The Reliability and Validity of the Korean Version of the Autism-Spectrum Quotient

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to investigate the reliability and validity of the Korean version of Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ). METHODS: 20 participants with high-functioning autism (HFA) and 99 normal participants were recruited. All participants were completed the AQ and Empathy Quotient (EQ), and parents of the HFA group completed the parent-report AQ. For testing the reliability, we examined Cronbach’s alpha, performed item analysis, and compared self versus parent report score of HFA participants. For testing the validity, we compared the difference of the score of AQ among HFA and control group using independent t-tests, and performed correlation analysis between AQ and EQ. The receiver operation characteristic curve analysis was performed to determine a cut-off. RESULTS: The Korean version of the AQ exhibited adequate internal consistency, and in most items, the HFA group scored higher in comparison to the control group. It was demonstrated that AQ has good discriminant validity through the confirmation of the significant difference in the AQ score between two groups. The concurrent validity was established through the significant correlation between AQ and EQ in the HFA group. The best estimate cut-off score of AQ for screening was 23. CONCLUSION: The Korean version of the AQ was determined as a reliable and valid instrument to assess HFA in Korean population.

Reliability and Validity of the Korean Translation of Quantitative Checklist for Autism in Toddlers: A Preliminary Study

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to assess the test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and validity of the Korean version of the Quantitative Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (Q-CHAT). METHODS: The Korean version of the Q-CHAT and the Korean version of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) 1.5-5 were completed by parents of 24 toddlers and preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and 80 unselected toddlers and preschoolers. Parents of the ASD group also completed the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ), and Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) scores were obtained from medical records. RESULTS: The ASD group scored higher on the Q-CHAT than the unselected group. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the Q-CHAT was 0.658, and test-retest reliability was calculated to be 0.836. The estimated area under the curve was 0.793. The total scores of the Q-CHAT in the ASD group demonstrated significant positive correlations with findings regarding pervasive development problems in the CBCL, SCQ, and CARS. A total score of 33.5 may be a useful cutoff point to use when identifying toddlers at risk of ASD. CONCLUSION: The Korean version of the Q-CHAT has good reliability and validity and can be used as a screening tool in order to identify toddlers and preschool children at risk of ASD.

Feasibility of the Korean version of the Bipolar Depression Rating Scale in Adolescents with Early-Onset Bipolar Disorder

OBJECTIVE: This study explores the feasibility and psychometric properties of the Korean version of the Bipolar Depression Rating Scale (BDRS) in adolescents with Early-onset bipolar disorders. METHODS: Fifty-three participants (aged 13–18) with early-onset bipolar disorders (40 depressed and 18 euthymic, 5 patients were assessed at depressed state and reassessed after remission) were recruited. All participants were assessed using the BDRS, the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), the Montgomery-Asperg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), and the Modified Overt Aggression scale (MOAS). RESULTS: BDRS exhibited good internal validity and significant correlations with the HAM-D and the MADRS. In item to scale correlations, all items on the BDRS were significantly correlated with the BDRS total scores except for ‘increased motor drive’ and ‘increased speech’, ‘depressed mood’ and ‘worthlessness’ showed the highest mean scores and endorsement rates. BDRS score of the depressed group was significantly higher compared with the euthymic group. Three factors (i.e., psychosomatic, mood, and mixed) were identified in the principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis of the BDRS. CONCLUSION: In this study, we report that the Korean version of BDRS is a feasible and reliable tool for the assessment of depression in adolescents with Early-onset bipolar disorders.

Effect of Coenzyme Q10 Supplementation in Statin-Treated Obese Rats

Statins, HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, are known to cause serious muscle injuries (e.g. myopathy, myositis and rhabdomyolysis), and these adverse effects can be rescued by co-administration of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) with statins. The goal of the current research is to assess the efficacy of combined treatment of CoQ10 with Atorvastatin for hyperlipidemia induced by high-fat diet in SD rats. 4-week-old Sprague-Dawley male rats were fed normal diet or high-fat diet for 6 weeks. Then, rats were treated with either Statin or Statin with various dosages of CoQ10 (30, 90 or 270 mg/kg/day, p.o.) for another 6 weeks. Compared to Statin only-treatment, CoQ10 supplementation significantly reduced creatine kinase and aspartate aminotransferase levels in serum which are markers for myopathy. Moreover, CoQ10 supplementation with Statin further reduced total fat, triglycerides, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol. In contrast, the levels of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and CoQ10 were increased in the CoQ10 co-treated group. These results indicate that CoQ10 treatment not only reduces the side effects of Statin, but also has an anti-obesity effect. Therefore an intake of supplementary CoQ10 is helpful for solving problem of obese metabolism, so the multiple prescription of CoQ10 makes us think a possibility that can be solved in being contiguous to the obesity problem, a sort of disease of the obese metabolism.

Risperidone Monotherapy in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Naturalistic Study

OBJECTIVES: We retrospectively investigated the efficacy and tolerability of risperidone monotherapy in subjects with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In addition, we did mixed effect model analysis of the effects of risperidone in patients with ASDs naturalistically treated in a routine clinical setting to determine whether the clinical effects were maintained and the side effects were tolerable. METHODS: This retrospective study assessed children and adolescents with ASD, who were on risperidone monotherapy from July 2010 to July 2011 at the Child and Adolescent ASD Clinic at Seoul National Hospital. Outcome measures included the Clinical Global Impression-Severity of Illness (CGI-S) and the CGI-Improvement (CGI-I) scales along with other clinical indices: dosage, target symptoms, and side effects. RESULTS: The mean dose of risperidone in 47 children and adolescents with ASD (40 males, 7 females; age range 5-19 years) who were on risperidone monotherapy was 1.6+/-0.8 mg/day, and the mean duration of the treatment period was 20.2+/-17.3 months. Aggressive behavior, stereotypic behavior, irritability, and self-injurious behavior were the most frequent target symptoms of risperidone. The most common side effects were weight gain followed by somnolence and extrapyramidal symptoms. In a mixed effects model analysis of CGI-I scores, the mean CGI-I score at the 1 month follow-up was significantly different from the mean CGI-I score of the 3-month follow-up (p=.046), and the CGI-I scores were equally maintained over 3 to 48 months [F(6, 28.9)=4.393, p=.003]. Of the 47 patients, 33 patients (70.2%) were identified as the response group, showing an end point CGI-I rating of 3 or under and having continued risperidone treatment for at least 6 months. The baseline CGI-S score showed significant association with clinical response to risperidone (p=.005), the mean baseline CGI-S was higher in the response group compared to the non-response group. CONCLUSION: In this study, clinical improvement of risperidone stabilized around 3 months and was equally maintained up to 48 months with tolerable side effects, supporting maintenance of risperidone treatment in children and adolescents with ASDs.

Long-Term Tolerability of Escitalopram in Korean Adolescents

OBJECTIVES: We investigated the long-term tolerability of escitalopram in Korean adolescents. METHODS: The subjects were 37 adolescents, who had been diagnosed with depressive disorder in accordance to DSM-IV. Clinical effectiveness was assessed by Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) scale at the final follow-up visit. Tolerability was assessed through a medical record of the reason for discontinuation of escitalopram and documented adverse events. RESULTS: The mean duration of treatment was 78.1+/-89.5 days, and the mean dosage was 10.0+/-4.4mg/day. Out of the total 37 patients, two (5%) patients sustained use of escitalopram. Twelve patients (32.4%) discontinued use of escitalopram due to target symptom remission, and 23 patients (61.9%) due to insufficient efficacy. Six patients (16.2%) had at least one documented adverse event. However, no suicidal ideation or self-injurious behavior was reported. Significant differences in clinical symptom improvement efficacy were seen between the patients who were receiving escitalopram for less than 8 weeks (4.3%, 1/13) and those for more than 8 weeks (92.9%, 13/14). There was no significant difference between the tolerability of monotherapy compared to the concomitant use group. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that long-term use of escitalopram may result in superior efficacy than short-term use, and is tolerable in Korean adolescents with depression.

Social Factors of Depressive Symptoms in an Urban Community Population / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to examine the prevalence of depressive symptoms and the correlates of social factors and life stress in an urban population. METHODS: 932 residents of Yangcheongu, Seoul were selected using multi-phasic cluster sampling method to represent each district. Trained interviewers visited each separate household individually and collected self-reported questionnaires, which represent socio-demographic characteristics of community residents. The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) was used to evaluate depressive symptoms (CES-D score over 21). Global Assessment of Recent stress (GARS) was used to evaluate life stress level. RESULTS: The prevalence of depressive symptoms in men was 11.8%, while in women it was 14.1%. Depressive symptoms were higher in divorced or separated persons, those with lower family incomes, high self-assessed level of stress scores, and frequent alcohol drinking patterns. In a multivariate logistic regression analysis, high level of stress scores was independently associated with depressive symptoms. Sudden changes in relationship, sickness/injury and ordinary daily stress subscales were significantly associated with depressive symptoms when other subscales were controlled. CONCLUSION: Compared with point prevalence of depressive disorder, the prevalence of depressive symptoms in an urban population is relatively higher. The assessment of life stress level, especially for sudden changes in relationship, sickness/injury or ordinary daily stress, can be used as an effective screening tool for detection and prevention of depressive disorder.

One Case of Recovery Phase of Aplastic Crisis in Hereditary Spherocytosis with Family History

No abstract available.

A Case of Diabetes Insipidus in a Child with Eosinophilic Granuloma of Pituitary Stalk

No abstract available.