Gender and duration of untreated psychosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Aim: Duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) can influence the prognosis of schizophrenia. Previous studies have suggested that gender may influence the length of DUP. This study reports the result of the first systematic literature review and meta‐analysis on the role of gender in influencing DUP in first‐episode psychosis. Method: Systematic literature search in PubMed/Medline and Ovid/PsychINFO. Twenty‐seven studies presenting data on 4721 patients diagnosed with psychosis at their first episode (2834 males and 1887 females) were included in the analysis. Results: Samples had a higher proportion of males: odds ratio = 2.5 (95% confidence interval: 1.8–3.3). Mean age at first contact was 25.4 for males and 27.5 for females. Patients from non‐Western countries were older at first contact than patients from Western countries. Average DUP in schizophrenia was 64 weeks and did not differ between genders but was shorter in Western compared with non‐Western countries. Conclusion: Earlier age at first contact and larger incidence in males support the existence of specific gender differences in first‐episode psychosis; however, these are not associated with DUP length.     

IL-10 inhibits nitric oxide synthesis in murine uterus

OBJECTIVES: Recent reports point to a role for the nitric oxide/nitric oxide synthase (NO/NOS) system in implantation. It has been suggested that inducible NOS expressed at peri-implantation would lead to enhanced NO production, which could promote the attachment of the blastocyst. Short-term administration of NO donors during the pre-implantation period reduced the pregnancy rate in a dose-dependent manner. Thus, it is thought that optimal levels of NO are critical for embryo implantation, so regulation of NOS must be crucial. Taking this into consideration, interleukin-10 (IL-10), synthesized and secreted by the embryo, could be modulating NOS during implantation. In this study we have investigated the in vitro effect of IL-10 on NOS in the uterus. METHODS: To determine the effect of IL-10, slices of uterus from estrogenized mice were pre-incubated for 60 min with different concentrations of IL-10 and NOS activity was measured. RESULTS: IL-10 (50 and 100 ng/ml in vitro) diminished NOS activity. The in vivo administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 8 mg/kg) significantly increased the conversion of arginine into citrulline. This effect was abolished after 60 min of preincubation with IL-10 (100 ng/ml). The stimulatory effect of LPS and estrogen on NOS activity is exerted on the Ca-independent isoform and IL-10 in vitro abolished this increase. We observed that the uterus of pregnant mice on day 5 of gestation synthesized NO. This production was significantly inhibited by preincubation with IL-10 (100 ng/ml). CONCLUSIONS: This report demonstrates that IL-10 is capable of inhibiting NO synthesis in estrogenized, LPS-treated and pregnant rat uterus.     

Delusional profiles among young adults: A latent class analysis of delusion proneness

Delusional beliefs and experiences can predict the development of mental disorders within the spectrum of psychosis. The nature, content and prevalence of delusional experiences in the general population are still disputed topics. This study investigates the latent structure of delusion proneness in the non-clinical population. Eight hundred young adults (400 from Italy and 400 from the United Kingdom) completed the Peters et al. delusions inventory, a general population measure of delusional proneness. Latent class analysis was used to explore the latent structure of delusion proneness. Four classes were identified: low delusion proneness (including 28% of the sample), grandiosity (13%), paranoid thinking (41%) and positive psychotic beliefs (18%). Latent structures of sub-clinical symptoms can be observed also in non-clinical population; paranoid thinking is the most common delusional theme.     

Lapatinib plus capecitabine versus capecitabine alone for HER2+ (ErbB2+) metastatic breast cancer: quality-of-life assessment

The randomized phase III trial EGF100151 demonstrated that the combination of lapatinib plus capecitabine (L + C) significantly improved time to progression (TTP) compared with capecitabine alone (C) in heavily pretreated patients with HER2+ (ErbB2+) advanced or metastatic breast cancer. This analysis assessed the effects of study treatments on quality of life (QOL) among patients in EGF100151. Quality of life was assessed using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast (FACT-B) and EuroQoL (EQ-5D) questionnaires. Patients completed questionnaires during efficacy and safety assessment visits (i.e., at screening visit, every 6 weeks for the first 24 weeks, every 12 weeks thereafter, and at discontinuation of study treatment). Primary analyses compared the treatment groups based on change from baseline QOL. Exploratory analyses compared proportion of patients achieving minimum important differences (MID) in QOL scores and the relationship between QOL and tumor status. Quality of life for patients in both treatment groups was maintained during 24 weeks of follow-up. Adjusted mean changes from baseline in all QOL scores for the L + C arm were comparable to those for the C arm. The between-group differences ranged from 0.7 to 2.2 (FACT-B total) and 0.3 to 1.8 (EQ-5D visual analog scale) and were consistently in favor of the L + C arm, although not statistically significant. Patients with an objective tumor response or stable disease showed clinically meaningful differences in QOL scores compared to patients with progressive disease. A greater proportion of patients receiving L + C versus C achieved the MID for all five QOL scores, although differences were not statistically significant. The addition of lapatinib to capecitabine significantly increases TTP without any evidence of a deleterious effect on patients’ QOL, confirming its clinical benefit in this heavily pretreated patient population with advanced HER2+ breast cancer that has progressed on trastuzumab therapy.     

Glycosylation of β-1 integrins in B16-F10 mouse melanoma cells as determinant of differential binding and acquisition of biological activity

Studying B16-F10 cells we could identify β-1 integrins as laminin, fibronectin and collagen receptors. Gradient ionic strength elution analysis of affinity chromatography showed differential interactions between laminin-binding β-1 integrins (two β-1 polypeptides of 105 and 120 kDa) and fibronectin and collagen-binding β-1 integrins (elution of one major β-1 polypeptide of 120 kDa) and their respective ligands. To evaluate this diversity we submitted B16-F10 extracts to IEF and SDS-PAGE and found that one β-1 integrin formed acidic and larger isoforms, while another formed basic and smaller isoforms. To study this difference we also submitted material eluted from WGA-Sepharose columns to IEF but now only the acidic β-1 isoform was found. Extracts of B16-F10 treated with neuraminidase showed only the basic β-1 isoform, suggesting that terminal sialic acid residues may be responsible for this acidic pattern, an interpretation supported by the fact that MAA (Maackia ammurensis agglutinin) reacts only with the acidic isoform. Differential glycosylation of β-1 integrin isoforms in B16-F10 was also demonstrated since the smaller lamininbinding β-1 integrin isoform reacted only with GNA (Galanthus nivalis agglutinin), whereas the mature larger form reacted with DSA (Datura stramonium agglutinin) and MAA; thus this heterogeneity of β-1 chains is essentially due to variable glycosylation. Autoradiography and immunoblotting analysis of material separated by 2-dimensional electrophoresis show that only the processed forms of β-1 integrins are expressed at the cell surface. © 1995 Wiley Liss, Inc.     

Breast Augmentation as an Incentive in Recovering from Anorexia

In a survey carried out on 229 subjects who had undergone an augmentative mammaplasty it was possible to verify a postoperative increase in weight in 25 cases, four of which were clearly anorexic. We hypothesized that a change in perception of one's body proportions after the insertion of implants, might have been a determinant in blocking the mechanism leading to anorexia, or at least in the continuation of the recovering process. The aim of this article is obviously not to state that augmentative mammaplasty can be a kind of therapy for anorexia. Instead, we want to underline how a more pleasant contour of some body areas can have a role in solving deeper psychological problems.     

Relationships of serum leptin to clinical and anthropometric findings in obese patients

Background: The authors evaluated the relationship between leptin and the clinical, anthropometric and metabolic variables connected to the metabolic syndrome in obese individuals. Methods: A large group of patients with different degrees of obesity was investigated: body mass index (BMI) values, serum leptin, fasting glucose and insulin, triglycerides and HDL-cholesterol concentrations, insulin resistance index and blood pressure were measured. Results: On multiple regression analysis, serum leptin levels appeared to be positively correlated to the BMI and to the serum HDL-cholesterol concentration. Principal component factor analysis revealed three factors, explaining 61.3% of the total variance of the sample. General features of these factors were: factor 1 - BMI values and serum leptin and fasting glucose concentration; factor 2 - systolic and diastolic blood pressure and serum triglycerides and HDL-cholesterol concentration; factor 3 - fasting serum insulin concentration and insulin resistance index. Conclusions: In obese subjects multiple factors underlie the metabolic syndrome and therefore more than one mechanism may account for the clustering characteristics. In obese patients leptin loads only one factor, and therefore leptin does not appear to be a key feature in the metabolic syndrome. On the contrary, multiple correlation and factor analysis data give rise to the hypothesis that in obese patients, leptin may play a protective role against cardiovascular risk.     

The 5-HT 1A receptor antagonist WAY 100635 improves rats performance in different models of amnesia evaluated by the object recognition task

The effects of the 5-HT(1A) receptor antagonist WAY 100635 on recognition memory were investigated in two different amnestic models in the rat by using the object recognition task. WAY 100635 at 1 mg/kg, but not at 0.3 mg/kg, counteracted scopolamine-induced performance deficits in the acquisition version of this behavioral paradigm. At the same dose, WAY 100635 antagonized extinction of recognition memory in the normal rat, suggesting that it affected acquisition, storage and retrieval of information. These results support and extend prior findings that interactions between the serotonergic and cholinergic systems are relevant to cognition and indicate that WAY 100635 modulates different aspects of recognition memory.     

儿童特应性皮炎的发展影响量表：特应性皮炎幼儿及其家庭生活质量的初步确认

为了评估特应性皮炎（AD）对受累幼儿及其家庭生活质量的影响，作者设计了一个62项的表样，即儿童特应性皮炎影响量表（CADIS）。CADIS样表是根据患儿父母及临床医生提供的资料产生的综合性概念框架而制定的。该表有8个亚量表（患儿和父母各4个）：体格健康情况、情感健康情况、躯体功能和社会功能。该研究旨在检测CADIS样表的有效性及对该样本进行修订。270例6岁以下AD患儿的父母对该表有应答。内容的有效性经专家和患儿父母看完该表的草稿和修订版及分析患儿父母对患儿皮肤病的开放性终点问卷的反应性后确定。结构的有效性用探索性因素分析评估，其支持概念框架的细化，包括5个区域2个水平：儿童水平（症状和活动限制／行为）和患儿父母水平（家庭／社会功能、睡眠及情感）。排除17项，产生一个45项的CADIS修订版（评分0～180），含有内容和结构有效性的证据，并提示其在临床研究中的应用。     

Reliability across studies from the functional assessment of cancer therapy-general (FACT-G) and its subscales: a reliability generalization

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to conduct a reliability generalization of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) and its subscales to examine variation in score reliability across all published studies. METHODS: We reviewed 344 publications based on predetermined criteria. About 78 published studies reported Cronbach's Alpha reliability coefficients from their study in which data were collected. Sample size based weights were applied, and studies were coded on several scale and demographic characteristics. Using independent samples t tests, we examined associations between study characteristics and internal consistency variability. RESULTS: Average FACT-G score reliability was .88 (subscales ranged between .71-.83). Three variables produced small, statistically significant (P < or = .05) eta squared effects (ranging between .06-.21) due to different sources of variation in the FACT-G and subscales: ethnicity, cancer type, and study type-all of which appeared to be related to disproportionate representation of studies with the majority including Caucasian samples, mixed cancer samples, and validation type studies. CONCLUSIONS: The FACT-G and its subscales demonstrated acceptable reliability evidence across observed studies, without substantial variability due to scale or demographic characteristics.