PURPOSE: To report a case of prolonged bilateral inferior altitudinal visual field defect in a young migraine patient. CASE SUMMARY: A 13-year-old female patient presented with bilateral disturbance of visual acuity and visual field, which had begun one month before. She complained of headache, with recently increasing frequency, that occurred 3 or 4 days a week for about 2~3 hours duration, sometimes accompanied by nausea and located in the frontotemporal and retrobulbar area. Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed no abnormal finding in the brain and orbit. Her visual acuity was hand motion in both eyes and Humphrey visual field test showed bilateral inferior altitudinal visual field defect. Pupillary resonse was normal and extraocular muscle movement, anterior segment and fundus were also normal in ophthalmologic examination. Her best corrected visual acuity was 1.0 in both eyes by fogging method, but bilateral inferior altitudinal visual field defect persisted for 6 months follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Bilateral inferior altitudinal visual field defect can be developed in a migraine patient without other causes. Careful examinations to rule out other causes such as ischemic optic neuropathy or brain infarct should be performed in a migraine patient who complains of visual disturbance.
Adolescent ; Brain ; Epilepsy ; Eye ; Female ; Hand ; Headache ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Migraine Disorders ; Muscles ; Nausea ; Optic Neuropathy, Ischemic ; Orbit ; Visual Acuity ; Visual Field Tests ; Visual Fields ; Weather

PURPOSE: To compare the performance of glaucoma diagnosis according to the macular and peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thicknesses, as determined by spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT). METHODS: Ninety-six normal, 63 early glaucoma and 37 moderate to advanced glaucomatous eyes were imaged by Cirrus OCT. The areas under the receiver operating characteristics curves (AUCs) of macular and RNFL thicknesses were calculated for discrimination of normal and glaucomatous eyes. The sensitivity and specificity of normative classification of each parameter were assessed. RESULTS: The glaucoma diagnostic capability determined by AUC was greater when based on the peripapillary RNFL than the macular thickness (0.914, 0.775, p<0.001). Both the early and the moderate-to-advanced group showed higher AUCs in peripapillary RNFL thickness (early glaucoma group; 0.870, 0.670, p<0.001, moderate to advanced glaucoma group; 0.990, 0.954, p=0.03). The inferior outer sector of macular thickness showed highest sensitivity among the parameters (58%). CONCLUSIONS: Although Cirrus OCT applied to determine macular thickness did not outperform that applied to determine peripapillary RNFL thickness in glaucoma diagnosis, applying Cirrus OCT to determine both thicknesses in diagnosis may help in understanding a patient's status.
Area Under Curve ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Eye ; Glaucoma ; Nerve Fibers ; Retinaldehyde ; ROC Curve ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tomography, Optical Coherence

PURPOSE: To investigate and compare the clinical outcomes of wavefront-guided LASIK performed by 2 different laser platforms. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of consecutive cases of eyes that underwent wavefront-guided LASIK by using the VISX S4 CustomVue system and the Zyoptix Z100 system advanced personalized mode. All procedures were performed by one surgeon. Fifty-six eyes of 36 patients were included. Of the 56 eyes, 30 eyes underwent LASIK by using the VISX S4 CustomVue system (CustomVue group), and other 26 eyes underwent LASIK by using the Zyoptix Z100 system (APT group). Uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), manifest refraction, contrast sensitivity, total high order aberration (HOA), spherical aberration (SA) and Q-value were recorded preoperatively and at 1 week, 1 and 3 months postoperatively. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference between two groups in terms of preoperative UCVA, BCVA, manifest refraction, high order aberrations, Q-value and contrast sensitivity. Induced amount of SA was significantly lower in CustomVue group than in APT group (p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Wavefront-guided LASIK performed by 2 different laser platforms caused clinically acceptable outcomes including good visual acuity and contrast sensitivity through 3 months. Furthermore, LASIK performed by VISX S4 CustomVue system caused less SA at three months after operation.
Contrast Sensitivity ; Dimaprit ; Eye ; Humans ; Keratomileusis, Laser In Situ ; Retrospective Studies ; Visual Acuity

We encountered one case of Chinese Herb Nephropathy in Korea. But clinical feature of our case was different from those of CHN in Belgium. The purpose of this case report was clarified the features of CHN in Asia. The subjects consisted of a patient diagnosed as interstitial nephritis in Hanyang University Hospital and of those reported in the literature in Asia and Belgium. We investigated the clinical and histological features of CHN patients in Asia and compared them with the Belgian cases. The remarkable differences were as follows; (1) relatively high prevalence in males compared with Belgian cases, (2) digestion with multiple object and mode in Asia, (3) Most of renal failure in Asia were improved or were in stable status. (4) Fanconi's syndrome was found in most cases of Asia. In conclusion, CHN in Asia has some characteristics distinguished from Belgian Chinese Hreb Nephropathy. These findings could indicate that susceptibility to aristolochic acid may be different among races. Furthermore, it is likely that different components of AA could cause different features, that the amount of ingested AA, mode in digestion, or interaction with other components except nephrotoxic agent such as AA might reflect clinical pictures. Other hypothesis may be some other toxic substances affecting the clinical findings although they are not identified at present. Further studies must be undertaken to clarify these differences.
Asia ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group* ; Belgium ; Continental Population Groups ; Digestion ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Nephritis, Interstitial ; Prevalence ; Renal Insufficiency

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of the scanning laser ophthalmoscope (SLO) guided re-test mode on short- and long-term measurement variability of peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness obtained by spectral domain-SLO optical coherence tomography (SD-SLO/OCT). METHODS: Seventy five healthy eyes were scanned 3 times per day (intra-session variability) by both the SLO guided re-test mode and the independent mode of SD-SLO/OCT. Subjects were scanned 3 times by both modes at visits within a 2-week interval (inter-session variability). For testing longitudinal variability, 3 separate exams were performed over 6 months by both modes. The coefficient of variation (CV), reproducibility coefficient (RC) and intraclass correlation coefficient of RNFL thickness were compared between the two modes. RESULTS: The intra-session RC and CV ranged from 5.4 to 12.9 microns and 1.76% to 5.72% when measured by independent mode and 5.4 to 12.5 microns and 1.75% to 5.58% by re-test mode, respectively. The inter-session RC and CV ranged from 5.8 to 13.3 microns and 1.89% to 5.78% by independent mode and 5.8 to 12.7 microns and 1.90% to 5.54% by re-test mode, respectively. Intra-session and inter-session variability measurements were not significantly different between the two modes. The longitudinal RC and CV ranged from 8.5 to 19.2 microns and 2.79% to 7.08% by independent mode and 7.5 to 14.4 microns and 2.33% to 6.22% by re-test mode, respectively. Longitudinal measurement variability was significantly lower when measured by the re-test mode compared to the independent mode (average, p = 0.011). CONCLUSIONS: The SLO guided re-test mode for RNFL thickness measurement in SD-SLO/OCT employing a tracking system improved long-term reproducibility by reducing variability induced by inconsistent scan circle placement.
Adult ; Algorithms ; Anatomy, Cross-Sectional ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Nerve Fibers ; Ophthalmoscopes ; Reference Values ; Reproducibility of Results ; Retinal Ganglion Cells/*cytology ; Tomography, Optical Coherence/*methods

Meningitis associated with tsutsugamushi is not a rare disease and simple, effective treatments are available. However, the diagnosis of meningitis is important since it is potentially associated with significant mortality rates. Case 1 : A 47-year-old woman had a headache and high fever with chills for 3 days. She fell into a stupor, and her blood pressure dropped to 80/60 mmHg on the fifth day of admission to the hospital. The patient was treated with 200 mg of doxycycline given intravenously. Case 2 : A 48-year-old woman was admitted with a 7-day history of fever with chills, severe headache, vomiting, and a generalized non-pruritic erythematous maculopapular rash. The patient was treated with 200 mg of doxycycline given orally. CSF examinations revealed predominantly lymphocytic pleocytosis in all cases. The indirect immunofluorescent antibody titer for Orientia tsutsugamushi were 1:20,480 in case 1 and 1:5, 120 in case 2. We report two cases of meningitis associated with tsutsugamuschi disease.
Blood Pressure ; Chills ; Diagnosis ; Doxycycline ; Exanthema ; Female ; Fever ; Headache ; Humans ; Leukocytosis ; Meningitis* ; Middle Aged ; Mortality ; Orientia tsutsugamushi ; Rare Diseases ; Stupor ; Vomiting

Paclitaxel (taxol) is known as effective drug inhibition of cell cycle encouraging activity in human ovarian and metastatic breast cancers and malignant melanoma. It is an antimicrotubule agent that is believed to mediate its antineoplastic effects by inducing mitotic arrest followed by apoptosis. The relation between phorbol 12 myristate 13 acetate (PMA), protein kinase C (PKC) activator, and taxol-induced apoptosis is not well understood until now. This study was performed to investigate the effects of PMA on the signal transduction pathways of taxol-induced apoptosis in MCF-7 human breast carcinoma cells. Taxol-induced apoptosis is attenuated by curcumine, JNK inhibitor, and pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC), inhibitor of NFkB. Pretreatment with PKC activator (PMA) or protein kinase A (PKA) activators (forskolin and dibutyryl cAMP) inhibited taxol-induced apoptosis in MCF-7 cells. In addition, thapsigargin, a specific inhibitor of endoplasmic reticulum(ER) Ca(2+)-ATPase and CaCl2, also blocked the activation of caspases by taxol. From these results suggest that taxol-induced apoptosis may be mediated via JNK or NFkB pathway and PKC activation.
Apoptosis ; Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Caspases ; Cell Cycle ; Curcumin ; Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases ; Humans ; MCF-7 Cells* ; Melanoma ; Myristic Acid ; Paclitaxel ; Protein Kinase C ; Signal Transduction ; Thapsigargin

Henoch-Schonlein purpura is an immunologically mediated systemic leukocytoclastic vasculitis of small vessels that is characterized by symmetric nontraumatic, nonthrombocytopenic, painless palpable purpura on the lower extremities and buttock, arthralgias on usually the knees and ankles, gastrointestinal symptoms and glomerulonephritis. Although the jejunum and ileum are most frequently affected, any portion of gastrointestinal tracts may be involved. Generally, gastrointestinal manifestations of Henoch-Schonlein purpura are the edematous wall of involved bowel, submucosal hemorrhage and erosion. We experienced a 56-year-old man with Henoch-Schonlein purpura who initially presented acute abdominal pain with portal vein and superior mesenteric vein thrombosis.
Abdominal Pain ; Ankle ; Arthralgia ; Buttocks ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Glomerulonephritis ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Ileum ; Jejunum ; Knee ; Lower Extremity ; Mesenteric Veins* ; Middle Aged ; Portal Vein* ; Purpura ; Purpura, Schoenlein-Henoch* ; Thrombosis* ; Vasculitis ; Venous Thrombosis