• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.250.2-251
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• 2002

DA-8159 is a new. highly selective. potent cyclic-GMP phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor developed by Dong-A Pharmaceutical Company(Kyunggi, Korea) as an oral drug for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. NO- cGMP signal transduction pathway plays a key role for relaxation of corpus cavernosal smooth muscle. In this study. the efficacy of DA-8159 was evaluated by measuring the length of uncovered penile mucosa in spinal cord injury(SCI) rabbits. (omitted)

• BMB Reports
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.94-105
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• 2002

Apoptotic cell death is a fundamental and highly regulated biological process in which a cell is instructed to actively participate in its own demise. This process of cellular suicide is activated by developmental and environmental cues and normally plays an essential role in eliminating superfluous, damaged, and senescent cells of many tissue types. In recent years, a number of experimental studies have provided evidence of widespread neuronal and glial apoptosis following injury to the central nervous system (CNS). These studies indicate that injury-induced apoptosis can be detected from hours to days following injury and may contribute to neurological dysfunction. Given these findings, understanding the biochemical signaling events controlling apoptosis is a first step towards developing therapeutic agents that target this cell death process. This review will focus on molecular cell death pathways that are responsible for generating the apoptotic phenotype. It will also summarize what is currently known about the apoptotic signals that are activated in the injured CNS, and what potential strategies might be pursued to reduce this cell death process as a means to promote functional recovery.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.189-192
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• 2021

Anti-myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (anti-MOG) syndrome is an immune-mediated inflammatory condition of the central nervous system, which usually involves spinal cord and optic nerves. Herein, we studied the case of a 57-year-old female patient who presented with acute/subacute symptoms of sphincter dysfunction, paraparesis, and ocular pain. The patient was diagnosed with anti-MOG syndrome with findings resembling snake-eye appearance (SEA), characterized by nearly symmetrical round high signal intensity lesions located at anterior horns (gray matter) on T2-weighted image.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.61 no.6
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• pp.767-773
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• 2018

Three male patients diagnosed with surfer's myelopathy (19-30 years) were admitted to our hospital. All three patients were novice surfers showing a typical clinical course of rapid progression of paraplegia following the onset of back pain. Typical history and magnetic resonance imaging features indicated the diagnosis of surfer's myelopathy. Two patients received high-dose steroid therapy and the other was treated with induced hypertension. One patient treated with induced hypertension showed almost full recovery; however, two patients who received high-dose steroid therapy remained completely paraplegic and required catheterization for bladder and bowel dysfunction despite months of rehabilitation. Our case series demonstrates the potentially devastating neurological outcome of surfer's myelopathy; however, early recovery in the initial 24-72 hours of presentation can occur in some patients, which is in accordance with previous reports. Ischemic insult to the spinal cord is thought to play a crucial role in the pathophysiology of surfer's myelopathy. Treatment recommendations include hydration, induced hypertension, early spinal angiography with intra-arterial intervention, intravenous tissue plasminogen activator, and high-dose steroid therapy; however, there is no standardized treatment option available. Early recovery appears to be important for long-term neurological outcome. Induced hypertension for initial treatment can be helpful for improving spinal cord perfusion; therefore, it is important for early and long-term neurological recovery. Education and awareness are essential for preventing surfer's myelopathy and avoiding further deterioration of neurological function.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.51 no.11
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• pp.1136-1139
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• 2008

The genitourinary tract and gastrointestinal system are interdependent but share the same embryological origin, pelvic region, and sacral innervation. Although children with voiding disturbances often present with bowel dysfunction, this coexistence was considered coincidental until recently. However, it is now accepted that dysfunction in emptying of both systems is interrelated. Afferent impulses carrying sensory information are transmitted through the spinal cord and brainstem toward several cortical and subcortical areas, resulting in conscious control of the bladder and bowel. Alteration in these afferent pathways can result in dysfunction, including urinary and fecal incontinence. Distal gastrointestinal tract problems such as constipation might induce an inhibitory rectovesical reflex that interferes with normal voiding. Therefore, lower urinary tract function seems to be closely associated with distal gastrointestinal tract function.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Oriental Medical Informatics
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.23-31
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• 2005

Central cord syndrome (CCS) is the most common incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI) syndrome, occured by cervical hyperextension injury. It is characterized by disproportionately greater motor impairment in the upper extremities compared to the lower extremities, bladder dysfunction, and variable degrees of sensory loss below the level of injury. Recently 36 year-old male was admitted with upper motor neuron weakness, sensory loss in the upper extremities and stiff neck. We report the improvement of his symptoms through both western medical treatment and oriental medical treatment.

• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.290-302
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• 2014

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify sexual activities of males with spinal cord injury (SCI) and influential factors of sexual adjustment. Methods: A correlational survey was conducted among a total of 135 males with SCI. Results: After SCI, patients maintained low levels of sexual adjustment, and a main obstacle of sexual rehabilitation was decreased erectile function (65.2%). Sexual desires recovered in 84.4%, with 62.4% patients reporting more than once intercourse experiences. The erectile function of participants with normal, decreased or no erectile function were 13.0%, 62.6% and 24.4%, respectively. 8.1% of the participants reported no problem with ejaculation. Patients with incomplete SCI had better preserved erectile function than those with complete SCI (t=-4.627, p<.001). Patients with upper motor neuron injury had better preserved erectile function than those with lower motor neuron injury (t=2.446, p =.016). Sexual adjustment was relevant to age, job, degree of injury, post-injury period, sexual desire, intercourse experience, erection therapy, erectile function, and sexual health. Sexual adjustment was a factor of sexual health with a power of 24.2%. Conclusion: The main obstacle of sexual rehabilitation for males with SCI decreased erectile function. Erection and ejaculation are dependent on the severity and level of SCI. The major influence on sexual adjustment is sexual health.

• The Korean Journal of Rehabilitation Nursing
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.176-183
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• 1999

Sexual life is one of the most important things for the quality of living, which nobody can ignore. Especially, spinal cord injury is one of the most typical disabilities, which can cause abrupt changes of sexuality. Hence, sexual adjustment and its subordinate problems have to be dealt with among various problems caused by spinal cord injury. The purpose of this study was to comparative sexual interest and adjustment between the married and the unmarried people with SCI. A total of 134 persons who were registered members of SCI organization and admitted rehabilitation unit between February and June 1999 were included in the study. The sample consisted of 69 unmarried and 64 married people with SCI. Participants answered the 15 items concerning sexual interest, sexual adjustment. The results are as follows: 1) The mean score of sexual interest for the unmarried was 16.4. From seven topics related to sexuality, the greatest interest was to cope emotionally with changes in sexual functioning. For the married, mean score of sexual interest was 13.8 and the greatest interest was to help a partner cope emotionally with limitation on sexual dysfunction. There were significant difference sexual interest between two groups (t=3.75, p= .00). 2) Each mean score for sexual adjustment in the married and the unmarried was 20.0, 19.6. There were no significance difference sexual interest between two groups (t=.24, p= .811). However, there was a statistically significant difference of sexual interest. 3) Sexual interests and adjustments are not correlated in case of the unmarried that have r score= .224, while they are corrlated in case of the married that have r= .398. Because the average age of the SCI becomes lower and lower, sexual rehabilitation programs should be given the unmarried as well as the married with SCI. In conclusion, the spinal injured's major concerns about their sexual life are different between the married and the unmarried-the unmarried are interested in practical problems such as methods and techniques to achieve sexual satisfaction and their fertility, while the married give priority to considerations about their spouse. Paying attention to different sexual interest according to marital status, we should make two different sexual rehabilitation programs for each group. One program including support groups with their sposes for the married, the other program to give a chance t o solve problems of sexuality for the unmarried with SCI.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.433-441
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• 2021

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) and its animal model, the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), are primarily characterized as dysfunction of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Ginsenoside-Rg3-enriched Korean Red Ginseng extract (Rg3-KRGE) is known to exert neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidative effects on neurological disorders. However, effects of Rg3-KRGE in EAE remain unclear. Methods: Here, we investigated whether Rg3-KRGE may improve the symptoms and pathological features of myelin oligodendroglial glycoprotein (MOG)_35-55 peptide - induced chronic EAE mice through improving the integrity of the BBB. Results: Rg3-KRGE decreased EAE score and spinal demyelination. Rg3-KRGE inhibited Evan's blue dye leakage in spinal cord, suppressed increases of adhesion molecule platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1, extracellular matrix proteins fibronection, and matrix metallopeptidase-9, and prevented decreases of tight junction proteins zonula occludens-1, claudin-3, and claudin-5 in spinal cord following EAE induction. Rg3-KRGE repressed increases of proinflammatory transcripts cyclooxygenase-2, inducible nitric oxide synthase, interleukin (IL)-1 beta, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha, but enhanced expression levels of anti-inflammatory transcripts arginase-1 and IL-10 in the spinal cord following EAE induction. Rg3-KRGE inhibited the expression of oxidative stress markers (MitoSOX and 4-hydroxynonenal), the enhancement of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase 2 (NOX2) and NOX4, and NADPH activity in the spinal cord of chronic EAE mice. Furthermore, apocynin, a NOX inhibitor, mimicked beneficial effects of Rg3-KRGE in chronic EAE mice. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that Rg3-KRGE might alleviate behavioral symptoms and pathological features of MS by improving BBB integrity through modulation of NOX2/4 expression.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.65 no.1
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• pp.138-144
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• 2022

To report two cases of type 1.5 split cord malformation (SCM), a subtype of SCM with combined characteristics of types I and II and to review the relevant literature and propose a new possible pathogenetic theory for type 1.5 SCM. A 52-year-old woman had hemicords within a single dural sac with a dorsal bony septum at the L5 level. A 9-year-old boy had hemicords within a single dural sac with a ventral bony septum and fibrous extension at the L3 level. Both patients underwent microsurgical treatments for removing the bony septum, detethering the spinal cord, and sectioning the filum terminale. The surgical procedure revealed an extradural partial bony septum and hemicords within an intact single dural sac in each patient. Both patients were discharged from the hospital without de novo nerve dysfunction. Published cases have validated that types I and II SCM can overlap. We recommend recent type 1.5 SCM as a normative terminology for this overlapping SCM and report two rare cases of this SCM. We propose an associated pathogenesis consisting of uneven distribution and regression to explain type 1.5 SCM. Furthermore, we postulate that the amount of condensing meninx primitiva might determine whether the left bony septum has fibrous extensions to the opposite dura in type 1.5 SCM.