• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.311-319
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• 2003

Background : Previous studies have suggested that a B-type natriuretic peptide(BNP) test can provide important information on diagnosis, as well as predicting the severity and prognosis of heart failure. Myocardial dysfunction is often observed in critically ill noncardiac patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit, and the prognosis of the myocardial dysfunction needs to be determined. This study evaluated the predictability of BNP on the prognosis of critically ill noncardiac patients. Methods : 32 ICU patients, who were hospitalized from June to October 2002 and in whom the BNP test was evaluated, were enrolled in this study. The exclusion criteria included the conditions that could increase the BNP levels irrespective of the severity, such as congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation, ischemic heart disease, and renal insufficiencies. A triage B-Type Natriuretic Peptide test with a RIA-kit was used for the fluorescence immunoassay of BNP test. In addition, the acute physiology and the chronic health evaluation (APACHE) II score and mortality were recorded. Results : There were 16 males and 16 females enrolled in this study. The mean age was 59 years old. The mean BNP levels between the ICU patients and control were significantly different ($186.7{\pm}274.1$ pg/mL vs. $19.9{\pm}21.3$ pg/mL, p=0.033). Among the ICU patients, there were 14(44----) patients with BNP levels above 100 pg/mL. The APACHE II score was $16.5{\pm}7.6$. In addition, there were 11 mortalities reported. The correlation between the BNP and APACHE II score, between the BNP and mortality were significant (r=0.443, p=0.011 & r=0.530, p=0.002). The mean BNP levels between the dead and alive groups were significantly different ($384.1{\pm}401.7$ pg/mL vs. $83.2{\pm}55.8$ pg/mL p=0.033). However, the $PaO_2/FiO_2$ did not significantly correlate with the BNP level. Conclusion : This study evaluated the BNP level was elevated in critically ill, noncardiac patients. The BNP level could be a useful, noninvasive tool for predicting the prognosis of the critically ill, noncardiac patients.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.48 no.7
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• pp.701-705
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• 2005

Purpose : Parents' genetic information plays an important role in their children's genetic expression. Human chromosome has 23-paternal chromosomes and 23-maternal chromosomes. Parental chromosomal translocation can induce clinical problems in their children because of imbalance in genetic information. We intent to analyze the cytogenentic and clinical features about children with maternal balanced translocation between chromosome 15 and 18. Methods : We detected by one family's FISH study of chromosome 15. We have evaluated children born to clinically normal parents about peripheral bood analysis, endocrine, metabolic, radiologic study, electroencephalogram and social & intelligence scale. and We analysis their clinical manifestation by hospital records. Results : Patient's father and elder sister are normal clinically and genetically. Her mother's chromosome show balanced translocation, 46, XX, t(15;18)(p11.2;p11.3). One child has 46, XX, der(18) t(15;18)(p11.2;p11.3), mental retardation, growth retardation, speech & social developmental delay, recurrent infection and mild mitochondria dysfunction. Her young brother has 46, XY, der(15) t(15;18) (p11.2;p11.3), mental retardation, aggressive behavior, obesity and speech developmental delay. Conclusion : In this study we observed the children with developmental delay, dysmorphic facial features, mental retardation, growth retardation associated with growth hormone deficiency and aggressive behavior due to unbalanced translocation between chromosome 15 and 18.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.183-198
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• 2000

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate alterations of regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cerebrovascular reserve (CVR), and correlation between these alternations and cognitive dysfunction in patients with chronic traumatic brain injury (TBI) and normal brain MRI findings. Materials and Methods: Thirty TBI patients and 19 healthy volunteers underwent rest/acetazolamide brain SPECT using Tc-99m HMPAO. Korean-Wechsler Adult Intelligence scale test was also performed in the patient group. Statistical analysis was performed with statistical parametric mapping software (SPM'97) Results: CBF was diminished in the left hemisphere including Wernicke's area in all patients with lower verbal scale scores. In addition, a reduction in CBF in the right frontal, temporal and parietal cortices was related with depressed scores in information, digital span, arithmetic and similarities. In patients with lower performance scale scores, CBF was mainly diminished in the right hemisphere including superior temporal and supramarginal gyri, premotor, primary somatomotor and a part of prefrontal cortices, left frontal lobe and supramarginal gyrus. CVR was diminished in sixty-four Brodmann's areas compared to control. A reduction in CVR was demonstrated bilaterally in the frontal and temporal lobes in patients with lower scores in both verbal and performance tests, and in addition, both inferior parietal and occipital lobes in information subset. Conclusion: Alterations of CBF and CVR were demonstrated in the symptomatic TBI patients with normal MRI finding. These alterations were correlated with the change of intelligence, of which the complex functions are subserved by multiple interconnected cortical structures.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.60-66
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• 2000

Objectives: The Psychopathology of schizophrenia was expected to be related with focal dysfunction of brain while schizophrenia is recognized and studied as the brain disease. Authors studied correlation between neuropsychological tests and delusion which is representative symptom of schizophrenia in patients with head trauma and psychiatric patients in order to explore the functional localization of brain in delusional symptom. Methods: Halstead Reitan Neuropsychological Test Battery and Korean Weschler Intelligent Scale and Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory(MMPI) were administered to one hundred ninteen patients consisted of sixty nine psychiatric patients and fifty patients with brain damage. We tested correlation between results of neuropsychological tests and delusional scale made from twenty four items related with delusion in MMPI. T-test between eighteen higher delusion scorers and twenty one lower scorers was examed in psychiatric group. Results: In brain damage group, signigicant correlations were found in the tests related with function of frontal lobe such as category test, trail making AB test, tactual performance test, digit symbol test and fingertip number writing test, and significant correlations were also noted in the tests related with function of left temporal and parietal lobes such as information, comprehension, vocabulary, similarities and speech sound perception test. The tests related with the function of right hemisphere such as tactual performance test location, picture completion and performance, and the tests related with subcortical function such as arithmetic, digit span, attention, digit symbol test, digit symbol and trail making AB test were signigicantly corelated with delusional scale too. In psychiatric group there were significant difference of delusional score in the tests related with function of left hemisphere such as vocabulary, vocable IQ, comprehension and language, and in the tests related with subcortical function such as N 120 voltage, digit symbol and arithmetic. Conclusions: Delusion seems to be related with function of frontal lobe, left hemisphere and subcortex in both groups. Right hemisphere may be also partially related with delusion.