Neurodegenerative disorders cause a variety of dementia including Alzheimer disease, frontotemporal dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies, corticobasal degeneration, progressive supranuclear palsy, and Huntington's disease. PET scan is useful for early detection and differential diagnosis of these dementing disorders. Also, it provides valuable information about clinico-anatomical correlation, allowing better understanding of function of brain. Here we discuss recent achievements PET studies regarding these dementing disorders. Future progress in PET technology, new tracers, and image analysis will play an important role in further clarifying the disease pathophysiology and brain functions.
Alzheimer Disease* ; Brain ; Dementia* ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Frontotemporal Dementia ; Huntington Disease ; Lewy Bodies ; Neurodegenerative Diseases ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Supranuclear Palsy, Progressive

Uterine perforation is a serious complication in users of intrauterine devices for contraception. Authors encountered one case of displacement of Copper-T IVD into urinary blpossibly due to uterine perforation on insertion of the Copper-T IUD in a 28 year old 1-multipara, who experienced normal intrauterine pregnancy in the circumstances. This patient was in silent, asymptomatic condition and underwent cesarean section. And Copper-T IUD was removed under the cystotomy. So we report one case with brief review of literatures
Adult ; Asymptomatic Diseases ; Cesarean Section ; Contraception ; Copper* ; Cystotomy ; Female ; Humans ; Intrauterine Devices ; Pregnancy ; Urinary Bladder* ; Uterine Perforation

No abstract available.
Female ; Humans ; Marriage*

The Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, which included congenital anomalies such as macroglossia, exomphalos, postnatal somatic gigantism, have a substantially increased risk for the development of tumor. We report a case of testicular yolk sac tumor associated with Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, a previously unreported association. Pathologic examination showed Schiller-Duval body with evidence of testicular yolk sac tumor. This finding appears to represent a previously unreported association between Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome and testicular yolk sac tumor.
Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome* ; Endodermal Sinus Tumor* ; Gigantism ; Hernia, Umbilical ; Macroglossia ; Testis ; Yolk Sac*

This article provides clinical practice guidelines for neurologists in the assessment of neurobehavioral and neurocognitive deficits. It has been known that cognitive functions lie mainly in the cortex and that different cortical areas mediate different cognitive functions. Therefore, the evaluation of cognitive and neurobehavioral symptoms helps localize these symptoms. This article describes the bedside history taking and clinical examinations for patients with neurobehavioral and cognitive dysfunctions. It includes the assessment of aphasia, apraxia, Gerstmann syndrome, visuospatial dysfunctions, neglect syndrome, memory disturbances, and frontal lobe dysfunctions. This guideline will offer better approaches to patients with cognitive deficits and neurobehavioral problems.
Aphasia ; Apraxias ; Frontal Lobe ; Gerstmann Syndrome ; Humans ; Memory

No abstract available.
Congenital Abnormalities* ; Ilizarov Technique* ; Upper Extremity*

Vascular dementia (VD) is a dementia syndrome associated with cerebrovascular disease. Among the several subtypes of VD, most common subtypes are multi-infarct dementia, single-infarct dementia, and subcortical vascular dementia. In patients with multi-infarct dementia, dementia occurs with a close temporal relationship to stroke episodes. Brain imaging usually shows multiple territory cortico-subcortical infarcts. Single-infarct dementia, in contrast, is caused by a single infarct in specific regions of the brain such as thalamus, caudate nucleus, capsular genu, angular gyrus, or hippocampus. In subcortical VD, primary lesion is lacunar infacts or ischemic white matter lesions that are located in subcortical regions, i.e., deep nuclei (basal ganglia and thalamus) or white matter (periventricular and deep white matter). The diagnosis of subcortical vascular dementia is challenging, since stroke episodes are often unrecognized, thus temporal relationship between onset of dementia and stroke is lacking. This article describes 1) subtypes of VD, 2) illustrative cases with vascular dementia, 3) research criteria for VD, 4) treatment of VD, and 5) a general guideline on caregiving for patients with VD, which will enable clinicians to provide better diagnosis and management of patients with VD.
Brain ; Caudate Nucleus ; Dementia ; Dementia, Multi-Infarct ; Dementia, Vascular* ; Diagnosis ; Ganglia ; Hippocampus ; Humans ; Neuroimaging ; Stroke ; Thalamus

BACKGROUND: Cultural characteristics of taking care of patients with dementia in Korea are based on the influence of Confucianism on the lifestyle of Koreans. In addition, as the family size has been getting smaller, the number of old persons who live alone has been increasing. The purpose of this study is to examine the proportion of the elderly with dementia who live alone and demographics of caregivers when such patients live with their family. METHODS: From the multiple hospital-based cohort, 973 elderly patients with very mild dementia (Clinical Dementia Rating [CDR]=0.5), 1,056 patients with mild dementia (CDR=1) and 359 patients with moderate dementia (CDR=2) were recruited. We analyzed the proportion of the patients with dementia who live alone and the demographics of the caregivers if such patients live with and are taken care of by such caregivers depending upon the severity of dementia. RESULTS: The proportion of the patients with dementia who live alone accounts for about 40% of all elderly patients with dementia. Major age groups of caregivers are of 40s and 50s. Sons, daughters, and spouses were ranked in the said order in the proportion of caregivers according to their relationship to patients. CONCLUSIONS: Up to now, family members care for about 60% of elderly patients with dementia, which may suggest that from the objective viewpoint, direct burden borne by caregivers for old patients with dementia would be considerably high. On the other hand, about 40% of dementia patients live alone, implying that the social care system is needed for them.
Aged ; Caregivers ; Cohort Studies ; Confucianism ; Cultural Characteristics ; Dementia ; Demography ; Family Characteristics ; Hand ; Humans ; Korea ; Life Style ; Nuclear Family ; Spouses

BACKGROUND: Cultural characteristics of taking care of patients with dementia in Korea are based on the influence of Confucianism on the lifestyle of Koreans. In addition, as the family size has been getting smaller, the number of old persons who live alone has been increasing. The purpose of this study is to examine the proportion of the elderly with dementia who live alone and demographics of caregivers when such patients live with their family. METHODS: From the multiple hospital-based cohort, 973 elderly patients with very mild dementia (Clinical Dementia Rating [CDR]=0.5), 1,056 patients with mild dementia (CDR=1) and 359 patients with moderate dementia (CDR=2) were recruited. We analyzed the proportion of the patients with dementia who live alone and the demographics of the caregivers if such patients live with and are taken care of by such caregivers depending upon the severity of dementia. RESULTS: The proportion of the patients with dementia who live alone accounts for about 40% of all elderly patients with dementia. Major age groups of caregivers are of 40s and 50s. Sons, daughters, and spouses were ranked in the said order in the proportion of caregivers according to their relationship to patients. CONCLUSIONS: Up to now, family members care for about 60% of elderly patients with dementia, which may suggest that from the objective viewpoint, direct burden borne by caregivers for old patients with dementia would be considerably high. On the other hand, about 40% of dementia patients live alone, implying that the social care system is needed for them.
Aged ; Caregivers ; Cohort Studies ; Confucianism ; Cultural Characteristics ; Dementia ; Demography ; Family Characteristics ; Hand ; Humans ; Korea ; Life Style ; Nuclear Family ; Spouses

PURPOSE: This investigation was performed in order to improve the health care of radiation workers, to predict a risk, to minimize the radiation exposure hazard to them and for them to realize radiation exposure danger when they work in radiation area in hospital. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The documentations checked regularly for personal radiation exposure in four university hospitals in Pusan city in Korea between January 1, 1993 and December 31, 1997 were analyzed. There were 458 persons in this documented but 111 persons who worked less then one year were excluded and only 347 persons were included in this study. RESULTS: The average of yearly radiation exposure of 347 persons was 1.52+/-1.35 mSv. Though it was less than 50mSv, the limitaion of radiation in law but 125 (36%) people received higher radiation exposure than non-radiation workers. Radiation workers under 30 year old have received radiation exposure of mean 1.87+/-1.01 mSv/year, mean 1.22+/-0.69 mSv between 31 and 40 year old and mean 0.97+/-0.43 mSv/year over 41year old ( p<0.001). Men received mean 1.67+/-1.54 mSv/year were higher than women who received mean 1.13+/-0.61 mSv/year ( p<0.01). Radiation exposure in the department of nuclear medicine department in spite of low energy sources is higher than other departments that use radiations in hospital ( p<0.05). And the workers who received mean 3.69+/-1.81 mSv/year in parts of management of radiation sources and injection of sources to patient receive high radiation exposure in nuclear medicine department ( p<0.01). In department of diagnostic radiology high radiation exposure is in barium enema rooms where workers received mean 3.74+/-1.74 mSv/year and other parts where they all use fluoroscopy such as angiography room of mean 1.17+/-0.35 mSv/year and upper gastrointestinal room of mean 1.74+/-1.34 mSv/year represented higher radiation exposure than average radiation exposure in diagnostic radiology ( p<0.01). Doctors and radiation technologists received higher radiation exposure of each mean 1.75+/-1.17 mSv/year and mean 1.60+/-1.39 mSv/year than other people who work in radiation area in hospital ( p<0.05). Especially young doctors and technologists have the high opportunity to receive higher radiation exposure. CONCLUSION: The training and education of radiation workers for radiation exposure risks are important and it is necessary to rotate worker in short period in high risk area. The hospital management has to concern health of radiation workers more and to put an effort to reduce radiation exposure as low as possible in radiation areas in hospital.
Adult ; Angiography ; Barium ; Busan ; Delivery of Health Care ; Documentation ; Education ; Enema ; Female ; Fluoroscopy ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Jurisprudence ; Korea ; Male ; Nuclear Medicine