Biomedical subjects

Henry Chung

Publications and source records attributed to Henry Chung.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2003

Genetic analysis of Nurr1 haplotypes in Parkinson's disease.

Nurr1 gene plays an important role in the development of the mesencephalic dopaminergic system. Genetic variability of Nurr1 gene may be associated with risk of Parkinson's disease (PD). We found three polymorphic loci (c.-2922(C)2-3, IVS6+18insG and EX8+657 (9-10CA)) of the Nurr1 gene in our PD patients and a novel intron 7+33 C-->T variant in one PD patient. We proceeded to perform a haplotype analysis in a case control study. A total of 202 PD patients (mean age 65.04+/-9.44 years, 55.4% men) and 202 age, gender and race matched controls (mean age 64.33+/-10.12 years, 54.0% men) were studied. The intron 7+33 C-->T variant was present in only one of the PD patients (0.5%) but in none of the controls. The Nurr1 mRNA levels in the lymphocytes did not significantly differ between the affected patient and controls. We found complete linkage disequilibrium between c.-2922(C)2-3 and IVS6+18insG polymorphic loci (D=0.25). Analysis of the three loci haplotype frequencies did not demonstrate any significant difference between PD and controls. There were also no significant differences in the haplotype frequencies between young and late onset PD patients. In conclusion, we demonstrated a large common haplotype block spanning the Nurr1 gene in our population. The intron 7+33 C-->T variant most likely represents either a non-functional mutation or a rare polymorphism in our study population. Our study suggests that Nurr1 variability is unlikely to play a major role in the majority of our PD patients.

DNA-Binding Proteins↗

PubMed2003

Depressive symptoms and psychiatric distress in low income Asian and Latino primary care patients: prevalence and recognition.

The aims of the study were to: (a) assess the degree to which primary care physicians recognize psychiatric distress among an ethnically diverse primary care sample composed primarily of Asians and Hispanics; and (b) to investigate the relationship between patient and physician sociodemographic factors and overall diagnostic recognition of psychiatric distress. The study sample is comprised of 252 consecutively-selected patients and eleven primary care general internists from general medicine clinics in a large public ambulatory medical center. The measures used were the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale, a demographic questionnaire, and an acculturation scale; these measures were completed during interviews conducted by trained bilingual research assistants. Physicians completed a mental health treatment summary immediately after the patient's visit. Hierarchical logistic regression analyses were performed in order to examine: (1) the degree to which providers identified psychiatric distress and (2) overall diagnostic recognition among this sample in relation to demographic characteristics and degree of acculturation. As measured by the CES-D, almost one half (47.3%) of the Latino and 41.6% ofthe Asian patients had depressive symptoms indicative of psychiatric distress. In contrast, physicians identified 43.8% of Latino patients and only 23.6% of Asian patients as being psychiatrically distressed (p < .01). Physicians were more likely to classify Latinos and those with higher acculturation status as distressed (p < .01 and p < .05, respectively). Higher patient acculturation status was the only factor significantly associated with overall diagnostic recognition (p < .05), as measured by physician agreement with the CES-D. Being Asian and/or having low acculturation levels may put the patient at risk for non-detection of psychiatric distress. The high prevalence of distress lends support to initiating improved methods for screening and detection of depression among low income and racially diverse primary care patients.

Acculturation↗

PubMed2003

The emotional distress in a community after the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

OBJECTIVES: To examine psychological impact of the September 11th disaster on the immediate neighborhood of the New York World Trade Center. METHODS: 555 residents from the local Chinatown community participated in the study. They were surveyed retrospectively on their emotional-distress immediately after the tragedy and five months later. RESULTS: Prevalent anxiety was found in general community residents and additional depression in those who lost family members or friends. The mental health condition of the community improved tremendously five months later, with the initial 59% of general residents having 4 or more emotional symptoms dropping to 17%. However, more than half of the community residents had persistently shown one or more symptoms of emotional distress. Those who had lost a family member or friend in the disaster showed significantly higher distress, with 90% of them had four or more major psychiatric symptoms during the first few weeks right after the disaster, and the rate dropped to 35% five months later. Overall, those in their 40s and 50s seemed to have had relatively higher emotional distress than both younger and older groups. DISCUSSION: Methodological limitations were discussed concerning retrospective reporting and sample characteristics.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Remission status after long-term sertraline treatment of pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder.

BACKGROUND: Despite its high chronicity, few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of long-term treatment for pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The goal of the current analysis is to evaluate remission among children and adolescents with OCD treated with sertraline for 12 months. METHODS: Children (6-12 years old, n = 72) and adolescents (13-18 years old, n = 65) with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (third edition, revised) OCD, who had completed a 12-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled sertraline study, were administered open-label sertraline 50-200 mg for 52 weeks. Full remission was defined by a Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS) score of 8 or less, and partial remission was defined as a CY-BOCS score of 15 or less. RESULTS: Using an last observation carried forward analysis, 47% of patients achieved a full remission, and an additional 25% achieved a partial remission. Among study completers, full remission was achieved by 55% of patients and partial remission by 31%. Two thirds of patients with severe OCD at baseline (CY-BOCS of 26 or greater) achieved full or partial remission. Children were more likely to achieve a full remission than adolescents. CONCLUSION: Sertraline is effective in the treatment of childhood and adolescent OCD, with initial acute response converting to remission and improved functional status in a substantial proportion of patients. More research is needed to develop pharmacologic and psychotherapeutic strategies that facilitate the achievement of full remission in the remaining patients suffering from this chronic and disabling illness.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Efficacy of sertraline in severe generalized social anxiety disorder: results of a double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

BACKGROUND: Generalized social anxiety disorder is an early onset, highly chronic, frequently disabling disorder with a lifetime prevalence of approximately 13%. The goal of the current study was to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of sertraline for the treatment of severe generalized social anxiety disorder in adults. METHOD: After a 1-week single-blind placebo lead-in period, patients with DSM-IV generalized social phobia were randomly assigned to 12 weeks of double-blind treatment with flexible doses of sertraline (50-200 mg/day) or placebo. Primary efficacy outcomes were the mean change in the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) total score and the responder rate for the Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement scale (CGI-I), defined as a CGI-I score </= 2. Data were collected in 2000 and 2001. RESULTS: 211 patients were randomly assigned to sertraline (intent-to-treat [ITT] sample, 205), and 204 patients, to placebo (ITT sample, 196). At week 12, sertraline produced a significantly greater reduction in LSAS total score compared with placebo (mean last-observation-carried-forward [LOCF] change from baseline: -31.0 vs. -21.7; p =.001) and a greater proportion of responders (CGI-I score </= 2: 55.6% vs. 29% among week 12 completers and 46.8% vs. 25.5% in the ITT-LOCF sample; p <.001 for both comparisons). Sertraline was well tolerated, with 7.6% of patients discontinuing due to adverse events versus 2.9% of placebo-treated patients. CONCLUSION: The results of the current study confirm the efficacy of sertraline in the treatment of severe social anxiety disorder.

Adult↗

PubMed2002