In the rat lumbar spinal cord, the pathways and distribution of corticospinal tract (CST) axons were investigated using retrograde transport of Fast Blue(FB) and Fluoro-Gold(FG). The purpose of this study was, therefore, to fond the extent of CST projections in the lateral funiculus in the rat. Total of twelve female rats were used in this study. The laminectomy was performed at the 78 cord level to expose the spinal cord. Using a radiofrequency lesioning device, the CST, including the dorsal columns, were lesioned bilaterally. Three to seven days after lesioning, two laminectomies were performed at C6-8 and L3-5 to expose the spinal cord for dye injections. Retrograde tracing of fast blue(FB) and fluoro-gold(FG) were used to quantitate the number of cerebral cortex neurons projecting to the lumbar cord through tracts other than the CST in the dorsal column. New findings of the this study are : (1) a small number of CST axons projected to lumbosacral spinal cord bilaterally in the dorsolateral funiculi. (2) some axons projecting to the lumbar cord through the dorsolateral funiculi are collateral of neuron that project to the cervical spinal cord. Our results suggest that there are a larger number of CSTs than previously thought projecting to the lumbar spinal cord through the lateral funiculi. These residual tracts may play a role in the functional recovery of the affected limbs.
Animals ; Axons ; Cerebral Cortex ; Extremities ; Female ; Humans ; Laminectomy ; Neurons ; Pyramidal Tracts* ; Rats* ; Spinal Cord*

A single dose (2.0, 5.0, 10.0 mg/kg) of pyrantel embonate given to three groups consisting 301 children with Ascaris lumbricoides infection achieved a cure rate of 91.3%, 94.4% and 98.9% respectively. Whereas in the other two groups of 71 and 75 patients who received 75 mg/kg body weight with piperazine adipate 2 or 3 consecutive days, the cure rates were 62.0% and 74.7% respectively. Administration of a single recommended dose of santonin-kainic acid complex given to 77 patients achived a cure rate of 80.5% with 91.0% of egg reduction rate. The cure rate resulting from a single lowest dose 2.5 mg/kg pyrantel embonate was significantly higher than those of piperazine adipate and santonin-kainic acid complex in the mass treatment for ascariasis. in addition to the group of 2.5 mg/kg pyrantel embonate treatment, the side effect was lesser than those of the other groups. Considering the efficacy and safety of pyrantel embonate against Ascaris lumbricoides, it would be one of the useful agents for the mass treatment of Ascaris control.
parasitology-helminth-nematoda-Ascaris lumbricoides ; pyrantel embonate ; piperazine adipate ; santonin-kainic acid complex ; chemotherapy

The new drug niclofolan (bayer 9015, Bilevon), 5,5'-dichloro-2,2'-dihydroxy-3, 3'-dinitrobiphenyl, has been used in the treatment of Paragonimus westermani in dogs and cats and P. iloktsuenensis in rats. It was proved that administration of daily dose of 1.0 mg/kg body weight for 3 days or in 2 doses of 2.0 mg/kg body weight by alternate days were evidently effective for the infected dogs, cats and rats with the lung flukes, and toxic manifestations were not found.
parasitology-helminth-trematoda ; Paragonimus iloktsuenensis ; paragonimiasis ; Paragonimus westermani ; dog ; cat ; rat ; niclofolan-chemotherapy ; niclofolan

Experimentally infected rats with 50 metacercariae of Clonorchis sinensis each were treated orally with different dosages of praziquantel. About 100 rats were divided into 8 groups in each developmental week after infection (from the first to 8th week after infection) and 24 rats served as untreated controls. In each developmental week after infection, about 15 rats divided into 4groups including control group(3 to 5 rats) were used to determine for the curative activity of praziquantel against C. sinensis. The experimentally infected rats in each developmental weeks after infection received praziquantel 1 x 100 mg/kg x 3 days , 3 x 100 mg/kg x 1 day and 3 x 100 mg/kg x 2 days. The effects of the drug were evaluated by the worm recovery rates, morphological changes of the worms and the number of eggs per gram of feces (EPG) after treatment. The feces of individual rats were collected once in a week at one week before and 4 weeks after treatment, and the number of Clonorchis eggs were examined by Stoll's egg counting method. The necropsy was performed on 4 weeks after treatment. The liver and the bile ducts were examined immediately after the dissection, and all of the worms recovered from the liver immersed in warm saline solution in a small petri dish in order to observe the motility of individual worms. After that, all worms obtained from the treated and untreated control rats were fixed in 10 percent formalin solution. The whole mount specimens were prepared by Semichon's acetocarmine stain for the study of morphlogical changes. In the treatment with dosage of 1 X 100 mg/kg for 3 consecutive days, relatively low worm recovery rates were shown in the early stages of infection than those of control groups. However there was no differences of the worm recovery rates between the later stages of infection (7 to 8 weeks after infection) and control groups. In the early stages of infection, the worms recovered in the bile ducts of each treated rats showed morphologically intact as normal control groups, however in the later stages of infection the worms showed damage of their reproductive organs such as testes, seminal receptacle and ovary etc. In the treatment with dosage of 3 X100 mg/kg X 1 day, the recovery rates of the worms in all developmental weeks after infection were considerably low and some growth inhibition of the worms were also noted. The worms recovered from the bile ducts in all developmental stages were seriously damaged in their reproductive organs, such as testes, seminal receptacle, ovary, Mehlis' gland, uterus and vitelline glands etc. The hyaline degenerations were also observed on the parenchymal tissues in the dead worms. The mean EPG values in this group were markedly reduced at the first 2 weeks after treatment. However the low values of EPG were generally noted at the 3rd to 4th week after treatment. On the other hand, in the treatment with dosage of 3 X 100 mg/kg X 2 days, no more the living worms was recovered in all developmental stages of Clonorchis . The dead worms recovered from the bile ducts were so seriously damaged that the morphological changes could not be observed. The mean EPG values in this group were markedly reduced during the first 2 weeks after treatment. At the 3rd week after treatment EPG value became negative in the most of all treated groups. No more the Clonorchis eggs were detected at the 4th week after infection, but only a very small numbers of eggs were found by the concentration method. From the above results, it is obvious that praziquantel exhibits a high degree of activity against Clonorchis sinensis in the rats, with no apparent differences in the efficacy against each developmental stage.
parasitology-helminth-trematoda ; Clonorchis sinensis ; chemotherapy-praziquantel ; rat ; praziquantel

Live-born cases of partial trisomy 12q are rare, and only a few fetuses with this unbalanced translocation have survived to term. To our knowledge, only about 40 patients have been reported as having 12q duplication, and among them are no Korean reports. Here, we report the first Korean case of siblings with a 12q24.22q24.33 duplication. An 11-year-old boy visited our clinic for short stature. He was born small for his gestational age and had distinctive facial features, a history of surgery for anorectal malformation, psychomotor delay, intellectual disabilities, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). He had an older sister with similar clinical features. The chromosomal microarray of the patient and his sister showed identical results: a 16.2 Mb duplication of 12q24.22q24.33. They had an identical cutoff point, but their symptoms were not. Symptoms common to both included growth retardation, psychomotor delay, intellectual disability, ADHD, and small for their gestational age.

Among metastatic pancreatic tumors, malignant melanomas are rare. Here, we report a very rare case of a malignant melanoma that involved only the pancreas and liver, and was difficult to differentiate from a neuroendocrine tumor of the pancreas with a liver metastasis. A 65-year-old- male with no history of a malignant melanoma exhibited hypervascular hepatic and pancreatic tumors on computed tomography and contrast-enhanced endoscopic ultrasonography. He lacked lesions of the skin, eye, and gastrointestinal tract on physical examination, upper endoscopy, and a whole-body positron emission tomography-computed tomography scan; these sites are common primary sites of malignant melanoma. Finally, endoscopic ultrasound-guided pancreatic core biopsy and percutaneous ultrasonography-guided liver biopsy confirmed malignant melanoma of the pancreas and liver.
Biopsy ; Electrons ; Endoscopy ; Endosonography ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Humans ; Liver ; Male ; Melanoma ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neuroendocrine Tumors ; Pancreas ; Pancreatic Neoplasms ; Physical Examination ; Skin

Among metastatic pancreatic tumors, malignant melanomas are rare. Here, we report a very rare case of a malignant melanoma that involved only the pancreas and liver, and was difficult to differentiate from a neuroendocrine tumor of the pancreas with a liver metastasis. A 65-year-old- male with no history of a malignant melanoma exhibited hypervascular hepatic and pancreatic tumors on computed tomography and contrast-enhanced endoscopic ultrasonography. He lacked lesions of the skin, eye, and gastrointestinal tract on physical examination, upper endoscopy, and a whole-body positron emission tomography-computed tomography scan; these sites are common primary sites of malignant melanoma. Finally, endoscopic ultrasound-guided pancreatic core biopsy and percutaneous ultrasonography-guided liver biopsy confirmed malignant melanoma of the pancreas and liver.

Synovitis acne pustulosis hyperostosis osteitis (SAPHO) syndrome is a rare disease that involves the skin, bones and joints. It is thought to be caused by infection with low-toxicity bacteria and to be the result of reactive infectious osteitis. However, this hypothesis has not yet been clearly established. New SAPHO syndrome treatment methods are needed because the disease does not respond to treatment in many cases. In this paper, a case is reported of SAPHO syndrome with pain in the acromioclavicular joint and with squamous and pustular macules on the palms and soles. First, the patient was treated with aceclofenac, prednisolon and sulfasalazine for two weeks. However, the symptoms were not relieved, so methotrexate and pamidronate were added to the treatment. Since no improvement was seen after four weeks of treatment, adalimumab was prescribed. The skin lesions were relieved two weeks later, and the bone pain and arthralgia, four weeks later. No recurrence or adverse effects were observed at the 22-week follow-up.
Acne Vulgaris ; Acquired Hyperostosis Syndrome ; Acromioclavicular Joint ; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized ; Arthralgia ; Bacteria ; Diclofenac ; Diphosphonates ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hyperostosis ; Joints ; Methotrexate ; Osteitis ; Rare Diseases ; Recurrence ; Skin ; Sulfasalazine ; Synovitis ; Adalimumab

BACKGROUND: Initial evaluation of injury severity in trauma patients is an important and challenging task. We aimed to assess whether easily measurable biochemical parameters (hemoglobin, pH, and prothrombin time/international normalized ratio [PT/INR]) can predict in-hospital mortality in patients with severe trauma. METHODS: This retrospective study involved review of the medical records of 315 patients with severe trauma and an injury severity score >15 who were managed at Gyeongsang National University Hospital between January 2005 and December 2015. We extracted the following data: in-hospital mortality, injury severity score, and initial hemoglobin level, pH, and PT/INR. The predictive values of these variables were compared using receiver operation characteristic curves. RESULTS: Of the 315 patients, 72 (22.9%) died. The in-hospital mortality rates of patients with hemoglobin levels <8.4 g/dl and ≥8.4 g/dl were 49.8% and 9.9%, respectively (P < 0.001). At a cutoff hemoglobin level of 8.4 g/dl, the sensitivity and specificity values for mortality were 81.9% and 86.4%, respectively. At a pH cutoff of 7.25, the sensitivity and specificity values for mortality were 66.7% and 77.8%, respectively; 66.7% of patients with a pH <7.25 died versus 22.2% with a pH ≥7.25 (P < 0.001). The in-hospital mortality rates for patients with PT/INR values ≥1.4 and <1.4 were 37.5% and 16%, respectively (P < 0.001; sensitivity, 37.5%; specificity, 84%). CONCLUSIONS: Using the suggested cutoff values, hemoglobin level, pH, and PT/INR can simply and easily be used to predict in-hospital mortality in patients with severe trauma.
Acidosis ; Biomarkers* ; Cohort Studies* ; Hospital Mortality* ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Injury Severity Score ; International Normalized Ratio ; Medical Records ; Mortality ; Prothrombin ; Retrospective Studies* ; Sensitivity and Specificity

Combination therapy with pegylated interferon (IFN) and ribavirin is the mainstay of treatment for chronic hepatitis C. An important side effect of IFN is the induction of an autoimmune disease such as autoimmune thyroid disease or, rarely, rheumatoid arthritis. However, the introduction of pegylated formulations of IFN can minimize the risk of autoimmune induction by reducing immunogenicity. Detection of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibodies can help distinguish rheumatoid arthritis from hepatitis C-related arthritis. Here, we report the first Korean case of a 48-year-old female who developed anti-CCP antibody-positive rheumatoid arthritis following peginterferon alpha-2a therapy for hepatitis C.
Antibodies ; Arthritis ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Autoimmune Diseases ; Female ; Hepatitis ; Hepatitis C ; Hepatitis C, Chronic ; Hepatitis, Chronic ; Humans ; Interferons ; Middle Aged ; Ribavirin ; Thyroid Diseases