Identification of risk factors to predict the occurrences of relapses in individuals with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder in Iran

Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder (SSD) is a chronic psychiatric disorder with a modest treatment outcome. In addition, relapses are commonplace. Here, we sought to identify factors that predict relapse latency and frequency. To this end, we retrospectively analyzed data for individuals with SSD. Medical records of 401 individuals with SSD were analyzed (mean age: 25.51 years; 63.6% males) covering a five-year period. Univariate and multivariate Penalized Likelihood Models with Shared Log-Normal Frailty were used to determine the correlation between discharge time and relapse and to identify risk factors. A total of 683 relapses were observed in males, and 422 relapses in females. The Relapse Hazard Ratio (RHR) decreased with age (RHR = 0.99, CI: (0.98–0.998)) and with participants’ adherence to pharmacological treatment (HR = 0.71, CI: 0.58–0.86). In contrast, RHR increased with a history of suicide attempts (HR = 1.32, CI: 1.09–1.60), and a gradual compared to a sudden onset of disease (HR = 1.45, CI: 1.02–2.05). Gender was not predictive. Data indicate that preventive and therapeutic interventions may be particularly important for individuals who are younger at disease onset, have a history of suicide attempts, have experienced a gradual onset of disease, and have difficulties adhering to medication

An integrative Raman microscopy-based workflow for rapid in situ analysis of microalgal lipid bodies

Additional file 1. Schematic diagram of Raman imaging technique

Professional Communication: Perspectives of the Operating Room Personnel and Physicians of the Educational Hospitals in the South of Fars Province

Background & Objective: Professional communication is the most important feature for people working in health care systems and the heart of nursing care. The aim of this study was to determine the status of professional communication between physicians and operating room personnel from the perspective of both groups in educational hospitals in the south of Fars province in Iran, 2019. Materials & Methods: The present study was performed using descriptive-analytical method. Sampling was performed using a census. The participants consisted of 603 (134 physicians and 469 operating room personnel). Data collection tool was a professional communication questionnaire whose validity and reliability were confirmed. Data analysis was conducted using Pearson's correlation coefficient, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and descriptive statistics in SPSS – V22. Results: The average score, the professional communication from the perspective of personnel and physicians in the operating room, was moderate. Also, the perspectives of these two groups showed significant differences in three dimensions of respect and mutual trust, teamwork and workplace conflicts (P <0.05). There was no significant relationship between demographic variable (Age and Gender) and professional communication scores in both groups. Conclusion: Considering the average score of professional relationship in the research community, it is necessary to hold training programs by health system managers in order to improve professional communication skills

Group Positive Psychotherapy and Depression of Females Affected by Multiple Sclerosis

Objectives: Multiple Sclerosis is one of the most important and prevalent central nervous system diseases, causing disorders such as depression among affected patients. Positive psychotherapy is also a new approach that can be effective in reducing the depression of these people. This study aims to investigate the efficiency of group positive psychotherapy for decreasing the depression among females affected by Multiple Sclerosis. Methods: A samples of 30 females affected by Multiple Sclerosis with mild to moderate depression were participated, and were divided into two groups, intervention and control. Both groups completed Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) at the beginning, he intervention group received six sessions of positive psychotherapy. After the intervention both group completed the questionnaire again. Data was analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistical methods. Results: The result demonstrated that, the decline of depression was more in the intervention group than the control group. Moreover in the intervention group than control group, there was obtained significant reduction in both sub-scales of Beck Depression Inventory II. Discussion: Results of this study indicated that group positive psychotherapy is effective in reducing the depression of females affected by Multiple Sclerosis. This treatment can be widely used in the caring centers for treatment of people affected by Multiple Sclerosis and this can be justified because of its low cost and good efficiency

The Prevalence of Depression and Its Relationship with Demographic Variables in the Employees of Fasa University of Medical Sciences

Background & Objective: Depression is one of the most prevalent psychiatric disorders. It causes enormous amount of costs for employees and leads to reduced social and occupational functions severely. This investigation was conducted to study depression prevalence and its relationship with demographic variables among Fasa University of Medical Sciences employees in 2017. Materials & Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted among 149 employees working at Fasa University of Medical Sciences in 2017. The data collection instruments included a demographic questionnaire and the Beck II standard questionnaire. The data were analyzed by SPSS (version 18) and through descriptive, Chi-2 and correlation tests. The significance level was considered at P<0.05. Results: 44.8 and 55.2 percent were males and females respectively. Their mean age was 34.41 ± 7.01 with age range from 22 to 55 years old. The mean year of working record was 8.6 ± 16.36 with range of 1-27. Most of employees (77.9 percent) were married and 44.8 percent of them had B.S level of education. The results of present study show that 38.6 percent of employees suffered from different levels of depression so that 16.6, 17.9 and 4.1 percent of them had mild, average and severe to very severe depression, respectively. There was a significant correlation between employee's depression and their education level (p=0.02). Conclusion: Consequently, it is suggested to establish consulting centers in universities in order to screen employees’ health status. They can find susceptible cases and provide them with any necessary interventions to control their depression and cure them

Design and Validation of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Questionnaire for Breast Cancer: An Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis

Background & Objective: The early identification of risk factors by screenings methods, as low-cost diagnostic tests with high survival rates, has always been of paramount importance for cancer diagnostics, especially in breast cancer. Since knowledge, attitude, and practice studies offer a desirable way to examine the status and make predictions, this study aims to design a valid and reliable instrument to assess breast cancer risk factors, symptoms, and screening methods. Materials & Methods: The Waltz method was used to develop the questionnaire. The exploratory factor analysis with a sample size of 390 and the confirmatory factor analysis were carried out using Amos software and SPSS 22, respectively. The reliability of the instrument was also assessed on 30 women over a one-month interval using the Cronbach's alpha and test-retest method. Results: The preliminary 87-item was finally developed into three sections: attitude (14 items and 2 factors with CVI=0.92, CVR= 0.72 and α= 0.76,) knowledge (16 items and 5 factors with CVI= 0.99, CVR= 0.85 and alpha 0.87) and practice checklist (8 items and CVI = 0.94 and CVR =1). Conclusion: The results suggested desirable psychometric properties of the questionnaire and its strength and validity in evaluating knowledge, attitude, and practice for identifying factors influencing breast cancer

Steady-state and dynamic gene expression programs in Saccharomyces cerevisiae in response to variation in environmental nitrogen

Cell growth rate is regulated in response to the abundance and molecular form of essential nutrients. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae (budding yeast), the molecular form of environmental nitrogen is a major determinant of cell growth rate, supporting growth rates that vary at least threefold. Transcriptional control of nitrogen use is mediated in large part by nitrogen catabolite repression (NCR), which results in the repression of specific transcripts in the presence of a preferred nitrogen source that supports a fast growth rate, such as glutamine, that are otherwise expressed in the presence of a nonpreferred nitrogen source, such as proline, which supports a slower growth rate. Differential expression of the NCR regulon and additional nitrogen-responsive genes results in >500 transcripts that are differentially expressed in cells growing in the presence of different nitrogen sources in batch cultures. Here we find that in growth rate–controlled cultures using nitrogen-limited chemostats, gene expression programs are strikingly similar regardless of nitrogen source. NCR expression is derepressed in all nitrogen-limiting chemostat conditions regardless of nitrogen source, and in these conditions, only 34 transcripts exhibit nitrogen source–specific differential gene expression. Addition of either the preferred nitrogen source, glutamine, or the nonpreferred nitrogen source, proline, to cells growing in nitrogen-limited chemostats results in rapid, dose-dependent repression of the NCR regulon. Using a novel means of computational normalization to compare global gene expression programs in steady-state and dynamic conditions, we find evidence that the addition of nitrogen to nitrogen-limited cells results in the transient overproduction of transcripts required for protein translation. Simultaneously, we find that that accelerated mRNA degradation underlies the rapid clearing of a subset of transcripts, which is most pronounced for the highly expressed NCR-regulated permease genes GAP1, MEP2, DAL5, PUT4, and DIP5. Our results reveal novel aspects of nitrogen-regulated gene expression and highlight the need for a quantitative approach to study how the cell coordinates protein translation and nitrogen assimilation to optimize cell growth in different environments

Data from: Whole genome resequencing reveals extensive natural variation in the model green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

We performed whole-genome resequencing of 12 field isolates and eight commonly studied laboratory strains of the model organism Chlamydomonas reinhardtii to characterize genomic diversity and provide a resource for studies of natural variation. Our data support previous observations that Chlamydomonas is among the most diverse eukaryotic species. Nucleotide diversity is ∼3% and is geographically structured in North America with some evidence of admixture among sampling locales. Examination of predicted loss-of-function mutations in field isolates indicates conservation of genes associated with core cellular functions, while genes in large gene families and poorly characterized genes show a greater incidence of major effect mutations. De novo assembly of unmapped reads recovered genes in the field isolates that are absent from the CC-503 assembly. The laboratory reference strains show a genomic pattern of polymorphism consistent with their origin as the recombinant progeny of a diploid zygospore. Large duplications or amplifications are a prominent feature of laboratory strains and appear to have originated under laboratory culture. Extensive natural variation offers a new source of genetic diversity for studies of Chlamydomonas, including naturally occurring alleles that may prove useful in studies of gene function and the dissection of quantitative genetic traits