No abstract available.
Hydrocortisone* ; Spermatogenesis* ; Varicocele* ; Veins*

BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that diabetic patients are under high oxidative stress and plasma MDA concentration is a reliable marker for oxidative stress. However, some studies showed that plasma MDA is not a good marker for oxidative stress. Reeently, the total radical-trapping antioxidant parameter (TRAPc) has been proposed as a marker for the overall antioxidant property of plasma samples. Therefore, in this study, we tried to evaluate whether MDA and TRAPc are reliable markers of the oxidative stress-antioxidant system or not. METHODS: The plasma samples from 67 type 2 diabetic patients and 31 normal subjects were collected. The plasma MDA, protein-bound SH groups, uric acid and vitamin C were determined by fluorophotometry or spectrophotometry. Plasma vitamin E concentration was analyzed by HPLC. Calculated TRAP (TRAPc) were determined by the proposed calculation methods. RESULTS: 1. Diabetic patients had significantly lower TRAPc, compared with normal subjects. 2. SH groups, uric acid, vitamin C and vitamin E were not different between the two groups. 3. MDA and MDA/TG were significantly higher in diabetic subjects. CONCLUSION: From the results of this study, TRAPc seems to be a reliable parameter of overall plasma antioxidant system and the plasma MDA may be used as a marker of oxidative stress, but further long-term logitudinal studies are needed.
Ascorbic Acid ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Fluorophotometry ; Humans ; Oxidative Stress ; Plasma ; Spectrophotometry ; Uric Acid ; Vitamin E ; Vitamins

No abstract available.
Fractures, Open*

No abstract available.
Antibodies* ; Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome* ; Humans* ; Immunization*

Wegener's granulomatosis is a disease of unknown etiology that is characterized by the clinicopathologic complex of necrotixing granulomatous vasculitis of the upper and lower respiratory tract, glomerulonephritis, and variable degrees of small vessel vasculitis. Recently Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody (ANCA) has been reported to be a highly specific test for the diagnosis of Wegener's granulomatosis. We have experienced a patient of Wegener's granulomatosis in a 11 year old girl who was admitted with complaints f arthralgia, hematuria, convulsion and associated with otitis media and sinusitis. Serologic test of C-ANCA was positive and histologic findings of the kidney showed crescentic glomerulonephritis with sclerosis and surrounding infiltration of multinucleated giant cells. Patient was treated with pulse methylprednisolone without improvement. The clinical course progressed rapidly and expired due to the renal failure, gastrointestinal bleeding and status epilepticus. A brief review of literatures was made.
Antibodies, Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic* ; Arthralgia ; Child ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Giant Cells ; Glomerulonephritis ; Hematuria ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Kidney ; Methylprednisolone ; Otitis Media ; Renal Insufficiency ; Respiratory System ; Sclerosis ; Seizures ; Serologic Tests ; Sinusitis ; Status Epilepticus ; Vasculitis ; Wegener Granulomatosis*

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: A variety of sensory disturbances such as tingling, numbness, muscle cramp, pain and burning are recognized in Parkinson's disease. There is a hypothesis that sensory symptoms of Parkinson's disease could be related to "release" of sensory centers from extrapyramidal systems. We investigated the characteristic features of sensory symptoms in Parkinsonian patients and the possibilities that sensory symptoms may be related to dopaminergic pathways. METHODS: We included 130 patients with Parkinson's disease. The patients with medical illness such as diabetes, arthritis or musculoskeletal disease were excluded. We studied 38 Parkinsonian patients with sensory complaints using electrophysiologic studies and neuroimaging. RESULTS: 1) Thirty-eight(29.2%) of 130 Parkinsonian patients(mean age ; 57.9 +/- 10.1 ; 13 men, 25 women) had sensory symptoms. 2) Among thirty-eight Parkinsonian patients with sensory symptoms, 19 patients had pain, 10 tingling sensation, 3 burning sense, and 2 muscle cramp. 3) The arm and leg were most common sites for sensory symptoms 4) Sensory complaints preceded motor symptoms in 17 patients(21.1 +/- 19.1 months) and followed in 13 patients(26.7 +/- 41.9 months). 5) In 25 patients(66%), sensory symptoms were improved with levodopa. 6) There was no significant correlation between sensory symptoms and motor disabilities. CONCLUSIONS: Many Parkinsonian patients had various sensory complaints as well as motor symptoms. In some patients, sensory symptoms preceded motor disabilities. It was also suggested that sensory symptoms in some patients with Parkinson's disease be related to dopaminergic pathways.
Arm ; Arthritis ; Burns ; Humans ; Hypesthesia ; Leg ; Levodopa ; Male ; Muscle Cramp ; Musculoskeletal Diseases ; Neuroimaging ; Parkinson Disease* ; Sensation

The authors conducted a clinical observation of 13 cases of pulmonary aspergilloma at Yeungnam University Hospital from March 1983 to March 1992, and the following results were observed: 1) The male to female ratio was 1 : 1.2, and the age distribution was ranged 30 to 67 years old. 2) All cases were symptomatic : hemoptysis, cough, sputum and dyspnea. Especially, hemoptysis was the presenting compliant in 10 patients (77%) 3) The underlying lung disease were pulmonary tuberculosis in 9, COPD in 5 and bronchiectasis in 2. 3 cases were without underlying disease. 4) According to radiographic appearance, 8 cases had the typical crescent sign and 5 cases were seen nodular lesion. And the lesions of 11 cases were located in both upper lung. 5) 10 cases were treated with surgical resection. Among these cases, 8 cases were alieved and 2 cases, died. And other 3 cases were treated with conservative treatment. We suggest that these findings would be helpful for the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary aspergilloma and further study might be needed to evaluate the prognosis of pulmonary aspergilloma.
Age Distribution ; Bronchiectasis ; Cough ; Diagnosis ; Dyspnea ; Female ; Hemoptysis ; Humans ; Lung ; Lung Diseases ; Male ; Prognosis ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; Sputum ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

No abstract available.
Ciprofloxacin* ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis* ; Mycobacterium*

BACKGROUND: The somatosensory evoked blink reflex(SBR) is a newly reported blink reflex elicited by electrical stimulation of peripheral nerves. Although it has been thought that SBR is a release phenomenon transmitted via brainstem reticular formation, the actual pathophysiological mechanism still remains unknown. In this study we investigated the correlation between the somatosensory evoked blink reflex and specific type of diseases where it was well documented. METHODS: SBR was examined on 118 patients, having various neurologic diseases; 39 cases with hemifacial spasm, 26 cases with parkinson's disease, 12 cases with dystonia, 19 cases with stroke, 17 cases with peripheral neuropathy, and 5 cases with other diseases. Somatosensory evoked blink reflex can be obtained by electrical stimuli on median nerves. Latency and amplitude of the SBR was measured by inspection of superimposed responses. RESULTS: Among the 118 patients, SBR was presented in 23 patients. The somatosensory evoked blink reflex was seen most often in hemifacial spasm, parkinson's disease and dystonia. CONCLUSION: We concluded that the somatosensory evoked blink reflex was not usually elicitable but it was relatively well presented in specific diseases which were known to have increased excitability of the blink reflex pathway.
Blinking* ; Brain Stem ; Dystonia ; Electric Stimulation ; Hemifacial Spasm ; Humans ; Median Nerve ; Parkinson Disease ; Peripheral Nerves ; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases ; Reticular Formation ; Stroke

BACKGROUND: Chemokines are molecules with chemotatic activities on selective leukocyte populations and are sub-grouped into alpha-chemokine acting primarily on PMNL (polymorphonuclear leukocyte) and beta-chemokines attracting mainly lymphocytes and monocytes. We conducted a prospective study to investigate the serum levels of interleukin (IL)-8, monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1, and macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1 alpha in patients with acute ischemic stroke and carotid atherosclerosis. METHODS: Serum was sampled from patients with acute ischemic stroke (<24hrs), with persistent ischemic neurological deficits associated with atherosclerosis (>1 month), and from normal subjects without a history of vascular disease. Concentrations of chemokines were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay ( ELISA ). RESULTS: Compared with carotid atherosclerotic patients and control subjects, the serum levels of IL-8 were significantly elevated in those with acute ischemic stroke. The serum levels of MCP-1 in patients with large artery disease were higher than those in patients with small vessel disease and cardioembolism. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggested that IL-8 can be involved in acute ischemic stroke and MCP-1 plays a role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.
Arteries ; Atherosclerosis* ; Carotid Artery Diseases ; Chemokine CCL2* ; Chemokines ; Chemokines, CC ; Cytokines ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Interleukin-8* ; Interleukins ; Leukocytes ; Lymphocytes ; Macrophage Inflammatory Proteins* ; Macrophages* ; Monocytes* ; Prospective Studies ; Stroke* ; Vascular Diseases