Factors associated with the severity of premenstrual symptoms in women with central obesity: a cross-sectional study

INTRODUCTION

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a common condition that affects social and psychological well-being of women. The risk of PMS is higher among obese women. The aim of this study was to identify the factors that influence the severity of PMS in women with central obesity.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This cross-sectional study was performed on 30-50 year-old women with abdominal obesity (waist circumference > 80 cm). The following data were collected: demographic data, anthropometric measurements, premenstrual symptoms screening tools, semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire, 42-item depression, anxiety, and stress questionnaire (DASS-42), as well as serum vitamin D, and renal function tests.

RESULTS

A total of 139 women (mean age of 41.40 ± 7.39 years old) participated in the study. The prevalence of mild, moderate and severe premenstrual symptoms was 38.7% (55/142), 31.7% (45/142) and 27.5% (39/142), respectively. There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of anthropometric measurements and energy-adjusted nutrient intakes (p > 0.05). There was a significant relationship between moderate PMS and energy-adjusted saturated fatty acid (SFA) (p = .018, OR = .010 and 95% CI for OR: < .001 and .452), and energy-adjusted riboflavin (p = .042, OR = .005, 95% CI for OR: < .001 and .821), and between severe PMS and age (p = .034, OR = .906, 95% CI for OR: .826 and .993), and energy-adjusted monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) intake (p = .041, OR = 23.789, 95% CI for OR: 1.138 and 497.294).

CONCLUSION

High intakes of MUFA and younger age were associated with a greater severity of PMS, while riboflavin intake was associated with reduced PMS severity.

Psychosis as the Initial Presenting Symptom of Anti-Hu Encephalitis: A Case Series with Literature Review

Introduction

Anti-Hu related Paraneoplastic Neurological Syndrome (PNS) is one of the most common paraneoplastic-associated neurological syndromes (Kayser 2010). While the primary clinical manifestations are neurologic in nature (Smitt 2002), only rare reports exist regarding psychiatric manifestations. Our poster presents two cases of Anti-Hu Encephalitis manifesting as psychosis as well as a systematic literature review on the co-occurrence of psychosis and PNS.

Objectives

The aim of this case series is to show psychosis as the primary symptom of a paraneoplastic syndrome that does not typically present in this way. It also serves as a reminder to have a detailed work-up and maintain a wide differential diagnosis when evaluating patients with first-episode psychosis.

Methods

Two cases of anti-Hu encephalitis primarily presenting with psychiatric symptoms are discussed. A systematic literature review was carried out based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) model on three electronic databases: PubMed, Embase, and PsycINFO. Search terms included were (Anti-Hu) AND (Psychosis OR Hallucinations OR Schizophrenia OR Schizoaffective).

Results

Our case series reports on two patients with diagnosed anti-Hu encephalitis who were treated by our psychiatry team, where the primary manifestations of the illness were psychiatric in nature. Psychotic symptoms in these cases were managed with Risperidone, Olanzapine, and Paliperidone.

Conclusions

Psychotic symptoms are seldom reported in the literature and cases like the ones presented emphasize the importance of a full medical work-up for first episode psychosis as well as a wide differential. Given the increased association between PNS and psychiatric illness, more emphasis and further research is warranted.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

“I rather talk on the phone”: Factors affecting compliance with outpatient visits during COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic presented a global public-health crisis that demanded healthcare to adapt at an unprecedented pace. While challenging, it also created opportunities for the advancement of novel electronic-treatment-modalities. Telepsychiatry has emerged as an effective method to ensure continuity of care and ensure social distancing.1 Studies indicate that mental-health patients have higher rates of noncompliance to follow-up, 1 thus finding means to increase compliance is critical.

Objectives

The objectives of this study are to determine the impact of telepsychiatry on compliance to follow-up and to identify numbers of psychiatric/medical emergency-room visits, most common contributing factors for admission, and compliance in terms of diagnosis.

Methods

This IRB approved study is a retrospective chart-review, that aims to study children/adolescents (5-18 years) who presented to the Child&Adolescent-Psychiatry Outpatient-clinic from July-December 2020 and engaged in telepsychiatry, compared to a group of patients presented in July-December 2019-Pre-Covid19-Pandemic. A review of clinical characteristics including diagnosis, demographic information, medication, and treatment compliance will be compared as well as admissions to inpatient-psychiatry/emergency-room visits.

Results

Our total sample (N=252) included patients from 2019-Pre-COVID19 (N=111) and 2020 Telehealth during COVID19-Pandemic (N=141). Our data analysis using SPSF and T-test has shown that Telehealth has significantly increased follow-up compliance (Two-tailed P-value=0.04); 2019-Pre-COVID outreach mean=0.06, 2020-Telehealth-during COVID outreach mean=0.02); significantly decreased ER/CPEP visits (P-value=0.02), and decreased In-patient-unit admissions (P-value=0.02).

Conclusions

According to the presented study, the incorporation of telepsychiatry has increased the compliance to psychiatric-care in outpatient and decreased the emergency-room visits and inpatient admission. Sufficient resources and steps need to be taken to further strengthen telehealth services.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Improving quality of life with nutritional supplementation in Schizophrenia: A literature review

Introduction

Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe mental health disorder, affecting 20 million people worldwide. Diet is a social determinant of health and is among one of the modifiable prognostic factors for schizophrenics. Previous research in nutritional psychiatry has shown that a balanced and healthy diet in this patient population has the potential to improve cognition, decrease positive and negative symptoms of the disease, and improve the overall metabolic profile.1,3

Objectives

To understand the evidence on the role that nutritional supplements play in improving quality of life in Schizophrenia by improving cognitive symptoms and decrease mortality by decreasing chances of metabolic syndrome and CVD. Demonstrate how certain supplements can improve cognitive symptoms, and decrease positive and negative symptoms in schizophrenics

Methods

PubMed was used to search for articles within the past 10 years

Results

A total of 29 articles were initially generated, of which only 5 fit the search criteria. Each specific search produced more articles, and after carefully reading each, a total of 14 articles was determined to fit the criteria. All, but two articles included PANSS score assessment. The studies on vitamin D, cycloserine and omega 3’s produced conflicting

Conclusions

Supplementation of vitamin D, Konjac powder, D-cycloserine, sarcosine, and omega 3’s have the potential to improve symptomatology and enhance the quality of life of schizophrenics. D-serine and sodium benzoate have not been shown to be effective adjunctive treatments in schizophrenia. Due to a limited number of studies for each, more research is indicated to truly determine the public health significance.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Fast numerical Fourier analysis of moiré pattern induced by a periodic metallic array on top of the microscopically patterned red-green-blue light sources

An accurate and fast moiré pattern analysis algorithm is proposed for a periodic metallic array placed adjacent to a patterned red-green-blue (RGB) light source with a microscopic gap utilizing Fourier transform along with the human eye contrast sensitivity function. We analyzed how the moiré pattern evolved varying tilt angles and metal array periodicities placed on the top of RGB light sources, which have their own spatial periodicities. Based on multiplicative model, moiré patterns were numerically generated and the influences of 70 tilt angles and 60 periodicities on the moiré standard deviation were thoroughly analyzed to minimize moiré visibility. Our numerical results were compared to a prior analytical approach to obtain a good agreement, and the proposed scheme can be further applied to larger scale display systems with sophisticated touch screen metal arrays.

Modeling the mechanical response of tetragonal lysozyme crystals

We investigate the temperature- and humidity-dependent mechanical response of tetragonal lysozyme crystals using a continuum-based crystal plasticity model calibrated with existing experimental data. The effects of temperature and intracrystalline water are incorporated in the elastic constant of the protein crystal as well as the critical resolved shear stress on the slip planes in the crystal plasticity model. The critical resolved shear stresses have been deduced from Vickers microhardness test data corresponding to different temperatures and states of hydration. Compression analyses have then been carried out along different crystallographic directions of lysozyme crystals which reveal that their mechanical response is highly anisotropic and orientation dependent, being purely elastic along the [110] direction but elastoplastic along the [100] and [212] directions. An interesting observation is that an increase in temperature and the amount of intracrystalline water molecules leads to a decrease in the critical resolved shear stress of the slip systems resulting in softening of the crystal. The analysis presented in this paper may be applied to the study of other protein crystal systems as well as their optimal design for biotechnological applications.