OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to test the reliability of the Korean version of self-compassion scale (K-SCS). METHODS: The total of 484 participants were included in this study. Reliability studies were conducted and internal consistency were examined. RESULTS: The internal consistency of the K-SCS was 0.76, and test-retest reliability was 0.53. CONCLUSION: The K-SCS appeared to be a reliable instrument for assessing self-compassion in Korean population. If supplements further studies of the validity, this scale may be applicable in clinical trials, research, clinical practice.

OBJECTIVES: Cognitive psychological models propose that auditory hallucinations arise from a problem with monitoring one's auditory verbal imagery. Most auditory hallucinations are derogatory in content and accompany negative emotions. If auditory verbal imagery plays an critical role in the pathogenesis of auditory hallucination, it must be influenced by negative emotions. This study was aimed at understanding the influence of negative emotions on the development of hallucinations by investigating the way by which negative emotions have influence on cortical activity induced by auditory verbal imagery. METHODS: For both normal subjects and patients with schizophrenia, quantitative electroencephalography(Q-EEG) was applied during the auditory verbal imagery tasks using a two word list. The one word list accompanied negative emotion and the other accompanied neutral emotions. The difference of EEG activity between two tasks was compared by paired t-test. WE also compare the difference of the influence of negative emotions between normal subjects and patients with schizophrenia. RESULTS: In normal subjects, amplitude of beta wave was increased in temporal area such as TCP1, and, the amplitude of theta frequency wave was decreased in right hemisphere such as FP2, F4, C4, CP2, P4, But, in the schizophrenia group, there were no significant differences. CONCLUSION: These results may suggest that auditory verbal imagery with negative emotion requires more activation in left temporal area, but, appropriate activation may not achieved in schizophenia patients. So, the possibility that the resultant disturbance of verbal self monitoring may be related to auditory hallucination is suggested in this study.
Electroencephalography ; Hallucinations ; Humans ; Models, Psychological ; Schizophrenia*

No abstract available.
Graves Disease* ; Insulin*

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to know differences of characteristics between presenile and senile patients who were consulted to the department of psychiatry during medical-surgical admission. METHODS: The demographic and clinical data obtained from the medical records of psychiatric consultation in the presenile inpatients with age 50 to 64 years(N=162) and those of the senile inpatients with age over 65 years(N=171) were reviewed and compared. RESULTS: 1) The most common chief complaints for psychiatric consultation in presenile patients were somatic symptoms, anxiety and sleep disturbance in order, while cognitive decline, clouded consciousness and depressed mood were most common in senile patients with statistical significance. 2) The most frequent psychiatric diagnoses after consultation in presenile patients were delirium, mood disorder and substance use disorder in order, while delirium, mood disorder and major neurocognitive disorder were most frequent in senile patients with statistical significance. 3) There were no significant difference in numbers of physical illnesses, while numbers of therapeutic drugs for them were more in senile patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our study found significant differences between presenile and senile patients on psychiatric symptoms and diagnoses in geropsychiatric consultation. Therefore, more subdivided age-specific approach seems to be needed for the geropsychiatric consultation activities.
Anxiety ; Consciousness ; Delirium ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Inpatients* ; Medical Records ; Mood Disorders ; Substance-Related Disorders

OBJECTIVE: The patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) suffered by a lot of complications that influence the quality of life both physically and mentally. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the epidemiology of patients with spinal cord injury in incidence of the complication according to the injury level and period. METHOD: Retrospective study was done in 554 patients with SCI who discharged from Yonsei University Medical Center from January, 1987 to December, 1996. We investigated the incidence of each complication such as respiratory, cardiovascular, genitourinary, musculoskeletal, and dermatologic complications according to the neurologic level and each period (1987~1991, 1992~1996). RESULTS: Among the 554 cases, urologic complication (40.3%) was the most common complication followed by dermatologic (39.0%), musculoskeletal (33.6%), cardiovascular (27.1%) and so on. The most common complications of each system were autonomic dysreflexia (13.2%) in cardiovascular, pneumonia (9.6%) in respiratory, contracture (27.8%) in musculoskeletal, urinary tract infection (34.3%) in urologic, hemorrhoid in gastrointestinal, and central pain (24.0%) in neurogenic complications. The most common site of pressure sore was sacral area (58.9%). There was no significant difference in each complication according to the injury period. CONCLUSION: Urologic complication was the most prevalent in patients with SCI followed by dermatologic, musculoskeletal and so on. These basic results would be helpful for prevention and management of the complication of SCI.
Academic Medical Centers ; Autonomic Dysreflexia ; Contracture ; Epidemiologic Studies* ; Epidemiology ; Hemorrhoids ; Humans ; Incidence ; Pneumonia ; Pressure Ulcer ; Quality of Life ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Cord Injuries* ; Spinal Cord* ; Urinary Tract Infections

Purpose: To assess the prevalence and progression of a stage 0 macular hole in the fellow eye of patients with an idiopathic full-thickness macular hole.
Methods: The fellow eyes of 189 patients who underwent idiopathic full-thickness macular hole surgery were examined by biomicroscopy and spectral domain-optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). A subset of 21 fellow eyes with a stage 0 macular hole was observed. Changes in the macular hole were evaluated by biomicroscopy and SD-OCT for an average of 29 months.
Results: Among the 21 eyes, 15 showed no change in perifoveal vitreous detachment (71.4%). Two eyes (9.5%) developed complete vitreofoveal separation, and one of the two developed a separation after progression to stage 1A. Among 21 eyes, 5 (23.8%) developed above stage 1A, and one of the five progressed to stage 1B after five years, which was successfully treated with vitrectomy and gas tamponade.
Conclusions Perifoveal vitreous detachment in the fellow eye on SD-OCT, defined as a stage 0 macular hole, occurred at an earlier phase than stage 1A macular holes and may progress to an advanced stage. Therefore, patients who undergo macular hole surgery and have a stage 0 macular hole or perifoveal vitreous detachment in the fellow eye should be followed closely.

Purpose: To assess the prevalence and progression of a stage 0 macular hole in the fellow eye of patients with an idiopathic full-thickness macular hole.
Methods: The fellow eyes of 189 patients who underwent idiopathic full-thickness macular hole surgery were examined by biomicroscopy and spectral domain-optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). A subset of 21 fellow eyes with a stage 0 macular hole was observed. Changes in the macular hole were evaluated by biomicroscopy and SD-OCT for an average of 29 months.
Results: Among the 21 eyes, 15 showed no change in perifoveal vitreous detachment (71.4%). Two eyes (9.5%) developed complete vitreofoveal separation, and one of the two developed a separation after progression to stage 1A. Among 21 eyes, 5 (23.8%) developed above stage 1A, and one of the five progressed to stage 1B after five years, which was successfully treated with vitrectomy and gas tamponade.
Conclusions Perifoveal vitreous detachment in the fellow eye on SD-OCT, defined as a stage 0 macular hole, occurred at an earlier phase than stage 1A macular holes and may progress to an advanced stage. Therefore, patients who undergo macular hole surgery and have a stage 0 macular hole or perifoveal vitreous detachment in the fellow eye should be followed closely.

Growing evidence indicates that the serotonin system is important in learning and memory. In particular, several preclinical and clinical studies suggest that modulating the 5-HT1A receptor can influence learning and memory, and indeed, it has been observed that presynaptic 5-HT1A receptor agonists and postsynaptic 5-HT1A receptor antagonists tend to ameliorate the learning/memory impairment induced by various methods. In contrast, post-synaptic 5-HT1A receptor agonists tend to decrease the learning/memory function. These observations suggest the possibility that modulating neurotransmission mediated by the 5-HT1A receptor may be effective as a therapeutic strategy for enhancing learning and memory in various neuropsychiatric disorders. Unfortunately, there is no available discussion on the relationship between 5-HT1A receptor and learning/memory in Korea. This article reviews the clinical or preclinical literature on this issue.
Korea ; Learning* ; Memory* ; Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT1A* ; Serotonin ; Synaptic Transmission

PURPOSE: To investigate the incidence, demographic features and clinical characteristics of polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) in Korean patients. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 413 patients (485 eyes) diagnosed with choroidal neovascularization in exudative age-related macular degeneration between June 2001 and September 2005. All patients underwent complete ophthalmologic examination, fluorescein and indocyanine green angiography, and optical coherence tomography. RESULTS: Among a total of 485 eyes of 413 patients, 80 eyes of 66 patients (16.5%) were diagnosed with PCV. Men were predominantly affected (80.3%), and most patients were elderly with a mean age of 68.3 years (range, 50~93 years) and unilaterally involved (78.8%). The polypoidal lesions in PCV tended to be located in the macula area (62.5%). With respect to vascular network, fine vascular networks were observed in 51 eyes (63.7%) and large lesions were present in 16 eyes (20.0%). Clusters of grape-like polypoidal lesions (60%) were more common than solitary aneurysmal dilations (35.0%). Branching choroidal vessels were present in 67 eyes (83.7%) and absent in 13 eyes (16.3%). Optical coherence tomographic images of polypoidal lesions in 53 eyes showed uneven surfaces with more sharply peaked shapes different from those seen in the serous pigment epithelial detachment in age-related macular degeneration and central serous chorioretinopathy. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of PCV in Korean patients was relatively high among various ethnic groups. Although the demographic and clinical features of PCV in Korea differed from Caucasian patients, they were similar to Japanese and Chinese patients.
Aged ; Aneurysm ; Angiography ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Central Serous Chorioretinopathy ; Choroid* ; Choroidal Neovascularization ; Ethnic Groups ; Fluorescein ; Humans ; Incidence ; Indocyanine Green ; Korea ; Macular Degeneration ; Male ; Medical Records ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, Optical Coherence

BACKGROUND: Oculocutaneous albinism (OCA) is a genetic disorder of the melanin pigment system in which melanin synthesis is reduced or absent in the skin, hair, and eyes. OCA is classified into two major types, and tyrosinase-related OCA can be produced by mutations of the structural gene for tyrosinase enzyme (TYR gene). OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to analyze the segregation of mutant alleles of the TYR gene in tyrosinase-negative and tyrosinase-positive Korean OCA patients and families. METHODS: We amplified exon I, II, and III of the TYR gene of Korean OCA patients and their families by polymerase chain reactions (PCR), and analyzed the mutations by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis in exon I and single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analyses in exon II and exon III. RESULTS: Two tyrosinase-negative cases showed mutations in exon I. Four tyrosinase-nega-tive cases and one tyrosinase-positive case showed mutations in exon II, and one tyrosinase-neg- ative case showed mutations in exon III. In summary, we found three kinds of mutation in four tyrosinase-negative OCA patients and one tyrsinase-positive OCA patient. CONCLUSIONS: RFLP and SSCP analysis can provide a basis for a rapid and sensitive screening system to detect TYR gene mutations of Korean OCA patients and their families.
Albinism, Oculocutaneous* ; Alleles ; Exons ; Hair ; Humans ; Korea* ; Mass Screening ; Melanins ; Monophenol Monooxygenase ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length ; Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational ; Skin