Differential diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia(VaD) has an important bearing on the diagnosis and management of patients with dementia. This article provides a guideline for the differential diagnosis through 1) history taking, 2) neurological examination, 3) neuropsychological tests, and 4) neuroimaging studies. VaD consists of etiologically and clinically heterogeneous subtypes that include multi-infarct dementia (MID), single strategic infarct dementia, and subcortical vascular dementia. Patients with MID and single infarct dementia con be easily differentiated from patients with AD. However, clinical manifestations of subcortical vascular dementia can mimic those of AD, which may lead primary physicians to misdiagnose subcortical vascular dementia as AD. The issue of differential diagnosis is further complicated by the fact that many patients may have AD with concomitant VaD (mixed dementia).
Alzheimer Disease* ; Dementia ; Dementia, Multi-Infarct ; Dementia, Vascular* ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential* ; Humans ; Neuroimaging ; Neurologic Examination ; Neuropsychological Tests

Management of subtrochanteric fractures of the femur is difficult because of the high mechanical stresses in this region; furthermore, the bone here is mainly cortical and comminution is frequent. These two factors, involvement of cortical bone tissue and concentration of stress, have been mentioned as reasons for the high incidence of complication in the treatment of these fractures, such as Relayed union, mechanical failure and rnalunion. Thirty cases of subtrochanteric fractures in twenty-nine patients were reviewed, which have been managed at the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine from Jan. 1980 to Dec. 1984 and the following results were obtained: l. Of the 29 patients reviewed, 22 were male and 7 were female. Mean age was 45.7 years in male and 67.3 years in female. 2. Traffic accidents were the most common cause of injury(44.8%) 3. Pelvic bone fractures(7 cases) and rib fractures(7 cases) were the most common associated injuries. 4. Fielding's type II (13 cases) fracture and Seinsheimer's type IV (10 cases) fracture were most common. 5. Of the 30 cases, 26(86.7%) were treated by open reduction and internal fixation. Of fixation devices, a Jewett nail was most commonly used in 13 cases (50.0%). 6. The mean duration of bony union was 20.4 weeks. There was no significant difference in union rate between fractures which were treated by operative means and fractures by conservative means. And more longer period was needed in union as fracture goes distally. 7. Weight bearing was allowed earlier in patients treated by operative means (average 10.5 weeks) than in patients by conservative means (average 18.0 weeks.). 8. Of the 30 cases, 8 complications (26.7%) occured, that is: delayed union(4 cases), mechanical failure (3 cases) and angular deformity(1 case). All of them occured in Fielding's type II and III fractures except 1 case. Loss of medial buttress and unstable reduction were considered to be causing factors. 9. Satisfactory result was obtained by stable anatomical reduction and internally fixed by Jewett nail and compression hip screw. In case of intramedullary nail, good result was expected when used in non-comminuted fracture of distal portion. Also, additional supplementary screw fixation, circlage wire and bone graft were recommended, when necessary.
Accidents, Traffic ; Bone and Bones ; Clinical Study ; Female ; Femur ; Hip ; Hip Fractures ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Orthopedics ; Pelvic Bones ; Ribs ; Stress, Mechanical ; Transplants ; Weight-Bearing

We have had an opportunity to study a patient with acute sensory neuronopathy. The patient was a 32-yearold housewife; the rapidly spreaded tingling sensation along both arms and legs developed, rendering her severely ataxic. There was no history of antecedent illness, familial neurological disease, or exposure to toxins and special drugs. On examinations, there was no abnormality in her mental and cranial nerve function. There was no motor weakness. She showed the profound loss of kinesthetic sense which was acutely progressive and associated with severe sensory ataxia and pseudoathetosis. All tendon reflexes were absent. However, cutaneous senses were preserved. There was no significant abnormal laboratory finding except elevated CSF protein content. On electrophysiologic findings, the decrease in the amplitude of action potentials with only mild slowing of conduction velocities of sensory nerves were found even though motor nerve conduction studies were normal. Median and tibial somatosensory evoked potentials could be elicited, although the median N19 scalp response and tibial N45 waveforms were prolonged in latency. Plasmapheresis were provided; clinical features improved. However, the electrophy-siological abnormalites remained. Thus we wish to report an additional case of woman suffering from the acute sensory neuronopathy, complementing the cases described by Stemm, Schaumburg and Asbury.
Action Potentials ; Arm ; Ataxia ; Complement System Proteins ; Cranial Nerves ; Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory ; Female ; Humans ; Kinesthesis ; Leg ; Neural Conduction ; Plasmapheresis ; Reflex, Stretch ; Scalp ; Sensation

The pattern reversal visual evoked potential(PRVEP) and flash electroretinogram(flash ERG) were performed in 22 patients with optic atrophy. Patients with ophthalmologic problems other than optic atrophy or with systemic disorders were excluded from the analysis The results are as follows: 1. In the 41 eyes of patients with optic atrophy, 39 of them showed abnormal PRVEP, in which all the eyes had no consistent waveform except in one patient 2 eyes with delayed P1 latency. 2. 13 eyes were abnormal in both PRVEP and flash ERG but no eye was abnomnal in flash ERG only 3, Regarding the flash ERG examination, 13 eyes were abnomlal. Of these, there was a period of 1 to 2 years for 1 eye's disease, a period of 2 to 5 years for another eye' disease and after 5 years 11 eyes were diseased. Therefore, it showed that the longer the duration of disease lasted, the more flash ERG abnormalities developed. 4. The abnormalities of PRVEP haxe no significant relationship with the duration of the disease.
Evoked Potentials, Visual* ; Humans ; Optic Atrophy*

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Carnosic acid (CA), found in rosemary (Rosemarinus officinalis) leaves, is known to exhibit anti-obesity and anti-inflammatory activities. However, whether its anti-inflammatory potency can contribute to the amelioration of obesity has not been elucidated. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of CA on Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) pathways in the presence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. MATERIALS/METHODS: 3T3-L1 adipocytes were treated with CA (0-20 microM) for 1 h, followed by treatment with LPS for 30 min; mRNA expression of adipokines and protein expression of TLR4-related molecules were then measured. RESULTS: LPS-stimulated 3T3-L1 adipocytes showed elevated mRNA expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin-6, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, and CA significantly inhibited the expression of these adipokine genes. LPS-induced up regulation of TLR4, myeloid differentiation factor 88, TNF receptor-associated factor 6, and nuclear factor-kappaB, as well as phosphorylated extracellular receptor-activated kinase were also suppressed by pre-treatment of 3T3-L1 adipocytes with CA. CONCLUSIONS: Results of this study suggest that CA directly inhibits TLR4-MyD88-dependent signaling pathways and decreases the inflammatory response in adipocytes.
Adipocytes* ; Adipokines ; Chemokine CCL2 ; Inflammation ; Interleukin-6 ; Myeloid Differentiation Factor 88 ; Obesity ; Phosphotransferases ; RNA, Messenger ; TNF Receptor-Associated Factor 6 ; Toll-Like Receptor 4 ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; Up-Regulation

In this study, we examined the hepatic anti-steatosis activity of carnosic acid (CA), a phenolic compound of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) leaves, as well as its possible mechanism of action, in a high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice model. Mice were fed a HFD, or a HFD supplemented with 0.01% (w/w) CA or 0.02% (w/w) CA, for a period of 12 weeks, after which changes in body weight, blood lipid profiles, and fatty acid mechanism markers were evaluated. The 0.02% (w/w) CA diet resulted in a marked decline in steatosis grade, as well as in homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index values, intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (IGTT) results, body weight gain, liver weight, and blood lipid levels (P < 0.05). The expression level of hepatic lipogenic genes, such as sterol regulating element binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c), liver-fatty acid binding protein (L-FABP), stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1), and fatty acid synthase (FAS), was significantly lower in mice fed 0.01% (w/w) CA and 0.02% (w/w) CA diets than that in the HFD group; on the other hand, the expression level of beta-oxidation-related genes, such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPAR-alpha), carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 (CPT-1), and acyl-CoA oxidase (ACO), was higher in mice fed a 0.02% (w/w) CA diet, than that in the HFD group (P < 0.05). In addition, the hepatic content of palmitic acid (C16:0), palmitoleic acid (C16:1), and oleic acid (C18:1) was significantly lower in mice fed the 0.02% (w/w) CA diet than that in the HFD group (P < 0.05). These results suggest that orally administered CA suppressed HFD-induced hepatic steatosis and fatty liver-related metabolic disorders through decrease of de novo lipogenesis and fatty acid elongation and increase of fatty acid beta-oxidation in mice.
Acyl Coenzyme A ; Acyl-CoA Oxidase ; Animals ; Body Weight ; Carnitine O-Palmitoyltransferase ; Carrier Proteins ; Diet ; Diet, High-Fat ; Diterpenes, Abietane ; Fatty Acid Synthetase Complex ; Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated ; Glucose Tolerance Test ; Hand ; Homeostasis ; Insulin Resistance ; Lipogenesis ; Liver ; Mice ; Oleic Acid ; Palmitic Acid ; Phenol ; Plant Extracts ; PPAR alpha ; Stearoyl-CoA Desaturase

BACKGROUND: Advanced age alone should not be a serious deterrent to surgery. Preoperative evaluation of concomitant illness, operation time, accurate and minimal, but adequate surgery will serve to minimize morbidity and mortality in elderly patients. METHODS: The total number of surgical patients admitted to Kwang Hye Hospital, Pusan, from March 1994 to August 1996 was 3211, and the number of surgical geriatric patients admitted during the same period was 214. Operations were performed on 139 patients. We recorded information about age, sex, anesthesia type, operation time, non malignancy vs malignancy, emergency vs elective "Surgery", coexisting disease, and APACHE II score, and we examined the patients for results affecting postoperative morbidity and mortality. RESULTS: Postoperative complications occured in 55 cases (39.6%), and the operative mortality was 2.2%. The significant factors affecting postoperative morbidity were emergency operation, malignancy and APACHE II score. The operation time and coexisting diseases were not significant. Age had little effect on the postoperative prognosis CONCLUSIONS: Performance of elective surgery and preoperative evaluation of the APACHE II score are important factors.
Aged ; Anesthesia ; APACHE ; Busan ; Emergencies ; Humans ; Mortality ; Postoperative Complications ; Prognosis

Emergence of new clonal chromosomal abnormality (CCA) has been reported in Philadelphia-negative cells in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) undergoing the tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment. However, the time of emergence and clinical significance of CCA remains to be elucidated. In this study, we report a CML patient undergoing TKI treatment who developed myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) after 206 months since the diagnosis of CML. Results of droplet digital PCR performed with serial bone marrow samples revealed that monosomy 7 in Philadelphia-negative cells appeared at the time of MDS development that did not exist initially at the time of CML diagnosis.

Emergence of new clonal chromosomal abnormality (CCA) has been reported in Philadelphia-negative cells in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) undergoing the tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment. However, the time of emergence and clinical significance of CCA remains to be elucidated. In this study, we report a CML patient undergoing TKI treatment who developed myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) after 206 months since the diagnosis of CML. Results of droplet digital PCR performed with serial bone marrow samples revealed that monosomy 7 in Philadelphia-negative cells appeared at the time of MDS development that did not exist initially at the time of CML diagnosis.

Crossed aphasia refers to disturbances of language following a purely right-hemisphere lesion in right-handed individuals. In right-handed individuals, aphasia is almost invariably related to a left cerebral lesion and crossed aphasia occurs in only 1 percent who developed a sudden left hemiparesis with global aphasia. He has neither family history of left-handedness or ambidexterity. Brain MRI showed an acute large infarct of the middle cerebral artery territory on the right side and brain SPECT disclosed extensive areas of hypoperfusion in the right hemisphere and no abnormal finding in the left hemisphere. The sensory component of language function was almost improved, but the motor component has been changed. Further studies of crossed aphasia may supply more data on the functional organization of the brain for speech and language.
Aphasia* ; Brain ; Functional Laterality ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Middle Cerebral Artery ; Paresis ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon