Minimally Invasive Syringe-Injectable Hydrogel with Angiogenic Factors for Ischemic Stroke Treatment.

Ischemic stroke (IS) accounts for most stroke incidents and causes intractable damage to brain tissue. This condition manifests as diverse aftereffects, such as motor impairment, emotional disturbances, and dementia. However, a fundamental approach to curing IS remains unclear.

Effectiveness and Tolerability of Combination Pharmacotherapy With Stimulant and Non-Stimulant in Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness and safety of combining psychostimulants and nonstimulants for patients under treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Methods: The study included 96 patients aged 6-12 years who were diagnosed with ADHD, among whom 34 received combination pharmacotherapy, 32 received methylphenidate monotherapy, and 30 received atomoxetine monotherapy. Statistical analysis was conducted to compare treatment and adverse effects among groups and to analyze changes before and after combination pharmacotherapy.

Exploring the potential hypothalamic role in mediating cisplatin-induced negative energy balance.

Cisplatin is a chemotherapeutic drug commonly used for treating different types of cancer. However, long-term use can lead to side effects, including anorexia, nausea, vomiting, and weight loss, which negatively affect the patient's quality of life and ability to undergo chemotherapy. This study aimed to investigate the mechanisms underlying the development of a negative energy balance during cisplatin treatment.

Enhanced lipid utilization is coupled to the sickness responses triggered by lipopolysaccharide.

Sickness symptoms exerted via inflammatory responses occur in several infectious and chronic diseases. A growing body of evidence suggests that altered nutrient availability and metabolism are tightly coupled to inflammatory processes. However, the relationship between metabolic shifts and the development of the sickness response has not been explored fully.

Factors Influencing Readiness to Change Among Hazardous Drinkers in South Korea.

the precontemplation group (those who had never considered that they had a problem) and the more than contemplation group (those who were at least open to the idea they might have a problem). Measured variables were personal characteristics, lifetime alcohol use history, and responses to the Drinker Inventory of Consequences, Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test, Alcohol Dependence Scale, Motivational Structure Questionnaire for Alcoholics, and the Alcohol Outcome Expectancies Scale. Behavioral, psychiatric, and psychological factors were evaluated according to the responses to the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory.

Validation of the Korean-Version of the Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia (CAINS).

The Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms (CAINS) was developed to overcome the limitations of existing instruments and reflect the current view of negative symptoms. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Korean version of the Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms (K-CAINS). Inpatients (n = 49) and outpatients (n = 70) with schizophrenia were recruited from three institutions.

Altered executive function in the welders: A functional magnetic resonance imaging study.

Chronic exposure to manganese (Mn) can lead to impairments in motor and cognitive functions. Several recent studies reported Mn-induced executive dysfunction. The present study compared the neural correlates of ongoing executive function of welders and healthy controls.

Altered executive function in the lead-exposed brain: A functional magnetic resonance imaging study.

Introduction: It is well known that lead exposure induces neurotoxic effects, which can result in dysfunction in a variety of cognitive capacities including executive function. However, few studies have used fMRI to examine the direct neural correlates of executive function in participants with past lead exposure. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate possible alterations in the neural correlates of executive function in the previously lead-exposed brain.

Lead-induced impairments in the neural processes related to working memory function.

Background: It is well known that lead exposure induces neurotoxic effects, which can result in a variety of neurocognitive dysfunction. Especially, occupational lead exposures in adults are associated with decreases in cognitive performance including working memory. Despite recent advances in human neuroimaging techniques, the neural correlates of lead-exposed cognitive impairment remain unclear.

Soft Tissue Balancing of Varus Arthritic Knee in Minimally Invasive Surgery Total Knee Arthroplasty: Comparison between Posterior Oblique Ligament Release and Superficial MCL Release.

Purpose: To assess proper soft tissue balancing of the varus arthritic knee between posterior oblique ligament (POL) release group and superficial medial collateral ligament (SMCL) release group.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study was performed on 186 patients who underwent minimally invasive surgery (MIS) total knee arthroplasty (TKA) from January 2011 to December 2011. Eighty-three patients were in the group of SMCL release and 103 patients were in the POL release group.

Increased power spectral density in resting-state pain-related brain networks in fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia (FM), characterized by chronic widespread pain, is known to be associated with heightened responses to painful stimuli and atypical resting-state functional connectivity among pain-related regions of the brain. Previous studies of FM using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) have focused on intrinsic functional connectivity, which maps the spatial distribution of temporal correlations among spontaneous low-frequency fluctuation in functional MRI (fMRI) resting-state data. In the current study, using rs-fMRI data in the frequency domain, we investigated the possible alteration of power spectral density (PSD) of low-frequency fluctuation in brain regions associated with central pain processing in patients with FM.

Disturbances of motivational balance in chronic schizophrenia during decision-making tasks.

Aim: The role of feedback processing in decision-making has been assessed in psychiatric patients using the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). Although impaired performance on the IGT has been documented extensively in schizophrenia patients, the neuropsychological mechanisms underlying the performance deficits have not yet been elucidated. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the neuropsychological origins of impaired decision-making in schizophrenia patients using various versions of the IGT.

Cementless modular total hip arthroplasty in patients younger than fifty with femoral head osteonecrosis: minimum fifteen-year follow-up.

This study aimed to report the outcome of total hip arthroplasty (THA) with a modular femoral component in patients younger than fifty years with osteonecrosis of femoral head. Sixty-four osteonecrotic hips in fifty-five patients were available for clinical and radiographic analyses at minimum follow-up of fifteen-years. The mean Harris hip score improved from 36 points preoperatively to 92.

Response randomization of one- and two-person rock-paper-scissors games in individuals with schizophrenia.

Randomization among successive choices is important in adaptive decision-making, particularly for strategic interactions in which the optimal strategy is a mixed strategy. Patients with schizophrenia have been reported to have deficits in random sequential behaviors arising from impaired executive function. However, whether schizophrenic patients exhibit distinct behaviors for response randomization in one- and two-person games requiring different behavioral strategies is not known.

Safety of quetiapine fumarate extended release in the treatment of Korean patients with acute schizophrenia.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of quetiapine fumarate extended release (XR) in the treatment of Korean subjects with acute schizophrenia.

Methods: This was an 8-week, multi-center, open-label, non-comparative study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of quetiapine fumarate XR at a daily dose of 400-800 mg. Changes in total scores on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) from baseline to week 8 were analyzed to evaluate the efficacy of quetiapine XR.

Working memory impairment in fibromyalgia patients associated with altered frontoparietal memory network.

Background: Fibromyalgia (FM) is a disorder characterized by chronic widespread pain and frequently associated with other symptoms. Patients with FM commonly report cognitive complaints, including memory problem. The objective of this study was to investigate the differences in neural correlates of working memory between FM patients and healthy subjects, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Brain activation patterns of motor imagery reflect plastic changes associated with intensive shooting training.

Evidence from previous studies has suggested that motor imagery and motor action engage overlapping brain systems. As a result of this observation that motor imagery can activate brain regions associated with actual motor movement, motor imagery is expected to enhance motor skill performance and become an underlying principle for physical training in sports and physical rehabilitation. However, few studies have examined the effects of physical training on motor imagery in beginners.

Decreased cortical complexity in methamphetamine abusers.

This study aimed to investigate if methamphetamine (MA) abusers exhibit alterations in complexity of the electroencephalogram (EEG) and to determine if these possible alterations are associated with their abuse patterns. EEGs were recorded from 48 former MA-dependent males and 20 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects. Approximate Entropy (ApEn), an information-theoretical measure of irregularity, of the EEGs was estimated to quantify the degree of cortical complexity.

A comparative study between thoracoscopic surgery and posterior surgery using all-pedicle-screw constructs in the treatment of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

Study Design: A retrospective comparative study.

Objective: To present the results of thoracoscopic surgery in the treatment of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) and to compare the results of thoracoscopic surgery with those of posterior surgery.

Summary Of Background Data: Although racoscopic scoliosis correction has attracted attention since the early 2000s, its use has declined gradually, whereas posterior surgery using pedicle screws has become popular.

Stronger activation and deactivation in archery experts for differential cognitive strategy in visuospatial working memory processing.

It is well known that elite athletes have higher performance in perception, planning, and execution in sports activities relative to novices. It remains controversial, however, whether any differences in basic cognitive functions between experts and novices exist. Furthermore, few studies have directly used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate neural activation and deactivation differences between experts and novices while performing visuospatial working memory (WM) tasks.

Cognitive motivations of free riding and cooperation and impaired strategic decision making in schizophrenia during a public goods game.

Schizophrenia is generally characterized by various positive and negative symptoms that are accompanied by significant social dysfunction. Various researchers investigated the functional impairments in schizophrenia including impaired theory of mind (TOM), poor integration of affective and cognitive information, and malfunctioning of adaptive and strategic learning process. However, most of the studies were limited to simplified cognitive tests or computerized choice games that exclude real social interaction.

Delayed transition from ambiguous to risky decision making in alcohol dependence during Iowa Gambling Task.

It has been demonstrated that alcohol-dependent patients exhibit decision-making deficits, particularly, hypersensitivity to reward and executive dysfunction. Yet, how the impaired motivational process and executive dysfunction in the patients affect decisions under ambiguity and risk with different degrees of uncertainty is little known. To investigate the neuropsychological origin of the impaired decision making under uncertainty in alcohol dependence, we administered the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), Game of Dice Task (GDT) and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) to 23 alcohol-dependent patients and 21 healthy subjects, and calculated the correlations between the task performances.

Neural correlates related to action observation in expert archers.

A growing body of evidence suggests that activity of the mirror neuron system is dependent on the observer's motor experience of a given action. It remains unclear, however, whether activity of the mirror neuron system is also associated with the observer's motor experience in sports game. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to investigate differences in activation of the mirror neuron system during action observation between experts and non-archer control subjects.

Neural correlates of motor imagery for elite archers.

Motor imagery is a mental rehearsal of simple or complex motor acts without overt body movement. It has been proposed that the association between performance and the mental rehearsal period that precedes the voluntary movement is an important point of difference between highly trained athletes and beginners. We compared the activation maps of elite archers and nonarchers during mental rehearsal of archery to test whether the neural correlates of elite archers were more focused and efficiently organised than those of nonarchers.