ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The study's aim was to develop and standardize a Korean version of the University of California San Diego Performance-based Skills Assessment (K-UPSA), which is used to evaluate the daily living function of patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: Study participants were 78 patients with schizophrenia and 27 demographically matched healthy controls. We evaluated the clinical states and cognitive functions to verify K-UPSA's reliability and validity. For clinical states, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, Clinical Global Impression-Schizophrenia scale, and Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale and Schizophrenia Quality of Life Scale-fourth revision were used. The Schizophrenia Cognition Rating Scale, Short-form of Korean-Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test were used to assess cognitive function. RESULTS: The K-UPSA had statistically significant reliability and validity. The K-UPSA has high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha, 0.837) and test-retest reliability (intra-class correlation coefficient, 0.381-0.792; pï¼0.001). The K-UPSA had significant discriminant validity (pï¼0.001). Significant correlations between the K-UPSA's scores and most of the scales and tests listed above demonstrated K-UPSA's concurrent validity (pï¼0.001). CONCLUSION: The K-UPSA is useful to evaluate the daily living function in Korean patients with schizophrenia.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: This study's aim was to develop and standardize a Korean version (SCoRS-K) of the Schizophrenia Cognition Rating Scale (SCoRS), which is used to evaluate the degree of cognitive dysfunction affecting the everyday functioning of people with schizophrenia. METHODS: Eighty-four schizophrenia patients with stable symptoms who were receiving outpatient treatment and rehabilitation therapy, and 29 demographically matched non-patient controls, participated in the study. Demographic data were collected, and clinical symptoms, cognitive function, and social function were evaluated to verify SCoRS-K's reliability and validity. Clinical symptoms were evaluated using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale and the Clinical Global Impression-Schizophrenia Scale. Cognitive function was evaluated using a short form of the Korean Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). Social function was evaluated using the Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale, the Schizophrenia Quality of Life Scale, and the Social Functioning Scale. RESULTS: Data analysis demonstrated SCoRS-K's statistically significant reliability and validity. SCoRS-K has high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha; patient 0.941, informant 0.905, interviewer 0.964); test-retest reliability [patient 0.428 (p=0.003), informant 0.502 (p<0.001), interviewer 0.602 (p<0.001); and global rating 0.642 (p<0.001)]. The mean scores of subjects were significantly higher than those of the controls (p<0.001), demonstrating SCoRS-K's discriminant validity. Significant correlations between the total scores and global rating score of SCoRS-K and those of the scales and tests listed above (except WCST) support SCoRS-K's concurrent validity. CONCLUSION: SCoRS-K is a useful instrument for evaluating the degree of cognitive dysfunction in Korean schizophrenia patients.
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OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between severity of peripheral polyneuropathy (PPN) and degree of depression and quality of life in chronic renal failure (CRF) patients on hemodialysis (HD). METHOD: Forty seven chronic renal failure patients on hemodialysis were recruited (22 male, 25 female, mean age of 63.17±12.52) and etiology, disease duration, hemodialysis duration, creatinine and hemoglobin were recorded. Motor and sensory nerve conduction studies were carried out on bilateral median, ulnar, tibial and peroneal nerves for diagnosis of polyneuropathy according to our laboratory criteria. The Korean version of Beck depression inventory (BDI) questionnaire translated into Korean for diagnosis of depression, and Korean version of Short Form 36 health survey (SF-36) questionnaire for measurement of general health level were measured in those diagnosed with uremic PPN. RESULTS: Out of 52 patients, 47 were diagnosed with polyneuropathy and mean score for BDI was 18.49±9.18. Mean scores for each of Mental Component Summary (MCS) and Physical Component Summary (PCS) of SF-36 were 50.84±15.42 and 47.41±18.68. The correlation between the scores and polyneuropathy were analyzed by Pearson coefficient. The MCS score was the significant (p<0.05) correlation parameter with depression (R=-0.635) and the PCS score was the only parameter with a significant (p<0.05) correlation with polyneuropathy (R=-0.340). CONCLUSION: Uremic polyneuropathy is commonly observed in chronic renal failure patients on hemodialysis. Depression in CRF with uremic PPN is affected by psychological factors other than the PPN itself.
ABSTRACT
B7-H4 has an inhibitory effect on immune responses via the down-regulation of T cell-mediated immunity, but how the engagement of B7-H4 molecules by counter molecules affects the signaling mechanism of the B7-H4-expressing cells is poorly defined. In this study, we found that B7-H4 expression was enhanced on B cells infected with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and that triggering of these molecules induced apoptosis of EBV-transformed B cells. Engagement of B7-H4 initially increased intracellular level of ROS, which then induced the expression of FasL. Engagement of B7-H4 subsequently provoked Fas-mediated and caspase-dependent apoptosis in association with cytochrome c and AIF, and EndoG was released from the mitochondria on EBV-transformed B cells. These results suggest that B7-H4 may be a potential therapeutic target for EBV involved malignancy diseases.
