Affective temperaments in clinically-well subjects in Turkey: initial psychometric data on the TEMPS-A

BACKGROUND: This is a first attempt to evaluate the reliability and factor structure replicability of the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego Autoquestionnaire (TEMPS-A) in its Turkish Version. The questionnaire is a self-report 110-item measure that postulates five affective temperaments-the depressive, cyclothymic, irritable, hyperthymic, and anxious-which embody both strengths and liabilities along affective lines. METHODS: The questionnaire was administered to 658 clinically-well subjects in a Turkish university circle. We undertook item analysis and test-retest reliability. We then examined internal consistency through factor analysis with PCA rotation. RESULTS: We found good to excellent test-retest reliability (0.73-0.91), and internal consistency (0.77-0.85). We deleted 10 items with factor loading <0.20 for their own subscales, resulting in a questionnaire with 99 items. Despite considerable overlap between depressive and cognitive anxiety traits, a distinct "nervous"-anxious factor emerged as well, and the hypothesized (original English) 5-factor structure of the TEMPS-A was supported. Cut-offs for each temperament were based on z-scores higher than +2S.D. Dominant irritable (3.7%), nervous-anxious (3.7%) and depressive (3.1%) temperaments were the most common in this population, whereas dominant cyclothymic (1.7%) and hyperthymic (1.2%) temperaments were relatively uncommon. These temperaments tended to lose their intensity with age. As expected, women scored significantly higher on the nervous-anxious, and men on the hyperthymic temperaments. LIMITATIONS: The sample was composed of younger subjects with higher education than the general population of Turkey. Although the distribution of the scores for each of the temperaments deviated somewhat from normal curves, for heuristic reasons we did attempt to provide prevalence rates based on z-scores. CONCLUSION: In this preliminary version of the TEMPS-A, we have retained 100 (of the original 110) traits loading >0.20. Some deleted items referred to sleep, others appeared socially desirability traits in the Turkish culture endorsed by many subjects. Nonetheless, item analyses within each factor revealed traits indicative of personal assets (specific to each temperament) along with those which might represent vulnerability to affective illness. This is in line with the hypothesized original theoretical framework of the senior authors. Even in this "first pass," in its Turkish version the TEMPS-A is a reliable and valid instrument. Further refinement of the instrument will require the study of a nationally representative sample in Turkey.     

Comparison of the effectiveness of cyclophosphamide and rituximab treatment in patients with systemic sclerosis–related interstitial lung diseases: a retrospective,observational cohort study

Clinical Rheumatology - To compare the effectiveness of cyclophosphamide and rituximab in the treatment of patients with systemic sclerosis with pulmonary involvement (SSc-ILD). Symptoms and the...     

Investigation of perfusion defects by Q-SPECT/CT in patients with mild-to-moderate course of COVID-19 and low clinical probability for pulmonary embolism

Annals of Nuclear Medicine - Pulmonary embolism is a severe source of mortality and morbidity in patients with severe and critical coronavirus disease 2019. It is not yet clear whether the tendency...     

The relationship between impulsivity and lipid levels in bipolar patients: does temperament explain it?

Background

The aim of this study was to investigate whether there was a relationship between impulsivity and lipid levels in patients with bipolar disorder (BD) and to examine the correlation of impulsivity and lipid levels with temperament subtypes.

Methods

For this purpose, one hundred patients who were admitted to our out-patient unit for routine controls, had been in remission for at least 8 weeks, and diagnosed as BD according to the DSM-IV were evaluated consecutively. Impulsivity and temperament were evaluated with the BIS-11 and the TEMPS-A. Blood samples were obtained to measure levels of lipids (cholesterol, triglyceride, high density lipoprotein-HDL, low density lipoprotein-LDL).

Results

A weak correlation was found between impulsivity scores and triglyceride levels (r = 0.190, p = 0.050). Correlation was found between impulsivity scores and depressive, anxious, cyclothymic, and irritable temperaments (r = 0.371, p < 0.001; r = 0.458, p < 0.001; r = 0.541, p < 0.001; r = 0.530, p < 0.001), while triglyceride levels were only related with depressive and anxious temperaments (r = 0.485, p = 0.001 and r = 0.391, p = 0.006).

Conclusions

Temperament is an important mediator of the relationship between lipid levels and trait impulsivity in patients with BD.     

In vitro release and In vivo biocompatibility studies of biomimetic multilayered alginate-chitosan/β-TCP scaffold for osteochondral tissue

Biomimetic three-layered monolithic scaffold (TLS) intended for the treatment of osteocondral defects was prepared by using alginate, chitosan and β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) to study drug release behavior of the alternative drug delivery system and to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of the scaffold. Dexamethasone sodium phosphate (Dex) as a model drug was incorporated into the scaffold by solvent sorption method and in vitro release studies were conducted. In addition, the scaffold was implanted into the defects formed in the trochlea of Sprague–Dawley rats to assess the healing potential of the TLS on the osteochondral defect against reference Maioregen® comparatively. The release studies showed that after an initial burst at 3rd h, dexamethasone is released slowly during a 72-h period. In vivo studies indicated that the TLS has good tissue biocompatibility and biodegradation rate and showed better results during osteochondral healing process compared to the reference. All results demonstrated that the alginate-chitosan/β-TCP scaffold could be evaluated as a good candidate for osteochondral tissue applications.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of phloroglucinol derivatives possessing α‐glycosidase,acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase,carbonic anhydrase inhibitory activity

A series of novel phloroglucinol derivatives were designed, synthesized, characterized spectroscopically and tested for their inhibitory activity against selected metabolic enzymes, including α‐glycosidase, acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), and human carbonic anhydrase I and II (hCA I and II). These compounds displayed nanomolar inhibition levels and showed K_i values of 1.14–3.92 nM against AChE, 0.24–1.64 nM against BChE, 6.73–51.10 nM against α‐glycosidase, 1.80–5.10 nM against hCA I, and 1.14–5.45 nM against hCA II.