Clinical Utility of Impact of Event Scale-Revised for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fifth Edition Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

OBJECTIVE: The Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) is a widely used self-report for assessing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), originally aligned with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-IV diagnostic criteria. This study aimed to evaluate the applicability of the IES-R under the DSM-5 guidelines and establish a cutoff point for DSM-5 PTSD diagnosis. METHODS: A total of 238 participants recruited from multiple psychiatric centers, including 67 patients with PTSD, 72 patients with psychiatric controls, and 99 healthy controls, were included in the study. All participants completed the Korean version of the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM-5 research version to confirm the presence of PTSD, the Korean version of PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), the Beck Depression Inventory-II, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, and the Spielberger State Trait Anxiety Inventory. RESULTS: The IES-R demonstrated good internal consistency and a high correlation with the PCL-5. Through factor analysis, 5 distinct dimensions emerged within the IES-R: sleep disturbance, intrusion, hyperarousal, avoidance, and numbness-dissociation. A proposed cutoff score of 25 on the IES-R was suggested for identifying patients with PTSD. CONCLUSION: These findings underscore the scale's concurrent validity with the DSM-5 PTSD criteria and its effectiveness as a screening tool. Implementing a cutoff score of 25 on the IES-R can enhance its utility in identifying DSM-5 PTSD cases.

Preventive effect of aripiprazole once-monthly on relapse into mood episodes in bipolar disorder: A multicenter, one-year, retrospective, mirror image study.

BACKGROUND: We conducted a one-year, retrospective, mirror-image study to investigate the clinical effectiveness and safety of aripiprazole once monthly (AOM) in patients with bipolar disorder (BD). We compared pre-treatment conditions with outcomes after 12 months of AOM treatment. METHODS: Seventy-five bipolar patients were recruited from 12 hospitals in Korea. We included 75 patients with BD who had received at least three AOM treatments from September 2019 to September 2022 and had accessible electronic medical record (EMRs) for the year before and after the baseline visit. RESULTS: The overall number of mood episodes significantly decreased from a mean of 1.5 ± 1.2 episodes pre-AOM to 0.5 ± 1.2 episodes post-AOM. Manic episodes significantly decreased from 0.8 ± 0.8 episodes pre-AOM to 0.2 ± 0.5 episodes post-AOM, and depressive episodes significantly decreased from 0.5 ± 0.8 episodes pre-AOM to 0.2 ± 0.6 episodes post-AOM (p = 0.017). Moreover, the number of psychiatric medications and pills and the proportion of patients treated with complex polypharmacy were significantly decreased post-AOM. LIMITATIONS: The small sample size was insufficient to fully represent the entire population of individuals with BD, and potential selection bias was introduced due to only including subjects who received AOM three or more times. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that AOM can reduce mood episode relapse and may be clinically beneficial in the treatment of BD patients, potentially reducing issues associated with polypharmacy in some individuals.

Investigation of bismuth-based metal-organic frameworks for effective capture and immobilization of radioiodine gas.

In this study, we investigated the use of Bi-mna, a specific type of bismuth metal organic framework (MOF) for the capture and disposal of iodine, a key nuclide of concern in nuclear fuel reprocessing plants and nuclear power plants. To find the suitable form of Bi-mna for the purpose, experiments were performed by synthesizing four different Bi-mna with varying reagent ratios and connecting iodine adsorption and conversion for immobilization. After iodine adsorption and characterization to investigate their adsorption mechanisms, the Bi-mna samples went through conversion for immobilization to fix captured iodine into the adsorbents. The converted materials are characterized to examine their thermal stability. The Bi-2mna, showing the best performance of adsorption and thermal stability after the conversion, was selected to explore its chemical stability. According to the test results, the converted compound showed relatively low leaching rate (3.06 ×10-5 g/m2∙day) compared with other iodine containing waste forms for disposal. Based on the results, we proposed the Bi-2mna as a candidate material as iodine adsorbent as well as waste form precursor. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATION: Radioiodine a key nuclide of concern in nuclear fuel reprocessing plants and nuclear power plants. Once ingested, it is accumulated in thyroid grand, causing negative health effects. Currently, a typical radioiodine adsorbent is silver-based zeolites. Despite a strong affinity to iodine of silver, it has a chemical toxicity that causes a potential issue in disposal. Therefore, it is substantially required to develop new type of adsorbents which are both good for capture and disposal of radioiodine. In this respect, we suggested a bismuth-based metal-organic framework as an alternative adsorbent to manage the life cycle of radioiodine.

Patient's Perspective on Psychiatric Drugs: A Multicenter Survey-Based Study.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to identify the expectations and preferences for medication and medical decision-making in patients with major psychiatric disorders. METHODS: A survey was conducted among patients with major psychiatric disorders who visited psychiatric outpatient clinics at 15 hospitals between 2016 and 2018 in Korea. The survey consisted of 12 questions about demographic variables and opinions on their expectations for medication, important medical decision-makers, and preferred drug type. The most preferred value in each category in the total population was identified, and differences in the preference ratio of each item among the disease groups were compared. RESULTS: A total of 707 participants were surveyed. In the total population, patients reported high efficacy (44.01%±21.44%) as the main wish for medication, themselves (37.39%±22.57%) and a doctor (35.27%±22.88%) as the main decision makers, and tablet/capsule (36.16%±30.69%) as the preferred type of drug. In the depressive disorders group, the preference ratio of high efficacy was significantly lower, and the preference ratio of a small amount was significantly higher than that of the psychotic disorder and bipolar disorder groups. The preference ratio of a doctor as an important decision maker in the bipolar disorder group was higher compared to the other groups. CONCLUSION: This study revealed the preference for medications and showed differences among patients with psychiatric disorders. Providing personalized medicine that considers a patient's preference for the drug may contribute to the improvement of drug compliance and outcomes.