Two Sisters From Qatar With TUSC3 Genetic Mutation: Psychiatric Considerations.

Defects in the tumor suppressor candidate 3 (TUSC3) gene have been identified in individuals with autosomal recessive intellectual disability (ARID). Our report on two sisters from Qatar with a mutation in the TUSC3 gene focuses on the behavioral manifestations and management provided to them. The sisters, daughters of consanguineous parents, exhibited aggressive and impulsive behavior, along with hyperactivity and emotional dysregulation. They also exhibited abnormal sleep and eating patterns. Behavioral therapy and psychotropic medications including aripiprazole 3.75mg, clonidine 0.025mg, and guanfacine 1mg were used for the management of aggressive and agitated behavior. The two girls showed a reduction in aggressive behavior, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and insomnia in response to 2mg daily of guanfacine. Few families around the world were reported to have mutations in the TUSC3 gene resulting in intellectual disability. We describe the first two reported cases of TUSC3 gene mutation in Qatar. We encourage further research to study the effects of TUSC3 gene mutation, its manifestations, and treatment.

Recognizing obsessive-compulsive disorder: how suitable is the German Zohar-Fineberg obsessive-compulsive screen?

BACKGROUND: Despite the prevalence of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), its precise identification remains challenging. With the Zohar-Fineberg Obsessive-Compulsive Screen (ZF-OCS; 5 or 6 items), a brief instrument is widely available mainly in English. As there is a lack of empirical studies on the ZF-OCS, the aim of the present study was to translate the items into German and investigate the instrument in a nonclinical sample. METHODS: In two consecutive online surveys, n = 304 and n = 51 students participated. Besides the ZF-OCS, they answered established measures on OCD, depression, health anxiety, general anxiety and health-related well-being. RESULTS: Whereas internal consistency was low (α = .53-.72; ω = .55-.69), retest reliability (rt1,t2 = .89) at two weeks was high. As expected, we found high correlations with other OCD instruments (r > .61; convergent validity), and significantly weaker correlations with measures of depression (r = .39), health anxiety (r = .29), and health-related well-being (r = -.28, divergent validity). Nonetheless, the correlations with general anxiety were somewhere in between (r = .52). CONCLUSIONS: Due to heterogeneous OCD subtypes, the ZF-OCS asks diverse questions which probably resulted in the present internal consistency. Nevertheless, the results on retest reliability and validity were promising. As for other OCD instruments, divergent validity regarding general anxiety seems problematic to establish. Even so, the ZF-OCS seems valuable for screening purposes, as it is short and easy to administer, and may facilitate initiating subsequent clinical assessment. Further studies should determine the instrument's diagnostic accuracy.

Psychodiagnostics as a Mandatory Element of Patient Protocols in Dentistry.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims at performing psychodiagnostics of the patients` condition with removable and fixed dentures both before and after dental treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The first group included 200 patients with fixed-type dentures, and the second group consisted of 200 patients with removable dental devices. The control group included 200 patients with healthy teeth. All patients were subjected to Fere's skin-galvanic reaction procedure. Patients also filled out the Dental Status Questionnaire and were then tested following the Spielberger-Hanin Scale. For a comparison of differences, a two-sample t-test for independent samples was used. The Pearson correlation between features was calculated considering their distribution as normal. RESULTS: In the control group, the hemispheric activity index increased 1.1 times after treatment. In Group 2, following the dental status questionnaire, the index of hemispheric activity increased 1.3 times in males with a positive emotional mood (P ≤ 0.01). A 2.2-fold and 2.1-fold (P ≤ 0.01) increase was observed among female and male patients with a negative emotional mood in Group 2, respectively. After the treatment, the hemispheric activity index in Group 1 increased by 1.1 times for males with a positive mood (P ≤ 0.01) and by 1.2 times for male and female patients with a negative mood (P ≤ 0.05). Direct correlation was recorded between the increase in the number of scores and emotional mood among males and females from Group 1 (0.72 and 0.73, respectively). After the survey, a correlation was established between the values of the hemispheric activity index and the increase in scores among males (0.82) and females (0.81). There was also a connection between the increase in scores and the level of personal anxiety in both male (0.57) and female (0.66) patients, as well as between the increase in scores and the level of reactive anxiety (0.56 and 0.57, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Changes in the hemispheric activity index were shown to be related to the patient's dental condition questionnaire. Besides, there is a relationship with the type of dental service. The practical application of this study implies that more reliable information about the patient's satisfaction with the quality of dental care provided can be obtained using not only standard psychodiagnostic methods but also questionnaires on the patient's dental status. Once the survey is completed and the data obtained analyzed, it is possible to define the correct strategy to restore the patient's physical and mental health after dental treatment.

NEUROTIC CONDITIONS: PROBLEM, DIAGNOSIS, CORRECTION BY COGNITIVE-BEHAVIOR THERAPY.

OBJECTIVE: The aim: To identify the relationship between neurotic states and hardiness as an indicator of mental health, to explore the possibility of using the cognitive-behavior therapy techniques to correct neurotic states in young people. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Materials and methods: The methods "Clinical questionnaire for the detection and evaluation of neurotic conditions" (K. Yakhin, D. Mendelevich) and "Hardiness Survey" (S. Muddi, adapted by D. Leontev, O. Rasskazova) were used for diagnosis. Wilcoxon test was used to determine changes in the manifestations of neurotic states in the conditions "before" and "after" the application of cognitive-behavior therapy techniques. Correlation analysis was used also to distinguish the relationship between neurotic states, hardiness and its components. RESULTS: Results: It has been identified that various neurotic states are differently related to hardiness as an indicator of mental and social health. The level of anxiety and obsessivephobic disorders has inverse negative relationship with general level of hardiness (r = -0.31 and r = -0.34), but the level of asthenia has a positive connection with this indicator (r = 0.49). The level of neurotic anxiety is inversely related with the level of personal involvement in life (r = -0.27). The effectiveness of CBT techniques (psycho-education, distancing, cognitive reassessment) for the correction of neurotic states, namely: anxiety (p <0.01) and hysterical reaction type (p <0.01) was proved. CONCLUSION: Conclusions: Neurotic states are correlated with level of hardiness (an indicator of mental and social health) and personal involvement in life. The correction of neurotic states can be effectively carried out by means of CBT.

[Posttraumatic stress disorder : Risk factors, phenomenology, early recognition and management]. / Posttraumatische Belastungsstörung : Risikofaktoren, Phänomenologie, Früherkennung und Management.

Posttraumatic stress disorder is characterized by the symptom levels intrusion, avoidance and hyperarousal as a reaction to an exceptionally threatening event. It is a well-investigated and well-treatable mental condition; however, the frequently accompanying disturbances in sleep, cognition, affect and especially avoidance behavior represent substantial hurdles in the trauma surgery treatment as well in occupational reintegration. Basic knowledge about risk factors and the clinical phenomenology also enable early identification by the primary trauma surgeon or the accident insurance consultant (D-physician) and if necessary to initiate a qualified psychotraumatologically founded treatment.

The contribution of the TIPE (Test di Induzione PsicoErotica: PsychoErotic Induction Test) to the assessment of erotic fantasies in subjects affected by gender dysphoria: a case series.

Research into sexual aspects poses a fascinating challenge that is highly cogent to clinical profiling disciplines, but also constitutes a more 'narrative and culturally oriented' approach to medicine and psychology. Assessments of subjects affected by gender dysphoria and their internal, relational and sexual world is a still more complex task, since these are very distressing and tormented issues for the subjects under study. Psychodiagnostics can be an important element in the various investigative, evaluative and therapeutic pathways. The authors have focused attention on the TIPE (Test di Induzione PsicoErotica: PsychoErotic Induction Test), an Italian projective psychodiagnostic tool that is used to explore the psychoerotic fantasies of subjects affected by gender dysphoria. The TIPE tests protocols of two samples of subjects have been examined. They projected particularly rich narrative aspects of the subjects' psychoerotic imaginary world. The first sample, a clinical series, consisted of a total of eleven subjects, nine men and two women, mean age 43 years, who were undergoing assessment, firstly psychotherapeutic and then medicolegal, for sex rectification purposes; the second sample, the controls, consisted of fourteen subjects, nine men and five women, mean age 28 years, all heterosexual and with a problem-free history of sexual identity.

[Biopsychosocial concept of the chronic ischemia of the brain in elderly.]

The aim of the study was to optimize the strategies of diagnosis and treatment of chronic cerebral ischemia (CCI) in the elderly by using a multidimensional integrated approach in determining the role of biological, individual psychological and social factors in the occurrence and course of the disease. The object of study - patients with CCI. As a result of the study, a methodology for systematic research of CCI was developed for the first time. It promotes an understanding of not only psychosomatic and somatopsychic relationships, but also mechanisms of an individual's adaptation to the disease and optimization of the patient's quality of life. The author proposes a diagnostic and treatment diagnostic algorithm for elderly people with CCI, which can be used to build comprehensive programs for the primary prevention of stroke in the population scale. The idea was expressed about the correspondence of the stages of dyscirculatory encephalopathy (neurological manifestations of the disease) and the variants of the course of the psychoorganic syndrome, reflecting the severity of cerebral dyshemia and impaired cognitive status.

Psychogenic Foreign Accent Syndrome: A New Case.

This paper presents the case of a 33-year-old, right-handed, French-speaking Belgian lady who was involved in a car accident as a pedestrian. Six months after the incident she developed a German/Flemish-like accent. The patient's medical history, the onset of the FAS and the possible psychological causes of the accent change are analyzed. Relevant neuropsychological, neurolinguistic, and psychodiagnostic test results are presented and discussed. The psychodiagnostic interview and testing will receive special attention, because these have been underreported in previous FAS case reports. Furthermore, an accent rating experiment was carried out in order to assess the foreign quality of the patient's speech. Pre- and post-morbid spontaneous speech samples were analyzed phonetically to identify the pronunciation characteristics associated with this type of FAS. Several findings were considered essential in the diagnosis of psychogenic FAS: the psychological assessments as well as the clinical interview confirmed the presence of psychological problems, while neurological damage was excluded by means of repeated neuroimaging and neurological examinations. The type and nature of the speech symptoms and the accent fluctuations associated with the patient's psychological state cannot be explained by a neurological disorder. Moreover, the indifference of the patient toward her condition may also suggest a psychogenic etiology, as the opposite is usually observed in neurogenic FAS patients.

Estudo preliminar do Elder Memory Test e relação com nível de escolaridade / Preliminary study of the Elder Memory Test and relations with academic level

Este estudo tem como objetivos desenvolver uma prova para avaliação dos componentes da memória, denominado Elder Memory Test, e posteriormente buscar evidências de validade para este instrumento de avaliação da memória, correlacionando o desempenho do teste de memória com as variáveis Escolaridade e Idade. Foram participantes uma amostra composta por 102 indivíduos com média de idade de 67 a 89, sendo que 73,5% corresponde ao sexo feminino. Foi utilizado neste estudo um instrumento de avaliação para Memória, denominado Elder memory Test, que inclui os principais componentes de memória. Os resultados apontaram que os idosos apresentam diferentes médias em relação à escolaridade e idade, corroborando os estudos com esta população. (AU)

This study aims to develop a test to evaluate memory components (Elder Memory Test), and then look for validity evidence in assessing memory by correlating the memory test scores with age and educational level. One hundred and two subjects with mean age of 67 years and 73.5% female were studied. We utilized in this study and assessment instrument for memory, called memory Elder Test that includes the main components of memory. The results indicated that the elderly have different mean scores by educational level and age, confirming other studies with this population. (AU)

Estudo preliminar do Elder Memory Test e relação com nível de escolaridade / Preliminary study of the Elder Memory Test and relations with academic level

Este estudo tem como objetivos desenvolver uma prova para avaliação dos componentes da memória, denominado Elder Memory Test, e posteriormente buscar evidências de validade para este instrumento de avaliação da memória, correlacionando o desempenho do teste de memória com as variáveis Escolaridade e Idade. Foram participantes uma amostra composta por 102 indivíduos com média de idade de 67 a 89, sendo que 73,5% corresponde ao sexo feminino. Foi utilizado neste estudo um instrumento de avaliação para Memória, denominado Elder memory Test, que inclui os principais componentes de memória. Os resultados apontaram que os idosos apresentam diferentes médias em relação à escolaridade e idade, corroborando os estudos com esta população.

This study aims to develop a test to evaluate memory components (Elder Memory Test), and then look for validity evidence in assessing memory by correlating the memory test scores with age and educational level. One hundred and two subjects with mean age of 67 years and 73.5% female were studied. We utilized in this study and assessment instrument for memory, called memory Elder Test that includes the main components of memory. The results indicated that the elderly have different mean scores by educational level and age, confirming other studies with this population.