No abstract available.

Traumatic Brain Injury(TBI) of any severity can result in broad and persisting biopsychosocial sequelae. Depression after TBI occur at a greater frequency than in the general population, with estimates approaching 25% to 50% for major depression, and 155 to 30% for dysthmia. Acute onset depressions are related to lesion location and may have their etiology in biological response of the injured brain, whereas delayed onset depressions may be mediated by psychosocial factors, suggesting psychological reactions as a possible mechanism. Anxious depressions are associated with right hemisphere lesions, whereas major depressions alone are associated with left dorsolateral frontal and left basal ganglia lesions. However, there is insufficient information to postulate a specific neuroanatomic model for TBI-related depression.
Basal Ganglia ; Brain ; Brain Injuries* ; Craniocerebral Trauma ; Depression* ; Psychology

No abstract available.
Pica*

Between Jan. 1983 and Dec. 1990, 17 Patients with distal anterior cerebral artery(DACA) aneurysms were admitted to our institute and underwent microsurgical neck clipping of their aneurysms. This group comprised 3.7% of the 437 aneurysms managed surgically during this period. There were 11 females and 6 males. The mean age was 48.5 years. Most of DACA aneurysms were located at the genu portion of the anterior cerebral artery. Three cases were at the proximal protion of A2 close to the anterior communicating artery. Two cases were at the dista pericallosal artery and distal callosomarginal artery. Eight patients had additional vascular anomalies documented by angiography such as multiple aneurysms, azygos DACA and duplication of DACA. Direct neck clipping was possible in all cases through the interhemispheric approach or the frontotemporal approach according to the location. For the interhemispheric apporach preoperative evaluation of the exact location and direction of the aneurysms on the angiogram was important for operative planning. The surgical outcome was good or excellent without any neurological deficits in 17 of the cases. Operative management, clinical features and incidence of vascular anomalies associated with DACA aneurysms are discussed.
Aneurysm ; Angiography ; Anterior Cerebral Artery* ; Arteries ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Intracranial Aneurysm* ; Male ; Neck

Fifty-one consecutive 186 patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage were treated from the day of admission with nimodipine which was given first as an IV infusion at 30ug/kg/hr for 1 week and then orally in a dose of 360mg/day for 2 weeks and compared with 135 patients which were treated without nimodipine for the past 2 years. A comparision based on clinical and radiological variables influencing both the coruse and the outcome of the disease showed no significant difference between the nimodipine treated group and the control group except the delayed timing of surgery in the control group. There was no significant difference in the outcome between the nimodipine treated patients and the patients treated without nimodipine, however in Hung & Hess grade IV patients nimodipine treatment was associated with a significantly better outcome. Nimodipine treatment reduced the occurrence of delayed ischemic deficts(DID) in grade III, IV patients. Significant improvement in the outcome occurred in the nimodipine treated patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage of large amount(Fisher classification III).
Aneurysm* ; Classification ; Humans ; Intracranial Aneurysm ; Nimodipine* ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage*

No abstract available.
Calcium* ; Lithium* ; Parathyroid Hormone*

No abstract available.

Since the myofascial trigger point(MFTrP) has been described fifty years ago, its underlying pathophysiology has been remained unclear. The diagnosis also depends on the characteristic pain, tenderness and physical findin gs, which is yery subjective. In recent years, some physicians investigated the objective findings of MFTrP, using the pressure algometer and thermography. We investigated the electromyographic findings of MFTrP to evaluate the clinical usefulness of local twitch response(LTR) and sympathetic skin response (SSR), and to evaluate the electrophysiologic characteristics of MFTrP. 21 patients, diagnosed as myofascial trigger point syndrome on upper trapezius and so on, were evaluated for the triggering pain with visual analog scale(VAS), pressure threshold(THpr) using pressure algometer(Dolorimeter), LTP with concentric needle electrode and SSR on the palm. There was a significant negative correlation between VAS and THpr, but no significant correlation with electromyographic findings of LTR. Thus LTR could support the existence of MFTrP electrodiagnostically, but, could not explain the clinically correlated severity of MFTrP. There were only 3 patients showing abnormal SSR, who were all complaining the sympathetic sympathetic symptoms on the affected arm with reffered pain. Even though referred pain to arm and hand existed. SSR was normal because suggested autonomic dysfunction of MFTrP is localized mechanism. Among the 13 patients underwent the trigger point block, 8 patients who showed no residual LTR immediate after MFTrP block, had a great symptomatic improvement of MFTrP in a week, but 5 patients who showed the residual LTR did not, Regardless of complaint of pain and soreness immediate after block, loss of LTR would be predicted as a good treatment result. In some cases, spontaneous EMG activity exist within the 3-4mm sized focus of MFTrP. although the taut band of MFTrP is 3-4cm length and depth. But this focus of MFTrP is a electrophysiologic changes within a muscle, not a structural changes seen by ultrasonography.
Arm ; Diagnosis ; Electrodes ; Electromyography ; Hand ; Humans ; Needles ; Pain, Referred ; Skin ; Superficial Back Muscles ; Thermography ; Trigger Points* ; Ultrasonography

No abstract available.
Animals ; Gene Expression* ; Hypothalamus* ; Immunohistochemistry* ; In Situ Hybridization* ; Rats* ; Vasopressins*

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare the plasma amitriptyline and nortriptyline level between before and after fluoxetine addition with patients who were currently taking amitriptyline. METHOD: From the inpatient and outpatient unit of Soon Chun Hyang University Hospital, Chunan, fourteen subjects who were taking amitriptyline 25mg more than 1 week at least were given fluoxetine 20mg. Before and 2 weeks after fluoxetine addition the plasma level of amitriptyline and nortriptyline are analyzed simultaneously by High Performance Liquid Chromatography(HPLC) At the same times, HAM-D(Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression) score and the UKU(Uldvalg for Klinske Unders phi gelser) side effect scale were checked. RESULTS: After fluoxetine addition to the patients who were taking amitriptyline, the plasma level of amitriptyline, nortriptyline and sum of amitriptyline and nortriptyline had risen. The mean plasma amitriptyline level increased from 168.9+/-89.4ng/ml to 183.0+/-102.0ng/ml after fluoxetine addition(p=0.011) but the change was not statistically significant. The mean plasma nortriptyline level increased significantly from 114.3+/-70.2ng/ml to 168.0+/-86.2ng/ml after fluoxetine addition(p=0.011) In addition, the mean plasma level of total amitriptyline and nortriptyline increased significantly from 283.1+/-125.3ng/ml to 350.9+/-78.4ng/ml after fluoxetine addition(p=0.016) After fluoxetine addition, no significant change was noted in the UKU side effect scale score. CONCLUSION: As consequence of comparson of plasma amitriptyline and nortriptyline level before and after fluoxetine addition mean amitriptyline, nortriptyline and total plasma level was increased after fluoxetine addition. This suggests that coadministration of amitriptyline and fluoxetine may induce improvement of depressive symptom in depressive patients by way of increased plasma level of amitriptyline.
Amitriptyline* ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Depression ; Fluoxetine* ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Nortriptyline ; Outpatients ; Plasma*