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Summary: Background. Pain is one of the most common symptoms that weighs on life's quality and health expenditure. In a reality in which increasingly personalized therapies are needed, the early use of genetic tests that highlight the individual response to analgesic drugs could be a valuable help in clinical practice helping to reduce response times, to achieve a good level of analgesia and to reduce the risk of side effects and adverse events. The study aims to confront the clinical response to analgesic drugs with the result of pharmacogenetic testing in patients with persistent pain. Methods. This preliminary study compares the genetic results of pharmacological effectiveness and tolerability analyzed with a Pharmacogenetic Test with the results obtained in clinical practice in 5 patients suffering from acute and chronic pain. Results. Regarding the genetic results of the 5 samples analyzed, 2 reports were found to be completely comparable to what found in clinical practice, while 3 reports showed that the profile of tolerability and effectiveness were partially discordant. Conclusions. In light of the data, not completely overlapping with results observed in clinical practice, further studies would be appropriate in order to acquire more information on the use of the PGT in clinical practice., Competing Interests: The authors of this article have no conflict of interests to disclose., (Copyright© by GIMLE.)

Background: Both integration and sealing over have been identified as global, clinically distinct recovery styles from the psychotic illness. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between recovery style, symptoms and global functioning in psychotic patients., Methods: 106 psychiatric patients in different phases of recovery were studied (no patient at the first episode in our sample). The Integration/Sealing Over Scale, the Recovery Style Questionnaire, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale and the Life Skills Profile were completed for all patients; moreover, socio-demographic and clinical data were collected., Results: A relationship was found between the integrative recovery style and age >45 years (p<0.05), integration and affective disorders (p<0.05), delusions and sealing over (p<0.05)., Conclusions: Although the limited study sample, our findings suggest some predictors of integration which should be taken into consideration to "drive" patients toward an integrative recovery style after an acute psychotic episode.

Aim: Aim of this study was to investigate metabolic effects of second generation antipsychotics (SGA) in drug naïve patients., Methods: we included patients with psychotic disorders who were treated for the first time with a SGA. We evaluate anthropometric and metabolic data at baseline, after three months and after a year., Results: it was found a statistical significant increase in body weight, waist circumference, heart rate and glucose from the third month of treatment., Conclusions: although the limited sample this study confirmed the importance of monitoring patients treated for the first time with SGA.

Aim of the study was to investigate polypharmacy and psychotropic drugs as risk factors for falls in a Long-term Care Setting for elderly patients. In a cross-sectional study we investigated the characteristics of 414 subjects: 207 fallen patients 44 (21.3%) male e 163 (78.7%) female mean age 84.16 +/- 8.3 y.o. First generation neuroleptics (OR 1.739 CI 95% 1.047-2.889), benzodiazepines (OR 2.357 CI 95% 1.5-3.702) and mood stabilizers (OR 1.889 CI 95% 1.091-3.270) were associated to falls when adjusted for age, sex and comorbidities. Polypharmacotherapy (> or = 4 drugs) was a risk factor for falls when associated to a risk medication in the daily regimen only (OR 2.157 CI 95% 1.447-3.217). What raised has to be taken into account in the prescriptive activities in a Long term Care Setting for elderly patients.

In the history of psychology, psychoanalysis and psychiatry, the concept of insight has had alternate fortunes and has been variously interpreted according to the observation apex from which it has been studied. In psychiatry, particularly, the insight has been considered close to the concept of disease consciouness and, consequently, the presence and the degree of intensity of insight have been put in relation with the adhesion to the treatments (the compliance) and the prognostic development of the mental disorders. With regard to the insight, through the analysis of several interpretative models, the authors emphasize how to draw the history of a possible passage of this concept from the side of individual psychopathology to the bi-personal side of therapeutic relationship, where the insight of the patient meets regarding its desease and that of the therapeutist regarding the objects of the treatment.

The borderline personality disorders are very frequent in modern society because of cultural and social reasons. The authors analyze the disturbed mental processes (impulsiveness and memory) because they represent risk factors for the treatment of diseases. On the base of experience of consultation-liaison psychiatry, the authors show some guidelines in the medical practice (primary care and general hospital) in order to overcome the troubles of the treatment.