Resting-state regional homogeneity as a biological marker for patients with Internet gaming disorder: A comparison with patients with alcohol use disorder and healthy controls.

Objective: Internet gaming disorder (IGD) shares core clinical features with other addictive disorders, such as gambling disorder and substance use disorder. Designation of IGD as a formal disorder requires elucidation of its neurobiological features and comparison of these with those of other addictive disorders. The aims of the present study were to identify the neurobiological features of the resting-state brain of patients with IGD, alcohol use disorder (AUD), and healthy controls, and to examine brain regions related to the clinical characteristics of IGD.

Similarities and differences among Internet gaming disorder, gambling disorder and alcohol use disorder: a focus on impulsivity and compulsivity.

Background And Aims: The aim of the present study was to test the impulsivities and compulsivities of behavioral addictions, including Internet gaming disorder (IGD) and gambling disorder (GD), by directly comparing them with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and a healthy control (HC) group.

Methods: We enrolled male patients who were diagnosed with IGD, GD or AUD, with 15 patients per group, as well as 15 HCs. Trait impulsivity was measured using the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale version 11 (BIS-11).

Lateral Soft-Tissue Release with Medial Transarticular or Dorsal First Web-Space Approach Combined with Distal Chevron Osteotomy for Moderate-to-Severe Hallux Valgus.

Introduction: We describe the medial transarticular and dorsal first web-space soft-tissue approaches, used in combination with an osteotomy, for the surgical correction of painful hallux valgus.

Step 1 Medial Transarticular Approach Skin Incision And Medial Capsulotomy: Make a medial longitudinal skin incision over the first metatarsophalangeal joint, perform a longitudinal midline capsulotomy, and excise the medial eminence.

Step 2 Medial Transarticular Approach Distal Soft-tissue Procedure: Distract and widen the first metatarsophalangeal joint, apply manual traction to the great toe, transect the adductor hallucis, and apply varus stress to the first metatarsophalangeal joint.

Above-moderate physical activity reduces both incident and persistent late-life depression in rural Koreans.

Objective: To investigate the natural course of depressive symptoms among community-dwelling elderly over 5 years. Rates and correlates of the incidence and the persistence of late-life depression were examined.

Methods: A total of 701 elderly people 65 years of age or older without dementia at baseline were included in this study.

Impact of stigma on use of mental health services by elderly Koreans.

Purpose: This study compared the factors associated with the utilization of mental health services across various age cohorts, with a particular focus on the differential influence of the stigma placed on mental illness on the use of these services.

Methods: The present study used data from a Korean national epidemiological survey of mental disorders among community-dwelling adults aged 18-74 years (n = 3,055). The subjects were categorized into three age groups: young (18-39), middle-aged (40-59), and late adulthood (60-74).

The effect of repeated exposure to virtual gambling cues on the urge to gamble.

Introduction: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of using a virtual reality (VR) casino environment in cue exposure therapy (CET) for gambling. The main objective of this study was to assess the ability of five VR casino cues to elicit subjective reactions and physiological responses that can be used within the CET paradigm. A second objective was to analyze changes in participants' urge to gamble after repeated exposure to a VR casino program and relaxation training.

Development and validation of the Pictorial Cognitive Screening Inventory for illiterate people with dementia.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a tool called the Pictorial Cognitive Screening Inventory (PCSI), which consists of pictorial memory and attention tests that are not influenced by literacy level.

Patients And Methods: PCSI, Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), and Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) questionnaires were administered to 80 elderly participants (20 illiterate normal, 20 illiterate with dementia, 20 literate normal, and 20 literate with dementia).

Results: PCSI scores were highly correlated with those of the MMSE (r 0.

Cement arthroplasty for ankle joint destruction.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the outcomes of cement arthroplasty used as a primary salvage procedure to treat ankle joint destruction.

Methods: This study included sixteen patients who underwent primary cement arthroplasty from May 2004 to March 2012 because of an ankle disorder, including intractable infection, nonunion, or a large bone defect or tumor. The mean age of the patients was fifty-seven years (range, twenty-three to seventy-four years), and the mean follow-up period was thirty-nine months (range, fourteen to 100 months).

Impact of childhood exposure to psychological trauma on the risk of psychiatric disorders and somatic discomfort: single vs. multiple types of psychological trauma.

We examined whether childhood exposure to multiple types of potentially traumatic events (PTEs) relative to a single type of PTE is associated with a higher prevalence of psychiatric disorders and greater somatic discomfort in Korean adults. The Composite International Diagnostic Interview 2.1 (K-CIDI 2.

Association between Ischemic Stroke and Vascular Shear Stress in the Carotid Artery.

Background And Purpose: Vascular shear stress is essential for maintaining the morphology and function of endothelial cells. We hypothesized that shear stress in the internal carotid artery (ICA) may differ between patients with ischemic stroke and healthy control subjects.

Methods: ICA shear stress was calculated in 143 controls and 122 patients with ischemic stroke who had a normal ICA or an ICA with <50% stenosis.

Spatial memory impairments in amnestic mild cognitive impairment in a virtual radial arm maze.

Objective: This study aims to apply the virtual radial arm maze (VRAM) task to find spatial working memory and reference memory impairments in patients of amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Spatial memory functions between aMCI converters and nonconverters are also compared using VRAM results.

Methods: We assessed the spatial memory in 20 normal controls, 20 aMCI, and 20 mild AD subjects using VRAM.

Synthesis of wafer-scale hexagonal boron nitride monolayers free of aminoborane nanoparticles by chemical vapor deposition.

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) has gained great attention as a two-dimensional material, along with graphene. In this work, high-quality h-BN monolayers were grown in wafer scale (7 × 7 cm(2)) on Cu substrates by using low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD). We created h-BN monolayers that were free of polymeric aminoborane (BH2NH2) nanoparticles, which are undesirable by-products of the ammonia borane precursor, by employing a simple filtering system in the CVD process.

Three-dimensional triple hierarchy formed by self-assembly of wax crystals on CuO nanowires for nonwettable surfaces.

Novel hierarchical surfaces combining paraffin wax crystals and CuO nanowires are presented. We demonstrate a bioinspired hierarchical wax on nanowire (NW) structures having high water and ethylene glycol repellence. In general, vertically grown nanowire arrays can provide a superhydrophobic surface (SHS) due to extremely high surface roughness but cannot repel ethylene glycol.

Toll‑like receptor 2 promotes bacterial clearance during the initial stage of pulmonary infection with Acinetobacter baumannii.

Toll‑like receptor 2 (TLR2) has been identified as a sensor for bacterial lipoprotein. To determine the role of TLR2 in host defense against Acinetobacter baumannii infection, wild‑type (WT) and TLR2‑deficient mice were infected intranasally with A. baumannii.

Diverse Toll-like receptors mediate cytokine production by Fusobacterium nucleatum and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans in macrophages.

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) orchestrate a repertoire of immune responses in macrophages against various pathogens. Fusobacterium nucleatum and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans are two important periodontal pathogens. In the present study, we investigated TLR signaling regulating cytokine production of macrophages in response to F.

Shared psychological characteristics that are linked to aggression between patients with Internet addiction and those with alcohol dependence.

Background: Internet addiction (IA) is considered as one of behavioral addictions. Although common neurobiological mechanisms have been suggested to underlie behavioral addiction and substance dependence, few studies have directly compared IA with substance dependence, such as alcohol dependence (AD).

Methods: We compared patients with IA, AD, and healthy controls (HC) in terms of the Five Factor Model of personality and with regard to impulsiveness, anger expression, and mood to explore psychological factors that are linked to aggression.

Comparison of the effectiveness of virtual cue exposure therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy for nicotine dependence.

Previous studies have reported promising results regarding the effect of repeated virtual cue exposure therapy on nicotine dependence. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of virtual cue exposure therapy (CET) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for nicotine dependence. Thirty subjects with nicotine dependence participated in 4 weeks of treatment with either virtual CET (n=15) or CBT (n=15).

Differences in prefrontal, limbic, and white matter lesion volumes according to cognitive status in elderly patients with first-onset subsyndromal depression.

The purpose of this preliminary study was to test the hypothesis that subsyndromal depression is associated with the volume of medial prefrontal regional gray matter and that of white matter lesions (WMLs) in the brains of cognitively normal older people. We also explored the relationships between subsyndromal depression and medial prefrontal regional gray matter volume, limbic regional gray matter volume, and lobar WMLs in the brains of patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). We performed a cross-sectional study comparing patients with subsyndromal depression and nondepressed controls with normal cognition (n = 59), MCI (n = 27), and AD (n = 27), adjusting for sex, age, years of education, and results of the Mini-Mental State Examination.

Butyrylcholinesterase K and apolipoprotein ε4 affect cortical thickness and neuropsychiatric symptoms in Alzheimer's disease.

Two major genotypes are known to affect the development and progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and its response to cholinesterase inhibitors: the apolipoprotein E (ApoE) and butyrylcholinesterase genes (BChE). This study analyzed the effects of the BChE and ApoE genotypes on the cortical thickness of patients with AD and examined how these genotypes affect the neuropsychiatric symptoms of AD. AD-drug-naïve patients who met the probable AD criteria proposed by the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke-Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association were recruited.

Dysfunctional inhibitory control and impulsivity in Internet addiction.

The purpose of this study was to explore a psychological profile of Internet addiction (IA) considering impulsivity as a key personality trait and as a key component of neuropsychological functioning. Twenty three subjects with IA (Young's Internet Addiction Test scores=70 or more) and 24 sex-, age-, and intelligence-matched healthy controls were enrolled. Participants filled out a questionnaire about trait impulsivity, the Trait Characteristic Inventory, depression, and anxiety.

Differential resting-state EEG patterns associated with comorbid depression in Internet addiction.

Objective: Many researchers have reported a relationship between Internet addiction and depression. In the present study, we compared the resting-state quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG) activity of treatment-seeking patients with comorbid Internet addiction and depression with those of treatment-seeking patients with Internet addiction without depression, and healthy controls to investigate the neurobiological markers that differentiate pure Internet addiction from Internet addiction with comorbid depression.

Method: Thirty-five patients diagnosed with Internet addiction and 34 age-, sex-, and IQ-matched healthy controls were enrolled in this study.

Formulation of emulsion adhesives with removal properties by using alkali soluble resins.

This study was aimed at developing environmental friendly adhesion materials using alkali soluble resins (ASRs). Water-borne emulsion pressure-sensitive adhesives show good compatibility with different polymer emulsions, high solid contents, and good working property, thereby allowing adjustment of the extensive viscosity. On the other hand, it is not easily recyclable and its adhesion and water-resistance properties are not optimal.

Comparison of distal soft-tissue procedures combined with a distal chevron osteotomy for moderate to severe hallux valgus: first web-space versus transarticular approach.

Background: There are two surgical approaches for distal soft-tissue procedures for the correction of hallux valgus-the dorsal first web-space approach, and the medial transarticular approach. The purpose of this study was to compare the outcomes achieved after use of either of these approaches combined with a distal chevron osteotomy in patients with moderate to severe hallux valgus.

Methods: One hundred and twenty-two female patients (122 feet) who underwent a distal chevron osteotomy as part of a distal soft-tissue procedure for the treatment of symptomatic unilateral moderate to severe hallux valgus constituted the study cohort.