Prevalence and clinical implications of sarcopenia in breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: The impact of sarcopenia in oncology is increasingly recognized, yet little is known about its clinical implications in breast cancer. This systematic review and meta-analysis estimates the overall prevalence of sarcopenia in breast cancer, quantifies skeletal muscle index (SMI), and comprehensively evaluates sarcopenia's impact on clinical outcomes. METHODS: We systematically searched primary original research published before June 2023 in four databases: the Cochrane Library via Wiley, CINAHL Plus with Full Text, Embase via Elsevier Excerpta Medica, and Medline via Ovid. Standardized mean SMI and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated by applying the random-effects model. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using the National Institutes of Health quality assessment checklist. RESULTS: The systematic review included 17 studies with a total of 9863 patients; the meta-analysis included 12 of these studies. The mean prevalence of sarcopenia in breast cancer (stages I-III) was 32.5%. The mean SMI assessed by CT was 43.94 cm2/m2 (95% CI 42.87, 45.01; p < .01). Overall, low muscle mass was associated with chemotherapy toxicities, dose reductions, dose delays, or treatment discontinuation. Low muscle mass was generally associated with poor survival, but in some studies, this association was not significant or reversed direction. CONCLUSION: Sarcopenia is not just a state of muscle mass loss, but an influencing factor on therapeutic effects and survival rates in oncology. It is thus necessary to recognize the risk of sarcopenia throughout the trajectory of cancer treatment, identify low muscle mass early, and manage it from a prehabilitation perspective.

Exploring the characteristics and health outcomes of working from home: Analysis of 2021 California Health Interview Survey data.

BACKGROUND: Working from home (WFH) may affect health behaviors and mental health. The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic saw many US employees transition to WFH, which has persisted in various job sectors and significantly impacted employees. However, its effects on health outcomes have remained unclear. We aimed to explore the characteristics and health outcomes of, and health-related differences between, WFH and not-WFH groups. METHODS: Using the 2021 California Health Interview Survey data, we analyzed health behaviors (smoking, alcohol consumption, and fruit-related nutrition) and the mental health status of 12,438 individuals using descriptive statistics, Pearson's χ2 test, and regressions. RESULTS: A total of 39% were WFH and 61% were not-WFH. Overall, the WFH group had worse health behaviors and mental health than the not-WFH group. Age was associated with smoking in both groups (WFH: b = 0.37; not-WFH: b = 0.35), but with fruit-related nutrition only in the WFH group. Household income and occupation were associated with alcohol consumption in both groups. Age (WFH: b = -1.58; not-WFH: b = -1.39), household income (WFH: b = -0.75; not-WFH: b = -0.34), and job duration (WFH: b = -0.34; not-WFH: b = -0.40) were associated with mental health in both groups; those who were younger and had lower household incomes and job durations had worse mental health. CONCLUSION: Health management is a clear necessity for the WFH group. Irrespective of WFH status, young workers with shorter than 5 years' job duration reported mental distress, highlighting a need for distress assessment and management for the young workforce.

Comprehensive lifestyle modification interventions for metabolic syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Previous systematic reviews and meta-analyses have mainly focused on improvements in the number of metabolic syndrome risk factors and individual changes in each risk factor, making it challenging to examine the impact of comprehensive lifestyle modification interventions on adherence to recommended health behaviors. To address this gap, we conducted a systematic and meta-analysis aimed at identifying clinical parameter levels associated with lifestyle modification outcomes and adherence to recommended health behaviors for individuals with metabolic syndrome. METHODS: A total of seven studies retrieved from four databases (CINAHL, Medline via PubMed, American Psychological Association PsycINFO, and Embase) were included in the review. The selected studies, which demonstrated improvements in health behaviors, all included diet and exercise as main factors of comprehensive lifestyle modification in home settings. RESULTS: Our findings suggest that a 6-month comprehensive intervention including diet and exercise can be effective in decreasing glucose levels and systolic blood pressure. However, given the limited available data, further studies investigating the efficacy of interventions of varying durations are needed. DISCUSSION: Although our review included a small number of studies, comprehensive lifestyle modifications consisting of at least two components (primarily diet and exercise) can improve health behaviors and some clinical parameters among individuals with metabolic syndrome. Future studies are needed to investigate the long-term effects of lifestyle modifications on health behavior adherence and explore effective interventions to address certain clinical parameters, such as high-density lipoprotein levels. Also, we recommend using objective and quantifiable measure to compare adherence to recommended lifestyle modifications across studies. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This research provides empirical evidence of the effectiveness of comprehensive lifestyle modification and emphasizes the need to develop long-term nursing strategies in public health that can be used to effectively manage metabolic syndrome.

High Visceral-To-Subcutaneous Fat Ratio Is Associated with an Increased Risk of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease in Nonobese Adults.

INTRODUCTION: Abdominal obesity increases the risk of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). This study aimed to determine the association between GERD and abdominal fat area quantified by computed tomography (CT). METHODS: We analyzed the effect of abdominal fat area on gastroesophageal reflux symptoms and erosive esophagitis using logistic regression models in 5,338 participants who underwent abdominal fat measurement CT and screening esophagogastroduodenoscopy. RESULTS: Participants with reflux symptoms and erosive esophagitis were diagnosed in 1,168 (21.9%) and 671 (12.5%), respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that subcutaneous and visceral fat areas were significantly associated with reflux symptoms and erosive esophagitis. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) in the fourth quartile of visceral fat area compared with that in the lowest quartile was 1.98 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.63-2.39) for reflux symptoms and 2.33 (95% CI 1.80-3.01) for erosive esophagitis. Visceral fat area had a stronger effect in the younger age-group. In the group <50 years, the adjusted OR in fourth quartile of visceral fat area was 2.70 (95% CI 1.86-3.94) for reflux symptoms and 3.59 (95% CI 2.22-5.80) for erosive esophagitis. High visceral-to-subcutaneous fat ratio (VSR) increased the risk of reflux symptoms and erosive esophagitis in participants with body mass index <25 kg/m2 and normal waist circumference. CONCLUSION: Subcutaneous and visceral fat areas were associated with an increased risk of reflux symptoms and erosive esophagitis. High VSR increased the risk of reflux symptoms and erosive esophagitis in participants with normal body weight and waist circumference.

The Monitoring and Management of an Operating Environment to Enhance the Safety of a Container-Type Energy Storage System.

The implementation of an energy storage system (ESS) as a container-type package is common due to its ease of installation, management, and safety. The control of the operating environment of an ESS mainly considers the temperature rise due to the heat generated through the battery operation. However, the relative humidity of the container often increases by over 75% in many cases because of the operation of the air conditioner which pursues temperature-first control. Humidity is a major factor which can cause safety issues such as fires owing to insulation breakdown caused by condensation. However, the importance of humidity control in ESS is underestimated compared to temperature control. In this study, temperature and humidity monitoring and management issues were addressed for a container-type ESS by building sensor-based monitoring and control systems. Furthermore, a rule-based air conditioner control algorithm was proposed for temperature and humidity management. A case study was conducted to compare the conventional and proposed control algorithms and verify the feasibility of the proposed algorithm. The results showed that the proposed algorithm reduced the average humidity by 11.4% compared to the value achieved with the existing temperature control method while also maintaining the temperature.

Challenges of interprofessional geriatric practice in home care settings: an integrative review.

This integrative review identified challenges for interprofessional home care and provided recommendations for improving geriatric home care. A search of six databases identified 982 articles; 11 of them met the review's eligibility criteria and were included in the review. Quality appraisal of the included studies was performed using two tools (Critical Appraisal Skills Program for Qualitative Research and Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool), and their overall methodological quality was found to be satisfactory. After applying D'Amour et al.'s framework, four "challenge" themes emerged: (1) lack of sharing, (2) lack of partnership, (3) limited resources and interdependency, and (4) power issues. Recommendations included providing practical multidisciplinary training guided by a standardized model, establishing streamlined communication protocols and a communication platform reflecting the actual needs of users by involving them in its design, and asking interprofessional team members to commit to home care planning and to cultivate a collaborative culture and organizational support.

Community-based death preparation and education: A scoping review.

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed a need for people and communities for death preparation. Few studies have examined community-level interventions for death preparation and education. This scoping review scrutinized the relevant literature following PRISMA 2018 guidelines. Six databases were searched for articles published between 2010 and 2020. We found that cultural, socioeconomic, and individual values affected death preparation and that online courses and life-death education were effective preparation methods. Additional research is needed to identify the population-specific effectiveness of interventions. To fully investigate death preparation and education at the community level, theory-based studies employing quantitative and qualitative methods are also needed.

Predictors of Health Promotion Behaviors Among Working Adults at Risk for Metabolic Syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Metabolic syndrome has a high global prevalence, affecting 26% of South Koreans. Lifestyle modifications have shown benefits in studies involving health behavior enhancement, specifically through workplace eating and exercise interventions. However, workplace interventions focusing on health behaviors have been inadequately explored. OBJECTIVES: This study examined factors affecting health promotion behaviors of workers at high risk of metabolic syndrome by applying Theory of Planned Behavior constructs (attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and intention). METHODS: This correlational cross-sectional study collected survey data from 164 hotel workers in South Korea. The study applied factor analysis and structural equation modeling for the data analysis. RESULTS: Analysis revealed five health promotion behaviors: exercise, making healthy food choices, avoiding fatty foods, eating a nutritious and balanced diet, and eating regular moderate meals. Participants were grouped as total participants, those with one risk factor, and those with two risk factors. In the "total" group, four behaviors were influenced by perceived behavioral control: exercise, making healthy food choices, eating a nutritious and balanced diet, and eating regular moderate meals. In the "one risk factor" group, intention and attitude influenced the eating regular moderate meals behavior, and two other behaviors were influenced by perceived behavioral control: exercise and eating a nutritious and balanced diet; in the "two risk factor" group, only perceived behavioral control directly affected exercise. DISCUSSION: Perceived behavioral control was a key predictor of health behaviors, and theory constructs partially explained behaviors. Perceived behavioral control influenced four behaviors and influenced exercise in all three groups. Also, theory constructs showed a greater effect on behaviors in the one risk factor group than in the two risk factor group, indicating that participants with one risk factor more effectively managed their behaviors on their own and with healthcare providers' support. Occupational health providers should conduct early assessments of workers showing metabolic syndrome risk factors to identify their particular risks, intention, and behaviors. As the number of risk factors affects behaviors and perceived behavioral control primarily influences exercise, these findings should be incorporated in metabolic syndrome interventions.

Funeral Experience in South Korea: A Phenomenological Study.

Few studies of death preparation in South Korea are available. This article describes South Koreans' experiences of death and a funeral in a hospital setting to improve health care providers' ability to care for dying patients and their family. Using Colaizzi's phenomenological method, we conducted semistructured interviews with 40 South Koreans who had lost a family member in a hospital setting. Participants' statements were classified into 12 themes, 5 theme clusters, and 3 categories: (a) vagueness of funeral culture, (b) distortion of meaning in funeral culture, and (c) the need to prepare for death and process grief. Our findings are relevant to hospital-based health care providers who care for dying patients and their family. Targeted educational information could help health care providers better serve patients and family. Policy changes could improve quality of care by allowing health care providers to transition with the family from hospital units to a hospital-based funeral setting.

Clinical effectiveness of the sequential 4-channel NMES compared with that of the conventional 2-channel NMES for the treatment of dysphagia in a prospective double-blind randomized controlled study.

BACKGROUND: To date, conventional swallowing therapies and 2-channel neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) are standard treatments for dysphagia. The precise mechanism of 2-channel NMES treatment has not been determined, and there are controversies regarding the efficacy of this therapy. The sequential 4-channel NMES was recently developed and its action is based on the normal contractile sequence of swallowing-related muscles. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate and compare the rehabilitative effectiveness of the sequential 4-channel NMES with that of conventional 2-channel NMES. METHODS: In this prospective randomized case-control study, 26 subjects with dysphagia were enrolled. All participants received 2- or 4-channel NMES for 2-3 weeks (minimal session: 7 times, treatment duration: 300-800 min). Twelve subjects in the 4-channel NMES group and eleven subjects in the 2-channel NMES group completed the intervention. Initial and follow-up evaluations were performed using the videofluoroscopic dysphagia scale (VDS), the penetration-aspiration scale (PAS), the MD Anderson dysphagia inventory (MDADI), the functional oral intake scale (FOIS), and the Likert scale. RESULTS: The sequential 4-channel NMES group experienced significant improvement in their VDS (oral, pharyngeal, and total), PAS, FOIS, and MDADI (emotional, functional, and physical subsets) scores, based on their pretreatment data. VDS (oral, pharyngeal, and total) and MDADI (emotional and physical subsets) scores, but not PAS and FOIS scores, significantly improved in the 2-channel NMES group posttreatment. When the two groups were directly compared, the 4-channel NMES group showed significant improvement in oral and total VDS scores. CONCLUSIONS: The sequential 4-channel NMES, through its activation of the suprahyoid and thyrohyoid muscles, and other infrahyoid muscles mimicking physiological activation, may be a new effective treatment for dysphagia. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrial.gov, registration number: NCT03670498, registered 13 September 2018, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03670498?term=NCT03670498&draw=2&rank=1 .

In vitro synergistic potentials of novel antibacterial combination therapies against Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium.

BACKGROUND: The antibiotics generally used in farm animals are rapidly losing their effectiveness all over the world as bacteria develop antibiotic resistance. Like some other pathogenic bacteria multidrug-resistant strains of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) are also frequently found in animals and humans which poses a major public health concern. New strategies are needed to block the development of resistance and to prolong the life of traditional antibiotics. Thus, this study aimed to increase the efficacy of existing antibiotics against S. Typhimurium by combining them with opportunistic phenolic compounds gallic acid (GA), epicatechin, epicatechin gallate, epigallocatechin and hamamelitannin. Fractional inhibitory concentration indexes (FICI) of phenolic compound-antibiotic combinations against S. Typhimurium were determined. Based on the FICI and clinical importance, 1 combination (GA and ceftiofur) was selected for evaluating its effects on the virulence factors of this bacterium. Viability of Rattus norvegicus (IEC-6) cell in presence of this antibacterial combination was evaluated. RESULTS: Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of GA, epigallocatechin and hamamelitannin found against different strains of S. Typhimurium were 256, (512-1024), and (512-1024) µg/mL, respectively. Synergistic antibacterial effect was obtained from the combination of erythromycin-epicatechin gallate (FICI: 0.50) against S. Typhimurium. Moreover, additive effects (FICI: 0.502-0.750) were obtained from 16 combinations against this bacterium. The time-kill assay and ultrastructural morphology showed that GA-ceftiofur combination more efficiently inhibited the growth of S. Typhimurium compared to individual antimicrobials. Biofilm viability, and swimming and swarming motilities of S. Typhimurium in presence of GA-ceftiofur combination were more competently inhibited than individual antimicrobials. Viabilities of IEC-6 cells were more significantly enhanced by GA-ceftiofur combinations than these antibacterials alone. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that GA-ceftiofur combination can be potential medication to treat S. Typhimurium-associated diarrhea and prevent S. Typhimurium-associated blood-stream infections (e.g.: fever) in farm animals, and ultimately its transmission from animal to human. Further in vivo study to confirm these effects and safety profiles in farm animal should be undertaken for establishing these combinations as medications.

Progression of pancreatic cystic lesions without any risk features is associated with initial cyst size and obesity.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The clinical significance of incidental pancreatic cystic lesions (PCLs) remains unclear in those that are not accompanied by worrisome features or high-risk stigmata. We aimed to investigate the natural course of PCLs without any risk features and examine the clinical factors associated with their progression. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 427 patients with PCLs, which were incidentally detected by computed tomography between January 2003 and December 2012. Progression of PCLs without any risk features and the clinical factors associated with their progression were investigated. The length of time to significant growth was also evaluated. RESULTS: Ninety-four (22.0%) of the 427 patients had asymptomatic PCLs that showed significant growth after a median surveillance period of 5.3 years; approximately 27.7% of the patients showed significant size changes in the first 5 years, while the remaining 72.3% showed significant changes after 5 years. The cumulative rate of patients with significant growth was associated with initial cyst size and high body mass index. In the growth group, additional treatments were required for 12 patients, one of whom developed malignancy. Four patients in the stable group underwent additional treatment and showed no malignant change. CONCLUSIONS: One-fifth of the asymptomatic PCLs significantly increased in size after a long-term follow-up period, which was associated with initial cyst size and obesity. The size of PCLs mostly increased after 5 years; although the malignancy risk of PCLs was low, it was still a concern.

Analysis of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) noise standard violations over 50 years: 1972 to 2019.

INTRODUCTION: Noise exposure has long been an occupational health concern and has been an important area of focus of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) since its founding. Nevertheless, it remains unclear what effects OSHA's noise standards have had on employer efforts to reduce risks. Consequently, a review of OSHA noise standard violations was performed to clarify the violation trends between 1972 and 2019. METHODS: Using the OSHA Information System, researchers identified 119 305 violations involving four noise standards between 1972 and 2019: 29 CFR 1910.95, occupational noise exposure in general industry; 1926.52, occupational noise exposure in construction; 1926.101, hearing protection in construction, and 1904.10, recording criteria for cases involving occupational hearing loss. Violation frequencies of noise standard subparagraphs and relationships to factors such as industry differences were analyzed using descriptive statistics and t tests. RESULTS: The most commonly violated noise standard was 1910.95 in manufacturing. Such violations rose between 1972 and 1985 and then declined steadily. Whether in general industry or construction, four noise standards were most-frequently cited: lack of feasible administrative or engineering controls (1910.95[b] and 1926.52[d]) and inadequate hearing conservation program (1910.95[c] and 1926.52[b]). These violations were more highly penalized (mean = $1036.50) than other subparagraph violations (mean = $915.80). Programmed and unprogrammed inspections generated similar violation quantities except between 1980 and 1985, when programmed inspections exhibited a sharp spike in violations. CONCLUSION: The study identified trends in OSHA noise standard violations and possible explanations for those trends. The study findings can support development of more practical noise-exposure protection policy.

Relationship between recovery of motor function and neuropsychological functioning in cerebral infarction patients: the importance of social functioning in motor recovery.

Impaired motor function is a common disabling sequela after stroke. It is closely associated with the patient's quality of life and independence. Neuropsychological dysfunctions also frequently occur in stroke patients. In this paper, we evaluate the relationship between the recovery of motor function and neuropsychological functions, including cognition, language, emotion, behavior, personality, and social interaction, to provide appropriate and effective therapy for stroke patients. Motor function, neuropsychological status, social functioning, as well as emotional aspects such as depression and anxiety symptoms, were initially evaluated one month after cerebral infarction onset. The evaluations were repeated three months after the onset. Motor function was assessed with the Modified Barthel Index. The neuropsychological status was evaluated using the Mini-Mental State Examination, Global Deterioration Scale, digit span test, Korean-Boston Naming Test, Vineland Social Maturity Scale, Neuropsychiatric Inventory, Beck's Depression Inventory, and Beck Anxiety Inventory. In the results, the Modified Barthel Index, Mini-Mental State Examination, Global Deterioration Scale, digit span test, and Vineland Social Maturity Scale were significantly different between the two-time points (P < 0.05). Initial Social Maturity Scale Social Age and Social Maturity Scale Social Quotient categories of the Vineland Social Maturity Scale and Mini-Mental State Examination scores were significantly correlated with Modified Barthel Index improvement (P < 0.05). The amount of change in the Social Maturity Scale Social Age and Social Maturity Scale Social Quotient scores was significantly correlated with Modified Barthel Index improvement (P < 0.05). In multiple linear regression analysis, only the initial Social Maturity Scale Social Quotient score and the amount of score change in Social Maturity Scale Social Quotient showed a significant correlation with Modified Barthel Index improvement (P < 0.05). Social function and interaction are important in motor recovery of ischemic stroke patients.

Effects of a Korean version of the metacognitive training program for outpatients with schizophrenia on theory of mind, positive symptoms, and interpersonal relationships.

BACKGROUND: Since the significance of metacognition as the theoretical basis of a psychological intervention for schizophrenia first emerged, there have been ongoing attempts to restore or strengthen patients' metacognitive abilities. AIM: A Korean version of the metacognitive training (MCT) program was developed, and its effects on theory of mind, positive and negative symptoms, and interpersonal relationships were examined in stable outpatients with schizophrenia. METHOD: A pre-test-post-test design with a control group was used. The participants were 59 outpatients (30 in experimental group, 29 in control group) registered at five mental health facilities in a city in South Korea. The developed MCT program was applied for a total of 18 sessions, 60 min per session, over a period of 14 weeks. The hinting task, false belief task, Scale for the Assessment of Positive and Negative Symptoms, and Relationship Change Scale were used to verify the effects of this program. Data were analysed by the chi-square test, t-test, and Mann-Whitney U-test using the SPSS/PASW 18.0 statistics program. RESULTS: The general characteristics, intelligence, and outcome variables of the two groups were homogeneous. After the intervention, the experimental group showed significant improvements in theory of mind, positive and negative symptoms and interpersonal relationships compared with the control group. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the MCT program can be a complementary psychotherapy that contributes to symptom relief and interpersonal functioning in patients with schizophrenia, and is effective in the Korean culture, beyond the Western context.

Mediating effect of a health-promoting lifestyle in the relationship between menopausal symptoms, resilience, and depression in middle-aged women.

We explored the mediating effect of a health-promoting lifestyle in the relationship between menopausal symptoms, resilience, and depression in middle-aged women. The participants in this study were 176 Korean middle-aged women. Mediation analysis was performed according to the Baron and Kenny method and using the Sobel test. There were significant correlations between the menopausal symptoms, resilience, and depression. The health-promoting lifestyle had a direct mediating effect in the relationship between menopausal symptoms and depression. In this study, the menopausal symptoms of middle-aged women had a significant influence on their resilience and depression via their health-promoting lifestyle.

GCNF regulates OCT4 expression through its interactions with nuclear receptor binding elements in NCCIT cells.

We demonstrate that OCT4 expression is regulated by germ cell nuclear factor (GCNF) via its interactions with three nuclear receptor (NR) binding sites within OCT4 promoter conserved regions (CRs) in human embryonic carcinoma (EC) NCCIT cells. OCT4 expression is gradually reduced during the retinoic acid-induced differentiation, while GCNF temporarily increased after 2 days and then significantly decreased. In addition, OCT4 expression is significantly reduced by overexpression of exogenous GCNF, but increased by GCNF shRNA-mediated knockdown. The transcriptional activity of OCT4 is significantly inhibited by dose-dependent overexpression of GCNF. While mutants at each of the NR binding sites retain the repressive effects of GCNF on OCT4 promoter activity, the repressive effect was completely eliminated in the reporter construct with all binding sites mutated even in the presence of GCNF. Furthermore, the transcriptional activity of native minimal promoter (CR1-Luc) containing the first NR binding site was significantly reduced by GCNF overexpression, while the mutant retained basal activity to some extent. Next, an exogenous minimal ti promoter-inserted CR2 reporter construct containing the second and third NR binding sites (CR2-ti-Luc) was co-transfected with GCNF expression vector. The transcriptional activity of CR2-ti-Luc was significantly decreased by GCNF overexpression, while mutation of both binding sites retained the transcriptional activity of the reporter construct. Binding assays confirmed the direct interaction of GCNF with all three NR binding sites cooperatively. Taken together, GCNF acts as a transcriptional repressor in the regulation of OCT4 gene expression through cooperative interaction with three NR binding elements in pluripotent NCCIT cells.

Epidural Electrotherapy for Epilepsy.

Penetrating electronics have been used for treating epilepsy, yet their therapeutic effects are debated largely due to the lack of a large-scale, real-time, and safe recording/stimulation. Here, the proposed technology integrates ultrathin epidural electronics into an electrocorticography array, therein simultaneously sampling brain signals in a large area for diagnostic purposes and delivering electrical pulses for treatment. The system is empirically tested to record the ictal-like activities of the thalamocortical network in vitro and in vivo using the epidural electronics. Also, it is newly demonstrated that the electronics selectively diminish epileptiform activities, but not normal signal transduction, in live animals. It is proposed that this technology heralds a new generation of diagnostic and therapeutic brain-machine interfaces. Such an electronic system can be applicable for several brain diseases such as tinnitus, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, depression, and schizophrenia.

A Study on the Theory of Mind Deficits and Delusions in Schizophrenic Patients.

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to find differences between patients with schizophrenia and healthy control group in ToM and to examine relationships among intelligence, ToM, and delusion in patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: Data was collected from 50 patients of schizophrenia and 32 healthy subjects. Participants were given the psychological test form with structured questionnaire. The SPSS 22.0 program was used for t-test, ANCOVA, and, Pearson's Correlation. Measurements used for this study were Korean-Wechsler intelligence scale, three types of Theory of Mind test (Hinting task, False belief task, and Emotional attribution test), and Peters delusion inventory. RESULTS: Performances of the ToM and intelligence in patients were lower than healthy controls. After controlling the impact of IQ, education level, and age, there was a difference between patients and healthy controls on the performance of the Hinting task (F(1,83) = 10.03, p =.002). Correlation analysis showed that the score of false belief task was correlated with delusion (r = -.360, p <.01) and intelligence (r =.449, p <.01). The emotional attribution task was correlated with intelligence (r = 0.309, p <.05). CONCLUSIONS: Through the finding of this study, theory of mind is highly recommended as a new target factor considering to develop nursing interventions for schizophrenia.