PURPOSE: Alexithymia, defined as a deficit in the ability to recognize and describe one's own feelings, may be related to the development and maintenance of obsessive-compulsive symptoms. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met polymorphism and alexithymia in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We recruited 244 patients with OCD (169 males, 75 females). Alexithymia was assessed using the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), and genotyping of the COMT Val(158)Met polymorphism was evaluated. RESULTS: Patients with the COMT Val/Val genotype had significantly higher total and "difficulty identifying feelings" (DIF) subdimension scores than those with the Val/Met or Met/Met genotypes. Patients with the COMT Val/Val genotype had significantly higher "difficulty describing feelings" (DDF) subdimension scores than those with the COMT Val/Met genotype. However, there were no differences in the scores for the "externally oriented thinking" (EOT) subdimension among the three genotypes. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that the high-activity Val allele of the COMT Val(158)Met polymorphism is associated with increased alexithymic traits in patients with OCD. The present finding suggests that alexithymia is an endophenotype of OCD that is mediated by the COMT Val(158)Met polymorphism.
Adult ; Affective Symptoms/*diagnosis/genetics/psychology ; Alleles ; Catechol O-Methyltransferase/*genetics ; Female ; Genotype ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder/*diagnosis/genetics/psychology ; Phenotype ; *Polymorphism, Genetic ; Republic of Korea

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the clinical effect of V-Y advancement flap after vulvectomy in patients with vulvar cancer. Local and systemic morbidity, the degree of satisfaction after operation, length of hospital stay were evaluated. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From March 2001 to september 2002, five patients with invasive vulvar cancer were eligible for this study. All the patients underwent radical vulvectomy with groin lymph nodes dissection. All of them were reconstructed by the same surgeon using ischial fasciocutaneous V-Y flaps based on perforators from the inferior border of the gluteous maximus muscle. RESULTS: Flap survival was 100%. There were no major complication including wound infection, wound disruption, urinary tract infection, and seroma in the femoral triangle. Functional outcome was excellent in all patients. CONCLUSION: The V-Y advancement flap provides a straight-forward and simple safe reliable method as a common approach in radical vulvectomy.
Groin ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Lymph Nodes ; Seroma ; Urinary Tract Infections ; Vulvar Neoplasms* ; Wound Infection ; Wounds and Injuries

HLA A, B, C and DR were typed in 73 Korean patients with Tourette disorder meeting the diagnostic criteria of DSM III-R and compared with 291 normal subjects. Relatively higher frequencies were found in HLA A11 and A26(10) with lower incidences in HLA A24(9) and B13. A family history of tic disorders was associated with a lower frequency of HLA A24(9).
Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; HLA Antigens/*analysis ; HLA-DR Antigens/*analysis ; Human ; Male ; Tourette Syndrome/*genetics/immunology

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this prospective study is to investigate predictors estimating relapse in Korean alcohol-dependent patients using variables like alcohol history, drinking craving, treatment motivation and insight. METHODS: Alcohol dependent patients(N=48) who completed questionnaires about sociodemographic variables and drinking history, Timeline Follow-Back(TLFB), Obsessive-Compulsive Drinking Scale(OCSD), Alcohol Urge Questionnaire(AUQ), Pennsylvania Alcohol Craving Scale(PACS), University of Rhode Island Change Assessment(URICA), Hanil Alcohol Insight Scale(HAIS) were followed-up for 24weeks. Subjects who drank heavily(5 standard drinking or more/day) or were not followed up anymore were classified as the relapse group. We used logistic regression analysis with backward elimination of SPSS PC+11.5 to investigate relapse estimate predictors. RESULTS: Average drinking amount per drinking day for last 1 year and HAIS score were predictors of relapse in alcohol-dependent patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that therapist should give more attention to alcohol-dependent patients who had more drinks per drinking day for last 1 year and had lower insight level.
Alcoholism ; Drinking ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Motivation ; Pennsylvania ; Prospective Studies ; Recurrence* ; Rhode Island

Cervical cancer and its precursors are caused principally, if not exclusively, by HPV infection and HPV DNA is found in more than 90% of cervical cancers. Cervical cytology is limited by its false negativity and this may be supplimented by other adjunctive test such as HPV test. It is therefore important to explore the use of HPV DNA detection as a primary or supplementary screening method and to determine whether HPV typing can be used as a predictor of a lesion's clinical behavior. Cervical cytology and Hybrid Capture test for HPV detection were performed in 450 asymtomatic wornen visited Health Care Center in Kangnam St. Mary's Hospital,and none of whom was believed to have current cervical disease. The Papanicolaou cytology results were classified by The Bethesda System : 333(74.%) women were classified to within normal limit, 19(4.2%) benign reactive change, 38(8.4%) ASCUS, 59(13%) low grade SIL, and only one woman high grade SIL. Twenty five of 450(5.6%) women showed HPV infection by Hybid Capture test. Among 98 wornen with abnormal Papanicolaou cytology, 16(16.3%) women showed HPV DNA positivity. (continue)
Delivery of Health Care ; DNA* ; Female ; Humans* ; Mass Screening* ; Papilloma* ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms

OBJECTIVES: The attentional deficit is a core symptom in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The major brain areas related to attention are frontal and parietal lobes. Abnormalities of frontal and parietal lobes in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder have been reported in previous researches. But, most of the researches are based on comparing patients and controls while they are in resting condition. Further research on funtional changes related to performance of attentional task is needed to understand the attentional dysfuntion in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. In this study, the localized functional changes of the brains related to attentional task in patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and the differences of them between patients and normal controls were examined. Also the effect of the methylphenidate on functional changes related to attentional task in patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder was examined. METHOD: Quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG) was applied to examine the fuctional changes related to attentional task. Subjects of this study consisted of 20 patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and 20 controls who were matched age, sex, handedness, intelligence. QEEG was recorded on eye open resting condition, and on performing computerized attentional task. In cases of patients, after taking of methylphenidate, QEEG was recorded on both conditions. RESULTS: 1)In attention test, normal controls had better scores in response time and variabilities of response time than those of patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder without taking methylphenidate. After taking medication, scores of omission, response time and variabilities of response time were significantly improved, comparing to scores without taking medication. No differences were recognized between the controls and patients with taking medication in scores of attention test. 2)In resting condition, spectral EEG revealed baseline activity levels of patients were significantly increased comparing to those of controls. 3)Analysis of delta wave revealed that amplitudes of controls were significantly elevated in parieto-occipital area during performance of attentional task. But in patients, localized activated area related to attentional task was not remarkable. 4)Theta activity of controls were significantly elevated in right frontal, right temporal, and both parieto-occipital areas during performance of attentional task. But in patients without taking medication, localized activated area related to attentional work was not remarkable. After taking medication, right frontal, right temporal, and both parieto-occipital areas were significantly activated. 5)Alpha activities of controls were significantly increased in parieto-occipital area during performance of attentional task, but those of patients without taking medication were increased in broad area. 6)Beta activities of controls were significantly increased in frontal area during attentional performance, but those of patients without taking medication were significantly increased in most of the brain areas. After taking medication, significantly increased activities related to attentional task were recognized in left frontal, and both temporal areas. Localized activated patterns similar to those of controls were recognized. CONCLUSION: Based on the results of this research, it is suggested that patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder have increased baseline brain activity. In controls, brains showed localized response to a attentional stimuli, and functional changes related to attentional stimuli were recognized in frontal, and parieto-occipital areas. But, patients failed in showing appropriate localized activated response to attentional stimuli. It is concluded that frontal and parieto-occipital areas have some deficit responsible for the attentional dysfunction of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity ; Brain ; Electroencephalography ; Frontal Lobe ; Functional Laterality ; Humans ; Intelligence ; Methylphenidate ; Parietal Lobe ; Reaction Time

BACKGROUND: Recently, many surgeons have chosen sublobar resection for the curative treatment of lung tumors with ground-glass opacity, which is a hallmark of lepidic lung cancer. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the oncological results of sublobar resection for non-lepidic lung cancer in comparison with lobectomy. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective chart review of 328 patients with clinical N0 non-small cell lung cancer sized ≤2 cm who underwent curative surgical resection from January 2009 to December 2014. The patients were classified on the basis of their lesions into non-lepidic and lepidic groups. The survival rates following lobectomy and sublobar resection were compared within each of these 2 groups. RESULTS: The non-lepidic group contained a total of 191 patients. The 5-year recurrence-free survival rate was not significantly different between patients who received sublobar resection or lobectomy in the non-lepidic group (80.1% vs. 79.2%, p=0.822) or in the lepidic group (100% vs. 97.4%, p=0.283). Multivariate analysis indicated that only lymphatic invasion was a significant risk factor for recurrence in the non-lepidic group. Sublobar resection was not a risk factor for recurrence in the non-lepidic group. CONCLUSION: The oncological outcomes of sublobar resection and lobectomy in small-sized non-small cell lung cancer did not significantly differ according to histological type.
Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung* ; Humans ; Lung ; Lung Neoplasms ; Multivariate Analysis ; Pathology ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Surgeons ; Survival Rate ; Thoracic Surgery

OBJECTIVES: Stigma resistance is an individual capacity to fight the stigma of mental illness and is an issue of ongoing research regarding the stigma. The aim of this study was to evaluate predictors of stigma resistance in patients with bipolar disorder. METHODS: Demographic, clinical, and psychosocial data were collected from 102 bipolar patients in a university mental hospital. Stigma resistance was measured using a subscale of the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness Scale. Patients completed self-reported questionnaires including items on self-esteem, hopelessness, social support, and social conflict. RESULTS: Stigma resistance showed positive association with functioning, self-esteem, and social support, and showed negative association with depressive symptoms, hopelessness, and social conflict. In multivariate analysis, stigma resistance was predicted by sex, education, and self-esteem. Self-esteem was the strongest predictive factor of stigma resistance. CONCLUSION: In accordance with previous studies, self-esteem was a central role of predicting stigma resistance. A program for improving self-esteem and its related psychosocial factors will be helpful to enhancing stigma resistance in bipolar patients.
Bipolar Disorder* ; Depression ; Education ; Hospitals, Psychiatric ; Humans ; Multivariate Analysis ; Psychology ; Self Concept

OBJECTIVES: Tourette's Disorder (TD) is a chronic neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by multiple motor and vocal tics with onset in childhood. The aim of this study was to ascertain the increased cortical information transmission in frontal area during tic suppression in drug naive boys with TD using new nonlinear analysis of EEGs, be called Transfer Entropy (TE) which can detect the directed exchange of information between two systems. METHODS: Subjects were 11 drug naive boys with DSM-IV diagnosis of TD and 10 control boys. Clinical assessments were performed, and EEGs were recorded from 19 scalp loci of the international 10-20 systems. TE was estimated by EEG timeseries data after noise reduction. TE difference between TD and control during resting state and between tic suppression and resting state in TD were investigated. RESULTS: Elevated TE was found in extensive channels, including frontal, central and temporal channels (F7, Fz, F8,Cz, C3, P3, T3, and T4) in resting state of Tourette's disorder compared to normal controls. During tic suppression elevated TE was found in more extensive and asymmetrical channels especially prefrontal area (Fp1, Fp2, F3, Fz, F7, F8, Cz, C4, C5, T3, and T4). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that pathogenesis of Tourette's disorder involve impaired cortical neuronal modulation in subcortical neural circuits. EEG analysis of TE may be a useful tool to investigation of cortical mechanism of psychiatric illness.
Diagnosis ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Electroencephalography ; Entropy ; Neurons ; Noise ; Scalp ; Tics* ; Tourette Syndrome*

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to examine the differences of past histories, current symptoms, treatment responses and cognitive functions between smoking and nonsmoking schizophrenic patients. METHODS: The subjects were composed of 67 schizophrenic patients including 36 smokers and 31 non-smokers. They were examined by psychiatric history checklist, Simpson and Angus's rating scale for extrapyramidal side effects, positive and negative syndromes scale(PANSS), global assessment scale(GAS), and Vienna test including Standard Progressive Matrices(SFM), Cognitron, and Flicker Fusion Analyzer(FFA). RESULTS: The results were as follows: 1) Although the duration of illness of smokers was longer than that of non-smokers, the smokers had significantly higher score of GAS and significantly lower score of PANSS than non-smokers at admission 2) With effects of age and duration of illness controlled, there were no differences of mean dosage of neuroleptics, extrapyramldal side effects, PANSS improvement rate and GAS improvement rate between both groups. 3) With effects of age, duration of illness, and total PANSS score controlled, there were no differences of score of SFM, cognitron, and FFA. 4) In smokers, the PANSS improvement rate and the GAS improvement rate were positively correlated with mean number of daily smoked cigarettes, with effects of age and duration of illness controlled. CONCLUSIONS: In schizophrenic patients, smokers had less severe symptoms than non-smokers. In smokers, the PANSS improvement rate and the GAS improvement rate were positively correlated with mean number of daily smoked cigarettes. But smokers were not proven to have received higher dosage of neuroleptics, to have lower extrapyramidal side effects, or to have less severe impairment of cognitive function.
Antipsychotic Agents ; Checklist ; Flicker Fusion ; Humans ; Schizophrenia ; Smoke* ; Smoking* ; Tobacco Products