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Although the end of the critical phase of the COVID-19 pandemic has been declared, its consequences are still observed in the general population and some categories of workers. HCWs have had to face the battle against this disease on the front lines. In our study, we evaluated the current state of the consequences of the pandemic on compassion fatigue, loneliness, empathy, anxiety, and hopelessness in a group of 71 HCWs from a rehabilitation center. This data, collected in the time of May-June 2024 (T2), was compared in the same sample in 2020 (T0) and 2023 (T1). The results highlighted increased burnout (P-Bonferroni: 0.005) and feelings of loneliness in T2 (P-Bonferroni: 0.005). Importantly, the results of the compassion satisfaction remained stable, providing reassurance about the resilience of HCWs. Secondary Trauma results decreased in T2, indicating less psychological pressure associated with COVID-19 pathology.

The negative symptoms of schizophrenia are responsible for patients' worse quality of life. The association with cognitive deficits impairs clinical and psychopathological conditions. Our small 5-year observational study evaluated the efficacy of clozapine in negative and cognitive symptoms in schizophrenia inpatients. The overall results showed a significant improvement in the mean total scores of the BNSS and PANSS (at baseline (T0) vs five years (T3)). The improvement was also in some negative subscales (PANSS Negative Factor subscale) but not in others and the Epitrack tool. The overall results showed that clozapine is a useful therapeutic tool that does not affect the cognitive decline of these patients.

Alterations in the metabolic profile are one of the main consequences of the use of drug therapies in psychiatric patients. In particular, dysfunction of the metabolic profile (lipid and glycidic) is very frequent in patients taking antipsychotics, especially second-generation ones, and antidepressants. Similar alterations, albeit, to a lesser extent, were highlighted with the use of mood stabilizers. There are some clinical conditions in which clinicians add antipsychotics and mood stabilizers. Our study analyzed this interaction in 116 inpatients. Data showed an overall increase in metabolic parameters in all patients analyzed. However, no statistically significant differences were found in some subgroups of patients. The correlation between metabolic alterations and cognitive dysfunctions in these patients was also analyzed (not statistically significant).

Patients with schizophrenia have profound and disabling cognitive deficits while negative symptoms represent a separate symptom domain, with respect to depression, neurocognition, and social cognition. Particularly, primary negative symptoms of schizophrenia represent a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge, In this study we try to evaluate the cognitive symptoms in 51 primary negative schizophrenic inpatients by the administration of simple, fast and understandable scales (MMSE, DSST, EpiTrack, PANSS cognitive factor). We also evaluate the correlation with some SGAs (aripiprazole, quetiapine, olanzapine, paliperidone). Our results support the evidence of the use of simple, rapid and acceptable scales for cognitive evaluation in clinical practice. Overall data indicate no statistically significant variations of the negative symptomatology in all the examined sample, although a reduction of the statistical averages in each group is observed (paliperidone and olanzapine, particularly).