Development of Safety Usage Guidelines for Sedative Hypnotics Using the Delphi Technique / 수면정신생리

OBJECTIVES@#The objective of this study was to develop evidence- and consensus-based clinical safety usage guidelines for sedative hypnotics using the Delphi technique.@*METHODS@#A group of 15 sleep experts from Korean Academy of Sleep Medicine were chosen for this study comprising a three-round web-based Delphi survey. The first round survey was composed of 39 questions to identify problems with sedative hypnotics usage in Korean clinical practice and the result roughly outlined what should be included in the guidelines. The second round survey was composed of 21 questions to collect specific opinions of experts on clinically important issues in prescribing sedative hypnotics, and its result provided the basis for the guidelines. A third round survey aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the established guidelines.@*RESULTS@#In the third round, all 17 items showed a median of 4 or more, with an average of 4.12 and a standard deviation of 0.32. Thus we present safety usage guidelines with 13 propositions for prescription, maintenance, and withdrawal of sedative hypnotics.@*CONCLUSION@#The safety usage guidelines on sedative hypnotics developed from this study could lead to safe and effective prescription of hypnotics in clinical practice, especially for the non-experts in sleep medicine. Furthermore, the guidelines will help to improve the quality of insomnia treatment by contributing to the establishment of a safe regime for sedative hypnotics without excessive use of drugs.

Association of G-Protein β3 Subunit C825T Polymorphism with Seasonal Variations in Mood and Behavior

OBJECTIVE: Seasonal affective disorder and seasonal changes in mood and behavior are associated with several genes that regulate circadian rhythms. In this study, we investigated the relationship between the C825T polymorphism of the G-protein β3 subunit and seasonal variations in mood and behavior in a young healthy Korean population. METHODS: A total of 507 young Korean participants were recruited through a newspaper advertisement, and their seasonality was evaluated by the Korean version of the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire to assess the global seasonality score (GSS). We analyzed the CC, CT, and TT genotypes and their association with the GSS score and subscales. RESULTS: T allele carriers of the GNB3 C825T polymorphism were more likely to score higher on body weight and GSS. In the female group, the T allele carriers obtained significantly high total GSS and its subscale scores for mood, body weight, energy level, and appetite; however, differences in genotypes and allele carriers were also observed in the male participants. CONCLUSION: These results suggested that GNB3 C825T polymorphism plays a role in seasonal variations in mood, body weight, energy level, and appetite in a Korean population, particularly in females.