This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of PTSD on memory funtion and hippocampal volume, and to identify major variables correlated to hippocampal volume and memory function. Thirty four Vietnam veterans were collected for this study, among whom eighteen were PTSD patients and sixteen were combat control subjects. The author used Impact of Event Scale(IES), Combat Exposure Scale(CES), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale(HDRS) and Beck Depression Inventory(BDI). Korea Memory Assessment Scale(K-MAS) was assessed for memory function. Magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) was used to measure hippocampal volume. There were significant differences between PTSD and Non-PTSD veterans in IES, HDRS and BDI. Significant difference was found in verbal memory and total memory of K-MAS between PTSD and Non-PTSD veterans. There was significant difference in hippocampal volume between PTSD and Non-PTSD veterans. Short term memory, verbal memory and total memory were positively correlated to hippocampal volume. Hippocampal volume was negatively correlated to IES, HDRS, and BDI. These results suggest that PTSD severity be associated with hippocampal atrophy and memory dysfunction. Reduced or smaller hippocampal volume may be preexisting risk factor for stress exposure or the development of PTSD on combat exposure.
Atrophy ; Depression ; Hippocampus ; Humans ; Korea ; Memory* ; Risk Factors ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic* ; Veterans ; Vietnam

We have detailed our experiences on 6 cases of neonatal lethal short- limbed dwarfism and reviewed thearticles. They include, achondrogenesis, thanatophoric dysplasia, asphsiating thoracic dysplasia, osteogenesisimperfecta congenita, and hypophosphatasia lethalis. Five babies were born alive but died soon after birth and onewas a stillbirth. The main cause of failure to thrive was respiratory insufficiency. Each case was having quitecharacteristic radiologic findings, even if the genearl appearances were similar to the achondroplasts clinically.Precise diagnosis is very important for genetic counselling of the parents and alarm to them the possibility ofbone dysplasias to the next offsprings. For this purpose, the radiologists play major role for the correctdiagnosis. We stress that when the baby is born with short-limbed dwarfism, whole body radiogram should be takenincluding lateral view and postmortem radiogram is also very precious.
Diagnosis ; Dwarfism ; Extremities ; Failure to Thrive ; Humans ; Hypophosphatasia ; Parents ; Parturition ; Respiratory Insufficiency ; Stillbirth ; Thanatophoric Dysplasia

Fibrous dysplasia of bone is a condition affecting one or more bones, usually not disabling, of slow progress, and showing a tendency to become arrested. The etiology of fibrous dysplaia is unknown but it is now believed to be a developmental error in which primitive fibrous tissue proliferates within the bony medulIa and encroaches upon the cortex from within, often producing expansion. The process may be localized to a small segment or may involve almost the entire shaft of the bone, and it may be monostotic, monomelic or polyostotic. In the latter form some patients exhibit a remarkable combination of skin pigmentation and endocrine disturbances. This paper reports the one case of polyostic and three cases of monostotic fibrous dysplasia. The disgnosis was made by clinical, radiological and histological findings.
Fibrous Dysplasia of Bone ; Fibrous Dysplasia, Monostotic ; Humans ; Skin Pigmentation

We observed 240 cases ranging in age from 3 months to 15 years seen by gastrofiberoscopy in the department of pediatrics of Seoul Red Cross Hospital from March 1990 to October 1992 and following results were obtained. 1) The male to female ratios in total cases and in 89 patients complaining of abdominal pain for more than one month were 0.94:1 and 1.02:1 respectively. The most prevalent age group was 10~12 years in both groups. 2) The indication in the order of frequency were chronic abdominal pain (37.1%), acute abdominal pain (32.5%), vomiting (7.9%), hematemesis and melena (5.4%), follow-up study (6.3%), further evaluation (3.8%), chest discomfort (2.5%), foreign body removal (2.1%), nausea (1.2%), dysphagia (0.8%) and abdominal mass (0.4%). 3) The common endoscopic findings in the 225 cases excluding follow-up ones were gastritis (34.7%), duodenitis (14.2%), ulcer (11.6%), esophagitis (7.6%) and foreign body (2.2%). 4) The common endoscopic findings in cases of chronic abdominal pain were gastritis (42.7%), duodenitis (16.9%) and ulcer (7.9%). 5) There was no complication except mild sore throat.
Abdominal Pain ; Deglutition Disorders ; Duodenitis ; Esophagitis ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Foreign Bodies ; Gastritis ; Hematemesis ; Humans ; Male ; Melena ; Nausea ; Pediatrics ; Pharyngitis ; Red Cross ; Seoul ; Thorax ; Ulcer ; Vomiting

No abstract available.
Shoulder Fractures*

Painting probe for HSRs in IMR-32 Neuroblastoma, a pediatric malignant neoplasm of neural crest origin, has a wide range of clinical virulence. The mechanisms contributing to the development of neuroblastomas are largely unclear, but non-random chromosomal changes identified over the past years suggest the involvement of genetic alterations. Amplification of the human N-myc proto-oncogene is frequently seen either in extrachromosomal double minutes or in homogeneously staining regions(HSRs) of aggressively growing neuroblastomas. N-myc maps to chromosome 2 band 24, but HSR have never been observed at this band, suggesting transposition of N-myc during amplification. We have constructed and analyzed the region-specific painting probe for HSR in neuroblastoma IMR-32 to determine the derivative chromosomes. Microdissection was performed on HSR using an inverted microscope with the help of microglass needles and an micromanipulator. We pretreated the microdissected fragments with Topoisomerase I which catalyzes the relaxation of supercoiled DNA, and performed two initial rounds of DNA synthesis with T7 DNA polymerase followed by conventional PCR to enable the reliable preparation of Fluorescent in situ hybridization probe from a single microdissected chromosome. With this method, it was possible to construct the region-specific painting probe for HSR. The probe hybridized specifically to the HSRs of IMR-32, and to 2p24, 2p13 of normal chromosome. Our results suggest there was coamplification of N-myc together with DNA of the chromosome 2p24 and 2p13. Moreover, the fluorescent signals for the amplified chromosomal regions in IMR-32 cells were also easily recognized at a Thus this painting probe can be applied to detect the similar amplification of N-myc in neuroblastoma tissue, and the probe pool for HSR may be used to identify the cancer-relevant genes.
Cell Line* ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 2 ; DNA ; DNA Topoisomerases, Type I ; DNA, Superhelical ; Genes, myc ; Humans* ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence ; Microdissection ; Needles ; Neural Crest ; Neuroblastoma* ; Paint* ; Paintings* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Relaxation ; Virulence

BACKGROUND: The APACHE scoring system of the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) has been being used for serious patients. The scoring system is composed of acute physiologic variables and chronic disease. METHODS: Among patients who underwent emergency operations from 1992 to 1997 because of gastrointestinal perforation, we analyzed 110 cases with five kinds of diseases: duodenal ulcer perforation, small bowel perforation, perforated appendicitis, gastric ulcer perforation and colon perforation. RESULTS: The results were as follows: 1) The preoperative APACHE II scores ranged from 0 to 21. The scores of 64 cases (60.9%) were from 0 to 5. 2) There were no death in case for which pre-peration APACHE II score was from 0 to 10, 25% of the mortality occurred in cases with scores from 11 to 15, 50% in those with scores from 16 to 20, and 100% in those with scores above 21. 3) The APACHE II score decreased continuously from the 3rd to the 7th postoperative day. 4) The preoperative APACHE II scores in gastric ulcer perforation patients were significantly higher than those in duodenal ulcer perforation patients. In the cases of gastric and duodenal ulcer perforations, the APACHE II scores in patients who underwent primary closure were higher than the scores in those who underwent a more definitive operation. 5) In death cases, all of their APACHE II scores were higher at the 3rd postoperative than at the 7th postoperative day, but their APACHE III scores continuously increased postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: It is thought that the APACHE scoring system is more reliable than clinical experience in the classification of patients by operative risk and in estinating the result and giving a prognosis. Thus, the principle of treatment should be established by estinating patient's score before the operation. Careful preoperative management is necessary for patients with scores more than 10. Because patientswith scores more than 21 have very a high mortality, operative time and method must be carefully decided. The APACHE III scoring system seems to be more sensitive than the APACHE II scoring system in predicting deaths and further investigations and clinical applications should be performed.
APACHE* ; Appendicitis ; Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (U.S.) ; Chronic Disease ; Classification ; Colon ; Duodenal Ulcer ; Emergencies ; Humans ; Mortality ; Operative Time ; Prognosis ; Stomach Ulcer

The authors have recently experienced with a five years old female patient who had a cysticercosis under the superio-nasal bulbar conjunctiva. The case was not associated with any other systemic lesions elsewhere in the body. The cyst was surgically removed and the microscopic examination confirmed a well preserved cysticercus cellulosae. According to the previous reports, the cysticercosis occurs frequently in the ocular region. Although ocular cysticercosis is common, subconjunctival cysticercosis rarely been reported in Korea. A brief medical history of case and a review of the related reports are presented.
Conjunctiva ; Cysticercosis* ; Cysticercus ; Female ; Humans ; Korea

Aniridia is a congenital, often hereditary, usually bilateral absence of iris in whole or in part. And aniridia occurs mainly as an autosomal dominant condition with almost complete penetrance. In the usual phenotype, aniridia is associated with nystagmus, foveal and optic nerve hypoplasia, corneal pannus, cataract, secondary glaucoma and strabismus. The author experienced 4 cases of aniridia in a family for three generations. So the author reports these cases with the review of literathure.
Aniridia* ; Capsule Opacification ; Family Characteristics* ; Glaucoma ; Humans ; Iris ; Optic Nerve ; Penetrance ; Phenotype ; Strabismus

OBJECTIVES: Cases of psychiatric disorders are reported with a review of literature on mental health problems in North Korean defectors in South Korea. METHODS: Four patients who were admitted to a psychiatric hospital with major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder, or mixed disorder of conduct and emotions of adolescent were studied. RESULTS: The most common precipitating factor was the separation from close persons they had been dependent on. Defector-specific stress included unfamiliar culture of South Korea, lack of ability to adapt to South Korean society, uselessness of past education and professional skills, stress with regard to being identified or discriminated as a North Korean defector, and guilt feeling for leaving their family behind in North Korea. North Korean defector-specific clinical findings were noted; these included reluctance to expose themselves as North Koreans, negative emotional reaction to discrimination of South Korean neighbors, submissive and passive attitude, loneliness, anxiety for the future related to refugee status, and strong stigma related to psychiatry. CONCLUSION: This case report suggests that an individualized or tailored treatment that considers their unique psychosocial situation, which especially focuses on discrimination and social support, is needed for North Korean defectors with mental disorders.
Adolescent ; Anxiety ; Bipolar Disorder ; Conduct Disorder ; Democratic People's Republic of Korea ; Depression ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Guilt ; Hospitals, Psychiatric ; Humans ; Loneliness ; Mental Disorders ; Mental Health ; Mood Disorders ; Precipitating Factors ; Refugees ; Republic of Korea ; Schizophrenia