BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to examine the effects of normal aging and cerebral pathology on the prospective memory and the relationships between the prospective memory and frontal lobe functions. METHODS: The subjects were 30 college students, 30 normal elderly, and 30 Parkinson's disease patients. There was no significant difference in the mean age or education level between the normal elderly and Parkinson's disease patients. The Cambridge Prospective Memory Test and the Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire were administered to evaluate the prospective memory. The Seoul Verbal Learning Test and Rey Complex Figure Test were given to assess the verbal and visual episodic memories. The subjects also took the Sorting Test, the Korean-Color Word Stroop Test, and the Iowa Gambling Task to assess the frontal lobe functions. RESULTS: The results showed that the prospective memory declines with aging and pathological process. The normal elderly showed significantly lower scores on the time-based prospective memory than the event-based prospective memory, although the college students and Parkinson's disease patients did not show any differences between them. Many significant correlations were found between the prospective memory tests and frontal lobe tests in the normal elderly and Parkinson's disease patients, although only a few correlations were found in the college students. CONCLUSIONS: These quantitative and qualitative changes in the prospective memory by aging and frontal lobe dysfunction would support the de-differentiation hypothesis of aging.
Aged ; Aging ; Frontal Lobe ; Gambling ; Humans ; Iowa ; Memory ; Memory, Episodic ; Parkinson Disease ; Stroop Test ; Verbal Learning

BACKGROUND: Tandem duplication of chromosome 17p11.2-p12 including peripheral myelin protein 22 (PMP22) gene is the most frequent cause of Charcot-Marie-Tooth 1A (CMT1A). Patients carrying one extra copy of PMP22 develop CMT1A, whereas the deletion of the 17p11.2-p12 region causes hereditary neuropathy with the liability to pressure palsies (HNPP). In the present study, we established the genotyping methods of 6 microsatellite markers (D17S921, D17S9B, D17S9A, D17S4A, D17S918 and D17S122) within the 17p11.2-p12 regions by the hexaplex PCR for the genetic diagnosis of CMT1A duplication and HNPP deletion. METHODS: We established polymorphic behavior and genotyping methods of 6 microsatellite markers (D17S921, D17S9B, D17S9A, D17S4A, D17S918 and D17S122) within the duplication region. The 6 markers were amplified by hexaplex PCR reaction and analyzed by an automatic sequencing analyzer and genotyper program. RESULTS: The genotype distributions of all markers were not significantly deviated from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (P>or=0.05). When comparing the control group and CMT1A, HNPP patients group by the distribution of allele, there is no significant difference in the 5 locus except in the 1 locus (D17S921) among HNPP patients. The specificity was more than 99.9%. The sensitivity of each CMT1 and HNPP was 56.3% (40/71 pedigrees) and 72.1% (31/43 HNPP pedigrees), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The error rate for the system may be less than 0.001. According to this study, it is possible to have rapid and exact genetic diagnosis of both CMT1A and HNPP, which may be helpful for the development of personalized therapy according to genetic defects.
Alleles ; Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease ; Diagnosis* ; Genotype ; Humans ; Microsatellite Repeats* ; Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Myelin Sheath ; Paralysis ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sensitivity and Specificity

Myoepithelioma is a relatively common benign tumor that exhibits various cellular morphologies. It primarily occurs in soft tissues, most commonly in the head and neck region, particularly in the salivary glands. Cases of intraosseous myoepithelioma have rarely been reported, with documented occurrences in sites such as the cranium, maxilla, iliac bone, vertebrae, tibia, and fibula. We present a rare case of intraosseous myoepithelioma involving zygomatic bone. 51-year-old male patient visited our clinic presenting zygomatic intraosseous tumor without any symptom. The patient underwent complete surgical excision involving subtotal portion of zygoma including frontal process, body and temporal process. The tumor had epithelial and spindle cell morphology and immunohistochemistry showed positive results for EMA, CK, SMA, S100, and negative results for CD34. After surgery, complete symmetry achieved, with no recurrence observed during a 1-year follow-up.

Myoepithelioma is a relatively common benign tumor that exhibits various cellular morphologies. It primarily occurs in soft tissues, most commonly in the head and neck region, particularly in the salivary glands. Cases of intraosseous myoepithelioma have rarely been reported, with documented occurrences in sites such as the cranium, maxilla, iliac bone, vertebrae, tibia, and fibula. We present a rare case of intraosseous myoepithelioma involving zygomatic bone. 51-year-old male patient visited our clinic presenting zygomatic intraosseous tumor without any symptom. The patient underwent complete surgical excision involving subtotal portion of zygoma including frontal process, body and temporal process. The tumor had epithelial and spindle cell morphology and immunohistochemistry showed positive results for EMA, CK, SMA, S100, and negative results for CD34. After surgery, complete symmetry achieved, with no recurrence observed during a 1-year follow-up.

Myoepithelioma is a relatively common benign tumor that exhibits various cellular morphologies. It primarily occurs in soft tissues, most commonly in the head and neck region, particularly in the salivary glands. Cases of intraosseous myoepithelioma have rarely been reported, with documented occurrences in sites such as the cranium, maxilla, iliac bone, vertebrae, tibia, and fibula. We present a rare case of intraosseous myoepithelioma involving zygomatic bone. 51-year-old male patient visited our clinic presenting zygomatic intraosseous tumor without any symptom. The patient underwent complete surgical excision involving subtotal portion of zygoma including frontal process, body and temporal process. The tumor had epithelial and spindle cell morphology and immunohistochemistry showed positive results for EMA, CK, SMA, S100, and negative results for CD34. After surgery, complete symmetry achieved, with no recurrence observed during a 1-year follow-up.

Myoepithelioma is a relatively common benign tumor that exhibits various cellular morphologies. It primarily occurs in soft tissues, most commonly in the head and neck region, particularly in the salivary glands. Cases of intraosseous myoepithelioma have rarely been reported, with documented occurrences in sites such as the cranium, maxilla, iliac bone, vertebrae, tibia, and fibula. We present a rare case of intraosseous myoepithelioma involving zygomatic bone. 51-year-old male patient visited our clinic presenting zygomatic intraosseous tumor without any symptom. The patient underwent complete surgical excision involving subtotal portion of zygoma including frontal process, body and temporal process. The tumor had epithelial and spindle cell morphology and immunohistochemistry showed positive results for EMA, CK, SMA, S100, and negative results for CD34. After surgery, complete symmetry achieved, with no recurrence observed during a 1-year follow-up.

Prurigo nodularis (PN) is a disease characterized by chronic itch and presence of firm nodules or papules on the skin. The underlying pathophysiology of PN is still under debate, but it has been reported to be due to synergistic neural- and immune-mediated mechanisms. In this review, the authors summarize the etiology, epidemiology, clinical characteristics, and diagnosis of PN and suggest management protocols for patients with PN despite the absence of local guidelines for PN in Korea. The prevalence of PN in Korea was reported as 0.036%, similar to that in other countries. The various etiologies of PN are known to be associated with neural sensitization and inflammation, and the related treatment targets being studied for PN include interleukin-4, 13, 31, and transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1). Understanding of predisposing factors or concomitant diseases is beneficial towards targeted management of patients with PN. In addition, it has been reported that PN is more frequently accompanied by metabolic diseases, or renal disorders compared to other inflammatory skin diseases characterized by itchiness such as atopic dermatitis or psoriasis. The clinical diagnosis of PN is generally based on three core symptoms; chronic pruritus over six weeks, firm lesions, and repeated scratching. To evaluate the severity of PN, the following objective and subjective assessments can be used: Investigator’s Global Assessment for PN or Peak Pruritus Numerical Rating Scale. We propose a localized work-up algorithm for PN. It is expected that the increased awareness of PN can facilitate its diagnosis, thereby reducing the disease burden of patients with PN.

We describe a rare case of terminal ileal diverticulitis in a 68-year-old female with a day of history of right lower quadrant pain and tenderness, mimicking acute appendicitis. Ultrasonography revealed small sac-like out-pouching lesions with increased echogenicity of surrounding fat in thickened terminal ileum, suggesting inflamed diverticula. We diagnosed terminal ileal diverticulitis primarily by ultrasonography. The diagnosis was confirmed by subsequent computed tomography.
Aged ; Appendicitis ; Diagnosis ; Diverticulitis* ; Diverticulum ; Female ; Humans ; Ileum* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Ultrasonography*

Pediatric breast disease is uncommon, and primary breast carcinoma in children is extremely rare. Therefore, the approach used to address breast lesions in pediatric patients differs from that in adults in many ways. Knowledge of the normal imaging features at various stages of development and the characteristics of breast disease in the pediatric population can help the radiologist to make confident diagnoses and manage patients appropriately. Most breast diseases in children are benign or associated with breast development, suggesting a need for conservative treatment. Interventional procedures might affect the developing breast and are only indicated in a limited number of cases. Histologic examination should be performed in pediatric patients, taking into account the size of the lesion and clinical history together with the imaging findings. A core needle biopsy is useful for accurate diagnosis and avoidance of irreparable damage in pediatric patients. Biopsy should be considered in the event of abnormal imaging findings, such as non-circumscribed margins, complex solid and cystic components, posterior acoustic shadowing, size above 3 cm, or an increase in mass size. A clinical history that includes a risk factor for malignancy, such as prior chest irradiation, known concurrent cancer not involving the breast, or family history of breast cancer, should prompt consideration of biopsy even if the lesion has a probably benign appearance on ultrasonography.
Acoustics ; Adolescent* ; Adult ; Biopsy ; Biopsy, Large-Core Needle ; Breast Diseases ; Breast Neoplasms ; Breast* ; Child* ; Diagnosis* ; Fibroadenoma ; Gynecomastia ; Humans ; Male ; Phyllodes Tumor ; Risk Factors ; Shadowing (Histology) ; Thorax ; Ultrasonography

BACKGROUND: Slim patients or those with large breasts may be ineligible for breast reconstruction with an abdominal flap, as the volume of the flap may be insufficient. This study aimed to establish that abdominal tissue–based breast reconstruction can be well suited for Korean patients, despite their thin body habitus. METHODS: A total of 252 patients who underwent postmastectomy breast reconstruction with an abdominal flap from October 2006 to May 2013 were retrospectively reviewed. The patients' age and body mass index were analyzed, and a correlation analysis was performed between the weight of the mastectomy specimen and that of the initial abdominal flap. RESULTS: The average weights of the mastectomy specimen and initial abdominal flap were 451.03 g and 644.95 g, respectively. The ratio of the weight of the mastectomy specimen to that of the initial flap was 0.71±0.23. There was a strong positive linear relationship between the weight of the mastectomy specimen and that of the initial flap (Pearson correlation coefficient, 0.728). Thirty nulliparous patients had a final-to-initial flap weight ratio of 0.66±0.11. The 25 patients who underwent a contralateral procedure had a ratio of 0.96±0.30. The adjusted ratio of the final flap weight to the initial flap weight was 0.66±0.12. CONCLUSIONS: Breast weight had a strong positive relationship with abdominal flap weight in Koreans. Abdominal flaps provided sufficient soft tissue for breast reconstruction in most Korean patients, including nulliparous patients. However, when the mastectomy weight is estimated to be >700 g, a contralateral reduction procedure may be considered.
Body Mass Index ; Breast* ; Female ; Free Tissue Flaps ; Humans ; Korea ; Mammaplasty* ; Mastectomy* ; Retrospective Studies ; Weights and Measures