OBJECTIVES: To evaluated the relation of familial history of alcoholism and plasma level of beta-endorphin, ethanol, beta-endorphin, cortisol and blood glucose were compared in 48 male alcoholics and 29 normal controls. METHODS: Subjects are divided into two groups by family history of alcoholism. Blood samples were obtained before and after 0.75mg/kg of ethanol consumption a 7th admission day. RESULTS: 1) The ratio of family history positive to negative of the patient group was 2 to 1. 2) The age at admission of positive family history group was younger than negative groups. 3) There was no significant difference in change of plasma ethanol level among three groups. 4) There was no significant difference in change of plasma beta-endorphin level among three group. 5) There was no significant difference in change of plasma cortisol level among three groups. 6) There was no significant difference in change of fasting blood sugar level between two patients groups.
Alcoholics ; Alcoholism* ; beta-Endorphin* ; Blood Glucose ; Ethanol ; Fasting ; Humans ; Hydrocortisone ; Male ; Plasma

OBJECTIVE: Asymmetries in evoked potential P300 topography of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are still controversial. The purpose of this study was to examine the difference in P300 topography between schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. METHOD: P300 was recorded from 16 schizophrenic, 15 bipolar manic, and 16 control subjects. All were right-handed. Subjects silently counted target stimuli(2.0kHz) among trains of standard stimuli(1.0 kHz). Averages were constructed from brain responses to target stimuli. RESULTS: 1) Schizophrenics displayed significantly smaller peak amplitude of P300 over Cz, Pz, T3 than controls. 2) Schizophrenics displayed significantly smaller peak amplitude of P300 over T3 than bipolar manics. 3) Schizophrenics displayed significantly smaller peak amplitude of P300 over T3 than their T4. 4) Schizophrenics displayed significantly delayed latency of P300 over T3 than bipolar manics. 5) Schizophrenics displayed significantly delayed latency of P300 over T3 than their T4. CONCLUSION: Left-sided P300 abnormality, especially left superior temporal gyrus, in schizophrenics, relative to bipolar manics and controls suggests that psychophysiological cause of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder is different and P300 asymmetry is specific to the psychophysiological cause of schizophrenia.
Bipolar Disorder* ; Brain ; Evoked Potentials ; Schizophrenia*

CD44 is a hyaluronic acid receptor that exists as a standard 90-kd form (CD44H) as well as several CD44 variants isoforms are produced through alternative splicing. Alternatively spliced variants of the CD44 molecule have been found to be associated with invasive and metastatic potential of cancer cells and poor prognosis in several types of carcinoma. The purpose of the present study is to define the expression of CD44H and CD44v6 in ovarian tumors and to investigate whether the expression of these molecules is associated with adverse prognosis. We evaluated the expression of CD44 isoforms in 58 ovarian tumors by means of immunohistochemistry, and correlated between CD44 expression and the histologic types, tumor grade, peritoneal implants, pseudomyxoma peritonei and FIGO stage. While the CD44H was commonly expressed in ovarian tumors, the CD44v6 was expressed in a minor proportion of serous tumors in comparison with frequent expression of v6 isoform in mucinous tumors. The CD44H expression was significantly higher in stage I/II than in stage III. However, there was no correlation between the expression of CD44 and the presence of peritoneal implants or pseudomyxoma peritonei. These results suggest that CD44H could play an important role in the adhesive function in the lower stage of the ovarian tumor and reduced expression in the higher stage might be related to the metastasis and widespread invasion of ovarian carcinoma cells.
Adhesives ; Alternative Splicing ; Female ; Hyaluronic Acid ; Immunohistochemistry ; Mucins ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Ovary ; Prognosis ; Protein Isoforms ; Pseudomyxoma Peritonei

No abstract available.
Fournier Gangrene* ; Scrotum* ; Sparganosis*

The efficacy of acetaminophen, sponging plus acetaminophen, and sponging alone as method of lowering body temperature was compared in 108 children aged 8 weeks to 5 years who presented with an axillary temperature of 38.5degrees C or greater during the period from January 1993 to April 1993. The following results were obtained. 1) The male to female ratio was 2.5:1 and clinical diagnosis in the order of frequency were upper respiratory infection, gastroenteritis, pneumonia, urinary tract infection, cellulitis, chickenpox and hand-foot-mouth disease. 2) At thirty minutes after treatment, there was no significant difference on the decrement of temperature among the three groups. 3) At sixty minutes, the temperature decrement was the greatest in the group of sponging plus acetaminophen and that was statistically significant (P<0.01). But there was no significant difference between the group of acetaminophen and that of sponging.
Acetaminophen ; Body Temperature ; Cellulitis ; Chickenpox ; Child* ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Fever* ; Gastroenteritis ; Humans ; Male ; Pneumonia ; Urinary Tract Infections

PSTT has been established as a separate entity distinct from choriocarcinoma since 1983, because of its different morphological features, biologic behavior and response to chemotherapy. Most cases of PSTT have indolent clinical courses, but there have been several reports showing malignant behavior resulted in death of the patient. We report a case of PSTT showing vaginal metastatis. In biopsy specimen, it was difficult to make differential diagnosis from squamous cell carcinoma of uterine cervix due to uniform and mononuclear cytologic characteristics. Immunohistochemical stains for hPL and hCG were not typical for either PSTT or choriocarcinoma. We suggest that poorly differentiated PSTT may synthesize the lesser amount of hPL than typical PSTT and it may behave more aggressively.
Diagnosis, Differential ; Biopsy

The authors determined the value of performing urine microscopy on biochemically negative urine sepcimens in a pediatric population. The 746 urine specimens of patients who were either visited or admitted to the Department of Pediatrics, National Police Hospital, from March 1991 to July 1992 were reviewed on the basis of comparative evaluation of biochemical and microscopic urine analysis. Eight reactions of Clinitek(r) 200 were used as biochemical indicators, namely, pH, nitrite, albumin, glucose, ketone, urobilinogen, bilirubin, and blood. Out of 746 urine specimens studied, 186 were true positive. Thirty-six specimens reacted biochemically in the absence of positive microscopic findings (false postive), 492 specimens were true negatives. Thirty-two specimens had negative biochemical indicators, in spite of positive microscopy. The sensitivity of the biochemical parameters for predicting significant microscopy of urinary sediment is 85% and the specificity is 99%. The positive predictive value is 69.7% and the negative predictive value is 99.3%. The sensitivity of blood for RBC is 94%. and the specificity is 99%. The predictive value of a positive result is 84.6% and that of a negative result is 99.7%. We therefore conclude that urine microscopy is less necessary in biochemically negative urine specimens from asymptomatic pediatric patients, with hopefully resultant time and cost effectiveness.
Bilirubin ; Cost-Benefit Analysis ; Glucose ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Microscopy ; Pediatrics ; Police ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Urinalysis* ; Urobilinogen

Authors report a case of separation anxiety disorder, which developed as a side effect during haloperidol treatment of Tourette syndromes(TS). In this case, 14 years old boys developed attention deficit symptoms during his infancy. At 4th grade of primary school, he developed vocal tic, motor tic, and coprolalia. With 5mg/day of haloperidol treatment his symptoms of TS were subsided. During the treatment, he developed features of separation anxiety disorder, including dependence, pleading, clinging, and sadness. Symptoms of attention deficit and separation anxiety disorder were improved by 25mg/day of imipramine treatment. During haloperidol treatment of TS, careful observation may be needed whether separation anxiety disorder-like symptom develops.
Adolescent ; Anxiety, Separation ; Haloperidol* ; Humans ; Imipramine ; Tics ; Tourette Syndrome*

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

BACKGROUND:To evaluate the efficacy of lamotrigine on bipolar disorder, both manic and depressed episode, the author compared the effects of lamotrigine with lithium and placebo. METHOD: Forty-seven manic patients with bipolar disorder and 43 depressed patients with bipolar disorder were treated with lamotrigine, lithium or placebo during 6 weeks. Their severity of symptoms were rated weekly using Young's Rating Scale for Mania and Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. RESULTS: In manic patients the therapeutic efficacy of lamotrigine was lower than that of lithium during baseline to week 2, but after week 3, lamotrigine was as effective as lithium. In depressed patients the therapeutic efficacy of lamotrigine was superior to lithium from week 2 to endpoint. Most patients tolerated well except that one patient developed skin rashes. CONCLUSION: Lamotrigine seems to have antimanic and antidepressant effect as lithium in the treatment for acute bipolar disorder.
Bipolar Disorder* ; Depression ; Exanthema ; Humans ; Lithium*