• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제12권3호
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• pp.508-513
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• 2002

Human endogenous retroviral long terminal repeats (LTRs) have been found to be coexpressed with sequences of genes located nearby. It has been suggested that the LTR elements have contributed to the structural change or genetic variation of human genome connected to various diseases. The HERV-W family has been identified in the cerebrospinal fluids and brains of individuals with schizophrenia. Using a cDNA library derived from a human brain, the HERV-W LTR elements were examined and five new LTR elements were identified. These elements were examined using a YAC clone panel from the Xq21.3 region linked to psychosis that was replicated on the Y chromosome after the separation of the chimpanzee and human lineages. Fourteen elements of the HERV-W LTR were identified in that region. Those LTR elements showed a high degree of sequence similarity ($91.8-99.5\%$) with previously reported HERV-W LTR. A phylogenetic tree obtained from the neighbor-joining method revealed that new HERV-W LTR elements were closely related to the AXt000960, AF072504, and AF072506 from the GenBank database. The data indicates that several copy numbers of the HERV-W LTR elements exist on the Xq21.3 region and are also expressed in the human brain. These LTR elements need to be further investigated as potential leads to neuropsychiatric diseases.

• Animal cells and systems
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• 제5권2호
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• pp.133-137
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• 2001

Long terminal repeats (LTRs) of the human endogenous retrovirus K family (HERV-K) have been found to be coexpressed with sequences of genes closely located nearby. We examined transcribed HERV-K LTR elements in human brain tissue. Using cDNA synthesized from mRNA of the human brain, we performed PCR amplification and identified ten HERV-K LTR elements. These LTR elements showed a high degree of sequence similarity (92.4-99.7%) with the human-specific LTR elements. A phylogenetic tree obtained by the neighbor-joining method revealed that HERV-K LTR elements could be divided into two groups through evolutionary divergence. Some HERV-K LTR elements (HKL-B7, HKL-B8, HKL-B10) belonging to the group II from human brain cDNA were closely related to the human-specific HERV-K LTR elements. Our data suggest that HERV-K LTR element are active in the human brain; they could conceivably play a pathogenic role in human diseases such as psychosis.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• 제28권2호
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• pp.132-140
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• 2017

Objectives: Very early-onset schizophrenia (VEOS) is a type of psychosis having a low frequency, insidious onset, and devastating clinical outcome. In this study, the demographic features, information on medication, clinical outcomes, and intellectual capability of patients diagnosed with VEOS in a hospital were analyzed to provide therapeutic strategies for this type of schizophrenia. Methods: Using the electronic medical records of the National Center for Mental Health, 69 patients with VEOS were identified based on the DSM-5 criteria of schizophrenia. The data were summarized and analyzed according to the demographic characteristics, medications used, intellectual strength measured by the full intelligence quotient (FIQ) score, and current clinical status measured by the Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) and various combinations of these parameters. Results: The screened study group contained similar numbers of males and females. The younger the onset of psychosis, the lower the frequency. The study population included a significantly higher proportion of births in the winter season than that of the general population. The 3 most frequently used antipsychotic medications were risperidone and its derivatives, clozapine and olanzapine. Valproic acid and divalproex sodium were the most commonly added drugs for outcome augmentation. 53.5% of the study population had received benzodiazepines and/or hypnotics. The average FIQ of the study population was 69.4, which is quite low compared to previous Korean studies with similar populations. There was a weak negative correlation between FIQ and CGI-S, but it was not statistically significant. The average CGI-S score was 4.2, which meant that the patients were moderately ill. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that patients with VEOS showed more frequent intellectual deficits at baseline and poorer outcomes than the control group. Risperidone, clozapine, valproic acid and their combinations were the most preferred medications for the treatment of psychosis. Benzodiazepines were quite commonly added for various reasons.

• 혜화의학회지
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• 제9권1호
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• pp.725-743
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• 2000

This study was intended to investigate the contents associated with the neuropsychosis in the medical books published in the times of Chinese dynasty of Jin and Yuan. As a result, the following findings were drawn. 1. As for palpitation from fright and severe palpitation, the medical schools in the times of Chinese Jin and Yuan dynasties viewed their causes as heart-fire, shuiqichengxin, blood vacuity, phlegm and so on and presented a prescription for each cause for them. 2. As for psychosis, medical books published in the times of Chinese Jin and Yuan dynasties accurately divided and discussed epilepsy and viewed their causes largely as Yangming heat, phlegm of chest and heart-fire. And a number of medical schools made use of such therapeutics as sweating, vomiting and diarrhea therapies. 3. As for headache, medical books published in the times of Chinese Jin and Yuan dynasties presented their causes as fire and heat, phlegm heat, phlegm and so on and classified the aspect of headache in detail. As for vacuity rexation and dysphoria, medical books at that time saw their causes as fire and heat, heart-fire, blood vacuity and so forth and presented a prescription for them accordingly. 4. Liu Wan Su was the Hanliang school. He viewed the etiological cause for psychopathy as fire and heat and prescribed largely the medication of cold nature for it. 5. Zhang Cong Zheng belonged to the Gongxia School. He viewed the etiological cause for psychopathy as fire, phlegm and so forth and made use of sweating, vomiting and diarrhea therapies. Especially, he used the 'Jingzhepingzhe' therapy as a method to treat the symptom of fright. 6. Li Gao did not any specific mention of psychopathy and divided headache due to internal injury and headache due to external contraction. 7. Zhu Zhen Heng viewed most of the etiological causes for psychopathy as phlegm, fire and deficiency of blood and attached importance to such its therapeutics as resolving phlegm, cleaning away fire and nourishing Yin. 8. Wang Hao Gu did not present the specifically common etiological cause and prescription for psychopathy but described the cause and prescription for headache, dysphoria, maniac speech, palpitation and so forth. Luo Tian Yi presented the process of psychosis due to abnormal therapy for cold demage and prescription of it. 9. Wang Lu made a detailed explanation about the therapeutics of five types of stagnated syndrome and said that stagnated syndrome became the major cause for them in the occurrence of such psychopathy. Wei Yi Lin presented the prescription and medication for comparatively diverse mental diseases such zhong-qi, severe palpitation, palpitation for fright, impaired memory, vacuity rexation, headache, psychosis.

• 생물정신의학
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• 제2권2호
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• pp.275-280
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• 1995

Smooth pursuit eye movement, one of the reliable biological markers of schizophrenia, is not always abnormal in schizophrenic patients. Therefore the authors studied it in schizophrenic patients and normal controls and compared the results according to the presence or abscence of family history of psychosis and types (type I and type II). The results are as follows: 1) In the 18 normal control group (8 mole, 10 female), there was no sex difference in the responses of smooth pursuit eye movement. 2) In th 44 schizophrenic group (28 male, 16 female), there also was no sex difference in the responses of smooth pursuit eye movement. 3) In comparison of 44 schizophrenic group to 18 normal control group, there was significantly increased abnormal response in smooth pursuit eye movement in schizophrenic group (P < 0.005). 4) In schizophrenic group, there was no difference in the responses of smooth pursuit eye movement between type I and type II schizophrenia. 5) The presence or abscence of family history of psychosis made no difference in the responses of smooth pursuit eye movement in schizophrenic group. 6) Subdivision of type I or type II in each case of presence or abscence of family history made no difference in the responses of smooth pursuit eye movement in schizophrenic group.

• BMB Reports
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• 제51권9호
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• pp.427-428
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• 2018

Based on the piling reports of disruptions in the thalamus of patients with schizophrenia, the alteration in the thalamo-cortical system has been regarded as the core pathophysiology. As the thalamus is composed of distinctive nuclei with different cytoarchitecture and cortical connections, nuclei specific investigations have been actively conducted in post-mortem studies. In addition, the importance of early changes has been highlighted, which in turn has led to investigations of the thalamo-cortical system using non-invasive neuroimaging methods. From this perspective, the early structural changes in the thalamo-cortical system, such as the thalamo-cortical connection and nuclei specific microstructural changes (which are coherent with findings from post-mortem methods) will be briefly discussed. The main findings, which are the reduced thalamo-prefrontal connection and reduced microstructural complexity in the higher-order nuclei detected in first-episode psychosis patients, suggest the occurrence of early alterations within and between the communication hub of the brain and cortex. These findings suggest not only directions for further studies for unveiling the thalamo-cortical system related pathophysiology, but also the possibility of using the reduced microstructural complexity in the higher order nucleus as a biomarker for schizophrenia.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• 제29권2호
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• pp.196-202
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• 2000

Objective : This study was designed to evaluate the relationship between the initial neurosurgical or psychosocial factors and the psychosocial outcome. Patients and Methods : We analyzed 123 head-injured patients who were referred to the department of psychiatry for the evaluation of psychosocial function. We analyzed initial neurosurgical variables such as Glasgow Coma scale(GCS) score, skull fracture, CT finding, and psychosocial outcomes with regards to psychosis, personality change, depression, anxiety and IQ on Intelligence Scale. Results : Patients with mild head injury(GCS score 13-15, N＝94, 76.4%) had better recovery rate on Glasgow Outcome Scale(GOS), less personality change than those with moderate or severe head injury. However, depression, anxiety and intelligence were not significantly different between two groups. The skull fracture(N＝37, 30.1%) did not influence on the psychosocial outcome with reference to personality change, depression, anxiety and intelligence. The patients with abnormal CT findings(N＝64, 52%) had lower recovery rate on GOS, more frequent tendency in psychosis, personality change and severe depression, less frequent in anxiety and mild depression, than patients with normal CT finding. However, levels of intelligence were not different between two groups. The patients with industrial accidents(IA) had lower educational level, milder head injury, more delay for the psychiatric evaluation (longer treatment period) than those with motor vehicular accidents(MVA). The psychosocial outcome with reference to personality change, depression, anxiety, intelligence were not different between two groups. Conclusion : These findings indicate that the more severe initial trauma, the poorer psychosocial outcome. However, it was frequently observed that patients with mild head injury suffered from mild anxiety and depression. Therefore mild head injury appeared to be more complicated by psychosocial stressors. The patients with IA, despite the fact that initial head injury was mild, required longer treatment period than MVA.

• 동의생리병리학회지
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• 제28권3호
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• pp.251-262
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• 2014

This article is for understanding dementia with the perspective of Korean Medicine through research on syndrome differentiations of dementia clinically applied and relations between modern diseases and Korean Medicine pattern types of dementia. clinical papers were searched in China Academic Journals(CAJ) of China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI) from 2012 to 2013. Conclusions are as follows. First, dementia was expressed in many ways such as imbecility, stupidity, fatuity, idiocy, vacuity, etc and was related with amnesia, forgetfulness, speech not in the right order, depressive psychosis(quiet insanity), manic psychosis, depression syndrome. Second, prescriptions such as QiFuYin and ZuoGuiWan from JingYueQuanShu, XiXinTang and ZhiMiTang from BianZhengLu, TongQiaoHuoXueTang, XueFuZhuYuTang and BuYangHaiWuTang from YiLinGaiCuo, HaiShaoDan from YiFangJiJie, HuangLianJieDuTang from WaiTaiMiYao were suggested for dementia. Third, syndrome differentiation pattern types of dementia are kidney deficiency and marrow decrease, qi-blood depletion, liver-kidney depletion, spleen-kidney depletion, heart-spleen deficiency as deficiency patterns and effulgent heart-liver fire, ascendant hyperactivity of liver yang, qi stagnation and blood stasis, phlegm turbidity obstructing orifice, phlegm-blood stasis obstructing orifice, intense heat toxin as excess patterns and qi deficiency with blood stasis, yin deficiency with yang hyperactivity as deficiency-excess complex patterns. Major pattern types are kidney deficiency and marrow decrease, phlegm-blood stasis obstructing orifice, qi stagnation and blood stasis, liver-kidney depletion, phlegm turbidity obstructing orifice.

• 대한인간공학회지
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• 제33권5호
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• pp.323-335
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• 2014

Objective: The aim of this study is to identify the relationship between personality and psychological responses induced by emotional stimuli (happiness, sadness, anger, boring and stress) for children. Background: Many researches are interested in assertion that there is close correlation between personality and emotion. The relationship between personality and emotion needs to be studied in view of the extended integration, not in view of respective property, because personality is deeply ingrained, and the relatively enduring patterns of thought, feeling and behavior and emotion can take advantage of individual differences in sensitivities to situational cues and predispositions to emotional state. In particular, studies on the personality and emotion for children are necessary in that childhood is an important period for formation of their personality and emotion expression and regulation. Method: Prior to the experiment, we made parents of 94 children rate personalities of their children, based on Korean Personality Inventory for Children (K-PIC). Results of 64 children without missing answers to all questions were analyzed. 64 children were exposed to five emotional stimuli and were asked to report the classification and intensity of their experienced emotion. Results: Children were classified into two groups of the lower 25% and higher 25% scores in twenty sub-scales of K-PIC, and psychological responses to five emotional stimuli between two groups were compared. Accuracy of emotion experienced by emotional stimuli showed a significant difference between the two groups, the lower and higher scores in Hyperactivity and Adjustment. Also, there was a significant difference in the intensity of experienced emotions between the two groups in Intellectual Screening and Psychosis. Conclusion: Our result has shown that hyperactivity, adjustment, intellectual screening and psychosis influence the accuracy and intensity of emotional responses. Application: This study can offer a guideline to overcome methodological limitation of emotion studies for children and help researcher basically understand and recognize human emotion in HCI.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• 제30권1호
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• pp.42-44
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• 2019

Hashimoto's encephalopathy (HE) is a rare and underdiagnosed neuropsychiatric illness. We present the case of a 17-year-old girl who was admitted to a tertiary-care psychiatric center with acute onset psychosis and fever. Her psychotic symptoms were characterized by persecutory and referential delusions, as well as tactile and visual hallucinations. Her acute behavioral disturbance warranted admission and treatment in a psychiatric setting (risperidone tablets, 3 mg/day). She had experienced an episode of fever with a unilateral visual acuity defect approximately 3 years before admission, which was resolved with treatment. Focused clinical examination revealed an enlarged thyroid, and baseline blood investigations, including thyroid function test results were normal. Abnormal laboratory investigations revealed elevated anti-thyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO) and anti-thyroglobulin (anti-TG) levels (anti-TPO of 480 IU/mL; anti-TG of 287 IU/mL). Results of other investigations for infection, including cerebrospinal fluid examination, electroencephalography, and brain magnetic resonance imaging were normal. She was diagnosed with HE and was treated with intravenous corticosteroids (methylprednisolone up to 1 g/day; tapered and discontinued after a month). The patient achieved complete remission of psychotic symptoms and normalization of the anti-thyroid antibody titers. Currently, at the seventh month of follow-up, the patient is doing well. This case highlights the fact that in the absence of well-defined clinical diagnostic criteria, a high index of suspicion is required for early diagnosis of HE. Psychiatrists need to explore for organic etiologies when dealing with acute psychiatric symptoms in a younger age group.