Cerebellar degeneration is a group of diseases that manifests as progressive ataxia, that finally led to death without specific treatment. We report here two patients with cerebellar degeneration, who had shown an improvement and less progressive course, which is associated with panax ginseng intake. Patient 1 was a 60-year-old woman with multisystem atrophy (MSA) type C with 5 year history of ginseng ingestion. Patient 2 was a 54-year-old woman with spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) type 6, who had a history of ginseng intake for 30 months. Both the patients showed atrophic change in the cerebellum by brain magnetic resonance imaging. Cerebellar functions had been semi-quantified by International Cooperative Ataxia Rating Scale (ICARS) and monitored before and after the ginseng ingestion every 6 to 12 months. In Patient 1 with MSA type C, ICARS had improved from 21 to 17.5 ± 1.8 in the following 5 years. In Patient 2 with SCA, ICARS also showed an improvement from 22 to 6.0 ± 1.0 over 30 months. However, when she stopped taking ginseng, it progressed up to 13 points in two years. These observations provide a potential disease-modifying effect of ginseng on patients with cerebellar degeneration.
Cerebellar Ataxia ; Cerebellar Diseases

The relationship between urea-splitting organism in the urine and urinary stone is well known. We have checked bacteriologic study of 28 urinary stones after surgical removal of stone and brushing, and following results were obtained. 1. Positive stone culture were 6 cases (21.4%). 2. Organisms were Pseudomonas, Klebsiella, Proteus, Serratia, Staphylococcus and Enterococcus. 3. Antibiotics sensitivity of 6 cases of infected stones were Klebsiella, proteus: 2) Amikacin, Pseudomonas: 1) Ampicilline, Serratia: 1) Cefamezine, Staphylococcus: 2) Kanamycin, Gentamycin, Enterococcus: 3) Penicilline. 1) Sensitive 2) Moderately sensitive 3) Relatively resistant. 4. The most prevalent age group of infected stone was between 40-49. 5. Ureter was the most favorable site of infected stone and multiple stone were 2 cases. 6. Positive urine culture were detected in all of 6 cases of infected stone. 7. In 4 cases of infected stone, organisms of stone culture and urine culture were identical. They were Pseudomonas, Enterococcus, Proteus, Staphylococcus. 8. In 2 cases of infected stone, organisms of stone culture and urine culture were not identical. They were Serratia, Klebsiella in stone culture and proteus, E. coli in urine culture respectively.
Amikacin ; Ampicillin ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Cefazolin ; Enterococcus ; Gentamicins ; Humans ; Kanamycin ; Klebsiella ; Penicillins ; Proteus ; Pseudomonas ; Serratia ; Staphylococcus ; Ureter ; Urinary Calculi*

No abstract available.
Hormone Replacement Therapy* ; Prescriptions*

Infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis (IHPS) is the most common condition requiring abdominal surgery in early infancy, and is caused by hypertrophied pyloric muscle. The development of successful surgical treatment in the early 1900s by Fredet and Ramstedt made it possible for infants worldwide to survive. Modern pediatric anesthetic techniques have virtually eliminated mortality from surgical management. Atropine sulfate is a cholinergic blocking agent with potent antimuscarinic activity that decreases peristaltic contractions by relaxing smooth muscles. We treated two cases of IHPS with incomplete pyloromyotomy in 3-month-old and 5-month-old male infants by administering atropine sulfate intravenously. They were free from vomiting after 5 days of intravenous atropine sulfate treatment. In these rare cases of persistent vomiting or refractory emesis following incomplete pyloromyotomy, there may be a role for atropine sulfate.
Atropine* ; Constriction, Pathologic* ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Mortality ; Muscle, Smooth ; Pyloric Stenosis, Hypertrophic ; Vomiting*

Thyrotoxicosis (thyroid crisis) is a known cause of sudden death; however, only a few cases of death resulting from thyrotoxicosis have been reported. Histopathologic examination and postmortem thyroid function tests may be helpful in postmortem diagnosis, but their usefulness seems to be limited. We report three autopsy cases associated with thyrotoxicosis.
Autopsy ; Death, Sudden ; Thyroid Crisis ; Thyroid Function Tests ; Thyrotoxicosis

No abstract available.
Accidents, Traffic* ; Aggression*

Eighty-two strains of Escherichia coli isolated from urine specimens in Pusan University Hospital, were serotyped and analyzed for plasmid DNA profiles, PFGE profiles, MRHA of human blood cells, HEp-2 cell adherence ability and reactivity to bfpA, LT, STh and STp DNA probes. The following results were obtained. Fifty-three of the eighty-two strains belonged to thirteen different 0 serotypes, twenty-nine strains could not be typed with the antisera used. Thirty strains (43.9%) were hemolysin producer. MRHA is present on twenty-nine strains (35.37%) of eighty-two strains. MRHA positive strains carry a plasmid of 60MDa, a putative factor involved in adherence. This plasmid might be specific for MRHA positive strains. MRHA positive strains were observed in serotype 01, 018, 055, 086a, 0119, 0126, and 0142. Twenty-six strains of E. coli showed three patterns of adherence to HEp-2 cells namely, localized, diffuse, and aggregative adhesion. Twenty-two strains hybridized with the bfpA probe, while all eighty-two strains did not hybridize with the probes, LT, STh, STp. The restriction fragment patterns of chromosomal DNA digested with AotI analysed by PFGE of hemolysin-producing E. coli ten strains were compared with eight different types. Three of E. coli serotype 01, 08 and 0126 showed the same chromosomal DNA fragment patterns.
Blood Cells ; Busan ; DNA ; DNA Probes ; Escherichia coli* ; Escherichia* ; Humans ; Immune Sera ; Plasmids ; Serotyping*

No abstract available.
Animals ; Mice* ; Swimming*

Cholera enterotoxin (CT) is a major virulence determinant of Vibrio cholerae 01. CI' is known to be the major virulence factor of Vibrio cholerae 01 and in accordance with the recent report showing which V. cholerae non-01 has ctx gene, we performed the molecular genetic study for the detection of ctx gene related to the production of CT at the subject Vibrio spp. except for V. cholerae non-01 and V. cholerae non-01 stock cultured in the laboratory of microbiology, College of Medicine, Pusan National University and the Vibrio spp. isolated from the marine products of Pusan General Fish Market and the sea water, and then its results are as follows: 1. PCR for the detection of ctx gene at the subject of V. cholerae 01:61H-151 having the ctx gene of which the denaturation is 1 rninute at 95'C, annealing to 1min, 30 sec at 60'C, the extension to be 1min. 30 sec at 72'C and 30 or 40 cycles. ctx gene was detected from 4 strains of V. cholera non-01 derived from the environment isolates. 2. Adjusting the quantity of chromosomal DNA used as template DNA to be from 0.1 pg to 1 ng, in order to know the PCR conditions for the effective search of ctx gene, and the detection limit of the system was 10 pg of chromosomal DNA. 3. The broth culture was used for template DNA, ctx gene of 302 bp was detected from 4 V. cholerae non-01, as in the case of chromosomal DNA, and the cell number was possible to be detected to 3 * 10.4. We attempted the confirmation of ctx gene through Southern blot hybridization, labeling with P and then it was confirmed only from 4 V. cholerae non-01 as like PCR results. 5. As the result of the sensitivity of PCR and Southern blot hybridization, it was shown to be possible which 10 pg was detected in case of chromosomal DNA and in case of cultured broth, the cell number was detected until 10 at PCR and Southern blot hybridization, and thus it was examed which its sensitivity was same.
Blotting, Southern ; Busan ; Cell Count ; Cholera Toxin* ; Cholera* ; DNA* ; Enterotoxins ; Limit of Detection ; Molecular Biology ; Operon* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Seawater ; Vibrio cholerae* ; Vibrio* ; Virulence

Wear of articular cartilage usually occurs at flexion zones (30°–60°) of the femorotibial articulation, which is demonstrable on the 45°posteroanterior (PA) weight-bearing view. The authors measured and evaluated the cartilage space on the non weight-bearing AP view, AP extension weight-bearing view and 45°PA flexion weight-bearing view, comparing operative findings in cases of 18 osteoarthritis, 7 rheumatoid arthritis and 2 spontaneous osteonecrosis of the lateral femoral condyle, who underwent total or hemiarthro plasty (1 case) of the knee. The results were as follows. l. Operative findings of 11 out of 18 osteoarthritis (61.1%) showed cartilage defect of middle 3/4–4/5 of the medial tibial condyle (sparing finger tip sized anterior & posterior edge) and corresponding femoral condyle. The cartilage space on the AP non weight-bearing, AP extension weight-bearing and 45°PA flexion weight-bearing view were normal to 20% decrease (4.1–5.0mm remained), 60–80% decrease (1.1–2.0mm remained) and 80–100% decrease (0–1.0mm remained), respectively, showing one grade increased cartilage space narrowing on the 45°PA flexion weight-bearing view comparing to AP extension weight-bearing view. 2. Uniform cartilage defect of medial compartment was found in 7(38.9%) osteoarthritic knees. The cartilage space on the non weight-bearing AP view were normal. Both AP & PA weightbearing views showed 60–80% decrease (1.1–2.0mm remained) in 3 knees & 80–100% decrease (0–1.0 mm remained) in 4 knees without any difference between the two views. 3. Uniform cartilage space narrowing of both medal & lateral compartment was noted in 7 rheumatoid knees. The cartilage space on the AP non weight-bearing view were 20–40% decrease (3.1–4.0mm remained) in all knees. The AP extension & 45°PA flexion view showed 40–60% decrease (2.1–3.0mm remained) in 2 knees, 60–80% (1.1–2.0mm remained) in 5 knees respectively without any difference between two groups. 4. The anterior horn of menisci was always intact. The presence of menisci didn't affect the radiological cartilage space. 5. The 45°PA flexion weight-bearing view functioned as a tunnel view showing bone defect and less than 20% decrease of cartilage space in cases of the spontaneous osteonecrosis of the lateral femoral condyle. From our results it was concluded that the radiologic cartilage space could be more accurately demonstrated with 45°PA flexion weight-bearing view in addition to the conventional AP extension weight-bearing view.
Animals ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Cartilage ; Cartilage, Articular ; Clothing ; Fingers ; Horns ; Knee ; Numismatics ; Osteoarthritis ; Osteonecrosis ; Weight-Bearing