OBJECTIVES: Recently, the number of adolescent criminals hospitalized for evaluation or treatment of mental illness is increasing. The aim of this study was to provide basic information for the evaluation and treatment of adolescent misconducts, based on their impulsivity. METHODS: Barrat's impulsivity test was done to 64 adolescent criminals under age of 18 who were admitted to a Juvenile School between Oct. 1, 2003 and June 30, 2004. According to their recognizing impulsivity scores, the upper 30% group (high impulsivity group: HIG) and the lower 30% group (low impulsivity group: LIG) were selected. The two groups were compared on socio-demographic data, crime characteristics, psychiatric diagnoses, Evoked Potential Latency and Amplitude, Cognitron and IQ. RESULTS: 1) The high impulsivity group had lower IQ than the low impulsivity group (p<0.01). 2) No difference was found in the seriousness of committed crimes, number of crimes and the age of first committed crimes. However, the high impulsivity group fended acting alone in committing crimes (p<0.05), and more frequently upeated same crimes (p<0.01). 3) Evoked potential latency was prolonged on FzN100 (p<0.05), CzN100 (p<0.05), PzN100 (p<0.01) and amplitude was increased on FzN100 (p<0.05), CzN100 (p<0.05), PzN100 (p<0.05) in high impulsivity group. 4) High impulsivity group showed lower scores on NOCR (p<0.01), NOCYR (p<0.01), NOCNR (p<0.01) in Cognitron. PzN100 (p<0.05) latency prolongation. CzN100 latency prolongation had positive correlation with PzN100 latency prolongation (p<0.05). 5) While the misconduct was most common problem in both groups, more ADHD diagnosis was identified in the high impulsivity group. The most frequent medical problem in low impulsivity group was with diseases of internal medicine (p<0.01) and anxiety disorders (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: The adolescent criminals with high impulsivity tend to have lower intelligence and commit crimes repeatedly. They are frequently diagnosed to have ADHD. When they are compared to low impulsivity group, big differences are found in prolonged evoked potential latency and increased amplitude on N100. Hence, in the treatment and rehabilitative programs for them, considering these characteristics may be helpful.
Adolescent* ; Anxiety Disorders ; Brain* ; Crime ; Criminals* ; Diagnosis ; Evoked Potentials ; Humans ; Impulsive Behavior* ; Intelligence ; Internal Medicine

OBJECTIVES: Recently, the number of adolescent criminals hospitalized for evaluation or treatment of mental illness is increasing. The aim of this study was to provide basic information for the evaluation and treatment of adolescent misconducts, based on their impulsivity. METHODS: Barrat's impulsivity test was done to 64 adolescent criminals under age of 18 who were admitted to a Juvenile School between Oct. 1, 2003 and June 30, 2004. According to their recognizing impulsivity scores, the upper 30% group (high impulsivity group: HIG) and the lower 30% group (low impulsivity group: LIG) were selected. The two groups were compared on socio-demographic data, crime characteristics, psychiatric diagnoses, Evoked Potential Latency and Amplitude, Cognitron and IQ. RESULTS: 1) The high impulsivity group had lower IQ than the low impulsivity group (p<0.01). 2) No difference was found in the seriousness of committed crimes, number of crimes and the age of first committed crimes. However, the high impulsivity group fended acting alone in committing crimes (p<0.05), and more frequently upeated same crimes (p<0.01). 3) Evoked potential latency was prolonged on FzN100 (p<0.05), CzN100 (p<0.05), PzN100 (p<0.01) and amplitude was increased on FzN100 (p<0.05), CzN100 (p<0.05), PzN100 (p<0.05) in high impulsivity group. 4) High impulsivity group showed lower scores on NOCR (p<0.01), NOCYR (p<0.01), NOCNR (p<0.01) in Cognitron. PzN100 (p<0.05) latency prolongation. CzN100 latency prolongation had positive correlation with PzN100 latency prolongation (p<0.05). 5) While the misconduct was most common problem in both groups, more ADHD diagnosis was identified in the high impulsivity group. The most frequent medical problem in low impulsivity group was with diseases of internal medicine (p<0.01) and anxiety disorders (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: The adolescent criminals with high impulsivity tend to have lower intelligence and commit crimes repeatedly. They are frequently diagnosed to have ADHD. When they are compared to low impulsivity group, big differences are found in prolonged evoked potential latency and increased amplitude on N100. Hence, in the treatment and rehabilitative programs for them, considering these characteristics may be helpful.
Adolescent* ; Anxiety Disorders ; Brain* ; Crime ; Criminals* ; Diagnosis ; Evoked Potentials ; Humans ; Impulsive Behavior* ; Intelligence ; Internal Medicine

Foxp3 is a master regulator of CD4⁺CD25⁺ regulatory T-cell (Treg) function and is also a suppressor of SKP2 and HER2/ErbB2. There are an increasing number of reports describing the functions of Foxp3 in cell types other than Tregs. In this context, we evaluated the functions of Foxp3 in ovalbumin- and cockroach-induced asthma models. Foxp3-EGFP-expressing adenovirus or EGFP control adenovirus was administered intratracheally (i.t.), followed by challenge with ovalbumin (OVA) or cockroach extract to induce asthma. Th2 cytokine and immune cell profiles of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), as well as serum IgE levels, were analyzed. Histological analyses were also conducted to demonstrate the effects of Foxp3 expression on airway remodeling, goblet cell hyperplasia and inflammatory responses in the lung. Adenoviral Foxp3 was expressed only in lung epithelial cells, and not in CD4⁺ or CD8⁺ cells. BALF from Foxp3 gene-delivered mice showed significantly reduced numbers of total immune cells, eosinophils, neutrophils, macrophages and lymphocytes in response to cockroach allergen or OVA. In addition, Foxp3 expression in the lung reduced the levels of Th2 cytokines and IgE in BALF and serum, respectively. Moreover, histopathological analysis also showed that Foxp3 expression substantially inhibited eosinophil infiltration into the airways, goblet cell hyperplasia and smooth muscle cell hypertrophy. Furthermore, when Tregs were depleted by diphtheria toxin in Foxp3DTR mice, the anti-asthmatic functions of Foxp3 were not altered in OVA-challenged asthma models. In this study, our results suggest that Foxp3 expression in lung epithelial cells, and not in Tregs, inhibited OVA- and cockroach extract-induced asthma.
Adenoviridae ; Airway Remodeling ; Animals ; Asthma* ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; Cockroaches ; Cytokines ; Diphtheria Toxin ; Eosinophils ; Epithelial Cells* ; Goblet Cells ; Hyperplasia ; Hypertrophy ; Immunoglobulin E ; Inflammation* ; Lung* ; Lymphocytes ; Macrophages ; Mice ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle ; Neutrophils ; Ovalbumin* ; Ovum ; T-Lymphocytes

Background and Objectives: Brain organoids have the potential to improve our understanding of brain development and neurological disease. Despite the importance of brain organoids, the effect of vascularization on brain organoids is largely unknown. The objective of this study is to develop vascularized organoids by assembling vascular spheroids with cerebral organoids. Methods: and Results: In this study, vascularized spheroids were generated from non-adherent microwell culture system of human umbilical vein endothelial cells, human dermal fibroblasts and human umbilical cord blood derived mesenchymal stem cells. These vascular spheroids were used for fusion with iPSCs induced cerebral organoids. Immunostaining studies of vascularized organoids demonstrated well organized vascular structures and reduced apoptosis. We showed that the vascularization in cerebral organoids up-regulated the Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Conclusions We developed vascularized cerebral organoids through assembly of brain organoids with vascular spheroids. This method could not only provide a model to study human cortical development but also represent an opportunity to explore neurological disease.

Purpose: We evaluated the risk factors for progression to chronic complicated bronchopleural fistula (BPF) after pulmonary resection using follow-up CT. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 45 cases with BPF that had undergone pulmonary resection during 2010-2018. We compared the clinical and radiological characteristics of those with complicated BPF (n = 24) and those without complicated (sterilized) BPF (n = 21). The clinical and radiological risk factors for progression to chronic complicated BPF were examined by logistic regression analysis. Results: The thickness of the pleural cavity wall (p = 0.022), the size of the pleural cavity (p = 0.029), and the size increase of BPF on follow-up (p = 0.012) were significantly different between the two groups. The risk factors for progression to chronic complicated BPF were age > 70 years (odds ratio, 6.43; 95% confidence interval, 1.2–33.7), the thickness of the cavity wall > 5 mm (odds ratio, 52.5; 95% confidence interval, 5.1–545.4), and an increase in the size of the pleural cavity on follow-up CT (odds ratio, 12.5; 95% confidence interval, 2.1–73.5), only in the univariate analysis. Conclusion The risk factors for progression to chronic complicated BPF can be evaluated using follow-up CT.