Investigating the relationship of theory of mind and empathy with neuroimaging, neuropsychological, and neuropsychiatric data in persons with multiple sclerosis.

Theory of Mind (ToM) is understanding others' minds. Empathy is an insight into emotions and feelings of others. Persons with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) may experience impairment in ToM and empathy. To investigate ToM, empathy, and their relationship with neuroimaging, neuropsychological, and neuropsychiatric data. 41 pwMS and 41 HC were assessed using RMET for ToM, EQ, BICAMS, HADS. Cortical and subcortical gray matter volumes were calculated with Freesurfer from 3T MRI scans. pwMS showed lower EQ scores (44.82 ± 11.9 vs 51.29 ± 9.18, p = 0.02) and worse RMET performance (22.37 ± 4.09 vs 24,47 ± 2.93, p = 0.011). Anxiety and depression were higher in pwMS. EQ correlated with subcortical (amygdala) and cortical (anterior cingulate) volumes. RMET correlated with cortical volumes (posterior cingulate, lingual). In regression analysis, amygdala volume was the single predictor of empathy performance (p = 0.041). There were no significant correlations between social cognitive tests and general cognition. A weak negative correlation was found between EQ and the level of anxiety (r = -0.342, p = 0.038) The present study indicates that pwMS have impairment on ToM and empathy. The performance of ToM and empathy in MS is linked to the volumes of critical brain areas involved in social cognition.

Investigation of the Relationship Between Coping With the Disease and Affecting Cognitive, Physical, and Psychosocial Factors in People with Multiple Sclerosis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between coping mechanisms in people with multiple sclerosis (MS, pwMS) and cognitive, physical, and psychosocial factors such as socio-demographic characteristics, disability, personality, stigma, quality of life, depression, and anxiety. METHOD: One hundred and two pwMS were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Demographics and clinical characteristics were recorded. Coping with the MS Scale (CMSS), including seven subscales, which are problem-solving, physical assistance, acceptance, avoidance, personal health control, energy conservation, and emotional release, was used to measure coping. Anxiety and depression levels, stigma, neuropsychological symptoms, and personality were measured by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD), EuroQol-5D Quality of Life Scale (EQ-5D), Quality of Life in Neurological Diseases (NeuroQoL) -Stigma Scale, Multiple Sclerosis Neuropsychological Questionnaire (MSNQ), and Revised Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Abbreviated Form (EKA-GGK), respectively. RESULTS: There was a weak statistically significant positive correlation between the physical support subscale and age and the disease duration and a strong positive correlation with EDSS (r = .214, p = .035; r = .213, p = .036; r = .582, p ≤ .0001, respectively). There was a moderate negative relationship between the physical support subscale and the EQ-5D mobility, self-care, pain, and health subscales (r = -.434, p = .000; r = -.482, p = .000; r = -.526, p ≤ .001, respectively), a weak negative correlation with anxiety, and a strong negative relationship with usual activities (r = -.379, p ≤ .001; r = -.243, p = .017; r = -.384, p ≤ .001, respectively). CONCLUSION: It has been shown that coping with MS can be affected by cognitive, physical, and psychosocial factors.

Neurology consultations in the intensive care units.

OBJECTIVE: Critical treatment and management have advanced over the recent decades, bringing many benefits but also causing increasing complication rates. Among these complications, neurological complications have an important place and may increase in mortality rates. The aim of our study was to find the causes of neurological consultations in the level 3 adult intensive care units (ICU). METHODS: The study population consisted of patients who were requested to have neurology consultation in the level 3 Adult ICUs between April 2013 and April 2017. The records in the hospital automation system of patients required neurology consultation were evaluated retrospectively. RESULTS: A total of 906 neurology consultations were requested in ICUs and 302 patients were included in this study. Altered consciousness and unconsciousness (32.1%), seizure (26.5%), management and treatment (15.9%) were the most common reasons for neurological consultations. Epileptic seizures (16.9%), status epilepticus (9.3%) and ischemic stroke (8.6%) were the most common final neurological diagnoses after consultation. Wernicke encephalopathy, posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome, motor neuron disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, critical illness polyneuropathy and critical illness myopathy were less frequently diagnosed (< 1%). The diagnostic benefit was 83.1%. Treatment change following neurological consultation occurred in 56.6% of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, spanning a period of 4 years, the most common diagnoses were epileptic seizure, status epilepticus, and ischemic stroke. More frequent complications, such as stroke and seizure, as well as less common complications such as Wernicke's encephalopathy and posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome, should be intervened immediately. In case of consultation, neurologists should be able to manage neurological complications as a consultant physician in the early period and evaluate the ICU patient systematically and be familiar with the complexity of intubation, sedation and sometimes paralyzed intensive ICU patients who have had severely limited routine clinical evaluations.

Effect of solarization on the removal of indicator microorganisms from municipal sewage sludge.

The effect of solarization on bacterial inactivation in sewage sludge was studied using thermotolerant coliforms, enterococci and Escherichia coli (E. coli) as the indicator organisms. Solarization significantly increased the sludge temperature. The maximum temperatures were achieved at the beginning of the second week, reaching 65, 58, 55 and 50 degrees C at depths of 0-10, 10-20, 20-30 and 30-40 cm, respectively. E. coli was found to be the most sensitive microorganism and was reduced to undetectable levels after 9 d at all monitored sludge depths. Thermotolerant coliforms were rapidly inactivated but were not reduced to below the detection limit. The inactivation curves of enterococci showed both shoulders and tailing, indicating a larger heat resistant fraction than with E. coli and the thermotolerant coliforms. Overall, the results suggest that the temperature regime produced by solarization was sufficient to reduce bacterial indicators to an acceptable level, meeting the pathogen regulation limit, in two weeks.