Effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) on Stress, Heart Rate Variability, Affect, and Wellbeing among People with Schizophrenia.

Mindfulness-based stress reduction programs have been found to be effective in reducing the stress response and improving the psychological wellbeing of various populations. We aimed to confirm the effects of a mindfulness-based stress reduction program on perceived stress, heart rate variability, positive and negative affect, and subjective wellbeing of community-dwelling people with schizophrenia. The participants in this study were 26 people with schizophrenia (experimental group: 14, control group: 12) enrolled in two community mental health centers located in Gyeonggi Province in South Korea. In the experimental group, the mindfulness-based stress reduction program was applied once a week for 60 min over 8 weeks. The experimental group showed a significantly greater decrease in perceived stress and negative affect, as well as significantly greater improvement in heart rate variability than the control group. The mindfulness-based stress reduction program was an effective nursing intervention to reduce stress and negative affect in people with schizophrenia.

Risk Factors of Metabolic Syndrome in Community-Dwelling People with Schizophrenia.

This study investigated the prevalence and risk factors of metabolic syndrome in 100 community-dwelling people with schizophrenia registered in mental health facilities in Seoul, Korea. This study was conducted between 12 September and 15 November 2019. This study used a cross-sectional descriptive design. The data included were general and disease-related characteristics, diagnostic tests for metabolic syndrome, lifestyles, depression, and social support. The analysis of collected data was done by using the SPSS 24.0 program. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 42.0%. Higher body mass index (odds ratio [OR] = 1.60, 95% CI = 1.16-2.18, p = 0.004), and depression (OR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.06-1.42, p = 0.008) were associated with higher risks of metabolic syndrome, while physical activity and weight control (OR = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.54-0.94, p = 0.018), dietary habits (OR = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.54-0.93, p = 0.011), and medication and health management (OR = 0.52, 95% CI = 0.31-0.86, p = 0.012) were associated with lower risks. Mental health care nurses need to recognize the high prevalence of metabolic syndrome in people with schizophrenia in the community and provide differentiated, customized lifestyle improvement programs based on the body mass index and depression status of each person with schizophrenia. Furthermore, comprehensive lifestyle improvement programs and health examination services that people with schizophrenia can easily adhere to should be developed.

Reliability and Validity of the Korean Version of the Psychotic Symptom Rating Scale / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: Psychotic Symptom Rating Scale (PSYRATS) is an assessment tool to measure the severity of different dimensions of auditory hallucinations and delusions. The reliability and validity of the Korean version of PSYRATS (K-PSYRATS) were examined in Korean patients with major psychosis. METHODS: The inter-rater reliability of the K-PSYRATS was determined from the videotaped interviews of the five schizophrenic patients. To measure validity and internal consistency reliability, the 109 patients with auditory hallucinations or delusions were assessed using the K-PSYRATS, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) scale. RESULTS: K-PSYRATS was found to have excellent inter-rater reliability (intra-class correlation coefficient of auditory hallucination= 0.81, p<.001, intra-class correlation coefficient of delusion=0.97, p<.001) and internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha of auditory hallucination=0.77, Cronbach's alpha of delusion=0.76). Significant correlation was found between K-PSYRATS and positive syndrome subscale of PANSS and CGI. CONCLUSION: K-PSYRATS is a useful assessment instrument for psychotic symptoms in Korea.

Intravenous Anti-obsessive Agents : A Review / 대한정신약물학회지

Oral (p.o.) administration has a delayed onset time of several weeks and moderate efficacy in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), therefore a more rapidly effective treatment is required. The aim of this paper was to review available data detailing the clinical outcome of intravenously (i.v.) administered antiobsessional drug in OCD patients. Review of the research indicates that i.v. administration exhibits a faster onset and greater improvement than p.o. administration. I.v. pulse administration showed clinically significantly faster onset than i.v. gradual administration. I.v. administration was safe and rapidly effective in treatment resistant OCD patients and might be a valuable new treatment.

Inhibition of IL-8 production by green tea polyphenols in human nasal fibroblasts and A549 epithelial cells.

The attraction of leukocytes to tissues is essential in order for inflammation and the host response to infection to occur. Airway inflammation is a very common cause illness with a substantial impact on health care. Neutrophils play an essential role in the host defense and in inflammation, but the latter may trigger and sustain the pathogenesis of a range of acute and chronic diseases. Infiltration of neutrophils occurs as a response to chemoattractant molecules by resident tissue cells. The recruitment of neutrophils in airway inflammation may account for the generation of IL-8. To evaluate the effectiveness of green tea polyphenols in the modulation of airway inflammation through the blocking of neutrophil chemokine production, nasal mucosal fibroblasts and A549 bronchial epithelial cells were analyzed for the production of IL-8. Both nasal mucosal fibroblasts and bronchial epithelial cells produced significant amounts of IL-8 through stimulation of IL-1beta. Tea polyphenols were very effective in the inhibition of IL-8 production. Among the polyphenols tested, EGCG and ECG showed strong inhibitory activity in dose-dependent manners. EGC and EC showed moderate inhibition at 48 h culture, whereas (-)catechin was not effective. Production of IL-8 after stimulation by proinflammatory cytokines in both nasal fibroblasts and bronchial epithelial cells was significantly blocked by pretreatment with green tea polyphenols.

Polyethylene glycol (PEG) modified 99mTc-HMPAO-liposome for improving blood circulation and biodistribution: the effect of the extent of PEGylation.

Modification of liposomes using polyethylene glycol (PEG) results in steric hindrance to the phagocyte system and prolongation of blood circulation time. However, PEGylation can reduce radiolabeling efficiency (RE) when using the glutathione method for radiolabeling the liposomes. Therefore, we investigated the effect of the extent of PEGylation (PEG extent (PEGExt): 0, 5, 9.6, and 13.7 mol%) on the in vivo biodistribution of liposomes in Wistar rats, and RE with technetium-(99m) ((99m)Tc). PEGylated liposomes were prepared with egg phosphatidylcholine (egg PC, 1.85 mol%), cholesterol (1.0 mol%), and distearoylphosphatidylethanolamine-N-[polyethylene glycol] (DSPE-PEG; 0, 5, 9.6, and 13.7 mol%, respectively). The size distribution of the PEGylated liposomes was analyzed by a dynamic light scattering. The (99m)Tc-hexamethylpropylene-amine oxime ((99m)Tc-HMPAO) complexes were used for radiolabeling of preformed liposomes. The labeling efficiency and stability was analyzed with Sephadex G-15 column, and the biodistribution studies of (99m)Tc-liposomes after intravenous (i.v.) injection were also investigated with Wistar rats. The sizes of PEGylated liposomes decreased by increasing the PEGExt to 9.6 mol%, whereas sizes increased at 13.7 mol%. RE of (99m)Tc were greater than 90% for all PEGExt tested, and radiolabeling stability in human plasma was enhanced as a function of PEGExt. Liposomes without PEG were cleared rapidly from the blood and accumulated preferentially in the liver and the spleen. When PEGExt was increased, the accumulation in the organs decreased. This accumulation of PEG was maximized at 9.6 mol%. Accumulation of the liposomes in the spleen was increased again when PEGExt increased to 13.7 mol%. The splenic uptake of liposomes seemed to be dependent not only on PEGExt but also on the size of the liposomes. In conclusion, the PEG chains on the surface of liposome have no influence on the labeling efficiency, and the prolongation of circulation time was maximized at the 9.6 mol% of PEGylation.

Relations among Social Functioning, Psychopathology and Attentional Deficits in Schizophrenic Outpatients / 신경정신의학

In order to study the relations between attentional deficits and social functioning of the schizophrenia, 83 stable outpatients with DSM-IV schizophrenia and matched 60 normal controls were examined for their sustained attention, sensory register, and social functioning by means of Continuous performance test(CPT), Span apprehension task(SPAN), and Korean version of Social Adjustment Scale II-Revised Version(KSAS II-RV) respectively. Psychopathology was assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale(PANSS). The results were as follows. 1) Schizophrenic patients showed a significant deficit in the sustained attention and sensory register as manifested in the data of CPT and SPAN, compared with the matched normal controls. Schizohrenic patients also showed a significantly poor social functioning in measure of KSAS II-RV compared with the matched normal controls. 2) There was no correlation between three type of symptoms(positive/negative/general) and total scores of social functioning. But negative symptoms was correlated with the social leisure subarea of KSAS II-RV. 3) CPT was correlated with total scores of social functioning including the instrumental role and friend relation subareas of KSAS II-RV, whereas SPAN was only correlated with the instrumental role subarea of social functioning. 4) In the relations between attention and symptoms, CPT was correlated with negative symptoms. These results suggest that the deficit of the sustained attention may be a predictive factor of social functioning in the schizophrenic outpatients.

The Effects of Fentanyl and Lidocaine on the Hemodynamic Changes to Tracheal Intubation / 대한마취과학회지

Tracheal intubation is accompanied by varying degrees of sympathetic stimulation as reflected by increases in heart rate and blood pressure. Several clinical trials to reduce the effects on blood pressure and heart rate by pharmacologic agents such as alpha and beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, narcotics and lidocaine, have been reported. To evaluate the effect of fentanyl and lidocaine on the hemodynamic changes induced by intubation, we administered thiopental 5 mg/kg only (group 1), fentanyl 3 ug/kg with thiopental 4 mg/kg (group 2) or fentanyl 3 ug/kg-lidocaine 1.5 mg/kg with thiopental 4 mg/kg (group 3) for induction of anesthesia, and measured heart rate, systolic pressure, diastolic pressure, mean pressure and rate- pressure products before induction, after induction and at 1, 3, 5, 7 and 10 minutes after intubation. 1) In group 1, intubation caused a significant increase in heart rate (27%), blood pressure (31%) and RPP (64%) at 1 min after intubation, but each paramenter returned to the normal level within 7 min. 2) In group 2, increases in heart rate, blood pressure and RPP with intubation were attenuated by fentanyl. 3) In group 3, the increase in heart rate induced by intubation was abolished by fentanyl-lidocaine, and the pressor effect was more attenuated compared to group 2. These results suggested that a low dose of fentanyl-lidocaine significantly blunts postintubation hypertension and tachycardia when used as an adjunt to thiopental.