Impaired decision-making capacity in the elderly king David (c. 1040–970 BCE): Was hypothyroidism the underlying cause?

It has been suggested in the medical literature that in the last period of his life King David (c. 1040–970 BCE) suffered from dementia, osteoporosis, hyperparathyroidism, Parkinson's disease, autonomic neuropathy, major depression, and malignancy. The goal of this study was to identify, based on the “Succession Narrative (SN),” a historically objective section of the Old Testament, the clinical syndrome presented by King David and to determine whether an impaired decision making capacity may have been manipulated by his courtiers to influence his succession's politics. The “SN” indicates that besides forgetfulness and trouble in thinking, King David suffered from marked cold intolerance and sexual dysfunction. The symptom triad consisting of cognitive impairment, cold intolerance, and sexual dysfunction is more strongly suggestive of hypothyroidism than of any other diagnoses proposed in the medical literature so far. We hypothesized that hypothyroidism was the underlying cause of the elderly King David's clinical picture and that his sometimes troubled thinking was successfully manipulated by the courtiers to favor his son Solomon's accession to the throne, with profound historical consequences

Early Devonian miospores and organic geochemistry from the Alto Garças Sub-basin (Paraná Basin), Brazil: Biostratigraphic, paleogeographical and paleoenvironmental implications

The present study concerns the palynology (mainly miospores), and geochemistry of the Jaciara section, situated 5 km from the town of Jaciara, Mato Grosso, in the Paraná Basin of Brazil. The age of this outcrop is considered to be Early Devonian. A study of the whole assemblage has highlighted a diversified association of miospores. Their distribution throughout the samples is somewhat erratic, which sometimes complicates the determination of the biostratigraphic attribution. However the following markers have been identified: Apiculiretusispora brandtii, Brochotriletes bellatulus, Cymbohilates baqaensis, Cymbosporites asymmetricus, Cymbosporites wellmanii, Devonomonoletes sp. 1 in Breuer and Steemans (2013), Dibolispotites sp. 2 in Breuer and Steemans (2013), Dictyotriletes subgranifer, Distaverrucosisporites steemansii, Latosporites ovalis, Scylaspora costulosa, Verrucosisporites nafudensis, Verrucosisporites onustus, Verruciosisporites stictus, Zonotriletes brevivelatus, and Zonotriletes simplicissimus. The finding of these miospores allowed recognition of the following biozones established in Saudi Arabia: the papillensis-baqaenisis Biozone, Pragian in age; the ovalis-biornatus Biozone (ovalis, milleri, asymmetricus subzones), late Pragian to early Emsian in age; and possibly the lindlarensis-sextantii Biozone, middle Emsian in age. The presence of many taxa in common with other Gondwanan basins, particularly those from Saudi Arabia, North Africa and South America, corroborates the paleogeographical relationship between different regions of Gondwana, even between those located in very different paleolatitudes. New geochemical analyses were also performed and add more information toward the understanding of the local paleoenvironmental evolution.Fil: García, Victoria Josefina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales; ArgentinaFil: Rubinstein, Claudia Viviana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales; ArgentinaFil: Pereira, Egberto. Universidade do Estado de Rio do Janeiro; BrasilFil: Bergamaschi, Sérgio. Universidade do Estado de Rio do Janeiro; BrasilFil: Mendlowicz Mauller, Paula. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Steemans, Philippe. Université de Liège; Bélgic

Post-traumatic stress disorder as a predictor for incident hypertension: a 3-year retrospective cohort study

Background. The goal of the present study was to investigate the association between PTSD and the onset of hypertension in previously normotensive individuals in a population living in the stressful environment of the urban slums while controlling for risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Methods. Participants were 320 normotensive individuals who lived in slums and were attending a family doctor program. Measurements included a questionnaire covering sociodemographic characteristics, clinical status and life habits, the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist – Civilian Version, and the Beck Depression Inventory. Incident hypertension was defined as the first occurrence at the follow-up review of the medical records of (1) systolic blood pressure of 140mm Hg or higher or diastolic blood pressure of 90mm Hg or higher, (2) the participant started taking antihypertensive medication, or (3) a new diagnosis of hypertension made by a physician. Differences in sociodemographic, clinical, and lifestyle characteristics between hypertensive and non-hypertensive individuals were compared using the χ2 and t tests. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results. Six variables – age, educational level, bodymass, smoking, diabetes, and PTSD diagnosis – showed a statistically significant (p ≤ 0.20) association with the hypertensive status. In the Cox regression, only PTSD diagnosis was significantly associated with incident hypertension (multivariate HR = 1.94; 95% CI 1.11–3.40). Conclusions. The present findings highlight the importance of considering a diagnostic hypothesis of PTSD in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.SimBackground. The goal of the present study was to investigate the association between PTSD and the onset of hypertension in previously normotensive individuals in a population living in the stressful environment of the urban slums while controlling for risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Methods. Participants were 320 normotensive individuals who lived in slums and were attending a family doctor program. Measurements included a questionnaire covering sociodemographic characteristics, clinical status and life habits, the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist – Civilian Version, and the Beck Depression Inventory. Incident hypertension was defined as the first occurrence at the follow-up review of the medical records of (1) systolic blood pressure of 140mm Hg or higher or diastolic blood pressure of 90mm Hg or higher, (2) the participant started taking antihypertensive medication, or (3) a new diagnosis of hypertension made by a physician. Differences in sociodemographic, clinical, and lifestyle characteristics between hypertensive and non-hypertensive individuals were compared using the χ2 and t tests. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results. Six variables – age, educational level, bodymass, smoking, diabetes, and PTSD diagnosis – showed a statistically significant (p ≤ 0.20) association with the hypertensive status. In the Cox regression, only PTSD diagnosis was significantly associated with incident hypertension (multivariate HR = 1.94; 95% CI 1.11–3.40). Conclusions. The present findings highlight the importance of considering a diagnostic hypothesis of PTSD in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases

The Jornal Brasileiro de Psiquiatria: a bibliometric survey

Objetivo: Bibliometria é um grupo de métodos estatísticos e matemáticos empregados para medir e analisar a quantidade e a qualidade de artigos científicos, livros e outras formas de publicações. O objetivo do presente estudo foi realizar uma análise bibliométrica do Jornal Brasileiro de Psiquiatria (JBP), relacionando seus 100 artigos mais citados na literatura científica e identificando suas principais características em termos de autoria e questões de pesquisa e delineamento experimental. Métodos: As 100 referências mais citadas no JBP foram identificadas por meio de uma busca no Google Scholar. Foram registradas e analisadas as seguintes informações: autor principal, último autor, autor correspondente, número total de autores, gênero dos autores, ano de publicação, instituição de pesquisa, origem geográfica e idioma de cada referência e seu tema de investigação e delineamento metodológico. Resultados: O aumento acentuado no número de citações nos últimos 15 anos, a boa distribuição das publicações entre os estados e centros de pesquisa brasileiros, a ausência de viés de gênero entre os autores e a variada gama de tópicos publicados sugerem um bom desempenho editorial atual do JBP. A relativa falta de revisões sistemáticas e estudos longitudinais, os poucos artigos publicados em inglês e a pequena participação de autores estrangeiros são pontos que requerem melhorias. Conclusão: O presente estudo sugere que o levantamento dos 100 artigos mais citados no JBP pode fornecer um panorama histórico da evolução dessa revista, bem como destacar os principais obstáculos, restrições e desafios enfrentados por seus editores e autoresSimObjective: Bibliometrics is a group of statistical and mathematical methods employed to measure and analyze the quantity and the quality of scientific articles, books, and other forms of publications. The objective of the present study was to conduct a bibliometric analysis of the Jornal Brasileiro de Psiquiatria (JBP) by listing its 100 most highly cited articles in the scientific literature and identifying their main characteristics in terms of authorship and research topics and design. Methods: The one hundred top-cited references in the JBP were identified through a search with Google Scholar. The main author, last author, corresponding author, the total number of authors, gender of the authors, year of publication, research institution, geographic origin, language, and the research design and subject of each reference were recorded and analyzed. Results: A marked increase in the number of citations in the last 15 years, a relatively balanced distribution of publications among the Brazilian states and research centers, absence of gender bias among authors, and a varied range of published topics suggest a good current editorial performance by the JBP. Relative lack of systematic reviews and longitudinal studies, dearth of articles published in the English language, and modest participation of foreign authors were points requiring improvement. Conclusion: The present study suggests that a survey of the one hundred most cited articles in the JBP can provide a historical overview of the progress of this journal, as well as highlight the main obstacles, constraints, and challenges faced by its editors and authors