RESUMEN
The field of psychology has advanced over the years in treating psychiatric disorders such as major depressive disorder (MDD), Schizophrenia, and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Depression or clinical depression is a major mental health issue characterized by chronic sadness, hopelessness, and emptiness, which diminishes the patient's quality of life. According to WHO, an estimated 3.8% of the world's population experience depression, in which 15% of depressed patients eventually die by suicide. Recent studies in treating depressive patients have progressed with the usage of psychobiotics. Psychobiotics contain both probiotics and prebiotics, meaning psychobiotics possess the ability to introduce beneficial bacteria in the gut as well as support the growth of existing bacteria in the human gut. The gut-brain axis, which mediates the mechanism of action of psychobiotics in treating clinical depression, has been cleverly studied, and it provides promising results in the improvement of a patient's mental health status. Psychobiotics have proven their worth not only in upgrading the patient's mental health in psychological disorders but also in the enhancement of overall patient health by improving one's gut health.
RESUMEN
This study was undertaken to assess the distribution pattern, outcome and possible predictors affecting the mortality and the need for ventilator support in patients who had consumed organophosphorus compound pesticides. 91 patients who were admitted to the ICU between April 2009 and March 2010 with history of ingestion of organophosphorus pesticide, were studied. Baseline clinical assessment and investigations were undertaken and SOFA and APACHE II scores were calculated. Out of 91 patients, 39 required ventilator support. Of these 39 patients, 2 died, one due to severe sepsis and multiorgan dysfunction, and the other, a chronic alcoholic with chronic liver disease, due to hepatic encephalopathy and multiorgan dysfunction. The time elapsed since ingestion of poison, SOFA and APACHE II scores were significantly associated with patients requiring ventilator support. However with logistic regression analysis, none of these variables were able to either predict mortality or the need for ventilator support. The overall outcome in these cases was favourable as the mortality rate was 2.3%. Though the time elapsed since ingestion of the pesticide and the APACHE II score were found to predict the need for ventilation in many earlier studies, they failed to predict either the need for ventilation or mortality in the present study. The improved mortality rate could be attributed to an organized approach through protocols between the emergency department and the ICU in order to successfully manage patients with organophosphorus compound poisoning.