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We recently reported an association betweenTAAR6(trace amine associated receptor 6 gene) variations and schizophrenia (SZ). We now report an association of a set ofTAAR6variations and clinical presentation and outcome in a sample of 240 SZ Korean patients. Patients were selected by a Structured Clinical Interview, DSM-IV Axis I disorders – Clinical Version (SCID-CV). Other psychiatric or neurologic disorders, as well as medical diseases, were exclusion criteria. To assess symptom severity, patients were administered the CGI scale and the PANSS at baseline and at the moment of discharge, 1 month later on average.TAAR6variations rs6903874, rs7452939, rs8192625 and rs4305745 were investigated; rs6903874, rs7452939 and rs8192625 entered the statistical investigation after LD analysis. Rs8192625 G/G homozygosis was found to be significantly associated both with a worse clinical presentation at PANSS total and positive scores and with a shorter period of illness before hospitalization. No haplotype significant findings were found. The present study stands for a role of theTAAR6in the clinical presentation of SZ. Moreover, our results show that this genetic effect may be counteracted by a correct treatment. Haplotype analysis was not informative in our sample, probably also because of the incomplete SNPs' coverage of the gene we performed. Further studies in this direction are warranted.

CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells (Treg cells) are negative regulator of the immune system and main obstacles to cancer immunotherapy in tumor-bearing hosts. Resveratrol is a natural product found in grapes with both immunomodulatory and anticancer effects, which can be controlled by Treg cells. Therefore, to determine whether resveratrol performs these actions via Treg cells, we investigated changes in Treg cell population and immunomodulatory cytokines in EG7 tumor-bearing C57BL/6 mice. In the present study, CD4+CD25+ cell population among CD4+ cells was inhibited ex vivo by resveratrol treatment in a dose-dependent manner. FoxP3+ expressing cells among CD4+CD25+ population were significantly reduced after resveratrol treatment ex vivo in intracellular FACS analysis. Single intraperitoneal administration of 4 mg/kg resveratrol suppressed the CD4+CD25+ cell population among CD4+ cells and downregulated secretion of TGF-beta, an immunosuppressive cytokine, measured from the spleens of tumor-bearing mice. Furthermore, resveratrol enhanced IFN-gamma expression in CD8+ T cells both ex vivo and in vivo,leading to immune stimulation. Taken together, these results suggest that resveratrol has a suppressive role on CD4+CD25+ cell population and makes peritumoral microenvironment unfavorable to tumor in tumor-bearing mice. Thus, resveratrol can be considered as possible adjuvant material for vaccination-based cancer therapy.

Scrotal sparganosis is a rare parasitic infestation in which humans serve as the second intermediate host for a tapeworm of the genus Spirometra. We present one case of a 44-year-old man with an emphasis on the ultrasound (US) findings. The patient had a palpable scrotal subcutaneous nodule and a history of eating raw snakes 7 years prior. On US, we noted a well-defined, long, tubular, serpiginous lesion that had three different echoic layers, i.e., a peripheral low echoic rim, an intermediate high echoic line, and an inner slightly low echoic content that had a tram-tract appearance.

In this paper, an enhanced time-domain cancellation method is proposed for inter-carrier interference (ICI) reduction in OFDM systems. The conventional time-domain cancellation does not work well in deep fades. In order to supplement the conventional method, the simple repetition (de-)coding and the modulation order increasing are employed in the time-domain cancellation. The approximated repetition decoding provides reliable symbols in the regeneration operation, and the increased modulation order maintains the spectral efficiency. Simulation results indicate that the proposed method using 16QAM significantly improves the BER performance compared to the conventional method using QPSK, while maintains the spectral efficiency. Moreover, the proposed method using 64QAM concurrently improves both the BER performance and the spectral efficiency.

In December 2005, Korea launched terrestrial DMB (T-DMB) services for the first time in the world, making multimedia broadcasting services available in the mobile environment. In addition to high-quality digital radio (audio) and television (video), diverse data services, such as traffic and travel information, BIFS, and visual radio, are currently being serviced. At the moment, there are no mobile/portable T-DMB terminals in the market that can support all the data services available. In this paper, we present a low-power portable T-DMB receiver, which can decode not only T-DMB video services but also various data services. In particular, it can simultaneously decode DMB video and data services within the same ensemble.

In this paper, an enhanced time-domain cancellation method is proposed for inter-carrier interference (ICI) reduction in OFDM systems. The conventional time-domain cancellation neglects the effect of channel variation in cyclic prefix during the time-domain cancellation and does not work well in deep fades. In order to supplement the conventional method, the simple repetition (de-)coding and the modulation order increasing are employed in the time-domain cancellation. The repetition coding provides reliable symbols in the regeneration operation, and the modulation order increasing maintains or increases the spectral efficiency. Simulation results indicate that the proposed method using 16QAM significantly improves the BER performance compared to the conventional method using QPSK, while maintains the spectral efficiency. Moreover, the proposed method using 64QAM concurrently improves both the BER performance and the spectral efficiency.

The circulating tumor necrosis factor receptors (TNFRs) could predict the long-term renal outcome in diabetes, but the role of circulating TNFRs in other chronic kidney disease has not been reported. Here, we investigated the correlation between circulating TNFRs and renal histologic findings on kidney biopsy in IgA nephropathy (IgAN) and assessed the notion that the circulating TNFRs could predict the clinical outcome. 347 consecutive biopsy-proven IgAN patients between 2006 and 2012 were prospectively enrolled. Concentrations of circulating TNFRs were measured using serum samples stored at the time of biopsy. The primary clinical endpoint was the decline of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR; ≥ 30% decline compared to baseline). Mean eGFR decreased and proteinuria worsened proportionally as circulating TNFR1 and TNFR2 increased (P < 0.001). Tubulointerstitial lesions such as interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy were significantly more severe as concentrations of circulating TNFRs increased, regardless of eGFR levels. The risks of reaching the primary endpoint were significantly higher in the highest quartile of TNFRs compared with other quartiles by the Cox proportional hazards model (TNFR1; hazard ratio 7.48, P < 0.001, TNFR2; hazard ratio 2.51, P = 0.021). In stratified analysis according to initial renal function classified by the eGFR levels of 60 mL/min/1.73 m2, TNFR1 and TNFR2 were significant predictors of renal progression in both subgroups. In conclusion, circulating TNFRs reflect the histology and clinical severity of IgAN. Moreover, elevated concentrations of circulating TNFRs at baseline are early biomarkers for subsequent renal progression in IgAN patients.

The Current broadcasting enviroment is constally evolving in order to meet the various needs of the viewer such as ColorTV, 3D, HD, UHD TV serivce. And they want to broadcasting the same quality in the fixed and mobile enviroment for high definition braodcasting serive. In this paper, we presnet a design and implementation of muilplexing system for fixed/mobile next generation broadcasting service in network free enivorment. Network free means receive both the broadcasting channel and communication chennel for various TV service. We introduce method to provide next generation convergence broadcating servies based on european standard which can transmit UHD content in network free envieroment. As a result to this paper, we analyze the characteristics of the recieved signal from the commerical receiver device.

MethodsZZEighty four inpatients with schizophrenia and 81 control subjects were recruited. Height and weight were measured for calculation of body mass index (BMI). Symptom severity scales [Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale] and Global Assessment of Functioning Scale (GAF) were conducted in all patients. Comorbid medical conditions, years of education, smoking status, age of onset, duration of illness, and medication history were collected.

The aim of this study was to compare the psychological factors between young Korean conscripts with lumbar disc herniation (LDH) and healthy controls and to evaluate the interrelationships among pain, disability, and psychological factors in LDH conscripts. The subjects consisted of 56 young conscripts with LDH and 76 controls. All subjects completed Beck's Depression Inventory and Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. To evaluate pain intensity and functional disability, the Visual Analogue Scale and the Modified Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Questionnaire were used. LDH conscripts had more depression and anxiety than the controls. The functional disability of the LDH conscripts was significantly related to the four variables: pain intensity, depression, state anxiety, and trait anxiety. Pain intensity and state anxiety significantly contributed to the functional disability in the LDH conscripts. This study suggests that LDH conscripts have some psychological problems, such as depression and anxiety, in comparison to healthy controls. Furthermore, the pain intensity and state anxiety predict the functional disability in LDH conscripts.

In the search of predictors of antidepressant efficacy, much interest has recently focused on pro-inflammatory proteins, as they were found to be elevated during major depressives states and decreased by antidepressant drugs. In the present paper we investigated the role of the genes coding for heat-shock-70 family proteins, recently hypothesized to be activated by antidepressants and thus mediate the reduction of pro-inflammatory cytosines. One hundred and forty two hospitalised patients, affected by major depression and treated with antidepressants drugs for a major depressive episode were evaluated for depressive severity at the baseline and at the discharge and genotyped for five SNPs within the genes HSPA1L, HSPA1A and HSPA1B. Markers were not individually associated with symptom severity after treatment. Instead, we found a three markers haplotype, including SNPs within HSPA1L and HSPA1A, associated with a poorer response to antidepressant treatment (p=0.005). Single markers as well as haplotypes were not associated with other clinical features. In conclusion, genetic variants within the genes coding for HSP-70 family proteins may affect the action of antidepressants and thus their therapeutic efficacy.

In this paper, we present a low-complexity sampling frequency-offset (SFO) estimation scheme suitable for the 3GPP long-term evolution (LTE) downlink system. First, a novel SFO estimation method for a pilot-aided orthogonal frequency division multiplexing system is proposed providing a good performance with reduced complexity. To achieve low complexity, the proposed estimation scheme uses a central conjugate-symmetric primary synchronisation signal specified in the LTE standard, which eases the SFO estimation at the receiver. For performance evaluation, we derive the mean square error expression of the proposed frequency estimation scheme. Simulations show that the proposed frequency estimation scheme can detect the SFO with higher accuracy and much lower complexity, compared with the conventional estimation schemes. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This paper proposes an improved discrete Fourier transform-based and pilot-symbol-aided channel estimation (DFT-based PSA CE) for coherent orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems. Conventional DFT-based PSA CE suffers from the dispersive distortion of an estimated channel impulse response (CIR) caused by virtual carriers. The proposed method estimates an equal-spaced channel frequency response (CFR) in a virtual carrier region by using forward and backward linear prediction (FBLP). Simulation results show that the proposed method outperforms the conventional one with slightly increased complexity and provides a performance similar to the frequency domain linear minimum mean square error (LMMSE) channel estimation with significantly reduced complexity.

There has been increasing evidence that the alteration of antioxidant enzymes such as manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) might be implicated in the development of schizophrenia and/or tardive dyskinesia (TD). This study investigated the association of a MnSOD gene (MnSOD) polymorphism (Ala-9Val) with schizophrenia as well as its involvement in TD. Patients with schizophrenia (n=262) and healthy controls (n=263) were enrolled in this study and genotyped by a polymerase chain reaction-based method. The distribution of the MnSOD genotypes and alleles was not significantly different between patients and controls. Logistic regression analysis also failed to reveal any association between MnSOD genotypes and TD. Taken together, these results suggest that the MnSOD polymorphism does not contribute to the development of schizophrenia and/or TD, at least in the Korean population.

To compare efficacy and safety of milnacipran and fluoxetine in a population of Korean patients with major depression.The design was a multi-centre, randomised, comparative clinical study. Patients with major depression (DSM-IV diagnostic criteria) scoring over 17 points on the 17-item Hamilton Depression Scale (HAM-D) and over 21 points on the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) were recruited and randomised to receive milnacipran (50 mg/day increasing after 1 week to 100 mg/day) or fluoxetine (20 mg/day) for 6 weeks. All previous medication was stopped at least 7 days before entry into the study. Patients were evaluated (HAM-D, MADRS and clinical global impression scale, CGI) at baseline and after 1, 2, 4 and 6 weeks of treatment. All adverse events which developed during the study period were recorded.70 patients (milnacipran 39; fluoxetine 31) were included in the study. Total score on both HAM-D, MADRS and CGI decreased significantly in both groups after 1 week and continued to decrease throughout the study. There was no significant difference between the two groups for any measurement at any time point. Both antidepressants were well tolerated. In the milnacipran group, 13 patients reported 28 adverse reactions, and in the fluoxetine group 11 patients reported 18 adverse reactions. Two patients discontinued due to adverse events in the milnacipran group and three in the fluoxetine group. There were no clinically significant modifications in vital signs, routine blood laboratory tests, biochemistry or ECG throughout the study. Nausea and headache were the most frequently reported adverse events with milnacipran while digestive disturbances, diarrhoea and insomnia were more common with fluoxetine.Milnacipran, like fluoxetine, was found to be effective and well tolerated for the treatment of major depression in this population of depressed Korean patients. Principal limitations of the study were its open design, its small sample size and its relatively short duration.

The sexual side-effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors have been widely accepted and clinicians should only prescribe these agents for the treatment of premature ejaculation in the real clinical practice. We recently experienced three cases of paroxetine-associated sexual stimulation in the outpatient clinic. Because there is little information in the existing literature on this issue, we report three female cases who developed frequent spontaneous orgasm and increased libido during paroxetine treatment.

This study evaluated the clinical variables associated with the early administration of antipsychotics for the treatment of bipolar mania. 63 out of 97 inpatients with bipolar I disorder according to the DSM-IV criteria and who were consecutively admitted to the Kangnam St. Mary's Hospital, between September 2002 and March 2004, were included in the study. Regression analysis was run on the clinical variables in order to identify the factors affecting the early administration of antipsychotics. The route of admission and exposure to antipsychotics at the last follow-up were found to be associated with the early administration of antipsychotics (odds ratios=33.0 and 13.1, respectively). This study suggests that some clinical factors in bipolar mania might be linked to the earlier antipsychotic treatment. However, more studies will be needed to confirm this finding.

Aims : To evaluate the different expression patterns and the prognostic significance of cell cycle regulatory molecules in diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCLs) of germinal centre (GC) and non-GC phenotypes. Methods and results : Tissue microarray slides composed of 126 extranodal and 88 nodal DLBCLs were immunostained for p16, p21, p27, p14 and p53. DLBCLs were classified into GC and non-GC phenotype according to the immunohistochemical expression of bcl-6, CD10, and MUM1. Aberrant expression of p53 was more frequent in the GC phenotype in nodal cases (P = 0.038), and the loss of p16, p21 and p14 expression was significantly more common in the non-GC phenotype (P = 0.004, P = 0.001, P

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a prevalent anxiety disorder marked by behavioral, physiologic, and hormonal alterations. The etiology of PTSD is unknown, although exposure to a traumatic event constitutes a necessary, but not sufficient, factor. Serotonergic dysfunction has been implicated in PTSD. The present study examined the possible association between the serotonin-transporter-linked polymorphic region (SERTPR) and PTSD. The genotype and allele frequencies of the SERTPR were analyzed in 100 PTSD patients and 197 unrelated healthy controls using a case-control design. The frequency of the s/s genotype was significantly higher in PTSD patients than in normal controls. These findings suggest that the SERTPR s/s genotype is one of the genetic factors for the susceptibility to PTSD. Further investigations are required into the influence of gene polymorphisms on the biological mechanisms of PTSD, its clinical expression, and its response to treatment.

This study evaluated the overall effectiveness and tolerability of adjunctive quetiapine as a continuation therapy for the long-term treatment of bipolar mania. Twenty-three patients were enrolled in this study and received quetiapine add-on treatment in combination with their existing or new mood stabilizers. The clinical assessment was carried out using the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), Clinical Global Impression-severity(CGI-s), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores-17 item, Simpson-Angus Rating Scale and Barnes Akathisia Rating Scale at the baseline, 1, 4, 12 and 24 weeks. The YMRS and CGI-s decreased significantly from the baseline to the endpoint by 89.7% and 78.3%, respectively (p0.0001; p0.0001). By the end of the study, 22 patients showed at least 50% improvement in the YMRS score. This study suggests that quetiapine can be used as an adjunct in the long-term treatment of bipolar mania.

Impaired processing of facial information is one of the broad ranges of cognitive deficits seen in patients with schizophrenia. This study aimed to elucidate the differences in brain activities involved in the process of facial working memory (images of neutral faces as mnemonic content) between schizophrenic patients and healthy comparison subjects using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Group comparison analysis revealed aberrant activities from the patient group in several cortical areas, including the left fusiform gyrus, right superior frontal gyrus, bilateral middle frontal gyri/insula, and left middle temporal gyrus. A decreased level of activity in the left fusiform gyrus, along with performance reduction, implicates abnormal processing of facial information in schizophrenia.

The heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) is believed to be involved in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia with regards to neurodevelopment. An aberration in the HSP70 has been proposed in schizophrenia patients, suggesting that it is a candidate gene for schizophrenia. This study aimed to investigate the association between the three polymorphisms of HSP70-1 (HSPA1A), HSP70-hom (HSPA1L) and HSP70-2 (HSPA1B) and schizophrenia. One hundred and sixty-one patients with schizophrenia and 165 controls were enrolled in the study. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with a restriction fragment length enzyme (RFLP) was used to genotype the HSPA1A, HSPA1L and HSPA1B polymorphisms. There were no significant differences in the allelic or genotype frequencies of the HSPA1A and HSPA1L polymorphisms between the schizophrenia patients and the controls, while there was a marginal difference in the genotype frequency of the HSPA1B polymorphisms, and a significant difference in the allelic frequency of the HSPA1B polymorphisms between the schizophrenia patients and the controls. There was no evidence of an association between the clinical variables and schizophrenia across the genotypes among the three HSP70 gene polymorphisms. These results suggest that a HSPA1B polymorphism might be related to the pathogenesis of schizophrenia at least in the Korean population. Therefore, larger studies from different ethnic groups should be performed to confirm these results.

This study was to aim at investigating the potential interaction for the serotonin receptor gene (5-HTR) 2A and serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) polymorphisms in the development of schizophrenia, as well as the interaction of the two polymorphisms in relation with symptomatology, family history, age of onset and antipsychotic response. Genomic DNA analysis with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used for the genotyping. One hundred and eleven (111) patients with schizophrenia and 172 normal controls participated in the study. We did not find any association between the individual polymorphism and schizophrenia. The significant interaction effect between 5-HTTLPR and 5-HTR2A polymorphisms on the development of schizophrenia as well as on the antipsychotics response, family history, symptomatology and age at onset, was not found. However, subject with 5-HTR2A*TT genotype were found to have lower age of onset, compared to their counterparts ( p = 0.01). These results suggest that the interaction between 5-HTTLPR and 5-HTR2A polymorphisms may not contribute to susceptibility to schizophrenia as well as some clinical factors such as antipsychotic response, at least in the Korean population.

An aberration in the level of antioxidants has been suggested in schizophrenia. Therefore, this study examined the difference in the antioxidant level between patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls, as well as the difference between the drug-naïve schizophrenic patients with a first episode (FSPR) and the risperidone-treated chronic schizophrenia (RCSPR) patients. The plasma albumin, bilirubin and uric acid levels were determined in 47 FSPR and 55 chronic schizophrenia patients who met the DSM-IV criteria for schizophrenia, and in 68 controls. The albumin and bilirubin levels were significantly lower in the schizophrenic patients compared to the controls, although there was no significant difference between the FSPR and RCSPR patients. The bilirubin level was significantly lower in the negative subgroup of the patient group. This study supports the hypothesis that an aberration in the antioxidant levels may be involved in schizophrenia. In addition, this study suggests that the antioxidant level may be associated with the clinical symptomatology as well as the treatment implications in schizophrenia, particularly the negative symptoms.

Membrane phospholipid abnormalities have been proposed to be involved in the pathogenesis of mood disorders, and in signal transduction and neurotransmitter uptake. Cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) is not only an essential enzyme in the metabolism of fatty acids but also in signaling process. Therefore, we examined the association between the BanI polymorphism of the cPLA2 gene and mood disorders. Sixty-two patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), 50 patients with bipolar I disorder (BID) and 117 healthy controls participated in this study. Genotyping was performed by using PCR-based methods. Genotype and allele distributions in MDD patients were significantly different from those of the controls. In particular, the A2 allele was associated with increased risk of MDD development (p = 0.007, odds ratio = 1.827; confidence interval = 1.141-2.927). However, the polymorphism was not different between BID patients and controls in genotype and allele distribution. This preliminary study indicates the need for further studies on the potential role of the cPLA2 gene polymorphism in the susceptibility to mood disorders.

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP1) promoter –2518 polymorphism and DSM-IV-based bipolar I disorder (BID) in Korea. Ninety-two patients with BID and 114 healthy controls participated in this study. A polymerase chain reaction-based method was used for genotyping. Genotype and allele distributions in patients with BID were not different from those of the controls, nor were they different according to clinical factors in the patient group. However, the frequency of the A allele (p = 0.028) was significantly different when subdividing the patient group into patients with manic episode versus depressed and mixed episode. The present study suggests that the MCP1 promoter –2518 polymorphism may not confer susceptibility to BID itself, but could have an influence on the clinical heterogeneity of BID, at least in the Korean population.

Objective The efficacy and tolerability of paroxetine in the treatment of depressive disorders is well known, however, its efficacy and safety for the treatment of depression in patients with cancer has been poorly studied. Therefore this study was aimed at evaluating the efficacy and tolerability of paroxetine in the treatment of depressed patients with haematological malignancy (HM). Method Fifty-two patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) based on DSM-IV criteria along with comorbid HM were allotted to an 8 week trial with a flexible-dose regime of paroxetine in combination with their chemotherapy or supportive pharmacotherapy. The treatment response was assessed at baseline, week 2, week 4 and week 8 with the 17-item Hamilton rating scale for depression (HAM-D17), the Montgomery Asberg depression rating scale (MADRS) and the clinical global impression-severity (CGI-S). Side effects were collected with reported adverse events and laboratory tests throughout the study period. Results 44.2% of 52 patients completed the 8 week trial. Scores on the HAM-D17, MADRS and CGI-s (last observation carried forward, LOCF) at baseline were significantly reduced with a mean reduction of 30.5%, 32.8% and 39.1%, respectively, after 8 weeks treatment with paroxetine. Conclusion In this preliminary study, paroxetine was found to be effective and moderately tolerated in the treatment of depressed patients with HM, and the present study calls for a controlled study in this field to extend and form a framework on the psychopharmacological data in this field. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This study evaluated the overall efficacy and tolerability of quetiapine in the treatment of inpatients with acute mania who are intolerant to risperidone in combination with a mood stabilizer. Eighteen patients completed this 3-week trial. The efficacy and tolerability was assessed upon admission, at baseline, and 1 and 3 weeks later. The Young mania rating scale (YMRS) and clinical global impression-severity (CGI-s) scores from the baseline to the endpoint, decreased by 39.8% and 40.0%, respectively. Fifteen (78.9%) and 18 (94.7%) patients exhibited at least a 50% improvement in the YMRS and CGI-s scores by the end of the trial. Measurements taken through the Barnes akathisia rating scale (BARS), the Simpson-Angus rating scale (SARS) and the drug attitude inventory shortened version-10 (DAI-10) also showed significant improvement. This study suggests that quetiapine may hold promise as an alternative regimen that does not worsen the psychopathology, particularly for those vulnerable to the side effects of drugs, including atypical agents such as risperidone, in naturalistic treatment settings. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Cholesterol interacts with serotonin and it has been found to be associated with some clinical symptoms of mood disorders. There is a paucity of data on first-onset bipolar patients and from Asian population. The total cholesterol (TC) level was examined in 25 bipolar I patients with a single manic episode (BPSM) and 30 controls. The TC level was significantly lower in the BPSM than in the controls. There were negative correlations between the Young mania rating scale (YMRS) scores and the pretreatment TC level in BPSM. This study suggests that the TC level can be changed after treatment in bipolar manic patients, although more studies involving different ethnic groups will be needed.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the association between the monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) promoter -2518 polymorphism and schizophrenia. One hundred and twenty-three schizophrenic inpatients and 114 healthy controls participated in this study. Genotyping was performed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Genotype and allele distributions in patients with schizophrenia were not significantly different from those of the controls. However, distributions of genotypes and alleles were marginally different when considering subjects with positive and negative symptomatology. The present study therefore calls for further studies on the potential role of the MCP-1 promoter -2518 polymorphism in clinical heterogeneity of schizophrenia.

We conducted a case-control association study of the monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP1) gene -2518 polymorphism in 90 patients with major depressive disorder. Genotyping was performed by polymerase chain reaction methods. We found significant differences in genotype and allele frequencies. The present study suggests that this polymorphism may confer a susceptibility to major depressive disorder in the Korean population.

A pilot study was conducted to evaluate the effect of nizatidine on olanzapine-associated weight gain (OAWG) in ten patients with schizophrenia and schizophreniform disorder in Korea. Psychometric ratings with positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS) and brief psychiatric rating scale (BPRS) were measured at baseline, week 4 and week 8; as were weight and body mass index (BMI). A combination of nizatidine for 8 weeks resulted in significant reversal of weight gain without worsening the psychopathology (weight: 3.5% and BMI: 3.7%). In line with studies of Western populations, an add-on therapy of nizatidine could be an effective option for the control of weight gain in olanzapine-treated patients in Korea. Our findings call for further evaluation of the effect of this drug on OAWG, with randomized placebo-controlled studies, in Asian populations. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Korean Psychosomatic Society, our national organization for consultation-liaison (C-L) psychiatry was formed within the Korean Neuropsychiatric Association (KNPA) in 1992. Since then, there has been increasing interest in C-L activities in general hospitals. All psychiatry departments in university teaching hospitals offer C-L experiences as part of the rotation for residents. Recently, there have been increasing research activities in C-L psychiatry. However, there are some current obstacles to further development of C-L psychiatry. No reimbursement for C-L activities is one of the most pressing problems facing C-L psychiatrists. Insufficient staffing at C-L services and stigmatization of mental illness are also problems to be dealt with. In order to resolve those issues, a more organized approach to demonstrate the usefulness of psychiatric C-L activities will be needed.

This study is aimed to test the association between the coding sequence functional polymorphism (Ile105Val) of glutathione S-transferase P gene (GSTP1) and schizophrenia in the Korean population. Two hundred fourteen patients with schizophrenia according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV (DSM-IV) criteria and 110 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. Patients and controls were biologically unrelated age and sex-matched native Koreans. Genotyping for GSTP1 polymorphism was performed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Genotype and allele distributions of GSTP1 polymorphism in patients with schizophrenia were not significantly different from those of the controls. Comparisons of clinical variables including Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), change of Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), number of admission, and onset age also were not different according to genotype distribution. The present study suggests that GSTP1 polymorphism may not confer susceptibility to development of schizophrenia in the Korean population.

In the present paper we propose an image sequence interpolation algorithm for improving the resolution of the magnified image. The proposed algorithm can be divided by two parts. The first main processing part is to overcome the limits of existing still image interpolation by using image sequences and is composed of motion estimation, image registration, and image interpolation. The second post processing part is to remove the artifacts in the interpolated image due to main processing by a directionally adaptive filtering. It is demonstrated that the proposed algorithm can be the theoretical bases for interpolation of dynamic image sequences, and experimental results of the proposed algorithm are also presented.

This paper considers a channel estimation technique in a wireless personal area network (WPAN) system with complementary code keying (CCK) signaling over multipath fading channels. The performance of the proposed coherent detector is compared with that of a noncoherent detector, and a significant improvement of performance is observed in terms of the bit error probability.

We present a coarse frequency-offset synchronization technique for an OFDM-based transmission system with an emphasis on the Eureka-147 DAB receiver. The proposed frequency-offset synchronization algorithm using two defined correlation functions is shown to have high robustness against a large range of symbol timing offset with a moderate implementational complexity.

This paper describes an adaptive timing synchronization scheme and DC-offset compensation technique for a short-ranged Bluetooth system. The synchronization scheme estimates the variance of the partial-band interference, which is utilized for the trigger threshold value of the inquiry scan and page scan states, while DC-offset compensation scheme is designed using the access codes which are known to each Bluetooth device. Numerical results show the proposed synchronization algorithm is robust to the partial-band noise interference and of low complexity. Also, the new DC-offset compensation method shows more reliable estimation ability of DC-offset than the existing method without extra hardware burdens.

We propose open-loop and closed-loop link quality control (LQC) algorithms using the correlation output of the access code for a short-range radio network. The new schemes can decrease the number of retransmissions and data overhead which result in improving the throughput of the Bluetooth system without extra hardware burden.

A new filter design method for an auto focus is proposed which can be implemented into a simple hardware. The proposed auto focus filter can be implemented without multipliers. Therefore, we can sharply reduce the number of filter coefficients by the proposed design method. The proposed filter design method is simulated and tested by our hardware system.

This paper is concerned with a new algorithm which can be used to design a time-domain equalizer (TEQ) for xDSL systems employing discrete multitone (DMT) modulation. The proposed algorithm, derived by neglecting the terms which do not affect the performance of a DMT system in ARMA modeling, is shown to have a good performance compared with the previous TEQ algorithms even with a significantly lower computational complexity.

This paper describes an adaptive timing synchronization scheme of a short-ranged Bluetooth system in the partial-band noise environments. The variance of the partial-band interference is estimated and is utilized for the trigger threshold value of the inquiry scan and page scan states. Numerical results show the proposed synchronization algorithm is robust to the partial-band noise interference.

Idiopathic membranous nephropathy (iMN) is a common cause of nephrotic syndrome in adults. A biomarker to accurately indicate the severity of iMN and predict long-term prognosis is insufficient. Here, we evaluated the clinical significance of circulating tumor necrosis factor receptors (cTNFRs) as prognostic biomarkers of iMN with nephrotic syndrome. A total of 113 patients with biopsy-proven iMN and 43 healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study. Ninety patients with iMN had nephrotic range proteinuria. Levels of cTNFRs were measured by using serum samples collected at the time of initial diagnosis. Levels of cTNFRs were higher in the patients with nephrotic syndrome than in those with subnephrotic range proteinuria or in the healthy volunteers (P for trend