No abstract available.
Necrosis* ; Typhoid Fever*

No abstract available.
Epidermis* ; Urocanic Acid*

PURPOSE: This study was done to examine actor and partner effect of self-esteem and family stress on depression of middle-aged married couples. METHODS: Participants were 133 couples aged 40-60 years, who lived in Seoul, Incheon, or Gyeonggi provinces. All measures were self-administered. Data were analyzed using SPSS 18.0 and AMOS 18.0 program. RESULTS: Husband and wife's self-esteem had an actor effect (wife beta=-.45, p<.001; husband beta=-.35, p<.001 respectively) on their depression. Wife's family stress had an actor effect (beta=.27, p=.006) on her depression and a partner effect (beta=.31, p=.002) on her husband's depression. Meanwhile, it also had an indirect effect on her depression through self-esteem (beta=-.28, p<.001). Husband's family stress did not have an actor effect or a partner effect on his depression, but it had an indirect effect on his depression through self-esteem (beta=-.35, p<.001). CONCLUSION: Results indicate that to prevent the constantly increasing depression of middle-aged married couples, programs should be conducted for both of the couple, but focused differently for wife and husband.
Depression* ; Family Characteristics* ; Gyeonggi-do ; Humans ; Incheon ; Seoul ; Spouses

OBJECTIVE: This study was aimed to compare the efficacy and tolerability of milnacipran and sertraline treatment in patients with major depressive disorder and to evaluate the relationships between beta-adrenergic receptor responsiveness and depressive mood states. METHODS: Fifty three patients who had a diagnosis of major depressive disorder according to the DSM-IV and showed scores of 17 or more on the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D) were randomly assigned to either milnacipran or sertraline treatment group. Each patient received 8 weeks of antidepressant treatment with one of the two drugs. Efficacy was assessed using the HAM-D, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Montgomery and Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and Clinical Global Impression (CGI). Twenty normal control subjects who had no history of psychiatric and major medical illness and were matched with the depressed patients considering age, sex and body mass index were recruited for the comparison of beta-adrenergic receptor responsiveness between depressed patients and normal control subjects. We measured beta-adrenergic receptor density, lymphocyte cAMP ratio (ratio of isoproterenol-stimulated cAMP/basal cAMP), and receptor affinity (Kd) in all subjects. We also investigated beta-adrenergic receptor responsiveness before and after treatment in depressed patients. RESULTS: Twelve patients in milnacipran group and 15 patients in sertraline group were completed this study. In all assessment scales for depression, we found significant decrease in depression severity in both milnacipran and sertraline groups. Both of the two drugs proved equally effective for reduction of the overall symptoms of depression throughout the treatment period. And there were significant differences in the means of Kd values between control subjects and depressed patients before treatment. We found a significant negative correlation between Kd values and BDI scores. After treatment with either milnacipran or sertraline, cAMP ratio (4.8+/-1.6 vs 5.7+/-2.5, p=0.095) and Kd value (65.6+/-11.9 vs 74.6+/-7.8, p=0.066) tended to increase, but there was no significant difference in beta-adrenergic receptor responsiveness between milnacipran and sertraline group. CONCLUSION: Both milnacipran and sertraline were not different in the clinical efficacy in major depressive disorder. In depressed patients, beta-adrenergic receptor responsiveness is reduced and both milnacipran and sertraline antidepressants tended to increase beta-adrenergic receptor responsiveness.
Antidepressive Agents ; Body Mass Index ; Depression ; Depressive Disorder, Major* ; Diagnosis ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Humans ; Lymphocytes ; Sertraline* ; Weights and Measures

OBJECTIVE: High-molecular-weight hydroxyethyl starch (HES) compromises blood coagulation more than does low-molecular-weight HES. We compared the effects of low- and high-molecular-weight HES for the treatment of vasospasm and investigated the dose relationship with each other. METHODS: Retrospectively, in a series of consecutive 102 patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), 35 patients developed clinical symptoms of vasospasm of these fourteen patients were treated with low-molecularweight HES for volume expansion while the other 21 received high-molecular-weight HES as continuous intravenous infusion. Prothrombin time (PT), partial thromboplastin time (PTT), fibrinogen level, and platelet count were all measured prior to initiation, during treatment and after termination of therapy for symptomatic vasospasm. The total dose of HES ranged from 5 L to 14 L and median infusion duration was 10 days. RESULTS: A more pronounced PTT prolongation was observed in high-molecular-weight HES group compared with low-molecular-weight HES group. No other coagulation parameters were altered. Dosage (=duration) shows a positive correlation with PTT. Clinically, significant bleeding episodes were noted in four patients who received high-molecular-weight HES. CONCLUSION: Coagulopathy was developed in direct proportion to molecular weight of starch and dosages. We propose the extreme caution in the administration of HES solution for the vasospasm treatment.
Blood Coagulation ; Fibrinogen ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Infusions, Intravenous ; Molecular Weight ; Partial Thromboplastin Time ; Platelet Count ; Prothrombin Time ; Retrospective Studies ; Starch* ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

OBJECTIVE: To make a guideline for cytogenetic study and diagnosis through systematic analysis of types and the incidences of chromosomal abnormalities obtained from various types of congenital disorder in Korea. METHODS: The cytogenetic study was performed on 14,402 patients with suspected chromosomal abnormalities at our genetic laboratory of the medical research center between January 1, 1974 to December 31, 2004 and additionally the FISH (Fluorescence in situ hybridization) study was done on 272 patients between January 1, 1998 to December 31, 2004. RESULTS: Total number of case requiring cytogenetic study were 33 in starting year (1974) and by 1983, the number increased rapidly to 481 cases. The number of case was maximum of 894 cases in 1993 and it started to decline from 1996 to 714. Overall chromosomal aberrations were 2,100 cases (14.58%). Autosomal chromosomal abnormalities were 1,257 cases (8.73%). Among those cases, Down syndrome was 848 cases (5.89%), Edward syndrome was 38 cases (0.26%), and Patau syndrome was 6 cases (0.04%) in order of frequency. Sex chromosomal abnormalities were 843 cases (5.85%) in total. Among those cases, Turner syndrome was 527 cases (3.66%), Kleinfelter syndrome was 267 cases (1.85%). Chromosomal abnormality rate in 535 couples with recurrent spontaneous abortions was 5.98% (32 couples). And chromosomal aberration in 1068 cases with primary amenorrhea was 63.95% (683 cases). The diagnostic rate of microdeletion syndrome by FISH method was 22.71%, and marker chromosome was 20.56%. CONCLUSION: From cytogenetic analysis of 14,402 cases performed in single institute during 31 years, we performed a study on the types and the incidences of chromosomal abnormalities. We hope we could suggest a guideline for studies and treatments of congenital disorders in Korea. Along with the cytogenetic study, FISH study was also required.
Abortion, Spontaneous ; Amenorrhea ; Chromosome Aberrations ; Congenital, Hereditary, and Neonatal Diseases and Abnormalities* ; Cytogenetic Analysis ; Cytogenetics* ; Diagnosis ; Down Syndrome ; Family Characteristics ; Female ; Hope ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea* ; Pregnancy ; Turner Syndrome

Background: As the survival rate of cancer patients increases, the clinical importance of rehabilitation provided by healthcare professionals also increases. However, the evidence supporting the relevance of rehabilitation programs is insufficient. This study aimed to review the literature on effectiveness in physical function, quality of life (QOL) or fatigue of supervised physical rehabilitation in patients with advanced cancer. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted following the Cochrane guidelines. We narratively described the results when meta-analysis was not applicable or appropriate. Literature databases including Ovid-MEDLINE, Ovid-EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library, as well as several Korean domestic databases, were searched up to June 2017 for studies that investigated the effectiveness of supervised physical rehabilitation programs on physical function, QOL or fatigue in patients with advanced cancer. The quality of the selected studies was evaluated independently by paired reviewers. Results: Eleven studies with 922 participants were finally selected among 2,459 articles. The meta-analysis revealed that after physical exercise, the physical activity level and strength of patients with advanced cancer increased significantly. The QOL showed a statistically significant improvement after physical rehabilitation according to the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer version C30. Though some of measurements about cardiovascular endurance or strength in several studies were not able to be synthesized, each study reported that they were significantly improved after receiving rehabilitation. Conclusion Supervised physical rehabilitation for patients with advanced cancer is effective in improving physical activity, strength, and QOL. However, more trials are needed to prove the effectiveness of supervised exercise and to strengthen the evidence.

Background: and Purpose Migraine is a condition that is often observed to run in families, but its complex genetic background remains unclear. This study aimed to identify the genetic factors influencing migraines and their potential association with the family medical history. Methods: We performed a comprehensive genome-wide association study of a cohort of 1,561 outpatients with migraine and 473 individuals without migraine in Taiwan, including Han Chinese individuals with or without a family history of migraine. By analyzing the detailed headache history of the patients and their relatives we aimed to isolate potential genetic markers associated with migraine while considering factors such as sex, episodic vs. chronic migraine, and the presence of aura. Results: We revealed novel genetic risk loci, including rs2287637 in DEAD-Box helicase 1 and long intergenic non-protein coding RNA 1804 and rs12055943 in engulfment and cell motility 1, that were correlated with the family history of migraine. We also found a genetic location downstream of mesoderm posterior BHLH transcription factor 2 associated with episodic migraine, whereas loci within the ubiquitin-specific peptidase 26 exonic region, dual specificity phosphatase 9 and pregnancy-upregulated non-ubiquitous CaM kinase intergenic regions, and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 and STUM were linked to chronic migraine. We additionally identified genetic regionsassociated with the presence or absence of aura. A locus between LINC02561 and urocortin 3 was predominantly observed in female patients. Moreover, three different single-nucleotide polymorphisms were associated with the family history of migraine in the control group. Conclusions This study has identified new genetic locations associated with migraine and its family history in a Han Chinese population, reinforcing the genetic background of migraine. The findings point to potential candidate genes that should be investigated further.

HyPer is the genetically encoded biosensor of intracellular hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), the most stable of the reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by living cells. HyPer has a high sensitivity and specificity for detecting intracellular H2O2 by confocal laser microscopy. However, it was not known whether high speed ratiometric imaging of H2O2 by HyPer is possible. We thus investigated the sensitivity of HyPer in detecting changes to the intracellular H2O2 levels in HEK293 and PC12 cells using a microfluorometer imaging system. Increase in the HyPer ratio were clearly evident on stimulations of more than 100 microM H2O2 and fast changes in the HyPer ratio were observed on ratiometric fluorescent images after H2O2 treatment. These results suggest that HyPer is a potent biosensor of the fast temporal production of intracellular H2O2.
Animals ; Biosensing Techniques ; Hydrogen Peroxide* ; Hydrogen* ; Microscopy, Confocal ; PC12 Cells ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Sensitivity and Specificity

PURPOSE: To report the incidence and new findings of abnormal brain imaging studies associated with patients initially diagnosed with Leber's congenital amaurosis (LCA) without definite systemic abnormalities and to determine the need for brain imaging studies in these patients. METHODS: A retrospective review of medical records was performed in 83 patients initially diagnosed as LCA and without definite systemic abnormalities before the age of 6 months in 2 tertiary referral centers. Brain magnetic resonance imaging was performed in 31 of 83 patients (37.3%). RESULTS: Six of 31 patients (19%) had radiologically documented brain abnormalities. Two patients had cerebellar vermis hypoplasia, 1 patient showed an absence of septum pellucidum, 2 subjects showed mild external hydrocephalus, and 1 patient was found to have a small cerebellum. CONCLUSIONS: Approximately one fifth of the LCA patients in whom brain imaging was performed were associated with brain abnormalities, including the absence of septum pellucidum, which has not been documented in the literature. Brain imaging is mandatory in patients primarily diagnosed with LCA, even without definite neurologic or systemic abnormalities.
Brain/*pathology ; Cerebellum/pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus/pathology ; Infant ; Leber Congenital Amaurosis/*diagnosis ; *Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Retrospective Studies ; Septum Pellucidum/pathology