Clinical correlation of vitamin D in depression

Background: Literature has substantially advanced our understanding of the action of vitamin D in depression, much is still unknown concerning how vitamin D relates to dimensions of depression. Hence, authors aimed to examine the relationship of vitamin D in patients of depression, its correlation with the severity of depression and different symptom domains of depression.Methods: This Hospital based case control study included 75 patients with depression and 50 controls who were age and gender matched. Beck’s Depression Inventory II was used to assess the severity and symptom domains of depression. Vitamin D levels was assessed using Enhanced Chemiluminescence Technique.Results: Vitamin D deficiency was found significantly (<0.001*) among cases than controls. Significant (0.003*) inverse correlation was observed between severity of depression and vitamin D level.In cognitive symptoms, pessimism, punishment feeling, self-criticism, suicidal thoughts and worthlessness were found significantly higher among vitamin D deficient patients. However, in somatic-affective symptoms, crying, indecisiveness, loss of energy, irritability, concentration difficulty and being tired were the significant by prominent symptoms in vitamin D deficient patients.Conclusions: Vitamin D (<50 nmol/L) was found to be significantly associated with depressive symptoms with cognitive and somatic-affective symptoms being affected by vitamin D deficiency.

Actual Condition and Difficulty in Using the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) in the Education of Acupuncture Students / 全日本鍼灸学会雑誌

Acupuncturists should have clinical competency, including knowledge, skill and humanity, such as attitude.<BR>In acupuncture and moxibustion educational institutions, educational objectives and strategies have been established to develop competency as a therapist. Therefore, an evaluation was performed in order to confirm the achievement of the learners, and whether the established initial objectives and strategies were appropriate or not.<BR>As a matter of course, the National Examination for Acupuncture and Moxibustion Therapists is an evaluation standard which assesses the social competency oftherapists completing the educational course, namely they must have significance.<BR>However, the current National Examination can only estimate the aspect of knowledge. Each educational in-stitution should, therefore, responsibly evaluate other acupuncturists' competency including skills and attitudes toward their competency insociety.<BR>In the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), an adequate method to evaluate clinicians has widely been introduced for medical education.<BR>The OSCE was introduced to educational circles of acupuncture in Japan because OSCE can evaluate competency; i.e. the psychomotor and affective domain, that is difficult to measure using a paper test.<BR>Various difficulties still remain using OSCE for the education of acupuncture students in the view of both its adequacy and objectivity.<BR>In the present paper, the actual condition and difficulty in using OSCE in education of acupuncture students are reviewed based on the reports presented atthe educational session of the conference.