Sex differences in first-episode psychosis and in people at ultra-high risk.

Sex-related differences in the clinical expression and outcome of schizophrenia have long been recognized; this study set out to evaluate whether they extend to those subjects who are at high risk of developing psychosis. In a sample enrolled in two early intervention programs in northern Italy, patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP; n=152) were compared to patients at ultra-high risk of psychosis (UHR; n=106) on a series of sex-related clinical characteristics of schizophrenia. In both the FEP and the UHR samples, males outnumbered females.

Shades of vulnerability: latent structures of clinical caseness in prodromal and early phases of schizophrenia.

The underlying structures of clinical caseness and need of care in prodromal (i.e., at-risk) and early phases of schizophrenia remain poorly characterized in their essential psycho-behavioral coherence.

Patterns of referral in first-episode schizophrenia and ultra high-risk individuals: results from an early intervention program in Italy.

Purpose: This study set out to investigate the patterns of referral in a sample (n = 206) of patients having first-time access to an Italian comprehensive program that targets the early detection of and early intervention on subjects at the onset of psychosis. The primary goal of the study was to investigate the duration of untreated illness (DUI) and/or the duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) in the sample since the implementation of the program.

Method: Data on pathways of referrals prospectively collected over a 11-year period, from 1999 to 2010; data referred to patients from a defined catchment area, and who met ICD-10 criteria for a first episode of a psychotic disorder (FEP) or were classified to be at ultra-high risk of psychosis (UHR) according to the criteria developed by the Personal Assessment and Crisis Evaluation (PACE) Clinic in Melbourne.

Obstetric complications in early psychosis: relation with family history of psychosis.

The people classified as being at ultra-high risk (UHR) of developing psychosis are expected to share many risk factors for psychosis with the patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, including an enhanced incidence of obstetric complications (OCs). This study set out to investigate the incidence and correlates of OCs in a sample of patients accessing an early intervention center. Patients' mothers were asked whether they had suffered from any somatic complication during pregnancy from a list of OCs with potential direct relevance to the physical wellbeing of the offspring.

Gender and duration of untreated psychosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Aim: Duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) can influence the prognosis of schizophrenia. Previous studies have suggested that gender may influence the length of DUP. This study reports the result of the first systematic literature review and meta-analysis on the role of gender in influencing DUP in first-episode psychosis.

Validation of the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales as a routine measure of outcome in early intervention programmes.

Aim: So far, no study has assessed the validity of the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS) in patients enrolled in early intervention programmes, nor has any study evaluated the validity of the HoNOS in people at ultra high-risk (UHR) of psychosis. This study set out to assess the validity and reliability of the HoNOS as a measure of outcome in the patients enrolled in an early intervention programme.

Methods: The concurrent, discriminant and predictive validity, and the reliability of the HoNOS as a measure of outcome in an early intervention programe were assessed in 87 first-episode psychosis (FEP) patients, and in 81 patients at UHR of psychosis.

Diet and chronic constipation. Benefits of oral supplementation with symbiotic zir fos (Bifidobacterium longum W11 + FOS Actilight).

Background And Aim: Constipation is one of the most common disorders in Western countries and it is known that dietary factors such as a low fiber diet and low caloric intake are associated with this condition. Weight loss can disrupt the intestinal ecosystem resulting in intestinal dysbiosis that worsens constipation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of treatment with symbiotic zir fos (Bifidobacterium longum W11 + FOS Actilight) on chronic constipation in patients undergoing a weight loss diet.