We provide the reader with a brief introduction to the neurobiology of neuropeptides. Several comprehensive reviews of the distribution and neurochemical. neurophysiological. neuropharmacological and behavioral effects of the major neuropeptides have recently appeared. In reviews of the large number of neuropeptides in brain and their occurance in brain regions thought to be involved in the pathogenesis of major psychiatric disorders, investigators have sought to determine whether alternations in neuropeptide systems are associated with schizophrenia, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, alcoholism and neurodegenerative disease. There is no longer any doubt that neuropeptide-containing are altered in several neuropsychiatric disorders. One of the factors that has hindered neuropeptide research to a considerable extent is the lack of pharmacological agents that specifically alter the synaptic availability of neuropeptides. With the exception of naloxone and naltrexone, the opiate-receptor antagonists, there are few available neuropeptide-receptor antagonists. Two independent classes of neuropeptide-receptor antagonists has been expected to be clinically useful. Naltrexone a potent micro-receptor antagonist has been used successfully to reduce the need for alcohol consumption. And cholecycstokinin antagonists are now in development as a new class of anxiolytics, which would be expected to be free from tolerance and physical dependence and lack of sedation. In this review, we deal with these two kinds of neuropeptide system, the opioid system and cholesystokinins in the brain. The role of opioid systems in the reinforcement after alcohol consumtion and that of cholesystokinins in the pathogenesis of anxiety will be discussed briefly. As we know, the future for neuropeptides in psychiatry remains bright indeed.
Alcohol Drinking ; Alcoholism ; Anti-Anxiety Agents ; Anxiety ; Anxiety Disorders ; Brain ; Cholecystokinin* ; Endorphins* ; Humans ; Mood Disorders ; Naloxone ; Naltrexone ; Neurobiology ; Neurodegenerative Diseases ; Neuropeptides* ; Panic ; Research Personnel ; Schizophrenia

Arteriovenous malformation of the pancreas is a rare disease, and it is manifested by gastrointestinal bleeding and/or portal hypertension. Surgery is definitely the treatment of choice at the early stage of the disease, and a transcatheter embolization is an alternative treatment for the control of bleeding and if the lesion is surgically inaccessible. We describe a 62-year-old man who had refractory ascites and esophageal variceal bleeding caused by a pancreatic arteriovenous malformation associated with portal hypertension; this was successfully treated by a transjugular intrahepatic portosytemic shunt.
Arteriovenous Malformations* ; Ascites ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hypertension, Portal* ; Middle Aged ; Pancreas ; Portasystemic Shunt, Surgical* ; Rare Diseases

The authors investigated the radioallergosorbent test (RAST) for the specific IgE and the prick test with hose dust mite in 129 patients with atopic dermatitis(AD) wit4 four or more family numbers. RAST and prick test results were described according to family background of respiratory atopy(RA) and severity of AD. The results are summarized as follows : l. A comparison between the prick test results and RAST reactions gave a concordance of 88%. The prick test was more sensitive than the RAST. 2. The level of specific IgE in patients with personal history(PH) or family history(FH) of RA was significantly increased compared to those in patients with only AD. 3. In patients without PH and FH of RA, the level of specific IgE in patients with FH of AD was significantly increased compared to those in patients without FH of AD. 4. The level of specific IgE did not reflect the severity of AD. From the above results, it could be concluded that type I allergy to house dust mite is not directly related to AD and it occurs predominantly in those patients with AD wha have a predisposition to RA.
Dermatitis, Atopic* ; Dust* ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Hypersensitivity* ; Immunoglobulin E ; Mites ; Pyroglyphidae* ; Radioallergosorbent Test

No abstract available.
Animals ; Anoxia* ; Brain* ; Dopamine* ; Norepinephrine* ; Rats* ; Serotonin*

BACKGROUND: Isolated infraspinatus tear is very rare and clinical features are not as well known, therefore the purpose of this study was to evaluate clinical characteristics and outcomes of isolated infraspinatus tear that authors experienced. METHODS: Authors reviewed 288 cases of full-thickness rotator cuff tear involving infraspinatus between 2010 and 2015, and retrospectively analyzed six cases of isolated infraspinatus tear. Perioperative clinical characteristics, postoperative functional outcomes of 6 months were investigated. Functional evaluation included visual analogue scale (VAS), range of motions, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score, and Constant score. RESULTS: Calcific tendinitis was accompanied in 4 cases (66.7%). Three of them received steroid injection or aspiration or extracorporeal shockwave therapy. Mean preoperative pain VAS was 7.1 (range, 5–9), and mean postoperative pain VAS at 6 months later was 1.6 (range, 0–5). Preoperative muscle strength by isokinetic muscle performance test showed 52% deficit of abduction and 37.6% deficit of external rotation. All 6 patients had arthroscopic repair of the infraspinatus tendon. All the patients at the 6 months follow-up exhibited clinical improvement in the Constant score (67.8 [range, 45–77] to 89.3 [range, 81–100], p=0.029), and ASES score (52.3 [range, 30–77] to 90.0 [range, 80–100], p=0.002). There was no healing failure on imaging. CONCLUSIONS: Isolated infraspinatus tendon tear was frequently accompanied by calcific tendinitis, but pathophysiologic relationship should need more study. To rule out neurogenic etiology, magnetic resonance imaging and electromyography would be helpful. Arthroscopic infraspinatus tendon repair and supraspinatus debridement showed relatively good result in painful shoulder.
Debridement ; Elbow ; Electromyography ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Muscle Strength ; Pain, Postoperative ; Retrospective Studies ; Rotator Cuff ; Rupture* ; Shoulder ; Surgeons ; Tears ; Tendinopathy ; Tendons

We observed a 51-year-old male, who developed depigmented patches on the lower abdomen after photochemotherapy(PUVA) of psoriasis without evidence of phototoxic reaction. The depigmented patches did not orginate from the sites of previous psoriatic lesions. Fontana-Masson stain of the biopsy specimen revealed nearly absent melanin pigments in the epidrmis of the hypopigmented patch, while lots of pigments were obsereved on the surrounding hyperpigmented area. Electron micrograph showed no melanocytes in the hypopigmented patch. Thus we report this case as having vitiliginous patches induced by photochemotherapy of psoriasis.
Abdomen ; Biopsy ; Humans ; Male ; Melanins ; Melanocytes ; Middle Aged ; Photochemotherapy* ; Psoriasis* ; Vitiligo

A case of complete loss of penile skin treated with scrotal skin graft was presented in a 26 year old male. This case was noted to be a complete loss of penile skin which was developed under local anesthesia with formalin 30 cc during circumcision. The implantation of the penis in the scrotum was performed by the scrotal tunnel method. Complete logs of penile skin was restored by implanting the denuded surface under the subcutaneous tissue of the scrotum.
Adult ; Anesthesia, Local ; Circumcision, Male ; Female ; Formaldehyde ; Humans ; Male ; Penis ; Scrotum ; Skin* ; Subcutaneous Tissue ; Transplants*

This study was undertaken to elucidate any quantitative abnormalities of Tlymphocyte subsets (helper/inducer T cell; T cell and suppressor/cytotoxic T cell: T cell) and IgE levels in the peripheraI blood in atopic dermatitis patients by using monoclonal antibodies and enzyme immunoassay, respectively. In addition we have tried to ascertain whether there are any correlations betveen such immuiiologic abnormalities and the severity of the disease. The results showed that there were significant decrease in the mean percentage of T Cells and increase in the mean value of T/T cell ratios in patients with atopic dermatitis. These changes seem to relate to the severity of the disease when evaluated as groups. A significant increase in the mean value of serum IgE was found in atopic dermatitis patients and the change was related to the severity of the disease. But increase of serum IgE level did not correlated closely with the T cell abnormalities in each patients.
Antibodies, Monoclonal ; Dermatitis, Atopic* ; Humans ; Immunoenzyme Techniques ; Immunoglobulin E* ; T-Lymphocyte Subsets* ; T-Lymphocytes

PURPOSE: Choroid Plexus papilloma is a rare intracranial neoplasm that is most commonly found in the trigone of the lateral ventricle in children or in the fourth ventricle in adult. Extraventricular extension of choroid plexus papilloma has been rarely reported within the cerebellopontine angle (CPA) cistern. Authors report two cases of choroid plexus papilloma in the posterior fossa seen on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: MRI findings of two cases of choroid plexus papilloma in posterior fossa were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: In the first case, the tumor was in the fourth ventricle and extended to the left CPA cistern via the foramen of Luschka. In the second case, the tumor presented as an expansile mass of the of fourth ventricle and right lateral recess. Multiple signal voids of low intensity due to prominent feeding vessels and calcifications within the tumors were noted. CONCLUSION: This report demonstrates MR findings of choroid plexus papilloma in the posterior fossa with the brief review of the literatures.
Adult ; Brain Neoplasms ; Cerebellopontine Angle ; Child ; Choroid Plexus* ; Choroid* ; Fourth Ventricle ; Humans ; Lateral Ventricles ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Papilloma, Choroid Plexus* ; Retrospective Studies

We aimed to study the clinicopathologic features of inflammatory fibroid polyp by histological and immunohistochemical methods. The materials used in this study consisted of 9 cases of inflammatory fibroid polyp: 4 in the stomach, 4 in the small intestine and 1 in the cecum. The results were as follows: Females were affected more frequently than males and the average age was 45 years(range:27-61). In cases of gastric lesion, the size tended to be smaller, the mass was mainly located along the greater curvature side of antrum, and confined to the submucosa. However inflammatory fibroid polyp of the small intestine was over 2.5 cm in size, located along the antemesenteric border, and involved the proper muscle layer. In addition, intussusception was accompanied by polyp in 2 cases of small intestinal lesions. Histologically inflammatory fibroid polyps of the stomach were characterized by prominent lymphocytic infiltration and occasional onion-skinning of stromal cells, whereas plasmocytic infiltration was prominent in those of the small intestine. Main component cells comprising this lesion were confirmed to be fibroblasts by immunohistochemistry which revealed strong reactivity to vimentin in the cytoplasm of slindle cells.
Female ; Male ; Humans