[Sleep pattern and prevalence of sleep disturbances in medical students and specialist residents]

Regarding to high prevalence of sleep disorders in general population and effect of sleep on mental and physical function, and also due to attention-requiring task done by physicians, prevalence of sleep disorders in medical students as well as the relation of these problems with daytime sleepiness and their function based on gender and grade were assessed. In this study, 400 medical residents and students were evaluated by means of a questionnaire from the Kaplan textbook and questionnaire of life style assessment [S-DHQ]. Data were analyzed by SPSS ver.13 and descriptive and comparative statistics, including mean, standard deviation, chi- square, ANOVA, paired t were used. Among different types of insomnia, fragmented sleep was the most prevalent [49%] and sleep latency more than 1 hour [7.3%] was the least common disorders. Nightmares were the most common [32%] form of Parasomnia, while sleep eating disorder had the least prevalence [1%]. We didn't found any report of narcolepsia. There was a significant relation between sleep disorders and daytime sleepiness and self-reported dissatisfaction of function that was more common in women and interns. Any type of sleep disorders can lead to daytime sleepiness and human's dissatisfaction of their function, particularly in women

[Sleep quality in Iranian drivers recognized as responsible for severe road accidents]

The driver's Sleepiness is an important risk factor for road accidents leading to death or disability. Little is known about sleep quality in Iranian drivers. This study was aimed to assess the sleep quality in those Iranian drivers recognized as responsible for a recent road accident in which at least one of the car occupants had been severely injured or killed. In a cross-sectional study, 453 Iranian drivers were assessed within the first 24 hours after severe road accidents. After getting completed the informed consent forms and demographic questionnaires, we used Symptom Check List-90-Revised [SCL-90-R] and Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index [PSQI] for screening psychiatric problems and sleep quality impairments, respectively. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistical methods and multivariate linear regression analysis through SPSS-10 software. Mean [ +/- SD] nocturnal sleep duration of drivers was found to be 6.3 +/- 2.8 [median: 6]. Based on PSQI, a total number of 263 drivers [73.5%] were poor sleepers. PSQI was correlated with a GSI more than 0.81 according to SCL-90-R, having used drugs which can affect the sleep, and a history of similar previous accident[s]. Retired individuals had a better sleep quality. Our study showed that sleep problems, especially early morning awakening, frequent need to lavatory during night, early insomnia and feeling too warm or cold, are common among Iranian drivers with severe road accidents

[Frequency of obsessive-compulsive disorder in schizophrenic patients according to structural clinical interview [SCID]]

The life time prevalence of schizophrenia is estimated about 1%-1.5% in United States and various studies have shown that between 7.8-46.6% of these patients suffer from OCD. The differences in these statistics are partly due to the assessment and treatment methods. The purpose of this study was to measure the frequency of OCD in hospitalized schizophrenic patients. The study was cross-sectional. 96 inpatients [56 men and 40 women] with DSM-IV schizophrenia diagnostic criteria were selected from Iran Psychiatry Hospital by simple non-random sampling. The age range of the patients were 17-73 with a mean age of 35 +/- 12.6. The majority of patients [88.5%] suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. 47 patients [49%] were diagnosed to have obsessive-compulsive symptoms on interview. The mean age of schizophrenia onset was 24.7 +/- 8.8 and the mean age of OCD onset in schizophrenic patients was 20.2 +/- 6.7. In 8 [17%], the two disorders were began simultaneously and in 20 [20.8%], schizophrenia was started earlier. Obsessive-compulsive symptoms are completely prevalent in schizophrenia. The co morbidity of these two clinical entities has both etiological and therapeutic importance