Mental and Social Health Commons^™

Protective Role Of S-Adenosylmethionine Against Fructose-Induced Oxidative Damage In Obesity, Kameliya Zh Bratoeva, Mariya A. Radanova, Albena V. Merdzhanova, Ivan S. Donev

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Introduction. It has been shown that S-adenosylmethionine (S-AMe) stimulates glutathione synthesis and increases cell resistance to the cytotoxic action of free radicals and pro-inflammatory cytokines. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of S-adenosylmethionine on the oxidative stress in adipose tissue in a model of fructose-induced obesity. Methods. The study was performed on male Wistar rats divided into 3 groups: control, fructose fed (HFD) (35%, 16 weeks), and HFD + S-AMe (20 mg/kg). We examined the changes in the ratio of retroperitoneal adipose tissue weight / body weight; levels of reduced glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in …

Experimental Pharmacological Research Regarding Some Newly Synthesized Benzamides On Central Nervous System Functions, Cornel Chiriță, Emil Ștefănescu, Cristina D. Marineci, Simona Negreș, Diana C. Nuță

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Three newly synthesized benzamides by the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry of the Faculty of pharmacy from the University of Medicine and Pharmacy „Carol Davila” Bucharest were tested in order to determine whether these new molecules have similar effects on the central nervous system as those already in therapeutic use belonging to the same chemical group, such as tiapride (neuroleptic) or lidocaine (local anaesthetic). Tests were carried out on NMRI mice which were given new compounds, conventionally named I5C, I14C, and II5C in a dose of 1/20 of the lethal dose 50% (LD50), as previously determined. They received this treatment daily …

Finasteride As A Model For Personalized Medicine, Ion G. Motofei, David L. Rowland, Ioana Păunică, Octavian C. Tănăsescu, Petrişor Banu, Stana Păunică

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

The side effects of Finasteride are currently a subject of controversy. Some studies report minor or acceptable adverse effects, which decrease after a variable period of time so that they do not necessitate terminating Finasteride administration. However, several clinical and neuro-endocrine studies show that some adverse effects persist indefinitely in the form of post-Finasteride syndrome, even after the drug cessation. This paper presents a possible explanation for these inconsistent findings. First, the study design of either informing or not informing patients prior therapy about possible adverse effects can influence the incidence and magnitude of reported adverse effects. Second, structural and …

Therapeutic Drug Monitoring And Methods Of Quantitation For Carbamazepine, Cristian Tuchila, Daniela Luiza Baconi, Cristina Dinu Pirvu, Denisa O. Balalau, Ana Maria Vlasceanu, Miriana Stan, Cristian Balalau

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Carbamazepine is an early anticonvulsant still used today in the treatment of several forms of epilepsy. An active metabolite in the human body contributes to its pharmacological effect. Carbamazepine metabolism has high inter-individual variability, such that it is relatively difficult to establish a direct link between dose and concentration, or between concentration and pharmacological effect. Carbamazepine is thus a good candidate for therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM). Good UV specific absorbance and high plasmatic concentrations allow for the use of UV detection, which is often more accessible than other methods of detection. This paper presents several methods used for the detection …

End-Stage Head And Neck Cancer: Coping Mechanism, Bogdan Popescu, Oana Paun, Razvan V. Scăunaşu, Serban V.G. Berteşteanu

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Coping mechanisms are patients’ means of adapting to stressful situations and involve psychological and physical changes in behavior. Patients adapt to head and neck cancer in a variety of ways. Head and neck cancers are extremely debilitating, especially in advanced stages of the disease or in end-of-life situations. While an oncology team needs to address the needs of all oncology patients, the advanced terminal patients require special attention. Most of these patients do not cope well with their situation and have a tendency to cease social interactions. Pain is the most frequentlyexperienced medical disability in patients having an end-stage illness …

Tolkien’S Sub-Creation And Secondary Worlds: Implications For A Robust Moral Psychology, Nathan S. Lefler

Journal of Tolkien Research

In his work, “On Fairy Stories,” J. R. R. Tolkien offers a detailed account of what he calls Sub-creation, along with the corresponding notions of Primary and Secondary Worlds. In this paper, I suggest that Tolkien’s concept of Sub-creation can be creatively appropriated in the realm of moral psychology and there applied to the fundamental relationship between self and other – or in Judeo-Christian terms, “I” and my neighbor. Through appeal to Tolkien’s thought and to the wider Christian theological tradition, and in constructive tension with the contemporary psychoanalytic attention to “intersubjectivity,” I attempt to elucidate the power and appropriate …

Improving Nursing Attitudes Toward Suicide Prevention In The Emergency Department: The Implementation Of An Adolescent Suicide Risk Screening Tool, Julie A. Simpson

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

The Center for Disease Control ranked suicide as the second leading cause of death for American adolescents (2015). This crisis of adolescent suicide warrants evaluation and improvement of current suicide prevention practices. The Emergency Department (ED) offers 24-hour services and may be the only organized healthcare for utilized by some individuals. Nurses are the front-line provider of care in the ED and this role offers opportunity to identify an adolescent with increased suicide risk. The purpose of this EBP project is to evaluate nursing attitudes toward suicide prevention by implementing the best practice screening tool for adolescent suicide risk assessment. …

The Effect Of Routine Adult Phq-2 Depression Screen And Scheduled Follow-Up Protocol In The Primary Care Setting, Alex F. Bikowski

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Healthy People has projected depression to be the primary cause of disability by 2020; therefore routine depression screening has been prioritized as a national healthcare initiative. The purpose of this Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) project is to demonstrate that routine implementation of the 2-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2) depression screener, along with a scheduled follow-up protocol for adults in the primary care setting, can improve current mental health practices regarding the identification of depression by clinicians. The evidence supports use of the PHQ-2 for routine adult depression screening, as long as a scheduled follow-up protocol is available for positive screens. This …

Depression, Loneliness, And Pet Attachment In Homebound Older Adult Cat And Dog Owners, Sandy M. Branson, Lisa Boss, Stanley Cron, Dennis C. Turner

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Background: Companion animals may reduce depression and loneliness in socially isolated homebound older adults. However, whether owning a cat or dog is more beneficial in this population remains unknown.

Materials and Methods: Pet attachment and the levels of depressive symptoms and loneliness were examined in 39 homebound older adults who exclusively owned a cat(s) or a dog(s). Cat owners (n = 12) and dog owners (n=27) were assessed for depressive symptoms (Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form), loneliness (R-UCLA Loneliness Scale), and attachment to pets (Likert scale).

Results: Cat owners reported significantly lower levels of depressive symptoms than dog …

Informational Dichotomy Of The Mind; The Role Of Sexual Neuromodulators, Ion G. Motofei, David L. Rowland

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Many basic physiological mechanisms of sexuality were initially studied on animal subjects and conclusions regarding human subjects extrapolated afterward. These ancestral reflexes are assumed to have ascended during human evolution to the cerebral level, where cognition would intermediate (being an environmental operator) both sexual and mental processes. Accordingly, the study of human sexuality suggests an additional/ particular documentation regarding mental existence and its implication, phenomena that are not characteristic of animals.

In a previously published paper we presented ideas regarding the structural dichotomy of the mind and its subsequent implications to sexuality. In this paper we present a general perspective …

Journal Of Mind And Medical Sciences: Translational And Integrative Mission, David L. Rowland, Ion G. Motofei

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Initiated four years ago, Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences (J Mind Med Sci.) established the mission to publish papers on mental and medical topics in distinct but closely interrelated domains. The editorial policy especially encourages interdisciplinary and integrative perspectives, being equally focused on basic research and clinical investigations and short reports.

The journal adheres to the philosophy that high quality, original ideas and information should be readily accessible and freely shared within and amongst the scientific community. Accordingly, J Mind Med Sci. is an online, open access, non-for-profit journal which, because of individual/ private support, has levied no charges …