RELIGIOUS CHARACTERISTICS OF ROMANIAN PHYSICIANS: TOWARDS AN INTEGRATIVE SUPPORT OF RELIGIOUS PSYCHIATRIC PATIENTS

Background: The growing closeness between psychiatry and theology may impact positively the healthcare of the religious psychiatric patients. However, some significant divergences regarding the health care religious methods and the concept and believe in the demonic possession of psychiatric patients continue to shape the relationships between these professionals. While the religions generally admit the demonic or spirit possession as real, the current views of physicians and psychiatric patients are just taken for granted and therefore demands new investigations. In this study, we have performed a targeted survey on this subject. Subjects and methods: The survey was based on a questionnaire addressed to 216 psychiatrists and 201 non-psychiatrists, and 408 psychiatric patients. For physicians, the questionnaire was randomized sent to hospitals in Romania. The patients received the questionnaire on paper. Except for patients with dementia and those in the acute phase of a psychiatric illness, all psychiatric disorders available at the time of the investigation were randomized included in the study. Results: The results showed that about 20% of physicians and 60% of psychiatric patients considered that demonic possession might be associated to a psychiatric illness, while the later would like a priest in the therapeutic team (89.4%, CI: 0.86-0.92). In addition, the psychiatrists declared a lower attendance of religious services, although the majority would accept a priest in the therapeutic team (p>0.05, CI: 0.61-0.70). Conclusion: These findings invite to a more practical collaboration between psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, and theologians/priests with training in psychiatry for a more integrative mental care of the religious psychiatric patients. The results call as well for more efficient practical solutions for psychiatric patients, raise awareness towards the personal religious needs and critical beliefs of such patients, and finally might narrow the gap of the controversy between psychiatrists, non-psychiatrists, psychologists and theologians/priests on the addressed issues

RELIGIOUS CHARACTERISTICS OF ROMANIAN PHYSICIANS: TOWARDS AN INTEGRATIVE SUPPORT OF RELIGIOUS PSYCHIATRIC PATIENTS

Background: The growing closeness between psychiatry and theology may impact positively the healthcare of the religious psychiatric patients. However, some significant divergences regarding the health care religious methods and the concept and believe in the demonic possession of psychiatric patients continue to shape the relationships between these professionals. While the religions generally admit the demonic or spirit possession as real, the current views of physicians and psychiatric patients are just taken for granted and therefore demands new investigations. In this study, we have performed a targeted survey on this subject. Subjects and methods: The survey was based on a questionnaire addressed to 216 psychiatrists and 201 non-psychiatrists, and 408 psychiatric patients. For physicians, the questionnaire was randomized sent to hospitals in Romania. The patients received the questionnaire on paper. Except for patients with dementia and those in the acute phase of a psychiatric illness, all psychiatric disorders available at the time of the investigation were randomized included in the study. Results: The results showed that about 20% of physicians and 60% of psychiatric patients considered that demonic possession might be associated to a psychiatric illness, while the later would like a priest in the therapeutic team (89.4%, CI: 0.86-0.92). In addition, the psychiatrists declared a lower attendance of religious services, although the majority would accept a priest in the therapeutic team (p>0.05, CI: 0.61-0.70). Conclusion: These findings invite to a more practical collaboration between psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, and theologians/priests with training in psychiatry for a more integrative mental care of the religious psychiatric patients. The results call as well for more efficient practical solutions for psychiatric patients, raise awareness towards the personal religious needs and critical beliefs of such patients, and finally might narrow the gap of the controversy between psychiatrists, non-psychiatrists, psychologists and theologians/priests on the addressed issues

TENDENCIES IN FORMING SHEET METAL PARTS USING INCREMENTAL FORMING ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES

Stretch forming of sheet metal materials is a highly required process in aerospace industry for manufacturing skin parts. Automation of some processes such as cutting, punching, forming, shearing and nesting in conventional manufacturing tends to combine these forming methods. Some researches are made on the formability of sheet metal materials obtained in incremental forming process with stretch forming and water jet incremental micro-forming with supporting dies. This paper is an attempt to review the newly researches made on optimization of manufacturing metal skin parts to achieve geometrical accuracy

TENDENCIES IN FORMING SHEET METAL PARTS USING INCREMENTAL FORMING ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES

Stretch forming of sheet metal materials is a highly required process in aerospace industry for manufacturing skin parts. Automation of some processes such as cutting, punching, forming, shearing and nesting in conventional manufacturing tends to combine these forming methods. Some researches are made on the formability of sheet metal materials obtained in incremental forming process with stretch forming and water jet incremental micro-forming with supporting dies. This paper is an attempt to review the newly researches made on optimization of manufacturing metal skin parts to achieve geometrical accuracy

Romania. The Pillars for its Sustainable Development

Our country has political stability, very good relations with all neighbour countries, a legislative system made upon European standards which requires greater stability and rigour. Stimulating regional activities, promoting inter-regional cooperation are placed in the larger context of process of Romania’s integration into EU and to prepare the institutional structures and necessary capacities in order to implement the structural politics of EU after integration

Establishing echocardiographic and arterial stiffness markers as predictors of cognitive decline

Different factors seem to contribute to cognitive impairment in the elderly population. It is unclear which cardiovascular risk factors are the most significant contributors to cognitive decline. Although there is some recent neuropathological evidence that vascular lesions and atherosclerotic occlusion of the cerebral arteries may unmask or strengthen the clinical expression of cognitive decline and dementia, there is still little knowledge about the relevance of echocardiographic and arterial stiffness markers as predictors for cognitive decline. In the present study we decided to investigate whether and how the severity of cognitive impairment could be related to cerebral hemodynamic impairment, as well as the possible contribution of the alterations in cerebral hemodynamics (as expressed through some echocardiographic and arterial stiffness markers) to the progression of cognitive decline in a group of patients with cognitive impairments, as compared to a control group with no cognitive deficits. The main finding of our study indicated significant differences in terms of echocardiographic and arterial stiffness markers between the two groups, one composed of patients with cognitive impairment and one with normal-cognitive patients, which suggests an association between these parameters and poor cognitive function. While these functional changes of the cerebral vessel functions could have an important role in the pathogenesis of dementia, the identification of simple and accurate measures that are acceptable to patients and can serve as indicators of current cognitive impairment or the risk of cognitive decline could be very helpful in developing long-term preventive and therapeutic treatments for these patients

Some comorbidities of benzodiazepine addicted patients

Comorbidity represents the diagnosis of one or more disorders in addition to the primary disease in a person for a certain period of time. In other words, comorbidity refers to a simultaneous process not related to the main pathological process. However, patients with addiction to alcohol or other drugs have anxiety comorbidity which requires an efficient and appropriate pharmacotherapy

Comparison between the effects of typical and atypical antipsychotics on oxidative stress status in schizophrenic patients

We determined the specific activities of some enzymatic antioxidant defenses like superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX), as well as a lipid peroxidation marker (MDA-malondialdehyde) from the serum of patients with schizophrenia treated with typical and atypical antipsychotics, in comparison with a normal age- matched control group. We observed an increased oxidative stress in schizophrenic patients treated with typical antipsychotics, compared to controls. Moreover, we demonstrated an antioxidant effect of atypical antipsychotics, since these patients showed an increased activity of SOD, compared to control subjects and a slightly decrease of MD

Biological and behavioral aspects regarding combined systemic management of alcohol dependence

Although there are numerous ideas on the management of alcohol dependence, ranging from various schemes of pharmacologic treatment to specific psychotherapeutic approaches, the reviews and meta-analyses reveal only modest effects of these approaches. Another approach regarding the problem of alcohol is based on the behavioral biology, specifying that consumption of alcohol is actually a type of behavior, a way of life. The results presented in this report provide evidence to support the idea that the systemic, ethological approach of alcohol-related and complex problems brings additional value when complementing the standard medicinal therapy, both in terms of achieving and maintaining abstinence, as well as in improving the quality of life for the patients