The screen for cognitive impairment in psychiatry (SCIP) is associated with disease severity and cognitive complaints in major depression

Objective: To assess the relationship between the Screen for Cognitive Impairment in Psychiatry (SCIP) score and illness severity, subjective cognition and functioning in a cohort of major depressive disorder (MDD) patients.

Methods: Patients (n?=?40) diagnosed with MDD (DSM-IV-TR) completed the SCIP, a brief neuropsychological test, and a battery of self-administered questionnaires evaluating functioning (GAF, SDS, WHODAS 2.0, EDEC, PDQ-D5). Disease severity was evaluated with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and the Clinical Global Impression (CGI).

Results: Age and sex were associated with performance in the SCIP. The SCIP-Global index score was associated with disease severity (r?=??0.316, p?<?.05), the SDS, a patient self-assessment of daily functioning (r?=??0.368, p?<?.05), and the EDEC subscales of patient-reported cognitive deficits (r?=??0.388, p?<?.05) and their functional impacts (r?=??0.335, p?<?.05). Multivariate analysis adjusted for age and sex confirmed these tests are independent predictors of performance in the SCIP (CGI-S, F_[3,34]?=?4.478, p?=?.009; SDS, F_[3,34]?=?3.365, p?=?.030; EDEC-perceived cognitive deficits, F_[3,34]?=?5.216, p?=?.005; EDEC-perceived impacts of functional impairment, F_[3,34]?=?5.154, p?=?.005).

Conclusions: This study confirms that the SCIP can be used during routine clinical evaluation of MDD, and that cognitive deficits objectively assessed in the SCIP are associated with disease severity and self-reported cognitive dysfunction and impairment in daily life.     

The impact of cytogenetic risk on the outcomes of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation in patients with relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia: On behalf of the acute leukemia working party (ALWP) of the European group for blood and marrow transplantation (EBMT)

Karyotypic analysis at time of diagnosis has an important value in determining initial response to treatment, remission duration and overall survival (OS) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Less is known about its value before allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo‐HCT) in patients transplanted with active disease, either relapsed or primary refractory (Rel‐Ref) AML. We explored the impact of cytogenetic risk (stratification according to MRC‐UK) in 2089 patients with either Ref (n = 972) or Rel AML (n = 1117) transplanted during the period 2000‐2017. Overall, 154 patients had a favorable risk, 1283 had an intermediate risk and 652 had an adverse cytogenetic risk. Median follow‐up was 49 months. Compared to the favorable risk group, intermediate and adverse risk patients were associated with worse leukemia‐free survival and OS and also with a higher incidence of relapse. In a subgroup analysis of patients in the intermediate risk group harboring Fms‐like tyrosine kinase 3‐internal tandem duplication (FLT3‐ITD), this remained an important prognostic factor, being associated with worse outcomes. When analyzing patients according to the intensity of the conditioning regimen, no differences were observed for the main transplant outcomes. In conclusion, in patients diagnosed with AML and transplanted with active disease, karyotype remains an important prognostic factor, allowing splitting patients into different risk groups according to their cytogenetics. Similarly, FLT3‐ITD mutation also remains a negative prognostic factor in this population.     

Nervus intermedius neuralgia: a case report

Nervus intermedius neuralgia (NIN) is an uncommon disorder that affects a sensory branch of the facial nerve. This condition usually provokes a very intense and stabbing pain localized in the depth of the ear canal. Due to the close anatomical proximity, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pathologies should be included in the differential diagnosis. The treatment of NIN has not been established, although it seems reasonable that the therapeutic approaches used in other more common craniofacial neuralgias, such as trigeminal neuralgia, should be effective. In this paper, the authors present a case report of a female patient diagnosed with NIN who was successfully managed with pharmacological treatment.     

Bilateral bifid mandibular condyle: case report and literature review

Bifid mandibular condyle is an infrequent and normally asymptomatic morphological alteration of the mandibular condyle. Although the underlying cause is not clear, a number of theories have been proposed, including teratogenic effects in the embryo, vascular alterations during condyle development, and condylar remodeling following fracture. Since Schier first described this anomaly in 1948 in live individuals, further cases have been documented in the literature. We present a new case of bilateral bifid condyle. The disorder was asymptomatic and constituted a casual finding in a young male presenting for the surgical extraction of two impacted molars.