Social support is linked to mental health,quality of life,and motor function in multiple sclerosis

Journal of Neurology - To investigate associations of social support to psychological well-being, cognition, and motor functioning in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Secondarily, we were...     

Ovarian cystectomy for a dermoid cyst with the new single-port robotic system

We report a 27 year-old patient with a dermoid cyst who underwent robotic single port transumbilical ovarian cystectomy. She was operated through a 2 cm long single midline umbilical incision using a new platform from Intuitive Surgical. The operative time was 45 minutes and the docking time was 15 minutes. Ovarian cystectomy using the da Vinci single-port system is feasible and effective. This new semi-rigid robotic surgery platform may increase access to the potential advantages of single-site surgery. Robotic systems designed specifically for single port approach have the potential of alleviating several of the limitations associated with traditional laparoscopic single-site surgery.     

Decreased dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate levels in adolescents with post-traumatic stress disorder after single sexual trauma

Background: Recent evidence shows that the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis can be dysregulated in chronic sexual abuse victims with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We hypothesized that PTSD in adolescents exposed to a single sexual trauma may function as a chronic stressor leading to HPA-axis dysregulation. Aims: The objective of this study was to assess dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEA-S) and cortisol levels in female adolescents |with single sexual trauma-related PTSD compared to healthy controls. Method: We assessed 20 female adolescent (age 12–18) single sexual trauma victims with PTSD from the Ondokuz Mayis University Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry between December 2013 and December 2014. PTSD symptoms were assessed using the Child Depression Inventory (CDI) and Child Posttraumatic Stress Reaction Index (CPSRI). Blood cortisol and DHEA-S were measured in 20 female adolescent sexual abuse victims with PTSD and 20 healthy adolescents after 12-h fasting using the chemiluminescence method. Results: Compared to age-matched controls, female adolescent sexual abuse victims with PTSD had significantly lower DHEA-S levels (U = 70.00, Z = ? 3.517, p = 0.01, r = 0.55). There was also a significant negative correlation between DHEA-S and CDI scores (Spearman r = ? 0.522, p < 0.01). Conclusions: Decreased DHEA-S levels and correlation with depressive symptoms are evidence for a dysregulated HPA-axis in female adolescent single sexual trauma victims with PTSD. Further research is now recommended with large patient groups in order to maximize generalizations.     

Thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor and thrombin-antithrombin-III-complex levels in patients with gastric cancer

The relation between cancer and coagulation is the subject of investigation since a relation between tumor and thrombosis has been determined. Antithrombin III is an important thrombin inhibitor, and increased thrombin?Cantithrombin (TAT) complex levels activate coagulation. Activated thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) inhibits the conversion of plasminogen to plasmin. In addition, it directly inactivates plasmin. Defective fibrinolysis increases the risk of thrombosis. In this study, we evaluated homeostatic parameters, TAFI, and TAT levels in patients with gastric cancer applying to the medical oncology outpatient clinic. Fifty-two patients and 35 healthy controls were included. ELISA was used to measure TAFI and TAT complex levels. These were statistically higher in the patient group (p?<?0.05 and p?=?0.001, respectively). D-dimer levels were higher in stage IV (p?=?0.05). Correlations between lymph nodes and TAFI and TAT levels were examined. Weak but positive correlation between lymph nodes and TAFI was detected (R?=?0.452, p?=?0.027). TAFI and TAT levels were evaluated using relative operating characteristic analysis to differentiate the disease. TAT was more specific than TAFI according to this analysis (TAFI area under curve (AUC), 0.676; TAT AUC, 0.874). Thrombotic events and bleeding disorders need to be borne in mind in gastric cancer. This situation is due to the impairment of the balance between coagulation and fibrinolysis. Further studies are now needed to evaluate the effects of TAFI and TAT on survey and prognosis as well as the potential of these parameters as tumor markers for gastric cancer.     

Previous Mental Illness Diagnoses Predict Perceptions of Current Mental Illness: A Cultural and Gender Differences Analysis of the United States and India

The disparities in mental health care around the world have led to differences in the way mental illness is treated, diagnosed, and stigmatized. The studies conducted revealed in this article investigated differences between the United States and India in terms of their willingness to agree with a possible mental illness diagnosis. Each study was conducted online using FluidSurveys®. Participants were recruited via Amazon’s® Mechanical Turk® (MTurk), which is a website that provides access to an online, highly diverse participant pool. For Study 1, we hypothesized that there would be significant differences in agreement rates between the two countries and that there would be a positive relationship between agreement rates and the number of previous diagnoses. The three main hypotheses for Study 2 were that there would be a significant difference in agreement rates for the United States and India, the gender of the target individual would have a main effect, and the gender of the participant would have a main effect. The first study was focused on how the number of previous diagnoses would affect agreement rates and how that effect differed between the two countries. The second study looked specifically at how the gender of the participant as well as the gender of the target individual would affect agreement rates. Study 1 yielded significant differences between the United States and India for agreement rates when no previous diagnosis was presented. There was also evidence that as the number of previous diagnoses went from zero, to three, to five, agreement rates also increased. Study 2 also yielded significant differences between the two countries. There was a main effect of participant gender on agreement rates, but no main effect found for target gender.