Search

3D trench silicon pixel sensors, recently developed by the TimeSPOT collaboration, have shown excellent performance in terms of spatial resolution, timing precision and detection efficiency. The combination of these three features make them one of the best candidate for inner tracking detectors operating in high luminosity hadron colliders experiments. This article presents systematic characterisations of these devices made with minimum ionising particles on irradiated sensors with neutrons up to 2.5 · 1016 1 MeV neq cm-2. The results show that 3D trench pixels have extremely high resistance to radiation. The measured time resolution and the detection efficiency of irradiated sensors match those of non-irradiated ones if a slightly higher bias voltage, few tens of Volts, is applied to the pixels. As of today, 3D trench pixels are the only sensors capable of achieving 10 ps time resolution after being irradiated at extremely high fluences, extending by far the capabilities of future tracking systems of HEP experiments operating under extreme conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Family history of Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common finding in PD patients. However, a few studies have systematically examined this aspect., Objectives: We investigated the family history of PD patients, comparing demographic and clinical features between familial PD (fPD) and sporadic PD (sPD)., Methods: A cross-sectional study enrolling 2035 PD patients was conducted in 28 Italian centers. Clinical data and family history up to the third degree of kinship were collected., Results: Family history of PD was determined in 21.9% of patients. fPD patients had earlier age at onset than sporadic patients. No relevant differences in the prevalence of motor and nonmotor symptoms were detected. Family history of mood disorders resulted more prevalently in the fPD group., Conclusions: fPD was found to recur more frequently than previously reported. Family history collection beyond the core family is essential to discover disease clusters and identify novel risk factors for PD., (© 2024 The Author(s). Movement Disorders Clinical Practice published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.)

Glioblastoma recurrence is currently inevitable despite extensive standard-of-care treatment. In preclinical studies, an alternative strategy of targeting tumor-associated macrophages and microglia through CSF-1R inhibition was previously found to regress established tumors and significantly increase overall survival. However, recurrences developed in ∼50% of mice in long-term studies, which were consistently associated with fibrotic scars. This fibrotic response is observed following multiple anti-glioma therapies in different preclinical models herein and in patient recurrence samples. Multi-omics analyses of the post-treatment tumor microenvironment identified fibrotic areas as pro-tumor survival niches that encapsulated surviving glioma cells, promoted dormancy, and inhibited immune surveillance. The fibrotic treatment response was mediated by perivascular-derived fibroblast-like cells via activation by transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) signaling and neuroinflammation. Concordantly, combinatorial inhibition of these pathways inhibited treatment-associated fibrosis, and significantly improved survival in preclinical trials of anti-colony-stimulating factor-1 receptor (CSF-1R) therapy., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests A.Z. is a current employee of Genmab; D.C. received consulting fees from Seed Biosciences S.A. and is a current employee of Novigenix; S.N. is a current employee of Roche Pharmaceuticals; A.F.H. has served on advisory boards and speaker’s bureau for Novocure and Bayer; M.E.H. has an advisory role at TME Pharma; J.A.J. received a speaker honorarium from Bristol Meyers Squibb, and served on the scientific advisory board of Pionyr Immunotherapeutics; J.A.J. and D.H. serve on the Cancer Cell editorial advisory board., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Dementia, depression, and cardiovascular disease are major public health concerns for older adults, requiring early intervention. This study investigates whether a virtual reality cognitive remediation program (VR-CR) can improve cognitive function and depressive symptoms in older adults, and determines the necessary sample size for future studies. Integrated VR and CR interventions have shown promising outcomes in older adults with neurodegenerative and mental health disorders., Methods: This secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial involves adults aged 58-75 years with bipolar disorder, excluding those with acute episodes, epilepsy, or severe eye diseases. The experimental group received standard treatment plus VR-CR, while the control group received only standard treatment., Results: No baseline differences were found between the experimental and control groups. No significant improvement was observed in the overall cognitive function test ( p = 0.897) or in depressive symptoms ( p = 0.322). A phase III efficacy study requires a sample size of 28 participants (alpha = 0.05, beta = 0.20)., Conclusions: VR-CR can potentially treat depressive symptoms in adults and older adults, but the results support conducting phase III studies to further investigate these outcomes. However, the improvement in cognitive performance in the elderly is less pronounced than in younger individuals.

Background: Despite the exposure to a wide combination of risk factors, evidence concerning risk of suicide among refugees is mixed., Aims: We aimed to establish more precise estimates of suicide and suicidal behavior in refugees and asylum seekers, investigate the role of somatic and psychiatric comorbidities, and the effectiveness of preventative interventions., Methods: We searched PubMed/Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, and PsycInfo without time limitations from inception until June 5, 2024. Studies were included if systematic reviews or meta-analyses reporting data on suicide or suicidal behavior in refugees or asylum seekers, or detailing the results of preventive interventions. Quality was assessed using the National Institutes of Health Quality Assessment Tool for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses., Results: Out of 49 papers, 10 systematic reviews and meta-analyses were included. Refugees showed significantly higher suicide death rates and suicidal ideation, suicide plan and suicide attempt prevalence compared to people living in the host countries. Refugees who arrived in low-income and lower-middle-income countries displayed lower suicidal ideation, but higher suicide death rates and suicide attempt prevalence compared to refugees who arrived in high-income and upper-middle-income countries. However, no review provided data regarding somatic comorbidity, psychiatric comorbidity, or the effectiveness of treatments, and evidence on specific categories of refugees is scarce., Conclusion: Refugees have been proven to be at risk for suicide and suicidal behavior. More research is required to identify the targets and procedures of intervention., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this article., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background/Objectives : Sleep disturbances often accompany mood disorders and persistent insomnia after mood symptoms have resolved may be a marker of poor outcome. The association between sleep symptoms and mood disorders seems to change with age and sex. This study aims to assess the frequency of depressive episodes and sleep disorders in the general population through an agile screening questionnaire and to evaluate the association of depressive episodes and sleep symptoms by sex and age categories. Methods : 774 women and 728 men from Sardinia aged > 16 years old were enrolled. The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) was administered through a computer-assisted telephonic interview. Results : The frequency of depressive episodes was double in women (10.6% vs. 4.4%; p < 0.0001), with the highest values in women > 75 yo (17.4%). The frequency of sleep dysregulation was double in women (18.7% vs. 9.6%; p < 0.0001), with the highest values in women > 75 yo (35.9%) and the lowest in the group of men > 75 yo. The group of young males showed the lowest frequency of depressive episodes (1.4%) and a frequency of sleep dysregulation (9.1%) similar to that of the other groups of age and sex. Sleep dysregulation without depressive episodes presented a higher distribution in the elderly, both in males (20.7%) and in females (18.5%). No significative differences were found across sex and age groups in the distribution of depressive episodes without sleep dysregulation. Conclusions : The use of an agile screener such as PHQ9 in the general population and/or in populations at risk can be a valuable tool in finding those individuals in whom sleep dysregulation may represent an early warning signal, one that may be thoroughly evaluated to identify and treat possible sleep disorders early.

Background: Bipolar disorder (BD) is a severe psychiatric illness characterized by a chronic course and recurrent episodes, including residual depressive symptoms even during euthymic phases. These symptoms, although not meeting criteria for a depressive episode, are linked to relapse risk and impaired social functioning. This study aims to assess whether Virtual Reality Cognitive Remediation Training reduces depressive symptoms below the clinical threshold in individuals with BD. Methods: This post hoc analysis focuses on the secondary outcome (PHQ9) of a randomized-controlled trial. Participants were recruited from the Center of Liaison Psychiatry and Psychosomatics in Italy. The experimental group received Virtual Reality Cognitive Remediation, while the control group received standard treatment Results: Data from 39 individuals in the experimental group and 25 in the control group were analyzed. A greater reduction in PHQ-9 scores (>9) was observed in the experimental group (71.8% to 48.7%) compared to the control group. Significant improvements in total PHQ-9 scores and specific symptoms were noted in the experimental group compared to the control group. Conclusions: The study highlights the significant impact of virtual reality intervention on reducing depressive symptoms in bipolar disorder. This promising outcome underscores the potential preventive role of cognitive stimulation in relapse prevention. The intervention could offer valuable benefits for both treatment and prevention strategies in bipolar disorder.

Introduction: This study explores the issue of paper-and-pencil screening tests for bipolar disorder, often leading to false positives. It discusses hypotheses that connect MDQ positivity with sleep disorders, a decline in health-related quality of life, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mood disorders. The study proposes that MDQ identifies a "Dysregulation of Mood, Energy, and Social Rhythms Syndrome" (DYMERS), indicating a stress-related condition. It aims to investigate the association between MDQ positivity and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in comparison to other chronic disorders., Methods: This case-control study, conducted from April 2019 to February 2020, investigated MDQ positivity in patients with SLE. Ethical approvals were obtained, and statistical analysis was used for data assessment., Results: This is a case-controlled study where MDQ positivity was significantly higher in systemic lupus erythematosus cases than controls. The analysis compared gender, age, and the presence of depressive episodes between MDQ-positive and MDQ-negative cases, revealing some differences but no significant variations. Interestingly, no association with high prednisone or biologics use was observed. The frequency of MDQ positivity in systemic lupus erythematosus was compared to other chronic pathologies, revealing varying associations with each condition., Conclusion: This study reveals a high rate of (MDQ) positivity in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), associated with the risk of bipolar disorder in SLE. Notable discrepancies in MDQ positivity risk factors between SLE and bipolar disorder are observed. The study emphasizes the ability of MDQ to identify a distinct syndrome characterized by rhythm dysregulation, posing a risk for bipolar disorder and other disorders., Competing Interests: Federica Sancassiani, Michele Fornaro, Giuseppe Carrà, and Antonio Egidio Nardi are the Editorial Advisory Board members, and Mauro Giovanni Carta is the Editor in Chief of the journal Clinical Practice & Epidemiology in Mental Health., (© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Bentham Open.)

Background: The community treatment order (CTO) is designed to deliver mental healthcare in the community and has been introduced in around 75 jurisdictions worldwide. It constitutes a legal obligation in which individuals with severe mental illness must adhere to out-of-hospital treatment plans. Despite intense criticism and the debated nature of published evidence, it has emerged as a clinical and policy response to frequent hospital readmissions and to enhance adherence in cases where there is refusal of pharmacological treatments. This systematic review outlines findings on CTO long-term adherence, after mandatory outpatient treatment has ended, in studies that include people with psychiatric disorders., Method: Following PRISMA guidelines, we performed a review of published articles from PubMed, PsycINFO, EMBASE, and CINAHL up to January 15, 2023. We included studies that assessed adherence after CTO ends. The study is registered with PROSPERO number CRD42022360879., Results: Six independent studies analyzing the main indicators of long adherence: engagement with services and medication adherence, were included. The average methodological quality of the studies included is fair. Long-term adherence was assessed over a period ranging from 11 to 28 months. Only two studies reported a statistically significant improvement. Regarding the remaining studies, no positive correlation was observed, except for certain subgroup samples, while in one study, medication adherence decreased., Conclusion: Scientific evidence supporting the hypothesis that CTO has a positive role on long-term adherence post-obligation is currently not sufficient. Given the importance of modern recovery-oriented approaches and the coercive nature of compulsory outpatient treatment, it is necessary that future studies ensure the role of CTO in effectively promoting adherence., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Several earlier studies showed a female predominance in idiopathic adult-onset dystonia (IAOD) affecting the craniocervical area and a male preponderance in limb dystonia. However, sex-related differences may result from bias inherent to study design. Moreover, information is lacking on whether sex-related differences exist in expressing other dystonia-associated features and dystonia spread., Objective: To provide accurate information on the relationship between sex differences, motor phenomenology, dystonia-associated features and the natural history of IAOD., Methods: Data of 1701 patients with IAOD from the Italian Dystonia Registry were analysed., Results: Women predominated over men in blepharospasm, oromandibular, laryngeal and cervical dystonia; the sex ratio was reversed in task-specific upper limb dystonia; and no clear sex difference emerged in non-task-specific upper limb dystonia and lower limb dystonia. This pattern was present at disease onset and the last examination. Women and men did not significantly differ for several dystonia-associated features and tendency to spread. In women and men, the absolute number of individuals who developed dystonia tended to increase from 20 to 60 years and then declined. However, when we stratified by site of dystonia onset, different patterns of female-to-male ratio over time could be observed in the various forms of dystonia., Conclusions: Our findings provide novel evidence on sex as a key mediator of IAOD phenotype at disease onset. Age-related sexual dimorphism may result from the varying exposures to specific age-related and sex-related environmental risk factors interacting in a complex manner with biological factors such as hormonal sex factors., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background : Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMs) is a chronic condition characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain and a range of complex symptoms, with chronic fatigue being a central feature significantly impacting daily life. The aim of this study was to analyze the secondary outcomes, specifically those related to perceived energy and fatigue symptoms in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) assessing the efficacy of heart rate variability biofeedback (HRV-BF) as an adjunctive treatment for FMs. Methods : Sixty-four FMs patients were randomly assigned to either receive 10 HRV-BF training sessions alongside standard pharmacological therapy (experimental group) or standard therapy alone for 10 weeks (control group). For this secondary analysis, potential improvements in specific items were evaluated regarding perceived energy (Item 10 of the Short-Form Health Survey), the ability to walk and climb stairs (Item 7 and Item 11 of the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, respectively), and the impact of pain on movement ability (Item 17 of the Bodily and Emotional Perception of Pain). Results : The experimental group demonstrated an improvement in the perception of energy, the ability to walk, and the impact of pain on movement ability. However, the same improvement was not observed in the ability to climb stairs. Conclusions : Fatigue assessment has emerged as a crucial factor for evaluating treatment efficacy in FMs and related conditions linked to altered energy levels, such as bipolar depression, and can offer valuable insights for precisely guiding HRV-BF treatments. ClinicalTrials.gov with code: NCT04121832.

Impaired numerosity perception in developmental dyscalculia (low "number acuity") has been interpreted as evidence of reduced representational precision in the neurocognitive system supporting non-symbolic number sense. However, recent studies suggest that poor numerosity judgments might stem from stronger interference from non-numerical visual information, in line with alternative accounts that highlight impairments in executive functions and visuospatial abilities in the etiology of dyscalculia. To resolve this debate, we used a psychophysical method designed to disentangle the contribution of numerical and non-numerical features to explicit numerosity judgments in a dot comparison task and we assessed the relative saliency of numerosity in a spontaneous categorization task. Children with dyscalculia were compared to control children with average mathematical skills matched for age, IQ, and visuospatial memory. In the comparison task, the lower accuracy of dyscalculics compared to controls was linked to weaker encoding of numerosity, but not to the strength of non-numerical biases. Similarly, in the spontaneous categorization task, children with dyscalculia showed a weaker number-based categorization compared to the control group, with no evidence of a stronger influence of non-numerical information on category choice. Simulations with a neurocomputational model of numerosity perception showed that the reduction of representational resources affected the progressive refinement of number acuity, with little effect on non-numerical bias in numerosity judgments. Together, these results suggest that impaired numerosity perception in dyscalculia cannot be explained by increased interference from non-numerical visual cues, thereby supporting the hypothesis of a core number sense deficit. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: A strongly debated issue is whether impaired numerosity perception in dyscalculia stems from a deficit in number sense or from poor executive and visuospatial functions. Dyscalculic children show reduced precision in visual numerosity judgments and weaker number-based spontaneous categorization, but no increasing reliance on continuous visual properties. Simulations with deep neural networks demonstrate that reduced neural/computational resources affect the developmental trajectory of number acuity and account for impaired numerosity judgments. Our findings show that weaker number acuity in developmental dyscalculia is not necessarily related to increased interference from non-numerical visual cues., (© 2024 The Author(s). Developmental Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Introduction: Gaucher's disease (GD) is caused by biallelic mutations in the GBA1 gene, leading to reduced glucocerebrosidase (GCase) activity and substrate (glucosylceramide and glucosylsphingosine, GlcSph) accumulation. GBA1 variant carriers are at risk of Parkinson's disease (PD), but only those with biallelic mutations cross the threshold of GCase reduction, leading to substrate accumulation and GD. The link between GBA1 mutations, GD and PD is not fully understood. Here we aimed at reporting the results of a large PD population screening with dried blood spot tests for GD., Methods: We measured GCase activity and GlcSph levels in 1344 PD patients with dried blood spot tests, and performed GBA1 genetic sequencing., Results: While the GCase activity was reduced in GBA1-PD carriers compared to wild type PD, GlcSph was increased in GBA1-PD compared to GBA1-controls, regardless of the underlying type of GBA1 variant. 13.6 % and 0.4 % of PD patients had mono- or biallelic GBA1 mutations respectively. GCase deficiency, lipid accumulation and clinical manifestations of GD was detected in five PD patients with biallelic GBA1 mutations, of whom four had a risk combined with a GD causing variant., Conclusions: GlcSph appearing higher in PD may represent a reliable biomarker of the disease and deserves to be further investigated. This study highlights the importance of screening PD patients for possible underlying GD, which is a treatable condition that should not be missed. We diagnosed GD cases carrying a "risk" variant in one allele, which is an unprecedented finding deserving further investigation., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Social rhythm dysregulation has been identified as a determining factor in bipolar disorder (BD) relapses. It directly impacts individuals' quality of life (QoL). This study aims to present preliminary data on the efficacy of an e-health psychoeducational intervention for BD for improving clinical outcomes. Methods: This study used an open-label, crossover, randomized controlled trial design. The inclusion criteria consisted of a BD diagnosis, affiliation with the Consultation Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Center at the University Hospital in Cagliari, Italy, age over 18, and the obtaining of informed consent. Anxiety and depressive symptoms, QoL, and social and biological rhythms were measured using standardized instruments validated in Italian. Results: A total of 36 individuals were included in the experimental group (EG) and 18 in the control group (CG). The final sample consisted of 25 in the EG and 14 in the CG. A statistically significant improvement in QoL was found in the EG post-treatment ( p = 0.011). Significant correlations were found between QoL and the dysregulation of biorhythms in the EG at T0 ( p = 0.0048) and T1 ( p = 0.0014). Conclusions: This study shows that, during extreme distress, an e-health group psychoeducation intervention for people with BD could significantly improve the perception of QoL. The results must be confirmed by studies conducted with larger-sized samples.

Objective: Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMs) is a chronic, musculoskeletal pain disorder characterized by sleep disturbances, fatigue, and cognitive dysfunction. Heart rate variability biofeedback (HRV-BF) aiming to improve self-regulation and strengthen the parasympathetic nervous system has been shown to be effective in several pain syndromes, but its efficacy in FMs has not been adequately investigated. This Phase II trial aimed to assess the feasibility and preliminary measurement of the improvement induced by HRV-BF in FMs., Methods: Sixty-four patients with FMs were recruited. Patients were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (EG) or the control group (CG). The EG received 10 HRV-BF training sessions in addition to pharmacological standard therapy. The CG received standard therapies for 10 weeks. The FMs impact on daily life, sleep regularity, sense of coherence, depression symptoms and pain has been assessed as primary outcomes, quality of life as secondary., Result: 23 (71.9%) of EG patients completed the intervention and 20 (62.5%) of the CG were re-evaluated at time T1. No side effects were reported. It was not found any statistical differences between groups over time in primary and secondary outcomes., Conclusions: The HRV-BF intervention did not demonstrate efficacy in both primary and secondary outcomes. However, it is quite feasible in terms of drop-out rate and side effects. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to determine its actual efficacy., Clinicaltrials: gov with code: NCT04121832., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: Awake craniotomy (AC) is recommended for the resection of tumors in eloquent areas. It is traditionally performed under monitored anesthesia care (MAC), which relies on hypnotics and opioids. Hypnosis-assisted AC (HAAC) is an emerging technique that aims to provide psychological support while reducing the need for pharmacological sedation and analgesia. We aimed to compare the characteristics and outcomes of patients who underwent AC under HAAC or MAC., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical, anesthetic, surgical, and neuropsychological data of patients who underwent awake surgical resection of eloquent brain tumors under HAAC or MAC. We used Mann-Whitney U tests, Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, and repeated-measures analyses of variance to identify statistically significant differences at the 0.05 level., Results: A total of 22 patients were analyzed, 14 in the HAAC group and 8 in the MAC group. Demographic, radiological, and surgical characteristics as well as postoperative outcomes were similar. Patients in the HAAC group received less remifentanil ( p = 0.047) and propofol ( p = 0.002), but more dexmedetomidine ( p = 0.025). None of them received ketamine as a rescue analgesic. Although patients in the HAAC group experienced higher levels of perioperative pain ( p < 0.05), they reported decreasing stress levels ( p = 0.04) and greater levels of satisfaction (p = 0.02)., Conclusion: HAAC is a safe alternative to MAC as it reduces perioperative stress and increases overall satisfaction. Further research is necessary to assess whether hypnosis is clinically beneficial.

Cell therapy for muscular dystrophy has met with limited success, mainly due to the poor engraftment of donor cells, especially in fibrotic muscle at an advanced stage of the disease. We developed a cell-mediated exon skipping that exploits the multinucleated nature of myofibers to achieve cross-correction of resident, dystrophic nuclei by the U7 small nuclear RNA engineered to skip exon 51 of the dystrophin gene. We observed that co-culture of genetically corrected human DMD myogenic cells (but not of WT cells) with their dystrophic counterparts at a ratio of either 1:10 or 1:30 leads to dystrophin production at a level several folds higher than what predicted by simple dilution. This is due to diffusion of U7 snRNA to neighbouring dystrophic resident nuclei. When transplanted into NSG-mdx-Δ51mice carrying a mutation of exon 51, genetically corrected human myogenic cells produce dystrophin at much higher level than WT cells, well in the therapeutic range, and lead to force recovery even with an engraftment of only 3-5%. This level of dystrophin production is an important step towards clinical efficacy for cell therapy., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

A few earlier observations and recent controlled studies pointed to the possible contribution of thyroid diseases in idiopathic adult-onset dystonia (IAOD). The aim of this study was to investigate the association between thyroid status and clinical characteristics of IAOD, focusing on dystonia localization, spread, and associated features such as tremors and sensory tricks. Patients were identified from those included in the Italian Dystonia Registry, a multicentre dataset of patients with adult-onset dystonia. The study population included 1518 IAOD patients. Patients with hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism were compared with those without any thyroid disease. In the 1518 IAOD patients, 167 patients (11%; 95% CI 9.5-12.6%) were diagnosed with hypothyroidism and 42 (2.8%; 95% CI 1.99-3.74) with hyperthyroidism. The three groups were comparable in age at dystonia onset, but there were more women than men in the groups with thyroid disease. Analysing the anatomical distribution of dystonia, more patients with blepharospasm were present in the hyperthyroidism group, but the difference did not reach statistical significance after the Bonferroni correction. The remaining dystonia-affected body sites were similarly distributed in the three groups, as did dystonia-associated features and spread. Our findings provided novel information indicating that the high rate of thyroid diseases is not specific for any specific dystonia subpopulation and does not appear to influence the natural history of the disease., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature.)

Background : The disruption of social rhythms was found to be associated with depressive disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic; lower rates of these disorders were surprisingly found in old adults. The present study aims to verify the stability of social rhythms during lockdown in a sample of elderly people. Methods : Controlled cohort study (secondary analyses) of a previous randomized-controlled trial with the first evaluation in April 2019 (T0) and then 48 weeks later (T1) during the lockdown. The regulation of social and behavioral rhythms was measured through the Brief Social Rhythms Scale (BSRS); the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ9) was adopted to detect relevant depressive symptoms. Results : 93 elderlies (73.36 ± 4.97 years old, 50.5% females) were evaluated at T0 and T1. Neither the total score of BSRS nor any of the 10 items showed a statistically significant difference comparing the two survey periods. The frequency of relevant depressive symptoms was 5.3% at T0 and 6.4% at T1 (OR = 0.8, CI95% 0.2-24). Conclusions : Among elderlies who did not show an increased risk of depression during the lockdown, social and behavioral rhythms remained exceptionally stable during the same period. Considering previous evidence about rhythms dysregulation preceding depression, their stability may be considered a factor of resilience.

Purpose: Intrathecal vasoactive drugs have been proposed in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) to manage cerebral vasospasm (CV). We analyzed the efficacy of intracisternal nicardipine compared to intraventricular administration to a control group (CG) to determine its impact on delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) and functional outcomes. Secondary outcomes included the need for intra-arterial angioplasties and the safety profile., Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data of all adult patients admitted for a high modified Fisher grade aSAH between January 2015 and April 2022. All patients with significant radiological CV were included. Three groups of patients were defined based on the CV management: cisternal nicardipine (CN), ventricular nicardipine (VN), and no intrathecal nicardipine (control group)., Results: Seventy patients met the inclusion criteria. Eleven patients received intracisternal nicardipine, 18 intraventricular nicardipine, and 41 belonged to the control group. No cases of DCI were observed in the CN group (p = 0.02). Patients with intracisternal nicardipine had a reduced number of intra-arterial angioplasties when compared to the control group (p = 0.03). The safety profile analysis showed no difference in complications across the three groups. Intrathecal (ventricular or cisternal) nicardipine therapy improved functional outcomes at 6 months (p = 0.04) when compared to the control group., Conclusion: Administration of intrathecal nicardipine for moderate to severe CV reduces the rate of DCI and improved long-term functional outcomes in patients with high modified Fisher grade aSAH. This study also showed a relative benefit of cisternal over intraventricular nicardipine, thereby reducing the number of angioplasties performed in the post-treatment phase. However, these preliminary results should be confirmed with future prospective studies., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

We investigate an unexplored type of nonlinear impairments that will take place in a very short fiber after the booster amplifier in a Free Space Optical (FSO) system for space communications. In Earth-satellite links, optical power levels up to 100 W could be required at the transmitter side to achieve the foreseen 100 Gbit/s capacity, because of the extremely high losses. These systems thus need an optical booster amplifier having very high optical power and it should be connected to the transmitting telescope by means of a short fiber (few meters). Here, we discuss and investigate the impact of the nonlinear fiber effects by means of numerical simulations, and estimate the impairments in a Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) 10 × 10 Gbit/s system with intensity modulation. The obtained results clearly indicate that, in this system, the most relevant effect is Four Wave Mixing. We proved that this can be observed as soon as the total power exceeds 20 W. Due to the short fiber length, the system impairments are not affected by chromatic dispersion or channel spacing. We demonstrate that an effective means to reduce the impact is by adopting Polarization Interleaving, i.e., odd and even channels with orthogonal state of polarization. This solution could not work in long terrestrial links because of polarization mode dispersion, yet it can be effectively exploited in short fiber patch cords. These results can be used as a guideline to control this type of impairment in high-power FSO systems for satellite links.

The respect for human rights in mental health care services significantly contributes to organizational well-being and is evolving into an actual benchmark of quality standards. This study assesses the perception of the respect for human rights for users and staff, as well as organizational and job satisfaction among mental health professionals in three South American countries, through the well-being at work and respect for human rights (WWRR) questionnaire and assesses whether there are significant differences. Seven mental health facilities in Argentina, Colombia, and Peru were involved in this observational study. The sample comprised 310 mental health professionals. The three countries exhibited differences in WWRR, particularly in the staff's satisfaction with resources for care (η 2 = 0.166) and staff's satisfaction with organizational aspects (η 2 = 0.113). Colombia had the lowest scores in these factors but the highest in the perception of the respect for human rights for users and staff, although this difference did not reach a statistical significance. Despite the progress made in recent years towards coercion-free medical standards and an increased focus on mental health polices in Latin American countries, there is a need to enhance the quality standards of mental health services, recognizing the value that the respect for human rights holds for the organizational well-being of both mental health users and professionals.

Background: Extensive research has explored SLE's impact on health-related quality of life (H-QoL), especially its connection with mental wellbeing. Recent evidence indicates that depressive syndromes significantly affect H-QoL in SLE. This study aims to quantify SLE's impact on H-QoL, accounting for comorbid depressive episodes through case-control studies., Methods: A case-control study was conducted with SLE patients (meeting the ACR/EULAR 2019 criteria of age ≥ 18). The control group was chosen from a community database. H-QoL was measured with the SF-12 questionnaire, and PHQ-9 was used to assess depressive episodes., Results: SLE significantly worsened H-QoL with an attributable burden of 5.37 ± 4.46. When compared to other chronic diseases, only multiple sclerosis had a worse impact on H-QoL. Major depressive episodes had a significant impact on SLE patients' H-QoL, with an attributable burden of 9.43 ± 5.10, similar to its impact on solid cancers but greater than its impact on other diseases., Conclusions: SLE has a comparable impact on QoL to serious chronic disorders. Concomitant depressive episodes notably worsened SLE patients' QoL, exceeding other conditions, similar to solid tumors. This underscores the significance of addressing mood disorders in SLE patients. Given the influence of mood disorders on SLE outcomes, early identification and treatment are crucial.