The present study suggests that the -G308A tumour necrosis factor-alpha gene polymorphism may have a potential role for susceptibility to MDD in the Korean population.

The neurofibromatosis type 2 gene-encoded protein, merlin, is related to the ERM (ezrin, radixin, and moesin) family of membrane-cytoskeleton-associated proteins. Recent studies suggest that the loss of neurofibromatosis type 2 function contributes to tumor development and metastasis. Although the cellular functions of merlin as a tumor suppressor are relatively well characterized, the cellular mechanism whereby merlin controls cell proliferation from membrane locations is still poorly understood. During our efforts to find potential merlin modulators through protein-protein interactions, we identified transactivation-responsive RNAbinding protein (TRBP) as a merlin-binding protein in a yeast two-hybrid screen. The interaction between TRBP and merlin was confirmed by glutathione S-transferase pull-down assays, co-immunoprecipitation, and co-localization experiments. The carboxyl-terminal regions of each protein were responsible for their interaction. Cells overexpressing TRBP showed enhanced cell growth in cell proliferation assays and also exhibited transformed phenotypes, such as anchorage-independent cell growth and tumor development in mouse xenografts. Merlin efficiently inhibited these oncogenic activities of TRBP in our experiments. These results provide the first clue to the functional interaction between TRBP and merlin and suggest a novel mechanism for the tumor suppressor function of merlin both in vitro and in vivo.

This study was performed to assess the efficacy and safety of olanzapine for the treatment of delirium in a Korean population. An open trial of olanzapine was conducted in Korean patients with delirium caused by multiple medicosurgical conditions. All subjects were evaluated by Delirium Rating Scale (DRS), which is known to be one of the most sensitive scales for delirium. In addition, other data for profiles of side-effects were collected and analyzed. Twenty patients were treated by olanzapine with doses of 5.9 ± 1.5 mg/day. The initial dose was 4.6 ± 0.9 mg/day and maximal dose of olanzapine was 8.8 ± 2.2 mg/day. The average duration of treatment was 6.6 ± 1.7 days and the day of maximal response was 3.8 ± 1.7 treated days. The scores of DRS were significantly improved from 20.0 ± 3.6 at the time of pretreatment to 9.3 ± 4.6 at the posttreatment. All subjects showed no definite serious side-effects including anticholinergic and extrapyramidal symptoms. Olanzapine treatment for patients with delirium was effective and safe. This newer drug may be a useful alternative agent to classical antipsychotics in the treatment of delirium.

Little is known about the arachnoid cyst and there have been few reports of it accompanying psychiatric disturbances. A 57-year-old patient was admitted due to sudden headache, auditory hallucination, and delusion of persecution. An arachnoid cyst was found in the anteromedial aspect of middle cranial fossa on his magnetic resonance image. This was his first psychotic episode and he was also negative to other clinical evaluations including endocrine system. His psychotic symtoms were suspected to be induced by the arachnoid cyst and it was well controlled by low-dose risperidone administration. He left hospital free from psychotic symptoms on 14th hospital day.