OBJECTIVE: We investigated the deficit in the recognition of facial emotions in a sample of medicated, stable Korean patients with schizophrenia using Korean facial emotion pictures and examined whether the possible impairments would corroborate previous findings. METHODS: Fifty-five patients with schizophrenia and 62 healthy control subjects completed the Facial Affect Identification Test with a new set of 44 colored photographs of Korean faces including the six universal emotions as well as neutral faces. RESULTS: Korean patients with schizophrenia showed impairments in the recognition of sad, fearful, and angry faces [F(1,114)=6.26, p=0.014; F(1,114)=6.18, p=0.014; F(1,114)=9.28, p=0.003, respectively], but their accuracy was no different from that of controls in the recognition of happy emotions. Higher total and three subscale scores of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) correlated with worse performance on both angry and neutral faces. Correct responses on happy stimuli were negatively correlated with negative symptom scores of the PANSS. Patients with schizophrenia also exhibited different patterns of misidentification relative to normal controls. CONCLUSION: These findings were consistent with previous studies carried out with different ethnic groups, suggesting cross-cultural similarities in facial recognition impairment in schizophrenia.
Collodion ; Ethnic Groups ; Humans ; Schizophrenia

No abstract available.
Kidney Transplantation* ; Wegener Granulomatosis*

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether elderly and young adults differ in their recognition of facial expressions of emotion. METHODS: A total of 120 (elderly group 53, young group 67) subjects participated in this study. Korean facial expressions of emotion including happiness, sadness, fear, anger, disgust, surprise and neutral were used as stimuli for facial affect recognition test. Computerized facial affect recognition test that consists of facial affect discrimination test and facial affect intensity test was performed. RESULTS: For facial affect discrimination test, there was a significant difference between two groups (F=3.986, p<.01) after controlling the effect of education. Elderly participants showed significantly less correct recognition rate with sadness, anger and disgust (p<.05). For facial affect intensity test, there was no significant difference between the groups in recognition of emotional intensity. Chi-square test or t-test was done according to the clinical variables. Multivariate analysis of covariance was done to test group differences of correct recognition rate and emotional intensity. CONCLUSION: This is the first report of differential decrease of facial affect recognition in elderly using Korean facial expressions. This study suggests that the decrement of facial affect recognition maye be a part of normal aging process.
Aged* ; Aging ; Anger ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Education ; Facial Expression ; Happiness ; Humans ; Multivariate Analysis ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: Several studies suggest that tumor angiogenesis is a significant prognostic factor in carcinoma of the breast, lung, prostate, oral cavity, and colon. We assessed whether intensity of tumor angiogenesis, as measured by microvessel counts in histologic sections, correlates with prognosis in patients with stage III gastric cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Paraffin-embedded sections from 49 patients (23 stage IIla, 26 stage IIIb) with primary gastric cancer that had been completely removed were analyzed for angiogenesis. Vessels were stained with anti-factor VIII polyclonal antibody, and areas with the most discrete microvessels were counted in a 200X field. RESULTS: Patients with stage IIIa gastric cancer had fewer microvessels than those with stage IIIb gastric cancer (32.8+-14.5 vs. 40.3+-16.1, P=0.106). The mean microvessel count from patients who were alive were significantly lower than that from patients who had died at the time of follow-up (24.8+-10.0 vs. 42.9+- 14.5, P=O.OOO). The 5-year survival rate of patients with count less than 33 microvessels was higher than that of patients with count more than 33 microvessels (59.9% vs. 11.6%, P= 0.000). On multivariate analysis by Cox proportional hazards model, the microvessel count was a significant prognostic factor of stage III gastric cancer. CONCLUSION: Tumor angiogenesis assessed by microvessel count may be a significant prognostic factor of stage III gastric cancer and may prove valuable in selecting patients with stage III gastric cancer for aggressive adjuvant therapy and closer postoperative follow-up.
Breast ; Colon ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lung ; Microvessels ; Mouth ; Multivariate Analysis ; Prognosis* ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Prostate ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; Survival Rate

Overactive bladder (OAB) is defined as urgency, usually with frequency and nocturia, and with or without urge incontinence. Duloxetine, an antidepressant that inhibits reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine, is indicated for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence in Europe. In this paper, we present a case of a 17-year-old female patient with OAB and depressive symptoms who was successfully treated with duloxetine. This case suggests duloxetine can be an option for patient with OAB, and it also highlights the need for further studies of duloxetine's use in the treatment of OAB.
Adolescent* ; Depression ; Europe ; Female* ; Humans ; Nocturia ; Norepinephrine ; Serotonin ; Urinary Bladder, Overactive* ; Urinary Incontinence ; Urinary Incontinence, Urge ; Duloxetine Hydrochloride

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the impact of executive function on the performance of two different affective tasks, the Facial Affect Identification Task (FAIT) and the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), in patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: Thirty-nine patients with schizophrenia and 33 healthy controls completed the FAIT and the IGT, followed by the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and the intelligence quotient (IQ) test. In addition to correlation analysis, regression analysis was used to determine the extent to which the performance of the WCST, in particular, perseverative error (PE), accounted for the variation in both the FAIT and the IGT. RESULTS: Relative to normal controls, patients with schizophrenia showed significant impairments in the IGT, the FAIT and the WCST even after controlling for IQ. While normal controls did not show any relationships between the WCST and two affective tasks, patients with schizophrenia showed that variables in the WCST correlated not only with the FAIT total correct score (r=-0.503, p=0.001 for PE) but also with the IGT net score (r=0.385, p=0.016 for PE). The PE score was a better predictor of the performance on the FAIT (R2=0.25) than that of the performance on the IGT (R2=0.15). CONCLUSION: Our findings imply that deficits in executive function in schizophrenia can affect performance on facial emotion recognition task more than performance on task based on emotion experience, that is, the feedback from the body. Therefore, more consideration is needed of the impact of executive function when interpreting the result of "conventional" facial affect recognition tests as opposed to interpreting the IGT.
Executive Function ; Gambling ; Humans ; Intelligence ; Iowa ; Schizophrenia ; Wisconsin

Alcoholic ketoacidosis is a serious metabolic abnormality that occurs in chronic alcoholics. We report a case of bilateral necrosis in the basal ganglia after alcoholic ketoacidosis in a 42-year-old female chronic alcoholics. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the patient suggested subacute infarction with subsequent necrosis of the basal ganglia, which matches with the patients neurological manifestations. Repeated alcoholic ketoacidosis in chronic alcoholics could be the cause of subacute infarction following necrotic changes in the basal ganglia.
Adult ; Alcoholics* ; Alcoholism ; Basal Ganglia* ; Female ; Humans ; Infarction ; Ketosis* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Necrosis ; Neurologic Manifestations

BACKGROUND: Tissue injury by surgical manipulation or trauma may cause pain hypersensitivity secondary to central sensitization. The aim of this study was to evaluate the postoperative effect of gabapentin on incisional pain in rat pretreated with pentylenetetrazole. METHODS: Thirty rats were divided into 5 groups, a control group (n = 10), PTZ 10 group (n = 5), PTZ 20 group (n = 5), PTZ 30 group (n = 5), and a PG 30 group (n = 5). To evaluate postoperative mechanical hyperalgesia in injured feet, withdrawal thresholds were measured by calibrated von Frey filaments at 2 hr, 1 day, 2 days, 3 days, 4 days, and 5 days after the incision. RESULTS: The PTZ 10, 20, and 30 groups showed no significant difference in withdrawal thresholds when compared with the control group during 5 days postoperatively. There were no significant differences in withdrawal thresholds among the PTZ 10, 20, and 30 groups. However, the PG 30 group showed a significantly lower withdrawal threshold compared with the control group at postoperative days 3, 4 (p < 0.05), and 5 (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Intraperitoneal pentylenetetrazole administered before an incision had no effect on postoperative pain in the incisional pain model. However, gabapentin injection after an incision in rats pretreated with pentylenetetrazole caused hyperalgesia during 5 days postoperatively.
Animals ; Central Nervous System Sensitization ; Foot ; Hyperalgesia ; Hypersensitivity ; Pain, Postoperative ; Pentylenetetrazole* ; Rats*

Objective: Although healthcare workers (HCWs) experienced significant stress during the 2015 outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), the factors associated with this stress remain unknown. Thus, the present study assessed burnout among HCWs during the MERS outbreak to identify the influential factors involved in this process. Methods: This study was a retrospective chart review of the psychological tests and questionnaires completed by 171 hospital employees from two general hospitals that treated MERS patients. The tests included the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory, Positive Resources Test, the questionnaires assessed exposure to the MERS outbreak event and perceptions about MERS. Results: Of the 171 HCWs, 112 (65.5%) experienced disengagement and 136 (79.5%) suffered from exhaustion. Disengagement was associated with lower levels of purpose and hope, a higher perception of job risk, and exposure to the media. Exhaustion was associated with lower levels of purpose and hope, a higher perception of little control of the infection, a higher perception of job risk, prior experience related to infections, and being female. Conclusion Our results revealed the risk and protective factors associated with burnout among HCWs during an outbreak of MERS. These findings should be considered when determining interventional strategies aimed at ameliorating burnout among HCWs.

BACKGROUND: The presence of late potentials on the signal-averaged electrocardiography (SAECG) is predictive of ventricular tachycardia and sudden cardiac death. We investigated the acute effect of HD on the SAECG in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). METHODS: Twenty HD patients with normal sinus rhythm on a routine ECG were enrolled. SAECGs were recorded immediately before, within 30 minute after, and then 24 hour after the completion of HD. Serum electrolyte, BUN, calcium, echocardiogram and body weight were examined before and after the HD. RESULTS: Positive late potentials on SAECG were detected in 8 patients (40%) before HD, 12 patients (60%) at 30 minute after HD, and 5 patients (25%) at 24 hour after HD. There was a significant change in QRSd (QRS duration) after HD: (110.3+-9.7 msec before HD; 112.3+-9.3 msec at 30 minute after HD; 109.5+-8.6 msec at 24 hour after HD) (p<0.05). The reduction of serum potassium was greater in positive late potential (n=12) than in negative late potential group after HD (n=8) (p<0.05). A significant negative correlation was seen between the changes of dialysis-induced serum total CO2 and QRSd changes (r=-0.534, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: SAECG parameters tended to be aggravated after HD in patient with ESRD. Prolongation of QRSd after HD could be explained by the changes of potassium and bicarbonate.
Body Weight ; Calcium ; Death, Sudden, Cardiac ; Electrocardiography* ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic* ; Potassium ; Renal Dialysis* ; Tachycardia, Ventricular