[Spectral analysis of Heart Rate Variability in psychiatric patients: autonomic nervous system evaluation in psychotic, anxiety and depressive disorders].

Aim: The aim of this study was to test the primary hypothesis of altered Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and heart rate in a sample of patients with mental disorders and the secondary hypothesis of normalization of HRV values as a result of clinical improvement.

Methods: The study was conducted on a sample of 90 patients with psychotic, anxiety and mood disorders. Each patient was subjected to detection of HRV and heart rate via a photoplethysmographic sensor and evaluated with rating scales based on the specific disorder.

Photomodulation of the chiroptical properties of new chiral methacrylic polymers with side chain azobenzene moieties.

We have investigated the photoinduced optical properties of a new class of chiral methacrylic polymers characterised by the presence in the side chain of an optically active pyrrolidinyl ring linked to a trans-azoaromatic system. The homopolymers are enantiomerically pure and their strong optical activity indicates that the macromolecules assume, both in solution and in solid thin films, highly homogeneous conformations with a prevailing chirality. As expected, the studied polymers exhibit reversible linear dichroism and birefringence when irradiated with linearly polarised light.

Surgical release of de Quervain's stenosing tenosynovitis postpartum: can it wait?

We compared the efficacy of conservative management of de Quervain's disease in 30 women postpartum (group 1) and 30 nonpregnant women (group 2). All patients underwent conservative management consisting of 2 weeks of splinting of the affected wrist, followed by physiotherapy and antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Clinical evaluation was performed using a functional score and the visual analogue scale (VAS) of Scott-Huskinson at entry to the study, 1 month later, and at a follow-up of 6 months.