Epilepsy can have serious consequences on marriage among Asians. The marriage rate among Korean people with epilepsy was about 80% of expected in general population. Other than seizures, unemployment in men and earlier onset of seizures are significant factors for lower marriage rate. The overall divorce rate in general population aged more than 20 years in Korea was 0.7% as compared with 9% in people with epilepsy. Similar high divorce rate was also reported in India particularly among women. Active seizures and unemployment may be factors in divorce particularly among particularly among men in Korea

No abstract available.
Peroneal Nerve*

It is known that excitotoxicity and oxygen radicals were two major pathogenic events related to mesial temporal sclerosis(MTS), which was the most common histopathologic features in intractable temporal lobe epilepsy. The experiment was designed to investigate the neuroprotective effect of 2-methylaminochroman U-78S17F, a second generation series of nonsteroidal lazaroid compounds, against excitotoxic and oxygen radical injuries on the human fetal hippocampal neurons in vitro. Neuron-enriched cultures were seeded on both 96 well multichamber plates and poly-L-Iysine coated Aclar cover slips to determine cytotoxicity by MTT(3-4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay and cytopathologic features respectively. Dose-dependent neuronal injuries were developed by treatment of 100, 200, and 500 microM glutamate (p<0.01), and 100 microM hypoxanthine plus 10 to 20 mU xanthine oxidase (p<0.01). The glutamate-induced cytotoxicity was completely blocked by pretreatment of 20 microM MK-801 (p<0.01), however, U-78S17F did not attenuate the glutamate toxicity. The fetal hippocampal neurons were protected from oxygen radical injuries by pretreatment of 2 to 16 microM U-78517F (p<0.01). The cytopathologic changes observed by phase-contrast inverted microscope, neurofilament protein (NF) immunocytochemistry, and MTT stain correlated well with the degree of neuronal injuries in experimental groups. Considerably swollen neurons with disintegrated neurites were noted by the excitotoxic and oxygen radical injuries, however, there was no characteristic cytologic difference between them. These data indicated that U-78S17F had only a significant protective effect from oxygen radical injury on fetal hippocampal neurons in culture, and it was suggested that the early treatment of both glutamate-antagonists and antioxidants would be beneficial to reduce MTS following epileptic seizures.
Antioxidants ; Dizocilpine Maleate ; Epilepsy ; Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe ; Glutamic Acid ; Humans* ; Hypoxanthine ; Immunohistochemistry ; Neurites ; Neurons* ; Neuroprotective Agents* ; Oxygen ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Xanthine Oxidase

BACKGROUND: In patients with myocardial infarction, one needs to know the location, extent and severity of wall motion abnormalities to assess prognosis and guide therapy. Thus more precise quantatative estimates of regional ventricular function are required. Regional wall motion has generally been assessed by displaying the multiple cardiac images of RVG as endless-loop movie, but the cinematic display was not objective. We used the usefulness of the phase analysis in evaluating the global left ventricular function and regional wall motion abnormalities of patients with myocardial infarction. The accuracy of the RVG cinematic display in detecting regional wall motion abnormalities in patients with myocardial infarction was also evaluated. METHODS: Studied cases were 97 patients with myocardial infarction and 20 normals with low likelihood of coronary artery disease. Coronary angiography and contrast left ventriculography were performed in all patients with myocardial infarction. The regional wall myocardial infarction(presence) is defined when the EKG presented the evidence of myocardial infarction, left ventriculogram showed RWMA(regional wall motion abnormality) along with stenosis of 50% or greater of the regional supplying coronary artery. Each patient was imaged in 45 left anterior oblique(LAO) view, anterior(Ant) view and left lateral(Lt Lat) view. We evaluated Left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF) from time-activity curve. We constructed the histogram for the left ventricle and both ventricle separately to obtain the global and total phase angle(GPA, TPA), standard deviation of phase angle(GSDPh, TSDPh), full width half maximum(GFWHM, TFWHM). The left ventricle was divided into 7 segments. LAO projection ; septal, apical, basal lateral, apical lateral, Ant projection ; anterolateral, Lt Lat projection ; inferior, posterior, Phase angle(RPA) and full width half maximum(RFWHM) from the histogram (regional 7 segments) were examined. On the RVG cinematic display, the standard 4 grading system was used, normal, hypokinesia, akinesia, dyskinesia. The observer evaluated regional wall motion abnormality of the 7 segments for all cases. The sensitivity of the above parameters and RVG cinematic display was evaluated. We analyzed the regional parameters among the patents with regional wall myocardial infarction(presence), those without regional wall myocardial infarction(absence) and control group using the t-test. The statistical analysis was done by one way ANOVA between regional phase analysis and RVG cinematic display. RESULTS: The sensitivity of LVEF was lowest(70.1%) and the GFWHM was highest among the global parameters(89.1%). But RFWHM showed even higher sensitivity(96.9%), thus regional phase analysis was also required. The RVG cinematic display was also sensitive(92.7%), but less sensitive than the RFWHM. On regional phase analysis the RPA of septal, apical, inferior, posterior walls of the left ventricle was able to separate presence group from absence group and also presence group from control group and the RPA of the apical lateral wall could separate presence group from absence group. The RPA of basal lateral and anterolateral wall was inaccurate in diagnosing the regional wall myocardial infarction, because basal lateral wall was overlapped by adjacent vascular structures, and the area of anterolateral wall dose not correlate completely beteen the RVG & the left ventriculogram, also the anterolateral wall can be supplied by the obtuse marginal branch of left circumflex artery. The RFWHM of all regional walls of left ventricle could separate presence group from absence group and presence group from control group. We found good correlation between regional phase analysis & left ventriculogram for detection of regional wall myocardial infartion. On RVG cinematic display, the RPA of the normal group was different from that of dyskinesia, akinesia and hypokinesia groups. The RPA of the dyskinesia group was also different from that of skinesia and hypokinesia groups by oneway ANOVA(p<0.05). The RFWHM of the dskinesia group was different from that of the normal group and hypokinesia group. RVG cinematic display correlated well with regional phase analysis and also quantitation of wall motion. CONCLUSIONS: Thus RVG cinematic display was useful and can not be replaced by phase analysis. But the regional phase analysis was sensitive and objective in diagnosing the wall motion abnormality in myocardial infarction.
Ants ; Arteries ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Vessels ; Dyskinesias ; Electrocardiography ; Heart Ventricles ; Humans ; Hypokinesia ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Prognosis ; Radionuclide Ventriculography ; Ventricular Function ; Ventricular Function, Left

Anticonvulsants* ; Pharmacogenetics*

Familial periodic paralysis (FPP) is inherited as a dominant trait, and the intermittent failure to maintain the skeletal muscle resting potential is due to mutations in the genes coding for the voltage-gated ion channels. Because several variants of FPP have been delineated on the bases of clinical features, the expectation was that these variants might be due to involvement of different classes of ion channels. The reality of the situation has proven to be more complicated. Mutation-induced defects in the same channel may give rise to diverse phenotypes (phenotypic heterogeneity) and, conversely, mutation in different channel genes may produce a common phenotype (genetic heterogeneity). Regardless of which type of ion channel is defective, the final common pathway is the depolarization-induced loss of muscle excitability; gain-of-function defect in voltage-gated Na channel may cause myotonia, periodic paralysis or both, clinical features of hyperkalemic periodic paralysis and paramyotonia congenita, and loss-of-function defects in voltage-gated Na and Ca channel and K channel may be responsible for periodic paralysis, cardiac arrhythmia or both in hypokalemic periodic paralysis or Andersen's syndrome, respectively. This review focuses on the clinical features, molecular genetic defects, and pathophysiologic mechanisms that underlie FPP.
Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Channelopathies* ; Clinical Coding ; Genetics* ; Hypokalemic Periodic Paralysis ; Ion Channels ; Membrane Potentials ; Molecular Biology ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Myotonia ; Myotonic Disorders ; Paralyses, Familial Periodic* ; Paralysis ; Paralysis, Hyperkalemic Periodic ; Phenotype

The Guillain-Barre Sydrome (GBS) is an acute inflammatory demylinating polyradiculoneuropathy of unknown etiology. It occurs frequently one to three weeks after a banal antecedent respiratory or gastrointestinal infection. Other preceding events include surgical procedures, viral exanthems and other viral illnesses, mycoplasma infections, the spirochetal infection of Lyrne disease, lymphomatous disease, adrninistration of vaccination and so on. We experienced 2 cases of typical GBS in clinical features, CSF finding and electrophysiological aspect after antecedent nckettsial infection. To our knowledge, this is the first discription of GBS associated with preceding rickettsial disease. We would like to suggest that rickettsial infection would be one of possible antecedent illness associated with GBS.
Exanthema ; Guillain-Barre Syndrome* ; Mycoplasma Infections ; Polyradiculoneuropathy ; Vaccination

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the electrophysiologic and histopathologic changes of the prheral nerve from hyperthermal nerve injury and to observe the difference of these changes according to the level of temperature and the duration of heat application. METHOD: The experimental rats (Sprague-Dawley) were divided into four groups according to the degree of temperature and the duration of heat application : Group 1, 43degrees C for 15 min; Group 2, 43degrees C for 30 min; Group 3, 45degrees C for 15 min; Group 4, 45degrees C for 30 min. A segment of 5 mm of the sciatic nerve was exposed and treated in vivo with local hyperthermia using a thermostatically controlled heating unit. For the electrophysiologic examination, both sciatic nerve conduction study and needle electromyographic examination were performed immediately before, and at 1 day, 3 days, 1 week, 2 weeks, and 4 weeks after the hyperthermia. For the histopathologic study, a sciatic nerve biopsy was performed at 1 day, 1 week, 2 weeks, and 4 weeks after the hyperthermia and the changes were investigated under the light microscopic and electronmicroscopic examinations. RESULTS: In experimental groups, the compound muscle action potentials (CMAPs) showed a significant reduction compared to the control group (p<0.05). Amplitudes of CMAPs following the heat application to the nerve were inversely related with the degree and duration of hyperthermia. A significant recovery of CMAPs was observed at 4 weeks after the hyperthermia in all experimental groups. The motor conduction latencies, however, did not show any significant changes. The needle electromyography of the gastrocnemius began to reveal fibrillation potentials on the 3rd day after the hyperthermia and continued to appear until the second week and then completely disappeared at 4 weeks after the hyperthermia. The histopathologic findings began to show the degeneration of axon and myelin within 24 hours and a remarkable regeneration at 4 weeks after the hyperthermia. CONCLUSION: The results revealed that the hyperthermia of peripheral nerve within the range of 43~45degrees C for 15~30 min is likely to cause a significant acute, but not necessarily permanent nerve injury, and the severity of nerve injuries is related to the temperature and duration of heat applications. Whether the results can be clinically applied to human beings would require further exploration.
Action Potentials ; Animals ; Axons ; Biopsy ; Electromyography ; Electrophysiology ; Fever ; Heating ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Hyperthermia, Induced ; Myelin Sheath ; Needles ; Peripheral Nerves* ; Rats ; Regeneration ; Sciatic Nerve

Salmonellosis in poultry of Korea is a significant health problem, which causes substantial economic losses. The most common causative agents of chicken salmonellosis ar S. gallinarum and S. pullorum. Traditional methods used to detect Salmoenella spp. In chicken are tedious, time consuming and confer little guarantee of sensitivity and species specificity. Therefore, a rapid and sensitive method for the differentiation of Salmonella serogroup D was assessed. We first amplified the rfbS genes by PCR and characterized the amplified product by nucleotide sequence analysis. The homology of nucleotide sequence was 99.7% between S. gallinarum and S. pullorum rfbS genes. Further comparisons of the sequences of S. gallinarum, S. gallinarum fied strain, S. pullorum and S. typhi(GenBank Accession No.M29682) showed a homology of 98.3%. The predicted amino acid sequence homology was 97.1%, 97.1% and 97.5%, respectively. Based on this comparison of these nucleotide sequences, we found unique restriction enzyme sites within the rfbS genes of S. gallinarum and S. pullorum. Thus, the PCR products could be further digested with restriction enzymes TfiI and PleI for use in a restriction fragment length polymorphism (RELP) technique. This method can be applied in the differential diagnosis between S. gallinarum and S. pullorum.
Animals ; Base Sequence ; *Chickens ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Polymerase Chain Reaction/veterinary ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length ; Poultry Diseases/*diagnosis/microbiology ; Restriction Mapping/veterinary ; Salmonella/*classification/genetics/isolation&purification ; Salmonella Infections, Animal/*diagnosis/microbiology ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid ; Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid ; Species Specificity

Since the identification of the C-group chromosome has been made possible by the introduction of banding technique, the features of the trisomy-8 syndrome have been defined. Most of them have been mosaics and have had similar clinical findings. A case of Trisomy-8 mosaicism confirmed by G-banding analysis by skin fibroblast and heart blood in a dead female fetus of 35 weeks of gestation is described.
Female ; Humans