Network-based validation of the psychometric questionnaire EDI-3 for the assessment of eating disorders.

Assessing the validity of a psychometric test is fundamental to ensure a reliable interpretation of its outcomes. Few attempts have been made recently to complement classical approaches (e.g.

Network-based methods for psychometric data of eating disorders: A systematic review.

Background: Network science represents a powerful and increasingly promising method for studying complex real-world problems. In the last decade, it has been applied to psychometric data in the attempt to explain psychopathologies as complex systems of causally interconnected symptoms. One category of mental disorders, relevant for their severity, incidence and multifaceted structure, is that of eating disorders (EDs), serious disturbances that negatively affect a person's eating behavior.

Thymus changes in anti-MuSK-positive and -negative myasthenia gravis.

Morphologic findings of thymuses from 32 anti-acetylcholine receptor (AChR)-negative myasthenia gravis patients, 12 with and 20 without antibodies against the muscle-specific kinase (MuSK), were compared with those from 30 AChR-positive subjects. In contrast with the high frequency of thymic hyperplastic changes in AChR-positive patients, in MuSK-positive subjects histologic alterations were minimal, arguing against an intrathymic disease pathogenesis. Since hyperplastic changes were seen in 35% of MuSK-negative patients, the thymus could be involved in some of these cases.

Once-daily eprosartan mesylate in the treatment of elderly patients with isolated systolic hypertension: data from a 13-week double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel, multicenter study.

This was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled multicenter, titration-to-effect study of eprosartan in patients > or =60 years of age with isolated systolic hypertension. The study consisted of a 3 to 5-week placebo run-in period, a 13-week double-blind treatment period (6-week titration with eprosartan 600-1200 mg/day, 3-week maintenance, 4-week combination therapy with hydrochlorothiazide/HCTZ 12.5 mg), and a follow-up period within 5-7 days of last treatment dose.