Failures in Reflective Functioning and Reported Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression in Bereaved Individuals: A Study on a Sample of Family Caregivers of Palliative Care Patients

Introduction. This study aims at examining the role of failures in reflective functioning in predicting anxiety and depression among family caregivers of palliative care patients deceased for at least one year. Methods. A sample of 157 bereaved participants (77.1% females, mean age = 43.50 ± 14.04 years) completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (RFQ). Results. Results of the correlational analysis showed that anxiety was positively correlated with uncertainty about mental states, indicating one type of impairment in reflective functioning. Anxiety was also negatively correlated with the certainty about mental states. Depression was negatively correlated with certainty but not with uncertainty about mental states. The results of regression analysis indicated that gender and certainty about mental states were statistically significant predictors of anxiety, with the final model explaining 23% of the variance. The results also showed that gender, the condition of being the main caregiver, and the certainty about mental states were significant predictors of depression, with the final model predicting 14% of the variance. Conclusions. Overall, the results of this study point out that the bereaved individuals who scored low on certainty about mental states reported more symptoms of anxiety and depression. Psychological interventions to prevent mental disorders and to promote psychological health in the context of palliative care should carefully consider these findings

Gender and Psychosocial Differences in Psychological Resilience among a Community of Older Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The study aimed at exploring gender and additional sociodemographic differences in psychological resilience, as well as the association between resilience and psychological distress in older adults, during the first lockdown in Italy, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants attended an online survey during the first lockdown in May 2020. Psychological distress was assessed through the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21, the Resilience Scale (RS) was administered to evaluate psychological resilience, and sociodemographic variables were also collected. The study involved 108 community older adults (mean age 70.02 ± 3.5 years). Comparisons revealed that women reported significantly lower total scores of RS (p = 0.027), as well as lower levels of resilience-related domains, namely Meaningfulness (p = 0.049), Self-Reliance (p = 0.011), Perseverance (p = 0.035), and Existential Aloneness (p = 0.014), compared to men. Significantly higher RS scores were found in older adults being involved in a relationship, compared to those not involved in relationships (p = 0.026), and in older adults with children (p = 0.015), compared to those without offspring, suggesting the importance for older adults of not dealing alone with such a dramatic and stressful event, such as the pandemic. Negative correlations were found between psychological resilience and stress, depression, and anxiety. Linear regressions revealed that lower RS total scores, as well as lower scores in the majority of the RS scales, were associated with greater levels of stress, greater levels of anxiety, and greater levels of depressive symptoms. This study suggested that older women might appear more vulnerable in facing the pandemic, compared to men; having not lived alone through the lockdown period might also be considered as a factor of resilience for older adults

Alexithymia and psychological distress affect perceived quality of life in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Backgrounds: Psychological factors may affect patients' ability to cope with chronic illness, which occur with a high incidence as they represent age related disorder. Anxiety, depression and alexithymia could specifically interfere with compliance and adherence leading to predictable consequences and predicting morbidity and mortality independently of several confounders. The present work aims at investigating the relationship between alexithymia and affective dimension such as anxiety and depression levels, and health related quality of life in T2DM patients. Particularly, alexithymia was analyzed in its three main facets and time since diagnosis was considered with also metabolic control. Methods: Forty seven patients with T2DM were consecutively enrolled and assessed with a gold standard interview and with a psycho-diagnostic evaluation. Clinical psychological exploration consisted of HAM-A, BECK-II, SF-36 and TAS-20 administration. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS statistical version 25. Data were analyzed anonymously. Results: 47 participants showed moderate depressive symptoms as confirmed by the mean BDI-II and HAMA-A score (15.14 ± 8.95 and 24.31 ± 6.95, respectively), suggesting a high prevalence of anxiety in the enrolled subjects. It was observed a lower perceived QoL as resulted by the MCS and PCS mean values (37.68 ± 9.41 and 39.31 ± 12.29, respectively) and TAS-20 highlighted considerable mean values of 60.53 ± 7.93 in the recruited participants with a prevalence in EOT values (27.51± 4.27), in comparison with mean DID and DDF values (17.26 ± 5.52 and 15.48 ± 3.84, respectively). Conclusions: Our study may suggest a predictive role of alexithymia in patients with T2DM. Moreover, lower PCS and MCS, revealing worst perceived QoL were associated to both higher anxiety and disease duration

Generation of Entangled N-Photon States in a Two-Mode Jaynes-Cummings Model

We describe a mathematical solution for the generation of entangled N-photon states in two field modes. A simple and compact solution is presented for a two-mode Jaynes-Cummings model by combining the two field modes in a way that only one of the two resulting quasi-modes enters in the interaction term. The formalism developed is then applied to calculate various generation probabilities analytically. We show that entanglement, starting from an initial field and an atom in one defined state may be obtained in a single step. We also show that entanglement may be built up in the case of an empty cavity and excited atoms whose final states are detected, as well as in the case when the final states of the initially excited atoms are not detected.Comment: v2: 5 pages, RevTeX4, minor text changes + 1 figure added, revised version to be published in PRA, May 200

Alexithymia and Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Systematic Review

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Quantum Monte Carlo treatment of elastic exciton-exciton scattering

We calculate cross sections for low energy elastic exciton-exciton scattering within the effective mass approximation. Unlike previous theoretical approaches, we give a complete, non-perturbative treatment of the four-particle scattering problem. Diffusion Monte Carlo is used to calculate the essentially exact energies of scattering states, from which phase shifts are determined. For the case of equal-mass electrons and holes, which is equivalent to positronium-positronium scattering, we find a_s = 2.1 a_x for scattering of singlet-excitons and a_s= 1.5 a_x for triplet-excitons, where a_x is the excitonic radius. The spin dependence of the cross sections arises from the spatial exchange symmetry of the scattering wavefunctions. A significant triplet-triplet to singlet-singlet scattering process is found, which is similar to reported effects in recent experiments and theory for excitons in quantum wells. We also show that the scattering length can change sign and diverge for some values of the mass ratio m_h/m_e, an effect not seen in previous perturbative treatments.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures. Revision has updated figures, improved paper structure, some minor correction

Use of complementary and alternative medicine in Germany – a survey of patients with inflammatory bowel disease

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have suggested an increasing use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The aim of our study was to evaluate the use of CAM in German patients with IBD. METHODS: A questionnaire was offered to IBD patients participating in patient workshops which were organized by a self-help association, the German Crohn's and Colitis Association. The self-administered questionnaire included demographic and disease-related data as well as items analysing the extent of CAM use and satisfaction with CAM treatment. Seven commonly used CAM methods were predetermined on the questionnaire. RESULTS: 413 questionnaires were completed and included in the analysis (n = 153 male, n = 260 female; n = 246 Crohn's disease, n = 164 ulcerative colitis). 52 % of the patients reported CAM use in the present or past. In detail, homeopathy (55%), probiotics (43%), classical naturopathy (38%), Boswellia serrata extracts (36%) and acupuncture/Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) (33%) were the most frequently used CAM methods. Patients using probiotics, acupuncture and Boswellia serrata extracts (incense) reported more positive therapeutic effects than others. Within the statistical analysis no significant predictors for CAM use were found. 77% of the patients felt insufficiently informed about CAM. CONCLUSION: The use of CAM in IBD patients is very common in Germany, although a large proportion of patients felt that information about CAM is not sufficient. However, to provide an evidence-based approach more research in this field is desperately needed. Therefore, physicians should increasingly inform IBD patients about benefits and limitations of CAM treatment

Pharmacology of (2S,4Z)-N-[(2S)-2-hydroxy-2-phenylethyl]-4-(methoxyimino) -1-[(2 -methyl[1,1 -biphenyl]-4-yl)carbonyl]-2-pyrrolidinecarboxamide, a new potent and selective nonpeptide antagonist of the oxytocin receptor.

ABSTRACT We have discovered a new, potent, selective, and orally active oxytocin receptor antagonist, (2S,4Z)-N-[(2S)-2-hydroxy-2-phenylethyl]-4-(methoxyimino)-1-[(2Ј-methyl[1,1Ј-biphenyl]-4-yl)carbonyl]-2-pyrrolidinecarboxamide (compound 1). We report the biochemical, pharmacological, and pharmacokinetic characterization in vitro and in vivo of this compound. Premature birth is a major problem in obstetrics affecting about 10% of all births and being the largest cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality. The impact on society is significant in terms of costs of neonatal intensive care and for the emotional and social stress to the family. The physiopathology of human preterm labor is complex and multifactorial. Preterm increase of uterine activity is a common complication of pregnancy and accounts for many cases of preterm labor. Pharmacological interventions aimed at maintaining uterine quiescence (tocolysis) have been, and are likely to remain, the cornerstone of pharmaceutical management of preterm labor. However, current tocolytic agents (␤-mimetics, magnesium sulfate, calcium channel blockers, or prostaglandin synthesis inhibitors) suffer from a minimal effectiveness and show important fetal and maternal side effects. Therefore, it is obvious that a safe and effective oral treatment delaying spontaneous preterm birth would have tremendous clinical benefits. The peptide hormone oxytocin (OT) is a potent contractor of the human uterus. OT mediates its effect through activation of the G protein-coupled oxytocin receptor (OT-R) that is expressed in myometrial cells. OT-R is coupled to phospholipase C activation, leading to intracellular synthesis of inositol phosphates and mobilization of calcium. In turn, the rise in intracellular calcium concentration promotes a cascade of events, including phosphorylation of myosin, that then acts on actin and induces uterine muscle cell contraction. Before onset of labor and in the term myometrium, the OT-R density Article, publication date, and citation information can be found a