Equivalent dipole source localization is a well-established approach to localizing the electrical activity in electroencephalogram (EEG). So far, source localization has been used primarily in localizing the epileptic source in human epileptic patients. Currently, source localization techniques have been applied to account for localizing epileptic source among the epileptic patients. Here, we present the first application of source localization in the field of sleep spindle in mouse brain. The spatial distribution of cortical potential was obtained by high density EEG and then the anterior and posterior sleep spindles were classified based on the K-mean clustering algorithm. To solve the forward problem, a realistic geometry brain model was produced based on boundary element method (BEM) using mouse MRI. Then, we applied four different source estimation algorithms (minimum norm, eLORETA, sLORETA, and LORETA) to estimate the spatial location of equivalent dipole source of sleep spindles. The estimated sources of anterior and posterior spindles were plotted in a cine-mode that revealed different topographic patterns of spindle propagation. The characterization of sleep spindles may be better be distinguished by our novel visualization method.
Animals ; Brain ; Electroencephalography* ; Humans ; Insulator Elements ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Methods* ; Mice

Oxidative stress can cause generation of uncontrolled reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lead to cytotoxic damage to cells and tissues. Recently, it has been shown that transient ROS generation can serve as a secondary messenger in receptor-mediated cell signaling. Although excessive levels of ROS are harmful, moderated levels of ROS are essential for normal physiological function. Therefore, regulating cellular ROS levels should be an important concept for development of novel therapeutics for treating diseases. The overexpression and hyperactivation of NADPH oxidase (Nox) can induce high levels of ROS, which are strongly associated with diabetic nephropathy. This review discusses the theoretical basis for development of the Nox inhibitor as a regulator of ROS homeostasis to provide emerging therapeutic opportunities for diabetic nephropathy.

It has been 30 years since laparoscopic liver resection was first introduced, and, in the beginning, wedge resection or nonanatomical liver resection was mainly performed. With the development of surgical techniques and instruments, many centers are currently performing major liver resections and even difficult anatomical liver resections such as segment VI, VII, and VIII and caudate segment. However, laparoscopic surgery has limitations in instrument manipulation, and due to the nature of liver resection surgery, massive bleeding may occur. Therefore, it is necessary to make efforts to minimize the bleeding and reduce the conversion to laparotomy due to bleeding.

No abstract available.
Acupuncture* ; Mycobacterium*

OBJECTIVES: This study was to examine the effectiveness of computerized cognitive ability enhancement program (CCAEP) using Smart-toy. The CCAEP using Smart-toy which can interact with children via bluetooth is a kids-friendly and convenient method for improving children's cognitive abilities by increasing their motivation for performing the program. We developed the CCAEP which designed to train auditory-verbal memory, visual-spatial memory, auditory-verbal working memory, and visual-spatial working memory. METHODS: Eighteen children aged 8 to 10 participated in CCAEP individual training composed of 8 sessions of 40 minutes each for 4 weeks. The effect of the training was measured with Smart Toyweb's cognitive assessment tasks (smart device based assessment) as well as traditional neuropsychological tests before and after the training. RESULTS: Children showed significant improvement in auditory-verbal memory, visual-spatial memory, auditory-verbal working memory and visual-spatial working memory abilities after the training. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated promising results suggesting the effectiveness of CCAEP using Smart-Toy in clinical settings as well as school and home situations. Further controlled study with larger sample size including various clinical groups is needed to confirm the present results.
Child* ; Humans ; Memory ; Memory, Short-Term ; Methods ; Motivation ; Neuropsychological Tests ; Sample Size

For the treatment of hypertension, fixed-dose combinations (FDCs) of antihypertensive drugs can provide complementary benefits from improved compliance and cost-effectiveness compared with loose combinations of corresponding drugs. A new FDC of fimasartan/ amlodipine/hydrochlorothiazide 60/10/25 mg is undergoing clinical development. A randomized, open-label, single-dose, 3-period, 3-sequence, partially replicated crossover phase 1 study was conducted to compare the pharmacokinetics (PKs) between the FDC of fimasartan/amlodipine/hydrochlorothiazide 60/10/25 mg and a loose combination of a dual-combination FDC (fimasartan/amlodipine 60/10 mg) and hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg. Sixty healthy subjects were randomized, and 55 subjects completed the study. Serial blood samples were collected, and plasma concentrations of fimasartan, amlodipine and hydrochlorothiazide were measured to analyze PK parameters. The PK profiles of the FDC were similar to those of the loose combinations. The geometric mean ratios (GMRs) and 90% confidence intervals (CIs) of the FDC to loose combinations for the maximum plasma concentration (Cmax ) and area under the curve until the last measurable time point (AUClast ) were within the conventional bioequivalent range of 0.80 to 1.25. The GMRs and 90% CIs of fimasartan, amlodipine and hydrochlorothiazide were 1.0163 (0.8681–1.1898), 0.9595 (0.9256–0.9946), and 1.1294 (1.0791–1.1821) for Cmax and 1.0167 (0.9347–1.1059), 0.9575 (0.9317–0.9841), and 1.0561 (1.0170–1.0967) for AUClast , respectively. Both the FDC and loose combinations were well tolerated. In conclusion, the FDC of fimasartan/amlodipine/ hydrochlorothiazide 60/10/25 mg showed similar PK profiles to those of the corresponding loose combination, and both treatments were well tolerated.

The foot or lower extremity is rarely the initial site in adult-onset dystonia, whereas dystonia in children often begins in the foot. Isolated lower extremity dystonia in adults is rarely on a primary basis. Oral anti-dystonic medications have been found unsatisfactory in providing adequate symptomatic relief. On the other hand, botulinum toxin injections have been reported as beneficial. It is also known that personalized orthosis can be an effective solution for patients of dystonia. The purpose of this report is to demonstrate a case of primary focal foot dystonia that was effectively treated with botulinum toxin injection and the custom-made ankle-foot orthosis.

The foot or lower extremity is rarely the initial site in adult-onset dystonia, whereas dystonia in children often begins in the foot. Isolated lower extremity dystonia in adults is rarely on a primary basis. Oral anti-dystonic medications have been found unsatisfactory in providing adequate symptomatic relief. On the other hand, botulinum toxin injections have been reported as beneficial. It is also known that personalized orthosis can be an effective solution for patients of dystonia. The purpose of this report is to demonstrate a case of primary focal foot dystonia that was effectively treated with botulinum toxin injection and the custom-made ankle-foot orthosis.

Vancomycin is a widely used glycopeptide antibiotic that requires therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) owing to its narrow therapeutic window. It is primarily eliminated by renal excretion; thus, estimating the renal function of a patient is vital in the TDM of vancomycin. In patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), it is difficult to estimate the glomerular filtration rate using the serum creatinine level owing to the pathophysiological nature of the disease. Here, we report a case of a patient in whom TDM of vancomycin was performed, and explore the appropriate methods for evaluating renal function in patients with DMD based on serum levels of creatinine and cystatin C.
Creatinine ; Cystatin C ; Drug Monitoring* ; Glomerular Filtration Rate ; Humans ; Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne* ; Renal Elimination ; Vancomycin*

Because bioequivalence studies are performed using a crossover design, information on the intra-subject coefficient of variation (intra-CV) for pharmacokinetic measures is needed when determining the sample size. However, calculated intra-CVs based on bioequivalence results of identical generic drugs produce different estimates. In this study, we collected bioequivalence results using public resources from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) and calculated the intra-CVs of various generics. For the generics with multiple bioequivalence results, pooled intra-CVs were calculated. The estimated intra-CVs of 142 bioequivalence studies were 14.7±8.2% for AUC and 21.7±8.8% for C(max). Intra-CVs of C(max) were larger than those of area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) in 129 studies (90.8%). For the 26 generics with multiple bioequivalence results, the coefficients of variation of intra-CVs between identical generics (mean±sd (min ~ max)) were 38.0±24.4% (1.9 ~ 105.3%) for AUC and 27.9±18.2 % (4.0 ~ 70.1%) for C(max). These results suggest that substantial variation exists among the bioequivalence results of identical generics. In this study, we presented the intra-CVs of various generics with their pooled intra-CVs. The estimated intra-CVs calculated in this study will provide useful information for planning future bioequivalence studies.
Area Under Curve ; Cross-Over Studies ; Drugs, Generic ; Sample Size* ; Therapeutic Equivalency*