PURPOSE: Thyroid disease is the most common endocrine disease in childhood. Thyroid hormone has critical effects on growth and development, especially in childhood. We survey the prevalence, sex and age distribution, symptoms and thyroid function states of thyroid diseases in childhood. METHODS: Three hundred ninety one children who were diagnosed as having thyroid disease at department of pediatrics, St. Mary's hospital from Jan. 1987 to Dec. 1998 enrolled in this study. RESULTS: 1) The ratio between male and female patients was 1: 5.3. Age distribution was puberty, school age and infancy in their order of frequency. 2) The results of thyroid function tests showed normal function in 210 cases (53.7%), increased function in 95 cases(24.3%), and decreased function in 86 cases (22%). 3) Simple goiter, Graves disease, and chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis were the most common diseases in euthyroid, hyperthyroid, and acquired hypothyroid state, respectively. 4) The most common sign and symptom was goiter in euthyroid(100%), hyperthyroid(98.8%) and acquired hypothyroid state(96.2%). Forty of 68 cases(58.8%) with congenital hypothyroidism were detected by neonatal screening. CONCLUSION: Simple goiter, chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis and Graves disease were common acquired thyroid diseases in childhood, and goiter is the most common clinical manifestation in acquired thyroid disease. Recently, increasing number of congenital hypothyroidism was detected by neonatal screening test.
Adolescent ; Age Distribution ; Child ; Congenital Hypothyroidism ; Endocrine System Diseases ; Female ; Goiter ; Graves Disease ; Growth and Development ; Hashimoto Disease ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Neonatal Screening ; Pediatrics ; Prevalence ; Puberty ; Thyroid Diseases* ; Thyroid Function Tests ; Thyroid Gland*

46,XX male is a rare abnormality of sex determination with an incidence of 1 in 20,000 male neonates. The clinical manifestations of 46,XX males are usually hypogonadism, gynecomastia, azoospermia, and hyalinations of seminiferous tubules, with altered hormonal levels at puberty. Less frequently, some sexual ambiguities are found, always with sterility owing to reduced testicular development. The origin of male phenotype in 46,XX male could be the results of at least three different mechanisms:translocations of Y sequence, including the SRY gene, to an X chromosome or to an autosome(about 90% of cases); a mutation in a yet unknown X-linked or autosomal gene in the testis-determinating pathway, and cryptic Y chromosome mosacism. We experienced a case of SRY-positive 46,XX male in a 21-year-old man with small testes. (J Korean Soc Pediatr Endocrinol 2003;8:184-188)
Adolescent ; Azoospermia ; Genes, sry ; Gynecomastia ; Humans ; Hyalin ; Hypogonadism ; Incidence ; Infant, Newborn ; Infertility ; Male* ; Phenotype ; Puberty ; Seminiferous Tubules ; Testis ; X Chromosome ; Y Chromosome ; Young Adult

46,XX male is a rare abnormality of sex determination with an incidence of 1 in 20,000 male neonates. The clinical manifestations of 46,XX males are usually hypogonadism, gynecomastia, azoospermia, and hyalinations of seminiferous tubules, with altered hormonal levels at puberty. Less frequently, some sexual ambiguities are found, always with sterility owing to reduced testicular development. The origin of male phenotype in 46,XX male could be the results of at least three different mechanisms:translocations of Y sequence, including the SRY gene, to an X chromosome or to an autosome(about 90% of cases); a mutation in a yet unknown X-linked or autosomal gene in the testis-determinating pathway, and cryptic Y chromosome mosacism. We experienced a case of SRY-positive 46,XX male in a 21-year-old man with small testes. (J Korean Soc Pediatr Endocrinol 2003;8:184-188)
Adolescent ; Azoospermia ; Genes, sry ; Gynecomastia ; Humans ; Hyalin ; Hypogonadism ; Incidence ; Infant, Newborn ; Infertility ; Male* ; Phenotype ; Puberty ; Seminiferous Tubules ; Testis ; X Chromosome ; Y Chromosome ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare cognitive flexibility abilities, stress, and anxiety between starters and non-starter athletes. METHODS: A total of 30 male professional-soccer and 40 professional-baseball athletes were recruited. Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and Trail Making Test A & B (TMT A & B) were administered to assess cognitive flexibility during competition. The Korean version of the STAI form Y (STAI-KY) and Visual analogue scale for anxiety and stress were used to assess the anxiety and stress. RESULTS: The starter group had better cognitive function (fewer perseverative errors and rapid TMTB times) (Z=3.32, p<0.01; Z=2.20, p=0.03, respectively) and lower stress and anxiety (F=4.34, p=0.01; F=6.61, p<0.01, respectively) during competition than the non-starter group. CONCLUSION: The better cognitive performances were negatively correlated with stress and anxiety. Current results suggested that cognitive flexibility would enhance human performance by modulation of the anxiety and stress during competition.
Anxiety ; Athletes ; Humans ; Male ; Pliability ; Trail Making Test ; Wisconsin

OBJECTIVES: This study is to assess the effects of adjuvant therapy of atypical antipsychotics on the change clinical symptoms in patients with major depressive disorder. METHODS: We conducted a chart review of patients, who visited a university hospital. Ninety seven patients were divided into two groups : patients with adjuvant use of antipsychotics with antidepressants (AD+AAP ; n=32) and patients with only antidepressants (AD ; n=65). We compared and analyzed three clinical domains including depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms and sleep qualities between two groups. Depressive symptoms, Anxiety symptoms, and sleep pattern were evaluated by Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck's Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) at baseline (first day of admission) and 1 year later. RESULTS: During 1 year, the BDI scores of AD+AAP group has been greatly decreased, compared to AD group (F=5.87, p=0.02). In the comparison of patients with severe symptoms of major depressive disorder (BDI score >21), there was significant difference in the change of BDI score between AD+AAP and AD (F=4.14, p=0.04). After 1 year, there were no significant differences in BAI score change (F=0.51, p=0.47), PSQI score change (F=0.89, p=0.35) between two group. However, the duration of adjunctive therapy and the type of atypical antipsychotics would not impact the results. CONCLUSION: Current study suggested that adjuvant therapy of atypical antipsychotics would be effective on depressive symptoms in patients with severe major depressive disorder, compared to the treatment with antidepressants alone.
Antidepressive Agents ; Antipsychotic Agents ; Anxiety ; Depression ; Depressive Disorder ; Depressive Disorder, Major ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans

OBJECTIVES: This survey study was conducted to investigate the effect of smoking on drinking alcohol, depression, anxiety and impulsiveness. METHODS: The survey participants were 925 residents over 20 years of age in Gwanak-gu, Seoul. Subjects were divided into smoking and non-smoking groups, and all completed the Korean Version of the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT-K), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Barret Impulsiveness Scale (BIS) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) to identify patterns of the alcohol consumption and smoking, and to assess levels of depression, anxiety and impulsiveness. RESULTS: The number of subjects with problem drinking was significantly higher in smokers (n=58, 37.2%) than non-smokers (n=81, 11.1%), and there was also a significant difference between smokers and non-smokers on the BDI. However, there were no significant differences between smokers and non-smokers on either the BIS or the STAI. When smokers with problem drinking (Smk_Alc) and smokers without problem drinking (Smk_non-Alc) were compared, the Smk_Alc subjects were found to have higher BDI and trait anxiety scores than the Smk_non-Alc group. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that smoking is closely related to drinking alcohol and suggests that the more frequently people smoke, the more likely they will drink alcohol due to depression and anxiety. It may therefore important for smokers to control depressive mood, anxiety and impulsivity.
Alcohol Drinking ; Anxiety ; Depression ; Drinking ; Drinking Behavior ; Smoke ; Smoking

Jessner's lymphocytic infiltration of the skin (JLIS) is a well-known but poorly understood disorder. Some doubt still exists about whether it is a distinct disease or a variant of lupus erythematosus or, less commonly, polymorphous light eruption, cutaneous lymphoid hyperplasia. An effective therapy is still unavailable for JLIS. We report a patient with JLIS which was successfully treated with dapsone and intermittent systemic glucocorticoid therapy.
Dapsone ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Light ; Skin

PURPOSE: Ghrelin stimulates the secretion of growth hormone and other pituitary hormones, and has orexigenic effects. It may have a physiologic role in fetal and neonatal growth. Leptin secreted by the adipocytes reflects fat mass in infants as well as adults. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relation of cord blood ghrelin and leptin levels to body weight(BW), body mass index(BMI), insulin-like growth factor-I(IGF-I) and insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3(IGFBP-3) levels in appropriate for gestational age(AGA) newborns. METHODS: Sixty healthy AGA newborns(31 males and 29 females, gestational age[GA] 34-42 weeks) were included in this study, whose BW and BMI were measured at delivery. Umbilical cord venous blood samples were withdrawn, and ghrelin and leptin were measured by radioimmunoassay. Cord blood IGF-I and IGFBP-3 were determined by immunoradiometric assay. RESULTS: The mean levels of ghrelin were inversely correlated with BW(r=-0.29, P<0.05) and GA (r=-0.28, P<0.05), but were not affected by gender. The mean levels of leptin levels showed positive correlation with BW(r=0.44, P<0.01), GA(r=0.36, P<0.01), and BMI(r=0.28, P<0.05). The leptin levels of females were higher than those of males. There was no gender difference in leptin levels in neonates under GA 37 weeks. However, the leptin levels of females were higher than those of males (P<0.01) in newborns with GA 37 weeks or over. There was no correlation between ghrelin and leptin levels. Ghrelin and leptin levels showed no relations to cord blood IGF-I and IGFBP-3 levels. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that cord blood ghrelin may have an inverse correlation with BW in AGA newborns, and leptin levels are positively correlated with BW and fat mass. Further study of ghrelin concentrations in cord blood is necessary to elucidate the physiological and pathological roles of ghrelin during the fetal and neonatal periods.
Adipocytes ; Adult ; Anthropometry* ; Female ; Fetal Blood* ; Gestational Age* ; Ghrelin* ; Growth Hormone ; Humans ; Immunoradiometric Assay ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn* ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3 ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I ; Leptin* ; Male ; Pituitary Hormones ; Radioimmunoassay ; Umbilical Cord

OBJECTIVES : We investigated the relationship between periventricular and deep white matter hyperintensity and cognitive function in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). METHODS : T2-weighted MRI scans were performed in 41 subjects with AD 38 subjects with mild cognitive impairment and 38 control subjects. Periventricular and deep white matter hyperintensities were rated on a Fazekas 0-3 scale by a medical specialist of the department of radiology blind to clinical diagnosis. Cognitive function was assessed by using Cognitive Assessment and Reference Diagnoses System. RESULTS : No significant differences between demographic characteristics and vascular risk factors were revealed comparing AD, MCI and controls. The frequencies of AD were significantly higher than those of MCI and normal control in Grade 2 and 3 of periventricular hyperintensity and Grade 3 of deep white matter hyperintensity. The scores of amnesia, executive function and attention were significantly lower in Grade 2 and 3 of periventricular hyperintensity than in Grade 0 and 1. The scores of attention were significantly lower in Grade 3 of deep white matter hyperintensity than in Grade 0, 1 and 2. CONCLUSION : Periventricualr hyperintensities are associated with cognitive decline in amnesia, executive function and attention, while deep white matter hyperintensities are associated with cognitive decline in attention.
Alzheimer Disease ; Amnesia ; Executive Function ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Mild Cognitive Impairment ; Risk Factors ; Specialization

OBJECTIVES : We investigated the relationship between periventricular and deep white matter hyperintensity and cognitive function in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). METHODS : T2-weighted MRI scans were performed in 41 subjects with AD 38 subjects with mild cognitive impairment and 38 control subjects. Periventricular and deep white matter hyperintensities were rated on a Fazekas 0-3 scale by a medical specialist of the department of radiology blind to clinical diagnosis. Cognitive function was assessed by using Cognitive Assessment and Reference Diagnoses System. RESULTS : No significant differences between demographic characteristics and vascular risk factors were revealed comparing AD, MCI and controls. The frequencies of AD were significantly higher than those of MCI and normal control in Grade 2 and 3 of periventricular hyperintensity and Grade 3 of deep white matter hyperintensity. The scores of amnesia, executive function and attention were significantly lower in Grade 2 and 3 of periventricular hyperintensity than in Grade 0 and 1. The scores of attention were significantly lower in Grade 3 of deep white matter hyperintensity than in Grade 0, 1 and 2. CONCLUSION : Periventricualr hyperintensities are associated with cognitive decline in amnesia, executive function and attention, while deep white matter hyperintensities are associated with cognitive decline in attention.
Alzheimer Disease ; Amnesia ; Executive Function ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Mild Cognitive Impairment ; Risk Factors ; Specialization