Evaluation of Sleep Disturbance in Alopecia Areata through Questionnaire: Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index as a Reasonable Tool.

Background: Alopecia areata (AA) is common non-scarring hair loss disease. Sleep distrubance has been regarded as a triggering or aggravating factor for AA. However, objective evaluation of sleep disturbance and its clinical effect on AA has not been clearly demonstrated.

Family cohesion is differently associated with felt stigma depending on enacted stigma in adults with epilepsy.

Purpose: There have been little researches examining the role of family functioning on psychological outcomes in the field of adult epilepsy. We determined whether family functioning is correlated with felt stigma in adults with epilepsy.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, adults with epilepsy and their caregivers were recruited.

Comparison of estimates and time series stability of Korea Community Health Survey and Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Objectives: In South Korea, there are two nationwide health surveys conducted by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: the Korea Community Health Survey (KCHS) and Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). The two surveys are directly comparable, as they have the same target population with some common items, and because both surveys are used in various analyses, identifying the similarities and disparities between the two surveys would promote their appropriate use. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the estimates of six variables in KCHS and eight variables in KNHANES over a six-year period and compare time series stability of region-specific and sex- and age-specific subgroup estimates.

Expression of Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) in human lung cancer and the impact of YangZheng XiaoJi on SHH-mediated biological function of lung cancer cells and tumor growth.

Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) is a protein that is aberrantly expressed in various human tumors. SHH and its signaling molecules have been indicated as potential therapeutic targets. In the present study, we evaluated the expression of SHH transcript in human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tissues and investigated the impact of inhibiting SHH together with a traditional Chinese medicine formula, YangZheng XiaoJi (YZXJ), on the function and growth of lung cancer cells.

Analysis among cognitive profiles and gray matter volume in newly diagnosed Parkinson's disease with mild cognitive impairment.

Purpose: To analyze the characteristics of neuropsychological profiles and gray matter volume in de novo, drug-naïve Parkinson's disease with mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI).

Methods: Fifty-two newly diagnosed PD patients were assessed with neuropsychological testing, and PD-MCI was defined in patients with at least one or more abnormal cognitive test domains. PD with normal cognition (PD-NC) did not meet the criteria for PD-MCI or PD with dementia.

Expansion of the clinicopathological and mutational spectrum of Perry syndrome.

Background: Perry syndrome (PS) caused by DCTN1 gene mutation is clinically characterized by autosomal dominant parkinsonism, depression, severe weight loss, and hypoventilation. Previous pathological studies have reported relative sparing of the cerebral cortex in this syndrome. Here, we characterize novel clinical and neuroimaging features in 3 patients with PS.

Differences in blood pressure measurements obtained using an automatic oscillometric sphygmomanometer depending on clothes-wearing status.

Background: According to the current guidelines for blood pressure monitoring, clinicians are recommended to measure blood pressure by completely exposing the upper arm. However, it is a common practice that blood pressure is measured with the cuff placed over the sleeve or with the sleeve rolled up. We therefore conducted this study to examine whether there are any differences in blood pressure measurements among the three different settings: the sleeve group, the rolled sleeve group, and the bare arm group.

Inter-arm Differences in Simultaneous Blood Pressure Measurements in Ambulatory Patients without Cardiovascular Diseases.

Background: It has traditionally been known that there is normally a difference in blood pressure (BP) between the two arms; there is at least 20 mm Hg difference in the systolic blood pressure (SBP) and 10 mm Hg difference in the diastolic blood pressure (DBP). However, recent epidemiologic studies have shown that there are between-arm differences of < 5 mm Hg in simultaneous BP measurements. The purposes of this study is to examine whether there are between-arm differences in simultaneous BP measurements obtained from ambulatory patients without cardiovascular diseases and to identify the factors associated these differences.