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Shift work, particularly night shifts may deteriorate many factors like impulsiveness and job satisfaction along with the impairment in physical and mental performance as well as familial and social relationships. In this study, our objective was to evaluate impulsiveness, circadian preferences, and job satisfaction in nurses and to compare their effects on the day and night shift work. For this purpose, a total of 100 nurses of a university medical center hospital (50 working day shift and 50 working night shift) were included in the study between March 2020 and May 2020. They were evaluated with socio-demographic information form, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire, and Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire. Correlation coefficient was calculated to determine the relationships between scales. In our study, for the shift working nurses, the mean scores of the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale and Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire were 58.13±13.44, 68.62±10.64, and 53.00±7.19 respectively. The Barratt Impulsiveness total score and the sub-dimensions of scale attentional impulsiveness and motor impulsiveness were significantly higher in night shift workers (p values=0.05). Job satisfaction was not statistically associated with sex and shift work type. In our study, for the shift working nurses, the mean scores of the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale and Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire were 58.13±13.44, 68.62±10.64, and 53.00±7.19 respectively. The Barratt Impulsiveness total score and the sub-dimensions of scale attentional impulsiveness and motor impulsiveness were significantly higher in night shift workers (p values=0.05). Job satisfaction was not statistically associated with sex and shift work type. In our study, for the shift working nurses, the mean scores of the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale and Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire were 58.13±13.44, 68.62±10.64, and 53.00±7.19 respectively. The Barratt Impulsiveness total score and the sub-dimensions of scale attentional impulsiveness and motor impulsiveness were significantly higher in night shift workers (p values=0.05). Job satisfaction was not statistically associated with sex and shift work type. In our study, for the shift working nurses, the mean scores of the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale and Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire were 58.13±13.44, 68.62±10.64, and 53.00±7.19 respectively. The Barratt Impulsiveness total score and the sub-dimensions of scale attentional impulsiveness and motor impulsiveness were significantly higher in night shift workers (p values=0.05). Job satisfaction was not statistically associated with sex and shift work type. In our study, for the shift working nurses, the mean scores of the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale and Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire were 58.13±13.44, 68.62±10.64, and 53.00±7.19 respectively. The Barratt Impulsiveness total score and the sub-dimensions of scale attentional impulsiveness and motor impulsiveness were significantly higher in night shift workers (p values=0.05). Job satisfaction was not statistically associated with sex and shift work type. In our study, for the shift working nurses, the mean scores of the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale and Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire were 58.13±13.44, 68.62±10.64, and 53.00±7.19 respectively. The Barratt Impulsiveness total score and the sub-dimensions of scale attentional impulsiveness and motor impulsiveness were significantly higher in night shift workers (p values=0.05). Job satisfaction was not statistically associated with sex and shift work type. In our study, for the shift working nurses, the mean scores of the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale and Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire were 58.13±13.44, 68.62±10.64, and 53.00±7.19 respectively. The Barratt Impulsiveness total score and the sub-dimensions of scale attentional impulsiveness and motor impulsiveness were significantly higher in night shift workers (p values=0.05). Job satisfaction was not statistically associated with sex and shift work type. In our study, for the shift working nurses, the mean scores of the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale and Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire were 58.13±13.44, 68.62±10.64, and 53.00±7.19 respectively. The Barratt Impulsiveness total score and the sub-dimensions of scale attentional impulsiveness and motor impulsiveness were significantly higher in night shift workers (p values=0.05). Job satisfaction was not statistically associated with sex and shift work type. In our study, for the shift working nurses, the mean scores of the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale and Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire were 58.13±13.44, 68.62±10.64, and 53.00±7.19 respectively. The Barratt Impulsiveness total score and the sub-dimensions of scale attentional impulsiveness and motor impulsiveness were significantly higher in night shift workers (p values=0.05). Job satisfaction was not statistically associated with sex and shift work type. In our study, for the shift working nurses, the mean scores of the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale and Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire were 58.13±13.44, 68.62±10.64, and 53.00±7.19 respectively. The Barratt Impulsiveness total score and the sub-dimensions of scale attentional impulsiveness and motor impulsiveness were significantly higher in night shift workers (p values=0.05). Job satisfaction was not statistically associated with sex and shift work type. It was found that impulsivity scale sores of night-shift workers were higher than daytime workers. Effective management of impulsivity and assessment of workers' suitability for the shift system according to their chronotypes are important for preventing deficiencies in the health system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sleep problems are prevalent in hemodialysis patients. Although several studies have investigated the sleep quality and its causes in hemodialysis patients, there is no report available on dream anxiety in hemodialysis patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the sleep quality and dream anxiety in hemodialysis patients. We also investigated related factors which influence sleep quality and dream anxiety. Fifty-two hemodialysis patients and 38 healthy individuals were included in the present study. The sleep quality and dream anxiety were assessed with Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Van Dream Anxiety Scale (VDAS); respectively. The majority of hemodialysis patients had poor sleep quality (%92.3) in our study. Hemodialysis patients had significantly longer sleep latency, higher sleep disturbances and daytime dysfunction than healthy individuals. Hemodialysis patients had higher global dream anxiety scores than healthy individuals. There was a negative relationship between hemoglobin levels and Global VDAS score. Global PSQI score was negative correlated with serum creatinine and phosphorus levels, while positive correlated with C-reactive protein levels. Our results suggest that hemodialysis patients had poor sleep quality, higher sleep disturbances and daytime dysfunction compared with healthy subjects. Moreover, we demonstrated that dream anxiety was significantly higher in hemodialysis patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The butterfly effect is that a small change at one place in a complex dynamic system can lead to large and unexpected consequences. In modern science, the theory can have applications in physics, mathematics, engineering, as well as biology, psychology, and cognitive science. The dynamic approach to cognition emphasizes the complex process of human development including mental, behavioral, neural and social systems interacting with each other over the life course. Emotion-related experiences as the result of interaction between person and his environment have been useful for explaining the butterfly effect in psychiatry practice. Here, we report a patient with depressive episode that has developed after psychosocial stress and has been treated with electroconvulsive therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the positive impact of sleep deprivation (SD) over depressive disorders. Topics discussed include information on mechanism of SD which includes monoaminergic neurotransmission increasing serotonin, noradrenaline and dopamine neurotransmission and alterations in the immune and endocrine systems; variety of physiological and neurobehavioral changes induced by SD; and use of SD in electroencephalography (EEG).

Objective: Earthquakes are among the most destructive life-threatening natural disasters and an important cause of death. Despite the fact that earthquakes are frequently experienced and devastating natural disasters, less attention has been paid to risk factors and psychological effects. PTSD is common and chronic mental disorder is likely to develop in anyone who has been exposed to violent trauma. Oxidative stress has been shown to play an important role in the pathogenesis of post-traumatic stress disorder. Although there are some studies on oxidative stress and post-traumatic stress disorder, no reports are available on the serum total oxidant and antioxidant status in earthquake survivors with PTSD. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the serum total oxidant and antioxidant status in earthquake survivors with chronic PTSD. Methods: This study was consecutively conducted in the Department of Psychiatry at Yuzuncu Yil University (Van, Turkey) between June 2012 and February 2013. In this study, 45 patients with chronic PTSD (15 males, 30 females) and 40 non-PTSD subjects (14 males, 26 females) were enrolled. The control group consisted of 40 healthy earthquake survivors. Patients with PTSD had not received any treatment prior to the study. The oxidative status was determined using a total antioxidant status and total oxidant status measurement and a calculation of the oxidative stress index. Patients were assessed for PTSD by a psychiatrist with the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) and the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scale. Results: There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups regarding age, gender, or body mass index. There were no statistically significant differences in the total antioxidant status, total oxidant status, or oxidative stress index when comparing subjects with and without PTSD (all, p>0.05). We found no correlations between Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale scores and oxidant and anti-oxidant stress markers (all, p>0.05). Conclusion: Our results suggest that the total oxidant and antioxidant status may not affect earthquake survivors with PTSD. This is the first study to evaluate the oxidative status in earthquake survivors with PTSD. Further studies are necessary to confirm these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hirsutism is defined as the presence of excess terminal hair in females in a male-like pattern. There are many factors involved in the etiology of hirsutism. Multiple medications have been associated with hirsutism. We report here a case of rapid onset of hirsutism following administration of mirtazapine. A 24-year-old, single, female patient applied to our outpatient clinic with depression symptoms of unwillingness, malaise, sadness, insomnia and loss of appetite. She did not explain psychosocial stress factors. She was diagnosed to have major depressive disorder according to SCID-I and prescribed mirtazapine 30 mg once a day. When she came to follow-up after one month, the patient dwelled upon the abnormal hair growth and menstrual irregularity. She consulted to the obstetrics clinic top of the legs. Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), Luteinizing hormone (LH), Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), testosterone, progesterone and estradiol levels were within normal ranges. Mirtazapine treatment was discontinued and trazodone was started. The terminal hair growth and menstrual irregularity stopped after discontinuation of mirtazapine. Mirtazapine is an alpha- 2 antagonist antidepressant that has complex mechanisms in releasing noradrenalin and serotonin. In our case, the patient had no complaints of male pattern hair growth before mirtazapine treatment and improved after discontinuation of the medication suggests that it is a drug-induced hirsutism. Hirsutism is usually caused by increased androgen production furthermore it can also be seen in normal serum androgen levels. The other antidepressants associated with hirsutism are bupropion, fluoxetine and venlafaxine. Case series are needed to verify the mirtazapine-induced hirsutism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Antihistaminics are mainly used to threat chronic pruritus or to affect sleep quality and mood. However, there are limited prospective and comprehensive comparative studies about both classic and new-generation antihistaminics. The purpose of this study was to determine and compare the effects of classical and new-generation antihistaminics on sleep quality, daytime sleepiness, dream anxiety and mood states. Method: 92 patients with chronic pruritus participated in the study, who were consecutively admitted to the dermatology outpatient clinic of Dursun Odabas Research Hospital. Treatments with regular recommended therapeutic doses were as follows: 15 patients were given pheniramine maleate three times a day, 16 patients were given hydroxyzine 25 mg/day, 15 patients were given cetirizine 10 mg/day, 15 patients were given desloratadine 5 mg/day, 15 patients were given levocetirizine 5 mg/day, and 16 patients were given rupatadin 10 mg/day. Influences of antihistaminic drugs on mood, daytime sleepiness, dream anxiety and sleep quality in the first day and 1 month after the treatment were evaluated. Participants completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Van Dream Anxiety Scale (VDAS), Profile of Mood States (POMS), and UKU (Udvalg fur Kliniske Undersogelser) before the treatment. We evaluated with ESS, POMS and psychological side effects with UKU on day 1 and ESS, PSQI, VDAS, POMS and UKU were filled and compared again one month after treatment. Results: The six drugs were separately compared with each other and it was found that outpatients who received cetirizine treatment reported higher scores on depression, anxiety and fatigue subscales of the POMS than outpatients, who received desloratadine, levocetirizine and rupatadin treatment. Hydroxyzine and cetirizine did not differ from each other. Sleep latency was significantly improved among patients medicated with levocetirizine. Daytime sleepiness was predicted by rupadatin and pheniramine treatments. The UKU scores significantly increased among outpatients receiving pheniramine treatment. Antihistaminics regardless of being a first or second generation increased daytime sleepiness and decreased the scores of subjective sleep quality, showed no significant influence on mood. Antihistaminic drugs reduced sleep latency, increased daytime sleepiness and subjective sleep quality. There were no differences in sleep and affective characteristics between classic and new generation antihistaminic drugs before the treatment, on the first day and one month after the treatment. The global PSQI scores significantly decreased after one month in both groups that means improvement in subjective sleep quality. However, the dream anxiety scores of outpatients, who were medicated with new generation drugs as compared to outpatients, who were medicated with first generation drugs were significantly lower after one month. Conclusion: According to the results of the study; either classical or new generation antihistaminics significantly increased daytime sleepiness as well as nocturnal sleep quality. As far as the remarkable differences between drugs are concerned, cetirizine and hydroxyzine seem to have negative influences on mood states; pheniramine and rupatadin appear to be related to more daytime sleepiness and better nocturnal sleep quality. Since the small sample size of each drug group, the current results should be confirmed in further studies with larger patient groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Dissociation seems to be associated with deviations in motor, cognitive and neurobehavioral abilities. In this study, our aim was to examine the effects of dissociative experiences on academic performance and attention processes among undergraduate students. Methods: Participants were 317 undergraduates recruited from various faculties of Yuzuncu Yil University. Their mean age was 22.53 (SD±2.27) years; range: 18-38). Subjects were administered a socio-demographic questionnaire, the Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS), Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES), Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Results: 209 participants (65.93%) were the survivors of the 2011 Van earthquake. Earthquake survivors made significantly higher scores on PTSD global and three sub-scales of the PDS than participants without prior earthquake experience. Earthquake survivors also made greater scores on the DES total, amnesia, depersonalization/derealization sub-scales, but mean absorption scores did not differ between groups. Moreover, severity of depression symptoms was significantly higher among participants, who experienced earthquake than participants who experienced no earthquake. Attention deficit and hyperactivity/impulsivity sub-scales of the ASRS as well as anxiety scores did not significantly differ between groups. Overall and sub-scale scores of the DES were significantly correlated with PTSD global and sub-types of posttraumatic symptoms in terms of re-experiencing, avoidance, and hyper arousal. Conclusion: Our results provide evidence that dissociative experiences do not only impair cognitive functions, but also they cause poor academic performance. This can lead to trouble with learning. These results will help parents and educators more profoundly in evaluating academic learning disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder which develops after exposure to a traumatic event. In recent years, researches on roles of biologic effects in PTSD's etiology have increased. Prolidase is a manganese-dependent cytosolic exopeptidase that cleaves imidodipeptides containing Cterminal proline or hydroxyproline, and its activity has been documented in plasma and in various organs, such as the heart and the brain. In humans, the deficiency of the enzyme activity causes a rare autosomal recessive inherited disorder with a highly variable clinical phenotype such as chronic recurrent infections, mental retardation, splenomegaly, and skin lesion. The status of prolidase, which has significant biologic effects in PTSD's etiology, has been assessed. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between PTSD and serum prolidase activity. Methods: Among the survivors of the Van earthquake on 23 October 2011, 25 patients who had been diagnosed with PTSD according to DSM-IV criteria and 26 cases who were traumatized but not diagnosed with PTSD as well as 25 healthy controls who never experienced an earthquake were enrolled in the study. Serum prolidase activity of all participants was measured and compared across groups. All traumatized cases were assessed using the PTSD Check List Civilian Version (PCL-C). Results: The mean prolidase activity of PTSD patients was significantly lower than that of traumatized cases without PTSD diagnosis, which in turn is significantly lower than the prolidase activity of the cases who never experienced an earthquake (p<0,01). Conclusion: Studies have also noted that glutamate and nitric oxide (NO) play a causal role in anxiety-related behaviors. Because of the prominent role of NO in neuronal toxicity, cellular memory processes, and as a neuromodulator, nitrergic pathways may have an important role in stress-related hippocampal degenerative pathology and cognitive defects seen in patients with PTSD. It has been shown that elevated prolin levels activated the NMDA receptor. It has been considered that prolidase has a role of regulation of nitric oxide synthesis. We observed in this research that while prolidase levels decreased, the substance tended to to reduce NO and the neurotoxic effects of glutamate. Therefore, we suggest that Prolidase is a neuroprotective molecule. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the association of folate and vitamin B12 levels in patients with conversion disorder, and to illuminate the aetiology of conversion disorder by examining depression and somatoform dissociation., Methods: The case-control study was conducted from March 2014 to May 2015 at the Medical Centre of Yuzuncu Yil University, Van, Turkey, and comprised patients diagnosed with conversion disorder and healthy controls. Blood samples were taken from both groups for vitamin B12 and folate levels. Data was collected using the Beck Depression Inventory and Somatoform Dissociation Scale. Data was analysed using SPSS 18., Results: Of the 100 subjects, 55(55%) were cases with a mean age of 27.05±9.04 years and 45(45%) were controls with a mean age of 26.56± 5.96 years. The mean level of B12 was 283.93±122.96 in cases and 324.62±128.82 in controls (p=0.05). The mean level of folic acid was 5.47±1.84 in cases and 6.07±2.26 in controls (p>0.05)., Conclusions: Physicians need to be vigilant about vitamin B12 levels in patients with conversion symptoms.