BACKGROUND: One of the most, probable pathogenesis of vitiliga is autoimmune. Systemic cor tico st,eroids suppress immunity and may arrest the progression of vitiligo and lead to repigmentation. OBJECTIVE: We have assessed the clinical effect of a oral small oral dose of corticosteroid to minimize side effects in vitiligo patients. METHODS: Thirty four patients(9;male, 25;female) with vitiligo were evaluated in this study. The patients took 7.5mg-20mg prednisolone initially for 2 months and then the dosage was tapered to half of the initial dosiat the 3rd month and half of dose of 3rd month for the last 4th month. We compared the effcct of treatment of vitiligo before and aft.er the study by photographs. and side efferts were issessed at. 1, 2, 3 and 4 month. RESULTS: The arrest of the progression of vitiligo was noticed in 79% of patients and repigmentation was noticed in 59% of patients which is statistically significant. The effect, of treatment according to extent, duiation, type, and site of vitiligo were not statistically significant. The side effects of treatment were minimal and did not affect the course of treatment. CONCLUSION: Small doses of iral corticosteroids are effective without any significant side effects in preventing progression and loiiduce repigmentation of active spreading vitiligo and generalized type of vitiligo that is difficult to treat with topical corticosteroids.
Adrenal Cortex Hormones* ; Humans ; Prednisolone ; Vitiligo*

No abstract available.
Animals ; Coculture Techniques* ; Embryonic Structures* ; Mice*

The infrapatellar fat pad (IPFP) is one of three fat pads located about the anterior knee. Injury in this region is relatively common. Damage to the IPFP is caused mostly by an iatrogenic injury from a surgical procedure or repeated small collision trauma. The authors experienced a case of an IPFP injury, that has not been reported in the domestic or international literature. In this case, acute IPFP separation followed by a contusion at the anterior aspect of knee in the kneeling position, confirmed using magnetic resonance imaging. The patient was fully recovered with conservative treatment.

Recognition of face is an essential cognitive processing to communicate information directly each other. The electrophysiological data have demonstrated that the negative event-related potential (ERP) recorded at occipitotemporal leads, the N170 potential, is a very sensitive neural correlate for faces. The fusiform gyrus, located on the ventromedial surface of temporal and occipital lobes, has been demonstrated to be a key brain region for face perception. Because the face contains the emotional informations, study about face recognition includes emotional processing as well as structural processing of face. So as a essential part of social cognition, the face recognition and facial affects preception have been paid attentions by many researchers. In this article, we reviewed some important research data about face recognition and face affect perception.
Attention ; Brain ; Cognition ; Evoked Potentials ; Neurobiology ; Occipital Lobe ; Schizophrenia

OBJECTIVE: Healthy individuals show stronger gamma-band activities (GBAs) for socially relevant stimuli (human faces) than for non-relevant ones. This study aimed to examine whether this gamma-band preference occurs in patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: EEG was recorded for 24 patients with schizophrenia and 23 healthy controls while they viewed pictures of human faces, chairs, and nature scenes. The spectral powers of high-beta (20-30 Hz) and gamma (30-80 Hz) frequencies were analyzed along 3 midline cortical regions, and phase synchronization was calculated. RESULTS: Compared to the response to non-facial stimuli, higher event related deactivation to facial stimuli was observed for the high-beta frequency across groups. For the gamma frequency, early-stage GBA was increased and late-stage GBA was decreased for all 3 stimuli in patients with schizophrenia compared to healthy controls. Preferential GBA patterns (100-200 and 200-300 ms) were found in healthy controls, but not in patients with schizophrenia. Significant correlation existed between negative symptoms and GBA in the frontal region for chair and scene stimuli. There was no significant intergroup difference in phase synchronization pattern. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that patients with schizophrenia have deficits in the preferential pattern of GBA for human faces and the deficits in the preferential pattern were mainly influenced by over-response to socially non-relevant stimuli.
Electroencephalography ; Humans* ; Schizophrenia*

Objective: Alpha wave of electroencephalography (EEG) is known to be related to behavioral inhibition. Both the alpha wave and default mode network (DMN) are predominantly activated during resting-state. To study the mechanisms of the trait inhibition, this research investigating the relations among alpha wave, DMN and behavioral inhibition in resting-state. Methods: We explored the relationship among behavioral inhibition, resting-state alpha power, and DMN. Resting-state EEG, behavioral inhibition/behavioral activation scale (BIS/BAS), Barratt impulsivity scale, and no-go accuracy were assessed in 104 healthy individuals. Three groups (i.e., participants with low/middle/high band power) were formed based on the relative power of each total-alpha, low-alpha (LA), and high-alpha band. Source-reconstructed EEG and functional network measures of 25 DMN regions were calculated. Results: Significant differences and correlations were found based on LA band power alone. The high LA group had significantly greater BIS, clustering coefficient, efficiency, and strength, and significantly lower path length than low/middle LA group. BIS score showed a significant correlation with functional network measures of DMN. Conclusion Our study revealed that LA power is related to behavioral inhibition and functional network measures of DMN of LA band appear to represent significant inhibitory function.

OBJECTIVES : Theory of mind (ToM) is the ability to conceptualize other people's mental states in order to explain their behavior. This study compared the ToM ability of schizophrenia patients, their first-degree biological relatives, and healthy controls. METHODS : ToM animation test was administered to schizophrenia patients (N=28), their healthy first-degree relatives (N=26), and healthy controls (N=28). The Korean version of schizotypal personality questionnaire (SPQ) was used to assess the schizotypal personality trait of all three groups. RESULTS : Schizophrenia patients and their first-degree relatives showed decreased accuracy on ToM animation test compared to healthy controls [F(2,78)=29.75, p<.001]. Additionally, first-degree relatives performed worse than the control group and better than schizophrenia patients. First-degree relatives had similar SPQ scores compared to healthy controls but showed decreased ToM accuracy compared to healthy controls. CONCLUSION : ToM deficits in schizophrenia patients are apparent. The ToM deficit in first-degree relatives of schizophrenia patients raises the possibility that ToM deficit may be a endophenotype for schizophrenia pathology.
Endophenotypes ; Humans ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Schizophrenia ; Theory of Mind

No abstract available.
Axons ; Hand ; Humans

BACKGROUND: We previously reported that IFN-gamma producing T cell responses induced by the combined therapy of DNA vaccine and lamivudine for one year are important for the induction of sustained virological response (SVR). However, IFN-gamma production is not sufficient to predict sustained viremia control in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) carriers treated. METHODS: Twelve CHB carriers were intramuscularly immunized 12 times at a 4-week interval with 8 mg of HBV DNA vaccine during the standard lamivudine treatment (100 mg/daily/1 year). The level of cytokines during and after the combined therapy in plasma of all 12 CHB carriers treated was determined by each ELISA kit. Six out of 12 CHB carriers revisited the clinic, and their HBV DNA levels were examined. RESULTS: The combined therapy increased plasma IL-12 and IL-12/p40 ratio during the treatment (baseline vs. peak level: 41.8+/-8.3 vs. 163.1+/-29.2 pg/ml; p<0.01 and 0.96+/-0.25 vs. 3.58+/-0.86; p<0.01, espectively), and the peak level of plasma IL-12 and IL-12/p40 ratio was evoked at 6 to 10 months during the combined therapy. In particular, CHB carriers with SVR had two and three-fold higher level of the peak plasma IL-12 and plasma IL-12/p40 ratio than non-virological responders (NVRs), respectively (218.0+/-41.4 vs. 108.1+/-28.6 pg/ml; p=0.09 and 5.35+/-1.38 vs. 1.80+/-0.29; p<0.05, respectively), while p40 level was consistent during the combined therapy. In addition, there was no significant temporal correlation between the peak IL-12/p40 ratio and the elevation of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in this study, contrast to IFN-alpha therapy which induced peak IL-12 level following ALT flares. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that the combined therapy induces the increase of plasma IL-12 and IL-12/p40 ratio, which are associated with long-term SVR in CHB carriers.
Alanine Transaminase ; Corynebacterium ; Cytokines ; DNA ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Hepatitis B virus ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; Interleukin-12 ; Lamivudine ; Plasma ; Viremia

BACKGROUND: We previously reported that IFN-gamma producing T cell responses induced by the combined therapy of DNA vaccine and lamivudine for one year are important for the induction of sustained virological response (SVR). However, IFN-gamma production is not sufficient to predict sustained viremia control in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) carriers treated. METHODS: Twelve CHB carriers were intramuscularly immunized 12 times at a 4-week interval with 8 mg of HBV DNA vaccine during the standard lamivudine treatment (100 mg/daily/1 year). The level of cytokines during and after the combined therapy in plasma of all 12 CHB carriers treated was determined by each ELISA kit. Six out of 12 CHB carriers revisited the clinic, and their HBV DNA levels were examined. RESULTS: The combined therapy increased plasma IL-12 and IL-12/p40 ratio during the treatment (baseline vs. peak level: 41.8+/-8.3 vs. 163.1+/-29.2 pg/ml; p<0.01 and 0.96+/-0.25 vs. 3.58+/-0.86; p<0.01, espectively), and the peak level of plasma IL-12 and IL-12/p40 ratio was evoked at 6 to 10 months during the combined therapy. In particular, CHB carriers with SVR had two and three-fold higher level of the peak plasma IL-12 and plasma IL-12/p40 ratio than non-virological responders (NVRs), respectively (218.0+/-41.4 vs. 108.1+/-28.6 pg/ml; p=0.09 and 5.35+/-1.38 vs. 1.80+/-0.29; p<0.05, respectively), while p40 level was consistent during the combined therapy. In addition, there was no significant temporal correlation between the peak IL-12/p40 ratio and the elevation of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in this study, contrast to IFN-alpha therapy which induced peak IL-12 level following ALT flares. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that the combined therapy induces the increase of plasma IL-12 and IL-12/p40 ratio, which are associated with long-term SVR in CHB carriers.
Alanine Transaminase ; Corynebacterium ; Cytokines ; DNA ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Hepatitis B virus ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; Interleukin-12 ; Lamivudine ; Plasma ; Viremia