OBJECTIVE: We aimed to examine the reliability and validity of the Korean Altman Self-Rating Mania Scale (K-ASRM) in a large sample of Korean non-clinical undergraduates. METHODS: Participants (n=1,091) filled out the K-ASRM with other self-report questionnaires assessing bipolarity, mood symptoms and affect. Reliability test, exploratory factor analysis and correlation analyses were conducted to examine its psychometric properties. RESULTS: The reliability of the K-ASRM was adequate (Cronbach’s α=0.73, item-to-total correlation 0.53–0.78) and the exploratory factor analysis yielded one factor of mania. The K-ASRM demonstrated significant associations with measures of hypomanic personality (r=0.33), lifetime history of hypomanic symptoms (r=0.23). Also, the K-ASRM was significantly correlated with positive affect (r=0.53), negative affect (r=−0.17) and depressive symptoms (r=−0.35). CONCLUSION: These results suggest preliminary possibility that the K-ASRM can be utilized as self-rating tool for mania in Korea as well as future directions for further validation.
Bipolar Disorder* ; Depression ; Korea ; Psychometrics* ; Reproducibility of Results

Autoimmune diseases (AIDs), a heterogeneous group of immune-mediated disorders, are a major and growing health problem. Although AIDs are currently treated primarily with anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive drugs, the use of stem cell transplantation in patients with AIDs is becoming increasingly common. However, stem cell transplantation therapy has limitations, including a shortage of available stem cells and immune rejection of cells from nonautologous sources. Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology, which allows the generation of patient-specific pluripotent stem cells, could offer an alternative source for clinical applications of stem cell therapies in AID patients. We used nonintegrating oriP/EBNA-1-based episomal vectors to reprogram dermal fibroblasts from patients with AIDs such as ankylosing spondylitis (AS), Sjögren's syndrome (SS) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The pluripotency and multilineage differentiation capacity of each patient-specific iPSC line was validated. The safety of these iPSCs for use in stem cell transplantation is indicated by the fact that all AID-specific iPSCs are integrated transgene free. Finally, all AID-specific iPSCs derived in this study could be differentiated into cells of hematopoietic and mesenchymal lineages in vitro as shown by flow cytometric analysis and induction of terminal differentiation potential. Our results demonstrate the successful generation of integration-free iPSCs from patients with AS, SS and SLE. These findings support the possibility of using iPSC technology in autologous and allogeneic cell replacement therapy for various AIDs, including AS, SS and SLE.
Autoimmune Diseases* ; Fibroblasts ; Humans ; In Vitro Techniques ; Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells* ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; Pluripotent Stem Cells ; Spondylitis, Ankylosing ; Stem Cell Transplantation ; Stem Cells ; Transgenes

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the cognitive functions of pediatric cancer patients and to test the hypotheses that the impairment of processing speed and working memory are more prevalent in children with medulloblastoma (MBL) compared to children with neuroblastoma (NBL). METHODS: We gave the Korean version of the Wechsler Intelligent Scale for Children-III to 21 children with MBL and 24 children with NBL during outpatient follow-up after the treatment was completed. RESULTS: Children with MBL showed below average performance across most of the sub-tests. The full scale IQ, verbal IQ, and performance IQ of children with MBL were significantly lower than those of children with NBL. There were significant differences between two groups in coding and Digit Span subtest scores. Children with MBL performed especially poorly in the coding subtest. CONCLUSION: These findings support previous reports of generally low IQ and the dysfunction of processing speed and working memory among children with MBL, a kind of central nervous system tumor. Further investigation is needed to determine how the deficit of processing speed and working memory affect neurocognitive development and general intelligent functions.
Central Nervous System ; Child ; Clinical Coding ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Medulloblastoma ; Memory, Short-Term ; Neuroblastoma ; Outpatients

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the cognitive functions of pediatric cancer patients and to test the hypotheses that the impairment of processing speed and working memory are more prevalent in children with medulloblastoma (MBL) compared to children with neuroblastoma (NBL). METHODS: We gave the Korean version of the Wechsler Intelligent Scale for Children-III to 21 children with MBL and 24 children with NBL during outpatient follow-up after the treatment was completed. RESULTS: Children with MBL showed below average performance across most of the sub-tests. The full scale IQ, verbal IQ, and performance IQ of children with MBL were significantly lower than those of children with NBL. There were significant differences between two groups in coding and Digit Span subtest scores. Children with MBL performed especially poorly in the coding subtest. CONCLUSION: These findings support previous reports of generally low IQ and the dysfunction of processing speed and working memory among children with MBL, a kind of central nervous system tumor. Further investigation is needed to determine how the deficit of processing speed and working memory affect neurocognitive development and general intelligent functions.
Central Nervous System ; Child ; Clinical Coding ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Medulloblastoma ; Memory, Short-Term ; Neuroblastoma ; Outpatients

OBJECTIVES: Novelty seeking (NS) represents a dopaminergically modulated tendency toward frequent exploratory activity. Considering the reports showing the relationship between exploratory activity and amygdalar function and structure, and the fact that amygdala is one of the key structures that constitute the dopaminergic pathway in the brain, amygdala might be closely related to NS tendencies. Amygdalar subregional analysis method, which has the enhanced sensitivity compared to the volumteric approach would be appropriate in investigating the subtle differences of amygdalar structures among healthy individuals. The aim of the current study was to examine whether amygdalar subregional morphometric characteristics are associated with the NS tendencies in healthy adults using the amygdalar subregional analysis method. METHODS: Twenty-six healthy adults (12 males, 14 females ; mean age 29.8 +/- 6.2 years) were screened for eligibility. All subjects completed the Korean version of the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) and underwent high-resolution brain magnetic resonance imaging. Individuals were divided into 2 groups according to NS scores of the TCI. RESULTS: Individuals of the high NS group had significantly larger laterobasal subregions in right amygdala, after adjustment with the brain parenchymal volumes. Sensitivity analyses for each potential confounding factor such as age, education years and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) scores demonstrated consistent results. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that NS differences are associated with the laterobasal subregion of the amygdala.
Adult ; Amygdala ; Brain ; Depression ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Temperament