Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is an important cause of bilateral optic neuropathy in youth and occasionally associated with other neurological abnormalities (Leber's plus). The authors recently found out one family of LHON and another patient of Leber's plus with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) 11778 mutation. The presence of a point mutation of mtDNA was investigated by restriction length fragment polymorphism. Among 14 patients who had mtDNA 11778 mutation in the family, only two men had bilateral optic neuropathy. The other was a man of optic neuropathy with myelopathy. The age at onset of visual loss ranged from 14 to 25 (average 19.7). The time delay between involvement of the two eyes was I to 3 months Central visual field defect was observed in each of all affected eyes and worse in the earlier affected. The brain MRI and CSF studies revealed no abnormality. This study showed that the clinical manifestations and genealogical features of LHON in our patients are similar to those of previously reported cases in other countries.
Adolescent ; Brain ; DNA, Mitochondrial* ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Optic Atrophy, Hereditary, Leber ; Optic Nerve Diseases ; Point Mutation ; Spinal Cord Diseases ; Visual Fields

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence of inability to flex proximal interphalangeal (PIP) and distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint in normal Koreans. The opposition palm ratio and thumb index ratio was also of interest. METHOD: Randomly selected eighty nine normal Korean adults of 48 men and 41 women, with ages 20 to 79 years. The finger flexion was measured using the standard flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS) and flexor digitorum profundus (FDP) screening tests. Thumb index ratio and opposition palm ratio was also assessed additionally. RESULTS: In the sample population, 2 subjects (2.2%) were unable to bilaterally flex their fifth PIP joints independently. Four subjects (4.4%) were unable to flex one or both of their fourth or fifth DIP joints. These results show far less incidence of FDS dysfunction comparing with 52% of FDS dysfunction rate in Americans. The opposition palm ratio in men were 63.6% and in women 69.9%, indicating lower ratio in men. The thumb index ratio was not different statistically between the men and women. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that the different incidences of FDS and FDP dysfunction should be considered in interpretation. The opposition palm ratio and thumb index ratio might be useful in the hand rehabilitation.
Adult* ; Female ; Fingers ; Hand ; Humans ; Incidence ; Joints ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Rehabilitation ; Thumb*

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Frovatriptan is a selective 5-HT1B/1D agonist with a long duration of action and a low incidence of side effects. Although several placebo-controlled trials have documented the clinical efficacy and safety of frovatriptan in adults with migraine, this drug has not previously been studied in Asian including Korean patients. METHODS: In this double-blind multicenter trial, 229 patients with migraine were randomized to receive frovatriptan 2.5 mg or placebo upon the occurrence of a moderate-to-severe migraine. The primary outcome was the 2-hour headache response rate. RESULTS: Frovatriptan significantly increased the 2-hour headache response rate compared with placebo (52.9% vs. 34.0%, p=0.004). The headache response rates at 4, 6, and 12 hours were significantly higher in the frovatriptan group than in the placebo group, as was the pain-free rate at 2 hours (19.0% vs. 5.7%, p=0.004), 4 hours (40.7% vs. 23.0%, p=0.006), and 6 hours (56.1% vs. 34.0%, p=0.002). The median time to a headache response was significantly shorter in the frovatriptan group than in the placebo group (2.00 hours vs. 3.50 hours, p<0.001). The use of rescue medications was more common in the placebo group (p=0.005). Chest tightness associated with triptan was infrequent (2.5%), mild, and transient. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that 2.5-mg frovatriptan is effective and well tolerated in Korean migraineurs for acute treatment of migraine attacks.
Adult ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Carbazoles ; Headache ; Humans ; Incidence ; Migraine Disorders ; Oxalates ; Thorax ; Tryptamines

Central anticholinergic syndrome is defined as an absolute or relative reduction in cholinergic activity in the central nervous system and has a wide variety of manifestations. It is associated with almost any drug given during anesthesia, except neuromuscular relaxants, and treated with the cholinesterase inhibitor physostigmine. The diagnosis of central anticholinergic syndrome is often made when symptoms resolve promptly after the administration of physostigmine. We present a case of a central anticholinergic syndrome diagnosed by treatment with physostigmine, in a patient who received closure of patent foramen ovale associated with stroke.
Anesthesia ; Anticholinergic Syndrome* ; Central Nervous System ; Cholinesterases ; Diagnosis ; Foramen Ovale, Patent ; Humans ; Physostigmine ; Stroke

This study describes the purification and characterization of type II restriction endonuclease of Helicobacter pylori in order to understand the DNA restriction and modification of H. pylori. H. pylori cell extract was subjected to polyethyleneimine treatment, salt precipitation, heparine-sepharose column chromatography, and fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC) using Resource Q column and Mono Q column to purify the type II restriction endonuclease. Hpy51-I was characterized to recognize the sequneces 5`-GT(G/C)AC-3`, yielding 5-base 5` protruding ends. The restriction sequence was identical to that of Tsp 45 I. The enzyme exhibited its maximal activity in the presence of 10-20 mM LaCl, but was inhibited completely in the presence of more than 80 mM NaCl. The enzyme showed its maximal activity in the presence of 1-10 mM MgC1(2). The optimal pH and temperature for enzyme activity was pH 9.0 and 37 degrees C, respectively. MnC1(2) could not substitute for MgC1(2) in reaction mixture. And addition of j3-mercaptoethanol and bovine serum albumin in reaction mixture led to loss of enzyme activity of Hpy51-I. The whole cell extract of H. pylori strain 51 was confirmed to carry the enzyme activity for methylation of Hpy51-I-recognised sequence. Hpy51-I digested genomic DNAs of enteric bacteria to less than I kb while it could not cut the genomic DNAs of H. pylori isolates. In this study, the type II restriction enzyme (Hpy51-I) of H. pylori was identified and characterized its biochemical properties, demonstrating that Hpy51-I might be one of the barriers for preventing the introduction of foreign DNAs into H. pylori.
Chromatography ; Chromatography, Liquid ; DNA ; DNA Restriction Enzymes* ; Enterobacteriaceae ; Helicobacter pylori* ; Helicobacter* ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Methylation ; Polyethyleneimine ; Serum Albumin, Bovine

The cag7 gene of Korean H. pylori strains was analyzed by RFLP to develop a discriminatory tool for genotyping clinical isolates. For this study, a total of 82 H. pylori strains were isolated from the patients; 27 strains from the patients with chronic gastritis, 26 from duodenal ulcer, and 29 from gastric cancer. Genomic DNA was isolated and subjected to PCR targeting entire ORF or the repeat regions I and II of cag7 gene. PCR products from entire ORF or repeat region I of cag7 gene were divided into two types. However, there was no difference in the length of PCR products from the repeat region II. By the PCR genotyping of the entire cag7 gene, genotypes A and B were established, which showed approximately 5,100 and 5,500 bp PCR products, respectively. The repeat region I showed approximately 600 or 1,000 bp DNA fragments by PCR. The length of cag7 gene was determined by the size variation in the repeat region I. In addition, RFLP analysis of the PCR products of cag7 gene showed 11 subtypes, based on the major bands. These findings illustrate that the genetic diversity of the repeat region I would serve a reliable target for the genotyping of the cag7 gene.
Animals ; DNA ; Duodenal Ulcer ; Ecthyma, Contagious ; Gastritis ; Genetic Variation ; Genotype ; Helicobacter pylori* ; Helicobacter* ; Humans ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length* ; Stomach Neoplasms

Low-abundance cellular proteins normally invisible on the standard two-dimensional SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-DE SDS-PAGE) map must be enriched appropriately in order to be visualized and identified in cells or tissues. We applied proteins of H. pylori strain 26695 to a immobilized heparin-affinity resin, which has an affinity for nucleic acid-binding proteins, protein biosynthesis factors, and growth factors. The whole cell extract of H. pylori strain 26695 was fractionated by the heparin-agarose chromatography, and was analyzed by 2-DE. The 2-DE SDS-PAGE displayed spots after silver staining, which were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). Among the ca. 150 spots that were processed, 79 proteins representing 57 genes were identified. Eleven proteins were determined to be nucleic acid-associated. Eighteen proteins were newly identified in this study, including DNA topoisomerase I. These results may provide guidance for enriching low abundance proteins of H. pylori and contribute to the construction of a master protein map of H. pylori.
Chromatography* ; DNA Topoisomerases, Type I ; Electrophoresis ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Helicobacter pylori* ; Helicobacter* ; Heparin* ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; Mass Spectrometry ; Protein Biosynthesis ; Proteome ; Silver Staining

Ischemic stroke and myocardial infarction share common risk factors and pathophysiologic mechanisms. Unrecognized coronary artery disease typically occurs in 20-30% of patients with ischemic stroke, and its presence helps to predict the outcome. Coronary artery disease is also an important cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with ischemic stroke. Therefore, applying a screening test for asymptomatic coronary artery disease may be considered in ischemic stroke patients who have a high cardiovascular risk profile. Coronary computed tomography (CT) angiography, myocardial perfusion imaging, or stress echocardiography can be used as a screening test. Coronary CT angiography is recommended in the absence of allergy to contrast media and renal insufficiency.
Angiography ; Contrast Media ; Coronary Artery Disease* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Echocardiography, Stress ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Mass Screening* ; Mortality ; Myocardial Infarction ; Myocardial Perfusion Imaging ; Renal Insufficiency ; Risk Factors ; Stroke*

It is commonly believed in the Western World that the more severe forms of gastroduodenal diseases like peptic ulcer are associated with infection by specific Helicobacter pylori strains classified as type I being considered to be more virulent than type II strains. However, in Korea, most of H. pylori isolates belong to type 1 strains regardless of virulence. Type I H. pylori strains differ from type II strains by the presence of the cag pathogenicity island (cag PAI) composed of a block of genes. In this study, the nucleotide sequence of cag PAI of the H. pylori Korean strain 51 was determined and compared with those of strains 26695 and J99 to assess the structural variation in the region and to evaluate its implication in the virulence of the H. pylori. The cag PAI of H. pylori strain 51 was smaller in size and in the number of constituting ORFs in comparison with 26695 and J99 strains. Although many cag orthologues were nearly identical one another with the similarity of 90% or more at the nucleotide and amino acid levels, there were some remarkable and significant differences in several cag genes among the three cag PAIs. Surprisingly, the percent similarities at amino acid level were lower than those at nucleotide level in one third of the ORFs. The two genes (cag7 and cagA) of strain 51 differed in sizes and deduced amino acid sequences from the corresponding genes of the other two strains. When comparing cagA ORF of H. pylori strain 51 with that of 8 non-Korean strains, phylogenetic tree revealed that the strain 51 formed a separate branch with the most far distances from the other strains except for a Japanese strain. The Cag7 protein of, strain 51 had a deletion in the repeat region II, suggesting a major change in the conformation and function of the protein.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Base Sequence ; Ecthyma, Contagious ; Genetic Variation ; Genomic Islands* ; Helicobacter pylori* ; Helicobacter* ; Humans ; Korea ; Open Reading Frames ; Peptic Ulcer ; Virulence* ; Western World

No abstract available.
Infarction* ; Middle Cerebral Artery*