OBJECTIVES: Child abuse can affect mental and physical health of abused children. Accurate assessment of mental health of abused children is integral to providing proper treatment and preventing any further impact of childhood abuse on their future life. In this study, we investigated psychiatric illnesses among abused children. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews using the Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Present and Lifetime Version-Korean Version were conducted for 61 abused children after obtaining consent from their guardians. We also assessed the relationship between the demographic data of these abused children and their diagnoses. RESULTS: Among the abused children, more than half had more than one psychiatric disorder. The most frequently diagnosed disorders were attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, depressive disorder, and oppositional defiant disorder. The incidence of posttraumatic stress disorder was higher in abused girls compared with abused boys. Abused children had a higher suicide risk than the general population. Among the parents of abused children, 50.8% had alcohol use disorders. CONCLUSION: Among the abused children, 50.8% had psychiatric disorders. Administration of intensive psychiatric treatment to abused children, and prevention of child abuse by education, treatment, and monitoring high-risk parents is imperative.
Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders ; Child Abuse ; Child* ; Depressive Disorder ; Diagnosis ; Education ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Mental Disorders* ; Mental Health ; Mood Disorders ; Parents ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic ; Suicide

Even when DNA sequencing of purified DNA template failed under the optimal condition, it can be generally contributed to high GC content. GC-rich region of template causes a secondary structure to produce shorter readable sequence. To solve this problem, the sequencing reaction was modified by using dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). It was found that 5% (v/v) of DMSO in the reaction mixture recovers sequencing signal intensity with reduced frequency of ambiguous bases. When DMSO was added to sequencing reaction of DNA template with normal GC content, it did not show any adverse effect. Sequencing accuracy and unambiguous base frequency were significantly improved at concentration of 2% to 5% (v/v) DMSO in GC-rich DNA template. DMSO has been empirically introduced to enhance the efficiency of PCR in GC-rich templates. However, the underlying mechanism of improved cycle sequencing by DMSO is unknown. Thus, cycle sequencing reaction was remodified with other additives such as N-methyl imidazole, N-methyl2-pyrrolidone, N-methyl-2-pyridone and glycerol, possessing the similar chemical properties as DMSO. Most of methyl nitrogen ring-containing chemicals did not improve sequencing accuracy, whereas only glycerol mimicked the positive effect of DMSO by the same extent. In the present study, we suggest that the treatment of DMSO improve cycle sequencing by the alteration of structural conformation of GC-rich DNA template.
Base Composition ; DNA/chemistry* ; Dimethyl Sulfoxide/pharmacology* ; Plasmids/genetics ; Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods* ; Sequence Analysis, DNA* ; Solvents/pharmacology ; Solvents/chemistry ; Templates

OBJECTIVES: We developed a Korean version of the Brief Measure of Worry Severity(BMWS), and examined its reliability, validity, and factor structures. We also explored the associations of pathological worry with depression and anxiety. METHODS: Three hundreds fifty-two subjects including community population and college students completed the BMWS, and 27 subjects repeated the scale three weeks later. Reliability was assessed by Cronbach's coefficient alpha and test-retest correlation. The external validity was examined by the correlation of the BMWS score with the scores of Beck Depression Inventory(BDI), Patient Health questionnaire-2(PHQ-2), State Anxiety Inventory(SAI), and Trait Anxiety Inventory(TAI). And principal component analysis was performed to evaluate the construct validity. The associations of pathological worry with depression and anxiety were explored using partial correlation analysis. RESULTS: Cronbach's coefficient alpha for the BMWS was 0.904 and test-retest correlation was 0.56(P<0.01). The Spearman correlation coefficients of the BMWS score with the scores of BDI, PHQ-2, SAI, and TAI were 0.60(P<0.01), 0.42(P<0.01), 0.36(P<0.01), and 0.59(P<0.01), respectively. The BMWS showed unifactorial construct. When controlling for TAI score, the correlation coefficient between the BMWS score and the BDI score was 0.357(P<0.01), and when controlling for BDI score the correlation coefficient between the BMWS score and the TAI score was 0.446(P<0.01). CONCLUSION: The Korean version of the BMWS was found to be a reliable and valid questionnaire for measuring pathological worry. And we could identify the associations of the pathological worry with depression as well as anxiety.
Anxiety ; Depression ; Humans ; Principal Component Analysis ; Questionnaires

OBJECTIVE: The primary aim of this study was to compare electronic monitoring with other measures of adherence to Osmotic-controlled Release Oral delivery System methylphenidate in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The secondary aim was to analyze the relationships between adherence and clinical factors, including ADHD symptoms. METHODS: Thirty-nine children diagnosed with ADHD were monitored for adherence to medication over the course of eight weeks. Medication adherence was assessed using the Medication Event Monitoring System (MEMS), which is a bottle cap with a microprocessor that records all instances and times that the bottle is opened; patient self-report; clinician rating; and pill count. Information, including demographic and clinical characteristics, symptom rating scale, and psychological test results, were also collected. The relationships between adherence and clinical factors, including ADHD rating scores of baseline and of the changes, were assessed. RESULTS: The rate of non-adherence measured by the MEMS was found to be 46.2%, which was considerably higher than those of the patient self-report (17.9%), clinician rating (31.7%), and pill count (12.8%) of non-adherence. The rate of adherence measured by the MEMS was not significantly associated with baseline symptom severity or symptom changes over the eight weeks, although non-adherent group showed more severe baseline symptoms and inferior improvement. CONCLUSION: Adherence as measured by the MEMS showed a discrepancy with other measures of adherence in patients with ADHD. The symptom severity and level of improvement were not related to adherence with MEMS. Further studies are needed to evaluate the variables that may impact medication adherence in children with ADHD.
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity ; Child ; Electronics ; Electrons ; Humans ; Medication Adherence ; Methylphenidate ; Micro-Electrical-Mechanical Systems ; Microcomputers ; Psychological Tests

Olanzapine is known to induce extrapyramydal symptom and tardive dysknesia less than typical antipsychotics. However, there are accumulating reports of tardive dyskinesia induced by olanzapine. We experienced a patient with schizophrenia who demonstrated tardive dyskinesia following treatment with low dose olanzapine. This case suggests that even patients with low dose olanzapine are exposed to the risk of tardive dyskinesia.
Antipsychotic Agents ; Humans ; Movement Disorders* ; Schizophrenia

PURPOSE: We investigated the effect of menopausal duration on cognitive function using adjunctive hormone replacement therapy(HRT) in postmenopausal women with depression. METHOD: Twelve postmenopausal women with depressive disorder were enrolled. Six patients having menopausal duration of less than 3 years was assigned to the short duration group and six patients of more than 3 years to the long duration group. Each patient was treated with conjugated equine estrogen(1.25mg) plus medroxyprogesterone(5mg) for 8 weeks. Cognitive performance was measured by the Verbal Memory Test, Visual Memory Test, Trail Making Test, Digit Symbol Test, and Attention Shift Test. The Beck Depression Inventory was used for evaluation of depressed mood. The reproductive hormone levels were also measured. RESULTS: The long duration group showed the lower performance only in Trail Making Test B compared with the short duration group at baseline. After 8 weeks, the long duration group performed significantly better in the Trail Making Test B compared with the short duration group. The differences in change of depressive mood and gonadal hormone level between two groups were not significant. CONCLUSION: Menopausal duration before HRT may influence the effect of estrogen on cognition in some cognitive domains. This might be related with estrogen receptor hypersensitivity which induced by the longer estrogen deficiency.
Cognition ; Depression* ; Depressive Disorder ; Estrogens ; Female ; Gonads ; Hormone Replacement Therapy* ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Memory ; Trail Making Test

OBJECTIVE: Lamotrigine's possible efficacy in the treatment of depressive disorders has been suggested. This naturalistic study investigated clinical response to lamotrigine augmentation in patients with treatment-resistant depression. Characteristics of the lamotrigine-responders were also explored. METHODS: Clinical data from 40 lamotrigine- treated patients with treatment-resistant unipolar depression were analyzed. The subjects were diagnosed with DSM-IV major depressive disorder and resistant to at least 2 antidepressants. Efficacy of lamotrigine treatment was measured by the changes in mean scores of the Clinical Global Impression Severity subscale (CGI-S), which were extracted from the prospective mood chart and structured interviews. Response was defined as a decrease of at least 2 or more from baseline on the CGI-S. Untoward effects associated with lamotrigine treatment were also assessed through medical records. RESULTS: Significant reduction in the CGI-S mean score was observed from baseline through 8 week lamotrigine augmentation in 40 patients with treatment-resistant unipolar depression (t=5.7, df=39, p<.01), and the magnitude of treatment effect was large (r(effect size)=0.68). Drop-outs were mainly attributable to lamotrigine-associated rash (N=5). Greater rate of improvement was associated with responder group (N=14) compared to non-responder group (N=17) from week 3 onward. CONCLUSION: The results of current study lend support to the potential benefit of lamotrigine augmentation in a subpopulation of patients with treatmentresistant unipolar depression. Continuation of lamotrigine add-on for more than 3 weeks may be needed to assess clinical outcome. Lamotrigine augmentation was generally well-tolerated. Large scale, double-blind studies are necessary to confirm its use as an augmentation agent.
Antidepressive Agents ; Depression ; Depressive Disorder ; Depressive Disorder, Major ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Double-Blind Method ; Exanthema ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Triazines

Endostatin, a carboxyl-terminal fragment of collagen XVIII is known as an anti-angiogenic agent, that specifically inhibits the proliferation of endothelial cell and the growth of several primary tumor. We report here the purification and characterization of the recombinant murine endostatin (rmEndostatin) which was expressed in a prokaryotic expression system. This rmEndostatin has similar physiochemical properties of yeast-produced recombinant endostatin, and it also specifically inhibits the proliferation and migration of bovine capillary endothelial cells stimulated by basic fibroblast growth factor. The biological activity of rmEndostatin was also shown by its anti-angiogenic ability on the chorioallantoic membrane of chick embryo in vivo. In this article, we demonstrate the refolding and purification of rmEndostatin, expressed using E. coli system, to a biologically active and soluble form. In addition, these results confirm the activity of endostatin as a potent anti-angiogenic agent. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.
Angiogenesis Inhibitors/pharmacology* ; Angiogenesis Inhibitors/isolation & purification ; Angiogenesis Inhibitors/genetics* ; Animal ; Blotting, Western ; Cattle ; Cell Movement/drug effects ; Chick Embryo ; Chorion/pathology ; Chorion/drug effects ; Circular Dichroism ; Collagen/pharmacology* ; Collagen/isolation & purification ; Collagen/genetics* ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Endothelium, Vascular/drug effects ; Endothelium, Vascular/cytology ; Escherichia coli/genetics* ; Fibroblast Growth Factor, Basic/pharmacology ; Mice ; Neovascularization, Physiologic/drug effects ; Peptide Fragments/pharmacology* ; Peptide Fragments/isolation & purification ; Peptide Fragments/genetics* ; Protein Folding ; Recombinant Proteins/pharmacology ; Recombinant Proteins/isolation & purification ; Recombinant Proteins/genetics ; Solubility ; Yeasts/genetics

OBJECTIVES: Many patients with Alzheimer's disease have difficulty in taking their medicine by themselves and their poor drug adherence possibly results in aggravating various symptoms. The aim of this study was to assess the variables influencing drug adherence of Alzheimer's disease patients. METHODS: In a four-week period, 33 outpatients over 65 years old diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease were monitored. Drug adherences were assessed by the Medication Event Monitoring System (MEMS), the pill count, the clinician rating scale, and self-report. Agreements among adherence measures and the relationships between MEMS adherence and other clinical factors were assessed. RESULTS: The adherence rates for the MEMS, the pill count, the clinician rating scale and, self-report were 51.5%, 82.8%, 82.8%, and 87.9%. The Kappa coefficients were 0.382 (pill count vs. MEMS, clinician rating scale vs. MEMS) and 0.256 (self-report vs. MEMS). Males showed better adherence than females but the other clinical variables did not show significant differences between adherence group and non-adherence group. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that clinicians should be concerned when assessing drug adherence in patients with Alzheimer's disease only by subjective reporting and pill counting since these methods may make patient's adherence underestimate. Clinicians should also take in mind that caregivers play an important role in improving adherence.
Alzheimer Disease ; Caregivers ; Dementia ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Micro-Electrical-Mechanical Systems ; Outpatients