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The article discusses a study which looked at hikikomori, a form of social withdrawal reported in Japan. Topics mentioned include conditions associated with hikikomori including avoidance of social situations and social relationships, measures used to assess the social disorder such as the Lubben Social Network Scale, Sheehan Disability Scale, and modified Cornell Treatment Preferences Index, and possible psychosocial impairment and disability associated with hikikomori.

Aim The problems of youth social withdrawal (or hikikomori) became a hot-button social issue in Japan in the 1990s. Unfortunately, current nosology in the DSM-IV may not adequately capture the concept of socially withdrawn youth ( SWY) or hikikomori. This study aimed to investigate core SWY issues, evaluate SWY's psychopathologies, and approach them therapeutically through a home visitation program. Methods Participants were 65 youth referred by community mental health centers and psychiatric clinics around Seoul and Kyongki- Do province. Among them, only 41 participants (31 male, 10 female, mean age 15 ± 3.6 years) fit our SWY criteria. In addition, 248 middle and high school students in Seoul were recruited as a baseline control group. Caseworkers interviewed the SWY participants and their parents in their homes, using our structured interview manual and a number of psychiatric scales. Caseworkers also approached the participants therapeutically. Results Participants' Depression Inventory, Trait Anxiety Inventory, Social Anxiety Scale, and Internet Addiction Scale scores were significantly higher than those of baseline controls. Participants' mean number of psychotherapeutic sessions was 2.8, and the mean number of parental interview sessions was 3.4. After the therapeutic sessions, Global Assessment Functioning scores and social activities had improved somewhat in 68.3% of participants. Conclusion These findings suggest that SWY is a complex phenomenon, so an individual psychopathologic process is very important for treatment. The most difficult problem in SWY treatment was therapeutic access. Hence, the home visit approach with a structured manual may be a good gateway for solving this problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This systematic review was performed to summarise randomised clinical trials (RCTs) assessing the efficacy and safety of ginseng in the Korean literature. Method: The study involved systematic searches conducted in eight Korean Medical databases. The methodological quality of all of the included studies was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. We included all RCTs on any type of ginseng compared to placebo, active treatment or no treatment in healthy individuals or patients regardless of conditions. Results: In total, 1415 potentially relevant studies were identified, and 30 randomised clinical trials were included. Nine RCTs assessed the effects of ginseng on exercise capacity, cognitive performance, somatic symptoms, quality of life, and sleeping in healthy persons. Six RCTs tested ginseng compared with placebo for erectile dysfunction, while another four studies evaluated the effects of ginseng against no treatment for gastric and colon cancer. Two RCTs compared the effect of red ginseng on diabetes mellitus with no treatment or placebo, and the other nine RCTs assessed the effects of ginseng compared with placebo or no treatment on various conditions. The methodological caveats of the included trials make their contribution to the current clinical evidence of ginseng somewhat limited. However, the 20 newly added trials (66.7% of the 30 trials) may provide useful information for future trials. Ginseng appears to be generally safe, and no serious adverse effects have been reported. Conclusions: The clinical effects of ginseng have been tested in a wide range of conditions in Korea. Although the quality of RCTs published in the Korean literature was generally poor, this review is useful for researchers to access studies that were originally published in languages that they would otherwise be unable to read and due to the paucity of evidence on this subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of Chuna for the treatment of musculoskeletal pain as reported in Korean literature. Methods: We conducted an electronic literature search using seven Korean databases and manually searched six traditional Korean medicine journals. Risk of bias was assessed with the Cochrane criteria. Results: Six randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included in the study. Compared with standard care, three RCTs suggested favorable effects of Chuna on neck pain due to a hypolordotic cervical spine, low back pain caused by traffic accidents, and low back pain. In contrast, compared with standard care, three RCTs failed to show positive effects on temporomandibular joint disorder, mandibular movement, and neck pain caused by traffic accidents. Conclusions: Currently, the evidence of the effectiveness of Chuna for the treatment of musculoskeletal pain is not convincing. Further rigorously designed trials are warranted to determine its effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Twenty-five chipmunk species occur in the world, of which only the Siberian chipmunk, Tamias sibiricus, inhabits Asia. To investigate mitochondrial cytochrome b sequence variations and population structure of the Siberian chipmunk in northeastern Asia, we examined mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences (1140 bp) from 3 countries. Analyses of 41 individuals from South Korea and 33 individuals from Russia and northeast China resulted in 37 haplotypes and 27 haplotypes, respectively. There were no shared haplotypes between South Korea and Russia--northeast China. Phylogenetic trees and network analysis showed 2 major maternal lineages for haplotypes, referred to as the S and R lineages. Haplotype grouping in each cluster was nearly coincident with its geographic affinity. In particular, 3 distinct groups were found that mostly clustered in the northern, central and southern parts of South Korea. Nucleotide diversity of the S lineage was twice that of lineage R. The divergence between S and R lineages was estimated to be 2.98-0.98 Myr. During the ice age, there may have been at least 2 refuges in South Korea and Russia--northeast China. The sequence variation between the S and R lineages was 11.3% (K2P), which is indicative of specific recognition in rodents. These results suggest that T. sibiricus from South Korea could be considered a separate species. However, additional information, such as details of distribution, nuclear genes data or morphology, is required to strengthen this hypothesis.