Baduk (the Game of Go) Improved Cognitive Function and Brain Activity in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

OBJECTIVE: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms are associated with the deficit in executive functions. Playing Go involves many aspect of cognitive function and we hypothesized that it would be effective for children with ADHD. METHODS: Seventeen drug naive children with ADHD and seventeen age and sex matched comparison subjects were participated. Participants played Go under the instructor's education for 2 hours/day, 5 days/week. Before and at the end of Go period, clinical symptoms, cognitive functions, and brain EEG were assessed with Dupaul's ADHD scale (ARS), Child depression inventory (CDI), digit span, the Children's Color Trails Test (CCTT), and 8-channel QEEG system (LXE3208, Laxtha Inc., Daejeon, Korea). RESULTS: There were significant improvements of ARS total score (z=2.93, p<0.01) and inattentive score (z=2.94, p<0.01) in children with ADHD. However, there was no significant change in hyperactivity score (z=1.33, p=0.18). There were improvement of digit total score (z=2.60, p<0.01; z=2.06, p=0.03), digit forward score (z=2.21, p=0.02; z=2.02, p=0.04) in both ADHD and healthy comparisons. In addition, ADHD children showed decreased time of CCTT-2 (z=2.21, p=0.03). The change of theta/beta right of prefrontal cortex during 16 weeks was greater in children with ADHD than in healthy comparisons (F=4.45, p=0.04). The change of right theta/beta in prefrontal cortex has a positive correlation with ARS-inattention score in children with ADHD (r=0.44, p=0.03). CONCLUSION: We suggest that playing Go would be effective for children with ADHD by activating hypoarousal prefrontal function and enhancing executive function.

Meniscal Ossicle in the Knee: 2 Case Reports

A meniscal ossicle is an ossified structure embedded in the meniscus of the knee, and it very rarely occurs in human. We present here two cases of meniscal ossicle. The two patients were men in their thirties. They had intrameniscal ossicles from the torn posterior horn of the medial meniscus without having any history of trauma. Both cases were treated by arthroscopic excision.

Isolation of Enterovirus Type 71 in a 3-year-old Boy Suffering from Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis / 소아알레르기및호흡기학회지

Toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) is an exfoliative disease of skin and characterized by flaccid bullae and spreading erythema so that the skin has the appearance of being scalded. It results primarily from a toxic reaction to various drugs, but occasionally occurs as a result of infection, neoplastic conditions, or other exposure. Enterovirus 71 (EV 71), the most recently described serotype of the genus Enterovirus (family Picornaviridae), causes a variety of diseases, including aseptic meningitis, encephalitis, poliomyelitis-like paralysis, hand-foot-mouth disease, gastroenteritis, fever and rash. A 3-year-old boy presented at the Department of Pediatrics, Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital due to TEN. There were no definite causes such as drug toxicity, Graft-Versus-Host disease (GVHD) and infection. However, we could have isolated EV 71 from the patient's stool. Until now, there have been no reports showing the relationship between EV 71 and TEN, we report here in a case of TEN-associated with EV 71. Further evaluation is needed to study the relationship of TEN with EV 71.

Treatment of Intra-articular Calcaneal Fracture with Open Reduction and Internal Fixation / 대한족부족관절학회지

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical outcomes and radiographic results of open reduction and internal fixation for intra- articular calcaneal fractures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed 20 cases of calcaneal fractures managed with open reduction and internal fixation from March 2003 to January 2005. We used the computed tomographic classification system proposed by Sanders et al to classify these fractures. Preoperative and postoperative Bohler's angle, heel height (calcaneal facet height) and calcaneal length, calcaneal width were measured. The Creighton-Nebraska Health Foundation Assessment score was used for clinical evaluation. RESULTS: There were 12 cases of type II fractures, 5 of type III fractures and 3 of type IV fractures. The mean clinical score was 84.3 for type II, 82.6 for type III and 56.1 for type IV. The mean preoperative B?hler angle was 6.1 degrees and final was 22.8 degrees. The mean preoperative calcaneal facet height was 76.6 mm and final was 80.3 mm (The mean calcaneal facet height was changed from preop 76.6 mm to postop 80.3 mm). The mean preoperative calcaneal length was 88.2 mm and final was 92.6 mm. The mean preoperative width was 38.1 mm and final was 35.6 mm. CONCLUSION: Open reduction and internal fixation showed good results for type II and III fractures, but for type IV fractures the clinical result was significantly worse than the other types. However, type IV fractures still had restoration of (should be restored in) Bohler's angle, calcaneal facet height, calcaneal length and width which may be helpful in later subtalar fusion.

The Efficacy of the Treatment of Thoracolumbar Spine Fractures with Short-segment Posterior Instrumentation and Fusion

PURPOSE: To evaluate the safety and usefulness of the short-segment posterior instrumentation and fusion in the treatment of thoracolumbar spine fractures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-two patients were treated by short-segment pedicle screw instrumentation and fusion between Oct. 1998. and Jan. 2004 by single surgeon. All patients were treated posteriorly and all the pedicle screws are monoaxial. Intraoperative rod bending and fixation technique was used to reduce the collapsed vertebral body and correct the kyphotic angle. The follow up duration is mean 2.1 year (1~6 year). The mean age is 40.2 year (18~60 year) old. The fractures were classified by Denis' classification and Load-Sharing Classification. Preoperative and postoperative changes of kyphotic angle and vertebral body height were measured. Denis' Pain Score and Work scales, Frankel neurologic grade were obtained during follow-up evaluation for patients. RESULTS: All the cases got solid bony union. Mean Load-Sharing Score was 7.3. Clinical results were good. The mean kyphotic angle was preoperatively 14.5 degree, immediate postoperatively 7.5 degree, and last follow up 9.2 degree. The mean anterior vertebral heights s were 60.8% preoperatively, 83.4% immediate postoperatively, and 79.5% last follow up. There was only one case of screw breakage but no revision operation due to loss of reduction. All the cases showed satisfactory clinical results. CONCLUSION: This study suggest that short-segment instrumentation and fusion using pedicle screw system for thoracolumbar spine fractures could lead to good results, if comminution of vertebral body is considered in the selection of approach.

Evaluating Rehabilitative Medical Information on the Korean Internet: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Stroke

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the sites of medical information by popular search engines and its appropriateness as guidance to medical information. METHOD: The search phrase "carpal tunnel syndrome" (CTS) and "stroke" were entered into four commonly used Korean web search engines. 24 and 21 web-sites from search engines were gathered, respectively. These web sites then were evaluated for authorship, content, and an informational value score was assigned to each. RESULTS: According to authorship in CTS, 16.6 percent of the sites were commercial sites and 20.8 percent were authored by oriental medical doctors with 37.5 and 16.6 percent by general physicians and physiatrists, respectively. With stroke, 9.5 percent was commercial and each 71.4, 19.0, 0 percent was authored by oriental medical doctors, physician, physiatrist respectively. Each 75, 28.6 percent of the sites offered conventional information. The mean informational value of web sites was 51.1, 41.1 points. CONCLUSION: The information about CTS on the internet is of limited quality, inconsistent contentional value, despite of relatively high informational value. With stroke, information was offered by mainly oriental medical doctors, and was not so valuable. The public and medical communities need to recognize these limitations so that the quality of medical information on the internet can be improved.

A Case of Recurrent Tolosa-Hunt Syndrome

Tolosa-Hunt syndrome (THS) is a clinical syndrome of painful ophthalmoplegia associated with an idiopathic inflammation in the superior orbital fissure or cavernous sinus. We report a 61-year-old woman with recurrent THS. She had been treated with steroids for the painful ophthalmoplegia. After a symptom-free period, she developed similar symptoms. The postcontrast brain MRI showed increased signal in the cavernous sinus, which was also seen in the previous MRI.

Gastrointestinal bleeding after renal transplantation / 대한이식학회지

No abstract available.

Intestinal perforation due to infection of Sparganum mansoni

In May 1974, authors encountered a 37 year old Korean male who was suffering from very serious condition of acute abdomen. On exploratory laparotomy, a ruptured granulomatous mass in the proximal portion of the ileum showing extensive inflammatory and gangrenous changes was found and about 4 ft. long of the bowel was resected. From the honey-combed fibrous capsules in the mass, four plerocercoid larvae, spargana, measuring about 3 to 7 cm in lengths were extirpated. The patient had a past history of having eaten the raw flesh of a snake as a tonic about 7 months prior to admission. Four cases of intra-abdominal sparganosis reported previously in Korea and the present case were discussed briefly. Snakes and frogs in Korea are very important second intermediate hosts for the 1arva, Sparganum stage. It is most preferable that the habitual ingestion of the raw fleshes of them should be avoided in this country.