Since the introduction of MRI, the arachnoiditis could easily haute been diagnosed by confirming the abnormal distribution of the roots in the dural sac. But the arachnoiditis-like pattern of nerve root distribution in a degenerative disc disease has been regarded as a an incorrect diagnosis of arachnoiditis. The arachnoiditis has been one of the most serious complication in the failed back surgery syndrome. MR images of 32 patients with acute or chronic radicular pain syndrome were investigated by a radiologist and a orthopedc surgeon. 17 patients had lumbar disc herniation; 13 patients, pure spinal stenosis; 2 patients, spondylolisthesis. The discriminant analysis was used to calculate the cutting point of clumping for the abnormal nerve root distribution and to assess the relationship between the arachnoiditis-like pattern of nerve root distribution and other factors According to the result of calculation, the cutting point of clumping In spinal stenosis was 9mm and that in a disc herniation was 6mm. Central clumping of nerve roots in the durn is considered as a characteristic finding at the constricted level of the lumbar degenerative disease. However, the appearance is not a differentiating factor between the adhesive arachnoiditis and constriction in the lumbar degenerative disease. Clinically, the adhesive arachnoiditis should be suspected in the lumbar degenerative disease with the nerve root clumping at multiple level, not associated with remarkable constriction of spinal canal. In the disc herniation with their sagittal diameter over 6mm, the clumping seems to imply the possibility of association with adhesive arachnoiditis.
Adhesives ; Arachnoid ; Arachnoiditis ; Constriction ; Diagnosis ; Failed Back Surgery Syndrome ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Spinal Canal ; Spinal Stenosis ; Spondylolisthesis

No abstract available.
Arm* ; Glomus Tumor*

Arachnoid cyst of the velum interpositum is unusual and causes symptoms similar to those seen with a third ventricular mass. This report describes a case in which the arachnoid cyst occupied the cistern of the velum interpositum and was coincident with multiple cranial neuropathies. The patient was treated by endoscopic fenestration of the cyst. The surgery resulted in decreased in the size of the cyst but aggravation of cranial neuropathies. The patient underwent methylprednisolone pulse therapy and intravenous immunoglobulin administration under the impression of the multiple cranial neuropathies and recovered completely 3 months later. The authors conclude that combined neurological disease that needs medical treatment should be differentiated and priority of the treatment should be determined carefully if arachnoid cyst is associated with unrelated or ambiguous neurological symptoms and signs. Careful considerations of cause and effect may avoid an unnecessary surgical manipulation
Arachnoid* ; Cranial Nerve Diseases* ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins ; Methylprednisolone

No abstract available.
Hand*

An ELISA was established to measure bovine IgG directed against the recombinant antigenic determinant of Nc-p43, a major surface antigen of Neospora caninum. In a previous study, two thirds of the Cterminal of the molecule was expressed as a 6 x His tagged protein (Ncp43P) for ELISA using 2/3 of the N-terminal of SAG1 from Toxoplasma gondii as a control (TgSAG1A). Among 852 cattle sera collected from stock farms scattered nation-wide, 103 sera (12.1%) were found to react with Ncp43P positively, but no positive reaction was observed with TgSAG1A. This study shows that Ncp43P could be available as an efficient antigen for the diagnosis of neosporosis in cattle. Furthermore, it together with TgSAG1A, could be useful for the differential diagnosis of N. caninum and T. gondii infections in other mammals.
Animals ; Antibodies, Protozoan ; Cattle ; Cattle Diseases/diagnosis/epidemiology ; Coccidiosis/diagnosis/epidemiology/veterinary ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay/methods/*veterinary ; Immunoglobulin G/*analysis ; Neospora/*immunology ; Protozoan Proteins/*immunology ; Seroepidemiologic Studies

No abstract available.
Humans ; Infant, Newborn*

OBJECTIVES: The analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) is a useful non-invasive tool to investigate the autonomic nerve function. Previous studies on the relationship between HRV and depression have been reported controversial results. Similarly, the correlation between the serum lipids and depression is debatable. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between heart rate variability, lipid profile and depression. METHODS: A total of 42 patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and 32 age and sex-matched normal subjects who had no previous history of major medical and mental illnesses were recruited for this study. A structured-interview was used to assess the general characteristics and psychiatric illness. HRV measures were assessed by time-domain and frequency-domain analyses. Psychological symptoms were measured using the Hamilton rating scale for anxiety (HAM-A), Hamilton rating scale for depression (HAM-D). In addition, the evaluation for lipid profile was performed by blood test. RESULTS: In serum lipid profile test, MDD group showed higher cholesterol (197.68+/-42.94 mg/dL vs. 176.85+/-34.68 mg/dL, p=0.044), TG (139.45+/-92.54 mg/dL vs. 91.4+/-65.68 mg/dL, p=0.018), LDL (130.03+/-33.18 vs. 106.62+/-27.08, p=0.004) level than normal control group. In HRV time domain analyses, the standard deviation of the NN interval (SDNN) was decreased in MDD group than normal control group, but was not significant (32.82+/-14.33 ms vs. 40.36+/-21.40ms, p=0.078). ApEn (Approximate Entrophy) was significantly increased in MDD group than normal control group (1.13+/-0.11 vs. 0.91+/-0.18, p<0.001). ApEn was correlated with LDL level (r=0.277, p=0.028), HAM-D scores (r=0.534, p<0.001) and HAM-A scores (r=0.470, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: MDD patients showed increased ApEn, one of the HRV measurement. And this ApEn was correlated with LDL, HAM-D and HAM-A scores. In this study, the analysis of ApEn would be a useful test of MDD.
Anxiety ; Autonomic Pathways ; Cholesterol ; Depression ; Depressive Disorder, Major ; Heart ; Heart Rate ; Humans

Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) of preterm infants remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality despite improvements in neonatal intensive care and artificial ventilatory techniques. After identification of the deficiency of pulmonary surfactant is major pathophysiologic basis in RDS, artificial surfactant replacement therapy in RDS was first successfully tested by Fujiwara and co-workers in 1980. therefore, exogenous surfactant replacement produced exellent results in improved clinical and repiratory status during the acute period and decreased incidence of late complications and mortality. According to comparison of administration timing between early (within 6 hours after birth) and late (after 6 hours)group, early replacement therapy is more effective in improving of clinical course and prognosis. Because of that, early, just after birth, recognition and detection of RDS is also important procedure. There are many investigations and methods for the detection of RDS in prenatal or postnatal period. Among then, stable microbubble rating (SMR) test was a simple method and SMR test has a higher diagnostic accuracy. To determine the relation of the SMR and purified natural surfactant (PNS) concentration in vitro, the author conducted each 5 times test of SMR method according to 5 groups of PNS concentration by using modified Pattle's method. The results were as follows: 1) The mean and standard deviation of SMR according to 5 groups of PNS concentration were 119.4 (15.0in 20mug PL (phospholipid)/ml, 452.2 (160.2 in 40mug PL/ml, 879.0 (93.4 in 60mug PL/ml, 1311.8 (274.8in80mug PL/ml, 1710.6(272.3 in 100mug PL/ml. 2) The regression curve of SMR and PNS concentration showed statistically significant relation(p<0.005). In conclusion, the SMR test was a good method in estimation of surfactant concentration in vitro and also in diagnosis of RDS recognized as a surfactant deficiency. In the future, we expected that prophylactic surfactant replacement therapy. immediate after birth, will be more popular in the field of neonatal care of RDS. So, we recommended the use of this method for early detection and serving optimal care of RDS.
Diagnosis ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Intensive Care, Neonatal ; Microbubbles* ; Mortality ; Parturition ; Prognosis ; Pulmonary Surfactants*

The trachea is a cartilagenous and membranous tubular midline structure with parallel walls. Tracheal deviation may be caused either by traction toward the diseased hemithorax or by compression toward the normal side. Unless an obvious mass is observed radiographically, occasionally it can be difficult to decide whether the trachea has been pushed or pulled from its normal position in the mediastinum. We studied the differences between tracheal deviation patterns in 23 patients with fibroatelectatic pulmonary tuberculosis and 35 patients with elongated and dilated aortas. In cases of retraction of the trachea by fibroatelectatic pulmonary tuberculosis, the diameter of the deviated segment was greater than that of the normal segment and deviation of the wall adjacent to the fibroatelectasis from its normal position was greater than that of the opposite wall. In cases of compression of the trachea by the elongated and dilated aorta, the diameter of the diviated segment was smaller than that of the normal segment and deviation of the wall adjacent to the aortic arch from its normal position was greater than that of the opposite wall. We conclude that these differences between tracheal deviation patterns are useful signs for discriminating retraction from compression. Thus when the trachea is retracted, the deviation of the juxtalesional wall is greater than that of the lesion-free wall, and vice versa.
Aorta ; Aorta, Thoracic ; Diagnosis, Differential* ; Humans ; Mediastinum ; Trachea* ; Traction* ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

No abstract available.
Humans ; Hyperbilirubinemia* ; Infant, Newborn*