With a rapid development of neuroscience, the theories related to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia have been changed a lot from a simple hyperdopaminergic one to the various complicated ones. Among these, the theories regarding prefrontal cortex(PFC) pathology as a cause of schizophrenia are gaining more recognition as the results of neuroimaging and neuropsychological tests in schizophrenia consistently report abnormalities in PFC. Therefore, we first reviewed the unique characteristics of PFC in anatomy, neurochemistry and neurophysiology to enhance an understanding of those ones. Secondly, various neurotransmitter, neurodevelopmental and neural network theories of schizophrenia introduced recently were reviewed in terms of PFC pathology.
Dopamine ; Neurochemistry ; Neuroimaging ; Neurophysiology ; Neuropsychological Tests ; Neurosciences ; Neurotransmitter Agents ; Pathology ; Prefrontal Cortex* ; Schizophrenia*

We compared the effects of timolol ophthalmic solution versus pilocarpine ophthalmic solution in view of the changes in intraocular pressure, visual acuity, pupillary size, pulse rate, blood pressure and other ocular and systemic side effects in 30 normal volunteers whose ages were between 3rd and 4th decade. We divided 30 volunteers randomly into two large groups, one for 0.25% timolol ophthalmic solution and the other for 1% pilocarpine ophthalmic solution. By dropping one drop of above mentioned ophthalmic solutions into randomly selected one eye of the two large groups, we finally divided them into four subgroups-0.25% timolol treated, 0.25% timolol untreated, 1% pilocarpine treated and 19b pilocarpine untreated (control group). We checked intraocular pressure, visual acuity, pupillay sizes, pulse rate, blood pressure and the other ocular and systemic side effects for eight hours from 8 A.M. By dropping 0.5% timolol and 2.0% pilocarpine ophthalmic solution after one week drug free interval, we checked same items with same procedure except the reverse of the previous drug and site of treated eyes. The Goldmann applanation tonometer, Dr, Ran's visual acuity chart, plastic millimeter ruler, radial arterial pulse beat per minute and sphygmomanometer in sitting position were used. We evaluated the statistical significance of the changes according to the t-test and P-value. The results were as follows: 1. In 0.25% timolol ophthalmic solution treated eyes, the intraocular pressure in two hours after instillation was reduced by 3. 6mm.Rg (28.8% of pretreated intraocular pressure) and the effect lasted long during examination (P<0.01). In 0.5% timolol ophthalmic solution treated eyes, the intraocular pressure in two hours after instillation was reduced by 4.4 mm.Hg (30.6% of pretreated intraocular pressure) and the effect lasted long during examination (P<0.01). Each pressure lowering effect of 0.25% and 0.5% timolol ophthalmic solution were better than each effect of 1.0% and 2.0% pilocarpine ophthalmic solution (p<0.2, p<0.05 respectively). the intraocular pressure of the contralateral eyes of 0.25% and 0.5% timolol ophthalmic solution treated eyes were reduced by 2.6mm.Hg and 3.2mm.Hg respectively and the effects lasted long during examination (P<0.01) and were similar to those of pilocarpine ophthalmic solutions (P>0.5). 2. In the effects of 0.25% and 0.5% timolol ophthalmic solution as well as pilocarpine ophthalmic solution. there was no significant effect to the visual acuity. 3. There were no significant changes in pupillary sizes after instillation of 0.25% and 0.5% timolol ophthalmic solution respectively (P>0.5). But there were significant differences compared to the changes in pulillary sizes after 1.0% and 2.0% pilocarpine ophthalmic solution, respectively (P<0.01). 4. There was seen the decreasing tendency (5/min in average) in pulse rate in the 0.25% timolol ophthalmic solution treated group during the entire examination (P<0.2) but there were irregular ckanges in the other timolol treated and the both pilocarpine treated groups (P>0.5). 5. There was seen the decreasing tendency by 7 mm.Hg in systole and 6 mm.Hg in diastole on two hours later in the 0.5% timolol ophthalmic solution treated group (P<0.2), but there were irregular changes in the other timolol treated and the both pilocarpine treated groups (P>0.5). 6. There were no significant ocular and systemic side effects in the 0.25% and 0.5% timolol ophthalmic solution treated groups.
Blood Pressure ; Diastole ; Healthy Volunteers* ; Heart Rate ; Intraocular Pressure ; Ophthalmic Solutions ; Pilocarpine* ; Plastics ; Sphygmomanometers ; Systole ; Timolol* ; Visual Acuity ; Volunteers

Epstein's syndrome is a rare disease whish is characterized by the association of thrombocytopenia, macrothrombocytopathia, nephritis and deafness. We experienced a case of Epstein's syndrome in a 12 years old male patient who was presented with a life long history of bleeding, usually as epistaxis, bilateral sensorineural deafness and hematuria with proteinuria starting in late childhood. Hematologic studies showed thrombocytopenia with giant platelets and anemia. A bone marrow aspirate revealed the megakaryocytes to be adequate in number and many giant size platelets. Platelet do not respond to addition of A and epinephrine; collagen and ristocetin induced agglutination response is decreased. It is difficult to be certain the association of thrombocytopenia with giant platelets, nephritis and deafness constitutes a new hereditary disease with a distinct pathogenesis or if it is an expansion of the well recognized Alport's syndrome of hereditary nephritis deafness. We report a case of Epstein's syndrome syndrome with brief review of related literatures.
Agglutination ; Anemia ; Blood Platelets ; Bone Marrow ; Child ; Collagen ; Deafness ; Epinephrine ; Epistaxis ; Genetic Diseases, Inborn ; Hematuria ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Male ; Megakaryocytes ; Nephritis ; Nephritis, Hereditary ; Proteinuria ; Rare Diseases ; Ristocetin ; Thrombocytopenia

No abstract available.
Humans ; Male*

No abstract available.

PURPOSE: A pancreaticoduodenectomy is the procedure of choice for patients with resectable carci nomas of the pancreatic head, duodenum, or periampullary region. Although the morbity and the mortality are decreasing now, but there are still high. Leakage of the pancreatic duct remains the major source of death and complications after a pancreaticoduodenectomy. Thus, the authors used a stented pancrea ticojejunostomy and jejunojejunostomy after a pancreaticoduodenectomy to decrease leakage of the pancreatic duct. METHODS: The authors studied retrospectively 44 consecutive patients who had a pancrea ticoduodenectomy with a stented pancreaticojejunostomy and jejunojejunostomy at Kwangju Christian Hospital between 1993 and 1998. RESULTS: Leakage of the pancreaticojejunostomy was diagnosed in one of the 44 patients (2.5%). There were two deaths after the pancreaticoduodenectomy, one from compli cation of leakage of the pancreaticojejunostomy and the other from UGI bleeding. CONCLUSION: The stented pancreaticojejunostomy and jejunojejunostomy is an effective and safe method for use with a pancreaticoduodenectomy. However, the leakage that might occur despite the stented pancreaticojeju nostomy and jejunojejunostomy can be managed less invasively.
Duodenum ; Gwangju ; Head ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Mortality ; Noma ; Pancreatic Ducts ; Pancreaticoduodenectomy* ; Pancreaticojejunostomy* ; Retrospective Studies ; Stents*

The tuberculous panophthalmitis is, at present, extremely rare. The authors experienced a case of left tuberculous pailOphthalmitis which is, we imagine, secondary to the minimal active pulmonary tuberculosis of right upper lung of 17 year old girl. Here we briefly report a case of tuberculous panophthalmitis, referring the literature relating to the ocular trberculosis.
Adolescent ; Female ; Humans ; Lung ; Panophthalmitis* ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

Particulate matter is an air pollutant emitted from both natural and anthropogenic sources, and its adverse health effects have been well documented in time-series analyses and cohort studies. The effect size of particulate matter exposure—a roughly 0.5% increase in mortality for each 10 µg/m³ increment of short-term exposure to particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤10 µm and approximately a 10% increase for each 10 µg/m³ increment of long-term exposure to particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 µm—is small compared to other risk factors, but the exposure is involuntary and affects the entire population, which makes particulate matter pollution an important public health issue. The World Health Organization and Korean government have both established guidelines for particulate matter concentrations, but the Korean guideline is less stringent than that of the World Health Organization. The annual mean concentration of particulate matter in Korea is decreasing, but the trend seems to be slowing. In addition to policy efforts to reduce particulate matter emission, personal approaches such as the use of face masks and air purifiers have been recommended. Personal approaches may not solve the fundamental problem, but can provide temporary mitigation until efforts to reduce emission make progress.
Air Filters ; Cohort Studies ; Environmental Medicine ; Epidemiology ; Humans ; Korea ; Masks ; Mortality ; Particulate Matter ; Public Health ; Risk Factors ; World Health Organization

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effects of (-)-3-PPP(0.5, 2, and 10mg/kg, s.c.) and haloperidol(0.1, 0.5, and 2mg/kg, s.c.) on the extracellular dopamine concentrations, and the effect of pretreatment with (-)-3-PPP(2mg/kg) on the haloperidol(2mg/kg)-induced extracellular dopamine concentrations in the nucleus accumbens(NAS) of free moving rats. METHODS: Dopamine levels in dialysate were determined with high pressure liquid chromatography(HPLC) with electrochemical detection(ECD). RESULTS: (1) (-)-3-PPP had dual actions depending on the doses : at 2mg/kg, it decreased and at 10mg/kg, increased extracellular dopamine concentrations ; (2) haloperidol at all doses increased dopamine levels with higher dose having a greater icrease ; and (3) pretreatment of (-)-3-PPP reduced the increase in dopamine levels elicited by acute treatment with haloperidol. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that pretreatment of (-)-3-PPP in low dose could accelerate the onset of therapeutic effect of haloperidol by diminishing the haloperidol-induced dopamine release in the limbic system.
Animals ; Dopamine* ; Haloperidol ; Limbic System ; Nucleus Accumbens* ; Rats*

Particulate matter is an air pollutant emitted from both natural and anthropogenic sources, and its adverse health effects have been well documented in time-series analyses and cohort studies. The effect size of particulate matter exposure—a roughly 0.5% increase in mortality for each 10 µg/m³ increment of short-term exposure to particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤10 µm and approximately a 10% increase for each 10 µg/m³ increment of long-term exposure to particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 µm—is small compared to other risk factors, but the exposure is involuntary and affects the entire population, which makes particulate matter pollution an important public health issue. The World Health Organization and Korean government have both established guidelines for particulate matter concentrations, but the Korean guideline is less stringent than that of the World Health Organization. The annual mean concentration of particulate matter in Korea is decreasing, but the trend seems to be slowing. In addition to policy efforts to reduce particulate matter emission, personal approaches such as the use of face masks and air purifiers have been recommended. Personal approaches may not solve the fundamental problem, but can provide temporary mitigation until efforts to reduce emission make progress.