No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Humans

Disturbances in memory are the most common problem in patients with an organic mental syndrome. Other patients with significant psychiatric disorder also often have memory. So it is very important in the clinical practice of psychiatry to understand the biological and neurocognitive mechanisms of memory proessing, and to develop the assessment tools with which memory function can be evaluated reliably and validly. Moreover, memory researches provide an important viewpoint from which we can understand the pathophysiological mechanisms of major neuropsychiatric illnesses. This article focuses on our understanding of memory function in clinical and neurobiological aspects. The relevant material will be presented in four pats : 1) terminologies needed in defining major stages of various types of memory processing : 2) neurochemical and neuroanatomical basis of memory processing : 3) brief bedside screening and more comprehensive neuropsychological tests for the evaluation of memory function : 4) the characteristics of memory dysfunction in several major psychiatric illnesses.
Humans ; Mass Screening ; Memory* ; Neuropsychological Tests ; Neuropsychology

OBJECTIVES: Considering large diversity of clinical presentation of schizophrenia, it is important to identify valid clinical subtypes or dimensions that might have homogeneous biological underpinning. The current study aimed to explore lifetime symptom-based dimensional phenotypes in patients with chronic schizophrenia, and to investigate their correlation with cognitive functions and other clinical characteristics. METHODS: Lifetime-based symptoms and additional clinical variables were measured using the Diagnostic Interview for Genetic Studies and the Schedule for the Deficit Syndrome in 315 clinically stable patients with chronic schizophrenia. Through principal components factor analysis, eight dimensional phenotypes were obtained. Comprehensive neuropsychological tests were administered for 103 out of 315 patients, and domain scores were calculated for cognitive domains defined in the MATRICS consensus battery. RESULTS: 'Non-paranoid delusion factor' including delusions of grandiose or religious nature, showed significant negative correlation with processing speed, working memory, attention/vigilance, and general cognitive ability, and positive correlation with intra-individual variability. 'Negative symptom factor' showed significant negative correlation only with general cognitive ability. Those two factors were also negatively correlated with function levels measured by Global Assessment Scale (GAS), and associated with poor treatment responses. CONCLUSION: Symptom-based dimensional phenotypes of schizophrenia measured on a lifetime basis showed discriminative correlation with cognitive function domains, global functioning level, and overall treatment responses, indicating their possibility as valid phenotype axes of schizophrenia having homogeneous biologic basis.
Appointments and Schedules ; Cognition ; Consensus ; Delusions ; Humans ; Memory, Short-Term ; Neuropsychological Tests ; Phenotype ; Schizophrenia*

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common etiology of dementia, that has not been previously reported in Korea. We have experienced two cases of Alzheimer's disease, one occurred in a 53-year-old man with dementia and the other occurred in a 36-year-old woman with a family history of early onset dementia. A neocortical biopsy was done to rule out the cause of dementia and showed diffusely scattered numerous senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in cortex of both cases. Interestingly, GFAP, an immunohistochemical stain showed strong positivity in neuritic plaques and the surrounding fibrillary gathering.
Adult ; Alzheimer Disease* ; Biopsy ; Dementia ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Middle Aged ; Neurofibrillary Tangles ; Plaque, Amyloid

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common etiology of dementia, that has not been previously reported in Korea. We have experienced two cases of Alzheimer's disease, one occurred in a 53-year-old man with dementia and the other occurred in a 36-year-old woman with a family history of early onset dementia. A neocortical biopsy was done to rule out the cause of dementia and showed diffusely scattered numerous senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in cortex of both cases. Interestingly, GFAP, an immunohistochemical stain showed strong positivity in neuritic plaques and the surrounding fibrillary gathering.
Adult ; Alzheimer Disease* ; Biopsy ; Dementia ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Middle Aged ; Neurofibrillary Tangles ; Plaque, Amyloid

No abstract available.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify factors influencing the professional self-concept of nurses working in intensive care units (ICUs).METHODS: Data were collected from July 1 to August 15, 2014. The subjects were 206 ICU nurses working in four university hospitals in B and U cities, Korea. Their professional self-concept was measured using Arthur's Scale revised by Yoon (2012), and professional quality of life (QOL) was measured using Pro QOL Korean Ver. 5 developed by Stamm (2010). Data were analyzed with SPSS Ver. 18, using a t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and multiple regression analysis.RESULTS: Professional self-concept was significantly correlated with compassion satisfaction (r=.61, p<.001), and burn out (r=−.57, p<.001). The factors influencing professional self-concept were compassion satisfaction (β=.46, p<.001), burn out (β=−.27, p<.001), and education level (β=.14, p=.014). The explanatory power of this model was 46.5%.CONCLUSION: The results suggest that the influencing factors found in this study should be considered when planning nursing intervention programs for improving the professional self-concept of ICU nurses.
Burns ; Critical Care ; Education ; Empathy ; Hospitals, University ; Intensive Care Units ; Korea ; Nursing ; Quality of Life ; Tertiary Care Centers

Purpose: : This study aimed to explore and describe intensive care unit (ICU) nurses’ experience of clinical adaptation. Methods: : The participants were 14 ICU nurses with more than two years of working experience in the ICU. Data were collected through in-depth individual interviews conducted between July and October 2021. Theoretical sampling was used to the point of theoretical saturation. Data were analyzed using the Strauss and Corbin method. Results: : A total of 79 concepts, 37 subcategories, and 16 categories were identified through open coding. Axial coding based on the paradigm model revealed that the central phenomenon was “The harsh adversity faced in the nursing field where life and death are determined” and the core category was “Enduring the adversity of caring for critically ill patients and achieving self-realization.” ICU nurses’ clinical adaptation process was explained in five phases: “confrontation period,” “turbulent period,” “seeking period,” “struggling period,” and “stabilized period.” The five phases that affect interventional conditions were “Support from reliable people,” “Recognition of administrative and financial support.” Conclusion : This study provided novel insights for a comprehensive understanding of ICU nurses’ clinical adaptation processes. Furthermore, the findings are expected to be used as basic data to develop multifaceted strategies to help ICU nurses’ adaptation to critical care.

OBJECTIVES: Previous studies of cognitive impairment in schizophrenia suggest that negative syndrome can be characterized by specific impairments in visual information-processing. We examined the possibility of such cognitive impairments as a a trait marker of 'deficit' syndrome group characterized by persistent primary negative symptoms or schizophrenic patients as a whole. METHODS: The subjects were 35 schizophrenic patients in partial or full remission state and the controls were 25 volunteers screened for major mental illnesses in their 2nd degree relatives. The patients were divided into deficit & nondeficit groups based on Schedule for the Deficit Syndrome and they showed positive, depressive or extrapyramidal symptoms of minimal to mild degree. Performance on various cognitive tasks associated with visual information-processing was examined. RESULTS: Deficit and nondeficit groups showed no significant difference in age of onset, duration of illness, the severity of positive and depressive symptoms and dose of antipsychotics. Deficit group performed significantly less well than normal control group on Continuous Attention Test. Significant difference was found between the patients groups and normal control group on Vigilance Test, Signal-Detection Test, and in decision time of Reaction Unit Tests. There were no significant differences among three groups on the tasks of visual immediate memory, visual analysis, motor reaction, and fine motor control. No cognitive variable was correlated to duration of illness, the severity of positive and depressive symptoms, general psychopathology, and dose of antipsychotics. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that deficit syndrome might be characterized by the impairment of continuous attention to simple visual stimuli. Impaired vigilance to infrequent visual stimuli, selective auention to visual stimuli and delayed decision time in simple information-processing tasks which were not related to various clinical variables were suggested to be cognitive markers of schizophrenia.
Age of Onset ; Antipsychotic Agents ; Appointments and Schedules ; Depression ; Humans ; Memory, Short-Term ; Psychopathology ; Schizophrenia ; Volunteers