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Podcasts have recently been introduced into psychiatry education, despite limited evidence evaluating podcasting in medical education. PsychEd is an educational, publicly available podcast targeting junior learners in psychiatry. This study characterized PsychEd's listeners and the podcast's role in their education.The study involved a mixed-methods survey, followed by semi-structured phone interviews with respondents. There were 97 survey responders in total, of whom 9 participated in a telephone interview. Survey responses were coded as interval data and analyzed descriptively using statistical software. Interviews were transcribed and coded for emergent themes using a grounded theory model.PsychEd listeners represented an interprofessional audience, with 46 respondents (48%) being physicians or physicians in training, and 34 (35%) being allied mental health professionals. All respondents (100%) rated the podcast as "helpful" or "very helpful" for general knowledge. Listeners were attracted to PsychEd for the auditory learning format, the opportunity to review existing knowledge, the focus on core topics, the Canadian expertise, and the presentation of "clinical pearls." Respondents highlighted valuable qualities of a psychiatry podcast: conversational, case-based, narrative approach, longer episodes (i.e., 30-60 minutes) as compared to other medical specialties, and a clinical focus. Furthermore, they identified podcasts as an opportunity for shared interprofessional curricula.This study is the first to examine the motivations and experiences of listeners of a psychiatry educational podcast. The findings support existing literature on the benefits of podcasts in medical education. Future studies should explore the impact of podcasts on learning and behaviors.

Psychiatric factors play a significant role in the transmission and perpetuation of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pandemic. In less than four decades, competent HIV medical care and research transformed acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) from a rapidly fatal illness of unknown cause into a chronic manageable illness. These vast strides made in the care of persons with HIV have not been matched in the prevention of HIV transmission or in the psychiatric care of persons with HIV/AIDS. Although AIDS is an entirely preventable infectious illness, HIV transmission continues throughout the world. HIV transmission of HIV is fueled by the stigma of mental illness and of HIV, as well as discrimination, criminalization, and risky behaviors. A comprehensive biopsychosocial approach to sexual health and mental health and diminution of stigma is essential to both HIV prevention and HIV care. This chapter introduces the concept of HIV/AIDS as “the great magnifier of maladies” as it traces the history of HIV psychiatry, explores the paradoxes and disparities of HIV care, explains how HIV psychiatry is a paradigm for the psychiatric care of the medically ill (psychosomatic medicine), and sets the stage for an understanding of how integrated care can prevent transmission of HIV and decrease morbidity and mortality in persons with HIV.

This chapter explores some of the unique challenges that often put women at higher risk of HIV infection and that create a course of illness that may differ from that found in men living with HIV. The first portion of the chapter discusses manifestations of HIV infection and the course of infection in women. It also addresses the particular issues associated with antiretroviral treatment (ART) and women, and the interactions between ART and depression in women. The chapter then goes on to broach an important topic that puts many women at high risk for HIV infection: gender-based violence, as well as some of the key, albeit limited, research on effective interventions for gender-based violence and HIV prevention. The third part of the chapter addresses issues related specifically to HIV and pregnancy, including vertical transmission. Finally, the chapter concludes with a discussion of a relatively neglected topic, HIV and menopause.

The cytochrome P450 isoform that is primarily involved in the metabolism of the antipsychotic lurasidone is CYP3A4. Drugs that inhibit or induce this enzyme would then be expected to increase or decrease serum concentrations of lurasidone, respectively. Atazanavir, an HIV-1 protease inhibitor, has demonstrated to be an inhibitor of CYP3A4 and would be expected to increase the exposure of any drug metabolized by this enzyme. We report a case of an atazanavir-precipitated drug–drug interaction that led to elevated serum concentrations of lurasidone and associated clinical symptoms of drug toxicity.

Objective To examine: 1) current knowledge on normal biologic variation of seminal parameters; 2) how stress and psychological factors affect sperm quality in fertile and infertile males; and 3) how mental illness and psychopharmacologic agents can affect male fertility. Design English-language Medline, Embase, and Psycinfo were searched for relevant publications (from 1970 to January 2011) for systematic review. Setting None. Patient(s) None. Intervention(s) None. Main Outcome Measure(s) Possible effects of stress, mood, and psychotropic medications on male factor fertility. Result(s) Male-factor infertility is influenced by myriad factors (obesity, tobacco, etc.). Stress alone may reduce testosterone levels and spermatogenesis. Infertility assessment and treatment can lead to distress and negatively affect sperm samples. Available research has failed to control for potentially confounding variables. Conclusion(s) Although some trends have been identified, larger-scale studies that adequately control all confounding variables are needed before conclusions can be made about the relationship between stress, psychotropic agents, and male infertility.

Female-specific psychiatric illness including premenstrual dysphoria, perinatal depression, and psychopathology related to the perimenopausal period are often underdiagnosed and treated. These conditions can negatively affect the quality of life for women and their families. The development of screening tools has helped guide our understanding of these conditions. There is a wide disparity in the methods, definitions, and tools used in studies relevant to female-specific psychiatric illness. As a result, there is no consensus on one tool that is most appropriate for use in a research or clinical setting. In reviewing this topic, we hope to highlight the evolution of various tools as they have built on preexisting instruments and to identify the psychometric properties and clinical applicability of available tools. It would be valuable for researchers to reach a consensus on a core set of screening instruments specific to female psychopathology to gain consistency within and between clinical settings.

There are sex differences in the prevalence and presentation of many psychiatric disorders. Various trends in symptomatology have emerged that are thought to be linked to periods of hormonal fluctuations such as with menses, pregnancy or menopause. With data from animal and human studies, it has become clear that there is an important interplay between the serotonergic system and gonadal hormones. The majority of the research to date has focused on the influence that estrogen has within the CNS and, in particular, how it leads to an overall increase in serotonin synthesis and availability. In reviewing this female-specific topic we hope to raise awareness to sex/gender differences in psychopathology, help identify at-risk populations and consider development of new treatment options. Future research will also need to consider the influence that progesterone and oxytocin may have on sex-specific psychopathology as well as incorporate neuroimaging and consider the influence of hormones on the serotonergic system at a genetic level.

Hot flashes (or flushes) are the most commonly reported symptoms during the menopause transition and early postmenopausal years, particularly in Western societies; they affect 60-90% of women and can lead to significant physical discomfort and functional impairment. The emergence of hot flashes and night sweats (also known as vasomotor symptoms [VMS]) coincide with a period in life that is also marked by dynamic changes in hormone and reproductive function that interconnect with the aging process, changes in metabolism, lifestyle behaviours and overall health. Estrogen-based therapies have long been the treatment of choice for women suffering from VMS. More recent concerns over long-term safety of menopausal hormone treatments, however, have led physicians and patients to pursue non-hormonal strategies to alleviate their symptoms. In this article, we review most of the efficacy and safety data on non-hormonal treatments for VMS published over the past 20 years. We discuss the evidence for treating symptomatic women in different clinical scenarios, e.g. VMS with and without concomitant depression or VMS following the use of anti-estrogen therapies. Overall, efficacy data support the use of some psychotropic medications, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors and gabapentin. Complementary and alternative methods for VMS also showed limited but promising results, although more definitive studies are warranted. Clinicians should therefore be able to tailor treatment strategies for those who are unable or unwilling to use hormones to alleviate VMS and improve overall functioning and quality of life.

Existing attempts to evaluate footwear via cyclic compression fail to sufficiently represent biofidelic force-time curves or provide the underlying mechanism of EVA foam fatigue. A uniaxial biofidelic waveform was compared to a sine wave of the same frequency to examine differences in (1) net displacement, (2) absorbed energy, and (3) peak force from ASTM F1614. A non-destructive molecular-level technique (ATR-FTIR) recorded differences in hydroxyl, ester, and unsaturated moieties due to EVA degradation. It was concluded that (1) biofidelic waveforms may better simulate human running, (2) material degradation is discernible, and (3) inferences regarding polymeric degradation and macroscopic performance require further investigation.