Religiosity, depression, and quality of life in bipolar disorder: a two-year prospective study

Objective: Few quantitative studies have examined the effect of religious involvement on the course of bipolar disorder (BD). We investigated the effects of religious activity and coping behaviors on the course of depression, mania, and quality of life (QoL) in patients with BD. Methods: Two-year longitudinal study of 168 outpatients with BD. Linear regression was used to examine associations between religious predictors and outcome variables (manic symptoms, depression, QoL), controlling for sociodemographic variables. Results: Among the 158 patients reassessed after 2 years, positive religious coping at T1 predicted better QoL across all four domains: physical (β = 10.2, 95%CI 4.2 to 16.1), mental (β = 13.4, 95%CI 7.1 to 19.7), social (β = 10.5, 95%CI 3.6 to 17.33), and environmental (β = 11.1, 95%CI 6.2 to 16.1) at T2. Negative religious coping at T1 predicted worse mental (β = -28.1, 95%CI -52.06 to -4.2) and environmental (β = -20.4, 95%CI -39.3 to -1.6) QoL. Intrinsic religiosity at T1 predicted better environmental QoL (β = 9.56, 95%CI 2.76 to 16.36) at T2. Negative religious coping at T1 predicted manic symptoms (β = 4.1) at T2. Conclusion: Religiosity/spirituality (R/S) may influence the QoL of patients with BD over time, even among euthymic patients. Targeting R/S (especially positive and negative religious coping) in psychosocial interventions may enhance the quality of recovery in patients with BD.

Religiosidade e espiritualidade no transtorno bipolar do humor

Aims: To investigate the relationship between Religiousness/Spirituality (R/S) and mood, quality of life, hospitalizations and severe suicide attempts among bipolar patients. Methods: In a transversal study among bipolar patients under ambulatory care (n=168), symptoms of Mania (YMRS) and Depression (MADRS), Religiousness (Duke Religious Index), Religious Coping (Brief RCOPE) and Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) were assessed. Socio-demographic data, number of suicide attempts and hospitalizations were obtained through an interview with the individual and analysis of medical records. Logistical and linear regressions of the association between the Religious indicators and clinical variables were carried out, controlling for socio-demographic variables. Results: 148 individuals mentioned some kind of religious affiliation (88.1%). Intrinsic Religiousness (IR) and Positive Religious Coping (RC) strategies associated to less depressive symptoms [respectively odds ratio (OR) = 0.19, 95% confidence interval (Cl) = 0.06 - 0.57, p=0.003 and OR= 0.25; Cl = 0.09 - 0.71, p=0.01]. Quality of life inversely associated with negative RC ([3= - 0.253, p=0.001) and directly associated with Organizational Religiousness (13= 0.188, p=0.019), Intrinsic Religiousness (13= 0.306, =p <0,001) and positive RC (13- 0.264, p= 0.001). Conclusions: Intrinsic Religiousness and positive RC are strongly associated with less depressive symptoms and better quality of life. Negative RC associated to worse quality of life. Religiousness is a relevant aspect which must be taken into consideration by physicians when assessing and guidingObjetivos: Investigar a relação entre Religiosidade/Espiritualidade (R/E) e o estado de humor, qualidade de vida, ocorrência de internações hospitalares e tentativas graves de suicídio entre pacientes bipolares. Métodos: Em um estudo transversal com pacientes bipolares em tratamento ambulatorial (n=168) foram avaliados sintomas de Mania (YMRS) e Depressão (MADRS), Religiosidade (Duke Religious índex), Coping Religioso-Espiritual (Brief RCOPE) e Qualidade de Vida (WHOQOL-BREF). Dados sociodemográficos, número tentativas de suicídio e internações foram obtidos através da entrevista com o indivíduo e análise do prontuário médico. Foram realizadas regressões logísticas e lineares das associações entre os indicadores de R/E e as variáveis clinicas, controlando para variáveis sociodemográficas. Resultados: Referiram alguma filiação religiosa 148 (88,1%) indivíduos. Religiosidade Intrínseca e mais estratégias de Coping Religioso-Espiritual (CRE) positivo associaram-se a menos sintomas depressivos, respectivamente (OR) 0.19, (Cl) 0.06 — 0.57, (p) 0.003 e (OR) 0.25, (Cl) 0.09 — 0.71, (p) 0.01. Qualidade de vida associou-se a Religiosidade Organizacional (B) 0.188, (p) 0.019, Religiosidade Intrínseca (B) 0.306, (p) <0,001 e CRE positivo (B) 0.264, (p) 0.001. CRE negativo associou-se a pior qualidade de vida (B) — 0.253, (p) 0.001. Conclusões: Religiosidade intrínseca e CRE positivo associaram-se a menor ocorrência de depressão e melhor qualidade de vida de forma significativa. Estudos longitudinais serão úteis na investigação de relações causais

Religiosidade e espiritualidade no transtorno bipolar do humor Religiosity and spirituality in bipolar disorder

CONTEXTO: Nos últimos vinte anos, estudos sistematizados têm identificado uma relação positiva entre espiritualidade/religiosidade (R/E) e saúde, notadamente saúde mental. Entretanto, são escassas as informações sobre R/E e transtorno bipolar do humor (TBH). Este artigo objetiva revisar as evidências disponíveis sobre estas relações. MÉTODOS: Foram cruzadas as palavras "bipolar", "mania" e "manic" com as palavras "religio*" e "spiritu*" nas bases de dados PubMed e PsychINFO em novembro de 2008. Foram encontrados 122 artigos publicados entre os anos de 1957 e 2008. RESULTADO: Os estudos apontam que pacientes bipolares tendem a apresentar maior envolvimento religioso/espiritual, maior frequência de relatos de conversão e experiências de salvação e uso mais frequente de coping religioso e espiritual (CRE) que pessoas com outros transtornos mentais. Indicam ainda, uma relação frequente e significativa entre sintomas maníacos e experiências místicas. Os estudos mais relevantes encontrados na literatura foram agrupados nesta revisão em cinco tópicos: delírios místicos, religiosidade e espiritualidade, coping religioso-espiritual, recursos comunitários e comunidades tradicionais. CONCLUSÃO: O TBH e a R/E possuem intensa e complexa inter-relação. Estudos sobre práticas religiosas saudáveis, espiritualidade e recursos de coping merecem ser ampliados, bem como sua relação com o cumprimento do tratamento e as recorrências da doença, as intervenções psicoterápicas e a psicoeducação de base espiritual.<br>BACKGROUND: Over the past twenty years, systematic studies have identified a positive relationship between spirituality/religiosity (S/R) and health, especially mental health. Although there is only scant information about S/R and BipolarDisorder. METHODS: The words "bipolar", "mania" and "manic" were crossed with the words "religio*" and "spiritu*" in the databases PubMed and PsychINFO in November 2008. It was found 122 articles published between 1957 and 2008. RESULTS: The studies indicate that bipolar patients have a greater religious/spiritual concern and involvement, more reports of conversion, experiences of salvation and a more frequent use of spiritual/religious coping, than people with other mental disorders. It also indicates a frequent and significant relationship between manic symptoms and mystical experiences, and changes in the intensity of faith after the onset of the disorder. The most relevant studies in the literature were distributed by subjects: mystical delusions, religiosity and spirituality, spiritual-religious coping, community resources and traditional communities. CONCLUSION: The number of studies about healthy religious practices, spirituality, and coping among bipolar patients should be expanded, as soon as its relation to accession, compliance with treatment and recurrences of the disease. Greater attention should be given to investigate the relationships between religiosity, religious coping, psychotherapeutic interventions, and based-spiritual psychoeducation

Espiritualidade, depressão e qualidade de vida no transtorno bipolar do humor: um estudo prospectivo de dois anos

Background: Although several studies have examined the relationship between religiosity/spirituality and depression, there is little research examining the effect of religious involvement on the course of bipolar disorder. This study investigated the effects of religious activity and coping behaviors on the course of depression, mania and quality of life in patients with bipolar disorder. Methods: Two-year longitudinal study of 168 outpatients with bipolar disorder. Linear regression was used to examine associations between religious predictors and outcome variables (manic symptoms, depression, and quality of life), controlling for sociodemographic variables. Results: Among the 158 patients reassessed after two years, positive religious coping at T1 (baseline) predicted better quality of life across all four domains: physical (β 10.2, 95%CI, 4.2 - 16.1), mental (β 13.4; 95%CI; 7.1–19.7), social (β 10.5; 95%CI; 3.6–17.33) and environmental (β 11.1; 95%CI; 6.2–16.1) at T2 (2-years later). Negative religious coping at T1 predicted worse mental (β -28.1; 95%CI; -52.06– -4.2) and environmental (β -20.4; 95%CI; -39.3– -1.6) quality of life. Intrinsic religiosity at T1 predicted better environmental quality of life (β 9.56; 95%CI; 2.76–16.36) at T2. Negative religious coping at T1 predicted manic symptoms (β 4.1) at T2. In the qualitative research, 88.2% of the subjects reported that their faith helped to cope with their illness and the support of their religious community regarding the treatment was pointed out by 35.3%, there was no report of opposition of religious leaders to the treatment. Limitations: This is an observational study, causal inferences must be made cautiously. Conclusions: religiosity/spirituality may influence the quality of life of patients with bipolar disorder over time, even among euthymic patients. Targeting religiosity/spirituality (especially positive and negative religious coping) in psychosocial interventions may enhance the quality of recovery in patients with bipolar disorder.Contexto: Apesar do grande número de estudos encontrados na literatura sobre as relações entre religiosidade/espiritualidade e depressão, outros transtornos mentais e doenças físicas, há uma carência de pesquisas acerca do impacto da religiosidade/espiritualidade em pacientes bipolares, notadamente de estudos longitudinais. Objetivos: Investigar as possíveis relações entre diversas dimensões de religiosidade/espiritualidade sobre sintomas de depressão, mania e qualidade de vida em um estudo longitudinal de 24 meses. Métodos: Estudo observacional longitudinal de dois anos acrescido de aspectos qualitativos, com 168 pacientes bipolares ambulatoriais, avaliando dados sócio demográficos, sintomas de mania (Young Mania Rating Scale), depressão (Montgomery–Asberg Depression Rating Scale), religiosidade (Duke Religious Index), coping religioso (Brief RCOPE) e qualidade de vida (World Health Organization Quality of Life–Brief Version). Análises de regressão linear da associação entre indicadores religiosos e variáveis clínicas foram controladas por variáveis sociodemográficas. Resultados: Entre os 158 pacientes reavaliados após dois anos, Coping Religioso Positivo em T1 predisse melhor qualidade de vida em todos os seus quatro domínios: físico (β 10,2; 95%CI; 4,2–16,1), mental (β 13,4; 95%CI; 7,1–19,7), social (β 10,5; 95%CI, 3,6–17,33) e ambiental (β 11,1; 95%CI; 6,2–16,1) em T2, dois anos depois. Coping Religioso Negativo em T1 predisse pior saúde mental (β -28,1; 95%CI; -52,06– -4,2) e ambiental (β -20,4; 95%CI; -39,3– -1,6) em qualidade de vida. Religiosidade Intrínseca em T1 predisse melhor qualidade de vida ambiental (β 9,56; 95%CI; 2,76–16,36) em T2. Coping Religioso Negativo em T1 predisse sintomas maníacos (β 4.1) em T2. Na investigação qualitativa, 88,2% dos sujeitos relataram que sua fé ajudou a lidar com sua doença e o apoio de sua comunidade religiosa em relação ao tratamento foi apontado por 35,3%. Não houve relato de oposição de líderes religiosos ao tratamento. Limitações: Este é um estudo observacional, inferências causais devem ser feitas com cautela. Conclusão: religiosidade/espiritualidade pode influenciar a qualidade de vida de pacientes com transtorno bipolar, mesmo quando em eutimia. Usar religiosidade/espiritualidade (especialmente coping religioso positivo e negativo) em intervenções psicossociais podem contribuir para melhorar a qualidade de vida de pacientes com transtorno bipolar

Im2Cr: An efficient tool for crystallographic indexing of HR(S)TEM images

Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Scanning TEM (STEM) have been widely used to characterize nanostructured materials with atomic resolution, and significant advances on their experimental setup greatly extended the current pool of analysis possibilities at the nanoscale. The exploration of advanced (S)TEM characterization capabilities and their reproducible application to reach a suitable sampling is often restricted by the extensive data analysis procedures required to reliably interpret experimental results and to extract quantitative information. Even routine tasks such as nanoparticles crystallographic indexing from electron diffraction patterns or from high resolution (S)TEM images are mostly carried out manually by the users, resulting in a reduced TEM characterization yield and significant user bias. This work presents Im2Cr, a new software tool to aid the crystallographic indexing of nanostructured materials using high resolution (S)TEM images. Im2Cr implementation aims for a minimal user interaction, supporting the detection of zone‐axis oriented particles, and including an efficient peak detection process applied to the images Fourier Transform (FT). With basis on the FT peaks distances and relative angles, crystallographic indexation is carried out autonomously via comparison with a list of candidate structures named by the user, and a ranking of the best matching combinations of crystallographic structures and viewing zone axes is generated. Im2Cr was successfully tested for robustness and execution efficiency in a wide range of High Resolution (S)TEM images from crystalline nanomaterials, with domain size ranging from 4 to 100 nm. The autonomous indexation with preset parameters has a very high success rate, and runs in a small fraction of typical (S)TEM images acquisition time by taking advantage of the inherent hardware parallelism. Alternatively, the user can operate Im2Cr in a semi‐autonomous mode and control relevant parameters related to the region of interest (ROI) selection on the (S)TEM image and on the FT peaks detection. Im2Cr promising results point to the possibility of real‐time image analysis with reduced user interaction, allowing for an increased (S)TEM characterization yield and also enabling the interpretation of complex images, such as those from nanocrystalline materials imaged in high‐order zone axis orientations.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Bilateral pulmonary alveolar infiltrate and prostate tumour in a 54-year-old man

This case study describes the association between two rare entities: pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) and embryonic rhabdomyosarcoma of the prostate in a 54 year old male presenting with pulmonary symptoms and obstructive urinary symptoms. The prostate tumour was treated with a radical cystectomy and adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The patient did not wish to have treatment for his pulmonary disease and died 1 year after surgery as a result of intra-abdominal spread of the neoplasm