Quality of life and insomnia in university psychology students

A QOLI (Quality of Life of Insomniacs) questionnaire was administered to psychology students from UCDB for the purpose of comparing the life quality of insomniac and non-insomniac students by way of the following variables: quality of sleep, quality of awakening, physical state, psychological mood/state of mind, relationships (family, professional/academic and social). Students were considered as insomniacs according to the following criteria: a history of insomnia of from 2 weeks to 3 months; two or three of the following criteria: total night's sleep of less than 6 hr; at least two awakenings in the early morning; a sleep latency (period needed to fall asleep) greater than 30 min; additional sleep during the day, owing to the insomnia; absence of any somatic cause and/or treatment for insomnia. The statistical analysis was done comparing the average scores of each of the variables taken from the two groups, by way of the Student's t-test. It was concluded that insomnia affected the physical well-being, psychological mood/state of mind and relationships (family, professional/academic and social) of the psychology students from UCDB and, thus, their quality of life.     

Translation,validation and cultural adaptation of “The Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Questionnaire-7” (ETDQ-7) to Brazilian Portuguese (BR)

IntroductionChronic Eustachian tube dysfunction can cause several symptoms and middle ear conditions that can impact patient quality of life. It is estimated to be relatively frequent, affecting approximately 5% of adults. The diagnostic tools for this condition are still inadequate. In 2012, McCoul et al. published a questionnaire for the evaluation of Eustachian tube dysfunction named ETDQ-7. They established its replicability and validity. The cutoff point for the diagnosis of chronic Eustachian tube dysfunction was equal to or greater than 14.5, with 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity.ObjectiveTo translate, adapt and validate the ETDQ-7 questionnaire to Brazilian Portuguese.MethodsWe translated the questionnaire into Brazilian Portuguese and applied it to 50 patients, 20 of whom had chronic Eustachian tube dysfunction, and 30 controls.ResultsThe results obtained with the North-American questionnaire were confirmed in its Brazilian version. The cut-off point for the diagnosis of chronic Eustachian tube dysfunction was ≥14, also exhibiting high sensitivity and specificity, very similar to that of ETDQ-7.ConclusionIt is recommended that ETDQ-7 be used to complement the clinical history of patients with chronic Eustachian tube dysfunction; it can also be used as an important tool for diagnosis, patient follow-up and treatment management.     

Denture stomatitis and salivary Candida in Brazilian edentulous patients

Denture stomatitis (DS) is frequently associated with high levels of Candida in saliva and deficient denture hygiene. In order to analyse the incidence of DS and its pre-disposing factors, we evaluated 77 edentulous patients before and 6 months after the placement of new complete dentures. Denture stomatitis was observed in 50.6 and 18.2% of the patients at the first and second evaluation, respectively. Salivary flow, Candida counts in saliva and Candida species were similar in both evaluations. Denture stomatitis and Candida in saliva were more common in females. Our results showed that denture replacement and denture hygiene improvement were useful for DS resolution, particularly types I and II. However, oral and denture hygiene must be continuous, inasmuch as salivary Candida counts remained high and it is considered an important pre-disposing factor for DS.     

Deoxynivalenol: Toxicology,Degradation by Bacteria,and Phylogenetic Analysis

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a toxic secondary metabolite produced by fungi that contaminates many crops, mainly wheat, maize, and barley. It affects animal health, causing intestinal barrier impairment and immunostimulatory effect in low doses and emesis, reduction in feed conversion rate, and immunosuppression in high doses. As it is very hard to completely avoid DON’s production in the field, mitigatory methods have been developed. Biodegradation has become a promising method as new microorganisms are studied and new enzymatic routes are described. Understanding the common root of bacteria with DON degradation capability and the relationship with their place of isolation may bring insights for more effective ways to find DON-degrading microorganisms. The purpose of this review is to bring an overview of the occurrence, regulation, metabolism, and toxicology of DON as addressed in recent publications focusing on animal production, as well as to explore the enzymatic routes described for DON’s degradation by microorganisms and the phylogenetic relationship among them.     

Writing epilepsy: a neurophysiological, neuropsychological and neuroimaging study

Writing epilepsy is a rare reflex syndrome in which seizures are triggered by writing. We describe a 33-year-old, right-handed man, with a history of juvenile absence epilepsy in remission and a family history of epilepsy, in whom myoclonic jerks precipitated exclusively by writing started at the age of 30. Intensive video/EEG monitoring during neuropsychological tests revealed, at about 1 minute after starting to write, a dystonic posture, followed by myoclonic jerks involving the right hand that shortly after became generalized. Concomitantly, the ictal EEG documented generalized hypersynchronous polyspike-wave discharges, maximal over the right parietocentral area. SPECT revealed an ictal hyperperfusion and interictal hypoperfusion over right parietofrontal regions, and fMRI showed extensive and intense left frontal, supplementary motor area activation, induced by writing. This case study provides some evidence supporting the hypothesis that the mechanism underlying writing-triggered seizures may be a generalized seizure process, with a focal cortical trigger zone, presumed to be the left frontal lobe as suggested by clinical and fMRI data. A relevant role played by the right hemisphere (right parietofrontal region) is postulated in the full-blown expression of reflex epileptogenesis, as supported by EEG and SPECT findings.