6,955 research outputs found
Occupational disability on psychiatric grounds in South African school-teachers
Objective: School-teachers are exposed to high levels of stress and have high rates of premature retirement on psychiatric grounds. This study investigated factors associated with occupational disability due to psychiatric disorders in teachers in South Africa. Method: This retrospective study investigated 81 school-teachers in the Cape Town area who had been declared permanently medically disabled as a consequence of psychiatric disorders. Results: Patients were relatively young (44±6.1 yrs), had experienced symptoms for 5.2±3.8 yrs, and had been treated for 4±3.5 yrs. Almost half had a family history of psychiatric disorder, and the majority (N = 66. 81%) cited work-related stress as a significant contributing factor. Major depressive disorder was the commonest diagnosis (83%), and 56% had co-morbid Axis-I diagnoses. Thirty percent had prominent underlying obsessive-compulsive personality traits, and 46% displayed classroom phobia. Conclusion: Work-related stress is a major factor in South African teachers with occupational disability on psychiatric grounds
Accurate measurement of ^{13}C - ^{15}N distances with solid-state NMR
Solid-state NMR technique for measureing distances between hetero-nuclei in
static powder samples is described. It is based on a two-dimensional
single-echo scheme enhanced with adiabatic cross-polarization. As an example,
the results for intra-molecular distances in -crystalline form of
glycine are presented. The measured NMR distances ^13 C(2) - ^15 N and ^13 C(1)
- ^15 N are 1.496 0.002 \AA and 2.50 0.02 \AA, respectively.Comment: 12 page
Alcohol Induced Psychotic Disorder: a comparitive study in patients with alcohol dependance, schizophrenia and normal controls
Thesis(DMed (Psychiatry))--
University of Stellenbosch, 2007.Alcohol-induced psychotic disorder (also known as alcohol hallucinosis) is a
complication of alcohol abuse that requires clinical differentiation from alcohol
withdrawal delirium and schizophrenia. Although extensively described, few
studies utilized standardized research instruments and brain-imaging has thus
far been limited to case reports. The aim of this study was to prospectively
compare four population groups (ie. patients with alcohol-induced psychotic
disorder, schizophrenia, uncomplicated alcohol dependence and a healthy
volunteer group) according to demographic, psychopathological and brainimaging
variables utilizing (i) rating scales and (ii) single photon emission
computed tomography (SPECT). The third component of the study was
designed to investigate the (iii) effect of anti-psychotic treatment on the
psychopathology and regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) before and after six
weeks of treatment with haloperidol. Effort was made to ensure exclusion of
comorbid medical disorders, including substance abuse. The study provides
further supportive evidence that alcohol-induced psychotic disorder can be
distinguished from schizophrenia. Statistically significant differences in rCBF
were demonstrated between the alcohol-induced psychotic disorder and other
groups. Changes in frontal, temporal, parietal, occipital, thalamic and
cerebellar rCBF showed statistically significant negative correlations with
post-treatment improvement on psychopathological variables and imply
dysfunction of these areas in alcohol-induced psychotic disorder. The study
was unable to distinguish between pharmacological effects and improvement
acccomplished by abstinence from alcohol.Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch Universit
Cannabis use predicts shorter duration of untreated psychosis and lower levels of negative symptoms in first-episode psychosis: a South African study
Objective: Cannabis use/abuse is a common co-morbid problem in patients experiencing a first episode of psychotic illness (FEP). The relationship between the clinical presentation of FEP and cannabis abuse is complex and warrants further investigation, especially within the South African context. Method: We tested associations between recent/current cannabis use and duration of untreated psychosis (DUP), age of onset (AO), PANSS-rated (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale) positive, negative and general psychopathology symptoms and depressive symptoms (Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia) in a sample of 54 patients with FEP. Results: Mean DUP was 34.4 weeks, while mean AO was 24.7 years. Co-morbid cannabis use occurred in 35% of the sample and was significantly associated with shorter DUP (Mann-Whitney U, p=0.026). While not significant, there was also a trend association between cannabis use and lower negative symptoms (Mann-Whitney U, p=0.051). Conclusion: Current/recent cannabis use was associated with clinical features of psychosis onset that previously have been associated with better outcome. Medium and long-term outcome for cannabis users however, is likely to depend on whether or not cannabis use is ongoing.Keywords: First-episode psychosis, Cannabis; Duration of untreated psychosis; Age of onset; Symptom
Self-induced water intoxication : a case report
CITATION: Emsley, R. A. & Taljaard, J. J. F. 1988. Self-induced water intoxication : a case report. South African Medical Journal, 74:80-81.The original publication is available at http://www.samj.org.zaA 19-year-old female schizophrenic with self-induced water intoxication is described. Factors of pathogenic significance included primary polydipsia and non-maximal urinary diluting capacity.Publisher’s versio
Quantum information processing using strongly-dipolar coupled nuclear spins
Dipolar coupled homonuclear spins present challenging, yet useful systems for
quantum information processing. In such systems, eigenbasis of the system
Hamiltonian is the appropriate computational basis and coherent control can be
achieved by specially designed strongly modulating pulses. In this letter we
describe the first experimental implementation of the quantum algorithm for
numerical gradient estimation on the eigenbasis of a four spin system.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, Accepted in PR
Psychiatric disorders and general medical conditions: implications for the clinician
Patients with severe mental illness have higher than expected prevalence rates of co-morbid general medical conditions, particularly metabolic and cardiovascular disease. They are also at increased risk of contracting HIV. Conversely, these and other
medical disorders also increase the risk of developing mental disorders. Mental illness and general medical conditions have mutually adverse effects on long-term outcome. This interaction of diseases contributes significantly to the excess morbidity in and
higher than expected standard mortality ratios for patients with mental illness. As medical practice becomes more specialized and arguably compartmentalized it may increasingly fail to integrate health care for patients with severe mental illness. In this paper
we discuss the high co-morbidity of mental illness with other medical disorders as well some of the potential mechanisms involved. We furthermore argue that the bidirectional relationship between mental and medical disorders should be considered in the
planning of treatment for either group of disorders. The central role of the psychiatrist in co-ordinating and integrating the health care of patients with severe mental illness is emphasized.African Journal of Psychiatry Vol. 11 (1) 2008: pp. 18-2
Health care discrimination against the mentally ill - A comparison of private health insurance benefits for major depressive disorder and ischaemic heart disease in South Africa
CITATION: Oosthuizen, P. et al. 2004. Health care discrimination against the mentally ill - A comparison of private health insurance benefits for major depressive disorder and ischaemic heart disease in South Africa. South African Medical Journal, 94(10):821-823.The original publication is available at http://www.samj.org.za[No abstract available]Publisher’s versio
Direct observation of hierarchical protein dynamics
One of the fundamental challenges of physical biology is to understand the relationship between protein dynamics and function. At physiological temperatures, functional motions arise from the complex interplay of thermal motions of proteins and their environments. Here, we determine the hierarchy in the protein conformational energy landscape that underlies these motions, based on a series of temperature-dependent magic-angle spinning multinuclear nuclear-magnetic-resonance relaxation measurements in a hydrated nanocrystalline protein. The results support strong coupling between protein and solvent dynamics above 160 kelvin, with fast solvent motions, slow protein side-chain motions, and fast protein backbone motions being activated consecutively. Low activation energy, small-amplitude local motions dominate at low temperatures, with larger-amplitude, anisotropic, and functionally relevant motions involving entire peptide units becoming dominant at temperatures above 220 kelvin
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