Background: We aimed to investigate the effect of epidural polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN) on mechanical allodynia and motor dysfunction in a rat model of lumbar foraminal stenosis (LFS). Methods: This study was conducted in two stages, using male Sprague-Dawley rats. The rats were randomly divided into eight groups. In the first stage, the groups were as follows: vehicle (V), sham (S), and epidural PDRN at 5 (P5), 8 (P8), and 10 (P10) mg/kg; and in the second stage, they were as follows: intraperitoneal PDRN 8 mg/kg, epidural 3,7-dimethyl-1-propargilxanthine (DMPX) (0.1 mg/kg), and DMPX (0.1 mg/kg). The LFS model was established, except for the S group. After an epidural injection of the test solutions, von Frey and treadmill tests were conducted for 3 weeks. Subsequently, histopathologic examinations were conducted in the V, S, P5, and P10 groups. Results: A total of 65 rats were included. The P8 and P10 groups showed significant recovery from mechanical allodynia and motor dysfunction at all time points after drug administration compared to the V group. These effects were abolished by concomitant administration of DMPX. On histopathological examination, no epineurial inflammation or fibrosis was observed in the epidural PDRN groups. Conclusions Epidural injection of PDRN significantly improves mechanical allodynia and motor dysfunction in a rat model of LFS, which is mediated by the spinal adenosine A2A receptor. The present data support the need for further research to determine the role of epidural PDRN in spinal stenosis treatment.

Background: We aimed to investigate the effect of epidural polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN) on mechanical allodynia and motor dysfunction in a rat model of lumbar foraminal stenosis (LFS). Methods: This study was conducted in two stages, using male Sprague-Dawley rats. The rats were randomly divided into eight groups. In the first stage, the groups were as follows: vehicle (V), sham (S), and epidural PDRN at 5 (P5), 8 (P8), and 10 (P10) mg/kg; and in the second stage, they were as follows: intraperitoneal PDRN 8 mg/kg, epidural 3,7-dimethyl-1-propargilxanthine (DMPX) (0.1 mg/kg), and DMPX (0.1 mg/kg). The LFS model was established, except for the S group. After an epidural injection of the test solutions, von Frey and treadmill tests were conducted for 3 weeks. Subsequently, histopathologic examinations were conducted in the V, S, P5, and P10 groups. Results: A total of 65 rats were included. The P8 and P10 groups showed significant recovery from mechanical allodynia and motor dysfunction at all time points after drug administration compared to the V group. These effects were abolished by concomitant administration of DMPX. On histopathological examination, no epineurial inflammation or fibrosis was observed in the epidural PDRN groups. Conclusions Epidural injection of PDRN significantly improves mechanical allodynia and motor dysfunction in a rat model of LFS, which is mediated by the spinal adenosine A2A receptor. The present data support the need for further research to determine the role of epidural PDRN in spinal stenosis treatment.

OBJECTIVE: Memory Impairment has been proposed as the first sign in preclinical and early Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study aims to assess the utility of a new memory test based on Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test using pattern cue that seems useful for detecting memory impairments associated with AD. METHODS: Twenty-six patients with mild cognitive impairment, 24 AD patients at a mild stage, 35 normal controls and 8 Lewybody dementia (LBD) patients at a mild stage took part in the study. A newly devised Pattern Cued Recall Test (PCRT) was compared with established memory test, the word list recall from the Korean version of the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Packet (CERAD-K). To assess the ability of the PCRT subtests and CERAD-K to screen dementia, receiver operating characteristic curves were plotted. RESULTS: The distinctive feature of the PCRT was that encoding specificity was increased by adding an immediate cued recall stage at the encoding phase. PCRT was confirmed as having sufficient validity to diagnose dementias. Compared to CERAD-K, the PCRT had similar accuracy of discriminating AD. But the analysis showed better diagnostic validity of PCRT than CERAD-K in LBD. Therefore, this test appears to be, especially, well suited for the diagnosis of mild LBD. CONCLUSION: This study showed that a memory test based on controlled encoding and retrieval condition and especially using pattern cue could be effective methodology for mild AD and LBD from normal control. PCRT could be an alternative to diagnose LBD by testing visual impairments, which is a hallmark symptom of LBD. Therefore, a further clinical study should be promising.
Alzheimer Disease ; Cues* ; Dementia ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Memory ; Mild Cognitive Impairment ; ROC Curve ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Vision Disorders

Objective: Despite the growing need for psychological programs for North Korean refugees, most psychological interventions for these people lack a verification study that tests their effectiveness. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in North Korean refugees. Methods: Participants included 38 North Korean refugees, of whom 23 participated in simple relaxation and 15 participated in CBT. The Korean version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-State (STAI-S), and Impact of Event Scale-Revised were used to evaluate symptoms pre- and post-intervention. Results: Participants had a significant decrease in CES-D scores after treatment (p=0.037). The decrease in CES-D was larger in those who participated in the CBT compared to those in simple relaxation (p=0.023). The superior effects that CBT had on depressive symptoms over simple relaxation were particularly more prominent in those with severe depression (p=0.035). Participants with high levels of anxiety also showed significant decreases in STAI-S scores after treatment, regardless of which type of program they participated in (p=0.023). Conclusion This preliminary findings suggests that CBT is an effective psychiatric approach in treating depressive symptoms in North Korean refugees, especially for those with a higher degree of depressive symptom.

A total of 1,708 small mammals (1,617 rodents and 91 soricomorphs), including Apodemus agrarius (n = 1,400), Microtus fortis (167), Crocidura lasiura (91), Mus musculus (32), Myodes (= Eothenomys) regulus (9), Micromys minutus (6), and Tscherskia (= Cricetulus) triton (3), were live-trapped at US/Republic of Korea (ROK) military training sites near the demilitarized zone (DMZ) of Paju, Pocheon, and Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province from December 2004 to December 2009. Small mammals were examined for their intestinal nematodes by necropsy. A total of 1,617 rodents (100%) and 91 (100%) soricomorphs were infected with at least 1 nematode species, including Nippostrongylus brasiliensis, Heligmosomoides polygyrus, Syphacia obvelata, Heterakis spumosa, Protospirura muris, Capillaria spp., Trichuris muris, Rictularia affinis, and an unidentified species. N. brasiliensis was the most common species infecting small mammals (1,060; 62.1%) followed by H. polygyrus (617; 36.1%), S. obvelata (370; 21.7%), H. spumosa (314; 18.4%), P. muris (123; 7.2%), and Capillaria spp. (59; 3.5%). Low infection rates (0.1-0.8%) were observed for T. muris, R. affinis, and an unidentified species. The number of recovered worms was highest for N. brasiliensis (21,623 worms; mean 20.4 worms/infected specimen) followed by S. obvelata (9,235; 25.0 worms), H. polygyrus (4,122; 6.7 worms), and H. spumosa (1,160; 3.7 worms). A. agrarius demonstrated the highest prevalence for N. brasiliensis (70.9%), followed by M. minutus (50.0%), T. triton (33.3%), M. fortis (28.1%), M. musculus (15.6%), C. lasiura (13.2%), and M. regulus (0%). This is the first report of nematode infections in small mammals captured near the DMZ in ROK.
Animals ; Animals, Wild ; Female ; Helminthiasis/epidemiology/parasitology ; Helminths/*classification/*isolation & purification ; Insectivora/*parasitology ; Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic/epidemiology/parasitology/*veterinary ; Intestines/parasitology ; Male ; Prevalence ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Rodentia/*parasitology

A total of 1,708 small mammals (1,617 rodents and 91 soricomorphs), including Apodemus agrarius (n = 1,400), Microtus fortis (167), Crocidura lasiura (91), Mus musculus (32), Myodes (= Eothenomys) regulus (9), Micromys minutus (6), and Tscherskia (= Cricetulus) triton (3), were live-trapped at US/Republic of Korea (ROK) military training sites near the demilitarized zone (DMZ) of Paju, Pocheon, and Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province from December 2004 to December 2009. Small mammals were examined for their intestinal nematodes by necropsy. A total of 1,617 rodents (100%) and 91 (100%) soricomorphs were infected with at least 1 nematode species, including Nippostrongylus brasiliensis, Heligmosomoides polygyrus, Syphacia obvelata, Heterakis spumosa, Protospirura muris, Capillaria spp., Trichuris muris, Rictularia affinis, and an unidentified species. N. brasiliensis was the most common species infecting small mammals (1,060; 62.1%) followed by H. polygyrus (617; 36.1%), S. obvelata (370; 21.7%), H. spumosa (314; 18.4%), P. muris (123; 7.2%), and Capillaria spp. (59; 3.5%). Low infection rates (0.1-0.8%) were observed for T. muris, R. affinis, and an unidentified species. The number of recovered worms was highest for N. brasiliensis (21,623 worms; mean 20.4 worms/infected specimen) followed by S. obvelata (9,235; 25.0 worms), H. polygyrus (4,122; 6.7 worms), and H. spumosa (1,160; 3.7 worms). A. agrarius demonstrated the highest prevalence for N. brasiliensis (70.9%), followed by M. minutus (50.0%), T. triton (33.3%), M. fortis (28.1%), M. musculus (15.6%), C. lasiura (13.2%), and M. regulus (0%). This is the first report of nematode infections in small mammals captured near the DMZ in ROK.
Animals ; Animals, Wild ; Female ; Helminthiasis/epidemiology/parasitology ; Helminths/*classification/*isolation & purification ; Insectivora/*parasitology ; Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic/epidemiology/parasitology/*veterinary ; Intestines/parasitology ; Male ; Prevalence ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Rodentia/*parasitology