Background: and Purpose Anti-neurofascin-155 (NF155) antibody is one of the autoantibodies associated with autoimmune nodopathy. We aimed to determine the clinical features of South Korean patients with anti-NF155-antibody-positive autoimmune nodopathy. Methods: The sera of 68 patients who fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) were tested for anti-NF155 antibodies using a cellbased assay (CBA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The anti-NF155-positive sera were also assayed for NF155 immunoglobulin G (IgG) subclasses, and for antiNF186 and NF140 antibodies. The clinical features of the patients were reviewed retrospectively. Results: Among the 68 patients, 6 (8.8%) were positive for anti-NF155 antibodies in both the CBA and ELISA. One of those six patients was also positive for anti-NF186 and anti-NF140 antibodies. IgG4 was the predominant subclass in four patients. The mean age at onset was 32.2 years. All six positive patients presented with progressive sensory ataxia. Five patients treated using corticosteroids presented a partial or no response. All six patients were treated using intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg). Among them, five exhibited a partial or poor response and the other exhibited a good response. All three patients treated using rituximab showed a good response. Conclusions The clinical characteristics of the patients were consistent with those in previous studies. Anti-NF155 antibody assay is necessary for diagnosing autoimmune nodopathy and its appropriate treatment, especially in young patients with CIDP who present with sensory ataxia and poor therapeutic responses to corticosteroids and IVIg.

Background/Aims: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is closely related to gut-microbiome. There is a paucity of research on which strains of gut microbiota affect the progression of NAFLD. This study explored the NAFLD-associated microbiome in humans and the role of Lactobacillus in the progression of NAFLD in mice. Methods: The gut microbiome was analyzed via next-generation sequencing in healthy people (n=37) and NAFLD patients with elevated liver enzymes (n=57). Six-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were separated into six groups (n=10 per group; normal, Western, and four Western diet + strains [109 colony-forming units/g for 8 weeks; L. acidophilus, L. fermentum, L. paracasei, and L. plantarum]). Liver/body weight ratio, liver pathology, serum analysis, and metagenomics in the mice were examined. Results: Compared to healthy subjects (1.6±4.3), NAFLD patients showed an elevated Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio (25.0±29.0) and a reduced composition of Akkermansia and L. murinus (P<0.05). In the animal experiment, L. acidophilus group was associated with a significant reduction in liver/body weight ratio (5.5±0.4) compared to the Western group (6.2±0.6) (P<0.05). L. acidophilus (41.0±8.6), L. fermentum (44.3±12.6), and L. plantarum (39.0±7.6) groups showed decreased cholesterol levels compared to the Western group (85.7±8.6) (P<0.05). In comparison of steatosis, L. acidophilus (1.9±0.6), L. plantarum (2.4±0.7), and L. paracasei (2.0±0.9) groups showed significant improvement of steatosis compared to the Western group (2.6±0.5) (P<0.05). Conclusions Ingestion of Lactobacillus, such as L. acidophilus, L. fermentum, and L. plantarum, ameliorates the progression of nonalcoholic steatosis by lowering cholesterol. The use of Lactobacillus can be considered as a useful strategy for the treatment of NAFLD.

Since 1993, vivax malaria has been recognized as a public health burden in Korea. Despite of pan-governmental malaria-control efforts and the dramatic reduction in the burden of this disease over the last 10 years, vivax malaria has not been well controlled and has remained continuously endemic. We focused interviewed and examined the charts of 28 confirmed vivax malaria patients given malarial therapy for whom daily records were kept from Gimpo-si, Gyeonggido of Korea. Various epidemiological characteristics of vivax malaria, including the incubation period, medication used, and recurrence, and an evaluation of the parasitic characteristics from the focused interviews of patients from this region are described here. Most of the participants indicated the 3 most common symptoms of malaria (headache, chills and fever). Of the 28 cases, 2 experienced a second attack and there were 17 and 11 cases with short- and long-term incubation periods, respectively, yielding a short-term to long-term ratio of 1.5. Based on the parasitemia stages, most of the participants were tested at 5 to 7 days (11 cases) and 7 to 15 days (11 cases) after initial wave of asexual parasites. In conclusion, public health authorities should consider developing management measures to decrease the time lag for diagnosis and drafting unified and robust guidelines for drug use for malaria and drawing up unified and robust guidelines on the use of medication for malaria. It also suggests that routine monitoring, surveillance, and precise medical surveys in high-risk vivax malaria endemic areas are pivotal to controlling this persistent public disease and finally eliminating it from Korea.

OBJECTIVES: Whether daytime sleepiness is proportional to the severity of sleep apnea in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is controversial. In this study we investigated how insomnia severity affects the association between daytime sleepiness and sleep apnea severity in OSAS. METHODS: The present study included 235 male subjects who were diagnosed with OSAS based on clinical history and nocturnal polysomnography. Pearson's correlation analysis was conducted among sleep and mood-related self-reported data, polysomnographic data and demographic data of all subjects. Based on Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the subjects were divided into 2 groups; group A (n = 75; PSQI < or =5) and group B (n = 160; PSQI > 5). Partial correlation analysis was performed between the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and other data in both groups. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to investigate the factors which affected the ESS in group A. RESULTS: Pearson's correlation analysis showed weak or non-existent correlations between ESS and apnea severity data such as apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) (r = 0.148, p = 0.023), apnea index (AI) (r = 0.137, p = 0.036), hypopnea index (HI) (r = 0.058, p = 0.377), oxygen desaturation index (ODI) (r = 0.149, p = 0.022) and arousal total index (ATI) (r = 0.129, p = 0.048). Positive correlations between ESS and apnea severity data such as AHI (r(p) = 0.313, p = 0.008), AI (r(p) = 0.339, p = 0.004), ODI (r(p) = 0.289, p = 0.015) and ATI (r(p) = 0.256, p = 0.031) were observed only in group A. Multiple regression analysis showed that AI (t = 2.996, p = 0.004) and BAI (t = 2.721, p = 0.008) were associated with ESS in group A. CONCLUSION: The correlation between daytime sleepiness and sleep apnea severity was shown only in group A. This result suggests that associations between daytime sleepiness in OSAS and sleep apnea severity will become prominent when controlling for insomnia-related variables.
Apnea ; Arousal ; Humans ; Linear Models ; Male ; Oxygen ; Polysomnography ; Sleep Apnea Syndromes ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive* ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders*

OBJECTIVES: There are a lot of studies that analyze the interaction between the emotion of disgust and the functional brain images using fMRI and PET. But studies using sLORETA (standardized low resolution brain electromagnetic tomography) almost do not exist. The aim of this research is to explore the relationship of the emotion of disgust and the cortical activation using sLORETA analysis. METHODS: Forty five healthy young adults (27.1+/-2.6 years) participated in the study. While they were watching 4 neutral images and 4 disgusting images associated with mutilation selected from the international affective picture system (IAPS), participants' EEGs were taken for 30 seconds per one picture. Through these obtained EEG data, sLORETA analysis was performed to compare EEGs associated with neutral and negative images. RESULTS: During looking for visual disgusting stimulus, all participants reported unpleasantness, arousal and stress. In sLORETA analysis, the decrease of current density in theta wave was shown at left frontal superior gyrus (BA10) and middle gyrus (BA10, 11). This voxel cluster consists of a total of 11 voxels and the threshold of t value indicating statistically significant decreases in the current density (p<0.05) was -1.984. There were no differences between male and female in the degree of being disgusted by the stimuli. CONCLUSION: This finding may suggest that the activation of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex might be associated with regulating disgust emotion.
Arousal ; Brain ; Electroencephalography ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Magnets ; Male ; Prefrontal Cortex ; Young Adult

Adiaspiromycosis is caused by pulmonary infection with Emmonsia. Inhalated spores of Emmonsia cause asymptomatic infection to necrogranulomatous pneumonia, depending on the burden of adiaspore and host immunity. For disease monitoring of wild rodents captured on Jeju Island in Korea, we examined the lung tissue of wild rodents histopathologically. Spores composed of thick three-layered walls were found following histopathological examination and were diagnosed as adiaspiromycosis. Adiaspiromycosis has been found in mammals in many parts of the world. To our knowledge, this is the first report of adiaspiromycosis of an Apodemus agrarius captured in Korea.
Animals ; Asymptomatic Infections ; Chrysosporium ; Korea ; Lung ; Mammals ; Murinae ; Pneumonia ; Rodentia ; Spores

Sarcocystis spp is a causative agent of sarcocystosis. They have a characteristic life cycle infecting both prey and predator. Sarcocystis can cause myositis, atrophy of the adjacent cells and abortion in cattle. In mice, sarcocystosis causes mild cellular reactions without clinical disease. Severe haemorrhage and abortion were also reported. For monitoring the disease in wild rodents of the Korean peninsula, we captured Apodemus agrarius chejuensis on Jeju island and examined the specimen histopathologically. Intramuscular cysts were found and diagnosed as Sarcocystis. Sarcocystic infection has been reported in worldwide. There have been many reported infections in cattle and pigs in Korea. To our knowledge, this is the first report of Sarcocystis in Apodemus agrarius chejuensis captured in Korea.
Animals ; Atrophy ; Cattle ; Korea ; Life Cycle Stages ; Mice ; Murinae ; Myositis ; Rodentia ; Sarcocystis ; Sarcocystosis ; Swine

Many immune down-regulatory molecules have been isolated from parasites, including cystatin (cystain protease inhibitor). In a previous study, we isolated and characterized Type I cystatin (CsStefin-1) of the liver fluke, Clonorchis sinensis. To investigate whether the CsStefin-1 might be a new host immune modulator, we induced intestinal inflammation in mice by dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) and treated them with recombinant CsStefin-1 (rCsStefin-1). The disease activity index (DAI) increased in DSS only-treated mice. In contrast, the DAI value was significantly reduced in rCsStefin-1-treated mice than DSS only-treated mice. In addition, the colon length of DSS only-treated mice was shorter than that of rCsStefin-1 treated mice. The secretion levels of IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha in the spleen and mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs) were significantly increased by DSS treatment, but the level of TNF-alpha in MLNs was significantly decreased by rCsStefin-1 treatment. IL-10 production in both spleen and MLNs was significantly increased, and IL-10+F4/80+ macrophage cells were significantly increased in the spleen and MLNs of rCsStefin-1 treated mice after DSS treatment. In conclusion, rCsStefin-1 could reduce the intestinal inflammation occurring after DSS treatment, these effects might be related with recruitment of IL-10 secreting macrophages.
Animals ; Antigens, Differentiation/analysis ; Clonorchis sinensis/*enzymology ; Colon/pathology ; Cystatins/*metabolism ; Cytokines/secretion ; Dextran Sulfate/toxicity ; Female ; Helminth Proteins/*metabolism ; Immunologic Factors/*metabolism ; Inflammation/chemically induced/*pathology ; Interleukin-10/analysis ; Intestines/*drug effects/pathology ; Lymph Nodes/immunology ; Macrophages/chemistry/*immunology ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Severity of Illness Index ; Spleen/immunology

OBJECTIVES: Deficit schizophrenia (DS) constitutes a disease separate from non-deficit schizophrenia (NDS). The aim of the current study was to compare the quantitative EEG and low resolution electromagnetic tomography (LORETA) imaging between DS and NDS. METHODS: This study was performed by 32 channels EEG for 42 schizophrenia patients who we categorized into DS and NDS using proxy instrument deficit syndrome (PDS). We performed the absolute power spectral analyses for delta, theta, alpha, low beta and high beta activities. We compared power spectrum between two groups using Independent t-test. Partial correlation test was performed with clinical parameters. Standardized LORETA (sLORETA) was used for comparison of cortical activity, and statistical nonparametric mapping (SnPM) was applied for the statistical analysis. RESULTS: DS showed significantly increased delta and theta absolute power in fontal and parietal region compared with NDS (p<0.05). Power spectrum showed significant correlation with 'anergia' and 'hostility/suspiciousness' subscale of brief psychiatric rating scale (BPRS)(p<0.05). sLORETA found out the source region (anterior cingulate cortex/limbic part) that delta activity was significantly increased in DS (p=0.042). CONCLUSIONS: DS showed different cortical activity compared with NDS. Our results may suggest QEEG and LORETA could be the marker in differentiating between DS and NDS.
Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale ; Electroencephalography ; Humans ; Magnets ; Naphthalenesulfonates ; Proxy ; Schizophrenia

BACKGROUND: Since 2001, the Ministry of Health and Welfare in Korea has designated muscular dystrophy (MD) to be a rare and intractable disease, and has ensured that patients with this condition obtain support from the National Health Insurance Corporation for their medical expenditure. However, the health-related and socioeconomic status of Korean patients with MD has yet to be established. METHODS: We selected 441 patients with MD who received medical services at 17 neuromuscular centers during 2005. The medical records of selected patients were analyzed, and the subtype of MD was classified by its clinical course and diagnostic tests. A total of 95 patients or their family members participated in this health-related and socioeconomic status survey. RESULTS: Medical record analysis showed similar clinical and diagnostic characteristic data to those published previously in other countries: male predominance, being young at onset, and muscular weakness of the extremities as a predominant symptom in most patients. The diagnostic tests for MD were based on laboratory and electrophysiological studies. The most frequent form of MD among our cohort was Duchenne/Becker muscular dystrophy (42%). Our survey revealed the effect of the patients' profound disability on their activities of daily living. One-half of the patients were dissatisfied with the medical expenditure support service that was made available to them, and most patients suffered from a financial burden. The most important medical services to be developed in the future are expansion of the public health service or development of a rehabilitation hospital. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first multicenter-based epidemiologic study on the health-related and socioeconomic status of patients with MD in Korea. The findings indicate that medical coverage and public health service are currently inadequate and hence should be expanded in the future.
Activities of Daily Living ; Cohort Studies ; Diagnostic Tests, Routine ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Extremities ; Health Expenditures ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Medical Records ; Morphinans ; Muscle Weakness ; Muscular Dystrophies ; National Health Programs ; Social Class ; United States Public Health Service