Differences in temperament and character dimensions of personality between patients with Hwa-byung, an anger syndrome, and patients with major depressive disorder.

Objective: This study examined differences in temperament and character dimensions of personality between patients with Hwa-byung (HB) and those with major depressive disorder (MDD).

Method: Of 144 participants, 96 completed the Korean version of the Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised Short (TCI-RS) and the Hwa-byung Scale. We diagnosed participants according to the DSM-IV and the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Hwa-byung.

The Tolerability of Mirtazapine Augmentation in Schizophrenic Patients Treated with Risperidone: A Preliminary Randomized Placebo-controlled Trial.

Objective: Some patients with schizophrenia may need mirtazapine augmentation to improve negative and cognitive symptoms. However there have been a few studies about the tolerability of mirtazapine augmentation to antipsychotics such as akathisia, extrapyramydal symptoms, weight gain, and body mass index (BMI).

Methods: This study was an eight-week double-blind, randomized controlled trial (RCT) of mirtazapine augmentation to risperidone.

Serotonin transporter gene polymorphism associated with short-term treatment response to venlafaxine.

Background: Polymorphisms of serotonin transporter, especially serotonin transporter linked promoter region (5- HTTLPR) and serotonin transporter intron 2 variable number tandem repeat (5-HTTVNTR), have been suggested to be associated with treatment response to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. However, there have been only few reports of the association between 5-HTTLPR or 5-HTTVNTR and treatment response to venlafaxine.

Methods: 84 Korean major depressive disorder patients were included in this study.

Effectiveness of a psychosocial intervention for relapse prevention in patients with schizophrenia receiving risperidone via long-acting injection.

Schizophrenia is a chronic disorder that is usually characterized by relapses alternating with periods of full or partial remission. We examined whether combined therapy with a psychosocial intervention for relapse prevention (PIRP) and risperidone administered by long-acting injection (RLAI) would be more effective in reducing relapses than RLAI with treatment-as-usual (TAU) among outpatients with schizophrenia. We conducted a prospective, controlled study over 2 years in 46 patients with schizophrenia receiving RLAI, of which 21 and 25 patients were assigned to the PIRP and TAU control groups, respectively.

Peripheral cytokines and chemokines in Alzheimer's disease.

A chronic inflammatory process has been implicated in the neuropathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The present review focuses on the current knowledge of circulating serum and plasma biomarkers of AD that are linked to inflammatory reactions. There is abundant evidence that inflammatory mechanisms within the central nervous system contribute to cognitive impairment via cytokine-mediated interactions between neurons and glial cells.

Effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy as an adjuvant to pharmacotherapy in patients with panic disorder or generalized anxiety disorder.

Background: Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) has been widely used to treat patients with depressive disorder to prevent relapse. The objective of this study was to examine the effectiveness of newly developed MBCT program as an adjuvant to pharmacotherapy in the treatment of patients with panic disorder or generalized anxiety disorder.

Methods: Forty-six patients with panic disorder or generalized anxiety disorder were assigned to either MBCT or an anxiety disorder education (ADE) program for a period of 8 weeks.

Association between anger and first-onset primary spontaneous pneumothorax.

Objective: Primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) is a frequent and problematic disease, but its underlying causes and pathophysiology remain unclear. This study examined whether anger, which is related to many psychosomatic diseases, is a psychosocial factor associated with first-onset PSP.

Method: We administered the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory, Stress Response Inventory, Coping Scale, Beck Depression Inventory and Global Assessment of Recent Stress to 91 patients with first-onset PSP and to 77 patients with recent minor trauma as controls.

Usefulness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for treating insomnia in patients with anxiety disorders: a pilot study.

The objective of this study was to examine the usefulness of a mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) for treating insomnia symptoms in patients with anxiety disorder. Nineteen patients with anxiety disorder were assigned to an 8-week MBCT clinical trial. Participants showed significant improvement in Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (Z = -3.

Effectiveness of risperidone long-acting injection in first-episode schizophrenia: in naturalistic setting.

Patients with first-episode schizophrenia frequently relapse during the first years of the illness. This may be associated with clinical deterioration. It is important to prevent relapses in first-episode schizophrenia.