Prevalence of Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

INTRODUCTION: There is growing awareness of the heterogeneity of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and of the multiple systems involved in its pathogenesis. Identification of obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders (OCSDs) may have important implications in the management and prognosis of OCD, but there is a paucity of research in the domain of identification of OCSD in probands with OCD. There are few studies that have examined OCSD in the first-degree relatives (FDR) of OCD patients, some of these were not controlled, and these studies have no final agreements over outcomes, and therefore, this area needs to be further explored. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of OCSDs in OCD probands; and its relationship to sociodemographic and clinical variables, comparing each aspect by a control group of schizophrenia probands. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty patients each of OCD and schizophrenia, diagnosed by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV Text Revision,[1] above 18 years of age and giving informed consent, were interviewed using the Structured Clinical Interview for OCSD, Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Rating Scale, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, and Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety. RESULTS: In OCD group, 22 OCSDs were found in 11 subjects whereas in schizophrenia group, 2 OCSDs (self-injury) were found in two probands. When the two groups were compared in terms of individual OCSDs, there was no significant difference between them. However, when the comparison was made taking into account all OCSDs taken together, it was significantly higher (P = 0.016) in the OCD group compared to the schizophrenia group. CONCLUSION: OCSDs were significantly more in OCD probands as compared to schizophrenia probands. This suggests a familial aggregation of these disorders.

Effect of ultrasonic activation of photosensitizer dye temoporfin (Foscan) on antimicrobial photodynamic therapy: An ex vivo study.

AIM: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of ultrasonic activation of photosensitizer (PS) drug Foscan in the elimination of endodontic pathogen from root canal system. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The minimal bactericidal concentration of "Foscan" was determined using disc diffusion and broth dilution method. Forty-eight extracted single-rooted premolars with periapical pathology were used for the study. After access opening, the first microbial sample was taken. The teeth were then randomly divided into four groups: Group 1: Chemomechanical debridement (CMD), Group 2: CMD and passive ultrasonic irrigation (CMD + PUI), Group 3: CMD and antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT), and Group 4: CMD and aPDT with activation by ultrasonics. After antimicrobial protocols, the second microbiological sample was collected. The samples were analyzed by multiplex polymerase chain reaction for the effectiveness of four antimicrobial protocols on Fusobacterium nucleatum, Prevotella intermedia, Porphyromonas gingivalis, and Treponema denticola. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Wilcoxon signed-rank test and Mann-Whitney U-test with the significant level P < 0.05, using IBM SPSS statistics 20 version software. RESULTS: Foscan at concentration of 3.125 µg/ml was chosen for antimicrobial analysis. The prevalence of T. denticola, F. nucleatum, P. gingivalis, and P. intermedia was 79.17%, 70.84%, 70.83%, and 58.33%, respectively. Group 4 showed highest bacterial reduction of 99.51%, followed by Group 1 which showed bacterial reduction of 97.35%. CONCLUSIONS: Foscan can be used as an effective PS dye at low concentration with minimal tendency for tooth discoloration. Ultrasonic activation of PS dye facilitated better diffusion into dentinal tubules and biofilm obtaining greater bacterial reduction.

Theory and design of a simple tunable Sagnac loop filter for multiwavelength fiber lasers.

We present a novel design for a Sagnac loop filter (SLF) whose periodic output spectrum can be fully controlled by cascading a small-birefringence loop (SBL) with a high-birefringence loop (HBL). We develop a detailed theoretical analysis, using the Jones vector method, to calculate the transfer function of the tunable SLF. It has been quantitatively shown that both the transmission coefficient and the phase of the SLF can be controlled by adjusting the orientation angle of the birefringent axes of the SBL in the plane of polarization. The theory has been confirmed by experimental results where a stress-induced SBL was mechanically rotated to tune both the wavelength and the power of a periodic output spectrum. Such a tunable SLF is used in the design of a multiwavelength erbium-doped fiber laser in the C band.