OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the compensatory neural correlate of selective attention deficit in schizophrenics showing near-normal performance. METHODS : A 'modified Stroop' was developed that can be used measure the response time during functional imaging. An event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging study was carried out in 10 clinically stabilized schizophrenics and 10 healthy controls during the performance of a 'modified Stroop'. In the 'modified Stroop', the subjects were required to respond with a two-button mouse to whether or not the color of a subsequent word corresponded to one of T-shirt. The significantly activated brain regions were investigated in a voxel-wise t-test of the Stroop load. RESULTS : Schizophrenics, compared with healthy controls, showed poorer response time, but had similar accuracy. Compensatory activation in the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) was observed in schizophrenics. The left paracingulate sulcus was less activated in the schizophrenics than in the healthy controls. CONCLUSION : These results suggest that, in schizophrenics showing a normal accuracy during the Stroop, selective attention deficits might be related to the left paracingulate sulcus as well as the anterior cingulate. In addition, their deficits may be compensated with the right IFG.
Animals ; Brain ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Mice ; Reaction Time ; Schizophrenia

PURPOSE: This study was aimed to determine the role of the VEGF and MVD expression in infiltrating ductal carcinoma of breast and to observe the correlation between the expression of these VEGF/MVD, and other prognostic factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Immunohistochemical staining of VEGF and MVD with monoclonal antibody in pathologic specimens of 35 patients of infiltrating ductal carcinoma of breast was carried out. Reiationship between the expression of the VEGF/MVD and prognostic factors were assessed. RESULTS: The VEGF/MVD expression was closely related to tumor size, lymph node metastasis, and clinical stage, but not related to histologic grade, nuclear grade, estrogen receptor, and progestrone receptor. And the VEGF expression was closely related to MVD. CONCLUSION: The VEGF expression and microvessel density in infiltrating ductal carcinoma of breast may play an important prognostic factors, closely related to the tumor size, lymph node metastasis, and stage.
Breast Neoplasms ; Breast* ; Carcinoma, Ductal* ; Estrogens ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Microvessels ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A*

OBJECTIVES: The in-training examination (Performance Examination, PE) for psychiatric residents in Korea was launched 5 years ago by the Korean Neuropsychiatric Association (KNPA). This article analyzes 5-year accumulated data on the PE, and tries to make some suggestions for further development of the PE. METHODS: The 5-year data, previously utilized for the generation of formal annual reports were reanalyzed, with an emphasis on longitudinal trends. RESULTS: The analyses indicated the following; 1) Higher-year residents earned definitely higher scores than their lower-year colleagues on the PE. This trend was especially prominent in the area of psychopharmacology-biological psychiatry, geriatric psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry, and the emergency-organic psychiatry. There was no year-related performance difference in the area of psychoses. 2) In the area of anxiety-somatization disorder, psychophysiological disorder, and geriatric psychiatry, the residents in the university-affiliated hospitals outperformed those in the specialized psychiatric hospitals. 3) Through analyzing multiple-times examinees, it was found that their first-and second-time performances were moderately correlated, and that their ranks tended to improve, demonstrating a continuously improving performance according to the training year. CONCLUSION: These result suggested that the KNPA PE is a feasible measure for the estimation of an individual resident's performance as well as the adequacy of the environment provided by the training institutes.
Academies and Institutes ; Adolescent ; Adolescent Psychiatry ; Child ; Child Psychiatry ; Geriatric Psychiatry ; Hospitals, Psychiatric ; Humans ; Korea ; Psychophysiologic Disorders ; Psychotic Disorders