Objectives: Internet-addiction came into common use not only in clinical setting but also in everyday life. But, pathophysiology and diagnostic criteria of the internet addiction remain unknown. Because adolescents are in developing period, they might be vulnerable to the internet addiction, depression and sleep-related problem. The objectives of this study were to investigate the characteristics of internet addiction and its association with sleep pattern and depression in Korean adolescence. Methods: Subjects were 799 middle and high school students in Seoul, Korea. We administered a self-reported questionnaire including socio-demographic data, Korean versions of Young's Internet Addiction Scale (YIAS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PS-QI), the Center for Epidemiologic Studies for Depression Scale (CES-D) and questions about internet using patterns. Data of 696 subjects were included in analysis. Chi-square tests were used to analyze proportional differences, and ANOVA with post-hoc tests were used to analyze differences among groups. Partial correlation analyses were performed to analyze the correlation of internet addiction with other variables (two-tailed, p12.78, 5.533.04 and 16.728.69, respectively. In higher grade students, average total sleep time was shorter (M2 426.2067.68 min. vs. H1 380.4762.57 min. vs. H2 354.6773.37 min., F=51.909, p3.14 vs. 5.423.15 vs. 5.972.83, F=8.871, p8.37 vs. 16.968.24 vs. 17.878.84, F=12.373, p63.31 min. vs. 134.9286.79 min. vs. 213.57136.87 min., F=34.287, p79.11 min. vs. 96.9791.89 min. vs. 152.3193.64 min., F= 5.400, p=0.005) were different among groups. PSQI (5.262.97 vs. 6.082.97 vs. 7.504.41, F=8.218, p8.08 vs. 19.058.42 vs. 30.4313.69, F=32.692, p
Abstract There are a number of epidemiological studies concerning the gender differences in the genetic etiology of alcohol dependence (AD), with ADH2 and ALDH2 being strong candidates. The purpose of this study was to investigate gender differences in frequencies of ADH2 and ALDH2 genotypes in AD patients and in a normal control (NC) group of Koreans. Study subjects consisted of 228 AD patients (180 males, 48 females) and 138 NC (79 males, 59 females). For both male and female subjects, the frequency of the ADH2*1/1 genotype was significantly higher in AD patients compared to the NC group. However, the effect size of the ADH2*1/1 genotype on AD was much larger in females than in males. Furthermore, the ALDH2*1/1 genotype was positively associated with AD in male subjects but negatively associated with AD in female patients. Interestingly, AD in males was primarily determined by ALDH2 enzyme activity (92%), whereas female AD was primarily determined by ADH2 enzyme activity (60.4%). These results suggest that risk for the development of AD in males is mainly associated with the ALDH2*1/1 genotype, while in female patients, the ADH2*1/1 genotype was more highly associated with risk of AD. Overall, it is evident that gender differences associated with genetic risks for AD are present.
Objective: Melatonin, both immediate and prolonged-release formulations, has been explored as an adjunctive treatment for insomnia, with prolonged-release melatonin demonstrating enhanced efficacy compared to its immediate-release counterpart. However, there remains a gap in understanding its effectiveness specifically in individuals with treatment-resistant insomnia, who continue to experience sleep difficulties despite using traditional hypnotic medications.Methods: An 8-week prospective, open-label, observational study was conducted on 115 patients aged 55 years or older with insomnia several years ago. This is a post-hoc analysis, which was performed on 63 out of 115 patients who were already taking hypnotics and still reported symptoms of insomnia. Per protocol (n=40) and last observation carried forward (LOCF) approaches (n=63) were used, assessing changes in sleep indicators after administering 2 mg of prolonged-release melatonin. Psychometric scales including Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and WHO-5 Well-Being Index were used for evaluation at baseline, week 4, and week 8.Results: The per protocol and LOCF analysis revealed substantial improvements in sleep latency, total sleep time, sleep efficiency, and total PSQI scores after 8 weeks of prolonged-release melatonin treatment. The LOCF analysis also revealed WHO-5 Well-Being Index significantly increased. Compared to prolonged-release melatonin monotherapy group with combination therapy group (adding prolonged-release melatonin to previous hypnotics) at baseline, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks after treatment, most variables did not differ between two groups in the per protocol and LOCF analysis. However, only WHO-5 Well-Being Index was higher in monotherapy group than in combination group at 4 weeks and 8 weeks after prolonged-release melatonin treatment in the per protocol analysis.Conclusion: Prolonged-release melatonin demonstrated notable efficacy in ameliorating sleep latency, duration, efficiency, and overall quality in treatment-resistant insomnia patients. The study highlights its potential as a treatment avenue for this challenging cohort, prompting further exploration into its benefits, particularly in improving overall well-being, and advocating for expanded research in this domain.
Objective: This study aimed to assess whether the use of melatonin as an initial insomnia treatment can enhance inflammatory status and quality of life (QoL). We also explored a potential correlation between these improvements and sleep pattern ameliorations and whether baseline status correlated to differences in sleep quality, inflammatory status, and QoL. Methods: We enrolled 67 subjects from 6 different hospitals who met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) insomnia criteria. The patients took 2 mg per day of prolonged-release melatonin (PRM) for 8 weeks. We administered the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) to assess sleep quality and the WHO-5 Well-Being Index to assess QoL at baseline, week 4, and week 8. We measured tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) levels to determine inflammatory status at baseline and week 8.Results: The mean global PSQI score declined significantly from 13.97 to 10.39 (p<0.001) after 8 weeks of PRM treatment. The mean WHO-5 Well-Being Index score improved significantly from 7.30 to 11.0 (p<0.001) over the study period. The mean TNF-α nonsignificantly declined from 0.62 to 0.60 (p=0.28). The PSQI improvement over 8 weeks was correlated to the baseline PSQI score (r=0.40, p=0.001). The decrease in TNF-α over 8 weeks was correlated to the baseline TNF-α level (r=0.43, p<0.001).Conclusion: This study reported measurable improvement in sleep quality and QoL after 8 weeks of PRM. Although the decrease in TNF-α level over 8 weeks was not significant, it showed correlation to the baseline TNF-α level. PRM can prevent excessive inflammation and may be beneficial in chronic inflammation involving TNF-α.
The aim of this study was to determine the effect of feeding high gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-containing black sticky rice giant embryo (BSRGE, Oryza sativa L.) on anxiety-related behavior of C57BL/6 mice. Experimental feedstuff (BSRGE with high GABA+AIN-76A) and control (AIN-76A) were provided to C57BL/6 mouse for 10 days. Antianxiety effects of BSRGE with high GABA were measured using an elevated plus maze. On day 8, the number of open arm entries by GABA and control groups were 1.10 ± 1.60 (mean ± SD) and 0.00 ± 0.00 (P = .030). On day 10, the number of open arm entries by the GABA group was 2.00 ± 1.89, which was significantly (P = .025) higher than that in the control group (0.40 ± 0.84). On day 8, the time the mice spent in open arm in the GABA group and control group was 3.60 ± 7.06 and 0.00 ± 0.00 sec (P = .068), respectively. On day 10, the time the mice in the GABA and control groups spent in open arm was 6.20 ± 5.35 sec and 1.80 ± 3.82 sec (P = .042), respectively. In repeated analysis of variance for the number of entries into open arm and time spent in open arm, significant differences were found between the two groups. Therefore, BSRGE with high GABA content might have an antianxiety effect. This study can serve as a preliminary study so that further antianxiety effects of BSRGE can be determined in more extended animal or clinical research studies in the future.
Capsaicin, a noxious stimulant and main component of the hot flavor of red peppers, has an analgesic effect when administered to humans. We investigated the expression of proopioimelanocortin (POMC) mRNA in the arcuate nucleus of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats after administering capsaicin, hypothesizing that administering capsaicin activates the central opioid system.SD rats were divided randomly into two groups; one group received a saline injection and the other received a capsaicin injection. The POMC mRNA level in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus was measured by the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction at 0, 20, 40, 60, and 120 minutes after capsaicin administration.Capsaicin administration resulted in a significantly increased POMC mRNA level, compared to that in saline-treated rats at the 20-minute time point (t=-4.445, p=0.001). However, no significant group differences were observed at other times (t=-1.886, p=0.089; t= -0.973, p=0.353; t=-2.193, p=0.053 for 40, 60, and 120 minutes, respectively).The analgesic effect of capsaicin might be associated with increased activity of the cerebral opioid system. This finding suggests that capsaicin acted for nociception and analgesia and could affect alcohol-intake behavior, which might further imply that a food culture could affect drinking behavior.
Objectives: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) not only causes respiratory disturbances during sleep but also decreases the quality of nocturnal sleep through sleep fragmentation and sleep structure change. We aimed at comparing the changes in sleep fragmentation and structure between baseline (diagnostic) nocturnal polysomnography (NPSG) and nCPAP (nasal continuous positive airway pressure) titration trial. Methods: One hundred and three patients with a baseline night of respiratory disturbance index (RDI) of 5 or greater and reduced RDI score during nCPAP titration night were retrospectively selected for the study. Sleep fragementation and sleep structure between baseline NPSG and the NPSG during nCPAP titration were compared. Sleep fragmentation index (SFI) was defined as the total number of awakenings and shifts to stage 1 sleep divided by the total sleep time in hour. SFI and other polysomnographic parameters were statistically compared between the two nights. Results: SFI during baseline NPSG and nCPAP titration nights were and , respectively, indicating a significant SFI decrease during nCPAP titration (t=9.7, p
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