%) of the 4 first incident patients with primary syphilis, 9(53%) of 17 with secondary syphilis and 23(72%) of 32 with early latent syphilis were infected at the time of examination. CONCLUSION: From our results showing the low infection rates among married couples, even in early syphilis when the infectivity is high, it can be deduced that T. pallidum has only a low infectivity.
Family Characteristics ; Female ; Globus Pallidus ; Humans ; Male ; Physical Examination ; Research Personnel ; Spouses ; Syphilis* ; Syphilis, Latent

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of deep brain stimulation (DBS) on reducing dystonia and disability in adults with cerebral palsy (CP) and to compare the therapeutic outcomes between primary dystonia patients and CP patients over two years after bilateral pallidal DBS. METHODS: Five patients with primary dystonia and seven CP patients with dystonia were recruited. All subjects received DBS surgery in both globus pallidus. Burke-Fahn-Marsden dystonia rating scale consisting of dystonia movement score and disability score and subjective satisfaction scale were assessed after 1 month and every 6 months over two years following DBS treatment. RESULTS: On the dystonia movement scale, both groups of primary dystonia patients and CP patients showed a significant decrease over time following DBS. On the disability scale, patients with primary dystonia showed a significant decrease over time, whereas the disability score of CP patients did not change over the two years. Comparing the dystonia movement and disability scores of CP patients at each assessment, patients with primary dystonia showed a significant reduction after 6 months. Comparing the satisfaction scores of CP patients after DBS, patients with primary dystonia showed significantly higher subjective satisfaction. CONCLUSION: Whereas dystonia can be significantly reduced in patients with primary dystonia, CP patients showed a modest improvement on the dystonia movement scale, but not on the disability scale. Therefore, DBS may be considered with caution as a treatment modality of CP patients with dystonia.
Adult* ; Cerebral Palsy* ; Deep Brain Stimulation* ; Dystonia ; Dystonic Disorders ; Globus Pallidus ; Humans

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of deep brain stimulation (DBS) on reducing dystonia and disability in adults with cerebral palsy (CP) and to compare the therapeutic outcomes between primary dystonia patients and CP patients over two years after bilateral pallidal DBS. METHODS: Five patients with primary dystonia and seven CP patients with dystonia were recruited. All subjects received DBS surgery in both globus pallidus. Burke-Fahn-Marsden dystonia rating scale consisting of dystonia movement score and disability score and subjective satisfaction scale were assessed after 1 month and every 6 months over two years following DBS treatment. RESULTS: On the dystonia movement scale, both groups of primary dystonia patients and CP patients showed a significant decrease over time following DBS. On the disability scale, patients with primary dystonia showed a significant decrease over time, whereas the disability score of CP patients did not change over the two years. Comparing the dystonia movement and disability scores of CP patients at each assessment, patients with primary dystonia showed a significant reduction after 6 months. Comparing the satisfaction scores of CP patients after DBS, patients with primary dystonia showed significantly higher subjective satisfaction. CONCLUSION: Whereas dystonia can be significantly reduced in patients with primary dystonia, CP patients showed a modest improvement on the dystonia movement scale, but not on the disability scale. Therefore, DBS may be considered with caution as a treatment modality of CP patients with dystonia.
Adult* ; Cerebral Palsy* ; Deep Brain Stimulation* ; Dystonia ; Dystonic Disorders ; Globus Pallidus ; Humans

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of ipsilateral subthalamic nucleus(STN) lesioning on the spontaneous behavioral changes and the alteration of neuronal activities of deep cerebral nuclei in the rat parkinsonian model with 6-hydroxydopamine(6-OHDA). METHODS: To identify the spontaneous behavioral changes, apomorphine-induced rotational test and forepaw adjusting step were performed. We subsequently investigated the alteration of neuronal activities in the substantia nigra pars reticulata(SNpr) and globus pallidus(GP), in order to compare them with the behavioral changes in rat parkinsonian models. RESULTS: The STN lesioning in the rat parkinsonian model clearly improved behavioral changes. Compared to the normal control rats, rat PD models exhibited a significant increase in mean firing rates and the percentage of bursting neurons in the STN and SNpr. In the STN-lesioned rat PD models, mean firing rates and the percentage of bursting neurons in the SNpr were reduced and those in the GP increased. CONCLUSION: STN lesioning induced behavior improvement in rat parkinsonian models seems to be consistent with the surgical outcomes of the STN stimulation therapy in advanced Parkinsonn's disease(PD). The alteration of the neuronal activities in the SNpr and GP suggests that these sites are responsible for the improvement of parkinsonian motor symptoms observed following STN lesioning in rat parkinsonian models. The significance of bursting activity in the SNpr and GP remains obscure. Further study is necessary to elucidate the pathophysiological mechanism of PD.
Animals ; Fires ; Globus Pallidus ; Kainic Acid* ; Neurons* ; Oxidopamine* ; Parkinson Disease ; Rats* ; Substantia Nigra ; Subthalamic Nucleus

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to clarify which biological manganese exposure indices reflect the pallidal signal intensities in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in liver cirrhotics. METHODS: We examined whole blood, plasma, RBC and urinary manganese concentrations, as well as, brain MRI in 22 cirrhotic patients and 10 healthy controls. From MRI scans we calculated the signal intensity of the globus pallidus using the pallidal index (PI), the ratio of the globus pallidus to subcortical frontal white-matter signal intensity in axial T1-weighted MRI planes multiplied by 100. In addition, we studied the relationships between PI and other measurements. RESULTS: The high signal intensity in the globus pallidus on T1-weighted MRI was observed in 18 (81.8%) patients. There was a significant correlation between whole blood and RBC manganese concentration, and PI on MRI. According to multiple linear regression, whole blood and RBC manganese concentration reflected PI on MRI better the other indices did. CONCLUSIONS: Whole blood and RBC manganese concentrations could be useful as biological manganese exposure indices that reflect PI on MRI.
Brain ; Globus Pallidus ; Humans ; Linear Models ; Liver* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Manganese* ; Plasma

The author analysed CT findings and long-term outcomes of 67 patients with acute carbon monoxide poisoning. Low density lesions were demonstrated in 44 patients (65.7%). Hemorrhage and calcification also showed with low density lesions in 3 and 2 patients, respectively. The most common findings, seen in 22 patients, was bilaterally symmetrical round low density lesion in the globus pallidus and adjacent area of internal capsule with variable sizes. In 18 patients there were diffuse symmetrical low density lesion in the cerebral white matter, especially around the centrum semiovale, with slight or marked extension. Of 44 patients with CT abnormalities seven patients recovered without disability, fifteen recovered with some disability, eighteen remained in the vegetative state, and four died. The outcome of acute carbon monoxide poisoning depended on the severity of the cerebral white matter change in CT of brain. The size of the bilateral globus pallidus lesion was not heopful to determine the longterm outcome of acute carbon monoxide poisoning.
Brain* ; Carbon Monoxide Poisoning* ; Carbon Monoxide* ; Carbon* ; Globus Pallidus ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Internal Capsule ; Persistent Vegetative State

A few neurosurgical alleviate to alleviate some dyskinesias of cerebral palsy(CP) have been tried. For the spastic and tremor type, the selective posterior rhizotomy and thalamotomy are regarded as treatments of choice but other dyskinesias remains a tough challenge. The authors have performed 48 cases of MRI-guided stereotactic thalamotomy(MGST) in 37 CP patients with mixed dyskinesias from Jun. '92 to Jan. '95 using CRW stereotactic frame and MRI, without any ventriculogram. Depending upon the types of main dyskinesias, the target including ventrolateral nucleus of thalamus or medial nucleus of globus pallidus was(were) selected. Clinical results were verified in terms of preoperative symptoms improvement and patient's satisfaction. In athetoid(42 MGSTs in 32CPs) : excellent 6, good 26, fair 10, and in dystonia(30 MGSTs in 23 CPs): excellent 2, good 18, fair 10, and in spasticity(20 in 17 CPs): excellent 3, good 12, fair 5, and in choreoor choreoathetoid(7 in 6 CPs) : good 5, fair 2. Recurrence of symptoms after operation was noted in 6 cases(12.5%). Postoperative morbidity including motor weakness, speech disturbance, swallowing difficulty, and sensory abnormality were transiently noted in 9 cases(18.8%). It is the authors observation that MGST seems to be one of the beneficial procedures for relieving symptoms of CP with mixed dyskinesias.
Cerebral Palsy* ; Deglutition ; Dyskinesias* ; Globus Pallidus ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Muscle Spasticity ; Recurrence ; Rhizotomy ; Thalamus ; Tremor

Among the series of 272 cases of surgically treated anterior circulation aneurysms, we experienced 6 cases of central infarctions involving caudate nucleus, globus pallidus, putamen and genu of internal capsule respectively or in combination. These surgery related complications were caused by the injury to the perforators going to the anterior perforated substance during manipulation of the large aneurysm or the aneurysms ruptured prematurely. The clinical courses of these patients, however, were not so severe. The morbidities were minimal or none after the average follow-up periods of 17 months. Thorough knowledge of the anatomy of the perforators may help to minimize the severe morbidity in the management of large or difficult aneurysms.
Aneurysm* ; Caudate Nucleus ; Follow-Up Studies ; Globus Pallidus ; Humans ; Infarction* ; Internal Capsule ; Olfactory Pathways ; Putamen

Parasites are recorded from the red squirrel, Sciurus vulgaris, from Cheongju, the Republic of Korea. A total of 5 road-killed squirrels were thoroughly examined for internal and external parasites from November 2011 to May 2014. Total 4 parasite species, including 1 tapeworm and 3 ectoparasite species were recovered. They were morphologically identified as Catenotaenia dendritica (Cestoda: Catenotaeniidae), Hirstionyssus sciurinus, Leptotrombidium pallidum, and Ceratophyllus (Monopsyllus) indages. Among them, C. dendritica and H. sciurinus are recorded for the first time in the Korean parasite fauna. In addition, the possibility that the red squirrel could act as a reservoir host for a zoonotic disease like tsutsugamushi disease with L. pallidum as its vector has been raised.
Cestoda ; Chungcheongbuk-do* ; Globus Pallidus ; Korea* ; Parasites ; Republic of Korea ; Sciuridae* ; Scrub Typhus ; Trombiculidae ; Zoonoses

Chorea-acanthocytosis (ChAc) is a rare hereditary disorder characterized by involuntary choreiform movements and erythrocytic acanthocytosis. Pharmacotherapy for control of involuntary movements has generally been of limited benefit. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has recently been used for treatment of some refractory cases of ChAc. We report here on the effect of bilateral high-frequency DBS of globus pallidus interna in a patient with ChAc.
Abetalipoproteinemia ; Chorea ; Deep Brain Stimulation* ; Drug Therapy ; Dyskinesias ; Globus Pallidus* ; Humans ; Neuroacanthocytosis*