The role of psychosis and clozapine load in excessive checking in treatment-resistant schizophrenia: longitudinal observational study.

Background: A significant proportion of people with clozapine-treated schizophrenia develop 'checking' compulsions, a phenomenon yet to be understood.

Aims: To use habit formation models developed in cognitive neuroscience to investigate the dynamic interplay between psychosis, clozapine dose and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS).

Method: Using the anonymised electronic records of a cohort of clozapine-treated patients, including longitudinal assessments of OCS and psychosis, we performed longitudinal multi-level mediation and multi-level moderation analyses to explore associations of psychosis with obsessiveness and excessive checking.

Clozapine-related obsessive-compulsive symptoms and their impact on wellbeing: a naturalistic longitudinal study.

Background: Obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) are commonly associated with clozapine treatment but are frequently overlooked by clinicians despite their potential impact on patients' quality of life. In this study, we explored whether OCS severity impacted subjective wellbeing and general functioning, independently of depressive and psychotic symptoms.

Methods: We used anonymised electronic healthcare records from a large cohort of patients who were treated with clozapine and assessed annually for OCS, wellbeing, general functioning, and psychopathology using standardised scales as part of routine clinical practice.

Effect of carglumic acid with or without ammonia scavengers on hyperammonaemia in acute decompensation episodes of organic acidurias.

Background: Hyperammonaemia is a key sign of decompensation in organic acidurias (OAs) and can contribute to severe neurological complications, thus requiring rapid treatment.

Methods: A post-hoc analysis of two retrospective studies analysed the efficacy of carglumic acid ± ammonia (NH) scavengers compared with scavengers alone for reducing plasma NH levels in patients with OAs and hyperammonaemia (plasma NH > 60 μmol/L) during decompensation episodes. NH was analysed in 12-h periods at 0-48 h and 24-h periods at 48-120 h.

End user evaluation of DG-PT L Rec, a human recombinant thromboplastin in liquid formulation.

The objective is to evaluate Grifols' DG-PT L Rec liquid reagent for prothrombin time (PT) determination in comparison to the laboratory's reference reagent (Siemens' Thromborel S). For linearity, the average master curve for PT and five nominal prothrombin concentrations was obtained from five calibration curves. Within-assay precision (repeatability) was calculated after measuring 20 successive tests of normal and pathological controls.

Angelman syndrome and isovaleric acidemia: What is the link?

We report a toddler affected with Angelman syndrome and isovaleric acidemia (IVA). Such association was due to paternal uniparental isodisomy (UPD) of chromosome 15 in which the proband inherited two paternal copies of an IVA gene point mutation. As both diseases may have severe impact on neurodevelopment, adequate treatment of IVA should be discussed.