BACKGROUND: Although anticardiolipin antibody(aCL)-related stroke is far more frequently identified in younger populations, the role of aCL in the pathogenesis of cerebral infarction may be important also in the old, stroke-prone population. We studied the clinical profiles of aCL- related stroke in elderly patient to look at its role on the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke. METHODS: We analyzed unselected patients with acute ischemic stroke and age matched controls for the presence of aCL, prospectively. Also, we studied the characteristics of these patients based on the conventional risk factors and other clinical, laboratory and radiological features in them. RESULTS: aCL was positive 30 (14.7%) of 203 stroke patients, but 11 (6.1%) in 193 control patients. The proportion of patients having more than one of the risk factors was significantly greater in aCL-positive (24/30, 80.0%) than in aCL-negative patients (100/173, 57.8%). The incidence of aCL positivity was significantly greater in patients having one or more risk factors (24/124, 19.3%) than in patients not having any of the risks (6/79, 7.6%). Two of the patients had prolonged aPTT, and only one had a lupus anticoagulant. A positive ANA and false-positive VDRL were not found in our patients. Radiological findings confer subcortical infarction. CONCLUSION: The elevated aCL are a risk marker for stroke also in the elderly population. Our aCL-positive patients generally had multiple risk factors for stroke and are associated with subcortical infarctions, contrary to previous studies. The role of aCL as a disease marker for ischemic stroke in elderly patients warrants further investigations.
Aged* ; Antibodies, Anticardiolipin* ; Cerebral Infarction ; Humans ; Incidence ; Lupus Coagulation Inhibitor ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Stroke*

In this study the quantitative changes of the SP (senile plaque) and NFT (neurofibrillary tangle) in the subnucleus of amygdaloid nucleus were analyzed. All patients (83 cases) were diagnosed clinically and confirmed pathologically as Alzheimer disease. The results were: 1) The SP was most prominenentlv observed in the basomedial sub'nucleus region but NFT was in the lateral subnuclei. 2) There were positive Rank Correlation of pathologic degree between the amygdaloidal subnuclei and neocortex except accessory basal subnuclei. 3)Lateral subnucleus had no Rank Correlation between its SP & NFT.
Alzheimer Disease ; Amygdala* ; Humans ; Neocortex

Condyloma acuminatum is a common viral disease which is transmitted by sexual intercourse. We experienced a case of condyloma acuminatum occurring in a patient of systemic lupus erythematosus who has been treated with various immunosuppressive agents for 10 years. This condylorna acuminatum was unusual in that it was very rapidly growing, recurrent and reluctant to various treatrnents. We investigated the type of human papillomavirus by Southern blot hybridization and schieved partial improvement by bleomycin intralesional injection together with 5-FU topical application.
Bleomycin ; Blotting, Southern ; Coitus ; Fluorouracil ; Humans ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; Injections, Intralesional ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; Virus Diseases

Osteoporosis represents a reduced amount of bone tissue as compared with controls of same age and sex, and common feature of osteoporosis is a state of skeletal fragility leading to various fractures such as Colles' fracture, vertebral compression fracture, femur neck fracture, generally due to an inadequate amount of normally mineralized bone tissue, making the skeleton incapable of supporting normal mechanical demand. However it is difficult to quantify precisely its magnitude because of the variety of techniques used and the many bone sampling sites concerned. In 1970, Singh and associates(24.25) developed a method for grading the trabecular structure of the proximal end of the femur and reported that the femoral trabecular pattern index can clearly separate persons with osteoporosis from normal individuals. Cameron and its associstes developed an accurste method of determining bone mineral content by means of I-125 photon absorptiometry(5. 28). This method is consistently reproducible at the 98% level and has demonstrated agreement with ash measurement of cadaver bones at the 97% level. A comparative study of the usefulness of the femoral trabecular pattern index(Singh Index) and rsdial bone mineral content measurement by photon absorption was performed in 75 Kroean persons above forty years old. 25 of 75 persons were fracture patients due to osteoporosis. The results were as follows. 1. A significant difference in Singh index was noted between the fracture group snd control group. 2. A significant difference in bone mineral density was noted between the fracture group and control group. 3. A positive correlation was noted between the bone mineral denisty and Singh Index. 4. A significant difference in bone mineral density was noted between the fracture group and the control group which have same grade of Singh Index. So, we believe that bone mineral density is more objective and accurate than Singh Index. 5. We believe that both Singh Index and bone densitometer is useful in diagnosis and grading of osteoporosis.
Absorption ; Bone and Bones ; Bone Density ; Cadaver ; Colles' Fracture ; Diagnosis ; Femoral Neck Fractures ; Femur ; Fractures, Compression ; Humans ; Methods ; Miners ; Osteoporosis ; Skeleton

The occurrence of the small intestinal adenocarcinoma is infrequent and the primary adenocarcinoma of the jejunum is rare. The survival of adenocarcinoma of the small bowel does not improve over the past three decades. Although symptoms appeared to be of long duration, most patients were diagnosed with advanced disease. All reports agree that these tumors are difficult to achieve good examination of the small bowel by both clinician and radiologist, so it cause a significant delay in diagnosis. The survival of these tumors appear to correlate with stage at presentation, and therefore early and aggressive diagnostic intervention seems to improve the outlook. We report a case of primary jejunal adenocarcinoma assoeiated with iron deficiency anemia with literatures review.
Adenocarcinoma* ; Anemia, Iron-Deficiency ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Jejunum

We performed a retrospective study of 47 patients(47 eyes) with retinal vein occlusion who had treated with laser photocoagulation for neovascularization from January 1991 through January 1992. Only cases with a minimum of one year follow up were included in this study. The majority of patients were 50 year old(78.7%). Sixteen patients were male(34%) and thirty one patients were female(66%). The proportion of branch retinal vein occlusion and central retinal vein occlusion was 74.5%, 25.5%, respectively. New vessles elsewhere were developed in 36 eyes(76.6%), new vessles on the disc in 7 eyes(14.9%), and 4 eyes(8.5%) had both types of neovascularization. The percents of regression in neovascularization was 72.3% which ranged from 84% for under 10 disc diameter area of retinal ischemia to 64% for over 10 disc diameter area of retinal ischemia. Vitreous hemorrhage occured in 12 eyes(25.5%) within 1 year and especially when ischemic area was over 10 disc diameters and associated with systemic vascular diseases.
Argon* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Ischemia ; Light Coagulation* ; Retinal Vein Occlusion* ; Retinal Vein* ; Retinaldehyde* ; Retrospective Studies ; Vascular Diseases ; Vitreous Hemorrhage

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a potent mitogen and promoter of proliferation of insulin producing beta cells of pancreatic islets. To study the role of HGF, an adenoviral vector carrying the human HGF (Ad.hHGF) gene was transfected into the streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice and evaluated the effect on the blood glucose metabolism and the insulin-secreting beta cells of pancreatic islets. Ad.hHGF gene transfection resulted in amelioration of hyperglycemia and prolongation of survival period in the diabetic mice. Concomitantly adenoviral- mediated hHGF gene therapy slightly increased serum insulin concentration and the expression of insulin in the pancreatic islet. Although the proliferation of beta-cell mass was not noticeable, the beneficial effect of HGF is significant to an almost deteriorated pancreatic islets. Taken together, these data suggest that the Ad.hHGF gene therapy into diabetic mice may prevent the further destruction and present as a beneficial remedy for type 1 diabetic patients.
Adenoviridae/*genetics/physiology ; Animals ; Blood Glucose/analysis ; Body Weight ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental/blood/genetics/*metabolism/*therapy ; *Gene Therapy ; Hepatocyte Growth Factor/genetics/*metabolism ; Humans ; Hyperglycemia/blood/complications/genetics/*therapy ; Insulin/blood ; Islets of Langerhans/metabolism/*pathology ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Recombinant Proteins/genetics/metabolism ; Survival Rate

In one case of cancer-associated Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS), treatment with cytotoxic chemotherapy and radiotherapy resulted in remission of both cancer and neuromuscular disorder. Serial repetitive nerve stimulation (RNS) findings showed that the typical RNS features of LEMS returned to normal in the orders of dramatic postexercise facilitation, an incremental response in high rate stimulation, and a decremental response in low rate stimulation with clinical improvement.
Drug Therapy* ; Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome* ; Radiotherapy* ; Small Cell Lung Carcinoma*

BACKGROUND: Despite recent advances in the understanding of the pathophysiology based on the clinical symptomatology, neurobiology, and electrophysiology, little is known about the precise function the basal ganglia play in the control of movement. But rapid progress in computational neuroscience has shown networks of neural-like elements can accomplish impressive cognitive feats. We intend to make neural network model that may theoretically explain the basal ganglia function. METHODS: We used an approach to studying the function of neural system that is based on a class of computer models known as parallel distributed processors (PDP). RESULTS: We made a theoretical model that showed increased reaction time and decreased movement velocity as the amount of dopamine decreased. And the lesion studies of substantia nigra also showed increased reaction time as in bradykinesia. CONCLUSIONS: There were many problems to be solved for explaining the function of striato-pallidal and striato-pallidal-subthalamic-pallidal circuits. But we propose the neural network model would be an important tool, which may help to bridge the gap between theoretical studies on the function of the brain and experimental work on the neurobiology of the brain.
Basal Ganglia ; Brain ; Computer Simulation ; Dopamine ; Electrophysiology ; Hypokinesia ; Models, Theoretical ; Neural Networks (Computer)* ; Neurobiology ; Neurosciences ; Parkinson Disease ; Reaction Time ; Substantia Nigra

BACKGROUND: Diffusion-weighted MR imaging (DWI) was designed to detect the random molecular otion of water in tissue. DWI has gained increasing interest recently because it can demonstrate yperacute stroke earlier than any other imaging methods so far. The purpose of our study was to etermine the clinical usefulness and significance of DWI compared with those of Fast Spin Echo T2-weighted image (SE T2WI) and Fluid Attenuated Inversion Recovery (FLAIR) image in acute and subacute ischemic stroke. METHOD: Twenty-five adult patients with clinical diagnoses of acute or subacute cerebral infarctions were imaged with fast SE T2WI, FLAIR and DWI using a 1.5-T image. RESULTS:All the patients had areas of high signal intensity indicating acute or subacute lesions on DWI and these lesions provide an excellent clinicoanatomic correlation. CONCLUSIONS: DWI is most useful in the diagnosis and localization of acute or subacute lacuna or subcortical infarction in patients with preexisting chronic infarctions or white matter hyperintensity showing high signal intensity similar to acute or subacute infarctions on T2WI or FLAIR image.
Adult ; Brain ; Cerebral Infarction ; Diagnosis ; Diffusion* ; Humans ; Infarction ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Stroke*