Relationship between Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms and Dopaminergic Gene Polymorphisms(DRD2, DAT, COMT) in Alcohol Dependence Patients

with DAT-9 gene allele. And The total score of CIWA-Ar scale in the subject without DAT-9 gene allele was significantly higher than in the subject with DAT-9 gene allele. COMT: The total score of CIWA-Ar scale in heterozygote was significantly higher than in homozygote. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest the relationship between specific genetic factors and the withdrawal symptoms of alcohol dependent patients. As the candidate gene of the severity of alcohol withdrawal syndrome, DRD2 Taq1 gene was recommended.

Interaction between Estrogen Receptor 1 and the Epsilon 4 Allele of Apolipoprotein E in Korean Schizophrenic Patients / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: Recent studies indicated that estrogen receptor 1 subtype(ESR1) genetic polymorphisms may affect the expression of ESR1, and are associated with Alzheimer's disease. This study was designed to investigate the interaction between ESR1 polymorphism and the epsilon4 allele of apolipoprotein E(ApoE) in Korean schizophrenic patients. METHODS: We studied 46 schizophrenic patients and 40 healthy controls. The ESR1 & ApoE polymorphisms were assessed by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism(RFLP) or reverse hybridization. RESULTS: The distribution of the genotype in schizophrenic patients with XX, Xx, xx, PP, Pp, pp were 7(15.2%), 20(43.5%), 19(41.3%), 10(21.7%), 19(41.3%), 17(37%), and the controls were 1(2.5%), 12(30%), 27(67.5%), 7(17.5%), 21(52.5%), and 12(30%). No significant differences for genotype distribution were revealed between controls and schizophrenic patients except Xba I genotype. The genotype frequency of schizophrenia with xx of ESR1 and epsilon4 of ApoE were 58.7%, 6.5% and that of the controls were 58.7%, and 15%, respectively. The ESR1 genotypes and ApoE were not associated with onset age, psychiatric symptoms, familial history, subtype(positive vs negative) of schizophrenic cases. In kappa-square, there is no significant difference between the two groups, and we are with an assum the interaction between the homogenous ESR1 xx genotype and the ApoE epsilon4 allele was not ob-served in schizophrenic patients. CONCLUSION: The ESR1 gene may not appears to interact with the ApoE epsilon4 genotype in determining schizophrenia susceptibility. There was no significant association between schizophrenia and ESR1 & ApoE gene polymorphism. But, Xba I genotype may be closer to schizophrenia than Pvu II genotype.

Depression in Schizophrenia / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVE: The heterogeneity of symptomatology within the group of schizophrenias is still a major obstacle for defining clinically useful subgroups of these disorders. One of these symptoms is depression. Recently there is a growing evidence suggesting that depressive symptoms and related mood disturbances are important in treating schizophrenia. This is so because of the improvement of such side effects as extrapyramidal symptoms with increasing use of atypical antipsychotics. Although depression is known to be a serious problem of many schizophrenic patients, the nature and course of depression in schizophrenia remain unknown. METHODS: The author examined the depressive features in 31 patients with schizophrenia. Ratings on the PANSS, BDI and HDRS were obtained. Eighteen percent of the total patients had BDI score above 21, considered depressed. RESULTS: There were no differences in BDI, HDRS and PANSS-D between positive symptom group and negative symptom group. There was also no correlation between subject scale(BDI) and objective scales(HDRS, PANSS-D). CONCLUSIONS: Depression in schizophrenia needs intensive studies. It is also considered as another heterogeneous domain beside negative or positive symptom domains. Out of respect for the high prevalence and serious outcome of depression in schizophrenia, a more differentiated assessment, analysis, and treatment of depressive symptom is recommended.

A Study on the Standardization of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale for Koreans: A Comparison of Normal, Depressed and Anxious Groups / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVE: The Purpose of this study was to standardize the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale for Koreans(HAD-K). METHOD: HAD-K, Beck Depression Inventory(BDI), and Self-Rating Anxiety Scale(SAS) were administered to 66 anxious and 74 depressed patients and 189 normal controls. RESULTS: The median correlation between items of the HAD-A and corrected item total score was 0.55 and HAD-D was 0.47. The values of Cronbach's alpha coefficient were 0.89 and 0.86. The results of testing the validity of the HAD examined by t-test proved that anxious and depressed groups were significantly different from normal controls. The construct validity of HAD-D with BDI was r=0.80, and HAD-A with SAS was r=0.79. The result of examining the sensitivity and specificity of HAD-D revealed that cut-off point of 8 yielded 89.2% sensitivity rate and 82.5% specificity rate. And those of HAD-A revealed that cut-off point of 8 yielded 78.8% sensitivity rate and 82.5% specificity rate. The result of the factor analysis found 3 factors in HAD, which were anxiety(factor 1) and depression (factor 2). The total percent of two factors were 59.6%. CONCLUSION: The HAD-K was proven to measure the anxiety and depression validly. Primary physicians and non-psychiatrists also can easily measure anxiety and depression of patients within a short time with HAD-K.

A comparison of mitomycin C and bacillus calmette-guerin for the prophylaaxis of high risk superficial bladder tumors / 대한비뇨기과학회지

We compared the prophylactic efficacy of intravesical mitomycin C with bacillus Calmette-Guerin instillation in the high risk superficial bladder tumor patients. Recurrent, grade III multiple (more than 3) or large(more than 3 cm) stage Ta or T1 tumors were included. Thirty patients were treated with 8 weekly instillation of 40mg of mitomycin C and 31 with 6 weekly instillation of 120mg or BCG. Thirty six patients were selected as a control Group. The mean follow-up period was 31.3 months in BCG, 27.7 months in mitomycin C and 23.2 months in control group. The overall one and two year recurrence rate was 52% and 62% in BCG, 70% and 80% in mitomycin C and 74% and 82% in control group. which was not statistically different(p>0.05) and the recurrence free pattern among three groups was not different statistically. But the mean time for recurrence and time for recurrence of 50 percent of the patients was 24.55 and 13 months in BCG group, which were longer than 14.2 and 5 months in mitomycin C and 12.72 and 7 months in control group. The tumor grade and number were lowered in the 20 recurrent tumors after BCG treatment with statistical significance. The overall 2 year recurrence rate was not significantly improved, BCG instillation resulted in improvement in grade, decrease in the number of the tumor and delay in time for recurrence in patients with high risk superficial bladder tumors. Although prophylactic efficacy of the BCG instillation is not complete, it would be provide reasonable benefit to the patients and is apparently superior to mitomycin C.