Dissociation between cognitive-behavioral and emotional-psychopgysiological aspects in eating disorders and pre post treatment stability

Objective The present work aims to assess the effectiveness of an integrate treatment in a group of patients with Eating Disorders (EDs). Methods 15 women with an ED, who underwent a multidisciplinary treatment, were subdivided into two groups (Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa). Participants were evaluated by: Symptom Questionnaire (SQ) and Psychophysiological Profile (PPP). Administration was repeated six months after the start of treatment and at treatment termination. Results Elevated levels of anxiety, depression, somatic symptoms and hostility at the diagnostic phase and low levels of physiological reactivity were observed. A significant reduction in patient-reported depressive symptoms was detected within six months following the onset of treatment. Progressive improvement of anxiety and hostility was observed in the medium- long term. At the physiological level, an increase in skin conductance values was observed during the stress phase in the medium-long term. Discussion A partial desynchronization emerged between patients’ physiological and cognitive responses

Dissociation between cognitive-behavioral and emotional-psychophysiological aspects in Eating Disorders and its pre-post treatment stability

Objective The present work aims to assess the effectiveness of an integrate treatment in a group of patients with Eating Disorders (EDs). Methods 15 women with an ED, who underwent a multidisciplinary treatment, were subdivided into two groups (Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa). Participants were evaluated by: Symp tom Questionnaire (SQ) and Psychophysiological Profile (PPP). Administration was repeated six months after the start of treatment and at treatment termination. Results Elevated levels of anxiety, depression, somatic symptoms and hostility at the diagnostic phase and low levels of physiological reactivity were observed. A significant reduction in patient-reported depressive symptoms was detected within six months following the onset of treatment. Progressive improvement of anxiety and hostility was observed in the medi um-long term. At the physiological level, an increase in skin conductance values was ob served during the stress phase in the medium-long term. Discussion A partial desynchronization emerged between patients’ physiological and cognitive responses

Fluid storage and migration properties of sheared Neptunian dykes

Neptunian dykes are widely reported along the Tethyan carbonate platforms and are commonly considered as subsurface baffles or barriers to fluid flow. However, the fluid storage and migration properties of sheared Neptunian dykes are poorly known. For this reason, we investigate the inner structure and fluid flow properties of two Neptunian dykes, which can be characterized by different architectures if involved or not in brittle shearing processes. The dykes strike ca. WNW-ESE and crosscutting the tight Jurassic limestones exposed at Maranfusa Mt., NW Sicily, Italy. The unsheared and sheared Neptunian dykes are almost sub-vertical and at high-angle with respect to the horizontal plane, respectively. The first one includes a homogeneous pelagic limestone infill whereas the second one includes a heterogeneous, marl-rich pelagic limestone infill and also thin veneers of tectonic breccias vertically persistent throughout the investigated outcrop. The sheared Neptunian dyke shows evidences of transtensional faulting, which likely occurred during the early Jurassic up to middle Cretaceous times, with throw up to 2 m. The amount of fracture porosity and equivalent permeability are computed by integrating geological and structural field data with petrographic data obtained from selected samples and Discrete Fracture Network modelling of geocellular volumes representative of the study outcrops. Results are consistent with the sheared Neptunian dyke forming a combined barrier-conduit permeability structure, in which the low-permeability and low\u2013porosity cataclastic core is flanked by a fractured damage zone that enhance the dyke-parallel fluid flow in the subsurface. Accordingly, the amount of fluid storage in the fractured damage zone is sensitively higher than in the surrounding limestone host rock. Data we present highlight that the m-offset, sheared Neptunian dyke, due to its inherited sedimentary infill, is characterized by a permeability structure that it is often associated to large fault zones made up of cataclastic fault cores that impede the cross-fault fluid flow

Phase I-II trial of gemcitabine-based first-line chemotherapies for small cell lung cancer in elderly patients with performance status 0-2: The G-Step trial

Introduction: Treatment of elderly patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is based on scanty evidence. Methods: Patients with extensive SCLC, age >70 years, and performance status 0-2 were eligible for a study looking for optimal two-drug combination of gemcitabine (Gem) with vinorelbine (Vin), etoposide (Eto), cisplatin (Cis), or carboplatin (Car). Gemcitabine dose was the same (1000 mg/m2, days 1-8) in all combinations. A two-stage minimax flexible design for response was applied to GemVin combination (Vin 25 mg/m2, days 1-8). For GemCar, GemCis, GemEto, a phase I-II Bayesian design was applied, looking for the optimal dose of the partner drugs. Objective response rate ≥60% and unacceptable toxicity ≤25% were required to define a combination worthy of further studies. Results: Median age of 78 eligible patients was 74 years. GemVin produced a 36.7% objective response rate. GemEto and GemCis arms were found not sufficiently active. GemCar produced 16 responses (14 with area under the curve [AUC] 3.5 and 2 with AUC 4.0) in 26 patients (61.5%) and 6 cases of unacceptable toxicity (3 at each Car dose). Conclusions: In elderly patients with extensive SCLC, GemVin, GemEto, and GemCis are not enough active and do not merit further studies. Gem plus Car might deserve further attention. © 2011 by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer