This study aimed to investigate the cognition-enhancing effect of Panax ginseng. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted to address the cognition-enhancing effects of Panax ginseng. A total of 90 Korean volunteers with mild cognitive impairment participated in this study. All subjects were allocated randomly into ‘Ginseng’ group or ‘Placebo’ group. All subjects were administered 3g of Panax ginseng powder or starch (placebo) for 6 months. The Korean version of the Mini-Mental Status Examination (K-MMSE), Korean version of Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (K-IADL), and Seoul Neuropsychological Screening Battery (SNSB) were used to assess the changes in cognitive function at the end of the 6 month study period. The subjects of the ‘Ginseng’ group improved significantly on the Rey Complex Figure Test (RCFT) immediate recall (P = 0.0405 and P = 0.0342 in per-protocol (PP) and intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis, respectively) and on the RCFT 20-min delayed recall (P = 0.0396 and P = 0.0355 in PP and ITT analysis, respectively) compared with ‘placebo’ group throughout the 6 months of Panax ginseng administration. There were no serious adverse events. These results suggest that Panax ginseng has a cognition-enhancing effect.
Activities of Daily Living ; Cognition ; Mass Screening ; Memory, Short-Term ; Mild Cognitive Impairment ; Panax ; Seoul ; Starch ; Volunteers

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Only a few studies have investigated the relationship between different subtypes and disease progression or prognosis in patients with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). Since a localized injury often produces more focal signs than a diffuse injury, we hypothesized that the clinical characteristics differ between patients with bvFTD who show diffuse frontal lobe atrophy (D-type) on axial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans versus those with focal or circumscribed frontal lobe atrophy (F-type). METHODS: In total, 94 MRI scans (74 scans from bvFTD and 20 scans from age-matched normal controls) were classified into 35 D- and 39 F-type bvFTD cases based on an axial MRI visual rating scale. We compared baseline clinical characteristics, progression in motor and cognitive symptoms, and survival times between D- and F-types. Survival analyses were performed for 62 of the 74 patients. RESULTS: While D-type performed better on neuropsychological tests than F-type at baseline, D-type had higher baseline scores on the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) Part III. Evaluations of motor progression showed that the disease duration with motor symptoms was shorter in D-type than F-type. Moreover, the survival time was shorter in D-type (6.9 years) than F-type (9.4 years). Cox regression analyses revealed that a high UPDRS Part III score at baseline contributed to an increased risk of mortality, regardless of the pattern of atrophy. CONCLUSIONS: The prognosis is worse for D-type than for those with F-type. Shorter survival in D-type may be associated with the earlier appearance of motor symptoms.
Atrophy* ; Disease Progression ; Frontal Lobe ; Frontotemporal Dementia* ; Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Mortality ; Neurobehavioral Manifestations ; Neuropsychological Tests ; Parkinson Disease ; Prognosis*

PURPOSE: To estimate the factors and prevalence of eye care service utilization in the South Korean population. METHODS: This cross-sectional, population-based study included data from 22,550 Koreans aged ≥5 years who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2010 to 2012. For people aged 5 to 11 years (young children), information was based on self-reports of contact with eye care service in the past year; for people aged ≥12 years (older population), the information was based on the self-reported lifetime contact with eye care service. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses of the complex sample survey data were performed. RESULTS: The prevalence of eye care service use in young children during the past year was 61.1% (95% confidence interval, 58.1%–64.1%), while that in the older population during their lifetime was 73.5%. Subjects aged 7 to 11 years were more likely to have had an eye examination in the past year than subjects aged 5 to 6 years (odds ratio, 3.83; 95% confidence interval, 2.37–6.19). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that higher monthly household income, being a National Health Insurance holder, and having private health insurance were related to more frequent use of eye care services in young children. For the older population and women, those living in an urban area and those with a best-corrected visual acuity less than 20 / 40 in the worse-seeing eye were more likely to have had an eye examination during their lifetime. Low education level was associated with low lifetime use of eye care services in the older population. CONCLUSIONS: There are sociodemographic disparities with use of eye care services in South Korea. This population-based study provides information that is useful for determining different intervention programs based on sociodemographic disparities to promote eye care service utilization in South Korea.
Child ; Education ; Family Characteristics ; Female ; Healthcare Disparities ; Humans ; Insurance, Health ; Korea* ; Logistic Models ; National Health Programs ; Nutrition Surveys* ; Prevalence* ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Visual Acuity

The original version of this article contained wrong information of an author which should be changed.

The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) is a national program designed to assess the health and nutritional status of the noninstitutionalized population of South Korea. The KNHANES was initiated in 1998 and has been conducted annually since 2007. Starting in the latter half of 2008, ophthalmologic examinations were included in the survey in order to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of common eye diseases such as visual impairment, refractive errors, strabismus, blepharoptosis, cataract, pterygium, diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, dry eye disease, and color vision deficiency. The measurements included in the ophthalmic questionnaire and examination methods were modified in the KNHANES IV, V, and VI. In this article, we provide detailed information about the methodology of the ophthalmic examinations in KNHANES in order to aid in further investigations related to major eye diseases in South Korea.
*Epidemiologic Methods ; Eye Diseases/*epidemiology ; Humans ; Nutrition Surveys/*statistics & numerical data ; Ophthalmology/*methods ; Prevalence ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Risk Factors ; *Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to report on preliminary data regarding the prevalence of major eye diseases in Korea. METHODS: We obtained data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a nation-wide cross-sectional survey and examinations of the non-institutionalized civilian population in South Korea (n = 14,606), conducted from July 2008 to December 2009. Field survey teams included an ophthalmologist, nurses, and interviewers, traveled with a mobile examination unit and performed interviews and ophthalmologic examinations. RESULTS: The prevalence of visual impairment, myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism in participants over 5 years of age was 0.4 +/- 0.1%, 53.7 +/- 0.6%, 10.7 +/- 0.4%, and 58.0 +/- 0.6%, respectively. The prevalence of strabismus and blepharoptosis in participants over 3 years of age was 1.5 +/- 0.1% and 11.0 +/- 0.8%, respectively. In participants over 40 years of age, the prevalence of cataract, pterygium, early and late age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma was 40.2 +/- 1.3%, 8.9 +/- 0.5%, 5.1 +/- 0.3%, 0.5 +/- 0.1%, 13.4 +/- 1.5%, and 2.1 +/- 0.2%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first nation-wide epidemiologic study conducted in South Korea for assessment of the prevalence of eye diseases by both the Korean Ophthalmologic Society and the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention. This study will provide preliminary information for use in further investigation, prevention, and management of eye diseases in Korea.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Eye Diseases/*epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nutrition Surveys/*statistics & numerical data ; Prevalence ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Young Adult

Juvenile Polyposis Syndrome is a rare condition that is characterized by the development of multiple polyps in the gastrointestinal tract. It is a hamartomatous disorder that was first described in families in 1964. Both sporadic and familial cases with autosomal dominant inheritance have been reported on. Juvenile Polyposis Syndrome is regarded as a distinct from the solitary juvenile polyps that develop in 2% of children and adolescents, and the latter have no malignant potential. We report here on a case of Juvenile Polyposis Syndrome in an 18 year old male along with a review of the relevant literature. The patient had various numbers of different sized pedunculated polyps that were observed throughout the entire gastrointestinal tract.
Adolescent ; Child ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Humans ; Intestinal Polyposis ; Male ; Neoplastic Syndromes, Hereditary ; Polyps ; Wills

Circumferential resection by performing endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) in the antrum can cause pyloric stenosis. Treatment with balloon dilation usually requires repeated sessions and this may cause bleeding or perforation. There are several studies regarding the treatment of benign pyloric stenosis by the temporary placement of self-expandable metallic stent (SEMS), but these studies did not include any case of pyloric stenosis caused by ESD for treating early gastric cancer (EGC). We experience a case of a man who had EGC encircling the antrum. After ESD, pyloric stenosis occurred and so a SEMS was applied. Eight weeks later, the stent was removed without complications. Stent insertion for benign pyloric stenosis has not been accepted as a standard therapeutic modality. However, continuous dilation of a stenotic lesion can be expected without major complications, except for migration. Therefore, temporary stent insertion can be considered as an alternative treatment option for benign pyloric stenosis. Further study on the long term outcome of this procedure is needed.
Hemorrhage ; Pyloric Stenosis ; Stents ; Stomach Neoplasms

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to examine the effects of attenuation correction (AC) and scatter correction (SC) on the quantification of PET count rates. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To assess the effects of AC and SC, 18F-FDG PET images of phantom and cat brain were acquired using microPET R4 scanner. Thirty-minute transmission images using 68Ge source and emission images after injection of FDG were acquired. PET images were reconstructed using 2D OSEM. AC and SC were applied. Regional count rates were measured using ROIs drawn on cerebral cortex including frontal, parietal, and latral temporal lobes and deep gray matter including head of caudate nucleus, putamen and thalamus for pre- and post-AC and SC images. The count rates were then normalized with the injected dose per body weight. To assess the effects of AC, count ratio of "deep gray matter/cerebral cortex" was calculated. To assess the effects of SC, ROIs were also drawn on the gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM), and contrast between them ((GM-WM)/GM) was measured. RESULTS: After the AC, count ratio of "deep gray matter/cerebral cortex" was increased by 17+/-7%. After the SC, contrast was also increased by 12+/-3%. CONCLUSION: Relative count of deep gray matter and contrast between gray and white matters were increased after AC and SC, suggesting that the AC would be critical for the quantitative analysis of cat brain PET data.
Animals ; Body Weight ; Brain* ; Cats* ; Caudate Nucleus ; Cerebral Cortex ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 ; Head ; Putamen ; Rabeprazole ; Temporal Lobe ; Thalamus

Our aim was to apply DNA chip technology as a diagnostic tool in infertility research and clinics. Six loci, including a sex-determining region on the Y chromosome and five sequence-tagged sites in azoospermia-factor regions were investigated in infertile male patients. Our method produced a sensitive signal, which showed the presence or absence of the STS regions on the Y chromosome. The results from 93 patients with non- obstructive azoospermia, oligoathenoteratozoospermia, or oligozoospermia were identical when analyzed with either the DNA chip technique or conventional PCR-gel electrophoresis. We have demonstrated its application in the molecular diagnosis of male infertility. This system provides an economic and high-throughput method for detecting the deletion of genomic DNA sequences of large groups of infertile patients, and a completely new approach to male infertility screening. The application of DNA chip technology to identify Yq deletions can also facilitate our understanding of male infertility.
Chromosome Deletion ; Chromosomes, Human, Y/*genetics ; DNA Mutational Analysis/methods ; Electrophoresis, Agar Gel ; Female ; Humans ; Infertility, Male/*diagnosis/*genetics ; Male ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis/*methods ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't ; Seminal Plasma Proteins/*genetics ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Sequence Tagged Sites ; *Sex Chromosome Aberrations