• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.64-66
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• 2009

Acute longitudinal myelitis is a group of disorder characterized by multifocal, long-segmented inflammation of the spinal cord, rapidly evolving paraparesis, a sensory level on the trunk, and bilateral Babinski signs. We report a case of 30-year-old man with longitudinal myelitis extending to long segment of spinal cord. After 15 days of aggressive treatment with intravenous pulsed methylprednisolone for 5 days, motor and sensory functions of the lower extremities were almost recovered.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.701-705
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• 2000

Solitary plasmacytomas are rare and account for 5-10% of all plasma cell disorders. These tumors are categorized as solitary plasmacytomas of bone(osseous) or extramedullary plasmacytomas(non-osseous). About a half of solitary plasmacytomas of bone occur in the spine but rarely in the skull. We report a case of solitary plasmacytoma of the skull presented with a painless palpable left parietal calvarial mass in an otherwise asymptomatic 38- year-old man. Skull radiographs showed a large radiolucent lesion with well defined non-sclerotic margins. Computed tomograph scan demonstrated a markedly enhancing mass extending from the epidural to the subcutaneous space. The patient underwent surgery and tumor was completely excised. Pathological examination showed tumor to be a plasmacytoma synthesizing IgG. Postoperatively, the patient received radiotherapy. There was no evidence of systemic involvement on postoperative laboratory wokups. Our recommended treatment is a complete surgical excision combined with postoperative radiation therapy. The patient should be follwed carefully for more than 10 years because of either local recurrence or possible progression to multiple myeloma.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.125-131
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• 2012

Impulsiveness is an important component of many psychiatric disorders including Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Although the neurobiological basis of ADHD is unresolved, behavioral tests in animal models have become indispensable tools for improving our understanding of this disorder. In the punishment/extinction paradigm, impulsivity is shown by subjects that persevere with responding despite punishment or unrewarded responses. Exploiting this principle, we developed a new behavioral test that would evaluate impulsivity in the most validated animal model of ADHD of the Spontaneously Hypertensive rat (SHR) as compared with the normotensive "control" strain, the Wistar Kyoto rat (WKY). In this paradigm we call the Electro-Foot Shock aversive water Drinking test (EFSDT), water-deprived rats should pass over an electrified quadrant of the EFSDT apparatus to drink water. We reasoned that impulsive animals show increased frequency to drink water even with the presentation of an aversive consequence (electro-shock). Through this assay, we showed that the SHR was more impulsive than the WKY as it demonstrated more "drinking attempts" and drinking frequency. Methylphenidate, the most widely used ADHD medication, significantly reduced drinking frequency of both SHR and WKY in the EFSDT. Thus, the present assay may be considered as another behavioral tool to measure impulsivity in animal disease models, especially in the context of ADHD.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.30 no.sup1
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• pp.153-158
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• 2001

Traumatic carotid-cavernous fistula is a rare complication of moderate to severe head injury. For the treatment of carotid-cavernous fistula, detachable balloon occlusion is the best method of choice. A 26 year old male patient was hurt with a left periorbital penetrating injury 20 years ago, and then left side exophthalmos, bruit and right hemiparesis developed 10 years later. We experienced the very rare case of direct carotidcavernous fistula with cavernous dural arteriovenous fistula. Brain MRIs and cerebral angiograms revealed that direct carotid-cavernous fistula was accompanied by cavernous dural arteriovenous fistula due to longstanding venous hypertension and development of collateral circulation. Detachable balloon occlusion and surgical internal carotid artery ligation were not enough to occlude fistular flow, so cavernous dural arteriovenous fistula embolization was necessary. The authors present a case of long-standing traumatic carotid-cavernous fistula with cavernous dural arteriovenous fistula, with review of the literature.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.30 no.7
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• pp.849-854
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• 2001

Delayed cerebral infarction after resection of craniopharyngioma is a uncommon entity, but leads to high morbidity and mortality. We present 3 such cases and discuss the etiology and pathogenesis with review of pertinent literatures. In our cases, delayed deterioration of consciousness was observed in all cases. All of them expired. The cause may be multifactorial and the surgical approach may contribute to the pathogenesis of delayed cerebral infarction. We suspect vasospasm might be the major mechanism of pathogenesis. Vessels were primed to spasm during operation due to blood in the cistern or mechanical injury. Vasoactive materials may have been liberated from the pituitary stalk or injured hypothalamus, either at the time of surgery, or later, after portions of tumor have undergone necrosis. The high degree of suspicion to detect vasospasm should be done in the case of the delayed deterioration of mental status at an early stage of craniopharyngioma surgery. Possible mechanism underlying this delayed cerebral infarction are discussed.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.63-70
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• 2002

Objective: To evaluate the effects of bee venom acupuncture(BVA) on the rehabilitation and quality of life in rheumatoid arthritis(RA) patients Methods: Patients with RA were treated with the BVA therapy twice a week for 3 months. Tender joint counts, swollen joint counts, morning stiffness, Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate(ESR), C-reactive protein(CRP), patient global assessment, physician global assessment, Korean health assessment questionnaire(KHAQ) were estimated and analyzed before and after BVA therapy. Results: Tender joint counts, swollen joint counts, morning stiffness showed significant decrease after BVA therapy. But, as acute inflammatory reactants, ESR showed no significant difference and CRP showed significant increase after BVA therapy. Patient global assessment, physician global assessment, and KHAQ index showed significant improvement after BVA therapy. Conclusions: BVA therapy can improve rehabilitation and health-related quality of life in RA patients as well as clinical symptoms and signs. Further study is required in more population with large scale including acute inflammatory reaction of BVA therapy.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.77-84
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• 2003

Objective : In order to study the effects of bee venom(BV) on the pain, edema, and acute inflammatory reactant of rheumatoid arthritis(RA) patients. Methods : Patients with RA who met the ACR(American College of Rheumatology) 1987 revised criteria for the diagnosis of RA were treated with the BV therapy twice a week for 3 months. Tender joint counts, swollen joint counts, Visual analog scale(VAS), morning in stiffness, ESR, C-reactive protein(CRP) were analyzed before and after BV therapy. Results : The results as follows: 1. Tender joint counts in patients after BV therapy were significantly lower than those before BV therapy($9.0{\pm}7.9$ vs $15{\pm}11.4$, p=0.002). 2. Swollen joint counts of the patients after BV therapy were significantly lower than those before BV therapy ($5.0{\pm}6.1$ vs $1.5{\pm}2.3$, p=0.001). 3. VAS in patients after BV therapy was significantly lower than before BV therapy($60.8{\pm}17.6$ vs $38.0{\pm}15.9$, p=0.000). 4. Duration of morning stiffness in patients after BV therapy was significantly reduced compared with that before BV therapy($119.1{\pm}112.6min$ vs $59.0{\pm}89.7min$, p=0.009). 5. ESR and CRP were not significantly changed before and after BV therapy, suggesting BV itself could make inflammatory reaction as well as therapeutic effect. Conclusions: BV therapy improved tender joint counts, swollen joint counts and duration of morning stiffness in this study, and further study is needed in log-term effect of BV therapy.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.374-382
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• 2017

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) remains unexplained and untreated despite the high attention of research in recent years. Aside from its various characteristics is the baffling male preponderance over the female population. Using a validated animal model of ASD which is the telomerase reverse transcriptase overexpressing mice (TERT-tg), we conducted ASD-related behavioral assessments and protein expression experiments to mark the difference between male and females of this animal model. After statistically analyzing the results, we found significant effects of TERT overexpression in sociability, social novelty preference, anxiety, nest building, and electroseizure threshold in the males but not their female littermates. Along these differences are the male-specific increased expressions of postsynaptic proteins which are the NMDA and AMPA receptors in the prefrontal cortex. The vGluT1 presynaptic proteins, but not GAD, were upregulated in both sexes of TERT-tg mice, although it is more significantly pronounced in the male group. Here, we confirmed that the behavioral effect of TERT overexpression in mice was male-specific, suggesting that the aberration of this gene and its downstream pathways preferentially affect the functional development of the male brain, consistent with the male preponderance in ASD.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.26 no.2 s.62
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• pp.140-151
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• 2005

Objectives: Cinnamomi Ramulus (CR), the young twig of Cinnamomum loureirri nees, has been used for treating symptoms related to pain, rheumatic arthritis and inflammation in Korean herb medicine. This study was carried out to investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of CR in vivo and in vitro. Methods: Extracts of CR were prepared and the chemical components of the extracts were examined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The extracts were administrated to the rat paw edema model induced by carrageenan to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of CR. The expressions of nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 were also quantified in lipopolysaccharide(LPS)­induced RAW 264.7 macrophages to survey the effect of CR in vitro. The main components were cinnamaldehyde and coumarin. Results: We examined the anti-inflammatory activity of the $80\%$ ethanol extract of Cinnamomi Ramulus in vivo by using carrageenan-induced rat paw edema model. Maximum inhibition of $54.91\%$ was noted at the dose of l1000mg/kg after 2 hours of drug administration in carrageenan-induced rat paw edema and this showed a potent anti-inflammatory effect. Conclusions: The results showed that Cinnamomi Ramulus suppressed dose-dependently LPS-induced NO production in RAW 264.7 macrophages and also decreased iNOS protein expression. Cinnamomi Ramulus also showed a significant inhibitory effect in LPS-induced PGE2 production and COX-2 expression.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.118-125
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• 2000

Objective : Trigeminal neurinomas are rare tumors that may locate in the middle fossa or posterior fossa and straddled both the middle and posterior fossa, according to their origin in the nerve complex. The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical presentation, operative approaches employed and outcome in 15 patients who were treated surgically, with special emphasis on surgical approach. Method : Between 1994 and 1998, a total of fifteen patients were histopathologically identified as neurinomas originating from the trigeminal nerve complex at the tumor clinic in the neuroscience center of the our university. Results : The surgical approach to these tumors depends on their anatomical location and tumor size. Six patients had tumors confined to the middle fossa, five patients had tumors limited to the posterior fossa, and four patients both in middle and posterior fossa components of their tumors. Nine neurinomas were removed via the conventional approach(pterional, subtemporal, suboccipital) and six were excised using skull base approach(transzygomatic subtemporal, orbitozygomatic, transpetrosal). Total resection of the tumor was possible in 10 cases. Total resection of tumor was accomplished in 83% of patients following skull base approach compared with 56% of patients following conventional approach. The surgical outcome was excellent or good in 13 cases, fair in one and, poor in one. There was no operative death. In the immediate postoperative period, aggravation of preoperative facial hypesthesia and 6th cranial nerve palsy were common. Although, these deficits were generally transient, eight patients remained with some degree of trigeminal hypesthesia, two had facial weakness, one neurotrophic keratitis, one diplopia, and one mastication difficulty. Conclusion : Surgical approach to the trigeminal neurinoma depends on the tumor location and tumor size. Skull base approach provides more complete tumor excision without increased morbidity compared to conventional approach. Surgeons have to be meticulous in order to reduce postoperative complication.