Objective: Despite multiple drugs available, a large proportion of patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) do not show adequate response and remission. Thus, additional novel pharmacological agents are needed to increase treatment option for GAD. We aimed to investigate efficacy and safety of agomelatine in the treatment of GAD by conducting a meta-analysis. Methods: An extensive search of multiple databases and clinical trial registries were conducted. Mean change in total scores on Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) from baseline to endpoint was our primary outcome measure. Secondary efficacy measures included response and remission rates, as defined by a 50% or greater reduction in HAM-A total scores and a score of 7 or less in HAM-A total scores at study endpoint respectively. Results: Four published double blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled trials were included in this meta-analysis. Agomelatine more significantly (standardized mean difference = −0.56, 10.9758/cpn.2020.18.3.423 = 0.004) improved HAM-A total scores than placebo. The odds ratios (ORs) of agomelatine over placebo for response and remission rates were 3.75 (p ＜ 0.00001) and 2.74 (p ＜ 0.00001), respectively. Agomelatine was generally well tolerated with insignificance in dropout rate, somnolence, headache, nasopharyngitis, and dizziness compared with placebo. However, agomelatine showed significantly higher incidence of liver function increment (OR = 3.13, p = 0.01) and nausea (OR = 3.27, p = 0.02). Conclusion We showed that agomelatine may be another treatment option in patients with GAD. However, the results should be interpreted and translated into clinical practice with caution because the meta-analysis was based on limited numbers of clinical trials.

PURPOSE: Simple and noninvasive methods for the diagnosis of transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder are needed for the prevention of invasive tumor. A proteomic technology has recently been developed to facilitate protein profiling of biological mixtures. We investigated the role of this proteomic approach as a possible tool to detect the marker protein during the initiation stages on BBN-induced bladder carcinogenesis in rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten rats group A were given 0.05% BBN in drinking water for 12 weeks. Ten rats in group B were designated as a control group and were not given BBN. Whole urinary bladders of all rats were excised at 12 weeks from the beginning of the experiment. Conventional proteomics was performed with high resolution 2-D gel electrophoresis followed by computational image analysis and protein identification using mass spectrometry. RESULTS: A comparison of urinary bladder hyperplasia tissue with control tissue showed that five proteins; actin gamma2 propeptide, cytokeratin-20, proapolipoprotein, alpha2 actin(alpha-cardiac actin) and heat shock 27kDa protein 1 were over-expressed in hyperplastic tissues. Three protein; transcription factors, seminal vesicle secretory protein VI precursor and hypothetical protein RMT-7 were under-expressed in hyperplastic tissues. CONCLUSIONS: In an animal model system, BBN-induced, urinary bladder mucosal hyperplasia resulted in an increase in five proteins and a decrease in three proteins. Of these altered proteins, CK-20 and SVS-VI seem to be important. The proteomic approach may be a simple and noninvasive method for monitoring and follow-up of bladder cancer patients. However more information is needed regarding CK-20 expression in nonmalignant urological disease and in human tumor tissue, and regarding SVS-VI expression in other organs, for clinical usage.
Actins ; Animals ; Carcinogenesis ; Carcinoma, Transitional Cell ; Diagnosis ; Drinking Water ; Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Keratin-20 ; Mass Spectrometry ; Models, Animal ; Precancerous Conditions* ; Proteomics ; Rats ; Seminal Vesicles ; Shock ; Transcription Factors ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms ; Urinary Bladder* ; Urologic Diseases

The purpose of this study was to investigate the nutrition and diet related knowledge, attitude, and behavior of elementary school children in Seoul. The subjects included were 439 (male 236, female 203) elementary school children in the 4th to the 6th grades. The statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS 12.0 program. The average obesity index (OI) was 104.98 and 99.82 for male and female subjects, respectively. The average percentage of underweight, normal, overweight and obese of subjects was 33.7%, 32.8%, 12.3%, and 19.4%, respectively. The percentage of the underweight group of female subjects was higher than that of the male subjects. The percentage of the obese group of male subjects was higher than that of the female subjects. The average score of nutrition knowledge, nutrition attitude and dietary behavior was 6.8, 7.44, and 7.34, respectively. Dietary behavior of male subjects was positively correlated with parents' education levels, monthly household income and nutrition attitude. Dietary behavior of female subjects was positively correlated with monthly household income, nutrition knowledge and nutrition attitude. Dietary behavior of female subjects was positively correlated with obesity index (OI). Proper nutrition education and intervention are required for the improvement of elementary school children's nutrition knowledge, nutrition attitudes and dietary behaviors.
Child ; Diet ; Family Characteristics ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Obesity ; Overweight ; Thinness

No abstract available.
Adenoids* ; Carcinoma, Adenoid Cystic*

Although delusion of theft (DT) is the most frequent type of delusion in Alzheimer's disease (AD), its relationship to cognitive functions remains unclear. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the relationship between DT and cognitive functions in mild AD. Two hundred eighty-nine mild AD patients were enrolled in this study. These subjects were classified into three groups: patients with no delusions (ND, n=82), patients with paranoid delusions (PD, n=114) and patients with DT (n=93). Cognitive functions and their associations with the degree of delusion were compared among the three groups. The results showed that verbal Fluency scores were significantly lower in the PD group than in the DT and ND groups. Word List Recall scores were significantly lower in the DT group than in the PD and ND groups. Interestingly, delusion severity measured with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory delusion subscale correlated negatively with the Word List Recall scores in the DT group. In this study, we demonstrated that episodic memory functions in mild AD patients were associated with DT, but not with PD. Further studies might be needed to clarify the pathophysiology of delusions associated with AD.
Alzheimer Disease* ; Cognition* ; Delusions* ; Humans ; Memory, Episodic ; Theft*

Objective: We performed a meta-analysis of randomized double-blinded placebo controlled trials (DB-RCTs) to investigate efficacy and safety of intranasal esketamine in treating major depressive disorder (MDD) including treatment resistant depression (TRD) and major depression with suicide ideation (MDSI). Methods: Mean change in total scores on Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) from baseline to different time-points were our primary outcome measure. Secondary efficacy measures included rate of remission of depression and resolution of suicidality. Results: Eight DB-RCTs (seven published and one un-published) covering 1,488 patients with MDD were included. Esketamine more significantly improved MADRS total scores than placebo starting from 2−4 hours after the first administration (standardized mean difference, −0.41 [95% CI, −0.58 to −0.25], p ＜ 0.00001), and this superiority maintained until end of double-blinded period (28 days). Sub-group analysis showed that superior antidepressant effects of esketamine over placebo in TRD and MDSI was observed from 2−4 hours, which was maintained until 28 days. Resolution of suicide in MDSI was also greater for esketamine than for placebo at 2−4 hours (OR of 2.04, 95% CIs, 1.37 to 3.05, p = 0.0005), but two groups did not statistically differ at 24 hours and day 28. Total adverse events (AEs), and other common AEs including dissociation, blood pressure increment, nausea, vertigo, dysgeusia, dizziness, and somnolence were more frequent in esketamine than in placebo group. Conclusion Esketamine showed rapid antidepressant effects in patients with MDD, including TRD and MDSI. The study also suggested that esketamine might be associated with rapid anti-suicidal effects for patients with MDSI.

Objective: We performed a meta-analysis of randomized double-blinded placebo controlled trials (DB-RCTs) to investigate efficacy and safety of intranasal esketamine in treating major depressive disorder (MDD) including treatment resistant depression (TRD) and major depression with suicide ideation (MDSI). Methods: Mean change in total scores on Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) from baseline to different time-points were our primary outcome measure. Secondary efficacy measures included rate of remission of depression and resolution of suicidality. Results: Eight DB-RCTs (seven published and one un-published) covering 1,488 patients with MDD were included. Esketamine more significantly improved MADRS total scores than placebo starting from 2−4 hours after the first administration (standardized mean difference, −0.41 [95% CI, −0.58 to −0.25], p ＜ 0.00001), and this superiority maintained until end of double-blinded period (28 days). Sub-group analysis showed that superior antidepressant effects of esketamine over placebo in TRD and MDSI was observed from 2−4 hours, which was maintained until 28 days. Resolution of suicide in MDSI was also greater for esketamine than for placebo at 2−4 hours (OR of 2.04, 95% CIs, 1.37 to 3.05, p = 0.0005), but two groups did not statistically differ at 24 hours and day 28. Total adverse events (AEs), and other common AEs including dissociation, blood pressure increment, nausea, vertigo, dysgeusia, dizziness, and somnolence were more frequent in esketamine than in placebo group. Conclusion Esketamine showed rapid antidepressant effects in patients with MDD, including TRD and MDSI. The study also suggested that esketamine might be associated with rapid anti-suicidal effects for patients with MDSI.

Objective: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia and the prevalence rapidly increased as the elderly population increased worldwide. In the contemporary model of AD, it is regarded as a disease continuum involving preclinical stage to severe dementia. For accurate diagnosis and disease monitoring, objective index reflecting structural change of brain is needed to correctly assess a patient’s severity of neurodegeneration independent from the patient’s clinical symptoms. The main aim of this paper is to develop a random forest (RF) algorithm-based prediction model of AD using structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods: We evaluated diagnostic accuracy and performance of our RF based prediction model using newly developed brain segmentation method compared with the Freesurfer’s which is a commonly used segmentation software. Results: Our RF model showed high diagnostic accuracy for differentiating healthy controls from AD and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) using structural MRI, patient characteristics, and cognitive function (HC vs. AD 93.5%, AUC 0.99; HC vs. MCI 80.8%, AUC 0.88). Moreover, segmentation processing time of our algorithm (<5 minutes) was much shorter than of Freesurfer’s (6–8 hours). Conclusion Our RF model might be an effective automatic brain segmentation tool which can be easily applied in real clinical practice.