The Impact of Anxiety Symptoms on Cognitive Function in Patients with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury / 대한정신약물학회지

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between subjective anxiety symptoms and cognitive function in patients with mild traumatic brain injury. METHODS: A total 48 patients were recruited in this study. All participants were divided into two groups by anxiety symptoms in Hospital Depression and Anxiety Scale. Intelligence Scale and memory test were analyzed. RESULTS: A high risk group showed lower scores in all of verbal intelligence quotient (IQ) and total IQ in Intelligence Scale and memory quotient in memory test. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that anxiety symptoms make worse in cognitive function in patients with mild traumatic brain injury.

The Association among Suicidal Ideation, Anxiety Symptoms, and Quality of Life in Firefighters / 대한정신약물학회지

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the association among suicidal ideation, anxiety symptoms, and quality of life in firefighters. METHODS: The participants were evaluated by using the Suicidal Ideation Index, Hospital Depression Anxiety Scale. Health-related quality of life was assessed the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey. RESULTS: The anxiety group had more suicidal ideation than other group. The anxiety group had worse quality of life in General Health, Physical Function, Role Limitation-physical, Role Limitation-emotional, Social Function, Bodily Pain, Vitality, Mental Health Factor than other group. The anxiety symptoms were correlated with suicidal ideation. CONCLUSION: The anxiety symptoms were related to suicidal ideation. The suicidal ideation was related to worse quality of life. Then, further research about factors that affect impairment may help find appropriate approaches to the firefighters who need treat. The community supply the good measures with targeting of firefighters with suicidal ideation with a view to earlier intervention.

Comparing Neuropsychological Test Results, Symptom Profiles, and MQ between Male and Female Patients with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the effect of gender on the neuropsychological symptom profile, cognitive function profile, and quality of life in patients with mild traumatic brain injury. METHODS: We drew our participants from patients with mild traumatic brain injury who visited two hospitals between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2007. The eventual participant group consisted of 74 patients who completed the SCL-90-R, BDI, K-WAIS, K-MAS, and SmithKline Beecham Quality of Life Scale. RESULTS: The SCL-90-R showed female patients with mild traumatic brain injury were more depressed and anxious than the males were. The female patients had higher scores than the male patients in delayed verbal recall, immediate visual recall, and delayed visual recognition. Men had higher quality of life scores with regard to competence and physical well-being. CONCLUSION: Female patients with mild traumatic brain injury experienced more depression and feelings of anxiety and a lower quality of life.

Quality of Life of Patients with Depressive Disorder Receiving Antidepressants: Relationship between Quality of Life and Alexithymia / 대한정신약물학회지

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between quality of life (QoL) and alexithymia in patients with depressive disorders receiving antidepressant medication. METHODS: The sample consisted of patients visiting the outpatient psychiatric unit of a university hospital between January 2007 and June 9. Participants completed the Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20-K (TAS-20-K), and the 36-item Short Form Health Survey of the Medical Outcomes Study (SF-36). A total of 75 patients diagnosed with depressive disorder according to DSM-IV criteria were included in this study. Student t-tests and regression analyses were conducted on the data. RESULTS: Patients with alexithymia obtained lower QoL scores than did patients without alexithymia on eight dimensions of the SF-36. The regression analysis showed that alexithymia was positively associated with hostility and inversely associated with paranoid ideation. CONCLUSION: Patients with alexithymia emerged as more symptomatic on the SCL-90-R and obtained lower QoL scores on eight dimensions of the SF-36 than did patients without alexithymia. It is important that clinicians identify alexithymic characteristics in patients with depressive disorders to help them improve their QoL.

Subjective Quality of Life in Patients with Schizophrenia Receiving Antipsychotics: Relationship among Subjective Quality of Life, Drug Attitude, and Side-effect Profiles of Drugs / 대한정신약물학회지

OBJECTIVE: The first aim of this study was to investigate the difference between patients with schizophrenia receiving typical and atypical antipsychotics. The second aim of this study was to investigate the relationship among subjective quality of life, drug attitude, and side effect profiles of antipsychotics in patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: The subjects of this study were 64 patients with schizophrenia. The tools used in this study were the Korean version of the SmithKline Beecham Quality of Life Scale(KvSBQOL), Korean modification of the Scale to measure subjective well-being under Neuroleptic treatment(KmSWN), Korean version of Liverpool University Neuroleptics Side effect Rating Scale(LUNSER), Korean version of Drug Attitude Inventory-10(DAI-10). Student t-test, Correlation analysis, and regression analysis were conducted. RESULTS: Internal consistency was high, measuring 0.70 for the DAI-10, 0.94 for the LUNSER, 0.83 for the QOL, and 0.88 for the KmSWN. In quality of life, atypical antipsychotic group have significant higher quality of life in psychological well-being factor. There was statistically significant correlated between stability factor and physical well-being factor in KvSBQOL and side effects in LUNSER. There was no significant difference between typical and atypical antipsychotic group and significant correlated between dissatisfaction factor in KmSWN and side effect in LUNSER. CONCLUSION: The quality of life of patients with schizophrenia may be influenced by the side effects of drugs. The attitude toward drugs may have influence on the quality of life. Treatment program to decrease the side effect of drugs and influence on a positive attitude toward drugs should be offered to enhance quality of life in patients with schizophrenia.

The Effect of Doxycycline on the Survival of the Cells under Hypoxic Condition / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: Cerebrovascular diseases seriously effect patient's quality of life, and the treatment has, its limitation to bring functional recovery unless a patient is brought to a hospital within several hours from the onset. In this study, we tried to find a way to prolong the survival cells under hypoxic conditions using cell culture. METHODS: Cultured rat glioma cells grew in normal and high glucose medium under hypoxic conditions, with or without doxycycline. Cell viability, glucose and lactic acid concentration were measured. RESULTS: The cells died after 1 day of culture under hypoxic conditions in normal glucose medium without doxycycline due to the total consumption of glucose. On the contrary, the cells still survived even after 3 days of culture under the same hypoxic conditions in normal glucose medium with doxycycline despite the total consumption of all glucose. For both cases, the cause of death was not, at least, due to the decrease of pH as the pH was kept neutral during the whole period of culture. In this case, doxycycline was the cell survival factor by suppressing apoptosis, which was proved by DNA fragmentation assay. On the other hand, the cells died after 60 hours of culture under hypoxic conditions in high glucose medium without doxycycline due to the decrease of pH. The cells still survived even after 70 hours of culture under the same hypoxic conditions in high glucose medium with doxycycline due to the inhibition of decreased pH. For both cases, the cause of death was not, at least, due to the consumption of total glucose because some glucose remained in the medium at the end culture. CONCLUSION: Doxycycline increased cell viability both in normal glucose and high glucose medium under hypoxic conditions, which might have an application for the treatment of patients with ischemic stroke.

Other Physicians' Recognition and Satisfaction to the Psychiatric Consultation Service in a University Hospital / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study were to investigate degree of satisfaction in referring physicians' psychiatric consultation services and their attitudes and opinions toward psychiatry, and the correlation between two them. METHOD: A total of 159 survey questionnaire were distributed to physicians in a University Hospital. The questionnaires contained the level of satisfaction in referring physicians' psychiatric consultation services and their attitudes and opinions toward psychiatry. 135 surveys were returned, representing 85% return rate. Statistical method used were Cronbach's alpha coefficient for testing reliability, factor analysis for testing validity, and t-test or ANOVA with SAS. RESULTS: Internal consistency reliability was tested by Cronbach's alpha. Cronbach's alpha was 0.8594 for total 23 items. Twenty-three items and seven factors were emerged and these contributed 66.8% of the variance in the total score. Factor I in the psychiatric consultation questionnaire was positively correlated with overall merits of the field of psychiatry in the attitude questionnaire, factor II in the psychiatric consultation questionnaire was positively correlated with possible abuses and social criticisms in the attitude questionnaire, factor III in the psychiatric consultation questionnaire was positively correlated with efficacy in the attitude questionnaire, factor V in the psychiatric consultation questionnaire was positively correlated with possible abuses and social criticisms in the attitude questionnaire, factor VI in the psychiatric consultation questionnaire was positively correlated with overall merits of the field of psychiatry in the attitude questionnaire. CONCLUSIONS: Our results supported the hypothesis that referring physicians' satisfaction to the psychiatric consultation was positively correlated with psychiatrists' attitude, and that physicians with more positive attitudes and those had more knowledge on psychiatry showed greater satisfaction in psychiatric consultation service than those without.