BACKGROUNDS: Gamma band oscillatory activity is considered to be related to congnitive functions and illustrates that the concept of event-related oscillations bridges the gap between single neurons and neural assemblies. An event-related gamma oscillation is the time - locked responses of specific frequency, and can be identified by computing the amplitude frequency characteristics of the averaged event-related potentials(ERPs) after stimulation. OBJECTIVES: We purposed to present experimental paradigm to investigate @-band oscillation activities from the recording of ERPs by using auditory oddball paradigm and investigate the difference of @-band activity between schizophrenia and normal controls. METHODS: The ERPs resulting from auditory stimuli with oddball paradigm in a group of schizophrenics(n=11) and also a group of age-, sex- and handedness matched normal controls, were recorded by 128 channel EEG. The @-band oscillatory activities were calculated by using time-frequency wavelet decomposition of the signal between 20 and 80Hz. The @-band oscillatory activities of both groups were compared by t-test. RESULTS: The @-band oscillatory of the leads Fz,Gz and Pz of both groups were represented well in the time - frequency maps. Significant increases of the @-band activity in normal controls compared with schizophrenics were observed around 160 msec. 350msec. and 800 msec after stimulation. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggested that the increment in @-band oscillatory activity during cognitive operations and decreased @-band activity in schizophrenics may be associated with the cognitive dysfunctions and the pathophyiology of the schizophrenia.
Electroencephalography ; Evoked Potentials* ; Functional Laterality ; Neurons ; Schizophrenia

We investigated whether there is differences in serum level of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) between patients with colon and rectal cancer. Preoperative serum levels of CEA was determined in 65 patients with colon cancer and in 88 patients with rectal cancer. Cut-off value recommended by manufacturers is 5 ng/ml for CEA. At the recommended cut-off levels for CEA, overall sensitivity of CEA was 43.1 percent for colon and 42.0 percent for rectal cancer. In colon cancer CEA was elevated in 38.4, 46.2, 60 percent of patients with Dukes Stages B, C, and D, respectively. In rectal cancer CEA was elevated in 12.5, 31.6, 44.8, 84.6 percent of patients with Dukes Stages A, B, C, and D, respectively. In Stages B, and C, sensitivity of CEA was higher in colon than in rectal cancer, but the difference was not significant. In Stages D, sensitivity of CEA was higher in rectal cancer than in colon cancer, but the difference was not significant. In overall stages sensitivity of CEA was higher in colon than in rectal cancer, but the difference was not significant. The difference was not significant either in overall or in different stages of colon and rectal cancer.
Carcinoembryonic Antigen ; Colon* ; Colonic Neoplasms ; Humans ; Rectal Neoplasms*

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effects of sperm motility stimulants on the hyperactivation (HA), acrosomal reaction (AR) and sperm penetration assay (SPA) in fresh and frozen-thawed spermatozoa from fertile men. METHODS: We treated the semen samples obtained from 20 normospermic men (fresh semens from 10 and cryopreserved ones from 10) with pentoxiphylline (PF) and 2-deoxyadenosine (2-DXA) to evaluate the change of the patterns of motility using the computerized motility analyzer. The semen samples treated with motility stimulants were incubated in the medium with calcium ionophore A23187 for the examination of the proportion of acrosome lost spermatozoa. Finally we performed SPA in both groups for the evaluation of fertilizing capacity after stimulant treatments. RESULTS: In both fresh and cryopreserved semen samples, the addition of PF and 2-DXA significantly altered the patterns of motility (ALH, VCL, HA) known to have association with sperm quality without increasing the number of sperms with progressive motility and velocity. A23187 induced AR was also augmented by the treatment with PF and 2-DZA. Although the treatment with PF did not increase the mean rates of egg penetration significantly, in selected cases in the cryopreserved semen group, the improvement of the motility pattern was impressive. CONCLUSION: PF and 2-DXA can improve the quality of sperm function in both fresh and frozen-thawed semen from normal fertile men and may increase the sperm penetration rate of zona-free hamster eggs in selected samples of the frozen-thawed semen. The results suggest that PF and 2-DXA pretreatment can be used in the clinical practice for intrauterine insemination (IUI) program with frozen-thawed sperms as well as with samples from men with abnormal semen parameters. In addition, it may be a cost- effective therapy to try IUI combined with such a pretreatment for the couples planned to enter into the ART program.
Acrosome ; Acrosome Reaction ; Animals ; Calcimycin ; Calcium ; Cricetinae ; Eggs ; Family Characteristics ; Fertilization in Vitro* ; Humans ; Insemination ; Male ; Ovum ; Semen ; Sperm Motility* ; Sperm-Ovum Interactions ; Spermatozoa*

OBJECTIVE: The abnormality of mismatch negativity (MMN) in schizophrenia is thought to be associated with perceptional disturbance and cognitive dysfunction. And the antagonists of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, ketamine, can induce anomalies of psychophysiology and cognitive function as those of schizophrenia. In order to explore the role of NMDA receptors on echoic memory system, MMN under ketamine administration was analyzed. METHODS: MMNs of Healthy 12 subjects under sub-anesthetic dose (0.65 mg/kg/hr) of ketamine administration in placebo-controlled design were recorded by 128 channel EEG. Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) change was also evaluated. RESULTS: BPRS score was significantly increased by ketamine administration (t=-6.655, p<0.001). Ketamine induced significant decrease in MMN amplitudes (Fz, t=-2.572, p=0.026). Neither MMN amplitude under placebo administration nor MMN latencies under ketamine administration and placebo was changed significantly. CONCLUSION: Ketamine induced echoic memory dysfunction in healthy subjects, which is usually found in schizophrenic patients. Consequently, reduced glutamatergic activity in brain could be involved some early processes of the memory dysfunction in schizophrenia.
Brain ; Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale ; Electroencephalography ; Glutamic Acid* ; Humans ; Ketamine* ; Memory* ; N-Methylaspartate ; Psychophysiology ; Receptors, Glutamate* ; Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate ; Schizophrenia*

PURPOSE: The aim of the present study was to assess the clinicopatholgical significance of Bcl-2 oncoprotein expression in childhood non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). METHODS: We have assessed 16 cases of childhood NHL during last 6 years from 1990 to 1995. Bcl-2 oncoprotein expression has been semiquantitatively analyzed in paraffin sections from 16 cases of childhood NHL with 39 control cases of adult NHL. The expression of Bcl-2 oncoprotein was correlated with histologic grade, immunophenotype, proliferative activity as measured by immunostain of Ki-67 antigen, clinical stage, and survival rate (event free survival rate, EFS). RESULTS: 1) Bcl-2 oncoprotein expression significantly decreased according to increase of histological grade (P<0.05). 2) High Bcl-2 oncoprotein expression was more frequent in B-cell NHL than T-cell NHL (P<0.05). 3) Proliferative activity as measured by immunostain of Ki-67 antigen was negatively correlated with Bcl-2 oncoprotein expression (P<0.05). 4) Bcl-2 oncoprotein expression was not correlated with clinical stage (P>0.05). 5) EFS of patients was significantly correlated with Bcl-2 oncoprotein expression, that is, reduced EFS was demonstrated in the patients with low Bcl-2 oncoprotein expression (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Thus Bcl-2 oncoprotein, as demonstrated immunohistochemically in routinely paraffin embedded tissue, can be restrictively used in prediction of prognosis and grade of childhood NHL, in aggrement with the role of Bcl-2 oncoprotein in blocking of apoptosis and indirect contribution to increase of cellular proliferative activity of NHL.
Adult ; Apoptosis ; B-Lymphocytes ; Child ; Humans ; Ki-67 Antigen ; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin* ; Paraffin ; Prognosis ; Survival Rate ; T-Lymphocytes

Colonoscopy is a frequently performed procedure used for colorectal cancer screening. Most frequent complication is colonic perforation and bleeding. Other visceral injuries are very rare, but injuries to the spleen and liver have been described. We report on 66-yr-old female who presented with abdominal pain after uneventful colonoscopy. Abdominal CT scan revealed a band at previous hysterectomy site and dilated small bowel suggesting strangulated loop. A broad based knowledge of the different complication is necessary to decrease the risk of associated morbidity and mortality.
Abdominal Pain ; Colon ; Colonoscopy ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Female ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Intestinal Obstruction ; Liver ; Mass Screening ; Spleen

Purpose: A CT angiography spot sign (CTA-spot) is a significant predictor of the early expansion of an intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH-Ex). Dynamic-susceptibility-contrast magnetic resonance imaging (DSC-MRI) can track the real-time leaking of contrast agents. It may be able to indicate active bleeding, like a CTA-spot. Materials and Methods: From September 2014 to February 2017, we did noncontrast CT, CTA, and DSC-MRI examinations of seven patients with acute ICH. We investigated the time from symptom onset to the first contrast-enhanced imaging.We evaluated the time course of the contrast leak within the ICH at the source image of the DSC-MRI and the volume change of ICH between non-contrast CT and DSCMRI. We compared the number of slices showing CTA-spots and DSC-MRI leaks. Results: The CTA-spot and DSC-MRI leak-sign were present in four patients, and two patients among those showed ICH-Ex. The time from the symptom onset to CTA or DSC-MRI was shorter for those with a DSC-MRI leak or CTA-spot than for three patients without either (70-130 minutes vs. 135-270 minutes). The leak-sign began earlier, lasted longer, and spread to more slices in the patients with ICH-Ex than in those without ICH-Ex. The number of slices of the DSC-MRI leak and the number of the CTA-spot were well correlated. Conclusion DSC-MRI can demonstrate the leakage of GBCA within hyperacute ICH, showing the good contrast between hematoma and contrast. The DSC-MRI leakage sign could be related to the hematoma expansion in patients with ICH.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary hypertension caused by chronic pulmonary embolism is underrecognized and carries a poor prognosis. Medical therapy is generally unsatisfactory and palliative. With the improvemet of operative technique and postoperative management, pulmonary endarterectomy has been the treatment of choice for this condition. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Between January 2001 and Decomber 2005, eleven patients were received pulmonary endarterectomy. All patients had chronic dyspnea and exercise intolerance. Diagnosis was made with cardiac echocardiography, lung perfusion scan and computed tomography. Before the operation, Greenfield vena cava filter were placed in all patient except one. Deep hypothermic circulatory arrest was used for the distal-most portion of the endarterectomy procedure. More than moderate degree of tricuspid reguirgitation was repaired during operation. RESULT: There was no early and late death. Right ventricular systolic pressure was reduced significantly after operation from 91+/-21 mmHg to 40+/-17 mmHg on echocardiography (p=0.001). NYHA class and tricuspid reguirgitaion were improved postoperatively. Although mild reperfusion injury in three case and postoperative delirium in one case were observed, all of them recovered without complication. CONCLUSION: Pulmonary thromboendarterctomy offers to patient an acceptable morbidity rate and anticipation of clinical improvement. This method is safe and effective operation for pulmonary hypertension caused by chronic pulmonary thromboembolism.
Blood Pressure ; Circulatory Arrest, Deep Hypothermia Induced ; Delirium ; Diagnosis ; Dyspnea ; Echocardiography ; Endarterectomy* ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pulmonary* ; Lung ; Perfusion ; Prognosis ; Pulmonary Embolism* ; Reperfusion Injury ; Vena Cava Filters

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary hypertension caused by chronic pulmonary embolism is underrecognized and carries a poor prognosis. Medical therapy is generally unsatisfactory and palliative. With the improvemet of operative technique and postoperative management, pulmonary endarterectomy has been the treatment of choice for this condition. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Between January 2001 and Decomber 2005, eleven patients were received pulmonary endarterectomy. All patients had chronic dyspnea and exercise intolerance. Diagnosis was made with cardiac echocardiography, lung perfusion scan and computed tomography. Before the operation, Greenfield vena cava filter were placed in all patient except one. Deep hypothermic circulatory arrest was used for the distal-most portion of the endarterectomy procedure. More than moderate degree of tricuspid reguirgitation was repaired during operation. RESULT: There was no early and late death. Right ventricular systolic pressure was reduced significantly after operation from 91+/-21 mmHg to 40+/-17 mmHg on echocardiography (p=0.001). NYHA class and tricuspid reguirgitaion were improved postoperatively. Although mild reperfusion injury in three case and postoperative delirium in one case were observed, all of them recovered without complication. CONCLUSION: Pulmonary thromboendarterctomy offers to patient an acceptable morbidity rate and anticipation of clinical improvement. This method is safe and effective operation for pulmonary hypertension caused by chronic pulmonary thromboembolism.
Blood Pressure ; Circulatory Arrest, Deep Hypothermia Induced ; Delirium ; Diagnosis ; Dyspnea ; Echocardiography ; Endarterectomy* ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pulmonary* ; Lung ; Perfusion ; Prognosis ; Pulmonary Embolism* ; Reperfusion Injury ; Vena Cava Filters