Pick's disease is a rare neurodegenerative disorder presenting cortical type of dementia. Pick's disease shows unique clinical and pathological features, that are due to a degeneration of fronto-temporal lobes of the cerebrum. The authors experienced a case of Pick's disease in a 58-year-old male patient who had dementia symptoms for five years. The patient showed compulsive behavior since five years ago. Memory decline started from four years ago and progressed. Brain CT disclosed lobar atrophy of the cerebral gyri in frontal and temporal lobes. He died of septicemia associated with aspiration pneumonia. At autopsy, both cerebral hemispheres showed marked encephalomalacia. The gyral atrophy was moderately severe in prefrontal and anterior temporal lobes. Coronal section disclosed moderate dilatation of the lateral ventricles. Microscopically, there were marked neuronal loss in prefrontal and anterior temporal cortices. Also noted were Pick's cells and Pick's body in occasional pyramidal cells preserved.
Atrophy ; Autopsy* ; Brain ; Cerebrum ; Compulsive Behavior ; Dementia ; Dilatation ; Encephalomalacia ; Humans ; Lateral Ventricles ; Male ; Memory ; Middle Aged ; Neurodegenerative Diseases ; Neurons ; Pick Disease of the Brain* ; Pneumonia, Aspiration ; Pyramidal Cells ; Sepsis ; Temporal Lobe

Anisakiasis refers to the infestation of humans by species of marine nematode larvae belonging to the subfamily Anisakiae. An acute abdominal symptom may occur after ingestion of raw marine fish containing nematode larvae of the genus Anisakis. Migration of the parasite into the wall of gtomach, small intestine or, less commomly, the colon elicits a striking eosinophilic granulomatous tissue response. A 39 year old man was visited St. Vincent Hospital because of abdominal distension and tenderness. The plain abdominal X-ray showed ileus pattern suggesting intestinal obstruction. Hence we presented a case of intestinal Anisakiasis combined with intstinal obstruction.
Adult ; Anisakiasis* ; Anisakis ; Colon ; Eating ; Eosinophils ; Humans ; Ileus ; Intestinal Obstruction ; Intestine, Small ; Larva ; Parasites ; Strikes, Employee

Although mortality and incidence rates of pyogenic osteomyelitis and arthritis have been reduced significantly due to development of treatment methods and antibiotics, the resistance of bacterias to antibiotics, especially in gram negative infections which increase rapidly in recent years, posess many difficult problems in the treatment of bone and joint infections. We have analysed 124 patients of gram negative bone and joint infection admitted in Seoul National University Hospital from Jan. 1976 to Dec. 1985. The following results and conclusion were drawn; 1. The ratio of gram negative infections to total pyogenic infections was 39.2% and has been increased annually. 1. The incidence of gram negative infections under 20 years of age was 54.0%, and male was 1.7 times as much affected as female. 3. Involved sites of pyogenic osteomyelitis were femur(32.6%), tibia(25.6%), humerus(6.2%), and those of pyogenic arthritis were hip(12.4%), knee(7.0%), shoulder(2.3%), and ankle(2.3%). 4. Original diseases of gram negative infection were hematogenous osteomyelitis(41.1%), infected nonunion(33.1%), pyogenic osteomyelitis(16.9%), sepsis(4.8%), and infected total hip replacement arthroplasty(4.0%). 5. Incidence rate of gram negative infection, especially mixed gram negative infection rather than pure gram negative infection, was increased annually. 6. Sensitive antibiotics for gram negative organisms were turned out aminoglycosides such as Amikacin and Tobramycin in general, however, the, resistance to that antibiotics increased annually. 7. In the view that resistance rate of gram negative organisms to antibiotics increased annually, it cannot be too much emphasized that the most sensitive antibiotics to be used must be chosen according to the results of antibiotics sensitivity test, and that further advanced effective antibiotics should be developed.
Amikacin ; Aminoglycosides ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Arthritis ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip ; Bacteria ; Clinical Study ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Joints ; Male ; Mortality ; Osteomyelitis ; Seoul ; Tobramycin

The fruiting body of Paecilomyces fumosoroseus was collected at Mt. Mani, Ganghwa Island, Korea in September, 2001. This study was carried out to obtain the basic informations for the mycelial growth and fruiting body production of P. fumosoroseus in artificial media. The optimal conditions for the mycelial growth were obtained at 25degrees C and in the range of pH 6~9, respectively. P. fumosoroseus showed the favorable growth on Hamada medium. The carbon and nitrogen source favorable for mycelial growth were dextrin and histidine, respectively. Optimum C/N ratio suitable for optimal growth of P. fumosoroseus was observed on the culture media adjusted to the ratio of 40:1. The mycelial growth of P. fumosoroseus was optimal on corn meal agar supplemented with 30% of silkworm pupae. The most favorable fruiting body formation of P. fumosoroseus was obtained in the medium containing unpolished rice supplemented with 20% (w/w) silk worm pupae at 25degrees C under 100 lux.
Agar ; Bombyx ; Carbon ; Culture Media ; Fruit* ; Histidine ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Korea ; Meals ; Nitrogen ; Paecilomyces* ; Pupa ; Silk ; Zea mays

Oudemansiella radicata, one of edible mushrooms belonging to Tricholomataceae of Basidiomycota, has been known to exhibit outstanding therapeutic effects on the hypertension caused by high blood pressure and inhibitory effects on the sarcoma 180 and Erhrlich carcinoma of mice. As one of preliminary experiments for producing fruiting-body of O. radicata, this study was carried out to obtain the basic information for culture conditions of mycelial growth of the fungus. The optimal temperature and pH for the mycelial growth were 25degrees C and pH 6, respectively. The medium for favorable mycelial growth of O. radicata was shown in the Lilly medium, whereas compact mycelial density was found in Hamada medium. The carbon and nitrogen sources promoting for mycelial growth of O. radicata were xylose and alanine, respectively. The optimum C/N ratio was about 20 : 1 in case that 3% glucose was supplimented to the basal medium as a carbon source.
Agaricales ; Alanine ; Animals ; Basidiomycota ; Carbon ; Fungi ; Glucose ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Hypertension ; Mice ; Nitrogen ; Sarcoma 180 ; Xylose

To quantify the reduction in workload during intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) therapy, indirect parameters are used, such as the mean arterial pressure during diastole, product of heart rate and peak systolic pressure, and pressure-volume area. Therefore, we investigated the cardiac energy consumption during IABP therapy using a cardiac electromechanics model. We incorporated an IABP function into a previously developed electromechanical model of the ventricle with a lumped model of the circulatory system and investigated the cardiac energy consumption at different IABP inflation volumes. When the IABP was used at inflation level 5, the cardiac output and stroke volume increased 11%, the ejection fraction increased 21%, the stroke work decreased 1%, the mean arterial pressure increased 10%, and the ATP consumption decreased 12%. These results show that although the ATP consumption is decreased significantly, stroke work is decreased only slightly, which indicates that the IABP helps the failed ventricle to pump blood efficiently.
Adenosine Triphosphate/*metabolism ; Arterial Pressure ; Cardiac Output ; Heart Failure/pathology ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; *Intra-Aortic Balloon Pumping ; *Models, Theoretical ; Stroke Volume ; Ventricular Function, Left

OBJECTIVE: Large loop excision of transformation zone(LLETZ) is gaining popularity as an alternative to other ablative or cone methods for the treatment of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia(CIN). The optimal management of CIN after LLETZ, however, remains controversial and the reliable predictors of residual disease after LLETZ have not been consistently identified. This study was performed to identify factors to predict residual disease after LLETZ. METHODS: From August 1993 to July 1995, 133 patients who received subsequent hysterectomy after LLETZ in Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Seoul National University Hospital were retrospectively reviewed. Residual disease was defined as positive findings of CIN or further advanced findings in hysterectomy specimen. The age of patients, the severity of disease and the status of resection margin(RM) were analyzed for predictive values of residual disease. The Chi-square test, Fisher's exact test and Student t-test were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: The residual disease after hysterectomy was negative in 85.7%(114/133) and positive in 14.3%(19/133). Among 19 cases with positive residual disease, 3 cases were revealed to be microinvasive cervical cancer. The mean age of patients with no residual disease was 42.5 years(range; 27-71) and that of patients with residual disease was 49.1 years(range; 33-72). Nine out of 94 cases(9.6%) with negative RM and 10 out of 39 cases(25.6%) with positive RM in LLETZ had residual disease. Two out of 14 cases(14.3%) with CIN II and 17 out of 119 cases(14.3%) with CIN III in LLETZ had residual disease. The success of LLETZ which means no residual disease was influenced by the age of patients(p=0.005) and the status of resection margin of LLETZ(p=0.032). CONCLUSION: The negative resection margin in LLETZ does not always guarantee that there is no residual disease. Close preoperative workup and more aggressive treatment plan(wide conization or hysterectomy) should be considered in patients who has higher possibility of positive residual disease such as old age and positive resection margin in LLETZ.
Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia* ; Conization ; Gynecology ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Obstetrics ; Retrospective Studies ; Seoul ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms

OBJECTIVES: This study was to investigate the verbal memory and learning ability in remitted schizophrenic patients and euthymic bipolar patients in order to explore trait-dependent cognitive deficits of each disorder. METHODS: Verbal memory was assessed with KAVLT(the Korean version of Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test) in outpatients with remitted schizophrenia(N=30), euthymic bipolar disorder(N=28), and normal control(N=72). KAVLT is made for assessment of immediate supraspan memory, registration, retention, retrieval, recognition, learning strategy, and interference effect. Several confounding factors including age, sex, educational level, attention span, residual psychopathology, and extrapyramidal symptoms were controlled among 3 groups. Patient groups were matched according to the age of onset, duration of illness, and frequency of hospitalization. RESULTS: 1) The performance of bipolar group generally fall between the performance of schizophrenia and normal controls, while being most impaired in retroactive interference. Schizophrenic group showed significant impairment on most variables of KAVLT in comparison with the groups of bipolar disorder and normal control. 2) Within group analysis revealed that residual negative symptoms, duration of illness, and number of admission were highly correlated with the impairment of verbal memory and learning in schizophrenics. Number of depressive episodes and age were negatively correlated with verbal memory and learning among bipolar disorder patients. CONCLUSIONS: Both remitted schizophrenia and euthymic bipolar patients showed distinctive impairment in verbal memory and learning compared with controls. These results suggest that specific impairment of verbal memory and learning in remitted state can be a trait-dependent marker in both diseases. These deficits can give clues to the understanding of the pathophysiology and searching for more appropriate therapeutic interventions of mental disorders to improve cognitive deficits in remitted patients.
Age of Onset ; Bipolar Disorder ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Learning* ; Memory* ; Mental Disorders ; Outpatients ; Psychopathology ; Schizophrenia ; Verbal Learning

BACKGROUND: Allergen-specific immunotherapy has been shown to be clinically effective in the treatment of patients with atopic asthma, but the mechanisms are still unclear. Some of the immunologic changes include increase of an allergen-specific IgG antibody, decrease of allergen-specific IgE after transient increase, allergen-specific T-cell shift in cytokine expression from Th2 to Th1 cytokines, and decrease of basophil histamine releasability. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of immunotherapy on basophil releasability, we examined the changes of IgE-mediated and non-IgE-mediated basophil histamine releasability during immunotherapy. METHODS: Fourteen Dermatophagoides farinae (D.f) sensitive asthmatic children with conventional immunotherapy were investigated. Basophil histamine releasability was measured prior to immunotherapy and 4 and 9 months after immunotherapy. Basophils were stimulated with D.f and goat antihuman IgE antibody as IgE-mediated stimuli which act on IgE-receptor, and formyl-Met-Leu-Phe (fMLP) as non-IgE-mediated stimuli which acts on non-IgE receptor, and calcium ionophore A23187 as non-IgE-mediated stimuli which does not act on cell surface receptors. Histamine was measured by automated fluorometric technique. RESULTS: Before immunotherapy, there were significant correlations between histamine release by D.f and histamine release by fMLP, and between histamine release by D.f and histamine release by anti-IgE antibody, but no correlation between histamine release by D.f and histamine release by calcium ionophore. Histamine release by D.f and by anti-IgE antibody decreased at and 9 months after immunotherapy compared to those before immunotherapy. Histamine release by fMLP and by calcium ionophore showed no significant changes after immunotherapy. There was no significant change of total histamine release after immunotherapy. CONCLUSION: Conventional immunotherapy has influenced only the IgE-mediated basophil releasability. IgE-mediated and non-IgE-receptor-mediated basophil releasability was correlated before immunotherapy, but only IgE-receptor-mediated basophil releasability decreased after immunotherapy. These findings suggest that a kind of physicochemical change may happen on the IgE receptors of basophil, which may induce decrease of IgE-mediated basophil histamine releasability after immunotherpy.
Asthma ; Basophils* ; Calcimycin ; Calcium ; Child ; Cytokines ; Dermatophagoides farinae ; Goats ; Histamine Release ; Histamine* ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunotherapy* ; Receptors, Cell Surface ; Receptors, IgE ; T-Lymphocytes

BACKGROUND: Our previous data suggested that IgE-mediated histamine release from basophil was elevated in the atopic asthmatic children. Basophil may play an important role in the development of the IgE-dependent, late phase response in allergen induced airway disease. So the existence of enhanced basophil histamine release in asthma could promote airway reactivity and obstruction. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between IgE-mediated basophil histamine releasability (BHR) and airway hyperresponsiveness or markers of atopy in atopic children. METHODS: Twelve atopic asthmatics and four healthy atopics who were sensitive to D.p and D.f were selected. Their median age was 11.2 years old, their mean serum IgE level was 897+/-276 IU/mL and mean total eosinophil count was 536+/-71/mm3. Total eosinophil counts, total IgE, D.p and D.f-specific IgE, pulmonary function test, and methacholine provocation test were performed. IgE-mediated basophil histamine release by D.f allergen and goat-antihuman IgE antibody were measured by automated fluorometric assay. The relationship between histamine release and airway hyperresponsiveness or atopic markers was investigated. RESULTS: PC20 inversely correlated with anti-IgE antibody-mediated BHR (r=-0.50, P<0.05). Serum total IgE concentration correlated with anti-IgE antibody-mediated BHR (r=0.54, P<0.05). Serum concentrations of specific IgE to D.p correlated with anti-IgE antibody-mediated BHR (r=0.66, P<0.05). PC20 correlated correlated with FEF25-75% (r=0.75, P<0.05) and inversely with the total eosinophil counts (r=-0.69, P< 0.01). CONCLUSION: IgE-mediated basophil histamine releasability is inversely correlated with airway hyperresponsiveness, and correlated with total or specific-IgE in atopic children. These findings suggest that basophil histamine releasability is easy and useful method of diagnosis and monitoring response to treatment in atopic disease.
Asthma ; Basophils* ; Child* ; Diagnosis ; Eosinophils ; Histamine Release ; Histamine* ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; Methacholine Chloride ; Respiratory Function Tests