The prevalence of alcohol consumption and its related factors in adolescents: Findings from Global School-based Student Health Survey.

BACKGROUND: Alcohol consumption has become very common among adolescents in recent years and its prevalence varies in different countries. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of alcohol consumption and related factors in adolescents aged 11 to 16 years. METHODS: This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on 288385 adolescents (girls, 53.9% of total) aged 11 to 16 years. In the present study, the GSHS data (2003-2018) available to public on the websites of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and WHO was used. To investigate the factors affecting alcohol consumption, univariate and multivariate logistics models with 95% confidence limits were used. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of alcohol consumption in adolescents was 25.2%, which was 28.3% and 22.4% in boys and girls, respectively. Among the surveyed countries, the highest prevalence was in Seychelles (57.9%) and the lowest in Tajikistan (0.7). Multivariate analysis showed that the Age for 16 and more than 16 years old (OR = 3.08,95%CI: 2.54-3.74), truancy for more than 10 days (OR = 1.24, 95%CI: 1.08-1.43), loneliness at sometimes of the times (OR = 1.04, 95%CI: 1.01-1.07), insomnia at most of the times (OR = 1.85, 95%CI: 1.70-2.01), daily activity (OR = 1.03, 95%CI: 1.00-1.07), bullied for 1-9 Days in a month (OR = 1.24, 95%CI: 1.09-1.40), cigarette (OR = 4.01, 95%CI: 3.86-4.17), used marijuana for more than 10 days in a month (OR = 5.58, 95%CI: 4.59-7.78), had sex (OR = 2.76, 95%CI: 2.68-2.84), and suicide plan (OR = 1.48, 95%CI: 1.42-1.54) were important factors affecting drinking alcohol. (Table 4). In this study, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 42.79%, 93.96%, 70.80%, and 82.75. CONCLUSIONS: According to the results of the present study, the prevalence of alcohol consumption among teenagers was high. Therefore, it is suggested that demographic, family, and psychological factors should be taken into consideration in health programs for the prevention and treatment of alcohol consumption in adolescents.

The effect of child-abuse on the behavioral problems in the children of the parents with substance use disorder: Presenting a model of structural equations.

Child abuse may potentially create the behavioral problems particularly in the children of parents with substance use disorder. Thus, the current study was conducted to investigate the effects of child abuse on the behavioral problems in the children of parents with substance use disorder using the emotional regulation and social skills as mediators. In this paper, the method of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was applied. The study population included 358 children of parents with substance use disorder whose parents had referred to the addiction treatment center in Kermanshah province, Iran (2017-2018). Conners Comprehensive Behavior Rating Scales (CBRS), Emotion Regulation Checklist (ERC), Social Skills Rating Scale (SSRS) Questionnaire, and Child Abuse Questionnaire were also used for data collection. IBM SPSS Amos 22 software was utilized for statistical analysis of the obtained data. The SEM was also analyzed to confirm fit of the model. The results showed a direct relationship between the child abuse and behavioral problems so that, the boys outperformed the girls in this regard. The findings also suggested a significant relationship between the family characteristics and behavioral problems. On the other hand, family characteristics and emotional regulation had direct and significant effects on improvement of the social skills (P < 0.001). The results revealed a direct effect of child abuse on the behavioral problems in the children of parents with substance use disorder. Thus, it is suggested to take a preventive approach toward child abuse in the children of parents with substance use disorder by employing a comprehensive program and intervention methods.

Personality Traits, Psychological Needs, and Social Support Among Suicide Attempters.

Suicide is a self-destructive behavior and social support can be of utmost importance in preventing it. The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between personality traits, psychological needs, and perceived social support in individuals with self-harm behaviors in 2017. This study was performed as a cross-sectional study with participation of 115 suicide attempters by poisoning selected via convenience sampling method. The NEO Personality Inventory, the Basic Needs Satisfaction Scale, and the Social Support Questionnaire were used to collect the required data, which were then analyzed using SPSS Statistics. The findings revealed a significant relationship between personality traits, psychological needs, and perceived social support in suicide attempters by intentional poisoning. Some of the personality traits, perceived social support status, and satisfaction with basic psychological needs were important risk factors affecting suicide attempts by intentional poisoning.

MiR-574-5P, miR-1827, and miR-4429 as Potential Biomarkers for Schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is a severe chronic debilitating disorder with millions of affected individuals. Diagnosis is based on clinical presentations, which are made when the progressive disease has appeared. Early diagnosis may help improve the clinical outcomes and response to treatments. Lack of a reliable molecular diagnostic invokes the identification of novel biomarkers. To elucidate the molecular basis of the disease, in this study we used two mRNA expression arrays, including GSE93987 and GSE38485, and one miRNA array, GSE54914, and meta-analysis was conducted for evaluation of mRNA expression arrays via metaDE package. Using WGCNA package, we performed network analysis for both mRNA expression arrays separately. Then, we constructed protein-protein interaction network for significant modules. Limma package was employed to analyze the miRNA array for identification of dysregulated miRNAs (DEMs). Using genes of significant modules and DEMs, a mRNA-miRNA network was constructed and hub genes and miRNAs were identified. To confirm the dysregulated genes, expression values were evaluated through available datasets including GSE62333, GSE93987, and GSE38485. The ability of the detected hub miRNAs to discriminate schizophrenia from healthy controls was evaluated by assessing the receiver-operating curve. Finally, the expression levels of genes and miRNAs were evaluated in 40 schizophrenia patients compared with healthy controls via Real-Time PCR. The results confirmed dysregulation of hsa-miR-574-5P, hsa-miR-1827, hsa-miR-4429, CREBRF, ARPP19, TGFBR2, and YWHAZ in blood samples of schizophrenia patients. In conclusion, three miRNAs including hsa-miR-574-5P, hsa-miR-1827, and hsa-miR-4429 are suggested as potential biomarkers for diagnosis of schizophrenia.

Individuals with Major Depressive Disorder Report High Scores of Insecure-Avoidant and Insecure-Anxious Attachment Styles, Dissociative Identity Symptoms, and Adult Traumatic Events.

OBJECTIVE: Individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) report more issues in social interaction compared to the general population. Moreover, dimensions of dissociation are considered dysfunctional strategies to cope with adverse life events. In this regard, current symptoms of MDD could be associated with traumatic events that occurred in childhood and in adult life. Given this background, the aim of the present study was to explore the associations between attachment styles as a proxy of quality of social interaction, dimensions of dissociation, and childhood and adult traumatic life events among individuals with MDD. METHOD: A total of 300 individuals with MDD (mean age: 31.31 years; 58.7% female) took part in this study. They completed a series of questionnaires on sociodemographic information, attachment styles, dimensions of dissociation, and childhood and adult traumatic life events. RESULTS: Prevalence rates for attachment styles were as follows: anxious/ambivalent attachment style-71.7%; avoidant/dependent attachment style-13%; secure/close attachment style-15.3%. Compared to the general population, the participants reported higher prevalence rates of insecure attachment styles. Current symptoms of dissociation were associated with adult but not childhood traumatic life events. An anxious attachment style was associated with higher scores of dissociation. CONCLUSION: Psychotherapeutic treatment of individuals with MDD should consider the individuals' challenging attachment styles and their risk of dissociation. While it is important to consider both adult and childhood traumatic events, in this research, more recent trauma occurring in adulthood was associated with current symptoms of dissociation.

Sources of Sleep Disturbances and Psychological Strain for Hospital Staff Working during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Hospital staff members reported increased stress-related workload when caring for inpatients with COVID-19 ("frontline hospital staff members"). Here, we tested if depression, anxiety, and stress were associated with poor sleep and lower general health, and if social support mediated these associations. Furthermore, we compared current insomnia scores and general health scores with normative data. A total of 321 full-time frontline hospital staff members (mean age: 36.86; 58% females) took part in the study during the COVID-19 pandemic. They completed a series of questionnaires covering demographic and work-related information, symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, social support, self-efficacy, and symptoms of insomnia and general health. Higher symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress were associated with higher symptoms of insomnia and lower general health. Higher scores of depression, anxiety, and stress directly predicted higher insomnia scores and lower general health scores, while the indirect effect of social support was modest. Compared to normative data, full-time frontline hospital staff members had a 3.14 higher chance to complain about insomnia and a significantly lower general health. Symptoms of insomnia and general health were unrelated to age, job experience, educational level, and gender. Given this background, it appears that the working context had a lower impact on individuals' well-being compared to individual characteristics.

The prevalence of obsessive-compulsive disorder in patients with irritable bowel syndrome: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common gastrointestinal diseases, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is one of the main causes of this disease. The present study was aimed to investigate the prevalence of OCD in patients with IBS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present research is a cross-sectional survey study. The research sample included 120 patients with IBS who referred to Imam Reza Hospital and gastrointestinal clinics in Kermanshah (Iran) in the 3 months of April, May, July in 2019 that were selected using the census sampling method, and demographic information, clinical and medical records were collected. Data analysis was performed using frequency, percentage, and Chi-square. RESULTS: Among the patients who were studied, 58 of them (48.3%) were women and 62 (51.7%) were men, the results showed that the prevalence of OCD in patients with IBS was 14.96 and the symptoms of washing, checking, skepticism and slowness-repetition had the highest prevalence, respectively. These symptoms were more common in women than in men. There was also a significant relation between OCD prevalence in patients with IBS and with female gender, age-range 30-21 years, single, and history of OCD in the patient's immediate family and close relatives (P < 0.05), but there was no significant relationship between OCD prevalence in patients with IBS and level of education, occupation, income status, and place of residence. CONCLUSION: Due to the high prevalence of OCD in patients with IBS, the interaction of gastroenterologists and psychiatrists to treat irritable bowel syndrome is very important.

Validation and Psychometric Properties of the Persian Version of the 21-Item Game Addiction Scale With a Sample of Adolescents and Young Adults.

Background: Excessive gaming has become a psychological health issue for both gamers and their social environments. This observation holds true for western but also non-western countries such as Iran. The aim of the present study was to translate and validate a Persian version of the Game Addiction Scale 21 (GAS 21) using a sample of adolescents and adults. Methods: A total of 412 participants (mean age: 22.16 years; 55.3% females) took part in the study. They completed questionnaires covering sociodemographic information and gaming-related information, as well as the Persian version of the GAS 21, the GAS 7, the Internet Addiction Test, and the Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale. Results: Of the initial 21 items of the Persian version of the GAS 21, five proved redundant and were eliminated. Factors analyses yielded four factors explaining 66.35% of the variance: 1. Withdrawal; 2. Feelings of guilt and addiction; 3. Mood modification; 4. Issues of time budget. Cronbach's alphas were satisfactory (alphas > 0.87). To validate the results, scores on the translated version were compared with the well-established Young Internet Addiction test. Factors correlated positively (rs between 0.21 and 0.31) with overall score on this latter test but, against expectations, positively with the generalized self-efficacy scale. Conclusions: A Persian version of the Game Addiction Scale-21 proved to be a useful tool for assessing the risk of game addiction behavior. Further, the solution with 16 items loading on four factors appears respond to the ecological need of parsimony.

Identification of Risk Factors to Predict the Occurrences of Relapses in Individuals with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder in Iran.

Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder (SSD) is a chronic psychiatric disorder with a modest treatment outcome. In addition, relapses are commonplace. Here, we sought to identify factors that predict relapse latency and frequency. To this end, we retrospectively analyzed data for individuals with SSD. Medical records of 401 individuals with SSD were analyzed (mean age: 25.51 years; 63.6% males) covering a five-year period. Univariate and multivariate Penalized Likelihood Models with Shared Log-Normal Frailty were used to determine the correlation between discharge time and relapse and to identify risk factors. A total of 683 relapses were observed in males, and 422 relapses in females. The Relapse Hazard Ratio (RHR) decreased with age (RHR = 0.99, CI: (0.98-0.998)) and with participants' adherence to pharmacological treatment (HR = 0.71, CI: 0.58-0.86). In contrast, RHR increased with a history of suicide attempts (HR = 1.32, CI: 1.09-1.60), and a gradual compared to a sudden onset of disease (HR = 1.45, CI: 1.02-2.05). Gender was not predictive. Data indicate that preventive and therapeutic interventions may be particularly important for individuals who are younger at disease onset, have a history of suicide attempts, have experienced a gradual onset of disease, and have difficulties adhering to medication.

Pattern of cigarette smoking: intensity, cessation, and age of beginning: evidence from a cohort study in West of Iran.

BACKGROUND: Smoking is a social epidemic and one of the main risk factors for premature deaths and disabilities worldwide. In the present study, we investigated the Pattern of Cigarette Smoking: intensity, cessation, and age of the beginning. METHODS: Data collected from the recruitment phase of Ravansar (a Kurd region in western Iran) Non-Communicable Disease (RaNCD) cohort study was analyzed by using Chi-square test, univariate and multivariate logistic regressions, Poisson regression, and linear regression. RESULTS: Totally 10,035 individuals (47.42% males) participated in the study. Mean age was lower for males (47.45 yr) than for females (48.36 yr). Prevalence of smoking was 20% (36.4% of males and 5.23% of females). Compared to female participants, males showed a 7-fold higher prevalence of smoking and started smoking about 4 years earlier. Being married, having a lower BMI, living in rural areas, and being exposed to secondhand smoke (SHS) were predictors of higher smoking prevalence rates. Furthermore, current exposure to SHS, higher smoking intensity, later smoking initiation, male gender, younger age, lower education, and lower BMI were related to lower likelihood of stopping smoking. Heavy smokers began to smoke about 4 years earlier than casual smokers did. Finally, being divorced/ widow/ widower/ single and childhood exposure to SHS were found to increase the likelihood of becoming a smoker. CONCLUSIONS: Based on present research results, health programs specific to smoking cessation should take socio-demographic factors, smoking history, and current smoking behavior into account.

The therapeutic effects of methylphenidate and matrix-methylphenidate on addiction severity, craving, relapse and mental health in the methamphetamine use disorder.

BACKGROUND: Little evidence has examined the therapeutic effects of methylphenidate (MPH) and Matrix Model treatment on addiction severity, craving, relapse and mental health in people who use methamphetamine (PWUM). This study was conducted to determine the effects of MPH, Matrix Model treatment, and Matrix-MPH on addiction severity, craving, relapse and mental health in PWUM. METHODS: This clinical trial was conducted among 100 patients with METH users. Participants were randomly divided into four groups who received: 1) 22 sessions of 45-min, twice a week for Matrix Model treatment (n = 25); 2) MPH 10 mg/day in the first month, 7.5 mg/day in the second month and 5 mg/day in the third month (n = 25); 3) Matrix Model treatment combined with MPH (n = 25); 4) control group (n = 25) for 12 weeks. Addiction severity, craving, relapse and mental status were evaluated at baseline and end-of-trial. RESULTS: Matrix Model treatment combined with MPH significantly reduced MA craving (P < 0.001) and addiction severity (P < 0.001). In addition, Matrix Model treatment combined with MPH resulted in a significant increase of mental health (P = 0.001), compared with Matrix Model treatment, MPH, and control group. Also, negative METH urine test significantly increased in the Matrix Model treatment combined with MPH group compared with the other groups (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, Matrix Model treatment combined with MPH for 12 weeks had beneficial effects on addiction severity, craving, relapse, and mental health in PWUM, compared with Matrix Model treatment, MPH, and control group. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was retrospectively registered in the Iranian website ( www.irct.ir ) for clinical trials registration ( http://www.irct.ir : IRCT20171105037245N1 ). Registration date: 9 December 2017.

The relationship between family function and personality traits with general self-efficacy (parallel samples studies).

BACKGROUND: General Self-efficacy is a key variable in clinical, educational, social, developmental, health and personality psychology that can affect the outcomes of people's lives. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between family functions and personality traits with general self-efficacy among university students and the general population. METHODS: To conduct this two-part study, the first part was carried out on a sample of 500 students, and in the second part the study was repeated on a larger sample consisting of 1000 participants from the general population data were collected from the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE), Family Assessment Device (FAD), and the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO PI-R). The analysis was performed using Pearson's correlation coefficient, Fisher's z test and regression analysis. RESULTS: The results of the present study revealed that all the subscales of family functions and all personality traits are significantly related to general self-efficacy among university students and general population (p < 0.001). But in the general population, there was no significant correlation between openness to experience with general self-efficacy) (p > 0.05). Furthermore, the results of regression analysis showed subscales of family functions and all personality traits together can predict 27 and 35% of the variance in general self-efficacy among university students and the general population, respectively. CONCLUSION: Personality traits play a role in predicting general self-efficacy, but the personality trait of conscientiousness plays a greater role than other personality traits and also compared to family functioning, personality traits play a greater role in predicting general self-efficacy.

Effects of treatment of sleep disorders on sleep, psychological and cognitive functioning and biomarkers in individuals with HIV/AIDS and under methadone maintenance therapy.

BACKGROUND: Poor sleep is a major complaint of people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and undergoing methadone maintenance therapy (MMT). We tested the impact of three different sleep-improving interventions (trazodone; sleep hygiene training; sleep hygiene training + trazodone) on sleep, psychological functioning and biomarkers in males with HIV and undergoing MMT. METHODS: A total of 75 male outpatients (mean age: 39.6 years) participated in a 12 week intervention. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the following conditions: trazodone 50 mg/d (TRAZ); sleep hygiene training (SHT); sleep hygiene training and trazodone (SHT + TRAZ). At baseline, and six and 12 weeks later, participants completed questionnaires covering subjective sleep and daytime sleepiness, and symptoms of depression and anxiety. In parallel, their cognitive performance (working memory; sustained attention) was assessed. Biomarkers (cortisol, BNDF, CD4+) were assessed at baseline and at the end of the study. RESULTS: Over time, sleep disturbances decreased and daytime functioning and overall sleep quality improved. More specifically, both sleep disturbances and daytime functioning improved in the two SHT conditions from baseline to week 6. Daytime functioning remained stable from week 6 to week 12. Over time, in all conditions symptoms of depression and anxiety declined from baseline to week 6 and remained lower from week 6 to week 12. Daytime sleepiness, symptoms of insomnia and sleep-disordered breathing remained unchanged. Sustained attention performance improved over time from baseline to week 6 and remained high through to week 12. Biomarkers remained unchanged. CONCLUSIONS: In males with HIV and undergoing MMT, treating sleep disturbances over a period of six to 12 weeks had a positive impact on aspects of sleep disturbance, symptoms of depression and anxiety, and cognitive performance. The results indicate that sleep hygiene training, either as stand-alone or in combination with trazodone, can produce positive results.

Physical activity interventions can improve emotion regulation and dimensions of empathy in persons with multiple sclerosis: An exploratory study.

BACKGROUND: Persons with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) report difficulties with emotion regulation and empathy. Regular physical activity (RPA) improves dimensions of psychological well-being in PwMS, but it remains unclear if regular physical activity has effects on emotion regulation and empathy. The present study investigated the effect of regular physical activity on emotion regulation and empathy, and explored, if endurance training or coordinative training are better than an active control condition. METHODS: 92 female PwMS (mean age: 37.4 years; age range: 20-57 years; mean EDSS: 2.43) took part in this study. Participants were randomly assigned into endurance training, coordinative training, or active control conditions that all lasted 8 weeks and were yoked on frequency, duration, and social contact. Participants completed questionnaires on emotion regulation, empathy, depression and fatigue before and after the 8-week conditions. RESULTS: Regulation and control of emotions and empathy improved over time, but more so in the exercising groups, compared to the active control group. No changes over time and between groups were observed for perception and acknowledgement of emotions, emotional expressivity, and empathy, as measured with Reading in the Eyes test. These changes were not influenced by control for depression and fatigue as covariates. CONCLUSIONS: Both endurance and coordinative exercise training had favorable effects on some aspects of emotion regulation and social cognition such as empathy in PwMS. Such initial results support for examination of exercise training for the treatment of issues of emotion regulation and social interactions in PwMS.

Resting-state effective connectivity in the motive circuit of methamphetamine users: A case controlled fMRI study.

Methamphetamine (MA) and other psychostimulants target the motive circuit of the brain, which is involved in reward, behavioral sensitization, and relapse to drug-seeking/taking behavior. In spite of this fact, the data regarding the effective connectivity (EC) in this circuit among MA users is scarce. The present study aimed to assess resting-state EC in the motive circuit of MA users during abstinence using the fMRI technique. Seventeen MA users after abstinence and 18 normal controls were examined using a 3 T Siemens fMRI scanner. After extracting time series of the motive circuit, EC differences in the motive circuit were analyzed using dynamic causal modeling (DCM). The findings revealed that abstinent MA users had an enhanced EC from the prefrontal cortex (PFC) to the ventral palladium (VP) (PFC→VP) and on the mediodorsal thalamus (MD) self-loop (MD→MD), but they showed a decreased connectivity on the VP self-loop (VP→VP) compared to healthy controls. The findings suggest that abstinent MA users may suffer from a limited pathology in connectivity within the motive circuit involved in reward, behavioral sensitization, and relapse. The enhanced PFC→VP seems to be a compensatory mechanism to control or regulate the subcortical regions involved in reward and behavioral sensitization. Furthermore, the enhanced connectivity on the MD self-loop and the decreased connectivity on the VP self-loop in abstinent MA users may, at least partially, affect the output of the limbic system, which can be seen in the behavioral sensitization and relapse processes. Nonetheless, further investigation in this area is strongly recommended to elucidate the exact mechanisms involved.

Factors Related to Relapse in Patients with Substance-related Disorders under Methadone Maintenance Therapy: Decision Tree Analysis.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine the main factors related to relapse in patients with substance-related disorders (SRDs) who received methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) using decision tree (DT) analysis. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 4175 patients referred to the 45 MMT centers in Kermanshah province, west of Iran. We included all patients who were under MMT for at least one year. All information was collected through an interview by a psychologist. Descriptive statistics and univariate and multiple regression models were used in statistical analysis. The Gini index was calculated to determine the cut-off point of nodes. We used the Classification and Regression Trees algorithm to create the DT. RESULTS: The relapse rate was 76.6% for all participants, with no significant gender differences. The DT resulted in a five-level model of significant factors affecting substance abuse relapse. These included lower cost for buying substances, lower age at first substance use, history of quitting substances without medication, frequency of substances utilization per month, and frequency of methadone therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Knowing the main factors associated with substance abuse relapse could be important for health care providers to make better decisions for improving the treatment outcomes of SRDs.

Comparisons of Voxel-Based Morphometric Brain Volumes of Individuals with Methamphetamine-Induced Psychotic Disorder and Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder and Healthy Controls.

BACKGROUND: Several psychological and neurological pathways are described to explain the emergence and maintenance of psychiatric disorders, and changes in brain volumes and brain activity are observed as correlates of psychiatric disorders. In the present study, we investigated if and to what extent specific voxel-based morphometric brain volume differences could be observed among individuals with methamphetamine-induced psychosis (MAIP) and schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD) compared to healthy controls. METHODS: A total of 69 individuals took part in the present study. Of those, 26 were diagnosed with MAIP, 23 with SSD, and 20 were healthy controls. After a thorough psychiatric assessment, participants underwent brain volume measurement. RESULTS: Compared to healthy controls, participants with MAIP had smaller volumes for left caudate and left and right parahippocampal gyrus. Compared to healthy controls, participants with SSD had smaller volumes for the gray and white matter, left amygdala, left hippocampus, left parahippocampal gyrus, left putamen, and the total volume. Compared to individuals with MAIP, individuals with SSD had a lower white matter brain volume. CONCLUSIONS: The pattern of results suggests that individuals with MAIP and SSD showed specific and regional brain atrophies on the left hemisphere, always compared to healthy controls. Given the cross-sectional design, it remains undisclosed if specific and regional brain atrophies were the cause or the consequence of the psychiatric issues.

Compared to an active control condition, in persons with multiple sclerosis two different types of exercise training improved sleep and depression, but not fatigue, paresthesia, and intolerance of uncertainty.

BACKGROUND: In persons with multiple sclerosis (MS), physical activity favorably impacts on psychological well-being. The aims of the present study were to investigate the influence of physical activity on depression, fatigue, sleep, paresthesia, and personality traits (intolerance of uncertainty), and to explore, if endurance training or coordinative training are superior to an active control condition. METHODS: 92 female individuals with MS (mean age: 37.36 years; mean EDSS: 2.43) took part in this intervention study. Participants were randomly assigned either to endurance training, coordinative training, or to an active control condition. At baseline, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks later at the end of the study, participants completed questionnaires on sleep, depression, fatigue, paresthesia and intolerance of uncertainty. Exercise training interventions took place three times/week for 45 min/session. Participants in the active control condition also met with the same duration and frequency. RESULTS: Sleep complaints and symptoms of depression decreased over time, but more so in the exercising groups, compared to the active control group. No changes over time and between groups were observed for fatigue, paresthesia, and intolerance of uncertainty. CONCLUSIONS: Both endurance and coordinative exercising had the potential to favorably impact on some aspects of cognitive-emotional processing, while also an active control condition appeared to have a positive impact.

Comparison of Vitex agnus-castus Extracts with Placebo in Reducing Menopausal Symptoms: A Randomized Double-Blind Study.

BACKGROUND: Menopausal symptoms have remarkable negative effects on women's quality of life, justifying the need to assess various therapeutic options. This research aimed to determine the effectiveness of Vitex agnus-castus extracts in alleviating menopausal symptoms in comparison with that of placebo. METHODS: This study was a randomized controlled double-blind clinical trial with a study group of 52 women referred to a clinic in Kermanshah in 2017. The participants were randomly divided into two groups: Vitex group (26 subjects) and placebo group (26 subjects). Menopausal symptoms were assessed using the Greene Scale before and 8 weeks after the intervention. RESULTS: After the intervention, the mean scores for total menopausal disorder, anxiety, and vasomotor dysfunction were significantly lower in the Vitex group than in the placebo group (P<0.05). The mean scores of the variables of somatic complications, depression, and sexual dysfunction did not show significant differences between the Vitex and placebo groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Administration of Vitex agnus-castus extracts as a phytoestrogenic medicine can alleviate menopausal symptoms in women.

Ginseng treatment improves the sexual side effects of methadone maintenance treatment.

BACKGROUND: While methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) in patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) decreases the risk of substance use relapses and criminal and risky sexual behavior, a major disadvantage is its negative impact on sexual function. In the present study we tested whether, compared to placebo, ginseng extract ameliorates methadone-related sexual dysfunction among female and male patients with OUD and receiving MMT. METHOD: A total of 74 patients (26 females: mean age: M = 39.0 years; 48 males; mean age: 40.64 years) took part in a double-blind, randomized and placebo-controlled study. Female and male patients were separately randomly assigned either to the ginseng or to a placebo condition. At the beginning of the study and four weeks later, patients completed questionnaires on sexual function. RESULTS: Irrespective of gender, sexual function improved over time, but more so in the ginseng condition than in the placebo condition. CONCLUSIONS: Ginseng appears to counteract the sexual dysfunction resulting from methadone use in both female and male patients with OUD and undergoing MMT.