Vascular dementia is one of the few remediable causes of dementia among the eldery. Prevention of the disease can be best achieved by primary or secondary prevention of controllable risk factors for strokes. Therefore, early and accurate diagnosis of vascular cognitive impairment prior to the dementia stage is essential to the prevention and treatment of vascular dementia. Pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods for prevention of vascular dementia are listed in this article. Recent epidemiologic data, suggesting a direct correlation between vascular risk factors and Alzheimer type dementia, emphasized the importance of controlling vascular risk factors in the prevention of dementia. Treatment strategies for patients diagnosed as vascular dementia are also discussed. Several clinical trials for symptomatic improvement of vascular dementia are ongoing and their success can be a hope to patients with vascular dementia.
Alzheimer Disease ; Cognition Disorders ; Dementia ; Dementia, Vascular* ; Diagnosis ; Hope ; Humans ; Risk Factors ; Secondary Prevention ; Stroke

No abstract available.
Arthroplasty* ; Knee*

Dermal wound healing is a complex process that involved inflammation leading to re-epithelialization, granulation tissue, and tissue remodeling. Previous studies from our laboratory have shown that polysaccharides isolated from fungus, Phellinus gilvus (PG) have various anti-inflammatory activities. In present study, we have assessed the effect of polysaccharides from PG on the dermal wound healing of polysaccharides from PG in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat model. Six of 6-mm circular wounds were created with biopsy punch on the 4th day after induction of diabetes. After 24 hours, each test substance was applied to the wound twice a day for next 5 days. Circular wounds treated with PG showed significantly reduced wound contraction and complete reepithelialization, as compared to wounds of non-treated (p < 0.05). These results show that polysaccharides isolated from PG enhanced wound repair in diabetic impaired healing, and could be developed as a wound healing agent in such clinical settings.
Administration, Cutaneous ; Animals ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents/pharmacology ; Basidiomycota/*metabolism ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental/*pathology ; Histocytochemistry ; Male ; Polysaccharides/isolation&purification/*pharmacology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Skin/*injuries ; Streptozocin ; Wound Healing/*drug effects ; Wounds, Penetrating/*drug therapy

No abstract available.
Chylothorax* ; Lymphangiectasis*

Diabetic neuropathy is one of the most frequent and troublesome complications of diabetes. Although there has been a continuous increase in the incidence of diabetic neuropathy, treatments have yet to be found that effectively treat diabetic neuropathy. Neurotrophic factors are proteins that promote the survival of specific neuronal populations. They also play key roles in the regeneration of peripheral nervous system. Recent evidence from diabetic animal models and human diabetic subjects suggest that reduced availability of neurotrophic factors may contribute to the pathogenesis of diabetic neuropathy. One way to reverse this effect is to take advantage of the finding that bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) promote peripheral nerve repair and the functioning of neurotrophic factors. Therefore, we speculated that treatment with BM-MSCs could be a viable therapeutic strategy for diabetic neuropathy. The present study was designed to examine the possible beneficial effect of BM-MSCs on functions of neurotrophic factors in diabetic neuropathy. To assess this possibility, we used an in vivo streptozotocin-induced diabetic neuropathy mouse model. Quantitative real-time polymerase-chain reacion showed that BM-MSCs significantly increase expression levels of neurotrophic factors. Also, BM-MSCs ameliorated nerve conduction velocity in streptozotocin-treated mice. These results may help to elucidate the mechanism by which BM-MSCs function as a cell therapy agent in diabetic neuropathy.
Animals ; Bone Marrow ; Diabetic Neuropathies ; Humans ; Imidazoles ; Incidence ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; Mice ; Models, Animal ; Nerve Growth Factors ; Neural Conduction ; Neurons ; Nitro Compounds ; Peripheral Nerves ; Peripheral Nervous System ; Proteins ; Regeneration ; Tissue Therapy

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the tubal patency in the young-aged women underwent diagnostic laparoscopy with Fitz-High-Curtis Syndrome (FHCS). METHODS: Clinicopathologic results of young-aged women who underwent diagnostic laparoscopy with pelvic inflammatory disease from March 2005 through April 2007 were reviewed. Twenty six patients aged 19-29 years old and preserved their both tubes after diagnostic laparoscopy were included in this study. All were underwent chromopertubation test (CPT) during laparoscopy and postoperative hysterosalpingography (HSG) 3 months later. RESULTS: Of 26 patients, eight patients were diagnosed with FHCS and the others were not. There was no significant difference in mean age, mean hospitalization days, and frequency in past-history of parturition, abortion, chlamydia and gonococci infection between patients with FHCS and with non-FHCS (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in frequency of tubal obstruction in laparoscopic CPT (P>0.05) but not in postoperative outpatient HSG (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The tubal obstruction may be more frequent in FHCS than non-FHCS and the reliability of laparoscopic CPT for diagnosing the tubal obstruction is supposed to be low. Therefore, as for FHCS patients, HSG should be executed to investigate tubal factor which is helpful to forecast the fertility.
Aged ; Chlamydia ; Fallopian Tube Diseases ; Female ; Fertility ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Hysterosalpingography ; Laparoscopy ; Outpatients ; Parturition ; Pelvic Inflammatory Disease

Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis and acute renal failure are well known cornplications of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria(PNH). 53 year old rnan was admitted to the hospital because of headache and gerleralized convulsion. Contrast enharlced CT scan revealed empty delta sign in superior sagital sinus and acute renal failure developed within 2 weeks of admissiorL The diagnosis of PNH depended on positive HAM test and low leukocyte alkaline phosphatase(LAP). The prognosis was relativley good on the treatrnent with anticoagulant, anticonvulsant, antiplatelets and steroid.
Acute Kidney Injury* ; Diagnosis ; Headache ; Hemoglobinuria, Paroxysmal* ; Humans ; Leukocytes ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Seizures ; Sinus Thrombosis, Intracranial* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

This study was undertaken for the clinical analysis and evaluation on 121 patients with incompetent internal os of the cervix, who were admitted and treated with McDonald operation or Shirodkar operation at the Soonchounhyang Medical Center from January 1991 to December 1995. The results of this study were as follows : 1. The incidence of this IIOC was 1.1% of 11,116 cases of total delivery. 2. The mean age of IIOC was 31.7 years old. 3. The average number of gravida was 3.2. 4. The most common contributary factor was previous history of artificial abortion (51.2 %), and midtrimester abortion (17.4 %), cervical laceration due to previous vaginal delivery (8.3 %) etc. was followed. 5. The success rate of operation was 76 %, and the highest success rate (85.7 %) was reveald with period from 15th weeks to 16th weeks of gestation. 6. When cervical dilatation was abscent or small, the success rate of operation was high. 7. The factors of failed operation were preterm labor (58.7 %), PROM (34.5 %), and PIH, bleeding. 8. The delivery method after operation was vaginal delivery in 83 cases (68.6%) and cesarean section in 38 cases (31.4 %).
Cervix Uteri* ; Cesarean Section ; Female ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Incidence ; Labor Stage, First ; Lacerations ; Obstetric Labor, Premature ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Trimester, Second

No abstract available.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to provide the basic data for anatomy of proximal tibia by real measurement, to determine the morphologic fitness between the proximal tibia of Korean and the tibial prosthesis in total knee arthroplasty, and consequently to provide basic data for development of prosthesis that appropriate to Korean. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The anteroposterior length and mediolateral length of proximal tibia were measured for 173 knees of 117 patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty. Also, obtained data from intraoperative measure of proximal tibia were analysed according to patient's age, sex and disease. RESULTS: The results show that average mediolateral length of proximal tibia is 72.7 +/- 4.0mm, average anteroposterior length of medial plateau is 48.0 +/- 3.1mm, and average anteroposterior length of lateral plateau is 39.8 +/- 2.9mm. The mediolateral length of proximal tibia and the anteroposterior length of medial tibial plateau are significantly larger than tibial prosthesis designed by 5 different companies. The morphological differences according to disease entity are significantly larger in osteoarthritic patient group than in other disease entity. The significant difference according to patient's age is not found. CONCLUSION: The results of this study show the morphologic discrepancy between the proximal tibia of Korean and the tibial prostheses, and the development of design of tibial prosthesis for Korean should be considered.
Arthroplasty* ; Humans ; Knee* ; Prostheses and Implants* ; Prosthesis Design ; Tibia*