• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.110-113
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• 2005

Patients of chronic alcoholism may show many kinds of complications such as myopathy, nutritional problems, peripheral neuropathy, withdrawal seizure and encephalopathies. We report an unusual case of alcoholic myopathy diagnosed with typical laboratory and pathological findings initially manifested as acute reversible encephalopathy showing transient abnormalities on brain MRI.

• The Korean journal of internal medicine
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.1070-1078
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• 2018

Vibrio vulnificus is a gram-negative bacterium that can cause serious, potentially fatal infections. V. vulnificus causes three distinct syndromes: an overwhelming primary septicemia caused by consuming contaminated seafood, wound infections acquired when an open wound is exposed to contaminated warm seawater, and gastrointestinal tract-limited infections. Case-fatality rates are higher than 50% for primary septicemia, and death typically occurs within 72 hours of hospitalization. Risk factors for V. vulnificus infection include chronic liver disease, alcoholism, and hematological disorders. When V. vulnificus infection is suspected, appropriate antibiotic treatment and surgical interventions should be performed immediately. Third-generation cephalosporin with doxycycline, or quinolone with or without third-generation cephalosporin, may be potential treatment options for patients with V. vulnificus infection.

• Journal of Preventive Veterinary Medicine
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.177-181
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• 2018

Disulfiram is a drug used to treat alcohol dependence. Recent studies have shown that disulfiram also has anti-cancer effects. Considering that many anti-cancer agents have side effects, including immunosuppression, it is important to check if disulfiram has some cytotoxicity to immune cells. In this study, mouse spleen cells were treated with disulfiram and the metabolic activity was measured. Disulfiram increased the cell death of spleen cells according to annexin V-FITC/PI staining analysis. In addition, disulfiram decreased the mitochondrial membrane potential of spleen cells. The toxicity of disulfiram was concentration dependent. Interestingly, disulfiram affected the population of lymphocytes and the subset of spleen cells was altered. This study provides clinicians and researchers with valuable information regarding the toxicity of disulfiram to mouse spleen cells, particularly lymphocytes.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2003.10b
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• pp.191.3-192
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• 2003

Alnus japonica (Betulaceae) has been traditionally used for purifying blood, and curing feces containing blood, enteritis, diarrhea, alcoholism and cut wounds. In the current work, activity guided isolation of the butanol fraction of the Alnus japonica bark led to the isolation of catechin-7-O-${\beta}$-D-apiofuranoside. Anti-inflammatory activity was determined with carrageenan-induced paw edema in mice as an acute inflammation, complete Freund's adjuvant-induced arthritis as a chronic inflammation. Carrageenan- induced paw edema in mice was significantly inhibited at 0.5, 1, 2, and 3 hr after carrageenan injection by administration of the flavonoid glycoside at the dose of 150mg/kg. (omitted)

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.234-239
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• 2012

Objective : Chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) is a typical disease that is encountered frequently in neurosurgical practice. The medications which could cause coagulopathies were known as one of the risk factors of CSDH, such as anticoagulants (ACs) and antiplatelet agents (APs). Recently, the number of patients who are treated with ACs/APs is increasing, especially in the elderly population. With widespread use of these drugs, there is a need to study the changes in risk factors of CSDH patients. Methods : We retrospectively reviewed 290 CSDH patients who underwent surgery at our institute between 1996 and 2010. We classified them into three groups according to the time of presentation (Group A : the remote period group, 1996-2000, Group B : the past period group, 2001-2005, and Group C : the recent period group, 2006-2010). Also, we performed the comparative analysis of independent risk factors between three groups. Results : Among the 290 patients, Group A included 71 patients (24.5%), Group B included 98 patients (33.8%) and Group C included 121 patients (41.7%). Three patients (4.2%) in Group A had a history of receiving ACs/APs, 8 patients (8.2%) in Group B, and 19 patients (15.7%) in Group C. Other factors such as head trauma, alcoholism, epilepsy, previous neurosurgery and underlying disease having bleeding tendency were also evaluated. In ACs/APs related cause of CSDH in Group C, significantly less proportion of the patients are associated with trauma or alcohol compared to the non-medication group. Conclusion : In this study, the authors concluded that ACs/APs have more importance as a risk factor of CSDH in the recent period compared to the past. Therefore, doctors should prescribe these medications carefully balancing the potential risk and benefit.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.55-60
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• 2002

Central pontine myelinolysis(CPM) and Extrapontine myelinolysis(EPM) are uncommon neurologic disorders associated with osmotic inequality between the extracellular fluid compartment and intracellular fluid compartment in the brain. Myelinolysis can occur in hyponatremia and after rapid correction of hyponatremia. It may be caused by various metabolic disturbances such as chronic alcoholism, malnourishment, cancer, chronic renal failure and organ transplantation. The authors reported a 43-year-old male patient who have received a kidney transplantation because of chronic renal failure due to diabetic nephropathy. The patient manifested psychotic symptoms such as delusion, loosened association, hallucination, inappropriate affect and aggressiveness as a sequele of CPM and EPM. He also showed neurocognitive impairment such as disorientation, memory impairment, decresed intelligence and aphasia. These manifestations are rare in CPM and EPM. We discuss the clinical features, diagnosis, course and management of the patient which may be clinically significant in the neuropsychiatric aspect especially at the consultation-liaison field.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.151-158
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• 2020

Alcohol, which can easily be obtained in the same way as ordinary beverages, is harmful enough to cause death due to excessive drinking and chronic alcohol intake, so it is important to maintain a proper amount of drinking and healthy drinking habits. In addition, the incidence of behavioral disturbances and impaired judgments that can be caused by chronic alcohol drinking of more than adequate amounts of alcohol is also significant. Accordingly it is very useful for forensic science to check whether the person involved is drunken or is alcoholism state in various accidents. Currently, in Korea, alcohol consumption is determined by detecting the level of alcohol or alcohol metabolism 'ethyl glucuronide (EtG)' in blood or urine samples. However, analysis of alcohol or EtG in blood or urine can only provide information about the current state of alcohol consumption because of a narrow window of detection time. Therefore, it is important to analyze the EtG as a long-term direct alcohol metabolite bio-marker in human hair and to investigate relationship between alcohol consumption and EtG concentration for the evaluation of chronic ethanol consumption. In this study, we established an analytical method for the detection of EtG in Korean hair efficiently and validated selectivity, linearity, limits of detection (LOD), limits of quantification (LOQ), matrix effect, recovery, process efficiency, accuracy and precision using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). In addition, the assay performance was evaluated in Korean social drinker's hair and the postmortem hair of a chronic alcoholism. The results of this study can be useful in monitoring the alcohol abuse of Korean in clinical cases and legal procedures related to custody and provide a useful tool to evaluate postmortem diagnosis of alcoholic ketoacidosis in forensics.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.119-124
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• 1999

This study was done to examine whether cigarette smoking improved smooth pursuit eye movement(SPEM) abnormalities in chronic schizophrenic inpatients. Fifteen schizophrenic and twelve alcoholic subjects abstained from their usual cigarette smoking for a minimum of nine hours and their baseline performances during the constant velocity smooth pursuit tasks were assessed. Then, the subjects smoked as much as they desired in a 10 minutes period and were retested immediately after smoking and 15 minutes after smoking. Electrooculographic recordings during the eye movements were converted and saved as digitized files. Power spectral density curves and natural logarithm value of signal/noise(Ln S/N) ratios were computed from them. In the schizophrenic patients, Ln S/N ratios increased significantly immediately after smoking compared to baseline. But, Ln S/N ratios showed no statistically significant changes after 15 minutes compared to baseline. In alcoholic subjects, Ln S/N ratios showed no statistically significant changes immediately after smoking and after 15 minutes compared to baseline. In conclusion, SPEM was improved in schizophrenic patients immediately after smoking and we hypothesized that nicotinic receptor dysfunction maybe a candidate mechanism for smooth pursuit eye movement abnormalities in schizophrenia.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.708-715
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• 1998

Chronic abuse of alcohol can lead to the development of folate deficiency due to inadequate folate intaike, excessive urinary excretion and from effects of ethanol on folate absorption and metabolism . To investigate the effects of alcohol and folate intake on folate metabolism, the rates were raised for 4 and 10 weeks on experimental diets containing 0, 2 8mg folate/kg diet, and were administered 50% ethanol(1.8$m\ell$/kg body weight) three times a week intragastrically. Plasma and tissue folate concentrations were found to be significantly influenced by dietary folate level. In animals fed on folate-deficient diet, concentrations of folate in the plasma, liver and kidney were decreased by 60-89% compared to those on folate-adequate diet, and ther values were further decreased with experimental period. Folate supplementation increased plasma and tissue folate levels significantly by 16-78% compared to those on folate-adequate diet, and the folate levels in the plasma and liver were affected most by the supplementation. Alcohol administration did not seem to influence folate status in the body significantly when animals were raised on folate-deficient diet. However, when rats were fed folate-adequate or folate-supplemented diet, alcohol was shown to decrease plasma and tissue folate concentrations. Among the animals receiving alcohol, folate concentrations in the plasma and tissues were significantly higher when animals fed folate-supplemented diet compared to folate adequate diet. Alcohol seems to exert differential effects on urinary foalte excretion by experimental period it increased urinary folate in the 4-week period, but lowered foalte excretion in the urine when the experimental period was extended to 10 weeks. Alcohol did not seem to influence folate excretion in the feces. These results indicate that folate supplementation might be beneficial in ameliorating the inadequate folate status that might occur with chronic alcoholism.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.207-212
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• 2013

Chronic diarrhea with a 35 kg weight loss (75 kg to 40 kg) occurred during 2 years in an alcoholic patient was diagnosed with Isospora belli infection in the Republic of Korea. The patient, a 70-year old Korean male, had been a heavy drinker for more than 30 years. He was admitted to the Seoul National University Hospital because of long-standing diarrhea and severe weight loss. He had an increased white blood cell (WBC) count with high peripheral blood eosinophilia (36.8-39.9%) and lowered protein and albumin levels but without any evidence of immunosuppression. A parasitic infection was suspected and fecal examination was repeated 3 times with negative results. Peroral endoscopy with mural biopsy was performed in the upper jejunum. The biopsy specimens revealed villous atrophy with loss of villi together with various life cycle stages of I. belli, including trophozoites, schizonts, merozoites, macrogamonts, and microgamonts. The patient was treated successfully with oral doses of trimethoprim 160-320 mg and sulfamethoxazole 800-1,600 mg daily for 4 weeks. A follow-up evaluation at 2.5 years later revealed marked improvement of body weight (68 kg), increased protein and albumin levels, and normal WBC count with low eosinophils (3.1%). This is the first clinical case of isoporiasis with demonstration of various parasitic stages in the Republic of Korea.