• Journal of Korean Foot and Ankle Society
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.243-250
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• 2013

Diabetic Charcot arthropathy is a severe joint disease in the foot and ankle that can result in fracture, permanent deformity, limb loss. Although recent research has improved our level of knowledge regarding its etiology and treatment, it still remains a poorly understood disease. It is a serious and potentially limb-threatening lower-extremity late complication of diabetes mellitus and its diagnosis is commonly missed upon initial presentation. Clinicians treating diabetic patients should be vigilant in recognizing early signs of acute Charcot arthropathy, such as pain, warmth, edema, or pathologic fracture in a neuropathic foot. Early detection and prompt treatment can prevent joint and bone destruction. If left untreated, it can reduce overall quality of life and dramatically increase morbidity and mortality of patients. The goal of this manuscript is to evaluate the current concepts of Charcot arthropathy through review of various literature and help clinicians decide the treatment strategy.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.199-202
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• 2007

Failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS) is a condition characterized by extreme pain after spinal surgery. Treatment of FBSS is aimed at improving function, using interdisciplinary approaches that encompass rehabilitation, psychological therapy, and pain management. If no response to conventional treatment is noted, a more interventional technique such as spinal cord stimulation (SCS) should be used. SCS is a well-established method of managing a variety of chronic neuropathic pain conditions. A 32 year-old male patient afflicted by FBSS that was irresponsive to both medication and several repeated nerve blocks showed improvement of symptoms after cervical and thoracic SCS with a single electrode. Centered on the midline of the spinal cord, single-electrode SCS can be an effective method for relieving pain and improving function.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.164-168
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• 2013

It is easy to overlook osteochondral lesions (OCLs) of the ankle in patients with chronic lower limb pain, such as complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) or thromboangiitis obliterans (TAO, Buerger's disease). A 57-year-old woman diagnosed with type 1 CRPS, and a 58-year-old man, diagnosed with TAO, complained of tactile and cold allodynia in their lower legs. After neurolytic lumbar sympathethic ganglion block and titration of medications for neuropathic pain, each subject could walk without the aid of crutches. However, they both complained of constant pain on the left ankle during walking. Focal tenderness was noted; subsequent imaging studies revealed OCLs of her talus and his distal tibia, respectively. Immediately after percutaneous osteoplasties, the patients could walk without ankle pain. It is important to consider the presence of a hidden OCL in chronic pain patients that develop weight-bearing pain and complain of localized tenderness on the ankle.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.208-215
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• 2020

Zoster sine herpete (ZSH) is one of the atypical clinical manifestations of herpes zoster (HZ), which stems from infection and reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus (VZV) in the cranial nerve, spinal nerve, viscera, or autonomic nerve. Patients with ZSH display variable symptoms, such as neuralgia, however, different from HZ, ZSH show no zoster, which makes clinical diagnosis difficult. ZSH not only causes initial symptoms, such as neuropathic pain in the affected nerve, Bell palsy, and Ramsay Hunt syndrome, but also postherpetic neuralgia and fatal complications such as VZV encephalitis and stroke. The misdiagnosis of ZSH and tardy antiviral treatment may lead to severe ZSH sequelae. We review the publications related to ZSH, especially its diagnosis with VZV DNA and/or anti-VZV immunoglobulin (IgG and IgM). More work about ZSH, especially ZSH epidemiological survey and guidelines for its diagnosis and treatment, are needed because most of the present studies are case reports.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.158-164
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• 2017

Methylglyoxal (MGO) is a highly reactive metabolite of glucose which is known to cause damage and induce apoptosis in endothelial cells. Endothelial cell damage is implicated in the progression of diabetes-associated complications and atherosclerosis. Hypericin, a naphthodianthrone isolated from Hypericum perforatum L. (St. John's Wort), is a potent and selective inhibitor of protein kinase C and is reported to reduce neuropathic pain. In this work, we investigated the protective effect of hypericin on MGO-induced apoptosis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Hypericin showed significant anti-apoptotic activity in MGO-treated HUVECs. Pretreatment with hypericin significantly inhibited MGO-induced changes in cell morphology, cell death, and production of intracellular reactive oxygen species. Hypericin prevented MGO-induced apoptosis in HUVECs by increasing Bcl-2 expression and decreasing Bax expression. MGO was found to activate mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). Pretreatment with hypericin strongly inhibited the activation of MAPKs, including P38, JNK, and ERK1/2. Interestingly, hypericin also inhibited the formation of AGEs. These findings suggest that hypericin may be an effective regulator of MGO-induced apoptosis. In conclusion, hypericin downregulated the formation of AGEs and ameliorated MGO-induced dysfunction in human endothelial cells.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.85-89
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• 2008

Objective: The purpose of this study is to identify the factors affecting the failure of trials (<50% pain reduction in pain for trial period) to improve success rate of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) trial. Methods: A retrospective review of the failed trials (44 patients, 36.1 %) among the patients (n=122) who underwent SCS trial between January 1990 and December 1998 was conducted. We reviewed the causes of failed trial stimulation, age, sex, etiology of pain, type of electrode, and third party support. Results: Of the 44 patients, 65.9% showed unacceptable pain relief in spite of sufficient paresthesia on the pain area with trial stimulation. Four of six patients felt insufficient paresthesia with stimulation had the lesions of the spinal cord. Seventy five percent of the patients experienced unpleasant or painful sensation during stimulation had allodynia dominant pain. Third-party involvement, sex, age and electrode type had no influence on the outcome. Conclusion: We conclude that SCS trial is less effective for patients with neuropathic pain of cord lesions, postherpetic neuropathy or post-amputation state. Further, patients with allodynia dominant pain can feel unpleasant or painful during trial stimulation.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.229-234
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• 2000

The patient, 62-years-old woman, had a constant dull pain in the right mandible and an intermittent spontaneous burning sensation of the mouth. The pain began 6 months ago. About 5 years ago, a trauma in her right mandible which was so severe that kept her in the hospital for 2 days. This was followed by mouth opening disturbance with pain for about 2 years. However, she did not have a treatment for the temporomandibular disorder symptoms. After then, she experienced the trigeminal neuralgia characterized by an electrical pain which lasted about 30 minutes in her right face and head when touching the skin or hair. After taking a year course treatment of trigeminal neuralgia, the symptom disappeared. The pain was a constant dull pain and a intermittent burning pain which are contradictory. And the pain responded to various modalities such as physical therapy, anti-inflammatory drug, carbamazepine, and amitriptyline, among which carbamazepine was most effective. The diagnosis was clinically made as an atypical trigeminal neuralgia. The term 'atypical' is used when there is something unknown and the problem is not identified. It is thought that an atypical pain may be approached in the perspective of chronic pain, neuropathic pain, and myofascial pain, the mchanisms of which are poorly understood. As the knowledge of pain physiology improves, there needs to be modification and re-evaluation. Pain disorders must be classified on the basis of an understanding of the underlying mechanism and etiology.

• Journal of Korean Medical Science
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• v.33 no.44
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• pp.279.1-279.16
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• 2018

Magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) is a new emerging neurosurgical procedure applied in a wide range of clinical fields. It can generate high-intensity energy at the focal zone in deep body areas without requiring incision of soft tissues. Although the effectiveness of the focused ultrasound technique had not been recognized because of the skull being a main barrier in the transmission of acoustic energy, the development of hemispheric distribution of ultrasound transducer phased arrays has solved this issue and enabled the performance of true transcranial procedures. Advanced imaging technologies such as magnetic resonance thermometry could enhance the safety of MRgFUS. The current clinical applications of MRgFUS in neurosurgery involve stereotactic ablative treatments for patients with essential tremor, Parkinson's disease, obsessive-compulsive disorder, major depressive disorder, or neuropathic pain. Other potential treatment candidates being examined in ongoing clinical trials include brain tumors, Alzheimer's disease, and epilepsy, based on MRgFUS abilities of thermal ablation and opening the blood-brain barrier. With the development of ultrasound technology to overcome the limitations, MRgFUS is gradually expanding the therapeutic field for intractable neurological disorders and serving as a trail for a promising future in noninvasive and safe neurosurgical care.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.83-91
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• 2019

Purpose: Venlafaxine and duloxetine have been shown to be effective in the treatment of neuropathic pain disorders. However, knowledge about the efficacy of venlafaxine and duloxetine on burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is still insufficient. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of venlafaxine and duloxetine on refractory BMS patients. Methods: Twelve refractory BMS patients who were prescribed venlafaxine or duloxetine were included in this study. These patients did not respond to previous administration of clonazepam, alpha-lipoic acid, gabapentin, and nortriptyline. All participants were the primary type of BMS patients who had no local and systemic factors related to the oral burning sensation. The intensities of oral symptoms following venlafaxine or duloxetine administration were compared with those before administration and at baseline. Results: Venlafaxine and duloxetine were prescribed to four and nine patients, respectively. One patient was prescribed both medications in turn. Among them, only two patients showed improvement of oral symptoms without side effects. In the other ten patients, symptoms failed to improve. Six of them reported that the drug was ineffective, and four of them stopped taking the medications on their own due to intolerable side effects, such as insomnia, constipation, drowsiness, dizziness, and xerostomia. Conclusions: Venlafaxine and duloxetine may only relieve oral symptoms in a minority of refractory BMS patients. Further large-scale studies are needed to determine the potential clinical factors that could predict the efficacy of venlafaxine and duloxetine.

• Journal of Electrodiagnosis and Neuromuscular Diseases
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.112-118
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• 2018

We describe a case of a 71-year-old male patient who experienced progressive bilateral proximal upper limb weakness and atrophy without sensory symptoms and signs over 5 years. Electromyography demonstrated denervation potentials and neuropathic motor unit action potentials on C5-C7 myotome muscles bilaterally. Cervical spine magnetic resonance imaging revealed engorged anterior epidural venous plexus, T2 hyperintensity localized to grey matter ("snake-eye" appearance) at C2-C6 vertebral level, and ventral epidural fluid collection from C6 to T8 vertebral level. This case indicates that bibrachial amyotrophy associated with epidural fluid leak should be suspected in patients presenting with progressive bilateral upper limb weakness and atrophy without sensory involvement.