No abstract available.
Dermatitis, Atopic* ; Humans ; Mothers*

No abstract available.
Gastroscopy* ; Humans

No abstract available.
Humans

No abstract available.
Anxiety* ; Depression*

Estrogens have diverse effects on the CNS throughout the lifespan and do so via multiple mechanisms involving both genomic and non-genomic receptors. Estrogens affect not only the hypothalamus but also catecholamine, serotonin, acetylcholine and dopamine system including hippocampus, nigrostriatal, and glial cells. These systems are involved in a variety of estrogen actions on mood, locomotor activity, pain sensitivity, and cognition. Estrogens act primarily by classic genomic mechanisms through intracellular receptors to modulate transcription and protein synthesis. Estrogens also act via second messenger such as cAMP regulation, MAP kinase regulation and calcium homeostasis. These actions may be related to non-genomic receptors, the membrane-binding receptors, which are not well identified. Furthermore estrogens act as potent neuroprotective and neurotrophic factors by estrogen receptor dependent and independent mechanisms. There are some supports that estrogens are helpful for mood disturbance in reproductive-related conditions. Also inconsistent effects of estrogens on mood and cognitive functions associated with the postmenopause, Alzheimer's disease, and neurotrauma are reported. Based upon diversity of region and molecular mechanism of action of estrogens in the brain, much more research is required to establish guideline for using estrogen as a potential antidepressant, cognitive enhancer, and neuroprotective agent in the clinical practice of psychiatry.
Acetylcholine ; Alzheimer Disease ; Brain ; Calcium ; Central Nervous System* ; Cognition ; Dopamine ; Estrogens* ; Hippocampus ; Homeostasis ; Hypothalamus ; Motor Activity ; Nerve Growth Factors ; Neuroglia ; Phosphotransferases ; Postmenopause ; Second Messenger Systems ; Serotonin

This study was designed to compare the relationships of premenstrual symptom patterns, stress perception, and coping style between women with premenstrual change and women without premenstrual change, using prospective methods. Fifty one women older than 20 years and in healthy state were asked to complete the Daily Rating Form and Daily Stress Scale(6-point Likert scale) during one menstrual cycle. They were also instructed to respond to the Ways of Coping Checklist. Fifty-percent-change method was used to identify women with premenstrual change, and methods of chisquare, t-test, paired t-test, and correlation were employed to analyze their responses. The results are as follow. 1) 47.1% of the subjects were classified into premenstrual change group. 2) No significant difference between women with premenstural change and women without premenstrual change was found in demographic characteristics(e.g., age, education, job, marriage) and menstrual characteristics(e.g., ages of menarche, regularity of menstruation, interval and duration of menstruation, amount of menstruation, dysmenorrhea). 3) There was no significant difference in coping style between women with premenstural change and women without premenstrual change. However, we observed relationships between some of premenstrual symptoms(i.e., depressed mood, lability, difficulty in concentrating, changes in appetite, being overwhelmed) and coping style, among women with premenstrual change during premenstrual phase. No association was observed between premenstrual symptoms and coping style among women without premenstrual change. 4) Women with premenstrual change reported more stressfulness premenstrually than post-menstrually(t=5.09, df=22, p=.000) as compared to women without premenstrual change(t=0.59 df=26, p=.56). Our findings suggest that, among women with premenstrual change, there exists significant relationship between premenstrual symptom patterns and coping style. Also, the ways stressors are perceived are likely to be affected by the menstrual cycle phase, only among women with premenstrual change. These findings are consistent with the state-dependent model of premenstrual syndrome. Therefore, we should consider stress management as an important therapeutic strategy for those with premenstrual change, because of their high vulnerability to stressors.
Appetite ; Checklist ; Education ; Female ; Humans ; Menarche ; Menstrual Cycle ; Menstruation ; Premenstrual Syndrome ; Prospective Studies

OBJECTIVES: Adverse effects on sexual functions induced by antidepressant medications including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors(SSRIs) have been reported. The reported incidences of sexual dysfunctions varies with the way of questioning, with relatively low on self reporting and high on direct questioning and symptom questionnaires. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the frequency and nature of sexual dysfunctions during SSRIs treatment in outpatients with depressive disorder and anxiety disorder. METHODS: Seventy seven patients on SSRI therapy(fluoxetine, sertraline, and paroxetine) were enrolled in this study. The six aspects of sexual function were investigated:sexual desire, sexual excitement, sexual pain, orgasm, erection and ejaculation. BDI, S-A, T-A and questionnaires on sexual side effects and on other side effects of SSRIs were measured. The frequency and the severity of sexual dysfunctions were measured. Sexual side effects and other side effects of SSRIs were analyzed in association with the duration and the dose of SSRI treatment and the severity of depression and anxiety. RESULTS: The frequency of sexual dysfunction during SSRI use in our study was 38.96%. Women reported more sexual dysfunction(sexual desire, sexual excitement, orgasm). Also, women's sexual dysfunction was more intense. The most common sexual dysfunction was delayed orgasm(or anorgasmia) in women and ejaculatory difficulty in men. In patients with depressive disorder, the frequency of sexual dysfunctions was higher than in patients with anxiety disorder, which was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that SSRIs-associated female sexual dysfunction occurs substantially higher and is more severe than expected. It is important to pay attention to female sexual dysfunction during treatment with SSRIs. The sexual problems must be questioned directly for prompt detection of them and promotion of treatment compliance with SSRIs.
Anxiety ; Anxiety Disorders ; Compliance ; Depression ; Depressive Disorder ; Ejaculation ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Orgasm ; Outpatients ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Self Report ; Serotonin* ; Sertraline

The authors identified a patient with typical seasonal affective disorder, characterized by recurrent depression in the winter with remission in the spring or summer. Many studies reported that bright light therapy was effective in seasonal affective disorder, but the mechanism of bright light therapy and the therapeutic parameters of light therapy including intensity, duration, timing are still debated. We treated the patient with morning light treatment using 2500lux light box, the clinical symptoms in this case were improved. The authors suggest that seasonal affective disorder can be effectively treated with morning light treatment.
Depression ; Humans ; Phototherapy ; Seasonal Affective Disorder ; Seasons*

Stress can increase the risk of various diseases, exacerbate many medical disorders, and change healthy life-style behaviors. Therefore, effective management of stress is essential to decreasevulnerability to illnesses and to improve the quality of life. There is considerable evidence that mindbody interventions such as relaxation, meditation, imaginary technique, cognitivebehavior therapy, and biofeedback can be used as effective adjunctive therapy to conventional medical treatment for a number of medical disorders. The author will introduce the principles of stress management and briefly overview stress management methods and techniques.
Biofeedback, Psychology ; Meditation ; Quality of Life ; Relaxation

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the frequency and clinical characteristics of premenstrual syndrome(PMS)/premenstrual dysphoric disorder(PMDD) in high school students, and determine the correlates of PMS/PMDD in association with comorbid depression and anxiety. METHODS: A total of 1688 students were recruited from 5 high schools in Seoul, Korea. Subjects completed the questionnaire composed of scales to measure premenstrual symptoms, depression, and anxiety, as well as sociodemographic and reproductive variables. Subjects were categorized into 3 groups by using the Premenstrual Symptom Screening Tool(PSST) to determine the frequency and clinical characteristics of PMS/PMDD. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify the correlates of PMS/PMDD. RESULTS: The frequency of moderate to severe PMS and PMDD was 20.1% and 6.4%, respectively. Irritability (78.8%), fatigue(76.4%), and emotional sensitivity(69.8%) were common premenstrual symptoms, and functional impairment in academic performance(67.1%) was dominant. Dysmenorrhea[odd ratio(OR)=3.68, 95% confidence interval(CI) 2.45-5.55], family history of PMS(OR=1.91, 95% CI 1.35-2.71), and use of oral contraceptive (OR=1.85, 95% CI 1.16-2.94) were associated with the increased risk of PMS/PMDD after adjustment for depression and anxiety. Negative attitude to menses(OR=15.60, 95% CI 3.61-67.42) was associated with the increased risk of PMS/PMDD, particularly in subjects without depression and anxiety. CONCLUSIONS: PMS was common, as the frequency of PMS more than moderate severity including PMDD exceeded 25%, and disrupted daily functioning in adolescents. PMS is associated with various sociodemographic and menstrual characteristics, and these associations are affected by comorbid depression and anxiety.
Adolescent ; Anxiety ; Depression ; Humans ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Mass Screening ; Premenstrual Syndrome ; Questionnaires ; Weights and Measures