ObjectiveThis study was designed to investigate the revised and short version of the smartphone addiction scale and the proof of its validity in adolescents. In addition, it suggested cutting off the values by gender in order to determine smartphone addiction and elaborate the characteristics of smartphone usage in adolescents.MethodA set of questionnaires were provided to a total of 540 selected participants from April to May of 2013. The participants consisted of 343 boys and 197 girls, and their average age was 14.5 years old. The content validity was performed on a selection of shortened items, while an internal-consistency test was conducted for the verification of its reliability. The concurrent validity was confirmed using SAS, SAPS and KS-scale. Receiver operating characteristics analysis was conducted to suggest cut-off.ResultsThe 10 final questions were selected using content validity. The internal consistency and concurrent validity of SAS were verified with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.911. The SAS-SV was significantly correlated with the SAS, SAPS and KS-scale. The SAS-SV scores of gender (p<.001) and self-evaluation of smartphone addiction (p<.001) showed significant difference. The ROC analysis results showed an area under a curve (AUC) value of 0.963(0.888–1.000), a cut-off value of 31, sensitivity value of 0.867 and specificity value of 0.893 in boys while an AUC value of 0.947(0.887–1.000), a cut-off value of 33, sensitivity value of 0.875, and a specificity value of 0.886 in girls.ConclusionsThe SAS-SV showed good reliability and validity for the assessment of smartphone addiction. The smartphone addiction scale short version, which was developed and validated in this study, could be used efficiently for the evaluation of smartphone addiction in community and research areas.

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to develop a self-diagnostic scale that could distinguish smartphone addicts based on the Korean self-diagnostic program for Internet addiction (K-scale) and the smartphone's own features. In addition, the reliability and validity of the smartphone addiction scale (SAS) was demonstrated.MethodsA total of 197 participants were selected from Nov. 2011 to Jan. 2012 to accomplish a set of questionnaires, including SAS, K-scale, modified Kimberly Young Internet addiction test (Y-scale), visual analogue scale (VAS), and substance dependence and abuse diagnosis of DSM-IV. There were 64 males and 133 females, with ages ranging from 18 to 53 years (M = 26.06; SD = 5.96). Factor analysis, internal-consistency test, t-test, ANOVA, and correlation analysis were conducted to verify the reliability and validity of SAS.ResultsBased on the factor analysis results, the subscale “disturbance of reality testing” was removed, and six factors were left. The internal consistency and concurrent validity of SAS were verified (Cronbach's alpha = 0.967). SAS and its subscales were significantly correlated with K-scale and Y-scale. The VAS of each factor also showed a significant correlation with each subscale. In addition, differences were found in the job (p<0.05), education (p<0.05), and self-reported smartphone addiction scores (p<0.001) in SAS.ConclusionsThis study developed the first scale of the smartphone addiction aspect of the diagnostic manual. This scale was proven to be relatively reliable and valid.

Background and AimsSmartphone addiction, its association with smartphone use, and its predictors have not yet been studied in a European sample. This study investigated indicators of smartphone use, smartphone addiction, and their associations with demographic and health behaviour-related variables in young people.MethodsA convenience sample of 1,519 students from 127 Swiss vocational school classes participated in a survey assessing demographic and health-related characteristics as well as indicators of smartphone use and addiction. Smartphone addiction was assessed using a short version of the Smartphone Addiction Scale for Adolescents (SAS-SV). Logistic regression analyses were conducted to investigate demographic and health-related predictors of smartphone addiction.ResultsSmartphone addiction occurred in 256 (16.9%) of the 1,519 students. Longer duration of smartphone use on a typical day, a shorter time period until first smartphone use in the morning, and reporting that social networking was the most personally relevant smartphone function were associated with smartphone addiction. Smartphone addiction was more prevalent in younger adolescents (15–16 years) compared with young adults (19 years and older), students with both parents born outside Switzerland, persons reporting lower physical activity, and those reporting higher stress. Alcohol and tobacco consumption were unrelated to smartphone addiction.DiscussionDifferent indicators of smartphone use are associated with smartphone addiction and subgroups of young people have a higher prevalence of smartphone addiction.ConclusionsThe study provides the first insights into smartphone use, smartphone addiction, and predictors of smartphone addiction in young people from a European country, which should be extended in further studies.

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This simple and effective gene therapy method may represent a powerful tool for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers and other diseases that are refractory to treatment.

ObjectivesZZThe aim of this study was to examine the effect of depression, impulsivity, and resilience on smartphone addiction in university students.MethodsZZA total of 322 students from two universities in Seoul were enrolled in this study. Participants were divided into a risk user group and normal user group according to results using the Korean smartphone addiction scale. We additionally surveyed smartphone use patterns of the participants. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS), and Conner-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RS) were also used for measurement of the participants' severity of depression, impulsivity, and resilience.ResultsZZThe risk user group spent more time using a smartphone on weekdays than the normal user group. The risk user group showed significantly higher scores on BDI, BIS than the normal user group. The risk user group showed significantly lower scores on CD-RS than the normal user group. Results of multiple regression analysis showed that impulsivity was a significant factor affecting smartphone addiction in university students.ConclusionZZThese results suggest that smartphone addiction is influenced by impulsivity. Students with high impulsivity may be vulnerable to smartphone addiction. Further research regarding the underlying mechanisms of these associations is needed.J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc 2014;53(4):214-220 KEY WORDSZZ Smartphone · Addiction · Impulsivity · Depression · Resilience.

Background and PurposeAlzheimer's disease (AD) is associated with structural alterations in the medial temporal lobe (MTL) and functional alterations in the posterior cortical region, especially in the early stages. However, it is unclear what mechanisms underlie these regional discrepancies or whether the posterior cortical hypometabolism reflects disconnection from the MTL lesion or is the result of local pathology. The precuneus, an area of the posteromedial cortex that is involved in the early stages of AD, has recently received a great deal of attention in functional neuroimaging studies. To assess the relationship between the precuneus and hippocampus in AD, we investigated the volumes of these two areas using a magnetic resonance volumetric method.MethodsTwenty-three subjects with AD and 14 healthy age-matched controls underwent T1-weighted three-dimensional volumetric brain magnetic resonance imaging. Volumetric measurements were performed in the precuneus and hippocampus.ResultsCompared to controls, AD patients exhibited a significant reduction in total precuneal volume, which was more prominent on the right side, and significant bilateral reductions in hippocampal volume. No correlation was found between the total volumes of the precuneus and hippocampus in the AD group.ConclusionsThese results suggest that volumetric measurements of both the precuneus and hippocampus are useful radiological indices for the diagnosis of AD. Furthermore, the lack of correlation is attributable to local pathology rather than being a secondary consequence of MTL pathology.

Detection of antithyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) is widely used in the diagnosis of autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT), but no research has evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of TPOAb detection using histopathologic reference standards. To fill this research gap, this study assessed the diagnostic accuracy of detection of TPOAb and that of other serological markers in asymptomatic patients who had been diagnosed with AIT by histopathologic analysis after thyroid surgery. After review of patient records, 598 patients who had undergone thyroid nodule surgery were enrolled for examination for thyroid parenchyma by a pathologist and classification into no co-existing lymphocytic thyroiditis, Hashimoto thyroiditis, or non-Hashimoto type of lymphocytic thyroiditis (NHLT). The correlation between patient serological data and thyroid parenchyma pathology was analyzed. Statistically significant differences (P < 0.05) were found between co-existing lymphocytic thyroiditis and no co-existing lymphocytic thyroiditis groups regarding thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and TPOAb levels. And, TPOAb titer was significantly associated with the degree of inflammation. An abnormal TPOAb titer was found in 86 of the 598 patients (14.4 %) and the specificity of TPOAb detection for AIT diagnosis was found to be 96.9 %. The prevalence of Hashimoto thyroiditis and NHLT in the 560 papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) patients was found to be 7.9 and 17.9 %, respectively. The results indicate that TPOAb titer is associated with the degree of thyroid inflammation and that detection of TPOAb is a very specific means of diagnosing AIT. The results also indicate that the incidence of AIT and PTC coexistence is relatively high.