Development, implementation and results of Objective Structured Clinical Exam in Psychiatric Association of Turkey Board Exam

WOS: 000440051200001Object: The aim of this study, is to present the process and results of OSCE in Psychiatric Association of Turkey Board Exam-PATBE. Methods: Six stationed OSCE, in which Standardized Patient-SP took role on five stations, were used as an exam method. These stations were planned for assessing the skills of taking history, psychiatric examination, differential diagnosis, making treatment plans and informing the patient. On the sixth station, the examinees are asked to write a forensic psychiatric report. Phases of OSCE were: preparing the blueprint, preparing the SPs' scenario for each station, preparing the examinee's instructions, preparing the observer's instructions and the evaluation guide, SP education, training of observers, pilot implementation, implementation and evaluation of results. The examinees are expected to achieve at least 30% success in each station and 50% success in all stations. Results: 116 examinees participated the exam between 2006-2016 and 91.4% succeeded in the OSCE exam. In feedback forms, examinees stated that the exam is moderately difficult; yet, the content of the exam is in line with the scope of their specialty training and is suitable for evaluating an expert. Discussion: Positive feedbacks from the examinees indicated the efficiency of the exam. The preparation, implementation and evaluation of results of OSCE require considerable time and manpower. OSCE can be used as a valuable test method for psychiatric board certification

COVID-19 Pandemisinin Göğüs Hastalıkları Hekimlerinin Uyku Kalitesine ve Ruhsal Durumlarına Etkisi

Introduction: This study aims to determine the sleep quality and its relationship with anxiety and depressive symptoms, working conditions and other factors among the frontline pulmonologists on active duty during the COVID-19 pandemic.Method: An online survey was conducted among pulmonologists in Turkey. The survey link was e-mailed to the members of the professional societies of pulmonologists. The volunteers were asked to fill in questions about their sociodemographics, medical and psychiatric history, working and housing conditions, perceived levels of support during the pandemic, as well as the sleep habits before the pandemic. Also, questions investigating the severity/level of their worries were inquired and they were asked to fill in two scale forms (the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index-PSQI).Results: The sample consisted of 179 pulmonologists who were divided into two groups according to PSQI as good sleepers (PSQI 5). It was observed that 59.2% of the participants had poor sleep quality during the pandemic. Being anxious (p<0.0001, Odds ratio [OR]=0.139, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] [0.052-0.372]), working in intensive care unit (p=0.046, OR=2.363, 95% CI [1.015-5.497]), worry level about excessive increase of the number of patients above the capacity of the institution they worked in (p=0.018, OR=1.755, 95% CI [1.102-2.794]) and being dissatisfied with ones' sleep before the pandemic (p<0.016, OR=0.272, 95% CI [0.094-0.786]) were found to be the main factors that negatively affected the quality of sleep of pulmonologists during the pandemic.Conclusion: More than half of the pulmonologists in our sample group had low sleep quality during the pandemic. For establishing a good sleep regime for clinicians, its crucial to consider certain interventions on the affecting factors

Personality change after ‘flow diverter implantation’ for intracranial aneurysm in a patient with stroke: A case report

Objective: This study aimed to present a patient with psychiatric symptoms that occur after flow diverter stent placement in a posterior communicating artery (PComA) aneurysm in a patient. Design: A case study. Method: We performed cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), magnetic resonance angiography, computed tomography angiography, neuropsychological tests, Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale (LSRP), and a 25-item version of the Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS-25). The patient’s recent MRI was compared with previous MRIs. Neuropsychological testing consisted of a clinical interview, clinical assessment of frontal lobe syndrome, and tests evaluating the prefrontal cortex functions (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test-128 card version and Iowa Gambling Test). Results: Our results showed that the patient’s personality change and psychiatric symptoms occurred after the stent placement. Symptoms were still present at evaluation two and a half years after stent placement. Conclusion: The study demonstrates personality changes and psychiatric symptoms that might occur as complications following the placement of a flow diverter for incidentally detected aneurysm

The negative association between amygdala volume and harm avoidance trait in healthy young women with a history of familial depression

Burhanoglu, Birce Begum/0000-0002-0350-041XWOS: 000528851200048PubMed: 31896430[No abstract available]Scientific and Technological Research Council of TurkeyTurkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK) [109S134]This work was supported by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (Project Number 109S134)

Small Frontal Gray Matter Volume in First-Episode Depression Patients

WOS: 000281709900001PubMed ID: 20818506Objective: Brain imaging studies have shown that depressed individuals suffer from inadequate frontal lobefunctions vis a vis smaller frontal lobes. The effects of depression's recurrent nature and long-term antidepressant treatment are not definitely known. This study aimed to examine frontal lobe volume at the onset of clinical depression by including first-episode drug-naive depressed patients. Method: The study included 23 first-episode drug-free major depression patients diagnosed according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) and 28 healthy age- and sex-matched controls. Cranial magnetic resonance (MR) images were obtained in both groups using a 1.5 Tesla device. Gray and white matter volumes in the frontal lobes were measured using the Medical Image Processing Analysis and Visualization (MIPAV) computer program. Results: Frontal gray matter volume in the patients was lower than that in the control group. White matter and total intracranial volume did not differ between the 2 groups. Small gray matter volume was not correlated with the duration or severity of illness. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that frontal lobe gray matter volume is low in first-episode depressed patients and is independent of both illness severity and duration. This result suggests that the observed changes in the frontal lobe could have occurred before the clinical symptoms of depression were observed

Gray Matter Changes in Patients with Deficit Schizophrenia and Non-Deficit Schizophrenia

WOS: 000312607300004PubMed ID: 23225124Gray Matter Changes in Patients with Deficit Schizophrenia and Non-Deficit Schizophrenia Objectives: Reduced gray matter volume is a frequently reported Finding in brain imaging studies performed with schizophrenia patients. Some studies suggest a probable link between the negative symptoms of schizophrenia and gray matter loss; however, some of the negative symptoms observed in schizophrenia patients are not primarily linked to the core of schizophrenia. This study aimed to compare gray matter volumes in patients with primary negative symptoms (deficit schizophrenia [DS]), non-DS (NDS) patients, and healthy controls. Materials and Methods: The study included 11 DS patients, 18 non-DS patients, and 17 healthy controls. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed using a 1.5 Tesla MR unit. The Schedule for Deficit Syndrome (SDS) was used to determine which patients were DS and non-DS. MR images were compared using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis. Results: Contrary to expectations, no evidence to support less gray matter in DS patients than in NDS patients was observed. Furthermore, NDS patients had less gray matter volume in several brain regions (frontal and temporal cortices) than did the DS patients. All patients had perisylvian gray matter volume deficits, though the NDS patients had more widespread volume deficiencies. Conclusion: No evidence to support the hypothesis that DS patients have less gray matter volume than those of NDS patients was observed. On the contrary, DS patients had more gray matter volume in some regions; the differences observed in gray matter volume in these brain regions between the 2 patient groups may be responsible for the differences in their clinical manifestations

ARTICLE IN PRESS Gray Matter Changes in Patients with Deficit Schizophrenia and Non-Deficit Schizophrenia 2

Objectives: Reduced gray matter volume is a frequently reported finding in brain imaging studies performed with schizophrenia patients. Some studies suggest a probable link between the negative symptoms of schizophrenia and gray matter loss; however, some of the negative symptoms observed in schizophrenia patients are not primarily linked to the core of schizophrenia. This study aimed to compare gray matter volumes in patients with primary negative symptoms (deficit schizophrenia [DS]), non-DS (NDS) patients, and healthy controls. Materials and Methods: The study included 11 DS patients, 18 non-DS patients, and 17 healthy controls. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed using a 1.5 Tesla MR unit. The Schedule for Deficit Syndrome (SDS) was used to determine which patients were DS and non-DS. MR images were compared using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis. Results: Contrary to expectations, no evidence to support less gray matter in DS patients than in NDS patients was observed. Furthermore, NDS patients had less gray matter volume in several brain regions (frontal and temporal cortices) than did the DS patients. All patients had perisylvian gray matter volume deficits, though the NDS patients had more widespread volume deficiencies. Conclusion: No evidence to support the hypothesis that DS patients have less gray matter volume than those of NDS patients was observed. On the contrary, DS patients had more gray matter volume in some regions; the differences observed in gray matter volume in these brain regions between the 2 patient groups may be responsible for the differences in their clinical manifestations

The effects of sexual abuse on female adolescent brain structures

Sexual abuse (SA) is known for its effects on brain structures in adolescents. We aimed to explore if SA has any effect on limbic and prefrontal cortex (PFC) structures. We hypothesized that children with SA would have a thinner PFC with larger amygdala and hippocampus that lead to aberrations in threat detection, orientation and response circuit; that would be highly adaptive in a dangerous environment in the short term

The Disrupted Connection Between Cerebral Hemispheres in Schizophrenia Patients: A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study

WOS: 000299187000003PubMed ID: 22143946Aim: In schizophrenia, the disruption of the communication between two brain hemispheres has not been shown clearly in the anatomical aspect despite other studies with different modalities suggested so. In this study, the structural integrity and the variables affecting the structural integrity of the corpus callosum, which is the main connection between two hemispheres, was investigated via diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Methods: The participants were evaluated by SCID-I and symptoms of the patients were assessed with PANSS. DT images of 25 schizophrenia patients and 17 healthy volunteers were acquired via 1.5 T MR. Fractioned Anisotropy (FA) values of two groups, measured on the DT images, were compared. Results: It was found that fractioned anisotropy (FA) values were lower in the genu of the patients than the healthy controls; however, there was no difference between the FA values of the patients and the controls in the splenium. Moreover, a significant negative correlation between the splenium FA values and the antipsychotic medication doses; and a trend level negative correlation of splenium FA and PANSS scores were found. Conclusion: Corpus callosum is the most important structure that connects two frontal lobes. The hypothesis that posits the fundamental role of the disconnection of frontal lobes in schizophrenia is supported by the findings of this study