Comparison of serum thrombospondin-1 and thrombospondin-2 levels among children with autism spectrum disorder and healthy controls.

Background: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder, the etiology of which has not been clearly determined yet. There is increasing evidence that synaptic and dendritic changes are involved in the etiology of ASD. The aim of this study is to determine whether serum Thrombospondin-1 and Thrombospondin-2 differ between ASD patients and healthy controls. This study also investigates possible correlations between clinical symptomatology of ASD and serum Thrombospondin-1 and Thrombospondin-2 levels. Method: A total of 44 children with ASD and 21 healthy controls under 6 years of age were included in the study. Symptom severity and behavioral problems among children with ASD were evaluated by using Childhood Autism Rating Scale and Abnormal Behavior Checklist. Serum levels of Thrombospondin-1 and Thrombospondin-2 were measured by using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. Result: No statistically significant differences were found between the two groups in terms of serum Thrombospondin-1 and Thrombospondin-2 levels. In addition, no correlation was determined between Thrombospondin-2 levels and clinical symptomatology and severity of ASD. However, the Thrombospondin-1 level was found to negatively correlated with the total score of Childhood Autism Rating Scale, inappropriate speech and stereotype subscale scores of Aberrant Behavior Checklist scale. Conclusion: Thrombospondin-1 might have a potential role in the etiopathogenesis of ASD. Further studies are required to clearly elucidate the association between Trombospondin-1 and ASD.

Comparison of Quality of Life, Depression, Anxiety, Suicide, Social Anxiety and Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms Between Adolescents with Acne Receiving Isotretinoin and Antibiotics: A Prospective, Non-randomised, Open-Label Study.

BACKGROUND: The effects of isotretinoin on suicide, social anxiety and obsessive-compulsive symptoms in adolescents with acne have not been sufficiently investigated. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the quality of life, depression, anxiety, suicide, social anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms of adolescents receiving systemic isotretinoin and antibiotic treatments at baseline and at 3 months. METHODS: The study included a total of 102 adolescents using isotretinoin (n = 60) and antibiotics (n = 42). The Acne Quality of Life Scale (AQLS), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Suicide Probability Scale (SPS), Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS), and Maudsley Obsessive-Compulsive Question List (MOCQL) were administered to both groups at baseline and at 3 months. In order to exclude patients with comorbid psychiatric disorders, the patients were evaluated at the beginning of the study with the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL). RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the mean age, gender distribution, educational level, and family history of mental illness between the two groups. There were significant decreases in the Global Acne Grading System scores, visual analogue scale scores, AQLS scores, total and subscale scores of LSAS, and total and subscale scores of MOCQL at 3 months compared with baseline in both groups. However, there were no significant changes in the total and subscale scores of HADS and total and subscale scores of SPS at 3 months compared with baseline in both groups. CONCLUSION: We found that neither isotretinoin nor antibiotic treatment affected the levels of depression, anxiety, and suicide in acne patients. Moreover, both isotretinoin and antibiotic treatment were shown to improve the quality of life, social anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms in acne patients. However, clinicians should be careful about psychiatric side effects in patients using isotretinoin. Further studies with a larger number of cases and with a longer follow-up period are needed to investigate the complex effects of isotretinoin on the central nervous system.

Public awareness, knowledge, and practice relating to epilepsy among adults in Konya.

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to determine the familiarity with, knowledge of, misunderstandings, and attitudes toward epilepsy among a group of Turkish adults living in Konya, an urban city in central Turkey. METHODS: By using an established familiarity-knowledge-attitudes practice questionnaire, 500 randomly selected adult residents of Konya were interviewed face-to-face. Demographic and sociocultural factors that predicted negative attitudes were determined. RESULTS: More than half of all participants (68.4%) reported hearing or reading about epilepsy, 44% knew someone with epilepsy, and 42.2% had witnessed a seizure. The primary source of knowledge was via relatives and friends; Negative attitudes were about marriage and inability to live alone with epilepsy (63.2% objected to marriage and 84% objected to living alone). A preconception of epilepsy being a dangerous and lifelong disease was the primary reason for negative attitudes. Predictors of negative attitudes were female gender, lower educational status, and living in a rural area. CONCLUSION: Negative attitudes regarding the marital status of patients with epilepsy still exist. These may stem from misconceptions about the cause and treatability of epilepsy.