Objective: The Functioning Assessment Short Test (FAST) is a relatively specific test for bipolar disorders designed to assess the main functioning problems experienced by patients. This brief instrument includes 24 items assessing impairment or disability in 6 domains of functioning: autonomy, occupational functioning, cognitive functioning, financial issues, interpersonal relationships, and leisure time. It has already been translated into standardized versions in several languages. The aim of this study is to measure the validity and reliability of the Korean version of FAST (K-FAST). Methods: A total of 209 bipolar disorder patients were recruited from 14 centers in Korea. K-FAST, Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), Bipolar Depression Rating Scale (BDRS), Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment Instrument Brief Form (WHOQOL-BREF) were administered, and psychometric analysis of the K-FAST was conducted. Results: The internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) of the K-FAST was 0.95. Test-retest reliability analysis showed a strong correlation between the two measures assessed at a 1-week interval (ICC = 0.97; p ＜ 0.001). The K-FAST exhibited significant correlations with GAF (r = −0.771), WHOQOL-BREF (r = −0.326), YMRS (r = 0.509) and BDRS (r = 0.598). A strong negative correlation with GAF pointed to a reasonable degree of concurrent validity. Although the exploratory factor analysis showed four factors, the confirmatory factor analysis of questionnaires had a good fit for a six factors model (CFI = 0.925; TLI = 0.912; RMSEA = 0.078). Conclusion The K-FAST has good psychometric properties, good internal consistency, and can be applicable and acceptable to the Korean context.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Clinical data for Korean patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) that underwent aortic valve (AV) surgery are currently limited. METHODS: Data for 1,160 consecutive adult BAV patients who underwent AV surgery from 2000 to 2014 in 4 tertiary referral centers were retrospectively analyzed. A standard case report form was used for clinical and echocardiographic parameters. RESULTS: Mean age at the time of AV surgery was 59±13 years. The most common cause of AV surgery was aortic stenosis (AS, 892 [77%]), followed by aortic regurgitation (AR, 199 [17%]), and infective endocarditis (69 [6%]). AS showed a skewed peak in the aged population and was the predominant cause of AV surgery (87%) in patients ≥50 years of age, whereas AR (46%) and active infective endocarditis (19%) were more common in younger patients (p < 0.001). Echocardiographic determination of the BAV phenotype revealed that fusion of the right coronary cusp (RCC) and left coronary cusp (LCC) was most common (622 [53%]), followed by fusion of RCC and non-coronary cusp (NCC) (313 [27%]), and fusion of LCC and NCC (42 [4%]); the BAV phenotype could not be determined in the remaining 183 patients (16%). Fusion of RCC and LCC was more commonly observed in patients with AR than in those with AS (74% vs. 49%; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: BAV patients were characterized by distinct surgical indications according to their age. Possible associations between BAV phenotypes and surgical indications with potential impacts of ethnicity need to be tested in further studies.
Adult ; Aortic Valve Insufficiency ; Aortic Valve Stenosis ; Aortic Valve ; Bicuspid ; Cardiac Surgical Procedures ; Echocardiography ; Endocarditis ; Heart Valve Diseases ; Humans ; Phenotype ; Retrospective Studies ; Tertiary Care Centers

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Clinical data for Korean patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) that underwent aortic valve (AV) surgery are currently limited. METHODS: Data for 1,160 consecutive adult BAV patients who underwent AV surgery from 2000 to 2014 in 4 tertiary referral centers were retrospectively analyzed. A standard case report form was used for clinical and echocardiographic parameters. RESULTS: Mean age at the time of AV surgery was 59±13 years. The most common cause of AV surgery was aortic stenosis (AS, 892 [77%]), followed by aortic regurgitation (AR, 199 [17%]), and infective endocarditis (69 [6%]). AS showed a skewed peak in the aged population and was the predominant cause of AV surgery (87%) in patients ≥50 years of age, whereas AR (46%) and active infective endocarditis (19%) were more common in younger patients (p < 0.001). Echocardiographic determination of the BAV phenotype revealed that fusion of the right coronary cusp (RCC) and left coronary cusp (LCC) was most common (622 [53%]), followed by fusion of RCC and non-coronary cusp (NCC) (313 [27%]), and fusion of LCC and NCC (42 [4%]); the BAV phenotype could not be determined in the remaining 183 patients (16%). Fusion of RCC and LCC was more commonly observed in patients with AR than in those with AS (74% vs. 49%; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION BAV patients were characterized by distinct surgical indications according to their age. Possible associations between BAV phenotypes and surgical indications with potential impacts of ethnicity need to be tested in further studies.

BACKGROUND: The Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology (TBSRTC) has standardized the reporting of thyroid cytology specimens. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the nationwide usage of TBSRTC and assess the malignancy rates in each category of TBSRTC in Korea. METHODS: Questionnaire surveys were used for data collection on the fine needle aspiration (FNA) of thyroid nodules at 74 institutes in 2012. The incidences and follow-up malignancy rates of each category diagnosed from January to December, 2011, in each institute were also collected and analyzed. RESULTS: Sixty out of 74 institutes answering the surveys reported the results of thyroid FNA in accordance with TBSRTC. The average malignancy rates for resected cases in 15 institutes were as follows: nondiagnostic, 45.6%; benign, 16.5%; atypical of undetermined significance, 68.8%; suspicious for follicular neoplasm (SFN), 30.2%; suspicious for malignancy, 97.5%; malignancy, 99.7%. CONCLUSIONS: More than 80% of Korean institutes were using TBSRTC as of 2012. All malignancy rates other than the SFN and malignancy categories were higher than those reported by other countries. Therefore, the guidelines for treating patients with thyroid nodules in Korea should be revisited based on the malignancy rates reported in this study.
Academies and Institutes ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Data Collection ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea* ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroid Nodule

The original version of this article contained wrong informations of some authors which should be changed.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Nonmotor symptoms (NMS) in Parkinson's disease (PD) have multisystem origins with heterogeneous manifestations that develop throughout the course of PD. NMS are increasingly recognized as having a significant impact on the health-related quality of life (HrQoL). We aimed to determine the NMS presentation according to PD status, and the associations of NMS with other clinical variables and the HrQoL of Korean PD patients. METHODS: We surveyed patients in 37 movement-disorders clinics throughout Korea. In total, 323 PD patients were recruited for assessment of disease severity and duration, NMS, HrQoL, and other clinical variables including demographics, cognition, sleep scale, fatigability, and symptoms. RESULTS: In total, 98.1% of enrolled PD subjects suffered from various kinds of NMS. The prevalence of NMS and scores in each NMS domain were significantly higher in the PD group, and the NMS worsened as the disease progressed. Among clinical variables, disease duration and depressive mood showed significant correlations with all NMS domains (p<0.001). NMS status impacted HrQoL in PD (rS=0.329, p<0.01), and the association patterns differed with the disease stage. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our survey suggest that NMS in PD are not simply isolated symptoms of degenerative disease, but rather exert significant influences throughout the disease course. A novel clinical approach focused on NMS to develop tailored management strategies is warranted to improve the HrQoL in PD patients.
Cognition ; Demography ; Humans ; Korea ; Movement Disorders* ; Parkinson Disease* ; Prevalence ; Quality of Life*

OBJECTIVE: Since the Korean Medication Algorithm Project for Bipolar Disorder (KMAP-BP) was developed in 2002, the third revision of KMAP-BP was performed in 2014 in order to reflect the recent rapid development and research of bipolar disorder and psychopharmacology. METHODS: According to methodology of previous versions, KMAP-BP 2014 was revised using the same questionnaire consisting of 14 questions. Sixty-four experts of the review committee completed the survey. The executive committee analyzed the results and discussed the final production of algorithm considering scientific evidence. RESULTS: The first-line pharmacotherapeutic strategy for acute bipolar depressive episode with moderate, non-psychotic severe and psychotic severe episode was mood stabilizer combined with atypical antipsychotic (AAP) or AAP with lamotrigine. Compared to KMAP-BP 2010, preference of AAP has been increased in the treatment of bipolar depressive episode in KMAP-BP 2014. Among AAPs, olanzapine, quetiapine and aripiprazole were preferred. When considering the efficacy and safety simultaneously, (es)citalopram, bupropion, and sertraline were recommended among antidepressants for bipolar depression. CONCLUSION: Compared with the previous version, we found that more aggressive pharmacological strategies as an initial treatment were preferred, although various strategies were recommended as same as previous studies. Increased preference of AAP was prominent in KMAP-BP 2014. We expect this algorithm may be helpful in the treatment of bipolar disorder, depressive episode.
Advisory Committees ; Antidepressive Agents ; Bipolar Disorder* ; Bupropion ; Drug Therapy ; Psychopharmacology ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Sertraline ; Aripiprazole ; Quetiapine Fumarate

We present a case of 48-year-old male who presented with coronary artery fistula draining into left ventricle. Transthoracic echocardiography showed abnormal blood flow draining into left ventricle, with enlarged coronary arteries and multiple vascular structures around ventricular myocardium. Coronary computed tomography revealed dilatation of entire left coronary artery which was wrapping around left ventricle, and draining into the posterior side of left ventricle. He did not undergo any invasive treatment, because he was not symptomatic.
Coronary Vessels* ; Dilatation ; Echocardiography ; Fistula* ; Heart Ventricles* ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myocardium

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) type 1A (CMT1A) is the demyelinating form of CMT that is significantly associated with PMP22 duplication. Some studies have found that the disease-related disabilities of these patients are correlated with their compound muscle action potentials (CMAPs), while others have suggested that they are related to the nerve conduction velocities. In the present study, we investigated the correlations between the disease-related disabilities and the electrophysiological values in a large cohort of Korean CMT1A patients. METHODS: We analyzed 167 CMT1A patients of Korean origin with PMP22 duplication using clinical and electrophysiological assessments, including the CMT neuropathy score and the functional disability scale. RESULTS: Clinical motor disabilities were significantly correlated with the CMAPs but not the motor nerve conduction velocities (MNCVs). Moreover, the observed sensory impairments matched the corresponding reductions in the sensory nerve action potentials (SNAPs) but not with slowing of the sensory nerve conduction velocities (SNCVs). In addition, CMAPs were strongly correlated with the disease duration but not with the age at onset. The terminal latency index did not differ between CMT1A patients and healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: In CMT1A patients, disease-related disabilities such as muscle wasting and sensory impairment were strongly correlated with CMAPs and SNAPs but not with the MNCVs or SNCVs. Therefore, we suggest that the clinical disabilities of CMT patients are determined by the extent of axonal dysfunction.
Action Potentials ; Axons ; Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease ; Cohort Studies ; Humans ; Muscles ; Neural Conduction

The publisher wishes to apologize for incorrectly displaying the author (Seok Beom Gwon) name. We correct his name from Seok Beom Gwon to Seok Beom Kwon.