Dyadic adjustment and marital communication of persons with depression

Background: One of the most important relationships between a man and a woman is marriage. Marriage is a social union as well as a legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is a primary institution of society. Marriage involves an emotional and legal commitment that is quite important in any adult life and even same in the persons with depression. Faulty marital relationship not only affects the couples but it inflicts longitudinal negative impact upon the entire family system and individual members of families. Methodology: The present study aims to compare the pattern of dyadic adjustment and marital communication between married individuals with depression and married healthy controls. Cross-sectional study design was used. Purposive sampling technique was used to collect the data for the study. The study group comprised of 30 married individuals with depression, whereas the other group consisted of 30 married healthy controls. Both the groups were examined on sociodemographic datasheet, the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS), and the Marital Communication Inventory (MCI). Result: It was found that there were significant differences in the dyadic adjustment and marital communication of persons with depression compared to healthy controls, and there was no significant difference between males and females of depression patients in dyadic adjustment and marital communication. Conclusion: There is need to involve the spouse in the treatment process, and couple-based interventions will help for better marital adjustment and communication with depression patients compared to the healthy controls.

Litter Performance of Large White Yorkshire Sows Raised in Different Farrowing House Systems in Tropical Climate

Preweaning piglet mortality, mainly due to crushing is an important concern in pig production systems adversely affecting the profit from the farm and welfare of the animals. The present study compared three different systems of farrowing houses viz. conventional farrowing house with guard rail and one-third slated floor (T1), farrowing house with guard rail and floor level ventilation (T2), and farrowing houses with farrowing crates (T3) to identify the best system to minimize the farrowing house stress and mortality. There were no changes in average daily feed intake, serum cortisol levels and maternal behaviour of the sows in different groups. The litter size and litter weight at birth were more or less similar in all treatment groups, whereas litter size and litter weight at weaning was higher (P < 0.05) in T3 compared to other groups. There was significant reduction in piglet mortality in houses with farrowing crates (T3) compared to other two groups (P < 0.05). Cost of production per kilogram live weight of piglets on housing cost basis was also observed to be lower in system with farrowing crates. The payback period required to meet the housing cost for T3, T2 and T1were calculated as 1.63, 2.94 and 3.11 years, respectively. The results of present study identified that farrowing houses with farrowing crates significantly reduced piglet mortality, thereby increasing the profitability of swine husbandry without any adverse effect on the performance of sows

Prolactin Levels Before And After Electroconvulsive Therapy And Its Corelation With Clinical Improvement In Psychopathalogy

BACKGROUND: It is a well-known fact that prolactin increases after Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT), but in later studies it was found that the amount of prolactin rise after each ECT gradually declines on successive ECT. Many studies have found that there is a correlation between this prolactin drop and improvement in psychopathology. But the results found were inconsistent and only limited to depression. AIM: To see the serum prolactin changes during a course of ECT in patients suffering from BPAD mania and to assess whether any correlation exists between these changes and improvement in psychopathology. METHORD: 20 inpatients meeting diagnostic criteria for BPAD mania as per ICD-10 who were planned to receive ECT were taken as cases and 20 BPAD mania patients not receiving ECT were taken as controls. Blood for prolactin and psychopathology on YMRS assessed three times in each case. First at baseline, second after 1st ECT and third after last ECT. Similarly controls were assessed at baseline and after three weeks for prolactin and psychopathology. RESULTS: In patients who received ECT, serum prolactin levels were significantly raised after 1st ECT (mean 78.65) compared to baseline (mean 54.02). Prolactin level significantly decreased after a course of ECT (mean 67.22). There was no significant correlation between prolactin changes and in YMRS score. CONCLUSION: There is no significant correlation between prolactin changes during a course of ECT and improvement in psychopathology in BPAD mania patients suggesting the prolactin rise may be an epiphenomenon to ECT rather than reflection of therapeutic process.

Use of the WHO hemoglobin color scale in family welfare clinics in India.

A situation is reported for the use of the WHO color scale for the measurement of hemoglobin, which was introduced into India in 1996. Charity family welfare clinics held at a medical college hospital in North India offer free sterilization by tubal ligation under local anesthetic to women following a preliminary screening. An obligatory test of the hemoglobin level is required and must be above 7.0 g/dl for the operation. Some clinics attract large numbers, and the card gives a cheap, rapid and reasonably accurate test, adding to the smooth running and reduction of waiting time. It has proved satisfactory over a 2-year period; 2.3% of participants were shown to have a hemoglobin level of 7 g/dl or less.

Hysteria and other related disorders.

The term 'hysteria' is not the diagnosis any more. The various presentations which were previously diagnosed as hysteria are discussed in this article in their current nomenclature. This article emphasises the core clinical features of each presentation, the points of differentiation between various presentations and the salient points for effective management.

First care givers of mentally ill patients: a multicenter study.

Pathways to psychiatric care were evaluated among three hundred and eighty four first-contact psychiatric patients from five socio-culturally different regions of India by a modified version of World Health Organization encounter form for 'pathways in psychiatric care'. Concerning first caregivers, out of 384 respondents 34.1% had chosen the psychiatrists, 29.4% the general practitioners and 26% had chosen faith healers and exorcists. Choice for the first caregiver was not influenced by gender differences, literacy status and family type. Mostly the subjects hailing from rural areas and those presenting with somatic symptoms chose psychiatrist as their first caregivers.

Visual evoked potentials in primary hypertension.

Functional integrity of sensory pathways in the brain has not been well documented in hypertension. It is suggested that vascular endothelial changes including hyalinisation during hypertension may lead to demyelination in the vulnerable areas of the brain. Since optic nerve is considered to be part of brain hence the present study was done to find out if visual pathways are involved in hypertension. Transient pattern reversal visual evoked potentials (VEPs) from 01, 02 scalp regions were recorded in 23 primary hypertensive patients and compared with 14 normotensive control. Of these, six patients showed delayed P1 latencies beyond 99% tolerance limit i.e. Mean + 3 SD of normal. The remaining 17 had latencies of all positive (P1-P3) and negative (N1-N3) waves comparable to those of the control group. Correlation Coefficient worked out, showed significant correlation between systolic BP and P1 latency in the control group only. No other parameter showed any correlation with P1 latency & amplitude in both the groups. These findings show that fluctuations of BP in normotensive subjects have correlation with P1 latency. This correlation ceased to exist in hypertensive patients and abnormality in P1 latency of VEP was detected in 26% cases.

Brainstem auditory evoked responses in primary hypertension.

Brainstem auditory evoked potential responses (BAEPs) were recorded from CZ-A1 and CZ-A2 scalp regions in 23 hypertensive and 14 normotensive subjects. Hypertension was graded depending upon the extent of raised blood pressure. BAEPs in patients of grade I and II hypertension did not show any change when compared to normotensive subjects. However, grade III hypertensive case showed significant prolongation of absolute peak latencies of wave I, II, V and interpeak latency of wave III-V indicating involvement of brainstem auditory pathways. Multiple regression analysis revealed significant correlation of rise in systolic and diastolic blood pressure with absolute peak latencies of BAEPs in hypertensive patients.

Visual evoked responses to pattern reversal in children.

Pattern reversal evoked potentials (PREPs) were studied in school going children 4-15 years of age (mean 9.9 +/- 2.6 yrs), using Ag/AgCl electrodes anchored on 01-A1 and 02-A2 scalp sites. Two sets of 256 pattern reversal stimuli with check sizes 32' and alternation rate 1 Hz were applied to each eye and evoked responses thus obtained were averaged and analysed by the inbuilt computer of the evoked potential recorder. The latency of various components of visual evoked potentials along with P1 amplitudes were recorded for the right and the left eye separately in boys and girls. The normative data are being reported and these do not show eye and gender differences in children.

Gonadal involvement in leprosy - study of gynaecomastia, testicular and epidedymal involvement and therapeutic efficacy of indegenous drugs

Sessenta pacientes masculinos de hanseniase (idade media = 27,2+ ou - 5,04 anos), selecionados aleatoriamente, foram estudados quanto ao envolvimento gonadal e a eficacia terapeutica de duas drogas nativas. Destes pacientes 34 eram casados, com dura‡ao media da doen‡a de 4,17 + ou - 3,27 anos. Somente os pacientes com hanseniase virchowiana e dimorfa desenvolveram altera‡oes testiculares e de epididimos. Dor e/ou sensibilidade testicular (virchowianos = 62,5 por cento dimorfos = 30,0 por cento) foi a sintomatologia mais comum. Fun‡ao sexual alterada foi observada em 34 (56,6 por cento) casos, enquanto 11 pacientes apresentaram padrao sexual de distribui‡ao pilosa alterado e ginecomastia. O espermograna revelou azoospermia em 19 (35 por cento) dos casos e oligospermia em 16 (26,6 por cento) pacientes. Os achados histopatologicos das biopsia testicular revelaram evidencia de lesoes especificas nao relacionadas ao tamanho do testiculo, aos achados do semen e as manifesta‡oes clinicas. As altera‡oes histopatologicas mostraram grande variabilidade, nao tendo sido possivel classifica-las em vasculares, intersticiais ou obstrutivas: acredita-se que as altera‡oes encontradas sejam devidas ao estado alterado das gonadas na hanseniase. A eficacia das prepara‡oes terapeuticas nativas Speman e Tentex forte (Himalava) foi avaliada de um ponto de vista objetivo em 34 pacientes. Melhora subjetiva foi observada em 82,3 por cento dos casos, enquanto objetivamente o espermograma melhorou em 87,5 por cento dos casos com oligospermia. As drogas nao apresentaram efeitos colaterais e foram bem toleradas.