Impact of COVID-19 on Families of Pediatric Solid Organ Transplant Recipients.

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown measures have had a clear psychological impact on families, and specifically those with children with chronic illnesses have reported greater overloads and exhaustion. The objective of this study was to evaluate the exposure, impact and experience of the pandemic on families of pediatric solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients compared to families of healthy children and adolescents.

Methods: We recruited 96 families, 48 with a pediatric SOT recipient and 48 healthy controls, matched by child age and gender.

Assessing the user experience and usability of the PRECIOUS system: a randomized controlled trial in obese patients.

Objective To assess users' usability, satisfaction, acceptance and effectiveness of the PRECIOUS system to promote behavior change toward healthier lifestyles. : Thirty-one adult patients with BMI>30 (M = 44.23, SD = 5.

PREventive Care Infrastructure based On Ubiquitous Sensing (PRECIOUS): A Study Protocol.

Background: mHealth has experienced a huge growth during the last decade. It has been presented as a new and promising pathway to increase self-management of health and chronic conditions in several populations. One of the most prolific areas of mHealth has been healthy lifestyles promotion.

Health related quality of life in renal transplantation: 2 years of longitudinal follow-up.

Background And Objective: Health related quality of life (HRQoL) is recognized as an outcome measure in kidney transplantation. In this study was assessed changes on HRQoL and kidney-specific symptoms, also was evaluated the effect of socio-demographic and clinical parameters on patient's perceived HRQoL.

Patients And Method: A longitudinal study was done, at 5 time-points over 2 years after transplantation.

Health-related behaviours after 1 year of renal transplantation.

Health-related behaviours and psychological distress were examined after kidney transplantation. Patients were evaluated at 1 month, 6 months and 1 year after transplantation. Participants completed the Healthy Behaviours Questionnaire and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.

An exploratory study comparing psychological profiles and its congruence with clinical performance among patients with functional or motility digestive disorders.

Functional gastrointestinal disorders have been related with different psychological conditions. On the contrary, the role of psychological factors within gastrointestinal motor disorders remains unclear. The objective of this study was to explore the differences and congruence with clinical performance of the psychological profile and subjective functionality among patients diagnosed with functional gastrointestinal disorders and gastrointestinal motor disorders.

Psychosocial factors and antiepileptic drug use related to delayed diagnosis of refractory psychogenic nonepileptic seizures.

Objective: We analyzed clinical and psychosocial factors in patients with refractory psychogenic nonepileptic seizures, seeking characteristics that could hasten diagnosis.

Background: Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures remain a diagnostic challenge. Prognosis is best if patients are treated within 2 years of symptom onset.

Increased cardiovascular and anxiety outcomes but not endocrine biomarkers of stress during performance of endoscopic sinus surgery: a pilot study among novice surgeons.

Objective: To compare psychophysiological responses among novice surgeons during performance of endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS).

Design: Randomized study.

Setting: Academic institution.

Lack of association between antipsychotic-induced extrapyramidal symptoms and polymorphisms in dopamine metabolism and transport genes.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between functional polymorphisms in genes coding for dopamine metabolism and transport enzymes and the incidence of acute antipsychotic (AP)-induced extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS). We did not find evidence of the involvement of these polymorphisms in the predisposition towards or protection from EPS.

Somatosensory amplification in schizophrenia is associated with preserved neuropsychological function.

Background: Some alexithymic features are similar to negative symptoms of schizophrenia, while somatosensory amplification has been defined as an abnormal perceptual style that could be related to hallucinations and positive schizophrenic symptoms. This study analyzed whether both psychological constructs are related to the type of clinical symptoms and to the neuropsychological performance of patients with schizophrenia.

Methods: Thirty-seven patients with schizophrenia were assessed psychologically (20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale and Somatosensory Amplification Scale), clinically, and neuropsychologically and were compared with a control group of healthy subjects (n= 37).

A randomized trial on the efficacy of group psychoeducation in the prophylaxis of recurrences in bipolar patients whose disease is in remission.

Background: Studies on individual psychotherapy indicate that some interventions may reduce the number of recurrences in bipolar patients. However, there has been a lack of structured, well-designed, blinded, controlled studies demonstrating the efficacy of group psychoeducation to prevent recurrences in patients with bipolar I and II disorder.

Methods: One hundred twenty bipolar I and II outpatients in remission (Young Mania Rating Scale score <6, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-17 score <8) for at least 6 months prior to inclusion in the study, who were receiving standard pharmacologic treatment, were included in a controlled trial.

Quetiapine in the treatment of rapid cycling bipolar disorder.

Introduction: This prospective open-label study assessed the impact of add-on quetiapine in the treatment of rapid cycling bipolar patients.

Methods: Fourteen rapid cycling bipolar patients were treated with quetiapine, which was added to their ongoing medication regimen for 112 +/- 33 days. At the beginning of the study, five were manic, three were in a mixed state, three were depressed, two hypomanic and one was euthymic.

Risperidone in the treatment of mania: efficacy and safety results from a large, multicentre, open study in Spain.

Background: A number of open studies and preliminary results of unpublished double-blind trials have suggested that the novel antipsychotic risperidone may be effective and well tolerated in the treatment of acute mania in bipolar disorder.

Methods: A total of 174 patients entered this large, open, multicentre trial. Inclusion criteria were: current manic, hypomanic or mixed episode (DSM-IV), and a Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) score of >7.