• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.621-625
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• 2004

Bilateral striopallidodentate calcinosis, popularly referred to as Fahr's disease, is a disorder radiologically characterized by bilateral calcifications of the basal ganglia, thalami, dentate nuclei of the cerebellum, and the white matter of the cerebral hemisphere without serum calcium-phosphorus metabolism and related endocrinologic abnormalities. Intracranial calcifications are easily visible as high-density on CT. On magnetic resonance images, the calcifications exhibit different signal intensities. The differences in signal intensity are thought to be related to the stage of the disease, differences in calcium metabolism, and the volume of the calcium deposit. Based on literature review, I report the case of a 63 year man with bilateral symmetrical calcification in the basal ganglia, dentate nuclei of the cerebellum, and the white matter of the cerebral hemisphere who present a 5 year history of progressive dysarthria associated with left thalamic infarction.

• Proceedings of the Ginseng society Conference
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• 1998.06a
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• pp.21-30
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• 1998

Ginseng root has been considered to prevent neuronal degeneration associated with brain ischemia, but experimental proof in support of this speculation is limited. Moreover, few studies have compared the neuroprotective actions of ginseng ingredients with those of peptide growth factors and cytokines isf vivo. Using a gerbil forebrain ischemia model, we demonstrated that the oral administration of red ginseng powder before an ischemic insult prevents delayed neuronal death in the hippocampal CAI field and that a neuroprotective molecule within red ginseng powder is ginsenoside Rbl. The neurotrophic effect of ginsenoside Rbl, when examined in the gerbil ischemia model and in neuronal cultures was as potent as or more potent than the effects of epidermal growth factor, ciliary neurotrophic factor, erythropoietin, prosaposin, interleukin-6 and interleukin-3. Besides the protection of hippocampal CAI neurons against brain ischemia/repercussion injuries, ginsenoside Rbl was shown to prevent place navigation disability, cortical infarction and secondary thalamic degeneration in stroke-prone spontaneous hypertensive rats with permanent occlusion of the unilateral middle cerebral artery distal to the striate branches. These findings may validate the empirical use of ginseng root for the treatment of cerebrovascular diseases