Factors Associated With Response and Resistance to Cognitive Remediation in Schizophrenia: A Critical Review

Cognitive impairment is a central feature of schizophrenia and has shown to play a crucial role in the psychosocial function of the disorder. Over the past few years, several cognitive remediation (CR) interventions have been developed for schizophrenia, whose effectiveness has also been widely demonstrated by systematic reviews and meta-analysis studies. Despite these evidences, many questions remain open. In particular, the identification of CR response predictors in patients with schizophrenia is still a topic with equivocal findings and only a few studies have looked for the relationship between CR response or resistance and the biological, socio-demographic, clinical and cognitive features in schizophrenia. The current knowledge on positive or negative response predictors to CR treatment in schizophrenia include: age, duration of illness, premorbid adjustment, baseline cognitive performance, intrinsic motivation, hostility, disorganized symptoms, neurobiological reserve, genetic polymorphisms, the amounts of antipsychotics, the type of CR, etc. The aim of this review is to identify neurobiological, psychopathological, cognitive, and functional predictors of CR response or resistance in schizophrenia, taking into account both cognitive and functional outcome measures. The information obtained could be very useful in planning integrated and personalized interventions, also with a better use of the available resources

Factors Associated With Response and Resistance to Cognitive Remediation in Schizophrenia: A Critical Review

Cognitive impairment is a central feature of schizophrenia and has shown to play a crucial role in the psychosocial function of the disorder. Over the past few years, several cognitive remediation (CR) interventions have been developed for schizophrenia, whose effectiveness has also been widely demonstrated by systematic reviews and meta-analysis studies. Despite these evidences, many questions remain open. In particular, the identification of CR response predictors in patients with schizophrenia is still a topic with equivocal findings and only a few studies have looked for the relationship between CR response or resistance and the biological, socio-demographic, clinical and cognitive features in schizophrenia. The current knowledge on positive or negative response predictors to CR treatment in schizophrenia include: age, duration of illness, premorbid adjustment, baseline cognitive performance, intrinsic motivation, hostility, disorganized symptoms, neurobiological reserve, genetic polymorphisms, the amounts of antipsychotics, the type of CR, etc. The aim of this review is to identify neurobiological, psychopathological, cognitive, and functional predictors of CR response or resistance in schizophrenia, taking into account both cognitive and functional outcome measures. The information obtained could be very useful in planning integrated and personalized interventions, also with a better use of the available resources

Linee guida per la cooperazione nel Catalogo italiano dei periodici (ACNP)

GUIDELINES FOR LIBRARIES COOPERATION IN ITALIAN UNION CATALOGUE OF SERIALS (ACNP

Linee guida per la cooperazione delle biblioteche al Catalogo italiano dei periodici (ACNP)

Guidelines for libraries cooperation in Italian Union Catalogue of Serials (ACNP

Adjuvant Carboplatin Treatment in 115 Patients With Stage I Seminoma: Retrospective Multicenter Survey

This retrospective multicenter survey analyzed modalities of dose calculation, dose reductions, acute toxicities, and relapse rate of adjuvant AUC 7 carboplatin in 115 stage I seminoma patients. The study confirms the feasibility and safety of AUC 7 carboplatin in every day clinical practice with a relapse rate of 5.2%. Dose reduction should be proscribed.Background: The administration of carboplatin AUC 7 has become a standard adjuvant option for patients undergoing orchiectomy for stage I seminoma, in alternative to radiotherapy on retroperitoneal lymphnodes or surveillance. The toxicity of AUC 7 carboplatin appeared manageable in the pivotal trial of Oliver et al, but dose ranges were not reported. Fear of toxicity may induce arbitrary dose reductions, which may potentially compromise patients' outcome. Patients and Methods: We reviewed adjuvant carboplatin administration in 115 stage I seminoma patients followed in 11 Italian medical oncology centers since 2005. Clinical and pathological data, modality of carboplatin dose calculation, dose reductions, toxicities, and relapses were recorded. Results: Median age was 35 years (range, 18-65 years), adverse prognostic factors were either T >= 4 cm (17.4%) or rete testis invasion (28.7%), both of them (35.7%), none or unspecified (18.3%). GFR was estimated mainly by Cockroft-Gault formula (55.7%) or Jeliffe formula (26.1%), with a median of 105 mL/min (range, 75-209 mL/min). The median dose of carboplatin was 900 mg (range, 690-1535 mg). A dose reduction > 10% was applied to 14 patients. Toxicities were mild fatigue, moderate nausea/vomiting, 5.2% of grade 3 to 4 thrombocytopenia. After a median follow-up of 22.1 months, 5.2% of patients have relapsed in the retroperitoneal lymph nodes. None of the patients that relapsed were treated with reduced dose. All but one achieved complete remission with salvage chemotherapy. Conclusions: Adjuvant AUC 7 carboplatin reduce relapses of stage I seminoma patients to 5.2%, with manageable toxicities. Dose reductions should be proscribed

Dose calculation and tolerability of adjuvant AUC 7 carboplatin in 100 patients with stage I seminoma

374 Background: Administration of carboplatin AUC 7 has become a standard adjuvant option to be discussed with pts following orchiectomy for stage I seminoma, as alternative to radiotherapy on retroperitoneal lymphnodes or observation. The toxicity of AUC 7 carboplatin appeared manageable in the pivotal trial by Oliver et al. (Lancet, 2005), but dose ranges were not reported. Oncologists use different methods to estimate GFR and to calculate this unusually high dosage of carboplatin, and fear of toxicity may induce arbitrary dose reductions and potentially compromise the outcome. Methods: In 9 Italian centers we conducted a retrospective review focusing on adjuvant carboplatin administration to stage I seminoma pts. Modality of dose calculation, dose reductions and toxicities were recorded. Results: Since August 2006, 100 pts have been treated, median age 35 years (range 26 to 58). Adverse prognostic factors were either T &gt;4 cm (14% of pts) or rete testis invasion (32), both (36), none or unspecified (18). Glomerular Filtration Rated was estimated mainly by Cockroft-Gault formula (55% of pts), Jeliffe formula (27%), 24-hour urine collection (17%), MDRM (1%): median value was 106 ml/min (range 75 to 209). All Oncologists declared to use Calvert formula to calculate AUC 7 dose, and administered a median of 900 mg of carboplatin (range 690 to 1535). A dose reduction &gt; 10% was prudentially applied to 15% of pts; a second cycle was delivered in 8 pts. Acute toxicities are outlined in table 1. After a median follow-up of 20 months, 6% of patients have relapsed (all in the retroperitoneum), none of whom had been treated with reduced dose. Conclusions: AUC 7 carboplatin dosage peaked 1,535 mg in our cohort of stage I seminoma patients with no infections and nephrotoxicity, moderate nausea-vomiting, but 5% of grade 3-4 thrombocytopenia. Prudential dose reductions appeared unfrequent and should be proscribed. [Table: see text] </jats:p

The mesoSPIM initiative: open-source light-sheet microscopes for imaging cleared tissue

Light-sheet microscopy is an ideal technique for imaging large cleared samples; however, the community is still lacking instruments capable of producing volumetric images of centimeter-sized cleared samples with near-isotropic resolution within minutes. Here, we introduce the mesoscale selective plane-illumination microscopy initiative, an open-hardware project for building and operating a light-sheet microscope that addresses these challenges and is compatible with any type of cleared or expanded sample ( www.mesospim.org )

The mesoSPIM initiative: open-source light-sheet microscopes for imaging cleared tissue

Light-sheet microscopy is an ideal technique for imaging large cleared samples; however, the community is still lacking instruments capable of producing volumetric images of centimeter-sized cleared samples with near-isotropic resolution within minutes. Here, we introduce the mesoscale selective plane-illumination microscopy initiative, an open-hardware project for building and operating a light-sheet microscope that addresses these challenges and is compatible with any type of cleared or expanded sample (www.mesospim.org)

Pioniere del video

Una ricognizione sulle pioniere del video in Italia (anche con riferimenti al panorama internazionale) nel campo della ricerca, dell'organizzazione e della promozione delle arti elettronich