Main Biological Models of Resilience.

Objective: Resilience is a complex process of adaptation to new conditions that would permit a positive outcome after adversities, traumas or other sources of stress. However, despite the growing interest in this topic, there is no universally accepted definition and no comprehensive bio-behavioural model. This systematic review aims to provide an overview of the main biological models that have been theorized to date, with a focus on new alternative theories to improve our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the development and strengthening of resilience, with potential implications for the prevention of some psychopathological disorders.

Silent Infections are not So Silent: The Emerging Role of Combined Infections, Inflammation, and Vitamin Levels in OCD.

Objective: Recent evidence highlights that different agents may trigger immune-mediated processes involved in the pathophysiology of different neuropsychiatric conditions. Given the limited information on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), the present study aimed at assessing current/past infections and plasma levels of vitamin D, vitamin B12, folic acid, homocysteine and common peripheral inflammatory markers in a group of OCD outpatients.

Method: The sample included 217 adult outpatients with an OCD diagnosis according to the DSM-5 criteria.

A "transatlantic" follow-up study of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Background: Obsessive-compulsive symptom fluctuations may be contingent on the number of stressful pandemic-related events and the resilience characterizing different cultures. We investigated the influence of the pandemic on symptom changes in a sample of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients from Brazil and Italy, two countries that were highly affected by the outbreak.

Methods: Ninety-one OCD outpatients were evaluated at baseline and about one year later.

Decreased Levels of Vitamin D in Bipolar Patients.

Recently, vitamin D is considered a pleiotropic hormone, and as such, it has also become a topic of renewed interest in neuropsychiatry for its proposed role in the aetiology and pathophysiology of different psychiatric conditions, including mood disorders (MDs). This seems particularly crucial while considering the relatively high and often neglected prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in the general population and in specific groups, such as patients suffering from the most common type of MDs, which are major depression (MDD) and bipolar disorders (BDs). Therefore, in view of the controversial literature and findings on this topic and its potential therapeutic implications, the present study aimed at evaluating vitamin D levels in the plasma of a sample of inpatients fulfilling the DSM-5 criteria for mood episodes within BDs.

Binge eating disorder, impulsivity and bipolar spectrum features in a sample of obese candidates for bariatric surgery.

Aims: Candidates for bariatric surgery are routinely screened for psychiatric disorders because abnormal eating behaviors are considered common among these patients. This study aimed to evaluate the frequency and persistence, in terms of one month-to-lifetime prevalence ratio, of binge eating disorder (BED) and the potential association with impulsivity features and bipolar spectrum comorbidity in a sample of obese patients undergoing a psychiatric evaluation for bariatric intervention.

Methods: Overall, 80 candidates to bariatric surgery were assessed consecutively over 12 months within the framework of a collaboration between the University of Pisa Psychiatry and Internal Medicine Departments.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, PANDAS, and Tourette Syndrome: Immuno-inflammatory Disorders.

In the last years, much focus has been given to the possible role of inflammatory and immunologic alterations in the pathophysiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and some related conditions, such as pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infection (PANDAS) and Tourette syndrome (TS). Although the matter is intriguing, the available data are still controversial and/or limited. Therefore, the aim of this chapter was at reviewing and commenting on the literature on possible dysfunctions of inflammatory and immune system processes in OCD, PANDAS, and TS.

Changes of consultation-liaison psychiatry practice in Italian general hospitals: A comparative 20-year multicenter study.

Introduction: Conducted under the auspices of the Italian Society of Consultation Liaison Psychiatry (SIPC) the aim of this study was to describe the characteristics of Consultation Liaison Psychiatry (CLP) activity in Italy (SIPC-2-2018) over the past 20 years by comparing with data from the first Italian nation-wide study (SIPC-1-1998).

Methods: We collected data on CLP visits of 3,943 patients from 10 Italian hospitals over a period of 1 year. Data were compared with those from the SIPC-1 1998 study (4,183 participants).

Correction: Marazziti et al. The Microbiota/Microbiome and the Gut-Brain Axis: How Much Do They Matter in Psychiatry? 2021, , 760.

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Poor sleep quality may contribute to dysfunctional illness perception, physical and emotional distress in hospitalised patients: results of a national survey of the Italian Society of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry.

Distress associated with physical illness is a well-known risk factor for adverse illness course in general hospitals. Understanding the factors contributing to it should be a priority and among them dysfunctional illness perception and poor sleep quality may contribute to it. As poor sleep quality is recognised as a major risk factor for health problems, we aimed to study its association with illness perception and levels of distress during hospitalisation.

Obsessive-Compulsive and Depressive Symptoms in Professional Tennis Players.

Objective: A moderate sport activity is considered beneficial for both physical and mental health. On the contrary, different studies have shown that professional players may be more vulnerable to suffer from psychological and/or psychiatric disorders. Given the limited information available, the present study aimed to investigate the possible presence of depressive and obsessive-compulsive symptoms or disorders in a group of professional tennis players.

Interpersonal Problematic Areas in Liaison Psychiatry: A Feasibility Study.

Objective: Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) model, with its four problematic areas of grief, deficit, role transition and role dispute, provides a useful frame of reference for a quick case formulation. We aimed at applying the IPT problematic areas assessment in a sample of patients from a liaison psychiatry setting.

Methods: One-hundred and twenty-nine hospitalized patients of both sexes, aged between 18 and 80 years were interviewed.

Neuroenhancement: State of the Art and Future Perspectives.

Pharmacological neuroenhancement refers to the non-medical use of prescription drugs, alcohol, illegal drugs, or the so-called soft enhancers for the purpose of improving cognition, mood, pro-social behavior, or work and academic performance. This phenomenon is undoubtedly more frequent than previously supposed especially amongst university students. The aim of the present paper was to carefully review and comment on the available literature on neuroenhancement, according to Prisma guidelines.

Insomnia and circadian sleep disorders in ovarian cancer: Evaluation and management of underestimated modifiable factors potentially contributing to morbidity.

Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of gynaecological cancer deaths and the seventh most commonly diagnosed cancer among women worldwide, so that, as it is related to substantial and increasing disease burden, the management of ovarian cancer survivors should be a priority. Such issues involve prevention and management of emotional distress, anxiety/depressive symptoms, and maintenance of quality of life from initial diagnosis to post-treatment. Within this framework, sleep disturbances, in particular insomnia, are emerging as modifiable determinants of mental health, also contributing to substantial morbidity among cancer, including ovarian cancer.

Decreased vitamin D levels in obsessive-compulsive disorder patients.

Objective: The present paper compared vitamin D levels in adult patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and explored possible correlations with patients' characteristics.

Methods: Fifty outpatients with OCD, according to DSM-5 criteria, were included and assessed with the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRDS).

Results: All the patients except one showed lower vitamin D levels than normative values (>30 nm/L).

The Microbiota/Microbiome and the Gut-Brain Axis: How Much Do They Matter in Psychiatry?

The functioning of the central nervous system (CNS) is the result of the constant integration of bidirectional messages between the brain and peripheral organs, together with their connections with the environment. Despite the anatomical separation, gut microbiota, i.e.

Psychopathological aspects of dysphagia: a systematic review on correlations with eating disorders and other psychiatric conditions.

Background: The effect of psychopathology on swallowing ability tends to be an overlooked issue in the assessment of dysphagic patients, possibly overshadowed by the given prominence to organic pathologies and the difficulties on the management of these patients. In addition, it should also be kept in mind that a great number of psychotropic drugs can affect swallowing adding problematic clinical issues in this area. Despite this, assessment of dysphagia should be considered as an extremely important issue, due to its impact on basic symptomatology, course of illness and quality of life.

Association between affective temperaments and mood features in bipolar disorder II: The role of insomnia and chronobiological rhythms desynchronization.

Background: Bipolar disorders are complex disorders involving the interaction of multiple factors. Affective temperaments, insomnia, and chronobiological rhythms desynchronization may all contribute to bipolar disorder. Since there is a paucity of research examining this topic we aimed to study how they are interrelated and collectively associated with clinical features of bipolar disorder.