Clinical Predictors of Mood Disorders and Prevalence of Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

We aimed to determine the prevalence and clinical correlations of mood disorders in a sample of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. Hence, we hypothesized that the prevalence of mood disorders would be lower than reported in the literature and that patients would remain clinically stable and show less damage accrual despite low-dose corticosteroid prescription. In total, 92 SLE outpatients gave informed consent to participate in this cross-sectional study.

Efficacy and safety of long-acting injectable oral antipsychotics in the treatment of patients with early-phase schizophrenia-spectrum disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Long-acting injectable antipsychotics (LAIs) have advantages over oral antipsychotics (OAPs) in preventing relapse and hospitalization in chronically ill patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders (SSDs), but evidence in patients with first-episode/recent-onset, that is, early-phase-SSDs is less clear.

Objectives: To assess the relative medium- and long-term efficacy and safety of LAIs OAPs in the maintenance treatment of patients with early-phase SSDs.

Method: We searched major electronic databases for head-to-head randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing LAIs and OAPs for the maintenance treatment of patients with early-phase-SSDs.

Negative symptoms and sex differences in first episode schizophrenia: What's their role in the functional outcome? A longitudinal study.

Introduction: Negative symptoms (NS) include asociality, avolition, anhedonia, alogia, and blunted affect and are linked to poor prognosis. It has been suggested that they reflect two different factors: diminished expression (EXP) (blunted affect and alogia) and amotivation/pleasure (MAP) (anhedonia, avolition, asociality). The aim of this article was to examine potential sex differences among first-episode schizophrenia (FES) patients and analyze sex-related predictors of two NS symptoms factors (EXP and MAP) and functional outcome.

First-episode psychosis intervention programme versus standard care for the clinical management of early phases of psychosis: cost analysis.

Background: Early intervention programmes (EIPs) in psychosis have gained attention as specialised interventions to improve health-related and societal impacts for people with psychotic disorders. Previous studies have presented evidence in favour of EIPs over the first year of intervention, despite none considering the critical period before psychosis onset (5 years).

Aims: To compare the associated costs of the First Episode Psychosis Intervention Program (CRUPEP) and treatment as usual (TAU) in a real-world cohort in a non-specialised psychiatric community setting.

Violence in first-episode psychosis: evidence from an early intervention in psychosis programme.

Background: Psychotic disorders are frequently associated with a public perception of dangerousness and belligerence. This situation has contributed to the social stigmatisation of people with severe mental illness and the resulting discrimination that this scenario entails. Despite efforts to demystify such disorders, the association between violent behaviour and psychosis remains unclear.

Gender differences in the management of acute psychiatric episodes in the emergency department: a cross-sectional analysis of the 2017-2019 triennium.

There is growing evidence that gender is an important determinant of mental health and well-being. In this sense, both biological and socio-economic factors play a key role in how people experience psychological disturbances. This study examine whether there were sex- and gender-based differences in the management of psychiatric disorders in the emergency department (ED).

Clinical Management and Assessment of the Early Stages of Psychosis: A Multidimensional Approach.

Early intervention in psychosis has emerged as an integrated clinical and research strategy for the comprehensive care of people presenting with a first psychotic episode (FEP). In this sense, a multidisciplinary approach is essential for early detection and assessment of preliminary stages of the illness. The main objectives of early intervention programs include the implementation of specialized interventions aimed at promoting functional recovery and improving quality of life.

Neuropsychological and Functional Assessment of Cognitive Impairments in Schizophrenia.

Cognitive deficits are a central feature of psychotic disorders. Their impact and relevance for clinical prognosis and functional recovery, together with their usefulness in the development of novel therapeutic targets, have emphasized the role of cognition in the diagnosis and therapeutic management of schizophrenia. Here we describe the main aspects to consider before, during, and after the neuropsychological assessment of main cognitive domains affected in schizophrenia, from a research perspective toward clinical practice.

Isolation and Differentiation of Neurons and Glial Cells from Olfactory Epithelium in Living Subjects.

The study of psychiatric and neurological diseases requires the substrate in which the disorders occur, that is, the nervous tissue. Currently, several types of human bio-specimens are being used for research, including postmortem brains, cerebrospinal fluid, induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, and induced neuronal (iN) cells. However, these samples are far from providing a useful predictive, diagnostic, or prognostic biomarker.

Psychosis and substance abuse increase the COVID-19 mortality risk.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been a global challenge. High mortality rates have been reported in some risk groups, including patients with pre-existing mental disorders.

Methods: We used electronic health records to retrospectively identify people infected due to COVID-19 (between March 2020 and March 2021) in the three territories of the Basque Country.

Relation between EEG resting-state power and modulation of P300 task-related activity in theta band in schizophrenia.

There is some consistency in previous EEG findings that patients with schizophrenia have increased resting-state cortical activity. Furthermore, in previous work, we have provided evidence that there is a deficit in the modulation of bioelectrical activity during the performance of a P300 task in schizophrenia. Our hypothesis here is that a basal hyperactivation would be related with altered ability to change or modulate cortical activity during a cognitive task.

Long-acting injectable aripiprazole in pregnant women with schizophrenia: a case-series report.

Antipsychotic long-acting formulations (LAI-AP) have emerged as a new therapeutic choice to treat patients presenting a severe mental disorder. Despite that, to date, there is a lack of safety data and studies regarding the use of LAI-AP formulations in pregnant women. Here we present the first six-case series of pregnant women with schizophrenia treated with aripiprazole-LAI reported in the literature.

Gender-Based Analysis of the Psychological Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Healthcare Workers in Spain.

This study aims to analyze from a gender perspective the psychological distress experienced by the medical workforce during the peak of the pandemic in Spain. This is a single-center, observational analytic study. The study population comprised all associated health workers of the Cruces University Hospital, invited by email to participate in the survey.

Characterization of dopamine D receptor coupling to G proteins in postmortem brain of subjects with schizophrenia.

Background: Alterations of dopamine D (D1R) and D receptor (D2R) are proposed in schizophrenia but brain neuroimaging and postmortem studies have shown controversial results in relation to D1R and D2R density. Besides, scarce information on the functionality of brain D1R and D2R is available. The present study characterized G-protein activation by D1R and D2R agonists in postmortem human brain.

Cognitive Enhancers in Schizophrenia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Alpha-7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Agonists for Cognitive Deficits and Negative Symptoms.

Schizophrenia is a severe and enduring disease and is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. Cognitive impairment is a core clinical symptom that plays a crucial role in functional outcomes and prognosis, thus making it a relevant treatment target. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of alpha-7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonists (α7 nAChR) as adjunctive treatment to enhance cognition and ameliorate negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia.

Deafness and mental health: Clinical challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The current health crisis scenario has exposed the negative impact on mental health. This commentary highlights the main challenges and barriers that the Deaf community faces in access to health care resources and psychological support during the COVID-19 pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Long-acting injectable second-generation antipsychotics in first-episode psychosis: a narrative review.

Long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotics could be a favorable option of treatment and have some advantages over oral medications. The aim of this study was to review the published data on the use of LAI formulation of second-generation antipsychotics (SGA) in first-episode psychosis (FEP). Using PubMed and Scopus databases, we performed a systematic literature search of articles published between 1 January 2000 and 30 April 2018, that reported clinical trials on the use of LAI SGAs in patients with FEP.

Long-acting injectable antipsychotics for the treatment of schizophrenia in Spain.

Antipsychotics are an essential component in the treatment of schizophrenia. Long-acting injectable formulations (LAI) arose to improve adherence with the associated potential of reducing the risk of relapse. The objective of this article is to analyze the use of LAI antipsychotics in Spain, which is similar to other European countries but with a predominance of the use of second generation LAI, to discuss the possible causes of prescribing differences with respect to other countries (including organizational aspects, attitudes of psychiatrists, patients and family members, and clinical practice guidelines), and to discuss their use in acute psychiatric units, first episode, and in children and adolescents.

Cognitive Impairment in Patients With Neuropsychiatric and Non-neuropsychiatric Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Objectives: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease. Its most prevalent manifestation is neuropsychiatric SLE (NP-SLE), which is characterized by increased involvement of the nervous system, with relevant symptoms, such as marked cognitive deficits, which are directly involved in subsequent functional disability. The objective of this study is to identify and compare the profile of cognitive deficits in patients with NP-SLE and patients with non-neuropsychiatric SLE (nonNP-SLE) by means of a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Second-Generation Antipsychotics for the Estimation of Early Drug Effect in First-Episode Psychosis: A Cross-sectional Assessment.

Background: Studies on therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) have provided conflicting results regarding the association between dose, plasma concentrations, and drug effect and have focused rather on analyzing how individual drugs work. No study has attempted to process data from different SGAs globally to offer a panoramic view of the utility of TDM in clinical practice, and data on patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP) are lacking. This study aimed to assess the relationship between dose, plasma concentrations, and drug effect in a sample of patients with FEP, regardless of the SGA prescribed.

A Pilot Study of the Usefulness of a Single Olanzapine Plasma Concentration as an Indicator of Early Drug Effect in a Small Sample of First-Episode Psychosis Patients.

Purpose/background: Studies analyzing concentration-effect relationships in second-generation antipsychotics have reported contradictory results in chronic schizophrenia. No data are available for the early stages of the disease. The present study aims to evaluate the association between a single olanzapine plasma concentration, clinical response, and severity of adverse effects in first-episode psychosis (FEP); to test the utility of various plasma breakpoints as markers of early response to treatment; and to identify variables affecting olanzapine concentrations.

Relationship between the use of benzodiazepines and falls in older adults: A systematic review.

Falls in the elderly represent a major health problem. The etiology of falls is usually multifactorial. Special attention should be paid on benzodiazepines (BZDs) since they are widely used by older adults.