Is personality linked to season of birth?

The environment is a very significant factor in early childhood development. Season of birth (SOB) is a proxy viable for the environment to which the babies are exposed, thus also significant in early development. This study investigates the association between SOB and personality. A total 2,962 college students were included as study participants. The participants were classified into four seasonal groups based on their birth month and underwent a personality assessment using the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). Statistical analysis was performed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multinomial logistic regression analysis. The male participants born in autumn scored high on the Disorderliness (NS4) subscale (ß = 0.055, P = 0.042) and the male participants born in summer and winter scored high on the Extravagance (NS3) subscale (summer: ß = 0.072, P = 0.01, winter: ß = 0.078, P = 0.003). The difference observed indicates a relationship between the SOB and temperament, especially NS. Our findings suggest that environmental factors may affect temperament in early development, although further research is likely needed to clarify the causality between them.

Examining Patterns of Polypharmacy in Bipolar Disorder: Findings from the REAP-BD, Korea.

Based on Korean data from the Research on Asian Psychotropic Prescription Pattern for Bipolar Disorder, this study tried to present prescription patterns in biopolar disorder (BD) and its associated clinical features. Based on the information obtained from the study with structured questions, the tendency of prescription pattern was studied and analyzed. Polypharmacy was predominant, including simple polypharmacy in 51.1% and complex polypharmacy in 34.2% of patients. Subjects associated with simple or complex polypharmacy were significantly younger, had higher inpatient settings, a larger portion of onset with manic episode, a shorter duration of untreated illness, a shorter duration of current episode, were more overweight, used less antidepressants and used more anxiolytics. These findings can suggest higher polypharmacy rate in more severe BD and highlight the necessity of monitoring the weight of subjects with polypharmacy.

Feasibility Study of a Microfluidic Solenoid for Discrete Quantitation of Magnetized Cells.

In this paper, a cell quantitation system is proposed based on a new microfluidic solenoid design. The design is simulated in COMSOL and a scaled version of the prototype is built and the induced voltage due to the passage of a magnetic material is measured using a low-noise amplifier and converted to a digital signal using a DSP chip. The simulation results show approximately 16-nV induced voltage across the solenoid and the measurement results for a scaled version of the solenoid outputs 125-mV peak voltage. A microfluidic fabrication process demonstrates a successful prototype of a microfluidic solenoid.

Prepubertal growth and single nucleotide polymorphism analysis of the growth hormone gene of low birth weight Holstein calves.

Holstein calves weighing less than 20 kg at birth have been noted in Korea. Due to insufficient information, we raised small calves with age-matched normal birth weight Holstein calves and determined body weights before puberty. In addition, 3 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the growth hormone (GH) gene were analyzed. Up to 10 months of age, low birth weight calves were smaller than normal weight calves. In exon 5 of the GH gene, SNP genotype variation was detected in some small calves; however, this did not appear to be the only factor inducing low birth weight and slow growth.

A Korean validation study of the Clinically Useful Anxiety Outcome Scale: Comorbidity and differentiation of anxiety and depressive disorders.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Korean version of the Clinically Useful Anxiety Outcome Scale (CUXOS) and to examine the current diagnostic comorbidity and differential severity of anxiety symptoms between major depressive disorder (MDD) and anxiety disorders. METHODOLOGY: In total, 838 psychiatric outpatients were analyzed at their intake appointment. Diagnostic characteristics were examined using the structured clinical interview from the DSM-IV because the DSM5 was not available at the start of the study. The CUXOS score was measured and compared with that of 3 clinician rating scales and 4 self-report scales. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The CUXOS showed excellent results for internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.90), test-retest reliability (r = 0.74), and discriminant and convergent validity. The CUXOS significantly discriminated between different levels of anxiety severity, and the measure was sensitive to change after treatment. Approximately 45% of patients with MDD were additionally diagnosed with anxiety disorders while 55% of patients with anxiety disorders additionally reported an MDD. There was a significant difference in CUXOS scores between diagnostic categories (MDD only, anxiety only, both disorders, and no MDD or anxiety disorder). The CUXOS scores differed significantly between all categories of depression (major, minor, and non-depression) except for the comparison between minor depression and non-depression groups. CONCLUSIONS: The Korean version of the CUXOS is a reliable and valid measure of the severity of anxiety symptoms. The use of the CUXOS could broaden the understanding of coexisting and differentiating characteristics of anxiety and depression.