Mahmut Katı

The relationship between potency of oxidative stress and severity of depression

Background: Oxidative stress is one of the suggested mechanisms in major depression. Objective: To determine the oxidative and antioxidative status of plasma of patients with major depression and to investigate whether there is a relationship between the potency of oxidative stress and the severity of depression. Methods: To determine the antioxidative status of plasma, total and individual antioxidant levels which are total antioxidant potential (TAOP), total protein, albumin, uric acid, vitamin C and total bilirubin were measured. To determine the oxidative status, total peroxide level of plasma was measured in patients with drug-free depressive patients and compared with those of controls. Per cent ratio of total peroxide to TAOP was evaluated as oxidative stress index (OSI). Results: Plasma TAOP and individual antioxidant levels were found to be lower in patients with depression than those of controls. On the contrary, the patients had high total plasma peroxide levels. OSI values of the patients were significantly higher than those of controls (P = 0.002), and a significant positive correlation between Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and OSI values was found (r = 0.54, P = 0.01). Conclusions: The patients with major depression are exposed to oxidative stress, and OSI may be useful to reflect the severity of the disease.

The psychological impact of cutaneous leishmaniasis.

A psychiatric disorder would be associated with extensive, unsightly lesions on exposed body parts. Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) has long been endemic in Sanliurfa and is called ‘beauty scar’. The aim of this study was to determine psychological impact of CL. Patients with active CL, with CL that had healed with scaring, and healthy controls were included in this case–control study. The Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HAD), Body Image Satisfaction Scale (BIS), and Dermatology Quality of Life Scale (DQL) assessments were performed to determine the psychological effect of CL. The patients with CL had significantly higher HAD anxiety and depression subscale scores than the control groups. Patients with CL have decreased body satisfaction and lower quality of life than those in the control group. It was found that CL patients with active lesions have the lowest quality of life score than other groups. CL lesions on exposed body parts such as the face and hands, active CL for more than 1 year, permanent scar formation, and social stigmatization cause anxiety, depressive symptoms, decreased body satisfaction and quality of life in CL patients.

Quality of life instrument for Turkish people with skin diseases.

Background and objective  To develop a new, short, self‐administrated subjective quality of life (QOL) instrument for Turkish people with skin diseases.

Homocysteine Levels and Oxidative Stress Parameters in Patients With Adult ADHD

Objective: In our study, we aimed to evaluate the plasma homocysteine levels and oxidative stress parameters in patients with adult ADHD (A-ADHD). Method: Blood samples were taken from 32 A-ADHD patients and 32 controls enrolled in the study and plasma homocysteine, serum folate, vitamin B12, total antioxidant status (TAS), total oxidant status (TOS), and oxidative stress index (OSI) were determined. Results were compared between the groups. Results: Patients’ plasma homocysteine level was significantly lower and serum folate level was significantly higher than the controls. The means of plasma homocysteine and folate levels were statistically significantly different between the groups (p < .05). However, a statistically significant difference was not detected between groups for mean serum vitamin B12, TAS, TOS, and OSI levels (p > .05). Conclusion: Our study suggests that oxidative balance is not impaired in A-ADHD, and contrary to other psychiatric disorders, homocysteine levels were found to be lower.

Tracking down the footprints of bad paternal relationships in dissociative disorders: A diffusion tensor imaging study

ABSTRACT Preclinical studies indicate that stress early in life can cause long-term alterations in brain development. Studies have shown alterations in the brain functions of patients after experiencing trauma. Our aim is to examine whether the integrity of white matter tracts might be affected in dissociative disorder (DD) patients. A total of 15 DD patients and 15 healthy controls were studied, with the groups matched by age and gender. Diffusion-weighted echoplanar brain images were obtained using a 1.5 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging scanner. Regions of interest were manually placed on directional maps based on principal anisotropy. Apparent diffusion coefficient and fractional anisotropy (FA) values of white matter were measured bilaterally in the anterior corona radiata (ACR) and by diffusion tensor imaging in the genu and splenium of the corpus callosum. Significantly lower FA values were observed in the right ACR of DD patients versus healthy individuals. We also found an association between bad paternal relationships and lower FA in the genu of the corpus callosum in female patients. Alterations in the right ACR suggest that diffusion anisotropy measurement can be used as a quantitative biomarker for DD. Paternal relationships may also affect the brain’s microstructure in women with DD.

Cerebral salt wasting syndrome in a child with SSPE

Cerebral salt-wasting syndrome is a disorder characterized by severe hyponatremia, volume depletion, and elevated brain natriuretic peptide but normal antidiuretic hormone levels. In this manuscript, we report the case of a six-year-old patient with cerebral salt-wasting syndrome associated with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis. The patient showed dehydration, tachycardia, pyrexia, polyuria, severe hyponatremia, and a significant loss of urinary sodium. He was successfully treated with sodium and fluid replacement therapy.