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The birth prevalence of symptomatic congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) disease among live birth in Korea from a multicenter study was 0.06% during 2001–2015 with increasing frequency. The administrative prevalence of cCMV infection by big-data analysis from the national health insurance system was 0.01% and the average healthcare cost was US$2010 per person. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which showed that neurocognitive impairmentss were evident in ultra-high-risk individuals for psychosis prior to the onset of overt psychosis. Topics include the tests for five separate neurocognitive domains applied to UHR individuals and patients with first-episode schizophrenia (FES), how testing for spatial memory significantly predicted the transition to overt psychosis, and findings that support the neurodevelopmental model of schizophrenia.

Background: Altered transmission of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a major inhibitory neurotransmitter, may contribute to the development of schizophrenia. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the presence of GABA-A/benzodiazepine (BZ) receptor binding abnormalities in individuals at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis in comparison with normal controls using [18F]-fluoroflumazenil (FFMZ) positron emission tomography (PET). In particular, we set regions of interest in the striatum (caudate, putamen, and nucleus accumbens) and medial temporal area (hippocampus and parahippocampal gyrus). Methods: Eleven BZ-naive people at UHR and 15 normal controls underwent PET scanning using [18F]-FFMZ to measure GABA-A/BZ receptor binding potential. The regional group differences between UHR individuals and normal controls were analyzed using Statistical Parametric Mapping 8 software. Participants were evaluated using the structured interview for prodromal syndromes and neurocognitive function tasks. Results: People at UHR demonstrated significantly reduced binding potential of GABA-A/BZ receptors in the right caudate. Conclusions: Altered GABAergic transmission and/or the imbalance of inhibitory and excitatory systems in the striatum may be present at the putative prodromal stage and play a pivotal role in the pathophysiology of psychosis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses a study which examined whether psychosocial functioning is impaired in patients in the putative prodromal phase of schizophrenia. The study also determined factors associated with compromised psychosocial functioning in 60 participants at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis. Results showed the association of psychosocial dysfunction with negative symptoms, adaptive coping and resilience in the participants.