Feasibility and efficacy of chemotherapy with gemcitabine mono and with paclitaxel/mitoxantron in gynaecological cancers

In this prospective study 32 patients with advanced gynaecologic tumours were treated with different schemes of chemotherapy: 15 received a combination of paclitaxel (100 mg/m2/week)/mitoxantron (6 mg/m2/every second week). Seventeen patients were treated with gemcitabine (100 mg/m2) in two different schedules, and the time of infusion was 2,2-3,3 hours or 30 minutes, respectively. Tolerability and efficacy were observed. The most common reason for reduction of the dosage or for cycle delay in the combined scheme was neutropenia. The response rate was 82%. The median overall survival was 30 weeks since beginning of the chemotherapy and 15 weeks after the last infusion. Gemcitabine in the shorter scheme led to a higher median dose rate. Toxic skin effects and hematological adverse events led to dose reduction and cycle delay in 90% of the infusions in the longer scheme. The response rate was 76%. The overall survival was one to 69 weeks with a median survival of 22 weeks. The advantages of the shorter scheme were confirmed.     

Isolated brachial artery aneurysm: a rare presentation of paediatric Behçet’s disease

Behçet’s disease is a rare disease characterised by recurrent oral ulcers, with systemic manifestations including genital ulcers, ocular disease, skin lesions, gastrointestinal disease, neurologic disease, vascular disease and arthritis. Most clinical manifestations of Behçet’s disease are believed to be due to vasculitis. The heterogeneous clinical spectrum is influenced by sex, ethnicity and country of residence. Vascular manifestation in the form of isolated large brachial artery aneurysm is rare in children. Treatment involves aneurysmorrhaphy to avoid rupture or ischaemic sequelae in addition to lifelong medical management to control vasculitis.     

A technical review of canonical correlation analysis for neuroscience applications

Collecting comprehensive data sets of the same subject has become a standard in neuroscience research and uncovering multivariate relationships among collected data sets have gained significant attentions in recent years. Canonical correlation analysis (CCA) is one of the powerful multivariate tools to jointly investigate relationships among multiple data sets, which can uncover disease or environmental effects in various modalities simultaneously and characterize changes during development, aging, and disease progressions comprehensively. In the past 10 years, despite an increasing number of studies have utilized CCA in multivariate analysis, simple conventional CCA dominates these applications. Multiple CCA‐variant techniques have been proposed to improve the model performance; however, the complicated multivariate formulations and not well‐known capabilities have delayed their wide applications. Therefore, in this study, a comprehensive review of CCA and its variant techniques is provided. Detailed technical formulation with analytical and numerical solutions, current applications in neuroscience research, and advantages and limitations of each CCA‐related technique are discussed. Finally, a general guideline in how to select the most appropriate CCA‐related technique based on the properties of available data sets and particularly targeted neuroscience questions is provided.     

Verhandlungen Ärztlicher Gesellschaften

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Verhandlungen Ärztlicher Gesellschaften

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Assessment of Psychosocial Functioning in a Large Cohort of Patients with Schizophrenia

Background

This study addresses the question of whether psychosocial functioning measured by the Personal and Social Performance (PSP) Scale is related to various psychopathological measures in a cohort of patients with schizophrenia.

Methods

The ‘Neuroleptic Strategy Study’ (NeSSy) performed at 14 German hospitals between 2010 and 2013 compared two treatment strategies instead of individual drugs. Secondary end-points were the two PSP scales as well as measures of quality of life (SF-36) and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS).

Results

149 patients were randomised. There was no difference between the two treatment strategies (first-generation versus second-generation antipsychotics) with regard to the PSP. There were differences in doctors’ assessments regarding psychosocial functioning compared with patients’ own assessments. Furthermore, there were relationships between the PSP and quality of life, level of skills (ICF), and severity of disease (PANSS), level of sexual activities and poor well-being under antipsychotic medication but not with cognitive changes.

Conclusions

The findings on psychosocial functioning of patients with schizophrenia related to severity and skill level could be confirmed. Further findings were the correlation between psychosocial functioning and quality of life, well-being under treatment, and sexuality what emphasizes the substantial importance of a reduced psychosocial functioning.

     

Correction to: Assessment of Psychosocial Functioning in a Large Cohort of Patients with Schizophrenia

Psychiatric Quarterly -     

Schilddrüsenunterfunktion und -überfunktion

Approximately one-third of women suffer from dysfunction of the thyroid gland. However, in the majority of cases the dysfunction is not recognized. Symptoms of thyroid dysfunction are multifactorial and can range from symptom-free conditions to hypertensive crisis or severe depressive episodes. Iodine deficiency is the main reason for thyroid dysfunction. Gynaecological aspects are often underestimated and include effects on the menstrual cycle, increased tendency for miscarriage, fertility disorders and endocrine effects such as hyperprolactinemia. Other effects on basal metabolic rate and cardiac arrhythmia also need to be considered before gynaecological surgery. This article gives an introduction to special aspects on thyroid dysfunction in females.