Development of Saccharomyces cerevisiae accumulating excessive amount of glycogen and its effects on gut microbiota in a mouse model.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae accumulates glycogen, a hyperbranched glucose polymer with multiple bio-functionalities. In this study, mutants of S. cerevisiae that accumulate excessive amounts of glycogen were developed through UV mutagenesis.

Simultaneous Analysis of 272 Pesticides in Agricultural Products by the QuEChERS Method and Gas Chromatography with Tandem Mass Spectrometry.

The aim of this study is to develop a rapid and accurate method for simultaneous analysis of multi-residue pesticides and conduct pesticide monitoring in agricultural products produced by the production and distribution stage in Korea. The representative agricultural products were selected as brown rice, soybean, potato, mandarin, and green pepper and developed using gas chromatography with tandem mass (GC-MS/MS) for the analysis of 272 pesticide residues. The experimental samples were extracted by the QuEChERS-EN method and then cleaned up by using d-SPE, including MgSO and primary secondary amine (PSA) sorbents.

Examination of categorical approach to symptom assessment: cross-validation of foulds' Delusions-Symptoms-States Inventory with Korean non-patient and patient groups.

Background: Foulds' Delusions-Symptoms-State Inventory (DSSI) has been purported to be a reliable, systematic categorical measure to assess the patients with schizophrenia according to the degree of illness. However, further cross-validations using other clinical measures and diverse samples from other cultures have not been advanced recently. We aimed to examine the validity of the DSSI hierarchical class model using both Korean non-patient and patient (schizophrenia and depression) groups.

Exploration of the associations between neurocognitive function and neuroleptics side effects.

The etiology of side effects of antipsychotic medications can be conceptualized as involving both specific pharmacological actions of a drug and any mental and physical states attributed by the patient. Both factors are likely to be linked with neurocognitive functioning which may largely affect the subjective experience of side effects in patients with schizophrenia. In this study, we examined whether baseline neurocognitive functions, such as IQ, attention, executive functioning, and short-term memory, are associated with baseline and 6-month follow-up measures of self-reported Liverpool University Neuroleptics Side Effects Scale (LUNSERS) and clinician-rated Drug-Induced Extrapyramidal Symptoms Scale (DIEPSS).

Impairments in executive functioning in patients with remitted and non-remitted schizophrenia.

Objective: Although deficits in executive functioning are prominent in schizophrenia, some patients in remission have shown significantly higher levels of neurocognitive functioning than patients not in remission. However, no consensus on the relationship between neurocognitive functioning and the severity of symptoms has been reached. Additionally, previous studies have mainly examined the primary symptom domains of schizophrenia without considering the influence of anxiety symptoms, which are likely to influence neuropsychological performance.