OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the influences of affect states and mood congruent/incongruent variables in psychosis-proneness. METHODS: Five hundred and two undergraduate students completed the SPQ and other scales. Psychosis-proneness was measured by Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ), and affect states were measured by Positive Affect and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). Mood congruent variables were measured by Mood reactivity in Mood Survey and Affect Intensity Measure (AIM), and mood incongruent variables were measured by Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS), Emotional Inhibition and Aggression Control in Emotional Control Questionnaire (ECQ). RESULTS: By hierachical regression analysis, total 39.1% of SPQ total score variance was explained by emotion related variables. In detail, negative and positive affect states explained 26% of variance, and affect intensity and mood reactivity of mood-congruent variables added 7.7% and mood aware, emotional inhibition & aggression control among mood-incongruent variables added 5.5%. And emotion related variables explained 43.8% of negative symptom, 27.6% of positive symptom and 23.6% of disorganization score. CONCLUSION: Negative affect was revealed as important factor for psychosis-proneness, and positive affect acted as the reversed role. Mood reactivity and affect intensity acted as mood congruent variables which amplified and reinforced the influence of negative affect on psychosis-proneness. Mood aware, repair and aggression control acted as mood incongruent variables which modulated and reduce the influence of negative affect, while mood attention and emotional inhibition acted as mood congruent variables in contrast with the prediction.
Aggression ; Appointments and Schedules ; Humans ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Weights and Measures

OBJECTIVE: The present study was conducted to evaluate the viability of germ cells form the adult and fetal ovarian tissues after vitrification followed by xenografting. METHOD: The human adult ovarian tissues were obtained from 33 years old patients, and the fetal ovarian tissues were obtained from 22 weeks and 25 weeks in gestation. ovarian tissues were cryopreserved by vitrification with 5.5 M ethylene glycol (EG 5.5) and 1.0 M sucrose as cryoprotectants. Adult and fetal ovarian tissues were pre-equilivrated with EG 5.5 at room temperature for 10 and 5 minutes, respectively and plunged into liquid nitrogen immediately. Frozen-thawed tissues were xenografted into NOD-SCID mice to evaluated the viability and capacity for further growth of the primordial follicles. Grafts were recovered from the recipients 4 weeks after transplantation and histological analysis was accomplished. RESULT AND CONCLUSION: Grafts recovered 4 weeks after transplantation contained less number of oocytes and primordial follicles compared to that of the fresh tissues. Survived follicles were mainly primordial and intermediary with larger diameter and more granulosa cells. It is confirmed that 1) the ovarian tissues were healthy and the germ cells were survived after vitrification, and 2) the survived fetal primordial follicles after vitrification resumed the growth in the xenofrafts.
Adult ; Animals* ; Ethylene Glycol ; Female ; Germ Cells ; Granulosa Cells ; Heterografts* ; Humans* ; Mice ; Nitrogen ; Oocytes ; Pregnancy ; Sucrose ; Transplantation, Heterologous* ; Transplants ; Vitrification

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between emotional traits and schizotypal symptoms and to establish a hypothetical model for the causal relationship between them. METHODS: Schizotypal symptoms were assessed using the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ), and a total of seven emotional traits considered to be potential risk factors for schizotypy were categorized as emotional disturbances, emotional attenuators or emotional amplifiers. A total of 502 undergraduate students completed the SPQ and other scales. RESULTS: The result of the present study suggested that the high levels of emotional disturbance in individuals who are prone to schizotypy or psychosis are amplified by their intensity and fluctuation. However, if their emotion attenuating abilities function well, these disturbances can be controlled and the schizotypal symptoms and progression to psychosis can be contained. Discriminant analysis showed that 69.0% of the subjects with many schizotypal symptoms and 80.7% of the subjects with few schizotypal symptoms were correctly classified. CONCLUSION: The present study suggests the possibility of using emotional traits to identify the risk factors for psychosis.
Affective Symptoms ; Humans ; Psychotic Disorders ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Risk Factors ; Weights and Measures

BACKGROUND: A predominant accumulation of adipose tissue in abdominal region confers increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The best technology available for measurement of regional fat distribution is computed tomography. However, computed tomography is limited its use for clinical purposes by cost. The aim of this study is to identify the best simple anthropometric index of abdominal visceral fat accumulation. METHODS: To quantify the relationship between anthropometric indices of abdominal obesity(waist circumference, waist to hip ratio, waist to height ratio, body mass index, abdominal sagittal diameter) and abdominal(total, visceral, subcutaneous) fat areas measured by computed tomography, correlation and multiple regression analyses have been conducted. RESULTS: No significant difference for waist circumference, body mass index and sagittal diameter between men and women have been found. Mean value of waist to hip ratio is larger in women, but waist to height ratio is larger in men. The mean abdominal total fat area and mean subcutaneous fat area are higher in women. Interestingly, men, despite lower total fat area, have higher mean abdominal visceral area. Thus, the mean visceral fat to subcutaneous fat ratio is much higher in men. Abdominal sagittal diameter shows the highest correlation(men: 0.69, women: 0.76) with abdominal visceral fat area in both genders. Stepwise regression analyses have been performed to determine the best simple anthropometric index of abdominal visceral fat accumulation. In men, the significant indices are abdominal sagittal diameter, body mass index, and waist to height ratio. In women, abdominal sagittal diameter is the only significant index. CONCLUSION: Abdominal sagittal diameter, in comparison with the waist circumference, waist to hip ratio, waist to height ratio and body mass index, is the best predictor of the amount of abdominal visceral fat.
Adipose Tissue ; Body Mass Index ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Female ; Hip ; Humans ; Intra-Abdominal Fat* ; Male ; Obesity ; Subcutaneous Fat ; Waist Circumference ; Waist-Hip Ratio

Saethre-Chotzen syndrome is an autosomal dominant craniosynostosis syndrome, usually involving unior bilateral coronal synostosis and mild limb deformities, and is induced by loss-of-function mutations of the TWIST1 gene. Other clinical features of this syndrome include ptosis, low-set ears, hearing loss, hypertelorism, broad great toes, clinodactyly, and syndactyly. The authors of the present study report 2 children with clinical features of Saethre-Chotzen syndrome who showed mutations in the TWIST1 gene, and is the first molecular genetic confirmation of Saethre-Chotzen syndrome in Korea. The molecular genetic testing of the TWIST1 gene for patients with coronal synostoses is important to confirm the diagnosis and to provide adequate genetic counseling.
Acrocephalosyndactylia ; Child ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Craniosynostoses ; Ear ; Extremities ; Genetic Counseling ; Hearing Loss ; Humans ; Hypertelorism ; Korea ; Molecular Biology ; Syndactyly ; Synostosis ; Toes

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Osteoporosis is common in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. The relationship between osteoporosis and COPD has been primarily reported in patients with moderate to severe COPD, but there is no report in the general population. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between bone mineral density (BMD) and lung function in the general Korean population. METHODS: This study was based on data acquired from the Fourth and Fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (KNHANES IV and V), conducted from 2008 to 2010. The study population included 4,501 subjects (aged ≥ 50 years) who underwent both spirometry and BMD. The study populations were divided into two groups by sex to correct for the effects of gender on BMD. All female participants were postmenopausal women. RESULTS: The BMD values of the femur neck, total femur, and L-spine tended to decrease with degree of airflow limitation in both genders. To correct confounding factors, data were analyzed and adjusted for age, body mass index, fat free mass index, body fat percentage, smoking amount, parathyroid hormone levels, daily calcium and phosphorus intake, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels. While the BMD of the femur neck, total femur, and L-spine was reduced significantly as age and ALP increased, the correlation between airway obstruction and BMD of all regions disappeared in both genders. CONCLUSIONS: In the general population aged 50 years and older, diminution of BMD is not associated with airway obstruction. Further investigation along other factors is needed to determine the possible role of pulmonary function and BMD.
Adipose Tissue ; Airway Obstruction ; Alkaline Phosphatase ; Body Mass Index ; Bone Density* ; Calcium ; Female ; Femur ; Femur Neck ; Humans ; Korea ; Lung ; Nutrition Surveys* ; Osteoporosis ; Parathyroid Hormone ; Phosphorus ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Spirometry

PURPOSE: Since most terminally ill cancer patients die of multiple organ failure, plasma endotoxin concentration levels may be used to predict the life expectancy. This study was performed to evaluate the clinical significance of endotoxin level in plasma as a prognostic factor for survival in patients with terminal cancer. METHODS: This study was conducted with 56 terminally ill cancer patients, above 20 years old, from April 2009 through October 2009. Demographic characteristics, Karnofsky performance status, and survival time were evaluated. We analyzed blood levels of white blood cell hemoglobin, hematocrit, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, c-reactive protein, total bilirubin and endotoxin in each patient. RESULTS: We considered following variable for univariate analysis: plasma endotoxin level, sex, age, WBC, hemoglobin, hematocrit, AST, ALT, total bilirubin, CRP and severity of pain. Univariate analysis did not show a significant association between plasma endotoxin level and survival time. However, in a multivariate analysis with factors that were found to be significantly associated with survival sex, WBC count and total bilirubin level in univariate analysis, high levels of plasma endotoxin and short survival time were significantly related. CONCLUSION: Plasma endotoxin level could be used as a prognostic factor to predict the life expectancy of terminally ill cancer patients.
Alanine Transaminase ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; Bilirubin ; C-Reactive Protein ; Endotoxins ; Hematocrit ; Hospice Care ; Humans ; Karnofsky Performance Status ; Leukocytes ; Life Expectancy ; Multiple Organ Failure ; Multivariate Analysis ; Plasma* ; Prognosis ; Terminal Care ; Terminally Ill*

Greig cephalopolysyndactyly syndrome (GCPS) is a disorder characterized by postaxial polydactyly of the hand, broad or occasionally bifid thumbs, preaxial polydactyly of the feet, broad halluces, syndactyly of the fingers or toes, macrocephaly, frontal bossing, hypertelorism and a broad nasal bridge. Intelligence is usually normal, although borderline IQ has been reported. Advanced bone age, mild hydrocephalus, craniosynostosis and agenesis of the corpus callosum are occasionally associated abnormalities. We report here a 10-day-old male infant with GCPS. Birth Weight was 2,400kg and gestational age was 39 wks. He had a wide broad high forehead, hypertelorism, broad nose base and cryptorchidism. He had preaxial polysyndactyly due to duplication of the right thumb and left accessory thumb, duplication of both halluces and syndactyly of both toes and fingers. His brain MRI showed corpus callosum agenesis, mild hydrocephalus and small choroid plexus cyst. High resolution chromosomal analysis showed a de novo balanced translocation 46, XY, t (7;8) (p22;q24.1). We report the first GCPS case in Korea with brief literature.
Agenesis of Corpus Callosum ; Birth Weight ; Brain ; Choroid Plexus ; Corpus Callosum ; Craniosynostoses ; Cryptorchidism ; Fingers ; Foot ; Forehead ; Gestational Age ; Hand ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus ; Hypertelorism ; Infant ; Intelligence ; Korea ; Macrocephaly ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Nose ; Polydactyly ; Syndactyly ; Thumb ; Toes

Isolated ACTH deficiency is a rare cause of secondary adrenocortical insufficiency. The clinical presentation can be similar to that of primary adrenal insufficiency, but most of them may be nonspecific. A female patient of 25 months of age, complainig short stature, showed hypocortisolemia without ACTH & cortisol stimulation by insulin-induced hypoglycemia test. All the other hormone state was normal. Left hand AP view revealed delayed bone age(3 month) compared with chronological age. No radiologic abnormality was found in sella MRI and adrenal CT. Here we report a case of isolated ACTH deficiency presented by short stature.
Addison Disease ; Adrenocorticotropic Hormone ; Female ; Hand ; Humans ; Hydrocortisone ; Hypoglycemia ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Acromegaly is a rare endocrine disorder caused by excessive secretion of the growth hormone. There is a wide range of clinical manifestations from somatic symptoms to respiratory or cardiac failure. Among them, cardiovascular involvement is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. There are relatively few cases reporting cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) findings of cardiomyopathy in patients with acromegaly. Thus, we report a case of acromegaly showing dilated cardiomyopathy focusing on the findings of CMR.
Acromegaly ; Cardiomyopathies ; Cardiomyopathy, Dilated ; Growth Hormone ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Mortality