A clinical review of the treatment of catatonia

Catatonia is a severe motor syndrome with an estimated prevalence among psychiatric inpatients of about 10%. At times, it is life-threatening especially in its malignant form when complicated by fever and autonomic disturbances. Catatonia can accompany many different psychiatric illnesses and somatic diseases. In order to recognize the catatonic syndrome, apart from thorough and repeated observation, a clinical examination is needed. A screening instrument, such as the Bush-Francis Catatonia Rating Scale, can guide the clinician through the neuropsychiatric examination. Although severe and life-threatening, catatonia has a good prognosis. Research on the treatment of catatonia is scarce, but there is overwhelming clinical evidence of the efficacy of benzodiazepines, such as lorazepam, and electroconvulsive therapy

Explaining Gender-Based Political Funding: A quantitative cross-national analysis of the impact of electoral, political, and cultural factors on political funding

Despite global progress on gender equality, women continue to be underrepresented in politics. One widely debated policy measure aimed at tackling this issue is gendered public funding – which has been adopted in more than 30 countries worldwide yet remains understudied in the literature on gender and politics. In this thesis, I address that research gap and examine the broader impact of electoral, political, and cultural factors on gendered political funding by conducting quantitative cross-national analyses. I used data from four different sources, such as the International IDEA Political Finance Database, the IDEA Quota Database, QOG, and V-Dem, to examine the relationship between these factors and the probability of gendered public funding adoption. It is evident from the findings of this thesis that the presence of quotas has a significant influence on determining the likelihood of adopting gender-specific public funding policies, with countries implementing quotas demonstrating a higher likelihood of adopting such policies. Contrary to theoretical expectations concerning electoral and cultural variables and earlier research, no significant effects are found. The thesis offers valuable insights into the interplay between political trends, electoral institutions, cultural dynamics, and financial mechanisms in shaping gender equality initiatives. While gender quotas may enhance the probability of gender public funding, exploring all relevant contextual factors is critical

Explaining Gender-Based Political Funding: A quantitative cross-national analysis of the impact of electoral, political, and cultural factors on political funding

Despite global progress on gender equality, women continue to be underrepresented in politics. One widely debated policy measure aimed at tackling this issue is gendered public funding – which has been adopted in more than 30 countries worldwide yet remains understudied in the literature on gender and politics. In this thesis, I address that research gap and examine the broader impact of electoral, political, and cultural factors on gendered political funding by conducting quantitative cross-national analyses. I used data from four different sources, such as the International IDEA Political Finance Database, the IDEA Quota Database, QOG, and V-Dem, to examine the relationship between these factors and the probability of gendered public funding adoption. It is evident from the findings of this thesis that the presence of quotas has a significant influence on determining the likelihood of adopting gender-specific public funding policies, with countries implementing quotas demonstrating a higher likelihood of adopting such policies. Contrary to theoretical expectations concerning electoral and cultural variables and earlier research, no significant effects are found. The thesis offers valuable insights into the interplay between political trends, electoral institutions, cultural dynamics, and financial mechanisms in shaping gender equality initiatives. While gender quotas may enhance the probability of gender public funding, exploring all relevant contextual factors is critical

PTSD og kjønnsforskjeller- en litteraturstudie

BACKGROUND: PTSD is a trauma related anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to one or more frightening events that threatened or caused severe physical harm. Reexperience trough flashbacks and/or nightmares are common. Persistent avoidance of the stimuli which is associated with trauma and increased physiological arousal are other important aspects of PTSD. Lifetime prevalence of PTSD is one percent. Men have a greater exposure to traumatic situations but women have higher rates of PTSD compared to men. Aim of this article is to focus on these gender differences in PTSD. Do they exist and which factors may contribute to gender differences? METHOD: I searched in Pubmed and Bibsys with following keywords: PTSD, posttraumatic stress disorder, gender differences, sex differences, PTSD epidemiology and Scandinavia. I also searched in Uptodate and Google with the keyword PTSD. I excluded complex PTSD and ASD from my searches. RESULTS: Women have a twice as high prevalence of PTSD and have more severe PTSD compared to men. Traumatic events are more common among men but women are subjected to more pathogenic traumas, like rape and sexual abuse. Depression and other anxiety disorder are more frequent among women, and are associated with PTSD. There are also sex differences in peri- and posttraumatic cognitive response. The feeling of guilt and helplessness are stronger among women. Women have also a lower HPA (hypothalamicpituitary-adrenocortical) response compared to men. However, the neurobiology of sexdifferences in PTSD is still a young field

The impact of TV content on audience’ perception of materialism

The researcher’s intent in the study is to explore television as a cause of materialism. The objective of this study pertains to explore the Impact of TV content (dramas, movies, talk shows, morning shows, awards shows, political shows, comedy shows, TV ads) on the audience’s perception of materialism. The study has been conducted on the citizens of Lahore. The results show a positive relationship between television watching and perceived materialism. Heavy exposure to TV watching increases materialism and has been found to have a significant effect on viewers’ materialistic perception. The purpose of the study is to make significant contributions to the field of research

What do we know about zakat literature? A bibliometric review

Abstract Purpose – This paper aims to develop a meaningful single-source reference for Islamic economics and finance scholars concerning zakat intellectual structure published in journals indexed by the Scopus database. Design/methodology/approach – The bibliometric method is used to describe and analyze the evolution of publication structure and its various co-relations such as co-citation, co-authorship and bibliographical coupling. Findings – The authors discuss the influential and conceptual aspects of the published literature on zakat. An interesting finding is that few papers have received more than 50 citations. The analysis revealed that the Journal of Islamic Accounting and Business Research is the most cited source. Nevertheless, the list of the eight most cited papers reflects that research in this field is still dearth. Further, the authors find that zakat is discussed within the context of religion, its institutional framework, its role to eradicate poverty and distribution management of zakat. The authors also identify and present 14 research directions that will further stimulate scholarly work in the zakat field. Research limitations/implications – The study confines on English papers and reviews published in journals indexed by the Scopus database only; hence, the study is representative of the moderate and high-quality papers published in this area of knowledge. Practical implications – Researchers envision that this bibliometric study will complement metanalysis and qualitative structured literature reviews as a method of reviewing and evaluating the scientific literature of this study area; thus, this may help researchers for futuristic research directions. Originality/value – To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first to tackle the zakat area from a bibliometric aspect. The authors believe that this will help scholars and researchers to stand on firm bases regarding the scientific development of this area of study

Effect of a standardized maternal meal on fetal middle cerebral artery Doppler indices: A single-blinded crossover study

Objective Measures of Doppler blood flow velocity profiles are an integral part of monitoring fetal well-being during pregnancy. These examinations are performed at different times of the day and at different maternal meal states. In uncomplicated pregnancies, we assessed the effect of a standardized maternal meal on middle cerebral artery (MCA) and umbilical artery (UA) Doppler blood flow velocity pulsatility indices (PIs) and MCA peak systolic velocity (PSV). Methods In this prospective single-blinded crossover study 25 healthy women were examined at 36 weeks of pregnancy. The first examination was performed in the morning following overnight fast, and repeated after extended fast (state A), and after a standard breakfast meal (state B). Results Irrespective of maternal prandial status, the MCA-PI values were lower in the 2nd compared to the 1st examination (-0.187; p = 0.071, and -0.113; p = 0.099, state A and B, respectively). Compared to the values in the 1st examination, the UA-PI values, were higher after extended fast (0.014; p = 0.436), and lower post-prandially (-0.036; p = 0.070). The difference (state B minus state A) between the meal states were not significant (0.074; p = 0.487 and -0.050; p = 0.058, for MCA-PI and UA-PI, respectively). Adjusting for the possible influence of fetal heart rate on MCA-PI and UA-PI, the differences between meal states remained non-significant (p = 0.179, p = 0.064, respectively). The MCA-PSV values increased after the meal (6.812; p = 0.035), whereas no increase was observed following extended fast (0.140; p = 0.951). The difference in MCA-PSV values between the two meal states was not significant (6.672; p = 0.055). Conclusion Our results demonstrate possible diurnal variations in MCA-PI and UA-PI, with and without adjustment for fetal heart rate, that seem to be unaffected by maternal meal intake in healthy pregnancies

The impact of umbilical vein blood flow and glucose concentration on blood flow distribution to the fetal liver and systemic organs in healthy pregnancies

Glucose is a major energy substrate for the fetus, including liver, heart, and brain metabolism. The umbilical vein (UV) blood flow supplies the fetal liver directly from the placenta, whereas a fraction is shunted via ductus venosus (DV) to the fetal systemic circulation bypassing the fetal liver. We hypothesized UV glucose concentration to be a major regulator of the distribution of glucose supply between the fetal liver and DV, and explored the influence of maternal metabolic status on this distribution. We included 124 healthy women with normal singleton pregnancies, scheduled for elective cesarean section. UV and DV blood flow measurements were performed by Doppler ultrasound immediately before, and blood samples were obtained during surgery. UV blood flow was significantly correlated with DV blood flow, liver blood flow, and the DV shunting fraction, while UV glucose concentration was not. For normal‐weight mothers, the maternal‐fetal glucose gradient was positively correlated with DV shunting fraction, and negatively with liver blood flow. For the fetuses of the overweight mothers no such correlation was found. This indicates that within the normal physiological range the human fetus makes adaptations of blood flow to ensure individual needs related to the offered maternal energy supply