High Prevalence Of Disorder Research Articles

Exploring the relationship between smoking and poor sleep quality: a cross-sectional study using NHANES.

Sleeping disorders is a high prevalent disorder, and although previous research has suggested a link between smoking and sleep disorders, there is a lack of large-scale, nationally representative studies examining this association across multiple sleep outcomes and exploring dose-response relationships. This study used data from 30,269 participants from the NHANES database (2007-2020). Weighted logistic regression models were used to assess the associations between smoking status (non-smoker, light smoker, moderate smoker, and heavy smoker) and various sleep outcomes, including insufficient sleep duration, reported sleep problems, snoring, snorting, or stopping breathing during sleep, and daytime sleepiness. Dose-response relationships were explored using restricted cubic splines. Compared to non-smokers, heavy smokers had significantly higher odds of experiencing insufficient sleep duration with OR 1.732 (95% CI 1.528-1.963, P <0.001), reported sleep problems with OR 1.990 (95% CI 1.766-2.243, P <0.001), occasional or frequent snoring with OR 1.908 (95% CI 1.164-3.128, P = 0.03), and occasional or frequent snorting or stopping breathing during sleep with OR 1.863 (95% CI 1.183-2.936, P = 0.022), while results for sometimes, often or almost always being overly sleepy during the day with OR 1.257 (95% CI 0.872-1.810, P = 0.115) are not significant. A trend of positive correlation was observed between smoking and all sleep disorder outcomes (P for trend < 0.05). Dose-response analyses revealed that the odds of these sleep outcomes increased with higher smoking levels. Smoking is significantly associated with various sleep disorders, and a dose-response relationship exists between smoking levels and the odds of experiencing these sleep problems. These findings underscore the importance of addressing smoking as a modifiable risk factor for poor sleep health and suggest that reducing smoking, even if complete cessation is not achieved, may have positive effects on sleep outcomes.

Characteristics of bone metabolism disorders in military personnel in the Arctic regions: prospective study

OBJECTIVE. To study characteristics of bone metabolism disorders in military personnel in the Arctic regions.&#x0D; MATERIALS AND METHODS. The survey was conducted and medical documentation of 189 male soldiers aged 23–42 (average age - 29,6±5,6) was studied. Depending on the duty station all the surveyed were divided into two groups: I – 107 soldiers, performing military service in the Arctic regions with at least 2 years of experience, II – 82 soldiers from the Western Military Region. Complaints, anamnesis data, objective status (including anthropometry) and medical documentation were assessed and studied in the surveyed military personnel. For estimating bone-mineral density, the method of calcaneus ultrasonography, using «GE Healthcare Achilles» densitometer was applied. The content of total calcium, inorganic phosphorus as well as the concentration of bone resorption markers – СТХ and NTX in the blood serum were used as analyzed laboratory rate of bone metabolism.&#x0D; RESULTS. The study showed that almost half of the military personnel in the Arctic regions (48,6%) had the rate of bone-mineral density below the average value for healthy men of the same age group. It was noted that prevalence of osteopenia in the Arctic is significantly higher compared to military personnel from temperate regions. When studying bone resorption markers, it was noted that the group of Arctic military personnel experienced statistically significant increase in NTX, characterizing the rate of degradation in the newly formed bone as well as the tendency towards increase in CTX, reflecting the rate of degradation relative to the old bone.&#x0D; DISCUSSION. The main link in the pathogenesis of low bone-mineral density in military personnel in the unfavorable Arctic environment is D3 vitamin metabolism disorder by lowering its formation in the skin and also it limited intake with food. High prevalence of disorder in bone-mineral density among Arctic military personnel might indicate the need for a more rigorous selection process in the Arctic regions with a mandatory in-depth survey of the bone metabolism system (determination of total calcium content, inorganic phosphorus, D3 vitamin) as well as performing according to osteodensitometry. It is advisable to conduct an annual survey of the Arctic military personnel at the duty station, involving a visiting military-medical commission with a therapist or rheumatologist as its member.

Current Therapeutical Approaches Targeting Lipid Metabolism in NAFLD.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD, including nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)) is a high-prevalence disorder, affecting about 1 billion people, which can evolve to more severe conditions like cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma. NAFLD is often concomitant with conditions of the metabolic syndrome, such as central obesity and insulin-resistance, but a specific drug able to revert NAFL and prevent its evolution towards NASH is still lacking. With the liver being a key organ in metabolic processes, the potential therapeutic strategies are many, and range from directly targeting the lipid metabolism to the prevention of tissue inflammation. However, side effects have been reported for the drugs tested up to now. In this review, different approaches to the treatment of NAFLD are presented, including newer therapies and ongoing clinical trials. Particular focus is placed on the reverse cholesterol transport system and on the agonists for nuclear factors like PPAR and FXR, but also drugs initially developed for other conditions such as incretins and thyromimetics along with validated natural compounds that have anti-inflammatory potential. This work provides an overview of the different therapeutic strategies currently being tested for NAFLD, other than, or along with, the recommendation of weight loss.

The Role of Natural Compounds in Optimizing Contemporary Dental Treatment-Current Status and Future Trends.

For a long period of time, natural remedies were the only ailment available for a multitude of diseases, and they have proven effective even after the emergence of modern medicine. Due to their extremely high prevalence, oral and dental disorders and anomalies are recognized as major public health concerns. Herbal medicine is the practice of using plants with therapeutic characteristics for the purpose of disease prevention and treatment. Herbal agents have made a significant entry into oral care products in recent years, complementing traditional treatment procedures due to their intriguing physicochemical and therapeutic properties. There has been a resurgence of interest in natural products because of recent updates, technological advancements, and unmet expectations from current strategies. Approximately eighty percent of the world's population uses natural remedies, especially in poorer nations. When conventional treatments have failed, it may make sense to use natural drugs for the treatment of pathologic oral dental disorders, as they are readily available, inexpensive, and have few negative effects. The purpose of this article is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the benefits and applications of natural biomaterials in dentistry, to gather relevant information from the medical literature with an eye toward its practical applicability, and make suggestions for the directions for future study.

Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy in adolescents with multiple psychiatric diagnoses.

Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy is a promising new treatment for a variety of mental disorders of adolescence. There is currently an adolescent mental health crisis, with a high prevalence of disorders, diagnostic complexity, and many adolescents failing to respond to conventional treatments. While there is strong evidence for the use of ketamine in adults for a variety of treatment-refractory mental illnesses, research in adolescents is in its early stages. Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) has been described in adults with promising results and here we present the first published cases of the use of KAP in adolescents. The four cases include adolescents aged 14-19 at the initiation of treatment, each with a variety of comorbid diagnoses including treatment-resistant depression, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, anxiety, panic, and trauma-related symptoms. They each initially received sublingual ketamine, followed by sessions with intramuscular ketamine. Their courses varied, but each had symptomatic and functional improvements, and the treatment was well-tolerated. Subjective patient reports are included. Rapid resolution of symptomatology and suffering often occurs within months as the result of the application of KAP to adolescent psychiatric care but is not inevitable. Family involvement in the treatment process appears to be essential to success. The development of this modality may have a singularly positive impact that will expand the psychiatric toolbox and its healing potency.

Surgery for pediatric drug resistant epilepsy: a narrative review of its history, surgical implications, and treatment strategies.

Drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE), also known as medically refractory epilepsy, is a disorder of high prevalence and negatively impacts a patients quality of life, neurodevelopment, and life expectancy. Pediatric epilepsy surgery has been conducted since the late 1800s, and randomized controlled trials have demonstrated the marked effectiveness of surgery on seizure reduction and the potential for cure. Despite the strong evidence for pediatric epilepsy surgery, there is also strong evidence describing its underutilization. The objective of this narrative review is to describe the history, strength, and limitations in the evidence of surgery for pediatric drug resistant epilepsy. This narrative review was conducted utilizing standard search engines to include the relevant articles on the topic of surgery for drug resistant epilepsy in children, with main keywords including surgery in pediatric epilepsy and drug-refractory epilepsy. The first components describe the historical perspective of pediatric epilepsy surgery and the evidence that highlight the strengths and limitations of epilepsy surgery. We then highlight the importance of presurgical referral and evaluation, followed by a section detailing the surgical options for children with DRE. Lastly, we provide a perspective on the future of pediatric epilepsy surgery. Evidence supports the role for surgery in pediatric medically refractory epilepsy in seizure frequency reduction, improved curative rates, and improvements in neurodevelopment and quality of life.

In Silico, In Vitro, and In Vivo Wound Healing Activity of Astragalus microcephalus Willd.

Methods The methanolic root extract was prepared by maceration, and flavonoids were evaluated by LC/MS. In silico examination was performed based on the LC/MS results, and the binding affinity of these compounds to estrogen receptors (ERs) α and β was evaluated. Wound healing evaluation in both in vitro (NHDF cell line, by 500 μg/ml concentration of the extract, 24 h) and in vivo (Wistar rat, topical daily treated with 1.5% of the extract ointment, 21 days) conditions in comparison to control groups was conducted. Rats' control groups included silver sulfadiazine, Vaseline, and the nontreated groups. Results Eleven flavonoids were detected using LC/MS. The in silico study showed that formononetin, kaempferol-based structures, quercetin-3-O-neohesperidoside, and calycosin-7-O-beta-D-glucoside had a high affinity (<−6.3) to ERs α and β. Wound closing measurement showed significant improvement in the group treated with the extract in both in vitro and in vivo assays compared to the control groups. Histopathological results confirmed these findings; inflammation factors decreased, and fibroblast proliferation, fibrosis, and epithelization increased, especially in the extract group. Conclusion This study shows that Astragalus microcephalus has wound healing activity in vitro and in vivo with low toxicity due to the presence of flavonoids, especially isoflavonoids, which show a high affinity to bind to ERs α and β in the skin tissue.

Prevalence and factors associated with depression in people living with HIV/AIDS in a Brazilian metropolitan region

ABSTRACT The frequent association between mental disorders and HIV infection may be related to several risk factors. The present study aims to determine the prevalence of depression and its associated factors in people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) who attended four outpatient clinics in Fortaleza, Brazil, between September 2014 and April 2015. In addition to the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview questionnaire, which was used to identify the prevalence of depressive disorder, the researchers applied a sociodemographic questionnaire, and the Hamilton Depression Scale to classify the severity of depression. In all, 257 participants were included in the analyses. The overall lifetime prevalence of depression was identified to be 29.2% (19.5% in men and 44.9% in women). The prevalence of a current depressive episode was 18.7%. Mild, moderate, and severe depression was identified in 2.1%, 12.5%, and 85.4%, respectively. The factors related to depression were: gender, marital status, income, educational level, current employment status, and family history of depression. This study highlights the importance of lifetime depression as a disorder of high prevalence in PLWHA, and associated with risk factors that are difficult or impossible to be modified. Early diagnosis and treatment of depression may improve quality of life in PLWHA.

Gut Microbes and Neuropathology: Is There a Causal Nexus?

The gut microbiota is a virtual organ which produces a myriad of molecules that the brain and other organs require. Humans and microbes are in a symbiotic relationship, we feed the microbes, and in turn, they provide us with essential molecules. Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes phyla account for around 80% of the total human gut microbiota, and approximately 1000 species of bacteria have been identified in the human gut. In adults, the main factors influencing microbiota structure are diet, exercise, stress, disease and medications. In this narrative review, we explore the involvement of the gut microbiota in Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis and autism, as these are such high-prevalence disorders. We focus on preclinical studies that increase the understanding of disease pathophysiology. We examine the potential for targeting the gut microbiota in the development of novel therapies and the limitations of the currently published clinical studies. We conclude that while the field shows enormous promise, further large-scale studies are required if a causal link between these disorders and gut microbes is to be definitively established.

Pharmacological aspects of Citrus aurantium (RUTACEAE) in anxiety disorders

Anxiety is a mental disorder of high prevalence, being a topic of attention since the earliest historical records. In Brazil, it affects all life aspects of 9.3% of the population. Conventional treatments, which are most effective, can have adverse effects. Therefore, there is a significant increase in demand for alternative therapies which are less "aggressive" and cheaper, like phytotherapy. Among the numerous plants indicated for the treatment of anxiety, it is worth highlighting Citrus aurantium popularly known as "bitter orange" or "sour orange". Studies show the influence of its essential oils and plant extracts on the central nervous system, especially in the control of anxiety and depression. Although the use of plants, as a form of disease treatment and prevention, is an ancient practice, their indications are often based especially on popular knowledge. Thus, scientific evidence and studies are needed to ensure safety and efficacy in the use of plant species. Thus, the purpose of this study is to investigate the mechanism of action of Citrus aurantium in anxiety disorders. A bibliographical revision was carried out in health scientific databases using the descriptors “Citrus aurantium”, individually and, combined with the following descriptors “anxiety”, “central nervous system”, “mental disorders” and “mechanism of action”. Articles searched based on titles, abstracts, and year of publication (2010-2020), and those that did not address the anxiolytic effect of the species and/or its mechanism of action were excluded. We found 151 articles and considered for the review 16 articles that met the inclusion criteria. Although there are few works that study and prove the anxiolytic effect of Citrus aurantium, the vast majority of them only mention possible mechanisms of action. Analyzing the results reviewed, it was possible to observe that Citrus aurantium acts positively on anxiety, probably, as suggests the studies, through serotonergic pathway.

Pharmacological aspects of Citrus aurantium (RUTACEAE) in anxiety disorders

Anxiety is a mental disorder of high prevalence, being a topic of attention since the earliest historical records. In Brazil, it affects all life aspects of 9.3% of the population. Conventional treatments, which are most effective, can have adverse effects. Therefore, there is a significant increase in demand for alternative therapies which are less "aggressive" and cheaper, like phytotherapy. Among the numerous plants indicated for the treatment of anxiety, it is worth highlighting Citrus aurantium popularly known as "bitter orange" or "sour orange". Studies show the influence of its essential oils and plant extracts on the central nervous system, especially in the control of anxiety and depression. Although the use of plants, as a form of disease treatment and prevention, is an ancient practice, their indications are often based especially on popular knowledge. Thus, scientific evidence and studies are needed to ensure safety and efficacy in the use of plant species. Thus, the purpose of this study is to investigate the mechanism of action of Citrus aurantium in anxiety disorders. A bibliographical revision was carried out in health scientific databases using the descriptors “Citrus aurantium”, individually and, combined with the following descriptors “anxiety”, “central nervous system”, “mental disorders” and “mechanism of action”. Articles searched based on titles, abstracts, and year of publication (2010-2020), and those that did not address the anxiolytic effect of the species and/or its mechanism of action were excluded. We found 151 articles and considered for the review 16 articles that met the inclusion criteria. Although there are few works that study and prove the anxiolytic effect of Citrus aurantium, the vast majority of them only mention possible mechanisms of action. Analyzing the results reviewed, it was possible to observe that Citrus aurantium acts positively on anxiety, probably, as suggests the studies, through serotonergic pathway.

Mini-implant assisted rapid palatal expansion (MARPE) effects on adult obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and quality of life: a multi-center prospective controlled trial

IntroductionTransverse maxillary deficiency is a high prevalent growth disorder within the adult population that may lead to serious health issues, such as detrimental malocclusions and higher risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Mini-implant assisted rapid palatal expansion (MARPE), as it expands the mid-face and augment the nasal and oral cavities dimensions, may reduce the airflow resistance and thus play an important role on OSA therapy in some patients. The main objective of the present trial is to assess MARPE effects on the sleep and quality of life of non-obese adult OSA patients with transverse maxillary deficiency.MethodsA total of 32 participants were divided into intervention and control groups. They underwent physical evaluation, Epworth Sleepiness Scale (EES) and Quebec Sleep Questionnaire (QSQ), cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and home sleep testing (HST) for OSA before MARPE (T1) and 6 months after the intervention (T2).ResultsQuestionnaires EES (daytime sleepiness) and QSQ (OSA-related quality of life) presented significant statistical differences between the groups. We also found clinical and statistical (p < 0.01) differences between the groups regarding the apnea/hypopnea index (AHI), as well as others HST parameters (mean oxygen saturation and snoring duration).ConclusionIn our sample, MARPE (without any auxiliary osteotomy) showed a good success rate (85%) and promoted important occlusal and respiratory benefits. We observed important daytime sleepiness and OSA-related quality of life improvement, as well as the AHI (65.3%), oxygen saturation and snoring duration.

Effect of Anethole on Visceral Obesity and Serum Triglycerides and Cholesterol Levels in Rats on a High-Calorie Diet

Obesity is a disorder of high prevalence and social significance. Anethole is an aromatic compound found in anise and fennel essential oils. It produces antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and other beneficial effects. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of anethole, administered in increasing concentrations, on visceral adiposity and serum lipids in rats on a high-calorie diet (HCD). Fifty male Wistar rats were allocated into 5 groups: control, HCD, HCD+62.5A, HCD+125A, and HCD+250A. The HCD groups received a high-fat high-fructose diet and 10% fructose solution, and the control group received a standard laboratory diet and tap water. The HCD+62.5A, HCD+125A, and HCD+250A groups were treated daily orally with anethole dissolved in sunflower oil in a volume of 3 mL/kg at doses of 62.5 mg/kg, 125 mg/kg, and 250 mg/kg, respectively. The control and HCD groups received the solvent in the same volume and route of administration. The duration of the experiment was 10 weeks. At its end, blood samples were taken for biochemical tests and visceral adipose tissue was weighed. The results were analyzed by one-way ANOVA followed by Dunnett's post-test with the statistical program GraphPad Prism 5.0. The visceral obesity index was significantly increased (p&lt;0.05) in all groups receiving HCD except for HCD+250A. There was no significant increase in plasma triglycerides and cholesterol in the HCD group compared to the control one. Anethole treatment did not change significantly the triglyceride and cholesterol levels compared to these of the HCD group. Anethole treatment affected beneficially the development of visceral obesity and did not change significantly serum triglyceride and cholesterol levels in rats receiving a high-calorie diet.

Peripheral prognostic biomarkers of response in treatment-resistant depression

Major depressive disorder is a serious mental health disorder of high prevalence and the leading cause of disability worldwide. While there are several classes of therapeutic agents with proven antidepressant efficacy, only about 40-60% of patients respond to initial antidepressant monotherapy, and 30-40% of patients may even show resistance to treatment even under optimal antidepressant pharmacotherapy. Despite the existence of international guidelines, there are still no clear and widely accepted treatment algorithms, no established predictive biomarkers of response to treatment, while the management treatment- resistant depression is usually based on clinical experience. The present article offers a brief narrative review of studies published so far on the predictive quality of various blood-based peripheral biomarkers with respect to response to pharmacological, stimulation or behavioral treatment in patients with treatment-resistant depression. To summarize the results, there does not yet appear to be any specific biomarker that has sufficient discriminative predictive validity and can be used in the routine clinical practice of treating resistant depression. Many factors are likely to account for the above-mentioned research findings, including the wide variety of treatment protocols and the non-uniformly accepted definition of resistant depression used by the various studies, the small number of patients with treatment-resistant depression included, and the existence of different pathophysiological phenotypes of the disorder. The ineffective treatment of major depressive disorder requires an immediate improvement of our therapeutic approach by establishing clinically useful and easily accessible predictive biomarkers of response with high accuracy. The discovery of new and better clinical characterization of known biomarkers in the treatment of treatment-resistant depression could support a better staging and classification of the disorder, the development of personalized treatment algorithms for specific patient subgroups, the achievement of higher rates of stable remission, and the development of new precision drugs with minimal side effects.

Artificial intelligence-based detection of epimacular membrane from color fundus photographs

Epiretinal membrane (ERM) is a common ophthalmological disorder of high prevalence. Its symptoms include metamorphopsia, blurred vision, and decreased visual acuity. Early diagnosis and timely treatment of ERM is crucial to preventing vision loss. Although optical coherence tomography (OCT) is regarded as a de facto standard for ERM diagnosis due to its intuitiveness and high sensitivity, ophthalmoscopic examination or fundus photographs still have the advantages of price and accessibility. Artificial intelligence (AI) has been widely applied in the health care industry for its robust and significant performance in detecting various diseases. In this study, we validated the use of a previously trained deep neural network based-AI model in ERM detection based on color fundus photographs. An independent test set of fundus photographs was labeled by a group of ophthalmologists according to their corresponding OCT images as the gold standard. Then the test set was interpreted by other ophthalmologists and AI model without knowing their OCT results. Compared with manual diagnosis based on fundus photographs alone, the AI model had comparable accuracy (AI model 77.08% vs. integrated manual diagnosis 75.69%, χ2 = 0.038, P = 0.845, McNemar’s test), higher sensitivity (75.90% vs. 63.86%, χ2 = 4.500, P = 0.034, McNemar’s test), under the cost of lower but reasonable specificity (78.69% vs. 91.80%, χ2 = 6.125, P = 0.013, McNemar’s test). Thus our AI model can serve as a possible alternative for manual diagnosis in ERM screening.

Assessing the efficacy of a stepped-care group treatment programme for borderline personality disorder: study protocol for a pragmatic trial

BackgroundBorderline personality disorder (BPD) is a high prevalence and serious mental health disorder that has historically challenged the finite resources of health services. Despite empirical evidence supporting structured psychological therapy as the first line of treatment, there remains significant barriers in providing timely access to evidence-based treatment for this population. The primary aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of providing a stepped-care structured psychological group treatment to individuals with BPD within local mental health services. The secondary aims of the study are to identify the variables that predict the need to step up or down in care and the effectiveness of treatment on psychosocial functioning.MethodsParticipants seeking treatment at two community mental health services will be invited to participate. Randomised controlled trial assignment will be to either (i) group skills treatment or (ii) treatment as usual. Group treatment will be offered via a stepped-care pathway with participants initially attending a 12-week group with the option of a subsequent 16-week group. The criteria for inclusion in continuing treatment includes meeting > 4 BPD diagnostic criteria or severity on GAF (< 65) at the completion of the 12-week group. Data will be collected at baseline and at five follow-up time points over a 12-month period.DiscussionThis pragmatic trial will provide valuable information regarding the effectiveness of a progressive stepped-care group treatment for individuals with BPD in the real-world setting of a community mental health service. It will further the current understanding of variables that predict treatment dose and duration.Trial registrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12618000477224. Registered on 3 April 2018

Diverticular disease is associated with an increased incidence rate of depression and anxiety disorders

BackgroundDiverticular disease represents a gastrointestinal disorder of high prevalence in developed countries that often leads to psychological distress. Here, we aimed at evaluating a potential association between diverticular disease and depression or anxiety disorders in outpatients in Germany.MethodsUsing the Disease Analyzer database featuring data of over 8 million patients treated in German general practices, we identified 61.556 patients with diverticular disease (ICD-10: K57) who were 1:1 matched by age, sex, index year, and the Charlson Comorbidity Index to 61.556 patients without diverticular disease. The association between diverticular disease and depression or anxiety disorders was evaluated in Cox regression models.ResultsWithin 5 years after the initial diagnosis of diverticular disease, 14.0% of patients with and 10.6% of individuals without diverticular disease were diagnosed with depression (HR 1.34, 95%CI 1.29–1.39, p < 0.001). Similarly, the incidence of anxiety disorder was significantly higher in patients with diverticular disease (HR 1.55, 95%CI 1.46–1.64, p < 0.001). Finally, the prescription rate for antidepressant drugs was significantly higher in diverticular disease patients compared to individuals without diverticular disease (9.4% vs. 6.1%, HR 1.56, 95%CI 1.49–1.62, p < 0.001). These associations were confirmed for different age groups and both sexes.ConclusionOur data provide evidence that diverticular disease is associated with an increased incidence of depression and anxiety disorders. Despite that fact that confounding factors such as deprivation and patient personality have to be taken into account, we suggest that patients with diverticular disease are regularly screened for symptoms of depression and anxiety disorders.

Usefulness of the Spanish version of the ADHD-IV Rating Scale in preschool children.

ADHD is an early onset and high prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder. Rating scales are useful measures to assess ADHD symptoms, being the ADHD-RS-IV the most used. Although it exists a preschool version, the original version is very similar and it is more available than the preschool version in many countries. To analyze whether the Spanish version of the original ADHD-RS-IV scale is useful in preschool samples. 258 preschool children aged 3 to 5 years were evaluated by parents and teachers using the original ADHD-RS-IV and SDQ scales. ANOVA between subjects (age group and sex) and within subjects (source) provided results that were very similar to those of other studies using the Spanish preschool version. Internal consistency and convergent validity were also similar to those reported by studies using the U.S. preschool version. Finally, no significant differences were detected between the means reported by Spanish study and those of this study. In both cases, the means of Spanish parents and teachers were lower than those of Americans, but with small effect sizes. Although it is recommended to use the preschool version whenever possible, our results suggest that original version of the ADHD-RS-IV scale is perfectly useful for both researchers and clinicians with preschool samples and it could be used in countries without normative data in preschoolers but do in school-age children.

Referential Activity Differentially Mediates Expression of Positive and Negative Emotions in Borderline Personality Disorder.

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a high risk and prevalent personality disorder that is associated with increased negative emotions, decreased positive emotions, and impairments in symbolization and impaired reflective functioning. These dimensions, while they may impact one another, have not been investigated concurrently from qualitative, linguistic narratives. We hypothesized a BPD group would have lower expression of positive emotions and greater expression of negative emotions and less reflective function than healthy controls. Additionally, we explored the role of referential activity (an index of symbolic capacity) between BPD and healthy controls in the context of valenced emotional expression. An adult, female BPD group (n = 13) and a demographically matched healthy control group (n = 14) were recruited and administered the Adult Attachment Interview and/or the Object Relations Inventory. Computerized text analyses were used to assess positive emotion and negative emotion, the Weighted Referential Activity Dictionaries to assess referential activity, and the Computerized Reflective Function dictionary. On the Object Relations Inventory, the BPD group expressed more frequent negative emotions and less frequent positive emotions; on the Adult Attachment Interview, the BPD group exhibited less expression of positive emotions. There were no differences between BPD and controls on referential activity or reflective functioning on either interview. However, BPD status fully mediated the significant relationship between referential activity and negative emotion expression. The BPD group utilized more referential activity when expressing negative emotions than controls. Conversely, the control group utilized more referential activity when expressing positive emotions than controls. Referential activity seems to play an important role in explaining the BPD versus control difference in valenced linguistic emotional expression. Furthermore, these results suggest the object relations inventory elicits more robust linguistic features relevant to BPD.

Prevalence of insomnia in shift workers: a systematic review.

Insomnia is a sleep disorder of high prevalence with somatic and psychic repercussions. The present study aimed to describe the prevalence of insomnia in shift workers, as well as the associated variables: gender, age, marital status, profession and shift work schedule. A systematic review was performed using the descriptors “insomnia” AND “shift work”, in the PubMed, SciELO and LILACS databases, including studies that presented frequency of insomnia in shift workers, published between 2000 and 2020, in English or Portuguese, only in individuals over 18-years-old. Review articles, meta-analyzes, studies without socioeconomic information, articles without abstract and articles with participants who presented other comorbidities that justified presence of insomnia or pregnant women were excluded. From 480 studies identified, 5 were included in the analysis, with a total sample of 10,141 participants, of whom 4,183 were shift workers. The prevalence of insomnia in shift workers ranged from 12.8% to 76.4%, higher than estimated for general population. Moreover, a higher prevalence was observed among women and singles, and there was no significant variation with age and profession. On the other hand, a relationship between shift work schedule and onset of insomnia still seems controversial.