Facial emotion processing in schizophrenia : a non-specific neuropsychological deficit?

Original article can be found at : http://journals.cambridge.org/ Copyright Cambridge University PressBackground: Identification of facial emotions has been found to be impaired in schizophrenia but there are uncertainties about the neuropsychological specificity of the finding. Method: Twenty-two patients with schizophrenia and 20 healthy controls were given tests requiring identification of facial emotion, judgement of the intensity of emotional expressions without identification, familiar face recognition and the Benton Facial Recognition Test (BFRT). The schizophrenia patients were selected to be relatively intellectually preserved. Results: The patients with schizophrenia showed no deficit in identifying facial emotion, although they were slower than the controls. They were, however, impaired on judging the intensity of emotional expression without identification. They showed impairment in recognizing familiar faces but not on the BFRT. Conclusions: When steps are taken to reduce the effects of general intellectual impairment, there is no deficit in identifying facial emotions in schizophrenia. There may, however, be a deficit in judging emotional intensity. The impairment found in naming familiar faces is consistent with other evidence of semantic memory impairment in the disorder.Peer reviewe

Human infection challenge in the pandemic era and beyond, HIC-Vac annual meeting report, 2022

HIC-Vac is an international network of researchers dedicated to developing human infection challenge studies to accelerate vaccine development against pathogens of high global impact. The HIC-Vac Annual Meeting (3rd and 4th November 2022) brought together stakeholders including researchers, ethicists, volunteers, policymakers, industry partners, and funders with a strong representation from low- and middle-income countries. The network enables sharing of research findings, especially in endemic regions. Discussions included pandemic preparedness and the role of human challenge to accelerate vaccine development during outbreak, with industry speakers emphasising the great utility of human challenge in vaccine development. Public consent, engagement, and participation in human challenge studies were addressed, along with the role of embedded social science and empirical studies to uncover social, ethical, and regulatory issues around human infection challenge studies. Study volunteers shared their experiences and motivations for participating in studies. This report summarises completed and ongoing human challenge studies across a variety of pathogens and demographics, and addresses other key issues discussed at the meeting

Cytoreductive Surgery and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy in Gastric Cancer with Peritoneal Metastasis—Indian Experience

Abstract Ashwin K.R. Introduction Peritoneal metastasis secondary to gastric cancer is associated with poor prognosis. Recent studies have shown that cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) may be an efficacious treatment option for an otherwise palliative condition. Methods A retrospective single institutional study of patents diagnosed with gastric carcinoma and peritoneal metastasis and treated with CRS and HIPEC from February 2015 to December 2019. Results Sixteen patients with gastric cancer and peritoneal carcinomatosis were treated with CRS and HIPEC. Three patients underwent upfront surgery, and five patients underwent interval surgery. The mean peritoneal cancer index (PCI) was 3.5, and adequate complete cytoreduction (CC) score of 0/1 was achieved in all patients. All patients received HIPEC with mitomycin C. Major surgical complications were in 12.5% of patients. Grade I surgical site infection was present in one patient. Three patients had prolonged gastrointestinal (GI) recovery. The 30-day mortality was zero. Median follow-up time was 39 months. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 12 months (95% confidence interval [CI] 6.86–17.13). The median overall survival (OS) was 17 months (95% CI 6.36–27.64). Conclusion Multidisciplinary treatment of perioperative chemotherapy with CRS and HIPEC is a promising treatment option, which may prolong survival in selected patients, and large randomized clinical trials are warranted for it to become standard of care

An Overview of Experience with Preoperative Skin Marking and Clip Insertion in Non-palpable Breast Cancer Lesions in a Tertiary Care Cancer Center and Its Impact on Breast Conservation Surgery

Newer adjuncts in breast conservation surgery are striving for more precise excision of these cancerous lesions. This study evaluates two such techniques, preoperative ultrasound-guided lesion clipping and skin marking, and their effects on the surgical outcomes of early breast cancer lesions undergoing breast conservation surgery. This retrospective study includes 56 consecutive patients with non-palpable (upfront or post-neoadjuvant chemotherapy) biopsy-proven early breast cancers (T1, T2, T3 lesions). These patients underwent breast conservation surgery using ultrasound-guided percutaneous clipping and skin marking techniques at Manipal Comprehensive Cancer Center, between January 2019 and May 2021. Post excision, their total specimen volume and tumor volume were studied. Of the total of 56 patients, based on institutional protocol, 33 were clipped before neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and 23 patients underwent skin marking. Mean specimen volume was 99.25 ± 60 cm3, and mean tumor volume was 7.38 ± 13.6 cm3. Forty-seven patients (84%) were managed with a simple local type I oncoplastic procedure. In nine patients (16%), local perforator-based flap reconstruction was done. These techniques help to achieve precise excision of these tumors, requiring a lower volume of resection to achieve negative margins, with better cosmetic outcomes

Current practice and perceptions of safety protocols for the use of intraperitoneal chemotherapy in the operating room: results of the IP-OR international survey

Objectives: To assess the risk perception and the uptake of measures preventing environment-related risks in the operating room (OR) during hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) and pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC). Methods: A multicentric, international survey among OR teams in high-volume HIPEC and PIPAC centers: Surgeons (Surg), Scrub nurses (ScrubN), Anesthesiologists (Anest), Anesthesiology nurses (AnesthN), and OR Cleaning staff (CleanS). Scores extended from 0-10 (maximum). Results: Ten centers in six countries participated in the study (response rate 100%). Two hundred and eleven responses from 68 Surg (32%), 49 ScrubN (23%), 45 Anest (21%), 31 AnesthN (15%), and 18 CleanS (9%) were gathered. Individual uptake of protectionmeasureswas 51.4%, similar among professions and between HIPEC and PIPAC. Perceived levels of protection were 7.57 vs. 7.17 for PIPAC and HIPEC, respectively (p<0.05), with Anesth scoring the lowest (6.81). Perceived contamination risk was 4.19 for HIPEC vs. 3.5 for PIPAC (p<0.01). Information level was lower for CleanS and Anesth for HIPEC and PIPAC procedures compared to all other responders (6.48 vs. 4.86, and 6.48 vs. 5.67, p<0.01). Willingness to obtain more information was 86%, the highest among CleanS (94%). Conclusions: Experience with the current practice of safety protocols was similar during HIPEC and PIPAC. The individual uptake of protection measures was rather low. The safety perception was better for PIPAC, but the perceived level of protection remained relatively low. The willingness to obtain more information was high. Intensified, standardized training of all OR teammembers involved in HIPEC and PIPAC is meaningful