Yeonho Joo

Percutaneous transhepatic cholangioscopic treatment for hepatolithiasis: an evaluation of long-term results and risk factors for recurrence

BACKGROUND Percutaneous transhepatic cholangioscopy (PTCS) has a major role in the treatment of hepatolithiasis. The aims of this study were to evaluate immediate and long-term results of PTCS treatment and to elucidate the risk factors for recurrence of stones or cholangitis. METHODS A retrospective study was conducted of patients with hepatolithiasis who underwent PTCS treatment. A total of 92 patients underwent PTCS treatment and 68 were followed for 24 to 60 months (median 42 months). RESULTS Complete clearance of stones was achieved in 74 (80%) patients. The rate of complete clearance was significantly lower in patients with severe intrahepatic strictures compared with that for those with no strictures (14 of 24, 58% vs. 16 of 16, 100%, p < 0.01) and those with mild to moderate strictures (14 of 24, 58% vs. 44 of 52, 85%, p < 0.05). Patients with severe intrahepatic strictures had a higher recurrence rate than those with no or mild strictures (100% vs. 28%, p < 0.01). In addition the recurrence rate in patients with advanced biliary cirrhosis (Childs class B or C) was higher than in those with no or mild (Childs class A) cirrhosis (89% vs. 29%, p < 0.01). In patients with type I and II hepatolithiasis (Tsunoda classification), stones recurred in 2 (12%) patients at 28 and 32 months after successful stone removal, without further recurrence afterwards. The recurrence rate in patients with type III and IV hepatolithiasis increased gradually up to 50% at 60 months of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS Severe intrahepatic stricture was the only factor that affected the immediate success rate of PTCS in the treatment of hepatolithiasis. Several risk factors including severe biliary stricture, advanced biliary cirrhosis and Tsunoda type III and IV affected the long-term results.

Diagnostic validity and reliability of a Korean version of the Parent and Adolescent General Behavior Inventories

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of a Korean version of the Parent General Behavior Inventory-10-item Mania Scale (P-GBI-10M) and the Adolescent General Behavior Inventory (A-GBI) for bipolar and depressive disorder in youths. METHODS Ninety-two subjects with mood disorder and their parents were recruited from September 2011 to June 2013 through the Department of Psychiatry at the Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea. In addition, 125 community participants were recruited through two middle schools and one high school in Seoul. The parents of subjects completed the Parent-version Mood Disorder Questionnaire (P-MDQ), P-GBI-10M and Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder Rating Scale (ARS). Adolescents complete the 76-item A-GBI, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Adolescent version of the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (A-MDQ). RESULTS Different profiles were evident between the clinic-referred group and the community control, including different P-GBI-10M (t=3.07, p=0.003), A-GBI Depressive (t=4.99, p<0.001), Hypomanic/Biphasic subscales (t=3.17, p=0.002), and BDI (t=4.76, p<0.001) scores. The A-GBI Depressive subscale score (t=3.02, p=0.003), BDI score (t=2.12, p=0.037) and A-GBI Hypomanic/Biphasic subscale score (t=2.71, p=0.008) were significantly different between patients with bipolar disorder and those with depressive disorder. Of the 73 items of the Depressive and Hypomanic/Biphasic subscales of the A-GBI, eight discriminated between bipolar and depressive disorder. Furthermore, A-GBI Depressive subscale scores were significantly correlated with BDI (r=0.81, p<0.001), A-GBI Hypomanic/Biphasic subscale (r=0.88, p<0.001), A-MDQ (r=0.58, p<0.001), P-MDQ (r=0.22, p=0.005), and ARS (r=0.26, p<0.001) scores. Cronbachs α of the A-GBI was 0.98. CONCLUSION The Korean version of the Parent and Adolescent General Behavior Inventories showed excellent internal consistency, fair-to-good construct, and discriminant validity.

Lamotrigine Treatment of Adolescents with Unipolar and Bipolar Depression: A Retrospective Chart Review

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to investigate the preliminary effectiveness and safety of lamotrigine for the treatment of depressive episodes in adolescents. METHODS This was a 12 week retrospective chart review of lamotrigine treatment among 37 adolescents (mean age 16.3±1.3 years) with depressive episodes (15 with bipolar disorder and 22 with major depressive disorder). Illness severity at the 4th, 8th, and 12th weeks were retrospectively scored using Clinical Global Impressions - Severity (CGI-S) and Clinical Global Impressions - Improvement (CGI-I). RESULTS The mean dose of lamotrigine was 65.4±37.5 mg/day (range 12.5-181.7 mg/day) for a mean duration of 199.9±217.4 days (range 14-879 days). The CGI-S scores were significantly decreased over 12 weeks (F=39.611, p<0.001, partial η2=0.531). Seventeen subjects (45.9%) showed a treatment response at 12 week follow up (defined by a CGI-I score ≤2). There were no differences in treatment effectiveness between the bipolar and unipolar groups. Overall, lamotrigine was well tolerated. The most common adverse event was skin rash (n=5, 13.5%), which resolved spontaneously after drug discontinuation. CONCLUSION Our results provide preliminary evidence of the effectiveness and safety of lamotrigine in adolescents with bipolar and depressive disorders. Large, prospective, placebo-controlled studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Antidepressant-emergent mood switch in Korean adolescents with mood disorder.

ObjectivesThe objectives of this study were to compare clinical characteristics of children and adolescents who experienced antidepressant-emergent mood switch (AEMS) and those who did not, and to investigate the predictors of AEMS in a clinical sample of Korean children and adolescents. MethodsTwo psychiatrists retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 115 children and adolescents (age, 15.0 [2.0] years; 45 boys) that were prescribed antidepressants or lamotrigine for the treatment of a depressive episode of bipolar or depressive disorders from March 2010 to February 2012 at the Department of Psychiatry of Asan Medical Center. The diagnosis was reviewed and confirmed for each subject. Demographic information, clinical characteristics, family history, and psychiatric comorbidities were compared across subjects with and without AEMS. ResultsTwelve subjects (10.4%) experienced AEMS. The latency to AEMS was 25.9 (20.9) days (range, 2–56 days; median, 18 days). Antidepressant-emergent mood switch was more frequent in subjects with bipolar disorder (BD) than in subjects with depressive disorder (P < 0.001) and in subjects with high socioeconomic status (P < 0.001). Previous suicidal attempt (P = 0.001), previous antidepressant exposure (P = 0.001), number of previous antidepressant exposures (P < 0.001), family history of other psychiatric disorder (P = 0.001), and concomitant antipsychotics (P = 0.006) were more common in subjects with AEMS than in subjects without AEMS. In multivariate logistic regression, diagnosis of BD (odds ratio [95% confidence interval], 15.94 [1.83–139.16]), concomitant antipsychotics (26.90 [2.43–297.38]), and family history of other psychiatric disorder (39.55 [3.05–512.22]) were significant predictors of AEMS. ConclusionsChildren and adolescents who experienced AEMS had distinct profiles of clinical characteristics. Antidepressant-emergent mood switch may be more associated with BD than with depressive disorder.

Region-specific phosphorylation of ATF-2, Elk-1 and c-Jun in rat hippocampus and cerebellum after electroconvulsive shock.

There have been reports of regional differences in the activation of mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and in the induction of immediate early genes after electroconvulsive shock (ECS) in the rat brain. This study was performed to determine whether ECS induce the region-specific phosphorylation of MAPK-downstream transcription factors, ATF-2, Elk-1, c-Jun, in rat hippocampus and cerebellum. Following ECS, the phosphorylation of ATF-2 was highly increased in the hippocampus but slightly in the cerebellum. The phosphorylation of Elk-1 was increased in the cerebellum but not in the hippocampus. In contrast, the phosphorylation of c-Jun was increased only in the hippocampus. These results indicate that ECS can induce the region-specific phosphorylation of MAPK-downstream transcription factors in rat hippocampus and cerebellum.

Child behavior checklist profiles in adolescents with bipolar and depressive disorders

OBJECTIVE We aimed to evaluate the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) profiles in youths with bipolar and depressive disorders. METHODS Seventy-four subjects with a mean age of 14.9±1.6years (36 boys) with mood disorders and their parents were recruited from September 2011 to June 2013 in the Department of Psychiatry, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea. Diagnosis of mood disorder and comorbid psychiatric disorder was confirmed by child psychiatrists using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School Age Children - Present and Lifetime version (K-SADS-PL). The parents of the subjects completed the Parent General Behavior Inventory-10-item Mania Scale (P-GBI-10M), Parent-version of Mood Disorder Questionnaire (P-MDQ), ADHD rating scale (ARS) and CBCL. The adolescents completed the 76-item Adolescent General Behavior Inventory (A-GBI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Adolescent-version of Mood Disorder Questionnaire (A-MDQ). RESULTS When adjusted for gender and the comorbidity with ADHD, the Withdrawn and Anxious/Depressed subscale scores of the CBCL were higher in subjects with bipolar disorder than in those with depressive disorder. Higher scores of A-GBI Depressive subscale, A-MDQ and BDI were shown in subjects with bipolar disorder than in those with depressive disorder. There was no significant difference on CBCL-DP, P-GBI-10M, P-MDQ, A-GBI Hypomanic/Biphasic subscale and ARS between two groups. All eight subscales of the CBCL positively correlated with the P-GBI-10M and P-MDQ scores, and seven of all eight subscales of the CBCL positively correlated with A-GBI Depressive and Hypomanic/Biphasic subscales. The BDI score was positively associated with the Withdrawn, Somatic Complaints, Anxious/Depressed, and Social Problems subscale scores. CBCL-DP score was strongly correlated with manic/hypomanic symptoms measured by P-GBI-10M and P-MDQ (r=0.771 and 0.826). CONCLUSIONS This study suggests that the CBCL could be used for measuring mood symptoms and combined psychopathology, especially internalizing symptoms, in youth with mood disorder. However, CBCL-DP had limited ability to differentiate bipolar from depressive disorder, at least in adolescents.

Age structure at diagnosis affects aggression in a psychiatric inpatient population: Age structure affecting inpatient aggression

Study of inpatient aggression in psychiatric inpatient units (PIUs), where vulnerable patients interact intensely in small groups, is hampered by a lack of systematic monitoring of aggressive events in the context of group dynamics. Our current study examines the relationship between aggression and group structure in the PIU of a general tertiary-care hospital over a 9-month period. The severity of aggression was monitored daily using the Overt Aggression Scale (OAS). Clinical data including the daily number and mean age of subpopulations with different diagnoses were acquired. Cross-correlation function and autoregressive integrated moving average modeling were used to assess the effects of various group structure parameters on the incidence of aggressive events in the PIU. The daily total OAS score correlated positively with the daily mean age of patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. By contrast, the OAS total score demonstrated a negative correlation with the daily mean age of patients with major depression. The age of the patients at diagnosis is an important group structure that affects the incidence of aggression in a PIU.

Factors affecting the yield of percutaneous cholangioscopic biopsy in patients with bile duct cancer

Background: This study analyzed the factors associated with the yield of percutaneous transhepatic cholangioscopic biopsies in patients with bile duct cancer.

Genome-Wide Analysis Reveals Four Novel Loci for Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Korean Youths

Objectives: The molecular mechanisms underlying attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) remain unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the genetic susceptibility loci for ADHD in Korean children with ADHD. We performed a case-control and a family-based genome-wide association study (GWAS), as well as genome-wide quantitative trait locus (QTL) analyses, for two symptom traits. Methods: A total of 135 subjects (71 cases and 64 controls), for the case-control analysis, and 54 subjects (27 probands and 27 unaffected siblings), for the family-based analysis, were included. Results: The genome-wide QTL analysis identified four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs7684645 near APELA, rs12538843 near YAE1D1 and POU6F2, rs11074258 near MCTP2, and rs34396552 near CIDEA) that were significantly associated with the number of inattention symptoms in ADHD. These SNPs showed possible association with ADHD in the family-based GWAS, and with hyperactivity-impulsivity in genome-wide QTL analyses. Moreover, association signals in the family-based QTL analysis for the number of inattention symptoms were clustered near genes IL10, IL19, SCL5A9, and SKINTL. Conclusion: We have identified four QTLs with genome-wide significance and several promising candidates that could potentially be associated with ADHD (CXCR4, UPF1, SETD5, NALCN-AS1, ERC1, SOX2-OT, FGFR2, ANO4, and TBL1XR1). Further replication studies with larger sample sizes are needed.