Mojgan Rashtchi, Zahra Zokaee, Ali R Ghaffarinejad, Mohammad M Sadeghi
{"title":"Depression. Does it affect the comprehension of receptive skills?","authors":"Mojgan Rashtchi, Zahra Zokaee, Ali R Ghaffarinejad, Mohammad M Sadeghi","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To compare the comprehension of depressed and non-depressed male and female Iranian learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in receptive skills, and to investigate whether inefficiency in learning English could be due to depression.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We selected 126 boys and 96 girls aged between 15 and 18 by simple random sampling from 2 high schools in Kerman, Iran to examine whether there was any significant relationship between depression and comprehension of receptive skills in males and females. We undertook this descriptive, correlational study between January and May 2011 in Kerman, Iran. After administration of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), we found that 93 students were non-depressed, 65 had minimal depression, 48 mild depression, and 16 suffered from severe depression.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The correlation between participants` scores on listening and reading test with depression level indicated a significant relationship between depression and comprehension of both listening, and reading. Males had higher scores in both reading and listening. In listening, there was no significant difference among the levels of depression and males and females. Regarding the reading skill, there was no significant difference among levels of depression; however, the reading comprehension of males and females differed significantly.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Learners who show a deficiency in receptive skills should be examined for the possibility of suffering from some degree of depression.</p>","PeriodicalId":520723,"journal":{"name":"Neurosciences (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)","volume":" ","pages":"236-40"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2012-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"30746055","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Faten A Zakareia, Laila Y Al-Ayadhi, Abdulmajeed A Al-Drees
{"title":"Study of dual angiogenic/neurogenic growth factors among Saudi autistic children and their correlation with the severity of this disorder.","authors":"Faten A Zakareia, Laila Y Al-Ayadhi, Abdulmajeed A Al-Drees","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To investigate the role of 2 angiogenic/neurogenic growth factors, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) in Saudi children with autism.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The study included a total of 60 children that included 20 controls and 40 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of autism. The study was conducted in the Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, King Saud University, and in the Autism Research and Treatment Center, King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia between May 2010 and April 2011. Collected blood plasma samples were analyzed for VEGF and PDGF.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The levels of VEGF showed a non-significant change in autistic children compared with the control children (p=0.065). The levels of PDGF were significantly higher in autistic children compared with the control children (p=0.01). Furthermore, this increase was significantly more pronounced in children with severe autism as compared with children with mild autism (p=0.001), and it was not correlated to the severity of the disorder.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>A rise in PDGF may contribute to the pathophysiology of the disorder, either alone or in synergy with other neurotrophic factors to induce an angiogenic-neuroprotective effect. Plasma VEGF has no causative or compensatory contribution to the pathology of this disorder.</p>","PeriodicalId":520723,"journal":{"name":"Neurosciences (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)","volume":" ","pages":"213-8"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2012-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"30746155","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Electrodiagnosis in neuromuscular disorders.","authors":"Mohammad M Kabiraj","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":520723,"journal":{"name":"Neurosciences (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)","volume":" ","pages":"276-7"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2012-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40220378","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Intracranial calcifications, microcephaly, and seizure. If not congenital infection, what could it be?","authors":"Wafaa Eyaid, Ruqaiah S Al-Tassan, Doha M Al-Nouri","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Intracranial calcification has a variety of etiologies; among those are environmental and metabolic disturbances involving calcium homeostasis. The main environmental factors resulting in intracranial calcification are congenital infections with toxoplasmosis, and cytomegalovirus. There are increasing reports on cases showing pictures of congenital infection in the absence of confirmative positive TORCH screen, and there are many cases reported worldwide sharing the same presentation labeled as autosomal recessive congenital infection-like syndrome or pseudo-TORCH syndrome (OMIM 600158).</p>","PeriodicalId":520723,"journal":{"name":"Neurosciences (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)","volume":" ","pages":"248-52"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2012-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"30746057","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The role of anemia in first simple febrile seizure in children aged 6 months to 5 years old.","authors":"Farhad Heydarian, Hosein Vatankhah","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To assess the relationship between anemia and first simple febrile convulsion in patients 6 months to 5 years old.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This cross-sectional study was performed on 240 patients aged 6 months to 5 years old from 10 October 2010 to 15 December 2011 at Ghaem Hospital, Imam Reza Hospital, and Dr. Sheikh Hospital, Mashhad, Iran. Patients were divided into 2 groups: the control group who had fever without seizure, and the case group who had first simple febrile seizure. The anemia levels in both groups were evaluated and compared.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The mean age of patients was 20.7+/-14.8 months. It was 20.53+/-15.07 for the case group, and 20.9+/-14.6 for the control group (p=0.74). The mean hemoglobin in the case group was 11.05+/-1.37, and 11.14+/-1.19 in the control group (p=0.58). Anemia was detected in 37.5% of the case group, and 36.7% of controls (p=0.89).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>There was no relationship between anemia and first simple febrile seizure.</p>","PeriodicalId":520723,"journal":{"name":"Neurosciences (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)","volume":" ","pages":"226-9"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2012-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"30746053","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A middle aged man with respiratory failure and weakness.","authors":"Hussein A Algahtani, Wail N Yar","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":520723,"journal":{"name":"Neurosciences (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)","volume":" ","pages":"274-5"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2012-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"30746008","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Frequency, severity and risk factors for restless legs syndrome in healthcare personnel.","authors":"Selma Civi, Ruhusen Kutlu, Serhat Tokgoz","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To evaluate the frequency, severity, and risk factors for restless legs syndrome (RLS) in healthcare personnel.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This cross-sectional study was performed at the Outpatient Family Medicine Clinic of Meram Medical Faculty in Konya, Turkey and included 354 healthcare personnel who were working at the Meram Medical Faculty Hospital between October 2010 and June 2011. The International RLS (IRLS) rating scale was used to calculate RLS severity. The RLS symptoms positive patients were investigated for neurological examination.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of all the participants, 277 (78.2%) were female. The overall prevalence of RLS according to the 4 essential criteria in the participating healthcare personnel was 15% (n=53) (16.9% male, 14.4% female). Gender (p=0.726) and age (p=0.197) were not significantly related to RLS. According to the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group (IRLSSG) the severity scale for RLS, of the RLS positive patients, 16% were classified as mild (n=8), 40% as moderate (n=21), and 44% as severe (n=24). Approximately, 54.7% of 53 RLS patients had a positive family history of the disorder.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Restless leg syndrome is a treatable disorder; however, it is still widely misdiagnosed by physicians. The history of the patient and family is very important in the diagnosis of RLS.</p>","PeriodicalId":520723,"journal":{"name":"Neurosciences (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)","volume":" ","pages":"230-5"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2012-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"30746054","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Pattern of patient referrals to a tertiary neurosurgery center in the central region of Saudi Arabia.","authors":"Amro F Al-Habib, Zain A Jamjoom, Essam A Elgamal","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":520723,"journal":{"name":"Neurosciences (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)","volume":" ","pages":"271-3"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2012-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"30746007","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}