Preliminary Evidence of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Death Anxiety in Iranian Clients Diagnosed with OCD

This study investigated the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on death anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) with eight adult females in Iran. The ACT protocol was conducted in 8 weekly solo sessions (45 minutes each). The results were analyzed by visual analysis method and improvement percentage. ACT resulted in decreases in death anxiety (60-80%) and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (51-60%), thereby indicating promise for ACT as a treatment for OCD and death anxiety

Pervalence of Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia

Objective: Negative symptoms in schizophrenia are among the most important barriers against rehabilitation of such patients. Apply of appropriate drugs for reducing such symptoms and take help from psychosocial treatments, especially social skills training in accompany with other facilities of community psychiatry can play key role in resolution of this problem. In this paper after some discussion about negative symptoms and grasping a better insight about them and their current treatments, we will survey a research as regards the prevalence of such symptoms in one hundred schizophrenic patients hospitalized in Razi psychiatric center and their relation with variables such as age, sex and longitudinal duration of illness. Materials & Methods: One hundred, randomly chosen, schizophrenic patients, half male and half female, from acute and chronic wards, were estimated with SANS Questionnaire as regards to their negative symptoms. Then, the relation of these findings with aforementioned variables has been surveyed. Results: Prevalence of negative symptoms has been from 86% to 99% and severe ones too from 30% to 55%. No patient was free from such symptoms. As regards to quantity and severity, these percentiles are definitely more than ones which had been printed in Kaplan-Sadock textbook of psychiatry. The most sever ones were in chronic female ward, and the least sever ones in the acute female ward. No statistical relation has found between negative symptoms and age, sex and duration of illness. Conclusion: Extensive prevalence of negative symptoms among schizophrenic patients in this center and their severity show the unfortunate circumstances of such patients and necessitates appropriate therapeutics methods for reducing such symptoms and increasing their capacities for more independent living in family and community

Depression and Perceived Social Support in the Elderly

Objectives The purpose of the study was to determine depression and perceived social support and some related factors among the elderly people in urban areas of Tehran in the area of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. Methods & Materials A cross-sectional study was conducted with 580 elderly of Tehran in Shahid Beheshti University using a multistage systematic sampling method. Data were collected by trained questioners. Standard Beck depression, Zimet perceived social support and demographic questionnaires were used. Analysis was performed by Stata software. Mann–Whitney test, Kruskal–Wallis test, Spearman correlation and descriptive tests were used in this study. Results The mean age of participants was 69.66 ± 7.91 years. A total of 67.53% of participants lived only with their spouses; 4.01% were illiterate and 89.69% owned at least one residential home. Health insurance coverage was for 92.38% of elderly. A total of 29.6 and 46.99% of the participants expressed their satisfaction with economic and living status, respectively. The prevalences of depression in mild, moderate and severe levels were 17.41%, 25.58%, and 8.88%, respectively, and it was 51.87% in average. A total of 72.38% of participants reported their agreement with perceived social support. Kruskal–Wallis test implied that the levels of depression had a significant relationship with perceived social support (P> 0.001). By a correlation test, a negative linear correlation was observed between depression and perceived social support (-0.388). The marital status, home ownership, health insurance, and of life and economic satisfaction showed a significant relationship with both perceived social support and depression variables. Education and depression were significantly related. But, gender and depression did not show any significant relationship. There was no significant relationship between gender and education with perceived social support. Conclusion Depression was found to be common in the elderly. There are similar economic and familial factors that are in relation to perceived social support and depression. According to the emotional and economic problems, creating the appropriate economic, cultural and social conditions can provide a healthier environment for the elderly to live in.&nbsp

The size of expressive lexicon in 18-to-36-month-old children raised in farsi-speaking families: a comparative study

Introduction: The acquisition of the lexicon is a central and complex component of language development. The ultimate goal of this study was to survey the expressive lexicon size of 18-to-36-month-old children growing up in Farsi-speaking families. Materials and Methods: In a descriptive cross-sectional study, expressive lexicon size of 42 normal children with the age range of 18 to 36 months was evaluated by CDI (form II). Subjects were divided into three age groups, each of which covered a six-month period. The forms were completed individually by each subject’s mother. Size of expressive lexicon was compared across the three age groups. Results: Generally speaking, the difference of expressive lexicon size was significant among the three studied age groups (P < 0.01). Moreover, the categories of common nouns and grammatical function words comprised the maximum (P = 0.001) and the minimum (P = 0.02) proportions of lexicon respectively. Conclusion: Study results showed that as children grew older, their respective size of expressive lexicon increased. Also, the variation of the vocabulary size for different lexical categories was wide at this age range. Keywords: Expressive lexicon, 18-36 month of age, Normal child, CD

The Effects of Schwann and Bone Marrow Stromal Stem Cells on Sciatic Nerve Injury in Rat: A Comparison of Functional Recovery

Objective: Transplantation of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) or Schwann cells (SCs) can facilitate axonal regeneration in peripheral nerve injuries. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of transplantation of BMSCs and SCs on functional recovery after injury to the sciatic nerve in the rat.Materials and Methods:In this experimental research, adult male Wistar rats (n=24, 250-300 g) were used, BMSCs and SCs were cultured, and SCs were confirmed with anti S100 antibody. Rats were randomly divided into 3 groups (n=8 in each group): 1; control group: silicon tube filled with fibrin gel without the cells, 2; BMSCs group: silicon tube filled with fibrin gel seeded with BMSCs and 3; SCs group: silicon tube filled with fibrin gel seeded with SCs. The left sciatic nerve was exposed, a 10 mm segment removed, and a silicone tube interposed into this nerve gap. BMSCs and SCs were separately transplanted into the gap in the two experimental groups and were labeled with anti BrdU and DiI respectively. After 12 weeks electrophysiological and functional assessments were performed and analyzed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA).Results: Electrophysiological and functional assessments showed a significant differencebetween the experimental groups compared with the control group. Electrophysiologicalmeasures were significantly better in the SCs transplantation group compared with the BMSCs treatment group (p<0.05). Functional assessments showed no statistically significant difference between the BMSCs and SCs groups (p<0.05).Conclusion: Although both BMSCs and SCs have the potential to produce functional recovery after injury to the sciatic nerve in rats, electrophysiological evaluation confirmsthat the improvement after SCs transplantation is greater than that after BMSCstransplantation

Effect of alcohol on Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) blood levels: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) is a vital protein involved in neuronal development, survival, and plasticity. Alcohol consumption has been implicated in various neurocognitive deficits and neurodegenerative disorders. However, the impact of alcohol on BDNF blood levels remains unclear. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the effect of alcohol consumption on BDNF blood levels. A comprehensive search of electronic databases was conducted to identify relevant studies. Eligible studies were selected based on predefined inclusion criteria. Data extraction was performed, and methodological quality was assessed using appropriate tools. A meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the overall effect size of alcohol consumption on BDNF levels. A total of 25 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the final analysis. Alcohol use and BDNF blood levels were significantly correlated, according to the meta-analysis (p = 0.008). Overall, it was discovered that drinking alcohol significantly decreased BDNF levels (SMD: − 0.39; 95% CI: − 0.68 to − 0.10; I2: 93%). There was a non-significant trend suggesting that alcohol withdrawal might increase BDNF levels, with an SMD of 0.26 (95% CI: − 0.09 to 0.62; I2: 86%; p = 0.14). Subgroup analysis based on the source of BDNF demonstrated significant differences between the subgroups (p = 0.0008). No significant publication bias was observed. This study showed that alcohol consumption is associated with a significant decrease in BDNF blood levels. The findings suggest a negative impact of alcohol on BDNF levels regardless of alcohol dosage. Further studies are needed to strengthen the evidence and elucidate the underlying mechanisms

The role of bone marrow microenvironment (BMM) cells in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) progression: immune checkpoints, metabolic checkpoints, and signaling pathways

Abstract Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) comprises a multifarious and heterogeneous array of illnesses characterized by the anomalous proliferation of myeloid cells in the bone marrow microenvironment (BMM). The BMM plays a pivotal role in promoting AML progression, angiogenesis, and metastasis. The immune checkpoints (ICs) and metabolic processes are the key players in this process. In this review, we delineate the metabolic and immune checkpoint characteristics of the AML BMM, with a focus on the roles of BMM cells e.g. tumor-associated macrophages, natural killer cells, dendritic cells, metabolic profiles and related signaling pathways. We also discuss the signaling pathways stimulated in AML cells by BMM factors that lead to AML progression. We then delve into the roles of immune checkpoints in AML angiogenesis, metastasis, and cell proliferation, including co-stimulatory and inhibitory ICs. Lastly, we discuss the potential therapeutic approaches and future directions for AML treatment, emphasizing the potential of targeting metabolic and immune checkpoints in AML BMM as prognostic and therapeutic targets. In conclusion, the modulation of these processes through the use of directed drugs opens up new promising avenues in combating AML. Thereby, a comprehensive elucidation of the significance of these AML BMM cells' metabolic and immune checkpoints and signaling pathways on leukemic cells can be undertaken in the future investigations. Additionally, these checkpoints and cells should be considered plausible multi-targeted therapies for AML in combination with other conventional treatments in AML. Video Abstrac