Group-based Relaxation Response Skills Training for pharmacologically-resistant depressed and anxious patients

Background: Drug-resistance for depression and anxiety is a major limitation in the treatment of these common disorders, and adjunct support interventions may be beneficial in the treatment of these patients. Aims: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a short-term (8 session) Relaxation Response Skills Training (RRST) programme for a population of psychiatric outpatients with anxiety and mood disorders who were unresponsive to drug treatment, and to test the feasibility of this intervention as complementary treatment for a psychiatric setting. Method: Forty patients were measured for overall psychopathological symptoms, depression, and anxiety, and were then given an 8-week course of RRST, while continuing their pharmacological treatment. Following the RRST intervention, participants were again assessed. Results: The results demonstrated reductions in overall symptoms (large effect size and reasonable clinically significant change), and also in depression and anxiety (medium effect sizes and clinically significant change). Conclusions: These results suggest that this short-term RRT offers a simple and cost-effective way to augment drug management for participants with common psychiatric disorders who are less responsive to the drug treatment

Metaplasia ossea diagnosticata su leiomioma uterino

Riportiamo un caso di metaplasia ossea in un leiomioma uterino scoperto casualmente in una donna di 53 anni operata di isterectomia totale per una neoformazione annessial

Mesothelioma incidence surveillance systems and claims for workers’ compensation. Epidemiological evidence and prospects for an integrated framework

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Malignant mesothelioma is an aggressive and lethal tumour strongly associated with exposure to asbestos (mainly occupational). In Italy a large proportion of workers are protected from occupational diseases by public insurance and an epidemiological surveillance system for incident mesothelioma cases.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We set up an individual linkage between the Italian national mesothelioma register (ReNaM) and the Italian workers’ compensation authority (INAIL) archives. Logistic regression models were used to identify and test explanatory variables.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We extracted 3270 mesothelioma cases with occupational origins from the ReNaM, matching them with 1625 subjects in INAIL (49.7%); 91.2% (1,482) of the claims received compensation. The risk of not seeking compensation is significantly higher for women and the elderly. Claims have increased significantly in recent years and there is a clear geographical gradient (northern and more developed regions having higher claims rates). The highest rates of compensation claims were after work known to involve asbestos.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our data illustrate the importance of documentation and dissemination of all asbestos exposure modalities. Strategies focused on structural and systematic interaction between epidemiological surveillance and insurance systems are needed.</p

Unrevealed Depression Involves Dysfunctional Coping Strategies in Crohn&#8217;s Disease Patients in Clinical Remission

Background and Aims. This study investigated the proportion of CD patients in clinical remission with clinical depression, and coping strategies in those with severe depressive disorders. Materials and Methods. One hundred consecutive CD patients in clinical remission were screened for anxiety and depression by using Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and patients with depressive symptoms were further investigated by means of Cognitive Behavioural Assessment 2.0 and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Afterwards the coping strategies were assessed through the Brief-COPE questionnaire. Results. Twenty-one patients had anxious symptoms and 16 had depressive symptoms with or without anxiety. Seven of these patients (43.8%) showed significant depressive symptoms. Compared to patients without psychiatric disorders, these patients showed significant lower score in "positive reframing" (p: 0.017) and in "planning" (p: 0.046) and higher score in "use of instrumental social support" (p < 0.001), in "denial" scale (p: 0.001), and in "use of emotional social support" (p: 0.003). Conclusions. Depressed CD patients in clinical remission may have dysfunctional coping strategies, meaning that they may not be able to implement functional strategies to manage at best stress related with their disease

Resident Self-Tissue of Proinflammatory Cytokines Rather than Their Systemic Levels Correlates with Development of Myelofibrosis in Gata1low Mice

Serum levels of inflammatory cytokines are currently investigated as prognosis markers in myelofibrosis, the most severe Philadelphia-negative myeloproliferative neoplasm. We tested this hypothesis in the Gata1low model of myelofibrosis. Gata1low mice, and age-matched wild-type littermates, were analyzed before and after disease onset. We assessed cytokine serum levels by Luminex-bead-assay and ELISA, frequency and cytokine content of stromal cells by flow cytometry, and immunohistochemistry and bone marrow (BM) localization of GFP-tagged hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) by confocal microscopy. Differences in serum levels of 32 inflammatory-cytokines between prefibrotic and fibrotic Gata1low mice and their wild-type littermates were modest. However, BM from fibrotic Gata1low mice contained higher levels of lipocalin-2, CXCL1, and TGF-β1 than wild-type BM. Although frequencies of endothelial cells, mesenchymal cells, osteoblasts, and megakar-yocytes were higher than normal in Gata1low BM, the cells which expressed these cytokines the most were malignant megakaryocytes. This increased bioavailability of proinflammatory cytokines was associated with altered HSC localization: Gata1low HSC were localized in the femur diaphysis in areas surrounded by microvessels, neo-bones, and megakaryocytes, while wild-type HSC were localized in the femur epiphysis around adipocytes. In conclusion, bioavailability of inflammatory cytokines in BM, rather than blood levels, possibly by reshaping the HSC niche, correlates with myelofibrosis in Gata1low mice

Subjective well-being nel disturbo bipolare : uno studio prospettico preliminare

Aims: Recently numerous studies have focused their attention on the importance of patients' self evaluation of the impact of pharmacotherapy on quality of life. These aspects have led to the introduction of new assessments in psychiatric care in order to help clinicians in evaluating patients' perspective and subjective well-being. To date, several studies have investigated subjective well-being among schizophrenic patients, whereas there are few such studies in bipolar patients. This study aims at evaluating the association between subjective well-being and psychopathology in bipolar patients subjected to drug treatment with atypical antipsychotics and mood stabilizers at the time of admission to the psychiatric ward and during a follow-up period. Methods: A consecutive sample of thirty in-patients with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder (DSM IV-TR) was recruited in the psychiatric ward of the Fondazione IRCCS "Ca' Granda" Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan. They were studied on admission (TO), at discharge (T1) and then at 6 (T2), 12 (T3) and 18 weeks (T4) after discharge (Fig. 1). Psychopathology was rated with the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), while subjective well-being was assessed with the Subjective Well-being under Neuroleptic treatment scale (SWN). Associations between BPRS and SWN scores were analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficients. In addition, a linear regression analysis was conducted using SWN at the end of follow-up (T4) as the dependent variable and demographic and clinical characteristics as possible predictors. Results: Non-linear relations best described the associations between changes in BPRS and SWN scores over time: no association was found during the acute phase (from admission to T1), while cross-sectional Pearson's correlation coefficients indicate inverse associations between SWN and BPRS scores at T2 (r = -0.598, p = 0.014) and between SWN at T2 and BPRS score at T4 (r = -0.84 7, p = 0.009) (Table I). Moreover, linear regression showed that variance in SWN at T4 was mostly accounted for by the effect of number of admissions (standardized B -0.551, p = 0.021) and SWN score at T2 (standardized B 1.262; p = 0.001) (Table II). Conclusions: Our results point-out that modifications in subjective well-being and psychopathological state were not linearly related in bipolar patients, thus suggesting that subjective well-being could be considered in these patients as a personal variable associated to psychopathological state in a different way according to phase of illness. Further research including wider samples and longer follow-up periods are needed in to confirm our results and identify other possible correlations