Background: As female social participation increases, the importance of femininity in leadership also increases. In Korea in 2021, 26.8% of 132,013 doctors and 35.1% of 3,099 medical students were female. However, no research has been conducted on the gender demographics of medical leaders. This study aims to define Korean medical leadership, investigate the gender ratio, and determine whether the proportion of women leaders differs in the academic and non-academic worlds. Methods: Korean medical leaders were defined as those in director or higher-level positions in organizations affiliated with the Korean Medical Association, 34 organizing societies under the Korean Academy of Medical Sciences (KAMS), and those who held dean and vice dean positions in 40 medical schools. Academic societies comprised KAMS, KAMS-affiliated societies, and medical schools; the rest were classified as non-academic organizations. Data were collected through website, e-mail, or telephonic surveys. Differences in the number of women leaders between academics and non-academics were analyzed using the chi-square test. Results: In total, 1,863 medical leaders were evaluated, with females accounting for 12.6%. The difference in the ratio of female leaders between academic and non-academic societies was not statistically significant (13.1% academic vs. 11.8% non-academic; P=0.445). Conclusion The proportion of women leaders in the Korean medical field is relatively low compared with that of female doctors and medical students. The number of women in leadership positions and their effect on medical society will be observed periodically.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a serious infectious disease with multisystem alteration including neurological complications. COVID-19 associated encephalitis is a potentially fatal viral infection of the brain. Diffusion-weighted images (DWI) are a useful evaluation modality of cytotoxic edema in patients with encephalitis. We report on the reversible DWI change in a patient with COVID-19 associated encephalitis, who had diffused cytotoxic edema in the affected temporal lobe and accompanied status epilepticus. Sequential imaging showed that the cytotoxic edema in DWI confirmed recovery to normal after 12 days in the presence of cortical edema in fluid-attenuated inversion recovery image after aggressive neurocritical management. Thus, prompt, proper management is indispensable during the acute period and DWI may be a valuable tool for reflecting the clinical course of COVID-19 associated encephalitis.

Nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ) and its receptor, nociceptin opioid peptide (NOP) receptor, are localized in brain areas implicated in depression including the amygdala, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, habenula, and monoaminergic nuclei in the brain stem. N/OFQ inhibits neuronal excitability of monoaminergic neurons and monoamine release from their terminals by activation of G protein-coupled inwardly rectifying K⁺ channels and inhibition of voltage sensitive calcium channels, respectively. Therefore, NOP receptor antagonists have been proposed as a potential antidepressant. Indeed, mounting evidence shows that NOP receptor antagonists have antidepressant-like effects in various preclinical animal models of depression, and recent clinical studies again confirmed the idea that blockade of NOP receptor signaling could provide a novel strategy for the treatment of depression. In this review, we describe the pharmacological effects of N/OFQ in relation to depression and explore the possible mechanism of NOP receptor antagonists as potential antidepressants.
Amygdala ; Antidepressive Agents ; Brain ; Brain Stem ; Calcium Channels ; Depression ; Habenula ; Models, Animal ; Neurons ; Neuropeptides ; Opioid Peptides ; Receptors, Drug ; Septal Nuclei