Dual disorders (DDs) involve the coexistence of a substance use disorder (SUD) with another mental illness, often from the psychotic and affective categories. They are quite common in clinical ...practice and present significant challenges for both diagnosis and treatment. This study explores the effectiveness of brexpiprazole, a third-generation antipsychotic, in an Italian sample of individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum disorder and a comorbid SUD.
Twenty-four patients, diagnosed according to the
(
) and enrolled in several Italian hospitals, underwent a psychometric assessment at baseline (T0) and one month (T1) after starting brexpiprazole treatment administered at a mean dosage of 2 mg/day.
Brexpiprazole demonstrated significant reductions in psychopathological burden (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale/PANSS total score:
< 0.001). Positive (
= 0.003) and negative (
= 0.028) symptoms, substance cravings (VAS craving:
= 0.039), and aggression (MOAS scale:
= 0.003) were notably reduced. Quality of life improved according to the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) subscales (
< 0.005).
This study provides initial evidence supporting brexpiprazole's efficacy and safety in this complex patient population, with positive effects not only on psychopathology and quality of life, but also on cravings. Further studies involving larger cohorts of subjects and extended follow-up periods are needed.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Introduction and Aim: Psychotic and mood disorders are associated with significant functional impairment, premature mortality, physical morbidity, and great social and economic burden. The aim of ...this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of psychosocial, psychological, and rehabilitative interventions implemented in an Italian psychiatric inpatient facility, with a focus on patients with schizophrenia spectrum versus those with mood disorders. Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted in the psychiatric hospital Villa Maria Pia in Rome, Italy, during 2022. Patients with an established diagnosis of schizophrenia spectrum and mood disorder (ICD-9-CM) were assessed on admission (TO) and at the end of treatment (T1), using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF). Interventions involved a multidisciplinary team and included individual and group activities. The t-test for independent samples was used to compare continuous variables between groups and Spearman correlation coefficient to calculate correlations between variables. Results: The study sample consisted of 141 patients, the majority of them being adults (51.3 years + or - 12.4) men (F/M= 68/73). Among them, 85 patients (60.3%) actively engaged in psychosocial and rehabilitative interventions and, compared to non-participating individuals, they showed lower functioning and symptoms at discharge (delta GAF was significantly higher among patients who had taken part in the psychosocial activities, t = -2.095; p = 0.038). Considering the index computed (n of interventions/days of hospitalization), the number of psychosocial activities was positively correlated with the improvement in patients' functioning in the sample taking part in activities (r = 0.272, p = 0.012), especially with psychotherapy and support groups (r = 0.202, p = 0.017 and r = 0.188, p = 0.025, respectively). Splitting the total sample into schizophrenia-spectrum disorder (N = 37) and mood disorder (N = 48) groups, the positive correlations between GAF improvement and participation in psychosocial activities were confirmed only in the schizophrenia-spectrum group. These correlations were not significant for symptomatology (BPRS) either in the total or the individual group. Conclusion: Evidence from our study suggests that inpatient rehabilitation can be effective and useful for people with severe mental disorders. Further investigations are needed to better understand its effectiveness on improving quality of life and social functioning in the long term. Keywords: psychosis, schizophrenia, psychiatric rehabilitation, psychosocial intervention, mental health rehabilitation
Aim:
The purpose of this study was to investigate the intra- and inter-rater reliability of the 36-item version of the Token Test.
Methods:
Twenty-four people following stroke with mild disorder of ...language comprehension were assessed by two speech therapists at a distance of 2 days apart.
Results:
The test showed excellent and good inter-rater reliability, while some parts had lower coefficients.
Conclusion:
This version of the Token Test can be used to assess mild disorder of oral language comprehension. However, further clearer instructions for administration and scoring may improve the test reliability.
In the last few years, the Open Data movement has made a significant impact on the IT world by bringing the att ention to an unexploited value represented by the tremendous amount of data that was ...kept hidden behind the gates of the existing infrastructures, both in public administrations and in private companies. This value can be declined in many ways depending on the perspective of the observer since unprecedented possibilities to correlate different sources of data to mine hidden trends and patt erns, can all at a sudden provide innovative ways to evaluate and monitor events and real life situation. After the initial period of the widespread adoption of the Open Data principles, we are now experimenting a situation where the amount of data available as Open Data is becoming overwhelming as such the need for some kind of coordination effort between different Open Data infrastructures is needed in order to make the data easier to browse and to exploit. This is the goal of the Open Data Network initiative. The Open Data Network initiative aim at bringing together a certain number of Italian Public Administration with the goal of creating a standard infrastructure based on Open Source components suitable for the dissemination of data as Open Data. Moreover it aims at creating a network between each partner's node in order to ease the life of the end user as he will be allowed to access a central hub where all the information will be harvested, rather than having to deal with each single partner's infrastructure.
Heavy goods transport management portal in Florence district The management of legal procedures concerning the transport of heavy goods is often associated with delays and obstacles due to lack of ...cooperation and integration between the different bureaus. Florence district’s administration overcame this impasse by relying on a web-based solution capable of simple and coordinated activities management, and in which the GIS component in terms of planning is absolutely fundamental.
Heavy goods transport management portal in Florence district The management of legal procedures concerning the transport of heavy goods is often associated with delays and obstacles due to lack of ...cooperation and integration between the different bureaus. Florence district’s administration overcame this impasse by relying on a web-based solution capable of simple and coordinated activities management, and in which the GIS component in terms of planning is absolutely fundamental.
The immunological mechanisms underlying the clinical presentation of SARS-CoV-2 infection and those influencing the disease outcome remain to be defined. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) have ...been described to be highly increased during COVID-19, however, their role remains elusive. We performed an in depth analysis of MDSC in 128 SARS-CoV-2 infected patients. Polymorphonuclear (PMN)-MDSC expanded during COVID-19, in particular in patients who required intensive care treatments, and correlated with IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α plasma levels. PMN-MDSC inhibited T-cells IFN-γ production upon SARS-CoV-2 peptides stimulation, through TGF-β- and iNOS-mediated mechanisms, possibly contrasting virus elimination. Accordingly, a multivariate regression analysis found a strong association between PMN-MDSC percentage and fatal outcome of the disease. The PMN-MDSC frequency was higher in non-survivors than survivors at the admission time, followed by a decreasing trend. Interestingly, this trend was associated with IL-6 increase in non-survivors but not in survivors. In conclusion, this study indicates PMN-MDSC as a novel factor in the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV2 infection, and open up to new therapeutic options.
Wounds represent a major global health challenge. Acute and chronic wounds are sensitive to bacterial infection. The wound environment facilitates the development of microbial biofilms, delays ...healing, and promotes chronic inflammation processes. The aim of the present work is the development of chitosan films embedded with bud poplar extract (BPE) to be used as wound dressing for avoiding biofilm formation and healing delay. Chitosan is a polymer with antimicrobial and hydrating properties used in wound dressing, while BPE has antibacterial, antioxidative, and anti-inflammatory properties. Chitosan-BPE films showed good antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties against Gram-positive bacteria and the yeast
. BPE extract induced an immunomodulatory effect on human macrophages, increasing CD36 expression and TGFβ production during M1/M2 polarization, as observed by means of cytofluorimetric analysis and ELISA assay. Significant antioxidant activity was revealed in a cell-free test and in a human neutrophil assay. Moreover, the chitosan-BPE films induced a good regenerative effect in human fibroblasts by in vitro cell migration assay. Our results suggest that chitosan-BPE films could be considered a valid plant-based antimicrobial material for advanced dressings focused on the acceleration of wound repair.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Breast cancer related lymphoedema (BCRL) occurs in a substantial proportion of breast cancer survivors and is a major contributor to patients' disability. Regrettably, there are no validated ...predictive biomarkers, diagnostic tools, and strong evidence-supported therapeutic strategies for BCRL. Here, we provide an integrative characterization of a large series of women with node-positive breast cancers and identify new bona fide predictors of BCRL occurrence.
Three hundred thirty-two cases of surgically-treated node-positive breast cancers were retrospectively collected (2-10.2 years of follow-up). Among them, 62 patients developed BCRL. To identify demographic and clinicopathologic features related to BCRL, Fisher's exact test or Chi-squared test were carried out for categorical variables; the Wilcoxon rank-sum was employed for continuous variables. Factors associated with BCRL occurrence were assessed using a Cox proportional hazards regression model.
En-bloc dissection of the axillary lymph nodes but not the type of breast surgery impacted on BCRL development. Most of BCRL patients had a Luminal A-like neoplasm. The median number of lymph nodes involved by metastatic deposits was significantly higher in BCRL compared to the control group (p = 0.04). Both peritumoral lymphovascular invasion (LVI) and extranodal extension (ENE) of the metastasis had a negative impact on BCRL-free survival (p = 0.01). Specifically, patients with LVI and left side localization harboured 4-fold higher risk of developing BCRL, while right axillary nodes metastases with ENE increased the probability of BCRL compared to ENE-negative patients.
Assessment of LVI and ENE should be integrated with clinical and surgical data to improve BCRL risk stratification.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Abstract
In order to investigate safety and immunogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine third dose in people living with HIV (PLWH), we analyze anti-RBD, microneutralization assay and IFN-γ production in ...216 PLWH on ART with advanced disease (CD4 count <200 cell/mm
3
and/or previous AIDS) receiving the third dose of a mRNA vaccine (BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273) after a median of 142 days from the second dose. Median age is 54 years, median CD4 nadir 45 cell/mm
3
(20–122), 93% HIV-RNA < 50 c/mL. In 68% of PLWH at least one side-effect, generally mild, is recorded. Humoral response after the third dose was strong and higher than that achieved with the second dose (>2 log
2
difference), especially when a heterologous combination with mRNA-1273 as third shot is used. In contrast, cell-mediated immunity remain stable. Our data support usefulness of third dose in PLWH currently receiving suppressive ART who presented with severe immune dysregulation.
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