BACKGROUND: Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is usually managed pharmacologically. It is not uncommon for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) to suffer from PHN. It is difficult to prescribe a sufficient dose of anticonvulsants for intractable pain because of the decreased glomerular filtration rate. If the neural blockade and pulsed radiofrequency ablation provide only short-term amelioration of pain, spinal cord stimulation (SCS) with a low level of evidence may be used only as a last resort. This study was done to evaluate the efficacy of spinal cord stimulation in the treatment of PHN in patients with CKD. METHODS: PHN patients with CKD who needed hemo-dialysis who received insufficient relief of pain over a VAS of 8 regardless of the neuropathic medications were eligible for SCS trial. The follow-up period was at least 2 years after permanent implantation. RESULTS: Eleven patients received percutaneous SCS test trial from Jan 2003 to Dec 2007. Four patients had successfully received a permanent SCS implant with their pain being tolerable at a VAS score of less than 3 along with small doses of neuropathic medications. CONCLUSIONS: SCS was helpful in managing tolerable pain levels in some PHN patients with CKD along with tolerable neuropathic medications for over 2 years.
Anticonvulsants ; Electric Stimulation Therapy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Glomerular Filtration Rate ; Health Resorts ; Humans ; Kidney ; Kidney Diseases ; Neuralgia, Postherpetic ; Pain, Intractable ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic ; Spinal Cord ; Spinal Cord Stimulation

No abstract available.
Orientia tsutsugamushi* ; Rickettsia* ; Ulsan*

Focal brainstem encephalitis due to Herpes simplex virus if a very rare infectious disease, occurs with a frequent of 1-2 million population per year. A 3 years old girl is described with infection due to Herpes simplex virus causing brainstem encephalitis. The diagnosis was established by enzyme immunosorbent assays of the cerebrospinal fluid and serum which demonstrated antibody responsed to Herpes simplex virus. The clinicopathological features, radiological findings, laboratories and brainstem biopsies are discussed in the context of the literature.
Biopsy ; Brain Stem* ; Cerebrospinal Fluid ; Child, Preschool ; Communicable Diseases ; Diagnosis ; Encephalitis* ; Female ; Herpes Simplex* ; Humans ; Simplexvirus*

BACKGROUND: This study was purposed to study the therapeutic value of intraluminal oxygen insufflation on the oxygenation of gut mucosa in a feline model subjected to a hemorrhagic shock followed by reperfusion. METHODS: Eighteen cats were divided into three groups : For group 1, 6 cats were subjected to sham operation as a control group ; for group 2, 6 cats were subjected to a hemorrhagic shock for 2 hours prior to reperfusion as a hemorrhagic shock(HS) group ; for group 3, 6 cats were subjected to a simultaneous insufflation of intraluminal oxygen, continued during the shock and reperfusion periods as a oxygenated hemorrhagic shock(OHS) group. Mesenteric PvO2, mesenteric venous arterial(v-a) lactate difference, mesenteric P(v-a)CO2 and mesenteric pH(a-v) were measured for every 30 minutes during the shock and reperfusion. RESULTS: The lactate(v-a) was increased during the shock. For group OHS, the lactate(v-a) returned to the baseline value after reperfusion, but for group HS, it did not return. The values of pH(v-a) and P(v-a)CO2 were increased during the shock and returned to the baseline value for group OHS, but for group HS, the increase was greater than group OHS(p<0.05), but not returned to the baseline value after reperfusion. For both pH(v-a) and P(v-a)CO2, there were statistically significant differences(p<0.05) between group HS and group OHS during the shock and reperfusion. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the insufflation of intraluminal oxygen improves the oxygenation of gut mucosa in the feline model undergone a hemorrhagic shock followed by reperfusion.
Animals ; Cats* ; Insufflation* ; Lactic Acid ; Mucous Membrane* ; Oxygen* ; Reperfusion ; Shock ; Shock, Hemorrhagic

Internal carotid-posterior communicating artery aneurysms are frequently related to third nerve palsy which is reversible after the clipping of aneurysm. The authors had analyzed 61 cases in 52 patients who have posterior communicating artery aneurysm and evaluated the factors affecting the development of third nerve palsy and its recovery after clipping of the aneurysm. The results are followings 1) Oculomotor nerve palsy was noticed in 10 patients(16.4%) among 61 cases of posterior communicating artery aneurysm, of which 6 had complete and 4 had partial palsies. 2) Posteriolateral inferior direction of the aneurysm seemed to be closely related to the development of ophthalmoplegia. 3) Development of ophthalmoplegia was not related to the clinical status of the patient on admission, but to the amount of subarachnoid hemorrhage on initial CT scan and size of the aneurysm. 4) Preoperative degree of third nerve palsy and the timing of operation are not definitely related to the recovery of ophthalmoplegia. 5) The recovery of third nerve palsy are normalization of ptosis, normalization of EOM limitation and normalization of papillary change in order.
Aneurysm* ; Arteries* ; Humans ; Intracranial Aneurysm ; Oculomotor Nerve Diseases* ; Oculomotor Nerve* ; Ophthalmoplegia ; Paralysis ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Small osteophytes are frequently encountered in the foot and ankle, and not to be confused with true osteochondromas, which are relatively uncommon in this region. Osteochondromas are the most common benign osseous neoplasm, occurs in the metaphysis of the long bone. It is rarely found in bones of the foot. Treatment of the osteochondroma is usually conservative, unless symptoms usually pain, are progressive rapid growth, and malignant transformation is suspected. We experienced a rare case of hallux rigidus with osteochondroma of the hallucal proximal phalanx which cause pain and corn of the plantar.
Animals ; Ankle ; Foot ; Hallux ; Hallux Rigidus ; Osteochondroma ; Osteophyte ; Zea mays

OBJECTIVE: Stenotrophomonas maltophilia has been emerging as an important nosocomial pathogen in recent years in patients with impaired host- defense mechanism or who has been exposed to large amount of inocula. This organism is usually resistant to multiple (commonly used) antimicrobial agents, particularly to those of the beta-lactam class. To evaluate the clinical feature of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia infection and in vitro anti- microbial susceptibility, we performed a retrospective study. METHODS: We analyzed the result of in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility test for 200 isolates of S. maltophilia and the annual isolation rate during the period between January 1990 and December 1994 in our institution, and performed a retrospective study for the available records of 165 cases among them. The data were obtained with only the first isolation of the organism for each patients. RESULTS: Total of 165 initial isolates, the isolates were from wounds in 50(30.3%), urine in 47(28.5%), the respiratory tract in 37(22.4%), blood in 9(5.5%), bile in 6(3.6%), and miscellaneous sources in 16(9.7%). The 84.2% of isolates were hospital-acquired isolate and 58.3% of these patients had received antecedent antibiotic therapy: polymicrobial growth was demonstrated in 61.9% of the cases. In vitro antimicrobial susceptibiiity test, ofloxacin was active against the isolates in 89.2%, moxalactam in 85.9%, ciprofloxacin in 83.9%, TMP-SMX(trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole) in 64.2%, As expected, S. maltophilia isolates were, in general, not susceptible to cephalosporins, penicillins. The annual isolation rate at Kyung Hee University hospital was not increased significantly from 1990 to 1994, 19.53 per 10,000 patients dismissals in 1990, 13.56 in 1994. The major underlying diseases of patients were malignancy(17.6%), cerebrovascular disorder(17%), diabetic mellitus(13.3%). Mortality rate is 10.3%. CONCLUSION: S. maltophilia has been emerging as an important nosocomial pathogen in immunocompromised patients, especially those receiving broad-spectrum antimicrobial therapy. And this organism is resistant to multiple antimicrobial agents, particularly to those of the beta-lactam class. When antimicrobial treatment is necessary, the clinician should be guided by results of in vitro susceptibility testing because of the notable in vitro resistance of S. maltophilia to commonly used antibiotics. And when S. maltophilia has been recovered from a patient, wound and contact isolation is warranted.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Anti-Infective Agents ; Bile ; Cephalosporins ; Ciprofloxacin ; Humans ; Immunocompromised Host ; Mortality ; Moxalactam ; Ofloxacin ; Penicillins ; Respiratory System ; Retrospective Studies ; Stenotrophomonas maltophilia ; Stenotrophomonas* ; Wounds and Injuries

Phenotypic characteristics of complex diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis are a consequence of interactions of genetic and environmental factors. Biomolecules closely interact with other molecular components and form functional modules, resulting in significant biologic action capability. While traditional biochemical research focuses on a single disease using narrowly constrained data, systems biology aims to interpret large volumes of highly complex and multilevel data obtained from high-through-put technologies to understand how biological systems function as a whole. Such a systems approach to complex diseases, so-called network medicine, can shape our comprehensive understanding of disease mechanisms by identifying modules temporally and spatially perturbed in the context of health and diseases. Given the unmet needs for diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment in rheumatoid arthritis, systems biology is obviously an emerging powerful tool to gain insight into disease mechanisms, study comorbidities, analyze therapeutic drugs and their targets, and discover novel network-based biomarkers.
Arthritis, Rheumatoid* ; Biomarkers ; Comorbidity ; Diagnosis ; Systems Biology

Bell's palsy is a relatively common, unilateral facial paralysis of unknown etiology. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of several electrophysiologic tests in Bell's palsy. Blink reflex (BR), side-to-side compound muscle action potential (CMAP) amplitude comparison, and side-to-side nerve excitability test (NET) threshold differ once have been studied during the first 2 weeks in 66 patients with Bell's palsy. According to the early response of BR(Rl), the patients were divided into 3 groups: Rl< or = 13ms(17cases) ; Rl>13ms(22cases), and absent BR(27cases). There was a remarkable tendency towards a satisfactory recovery from paralysis if BR occurred during the first 2 weeks from onset(p<0.001). In patients with normal BR, 88.2% had a satisfactory recovery, when the reflex was absent a bad prognosis was given in 59.3% of the patients. According to side-to-side CMAP amplitude comparison, the patients were divided into 2 groups; CMAP amplitude comparison > or = 25% (35cases), and CMAP amplitude comparison <25% (31cases). There was a tendency towards a satisfactory recovery from paralysis if side-to-side CMAP amplitude comparison was more than 25% (p < 0,003). In patients with more than 25% of CMAP amplitude comparison, 82.9% of the patients had a satisfactory recovery, but in patients with less than 25% of CMAP amplitude comparison, 51.6% of the patients had a bad prognosis. According to side-to-side NET threshold difference, the patients were divided into 2 groups, NET threshold difference < or = 3.5mA(43cases), and NET threshold difference >3.5mA (23cases). When the threshold of electrical excitability on both sides differs 3.5mA or more an unsatisfactory recovery has strongly to expected(p<0.001). In patients with less than 3.5mA of NET threshold, 81.4% had a satisfactory recovery, but in patients with more than 3.5mA of NET threshold, 60.9% had a bad prognosis. BR, side-to-side CMAP amplitude comparison, and side-to-side NET threshold difference seem to be useful independent indices for predicting the prognosis an early stage of the paralysis.
Action Potentials ; Bell Palsy* ; Blinking ; Facial Paralysis ; Humans ; Paralysis ; Prognosis ; Reflex

Various types of tumor can occur in the subungual space, including glomus tumors, subungual exostosis, hemangioma, epidermal cysts, and malignant tumors. While fibromatosis can occur at various sites throughout the body, it is very rarely seen in the toe. Here, we are the first to report a case of superficial fibromatosis mimicking a glomus tumor in the subungual space of the second toe. The presentation of this condition shows the possibility of encountering uncommon superficial fibromatosis in the distal phalanx of the toe, and suggests that superficial fibromatosis should be included in the differential diagnosis of a glomus tumor in the toe.
Adult ; *Fibroma ; *Glomus Tumor ; Humans ; Male ; *Osteochondroma ; *Toes/pathology/surgery