OBJECTIVES: Some emotional components, such as self-esteem, depression and anxiety, have been reported to be associated with paranoia in non-clinical population and schizophrenia patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between self-esteem and paranoia in healthy controls, in ultra-high risk for psychosis and schizophrenia patients. METHODS: 34 subjects with recent onset schizophrenia, 36 subjects with ultra-high risk for psychosis, and 44 healthy volunteers participated in this study. A detailed assessment was made of the paranoia, self-esteem, depression, and anxiety. RESULTS: In all three groups, there were a negative correlation between paranoia and self-esteem, and positive correlations between paranoia and depression and anxiety. In healthy control, lower self-esteem showed a trend to predict higher paranoia, and in ultra-high risk for psychosis, this trend tern on statistically significant level, and in recent onset schizophrenia group, this correlation was disappeared. CONCLUSION: The individual who have lower self-esteem showed higher paranoia tendency under delusional level, but after formation of persecutory delusion, the tendency was disappeared. This result supports the hypothesis that persecutory delusions are a defense against negative affective process.
Animals ; Anxiety ; Charadriiformes ; Delusions ; Depression ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Paranoid Disorders* ; Psychotic Disorders* ; Schizophrenia*

Metastatic carcinoma of the eyelid is extremely rare; Oltmans reported the first case in 1930. We experienced a case of metastatic adenocarcinoma of the left lower eyelid in a 51-year-old male patient. The lesion was clinically similar to chalazion. Histopathologic findings of biopsy revealed gastric adenocarcinoma.
Adenocarcinoma* ; Biopsy ; Chalazion ; Eyelids* ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged

BACKGROUND: Fundus photographs performed during health check-up were reviewed to determine the usefulness in mass screening. METHODS: Subjects consistine of 3017 people who had undergone physical health check up at the Health Clinic, Dong-Eui Medical Center in 1997 and whose fundus photographs of both eyes were taken showing clearly visible posterior pole and optic disc were chosen as subjects. Medical records which included cases of reported close exam and causes, actual cases of close exam and final diagnoses. RESULTS: Of the 3017 people, reported close exam was performed in 665 (22.0%). Among them glaucoma was suspected in 460 retinal hemorrhagic lesion in 63, retinal degenerative lesion in 67 and others in 75. There were 187 actual cases(28.1%) of close exam including glaucoma suspect in 79, retinal hemorrhagic lesion 47, retinal degenerative lesion 34 and others 27. Among 187 actual cases of close exam, 140 people (1.3%) were eventually diagnosed as glaucoma suspect (60), retinal hemorrhagic lesion (38), retinal degenerative lesion (21) and others (21). CONCLUSIONS: Fundus photographs are useful in mass screening, but performing close exam to enhance the usefulness of the fundus photographs is necessary.
Diagnosis ; Glaucoma ; Mass Screening* ; Medical Records ; Retinaldehyde

In order to study the development of fungal keratitis in wearing of the soft contact lenses contaminated with fungus in various conditions of the cornea, we contaminated the soft contact lenses with Candida albicans, and then placed them on the corneas in rabbits. The rabbits were divided into 4 groups(each 8 eyes). In group 1, dexamethasone was injected subconjunctivally once a day for 4 days and the corneal epithelium was removed 7mm in diameter. In group 2, dexamethasone was injected subconjunctivally once a day for 4 days without removal of the corneal epithelium. In group 3, the corneal epithelium was removed 7mm in diameter without subconjunctival injection of dexamethasone. In group 4, normal corneas were used as a control. The corneas were observed daily with slit-lamp. After 10 days, the infected corneas were examined with light microscope. Keratitis was developed in 5 eyes in group 1(5/8), 3 eyes in group 2(3/8), 2 eyes in group 3(2/8). But keratitis was not developed in group 4. Light microscopic examination showed active invasion of C, albicans forming pseudohyphae into the cornea associated with severe inflammation in group 1 and 2, but it showed mild inflammation and only a small number of C, albicans in the superficial cornea in group 3. In this study, it was found that immunosuppressed and de-epithelialized corneas are susceptible to C, albicans.
Candida albicans* ; Candida* ; Contact Lenses, Hydrophilic* ; Cornea ; Dexamethasone ; Epithelium, Corneal ; Fungi ; Inflammation ; Keratitis* ; Rabbits

OBJECTIVES: Paranoia is a complex phenomenon, affected by a number of factors such as depression, trait anxiety, and attributional bias in schizophrenia. The aim of this study was to explore whether paranoia within continuum of clinical and subclinical states is associated with emotional dysregulation, attributional bias and neurocognitive impairment in whole individuals of normal controls, ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis and schizophrenia. METHODS: 101 normal controls, 50 participants at UHR for psychosis, and 49 schizophrenia patients were recruited. All subjects were asked to complete self-reported paranoia scale and emotional dysregulation scales including Rosenberg's self-esteem, Spielberg's state-trait anxiety inventory and Beck depression inventory. The attributional style was assessed by Ambiguous Intentions Hostility Questionnaire (AIHQ). Participants were also requested to complete the comprehensive neurocognitive battery. RESULTS: Multiple linear regression analysis showed that paranoia were found to be associated with emotional dysregulation (state anxiety, trait anxiety and depression), composite blaming bias in ambiguous situation, impairment of attention and working memory in whole participants [F (9, 190)=34.85, p<0.001, adjusted R2=0.61]. CONCLUSION: The main findings suggest that paranoia is a complex affective and cognitive structure that may be associated with emotional dysregulation, blaming bias and attention and working memory impairment in clinical and non-clinical paranoia.
Anxiety ; Bias (Epidemiology)* ; Depression ; Hostility ; Humans ; Intention ; Linear Models ; Memory, Short-Term ; Paranoid Disorders* ; Psychotic Disorders* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Schizophrenia* ; Weights and Measures

OBJECTIVES: Risk taking has been implicated in the development of various psychiatric disorders. Previous studies have indicated that risk taking behavior is associated with high levels of impulsiveness. Risk taking entail uncertain situation that outcome probability is unknown. This study tested impulsivity, intolerance of uncertainty and risk taking behavior. METHODS: A total of 73 participants completed a test battery comprised of the UPPS-P scale as a psychometric measurement of five dimensions of impulsivity, Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale, and Balloon Analog Risk Task (BART) as a behavioral measure of risk taking. The Pearson correlation analysis was used. RESULTS: The sensation seeking factor was positively correlated with BART measure (r = 0.27, p = 0.02). Specifically, the relationship between sensation seeking and BART was significant in females. CONCLUSIONS: Among the five factors of UPPS-P, only the sensation seeking factor predicts risk taking propensity.

PURPOSE: The Purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of Helical CT in the preoperative staging of gastric carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed Helical CT on 66 patients with pathologically proved gastric carcinoma. The findings were prospectively analyzed and correlated with surgical and histopathologic findings. RESULTS: The detection rate for gastric carcinoma was 88%(58/66). The rates of accuracy, understaging, and overstaging of Helical CT according to TNM staging in determining the depth of tumor invasion were 68%(45/66),23%(15/66), and 9%(6/66), respectively. In early and less advanced carcinomas(T1 & T2), the depth of tumor invasion was correctly determined in only 44%(11/25) of cases, whereas in more advanced carcinomas (T3 & T4), the corresponding figure was 83%(34/41). In lymph node staging, accuracy, understaging, and overstaging rates were 62%(41/66), 21%(14/66), and 17%(11/66), respectively. Helical CT showed a sensitivity of 48%, a specificity of97%, and an accuracy of 92% in assessing metastasis to lymph nodes. One of five cases of peritoneal carcinomatosis(20%) was correctly diagnosed by Helical CT. CONCLUSION: In the preoperative evaluation of gastriccarcinoma, Helical CT is useful in the detection of tumours and for determining the depth of tumor invasion, particularly in cases where there is serosal and adjacent organ invasion; for the evaluation of metastasis tolymph nodes and peritoneal carcinomatosis its usefulness is limited, however. Further resech will therefore be necessary.
Carcinoma ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neoplasm Staging ; Prospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tomography, Spiral Computed*

BACKGROUND: In subclinical Cushing syndrome (SC), it is assumed that glucocorticoid production is insufficient to cause a clinically recognizable syndrome. Differences in hormonal levels or recovery time of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis after adrenalectomy between patients with overt Cushing syndrome (OC) and SC remain unknown. METHODS: Thirty-six patients (10 with OC and 26 with SC) with adrenal Cushing syndrome who underwent adrenalectomy from 2004 to 2014 were reviewed retrospectively. Patients were treated with glucocorticoid after adrenalectomy and were reevaluated every 1 to 6 months using a rapid adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) stimulation test. RESULTS: Levels of basal 24-hour urine free cortisol (UFC), serum cortisol after an overnight dexamethasone suppression test (DST), and serum cortisol and 24-hour UFC after low-dose DST and high-dose DST were all significantly lower in patients with SC compared with OC. Basal ACTH levels showed significantly higher in patients with SC compared with OC. The probability of recovering adrenal function during follow-up differed significantly between patients with OC and SC (P=0.001), with significant correlations with the degree of preoperative cortisol excess. Patients with OC required a longer duration of glucocorticoid replacement to recover a normal ACTH stimulation test compared with patients with SC (median 17.0 months vs. 4.0 months, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: The HPA axis recovery time after adrenalectomy in patients with SC is rapid and is dependent on the degree of cortisol excess. More precise definition of SC is necessary to achieve a better management of patients and to avoid the risk of under- or over-treatment of SC patients.
Adrenalectomy ; Adrenocorticotropic Hormone ; Cushing Syndrome* ; Dexamethasone ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hydrocortisone ; Retrospective Studies

Tumor of the follicular infundibulum is a rare benign adnexal tumor originating from the infundibular portion of hair follicle and the majority of lesions have been solitary and not recognized clinically before biopsy. A 28-year-old female presented with a bean-sized hairless yellowish plaque on the right upper eyebrow, clinically diagnosed as nevus sebaceus. After complete excision, histopathologic examination of the specimen revealed a focal circumscribed subepidermal tumor roughly parallel to the epidermis, composed of proliferation of pale-staining cells containing diastase-labile PAS(+) glycogen, enclosed by a palisaded basal layer with underlying lesion of nevus sebaceus. Upper dermis directly beneath the tumor had accentuated elastic fiber network outlining the tumor base in the elastic stain.
Adult ; Biopsy ; Dermis ; Elastic Tissue ; Epidermis ; Eyebrows ; Female ; Glycogen ; Hair Follicle ; Humans ; Nevus*

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Radioactive iodine therapy (RAI) is an important treatment modality of Graves' disease (GD), but there is still not a consensus on the optimal dosage regimen. We studied the treatment success rate of different RAI doses, and examined which clinical markers were useful for determining the optimal RAI dosage for successful therapy in Korean patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively studied 123 patients with GD treated with RAI between 2004 and 2014 at Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital. The responder group was defined as patients who developed hypothyroidism requiring levothyroxine replacement following RAI, regardless of the RAI dosage. RESULTS: A total of 54 patients (43.9%) became hypothyroid after the first dose, and 31 needed two to four additional doses to achieve hypothyroidism. In the responder group as a whole (85 patients), the mean total dose of RAI was 15.5±7.0 mCi and the mean thyroid volume (TV) was 35.4±23.4 mL. When divided into low dose ( < 15 mCi, n=46) and high dose (≥15 mCi, n=39) responder groups, TV was significantly lower in the low-dose responder group (25.7±11.4 vs. 48.4±31.3, p < 0.001). The optimal cut-off TV for the low-dose responder group was < 32.37 mL (sensitivity 80.9%, specificity 76.7%). CONCLUSION: TV had significant effects on the outcome of RAI in GD patients. The optimal fixed RAI dose for Korean GD patients with a large goiter (≥33 mL) should be at least 15 mCi to achieve the best outcome.
Biomarkers ; Consensus ; Diagnostic Imaging ; Goiter ; Graves Disease ; Humans ; Hypothyroidism ; Iodine ; Jeollanam-do ; Radiotherapy ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroxine ; Ultrasonography