No abstract available.
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity

The development and progression of oral cancer is associated with an accumulation of multiple genetic alterations through the multistep processes. Comparative genomic hybridization(CGH), newly developed cytogenetic and molecular biologic technique, has been widely accepted as a useful method to allow the detection of genetic imbalance in solid tumors and the screening for chromosome sites frequently affected by gains or losses in DNA copy number. The authors examined 19 primary oral squamous cell carcinomas using CGH to identify altered chromosome regions that might contain novel oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. Interrelationship between these genetic aberrations detected and major oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes previously recognized in carcinogenesis of oral cancers was studied. 1. Changes in DNA copy number were detected in 14 of 19 oral cancers (78.9%, mean: 5.58, range: 3~13). High level amplification was present in 4 cases at 9p23, 12p21.1~q13.1, 3q and 8q24~24.3. Fourteen cases(78.9%, mean: 3.00, range: 1~8) showed gains of DNA copy number and 12 cases(70.5%, mean: 2.58, range: 1~9) revealed losses of DNA copy number. 2. The most common gains were detected on 3q(52.6%), 5p(21.0%), 8q(21.0%), 9p(21.0%), and 11q(21.0%). The losses of DNA copy number were frequently occurred at 9p(36.8%), 17q(36.8%), 13q(26.3%), 4p(21.0%) and 9p(21.0%). 3. The minimal common regions of gains were repeatedly observed at 3q24~26.7, 3q27~29, 1q22~31, 5p12~13.3, 8q23~24, and 11q13.1-13.3. The minimal common regions of losses were detected at 9q11~21.3, 17p31, 13q22~34, and 14p16. 4. In comparison of CGH results with tumor stages, the lower stage group showed more frequent gain at 3q, 5q, 9p, and 14q, whereas gains at 1q(1q22~31) and 11q(11q13.1~13.3) were mainly detected in higher stage group. The loss at 13q22~34 was exclusively detected in higher stage. The results indicate that the most frequent genetic alterations in the development of oral cancers were gains at 3q24~26.3, 1q22~31, and 5p12~13.3 and losses at 9q11~21.3, 17p31, and 13q. It is suggested that genetic alterations manifested as gains at 3q24~26.3, 3q27~29, 5p12~13.3 and 5p are associated with the early progression of oral cancer. Gains at 1q22~31 and 11q13.1~13.3 and loss at 13q22-34 could be involved in the late progression of oral cancers.
Carcinogenesis ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Comparative Genomic Hybridization* ; Cytogenetics ; DNA ; Genes, Tumor Suppressor ; Humans* ; Mass Screening ; Mouth Neoplasms* ; Oncogenes

Diabetes, which has shown an explosive increase in terms of its incidence, is regarded as a serious disease that must be overcome for the sake of human life. Among animal models used for testing of drug efficacy, the mini-pig model has shown a rapid upload due to its many similarities with human, particularly concerning the pharmacokinetics of compounds after subcutaneous administration, the structure and function of the gastrointestinal tract, the morphology of the pancreas, and overall metabolic status. Based on these various advantages, we sought to develop an animal model of type II diabetic mellitus using the Micro-pig, which differs from other miniature pigs. We used six male Micro-pigs for induction of a moderate insulin deficient model with nicotinamide (NIA)/streptozotocin (STZ) treatment and three animals for control. For evaluation of incidence of type II diabetes, we measured blood glucose level, and performed oral glucose tolerance test and immunohistochemistry on pancreatic tissue using insulin antibody. Compared to control animals, all animals treated with NIA/STZ showed high levels of glucose and low levels of insulin. In addition, we observed the partially destroyed beta cell population from tissue of the pancreas in treated animals. Based on these results, we report that the Micro-pig model developed in this study can be used for testing of the efficacy of therapeutic agents for treatment of Type 2 diabetic mellitus.
Animals ; Blood Glucose ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Glucose ; Glucose Tolerance Test ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Incidence ; Insulin ; Male ; Models, Animal ; Niacinamide ; Pancreas ; Swine

OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to evaluate the influence of maternal age on embryo quality and the frequency of multiple pregnancy in IVF-ET program. METHOD: 86 conventional IVF-ET cycles were divided into three groups according to the age by 5 year (group A: 26-30, group B: 3135, group C: 36-40 yrs). The in vitro fertilization and development outcome (fertilization, cleavage and high quality embryo rate) and the pregnancy outcome (pregnancy, implantation, G-sac/high quality embryo and multiple pregnancy rate) were examined. And then, these results were compared among the groups. RESULTS: The rates of fertilization (62.7, 68.5 and 65.4%, respectively) and cleavage (95.6, 97.6 and 98.0%, respectively) were not different among the groups. And the high quality embryo (HQE) rate also was not different among the groups (61.8, 62.9 and 62.8%, respectively). The pregnancy rate of group C (23.3%) was significantly lower than that of group A (41.2%) and B (48.7%). And the implantation rate was significantly decreased to group B (32.2%) and C (14.3%) when compared to group A (71.4%) and B (36.8%). CONCLUSION: The pregnancy rate was significantly decreased over 35 years. The G-sac/HQE and multiple pregnancy rate were significantly high below 31 years. Thus, these results suggest that the number of high quality embryo transferred should be limited by the age and another criteria for embryo quality evaluation were required for single embryo transfer.
Embryonic Structures* ; Female ; Fertilization ; Fertilization in Vitro ; Maternal Age* ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Pregnancy Rate ; Pregnancy, Multiple* ; Single Embryo Transfer

Hallervorden-Spatz disease (HSD) is a rare autosomal-recessive hereditary disorder characterized by the early onset of progressive movement alterations, including dystonia, rigidity, choreoathetosis, and mental deterioration. HSD is also associated with a variety of psychiatric symptoms, primarily depression and mental deterioration. However, psychosis has rarely been reported as a major symptom of HSD. We report two siblings who presented psychiatric symptoms as major clinical presentations, accompanied by ataxic and spastic gait, dysarthria, and typical neuroimaging findings of HSD. A 14-year-old girl presented complex motor tics, stereotypic behavior and anxiety symptoms. Her older brother, a 16-year-old boy, presented prominent auditory hallucinations, persecutory delusions and social withdrawal symptoms. Psychiatric symptoms were improved after atypical antipsychotic treatment. HSD is a rare disease but should be carefully considered in the diagnosis of patients with both motor disorder and various psychiatric symptoms.
Adolescent ; Anxiety ; Delusions ; Depression ; Dysarthria ; Dystonia ; Gait Disorders, Neurologic ; Hallucinations ; Humans ; Neuroimaging ; Pantothenate Kinase-Associated Neurodegeneration ; Psychotic Disorders ; Rare Diseases ; Siblings ; Substance Withdrawal Syndrome ; Tics

PURPOSE: Surgeons are confronted frequently with the diagnostic and therapeutic challenges in the cases of acute appendicitis in the elderly. Despite the improvements in management, the morbidity and mortality remain high. In order to verify contributing factors of high morbidity and mortality and establish more proper diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, we compared the clinical characteristics and outcomes of acute appendicitis in the elderly with those of younger people. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of 30 elderly and 248 younger people who were pathologically diagnosed as appendicitis after an appendectomy. RESULTS: There was no difference in the rates of occurrence of right lower abdominal pain and tenderness between the two people. The rate of appendiceal perforation was significantly higher in the elderly. Prehospital delay was significantly longer in the elderly. Concomitant diseases were more prevalent in the elderly. The hospital stay was significantly longer and the rate of complication was relatively higher in the elderly also. CONCLUSIONS: When a vague and unexplained abdominal discomfort occurs in the elderly, we should suspect and rule out acute appendicitis as the cause of the discomfort. Early aggressive diagnostic and therapeutic interventions are essential components in managing acute appendicitis in the elderly. In addition, perioperative evaluation and prophylactic measures for concomitant diseases are needed to decrease morbidity and mortality in the elderly.
Abdomen, Acute ; Abdominal Pain ; Aged* ; Appendectomy ; Appendicitis* ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Medical Records ; Mortality ; Retrospective Studies

Osteoporosis is a known major health problem and a serious disease of the bone, there has been a great need to develop more and newer animal models for this disease. Among animal models used for testing drug efficacy, the minipig model has become useful and effective due to its close similarity with humans (validity), particularly with the pharmacokinetics of compounds via subcutaneous administration, the structure and function of the organs, the morphology of bone and the overall metabolic nature. Based on these advantages, we sought to develop a new animal model of osteoporosis using micropig, which differs from other miniature pigs in the genetic background. Female micropigs were used for the induction of a moderate osteoporosis model by bilateral ovariectomy (OVX) and compared with shamoperated animals. For osteoporosis evaluation, clinical biomarkers such as blood osteocalcin (OSC) and parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels were measured, as well as bone mineral density (BMD) using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). Compared to sham, OVX animals have decreased blood OSC level, while the blood PTH level increased in blood sera. In addition, we observed the significantly decreased BMDs of tibia region in OVX animals. Based on these results, we report that the micropig model developed in this study can be used to develop a new and effective medical method for diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis.
Animals ; Biomarkers ; Bone Density ; Female ; Humans ; Models, Animal ; Osteocalcin ; Osteoporosis ; Ovariectomy ; Parathyroid Hormone ; Salicylamides ; Swine ; Swine, Miniature ; Tibia

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to examine the association of exposures to heavy metals with positive diagnosis for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and Tourette's syndrome (TS). METHODS: Study participants included 27 children diagnosed with ADHD (9.9+/-2.9 years of age), 21 diagnosed with Tourette's disorder (10.7+/-2.2 years of age), and 45 normal control children (9.6+/-0.5 years of age). A Perkin-Elmer mass spectrometer was used to measure the concentrations of 5 heavy metals (Pb, Cd, U, Be, Hg) in hair samples obtained from each participant. Each heavy metal concentration was compared among the groups by use of a Kruskal-Wallis test. RESULTS: The levels of lead (p=.006) and cadmium (p=.037) observed in the hair of children diagnosed with ADHD were significantly higher than those found in the control subjects. There were no significant differences observed for heavy metal levels when comparing TS and control subjects. CONCLUSION: We confirmed that lead exposure is a risk factor for ADHD. We also identified that cadmium may be a new candidate risk factor for manifestation of ADHD. We did not find an association between heavy metals and manifestation of TS.
Cadmium ; Child ; Hair ; Humans ; Metals, Heavy ; Risk Factors ; Tourette Syndrome

BACKGROUND: Acute erythroleukemia (AEL), FAB-M6 is a rare heterogenous disorder diagnosed by myeloblasts more than 30% of nonerythroid cells (NEC). Pure erythroleukemia (Di Guglielmo disease) with an excess of proerythroblasts can be classified as MDS or M0. An aberration of the p53 gene in acute myelogenous leukemia is rare, but related to complex karyotypes with poor prognosis. METHODS: To evaluate heterogenous features, 32 cases of AEL or suspicious AEL were categorized as consisting of more than 50% erythroblasts and M6a with more than 30% myeloblasts of NEC, M6b with more than 30% proerythroblasts of all erythroblasts, and M6c with more than 30% both myeloblasts and proerythroblasts. The relation of the p53 protein overexpression and chromosomal abnormalities to AEL and these subtypes was investigated. RESULTS: There were 18 M6a, 6 M6b, and 8 M6c. The percentage of erythroblasts was M6a 58.7%, 77.7% M6b, and 67.2% M6c. The percentage of myeloblasts in NEC was M6a 53.6%, M6b 4.3%, and M6c 39.2%. The percentage of proerythroblasts in all erythroblasts was M6a 5.6%, M6b 56.2%, and M6c 34.1%. Survivals of M6b and M6c were significantly shorter than M6a (12.0 vs. 2.0 vs. 2.0 months, P=0.003). Five of 11 cases showed complex karyotypes (1 M6a, 2 M6b, 2 M6c), of -5, 5q-, -7, 7q-, -17 and/or 17p-, with shorter survival and poor response. The p53 protein overexpression was M6a 27.3%, M6b 100%, and M6c 83.3%. The p53 protein overexpression was positive in all 5 cases of multiple complex karyotype with frequent treatment failure or shorter survival, but was negative in 5 normal karyotypes. CONCLUSTIONS: The occurrence of complex karyotypes and aberration of the p53 gene frequently observed in M6b and M6c subtypes of acute erythroleukemia would be considered in establishing a new and innovative treatment to target neoplastic proerythroblasts that are resistant to standard therapy for acute myelogenous leukemia.
Chromosome Aberrations ; Erythroblasts ; Genes, p53 ; Granulocyte Precursor Cells ; Karyotype ; Leukemia, Erythroblastic, Acute* ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute ; Prognosis ; Treatment Failure

There has been little data on the prevalence of supplement use and the characteristics of the dietary supplement users in the Republic of Korea. This study presents the prevalence and the details of any dietary supplement use and the characteristics of the adults who use dietary supplements in the Republic of Korea. Between May 18 and June 16, 2006, nationwide and population-weighted personal interviews with 6,201 adult aged from 30 to 69 years were conducted and the final sample consisted of 3,000 people with a 49.8% response rate. We examined the prevalence and details of the use of dietary supplements and the characteristics of those who use the dietary supplement among adults. About sixty two percent of adults had taken any dietary supplement during the previous 12-month period in 2006. The most commonly reported dietary supplement was ginseng, followed by multivitamins, glucosamine, probiotics, and vitamin C. Female (versus male), an older age group, a higher family income, those living in metropolitan cities, those with marital experience, those with a higher level of education, and those having medical problems had a greater likelihood of reporting the use of any dietary supplements. The particular relationships differed depending on the type of supplement. The most Korean adults took one more dietary supplement and the dietary supplement users had different demographic and health characteristics compared to those of the nonusers. Research on diet supplements by the medical community is needed in the future.
Adult ; Aged ; Ascorbic Acid ; Complementary Therapies ; Demography ; Diet ; Dietary Supplements ; Female ; Glucosamine ; Humans ; Morinda ; Panax ; Prevalence ; Probiotics ; Republic of Korea