BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Inner hair cells (IHCs) of the organ of Corti change the external sound stimulus into the electrical signal and transmit this signal to the auditory cortex through afferent nerve fibers. Outer hair cells (OHCs) control the sound transmission function of IHC. OHCs respond with a somatic shape change to alterations in their membrane potential and this electromotile response is believed to provide mechanical feedback to the basilar membrane. Efferent nerve fibers which arise from the superior olivary nucleus in the midbrain and transmit to OHCs through medial olivocochlear bundle use acetylcholine (ACh) as a neurotransmitter. The cholinergic response of OHCs' alpha-9 nicotinic ACh receptor increase the Ca2+ influx, which control OHCs' electromotility by changing a membrane potential. In this research, the effect of ACh on the K+ current in OHC of guinea pig was studied, and the change of OHC length by ACh was studied. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using the extracted OHC from a guinea pig potassium currents induced by ACh were recorded using the whole-cell patch clamp technique. The change of OHC length when ACh was applied was observed. RESULTS: 1) ACh increases voltage-dependent K+ current in OHC. 2) In the condition, which Ca2+-dependent K+ current is blocked by removing Ca2+ from intra-cellular fluid, ACh has no effect on K+ current in OHC. 3) ACh increases OHC length. CONCLUSION: These experimental results show that ACh from the medial olivocochlear efferent system regulates mobility of OHC, increases the Ca2+-dependent K+ currents in OHC.
Acetylcholine* ; Animals ; Auditory Cortex ; Basilar Membrane ; Calcium ; Guinea Pigs ; Hair* ; Membrane Potentials ; Mesencephalon ; Nerve Fibers ; Neurotransmitter Agents ; Olivary Nucleus ; Organ of Corti ; Potassium Channels ; Potassium*

PURPOSE: Various methods have been used to treat traumas and diseases of the cervical vertebrae. For fractures and diseases of the cervical vertebrae, The authors of this paper sought to evaluate the effectiveness of these different methods by checking for the correction of kyphosis, seeing whether bone graft was successful, making clinical evaluation, and checking for the appropriateness of size and shape of the graft. METHODS: Of the 193 patients who visited the Department of Orthopedics at Chungnam National University Hopspital from January, 1997, to March, 2000, and had operative treatments using the anterior approach or the Smith-Robinson technique, 161 cases that were possible for follow-up were chosen for this study. Among the cases chosen, 111 cases had cervical trauma, and 50 cases had disease of the cervical vertebrae. Simple X-ray was taken to measure the curvature of the affected area and also of the overall cervical curvature(lower end of the second cervical vertebra-lower end of the seventh cervical vertebra), and the healing of the bone was evaluated. RESULTS: Normal range of overall cervical curvature is 16~38 degrees of kyphosis; the curvature after operative treatments for diseased cervical vertebrae was corrected back to the normal range from the reduced angles that existed before the operation. The bone graft was healed in all cases except one(cervical disease), and 15 cases showed prolonged healing. For clinical evaluation using the Robinson scale, 109 cases were excellent, 42 cases were good, and 10 cases were fair. CONCLUSION: Anterior interbody fusion operation of the cervical vertebrae using anterior cervical plate fixation on cases of cervical vertebrate damage and diseases performed, and for the bone graft, using grafts with the anterior surface longer than the posterior surface to induce kyphosis of the cervical vertebrae seemed to be effective. Thus, it is believed that above method is effective in inducing anatomical and functional recovery of patients with trauma and diseases of the cervical vertebrae.
Animals ; Cervical Vertebrae ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Kyphosis ; Lordosis* ; Orthopedics ; Reference Values ; Spine* ; Transplants* ; Vertebrates

No abstract available.
Sparganosis*

Twenty-one myasthenic patients were treated with high-dose daily prednisone regimen at Seoul National University Hospital from May 1983 to January 1985. Observations in relation to dosage, drug schedule, clinical responses, and sideeffects led us to following conclusions concerning the management of myasthenia gravis with steroid. In addition, factors influencing the result were considered. 1) Among 21 patients, twenty(95%) showed clinical improvement of variable degrees. 2) Significant improvement could be expected especially in male patients, in older patients, and in those with duration of myasthenia gravis less than 6 months prior to treatment. Performance of thymectomy or thymothymectomy, thymic pathology, and clinical grade at the time of therapy were not considered to affect the outcome. 3) Ten cases (48%) suffered from initial exacerbations, most of which occurred within the first four days of treatment. Steroid-induced crises developed in four cases with preexisting brittle or severe generalized myasthenia. 4) Period taken to show the initial response and the maximum improvement varied widely but majority of them occurred within 15 days and 70 days respectively. 5) Off-day weakness during the alternate-day schedule required special cautions and, if persitent, immediate return to daily schedule was desirable. 6) Thymectomy prior to steroid treatment was not always necessary but, when both regimens were scheduled together, preparation therapy with steroid thought to be more favorable. 7) Aside from initial exacerbations side-effects during the treatment were not remarkable, all of which disappeared with reduction of dosage.
Appointments and Schedules ; Humans ; Male ; Myasthenia Gravis* ; Pathology ; Prednisone ; Seoul ; Thymectomy

We tried to correlate brain CT findings with clinical state at admission and outcome at discharge in 42 selected cases from 94 adult patients under the diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis at Seoul National University Hospital during last four years from 1981. Their clinical state at admission and outcome at discharge were classified into three groups by severity of symptoms, respectively. The final outcome of them were well correlated with their clinical states at admission. Observed abnormal brain CT findings in this series were hydrocephalus (74%), dirthy cisternal enhancement (52%), infraction (38%), periventricular low density (36%), and tuberculoma (19%). The poorer the clinical state at admission and outcome at discharge, the more frequent the abnormal brain CT findings, especially of periventricular low density and infraction. But periventricular low density without infarction seemed to affect more deleterious effect on clinical state at admission than on final outcome.
Adult ; Brain* ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus ; Infarction ; Seoul ; Tuberculoma ; Tuberculosis, Meningeal*

A 52-year-old woman with a history of at least 5 attacks of benign recurrent aseptic meningitis for the past 2 years is presented. Three of 5 attacks were afrebrile. In cerebrospinal fluid examinations, there was increased protein, normal or reduced glucose, and pleocytosis including endothelial cells, lymphocytes or leukocytes. Brain computed tomography revealed slight ventricular dilatation. No causative organism was found with available techniques. This is believed to be the first reported case of Mollaret's meningitis in Korea.
Brain ; Cerebrospinal Fluid ; Dilatation ; Endothelial Cells ; Female ; Glucose ; Humans ; Korea ; Leukocytes ; Leukocytosis ; Lymphocytes ; Meningitis ; Meningitis, Aseptic ; Middle Aged

Brain computed tomographic findings in 4 cases of Wilson disease were analysed. All subjects were diagnosed by biochemical assays of copper metabolism and presence of Kayser-Fleisher rings. The results were as followings: 1. Brain CT findings were abnormal in all. Low densities in lenticular nuclei were observed in three cases. Cortical atrophy with ventricular dilatation was observed in three cases. Cerebellar atrophy was observed in one case. In one case, cerebellar atrophy was revealed as main feature. In another one, cortical atrophy with ventricular dilattion was revealed as main feature. 2. After contrast enhancement, faintly enhancing nodules were observed in two cases. One showed ill-defined enhancing nodules in frontal and parietal areas and the other showed a rim enhancing nodule with surrounding low density in left frontal area. 3. Neurologic symptoms of the patients were relatively well correlated with their brain CT findings. Such symptoms did not improved after treatment. It is probably due to irreversible brain damage.
Atrophy ; Brain* ; Copper ; Dilatation ; Hepatolenticular Degeneration* ; Humans ; Metabolism ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Rabeprazole

Authors reviewed the clinical features and diagnostic approaches in 70 patients of cysticercosis who had been diagnosed at Seoul National University Hospital from 1978 to 1982. The ages of the 70 patients ranged from 4 to 65 years at the time of the diagnosis (mean age 36.9years) with 62.9 percent between the age 20 and 50 years. Male were more frequently involved than female (2:1). Forty-seven patients (67.1%) presented with neurological symptoms and signs, among which epileptic seizures (66%) was the most common one. Subcutaneous nodules were observed in 36 patients (50.1%) and 24 patients of them had no abnomal clinical findings other than subcutaneous nodules. Computed tomography (CT), employed in 46 patients, showed multiple low densties in 31 patients (67.4%).
Cysticercosis* ; Diagnosis ; Epilepsy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Seoul

Authors reviewed the clinical features and diagnostic approaches in 70 patients of cysticercosis who had been diagnosed at Seoul National University Hospital from 1978 to 1982. The ages of the 70 patients ranged from 4 to 65 years at the time of the diagnosis (mean age 36.9years) with 62.9 percent between the age 20 and 50 years. Male were more frequently involved than female (2:1). Forty-seven patients (67.1%) presented with neurological symptoms and signs, among which epileptic seizures (66%) was the most common one. Subcutaneous nodules were observed in 36 patients (50.1%) and 24 patients of them had no abnomal clinical findings other than subcutaneous nodules. Computed tomography (CT), employed in 46 patients, showed multiple low densties in 31 patients (67.4%).
Cysticercosis* ; Diagnosis ; Epilepsy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Seoul

Author reviewed clinical and labaratory findings in seventy-five adult patients of tuberculous meningitis aged from 15 to 73 years with special reference to abnormal neurologic signs and prognostic factors of their outcome. Majority of their diagnosis were made by presumptive basis except six cases of AFB positive in CSF. They were classified into 3 stages by clinical criterions at admission. Five (6.7% ) of them died, and seven patients (9.3%) discharged with aggravated results; twelve (16%) of them improved with some sequelae at discharge, and fifty-one (68%) improved without sequelae. These outcomes correlated well with their clinical stages at admission. Observed abnormal neurologic findings and their percentages were as followings; meningeal irritation sign (69%), SIADH (16%), ocular paresis (25%), papilledema (12%), visual loss (5%), hemiparesis (13%), radiculomyelopathy (9%), seizure (9%), cerebellar dysfunction (7%), and peripheral type of facial palsy (3%). CSF findings at admission and during illness were examined also, but they had a little correlation with the clinical course. Accompanied tuberculous infections of other organs were discovered in forty cases (53%) of the patients.
Adult* ; Cerebellar Diseases ; Diagnosis ; Facial Paralysis ; Humans ; Inappropriate ADH Syndrome ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Papilledema ; Paresis ; Prognosis* ; Seizures ; Tuberculosis, Meningeal*