No abstract available.
HL-60 Cells* ; Humans ; Mass Screening* ; Protein Kinases*

Brain size is a useful parameter describing ontogenic character and function. Despite its potential contribution to functional study and diagnosis of disease, it has been hampered by poor assessment tools in vivo and postmortem changes. Recent development of medical imaging techniques such as MRI and CT enable us to understand brain structures in vivo. Many morphometirc studies of the brain has given us new insights in the field of functional neuroanatomy and neuropsychiatric diseases. In spite of these advances, volumetric data of normal Korean brain is not available yet. As an initial approach to Korean standard brain size, we measured the cerebellar volume between 20 and 80 years old Koreans. The MRI films free from lesions in brain was analyzed and measured by NIH image program. The Korean cerebellar volume were ranged between 86.2cm(3) and 141.3 cm(3) and average male cerebellum volume was significantly larger than that of female[male : 118.2+/-11.2cm(3)] > female : 108.0+/-9.6cm(3), P=0.1021E-07<0.05]. And we could not find volume change according to aging process. This is the first report on normal Korean cerebellar volume and the presence of gender difference in the Korean cerebellar volume. These data will be used for the standard useful in studying cerebellar function and cerebellum associated disorders in the future.
Aged, 80 and over ; Aging ; Brain ; Cerebellum ; Diagnosis ; Diagnostic Imaging ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Male ; Neuroanatomy ; Postmortem Changes

PURPOSE: Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2A (CMT2A) is caused by mutations in the mitofusin 2 (MFN2) genes associated with variable central nervous system (CNS) involvement. The authors report a case of a middle-aged woman with genetically confirmed CMT type 2 (CMT2), combined with delayed-onset bilateral optic neuropathy. CASE SUMMARY: A 47-year-old woman presented with complaints of subacute decrease of visual acuity in both eyes. Her corrected visual acuity was 20/200 in the right eye and 20/320 in the left eye. Fundus photographs revealed bilateral disc pallor and diffuse retinal nerve fiber layer defects. No papillomacular bundle defect was observed. Goldmann perimetry showed central scotoma in both eyes. She had suffered from muscle wasting of the legs and foot deformities such as high arches and hammer toes since childhood and required a wheelchair for ambulation. A series of CMT gene mutation tests revealed an MFN2 gene mutation, c.617C>T (p.Thr206Ile), and the patient was diagnosed with CMT2A. CONCLUSIONS: Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease is a common inherited neuromuscular disorder and CMT2A, an axonal CMT neuropathy, is associated with bilateral optic neuropathy. Therefore, suspecting CMT and testing for gene mutations as part of the work-up in patients with subacute bilateral optic neuropathy associated with peripheral neuropathy is critical.
Axons ; Central Nervous System ; Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease* ; Female ; Foot Deformities ; Hammer Toe Syndrome ; Humans ; Leg ; Middle Aged ; Nerve Fibers ; Optic Nerve Diseases* ; Pallor ; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases ; Retinaldehyde ; Scotoma ; Visual Acuity ; Visual Field Tests ; Walking ; Wheelchairs

PURPOSE: To analyze the predictors of the antimuscarinic treatment response for female patients with an overactive bladder (OAB). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty women diagnosed with an OAB, who had also undergone 3 months of treatment with propiverine hydrochloride (20mg/day), were enrolled. All patients were assessed by history taking, physical examination, urinalysis, frequency/volume charts and urodynamic study (UDS) prior to treatment; frequency/volume charts and a patients' satisfaction were analyzed 3 months after treatment. Patients were divided into satisfied, moderate and unsatisfied groups according to their subjective satisfaction. RESULTS: Subgroups according to the patients' subjective satisfaction included 57, 14 and 9 patients for satisfied, moderate and unsatisfied group, respectively. In the UDS, detrusor overactivity was noted in 15 patients of the satisfied group, 2 of the moderate group, but none of the unsatisfied group. Maximum detrusor pressure and detrusor pressure at maximum flow were higher in the unsatisfied group. The incidence of bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) was higher in the moderate and unsatisfied groups. In pre-treatment frequency/volume chart, the frequency of urge symptom was significantly increased in the satisfied group. Comparing the pre- and post-treatment frequency/volume charts revealed that the satisfied and moderate groups showed decreased frequency and nocturia, and increased functional bladder capacity compared to unsatisfied group after treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The efficacy of antimuscarinic treatment in female OAB could be associated with the frequency of urge symptom, detrusor overactivity and BOO; an UDS may aid in predicting the efficacy of antimuscarinic treatment.
Female* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Muscarinic Antagonists ; Nocturia ; Physical Examination ; Urinalysis ; Urinary Bladder ; Urinary Bladder Neck Obstruction ; Urinary Bladder, Overactive* ; Urodynamics

No abstract available.

No abstract available.

OBJECTIVE: In order to investigate more accurate patterns of intrauterine growth in twin fetuses, we constructed the twin-specific growth curve based on gestational age in live-born non-anomalous infants. METHODS: 563 twin pairs, 1,126 infants delivered between January 1994 and October 1999 were comprised our study population. The newborns were grouped according to gestational age and the median, 10th, 50th, and 90th percentile birth weight for each gestational week were calculated. Curves were plotted for the general population and for each gender and parity and compared with previously reported singleton's growth curve. RESULTS: After 32 weeks gestation, birth weight of twins falls below that of singleton, so that by 38 weeks the 50th percentile for twins falls below the singleton 10th percentile. This difference was also present among all subgroups of twins, such as gender and parity. And the mean birth weight in male twin infant was heavier than in female twin infant throughout all gestational week. CONCLUSION: The pattern of growth in twin infants differed from those of singleton. We recommend twin-specific growth curve for clinical use in the management of twin gestations.
Birth Weight ; Female ; Fetus ; Gestational Age* ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Parity ; Pregnancy ; Twins*

OBJECTIVE: The authors study evaluated the effect of a cognitive rehabilitation program designed to enhance the attention skill of chronic schizophrenics. METHODS: Dependent variables included measures of perceptual sensitivity and response criterion derived from the Vigilance test of Vienna test system. Each of 10 subjects received 10 sessions of repeated training with computer-aided cognitive rehabilitation program(REHACOM). Eleven subjects were assigned to a control group. All subject were rated on measures of positive and negative symptoms before training. RESULTS: Significant changes on the outcome measures were observed following attention training. CONCLUSION: It is suggested that cognitive rehabilitation with chronic schizophrenics should stress the possibility of remediating deficiencies in basic abilities, such as attention.
Outcome Assessment (Health Care) ; Rehabilitation*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to determine the correlation between the correction loss of hallux valgus angle and the severity of valgus angle of the second toe. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We selected 312 cases from 268 surgical patients with hallux valgus deformity receiving distal chevron osteotomy. For a radiological evaluation, we analyzed the changes in the hallux valgus angles, first to second intermetatarsal angles, and valgus angle of the second toe post index operations. All patients were women; the mean age was 46 years. The mean follow-up period was 17 months. RESULTS: The mean hallux valgus angle was 33.6° preoperatively (range, 25.7°~44.8°), 13.1° (range, 8.4°~16.4°) after 4 weeks of postoperative period, and 17.1° (range, 9.4°~28.5°) at their final follow-up. The mean valgus angle of the second toe was 8.4° preoperatively (range, 2.0°~25.8°) and 8.3° (range, 1.7°~24.9°) at the final follow-up. Preoperatively, there was a positive correlation between the valgus angle of the second toe and hallux valgus angle (r=0.747, p=0.001). The correction loss of hallux valgus angle had a significant correlation with the severity of valgus angle of the second toe (r=0.802, p=0.001). CONCLUSION: The existence of the second toe valgus deformity may present itself as a cause of correction loss of hallux valgus angle. The preoperative measurement of the second toe valgus angle may be a good predictor of correction loss; therefore, thorough preoperative warning on the possibility of correction loss should be conducted to maximize patient satisfaction after the procedure.
Congenital Abnormalities ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hallux Valgus* ; Hallux* ; Humans ; Osteotomy ; Patient Satisfaction ; Postoperative Period ; Toes*

BACKGROUND: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a relatively common and potentially life threatening complication after major hip surgery. There are two main types of prophylaxis: chemical and mechanical. Chemical prophylaxis is very effective but causes bleeding complications in surgical wounds and remote organs. On the other hand, mechanical methods are free of hemorrhagic complications but are less effective. We hypothesized that mechanical prophylaxis is effective enough for Asians in whom VTE occurs less frequently. This study evaluated the effect of intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC) in the prevention of VTE after major hip surgery. METHODS: Incidences of symptomatic VTE after primary total hip arthroplasty with and without application of IPC were compared. A total of 379 patients were included in the final analysis. The IPC group included 233 patients (106 men and 127 women) with a mean age of 54 years. The control group included 146 patients (80 men and 66 women) with a mean age of 53 years. All patients took low-dose aspirin for 6 weeks after surgery. IPC was applied to both legs just after surgery and maintained all day until discharge. When a symptom or a sign suspicious of VTE, such as swelling or redness of the foot and ankle, Homans' sign, and dyspnea was detected, computed tomography (CT) angiogram or duplex ultrasonogram was performed. RESULTS: Until 3 months after surgery, symptomatic VTE occurred in three patients in the IPC group and in 6 patients in the control group. The incidence of VTE was much lower in the IPC group (1.3%) than in the control group (4.1%), but the difference was not statistically significant. Complications associated with the application of IPC were not detected in any patient. Patients affected by VTE were older and hospitalized longer than the unaffected patients. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that IPC might be an effective and safe method for the prevention of postoperative VTE.
Ankle ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip* ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Aspirin ; Dyspnea ; Foot ; Hand ; Hemorrhage ; Hip ; Humans ; Incidence ; Leg ; Male ; Methods ; Ultrasonography ; Venous Thromboembolism* ; Wounds and Injuries