Neuroimaging plays a key role in assessing the detection of acute hemorrhage, diagnosis of infarct core, detection of steno-occlusive arteries, mismatch between infarct core and penumbra, and collateral circulation in patients with acute cerebral ischemic stroke. The recent announcement of randomized clinical trials that demonstrated the usefulness of intra-arterial mechanical thrombectomy and the guidelines of 2018 Guidelines for the Early Management of Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke from American Heart Association/American Stroke Association led to a larger role of neuroimaging and required new neuroimaging strategy for acute cerebral ischemic stroke. In this review, we summarize the recommendation on neuroimaging from the 2018 Guidelines, and review pros and cons between CT and MR and fast scanned stroke MR. Based on the new guidelines and recent research, we discuss the appropriate neuroimaging strategy for acute cerebral ischemic stroke patients.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The Musical Background Questionnaire (MBQ) has been developed to assess formal musical training and listening enjoyment. The aims of this study were to translate MBQ into Korean with subsequent linguistic validation and to evaluate the effectiveness of the Korean version of MBQ (K-MBQ).SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Between 2013 and 2014, a panel affiliated with the questionnaire committee of the Korean Audiological Society reconciled the first draft K-MBQ translated by a bilingual person. A separate bilingual translator, who had never seen the original MBQ, translated the draft K-MBQ back into English, and subsequently, the panel reviewed its equivalence to the original one. K-MBQ was administered to 29 adults (M:F=15:14; aged 21 to 76 years) for cognitive debriefing. Pure tone and speech audiometry were performed in all participants. RESULTS: The translation of K-MBQ was completed through a multi-step process of forward translation, reconciliation, reverse translation, cognitive debriefing and proofreading. Thirteen (45%) of 29 subjects reported formal musical training, and 16 participants (55%) judged themselves as having no musical education and background. No significant correlation was found between musical background and hearing level, whereas self-perceived quality of music and self-perception of music elements quantified by K-MBQ were associated with hearing ability in terms of pure-tone and speech audiometry. CONCLUSION K-MBQ was translated and linguistically validated. The use of this questionnaire can provide further evaluation of musical background in patients with hearing loss or cochlear implant users.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The Chronic Ear Survey (CES) has been known to be a valid, disease-specific measure for the evaluation of health status and treatment effectiveness for chronic otitis media patients. As part of this study, we developed a Korean version by adapting from this CES, determined its reliability and validity. MATERIALS AND METHOD: The development of the Korean version of CES (K-CES) included the processes of standard independent translation and cross-cultural adaptation to check for cultural inconsistency. The finalized K-CES was administered to 166 patients visiting 10 referral hospitals in a prospective manner. K-CES was validated by using the Cronbach's alpha coefficient, confirmatory factor analysis and test-retest analysis for reliability and validity. The 36-Item Short Form Health Survey Instrument (SF-36) was assessed and the result was used to evaluate the criterion validity. RESULTS: The K-CES demonstrated good test-retest reliability and internal consistency (Cron-bach's alpha=0.850). Scale-item correlation coefficient was even higher than 1.0, which shows a very high reliability of K-CES. The validity of K-CES, checked by confirmatory factor analysis, also showed good construct validity. There was high correlation between SF-36 and the scores of K-CES, which indicates high criterion validity. CONCLUSION: We concluded that K-CES is a valid tool for clinical use and research studies in Korean patients with chronic otitis media.
Ear ; Health Surveys ; Humans ; Otitis Media ; Prospective Studies ; Referral and Consultation ; Reproducibility of Results ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the pathophysiology of alcoholics by investigating the differences in frequency of Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 2(ALDH2) genotypes and ALDH2 alleles between patients with alcohol dependence and controls, and the differences of drinking and personality traits in Korean male alcoholics with ALDH2 genotype variances. METHODS: The authors selected 98 patients with alcohol dependence and 53 controls. Self-report questionnaires for acute reponses after alcohol ingestion, the AUI(Alcohol Use Inventory), and the NEO-PI-R(NEO Personality Inventory Revised) were given to all patients with alcohol dependence. ALDH2 genotypes were typed with Mbo II RFLP(Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism) method in 53 controls and 98 patients with alcohol dependence. The authors divided alcoholic patients into two groups according to the presence of variant ALDH22 allele; normal ALDH2 alcoholics(N=87) and variant ALDH2 alcoholics(N=11). RESULTS: 1) The genotypic frequencies of subjects with ALDH21/1 were higher and those with ALDH21/2 and ALDH22/2 were lower in patients than in controls. 2) Alcohol dependence could be found in ALDH22/2 homozygote individuals. 3) Variant ALDH2 alcoholics had more family problems in the AUI than normal ALDH2 alcoholics. 4) Variant ALDH2 alcoholics experienced more flushing and cardiovascular responses after alcohol ingestion than normal ALDH2 alcoholics. 5) Variant ALDH2 alcoholics had less altruistic personality traits in the NEO-PI-R than normal ALDH2 alcoholics. 6) Variant ALDH2 alcoholics tended to have more tolerance to alcohol than normal ALDH2 alcoholics. CONCLUSION: Variant ALDH22 allele might play a protective role in the pathogenesis of alcohol dependence and there were several significant differences of drinking and personality traits in Korean male alcoholics with ALDH2 genotype variances.
Alcoholics ; Alcoholism* ; Aldehyde Dehydrogenase* ; Alleles ; Drinking ; Eating ; Flushing ; Genotype* ; Homozygote ; Humans ; Male ; Personality Inventory ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate physical and ultrasonographic (US) imaging findings in pain-free shoulders of high school baseball players. METHOD: Physical examination including range of motion (ROM) and several pain provocative tests and US examination on both shoulders in forty-one high school baseball players were performed. The findings of these examinations were classified according to the dominance of shoulders and position of the players and described. RESULTS: Neer, Jobe, Hawkins test, and acromioclavicular tenderness were positive in 33.3%, 4.8%, 28.6%, and 38.3% respectively. Dominant shoulders had larger ROM of external rotation and internal rotation than non-dominant shoulders (p <0.05). Dominant shoulders of pitchers group had larger ROM of external rotation and smaller ROM of internal rotation than those of non-pitchers group (p <0.05). Dominant supraspinatus tendons of pitchers group were thicker than those of non-pitchers group (p <0.05). CONCLUSION: About one third of pain-free shoulders of baseball players showed positive in pain provocative tests. There were several differences in shoulder ROM and ultrasonographic thickness of supraspinatus tendon according to the dominance of shoulders and position of players.
Baseball* ; Humans ; Physical Examination* ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Shoulder* ; Tendons ; Ultrasonography*

This study was designed to examine the effects of two antidepressant drugs on the expression of c-fos mRNA in cultured embryonic rat hippocampal neurons. The drugs used were imipramine and amitriptyline. On the fourth day of culture, hippocampal neurons were treated with variable concentrations of each drug. Competitive RT-PCR(Reverse Transcriptase-PCR) analysis was used to quantify the c-fos mRNA expression induced by each drug. Experimental results showed that acute and direct treatment with imipramine and amitriptyline with relatively low concentrations(imipramine < or =10micrometer, amitriptyline < or =10micrometer) had no inductive effect on the expression of c-fos mRNA in the rat hippocampal neurons. However, after treatment with relatively high concentrations(imipramine > or =100micrometer, amitriptyline > or =100micrometer) c-fos mRNA was not detected. These findings suggest the followings. Firstly, the action mechanisms of these drugs on the hippocampal neurons might not be mediated by c-fos but by other immediate-early genes(IEGs). Secondly, their actions may be mediated indirectly via other areas of the brain. Thirdly, the expression of c-fos might be inhibited by high concentrations of these drugs, or the high concentrations could induce cell death. Finally, though cell death remains to be confirmed, the inhibition of c-fos induction or cell death could play a role in the cognitive impairments known to be adverse effects of some antidepressants. This study is believed to be a first step toward understanding the mechanisms of learning and memory. Further studies are needed to investigate the expression of various IEGs and changes in the hippocampal neurons of rat resulting from chronic treatment with antidepressant drugs.
Amitriptyline ; Animals ; Antidepressive Agents* ; Brain ; Cell Death ; Imipramine ; Learning ; Memory ; Neurons* ; Rats* ; RNA, Messenger*

Neurofibromatosis(von Reckling hausen's disease) is a congenital heredofamilial disorderresulting from dysplasia of neuroectodermal and mesodermal tissues. It is characterized by developmental anormaly, pigmentary skin lesions and multiple tumors derived from the Schwannian cells of the peripheral and sensory nerve. The authors have experienced two cases of Neurofibromatosis. which is clinically diagnosed. and confirmed by histopathological examination. It was reviewed clinically with the literature.
Mesoderm ; Neural Plate ; Neurofibromatoses* ; Skin

For the purpose of observing ultrastructure of the epicuticle of Echinorhynchus gadi, the present electron microscopical studies had been made. Also the histochemical methods of Morwy, Bauer, Smith, Lison, Taft, and those of lead and uranyl acetate had been used in order to see the distribution of glycogen, mucopolysaccharides, lipid and nucleic acid in the cuticle of Echinorhynchus gadi. The results obtained by the above studies were as follows: Glycogen, mucopolysaccharides were found in the outermost, middle and inner layers, especially abundant in the middle layer of the cuticle. Lipid was found in the middle and inner layer, and it was found abundantly around the lacunal canal in the cuticle. Nucleic acid was found around the lacunal canal in the middle layer, and also distributed in the cell nucleus of inner layer in the cuticle. Electron microscopically, the cuticle of Echinorhynchus gadi had three outer layers, being outermost, middle and inner ones. The outermost layer was medium electron dense, composed with plasmalemma and filaments. The middle layer was homogeneous one which was electron pale. The inner layer, which was electron dense, consisted of felt layer and radial layer. The electron dense glycogen, lipid granules were distributed in radial layer.
parasitology-Acanthocephala ; Echinorhynchus gadi ; electron microscopy ; histochemistry ; glycogen ; mucopolysaccharide ; lipid ; nucleic acid

The authors have recently experienced 2 cases of ocular texoplasmosis which had poor vision. These cases were presumptive diagnosis of ocular toxoplasmosis by typical ocular lesion and hemmagglutinin test for toxoplasmosis. In addition to clinical observations, a brief review of literature has been described.
Diagnosis ; Toxoplasmosis ; Toxoplasmosis, Ocular*

Xeroderma Pigmentosum is a hereditary disorder characterized sunlight sensitivity multiple cutaneous malignancies, usually basal and squamous cell carcinoma and frequent ocular complication. The auther has presented recently treated one case of limbal squamous cell carcinoma associated with Xeroderma Pigmentosum in 15 years old male. It was reviewed clinically with the literature.
Adolescent ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Humans ; Ichthyosis* ; Male ; Sunlight ; Xeroderma Pigmentosum*