Confirmatory factor analysis of the Inventory of Statements About Self-Injury in a Spanish clinical sample

Objectives: The main aim of the present study was to confirm the two‐factor structure of the Inventory of Statements About Self‐injury‐ Part II (ISAS‐II), analyze its psychometric properties and test-retest reliability of Parts I and II of the ISAS. Method: The sample was composed of 355 Spanish participants diagnosed with eating disorders or borderline personality disorder (mean age 27.89, standard deviation = 13.31; 315 women, 40 men). Two models proposed for the ISAS‐II were analyzed by means of confirmatory factorial analysis. Results: A two‐factor model was confirmed, and a model with self‐care included in the intrapersonal factor was preferable. The ISAS‐II showed positive correlations with emotional dysregulation. Test-retest reliability showed statistically significant correlations at 7 months (n = 123). Conclusion: The ISAS‐II is a valid instrument to assess nonsuicidal self‐injury in Spanish populations, making it possible to assess these behaviors, which require valid and reliable measures worldwide

LH prevents cisplatin-induced apoptosis in oocytes and preserves female fertility in mouse

Premature ovarian failure and female infertility are frequent side effects of anticancer therapies, owing to the extreme sensitivity of the ovarian reserve oocytes to the damaging effects of irradiation and chemotherapy on DNA. We report here a robust protective effect of luteinizing hormone (LH) on the primordial follicle pool of prepubertal ovaries against the cisplatin (Cs)-induced apoptosis. In vitro LH treatment of prepubertal ovarian fragments generated anti-apoptotic signals by a subset of ovarian somatic cells expressing LH receptor (LHR) through cAMP/PKA and Akt pathways. Such signals, reducing the oocyte level of pro-apoptotic TAp63 protein and favoring the repair of the Cs-damaged DNA in the oocytes, prevented their apoptosis. Noteworthy, in vivo administration to prepubertal female mice of a single dose of LH together with Cs inhibited the depletion of the primordial follicle reserve caused by the drug and preserved their fertility in reproductive age, preventing significant alteration in the number of pregnancy and of delivered pups. In conclusion, these findings establish a novel ovoprotective role for LH and further support the very attracting prospective to use physiological 'fertoprotective' approaches for preventing premature infertility and risks linked to precocious menopause in young patients who survived cancer after chemotherapy

Ölüm, kayıp, yas ve patolojik yas

It is widely recognized that the death of a loved one is a painful experience for an individual. Every person is uniqueand thus there will be many individual differences in grief. The nature of the experience and the grieving procesvaries among individuals, depending on such variables as the person’s age, the person’s relationship with the losindividual, and the characteristics of the death. There are two major categories of death experiences: uncomplicated and complicated grief. Uncomplicated grief is defined as the normal grieving process when one experiences the loss of a significant relationship. Complicated bereavement is the intensification of grief to a level such that the person feels overwhelmed or resorts to maladaptive behaviour. In this instance, the person remains interminably in a state ogrief without progression of the mourning process towards completion. Bereaved individuals experience majophysical, emotional, and cognitive changes. However, bereaved persons who have adequately completed the grieprocess do not appear to be at risk of later mental illness. In complicated bereavement, there is a heightened risk folater development of significant psychopathology, especially traumatic grief. Risk factors for complicated grief are chronic illness, multiple losses, unresolved grief from prior losses, and dying with pain and suffering. Grief treatmenincludes normalizing the grief process, actualizing the loss, facilitating living without the deceased, and identifying and expressing feelings.Sevilen birinin ölümünün tüm bireyler için acı bir deneyim olduğu yaygın olarak kabul edilmektedir. Her insan kendine özgüdür, bu nedenle yas tutmada birçok bireysel farklılıklar vardır. Bu deneyimin doğası ve yas süreci kişinin yaşı, kaybedilen bireyle olan ilişkisi ve ölümün özelliklerine bağlı olarak bireyler arasında farklılaşır. Ölüm deneyimine ilişkin iki önemli kategori vardır: komplike olmayan ve komplike yas. Komplike olmayan yas anlamlı bir ilişkinin yitimi sonrasında yaşanan normal yas süreci olarak tanımlanır. Komplike yas, kişinin kendisini bunalmış ya da uyumsuz davranışlara başvuracak düzeyde keder duygusunun yoğunlaşmasıdır. Bu durumda kişi yas sürecinin tamam- lanmasına yönelik bir ilerleme olmaksızın yasın bir evresinde bitmez tükenmez biçimde takılı kalır. Yas tutan bireyler önemli fiziksel, duygusal ve bilişsel değişiklikler yaşar. Buna karşın yas sürecini yeterince tamamlayan bireyler ilerideki ruhsal hastalıklar için risk altında değildir. Komplike yasta özellikle travmatik kayıplarda önemli psikopatoloji gelişimi için yüksek risk vardır. Komplike yas için risk faktörleri kronik hastalık, çoklu kayıplar, önceki kayıplarla ilgili çözümlenmemiş yas ve ıstıraplı bir ölüm sürecinde olmaktır. Yas tedavisi yas sürecinin normalleştirilmesi, kaybın gerçekliğini anlama, kaybedilen kişi olmaksızın yaşamını sürdürebilme ve duygularını tanıma ve bunları ifade etmey

Securing Elections Through International Law: A Tool for Combatting Disinformation Operations?

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, in 2014, the Russian government-connected Internet Research Agency (IRA) initiated an information operation on social media platforms to manipulate the U.S. population concerning the 2016 U.S. presidential elections. This has revealed that social media platforms enable the spread of fake news among the masses globally and can thus become a means of disrupting the electoral process for foreign actors. This article addresses state-sponsored disinformation operations on social media that target foreign voters. It considers it crucial to counter such operations to protect the security and integrity of the elections in the digital age, which is a vital national interest. Despite some mitigation efforts given after 2016, social media platforms continued to be exploited by the States seeking to influence the outcome of foreign elections through the dissemination of false information. This article argues that international law could play an essential role in combating state-sponsored disinformation operations. In this regard, it elaborates on sovereignty and non-intervention principles, and the right to self-determination

Aripiprazole use in children and adolescents: A case series [Çocuk ve gençlerde aripiprazol kullanimi: Olgu serisi]

In children and adolescents, atypical antipsychotics have been largely used to treat aggression, mood instability, and psychosis. There is a growing interest in the use of aripiprazole in children and adolescents with schizophrenia, pervasive developmental disorders, and bipolar disorders. A series of 7 children and adolescents (ages 11-17 years, 5 males) were treated with aripiprazole for different psychiatric disorders. All patients had been treated previously with several psychotropic drugs. Aripiprazole was initiated at a starting dose of 2.5 or 5 mg daily and optimal dosages ranged from 5 to 10 mg daily. Six of the 7 patients appeared to benefit from aripiprazole. Neither extrapyramidal side effects nor agitation was observed in any case. Aripiprazole was well tolerated and effective in our cases and appears to be a safe and efficacious alternative in the child and adolescents. However, prospective clinical trials with a randomized placebo controlled design are needed

Portable heart rate monitoring system [Portatif kalp hizi i·zleme sistemi]

2009 14th National Biomedical Engineering Meeting, BIYOMUT 2009 -- 20 May 2009 through 22 May 2009 -- Balcova, Izmir -- 77541Telemedicine is producing a great impact in the monitoring of patients located in non-clinical environments such as homes, gymnasiums, schools, remote military bases, ships, and rural area. A number of applications, ranging from data collection to chronic patient monitoring, and even to the control of therapeutic procedures, are being implemented in many parts of the world. As part of this growing trend, this paper explains the design of a portable heart rate monitoring system. A prototype system consists of analog data acquisition and a module which has a memory for recording heart rate values and corresponding time sequences. This module connected to computer via serial data communication protocol. At the computer side, we use interface software which is enable to graphically display the recorded heart rate values. ©2009 IEEE

Securing Elections Through International Law: A Tool for Combatting Disinformation Operations?

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, in 2014, the Russian government-connected Internet Research Agency (IRA) initiated an information operation on social media platforms to manipulate the U.S. population concerning the 2016 U.S. presidential elections. This has revealed that social media platforms enable the spread of fake news among the masses globally and can thus become a means of disrupting the electoral process for foreign actors. This article addresses state-sponsored disinformation operations on social media that target foreign voters. It considers it crucial to counter such operations to protect the security and integrity of the elections in the digital age, which is a vital national interest. Despite some mitigation efforts given after 2016, social media platforms continued to be exploited by the States seeking to influence the outcome of foreign elections through the dissemination of false information. This article argues that international law could play an essential role in combating state-sponsored disinformation operations. In this regard, it elaborates on sovereignty and non-intervention principles, and the right to self-determination