Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by the accumulation of amyloid beta (Aβ) and the hyperphosphorylation of tau protein in the brain, leading to the increase in inflammation and neuronal loss. Recently, evidences to support the association between type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and AD have markedly increased by clinical researches and experimental studies. Reduced insulin action and impaired glucose metabolism in the brain leads to diabetes induced AD. Androgen, a male sex hormone, was known to regulate inflammatory response, Aβ deposition in AD, insulin signaling, and synaptic plasticity in brain. Clinical studies demonstrated that androgen deficiency results in the increased risk of AD and its severe progression in male subjects. We reviewed the significant evidences to support that low testosterone levels are linked to diabetes-induced AD based on previous studies. Thus, we highlight the therapeutic potential of androgen in diabetes induced AD.
Alzheimer Disease* ; Amyloid ; Brain ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Glucose ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Insulin ; Insulin Resistance ; Male ; Metabolism ; Neuronal Plasticity ; Neurons ; tau Proteins ; Testosterone

The objectives of this study were to observe normal peristalsis and mixing (or segmental movements) and to evaluate an acupuncture stimulation (ST-36 and BL-27) on the intestinal (duodenum) motility in normal dogs using duplex Doppler sonography. Fifteen healthy Beagle dogs were used for this experiment after the administration of warm saline and pellet feeding. The duodenal motility was examined using duplex Doppler sonography. Six hours after the pellet feeding, an electroacupuncture stimulation at ST-36 and BL-27 was applied and the duodenal motility was examined using duplex Doppler sonography pre-stimulation, during the stimulation and post-stimulation. After saline and pellet administration, the duplex Doppler sonograms showed 3 types of peristalsis and a mixing type (or segmental movement) of duodenum motility. In the peristalsis types, most yielded high-amplitude signals which had one high peak (type-1), two high peaks (type-2), and three high peaks (type-3) and lasted more than 1.3 seconds. Mixing type of duodenum motility had weak signals and were lasted more than 1.5 seconds. Among the peristalsis types, the type 1 and type 2 were predominant and the type 3 was rarely observed. The frequency of intestinal motility stimulated by ST-36 acupoint was increased during the acupuncture stimulation (20% increase compared to the basal value) and decreased (7% decrease compared to the basal value) after stimulation. The frequency of intestinal motility stimulated by BL-27 acupoint was decreased during the acupuncture stimulation (31% decrease compared to the basal value) and increased (18% increase compared to the basal value) after stimulation. There was a significant increase(p<0.01) between the value found in during and the post-stimulation tests. We conclude that duplex Doppler studies permit a graphic visualization of intestinal movements which can be qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed using this technique, it is possible to evaluate the gastrointestinal motility after an acupuncture stimulation.
Acupuncture Points ; Animals ; Dogs/*physiology ; Electroacupuncture/methods/*veterinary ; *Gastrointestinal Motility ; Intestine, Small/physiology/*ultrasonography ; Peristalsis ; Ultrasonography, Doppler, Duplex/methods/*veterinary

PURPOSE: To assess outcomes from patients who underwent radical prostatectomy and had their indwelling urinary catheter removed on postoperative day (POD) 4 or 7. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The medical records of 107 consecutive patients receiving radical prostatectomy (RP), were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were categorized into two groups according to length of catheterization. Group 1 (n=40) had the urethral catheter removed on postoperative day (POD) 4, and group 2 (n=67) had the catheter removed on POD7. Group 1 had urethral catheter removal following no leakage on intraoperative leak testing and POD4 cystography, whilst group 2 exhibited leakage at POD4 and instead had routine POD7 urethral catheter removal if there was evidence of no leakage of POD7 cystography. Incontinence was checked according to the use of protective pad. RESULTS: The mean age of the study population was 67.0 years. acute urinary retension (AUR) following catheter removal occurred in 6 of the cohort (5.6%); 3 patients (7.5%) from group 1 and 3 (4.5%) from group 2 (p=0.669). The overall continence rate was 39.3%, 68.2%, 80.4%, and 91.6% at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months respectively. Importantly, the incontinence recovery pace of group 1 was notably higher than that of group 2 (p=0.001). Neither group exhibited bladder neck contracture. Intraoperative factors influencing the decision to remove catheter at POD4 following RP, are bladder neck reconstruction (OR=3.792, p=0.010) and nerve sparing (OR=6.646, p=0.008). CONCLUSIONS: Selective early urethral catheter removal may shorten the length of incontinence recovery, without increasing the risk of AUR and bladder neck contracture.
Catheterization ; Catheters ; Cohort Studies ; Contracture ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Neck ; Prostatectomy* ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; Retrospective Studies ; Urinary Bladder ; Urinary Catheters*

Benign vascular tumors are relatively common in the head and neck region, but are rarely found in the ear. Among vascular tumors, infantile hemangioma stands as the prevailing entity, characterized by a rapid initial proliferation of endothelial cells, succeeded by a gradual regression over the course of several years. In contrast, arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is a less common phenomenon, originating from peripheral vascular anomalies during embryogenesis, and it does not undergo spontaneous regression. Specifically, the occurrence of AVM within the external auditory canal are exceedingly uncommon. Here, we describe a case of a 49-year-old male patient who had a mass incidentally discovered in the external auditory canal, but refused initial treatment. He later returned as the mass enlarged. This case could have been clinically misdiagnosed as a hemangioma, but was ultimately diagnosed pathologically as an AVM.

PURPOSE: Rathke’s cleft cyst (RCC) is an asymptomatic benign lesion. With increased interest in pediatric endocrinology, the prevalence of RCCs in children is also increasing. However, the clinical relevance and proper management of RCC is not well defined in children. Therefore, we investigated the clinical manifestations and radiologic features of RCC in children and adolescents, as well as the natural progression of RCC. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 91 children and adolescents with RCC diagnosed with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in Severance Children’s Hospital from January 2006 to December 2015. The clinical, hormonal, and imaging findings were analyzed in patient groups classified according to age. The size of each cyst was assessed in sixty patients who underwent follow-up MRI during the 2 years. RESULTS: Female patients were predominant (64 vs. 27). The common clinical features at presentation were endocrine dysfunction (59.3%), headache (23.0%), and dizziness (4.4%). Symptoms related to endocrine disorders were more frequent in younger patients. In 7 patients managed surgically, the cysts were significantly larger and more frequently located in the suprasellar region. Of 60 nonsurgical patients with a follow-up MRI performed within 2 years after the diagnosis, the RCC size increased in about 26.7% (n=16). CONCLUSION: Although 94.4% of the patients with RCC had clinical symptoms, surgery was performed in only about 7.5% of patients. RCC is associated with pituitary insufficiency, thus, baseline and follow-up endocrine function tests are required. Additionally, regular MRI follow-up is required in long-term period to monitor change in size.
Adolescent* ; Central Nervous System Cysts ; Child* ; Diagnosis ; Dizziness ; Endocrine System Diseases ; Endocrinology ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Headache ; Humans ; Hypopituitarism ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Medical Records ; Natural History ; Prevalence ; Retrospective Studies

Background and Objectives: To analyze mapping changes in dynamic range (DR) and neural response threshold (NRT) as prognostic factors for cochlear implant (CI). To analyze whether postoperative speech perception performance could be predicted using DR change and initial NRT. Subjects and Methods: The speech comprehension data of 33 patients with CI were retrospectively analyzed after 1, 3, 6, and 12 months of device use. All subjects were adult, postlingually hearing-impaired, and Cochlear Nucleus CI users. Speech perception performance was evaluated using aided pure tone audiometry, consonant, vowel, one-word, two-word, and sentence tests. Results: The averages of initial NRT and DR changes were 197.8±25.9 CU (104–236) and 22.2±18.4 CU (-15–79), respectively. The initial DR was 40.8±16.6 CU. The postoperative DR was 50.3±16.4 CU at 3 months, 58±12.3 CU at 6 months, and 62.9±10.4 CU at 12 months. A gradual increase of DR was observed during the first year of CI. Compared with the initial DR, significant increases in DR were observed at 3 (p<0.05), 6 (p<0.001), and 12 (p<0.001) months. Compared with initial speech performance outcomes, a significant gain in all performance outcomes was achieved at 12 months (p<0.001). Conclusions Patients with low NRT after CI surgery could initially set DR to a wider range and had better final speech perception outcomes. Conversely, patients with high NRT after CI surgery had to set up a gradual increase in DR while adjusting the T-C level, and the final speech perception outcomes were worse. DR and NRT, the main CI mapping variables, can help predict prognosis related to speech perception outcomes after CI surgery. In conclusion, the post-CI speech perception is better with a lower initial NRT, wider final DR, or younger age.

Chylomicronemia is a severe type of hypertriglyceridemia characterized by chylomicron accumulation that arises from a genetic defect in intravascular lipolysis. It requires urgent and proper management, because serious cases can be accompanied by pancreatic necrosis or persistent multiple organ failure. We present the case of a 1-month-old infant with chylomicronemia treated by plasmapheresis. His chylomicronemia was discovered incidentally when lactescent plasma was noticed during routine blood sampling during a hospital admission for fever and irritability. Laboratory investigation revealed marked triglyceridemia (>5,000 mg/dL) with high chylomicron levels. We therefore decided to perform a therapeutic plasmapheresis to prevent acute pancreatitis. Sequence analysis revealed a homozygous novel mutation in exon 4 of GPIHBP1: c.476delG (p.Gly159Alafs). Glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored high density lipoprotein-binding protein 1 (GPIHBP1) stabilizes the binding of chylomicrons near lipoprotein lipase and supports lipolysis. Mutations of GPIHBP1, the most recently discovered gene, can lead to severe hyperlipidemia and are known to make up only 2% of the monogenic mutations associated with chylomicronemia. The patient maintains mild hypertriglyceridemia without rebound after single plasmapheresis and maintenance fibrate medication so far. Here, we report an infant with chylomicronemia due to GPIHBP1 mutation, successfully treated by plasmapheresis.
Chylomicrons ; Exons ; Fever ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias ; Hypertriglyceridemia ; Infant* ; Infant, Newborn* ; Lipolysis ; Lipoprotein Lipase ; Multiple Organ Failure ; Necrosis ; Pancreatitis ; Plasma ; Plasmapheresis* ; Sequence Analysis

OBJECTIVE: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease, mainly involving joints and bones. Sauchinone is an anti-inflammatory agent isolated from Saururus chinensis, which was used in oriental medicine. The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic effect of sauchinone on inflammatory arthritis and underlying mechanism of anti-arthritic effect. METHODS: Mice with collagen induced arthritis (CIA) was intraperitoneally injected with sauchinone (20 mg/kg) or vehicle. The clinical and histological evaluations were performed with arthritis scoring and hematoxylin-eosin staining, respectively. CD4+ interleukin (IL) 17+ T cells were determined under Th17 skewing condition treated with sauchinone. To evaluate the effect of sauchinone on osteoclastogenesis, mice bone marrow macrophages (BMMs) and human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were cultured with macrophage-colony stimulating factor and receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand in the absence or presence of sauchinone. RESULTS: Sauchinone significantly attenuated the inflammatory arthritis in CIA mice both clinically and histologically. The proportion of Th17 cells were decreased with treatment with sauchinone in vivo and in vitro. The expressions of Th17 cell markers (IL-17 and retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor gamma t) and B cell markers (activation-induced cytidine deaminase) were downregulated in the presence of sauchinone. Sauchinone also suppressed the formation of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase positive cells from mice BMMs and human PBMCs, and the expression of osteoclastogenic markers. CONCLUSION: Sauchinone alleviates inflammatory arthritis in mice through inhibition of Th17 differentiation and osteoclastogenesis. Sauchinone, one of traditional herbal medicine, could be a therapeutic candidate for the treatment of RA.
Acid Phosphatase ; Animals ; Arthritis* ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Bone Marrow ; Child ; Child, Orphaned ; Collagen ; Cytidine ; Herbal Medicine ; Humans ; In Vitro Techniques ; Interleukins ; Joints ; Macrophages ; Medicine, East Asian Traditional ; Mice* ; Saururaceae ; T-Lymphocytes ; Th17 Cells ; Tretinoin