Integrated treatment of first episode psychosis with online training (e-learning): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Background: The integrated treatment of first episode psychosis has been shown to improve functionality and negative symptoms in previous studies. In this paper, we describe a study of integrated treatment (individual psychoeducation complementary to pharmacotherapy) versus treatment as usual, comparing results at baseline with those at 6-month re-assessment (at the end of the study) for these patients, and online training of professionals to provide this complementary treatment, with the following objectives: 1) to compare the efficacy of individual psychoeducation as add-on treatment versus treatment as usual in improving psychotic and mood symptoms; 2) to compare adherence to medication, functioning, insight, social response, quality of life, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor, between both groups; and 3) to analyse the efficacy of online training of psychotherapists.

Methods/design: This is a single-blind randomised clinical trial including patients with first episode psychosis from hospitals across Spain, randomly assigned to either a control group with pharmacotherapy and regular sessions with their psychiatrist (treatment as usual) or an intervention group with integrated care including treatment as usual plus a psychoeducational intervention (14 sessions).

The detection of high-mass aliphatics in petroleum by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation mass spectrometry.

Rationale: The development of simplified procedures for isolating high-mass alkanes present in crude oils is described. The new procedures, which bypass the sample recovery step with hot toluene in the conventional alkane-isolation procedure, also provide an effective sample preparation route, prior to analysis by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS).

Methods: Urea-alkane adducts are formed by mixing sample and urea solutions on chromatographic paper or silica-coated plates.

[Emotional response to threatening stimuli in psychosis and anxiety disorders].

Emotional response to threatening stimuli in psychosis and anxiety disorders. Evolution has provided humans with an alarm system that may facilitate adaptation. Both psychosis and anxiety disorders involve danger detection difficulties.