BACKGROUND: Molecular and genetic studies of the complement component C9 have never been reported in Korea. METHODS: We have checked the TaqI polymorphism of the C9 gene in 52 randomly selected adult Koreans. Southern blot analysis was carried out to detect the restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of the C9 gene. The fragments of human C9 cDNA were hybridized with the TaqI digested genomic DNA. RESULTS: The functional levels of complements in all subjects were measured at 84.4+/-3.8% by hemolytic assay, which indicates that the subjects have functionally normal complement systems. Fifty-four percent of the individuals were found to have the C9 genes that contain the constant fragments only. It seems that the undetected TaqI site may be located in the intron of the C9 gene. The silent mutation of C->T transversion was found in exon 1 of the C9 gene through polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformational polymorphism, but no mutation was found in exon 4 of the C9 gene. CONCLUSIONS: We could not find TaqI polymorphism in exons of the C9 gene in 52 Koreans.
Adult ; Blotting, Southern ; Complement C9 ; Complement System Proteins* ; DNA ; DNA, Complementary ; Exons* ; Humans ; Introns ; Korea ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length

Depressive disorder is a common mental illness and remains a major cause of morbidity worldwide. The present study, a cross-sectional, nationwide, population-based survey assessed the prevalence of depression in the general population of Korea through a random sampling of the non-institutionalized population for the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) VI. The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9 was first introduced into the KNHANES to detect depression. The point prevalence of depression (PHQ score of 10 or higher) was 6.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.7–7.6) in 4,949 subjects. Based on the analysis using the diagnostic algorithm of the PHQ-9, the prevalence of major depressive disorder was 2.7% (95% CI, 2.2–3.3). Multiple logistic regression analysis, after adjusting the sociodemographic variables, also showed that the factors associated with depression were perceived stress and health status. This study reported for the first time that the point prevalence of depression screened using the PHQ-9 in this nationwide survey of the Korean population was similar to that of the western countries. As the KNHANES to detect depression is conducted biennially, further studies on the accumulated data are expected in the future.
Depression* ; Depressive Disorder ; Depressive Disorder, Major ; Humans ; Korea* ; Logistic Models ; Nutrition Surveys* ; Prevalence*

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to develop the clinical guideline for headache by the systematic review and synthesis of existing evidence-based guidelines. The purpose of developing the guideline was to improve the appropriateness of diagnosis and treatment of headache disorder, and consequently, to improve patients’ pain control and quality of life. The guideline broadly covers the differential diagnosis and treatment of tension-type headache, migraine, cluster headache, and medication-overuse headache. METHODS: This is a methodological study based on the ADAPTE methodology, including a systematic review of the literature, quality assessment of the guidelines using the Appraisal of Clinical Guidelines for REsearch & Evaluation II (AGREE II) Instrument, as well as an external review using a Delphi technique. The inclusion criteria for systematic search were as follows: topic-relevant, up-to-date guidelines including evidence from within 5 years, evidence-based guidelines, guidelines written in English or Korean, and guidelines issued by academic institutions or government agencies. RESULTS: We selected five guidelines and conducted their quality assessment using the AGREE II Instrument. As a result, one guideline was found to be eligible for adaptation. For 13 key questions, a total of 39 recommendations were proposed with the grading system and revised using the nominal group technique. CONCLUSION: Recommendations should be applied to actual clinical sites to achieve the ultimate goal of this guideline; therefore, follow-up activities, such as monitoring of guideline usage and assessment of applicability of the recommendations, should be performed in the future. Further assessment of the effectiveness of the guideline in Korea is needed.
Cluster Headache ; Delphi Technique ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Follow-Up Studies ; Government Agencies ; Headache Disorders ; Headache ; Korea ; Methods ; Migraine Disorders ; Quality of Life ; Tension-Type Headache