OBJECTIVES: The aim of current study is to evaluate the relationship between sleep, suicide and serotonin using some scales and loudness dependence of auditory evoked potentials (LDAEP). METHODS: Total 65 patients who met the criteria for major depressive disorder were enrolled in current study. The patients were divided into two subgroups according to their insomnia and a history of suicide attempts. The auditory event-related potentials were measured to evaluate LDAEP before beginning antidepressants. RESULTS: The scores of total Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and BDI item 9 (suicide) were higher in insomnia subgroup than non-insomnia subgroup (respectively, p=0.0033 and p=0.03). However, LDAEP did not differ each other. The subgroup with a history of suicide attempts had a higher score of BDI item 9 than the subgroup without a history of suicide attempts (p=0.00012). There was a tendency for the LDAEP to be higher in the subgroup with a history of suicide attempts (1.39+/-0.94 microV) than the subgroup without a history of suicide attempts (1.05+/-0.75 microV), although the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.078). CONCLUSION: Suicidality was related to insomnia. In addition, there was a tendency for serotonin activity to be lower in the subgroup with a history of suicide attempts. In future, more studies are needed.
Antidepressive Agents ; Depression ; Depressive Disorder, Major* ; Evoked Potentials ; Evoked Potentials, Auditory ; Humans ; Serotonin* ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders* ; Suicide* ; Weights and Measures

OBJECTIVE: Diurnal preference is an attribute reflecting whether people are alert and preferring to be active either early or late in the day. It also referred to as chronotype or morningness-eveningness trait. The PER3 genes have been known to influence diurnal preference. In this study, we have investigated the associations between the PER3 gene polymorphisms and diurnal preference in a healthy young population, controlling for the social and environmental confounding factors. METHODS: The participants in this experiment included 299 unrelated medical college students (M=191, F=108), with a mean age of 22.9 years. Diurnal preference was measured by a single administration of the 13-item Composite Scale for Morningness (CSM). Genotyping of the PER3 VNTR (rs57875989) was performed using polymerase chain reaction. A two-tailed alpha of 0.05 was chosen. RESULTS: The mean+/-SD score on the CSM scale for all subjects was 31.90+/-6.39. There was no significant difference in total CSM score between gender groups, although females showed a trend towards higher morningness score. Although PER3 5R/5R showed the tendency towards high CSM scores, there were no significant differences on CSM scores among genotypes and allele status of PER3 VNTR (rs57875989). CONCLUSIONS: We could not confirm that the PER3 VNTR is associated with diurnal preference in a Korean healthy young population. The future studies need to investigate the association between diurnal preference and other polymorphisms of PER3 gene in larger sample of Korean young healthy population.
Alleles ; Female ; Genotype ; Humans ; Polymerase Chain Reaction

A high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) paired with UV-vis detection method to determine ascorbic acid and its oxidation product, dehydroascorbic acid, in human plasma was developed. Ascorbic acid in human plasma was extracted and stabilized using 10% metaphosphoric acid, and was analyzed by a Symmetry C18 column with 5 mM Hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide and 50 mM KH2PO4 solution as the mobile phase (1.0 mL/min flow rate). Isoascorbic acid served as the internal standard and ultraviolet detector wavelength was 254 nm and 265 nm. Dehydroascorbic acid concentration was calculated from the differences in ascorbic acid concentration before and after reduction by dithiothreitol reagent. Quantification for ascorbic acid in human plasma was linear from 1–100 µg/mL. The inter- and intra-day precisions and accuracy were determined and the results were found to be within ±15%. This method was successfully applied to a human pharmacokinetic study of ascorbic acid as well as dehydroascorbic acid after oral administration of 4,000 mg vitamin C tablets to healthy Korean volunteers.
Administration, Oral ; Ascorbic Acid* ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Chromatography, Liquid ; Dehydroascorbic Acid* ; Dithiothreitol ; Humans* ; Plasma* ; Tablets ; Volunteers

OBJECTIVES: Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is a serious and sometimes irreversible adverse effect that may develop during long-term antipsychotics treatment. Previous studies have suggested that brain serotonergic systems are related to TD vulnerability and tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) is the rate limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of serotonin. This study aimed to investigate the association between TPH2 gene -703G/T polymorphism (rs4570625) and antipsychotic-induced TD in the Korean schizophrenia patients. METHODS: We investigated whether TPH2 gene -703G/T polymorphism is associated with antipsychotic-induced TD in 280 Korean schizophrenia patients. The subjects with TD (n=105) and without TD (n=175) were matched for antipsychotic drug exposure and other relevant variables. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the distribution of genotypic (chi2=3.00, p=0.223) and allelic (chi2=0.19, p=0.661) frequencies between patients group with TD and without TD. There was no significant difference in total Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale score (F=1.95, p=0.362) among the genotype groups, either. CONCLUSIONS: The present study does not support that TPH2 gene -703G/T polymorphism is involved in TD of the Korean schizophrenia subjects.
Antipsychotic Agents ; Brain ; Dyskinesias ; Genotype ; Humans ; Movement Disorders ; Schizophrenia ; Serotonin ; Tryptophan ; Tryptophan Hydroxylase

A 35-year-old man was admitted with a 20 day history of generalized edema and muscular weakness of the lower extremities. He was alert with a pale puffy face and an ejection murmur was heard at the cardiac apex. The electrocardiogram disclosed low voltage, first degree atrioventricular block, and a right bundle branch block. During the hospitalization an intractable diastolic hypotension developed, which measured 0 mmHg at the lowest point. At that time the echocardiogram revealed a dilated, akinetic right ventricle. Eventually a multiorgan failure developed and an autopsy following his death presented a fibrofatty replacement of the right ventricular myocardium. This might be a case of an arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy, which is usually characterized clinically by a ventricular tachycardia and may cause a sudden death in young adults.
Adult ; Atrioventricular Block ; Autopsy* ; Bundle-Branch Block ; Death, Sudden ; Edema ; Electrocardiography ; Heart Ventricles ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Hypotension ; Lower Extremity ; Muscle Weakness ; Myocardium ; Systolic Murmurs ; Tachycardia, Ventricular ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVES: Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is a serious and sometimes irreversible adverse effect that may develop during long-term antipsychotics treatment. Previous studies have suggested that brain serotonergic systems are related to TD vulnerability and tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) is the rate limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of serotonin. This study aimed to investigate the association between TPH2 gene -703G/T polymorphism (rs4570625) and antipsychotic-induced TD in the Korean schizophrenia patients. METHODS: We investigated whether TPH2 gene -703G/T polymorphism is associated with antipsychotic-induced TD in 280 Korean schizophrenia patients. The subjects with TD (n=105) and without TD (n=175) were matched for antipsychotic drug exposure and other relevant variables. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the distribution of genotypic (chi2=3.00, p=0.223) and allelic (chi2=0.19, p=0.661) frequencies between patients group with TD and without TD. There was no significant difference in total Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale score (F=1.95, p=0.362) among the genotype groups, either. CONCLUSIONS: The present study does not support that TPH2 gene -703G/T polymorphism is involved in TD of the Korean schizophrenia subjects.
Antipsychotic Agents ; Brain ; Dyskinesias ; Genotype ; Humans ; Movement Disorders ; Schizophrenia ; Serotonin ; Tryptophan ; Tryptophan Hydroxylase

OBJECTIVES: It has been known that the contents of dreams change according to neuro-developmental differences in sex, progression of age and various environments, unlike the established psychoanalytic theory. To investigate the changes, we collected "most recent dream report" and analyzed the contents of dreams by using Hall/Van de Castle System. METHOD: Most recent dream reports were gathered from age 12-14 years old, 2,673 middle school students (1,544 male 1,129 female) and analyzed those reports using Hall/Van de Castle System. The data were sorted in SAS and dream SAT. RESULT: There were prominent differences between male and female middle school students in Male/Female Percentage (male/female; 56%/35%), Familiarity Percentage (57%/69%), Aggression/Friendliness Percentage (79%/65%), Befriender Percentage (50%/33%), Physical Aggression Percentage (90%/70%), Indoor Setting Percentage (40%/55%), Negative Emotion Percentage (56%/68%) and Torso/Anatomy Percentage (51%/36%). There were significant differences in Male/Female Percentage (65%/44%), Friendliness, Physical Aggression and Self Negativity Percentage in male and there were significant differences in Friendliness, Familiarity and Friends Percent in female between 1st and 2nd grade. But, it showed much similar dream patterns between 2nd and 3rd grade in both gender. In male, Aggression/Character Index with male character is significantly increased by 2nd grade (1st/ 2nd/ 3rd; 0.48/1.04/0.98), In female, Friendliness/Character Index with male character had significantly decreased by 2nd grade (0.38/0.19/0.20). CONCLUSION: There were apparent differences between age 12-14 years old male and female. Male adolescents have differences mostly in categories related with aggression, but female adolescents have differences in categories related with environment or character. It shows that developmental level of male are slower than female as of yet and male needs more active interpersonal relationship to find identity. Otherwise, the influences of passive attitude and actual circumferential environment are reflected in female's dream. There are no prominent differences among ages, but age 12-13 years old adolescents shows significant differences in interacting with the other gender. It means that circumferential environment and interpersonal relationship affect the contents of dreams and also the cognitive development related to age and sex. Afterwards, the development of dreams could be better understood through the neurocognitive study and dream analysis between other ages and nations.
Adolescent* ; Aggression ; Dreams* ; Female ; Friends ; Humans ; Male ; Psychoanalytic Theory ; Recognition (Psychology)

OBJECTIVES: The previous studies have suggested genetic vulnerability to restless legs syndrome (RLS) development. The occurrence of antipsychotic-related RLS could also be attributable to differences in genetic susceptibility. This study aimed to investigate whether Retinoid-related orphan receptor A (RORA) gene polymorphism is associated with antipsychotic-related RLS in schizophrenia. METHODS: We assessed symptoms of antipsychotic-induced RLS in 190 Korean schizophrenic patients and divided the subjects into two groups according to the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group diagnostic criteria : 1) subjects that met all of the criteria (n=44) and 2) the remaining subjects who were not considered to be RLS patients (n=146). Single-nucleotide polymorphism in the RORA gene was genotyped by PCR in 190 individuals. The chi2-test was conducted to compare differences between two groups. RESULTS: The frequencies of genotype (chi2=0.066, p=0.968) of the RORA gene (rs11071547) did not differ significantly between schizophrenic patients with and without RLS. The difference of allele frequencies (chi2=0.008, p=0.927) of the RORA gene (rs 11071547) between the schizophrenic patients with and without RLS were not significant. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that RORA gene polymorphism does not play a major role in susceptibility to antipsychotic-related RLS in schizophrenia.
Child ; Child, Orphaned ; Circadian Rhythm ; Gene Frequency ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Genotype ; Humans ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Restless Legs Syndrome* ; Schizophrenia*

OBJECTIVES: There are emerging evidences suggest that the development of tardive dyskinesia (TD) is related to the oxidative stress, excitotoxicity, and immune activation. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha genes are associated with the susceptibility of TD and schizophrenia. METHODS: We investigated two hundred and eighty Korean schizophrenic patients. The schizophrenic participants consisted of patients with (n=105) and without (n=175) TD who were matched for antipsychotic drug exposure and other relevant variables. The TNF-alpha gene -308G/A SNPs were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods. RESULTS: The frequencies of genotype (chi2=0.33, p=0.848) of the TNF-alpha gene -308 G/A SNP did not differ significantly between schizophrenic patients with and without TD. The difference of allele frequencies (chi2=0.28, p=0.594) of the TNF-alpha gene between the schizophrenic patients with and without TD were not significant. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the TNF-alpha gene -308 G/A SNPs are not associated with TD and schizophrenia in a Korean population. Further association studies of TD with other candidate genes for cytokines would help us understand the pathophysiological mechanisms of TD.
Cytokines ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; Humans ; Movement Disorders ; Oxidative Stress ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Schizophrenia ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

Tumors metastasizing from distant regions to the oral and maxillofacial region are uncommon, comprising only 1%-2% of all malignancies. Cholangiocarcinoma is a malignancy that arises from cholangiocytes, which are epithelial cells that line the bile ducts. These cancers are difficult to diagnose and have a poor prognosis. In this paper, we report a rare case of mandibular metastasis of cholangiocarcinoma diagnosed at the primary site and discuss the radiographic findings observed in this case.
Bile Ducts ; Cholangiocarcinoma* ; Epithelial Cells ; Mandible ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Prognosis