The purpose of this study was to investigate the speech characteristics and speech therapy of Parkinson disease (PD). This study selected 28 papers published in Korea from 1998 to 2018 after searching the terms ‘Parkinson voice’ and ‘Parkinson speech therapy.’ Literature review had been conducted in the two aspects of speech characteristics and speech therapy. The speech characteristics were divided into respiration, phonation, articulation, prosody, vowel production, and voice questionnaire. Speech therapy was divided into Lee Sliverman voice treatment (LSVT) and other voice therapy. PD patients did not differ in respiration function compared to normal elderly people, but their speech and articulation function were poorer. There was also a difference in the speech rate, frequency of pause, and accuracy of vowel production compared with normal elderly people. PD had a lower VHI score and their voice related quality of life was a little poorer. The LSVT was typically used in speech therapy for PD. The methods of speech therapy for PD have been shown to improve respiration and phonation. It is necessary to establish voice norms in PD patients and develop effective speech therapy in the following study.

Many studies for verifying angiogenesis have been in progress, especially in the field of abnormal vascular proliferation to explain the pathogenesis and to develop a treatment of several diseases. In our previous experiments, endothelial cell proliferations were induced by DMH stimulation in vitro, and the 177 factors(142 up- regulated and 35 down-regulated factors) were identified. Among the up-regulated factors, 9 substances (EFEMP1, CTGF, CYR61, ITGbeta1, FHL2, SERPINE1, MYC, PTTG1 and MSH6) were selected, which were related to cell proliferation and showed high signal intensities. The RNA was isolated from HUVECs at the time of 0, 6, 12, 24 hours after the DMH treatment, and RNA of control group HUVECs was also isolated. Genetic information of selected molecules was used to make primer for each, and RT-PCR was performed to analyze both groups. In control and treatment groups, each substance presented variety of manifestation degree according to time differences. EFEMP1, CTGF, CYR61, ITGbeta1, FHL2 and MYC were related to abnormal vascular proliferation steadily and SERPINE1, PTTG1 and MSH6 were related secondarily. CTGF was related to both normal and abnormal proliferation, but it played a more significant role in abnormal proliferation from earlier stage. EFEMP1, CYR61, ITGbeta1, FHL2 and MYC were similar to CTGF, although the relation appeared lately. Further study should be performed to analyze the expressions and the interactions of growth factors, which could be utilized in the new therapeutic development.
Cell Proliferation ; Dimenhydrinate ; Dimethylhydrazines ; Endothelial Cells* ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; RNA ; Umbilical Veins

Traditionally, pathologists microscopically examine tissue sections to detect pathological lesions; the many slides that must be evaluated impose severe work burdens. Also, diagnostic accuracy varies by pathologist training and experience; better diagnostic tools are required. Given the rapid development of computer vision, automated deep learning is now used to classify microscopic images, including medical images. Here, we used a Inception-v3 deep learning model to detect mouse lung metastatic tumors via whole slide imaging (WSI); we cropped the images to 151 by 151 pixels. The images were divided into training (53.8%) and test (46.2%) sets (21,017 and 18,016 images, respectively). When images from lung tissue containing tumor tissues were evaluated, the model accuracy was 98.76%. When images from normal lung tissue were evaluated, the model accuracy (“no tumor”) was 99.87%. Thus, the deep learning model distinguished metastatic lesions from normal lung tissue. Our approach will allow the rapid and accurate analysis of various tissues.

Objective: To develop and evaluate the Korean version of a hospital-based transitional rehabilitation program (TRP), using daily living home for spinal cord injury (SCI) patients. Methods: In this study, we developed the Korean version of a hospital-based TRP through domestic and overseas surveys and focus group meetings. By applying this to chronic SCI patients, we observed the functional and quality of life (QOL) changes and evaluated the degree of achievement of the core goals set for each patient during hospital-based TRP. Results: Hospital-based TRP, for 21.8±3.9 days on average, was applied to four chronic SCI patients (two patients with long-term hospital stays and two homebound disabled individuals) with an average injury period of 736.8±185.4 days. The Korean version of the Spinal Cord Independence Measure (49.3±6.9 vs. 62.5±6.0; p<0.05) showed functional improvement at the end of TRP, when compared to that before the TRP. The Korean version of the World Health Organization’s QOL scale, abbreviated version (159.8±36.6 vs. 239.8±36.1; p<0.05), showed improvement in QOL. Goal attainment scaling showed a significant degree of achievement for the core goals through TRP (33.6±4.4 vs. 70.0±2.8; p<0.05). These results confirmed that the effect was maintained 1 month after the end of TRP. Additionally, two patients were successfully discharged after TRP completion, and the other two could start social activities. Conclusion The Korean version of the hospital-based TRP, applied to chronic SCI patients, showed the potential to improve the patients’ functioning and QOL and appeared to be effective in successful discharge and social participation.

The azygos venous system is a crucial conduit of the posterior thorax and potentially vital collateral pathway. However, it is often overlooked clinically and radiologically. This pictorial essay reviews the normal azygos venous anatomy and CT findings of congenital variations and structural changes associated with acquired pathologies.

The azygos venous system is a crucial conduit of the posterior thorax and potentially vital collateral pathway. However, it is often overlooked clinically and radiologically. This pictorial essay reviews the normal azygos venous anatomy and CT findings of congenital variations and structural changes associated with acquired pathologies.

The azygos venous system is a crucial conduit of the posterior thorax and potentially vital collateral pathway. However, it is often overlooked clinically and radiologically. This pictorial essay reviews the normal azygos venous anatomy and CT findings of congenital variations and structural changes associated with acquired pathologies.

Objective: : Electrooculography (EOG) records eyeball movements as changes in the potential difference between the negatively charged retina and the positively charged cornea. We aimed to investigate whether reliable EOG waveforms can be evoked by electrical stimulation of the oculomotor and abducens nerves during skull base surgery. Methods: : We retrospectively reviewed the records of 18 patients who had undergone a skull base tumor surgery using EOG (11 craniotomies and seven endonasal endoscopic surgeries). Stimulation was performed at 5 Hz with a stimulus duration of 200 μs and an intensity of 0.1–5 mA using a concentric bipolar probe. Recording electrodes were placed on the upper (active) and lower (reference) eyelids, and on the outer corners of both eyes; the active electrode was placed on the contralateral side. Results: : Reproducibly triggered EOG waveforms were observed in all cases. Electrical stimulation of cranial nerves (CNs) III and VI elicited positive waveforms and negative waveforms, respectively, in the horizontal recording. The median latencies were 3.1 and 0.5 ms for craniotomies and endonasal endoscopic surgeries, respectively (p=0.007). Additionally, the median amplitudes were 33.7 and 46.4 μV for craniotomies and endonasal endoscopic surgeries, respectively (p=0.40). Conclusion : This study showed reliably triggered EOG waveforms with stimulation of CNs III and VI during skull base surgery. The latency was different according to the point of stimulation and thus predictable. As EOG is noninvasive and relatively easy to perform, it can be used to identify the ocular motor nerves during surgeries as an alternative of electromyography.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of lotus leaf on hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia in animal model of diabetes. Inhibitory activity of ethanol extract of lotus leaf against yeast alpha-glucosidase was measured in vitro. The effect of lotus leaf on the postprandial increase in blood glucose levels was assessed in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. A starch solution (1 g/kg) with and without lotus leaf extract (500 mg/kg) was administered to the rats after an overnight fast, and postprandial plasma glucose levels were monitored. Four-week-old db/db mice were fed a basal diet or a diet containing 1% lotus leaf extract for 7 weeks after 1 week of acclimation to study the chronic effect of lotus leaf. After sacrifice, plasma glucose, insulin, triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (CHOL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-CHOL, and blood glycated hemoglobin levels were measured. Lotus leaf extract inhibited alpha-glucosidase activity by 37.9%, which was 1.3 times stronger than inhibition by acarbose at a concentration of 0.5 mg/mL in vitro. Oral administration of lotus leaf extract significantly decreased the area under the glucose response curve by 35.1% compared with that in the control group (P < 0.01). Chronic feeding of lotus leaf extract significantly lowered plasma glucose and blood glycated hemoglobin compared with those in the control group. Lotus leaf extract significantly reduced plasma TG and total CHOL and elevated HDL-CHOL levels compared with those in the control group. Therefore, we conclude that lotus leaf is effective for controlling hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia in an animal model of diabetes mellitus.
Acarbose ; Acclimatization ; Administration, Oral ; alpha-Glucosidases ; Animals ; Blood Glucose ; Cholesterol ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diet ; Dyslipidemias ; Ethanol ; Glucose ; Hemoglobins ; Hyperglycemia ; Insulin ; Lipoproteins ; Lotus ; Mice ; Models, Animal ; Plasma ; Rats ; Starch ; Triglycerides ; Yeasts

The objective of this study was to investigate the hypoglycemic effects of quercetin (QE) in animal models of diabetes mellitus (DM). A starch solution (1 g/kg) with and without QE (100 mg/kg) or acarbose (40 mg/kg) was orally administered to streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats after an overnight fast. Postprandial plasma glucose levels were measured and incremental areas under the response curve were calculated. To study the effects of chronic feeding of QE, five-week-old db/db mice were fed an AIN-93G diet, a diet containing QE at 0.08%, or a diet containing acarbose at 0.03% for 7 weeks after 1 week of adaptation. Plasma glucose and insulin, blood glycated hemoglobin, and maltase activity of the small intestine were measured. Oral administration of QE (100 mg/kg) or acarbose (40 mg/kg) to STZ-treated rats significantly decreased incremental plasma glucose levels 30-180 min after a single oral dose of starch and the area under the postprandial glucose response, compared with the control group. QE (0.08% of diet) or acarbose (0.03% of diet) offered to db/db mice significantly reduced both plasma glucose and blood glycated hemoglobin compared to controls without significant influence on plasma insulin. Small intestine maltase activities were significantly reduced by consumption of QE or acarbose. Thus, QE could be effective in controlling fasting and postprandial blood glucose levels in animal models of DM.
Acarbose ; Administration, Oral ; Animals ; Blood Glucose ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diet ; Fasting ; Glucose ; Hemoglobins ; Hyperglycemia ; Hypoglycemic Agents ; Insulin ; Intestine, Small ; Mice ; Models, Animal ; Plasma ; Quercetin ; Rats ; Starch ; Streptozocin