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Biomedical subjects

Yukiko Kano

Publications and source records attributed to Yukiko Kano.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Catatonia in individuals with autism spectrum disorders in adolescence and early adulthood: a long-term prospective study.

The objective is to cast light on diagnosis and catastasis, course, and comorbidity as concerned with catatonia in patients with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) with respect to long-term prospective follow-up. Eleven patients (all male) were enrolled. The mean age and the mean follow-up duration were 27.6 years (standard deviation (SD) 5.5) and 18.7 years (SD 8.7), respectively. The mean IQ was 27 (SD 16.4). Information was garnered from medical case records; current examination and observation of patients, interview of parents, and questionnaires completed by parents or other caretakers. Informed consent was obtained from the parents. Criteria for catatonia in this study were: (1) abrupt stop of movements and maintenance of immobility or bizarre posture beginning in adolescence and early adult life, (2) such a cataleptic state had continued for at least several minutes and appeared many times a day to the point of interfering with daily activities. We described two typical catatonic cases of ASDs. The average onset age was 19 years (SD 6). In all cases, our diagnostic criteria of catatonia evaluating at worse are fully compatible with those of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed. (DSM-VI). In 8 out of 11, the onset of catatonia was clearly preceded by the appearance of slowness in movements accompanying the exacerbation of obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Catatonia was also found to have some connection with Tourette syndrome (3 cases), adjustment disorders (N=1), and depressive mood disorders (N=1). In one case, the manifestations of catatonia had to be distinguished from parkinsonism caused by antipsychotics. Catatonia in ASDs seems to be a chronic condition in most cases. However, there were also a few cases in which catatonia repeatedly aggravated over short spans of time. Catatonia in ASDs may be considered an epiphenomenon of ASDs or a manifestation of comorbidity in adolescence or early adulthood.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Research on promotion of management of children with psychosomatic and psychosocial disorders in Japan.

BACKGROUND: The number of children with psychosomatic and psychosocial disorders has been increasing in Japan. There are, however, few trained pediatricians who have adequate knowledge of the treatment needed. The Research Group on the Promotion of Management of Children with Psychosomatic and Psychosocial Disorders carried out the present study to (i) disseminate knowledge about psychosomatic and psychosocial disorders of children; and (ii) establish a community-based network model to ensure effective communication among relevant institutions. METHODS: To disseminate knowledge of the psychosocial and psychosomatic disorders, the Research Group compiled the Handbook for Psychosomatic Disorders of Children and distributed it to pediatricians throughout Japan. A follow-up questionnaire survey was then carried out. Also, in order to examine the current status of the communication network between pediatricians and the related institutions, the Research Group conducted a questionnaire survey on general pediatricians. RESULTS: Sixty-five percent of the respondents indicated that they were actually using the Handbook. The topics in the Handbook that were most frequently referred to by the respondents were attention deficit hyperactivity disorders, school refusal, eating disorders, and orthostatic dysregulation. Thirty-seven percent of the participants indicated changes in their behavior towards psychosomatic and psychosocial problems. The results of the survey on communication networks found that the pediatricians generally collaborated with different institutions depending on the nature of the problems, such as school refusal and bullying, developmental disorders, child abuse and maltreatment, and others. CONCLUSION: Promotion of the Handbook would greatly contribute to improving the management of children with psychosomatic and psychosocial disorders, together with the construction of the basic network model for management of these children.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Obsessive-compulsive symptoms in parents of Tourette syndrome probands and autism spectrum disorder probands.

Obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) frequently occur in patients with Tourette syndrome (TS) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). It has been suggested that genetic factors play a role in the transmission of both TS and ASD and that obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) may have some genetic relationship with these disorders. The objective of this study was to explore whether the OCS associated with TS and ASD were found in the parents of TS and ASD probands by comparing them with normal controls. The subjects were parents of 13 TS and 16 ASD probands. All parents underwent an examination for tic symptoms and OCD, and completed the Maudsley Obsessional Compulsive Inventory (MOCI) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). No significant differences were observed in the MOCI and STAI scores among all three groups. However, the MOCI total score was higher in fathers of ASD probands than in male normal controls with a marginal significance. There was a significant tendency for the mean cleaning score of MOCI in fathers of ASD probands to be higher than that in male normal controls, and the mean checking score in fathers of ASD probands was fourfold higher than that in male normal controls, although there was no significant difference. No significant relationship was observed between OCS in TS or ASD probands and OCS of their parents. Further studies on OCD and OCS including a dimensional approach within ASD families are needed.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Clinical characteristics of adult patients with tics and/or Tourette's syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to describe the natural course of tic disorders over a long period of time in Japanese adults patients with Tourette's syndrome (TS) in terms of symptomatology. METHODS: An extensive literature on TS cases was reviewed selectively and 31 TS patients (mean age: 31.4 years; sex: 28 males and 3 females) at our outpatient clinic were examined. The mean follow-up period of the patients was 7.6 years (SD: 8.1; 0 to 26). All the data available for this study, including medical charts, were examined systematically by two experienced child psychiatrists. RESULTS: The adult patients with tic disorders could be classified into the four groups: group A - tics only, group B - tics + comorbidities, group C - comorbidities only and group D - sub-clinical (remission) cases. Our 31 subjects consisted of 10 patients (32.3%) for group A, 14 (45.2%) for group B, 7 (22.6%) for group C, and 0 for group D. CONCLUSIONS: Further investigation into the natural course and clinical characteristics of adult TS needs to be done in order to acquire a better understanding of the broad spectrum of TS and to make improvements to the treatment for this illness.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Influence of age and tic disorders on obsessive-compulsive disorder in a pediatric sample.

BACKGROUND: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a heterogeneous disorder with emerging data suggesting that age of onset and/or the presence of tics may define clinically important subgroups. OBJECTIVE: This study set out to evaluate the impact of age and tic disorders on the symptom profile in a pediatric sample of patients with OCD ascertained from a specialty clinic. METHODS: Eighty children with OCD (50 boys, 30 girls) were assessed for symptom type, severity, age of onset, presence of a tic disorder, and functional status. Each child's most impairing obsessions and compulsions were identified and compared by age category (above and below the age of 11 years) and according to the presence or absence of a tic disorder. RESULTS: The mean age of the sample was 11.1 +/- 3.19 years (range 4-18 years). The most common obsessions reported were contamination and worries about harm. Common compulsions included washing and rituals to prevent harm. The only significant differences across age groups were the percentage of religious worries and slightly higher severity of obsessions in the adolescent age group (p < 0.05). The presence of tics was associated with increased frequency of repetitive behavior unrelated to harm avoidance (p < 0.05). Children without a history of tics were more likely to describe incidents of contamination, washing, and repetitive request for reassurance (p < 0.05 for each). CONCLUSION: In this convenient sample of clinically ascertained children, there were few phenotypic differences in children above or below the age of 11 years. Differences in the distribution of OCD symptoms according to the presence or absence of tics, which has been documented in adult samples, were evident in this sample.

Adolescent↗