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A focal cryo-injury to the testis, in normal rabbits, gives rise to a moderately severe inflammatory reaction, with histiolymphocytic and eosinophilic infiltration in the target organ, which ends, within a month of inflicting the injury, with fibrous replacement of the necrotic tissue and functional restitution of the gonad. The same cryo-injury, in rabbits primed by the progressive destruction of the contralateral gonad, produces, as reported here, an intense reaction in the target gland, characterized by the early presence of lymphocytic perivascular cuffs and histiocytes, and, later on, by the development of giant cells, epithelioid tuberdes and plasmacytic infiltrates. Within a month of inflicting the injury, a caseous necrosis spreads out from the core the lesion to the whole gland, leading to its irreversible destruction. No circulating antibodies are detected in either of the two cases. These two strikingly different reactions to the same stimulus may be interpreted as being a primary and a secondary immune response, the latter given by animals whose immunological status has been altered by a sensitizing treatment. This result indicates the immunological basis of the reaction elicited by the physical destruction of the male rabbit gonad and gives additional proof of the autoantigenic properties of this organ. The apparent lack of circulating antibodies from the response is consistent with reports of other experimental autoallergic conditions in the testis elicited without the use of adjuvants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By the indirect immunofluorescence technique three distinct guinea-pig spermatozoal autoantigens named S, P and T have been localized. Autoantigens is present on proacrosomal granules, acrosomal granules, acrosome and head cap of spermatids and spermatozoa. Autoantigen P is present on the same formations except the head cap. Autoantigen T is also localized on acrosomes and head caps but probably on their membranes as well as on the cytoplasmic membranes of spermatozoa and spermatids. These three autoantigens are testis specific since they were not found in other organs in guinea-pigs; moreover S was detected on the acrosomal apparatus in rabbits, rats and mice. The natural antispermatozoal antibodies found in guinea-pig serum do not combine with autoantigens S and P, but the possibility that they could react with autoantigen T is considered. The cytological localization of S, P and T together with their previously described physicochemical and immunological properties allow a tentative explanation of their in vitro and in vivo immunopathological properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Communication between patients and mental health professionals by means of messaging platforms in the interval between synchronous encounters became a kind of asynchronous teleconsultation (AT) whose usefulness and effect on providers’ workload have not been explored. Method: Mental health providers working in Argentina were invited to answer a survey exploring the intensity and usefulness of AT, and the resulting overload., Results: A total of 527 responses from professionals working throughout the country were received. As much as 69% of respondents exchanged messages with a mean of 1-10 patients/day and 31% with more than 10 patients/day; 75% answered messages over mobile phones on weekends. While 68% rated these interactions as positive for clinical follow-up, 47% considered them as a source of work overload., Conclusions: The generalized adoption of AT may require additional self-regulation by clinicians and regular monitoring of overload levels (particularly, among psychiatrists) to make their daily clinical practice efficient and sustainable., (CC BY NC ND)

Background: Affective polarization and stigma toward individuals with schizophrenia and toward immigrants in Argentina are not new despite its importance and dissemination. However, no research has been conducted taking into consideration political partisanship and attitudes toward these groups., Aims: Political polarization and attitudes toward socialization across party lines are studied in conjunction with attitudes toward immigrants and toward individuals with schizophrenia., Method: Individuals from Buenos Aires ( n  = 712) were surveyed for their political partisanship and their attitudes toward Peruvian and Bolivian immigrants, people with schizophrenia and partisans from the opposing political party. A modified version of the Bogardus scale was used., Results: Social distance was from highest to lowest toward people with schizophrenia, political opponents, and immigrants. Individuals with schizophrenia were strongly discriminated against by most participants: 86% would definitely or probably not want them to take care of their children, 83% would not want them to be their healthcare provider, and 81% would not want to marry them. Immigrants were comparatively not discriminated against: 10% would not want them to take care of their children, 8% would not want to receive health care from them, and 28% would not want to marry them. Cristina Fernández de Kirchner partisans showed the lowest level of discrimination toward these two groups, compared to Mauricio Macri partisans and to independent voters. However, the former group had greater discriminatory attitudes toward Mauricio Macri partisans than the latter., Conclusions: As compared to other discriminatory attitudes, discrimination toward persons with schizophrenia is widespread and pervasive. Lower levels of discrimination toward people with schizophrenia and toward immigrants would not predict attitudes toward the opposing political partisans.

COVID-19 has accelerated the transformations of teleworking, generating conditions of great opportunities and terrible threats. The digital divide deepens inequities and exploitation, where the most unprotected countries and the most vulnerable populations are closer to the abyss Digital changes have formatted new modes of care, which are constantly changing and present new challenges to find their scope and limits., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Objective: To estimate the 12-month prevalence of mental health services utilization (overall and by type of service sector), the adequacy of treatment provided, and sociodemographic correlates in the Argentinean Study of Mental Health Epidemiology (ASMHE)., Methods: The ASMHE is a multistage probability household sample representative of adults in urban areas of Argentina. The World Health Organization World Mental Health Composite International Diagnostic Interview (WMH-CIDI) was used to evaluate psychiatric diagnosis and service utilization., Results: Among those with a disorder, 27.6% received any treatment in the prior 12 months. Of these, 78.3% received minimally adequate treatment using a broad definition and only 43.6% using a stringent definition. For individuals with a disorder, more services were provided by mental health professionals (17.7%) than by general medical professionals (11.5%) or non-healthcare sectors (2.6%). Younger individuals with low education and income were less likely to receive treatment; those never married and those with an anxiety or mood disorder were more likely to receive treatment. Among those in treatment, treatment was least adequate among younger individuals with low education and low income., Conclusions: Policies to increase access to services for mental health disorders in Argentina are needed, as is training for primary care practitioners in the early detection and treatment of psychiatric disorders.

In this paper we report the findings of the first "Epidemiological study of mental health in the general population of Argentina" in the framework of the World Mental Health Survey Initiative WHO / Harvard, in collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Buenos Aires and the Asociación de Psiquiatras Argentinos (APSA) with funding from the Ministry of Health. Methodology: A multistage probabilistic household survey was conducted using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). The survey was conducted on 3,927 people aged 18 and over (no age limit), with fixed residence in one of the eight largest urban areas in the country (Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Corrientes-Resistencia, Mendoza, Neuquén, Rosario, Salta and Tucumán), representing approximately 50.1% of the adults living in the country. The response rate was 77%. Results: The lifetime prevalence of any mental disorder in the general population of Argentina over 18 years of age was 29.1% and the projected life risk up to 75 years of age was 37.1%. The disorders with the highest life prevalence were Major Depressive Disorder (8.7%), Alcohol Abuse Disorder (8.1%) and Specific Phobia (6.8%). Anxiety Disorders were the most prevalent group (16.4%), followed by Mood Disorders (12.3%), Substance Disorders (10.4%), and Impulse Control Disorders (2.5%). The prevalence in the last 12 months of any mental disorder was 14.8%, a quarter of wich were classified as severe. 11.6% received treatment in the previous 12 months and only 30.2% of those who suffered a severe disorder received it. The results provide essential data for health planning and implementation and the training of the mental health workforce.

Purpose: There is disregard in the scientific literature for the evaluation of psychiatric in-patient care as rated directly by patients. In this context, we aimed to explore satisfaction of people treated in mental health in-patient facilities. The project was a part of the Young Psychiatrist Program by the Association for the Improvement of Mental Health Programmes., Methods: This is an international multicentre cross-sectional study conducted in 25 hospitals across 11 countries. The research team at each study site approached a consecutive target sample of 30 discharged patients to measure their satisfaction using the five-item study-specific questionnaire. Individual and institution level correlates of 'low satisfaction' were examined by comparisons of binary and multivariate associations in multilevel regression models., Results: A final study sample consisted of 673 participants. Total satisfaction scores were highly skewed towards the upper end of the scale, with a median total score of 44 (interquartile range 38-48) out of 50. After taking clustering into account, the only independent correlates of low satisfaction were schizophrenia diagnosis and low psychiatrist to patient ratio., Conclusion: Further studies on patients' satisfaction should additionally pay attention to treatment expectations formed by the previous experience of treatment, service-related knowledge, stigma and patients' disempowerment, and power imbalance.

We show the results of a survey on bipolar depression treatment using a sample of 359 argentine psychiatrists in the context of The National Psychiatry Congress that took place in the City of Buenos Aires, between September 26th and 29th, 2007. The objective was to study the attendant psychiatrists' prescribing habits in the treatment of bipolar depression. The discussion is based on the comparison between the answers and the recommendations taken from the main consensus, guidelines and from articles published by experts. The differences found point to the distance often present between guidelines and expert consensus series (based on patients meeting the strict criteria used in randomized controlled studies) on one hand, and a clinician's everyday real world practice, on the other hand.

The present paper discusses the concepts of category and dimension in the field of Psychiatry. As the need for a taxonomy is widely accepted, a broad review is offered of the present debate in its historical background, revolving around what mostly appears as a dichotomy between category and dimension. The classical descriptions of psychiatric entities, of categorial linneage, have had and still have unquestionable weight in clinical practice and even in the construction of Psychiatry as a medical speciality. Its limitations, especially since the most recent versions of the DSM appeared, have given lieu both to objections and to new proposals, themselves not extent of conflict and limitations of their own. Lastly, the authors suggest that the problem is wrongly posed when presented in terms of an "either/or" disjunctive.