OBJECTIVES: Alzheimer's disease(AD) and mild cognitive impairment(MCI) affect several nervous structures involved with the autonomic nervous system. Association between neuropsychiatric deficits and heart rate variability has been observed. But cardiac autonomic function in AD has been scarcely studied and the results reported are conflicting. We investigated autonomic function in normal control, MCI, AD using heart rate variabil-ity(HRV) technique. METHODS: Time and frequency-domain variability of 5-min R-R interval series was comparatively evaluated in 26 normal control subjects, 22 MCI subjects and 34 AD subjects. Analysis of variance(ANOVA) was used to compare the differences across groups. Correlations between MMSE-KC and HRV components were performed using Pearson's correlation coefficient. RESULTS: No significant difference was observed among the groups in time, frequency-domain analysis of HRV (p>0.05). HRV were not found to be significantly correlated with the degree of cognitive impairment. CONCLUSIONS: There were no differences in HRV with MCI, AD subjects when compared with normal controls. Further investigation is required to use HRV technique as noninvasive parameters of MCI and AD.
Alzheimer Disease ; Autonomic Nervous System ; Heart ; Heart Rate ; Mild Cognitive Impairment

Removal of leukocytes from blood components may prevent alloimmunization to leukocyte antigens, febrile nonhemolytic transfusion reactions, transmission of leukotropic viruses or bacteria, and graft-versus-host disease. New surface-modified fibrous polyester filters were evaluated; they require no special processing of blood components and can be used at the patient's bed-side. Pall RC100TM(Pall Co., USA) was used to filter 2 units of RBCs at a time for a total of 8 filtrations: mean red cell recovery rate was 88.7%, mean WBC removal rate 99. 99%, and mean residual WBC count after filtration 2.77x 10 5. Twelve units of apheresis platelets were filtered with Pall PL50TM(Pall Co., USA): mean platelet recovery rate was 90.7%, mean WBC removal rate 99.95%, and mean residual WBC count after filtration 6.99 x 10 5. This study indicates that these filters efficiently remove WBCs without significant loss of red cells or platelets and that this kind of filters can be easily used at the patient's bed side.
Bacteria ; Blood Component Removal ; Blood Group Incompatibility ; Blood Platelets ; Filtration ; Graft vs Host Disease ; HLA Antigens ; Leukocytes* ; Polyesters

BACKGROUND: Various surgical techniques are used for the cure of hemorrhoid according to the extent of disease and severity of symptom. Purpose : We compared the postoperative clinical course after submucosal hemorrhoidectomy and ligation and excision of hemorrhoids. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Between February 1995 and May 1997, 221 patients underwent submucosal hemorrhoidectomy and 111 patients underwent ligation and excision of hemorrhoids at the Department of Surgery, Eulji General Hospital. We compared the hospital course and postoperative complications in two group. RESULTS: For submucosal hemorrhoidectomy group, mean operation time was 38 minutes, the improvement of postoperative pain, is based on no needs of analgesics after 48 hours of postoperation, was seen in 115 patients(52.0%), wound healing took 19.5 days in average, and mean hospital stay was 6.4 days. For ligation and excision group, these findings were mean operation time 21 minutes, the improvement of postoperative pain in 47 patients(42.3%), wound healing 25.4 days, and hospital stay 7.2 days. Postoperative complications such as skin tag, edema, and were more common in submucosal hemorrhoidectomy group. But anal fissure, stenosis were more frequent in ligation and excision group, although they did not occur later. CONCLUSION: We think that submucosal hemorrhoidectomy is a better method than ligation and excision in respect of postoperative course and complications.
Analgesics ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Edema ; Fissure in Ano ; Hemorrhoidectomy ; Hemorrhoids* ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Ligation ; Pain, Postoperative ; Postoperative Complications ; Skin ; Wound Healing

Thirteen guinea pigs and 23 rabbits were challenged with 300 metacercariae of Clonorchis sinensis each and the recovery of adult worms and egg counts in feces were compared at 11-13 weeks post-infection in guinea pigs and at 7-9 weeks post-infection in rabbits. The recovery rate of adult worm was 23.5 percent in guinea pigs and 20.l-30.5 percent in rabbits. The mean E.P.G. of these animals in above period of infection was 106 in guinea pigs and 121 in rabbits. When one hundredth of E.P.G. was expressed as X and the number of adult worms as Y, the relationships between X and Y were as follows; Y=0.8X+10.8 in guinea pigs and Y=0.7X+6 in rabbits.
parasitology-helminth-trematoda ; Clonorchis sinensis ; guinea pig ; rabbit ; egg

PURPOSE: H. pylori infection was recently reported to be associated with unexplained iron-deficiency anemia(IDA) in children and adolescents. H. pylori-related IDA was thought to occur due to GI blood loss, scavenging of iron by H. pylori and iron malabsorption. The aim of this study was to examine how the status of H. pylori infection and age of children affected RBC indices, serum iron level and TIBC. METHODS: We performed esophagogastroduodenoscopy, and examined RBC indices, serum iron and TIBC on 178 pediatric patients with recurrent abdominal pain. H. pylori infection was assessed by CLO test and silver stain of gastric biopsy specimen. RESULTS: H. pylori infection was found in 42 of 178 patients(23.6%). In children with H. pylori infection, the prevalence of iron deficiency(ID) and IDA(39.0% and 10.3%, respectively) was higher than in children without H. pylori infection(29.6% and 4.1%, respectively), but there was no statistically significant difference. Serum iron level was lower(69.5+/-32.7 vs 77.3+/-34.1g/dL; P= 0.08) and TIBC was higher(380.8+/-50.4 vs 366.9+/-47.0g/dL; P=0.09) in children with H. pylori infection than in children without H. pylori infection. All RBC indices and iron saturation were lower in children with H. pylori infection than in children without H. pylori infection, but there was no significant difference between the two groups. In correlation analysis, serum iron, Hgb, Hct, MCV and MCH were significantly increased by age in children without H. pylori infection (P<0.05), but MCH and MCHC were decreased significantly(P<0.05) by age in children with H. pylori infection. In multiple regression analysis, the change of serum iron, MCH and MCHC by age was significantly influenced by the status of H. pylori infection(P<0.05). CONCLUSION: H. pylori infection decreases RBC indices and serum iron and increases TIBC in children. These changes become prominent as age increases. This age effect rnay be related to the duration of H. pylori infection. (J Korean Pediatr Soc 2000;43:755-762)
Abdominal Pain ; Adolescent ; Anemia, Iron-Deficiency ; Biopsy ; Child* ; Endoscopy, Digestive System ; Erythrocytes* ; Helicobacter pylori* ; Helicobacter* ; Humans ; Iron* ; Prevalence ; Silver

No abstract available.
Hamartoma*

Astasia-abasia refers to the inability to stand or walk despite possessing good motor strength and conserved voluntary coordination. Although it is usually regarded as a psychogenic disorder, organic causes have been reported. Herein we describe a patient who presented with alcohol-induced episodic astasia-abasia. Interestingly, SPECT performed during an episode showed hyperperfusion in the dorsal brainstem and subthalamic region. These areas roughly coincide with the mesencephalic locomotor region and subthalamic locomotor region, respectively, and it is conceivable that abnormal neural activity in these areas is related to the symptoms in our patient.

OBJECT: This study was performed in order to examine the correlation between acute neuroleptic-induced dystonic reactions and serum iron level. METHOD: Serum iron levels were measured in psychiatric inpatients who had developed acute neuroleptic-induced dystonia(N=41) and in control patients with no history of acute dystonic reactions(N=37). Serum iron levels were compared in acute dystonic inpatients before starting treatment with neuroleptics and after acute dystonic reaction. RESULTS: The patients exhibiting acute dystonic reactions had significantly lower serum iron levels than the patients without acute dystonic reactions. CONCLUSION: This result supports an association between low serum iron and the occurrence of neuroleptic-induced acute dystonic reactions.
Antipsychotic Agents ; Dystonia* ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Iron*

OBJECTS: Sanjoin, the seeds of Zizyphus vulgaris var. spinosus has been used as the most important hypnotic agent in chinese medicine to treat insomnia. This research was performed in order to examine the effect of betulinic acid and sanjoinine-A which are components of Sanjoin. METHOD: Sleeping time, sleep recordings of EEG, serum serotonin level, and locomotor activity were measured in rats which received betulinic acid and sanjoinine-A as sleep induction material extracted from Sanjoin. RESULTS: 1) Groups received betulinic acid, sanjoinine-A, and lorazepam showed increased sleep time than control group with saline. 2) Groups with betulinic acid, sanjoinine-A, lorazepam and saline recorded beta-wave in sleep recording of EEG. In there was no significant difference among all groups. 3) No significant difference in serum serotonin level among all groups was found. 4) In autonomic activity testing, groups of betulinic acid, sanjoinine-A, and lorazepam showed significantly more decreased in activity than saline group. In comparison of groups of betulinic acid and sanjoinine-A with a group of lorazepam, there was no significant difference. CONCLUSION: These results suggests that betulinic acid and sanjoinine-A have the sedative effect like lorazepam rather than sleep effect.
Animals ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Brain* ; Electroencephalography* ; Humans ; Hypnotics and Sedatives ; Lorazepam ; Motor Activity ; Rats* ; Serotonin* ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders ; Ziziphus

This paper describes a case of agenesis of the right lung in a male neonate, who suffered respiratory difficulty. He was evaluated by plain X-ray, bronchography, lung perfusion scan, chest CT, and brain CT. After he died, autopsy was performed. The results revealed multiple anomalies which included cleft lip and palate, absence of left thumb and radius bone, hemivertebra between L1 and L2, arachnoid cyst in occipital lobe of brain. We report this case with brief review fo some related literature.
Arachnoid ; Autopsy ; Brain ; Bronchography ; Cleft Lip* ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Lung* ; Male ; Occipital Lobe ; Palate* ; Perfusion ; Radius ; Thumb ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed