Neurocognition and social cognition in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders with and without a history of violence: results of a multinational European study

Objective: Neurocognitive impairment has been extensively studied in people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and seems to be one of the major determinants of functional outcome in this clinical population. Data exploring the link between neuropsychological deficits and the risk of violence in schizophrenia has been more inconsistent. In this study, we analyse the differential predictive potential of neurocognition and social cognition to discriminate patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders with and without a history of severe violence. Methods: Overall, 398 (221 cases and 177 controls) patients were recruited in forensic and general psychiatric settings across five European countries and assessed using a standardized battery. Results: Education and processing speed were the strongest discriminators between forensic and non-forensic patients, followed by emotion recognition. In particular, increased accuracy for anger recognition was the most distinctive feature of the forensic group. Conclusions: These results may have important clinical implications, suggesting potential enhancements of the assessment and treatment of patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders with a history of violence, who may benefit from consideration of socio-cognitive skills commonly neglected in ordinary clinical practice

Gravitational Radiation from Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays in Models with Large Extra Dimensions

The effects of classical gravitational radiation in models with large extra dimensions are investigated for ultra high energy cosmic rays (CRs). The cross sections are implemented into a simulation package (SENECA) for high energy hadron induced CR air showers. We predict that gravitational radiation from quasi-elastic scattering could be observed at incident CR energies above $10^9$ GeV for a setting with more than two extra dimensions. It is further shown that this gravitational energy loss can alter the energy reconstruction for CR energies $E_{\rm CR}\ge 5\cdot 10^9$ GeV

Neugestaltung der Förderinstrumente für Arbeitslose: Zum Gesetzentwurf zur Verbesserung der Eingliederungschancen am Arbeitsmarkt

Die Bundesregierung will mit ihrem Gesetzentwurf zur Verbesserung der Eingliederungschancen am Arbeitsmarkt (Bundestagsdrucksache 17/6277) die Integration in Arbeit oder Ausbildung beschleunigen und den Bereich der öffentlich geförderten Beschäftigung neu ordnen. Die Absicht der Bundesregierung, die Effektivität und Effizienz der Arbeitsmarktpolitik durch mehr Dezentralität, Flexibilität, Individualität, Qualität und Transparenz zu sichern, schlägt sich in einer Vielzahl von Einzelregelungen und einer Neuordnung des Instrumentenkastens nieder. Die Veränderungen betreffen sowohl Leistungen der aktiven Arbeitsförderung (Sozialgesetzbuch Drittes Buch) als auch Eingliederungsleistungen in der Grundsicherung für Arbeitsuchende (Sozialgesetzbuch Zweites Buch). In ihren Anträgen kritisieren die Fraktionen von SPD (Arbeitsmarktpolitik an den Herausforderungen der Zeit orientieren - Weichen für gute Arbeit, Vollbeschäftigung und Fachkräftesicherung stellen, Bundestagsdrucksache 17/6454), Bündnis 90/Die Grünen (Arbeitsmarktpolitik - In Beschäftigung und Perspektiven investieren statt Chancen kürzen, Bundestagsdrucksache 17/6319) und Die Linke (Arbeitsmarktpolitik neu ausrichten und nachhaltig finanzieren - Bundestagsdrucksache 17/5526) dagegen eine einseitige Konzentration auf den arbeitsmarktnahen Personenkreis und fordern eine stärkere Beachtung von Menschen mit verfestigten Vermittlungshemmnissen. Das IAB geht in seiner Stellungnahme auf die Intention des Gesetzesvorhabens ein und äußert sich aufgrund der vorliegenden Forschungsbefunde zu ausgewählten Aspekten des Gesetzentwurfs der Bundesregierung sowie der einzelnen Anträge der Oppositionsfraktionen.With its draft law on improving integration opportunities on the labour market (parliamentary printed document 17/6277), the Federal Government is intending to speed up the process of integration into work or training and reorganise the area of publicly subsidized employment. The intention of the Federal Government of securing the effectiveness and efficiency of labour market policies through a higher degree of decentralisation, flexibility, meeting individual needs, quality and transparency. This intention is reflected in a great variety of individual regulations and the reorganisation of the range of instruments available. The changes affect both active employment promotion (Book III of the Social Code) as well as specific instruments that aim at improving the labour market prospects of job-seekers receiving welfare benefit (Book II of the Social Code). In their motions, the parliamentary groups of the Social Democratic Party, SPD (Orientating labour market policy on the current challenges - Setting the course for gainful work, full employment and maintaining a sufficient supply of skilled workers, parliamentary printed document 17/6454), Alliance 90/The Greens (Labour market policy - Investing in employment and perspectives instead of diminishing opportunities, parliamentary printed document 17/6319) and The Left (Giving labour market policy a new direction and financing it sustainably, parliamentary printed document 17/5526) criticise that the reform is rather concerned with improving policies and prospects of persons that are relatively easy to place. They demand from the Federal Government to pay more attention to needs of people with considerable placement impediments. In its comment, IAB responds to the intention of the proposed legislation and offers its opinion on the basis of existing research findings on selected aspects of the draft law of the Federal Government as well as of the individual motions of the opposition parties

The effects of age on health-related quality of life in cancer populations: A pooled analysis of randomized controlled trials using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-C30 involving 6024 cancer patients.

Cancer incidence increases exponentially with advancing age, cancer patients live longer than in the past, and many new treatments focus on stabilizing disease and HRQOL. The objective of this study is to examine how cancer affects patients' HRQOL and whether their HRQOL is age-dependent.Data from 25 EORTC randomized controlled trials was pooled. EORTC QLQ-C30 mean scores for the cancer cohort and five general population cohorts were compared to assess the impact of cancer on patients' HRQOL. Within the cancer cohort, multiple linear regressions (two-sided level P-value = 0.05 adjusted for multiple testing.) were used to investigate the association between age and HRQOL, adjusted for gender, WHO performance status (PS), distant metastasis and stratified by cancer site. A difference of 10 points on the 0-100 scale was considered clinically important.Cancer patients generally have worse HRQOL compared to the general population, but the specific HRQOL domains impaired vary with age. When comparing the cancer versus the general population, young cancer patients had worse financial problems, social and role functioning, while the older cancer groups had more appetite loss. Within the cancer cohort, HRQOL was worse with increasing age for physical functioning and constipation, and better with increasing age for social functioning, insomnia and financial problems (all p < 0.05).HRQOL is impaired in cancer patients compared to the general population, but the impact on specific HRQOL domains varies by age. Within the cancer population, some HRQOL components improve with age while others deteriorate. Optimal care for older cancer patients should target HRQOL domains most relevant to this population

Design and baseline characteristics of the finerenone in reducing cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in diabetic kidney disease trial

Background: Among people with diabetes, those with kidney disease have exceptionally high rates of cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality and progression of their underlying kidney disease. Finerenone is a novel, nonsteroidal, selective mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist that has shown to reduce albuminuria in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) while revealing only a low risk of hyperkalemia. However, the effect of finerenone on CV and renal outcomes has not yet been investigated in long-term trials. Patients and Methods: The Finerenone in Reducing CV Mortality and Morbidity in Diabetic Kidney Disease (FIGARO-DKD) trial aims to assess the efficacy and safety of finerenone compared to placebo at reducing clinically important CV and renal outcomes in T2D patients with CKD. FIGARO-DKD is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, event-driven trial running in 47 countries with an expected duration of approximately 6 years. FIGARO-DKD randomized 7,437 patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate >= 25 mL/min/1.73 m(2) and albuminuria (urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio >= 30 to <= 5,000 mg/g). The study has at least 90% power to detect a 20% reduction in the risk of the primary outcome (overall two-sided significance level alpha = 0.05), the composite of time to first occurrence of CV death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or hospitalization for heart failure. Conclusions: FIGARO-DKD will determine whether an optimally treated cohort of T2D patients with CKD at high risk of CV and renal events will experience cardiorenal benefits with the addition of finerenone to their treatment regimen. Trial Registration: EudraCT number: 2015-000950-39; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02545049