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

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

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

PURPOSE: To report a case of bilateral branch retinal vein occlusion development after taking long-term tamoxifen adjuvant therapy. CASE SUMMARY: A 72-year-old female breast cancer patient with a 10-year history of tamoxifen intake presented with decreased visual acuity that began 5 years prior. The patient had no other past history. The best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 0.3 in the right eye and 0.04 in the left eye. There was no specific finding of anterior segment on slit lamp examination. On fundus examination, sheathed branch retinal veins were observed in the inferotemporal area of the right eye and superotemporal and inferotemporal areas of the left eye. Microangiopathies were observed around the occluded branch retinal veins in both eyes and macular edema was present in the left eye. Laser photocoagulation was performed at the non-perfusion area in both eyes and an intravitreal injection of bevacizumab and 3 intravitreal injections of triamcinolone were administered into the left eye. The BCVA did not change after 3 years and remained relatively stable. CONCLUSIONS: If a patient presents with decreased visual acuity after taking tamoxifen, fundus examination and fluorescein angiogram should be performed due to the possibility of branch retinal vein occlusion.
Aged ; Bevacizumab ; Breast Neoplasms ; Female ; Fluorescein ; Humans ; Intravitreal Injections ; Light Coagulation ; Macular Edema ; Retinal Vein Occlusion* ; Retinal Vein* ; Retinaldehyde* ; Slit Lamp ; Tamoxifen* ; Triamcinolone ; Visual Acuity

Purpose: Melioidosis is a zoonosis that can infect humans or animals. The disease is caused by the bacteria Burkholderia pseudomallei, which is found in contaminated soil and water. We investigated the epidemiological aspects of melioidosis cases among oversea travelers in Korea and Japan during 2011 to 2020. Methods: Raw data were obtained from the website of melioidosis cases from the Korea Diseases Control and Prevention Agency, and the National Institute of infectiousDiseases in Japan, 2011−2020. Results: There were 26 cases of melioidosis cases in Korea and 14 cases in Japan between 2011 and 2020. Cumulative incidence rate per 1,000,000 oversea travelers (OTs) of Korea (0.14) did not substantially differ that of Japan (0.09), respectively.The incidence of melioidosis in males (96.2% of total 26 cases) was much more common than in females (3.8%) in OTs of Korea (P<0.01), while there were significant differences level between males (85.7% of total 14 cases) and females (14.3%) in OTs of Japan (P<0.01). On the other hand, the distribution by adjusted-age groups for melioidosis cases were statistically similar distribution between Korean and Japanese that total cases occurred in the over 40-years old age, clearly showing a more infected of melioidosis (P<0.05). Conclusion This study demonstrates that there is a similar pattern of imported melioidosis cases in Korea and Japan. Therefore, to prevent melioidosis infections, greater attention should be paid to individuals who are planning to travel to the presumptive regions of melioidosis.

A 62-year-old woman with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia(HHT) or Osler-Weber-Rendu disease involving the liver is presented. Imaging findings including color Doppler sonograph and CT findings are described.
Female ; Humans ; Liver* ; Middle Aged

BACKGROUND: It is well known that atrial fibrillation is common cardiac arrythmia in old age and poses a definitive risk factor of cerebral infarction. Therefore, effective treatment of atrial fibrillation is very important in the prevention of cerebral infarction. However, oral anticoagulant medication for the prevention of embolic ischemic stroke may be dangerous due to cerebral hemorrhage side effects. METHODS: This is a controlled case study designed to identify the risk factors in a large numbers of stroke and atrial fibrillation patients and to assess those patients with atrial fibrillation as a high risk group for cerebral infarction. All patient discharged from Chonnam National University Hospital were identified over a 42 month period who met our case standards of atrial fibrillation and ischemic stroke (n=62), and compared them with the control groups who were discharged with atrial fibrillation without stroke(n=68). We excluded the atrial fibrillation due to valvular heart disease, ischemic heart disease and congestive heart failure during the selection of subjects. RESULTS: Subjects and the controls were characteristically similar with common past medical histories of diabets, smoking, and hyperlipidemia. Sex, familial history, left ventricular hypertrophy in 2D-echocardiogram were also similar in both groups, however differences did exist. Subjects were significantly older than controls(68.9 : 63.9, p<0.001) and more likely to have a history of hypertension(56.5% : 23.5%, p<0.001) and left atrial enlargement(>40mm)(52.6% : 29.0%, p<0.001). Each of these 3 factors were assinged a measure of 1 point as a risk score, ischemic embolic stroke was found in 4 out of 28 patients(14.3%) with a risk score of 0, in 16 out of 39 patients(41.0%) with a risk score of 1, in 29 out of 41 patients(70.7%) with a risk score of 2, in 8 out of 11 patients(72.7%) with a risk score of 3. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the above results, a subject having more than two risk factors should be regarded as a high risk group for cerebral infarction and the long term anticoagulant therapy for the prevention of stroke may also be necessary even though some complications are present.
Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Atrial Fibrillation* ; Cerebral Hemorrhage ; Cerebral Infarction* ; Heart Failure ; Heart Valve Diseases ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias ; Hypertension ; Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular ; Jeollanam-do ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Patient Selection ; Risk Factors* ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Stroke

Sneddon's syndrome consists of livedo reticularis and ischemic cerebrovascular disease, which was reported by Sneddon in 1965. Althrough the etiology of it is not clear, this syndrome appears frequantly in patient with antiphospholipid antibody or early stage of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. We report a 32-year-old female patient who had been suffered from livedo reticularis and premature cerebral infarction. VDRL was false positive for over 5 years. These findings were compatible with Sneddon's syndrome.
Adult ; Antibodies, Antiphospholipid ; Cerebral Infarction ; Female ; Humans ; Livedo Reticularis ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted in order to evaluate the effects of inhalants on color vision impairment. METHODS: The inhalation group consisted of 81 neurotoxic chemical substance abusers at Bugok National Hospital and Institute of Forensic Psychiatry, Ministry of Justice. The control group consisted of 41 employees of Bugok National Hospital. The Lanthony D-15 desaturated hue test was administered to both groups. For the qualitative analysis, we classified the results by the morphological characteristics of color vision impairment. For the quantitative analysis, we calculated the total color distance score (TCDS) and the color confusion index (CCI) and determined that the individual was abnormal if the TCDS was over 65.0 or the CCI was over 1.25. RESULTS: The TCDS of the inhalation group was 75.58+/-21.07 and the CCI was 1.34+/-0.37 in the right eye, and 75.47+/-23.63 and 1.34+/-0.42, respectively in the left eye. These results are higher than those found for the control group. In regards to the TCDS, 50 (61.8%) of the abusers in the inhalation group had color vision impairment in the right eye and 48 (59.2%) had impairment in the left eye. 11 (26.8%) of the employees in the control group had color vision impairment in the right eye and 13 (31.7%) had impairment in the left eye. In regards to the CCI, 38 (46.9%) of the abusers in the inhalation group had color vision impairment in the right eye and 35 (43.2%) had impairment in the left eye. 4 (9.8%) of the employees in the control group had color vision impairment in the right eye and 7 (17.0%) had impairment in the left eye. The results of multiple logistic regression analysis for acquired color vision impairment showed that the inhalation period (OR=1.20, 95% CI: 1.03~1.40) was the significant variable. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that the inhalation of neurotoxic substances may impair the color vision, and the period inhaled with neurotoxic substances is significant variable affecting on the acquired color vision impairment.
Color Vision ; Eye ; Forensic Psychiatry ; Inhalation ; Logistic Models ; Social Justice

PURPOSE: To report a rare case of isolated neurogenic blepharoptosis secondary to eyelid trauma. CASE SUMMARY: A previously healthy 41-year-old male was evaluated for decreased visual acuity and blepharoptosis in the left eye after ocular trauma. On ophthalmologic examination, visual acuity in the left eye was hand motion, intraocular pressure was 29 mm Hg, hematoma and eyelid edema were minimal. The patient had complete unilateral ptosis with superficial upper eyelid laceration. Additional findings in the left eye included fracture of the medial orbital wall, hyphema, iris sphincter muscle tear, iridodialysis and conjunctival laceration. The other examinations were unremarkable with full ocular motility. Because of iris sphincter muscle tear and iridodialysis, the pupillary reaction could not be evaluated. His left upper eyelid drooped completely and levator function test (LFT) was 0 mm. He was diagnosed with an isolated neurogenic blepharoptosis and received oral prednisolone at a dose of 1 mg/kg per day for 7 days with gradual tapering. One month later, the patient had normal symmetric lid height and completely restored levator function.
Adult ; Blepharoptosis ; Edema ; Eyelids ; Hand ; Hematoma ; Humans ; Hyphema ; Intraocular Pressure ; Iris ; Lacerations ; Male ; Oculomotor Nerve ; Orbit ; Prednisolone ; Visual Acuity