Design and validation of a diagnostic suspicion checklist to differentiate epileptic from psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES-DSC).

Objective: Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) are complex clinical manifestations and misdiagnosis as status epilepticus remains high, entailing deleterious consequences for patients. Video-electroencephalography (vEEG) remains the gold-standard method for diagnosing PNES. However, time and economic constraints limit access to vEEG, and clinicians lack fast and reliable screening tools to assist in the differential diagnosis with epileptic seizures (ES).

Psychiatric and psychological assessment of Spanish patients with drug-resistant epilepsy and psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) with no response to previous treatments.

Objective: Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) are common imitators of epileptic seizures. Refractoriness to antiseizure medication hinders the differential diagnosis between ES and PNES, carrying deleterious consequences in patients with PNES. Psychiatric and psychological characteristics may assist in the differential diagnosis between drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) and PNES.

Line-field confocal optical coherence tomography for high-resolution noninvasive imaging of skin tumors.

An optical technique called line-field confocal optical coherence tomography (LC-OCT) is introduced for high-resolution, noninvasive imaging of human skin in vivo. LC-OCT combines the principles of time-domain optical coherence tomography and confocal microscopy with line illumination and detection using a broadband laser and a line-scan camera. LC-OCT measures the echo-time delay and amplitude of light backscattered from cutaneous microstructures through low-coherence interferometry associated with confocal spatial filtering.

A new vision of actinic keratosis beyond visible clinical lesions.

In actinic keratosis (AK), clinical and subclinical lesions coexist across large areas of sun-exposed skin resulting in field cancerization. The lesions are part of a disease continuum which can progress into invasive squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Conventional biopsy sampling together with histopathological analysis of the excised tissue is still the gold standard for differentially diagnosing AK from invasive SCC and identifying the characteristic pathophysiological features of these lesions.

Bipolar disorder preceded by substance abuse: a different phenotype with not so poor outcome?

Background: The co-occurrence of bipolar disorder and substance use is frequent. The question whether substance use precedes, induces or follows bipolar disorder is still unresolved. Substance use has been typically represented as a negative prognostic factor for the clinical course of bipolar illness and it has been associated with decreased compliance and treatment resistance.

Functional outcome in bipolar disorder: the role of clinical and cognitive factors.

Introduction: Few studies have examined the clinical, neuropsychological and pharmacological factors involved in the functional outcome of bipolar disorder despite the gap between clinical and functional recovery.

Methods: A sample of 77 euthymic bipolar patients were included in the study. Using an a priori definition of low versus good functional outcome, based on the psychosocial items of the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF, DSM-IV), and taking also into account their occupational adaptation, the patients were divided into two groups: good or low occupational functioning.

Cognitive impairment in bipolar II disorder.

Background: Persistent impairments in neurocognitive function have been described in bipolar disorder.

Aims: To compare the cognitive performance of patients with bipolar II disorder with that of patients with bipolar I disorder and a healthy control group.

Method: The study included 71 euthymic patients with bipolar disorder (38 bipolar I, 33 bipolar II), who were compared on clinical and neuropsychological variables (e.