Gender Difference in the Prodromal Symptoms of First-episode Schizophrenia

To investigate the gender difference of early symptoms appearing before the onset of the psychotic symptoms in patients with first-episode schizophrenia, we reviewed the medical records of 63 patients (38 males, 25 females), who were hospitalized for first-episode schizophrenia. The frequency and duration of prodromal and psychotic symptoms, Clinical Global Impression scale scores, Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale scores at admission, and other clinical characteristics were recorded for all patients. Overall, the most common prodromal symptoms were attenuated positive symptoms (89%), followed by mood symptoms (86%). Negative symptoms were the most common in male patients (97.4%), whereas attenuated positive symptoms were the most common in female patients (84%). Male patients demonstrated more frequent negative, cognitive, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms than female patients did and also showed a tendency of having negative symptoms for the longer period. Correlational analysis showed a significant negative correlation between the duration of negative symptoms and GAF scores at admission in male patients. Our findings suggest that different patterns of prodromal symptoms between male and female begin before the onset of the psychosis. Further prospective studies should be needed.This paper was supported by a grant (M103KV010012- 08K2201-01210) from Brain Research Center of the 21st Century Frontier Research Program funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Republic of Korea.Jeppesen P, 2008, PSYCHOL MED, V38, P1157, DOI 10.1017/S0033291708003449Cannon TD, 2008, ARCH GEN PSYCHIAT, V65, P28WILLHITE RK, 2008, SCHIZOPHR RES, V104, P237LAPPIN JM, 2007, BR J PSYCHIAT S, V51, pS123Goldstein JM, 2006, HORM BEHAV, V50, P612, DOI 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2006.06.029Rosen JL, 2006, SCHIZOPHR RES, V85, P124, DOI 10.1016/j.schres.2006.03.034Amminger GP, 2006, SCHIZOPHR RES, V84, P67, DOI 10.1016/j.schres.2006.02.018Barbui C, 2005, J CLIN PSYCHOPHARM, V25, P521, DOI 10.1097/01.jcp.0000185423.15891.02Perkins DO, 2005, AM J PSYCHIAT, V162, P1785Svirskis T, 2005, SCHIZOPHR RES, V75, P439, DOI 10.1016/j.schres.2004.11.002Norman RMG, 2005, J NERV MENT DIS, V193, P17, DOI 10.1097/01.nmd.0000149214.17924.d9Yung AR, 2004, SCHIZOPHR RES, V67, P131, DOI 10.1016/S0920-9964(03)00192-0Lieberman JA, 2003, AM J PSYCHIAT, V160, P1396McGlashan TH, 2003, SCHIZOPHR RES, V61, P7, DOI 10.1016/S0920-9964(02)00439-5Kinon BJ, 2003, PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINO, V28, P55, DOI 10.1016/S0306-4530(02)00127-0McGorry PD, 2002, ARCH GEN PSYCHIAT, V59, P921Gourzis P, 2002, SCHIZOPHRENIA BULL, V28, P415Norman RMG, 2001, PSYCHOL MED, V31, P381Bottlender R, 2000, SCHIZOPHR RES, V44, P145Cohen RZ, 2000, CAN J PSYCHIAT, V45, P544LEUNG A, 2000, ACTA PSYCHIAT SCAN S, V401, P3GOLDSTEIN JM, 2000, WOMEN SCHIZOPHRENIA, P111Hafner H, 1999, ACTA PSYCHIAT SCAND, V100, P105Pohjalainen T, 1998, MOL PSYCHIATR, V3, P256Behl C, 1997, MOL PHARMACOL, V51, P535Yung AR, 1996, AUST NZ J PSYCHIAT, V30, P587Larsen TK, 1996, SCHIZOPHRENIA BULL, V22, P241FOLNEGOVIC Z, 1994, SCHIZOPHR RES, V14, P83HAFNER H, 1993, BRIT J PSYCHIAT, V162, P80HAFNER H, 1992, SCHIZOPHR RES, V6, P209

Reduced cortical folding of the anterior cingulate cortex in obsessive-compulsive disorder

Background: Anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) abnormalities have been implicated consistently in the pathophysiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), yet it remains unclear whether these abnormalities originated during early neurodevelopment. In this study, we examined the ACC sulcal/gyral patterns to investigate whether neurodevelopmental anomalies of the ACC were present in patients with OCD. We hypothesized that patients with OCD would show reduced cortical folding of the ACC compared with controls. Methods: We used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of 169 healthy volunteers and 110 patients with OCD to examine the paracingulate sulcus and cingulate sulcus. We assessed cortical folding patterns according to established classification criteria and constructed 3 categories of paracingulate sulcus morphology according to its presence and anteroposterior extent: "prominent," "present" and "absent." We classified the cingulate sulcus as "interrupted" or "continuous" according to the interruptions in its course. In addition, we evaluated ACC sulcal asymmetry based on interhemispheric comparisons of paracingulate sulcus morphology. Results: Analyses revealed that patients with OCD were significantly less likely than controls to show a well-developed left paracingulate sulcus: 50.0% of patients and 65.1% of controls showed a "prominent" or "present" paracingulate sulcus in the left hemisphere. However, there were no differences in regard to cingulate sulcus continuity, and patients also showed the same leftward ACC sulcal asymmetry as controls. Limitations: Our study was limited by the fact that we obtained the MRI scans from 2 different scanners, and we did not calculate cerebral fissurization as our study was restricted to 1 specific brain region. Moreover, patients and controls differed significantly in terms of sex ratio and IQ, although we controlled these variables as covariates. Conclusion: Our findings imply a subtle deviation in the early neurodevelopment of the ACC in patients with OCD, but the extent to which these anomalies contributed to the pathogenesis of OCD remains unclear. Further studies that link the ACC morphologic anomalies to the pathophysiology of OCD are recommended.This work was supported by Cognitive Neuroscience Program of the Korean Ministry of Science and Technology (M10644020003-08N4402-00310).Jung MH, 2009, PROG NEURO-PSYCHOPH, V33, P605, DOI 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2009.02.017Whittle S, 2009, PSYCHIAT RES-NEUROIM, V172, P68, DOI 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2008.06.005Gu BM, 2008, BRAIN, V131, P155, DOI 10.1093/brain/awm277Fornito A, 2007, ACTA PSYCHIAT SCAND, V116, P467, DOI 10.1111/j.1600-0447.2007.01069.xShin YW, 2007, HUM BRAIN MAPP, V28, P1128, DOI 10.1002/hbm.20338Huster RJ, 2007, NEUROIMAGE, V34, P888, DOI 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2006.10.023De Geus F, 2007, PSYCHIAT CLIN NEUROS, V61, P45, DOI 10.1111/j.1440-1819.2007.01609.xFornito A, 2006, SCHIZOPHR RES, V88, P192, DOI 10.1016/j.schres.2006.06.034Jang JH, 2006, AM J PSYCHIAT, V163, P1202Kim YY, 2006, BRAIN TOPOGR, V18, P201, DOI 10.1007/s10548-006-0269-2Klimkeit EI, 2006, CORTEX, V42, P113Valente AA, 2005, BIOL PSYCHIAT, V58, P479, DOI 10.1016/j.biopsych.2005.04.021Rosenberg DR, 2004, J AM ACAD CHILD PSY, V43, P1146, DOI 10.1097/01.chi.0000132812.44664.2dFornito A, 2004, CEREB CORTEX, V14, P424, DOI 10.1093/cercor/bhh004Shin YW, 2004, PSYCHIAT CLIN NEUROS, V58, P16Yucel M, 2003, BRIT J PSYCHIAT, V182, P518Yucel M, 2002, BIOL PSYCHIAT, V52, P15Lyoo IK, 2001, J CLIN PSYCHIAT, V62, P637Allman JM, 2001, ANN NY ACAD SCI, V935, P107Yucel M, 2001, CEREB CORTEX, V11, P17Bradshaw JL, 2000, BRAIN LANG, V73, P297Bush G, 2000, TRENDS COGN SCI, V4, P215Penalva J, 2000, BIOSENS BIOELECTRON, V15, P99Lohmann G, 1999, CEREB CORTEX, V9, P754Magnotta VA, 1999, CEREB CORTEX, V9, P151Tibbo P, 1999, J PSYCHIATR NEUROSCI, V24, P15Rosenberg DR, 1998, BIOL PSYCHIAT, V43, P623Purcell R, 1998, BIOL PSYCHIAT, V43, P348SAXENA S, 1998, BRIT J PSYCHIAT S, V35, P26FIRST MB, 1998, STRUCTURED CLIN INTESIEGEL S, 1998, NONPARAMETRIC STAT BRauch SL, 1997, J NEUROPSYCH CLIN N, V9, P568Bartley AJ, 1997, BRAIN, V120, P257VanEssen DC, 1997, NATURE, V385, P313Paus T, 1996, CEREB CORTEX, V6, P207FIRST MB, 1996, STRUCTURED CLIN INTEVOGT BA, 1995, J COMP NEUROL, V359, P490DEVINSKY O, 1995, BRAIN, V118, P279ARMSTRONG E, 1995, CEREB CORTEX, V5, P56PAULS DL, 1995, AM J PSYCHIAT, V152, P76KIM JS, 1995, KOREAN J CLIN PSYCHO, V14, P111*AM PSYCH ASS, 1994, DIAGN STAT MAN MENTBAXTER LR, 1992, ARCH GEN PSYCHIAT, V49, P681HUANG CC, 1991, BRAIN DEV-JPN, V13, P27WELKER W, 1990, CEREBRAL CORTEX B, V8, P3DIXON WJ, 1990, BMDP STAT SOFTWARE MHOLLANDER E, 1990, ARCH GEN PSYCHIAT, V47, P27CROW TJ, 1989, ARCH GEN PSYCHIAT, V46, P1145GOODMAN WK, 1989, ARCH GEN PSYCHIAT, V46, P1006GOODMAN WK, 1989, ARCH GEN PSYCHIAT, V46, P1012SWEDO SE, 1989, ARCH GEN PSYCHIAT, V46, P518RAKIC P, 1988, SCIENCE, V241, P170BEAR D, 1986, ARCH NEUROL-CHICAGO, V43, P598GESCHWIND N, 1985, ARCH NEUROL-CHICAGO, V42, P521FLORHENRY P, 1983, CEREBRAL BASIS PSYCH, P301CHI JG, 1977, ANN NEUROL, V1, P86ANNETT M, 1970, BRIT J PSYCHOL, V61, P303CRICHTONBROWNE J, 1879, BRAIN, V2, P42

Gender Difference in the Prodromal Symptoms of First-episode Schizophrenia

To investigate the gender difference of early symptoms appearing before the onset of the psychotic symptoms in patients with first-episode schizophrenia, we reviewed the medical records of 63 patients (38 males, 25 females), who were hospitalized for first-episode schizophrenia. The frequency and duration of prodromal and psychotic symptoms, Clinical Global Impression scale scores, Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale scores at admission, and other clinical characteristics were recorded for all patients. Overall, the most common prodromal symptoms were attenuated positive symptoms (89%), followed by mood symptoms (86%). Negative symptoms were the most common in male patients (97.4%), whereas attenuated positive symptoms were the most common in female patients (84%). Male patients demonstrated more frequent negative, cognitive, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms than female patients did and also showed a tendency of having negative symptoms for the longer period. Correlational analysis showed a significant negative correlation between the duration of negative symptoms and GAF scores at admission in male patients. Our findings suggest that different patterns of prodromal symptoms between male and female begin before the onset of the psychosis. Further prospective studies should be needed

The Reliability and Validity of the Korean Version of the Structured Interview for Prodromal Syndrome

OBJECTIVE: The Structured Interview for Prodromal Syndrome (SIPS) from Yale University is intended to diagnose prodromal syndrome of psychosis and to measure the severity of prodromal symptoms. Here, a Korean version of SIPS is presented, and its reliability, validity, and factor structures are examined using a representative Korean sample. METHODS: The Korean version of SIPS was administered to 40 participants over a period of 1 year. The inter-rater reliability and internal consistency of the SIPS were then evaluated. In addition, its factor structure was investigated using principal-axis factor analysis. Concurrent validity was explored using Pearson correlation coefficients with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). RESULTS: Of the 40 subjects, 12.5% developed psychotic disorders during the 1-year follow-up period. Inter-rater reliability was good (intra-class correlations=0.96), and internal consistency was acceptable (Cronbach's alpha=0.83). A three-factor resolution displayed the best simple structure and accounted for 52.6% of all item variance. Factors 1 and 2 showed strong correlations with negative symptoms and cognitive dysfunction, respectively, on the PANSS. Factor 3 was not correlated with any factor on the PANSS. CONCLUSION: The Korean version of SIPS is a reliable instrument for the assessment of prodromal symptoms in subjects and may be used to evaluate prodromal psychosis.ope

Retrospective analyses of cisplatin-based doublet combination chemotherapy in patients with advanced gastric cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Backgrounds</p> <p>Cisplatin-based chemotherapy, in combination with fluoropyrimidines or taxanes, have demonstrated efficacy against advanced gastric cancer (AGC). This retrospective study was performed with the data obtained from our cancer chemotherapy registry and eight another cancer centers.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In 2008, a total of 283 AGC patients were treated with cisplatin-based doublet chemotherapy in the first-line setting: capecitabine plus cisplatin (XP, n = 77), S-1 plus cisplatin (SP, n = 97), taxanes (docetaxel, paclitaxel) plus cisplatin (TP, n = 72), and 5-fluorouracil plus platinum (FP, n = 37). The primary endpoint of this study was overall survival (OS) and the secondary endpoints were safety, response rate and progression-free survival (PFS).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The median age was 54 years with a range of 28-78 years and median delivered number of chemotherapy cycles were XP: 4, SP: 5, TP: 5 and FP: 5, respectively. Objective tumor responses (38%; 95% CI, 32-43%) were 40% for XP, 42% for SP, 36% for DP, and 24% for FP. The estimated median PFS was 4.5 months (95% CI, 3.6-5.4 months) and the median OS was 12.3 months (95% CI, 10.8-13.7 months). No statistically significant difference was found between each regimen used as first-line chemotherapy. At multivariate analysis, independent prognostic parameters for OS were prior gastrectomy, peritoneal dissemination, performance status and hemoglobin level</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>All of the cisplatin-based doublet chemotherapy regimens appear to be active as first-line chemotherapy for AGC. With better patient selection according to clinical parameters and molecular markers, clinical outcomes of AGC patients in first-line setting can be improved.</p

Search for heavy resonances decaying to two Higgs bosons in final states containing four b quarks

A search is presented for narrow heavy resonances X decaying into pairs of Higgs bosons (H) in proton-proton collisions collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC at root s = 8 TeV. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 fb(-1). The search considers HH resonances with masses between 1 and 3 TeV, having final states of two b quark pairs. Each Higgs boson is produced with large momentum, and the hadronization products of the pair of b quarks can usually be reconstructed as single large jets. The background from multijet and t (t) over bar events is significantly reduced by applying requirements related to the flavor of the jet, its mass, and its substructure. The signal would be identified as a peak on top of the dijet invariant mass spectrum of the remaining background events. No evidence is observed for such a signal. Upper limits obtained at 95 confidence level for the product of the production cross section and branching fraction sigma(gg -> X) B(X -> HH -> b (b) over barb (b) over bar) range from 10 to 1.5 fb for the mass of X from 1.15 to 2.0 TeV, significantly extending previous searches. For a warped extra dimension theory with amass scale Lambda(R) = 1 TeV, the data exclude radion scalar masses between 1.15 and 1.55 TeV

Search for new particles in events with energetic jets and large missing transverse momentum in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV

A search is presented for new particles produced at the LHC in proton-proton collisions at root s = 13 TeV, using events with energetic jets and large missing transverse momentum. The analysis is based on a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 101 fb(-1), collected in 2017-2018 with the CMS detector. Machine learning techniques are used to define separate categories for events with narrow jets from initial-state radiation and events with large-radius jets consistent with a hadronic decay of a W or Z boson. A statistical combination is made with an earlier search based on a data sample of 36 fb(-1), collected in 2016. No significant excess of events is observed with respect to the standard model background expectation determined from control samples in data. The results are interpreted in terms of limits on the branching fraction of an invisible decay of the Higgs boson, as well as constraints on simplified models of dark matter, on first-generation scalar leptoquarks decaying to quarks and neutrinos, and on models with large extra dimensions. Several of the new limits, specifically for spin-1 dark matter mediators, pseudoscalar mediators, colored mediators, and leptoquarks, are the most restrictive to date.Peer reviewe