A case of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis following human papillomavirus quadrivalent vaccination.

Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis is a rare autoimmune demyelinating disease associated with preceding infection or vaccination. Herein, we report a case of refractory fulminant acute disseminated encephalomyelitis that occurred 25 days after Gardasil vaccination (Merck).

Dizziness in patients with early stages of Parkinson's disease: Prevalence, clinical characteristics and implications.

Aim: The clinical features and implications of dizziness in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) remain little known. This study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics of dizziness, and the association of dizziness with motor and non-motor symptoms in early stages of PD.

Methods: Demographics and clinical characteristics of patients with early PD (disease duration ≤5 years) were retrospectively assessed.

Lack of association between dopamine transporter loss and non-motor symptoms in patients with Parkinson's disease: a detailed PET analysis of 12 striatal subregions.

Introduction: Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) present a variety of non-motor symptoms. However, it remains unclear whether dopamine depletion is related to non-motor symptoms, and which non-motor symptoms are significantly dependent on dopaminergic deficit.

Methods: Forty-one patients with PD who underwent positron emission tomography imaging of dopamine transporters (DATs) were recruited for this study.

Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction Predicts Poststroke Cardiovascular Events and Mortality in Patients without Atrial Fibrillation and Coronary Heart Disease.

Background And Objectives: It is controversial that decreased left ventricular function could predict poststroke outcomes. The purpose of this study is to elucidate whether left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) can predict cardiovascular events and mortality in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) without atrial fibrillation (AF) and coronary heart disease (CHD).

Methods: Transthoracic echocardiography was conducted consecutively in patients with AIS or transient ischemic attack at Soonchunhyang University Hospital between January 2008 and July 2016.

Recently Uncontrolled Glycemia in Diabetic Patients Is Associated with the Severity of Intracranial Atherosclerosis.

Background And Purpose: Diabetes mellitus is a specific risk factor for intracranial atherosclerosis (ICAS) regardless of race. However, it is largely unknown whether poor glycemic control is associated with the severity of ICAS in diabetic patients.

Methods: We selected diabetic patients with acute ischemic stroke who were prospectively registered between March 2005 and December 2015.

Poststroke glycemic variability increased recurrent cardiovascular events in diabetic patients.

Background And Purpose: The association between blood glucose fluctuation and poststroke cardiovascular outcome has been largely unknown. This study attempted to evaluate whether initial glycemic variability increases cardiovascular events and mortality in diabetic patients with acute ischemic stroke.

Methods: We recruited consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack from March 2005 to December 2014.

The Association between Motor Laterality and Cognitive Impairment in Parkinson's Disease.

Background And Purpose: The relationship between the side of motor symptoms and cognitive impairment has rarely been reported in Parkinson's disease (PD). We aimed to estimate the influence of motor laterality on cognition in PD patients.

Methods: We enrolled 67 patients with PD, and they were divided into two groups according to side of symptom onset or predominant motor symptom presentation (right and left).

Numbers of Stroke Patients and Stroke Subtypes According to Highest and Lowest Daily Temperatures in Seoul.

Background And Purpose: There is conflicting evidence for whether or not the incidence of stroke is influenced by the daily temperature. The association between daily temperature and incidence of stroke is largely unknown in Korea. This study attempted to evaluate whether the maximum or minimum daily temperature is associated with increased numbers of strokes and stroke subtypes among Seoul residents.

Association between insufficient medication of antihypertensives and the severity of acute ischemic stroke.

Background: Although recent studies have suggested that adherence to antihypertensive treatment reduced stroke incidence, the relationship of adherence to antihypertensives with stroke severity has not been studied. This study attempted to know whether nonadherence before stroke is associated with initial severity of acute ischemic stroke.

Methods: Consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke were identified in Soonchunhyang University Hospital from Mar 2005 to Aug 2014, excluding the cases without hypertension or information of antihypertensive adherence.

Uremic parkinsonism with atypical phenotypes and radiologic features.

Uremic encephalopathy with bilateral basal ganglia lesions has been reported as an acute neurometabolic disease which shows reversible clinical course and brain imaging features. The exact nature and pathophysiology have not been well established. We encountered two patients who showed a relapsing and aggravating course and an atypical phenotype including parkinsonism with paroxysmal dystonic head tremor and acute onset monoparesis of the lower extremity.

Association between Hypertriglyceridemia and Lacunar Infarction in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Background: Although recent studies have shown that the elevation of serum triglyceride (TG) is related to the increased incidence of ischemic stroke, the relationship between hypertriglyceridemia and subtypes of ischemic stroke is largely unknown. This study attempted to evaluate whether hypertriglyceridemia is associated with lacunar stroke in diabetes mellitus (DM).

Methods: A total of 2141 consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke were enrolled from March 2005 to April 2014, excluding the subjects with undetermined/other determined etiology or no lipid data.

Implication of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in cryptogenic ischemic stroke.

Background And Purpose: Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) is a predictor for atrial fibrillation (AF). This study was aimed to investigate whether LVDD in cryptogenic ischemic stroke (CS) could be a clue to stroke mechanism.

Methods: The clinical and echocardiographic findings of 1589 consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack between 2004 and 2013 were reviewed.

Intracranial arterial calcification can predict early vascular events after acute ischemic stroke.

Background: Intracranial arterial calcification (IAC) is an evidence of advanced atherosclerosis. This study was aimed to investigate whether IAC predicts early vascular events (EVEs) during acute period of ischemic stroke.

Methods: We prospectively enrolled consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack within 48 hours from January 2005 to October 2012.

Low glomerular filtration rate increases hemorrhagic transformation in acute ischemic stroke.

Background: Decreased glomerular filtration rate (GFR) can increase the risk of bleeding tendency and hemorrhagic stroke. However, the relationship between the levels of GFR and hemorrhagic transformation (HT) after acute ischemic stroke is largely unknown. The aim of this study was to assess whether GFR level is associated with HT in acute ischemic stroke.

Associations of cigarette smoking with intracranial atherosclerosis in the patients with acute ischemic stroke.

Background: Although cigarette smoking has been established as an important risk factor for stroke, the effect on the atherosclerotic stenosis, which are based on observational studies, have been controversial. We set out to examine the differences in the risk factors between smokers and nonsmokers and to investigate the association of cigarette smoking with cerebral arterial stenosis.

Methods: A total of 989 consecutive patients with acute noncardioembolic ischemic stroke were prospectively enrolled from June 2004 to January 2010.

Gender differences in the functional recovery after acute stroke.

Background And Purpose: PurposezzInterest in gender differences in the effects of acute stroke is growing worldwide. However, gender differences in functional recovery after acute stroke in the Korean population have yet to be evaluated. The aim of this investigation was to compare long-term functional outcomes between male and female after acute stroke.

Association of internal border zone infarction with middle cerebral artery steno-occlusion.

Background: Demonstrating the precise anatomical area of the internal border zone (IB) by brain imaging has been unclear, and it is not well known which relevant arteries are associated with IB infarction.

Methods: Patients with IB infarctions were selected from 748 consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke. The IB infarctions were identified by coronal diffusion-weighted imaging, excluding lesions over the upper pole of the lateral ventricle.

Transient urinary retention in acute right lateral medullary infarction.

Urinary disturbance has rarely been reported in patients with a medullary lesion. We evaluated a patient with acute infarction in the right lateral medulla who had voiding difficulty as an initial manifestation. Urodynamic study showed detrusor areflexia on voiding, and the voiding symptom completely recovered 2 weeks after the stroke onset.

Can we discriminate stroke mechanisms by analyzing the infarct patterns in the striatocapsular region?

Background And Aims: The aims of our study were to elucidate the differences in the distribution of acute middle cerebral artery (MCA) infarctions involving the striatocapsular region and to compare those following embolic striatocapsular infarctions with those originating from MCA disease (MCAD).

Methods: We prospectively enrolled patients with acute large infarcts located in the lenticulostriate artery territory. Brain coronal diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and magnetic resonance angiography were carried out in all patients.

Analysis of the lesion distributions and mechanism of acute middle cerebral artery infarctions involving the striatocapsular region.

Background And Purpose: There is no clear description about the patterns of each mechanism of striatocapsular infarctions. The aims of our study were to elucidate differences in the distributions of lesions of acute middle cerebral artery (MCA) infarctions involving the striatocapsular region and to compare those following embolic striatocapsular infarctions with those originating from MCA disease.

Methods: We prospectively enrolled patients with acute infarcts located in the lenticulostriate artery territory that were not lacunar infarcts.

Investigation of common mitochondrial point mutations in Korea.

Between 1997 and 2002, 65 patients with suspected mitochondrial diseases were screened for the mitochondrial point mutations A3243G, T3271C, A8344G, and T8356C. Among these patients, 15 were found to have one of these mutations: 12 with A3243G and 3 with A8344G. The phenotypes of A3243G and A8344G mutations were MELAS and MERRF, respectively.